Compassion

"Compassion is only compassion when you cross the street and go to someone. To often we confuse emotion with compassion" -Christine Cain

My name is not Jill.

It's temporal.

The straw that broke the camels back this morning was the "Hi, Jill" that came from the customer on the other end of the phone.  My name is not Jill. It is TiLissa.
           Pronounced, "tuh-lease-uh."
I know, it is a difficult name to understand, which is why I shorten it to "TiL" on the phone.  I try to make it easy for people. But no. I've gotten everything from "Carol" to "pill." I even had an older lady tell me that it was the most ridiculous name she had ever heard. Most of the time, it just rolls off my back.

Today though, by the time I got to work... I was in a mood. I woke up late. I burnt my bagel. My best friend cancelled our weekend plans. Split my coffee. Broke my clock. Got stuck in traffic. I was late to work. I found out we were having a flash sale at work. And then my first customer called me Jill. Ugh. When it rains, it pours.

And yet, its temporary. These things are not eternal. The beauty in bad days, frustrating weeks, long months, and draining years is that we have a growing anticipation for a kingdom that is not yet. A kingdom not of this world.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

In all of your pleasure, 

       Jesus is better. 

In all of your suffering, 

       Christ is enough. 

Triumph.

Oh Come All Ye Faithful... Joyful and Triumphant!

I love the word triumphant! Don't you? It sounds powerful! It sounds successful. It sounds like a Braveheart movie! And though I am not a man, there is something that grabs my attention and respect when I watch the story of Sir William Wallace, even without the romance.

This is one of the Christmas carols I used to get tired of. We sing it every year and it plays on the radio over and over again in December. But as I listened a little closer this past Christmas season, my curiosity peeks at the invitation. It's a call to the faithful. The triumphant. The joyful.

And honestly, my first reaction is to run and hide! This song cannot possibly be about me, right? Look at my past... I am not faithful; I have tons of unbelief! Look at the present, I often lack joy. And triumph? I am not William Wallace by any means.

Psalm 47:1 tells us to "shout unto God with a voice of triumph." A familiar yet equally curious call. Colossians 2:15 says Jesus "triumphed over the spiritual powers and authorities on the cross."  Maybe the answer and the power lies in someone who triumphed before me, and holds out an invitation to triumph yet.

Come, let us adore Him.

Oh, Come

Recently, I was asked the question, "What are your favorite hymns?" As I thought, I realized that my favorite hymns all have a common theme:

"COME"

"Oh come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant..."

"Oh come, Oh come, Emmanuel.  And ransom captive Israel..."

"Come ye sinners, poor and needy, weak and wounded sick and sore, Jesus ready stands to save you..."

"Come thou fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing thy grace..."

"Oh come, let us adore him. Christ the Lord..."

Whether it is our cry toward Christ to come and save, or it is Christ's call toward us to come and die, the invitation to act and move in the direction of Christ is a common thread of hope in our journey.  

Come, Lord Jesus. 

The Onion Analogy

You either like them, or you hate them... onions. Such a pungent smell and taste that there is really no in-between. If you've ever chopped a good one, or even been nearby while someone else was doing the chopping, you've felt your eyes sting and your nose start running.

A friend once made the analogy that a Christian's sanctification process is a lot like an onion. And the more I've unpacked that in my head, the more I think, though incomplete, it's a solid analogy.  She made the point that the "real" us is on the inside- created as good in the image of God, every human being has value and potential. 

When we become a Christian, God starts the process of peeling us to get there. Sometimes it's a smelly and tear-filled process. Sometimes it's unbearable and difficult.  Often, we peel back one layer and start to feel good about it, only to realize there are more layers underneath to be explored and set out before the Lord. 

The end goal for both is something comparable to a tasty and flavorful dish with a pleasing aroma. Ezekiel 20:41

It's Not About Me.

Not About Me. 

When I lose sight of that fact that it is not about me... I get all caught up in insecurity or pride. Why? Because I start to believe that I somehow have dibs on what doesn't actually belong to me. I act like my worth is found in my body, my personality, or my resources. But to what end? My personal glory! When any of this is shaken or taken away, I'm devastated or discouraged, left insecure and lonely.

My body is not mine. My personality is not mine. My resources are not mine. They belong to the church, which belongs to Christ.