Surprise Salamanders

We have a small water feature in our front yard. It has needed some repair for a couple of years, so a few weeks ago, my son and I disassembled the rocks to reset the pond and rebuild the waterfall (There’s an illustration of needing a solid foundation in here, but that’s for another day). As we were emptying the pond, we suddenly saw movement in the water. I was surprised, it was too big to be an insect and we have never put fish in this pond. As we carefully finished emptying the pond, we found two salamanders. But these were special salamanders, they are called neotenic salamanders. Among salamander species, there are some in which not all salamanders develop to full maturity. They live their whole lives as underwater creatures, retaining their gills and tail fins.

I wonder sometimes if as Christians we aren’t a bit neotenic. We are invited and empowered by the Holy Spirit to mature into beings that are at home in the sphere of the eternal, but we sometimes wind up still living more comfortably in the temporal and temporary. Didn’t Paul challenge us to “set our minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:2). We are quickly distracted by what is right in front of us (our circumstances), or what emerges out of us (our feelings), and so, miss the grand wonder that inspires great artists, deep scholars, compelling mystics. When, by the gift of faith through the grace of God we are “in Christ,” we’ve been born from above (John 3:3). Heaven is our home, and we are sent as emissaries of heaven.

I’m not suggesting that we all become mystics, quite the contrary. What I am thinking is more along the lines of being mindful to ask the question, “How does my identity in Christ shape the way I am present in this moment.” In other words, how do I reflect Christ in the ordinary: when I’m driving, when I’m shopping, when I have free time, when I’m talking with someone who really annoys me…You get the idea.

Paul tells us that we are the “aroma of Christ” to those around us. I think this captures the idea well. We need to be “regular” enough to be relatable. But we need to reflect heaven enough to raise questions about the One we love and serve. This means thoughtfulness about what we value, what we think about and how we think about it, and how we think about the world. It also means the resolve to stick with it when we encounter resistance, resistance from within ourselves and resistance from those around us.

 I think neotenic salamanders are fascinating. I think neotenic Christians need to make a choice one way or the other.

Pursue Christ – He is enough,

            Pastor Jeff

Saving Spiders

I like spiders. Not in a “I want a tarantula as a pet” kind of way. But in a “I see the value of spiders and they are astounding little creatures that don’t freak me out” kind of way. We’ve raised our kids with this sentiment, so in our house when we encounter a spider, the goal is to successfully relocate the little arachnid to some more suitable outdoor location. Not everyone feels or responds this way to spiders. So…when I was walking down a hallway in our church and saw (for the fourth time) a rather large “giant house spider” just resting there, I decided I had to remove the creature before someone else swatted the poor thing.

I went and got a plastic cup and a piece of paper to catch the spider and release it outdoors in the flower garden. Wouldn’t you know it? When I went to trap the spider, it tried to run away. From the creature’s perspective the large and imposing object presented a threat to its safety. From my perspective, I was providing this spider with a chance to avoid being smashed.

 I wonder if the spider’s response doesn’t reflect the way we understand God sometimes. We have a limited perspective, often clouded by our fears and frustrations. We don’t necessarily understand what God is trying to accomplish and even try desperately (at least at times) to find a way out from “under it.” Yet the prophet Isaiah records that God’s ways are not ours and His thoughts are above ours (Isaiah 55:8-9).

Sometimes I think our struggle with God’s work in our lives is simply a matter of misunderstanding goals. God seems more interested in shaping our character, our inner world, than in getting us to remake the outside world. The “outside” world will get remade, count on it. But that is a creative act of God ultimately, right? Right, see Isaiah 65:17, among other verses. The point is, though, that we are often more interested in fixing circumstance as we see it than receiving whatever gift of transformation God is offering in the moment. He sees the end, we don’t. He sees the impact of the change, on us, on others, on His Kingdom purposes. We don’t, at least not always.

Trust – so central to our walk as Christians – is, at least in part, resting in the reality that God’s perspective is true and good and right, while ours is only partial (at its best). Maybe this is part of what was behind the sons of Korah’s prophetic word, “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10).

The spider didn’t know it could trust me to be doing good on its behalf, but we can trust God is doing good on ours.

Pursue Christ – He is enough,

Pastor Jeff