This is Memorial Day Weekend and our nation will pause to recognize those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for the continuing freedom of our nation. Our freedom is not attributed to politicians or business icons, but our freedom is attributed to the American Soldier. Some would question the validity of a church patriotically recognizing such national holidays, but in reality it is one of the most Christian things we can do. The sacrifice our fighting men and women have made for the freedom we enjoy today is rooted in something much deeper than nationalism. It is rooted in the belief that man is created in the image of God as free beings. The freedom of man reflects the righteousness of God and when we fight to defend freedom, it is a defense of God’s righteousness. The sacrifice of our wartime dead reflects, knowingly or not, an acknowledgement  as a nation in the righteousness of God.

In Matthew 26 we read the account of a woman (believed to be Lazarus’s sister, Mary) anointing the feet of Jesus with an expensive perfume. The sacrifice she made was estimated to be the equivalent of a year’s wages. Imagine that in today’s economy, yet she willingly poured it out for Jesus. Why would she do that? The sacrifice, although it was of great value, pointed to something of greater value, and thus increased in its own worth. Her sacrifice is still discussed today, making it the most famous perfume in the history of man. Her sacrifice pointed to the righteousness of God. As significant as our fallen soldier’s sacrifice is, its value increases infinitely when we understand it as a sacrifice for God’s righteousness and the continued freedom of mankind. For that reason, Memorial Day is a very Christian holiday and we will recognize it this Sunday!

This Memorial Day, will you  pause to reflect on the sacrifice of life for our freedom, but also look with thanksgiving for the deeper significance in that sacrifice – the righteousness of God? Join us this Sunday as we consider the Value of Sacrifice. 

Our final Healthy Habit is an aspect of the spiritual life that you may not hear a lot about but is a habit we all need to develop; Lamenting. The society we live in is very good at gathering information and expressing opinions, but we are not so good at dealing with strong emotions. We have all seen it, or worse, we have done it: bottled emotions up inside us until they erupt from the core of our being in a very disruptive and embarrassing manner. Learning to deal with emotions is a habit we all need to develop. Mainstream society does not provide an environment needed to properly deal with our emotions: you will be criticized, condemned or viewed as flawed. Part of the good news of the Gospel is God provides a safe and effective way for us to deal with our emotions. In the Old Testament, particularly in the book of Psalms we find the genre of The Lament. The Lament is a way to appropriately express our emotions in a way that honors God and helps us grow spiritually. Laments are a lot like Blues music. Blues songs start off by voicing a problem, followed by how that makes them feel (blue), concluding some resolution to the problem so they can move on with life. The Blues provide an outlet for the person feeling emotional pain. Laments in the Old Testament follow a similar structure with a major difference. While Laments express their emotion directly to God, they also take comfort in the faithfulness of God and discover the peace they need because of God’s unchanging character. What are the emotions you are struggling with right now? How are you dealing with them? You don’t need to feel defeated by them because in His infinite love for us, God always has time to listen to our hurts, providing the assurance we need to grow, even through the most difficult emotional distress. Join us this Sunday as we conclude our Healthy Habits Series with learning to lament.

Resources:

Right Now Media Course – A Mentally Healthy Faith

The Boundary Series of Books

Book – Emotionally Healthy Spirituality

A Healing Body – Right Now Media

Article – The Art of Lament

Article – The Gift of Lament

Book – Telling Yourself the Truth

All world religions, and their deities,  have a sense of mystery about them. The deity is not like mankind with certain elements that are veiled from humans. Most non-Christian deities are aloof and uninvolved in the lives of their followers. That is what makes Christianity unique! While there is still a mysterious aspect to the God of the Bible, He does reveal himself to His followers and invites people to intimately seek him.  God is revealed in what we call “general revelation” through the created universe as it reflects the creator. In Christianity, we believe in the God of the Bible, and it is there that we find the more “specific revelation” of who God is. That is why Bible reading and learning is so important to living a healthy spiritual life. God has revealed himself in His Word and invites us to seek Him through the pages of Scripture. This Sunday we will consider the Healthy Habit of Bible Reading where we will discover strategies that can help us be more engaged in seeking God through reading the Bible, learning the Bible and applying the Bible. No matter how old or young you are, God is revealing Himself to you through the Bible. The Question is, do you have the habit that leads to a consistent seeking of God through His revealed Word? 

Additional Resources:

Book – Rick Warren’s Bible Study Methods