Apologizing to Muslims

Last night I found myself surrounded by 6 Kurds, 2 from Iraq, 2 from Sryia, and 2 from Turkey.  Our friends were having a religious ceremony for their 45 day old baby who is an absolute cutie pie.  One of them showed me where Kurdistan used to be and how the Ottoman Empire broke the land up into four different countries.

One of our couple friends is a Kurd, the other is a Turk, they're both from Turkey.  Several months ago my friend said what our president/nation had done to the Kurds wasn't right.  So I looked it up in about the only news source I trust nowadays (The Economist) and sure enough my friend was right.  To summarize, when we pulled out of the war against ISIS in Syria we left our allies, the Syrian Kurds who were helping us defeat ISIS, high and dry.  Consequently, Erdogan and Turkey had started making war on the Syrian Kurds now that they no longer have us as an ally.

For years, I would've considered myself a pacifist or if forced to decide a non-violent activist should the time ever come.  Then I had a baby and now I know I would be highly irrational and violent if he was ever threatened with his life.

That is my background, so know that I'm essentially anti-war if at all possible.  However, if I was pro-war and just had common sense as a basis for thought, I know you don't leave your allies high and dry in times of war.  Other presidents have done the same thing I'm sure, it just hit home this time as I was seated at a table of people who had immediate relatives who were effected by international relations like this.

And so, I apologized to the Kurdish people I had just met.  They said not to worry about it because it's just politics and ultimately they're right.  But it was a reminder that what our nation does abroad has far-reaching consequences.

It seems like there is this fear-mongering in our nation against Muslims that comes in waves.  Post 9-11 it was sky high, then it died down again, then it flared up again, and the cycle continues.  What I don't understand is why that fear is so rampant within our own churches.  Perfect Love drives out fear.  I have seen someone who was radicalized after a trip to Mecca saved by Jesus Christ and completely changed by Him.  That doesn't mean his life is now perfect or that he always makes wise decisions.  But what I can tell you is that Love in the Person of Christ is the best means of anti-terrorism we have.

Terrorism is not confined by one religion or people group alone.  People in this country are so scared of 'the other' and yet we want to see the Good News reach every corner of the globe.  How exactly do we expect to do that if we never speak to people outside of our shared demographics?  The states is still a nation of immigrants, and it would behoove us as believers to build bridges to people who are new to this country regardless of what our media might portray them as.  One of the best way to build bridges?  Apologizing to them.  Trust me, there is plenty that we have to be sorry for and it helps bring people's guards down as a bonus.

Healthy, Wealthy and Wise

I'm not sure who to attribute this to, as it is often attributed to different people in the past as many sayings are, but one person in America's history said, "Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise."  It's a part of the very fabric of American life.

We can find Biblical verses to back up all of these, but we mustn't forget these are ultimately a cultural value and not a Biblical one.  Although the wise one is pretty hard to argue with from a Biblical standpoint.  There's nothing wrong with striving for each of these as long as they don't get in the way of our true goals as a Christian.

We should ultimately strive to be a reflection of Christ and grow in our Christ-likeness.  For me, if I think about those 3 big ideas too much I can lose sight of growing as a Christ follower.  Recently I saw a post by Bob Goff that said Christ doesn't call us to be the best version of ourselves but rather reflections of Him.  It was a convicting reminder.

I'm all about personal development.  I read books about it, namely about habits that lead to the life I want to live.  Often, these can overshadow my true purpose of reflecting Christ to the world around me if I'm not careful.  They can easily become distractions to my ultimate goal of glorifying God and enjoying His presence.

There is nothing inherently wrong with any of these.  One could argue that Christ never called us to be wealthy and he didn't really address health all that much.  However, if both health and wealth are looked at as tools to expand the kingdom of God then they should be embraced with open arms.  Wealthy people can do a lot of good with their resources and empower missionaries and local leaders to reach the lost in their communities abroad.  They can also do the same in their own communities.

I can also often seek out wisdom in the wrong places, like reading more personal development books and business books or personal finance books than I read the Bible.  I have some systems in place to try and grow my relationship with Christ but He often shows up when I least expect it.  He often displays His strength in my adversity, like this last fall with the fire and the miscarriage.

That's not to say I'm off the hook in terms of personal responsibility to use the resources He's given to me to advance His kingdom whether that be with talents of the wealth kind or talents of the strengths kind.  However, He often displays His strength more in my weaknesses than He does in my strengths.

To summarize, striving for health, wealth and wisdom aren't bad in and of themselves but they must be put in their proper place in our lives, simply as tools to try and expand the kingdom of God.  And we must remember that ultimately it's His kingdom and He's the One who is going to grow it or reveal it more and more and we're simply privileged to get to be a part of that when He calls us to do so.  Praise be to Him who uses our relatively minuscule efforts to reach the lost for His Name's sake.

Failing Forward

I've been vlogging recently about trying to get healthy again.  The main part I find hardest is consistency.  This is necessary no matter what good habit you want to develop. 

Anyone can do well for a week or two, but to change your life it takes a lifetime of change.  That's quite intimidating but it's what we must focus on. 

How can you possibly change for a lifetime when you've been on the SAD (Standard American Diet) diet for your whole adult life basically?  One bite, one meal, one choice, one day at a time.  If health was easy everyone would be in good shape. 

A strong part of it is environmental factors.  Having lived overseas for some time, I've joked with others that as soon as I cross American airspace on my trip home my waist expands.  With fast food restaurants on every corner with unlimited free refills on soda is it any wonder we struggle with obesity as a nation??

Some would call that an excuse and that might be a fair assessment.  I do know it is easier to lose weight overseas and keep it off though simply because of the food culture you'll likely encounter.  Here it takes much more self discipline to say no to some truly toxic foods and lose weight and keep it off. 

So, when you fail when trying to change something as major as your diet and health, make sure to fail forward.  Don't give into shame as that will simply lead to giving up.  Learn from your mistakes and keep moving forward, one bite at a time.