The Road Not Taken

I've always admired people who knew exactly what they wanted; to have a resolute decision and know that it is right- that is something that, with me, has always been easier said than done.
In the pool tonight after dinner, we met a man who told us that it took him thirty years to know what he wanted: to join the Coast Guard. As he tells it, he says he was on a boat about 35 miles off of the Florida shore, and the boat began to sink. Another boat nearby saved him and his fellow passengers, and although it wasn't the most heroic rescue, he thanked God for it. And it led to an epiphany. He wanted to save people from drowning, as he might have had not the other boat been nearby.
Excited to fulfill his dream, he went to enlist in the Coast Guard. Apparently to be in the Coast Guard, one must enlist before his or her 27th birthday. He was thirty.

Stories like these tend to fire up the rusty, semi-functional gears in my brain and make me evaluate what I want in life. After all, I need to know what I'm going to do, or else it might be too late. The hard part, though, is that life does not work this way- at least not for most people. We may plan our entire lives, but end up on a completely different path than we ever expected. We may be called to do something extraordinary- or quite ordinary- when we never expected to be called at all. As I've been reading in McCullough's excellent book, John Adams, sometimes a common, unsuspecting man ends up forging a new nation.
The cure for this unpredictable life we lead is simple: trust in God to lead you in the direction you are meant for. I've learned firsthand that the worst mistake we can make is to think that we have it all figured out- indeed, that we control it, that mysterious stuff that constitutes our future.

The poem "The Road Not Taken" comes to mind (see below). It hails the peculiarities of life that render us traveling down roads we never could have asked for or imagined.

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth; 5

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same, 10

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back. 15

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. 20

Dream- know what you want to do. But always remember who is in control.

"The Dash"

One of my favorite teachers taught our class a lesson last week, and in some cases I think a few of us became inspired to live differently.

He showed us a video (link below) called “The Dash,” which brings to attention a crucial question in life: how will we live our years- the “dash” between the day we are born and the day we die?

Peter has advice regarding this question. In 1 Peter, he begins by exclaiming “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God” (1:3, 4:1-2). There is little mystery in this: Peter urges us to live our lives for Christ.

Before we delve into the many ways in which to live for Christ, let’s look at how Christ lived his life. We have very few glimpses into his childhood, but we know he was a gentle and conscientious young Jew, who possessed exceptional knowledge of the Scriptures and always asked probing questions to Pharisees, teachers of the law, and common people alike. He taught people as he travelled, picking up twelve disciples and many followers, and healed every person he came into contact with. Then, as we celebrate this weekend, he shared the Last Supper before we was condemned, crucified, and resurrected.

Kind of a hard act to follow…

Although impossible for humans to imitate completely, Jesus’ use of his “dash” serves to compel us to live each day better than the one which preceded it. One of the challenges of this is that our time on earth is finite, and we do not know exactly how finite until it is too late. Peter comments on this as well, instructing us: “Do not forget this one thing, dear friends: with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:8-9).

Thank you, Jesus, for using your dash in a way that saved us all.

How will you live your dash?

Link: "The Dash" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsY6UrFIsNs

Awareness

There’s a cheesiness inherent in writing any January blog post concerning “New Year’s Resolutions,” especially as I believe they are a pitiful sham or, at best, a half-baked attempt on the part of an usually well-meaning individual to make him or her self do something which he or she had not the gumption to do when it actually became necessary (say, in March or August). However, regardless of this truth, there is a lesson in Ezekiel 22 that should be implemented in each of our lives this year and for the years following- whether you choose to add this to your list of Resolutions is a matter entirely of choice.*

