To these four young men God gave knowledge and
understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could
understand visions and dreams of all kinds. Daniel 1:17
My father-in-law was a faithful hard-working Christian, who helped
found a church, and was Sunday school superintendent and church
secretary for many years. But he never voted, and viewed much of the
world’s activities as something to be avoided. When we trotted in from
university full of the sociology and economics we were studying, his
response was, ‘The world by wisdom knew not God’ (1 Corinthians 1:21).
He thought there were better things to do! Daniel,
forcibly removed from his God-focused society into comfortable but
restrictive house arrest in a pagan land, did have a few choices. He
could have refused to cooperate and been intransigently hostile,
probably ending up dead or enslaved. He could have simply given up,
accepted total defeat and obediently done what he was told. Instead
he and his friends went to the enemy’s schools, learnt to function in
an alien culture and language, read the literature, and engaged with
the worldview. But at the same time they chose to maintain their
independence as the servants of the one true God. Daniel decided to
refuse the food allocated them from the king’s kitchens. And because
‘God had caused the official to show favour and compassion to Daniel’
(1:9), they were permitted to live on vegetables. They
established their independence and essential difference from the
enveloping and swamping totality of the imperial culture and social
world of the palace, with an act of self-effacing humility and
self-discipline, without rancour, or disdain for their captors. And
after their training, no one was found to compare with them. They were
now in a position to influence events within the throne room of a
powerful king. Someone once said that Christians in the
world are sometimes chameleons, fading into the colour of the culture,
sometimes ostriches with heads in the sand avoiding all contact, and
sometimes porcupines, confronting with hackles raised. Daniel chose to
understand the world he was in, to respond with courtesy and friendship
to his captors, but also to establish his credentials as a servant of
the living God. How do we respond to the world we inhabit?
"Daniel
chose to understand the world he was in, to respond with courtesy and
friendship to his captors, but to establish his credentials as a
servant of the living God."
"Wanita selalu mengembalikan yang lebih untuk pria"
Jika kamu memberinya RUMAH, maka ia akan memberimu KEHANGATAN dalam rumah-mu.
Jika kamu memberinya BERAS, ia akan mengembalikan NASI untuk-mu.
Jika kamu memberinya CINTA, ia akan memberimu pengabdian seumur hidupnya.
Tetapi jika kamu memberinya HINAAN, ia akan memberimu doa dalam airmata kepedihannya, dan itu berarti siapkan dirimu untuk berjuta KEMALANGAN.
Jika kemarin kamu berdoa dan yakin bahwa dialah tulang rusukmu, maka terimalah dia bukan sebagai wanita yang sempurna, melainkan sebagai wanita yang TERBAIK dari TUHAN.
Bukanlah dia yang tidak pernah berbuat salah, tetapi dia yang selalu berkata maaf untuk setiap kesalahannya dan ia yang punya sejuta maaf untuk kesalahan-mu.
Ia yang menerima masa lalu-mu dan yang siap merancangkan masa depannya bersama-mu.
Ia yang akan selalu cemas dan hilang akal ketika kamu tak memberinya kabar.
Jika dulu sifat manjanya membuatmu tertawa lucu, cemburunya berarti sayang, airmatanya bisa menyayat hati-mu, NAMUN sekarang semuanya itu menjadi alasan kamu melepaskannya, maka merenunglah sejenak!
Mengapa wanita tercipta dari tulang rusuk pria, bukan dari tulang kepala karena wanita bukan untuk memimpin pria, bukan dari tulang kaki karena wanita bukan alas kaki pria.
Wanita tercipta dari tulang rusuk pria karena dekat dengan hati, agar wanita menjadi pendamping, penjaga hati pria.
I’m
a double major in the visual arts and a leader in the art community on
my campus so I jumped at the opportunity to join other artists for five
days to explore our opportunities and challenges as art students who
follow Jesus. I was curious about how my peers integrate their art and
their faith. Here is what they had to say at the recent StoneWorks Arts Leadership Training Conference (SALT).
