I don't measure up

Pick up a yardstick to measure your life against anyone else's, and you've just picked up a stick and beaten up your own soul. (Ann Voskamp)

I wonder just how many of us have done what Ms. Voskamp describes here - measuring our life against another's and another's until we are left feeling 'less than' or 'worse than' another. I think her observation of the 'yardstick' becoming an instrument that actually leaves us a little battered is quite appropriate. Maybe even more important is the root of the matter - we were never called to measure ourselves against others because others are not the standard by which we 'measure up'. Christ is and only him!

Examine your own works so that if you are proud, it will be because of your own accomplishments and not someone else’s. Each person has his or her own burden to bear and story to write. (Galatians 6:4-5)

We have our own story to write - this is the crux of the matter when it comes to comparing ourselves to anyone else. We are not the same - we each are created with things that make us uniquely who and what we are. In Christ, we are all 'equal', but we aren't all the 'same'. We are to be growing in the grace he has given, comparison having no opportunity to present stumbling blocks in our lives. Some of us think it is what we have done, but God wants us to recognize it is what he has done with us.

No one burden is the same. No one accomplishment is equal. We could both get an A+ on a paper we have written, but the content of the paper will be different even though the subject may be the same. We are each purposeful in our writing, but our purpose is uniquely displayed in the words captured on the page. With our life actions, we are purposeful and that purpose is uniquely displayed in the actions brought forth. No two actions will be the same. You may give into the offering plate, and I may do the same. As Jesus showed us many years ago, the purposeful action behind the widow's mite given in true sacrificial form did not equal the shekels plunked down by the man who could actually 'afford' the offering.

We somehow do this mental 'measurement' thing without even know we are doing it. We look at others, see what they do / don't do, then place some 'value' upon those actions. Then we compare the 'value' of our actions with theirs - all the while oblivious to the very action of 'comparing ourselves' that is going on in our minds and hearts. It is a subconscious thing. We don't even know we are engaging in this very dangerous thing until we begin to see ourselves taking action based upon what we have 'measured' in our minds.

Don't be duped into measuring up to anyone other than Jesus. Remember, in Christ we already 'measure up' to every standard possible. We still are uniquely different than the other person right next to you in this walk with Christ, but we are all uniquely the same, too. We have no need to 'measure' ourselves against others because that desire to 'measure up' stems from a root of pride. We will never be 'equal' on any other playing field than the one Christ has leveled for all of us. Just sayin!

Do you have pain?

Do we somehow think we can go through life without any pain at all? There are multiple forms of pain, but the worst is always going to be described as the kind that will not let up. It just comes at you, and at you, and never relents. It could be emotional pain, physical pain, or even spiritual pain. There are all forms of pain - but one thing remains consistent with all forms of pain - we don't always have a right perspective about it. Pain overshadows all we can see and think - it just clouds whatever else is around us at the moment. Get a blister on your toe and see how long you focus on your foot, shoes you will put on them, and when it will finally heal. Twist your back lifting something the wrong way and see how long you focus on how you will rise, sit, lie, and reach without getting those twinges that send shooting pains throughout your torso. We focus on the pain, what we belief will give us relief from it, and even what we can 'put on it' to mask the constant nagging. We do the same thing when it is emotional pain, focusing on the hurt we feel from some 'wrong' done to us. We cannot see beyond the pain because it is all our minds will allow us to dwell upon. Pain has a purpose in our lives. We may not see the purpose because we are so focused on the pain!

His wrath, you see, is fleeting, but His grace lasts a lifetime. The deepest pains may linger through the night, but joy greets the soul with the smile of morning. You did it: You turned my deepest pains into joyful dancing; You stripped off my dark clothing and covered me with joyful light. (Psalm 30:5, 11)  I will gladly rejoice because of Your gracious love because You recognized the sadness of my affliction. You felt deep compassion when You saw the pains of my soul. (Psalm 31:7)

Just a couple quick questions for us this morning to help us evaluate what the purpose may be in our pain at this very moment, whatever form it may take:

- Do we believe God is the author of that pain? There are times I think we get carried away and blame God for our pain, thinking he caused it in our lives. If we lose a job, we blame him for not providing for our needs. If we have relationship woes, we blame him for not keeping the relationship free of distractions. If we wake up with a toothache, we blame him because we didn't need this pain right now in the midst of all the rest of the stuff we are having to deal with. God isn't the author of pain - he doesn't create pain in our lives. The loss of a job may be God's way of closing one door so he can allow us to walk through another. The relationship woes aren't his doing because we were the ones that got distracted - those distractions aren't even his doing! We can put so much focus on 'blaming' someone or something for our pain, but wouldn't it be better to ask God what purpose this present pain may serve in our lives instead of trying to assign blame? Maybe our pain is a wake-up call to refocus our lives - get our attention off of something we have been putting so much time and effort into at the exclusion of other things that need our focused attention.

- Do we ask God to give us clarity in the midst of pain? Pain muddles our minds, disturbs our hearts, unsettles our emotions, and creates havoc in our bodies. In all that murkiness it is easy to no longer see clearly - we don't see beyond the pain. When we ask God to give us clarity, we need to also be open to receive what he tells us. He may point out some areas where we have been less than stellar in our performance - so allow him to deal with those areas and see how much it changes our 'level of pain'. Some of us give ourselves the pain - we just keep doing stuff that brings pain. God will likely point out whatever it is that gives us that pain - just like when we focus on the shoe that rubbed our toe raw and presented us with the blister. It wasn't the shoe's fault, it was ours for not wearing socks! The clarity comes when we allow God to show us where it the 'pain points' are in our lives. Seeing where pain stems from is the beginning of wisdom in knowing how to rid ourselves of the pain. Just sayin!

So, that's it...

We all probably want a 'good life' and would do just about anything to get it. We pursue one thing right after another in earnest, just because we think it will help us achieve that 'good life' we desire. Most of the time it isn't that we don't have a 'good life', it is that we complicate it with stuff that shouldn't be there in the first place. Those 'complications' make it seem like we don't have a 'good life' at all. Sometimes the hardest things to learn are not really all that hard. Consider just how hard it is to get the knowledge we form in our heads to begin to affect our hearts. but this is important because when the heart is finally affected, the 'life' we have begins to take on a different impression within us.  It seems like we can almost be beaten over the head with the same lessons (knowledge) until we are almost numb, yet totally miss the formation of any wisdom which keeps us from doing the same silly thing over and over again in pursuit of the 'good life' we crave to live! Then we find ourselves getting all down on ourselves, God and others just because we failed! What's that all about?

Grow a wise heart—you'll do yourself a favor; keep a clear head—you'll find a good life. (Proverbs 19:8)

You and I are not in this 'good life' pursuit alone! There are others just like us, seemingly being hit over the head with the same lessons time and time again. We have similar natures - therefore, we have similar responses! So, lest you think you are the only one struggling with your present battle, look around. You will begin to see others who struggle similarly (maybe not exactly like you, but close enough). Maybe it is time we "team up" to overcome some of the stuff that has been leaving us in such a quandary! Wisdom is not learned, it is grown! Here is where we often go wrong. We think just because we are exposed to a truth or two, we will change our pattern of behavior. Wrong! Patterns take time to learn, therefore, they take time to un-learn. When something is grown, it is developed over time. It comes as a "course" of learning. We learned to write our names long before we learned to write our first essay. So, why do we have an attitude about learning God's truth in our lives in anything other than a systematic and "patterned developmental" way?

We GROW a wise heart - we don't just get one off the shelf somewhere. Growth literally refers to a gradual increase. As we embrace that little bit of the truth we are exposed to, allowing it to affect one area of our lives, it begins to allow for the next phase of our growth. Trust is built on truth. Learning to trust God is built on embracing the truths revealed in his Word. As we embrace one truth, such as "keep a clear head", we begin to develop trust in the principles taught throughout scripture. Solomon indicated the wise heart is linked directly to the clarity of our head. Most of the muddle we find ourselves in is in the thinking we engage in! "I've been thinking..." I am an advocate of thinking! Yet, I believe we might just spend a little too much time "muddling over" stuff in our brains and not enough time getting any clarity of thought in the matters at hand!

Think of a glass of water. When you hold the glass up to the light, what does it do? It reflects the light, does it not? It is transparent and therefore, it is able to reflect the light passing through it! A clear mind is one that is transparent - it is not in a muddle of a mess of thought. I have learned the secret of "un-muddling" my thoughts. It comes in a couple of different ways. First, I take them to God. I speak openly with him about the stuff I am worrying over. Then, I have good friends who act as great sounding-boards. They have learned a skill called "listening" - reflecting back to me my own thoughts in such a way so as to bring clarity. I also use a technique known as journaling. I actually like to write, so this is easier for me than some. Yet, you could be doing it without even really trying that hard. For example, have you ever made a "pro" and "con" list when considering a particular course of action? You are really journaling.