The title of chapter 22 seems intimidating when first caught by the eye; entitled “Jerusalem’s Sins,” it indeed describes the severe disobedience of the people and the grim consequences of such actions. Phrases such as “O city that brings on herself doom by shedding blood in her midst” (verse three) and “I will gather you and I will blow on you with my fiery wrath” (verse twenty-one) add serious layers, effectively conveying the gravity of the people’s sins to the reader. Perhaps some context will help here- in fact, forsaking context is one of the main reasons why people often misread the Bible. The book of Ezekiel was written by the prophet, Ezekiel, and the preceding chapters explain in more detail the ways in which the people have enraged God. While the chapter is permeated by a descriptive account of these sins and their ramifications, the ending two verses are particularly notable because they offer a solution that the people could have taken to prevent this divine wrath. Verse 30 reads (and the LORD is speaking here): “I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.” A few interesting points appear in these mere thirty-seven words. One is the fact that God says he looked for “a man,” which, if interpreted in accordance with English grammatical standards, means “one man.” I cannot recall the last time I read about a great ruler or even a millionaire or CEO change the expected course of action based upon the fortitude of one person. Those who doubt God’s benevolence need look no further, as it is apparent here. God did not want to punish the people arbitrarily or because he derived some sick enjoyment from it, but because there was not a single person among them who could honestly claim innocence in the situation. Another point is that God speaks of this man building up a wall and standing before him in the gap on behalf of the land. Read over once, this may be missed, but taking another look, the reader envisages a tall brick wall with a courageous person standing atop it saying “God, I know you have every right to destroy this town, but I am wondering if you could please reconsider, based upon the fact that I have not done anything wrong, and that maybe, if given the chance, I could be used by You to help some of my neighbors do right again.” One righteous person could have bridged the gap between God’s wrath and the sinful people.

The word “gap” recalls an interesting phrase in my mind: “Mind the Gap.” A primarily British saying (as far as I have heard), it refers to the Tube (the British Subway train system) and the fact that if one does not “mind the gap” when boarding, one may easily slip and step onto the tracks, causing a very perilous situation. The gap is a danger to the passengers, but it must be crossed in order to enter or exit the train. Indulge me for a moment while I stretch this thought:

Our lives on earth are the gap. On one side we have sin, which is all we have until we decide to follow God; on the other side, we have either a) eternal life, a reward for following his Word and helping to further his kingdom, or b) eternal hell, a punishment for either not following him or turning our backs on him after first joining him. We live in sin until we accept salvation from God- in effect, bridging the gap. If one mere person in Jerusalem had correctly bridged this gap, God’s wrath would not have burned against the people, for he would have used this person to restore them to himself once more.

Perhaps the best way to bridge the gap is to be aware of the necessity of it. Awareness is a powerful tool for change. The mother of Christine Green, the 9-year-old killed in the Saturday Tuscon shooting, expressed her desire for us to be aware of the incredible danger of people like Loughner (the gunman), who is both medically imbalanced and mentally deranged. In our own lives we must be aware, but also in the larger context of our society- one that is rapidly degrading. There is no specified time or place for this; it is an ongoing cause that must be taken up by all of us. While you are making your New Year’s Resolutions, or re-working them from the past week, or whatever it may be, add “being aware of ways to bridge the gap” to your list. Pray about it, and God will show you how you can implement it.

*As a sidenote, I apologize if I offended anybody who is in favor of New Year’s Resolutions. For some they are powerful motivators, and for others, quite ineffective. I guess it is what you make of it.

Jessica Schildt's Issue Paper. Nov 2010

Merriam-Webster defines “deficit” as “an excess of expenditure over revenue.” In layman’s terms, this means spending more money than is generated. There is a clear division between liberal and conservative ideologies concerning the deficit. Inevitably, a citizen’s political ideology has enormous bearing upon his or her view of the deficit and the means of solving it. Recent and future policy will definitely include decisions concerning the deficit and deficit spending, as it is an issue heavily debated at present. For instance, deciding whether or not to extend the tax cuts implemented by former president George W. Bush is a current debacle that largely involves the two differing ideas of solving the deficit. Understanding the different solution that each side proposes is essential to cultivating a clear picture of the twenty-first century deficit.

Liberal citizens tend to promote maintaining or even increasing money to welfare programs, regardless of the size of the deficit; contrarily, conservative citizens are inclined to support tax cuts as a means to stimulate business. “The budget debate that is expected to dominate Congress next year” (politico.com) offers an accurate illustration of the opposing remedies; the Democrats in Congress are “resisting any cuts in Social Security benefits” (politicos.com) whereas the Republicans believe in adopting “fiscal restraint” and “capping [federal] spending” (heritage.com). Edward Lazear, an economist, explicates a solution that returns “spending closer to 2008 levels, then limiting spending in the future” (heritage.com). He asserts that the liberal argument “rests on the flawed premise that we can reduce the deficit only by increasing taxes, as if high levels of spending are a given…Americans don’t have to choose between an enormous deficit or high taxes” (heritage.com). The difference lies in each party’s plans for where to allocate the citizens’ tax dollars. Liberal proponents aim to extend this money to welfare and other government programs, as described by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s reaction to the Bowles-Simpson plan (2010); Pelosi condemned the plan, declaring that the plan must protect “economic security” by preserving welfare programs designed for dependents such as the elderly, “who are counting on the bedrock promises of Social Security and Medicare” (Politico.com). Plans such as these are certain to fuel the major dialogue in Congress for the next few weeks, as the Bush tax cuts will soon expire, and the Congress will be forced to form a consensus regarding solving the deficit.

