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- Written by: Don Goulding
For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision something that is outward in the flesh, but someone is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart by the Spirit … (Romans 2:28, 29)
“Please share some words at our haircutting ceremony for Mary Rani.” My ministry partner held his hand on the curly head of a timid five-year-old girl as he invited me to speak.
A hundred beaming friends gathered beneath a scalloped canopy in Nellore, India. The dark of night hides India’s dilapidation and transforms it into a festival of strung flowers and garden lights. No one could tell us why children have their hair shorn, or what words should be said on such an occasion. They only knew it was a right of passage out of infancy.
Cultural neanderthal that I am, I pronounced the girl’s name as “Biryani,” which is a famous Indian rice dish. As the crowd laughed, I held the soft ringlets, Dani clipped the first locks from the precious lamb, and the Holy Spirit passed some appropriate words into my heart.
“We cut this child’s hair as a sign that the one thing she might take pride in, her beautiful hair, is to be humbled—circumcised if you will—before her God. Nothing in Mary Rani’s life should ever be treasured above him.”
As Mary Rani walked about with her deer like eyes, and shaved to the scalp, an important truth settled into both of us. If we allow it, our pride will focus on gifts from God more than on him. Temporarily foregoing the gift lets us worship the Giver without distraction.
Pride is a weed whose roots won’t be pulled until the end of time. In the interim, I must scissor off its growth every day. Thank you, Mary Rani, for that much needed reminder.
Prayer: Holy Father, cut my heart into pieces that will submit to you.
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- Written by: Don Goulding
They will bring the grandeur and the wealth of the nations into it, but nothing ritually unclean will ever enter into it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or practices falsehood, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (Revelation 21:26, 27)
South Americans are lovers of life. They samba dance at fiestas, shout at soccer matches, and weep in cathedrals. Latinos fill life with passion.
Africans engage God’s creation. Soil, rain, animals, and fire are celebrated with rhythm and bold harmony. Africans extol God for his gifts.
Asians are masterful artists. For millenniums they’ve refined calligraphy, music, and bonsai gardening. Asians reflect God through the art of graceful living.
Europeans polish hospitality. A European is in his element when he can give a proper day of sport, thrice kissed cheeks, or a fifty-year-old port. Like their heavenly Father, they give their best.
North Americans run hard at life. They know the value of their short years and invest themselves fully. They take God seriously when he says to multiply their talents.
In every culture there is an “ism”—as in Americanism or Europeanism—that’s as holy as it is unique. Sift away our sinful fear of human diversity and what remains are the mosaic pieces that adorn heaven. The people listed in the book of life will bring this purified variety into our new home.
Like the magi who brought gold, incense, and myrrh from their respective countries, we will bring the grandeur of our nations as gifts of eternal worship.
Prayer: Father of all, I embrace your love of human diversity.
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- Written by: Don Goulding
You squeeze me in from behind and in front;
you place your hand on me.
Your knowledge is beyond my comprehension;
it is so far beyond me, I am unable to fathom it. (Psalms 139:5, 6)
I’m alone in North America’s Sierra Mountains. Fir trees sway among madronas, rising from a floor of crunchy leaves and needles. I inhale the tang of pine resin, and hear the song of robins. In my rapture, I’m oblivious to the commotion of ten thousand insects, spiders, and worms all around me.
The fact that bugs make up ninety-five percent of the world’s animal species goes unnoticed by me. What’s more, the bacteria, spores, and protozoa I carry outnumber the actual cells in my body. Below me are insects and microorganisms, above is the spiritual realm, and all I bother with is my own narrow slice from the spectrum of life.
Jesus reigns over much more than I fathom. The Bible says he holds together all physical and spiritual creation. If he is present in this moment to sustain those billions of organisms and beings, then he is easily able to govern my small world too.
Nothing can get to me without going through Jesus first. It doesn’t matter if I find myself in the most forsaken corner of the world or overrun by demonic hordes, he will never ever let go of the real me in my spirit.
My Savior’s guardianship frees me from an obsession with self-preservation. By his hand on my shoulder, I am made into an invincible spiritual superhero.
Prayer: Surrounding Jesus, I give responsibility for protection to you.