I
travelled to Belhaven University in Jackson, Mississippi to attend
SALT, expecting to learn more about God’s calling on my life as an
artist. I was excited to meet other people who were passionate about
ministering to their campuses and communities through their artwork. I
wasn’t disappointed! It was so inspiring and refreshing to see
Christian artists from across the country come together. We represented
many different visual and performing arts disciplines and we were all
encouraged and empowered to offer our gifts in service to God.
During
the conference, speaker Dr. Colin Harbinson talked about what it means
to be a Christian artist and the obstacles, or “stones,” we commonly
face. Three areas of struggle for many Christian artists are issues
related to the church, or the artist personally, or within the culture
at large. He emphasized the need to remove these “stones” so that we can
be free to live up to our identity as artists. He is the International
Director of Stoneworks, a global arts initiative. I asked some of
the art students at SALT about their thoughts on what it means to be
artists and Christians on campus and in the world. Here are some of
their responses:
What does it mean to you to be a Christian artist? Meg,
a senior at Southern Illinois University, understands the difference
between the terms “Christian artist” and “Christian art.” “Someone at
SALT said that the word “Christian” is not an adjective; it’s a noun.
“Christian” doesn’t describe the art, it’s just art made by someone who
loves Christ. I think that’s a really simple way to look at it.” “I’ve
always seen creative expression as one of the greatest gifts God has
given us as human beings; we have this ability to express ourselves that
is purely from God,” said Grace, a sophomore at Maryland Institute
College of Art (MICA). “There’s no real separation there, to be an
artist, to be a Christian, to be a follower of God — it’s all a form of
worship and connection with him on a really deep spiritual level. Even
if you don’t make explicitly “Christian art,” being a Christian means
that your values and your beliefs will come out in what you produce.” See Grace’s video where she shares her thoughts on art as a form of worship: Worshipping God as an art student from StudentSoul on Vimeo.
Stephanie,
a senior at MICA, believes that being a Christian artist is a way she
can bring hope to people in the fine arts community. “I think that the
fine arts world is often an unhappy place and the joy that I have as a
Christian comes through my art. I choose to be an artist because the
arts don’t give answers; they pose questions — and that’s the most
effective way to do ministry,” Stephanie said. “People don’t want to be
told what is right; they want to come to it on their own. I think the
Holy Spirit uses the arts to do that.”
What difficulties do you face as a Christian artist on your campus? “The
hardest thing to overcome as a Christian in an arts school is the
preconceived idea of what a Christian is,” said Stephanie. “When people
find out I’m a Christian, they say “I’ve never met a Christian who
accepts me.” I think that just meeting people where they are is the most
important challenge that we as Christians have to take on.” “Because
my campus is, in some respects, hostile towards Christianity, it is
difficult to practice an art form that you know is God-given in an
environment where people don’t see it that way. Christianity is so
steeped in the history of art that it’s hard to be in an artistic
setting and not talk about Christianity. It is fertile ground for
discussing questions people have about the history of the church,” said
Grace. “What’s important for me now is to display my faith through my
actions and my art for people on my campus who aren’t receptive to my
words.”
What impact did SALT have on you personally? “I’ve
been learning just how intricately the artistic side of me connects
with my faith and how to express what I know about God and how I feel
about God through my art,” said Meg. “I have this really strong sense of
possibility and calling on my life. I’m excited about stepping into
that and living it out. I feel released and free, as if God is saying, Don’t be afraid or hesitant; just jump into it and see what I’ll do.
“SALT
reaffirmed in me the fact that I am a leader in the arts. It sparked a
fire in me to share everything I’ve learned, like a reinvigorated
commission” said Stephanie. “Through this conference, I sense God
telling me that this is what he wants me to do and what he’s enabled me
to do, so I must go do it. I think that the message of Christ’s love
communicated through the beauty of the arts is something that I am able
to take into the world now.” Dick Ryan, InterVarsity’s Director of
Arts Ministries, summarized the SALT conference by saying, “We’re
trying to create a way for people to become high-quality, productive
artists and, at the same time, to become high-quality, productive
Christians. This happens in an authentic community with others where
there is a safe place for honest discussions about life, God, and the
arts. This is what we want our students to be doing when they go back to
their campuses.” —by Angela Schram
If there is indeed some truth to the Illuminati conspiracy, the
Illuminati are nothing but pawns in the hands of Satan, tools to be
manipulated in his conflict with God.
