|
I can still remember my first time dialing 9-1-1 for a medical emergency. My 2-year-old daughter was going into anaphylactic shock. My wife and I quickly understood that the situation required immediate professional intervention. Brooklyn’s small body was covered with hives. Her lips were swollen, and she was doing something weird with her throat and mouth. As the sirens drew closer, I remember rushing into the street to wave down the paramedics who might miss our hole-in-the-wall house location.
In full panic mode as young parents, the experienced EMTs quickly and calmly assessed the situation. They administered a dose of epinephrine to rapidly reduce our daughter’s allergic reaction. An ambulance ride later and after several hours of observation, our panic eventually retreated into a more sedated state of concern. We were grateful for God’s provision as He began to teach these young parents so many valuable lessons. During the month of December at CCS, we are focusing on “patience” as part of our year-long Fruit of the Spirit theme. The more literal translation of the Greek word “makrothumia” is longsuffering. Embracing and demonstrating patience often comes at a beneficial cost…suffering, sometimes for brief periods of time, sometimes for an extended duration. My daughter was eventually diagnosed with a vast assortment of potentially dangerous food allergies. This reality imposed a lifestyle change for our family. No eating out. Limited processed foods. Reading every ingredient thoroughly. Basically a forced regimen for healthy nutrition! Initially, we felt like we were suffering. Who doesn’t love fast food! But as God continued to develop maturity in each of us, we began to trust what God was up to in our lives. He was teaching us patience. Sometimes patience for a moment. Sometimes patience with no end in sight. Along with patience, the circumstances gave us an opportunity to grow our trust in God. We were each challenged to become less selfish. To become more compassionate toward others. To try to be grateful in all circumstances. My daughter has grown into a strong healthy adult my wife and I are very proud of. The challenges of her food allergies now seem fairly insignificant in comparison to other challenges we and others have faced. But of great significance is how God chooses to work through all challenges for His good, especially when we let Him. At the heart of patience is an authentic trust that God is in control and that He is eager to use all things for His good purpose. Oftentimes, God allows circumstances that require practicing patience to bring about His good plans, often with unseen benefits! The summer before my freshman year my parents convinced me to participate on our city swim team. For two months, I arrived each morning at 7 am to train in the frigid outdoor Prineville city pool. The greatest challenge I faced was the fact that I actually didn’t know how to swim. I was relegated to the “beginners” group, joining a pack of swimmers much younger than me. After those first practices, before collapsing into a 3-hour nap, I appealed to my parents to quit the team. But through their firm encouragement I was required to stay the course.
I wish I could complete the story with tales of marked improvement and victorious perseverance. Instead, I achieved a long list of event disqualifications (mainly in butterfly and breaststroke) and reprimands from my coach for “walking on the bottom of the pool” instead of swimming. There was even one race where I was lapped by all of my competitors, and my timing judge actually let me finish a lap early. While my lack of physical talent certainly contributed to my failures, my occasional resistance to the training certainly did not help. Failure is a common reality for all human beings. Sometimes, failure is due to our own simple imperfections. Other times, failure is a direct result of our intentional straying from God’s design for character. At times, accountability and even discipline are necessary components to persevere through failure. The writer of Hebrews explains that “no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (12:11). The most sustainable form of discipline is self-discipline. Self-discipline is developed from a heart that has been transformed by Jesus Christ. Our Lord and Savior not only redeemed our souls by His death and resurrection, but He is in the business of constantly redeeming us daily. What a wonderful gift! A gift we can access at any time. Internal discipline drives us to do our best and make things right with the world around us when we occasionally stumble. When I entered High School that fall, I quickly realized that my traditional spot at the back of the pack of the Cross Country team had improved. A summer of swimming had greatly increased my cardiovascular endurance, and I soon found myself leading in many races. While perhaps a trivial illustration, I learned the profound wisdom of how failure and perseverance can provide tremendous growth. I became grateful for the loving correction and wisdom my parents provided for me, as well as the caring accountability my coach constantly taught me. In our second year of providing a CCS swim team, we have 20 students competing this year! As is true in all of our school activities, these athletes will face daily challenges that will test their character. There will be wins and losses, victories and failures. I pray that our coaches and parents will help guide them toward humility, diligence, and perseverance throughout the season. I pray that all of us will continue to do the same in every sphere of influence God has gifted to us. If you want to be a part of the chorus of encouragement, feel free to watch our Eagles speed through the water at one of our Swim Meets. I consider myself an amateur baker by necessity. That is, when I desire some tasty creation, I strap on my figurative apron and get to work. Recently, I was challenged to make the perfect monster cookie. Containing my favorite ingredients of oats, peanut butter, chocolate, and M&M’s, what could go wrong? Despite selecting the best 5-star recipe I could find online, the final product was less than impressive. The texture was off, the presentation was a bit repulsive, and the flavor left me wanting….something else.