Behavior change without clarity of mind is pretty much like shooting an arrow in the dark. You may hit something, but it may not be anywhere close to the target! We have to "un-muddle" our minds - get them to a place of transparency - in order to make progress. We can "mull" stuff over so many times, it becomes a mish-mosh of thoughts - lacking any semblance of order or clarity. Seeking clarity is the first step in growing a wise heart. When we begin to get our thoughts in order, we begin to see the actions we need to take. Just sayin!

Let's get a little balance here...

Have you ever felt a little 'off-balance' in your life? You might not know it, but that little niggling can be the beginning of a change for you. Some of us experience being a little 'off-balance' because we have done or said things that actually create an imbalance in our lives. We get too intent on having our own way, making our own point, or finding a solution before we know the real problem, and we will have an imbalance for sure! We get ahead of what God is doing in and around us, stumbling over others and ourselves in the process, and we will experience imbalance. We can be so focused on doing something we think is going to be good for everyone, but we forget to include anyone else in the planning! Balance is a hard thing, but let me assure you, imbalance is harder!

The Eternal prefers those who do good, but He condemns those who plot evil. Doing what is wrong keeps everyone off balance and insecure, but those who do right will never be uprooted. (Proverbs 12:2-3)

We don't have to be doing 'evil things' to find an imbalance in our lives. We can be engaged in perfectly good activities and find we just get a little too far ahead of God, or out of kilter with the others God has placed in our lives. It has been very hard working full-time at home during the quarantine period, taking full-time care of an aging parent, and still trying to take care of myself in the process. Balance is hard to find when our world gets set into an unplanned 'imbalance' all of a sudden, isn't it? I have had to slow down to give mom time so she doesn't get frustrated. I have had to repeat things to her ten times over before she even gets remotely close to understanding why I am not at work, but working in front of the computer in the den. It is hard to help her maintain 'balance' when her world isn't as it normally is, too. She cannot get her hair or pedicure done at the salon, go to the store to just stroll in her wheelchair while I shop, or even have as many 'in-person' visits from the hospice nurse. Balance is elusive when you have little to no control over what can cause imbalance in your life, is it not?

The promise of God to us today is that our 'balance' need not be affected by the things that we cannot control because we have a solid 'rooting' in him. We have been given stability when other things around us seem to be very unstable. We cannot, nor should we wish otherwise, control the circumstances that attempt to steal our balance. We need to give that control of balance over to Christ and he will help us maintain perfect balance. If you have experienced peace when everything around you is spinning out of control, then you have experienced balance. If you have gone through rough places, wondering what would come next in your finances, but seen every bill paid on time, then you might just have experienced God's 'provision' at a time when balance was not always 'equal' with income and outflow in your checking account. I know don't how God does that 'balancing' thing in my life sometimes, but I know one thing for sure - when I place my life squarely in the middle of his presence and just remain content to stay right there, balance is not only achieved, it is maintained! Just sayin!

Stumbling Toward Ruin?

I am a survivor. Have you heard those words, or seen them proudly worn across the front of a t-shirt announcing some event the wearer has endured and survived? A survivor is one who has 'beaten the odds', coming out on the other side of something they had a hard time enduring. If God is the one who fights with us, helping us with our 'survival skills' in the midst of whatever it is we have been called to endure, then we can be assured that we will come out on the other side. Will we have 'war wounds' of some sort? Probably. We aren't guaranteed to be 'wound free', but we are promised to be 'held together' and 'put perfectly together' in the presence of Jesus.

For people who are stumbling toward ruin, the message of the cross is nothing but a tall tale for fools by a fool. But for those of us who are already experiencing the reality of being rescued and made right, it is nothing short of God’s power. (1 Corinthians 1:18)

There are a great many of us that can proclaim we have been 'redeemed' - made new through the power and grace of God in our lives. We have undergone a process of transforming our hardened hearts into something that resembles and gives back a little bit of the grace we have received. Our 'survival' wasn't our own doing - we played a part in getting into the mess we were in, but the way out of that mess wasn't in our hands alone! God took us to the place where we'd recognize that thing we were struggling to survive within our own power was really going to be our undoing if we continued in that course. In time, we called out for help and acknowledged how foolish it was to attempt to continue in our own self efforts.

There are still others who are aimlessly attempting to 'survive' life. They feel like they have been dealt a bad hand and just have to play the cards they have been handed. They would like to fold and walk away, but they know they can't. Their life is hard - it isn't joy-filled, or even exciting - it is just  one tough day after another. They cannot hold their heads up because the weight upon them is so heavy they are just weighed down. If this is you today, I have a little hope for you - God's forgiveness is what awaits you at the end of that tough road. It isn't far off - it is as close as your lips. It only takes your acknowledging you aren't doing things well - that you need him to step in and change your course.

Look at what the course of the 'challenged'. It is a place of stumbling. There is but one person who can keep us from stumbling - Christ Jesus. We don't avoid everything we could stumble upon in life in our own efforts. That attitude of despair will creep up unless God keeps our heart at peace. The frustration of things continually going in the opposite direction as we would have desired will bring repeated pain until God adjusts our focus to see each frustration through his eyes. He 'frames' those things in a manner that helps us see how those 'frustrating things' are acting to refine us - they are like sandpaper that brings out the beauty of the grain deep within the wood.

Instead of continuing to stumble toward ruin, perhaps it is time to just halt in our path and ask God to turn us toward the place of our victory - to the place in him where will overcome our frustration, set aside our fears, relinquish the need to be constantly controlled by our circumstances. God isn't going to force himself into our 'battle', but he stands ready to help us to become more than just 'survivors' through is power, peace, and presence. We choose to stumble on, or walk strong in him. Just sayin!

99.9% is not 100%

Consider: to think carefully about, especially in order to make a decision; contemplate; reflect on. What is it you think so carefully about these days? Is it your desire to have a job, but nothing is out there right now because so many businesses are closed. Is it your fear of economic doom and gloom, worry setting in the more you think upon the current state of financial woes? What decisions are there to be made today in your household? Will you need to make decisions about how to proceed with projects once left for that 'day when you have time'? Or maybe it is the decisions about what to do with your school age kiddos who can no longer attend classroom education and started their 'break' from school schedules more than a month ago. What sort of things do you contemplate? If you are like me, it may be how to adapt to the continually increasing daily needs of an aging parent, challenged to keep up with the decline and keep them safe each day. We all find there are things we have to 'reflect upon' - considering the pros and cons, if we will proceed or halt, what needs to be the next steps, and what needs our attention more than something else. As we 'consider', we need clarity and balance. To take on more than we should is not wise - to take on less than we need to is equally foolish.

And now consider this. You know well the times you are living in. It is time for you to wake up and see what is right before your eyes: for salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The darkness of night is dissolving as dawn’s light draws near, so walk out on your old dark life and put on the armor of light. May we all act as good and respectable people, living today the same way as we will in the day of His coming. Do not fall into patterns of dark living: wild partying, drunkenness, sexual depravity, decadent gratification, quarreling, and jealousy. Instead, wrap yourselves in the Lord Jesus, God’s Anointed, and do not fuel your sinful imagination by indulging your self-seeking desire for the pleasures of the flesh. (Romans 13:11-14)

Nothing is more important to us than to consider the times we are living in right here and now. Yes, we should plan for the future - this is wisdom - but the future is never assured to any of us, so we cannot 'put all our eggs in that basket'. Look back at January 1st of this year - did you for even one moment think we'd be dealing with a pandemic that would virtually put a halt on business as usual? Probably not. The future went something like finish the school year, plan that summer vacation, sneak in a few weekends away at your local fishing spot, and get the kiddos ready for the new school year with new clothes, backpacks full of supplies, and carpool schedules all organized. If you planned like this, your plans have probably changed drastically! School is not in session, vacations are cancelled, fishing spots are closed, and uncertainty surrounds the return to school. Even the church gatherings you once counted on to bring you some time with church buddies are curtailed. The times we are living in are not 'business as usual' by any means.