The fate of the Illuminati will be
the same as the fate of their lord, Satan/Lucifer, who will be cast
into the lake of fire, to be tormented day and night, forever and ever
(Revelation 20:10).
In John 16:33 Jesus declared,
"In this world you
will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
For
Christians, all we need to understand about the Illuminati conspiracy is
summarized in the words of 1 John 4:4,
"You, dear children, are from
God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater
than the one who is in the world."
What makes us Christians? What defines us as a people? “I believe in God the father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ his only begotten son, our Lord…”
That’s
one way of doing it. We are articulate what we believe. In an upward
gesture, we define ourselves by a common set of postures toward God,
Jesus, and Spirit. What makes us who we are, what saves us, is our faith.
But,
as I’ve argued here before, we need to be careful how we identify
ourselves. We need to exercise care because how we define who we are
will determine what we think faithful action looks like.
Ethics and identity are inseparable.
I’ve
been arguing for some time that we need to reconstrue our identity and
our ethics in narrative terms. We need to loosen our grip on
statements of faith, and move toward more fully living into the story
of the narrative of the faithful Christ. It strikes me that what
I’m arguing for is a wholesale transformation of our way of
understanding Christian faith that corresponds to a shift in the way
many Paul scholars are reading the phrase, “the faith of Christ”
(πίστις χριστοῦ).
This phrase can be read one of two ways.
Christ
can be seen as the object of faith (thus the phrase “objective
genitive” as the Greek construction). This would mean, “[our] faith in Christ.”
Christ
can be seen as the subject of faith (thus the phrase “subjective
genitive” as the Greek construction). This would mean, “Christ’s
faithfulness.”
At bottom, what is Paul after? By what are we
justified in the sight of God? Is it our faith in Jesus? Or is it
Jesus’ faithfulness in going to death on the cross? The idea that
we’re justified by our own faith in Christ is part of a larger way of
construing Christian identity in terms of believing the right things
about God. When Richard Hays renewed the argument for the
subjective genitive (“Christ’s faithfulness”) reading of Paul, the
subtitle of his work was this: “The narrative substructure of Galatians
3:1-4:11.”
The point is not simply that we translate a phrase in
one particular way. The larger point is that this translation reflects a
deeper structure in Pauline theology. Paul is a narrative theologian. He tells the saving story of Jesus. And he invites his congregations into it.
It
might be that Hays was onto something even larger than his own initial
project caught sight of (or, at least, articulated): by decentering
our faithful response, the faithfulness of God in Christ can return to
center stage. We can being to creatively reimagine what it means to be
the faithful people of God, not as those who believe a certain list in a
shared statement of belief, but those who are active participants in
the saving story of the crucified Christ.
Not only might we make
room for a storied theology, we might make room for a storied identity
that gives rise to a faithful, storied ethic.
Black Evangelicals, White Evangelicals, and Franklin Graham's Repentance
When Franklin Graham expressed doubts about President Obama’s Christian faith during an interview on Morning Joe last week, it reminded me of an uncomfortable dinner I had in the late ‘90s.
I
sat down for a pleasant meal in the home of two great friends — one of
them a white evangelical faith leader deeply committed to social
justice. Well into the evening’s conversation — when we’d dropped all
our pretenses and our exchanges moved well past mealtime niceties — one
friend asked me something that caught me entirely off guard. “Do you think Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Christian?” he said. I was dumbstruck. I had never heard anyone actually ask that question before. “Yes,” I replied. “What would make you doubt that?” As
he explained, it became clear: My friend wasn’t sure whether Dr. King
was a Christian because King’s Christianity didn’t look like my
friend’s Christianity. Dr. King valued justice. My friend valued justice.
King professed personal faith in Jesus. My friend professed personal faith in Jesus. And
yet my friend still was hung up about King’s faith because, to his
eye, King didn’t seem interested in “evangelism” as my friend defined
it — i.e. the practice of calling sinners into personal relationship
with God through faith in Jesus Christ, whose death on the cross is
payment for our sins.