Failure is a common malady of humankind. As parents, we often tend to try to shield our children from failure or even, at times, deny it. But without failure, much learning and growth is unavailable for development in so many healthy areas. Check out this short list of failures that were overcome in notable ways. Steve Jobs was fired from Apple in 1985. Colonel Sanders was rejected by over 1,000 restaurants before establishing KFC. Henry Ford's first 2 automotive companies failed. "Star Wars" was rejected by several film studios for being too unconventional and risky. "The Lord of the Rings" was rejected by multiple publishers for being too long and complex. Thomas Edison failed in 1,000 experiments before perfecting the light bulb. Albert Einstein was turned down by many universities and even expelled from his first school. Abraham Lincoln failed in many business ventures and political campaigns over his life. Emily Dickinson did not achieve success as a poet during her lifetime. Amelia Earhart struggled to make a living as a pilot and had to work many odd jobs to support herself. The experts of the day told the Wright brothers that it was impossible to create a flying machine. Michael Jordan was cut from the high school basketball team. Imagine how many significant accomplishments might have been delayed or even never reached had the process of failure been avoided. As disciples of Jesus Christ, our end goal is more than just simple accomplishments (though often present through God’s good plans). We desire to produce “good works that God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). These good works are a disciple’s response to God’s grace through faith. While redeemed through the saving gospel of Jesus Christ, our human weakness requires us to press into God’s power living inside of us for God to work through our weakness. This weakness sometimes produces failure. However, embracing failure and learning from it develops a greater capacity for good. The qualities of perseverance, humility, collaboration, and a correct identity in Christ are invaluable byproducts of working through failure. As parents, we should encourage healthy risk-taking for our children. We should be quick to encourage their big dreams and quick to appreciate the value of failure. May we not simply dismiss or wrongly rationalize mistakes but capitalize on the growth available for our children. James, the half-brother of Jesus, goes as far as to say that we should rejoice in our trials. He knew the secret of success that comes through adversity. The antidote to failure is to adapt and try again. While I have yet to find success in my monster cookie adventure, through the process of failure, maybe someday I will find myself starring on a baking show, even if it is just as a taste tester! I was convinced I had met my future wife doing a roofing job 300 miles from home. After serving me a bacon cheeseburger at a local restaurant, I began pursuing “Mrs. K.” through a long-distance relationship. Occasionally, we would get to spend time in her hometown. As her parents were avid sailors, that was often my only choice of activity if I wanted to spend time with their daughter.
