CamDevo

Fish, especially small ones, tend to swim in schools. I’ve seen it while scuba diving and on TV nature shows. Huge swarms of little fish moving around en mass as if they were one creature.

They do this for safety. By themselves, they feel more vulnerable to attacks of a predator. Together, their chances of survival are improved. Like the old joke about two hunters running from a bear. One guy says, “You can’t outrun that bear!” The other guy says, “I don’t have to. I only have to outrun you!”

People tend toward this behavior as well. Mob mentality happens when I long to belong so I adopt the behavior, attitudes, and values of others.

But often in our culture, our herds run in the wrong direction. Off cliffs, into quicksand, or into the jaws of a lion. If I run with the herd, I will be lost along with them, all the while believing the lie that there is safety in numbers.

“Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” (Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭2,‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

No matter what my culture dictates, it’s vital for me to return to God for guidance in determining my behavior, attitude, and values. Only He can truly provide the safety I seek. Every group that I find myself part of presents a danger of drawing me into a different path from God’s if I’m not vigilant.

Dear God, thank you for providing friends and companionship in my life, but help me to remain focused on your commands and teachings. Teach me your good, pleasing, and perfect will and protect me from being a fish in a wayward school.

While doing research for a novel, I learned about negativity bias. Apparently, we tend to remember and allow negative events to affect us more than positive or neutral events.

Although this sounds distressing and unfortunate, it seems to track with my own experiences. Many times I’ve come to the end of a tennis match and seem to recall every error I made, even when I win. It’s up to other people to remind me of the points I played well.

Or when I come home from a party, my mind replays all the awkward interactions and inane things I said, totally overlooking my witty comments and deepened relationships.

Just the other day I was looking at a photo of a trip I’d made years ago. The first thing that came to mind was how I’d stepped on a nest of fire ants on that trip. Only later was I reminded of the beautiful things I’d seen snorkeling, the warm breezes, and the peaceful nights by the beach.

“Do not remember the past events; pay no attention to things of old. Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭18‬-‭19,‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life. And I’ve had a lot of bad things happen to me too. But God doesn’t want them to make me afraid or bitter or cold. He has the power and the love to give me a fresh start. To heal. To move into a new future with Him at the helm.

My future will not be all sunshine and warm breezes. There will be more fire ant nests. But with God’s constant love, comfort, and mercy, I can always be looking forward, never haunted by the past.

Dear God, thank you for your promise to always be with me, ready with forgiveness, comfort, love, and the strength to do better. Teach me to focus on my future with you, putting aside my tendency to dwell on the past.

There’s something about the calendar changing from December 31st of one year to January 1st of the next. It seems momentous. The whole world celebrates.

Or rather, they party. It’s not necessarily a joyous occasion. At the turn of the millennium, many people were terrified. Y2K was going to crash all the computers and send us into a new dark age of chaos. People still partied, but some of the parties took a dark, apocalyptic turn.

There’s nothing actually special about midnight on December 31st. It’s a day just like any other except for the solar dating methods introduced by Julius Caesar (and later reformed for accuracy.) Because of that calendar, we have the special day when the year counts up by one.

Because of the new year, it feels like a chance at being a new person in some way. I can start a new lifestyle in hopes of being healthier or wealthier or happier or… But the change I make at the new year is artificial. Because nothing has actually changed in me. If I am determined enough, maybe I can continue with my new ways. Maybe.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!” ‭‭(2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭17,‬ ‭CSB)‬‬

There is one real way to become a whole new me. The change in me that happens when I give Jesus control is real, lasting, and momentous. I don’t have to rely on my own will power for this lifestyle change. I have all of God’s power and infinite resources at my disposal. He promises to work with me to make the changes. Real positive changes. Until I look more like Him. A whole new me.

Dear God, thank you for making me a new person, for providing your strength so I can be a better person than I have been. I want to be your child and look like you. I’m sorry for thinking I can be better all by myself. I can’t. I need you.

One of the math teachers at the high school I attended was feared by the students. When classes were assigned, those who got Mr. G for math groaned with dread because of the rumors they’d heard about his stern teaching methods and willingness to give out failing grades. Fortunately, he only taught the advanced math classes so many students were able to avoid him altogether.

I liked math though and excelled at it, so I was destined to encounter Mr. G. I remember my first few classes with him. I was very nervous.

But I quickly learned the truth. He was just a very good teacher who expected his students to listen, to work hard, and to learn. He didn’t give out participation awards. If you got an A, it was because you earned it. And if you got an F, which he had no qualms about issuing, you had earned that too. But for those struggling students, he made time, staying after school or even coming in on weekends, to work with them individually until they understood the concepts thoroughly. The wise students accepted his help. The fools stayed home.

Because of his dedication and consistent, high standards, students in his classes had great success in school and in their lives. Many returned to thank him years after they had graduated.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline.” (Proverbs‬ ‭1‬:‭7,‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Mr. G taught me the value of working hard to achieve high standards. And he taught me the value of someone willing to hold me to those high standards.