Twentieth-century white evangelical
understanding of the Gospel guided (and in many ways defined) my
friend’s Christian walk. Therein lies the disconnect between his
Christian faith and Dr. King’s. According to sociologists Michael Emerson and Christian Smith (authors of Divided by Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America),
only one thing separates white and black evangelicals, but it makes all
the difference in the world: Vastly different experiences of
structural and systemic oppression.
Black evangelicals
have a long history of interaction with oppressive systems and
structures. When African Americans read the Bible, they see the
more than 2,000 passages of scripture about God’s hatred for poverty
and oppression. They see God’s desire for systems and structures to be
blessings to all of humanity — not a curse to some and a blessing for
others. And they see Jesus’ own declaration that he had come to preach good newsto thepoor, which, by the way, is decidedly not a
reference to the “spiritually impoverished.” Jesus meant that he had
come to preach good news (of liberation, freedom, and new life) to
people trapped in material poverty.
White evangelicals
generally do not experience such systemic oppression. According to
Emerson and Smith, most white evangelicals don’t prioritize or even see
the thousands of references in the Hebrew Scriptures and New Testament
about structural and systemic injustice.
Accordingly, the
Gospel — and by extension their evangelism — is about only one thing:
Personal salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, who died for their
sins, and a personal relationship with him. Black
evangelicals also have personal faith that Jesus’ death paid for their
sins, but their Gospel doesn’t end with personal (and individual)
salvation. For Dr. King and Sojourner Truth and Fannie Lou Hamer and
the Rev. John Perkins and Nelson Mandela and for hundreds of thousands
of Black Christians around the world and for me, the good news of the Gospel is that Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection were for the redemption of both individual souls and the redemption of whole societies.
Franklin
Graham’s father, Dr. Billy Graham, didn’t always understand this,
either. The elder Graham’s revivals began as segregated affairs, but
the Supreme Court’s desegregation ruling in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954) agitated his conscience and he quickly course corrected. From that point on, Billy Graham never again held a segregated revival.
What’s more, in 1957 Dr. Graham invited Dr. King, to share his pulpit for a 16-week revival in New York City. For Billy Graham, Martin King was a Christian. In
the last decade or so, a new generation of white evangelicals — such
as my friends Shane Claiborne, Kelly Moltzen, Josh Harper, and others —
have intentionally displaced themselves, moving into impoverished
communities of color in order to gain the experience their parents and
grandparents lacked. As a result, their white evangelical eyes are
open. They see those 2,000 scriptures about poverty and
injustice. And this new generation of white evangelicals is committed
to fight systemic and structural justice because of the Gospel.
So, it grieved me to hear Franklin Graham’s doubt-filled commentary on President Obama’s faith. Obama
has described in his own words (and quite publicly) how he has a
personal relationship with Jesus Christ, how as a young community
organizer in Chicago in the late ‘80s he walked down the aisle of a
church during an altar call to make a public profession of that faith — a
practice developed by one of the greatest American evangelists of all
time, Charles Finney.
The president has clearly professed
his belief that Jesus died on the cross as payment for his sins. And
Obama repeatedly invokes the words of Jesus that guide his world view:
“Just as you did to the least of these, you did to me.” (Matthew 25:40) For
a moment, Franklin Graham’s cynicism tested my own faith. I wondered
if he had any idea that, when he questioned the president’s faith, it
felt as if he were questioning my faith.
I wanted to know
if the transformational power of Jesus’ death and resurrection, which
is powerful enough to save our souls also could open Franklin’s eyes
and soften his heart to the world and experience of his black brothers
and sisters. Repentance is sweet, not only for the sinner, but
also for the world. It reminds us all of what is right; what is good;
what is true. Franklin Graham apologized for his comments and repented
this week. This public discussion is now a lesson for us all. I
have an abiding hope that, just maybe, the power of Jesus’ resurrection
is powerful enough even to save the church.
