a reason for feeling lousy

I had yet another midwife appointment yesterday—and I’m back with Kari, my original midwife!  This is a cause for celebration.  She’s amazing at what she does!  I don’t know how to explain it.  Even though she gives you the same information that all the other midwives give, you just feel so much more informed and assured of a healthy baby when she tells you what’s going on.  She can tell you exactly where she’ll get the strongest heartbeat, and then be bang on target.  She’s hilarious—I think being British helps her in this area.  I mean, really, what does the phrase “I was in there like a whirling Derbyshire” actually mean? She just makes me giggle. 

This last month has been a tough one for me.  I’ve been feeling dizzy, sluggish, and sometimes flu-ish.  I’ve also had to watch how quickly I stand up, or else I’m in danger of fainting or getting a wicked headache.  With all of the H1N1 hype everywhere, you might guess that I’ve been a little uneasy about my present  condition.  All my fears were silenced yesterday, however, when Kari took my blood pressure.  Over the last four weeks it has dropped significantly.  When Kari told me what it is now compared to what it was four weeks ago, I was astonished—and slightly worried.  Thankfully there was a medical student present in the room who had the ability to ask more intelligent questions than I could have done.  Kari explained it’s common for girls my age to have low blood pressure to begin with (which I did), and it’s expected to drop between 24-28 weeks, which is where I am right now.  For pregnancy, this level is normal.  The student seemed astonished, and rightfully so: if I was sent to the hospital with that blood pressure at any other time in my life, they’d think I was dying.  I’m normal, however, and that knowledge is good enough for me.  It won’t go up at all in the last weeks of pregnancy, but Kari assured me that I will become more accustomed to it, thus I will feel better. 

So, that’s the latest in my road to motherhood.  In the meantime, I’m enjoying sitting back, putting my feet up, and delving into novel after novel. 

omitting “grace” and “faith” from the text

I was searching for verses on “grace” for a project I’m working on, and I came upon a verse that many have heard before:

• Eph 2:8-10

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.  (ESV)

I need to use a version of the verse that is easy to understand, but I don’t want to use one that twists the meaning to something “more fitting” to what I’m doing.  That would be misusing Scripture.  My two default translations happen to be the New American Standard Bible and the English Standard Version, but I was curious to see what other translations had to offer.  Here’s a broad look:

• Eph 2:8-10, New International Version
  
  8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

 

• Eph 2:8-10, New King James Version
  
  8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

 

• Eph 2:8-10, The Message
  
  8 Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It's God's gift from start to finish!
  9 We don't play the major role. If we did, we'd probably go around bragging that we'd done the whole thing!
  10 No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.

 

I was completely stunned when I read these verses in The Message.  He deliberately removes the words “grace” and “faith” from the text.  I understand that Eugene Peterson is trying to get away from “church jargon” to make the Bible easier to grasp, but I will not support his version as being Scripture.  God is not a teacher that waters down His “lessons” to the students’ level.  He is God Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth!  His ways are above our ways, and its our wonderful privilege to seek out His truth and His ways, to long for bigger things, deeper truths.  Any teacher will admit that in order for her students to learn, they need to be offered knowledge that is beyond their grasp—something they need to work at attaining.  It’s not cruel—on the contrary, it’s extremely loving. 

I suppose what bothers me the most is that the general public regards The Message as any other Bible.  New believers are encouraged to read it as if it is a literal translation. It’s not.  It’s a paraphrase… mortal man’s summary of God’s words.  I’m sorry, Eugene Peterson, but the TRUE Message belongs to God, and, whether you intended it or not, people are being deceived into exchanging the immortal God with “images” or “thoughts” brainstormed by humans.  In our own study of the Bible, we may be led to think about the text in some of the same ways that The Message states it, but I am completely content with relying on the Holy Spirit for that understanding.  The LORD is faithful, and His word never goes forth without accomplishing that which it was sent out to do.  That is HIS role, you know. God is a jealous God, and He jealously guards His Word.   The words of other translations of Scripture are completely understandable—we just need to actually apply our minds and rely on the Holy Spirit for understanding. 

One final thought…

I find it interesting that the world has so readily accepted this paraphrase in place of versions such as the NKJV or NASB, or even the NIV.  I doubt a re-write of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice in contemporary language would be so well accepted as the Message.  And that’s a sad thought. 

content

That settles it. I am happily done moving for at least another year. Our "new" house is small, but not unbearable--it's snug and cozy. I have pictures on the walls. My Christmas tree is up. Our cat is surprisingly happy with her new accommodations. And, happy day, we now have a shower IN our house! No more trekking to the lodge on frosty fall mornings! What's more, we will actually have a washer and dryer, plus a new fridge that is bigger than 1 cubic foot! To say that I'm happy would be an understatement. I am relieved, blessed, and able to relax. I have linoleum to wash in place of hastily painted plywood. The walls are painted a colour I helped pick. And our cupboards actually fit our freakishly huge dinner plates. Yes, reader, I admit that my raptures may seem vain to you, and I don't blame you for thinking so. But in this, our first year of marriage, I am more inclined than I ever have been to find joy in the simplest of things. Therefore I see no harm in it, and I will generously give thanks to my Father who has found it right to bless us with this time of rest.

frosty fall morning

let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

fall is here (I think?)