God has the highest standards of all. Because of that He is to be feared. Failing to meet God’s standards earns death, not just an F. I would be wise to pay attention to those standards.

Fortunately, God is even more dedicated than Mr. G to those of us (all of us) who struggle to make a passing grade. God sent His Son to tutor us, to remind us of our lessons, and ultimately to take the test for us if we let Him.

It would be wise to study hard but let Jesus take the test.

Dear God, thank you for the example of wise people you have placed in my life to learn from. Thank you also for your truth and holy standards. Thank you most of all for giving me a way to meet your standards through Jesus. Teach me to be wise and sit humbly at your feet to listen and learn.

Nature tells us everything we need to know about God. The Bible says we have no excuse for claiming we don’t know who God is because it’s all here for us to see in His creation. (See Romans 1:20)

And yet there are so many who don’t believe. How can this be?

Is it because we ignore nature? Pollute it, manipulate it, try to control it, pave over it, or avoid it?

To see God in nature, I have to pay close attention to nature. I have to observe it with an open mind and a curious heart. I should read what others have discovered, experiment on my own, learn from it, and share what I have seen, contributing to our collective knowledge. In so doing, I will learn about the Creator of it all.

“When they saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy. Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” (Matthew‬ ‭2‬:‭10‬-‭11,‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

The “wise men” of the Bible were such keen observers of nature. From a far off land, they saw something in the sky that led them straight to Jesus. It touched them so deeply that they traveled hundreds of miles, through harsh conditions and unknown dangers, just to see this God. When they did, they were overwhelmed by Him. They fell to their knees in worship and poured out the treasures they had.

What did they see in that star? It must have been extraordinary.

Nature is extraordinary. When I look closely and contemplate it deeply, I too am overwhelmed by its Creator. How can we not know what things are made of — the smallest bits? How can we not know how far space goes and not see its end? How can we not even know how our own brains truly function? We study and study and never come to an end of learning.

God is infinite and unknowable, as is His creation, but He loves my searching. He reveals Himself every time I take a moment to notice.

Dear God, thank you for revealing yourself through nature to anyone who looks for you there. Teach me to be a keen observer, the way the wise men were, of anything you’d like me to see and know about you. Teach me also to take care of this world, your creation, as best I can in everything I do.

I’m a fan of Stephen King, the author. I think I’ve read everything he’s published, and he’s published a lot.

I think the reason I like his stories so much, besides being well-crafted with fascinating, relatable characters, is because there is almost always something… else… to the story. Something not quite based in the reality I’m aware of. Something outside the normal natural world. I guess I should say supernatural, but that has its own connotations that I don’t necessarily mean.

I’m not drawn to reading regular stories about regular people and their struggles in everyday life because I get more than enough of that with my own life and the news.

I like the “something else” that Mr. King brings to his stories. Someone with a special ability or the discovery of an alien visitation or the fleshing out of evil as a character or a version of the world after a pandemic (written well before COVID-19).

One of the reasons I like the “something else” is because I think there really is a something else. The Bible makes it clear that there is. It speaks of a whole realm that we humans can’t sense at all. Occasionally, God allows us a glimpse.

“Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors!” (Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭13‬-‭14,‬ ‭CSB)‬‬

Jesus’s birth was one such occasion. It was so momentous that God opened the curtain to the something else realm for a few of us to witness. The shepherds were the lucky ones to see the multitude of heavenly creatures revealed that night. Suddenly. Out of nowhere. The something else was revealed, and it was spectacular.

I sometimes try to picture this moment. I stare up into the starry night sky and imagine seeing one brilliant angel. That’s almost too much to bear, just that. But then my eyes are opened to see the rest of what is. Angels and heavenly creatures filling the sky with beauty and singing. They are praising God and speaking peace on us all. That would be something else!

Dear God, thank you for your mysterious “something else.” I am excited to see all of reality one day instead of through a glass darkly like I do now. Thank you for breaking through by sending your Son on that dark night so long ago. Glory to you in the highest and peace here on earth tonight.

I like to watch the TV show AFV: America’s Funniest Home Videos. It’s dumb, I know, but I get a kick out seeing the funny things that happen in the lives of other people. One recurring theme is a couple trying to announce their pregnancy in a clever and unique way. Some people put a bread roll in their kitchen oven and record their mother trying to figure out why it’s there. Eventually, usually with many hints, the “bun in the oven” connection is made followed by exuberant celebration on the part of the grandmother-to-be.

There are many ways to announce an impending birth, and it’s almost always followed by rejoicing. But the joy is typically limited to close friends and family. I am amused seeing the joy on the faces of the celebrants, but I don’t really celebrate these strangers’ pregnancy. Babies are born every day. Unless I know the mother or father, it doesn’t really affect my life.

There is one dazzling exception.

“Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people…’” (Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭9‬-‭10‬, ‭CSB‬‬)

When Jesus was born, it was “good news of great joy…for all the people.” Not just for the parents. Not just for those shepherds hearing the message from the angel. Not just for the other people in Bethlehem in 1 A.D. Not even just for the people alive on earth during Jesus’s lifetime. Jesus’s birth is good news of great joy for all people living, dead, and not yet born. It’s great news for me and great news for you.