What else do the times we are living in right here and now tell us? I think one of the most important lessons we can learn right now is that of 'trust'. Who it is or what is it we will place our trust in is most important for us to realize. We may not have been aware of exactly where all of our trust was placed until our 'world as we knew it' began to change. At that moment when we realized the change was more than a fleeting thing, our world began to bring into view those objects of our trust. It could be our bank account, or even our relationships with others. It may have been our daily routine, or our ability just do what we wanted without much thought. Regardless of where your trust once was, we are all being challenged to consider where it is we will place our trust right now and where we will continue to place it in the future! The object of our trust is certainly subject to change unless it is placed in the unchangeable - God himself. One of the most important things for us to consider today is if our trust is in him, or something else. If we cannot say with 100% certainty that it is in him and him alone, we might just take some time today to reflect upon the things we are placing our trust in more than him. Just sayin!

So, what's in your backyard?

I have seen lovely homes with a nicely landscaped front yard, beautifully framing the home with color and style. Then, to my dismay, observed the backyard to be a mess of dirt, weeds, and nothing too impressive at all. Why is it we "put our best foot forward" with what people see first, but neglect to ever do anything with the thing we see the most in our lives? The front yard is for the public - the backyard is for our use, is it not? The "backyard" will be seen most often in our lives, by us and those closest to us, yet it can be the most neglected part of our lives!

The perceptive find wisdom in their own front yard; fools look for it everywhere but right here. (Proverbs 17:24)

I know our passage only speaks to the "front yard" of the perceptive (the wise), but I think there is much to be said about what is the "backyard" of a person's life! What we allow, or choose to ignore, in our "backyard" is often more important than what we have created for the public view in our "front yard". For some of us, the things we allow into our lives create a mass of clutter which serves to do little more than litter our backyard. For others, what we ignore in our backyard takes on a life of its own! I don't spend a whole lot of time in the front yard - although I keep it groomed, fertilized, and watered. I like seeing the green grass, blooming bushes, and huge boughs of the pine trees as I drive into my garage. Once the garage door is down, I see the backyard much more than I do the front! I see the things that blow into it with the storms, observe the wild animals and birds that seem to frequent its space, and even notice the things which seem to need my attention, but just don't get it!

Why is it I notice the dead plant in the corner bed, but do nothing about it for weeks on end? No one else sees it! It is easy to neglect what we think no one else will ever know about! The sad truth is we seldom know when our "backyard" may just be observed - in its full state of disrepair! So, knowing this "inevitability" of "discovery", maybe we'd do well to consider just what is in our backyard and how it got to be there! As I have already indicated, some things are there because we just allowed them to be. For example, maybe we have developed a little bit of a tendency to engage in "coarse" conversation - you know, the type which is just a little bit "shady", but not really filled with all manner of cussing and the like. Nonetheless, it "colors" who we are. We allow this long enough and it becomes a way of life for us. We don't think twice about engaging in the conversation which is a little jaded. The problem - it doesn't build us up, nor does it build up another - so it is really not productive. God asks us to measure our words - so they are productive and capable of building up, not tearing us or another down.

Other things are in our backyards because we have ignored them for so long, we just figure they belong there! This might be the bad habit we have formed which really is adding nothing of value to our life, and may even be displaying something similar to the dead bush in the corner of my yard! Instead of plucking it up and planting something which is alive and capable of growth, we ignore the barrenness. The barrenness becomes something we tolerate until it no longer bothers us. One day, Jesus told a story about the branches which bore no fruit - they were good for nothing, but firewood! Some of the stuff we ignore in our lives is really just "kindling" capable of igniting a real fire of sin in our lives! Better to rid ourselves of the kindling than allow it to be the fuel which destroys our lives. Just sayin....

The possibility of today

Did you ever stop to think just how practical the Bible really is? It lays out sound advice on how to make financial decisions such as the borrower becoming slave to the lender, so don't be frivolous in your spending (Proverbs 22:7). We find instruction on how to have a solid family life such as how much it takes to build a household and the depth of understanding required to set them all on a firm foundation (Proverbs 24:3). We also find warnings of things we should avoid because they will be our "undoing" - things like not interfering with a good person's lives as it may end up with us falling flat on our face (Proverbs 24:15-16). Yet, there are many questions we just don't seem to find the easy or "straight" answers for in those pages. Jesus spent about three years teaching his disciples as he made his way to the cross. In that period of time, he laid out all kinds of truth for them. Some of it stumped the crowds, but the disciples usually got what he was teaching. Other times, the disciples were just as bewildered as the crowds! Peter finds the courage to ask a question which had probably been "niggling" at him for a while. I think Jesus likes it when we are honest with him about the things we question or don't understand fully.

At that point Peter got up the nerve to ask, "Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?" Jesus replied, "Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven. (Matthew 18:21-22)

You know Peter was probably pretty proud of himself with suggesting that he go beyond forgiving his brother or sister just ONE time and extending this forgiveness to the seventh offense. I can just see him now (probably because I can see a little of myself in Peter) - kind of looking around at his peers, all delighted with his "spiritual insight" into how much God "values" forgiveness. Then, as quickly as he asks the question and suggests this answer, Jesus bursts his bubble! Imagine his surprise when Jesus announces, "Nope, how about 490 times, Peter?" Now, don't read more into this than what Jesus intended. He was not suggesting a literal number, so as for us to keep a little tally book indicating how many times we had forgiven an individual - then when they reach the "point of no return" they are cut off from our forgiveness forever. Jesus was showing Peter (and us) the infinite side of God's forgiveness. He was suggesting the principle of being long-suffering. Some of us might want to translate this as "suffering long". Jesus was suggesting the idea of enduring injury, trouble, or provocation long AND patiently. When we are faced with injury - we have a tendency to not want to experience that too often or for very long! When involved in trouble at the hand of another - we want to give a little of it back to them! When provoked - it takes everything inside of us to not respond with some type of anger! True? I don't think I am in this alone - I have a whole lot of companions who struggle with this whole idea of forgiving much and often.

In fact, we want to have some "finite" point when we just say, "You just hit my last nerve and no more 'Mr. Nice Guy'. From now on, you better watch your back!" How do we get to the point of being 'enduring' in our forgiveness? I am not sure I know all the answers here, but if we look at this scripture in context, you will see it comes just after Jesus has answered another question for the disciples. The question posed, "Who gets the highest position in your kingdom, Jesus?" His answer was an object lesson. He takes a small child from the crowd, holds him close and then begins to teach the disciples about the importance of seeing things in God's kingdom through the eyes of a child. He starts with the concept of "starting over". Not just any arbitrary point of starting over, but he tells them to return to square one and start over like small children (vs. 2-5). He points them back to the elementary things in life - the simple, or rudimentary stuff. What is a small child like? Aren't they curious, willing to explore new things, seeing things for the first time through eyes of wonder? I think Jesus may have just been referring to this way of viewing things as God views them - with a willingness to explore them the way we have never explored them before - through the eyes of wonder! He is probably saying it is important for us to get the basic stuff before we try to move onto the harder stuff! There is an "order" to learning - both physically and spiritually.

They are trusting. It is a simple trust - uncomplicated with all the stuff we tend to "build trust" upon as adults. They don't keep an "account" - to them, the "history" doesn't matter as much because each day brings a new chance to start over. Think back to being a small child - didn't you start fresh each day? You awoke, did your few chores, then charged out into the yard to find your friends. Before long, you'd be in a game of tag, or running cars through dirt roads you'd created with your hand in some imaginary "town". If you had a falling out over some particular toy, or who'd be the leader in some imaginary game of war, tomorrow would bring a new day. Jesus adds to his teaching about the child, telling the disciples (and us) to not expect hard times will never come - in fact, when they come, he warns us to not make them worse by holding onto the things we'd like to be angry and bitter about. Maybe this is how we are expected to model forgiveness. Perhaps Jesus was suggesting more about how we don't allow the stuff from yesterday to muddle up our today than he was us keeping an account of offenses. To Peter's question (and to ours) he simply points to the child. In learning to face the new day with the wide-eyed wonder of a child, maybe we will see less of the offense of yesterday and more of the possibility of today. Each new day is a day of wonder when it is squarely placed in God's hands! Just sayin!

Help, I'm sinking here!

Selfishness and pride get in the way in our lives way more than we might like to freely admit to each other, but if we are to grow in Christ we do need to acknowledge this fact! The moment we begin to realize there is something at work within us that is in direct opposition to the work of Christ in our lives is the moment we can begin to choose to live differently. It only takes a moment to change a life course, while it takes a lifetime to live it out. Don't believe me? Look upon the parent who lost their child to drugs and tell me it didn't take a moment to change that parent's entire life course, or the single parent left alone to raise her children simply because there was someone more 'appealing' to her husband. A choice made in a moment - a lifetime to live it out. The moment we make a choice is as significant as each step we take beyond those choices, especially when it comes to growing in the grace and love of Christ.