The deficit consumes 53.5% of the national GDP, according to the CIA World Factbook estimates from 2009. It remains a contentious subject in Congress because of the varying methods of solving it. Each side will confront the task of prioritizing the programs that revenue must be allocated towards, which is an enormous task. Americans are dependent upon the decision of Congress, as each year the deficit rises. According to a recent Gallup poll, terrorism and the “federal government debt” are tied at forty percent as issues that Americans believe are “extremely serious” (heritage.gallup.com); indeed, a citizen is ignorant if he or she discounts the deficit as an imaginary malady.

Remembering September 11th

I was in third grade on the day that "the world stopped turning." It began as a normal day for me- but then again, it began as a normal day for all of us, right?- and we lived in a modest home in New River, AZ. I walked down our hallway into the living room, and I noticed that the volume of the television was turned very low. Dad must not have been interested in the other news that day. I ate breakfast and found my backpack, and I was stuffing my lunch into it when Dad looked at the TV, squinted, reached for the volume, and turned it up, muttering something.
"What is it, Dad?"
He didn't answer me.
"Daddy, what is it?"
"The World Trade Center has been destroyed."
I had no idea what anything in that sentence meant except the concept of destruction, and even on that count I was a bit fuzzy.
"So is it really bad?" I asked.
"Yeah, Jessie, it's really bad."
I accepted this and drove to school. But what had happened on the TV had affected everybody at school. The principals put together an assembly that lasted for almost the entire morning, where we sang patriotic songs like "Proud to be an American" and "The Star-Spangled Banner." The flag was halfway down the flagpole, which we learned was in respect to those who were suffering. And since I attended a charter school, we had a prayer as well as a moment of siilence.

I wish I could say that when 9/11 occurred, I knew the full gravity of the disaster. I wish I had been older so that I could understand the situation.

Since every school I attended since 9/11 (both public and private) held a similar ceremony on its anniversary, I did not know what had happened except that the World Trade Centers had been hit by an airplane piloted by terrorists, that something had happened to the Pentagon, and that the plane landed in Pennsylvania.

I have one person to thank for finally insisting that my generation know the facts as well as the aftermath: my sophomore World History teacher. Our class had taken too much time presenting our projects, so we were already behind, but still we learned about 9/11. We learned that the terrorists were present on more than one plane, and that the passengers on one of them overpowered the terrorists and landed the plane in Pennsylvania. We learned that the entire collapse of the towers was a matter of hours, but that the ash cloud that resulted remained for weeks. We learned that the people in New York had no idea what was happening, and we watched a documentary with footage shot by firefighters who had been elsewhere on that day but had come to help. We learned that the terrorists' plan was much more extensive, involving the Pentagon and the White House.
All of this we learned, and when I remembered that day in third grade, it seemed like I was thinking of two different events. Physically, that is where I had been on 9/11. But mentally, I had not experienced it until Thursday, September 11, 2008.
Thank you, Ms. P, for making us attempt to comprehend the situation. It always seems to exhaust you to teach us about 9/11, but it is a service that I don't believe anyone else could provide as well as you do.

There is a reason that everybody remembers where they were, what they were doing, on 9/11. When something so catastrophic happens, we as Americans feel the need to be united. We remember the event because it made an unprecedented impact upon the way we live. Few events have changed our country and our globe as much as 9/11. Remember this today.

If you want to hear a very inspiring song about 9/11, below is a link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj9Fa6IFM8Q&ob=av2e

Airports

Have you ever spent a significant amount of time in an airport? I sincerely hope not, for your sake. Airports have many uses, and they have enabled us to make important strides as humans, but they are definitely squeaky wheels in the machine of American civilization.