While I never became an adequate sailor, I discovered plenty of amazing (and confusing) scientific and mechanical realities about sailing. The large keel below the boat is a peculiar and necessary component. Suspended many feet below the bottom of the boat, this large fin provides necessary stability to the wind-powered vessel. Without the keel, sailboats would easily capsize, much less, perform in any satisfactory way. Did you know that the flow of water past the keel produces lift much like an airplane? In fact, rotate an airplane 90 degrees and place it in the ocean and you basically have the same shape as a sailboat. Have you ever wondered how a sailboat can use the wind from just about any direction to reach its destination? While there are many factors at work, one big reason is the keel. Sailboats almost always experience leeway: drifting off course due to the wind’s sideways force. This creates a strange angle that causes the water to rush past the keel to produce horizontal lift. This reactive force not only counteracts the powerful force of the wind against the sails but also helps propel the sailboat forward to its destination. The Fruit of the Spirit is like the keel of a sailboat. God’s presence is attached to our very being. His power is always available in our weakness. While the wind and waves around us may cause turmoil at times, there is no reason to fear. The circumstances in our lives that seem to create imminent disaster can actually activate God’s provision in His Spirit. As faithful followers of Jesus, we find stability amidst chaos, allowing both the good and bad to propel our path to His defined destination. Our community will focus on the fruit of peace during the month of November. Like love, peace is something we receive from God and can share with others. Like joy, the peace of God transcends above all circumstances. And even if you don’t find your feet on the deck of a sailboat soon, let us not forget the powerful keel living inside of us who gives us peace that surpasses all understanding. When I was a senior, I broke my arm during the first basketball contest of the season. Over the next several weeks, I was relegated to a support role in practice and reluctantly became the official stats record keeper during the games. After what felt like an eternity of waiting in the shadows, I was eventually cleared to play. However, I found that my starting point guard position had been replaced by a freshman, and my individual performance was never the same.
During those difficult circumstances, God was guiding me where I found my identity and how to participate in community when I was no longer in the spotlight. Recently, I was reminded of this difficult season when listening to a guest missionary speaker. Reflecting on entering the last years of his ministry, he remarked how he has learned that “he has less to prove and more to offer.” I quickly took note of this comment, wanting to reflect more on God’s design. So often in my life, I have focused too much on proving myself. Whether to impress others or feed my ego, this is a common pitfall many of us may experience. I do understand there may be periodic times when we need to prove something to ourselves. God has indeed prepared good works for us to walk in daily through His unearned grace. He equips those He calls, and through both failure and success we can affirm His design on our life. As we mature as believers, these proving grounds should become less frequent as our trust in God’s provision increases. Many of us struggle or misunderstand Jesus’ command to “turn the other cheek.” Turning the other cheek comes from a position of strength, not weakness. When there is nothing left to prove, all that remains is what we have to offer with eagerness. While offering the other cheek can literally be uncomfortable at times, it’s often how the gospel becomes alive in us for others to see. Jesus not only taught this principle, He lived it! Jesus had nothing to prove…only His life to offer. In the same way, as redeemed and adopted children of God, we have little to prove. We know that we are broken, but redeemed, “always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.” Since Jesus has already proved it all to the entire world, we simply get to offer His life through ours to others! One of our 8th-grade students has been working hard to break the school record in Cross Country this year. During the last 2 races, her time was exactly 1 second off the record. With one race remaining, she is training hard to try to make it happen. It has been impressive to know she has been training with diligence, putting in extra time to attempt to meet her goal. When I was in High School, I had a similar goal. I remember plotting out my annual training, even running to school in the snow to get closer to achieving my goal.
In The Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer writes that “Wisdom, among other things, is the ability to devise perfect ends and to achieve those ends by the most perfect means.” Most athletes can relate to the joy of dreaming about performing an impressive feat. Those serious about this desire quickly realize that the goal can only be possible with intentional planning, training, and sacrifice. A serious investment in proper equipment, essential nutrition, and supportive partners is necessary. The commitment to the execution of those steps separates “good intentions” from “likely achievement.” For decades the mission of Crosshill Christian School has been to train disciples in the context of schooling. As A.W. Tozer describes, we believe this mission is a “perfect end” clearly commissioned by God. Our desire is to gather the wisdom to determine the “perfect means” to attain this lofty objective. Much like an athlete, this requires proper planning, training, and sacrifice. The massive amount of resources our families and school teammates invest in this endeavor is marked with joy as we believe the “end justifies the means.” Despite an athlete’s commitment to their workouts, no game plan is ever perfect. At Crosshill, we recognize that the systems that support our mission also, at times, misses the mark. Fortunately, God is the author of all wisdom and gives generously to all when we ask Him (James 1). Thank you for your continued prayers for wisdom on this campus. We recognize that fulfillment of our mission of discipleship training is a direct result of God’s power. And while I never met my goal of breaking my school running record, there’s still hope for CCS student Corina Phillips! This past summer my wife and I enjoyed a short visit with my older brother in the great state of Alaska. One adventure included a float plane flight over the beautiful landscape, including a majestic glacier and nearby lake. The pilot described over our headset a catastrophic event that occurs about every 5 years. As the glacier melts each spring, occasionally, an ice dam forms, creating a temporary glacial lake. With massive violence, the dam eventually bursts and floods the nearby lake with a 10-foot high wall of water for about 12 hours before draining through the outlet stream.