Don’t let selfishness and prideful agendas take over. Embrace true humility, and lift your heads to extend love to others. Get beyond yourselves and protecting your own interests; be sincere, and secure your neighbors’ interests first. In other words, adopt the mind-set of Jesus the Anointed. Live with His attitude in your hearts. (Philippians 2:3-5)

Selfishness and prideful agendas have a way of taking over our lives and even the lives of others we associate with. When we find ourselves 'inward focused', we overlook the impact of our choices on others. We don't even consider the impact those choices will have upon our own lives, either. Why? I think it is probably because our 'inward focus' keeps us from seeing beyond the immediate. Pride has a way of highlighting the immediate and keeping our attention away from the bigger picture. Think for a moment about the last time you 'covered up' a mistake you made in life simply because you were too ashamed to admit it to anyone. What kept you from admitting the mistake? Some of us may say it was fear because we worried that the others in our lives wouldn't accept us or love us any longer if we admitted to the mistake. Others may say it was the sense that nobody really cares about them anyway, so why would they trust another with their short-comings? 

Pride keeps us from admitting where it is we need the help in our lives the most. We don't want to admit it to Christ, but how silly is that since he already knows? I have been asked why we need to tell him we need his help in that area where we struggle if he already knows. I imagine it might be that there is something powerful in admitting that area of need in our lives that is released in us - by acknowledging the need there is this change in our attitude that occurs. Our attitude begins to become one of trusting him for his help instead of us attempting to 'soldier on' in our own futile self-efforts. If we don't want to admit our need to Christ, we certainly don't want others to know about it, so do you begin to see how this simply choice to hold it all in begins to affect our lives? In time, the single choice to hold it in and deal with it ourselves excludes us from the very thing we need to actually break free of it!

Pride keeps us focused on our 'self interest' - we try to preserve self at the expense of overcoming the very thing that is causing us to sink in the first place! Just sayin!

Self-Denial 101

Demonstrate living a life of denial of one's self for me. What does that really look like? Someone may point out there is this attitude of putting others first. That is definitely a good one. Another may tell us there is this kind of self-abasement that occurs when you really are living a life of self-denial. While we all need a realistic view of ourselves and should not think of ourselves as better than anyone else, I think a life of self-denial may just be more than putting yourself down. Self-denial might begin with an attitude and lead to actions, especially if we do it the way Jesus recommends!

If any of you want to walk My path, you’re going to have to deny yourself. You’ll have to take up your cross every day and follow Me. If you try to avoid danger and risk, then you’ll lose everything. If you let go of your life and risk all for My sake, then your life will be rescued, healed, made whole and full. (Luke 9:23-24)

The attitude we need to exhibit is one that reveals genuine commitment to walk in obedience to his commands and to honor his actions of grace toward us. All of life's 'self-denial' moments come as a result of our submission to him - by really putting him first in our lives above any other perfectly understandable desire or self-interest we may have. This attitude leads to us taking obedient steps - action follows the attitude we assume. We begin to accept there will be danger and risk in obedience, but we do it willingly and with a heart of gratitude because of the extreme grace we have been shown in our lives.

We can never truly avoid danger or risk when it comes to living obedient lives. We may think this Christian walk will be one of the easiest things we do in life, but let me just remind us all of the fact the 'self-nature' desires to be number one in our lives and will continue to demand that position! We are by nature pretty self-centered individuals. I have just offended some of you, I know, but the truth is sometimes hard to hear! We live so as to make sure our needs are fulfilled. Don't believe me? The last time you had 'seconds' at the dinner table, did you ever stop to consider who it is you might have encountered today that didn't even have 'firsts'? 

Letting go of 'center' in our lives is harder than you'd think. You might think being overwhelmed by the grace of God would be more than enough to get self out of the center for good, but if my life is any indication of how it is for others, then self isn't going to take a backseat easily! This may be why Jesus made reference to taking up our cross daily, while making that conscious choice to follow him. It is a daily thing - moment-by-moment even. When we see 'self' creep up a little, we remind ourselves there is another way God desires. We get Christ back at center and we take another step forward. This is the life of a believer. This is what 'denying self' looks like. Just sayin!

A little sandpaper moment

Opponents exist in all arenas of life - whether on the playing field at a ballgame, in the market place, in the school yard, or even on the grocery store aisles - they are there! We cannot escape them, nor should we just stand in place and allow them free-rein. An opponent is just someone who is on the opposite side of where we are at that moment - mentally, spiritually, or physically. The 'function' of the opponents in life is to act as the 'antagonist' that drives us into action, but so many times we choose to idle in neutral when faced with the antagonist. God's word to us today is to face that block put in your way, or frustration repeatedly encountered in a new way - with is grace and wisdom!

Don’t be paralyzed in any way by what your opponents are doing. Your steadfast faith in the face of opposition is a sign that they are doomed and that you have been graced with God’s salvation. (Philippians 1:28)

We might first think about what the opposite of an opponent is to us - a friend or an ally. I have lots of 'friends' in life that sometimes function as opponents in a way. They aren't really on opposite sides of the field from me, but they are acting as 'antagonists' - moving me into action, getting me to think differently about a circumstance that has blocked my creativity, or challenging me to move from where I have been focused for way too long. Antagonists are not always bad - but freezing up when faced by one is not going to help us at all.

Remain steadfastly fixed in place when it comes to your faith and trust in Jesus. This is the one thing we can 'anchor' on when challenges come our way, but even an anchor doesn't mean we are 'paralyzed'. Ever observe an anchored boat? It bobs freely in the waters and even moves slightly as the waters ebb and flow. The anchor merely allows the boat to remain in position. If our anchor is Christ, no matter what opposition comes our way, we can face it secured in a 'fixed and firm' position. We won't get carried away and wrapped up in things that will destroy us.

What happens when we face opposition head on? I think there is something that happens similar to sandpaper against the wood - little by little the wood begins to take on a new image - the grain begins to be exposed and refined until that wood begins to reveal a thing of beauty. The sandpaper was needed to reveal the beauty within. The finishing of the wood is accomplished by lots and lots of opposition! The finishing of our faith isn't going to be any different, my friends! Just sayin....

It is a worthy task indeed

Do you ever get tasked to do things that you wish you'd never have been tasked to do? I never really liked picking up dog poop or emptying the cat litter box, but when you have pets someone has to have the task! That stuff just cannot be ignored! I remember one time thinking it would just be okay to let the dog poop act as 'natural fertilizer' in the yard, thinking it would be nothing all that bad to just run the lawn mower over it instead of picking it up that week. That might not be so bad with the 'really dry pile', but it doesn't work so well with the 'wetter' ones! Now, while life isn't always like piles of poop in your yard, there are things in life that comes as 'tasks' that we want to ignore, put off, or just plain shift to another person. We don't want to deal with them and it shows in our attitude, but eventually it will also show in the 'fragrance' that begins to emanate from our lives!

So no matter what your task is, work hard. Always do your best as the Lord’s servant, not as man’s, because you know your reward is the Lord’s inheritance. You serve the Lord, the Anointed One... (Colossians 3:23-24)

The key to every task we are give is to remember we don't do it to serve man - we do it to serve God! There is a huge shift in attitude that comes when we remember this truth. Last night I found myself at the point of just being kind of tired of dealing with mom's resistance. If you have ever dealt with an elder who gets into the nighttime 'sun-downer' phases of life, you know there can be some pretty unreasonable things that they imagine to be true. For mom, it is thinking she is not at home - she needs to go home and the nightgown I attempt to put on her is not her own, so she will not wear it. Now, that may not seem all that unreasonable and like a 'normal human being' should be able to work through that issue, but when the task is at hand at the end of a very long day, it is sometimes harder than you might think! I found myself walking away for about ten minutes, leaving her to think through the need to change her clothes in order to ready herself for bed. In time, she was calling out for me to come back, and she announced, "Okay, we will do it your way."

It wasn't 'my way' or 'her way' that was the real question. It was my attitude toward her that I need to make clear - at that moment in time when she was resisting all the 'good things' I was trying to do for her, it was my attitude that needed the check. I needed to refocus and remember I am doing this for God, not for my mom, or because I promised my dad I'd look after her when he was gone from this earth. Yes, it is tough sometimes and it gets to be long hours, requiring repetition and continual reminders for her. Yes, it challenges my endurance with limited hours of sleep, continually mounting care needs, and even long days of just trying to manage her life when she is not able to do so. Yet, the reward is so much greater than the 'tasks' I have to perform. I look into those eyes when she has those more lucid moments of recognizing me, reaching out and holding my hand, and telling me she loves me and my heart just melts. I know she knows she isn't always at her best and I know she appreciates what is done for her.