Written by Lisa Sharon Harper is the Director of Mobilizing at Sojourners. She is also co-author of Left, Right and Christ: Evangelical Faith in Politics and author of Evangelical Does Not Equal Republican ... or Democrat.
“Adapun manusia, hari-harinya seperti rumput,seperti bunga di padang demikianlah ia berbunga; apabila angin melintasinya, maka tidak ada lagi ia, dan tempatnya tidak mengenalnya lagi.”
Mengingat Nats ini memberikan peringatan mendalam, mengenai hari-hari hidup yang sudah saya lalui. Sepertinya kesempatan menjadi dan berbuat yang terbaik hanya hari ini. Sangat takut melewatinya tanpa Tuhan. Perlu memastikan hari ini apa yang saya lakukan berkenan di hati-Nya. Sekaligus membuka refleksi Ulang Tahun ke-26 ini.
Bunga rumput muncul sebentar saja, dan akan menghilang. Waktu yang sebentar itu, telah berkurang setahun tepat pada hari ini. Dan di hadapan saya terbentang beberapa keputusan besar yang dimulai dari sebuah langkah awal yang besar. Sejak tahun lalu berpikir, mendoakan dan menimbang segalanya. Bahkan sampai saat mempersiapkan kepindahan ke Denpasar, masih terus berdoa dan bertanya:
Siapkah dengan segala kemungkinan terburuk yang 'mungkin' terjadi?
Mengapa harus memulai sesuatu dari nol, sesuatu yang belum tentu ada hasilnya, di tanah asing? Ini kan mimpi yang menjadi kenyataan, jangan sia-siakan kesempatan album rohani ini! Bodoh, siap-siap menyesal kalau meninggalkan Surabaya..
Apakah ini jalan terbaik yang harus ditempuh?? Pikir mudah apa mendapatkan komunitas rohani yang saling mendukung seperti yang kamu miliki di sini!! Kehidupan yang lebih plural dan pergaulan yang hedonis.
Apakah ini waktu yang tepat? Bagaimana kalau ini keputusan besar yang fatal?? Awas terjerumus secara perlahan-lahan ke dalam cara hidup yang tidak benar dan justru kehilangan Tuhan di sana. Bagaimana kalau digosipkan yang tidak benar, bukankah tidak menjadi kesaksian.. Bagaimana kalau sampai pada akhirnya keluarga tidak mendukung dengan berbagai alasan, apakah tetap mau dipaksakan..??
Pertanyaaan dan pernyataan ini senantiasa mengantui saya dan membuat semua konfirmasi-konfirmasi kecil yang menguatkan saya menjadi tidak berarti karena ketakutan itu selalu saja datang mengganggu saya.
Hanya karena saya tidak mengerti (kurang cukup alasan) mengapa harus pindah ke Denpasar, saya tidak berhak menentukan bahwa Tuhan mungkin keliru dengan memberikan kekuatan-kekuatan kecil yang menjawab segala pertanyaan untuk memantapkan langkah saya menuju Denpasar. Saya sangat menyadari petunjuk-petunjuk itu datang dari-Nya, Akan tetapi, bila saya mulai mempertimbangkan pro dan kontra, kemudian perdebatan masuk ke dalam pikiran, maka yang saya temui adalah pertimbangan-pertimbangan yang sama sekali tidak menunjukkan unsur pribadi Allah (Iman, Pengharapan, Kasih, Kebenaran).
Misi Hidup VS Pasangan Hidup
Saya berada di dalam dua sisi yang berbeda tipis. Ada gagasan-gagasan tentang pergumulan ini yang tidak sesuai dengan hukum idealisme yang selama ini saya bangun lewat berbagai pengetahuan dan dogma yang saya terima. Yang paling utama adalah gagasan saya tentang pasangan hidup. Bahwa saya seharusnya digerakkan oleh misi hidup bukan pasangan hidup. Pasangan hidup itu pelengkap, yang utama adalah misi hidup. Dan sama sekali tidak mengijinkan kemungkinan pasangan hidup itu termasuk dalam misi hidup yang saya perjuangkan. Saking begitu kentalnya, saya membutuhkan hampir setahun untuk benar-benar memutuskan hal ini.