Why? Why should I care about the birth of some baby born to strangers in a faraway land two millennia ago?

Because that baby solved my biggest problem. He solved death. I don’t have to be afraid of death anymore. “Fear not!” the angel said. Indeed.

Dear God, thank you so much for making sure I got this message, the good news of great joy. Thank you for sending Jesus to save me. Teach me how to properly celebrate this birth. It matters more than any other birth announcement that ever was.

I have to wear reading glasses now. It happened suddenly. One day I couldn’t see the food at the end of my fork clearly as I put it in my mouth. I rubbed my blurry eyes, thinking I’d gotten something smeary in them, but the blurriness remained. And it’s still there.

Reading glasses are basically magnifying lenses that make things bigger that are close up so I can see them more clearly. I can read, thread a needle, and see what I’m eating.

I can still read without the glasses, but I have to squint and struggle. I get frustrated and make errors. Eventually I get a headache. I either give up or go in search of my nearest pair of reading glasses.

“And Mary said: My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,” (Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭46‬-‭47,‬ ‭CSB)‬‬

The archaic meaning of magnify is “to praise” or “to extol.” I know that was the translator’s intent in this verse.

But it’s interesting to think about the more modern meaning of “to make something bigger.” I think that meaning is appropriate here as well.

God is bigger than anything I can imagine, bigger and more mighty than anything He created, bigger than the universe, and He’s everywhere in it.

And yet, in my life He takes up only a small corner. That is a terrible decision on my part. I need to magnify God in my life. I need to give Him complete access and full control so His love swells to every nook and cranny in my soul. Then I will experience His true magnificence. Only then can I appreciate His love and wisdom, holiness and beauty.

This is what happened to Mary when God invited her on the journey of birthing the Savior. She was filled with God’s Spirit. God was magnified to His true size in her soul. She could no longer contain her joy and burst into song. The Magnificat.

Dear God, I know you are not small. I am sorry for making you so in my life. Please fill me with your fullness, or what I can handle of it. Reveal to me your vast love and infinite holiness. Take up as much room in my life as you want, pushing out the clutter that does not belong and has no value.

I tend to be restrained when I pray. I don’t usually ask for anything too wild. I guess because I feel selfish asking for too much.

But God invites outlandish requests. He can do the impossible and appreciates the faith required to seek impossible things from Him.

Jesus told His disciples that they could move mountains if they had the faith of a tiny mustard seed. He modeled that kind of prayer and faith for His followers.

“The angel replied to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.’” (Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭35‬, ‭CSB‬‬)

If God could make a virgin suddenly become pregnant, He can suddenly remove cancer from a loved one. He can make a blind person see. He can dissipate a financial problem overnight. He can make a hard-hearted, hatred-spewing monster suddenly become generous, humble, and kind.

God can move mountains. It’s time to start praying like I believe it.

Dear God, thank you for encouraging me to pray for mountains to be moved. Forgive me for letting my doubts dictate my prayers instead. Teach me how to pray with boldness and confidence the way Jesus did. Oh Lord, hear my prayer!

At one point in my life I considered myself doomed to live in small, nowheresville towns that started with the letter B.

My hometown of Baraboo had a population of around 8000 in those days. A lot more if you counted the cows. After college, I got a great job in Chicago but was immediately transferred to upstate New York where I lived in Baldwinsville. When I got laid off from that job a year later, I ended up staying with relatives in Bellingham, Washington until I found a new job. I had an offer in Boston (at least it wasn’t small), but I chose Seattle instead. Finally my streak had ended.

When I was young and seeking excitement, I felt trapped in those small towns. I was sure I couldn’t accomplish anything meaningful there or meet anyone interesting.

But Jesus proved me wrong. He was born in Bethlehem, a small B town, and look what He accomplished. He saved the world.

“Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; one will come from you to be ruler over Israel for me. His origin is from antiquity, from ancient times.” (Micah‬ ‭5‬:‭2‬, ‭CSB‬‬)

Bethlehem was a nothing little town. It didn’t belong on anyone’s list of top travel destinations then. Most people weren’t familiar with it and probably couldn’t have found it on a map. And yet God chose it as the miraculous birthplace of our Savior.

I think God chose it exactly because it was insignificant. If the Messiah came from Bethlehem, that would be surprising. And if a prophecy pointed out such a nowheresville town as the birthplace of the Messiah, that would be very memorable. And that’s exactly what happened.

Everyone knows Bethlehem now. We sing songs about it every Christmas. And it’s on many people’s travel bucket list.

Baraboo still isn’t famous. I guess I have some work to do.

Dear God, thank you for the reminder that you can accomplish your will anyplace and anytime. You are not confined by our earthly standards. Big things can happen in small places. Unknown, insignificant people like me can do great and mighty things in your name, with your power. Give me the courage to think big.