God's best isn't always the easiest to display in our lives because human nature sometimes rises up and wants to demand a little easier path. The easy path isn't always the most rewarding one, though. The task at hand for you may be hard right now, but if you keep in mind that you are accomplishing that task in God's power and with his grace, you won't ever be disappointed that you stuck with the task! Just sayin!

Oh, so it is wisdom we need!

Teach, counsel, and instruct - these all seem like very similar words, don't they? Yet, scripture calls them out as 'uniquely different'. One thing remains consistent between all three, though, and that is the use of 'wisdom' as the governing agent over all three! Whether teaching or instructing - it is to be done with wisdom. When giving counsel, it is to be governed with the wisdom that comes from God richly inhabiting our lives. Ever try to give counsel that you didn't first check with God about when giving it? I have and let me just tell you that it didn't always work out as well as I would have hoped! We need the guidance of the Word of God in our lives, but we also need to remember we need his Spirit to richly inhabit our lives, giving us that 'access' to all wisdom whenever we need it!

Let the word of the Anointed One richly inhabit your lives. With all wisdom teach, counsel, and instruct one another. Sing the psalms, compose hymns and songs inspired by the Spirit, and keep on singing—sing to God from hearts full and spilling over with thankfulness. Surely, no matter what you are doing (speaking, writing, or working), do it all in the name of Jesus our Master, sending thanks through Him to God our Father. (Colossians 3:16-17)

To teach, one is imparting some form of knowledge, much as a tutor would do when you are needing some 'specialized attention' to learn a certain subject or skill. I am learning some woodworking, so I explore all kinds of woodworking sites to learn the skills, but nothing makes as great of an impact in my 'skill' as when my son comes over and shows me how to use the tool I need to use. There is something about being 'tutored' through the process that makes it easier to grasp the concept of how the device is accurately and safely used. What does the tutor possess? Practical knowledge or familiarity with what is being taught - they understand and have mastered the skill or subject well enough to help us understand what is being taught. Teaching requires wisdom - the knowledge of what is both true and right, coupled with the 'good judgment' to consistently produce the same results. When I needed to learn how to make pocket holes, my son gave me some very practical advice on how to determine the depth and placement of the holes. What a difference it made to have his tutelage in consistently getting the 'right' results each time.

To instruct is just a little different because instruction is more of a step-by-step, very ordered process of learning. Teaching is more of an imparting of practical knowledge, while instruction is that idea of 'line upon line, precept upon precept' kind of education. Wisdom is critical in outlining the steps because one missed step makes for some pretty lousy outcomes. I have left important ingredients out of something I was making only to discover the biscuits didn't rise, the taste was way off from what it should have been, or something didn't set-up as it should have. I have applied wood glue, allowed something to set for a while and come back to the project to realize I have glued it together backward! Try to get that apart now! Nope - isn't happening! What happened is really quite simple - I didn't pay attention to the pattern - the step-by-step instructions that should have helped me avoid that mistake. In life, we make all kinds of 'missed steps', probably because we don't pay close enough attention to the wisdom laid out for us in those 'step-by-step' instructions we receive!

To counsel requires wisdom to the ultimate degree. Why? People are looking to you for some assistance with a dilemma or need. The most common form of counsel comes in the form of advice. Have you ever received or given some pretty lousy advice? I know I have and let me assure you that not all advice is 'right' for us to receive or embrace! This is why we need to let wisdom guide our counsel - given at the right time, in the right manner, with the right 'advice' provided. Equally as important is that we each exercise great wisdom in what it is we allow ourselves to RECEIVE in the way of 'advice' or 'opinion'. Remember, just because someone reports to you that they hold a degree, are licensed to do something, or have completed some course of study doesn't mean that they are 'wise' in the advice they offer! Just sayin!

Not just grace, but RADICAL grace

How many of us long for true peace and just don't find it in anything we have experimented with in life? I think we all go through places in life that we hope will bring us some much needed peace - that deep rest for our souls and spirits. When we really stop to look at what gives us true peace, we might be surprised to realize it isn't the 'place', but who is in that place with us. It isn't the events, but the one who walks with us through the events. It isn't even the 'strong faith' we exhibit in the midst of the moment, but the fact that we are given the very faith by which we stand strong in the midst of the battle. When it is our self-made, let's see how much we can 'muster up' kind of peace, it will fade quickly. The moment might feel good, but the long-term effect of that 'mustered up' kind of peace won't last the long haul. It is only the peace that comes through experiencing Christ and all he brings into our lives that will last through thick and thin!

Since we have been acquitted and made right through faith, we are able to experience true and lasting peace with God through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, the Liberating King. Jesus leads us into a place of radical grace where we are able to celebrate the hope of experiencing God’s glory. And that’s not all. We also celebrate in seasons of suffering because we know that when we suffer we develop endurance, which shapes our characters. When our characters are refined, we learn what it means to hope and anticipate God’s goodness. And hope will never fail to satisfy our deepest need because the Holy Spirit that was given to us has flooded our hearts with God’s love. (Romans 5:1-5)

Acquitted and made right indicates we have not always had a 'good standing' with God. We needed a Savior - regardless of how 'good' we labeled out actions, they still fell short of God's goodness! We often hear people tell us they don't need a Savior because they aren't doing 'bad things' in life - they might adhere to the "I don't chew, or run with those who do" kind of philosophy as 'proof' that they aren't in need of a Savior. Truth be told, none of us can ever 'do' enough good in our lives to make up for the fact that all inherited a sin nature. We all have sin at the core of our being - even if we don't act upon those desires all of the time, we still need Christ's provision of grace to remove that stain of sin that is there! 

The most amazing part of this passage that I find myself going back to time after time is that Jesus leads us into a place of radical grace where we are able to celebrate the hope of experiencing the very glory of God in our own lives. If we are led into a place of radical grace that suggests we weren't in that place at all before we asked Jesus to be in control of our lives. We cannot be 'led into' if we were already there! It is not just a 'ho-hum' kind of place, either. It is a place of RADICAL GRACE. Radical comes from the word 'root' - so radical grace is 'rooted grace' - there is a firm foundation to that grace that is vital, growing, and constantly being renewed. Most of us would think of radical as something standing out as extremely different from something else. That is exactly what God's grace is - it stands out in our lives and in turn, our lives stand out because of radical grace! Just sayin!

The truth about my pride

Some of us are asked to do things we aren't all that willing to do - especially when we consider the price of what is asked of us. Some will say the price they are asked to pay doesn't equal the reward they will receive from whatever it is they are asked to do. Perhaps someone riddled with cancer asks you to go with them to the doctor for their next update - while inside you are secretly dreading the long waits that cut into your day's plans and the fact you are surrounded by sick people with waning hope that just act to make you a little more than depressed. Maybe you have been asked to give of your time to a ministry at the local church or been 'volun-told' you will be the rep at a local event sponsored by your employer - all the while wondering just how much this is going to "cut into" your "free time". Regardless of what you are asked, you probably occasionally struggle a little with the "price" associated with it, huh? We all struggle when it comes to the price we pay - it is only natural. What we fail to recognize is Christ wants us to move from responding in the natural and beginning to respond in the spiritual - especially when it comes to the 'cost'!

"If you want to give it all you've got," Jesus replied, "go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me." That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crest-fallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn't bear to let go. (Matthew 19:21-22)

This rich young ruler was having a hard time with Jesus' response. He had the desire to follow Christ, but the "price" was just too high for him. He left "crest-fallen" because he was "holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn't bear to let go." You know, we hold onto a whole lot of stuff - not just the physical stuff, but even the emotional and imagined stuff. Stuff we hold onto tightly becomes the very thing we will consider to be too great a price to pay. Dad helped me secure the best deal on my first 'brand new' car at a local dealership many years ago - then he watched me drive home, following carefully behind while I got used to my shiny new blue Ford Escort. I had never owned a truly new car so this was a big step for me - both in cost and in responsibility. I was probably close to 30 or a little older at the time. I was so delighted with the reliability of my new transportation, having had cars that I regularly had to replace parts on (many times with my own two hands and lots of 'labors of love').