Airports are not altogether evil, but rather a necessary evil. They allow us to travel safely (for the most part) from one destination to another, and often a lot of space occupies the area between these. Air travel allows families to connect in the event of an emergency. It allows soldiers to come home from war much more quickly. It helps missionaries and medical aides fly to places such as Haiti, Chili, China, the Gulf of Mexico, and now Louisiana, where natural disasters have plagued the denizens there. It allows our leaders to meet with their counterparts in the rest of the world and decide on foreign and domestic affairs.

This is not to say that the system is without its flaws, be them large or small. Most airlines, for example, charge extra money for each checked bag. This is collected when the traveler reaches the counter in the terminal. However, if the traveler in question is an unaccompanied minor without a credit card, how is he or she to pay this fee? Why do airlines not establish different procedures for unaccompanied minors so that if no credit card is available, the minors are still able to board their flight? Air ports are also often confusing; there are endless lists of rules and regulations that must be followed, even concerning water bottles taken on the plane by a traveler before the security checkpoint.

Obviously the tragedy of 9/11 and numerous other attempted attacks have caused this to occur. Because of the selfish and harmful desires of a few, many people must deal with the obstacles inevitable in airports. The airport system as it is (at least in Arizona) is definitely far from perfect, but this simply aides us in learning a lesson about life: many things are imperfect. A list of these things would surely never end, and if it did by some chance, it would absorb far too many pages for a humble blog post such as this one. Many parallels between airports and life can be drawn- the workers in airports compared to angels and, well, not angels; the security checkpoints compared to tests and trials; the safety speech before take-off compared to school. But I digress. The point of the matter is that airports, in a funny and eclectic way, represent the difficulties and triumphs of life. Things appear great in the beginning; then there are bumps (and sometimes chasms) in the road; then the journey continues up and down, up and down, until you realize that the best way to make it through is to rely upon God and family and friends, and to realize that life is about enduring and enjoying the journey. And in the end, there is a reward waiting for us. In the case of life, this is heaven. In the case of the airport, this is a Starbucks (after the security checkpoint, of course).

Lullaby

“Someday we’ll all be gone, but lullabies go on and on; they never die- that’s how you and I will be” (“Lullaby,” Billy Joel).

Sometimes, reading God’s words is like being sung a sweet lullaby. The letters printed neatly on the page mean more than normal- as in, not divine- words do. You all know me, and you know that I love words. But there is a huge difference between the words of God and the words of man. It is just like the difference between reading a lullaby and having one sung to you.

Someday all of us will be gone, but God’s word endures. “Heaven and earth will pass away,” Jesus said to his disciples, “but my words will never pass away” (Luke 21:33).

Neither will his promise to us pass away. The promise that our sins would be atoned for, a promise secured by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, has been handed down and revered for ages- and for good reason, for it is the only way that we are saved. Theoretically, we would never catch ourselves taking that promise for granted. And yet, we are imperfect and sinful, and we forget sometimes that the reason we can have such a strong relationship with our Father is because he relinquished His son for us to be cleansed.

Today, let us recall all of the moments when it seemed like there was nothing left for us. Let us ponder upon every hardship, every illness, and every trial- let us remember how faithful God was in those times. When we were afraid, we trusted in Him, and He lifted us up again. When our sin consumed us and we had nowhere to turn, God did not avoid us, but instead sought us out. Perhaps some of us are experiencing times like these right now; perhaps we have just come out of them. Regardless, we have the ability to bring these things to God and Jesus, and they carry us through them. Instead of our sinful nature forever separating us from God, Jesus gave his life to make us closer to Him. I cannot fathom a more selfless sacrifice. Today- and every day- is His day. Let us be thankful for the lullaby of God’s word and the never-ending salvation that comes from Jesus’ sacrifice.

“Someday your child may cry, and if you sing this lullaby, then in your heart there will always be a part of me…” (“Lullaby,” Billy Joel). God’s love dries our tears, and although we don’t deserve it, we are always in His heart. In the same way He loves us, let us love one another. How else do we spread the lullaby of God, except by emulating his Greatest Command?


PS- This song has inexpressible meaning for my father and I, and I am grateful to all who read this post because it means I have the opportunity to share it with you. Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcnd55tLCv8 . It’s also called “Goodnight, My Angel,” which I think is a very fitting title.