As you can imagine, the fishing cabins around the lake were regularly destroyed by such a cataclysmic event. But in wisdom, cabins were rebuilt with stilts to protect the structures from the flood waters. While the cost of construction and the additional stairs introduced some minor convenience, the benefit included needed protection and sustainable operations for their outdoor adventures. The circumstances of our lives are rarely free from regular calamities. The well-known quote, “Adversity does not build character, it reveals it,” aptly applies here. It would have been futile for the cabin owners to attempt to quickly remodel their cabins with stilts in the minutes that the flood began. So also, when we experience a crisis in our lives, there is no available time to construct a secure foundation to weather the storm. Whatever character and supports that are already present (or lacking) are our only resources. God has revealed He is a God of rhythm. The sun, the moon, and the seasons follow a predictable pattern. He instructed His chosen nation of Israel to follow a weekly pattern of work and rest. Jesus made it a point to regularly visit public synagogues, fellowship with his disciples, and spend time alone with God in prayer. The intentional rhythm of our lives is key to building the proper support structure to withstand the waves of this world. God is the designer of community and desires us to participate regularly. He is the author of relationships and has revealed we are better together. God has designed His power to be perfected through our weakness as we pursue Him daily. As we loaded ourselves back into the float plane and began our return flight to my brother’s home, I was once again overwhelmed by the majesty of God’s created world. How sobering and exhilarating to consider the fraction of God’s glory that has actually been revealed to us. May each of us intentionally develop a rhythm in our lives that consistently pursues God. The view only gets better and better! As I stationed myself in the school lobby before the start of classes, I overheard two students sharing their struggles with the content of a particular class. As they described the assigned book they were reading, I heard the words “confused,” “doesn’t make sense,” and “I don’t understand” flow from their mouths. My first human internal response was empathy and dissatisfaction. This wasn’t right! How could I make it better?
When my daughter was a child, we bought her a Butterfly Bungalow to track the miraculous transformation from chrysalis to butterfly. After days of waiting patiently, a few creatures began the breathtaking journey of fulfilling their created destiny. But one critter was slow to emerge, struggling to break through its surrounding shell. “Dad, can I help the butterfly get out?” My daughter eagerly asked. Disappointment quickly appeared on her face. “No Honey,” I responded. "It will do more harm than good.” My limited understanding of science perceived that “doing the work” for the butterfly would most likely be its demise, preventing proper development through the strengthening of its wings. As I sat in the lobby listening in on the students’ conversation, I was reminded of this general principle. As parents and mentors, we often want to limit or even eliminate the struggles our children experience. It is good to want students to be successful, and it is wise to provide them with proper support. But this guidance often requires self-control, encouraging them through the struggle rather than removing it. Soon a grin appeared on my face, realizing that these students perceived “academic struggles” were actually the key ingredients for their learning. As Jesus “taught” his disciples over 3 years, He gives us a clear picture of our role as adult guides. Often, he did not remove obstacles or struggles, but rather used them as an instrument to mature them as His followers. Yes, Jesus did often step in and provide amazing relief and even miracles to provide stunning solutions. And while God’s Spirit resides in us as well, a balance is needed to be “Jesus” to our children while also allowing them to struggle at times. These opportunities will prompt them into a greater trust and dependence on God the Father, Jesus His Son, and the power of the Holy Spirit inside of them. So the next time we see our little butterflies struggling to emerge, let’s consider how to ignore the impulse to make it easier. Rather, develop and monitor a safe and healthy “Butterfly Bungalow” for our children to grow, develop, and strengthen through their struggles. With God’s help, they will be transformed more and more into His prescribed image! My wife and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary this past summer. Leading up to our wedding I remember a gift that one of my friends handed to me. It was a notebook he had titled, “Everything I Have Learned about Marriage.” Though only married the year prior, I was excited to receive any wisdom he might have regarding the new journey I was about to embark upon. When the notebook landed in my hands, I quickly fanned through the pages, only to find that every page was blank. My friend smiled at me, his gift speaking to the many lessons that both of us would still need to learn.