Then came the fateful day when my new car got its first "boo-boo". I took it to one of those oil change places where they do the oil then check every fluid and level known to man. As I drove home, I did not notice anything wrong, but when I got out of the car and walked into the house, I was stopped in my tracks. There on the front left fender was a huge drip pattern where the paint had begun to come off (well, actually it was the top shiny coat). I immediately panicked and began to wipe furiously with a soft cloth. What I came to realize was no amount of rubbing was going to change the fact the brake fluid carelessly dripped there had eaten through the paint. I spent some hard earned money on some various types of polishing creams and waxes, and in time, it was "almost" perfect - but I knew it was still flawed. Now, I tell this story about myself because I want you to know my response. I was "crest-fallen" - my "possession" was now less than perfect. I remember even asking God how HE could have let this happen! A dangerous thing to ask unless you really want the answer!!! In a matter of a few days, he eventually opened my eyes to the fact I was more "proud" of the car than I was in giving him the glory for providing the job that provided the very finances to actually buy it! In fact, I was so focused on showing off the car - with an attitude of extreme pride - I forgot totally to give any honor to him for the job he had miraculously provided which not only provided well for my household as a single mother of two, but allowed such "extravagances".

Often, we know we have a little bit of a wrong focus based on our response to an event that affects the objects of our affection. If our focus is on the object first, what has happened to it and how this affects US, we might just have a little bit of a wrong focus toward the object or ourselves. Often, we hear the last thing we expect to hear - "Ummm....I think your eyes may have been a little more focused on that object than on me." These words are Christ's - deeply affecting our world when they are spoken into our hearts. The object of our affection is also the object of our attention. We stand there dispirited, discouraged, and often depressed. Why? Simply because we realize we are not in the place we want to be as it comes to our relationship with Christ. As I looked at the car fender that day, my eyes began to open to the truth of my pride - a constant companion with me in this journey we call life. If I got less than an "A" on a paper in school, I struggled with my response to it - pride. If I found myself unable to keep up with the demands of a job which could require 12-14 hour days from me AND raising two children on my own, I got down on myself - pride. If my spiritual life was not where I wanted it to be, I bought more books, read more of the Word and prayed harder, but still did not grow much - pride. Now, who would have thought one event could have opened the door to so many issues? When God begins to speak, he rarely stops until it is ALL said!

In short order, God began to bring balance into my life. All through the tiny streaks created by an "corrosive" fluid on the fender of my car. I wonder if God intended something "corrosive" to be the very thing that began to "eat away" at my overwhelming pride? Maybe! You never know the lesson God will use - you just need to be open to the possibilities! I am not saying the battle is won, but today failure is an opportunity for me to learn, not a tragedy to be avoided. Life balance involves time for God (first thing each morning), time for family, and time for others. Work is a means to "finance" my life's enjoyments - ministry, family fun, and even a new video game once in a while! We never know what life-lesson is being taught - but if we are open, he will teach us. Rather than turning away crest-fallen, we will be transformed by his Spirit within us. We just need to be open. Just sayin...

Bless 'em

Although the mass hysteria to purchase truckloads of toilet paper has died down, there is still a significant shortage of the stuff we need on the grocer's shelves. The truckloads of goods come and go, but there still doesn't seem to be a restock of all that once existed on the shelves. I have observed more and more posts telling us how to 'make yeast' from various household items because it is scarce in the markets. We see posts proclaiming new ways to create hand sanitizer from aloe and isoprophyl alcohol; kitchen wipes using a half roll of paper towels submerged in a small amount of bleach and water solution; or even the re-emergence of the use of hydrogen peroxide to sanitize items. As the saying goes, "Necessity is the mother of invention." Some are more than 'well-stocked', having amassed a great deal of resources for their 'quarantined existence', while others are still frequenting the stores at the earliest time possible in hopes of obtaining just a few things they really need in order to make it through this week. There is nothing wrong with being prepared, or even wise in how we use things we already have, but when we deny others the very thing they have real need of in their lives, is this what God would want? While we could apply this to our 'stockpiles' of quarantine goods, we can equally apply it to the good things we have in our lives that God has provided all along in life. How about that good sense of humor - give it away to others who are needing a good laugh today. What about your gift of song - find a corner in your yard and let it rip - bless someone today with a melody of praise and worship. Maybe it is your talent to create - dig out that sewing machine, hunker down and sew a few masks for your local food bank workers so they can continue to meet the needs of the hungry while staying protected themselves. We all have so much to give from what is already in our 'resource rich' lives, but it takes action to give!

As the saying goes: Those who love money will never be satisfied with money, and those who love riches will never be happy with what they have. This, too, is fleeting. The more goods there are, the more people there are to consume them. How does any of this really benefit the owners except they can gaze proudly on their possessions? Sweet sleep comes to those who work hard, regardless of how much or how little they’ve eaten. But the abundance of the rich keeps them awake at night. (Ecclesiastes 5:10-12)

We all have things we can give in this time of great need across our countries. It may not have been much in the eyes of some with greater wealth, but even the widow's mite blessed the socks off of God! You and I have some form of a 'widow's mite' in our possession, but we have to be willing to give it away in order for it to be a blessing to anyone. We could not be more trusting of God's provision than to use what he has given us so freely to allow a blessing to come into another's life. This blog won't be long today because it is merely intended to give us food for thought. What is it you 'possess' that you can put to use today to bless another? What is it you have been gifted with as a talent that could be put to good use in order to create something of usefulness that would meet the need of someone who cannot meet their own need right now? Maybe you can still drive and are well enough to shop around the stores - be a blessing to those who cannot. Perhaps you have a high pressure washer and you could ask your neighbors if you could be a blessing by washing out their trash receptacles for them while you have time on your hands. You could place a large cardboard box at the edge of your driveway with a large sign indicating you are collecting non-perishable donations for a local shelter or food bank - then take it down to them once it is filled. There are tons of ways to be a blessing right now - using this quarantined time to do more than binge watch TV or surf the net. Begin by asking God to show you how to bless others and then be open to what he shows you to do! Just thinkin....

Unwelcome Inhabitants

My daughter sent me photos the other day of some form of beetle larvae emerging from cut logs she had stacked in her fireplace. Needless to say, the wood was removed hastily and sent out to the outside fire pit to be burned post haste! The weird thing is that those logs had been in there for quite some time and there was absolutely no signs of any life in them! In time, the 'hidden' began to be revealed! What 'inhabited' the dark spaces of those logs was being revealed. My daughter is no fan of bugs of any sort - in larvae form or otherwise - so she immediately sprang into action to rid herself of their existence. Wouldn't it be wonderful if all the things that 'inhabit' the dark spaces of our lives were dealt with in an equally swift and decisive manner?

Let the word of the Anointed One richly inhabit your lives. With all wisdom teach, counsel, and instruct one another. Sing the psalms, compose hymns and songs inspired by the Spirit, and keep on singing—sing to God from hearts full and spilling over with thankfulness. (Colossians 3:16)

When the Word of God begins to inhabit the dark spaces of our lives, it is like the larvae of our sinful intentions begin to surface! We find out just how much we have been trying to conceal in those dark places. My daughter didn't recognize what was emerging from those logs, but she could Google it and became aware quite quickly that the emerging larvae were actually beetles that lay dormant inside the wood, sometimes for a few years. When the conditions are right, they emerge! Sin and our 'darker intentions' are just like that - hidden, not really revealing themselves until the 'conditions are right' for them to be revealed. God's Word is a good 'revealer' of what is hidden!

Where the Word sinks in there is a change in the 'condition' of the heart. The things hidden are no longer content to just lurk in those dark spaces because God's Word is meant to reveal what is hidden, bringing it to the surface so it can be dealt with swiftly and definitively! The condition of our heart changes when the Word begins to be 'grafted in' - there is a change in the life-flow of our emotions, thoughts, and decisions. We begin to 'sort out' the stuff that doesn't bring us much good in life and we begin to replace that 'space' occupied by all that negative stuff with more uplifting and rewarding grace from God. In turn, what once occupied is no longer allow space to inhabit!

How are our hearts filled with the 'right stuff'? It is through the intake of the Word of God. The Word changes the condition of our hard hearts, making us soft and pliable in his hands, able to be transformed into a thing of beauty. I don't know about you, but my heart had some very hard places in it as a result of repeated wrong choices in my youth. These had to be broken down through God's grace and in time, those spaces once inhabited by some pretty lousy choices were inhabited by the presence and peace of God. Now, those spaces occasionally get visits from temptations that continue to bother me from time to time, but I don't have to allow them to occupy that space any longer. I am free to dismiss them without any guilt! Just sayin!

So it comes down to this...

So it comes down to this...

Have you ever stopped to consider what life has to come to for you in order for God to fully get your attention and hold it longer than two minutes? Some would recount a terrible occurrence in their lives, like that last drink that found them turned upside down, wheels spinning in the air, barely missing death's blow by seconds. Others would tell of the horrible diagnosis of some life-altering disease that made them take notice of what had been neglected in their lives to such a degree that life's little things finally mattered so little. There will be countless others who will say they had no idea a pandemic could bring life to a halt, crumble the economy, change the way we shop, or reveal such a lack of peace in their lives. What will it come down to in our lives to allow us to see that life slips right on by if we don't stop and take notice? What will help us to see there is no other thing that belongs at the center of our lives other than Christ himself? 