Another month has just FLOWN by! It's already October 13--a mere 2 1/2 months to Christmas. Last year around this time I was frantically trying to get wedding invitations out, plan the whole thing, and get all my school assignments done on time. I hardly even remember Christmas because of how absent minded I was. I had good reason, though. Now as I reflect on the past year, I seriously wonder where the time went! Here I am, 8 months married and 21 weeks pregnant. Wow. Life changes. Fast.

Speaking of changes, our seasons are doing some wacky things. Fall's not convinced it wants to be here, Summer is going out with a fight, and Winter has belly-flopped on both. Check out this pic of the valley--green, leafy, and covered in snow.

Other than my latest musings, nothing much is new. I'm working on a few knitting/crocheting projects, one of which you'll see below with Queen Sheba perched on top. I think I'm going to have some difficulty explaining to her that it's for the BABY, not her. You can tell what she thinks of baby already. I should teach that cat some manners.

a faithless fig tree

Sometimes all a person needs to do is find routine. I must admit that my life has been lacking this severely as of late. I mean self-imposed routine, not one forced on you by work or circumstances. It's been easy for me to back slide in this area, what with going to college and working at camp for the past 2 years of my life. But now that I'm a happy little housewife, I need--let me repeat--NEED routine! Suddenly "I'll scrounge up food when I'm hungry" just doesn't cut it. Nor does "it seems that I've got no clean undies for today" (not that this was ever good before!). I've got a hubby to look after! Although he's self sufficient, cooks like a pro, and courageous when it comes to doing laundry, I need to take care of his needs and start providing a comfortable home base that he can come home to and relax in. What a drag to spend part of the evening doing the whole (one? two? three?) day(s)'s dishes!

This is day #3 of my new schedule. It's far from perfect, mind you. I guess the main reason behind my new ways lies deep within me. My soul is thirsty for the Lord. When my life is out of order, when I can see mess, when I know I should be doing something that I'm not doing, misery sets in. It's an apathy spurred on by feeling stressed out about all I have to do. There's to much to do--so I do nothing. I worked the same way through college, but thankfully was always able to focus on that due date and pull together all my projects with flair (at the last minute, of course). Sadly, I can't take this pattern into real life. God's "due dates" are very vague. "Andrea, I'll require all that I've required from you when I require it from you." That's God's answer to my misplaced passions. In other words, He's going to come like a Thief in the Night. There is one small passage of Scripture that rocks me to my core dealing with this very subject: Matthew 21:18-22

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree
18 In the morning, as (Jesus) was returning to the city, He became hungry.
19 And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, He went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And He said to it, "May no fruit ever come from you again!" And the fig tree withered at once.
20 When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither at once?"
21 And Jesus answered them, "Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' it will happen.
22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith."

In the past I've always slightly ignored this passage. I don't know if it was because I truly couldn't interpret it, or if my heart truly didn't want to grasp the message engraved in it. This story is repeated in different books of the four Gospels, and the line "for it was not the season for figs" is added to the text in verse 19. How unfair! Jesus expects something from the fig tree that has never been expected from ANY other fig tree in history! Come on, Man, it wasn't even fig season. Give the tree a break!

That was wear my interpretation stopped before the Lord revealed this passage to me. And then I realized that if I suddenly found myself before the judgment seat of Christ, it wouldn't matter if I was living in an "off" season or not. God expects things from His children that He would never expect of an unbeliever. He expects the impossible. He expects perfection! If you don't believe me, read the Old Testament. Those expectations have not changed to this day. Don't you think that's a rather unfair requirement? Much like looking for figs on a tree when it isn't even fig season? Don't be fooled. God doesn't accept our limitations--self imposed or circumstantial. "But, God, I've just... well... it's... it's been so busy. I've got no extra time! And then there was that cold I got--remember that? You should have known it would bring down my energy. God, why are you being so unreasonable? It just wasn't my ministry season." Do you see any of those statements actually being acceptable in God's sight? On the contrary, I think the whole argument is abominable. God will curse you and say, "depart from me, you who practice lawlessness!" and you will wither.

That is why this passage is so frightening to me--IF you leave it at that. It's frightening because there is no way that I could ever, ever, EVER be perfect no matter how hard I strive. That fig tree could have never produced fruit out of season even if it was the best fig tree in the whole country. Why? Without faith, we cannot please God. Jesus gives us the answer: By faith you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer. Lord, I am a helpless, sin-prone human being. My attempts to please you amount to nothing in my own strength. Father, please, for the sake of Your Name, enable Your servant to walk in victory over sin.

God requires perfection of us, and He is going to come by, looking for fruit, when we least expect it. Have faith, serve God, do not give up hope.

My aforementioned "routine" will mean nothing if I am not bowing my heart, my will, to God. I will be as dry as that fig tree when my Lord comes unless I live by faith.