Many of us might recognize the phrase, “Christianity is about love and relationship, not a religion about rules.” While I understand and respect the premises behind this statement, I believe it oversimplifies the richness of God’s design for His creation. Over the last 25 years, I have learned that marriage is certainly built on love and relationship. More specifically, this love is revealed through daily choices that elevate the needs of your spouse over your own. While these choices may not be labeled as “rules,” they practically operate like them. Such as, “don’t go to bed angry,” “don’t yell,” “share household responsibilities,” “put the toilet seat down,” etc. These “rules” on their own don’t necessarily make a marriage flourish, but the attitude behind them is a common marker of a flourishing marriage. In the same way, God reveals His design for our lives through His Word. While sometimes called “rules,” His instructions are less about satisfying Him and His arbitrary requirements. Rather, God describes what love can and should look like in relationship with Him. This love is the same unconditional love that He shows for us by sending his Son to the cross. It is the same love that He desires us to not only show Him but demonstrate to others. While my friend’s notebook gift 25 years ago was empty of any practical advice, God’s Word reveals His design for all relationships. God is the author of all love, and it is listed as the first “fruit” of His Spirit who lives inside of us. His Word helps describe practical ways for this love to bubble out of our lives every day. Still, we might sometimes struggle to love God or love our neighbor or even our spouse, under our own power. But through our faith in Jesus Christ, God has purchased us at the cost of His Son’s death and filled us with His Spirit. Instead of the sour or rotten fruit that might flow under our own power, may we daily access the fruit of His Spirit as we love God and love others. During the summer, I often visit my 8 blueberry bushes daily for a fresh, healthy snack. As the summer season runs its course, fresh local fruit is now more absent in my yard and at the grocery store. In contrast to this nutritional disappointment, there is much excitement in this year’s theme for chapel services: The Fruit of the Spirit!
Each month during our 1st-12th chapel, we will introduce a new fruit of the Spirit. God's redeeming presence is the source and power for the ripening of each fruit in our lives. The Greek language used four separate words to describe the word “love.” It is no surprise that in our English language, the word “love” can carry varying degrees of meaning. I love the sound of sprinklers. I love you, Mom! I love my cat Mittens. I love my wife. I love Spicy Doritos. I love my new teammate. Jesus shared how loving God and loving others is the greatest fulfillment of His good design for us. Our love for God and each other certainly must transcend our common and often flippant affections we often ascribe the word “love” to. So how should love live inside of us and through us by the power of the Holy Spirit? The answer is both simple, impressive, and challenging. The love God wants to live inside of us is the same love He has for us. His love for us is unconditional, immeasurable, and wonderful. God’s love for us is best found in the sacrifice of His son on the cross for our eternal benefit. The more we understand and embrace God’s love for us, the greater this kind of fruit will abound in our own lives. Love is a choice we make moment by moment. But it is out of the abundance of our hearts that love plays out according to God’s design. As each of us is filled daily with God’s love, the daily overflow to others only brings glory to Him! |
Adam Kronberger
|
RSS Feed
SUPPORT |
NETWORK |
QUICK LINKS |
|
