needles and pain

My youngest daughter just had a shot yesterday and she was quite the trooper. As the doctor gave her the needle she looked right at it the whole time, barely grimaced and shed not a tear. In fact, it has been quite a week for needles for my family as my oldest son had one at his doctor's appointment and my middle son had an IV for his MRI. All of them did amazingly well and handled the needles like there was nothing to it. I guess it is just me who continues to struggle with them, stomach turning at the thought of giving blood and getting week and flush when I have to do it. The last time I gave blood I literally had to sit down, close my eyes and "go to my happy place" as I felt my face go flush, the room get hot and the sweat begin to descend from my forehead. I guess I am the wimp!
Needles are a strange reality when you think about it. Whether I have to have one, or whether I have to watch my children go through it I don't like the thought of them. I know the are unpleasant, I know that they will hurt and yet I know that they are for good. Despite the fact that I don't like them I give thanks for them. Whether they are for diagnosing, preventing or treating illness, they are used to bring wellness and healing.
Pain is not always a bad thing, all without purpose and for nothing. Physical pain, for example, is part of our human design to bring attention to the fact that something is wrong. It is like our built in warning system. After reading some of Dr. Paul Brandt's work, I came to recognize that pain is an amazing reality for which we can be thankful. The most tragic thing about the disease leprosy, for example, is that it deadens nerves which then fail to signal to the mind when a injury happens. Without recognizing an injury individuals go on without getting treatment, further injuring themselves. Even minor scrapes, cuts and burns are left untreated and can become infected and turn into major conditions. All this because the individuals feel no pain.
On a more metaphoric note, the needle reminds me that sometimes a little pain and discomfort in life can have positive outcomes. John 15:2 tells us that God prunes the branches that bear fruit. So even if we are committed followers who remain in the vine and bear much fruit, we can expect pruning. Although it may not be comfortable it is for the best and for our health. We also have the promise that God works in all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). So whether it is some discomfort that we bear because of work God is doing directly in our lives, or something that God has, for some reason, allowed we can trust that there will be some good.
Sometimes life is like having a needle, there is pain and discomfort, but it is not without purpose and it is, in the end, for our health and growth.

Ontario Sweet Corn

I was at camp a few weeks ago when, to my surprise, fresh Ontario sweet corn made its way onto the dinner table. The kitchen staff had gone to a local farm that afternoon and purchased the fresh picked corn to add to the menu that evening. I think that it must have been the best, the biggest and the sweetest corn I have ever tasted. It was actually a highlight of my day (which is saying a lot because there is so much to love about each day at camp!). I think perhaps part of why it stood out as being such a spectacular culinary experience is that I had tried some corn the week before which paled in comparison. It was from a big box grocery store which had a sale on corn. I knew that it was a little early in the season, that there was no guarantee that it was local, and that even though it was early in the season the corn had probably been picked even earlier in the season in order to get onto a truck and make it to the stores. It was a disappointing experience to say the least.
Looking back, I knew that the corn from the big box store was not that great and that it may be a big let down, but I could not wait. I tried to rush the process. I was impatient. There is a reason that patience is amoung the Fruit of the Spirit - (from memory now, so comment below if I miss something) Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness and Self- Control. I know that bland corn is hardly the end of the world but I do wonder about other things in which we show impatience. In a time and culture that is faster and faster, busier and busier, in which we seem to want what we want, when we want it, seem adept at making it happen but so easily frustrated when we can't, I wonder what we might be missing. What experiences and realities might we be missing? What experiences might be richer? What of God and God's heart are we missing? What could God provide or teach us if we were to be a little more patient? These are just a few questions I am trying to make time to think about since my amazing corn experience.

The Blue Box and Green Bin

We had some guests staying with us for a number of weeks to help our church with ministry projects within our community. One of the funny things that we witnessed was their attempt to figure out where each item of trash was supposed to go. Where they are from, everything just goes into the trash but here in Halton, where I live, things are a bit more complicated. We have trash cans for garbage, blue boxes for recyclable materials (plastic, paper etc.) and a green box for compostable material. It has taken a while, but we are finally (somewhat) trained to recognize what goes where, identifying what can be recycled or composted. Watching my guests reminded me, however, that it does take some getting used to, and to have it all thrown at you at one time can be a bit overwhelming! I have to admit that despite the odd frustration and rant I don't mind doing it. I actually appreciate the effort to make a difference for the sake of the environment. No, it is not perfect...it can be frustrating...mistakes are made...and it is not the be all and end all of social responsibility, but it is a start. It is making an effort and, for myself, I see spiritual implications and that it can be a part of my Christian walk.
This week I was reading Romans 8, and came across verses 19-21:

¹⁹The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. ²⁰For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope ²¹that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

I was reminded that God has a plan for all of creation and not just human souls. Sometimes I think Christians get so focused on the "getting to heaven when we die" part (which I do believe by the way) that we forget that God's plan actually has another step after that...when all of creation will be freed form the effects of the fall and will be liberated and redeemed. Revelation 21 tells us of a new heaven and a new earth. Christianity should not be escapist and eternal life is not just being rescued off of this ruined rock we call the world. I don't claim to fully understand it the new heaven and earth, what it will look like or how much continuity or discontinuity there will be with what exists now. I do know, however, that God does have a plan and that God does care for all of his creation. I am reminded that God had plan in the beginning and declared that all that He had made was "very good." (Genesis 1:31). Yes, it has been affected by the fall, but God has a plan for its redemption. So, what does that mean for us who live here and now and claim to represent God's heart? I think that it means that we should care as well. Perhaps that was intended when God gave human kind "dominion" over creation. Yes, it means we may work it and use its resources wisely, but it also means responsibility and care for the environment.
I know that true stewardship of creation means more than just sorting my trash. Out of the three R's (reduce, reuse, recycle) recycling is actually the least effective and most costly in terms of time, energy and resources. There are also many other pressing environmental concerns. My blue box and green bin, however, are a start and a fairly straight forward way that I can at least begin to be more aware of the creation around me.

Raining...again

It's raining again. It has rained everyday this week, and almost everyday for the past two weeks. This whole summer so far has been cold and wet. In fact, I hesitate to even call it summer. We are into August already and it has yet to get hot for more than a few hours in a row! For those of us who live in a place where snow covers the ground for a good part of the year, and then another few months are taken up by it getting cold, or slowly warming up from the cold, the three month of June, July and August are essential. We cling to the thought of them, and when they get here we really make the most of them. The same goes for our church and for our ministry in the community. The summer is when people are out and about, awake from the long winter hibernation. The summer months are a key time to connect with our community and so we go out to events and host some of our own. We cram as much as we can into those months and really make the most of them...except for this year. All the rain really puts a damper on things.
I have been reading the book of Acts in my reading plan for the last little while and have just finished it today. I was struck by the last 8 chapters or so. Go back and read them and you will see how many things seemed to go against Paul and his ministry. What I am struck by, however, is that despite all the things that seem to go wrong, that could so easily be interpreted as impediments to his ministry, Paul sees as opportunities. Despite being arrested, having plots against his life, being shipped around from official to official as they try to figure out what to do with him, being shipwrecked and living under guard he shares or preaches in just about every single chapter! It really is quite amazing.
I suppose that the lesson then, is to see the opportunity in every challenging situation. The rains may steer us away from some of our plans but what could it be steering us towards? What are the possibilities in all the situations in which we find ourselves.