Tuhan.. Saya tidak tahu apa yang harus saya lakukan di Denpasar.. Yang pasti yang harus saya lakukan adalah bekerja, terlibat dalam pelayanan, dan mengembangkan talenta bernyanyi..
Namun, pikiran saya tidak mengijinkan agar rencana di atas dapat ditrima sebagai pendukung kepindahan saya. Dan akhirnya, waktu untuk memilih itu mendesak dan harus di tentukan. Tak dapat ditunda lagi. Kontrak rekaman album rohani atau pindah ke Denpasar? Masing-masing dengan konsekuensi jangka panjang yang mengikat. Bertambah getir-lah hati saya.
Diam dalam keheningan dan tetap tekun latihan menyanyi, tetap bekerja, tetap berdoa, tetap mempertanyakan. Waktu-waktu di atas angkutan umum (angkot) menuju latihan menyanyi adalah waktu yang tepat untuk merasa bimbang dan berdoa. Melihat semua frame kehidupan yang berlalu di sisi kanan kiri jalan. Menanti dengan sabar kapan jemputan teman tiba sambil trus merasakan bahwa Dia hadir dalam segala kejadian sederhana dalam segenap kehidupan saya. Dan perenungan terhadap pertanyaan sederhana muncul di dalam kediaman yang paling hening..
Pelajaran Iman dari Petrus
Iman bukan pengertian intelektual. Iman adalah janji sukarela untuk tetap setia kepada Pribadi Yesus. Iman adalah dasar dari segala sesuatu yang kita harapkan dan bukti dari segala sesuatu yang tidak kita lihat. Walaupun saya tidak dapat melihat jalan yang terbentang di depan. Kisah Petrus dan murid-murid di atas perahu yang dilanda gelombang. Ketika ketakutan melanda karena angin sakal itu, sosok Yesus muncul di atas air.
Petrus melihat Yesus. Ia mengenal Yesus dan tak ada keraguan bahwa itu adalah Tuhan-nya yang senantiasa bersamanya setiap hari. Ia yakin ia berjalan menuju Tuhan-Nya walalupun langkah yang akan diambilnya terlihat 'tidak masuk akal'. What?? Berjalan di atas air?? Orang percaya yang bertanggung jawab adalah orang percaya yang berani masuk dan menghadapi tantangan seperti ini. Murid-murid yang lain, tetap berada di dalam perahu dan semakin takut.
“Berjalan di atas air”bukan berarti lari dari persoalan dan ingin mencari posisi yang lebih aman. Sebab tatkala Petrus berjalan di atas air anginnya masih ada. Resikonya adalah, kalau di tengah perjalanan itu ia lengah, maka ia akan kalah.“ Matius 14:30 mencatat bahwa Petrrus tenggelam justru bukan pada saat berada di perahu dengan angin sakal itu, tetapi karena tiupan angin setelah keluar dari perahu. Ia tidak memusatkan perhatiannya pada Tuhan Yesus, maka ia harus bertanggung jawab terhadap apa yang dilakukannya. Ia tenggelam.
Diam di atas perahu seperti murid-murid yang lain ATAU berjalan di atas air seperti yang dilakukan Petrus adalah pilihan iman. Yang salah adalah ketakutan itu. Dan dengan gamblangnya, suara hati saya menjawab pertanyaan saya. Pilihan untuk menerima kontrak rekaman album dan pindah ke Denpasar adalah pilihan iman. Dengan penyataan khusus yang terus menjawab ketakutan saya dan menyertakanNya dalam proses berpikir/menimbang semua kesempatan dan konsekuensi, saya semakin diperdamaikan dengan semua konflik dalam diri. Saya siap menghadapi dan bertanggung jawab di dalam Iman atas keputusan saya. Semuanya dapat saya hadapi, bahkan segala kemungkinan terburuk, dapat di jalani dengan kekuatan penyertaanNya yang slalu terbukti dan tidak pernah gagal. Pertanyaan reflektif yang jujur yang diungkapkan oleh orang-orang yang mengasihi bahkan sampai ejekan/sindiran/penyepelehan orang lain atas pergumulan saya justru telah memurnikan sgalanya. Dan saya semakin yakin, jika hidup saya selaras dengan kehendak-Nya, maka meski saya tidak tahu apa yang akan terjadi, saya pasti memiliki naluri tentang arah yang benar. Dengan keberanian dan kepercayaan diri, saya dapat terus maju. Tanpa takut tersesat, saya tahu bahwa setelah melalui badai dan ketidakpastian, saya akan tiba di tempat yang benar.
