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Things ahead

mood: refreshed refreshed
Another thing that distracts us is our passion for vindication. St. Augustine prayed, "O Lord, deliver me from this lust of always vindicating myself." Such a need for constant vindication destroys our soul’s faith in God. Don’t say, "I must explain myself," or, "I must get people to understand." Our Lord never explained anything— He left the misunderstandings or misconceptions of others to correct themselves.

—Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest (23 November, "The Distraction of Contempt")

This really made me think. There's lots for me to work on here.

Less time at home today than I would otherwise choose. After church, I'm off to Hillcrest Presbyterian for Eddie's ordination, with dinner to follow. Want to fan the flames of a celebrative spirit rather than simply being selfish with my time (as I usually am). This is a great day for him and I'm honored to be invited to join him in it.

Phil has a Sidekick now, as does Tonto. The amount of trouble I could get myself into boggles the mind.

There have been moving trucks— big ones— hauling things out of the church building next to my apartment. It's a gorgeous old stone structure that's recently served home to an architecture firm. I've regularly prayed that it would be delivered to my church; its size, atmosphere, and location seem perfect for us. Will need to make some calls come Monday and see what's cooking. My heart leaps at the thought of the cross atop its spire meaning something again.

Who should I invest time with this week?

Posted on Nov. 23rd, 2003 at 06:43 am | | Communicate | 3 communications |

Comments


33shadow

What do you think St. Augustine meant by the term vindication? I kind of understand what it means to feel or be vindicated, but I don't understand how a person vindicates him/herself. What's your understanding of it?
Posted on Nov. 23rd, 2003 01:00 pm (UTC) | | Thread | Reply

banzai

This is a good question. I read it as a desire to be justified and proven right. At the core, this is something we can't do for ourselves— it is the work of Christ. Yet we (I) try to do it all the time. That's ultimately idolatry: rejecting Christ's work in favor of my own.

That's a rough synopsis, open to more discussion.
Posted on Nov. 27th, 2003 12:14 pm (UTC) | | Parent | Thread | Reply

33shadow

I kind of understand what you're saying. It just seemed like Oswald Chambers was talking about a more mundane type of vindication, not what Jesus accomplished on the cross. Does that make sense?
Posted on Nov. 29th, 2003 01:12 pm (UTC) | | Parent | Thread | Reply