So it comes down to this: since you have been raised with the Anointed One, the Liberating King, set your mind on heaven above. The Anointed is there, seated at God’s right hand. Stay focused on what’s above, not on earthly things, because your old life is dead and gone. Your new life is now hidden, enmeshed with the Anointed who is in God. (Colossians 3:1-3)

Since you have - now you need to...

These are words of instruction, not of advice. We have already received so very much in Christ Jesus, but we may not be putting those things into full action within our lives. It seems there is a little bit of a disconnect between receiving and using. We like the things we'd label as 'blessings' in our lives, but when those 'blessings' get interrupted by the 'not so blessed' stuff, how many of us find ourselves complaining that the blessing seems to be gone? If our focus is on the blessing and not on the one who gives the blessing, we will soon find we grow discontent with the blessing, or complain bitterly when their is any interruption in it! Keeping our focus on the one who is the giver of all blessings ensures we have the right perception of all things.

Focus on what's above, not below...

I could focus on the condition of my retirement savings right now, but it would make me rather depressed to look at the losses in the market. I could focus on the continuous news reports of doom and gloom, but what would that do to my frame of mind? Rather than focusing on all that is wrong, I will choose to do as the words of the song say, "The weapon may be formed, but it won't prosper...", by Elevation Worship (Song: See A Victory). There is power in changing our focus - but it is an active choice to no longer be so consumed or intimidated by what we see around us. We must choose to look beyond what we see in the 'natural' sense and trust what we don't see in the 'spiritual realms'. 

The old is dead and gone...

What is dead and gone is usually no longer part of our lives - we discard or put it away, right? The flowers that wilt and die in the vase, they have served their purpose and we discard them. The carcass from the chicken is left after we have picked the meat away, and we may boil it to get whatever broth might be garnered, but when that is done we discard the bones. The dryer sheet goes around a couple of times in loads of laundry, but eventually there is nothing of value in the sheet, so we discard it and start afresh. The dead serves to clutter, complicate, and challenge our lives. We have to let go of what is dead and gone - finding new life as soon as we do! This is the amazing thing about having our focus on Christ - there is always something 'fresh' in him. Just sayin! 

Drop, Focus, Consider

Let's admit it, there are just times when we don't feel like anybody 'gets' where we are at or what is going on in our lives! They say they understand, but do they truly? Do we walk alone in this struggle? We certainly feel that we do! Truth be told, there are hundreds upon hundreds who have walked that path already - maybe not as us, but they have faced similar fears, anxious moments, inability to trust others, and all those similar emotions to ours. Were their circumstances identical to ours? Not likely, but their underlying spiritual, emotional, and perhaps even physical responses to the circumstances were the same! Humans react similarly to life stresses, so we really are not 'alone' in our struggle - even when we think it is unique to just us. We 'stand surrounded' by those who have gone before us...let us learn from their examples what NOT to do, as well as what TO do.

So since we stand surrounded by all those who have gone before, an enormous cloud of witnesses, let us drop every extra weight, every sin that clings to us and slackens our pace, and let us run with endurance the long race set before us. Now stay focused on Jesus, who designed and perfected our faith. He endured the cross and ignored the shame of that death because He focused on the joy that was set before Him; and now He is seated beside God on the throne, a place of honor. Consider the life of the One who endured such personal attacks and hostility from sinners so that you will not grow weary or lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3)

We are to drop the 'extra weight' we are attempting to carry - that is the first lesson we must learn and learn well. We all attempt to carry things upon our shoulders that were never ours to bear. We assume no one else will carry it, but is that the truth? Even our guilt is not something God ever intended for us to carry around. He gave us the capacity to 'feel' guilt so we'd know when we needed to turn to him for the forgiveness of the sin that caused the guilt to be there in the first place. But...the guilt is not ours to bear as a 'weight' we must carry. It is to be lifted at his feet, never again to be born by us! There are times when people want to put the 'weight' of what is going wrong in a relationship totally upon us, but if we are totally honest with each other, it takes two to be involved in a relationship, so no ONE person is totally to blame for the relationship 'woe'. We each play a part and this is how we get through them - by taking responsibility for our part, finding a way to resolve it, and move on together.

We are also to 'stay focused' on Jesus. That statement clearly implies there are a whole lot of things we can get focused on that aren't going to serve us well. What is that thing that has the majority of your focus right now? If you are like the rest of your neighbors right now, it is this viral attack that has our world in an uproar right now. Yes, we need to be wise in where we go, what we do, and who we are surrounded by at this moment. No, we don't need to make this the ultimate focus of our lives. We still need to focus on relationship - with Jesus first, then with each other. We need to create a culture in our lives that allows our focus to be 'limited' to those things that will uplift, encourage, admonish, and keep us motivated toward growth. The other things that might creep into our focus are not worth our continual attention!

We are to consider his life and example, never losing heart or growing weary. Now, that is something to aspire to - never losing heart when challenges get a little too tough for us, or growing weary when the day's demands are heavier than we'd have liked them to be. You know what? As we drop the extra weight we are carrying, getting things into correct focus in our lives, it becomes easier for us to look to Christ's example and learn from it! We find we have an uplifted heart and a sense of soaring above the challenges instead of being drawn down by them. Just sayin!

Let it spill over

There are things in life that we all need to 'continue', while there are also things we definitely need to 'discontinue'. I cannot binge watch show after show and feel good about how my day went. I cannot go days on end without some physical exercise to clear my mind, regenerate my body, and get my juices flowing again. Self-quarantine certainly lends itself to the kind of 'isolate in place' kind of activities such as binge watching and incessant eating if we allow it to, but we have to make conscious choices to 'continue' in the things that help us to live strong lives. Experts tell us to rise at the same time we usually would, go to bed at similar times, engage in as close to normal activities as possible, and all should be well. I don't drive to work right now, so I try to make a few laps around the house before I settle in behind the computer monitor. I don't get to socialize with my friends, or give my BFF a big hug right now, but I can SKYPE and see we somehow dressed alike for our day! I have food at my fingertips because I am at home, but I am exercising discretion with how many trips I make to the fridge! Continue in the good stuff, so the journey is actually shaping our lives in the way it should go!

Now that you have welcomed the Anointed One, Jesus the Lord, into your lives, continue to journey with Him and allow Him to shape your lives. Let your roots grow down deeply in Him, and let Him build you up on a firm foundation. Be strong in the faith, just as you were taught, and always spill over with thankfulness. Make sure no predator makes you his prey through some misleading philosophy and empty deception based on traditions fabricated by mere mortals. These are sourced in the elementary principles originating in this world and not in the Anointed One (so don’t let their talks capture you). (Colossians 2:6-8)

The 'shaping of our lives' is a 'cooperative' thing - we allow God to shape us - we participate actively in the shaping process. We aren't doing the shaping, but we are taking steps to do the things he says will help to 'keep us in shape' spiritually, emotionally, and even physically. First and foremost is the idea of having solid roots. I have referred often to roots in my writings because I know just how important that structure is to our well-being. If we don't maintain the 'rooting', we soon find we have 'slippery footing'. We begin to take steps away from that which gives us stability and 'solidness' in our daily walk. Strong faith isn't accidental - it is 'fashioned' through consistent steps that 'shape' our faith. Look at how strong faith develops - it is through being taught. That means we take time to learn each day - first what God wants us to know, then something new that we can somehow use to benefit ourselves and others. You might learn to make a new 'shoestring budget' recipe, sharing your ideas with others. That doesn't seem like much, but when a family of four is trying to stretch their food budget right now, it could be a godsend to them!

Strong faith 'spills over' into the lives of others. Right now we aren't gathering together in large groups. We aren't able to get out to all the places we usually frequent and we aren't seeing all the people we normally 'hang with'. As hard as that may be, we still need to find ways for our faith to 'spill over' into each other's lives. I am seeing some add new things to their social media feed, like let's show each other one photo from a trip that reveals some beautiful spot God created for us to enjoy. I also am observing some ask if there are things that they can pray for in their friend's lives right now. Still others are just letting others know they are there for them - giving each other a call more frequently, reaching out in non-traditional ways, like gathering in a parking lot six feet apart, and sharing a cup of coffee while catching up on 'home matters'. Our faith needs to continue to spill over - don't discontinue that! Just sayin!