Mengarahkan Pandangan, Menetapkan Langkah
Sebuah keputusan yang tepat bukan dinilai pada saat ini, melainkan akan diuji oleh sang waktu. Membahas pro dan kontra, saya lebih mengutamakan menjelaskan pergumulan keputusan ini kepada orang yang bertanya secara langsung, teman-teman terdekat, keluarga. Saya berusaha membuat mereka mengerti dengan penjelasan sederhana dan terbaik yang bisa saya berikan. Namun ternyata, seberapa baiknya berusaha menjaga kelakukan, sikap dan kata kita untuk slalu bersih tak dapat mengagalkan pernyataan dan komentar negatif orang lain. Dan sejenak saya kembali frustasi dengan konsekuensi ini. Namun, ayat ini kembali menguatkan saya.
Akuilah DIa dalam segala laku-mu, maka Ia akan meluruskan jalan-mu - Amsal 3:6
Serasa berada di satu titik petualangan baru yang mendebarkan. Dengan mengabdikan diri pada Tuhan, berjalan bersama-Nya, mengakui-Nya dan karya kebesaranNya akan membuat saya mantap. Apapun itu, konsekuensi apapun itu, semua ada dalam kedaulatan-Nya. Siapapun bertanggungjawab dengan pilihan-nya kepada Tuhan. Selama Ia beserta-ku, saya + TUHAN adalah mayoritas. Kehadiran-Nya.. Pengertian-Nya.. Pimpinan-Nya cukup untuk mengantar saya mengalami petualangan-petualangan iman lainnya.
Ulang Tahun yang Berbeda
Saya mengikuti sebuah Persekutuan Doa di malam tanggal 28 Maret. Diberikan kesempatan untuk bersaksi lewat pujian. Saya memilih lagu berjudul 'Karya Terbesar' yang mengungkapkan betapa bersyukurnya saya atas Karya Terbesar Tuhan yang dilakukan dalam hidup saya. Kemudian, didoakan oleh pembawa Firman. Satu kalimat yang keluar dari mulut pembawa Firman tersebut kepada saya:
Maya.. Tetap menjaga hati supaya rendah hati.. Teruslah memuji kebesaran Tuhan..
Terus bernyanyi.. Dimanapun kamu berada kamu akan dipakai Tuhan..
Kata Ibu Laura (pemilik rumah tempat persekutuan), rasanya persekutuan hari ini memang disiapkan Tuhan untuk Ulang Tahun-nya Maya, karena ia biasanya hanya menyajikan makanan ringan seperti kue dan gorengan. Namun pada hari ini, ia memasak mie goreng spesial + cap cay dan kami bersama-sama menikmati makanan super lezat itu.
Sambil menikmati makanan itu, saya rasanya ingin menangis. Menangis karena bahagia berada di tengah orang baru namun merasa hangat dengan kasih Tuhan. Menangis karena sedih harus berdebat dengan keluarga mengenai masalah kepindahan ke Denpasar.
Teman..
Ulang Tahun kali ini memang berbeda. Tuhan mengajarkan sesuatu yang baru. Saya seperti anak burung Rajawali yang sedang dibawa ke langit yang tinggi, dilepaskan, dan dibiarkan untuk belajar terbang. Hanya keyakinan pada-Nya, bahwa Ia akan menangkap saya bila saya tak kuat mengepakkan sayap. Menangkap saya dengan pasti, tak meleset dan kembali mengajarkan saya bagaimana bisa terbang tinggi. Saya tahu pelajaran ini penting agar saya bisa hidup. Hidup di alam yang seharusnya menjadi dunia saya.
