Perhaps you have been in this situation, if not, use your imagination and follow along, I promise to get you back safe and sound. You are in the woods. Maybe you’re camping, maybe a family picnic, or a hiking trip. You decide to follow a well marked trail, but somewhere along the way, something interesting catches your eye and you step off the path and wander into the wood – just a little ways, just to get a look.
You pursue the interesting thing a little farther, then a little more. Suddenly you realize that you’ve wandered too far and turn around to find your way back to the hiking trail. But as you walk, nothing looks familiar and you’re not finding signs of your previous passage. You are completely turned around and have no idea which way to go.
- Photo by iprole @ stock.xchng
At times like this people often say, “I sure wish I had a compass.” Many times people do have a compass, but they left it at home, thinking they would not need it. Maybe they don’t even know where it is, they just know they have one. Who needs it; I have a GPS.
Of course having a compass does you no good if you don’t know how to work the thing. Oh, the basic premise is simple enough; the needle points north – but is the north-pointing part the red end or the white end? And how does that help you if you have no idea in which direction your camp lies?
At this point, you may be wishing you’d paid closer attention as a kid when the Scoutmaster went over all this stuff.
The Bible is very much like a compass. It can be an invaluable tool for finding one’s way. Many people own one, but have no idea how to use it… or where it is at the moment. Some people dismiss it as unnecessary; they can find their own way through the woods. Some scoff at it; just a clever bit of folklore, completely outdated in this age of modern technology and “enlightened” society. Continue reading “Lost in the Woods”
Kindness is often a simple matter, but has so many profound consequences. It reaches into the cracks and crevices of life’s most difficult circumstances. We never know when our Christian influence will extend far beyond our expectation. Most times it happens when we are kind. In the common courtesies of life, we lay the ground work for whatever witness we may offer for Christ. The influence which Jesus has upon our lives is expressed more by our kind and gentle ways than any other aspect of our faith. The love of God can never be promoted in a hateful way. All our loud and prolific pronouncements of Christianity are for naught if there is an absence of kindness. 
Underneath our tough and successful adult exterior there continues to beat the heart of a child. This child which we once were has blended into the pattern of our maturity and still reaches out for love, acceptance, and attention. Even though we may have put away some childish things, the inner child of our past is a present reality. Those inferiorities and fears of childhood days continue to influence our adult behavior. Those lessons learned and truths accepted as a child form the basis of our moral and ethical judgments today. The commitments made and the faith expressed as a child give stability and strength to our adult character. Likewise the hurts and problems of childhood and adolescence have a lingering effect upon our personalities. We are the product of all that has transpired since the beginning days of our lives. 
These days it’s easy to lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas, for the things we see and hear so often are not what it’s really about. It’s about the birth of a very special child; the Christ child. But his birth alone is not what made Him special, it’s what He did with His life and death that makes Him our savior and Lord.
There is a lonely place to which hurting people sometimes go. It is called “withdrawal.” They go thinking they have found a safe haven from their woes. They wrap themselves in an emotional cocoon as a cushion against their pain. They internalize their grief and often get locked into a rut of only one way of thinking. Their imaginations play tricks on them as they lose touch with reality. Many times withdrawal causes folk to lash out at those who love them most and could care for them best. It is not easy dealing with life’s complications, but retreating within oneself does not make it easier. People who turn inward to lick their own wounds have a limited source of healing. 