What is the point of faith if it is dead? How can I be assured that I have a living and active faith?

The Epistle of James continues to challenge me. Here James warns fellow followers of Christ about showing partiality. Partiality rears its head when we make judgments about individuals and show preferences based on those judgments. While James gives the example of preferring those based on material wealth, the warning is equally applicable regarding race, gender or age. My immediate reaction was, “Whew! I’m off the hook this week—I don’t do that!” After all, I am appalled when I see anyone hurt by racism or discrimination. It deeply grieves me.

But, is showing partiality not just about what we feel about others, but what we fail to do?

Wherever she has lived, my daughter has always placed a mirror right next to her front door. She calls it her “last chance mirror.” It gives her one last chance to assess herself before she goes out into the world. Rather than take a moment to admire what she sees, Ricki looks to see what she might need to fix.  Is there lipstick on her teeth? Breakfast on her cheek? There is no point to look at the mirror, or even have the mirror if she then just walks out the door without following up with the appropriate adjustments.

Really?  Is it possible to “consider it pure joy” when we face trials? Admittedly, this may not be the first thing you tell someone who is in a hard place. As I wrote last week, before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, He wept, demonstrating His compassion for those hurting. But nonetheless, this is a Truth for followers of Christ. By the power of God’s Spirit we can consider any trial we face as joy. But the key to understanding how this is possible is in understanding the word, “consider.”

My brain is a bit tired this week. I have had numerous opportunities to teach and share my testimony recently, and truthfully, I was at a loss for what to write on this week. A dear friend suggested that I should just write my favorite verse and say that even I run out of words sometimes! So here it is, but it does need some explanation. (Apparently I always have words.)

The Psalmist declared, “Open my eyes, that I may see wonderful things from Your law.” Psalm 118:19

Who doesn’t want to see wonderful things?

My mother-in-law Diane, a dear Christian mentor and friend, surprised me when she expressed her uncertainty about whether she had “done enough” in the last months of her husband’s life as he suffered from bone cancer. Managing his pain was often difficult, but I witnessed Diane not only pray for him, but research every medical possibility for pain management as well as for healing. Rarely did she leave his side, spending countless days and nights in hospitals. To me, she gave new meaning to “until death do us part.”  How could Diane wonder if she had done enough? Yet at times, haven’t we all pondered this same question?

During every major natural disaster I learn a new meteorological term. Last year before hurricane Matthew hit the east coast, I became very familiar with the term “storm surge.” This year’s term was “the cone of uncertainty.” Every time I turned on one of the weather channels I saw a map describing the cone and warning residents and visitors within the cone to prepare for the hurricane. Having numerous family and friends, as well as property in Florida, I watched closely and with concern as this cone shifted across the state of Florida.  This uncertainty was the source of anxiety for millions. More than once I thought, the better term is the “cone of anxiety.”

Each summer I look forward to any time I can steal away to lounge  by a pool or beach and read a good book. One of my favorite conversations with trusted fellow readers begins, “Have you read…?” I have been known to stay up all night with a good book, savoring the end, and grieving when I have to say good-bye to the characters. It is one of my life’s most satisfying pleasures.

For newcomers to my blog, a little background: I have spent the past few months reflecting on questions that Jesus asked His disciples or the crowds that followed Him. This examination has revealed that many of the questions were meant to draw the listener into a deeper relationship with Him. Jesus asks them with the purpose of calling us to come to a decision as to who He is—teacher, prophet, or Lord: He asks other questions to help us see that living under His Kingdom authority should redefine how we relate to others. If we love Him, then the follow up is— How are we loving others? I find these are often more challenging to answer.

 And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.”  When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.”  Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” Matthew 9:27-29

For some time, the blind men had followed Jesus, the same Jesus who had just healed a paralytic and raised a girl from the dead. They cried aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David,” an incredible declaration of the deity of Christ. Everyone knew that the “Son of David” was the long-awaited promised Messiah. They—these blind beggars— believed Jesus was He. But Jesus waits before He heals them, and asks them a probing question first. “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”

This.

"If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you?" Luke 6:32

Jesus’ questions to the disciples were meant to challenge them to love their enemies. These Words have convicted me more than I care to admit. Immediately, my former neighbor, “Dynamite Bob,” comes to mind.

I spent the past few days visiting my son in New York City. Having gone to law school and worked in the city for years, it often feels like home. Yet sometimes, the crowds on the streets overwhelm me. Pushed and jostled, I feel claustrophobic, and I want to escape the crowd immediately. I am hard-pressed to think of a sufficiently compelling reason that would thwart me from finding a calmer place. But, with a swarm of people surrounding Him, Jesus had a reason.

What college should I attend? What should I study? Who will I marry? Should I give up the practice of law? These are some of the most important questions I have had to answer. When I faced these weighty questions, no one could answer them for me. I had to answer them for myself.

Jesus asked of Peter, not once, not twice, but three times, “Do you love me?” This is the question that tends to make us feel a bit sorry for Peter. Yes, he denied Jesus three times before the crucifixion, but isn’t Jesus rubbing salt in the wound to ask him three times if he loves Him? Three times. Why three? Wouldn’t one time have been sufficient? Did Peter really need three reminders?

I have been seasick on ferry boats travelling through mildly choppy waters. Therefore, I cannot imagine how terrified I would be to face a violent storm far from shore.

In law school I became very familiar with the Socratic method of teaching. Rather than doling out answers, our professors asked questions in a way that allowed us to formulate substantive conclusions on our own.

A number of years ago, I was at one of my son’s high school baseball games. The sun was setting, making it difficult to look into the outfield. His team was winning, and the other team was up to bat. The other team had one player on base and another came up to the plate. With a swing of the bat, the ball soared into the outfield.

This past week my sister and I decided that the time had come to get our 85-year-old mom a “life alert” device. Apparently those cheesy commercials were sufficiently effective to motivate us to take action!