A Time for Everything

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak...

Ecclesiastes 3:1-7

Change is tough, but it's a part of life. I was forced to realize that when my parents pulled me away from my elementary school friends to go live in the middle of a ridiculously hot desert... and when, at 10 years old, it became clear that I'd never be able to hug my grandma again... and again, when I moved away for college. It was weird when I went home to visit, and "home" was suddenly a different house. Today is one of those moments. Today, I found out that the dog I grew up with has an aggressive malignant tumor. Since she is probably experiencing a great deal of pain, my family made the heart-wrenching decision to have her put to sleep. Tomorrow. Since I live hundreds of miles away from my family (and have for more than half a decade now), I guess it hasn't really sunk in yet. I can't begin to imagine Buffy's sweet little face not being there to greet me at the end of each long trip to my parents' house. It's truly the end of an era. Please keep my family in your prayers as we grieve over the loss of a dog who became like a part of our family.

Ethanol... A Sweet Solution

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, our country imported an average of 9.4 million barrels of crude oil per day, primarily from Canada, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Nigeria, in March of this year (the most current data available). At the same time, the national average price of gasoline per gallon, $3.79, is up over 57 cents from a year ago. While ethanol is a viable alternative, many have expressed concern about the implications of corn-based ethanol production on our food supply. Well, Brazil has figured out how to produce ethanol from sugarcane instead. Read this article from The Dallas Morning News for more information. Instead of continuing to protect "big oil" interests, Congress needs to act in the best interest of Americans and either lift the 54-cents-a-gallon tariff on Brazilian ethanol or invest in r&d to find another innovative solution to the energy crisis. Until then, we're clearly behind the times.

The Blame Game

Image credit: Andrew Beierle

Image copyright: sxc.hu/andrewatla

I've noticed that, in our culture, personal responsibility seems to be an increasingly rare attribute these days. We have become incredibly skilled at making excuses for our behavior or shifting blame on others. As much as I hate to admit it, that's definitely my tendency, and I struggle with it constantly. The litigious nature of our society offers evidence of this attitude as well. I'm convinced that the root of the problem is pride, which all of us have at some level, combined with a lack of grace for others. To protect our image and keep from being humiliated, we instinctively try to deflect any negative attention away from ourselves. It's just easier to say, "It's not my fault because of X, Y, and Z" than to admit we actually messed up. Further, because of our love affairs with ourselves, we become sensitive and defensive when we perceive that someone else has wronged us. Rather than extending grace, we want to hold them accountable for what they've done, to punish them somehow, even if we might have played a role in the problem, too.

The Bible tells us multiple times that this attitude is sinful. We're called to be humble, to hold others in higher regard than ourselves. A major aspect of that is admitting when we've made a mistake, taking ownership of it, and learning from it. I find Proverbs 15:32-33 particularly convicting: "He who neglects discipline despises himself, but he who listens to reproof acquires understanding. The fear of the Lord is the instruction for wisdom, and before honor comes humility" (NASB). Similarly, Proverbs 16:19 reads, "It is better to be humble in spirit with the lowly than to divide the spoil with the proud" (NASB). In Matthew 23:12 (NASB), Jesus even says, "Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted." That's pretty clear, I think. I have always loved how Jesus doesn't sugarcoat the truth; He tells it just like it is! Oh, and the Bible has this to say about placing blame on someone else whom we feel has wronged us: "Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person" (Colossians 4:6, NASB). Just imagine what our world would be like if everyone interacted this way!

My prayer this week is that God will continue humbling me and helping me respond to others with at least a little bit of the grace He's shown me.