Oh, so that's how....

We hear a lot of voices today - each representing some "cause" mankind is touting at the moment. Some are reasonable and seem to catch our attention simply because what they present seems logical and straight-forward. Other voices are not as forth-coming in their motives - they simply manipulate the crowds with their message until they have them to the place we might call "biting on the bait". Our mailboxes are inundated with lots of requests for this or that, one right after another. When we hear a voice calling, do we recognize the source of that 'voice'? Jesus was most concerned with this when he gave his disciples this instruction:

Let me set this before you as plainly as I can. If a person climbs over or through the fence of a sheep pen instead of going through the gate, you know he's up to no good—a sheep rustler! The shepherd walks right up to the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice. They won't follow a stranger's voice but will scatter because they aren't used to the sound of it. (John 10:1-5 MSG)

The means of 'entry' one attempts to take in "getting to you" is often the most "telling" sign we have. How many times do we entertain what comes climbing over the fence instead of going directly through the gate? There is some type of "manipulating" influence the individual exerts - not being straight-forward in their presentation of the facts. This should be a dead give-away to us, but how many times have we been "snookered" into their manipulative ways? If you are like me, there probably have been a few times! Our first thing to consider in keeping ourselves safe is the manner in which someone presents their "cause". I believe in something called "transparency". In other words, the books have to be open to me! I need to see the evidence of their works! Now, not everyone is comfortable being transparent, are they? Does this necessarily make them "dishonest" or "manipulative" in their purpose? Not totally, so Jesus gives us additional means by which to evaluate the "cause" we will get behind.

He tells us to consider their voice - a recognizable thing. Now, let me put up some "safety measures" here before we go on. If we are to know someone's voice, we have to be so accustomed to them being around in our lives that we easily recognize the voice, even in the darkness, right? I have some friends I've known for years. I recognize their voice before they even make it into my office or my home. Why? We have "hung out" together enough I recognize their voice without having to see them face-to-face. Now, let me just say this and I will leave it at that - we cannot expect to be kept safe from the manipulative voice of our enemy if we never get familiar with the voice of our Lord. You recognize the enemy's voice only to the degree you recognize God's voice! The Holy Spirit is not a loud and boisterous voice inside our heads - but he does give us a "niggling" we might call an urge, or an impression. If we ignore the subtly of his "voice", we sometimes find ourselves in some pretty awkward and compromising positions. As we respond to the "niggling", we find we become more familiar with the voice of God.

Last, but not least, Jesus reminds his disciples of the evidence of how we are being led. The Lord leads with a protective oversight. The one who manipulates really leads so as to scatter. Look at this another way - does the voice you are listening to the most "draw you closer" to the support and fellowship of other believers, or does it allow you to be pulled out into the open, able to wander away unnoticed? If the first is true, the voice is likely a good voice, free of manipulation and malice. If the latter is true, the voice is likely determined to see us in a place where we can easily be "picked off" and left in a place of desolation. If we miss the means by which they come to us, and then miss the advantage of being familiar with the voice, then we stand one more chance of recognizing their deception in the way they are leading us. Miss all of these and we might just have already been deceived! Just sayin!

We needed that goading

Scattered sheep are often not even aware of their aimless wandering, striving to find that next patch of grass to satisfy their insatiable hunger, or their endless pursuit of what is just around the next bend. It is that endless pursuit and aimless striving that gets them into trouble every time! Did you ever stop to consider why sheep need a shepherd? It is simply because they are followers! They go where the one in front of them goes, regardless of what could be in the area. The shepherd knows the areas where the sheep can become easy prey for those who would seek to make a meal out of them! He knows they will wander into these areas, but be oblivious to the threats lurking all around them. The shepherd of our lives knows the exact threats that lurk, the places in life that pose the greatest threats to us, and just how easily we can wind up in those places without even taking notice of where we are at the moment.

But he was hurt because of us; he suffered so. Our wrongdoing wounded and crushed him. He endured the breaking that made us whole. The injuries he suffered became our healing. We all have wandered off, like shepherdless sheep, scattered by our aimless striving and endless pursuits; The Eternal One laid on him, this silent sufferer, the sins of us all. (Isaiah 53:5-6)

Did you know that sheep are pretty timid and easy-going animals? This makes them very easy prey for their predators. It is this timidity that often gets them into trouble. Did you ever stop for a minute to consider just how much of a 'threat' YOU are to the predators in your life? There are all kinds of predators just waiting for us to wander aimlessly into some place that will leave us unprotected and as an easy target for their attacks. The shepherd of our life isn't there to just watch us wander - he is there to gently goad us back into the places of safety that he has already scoped out for us that ensure we will prosper!

Did you know that sheep have a tendency to run into open areas, just wildly going from spot to spot? They run one direction and then another, leading to the apt description of being 'aimless' in their wandering. The shepherd has the responsibility to keep them close, gathering them in flocks so they will know the safety that comes in numbers, and then keeping them near enough to hear his voice. Because of their wandering aimlessly, they can find themselves engaging in activities that are easily very hard on them and almost a little 'self-destructive' in nature. They wander out into roadways, into places where they can become 'stuck', and even into places where food is no longer available. 

Ever feel like you might just be a little bit like the aimless sheep? If so, you aren't alone! We all have a tendency to just get into places we should have avoided, oblivious to the dangers that lurk. We all can think wide-open spaces mean we are okay to just wander with ease, wandering so far away that it makes it hard to hear our Shepherd's voice. So, if we want to be safe, protected, and free of 'lurking threats', maybe it would be best if we stayed a little closer to the Shepherd and didn't resist his goading so much! Just sayin!

Is that a sign?

Caution - Hot Surface!  Caution - Wet Floors!  Caution - Right Lane Closed Ahead! These are all words of 'caution' - advising us not to do something, or proceed without any thought at all. We each have had those moments in time when we would say we were not exercising much caution, or being aware of what we were doing (at least consciously). These are moments or seasons when we threw caution to the wind. How did that work for you? If you were like me, probably not as well as you had hoped!

Those who trust their own insight are foolish, but anyone who walks in wisdom is safe. (Proverbs 28:26 NLT)  When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful. (Proverbs 29:18 NLT)

When we trust our own insight at the exclusion of warnings clearly revealed for our safety, we are in dangerous territory. I think we are all reminded of the need to 'take caution' every place we look right now. Social media is streaming warnings to wash your hands, cover your cough, and to avoid each other in order to shut down the spread of the virus. There are all manner of 'cautions' we receive in life each day, some are just 'right out there', while others are kind of just 'felt' rather than seen. The ones we see are like the warning sign on the side of the road that tells us to watch for deer crossing the road. Even with the signs, we don't always perceive the threat. It took seeing one deer and her fawn on the roadside to get my attention and to keep it focused! I love nature, but especially when I get to see the "wee ones". The signs are there to help build our awareness of the danger. The thing is, when I actually saw the beautiful creatures, something connected. I was suddenly aware of the risks of driving in those heavily wooded areas.

I could ignore the signs, but I would place myself, and my passengers, at greater risk if I did. What we don't always realize is the fact we rarely "travel" alone. We almost always impact another by our inattentiveness. My risk-taking and ignoring clear signs place those who travel with me at risk, as well. God gives us insight - what we do with it determines how well we will come out in our journey through life. Insight is capacity - capacity to gain an accurate and deep understanding of a matter. it comes from the root which means to have inner sight - mental vision (in other words, wisdom). We all have much "vision" - but how much "mental vision" do we really possess? God's greatest challenge comes in moving us from just reacting to what we see to really understanding and forming purposeful actions based on what we comprehend. I saw the deer signs. When I slowed down, peering carefully through the windshield watching for the tell-tale signs of life in the woods and fields, I was moving from "sight" to "inner sight". I was taking the matter to heart. Insight (inner sight) impacts actions only when what becomes "mental vision" lines up with what God reveals.

We can rely upon our own mental vision - but the actions will lack the integrity they deserve. When we allow God to give us clear mental vision, we begin to see actions change in a positive way. You may be clearly seeing some "signs" of warning today all around you. Allow God to take them from the place of being just your own "sight" to being "inner sight". Then they will impact your actions and keep you in a place of safety! Just sayin!

The standard by which we live

Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody expects of you. Never excuse yourself. (Henry Ward Beecher)

I have a small sign in my office that was given to me some years ago. It was given as a way of reminding me of my importance as a leader in healthcare. I was actually being honored by my peers when I received it, but it has been with me ever since because it reminds me of a very important fact - we lead by example. The sign simply says, "Every time we walk by the violation of a standard, we set a new standard." I believe this is a derivation of what Lieutenant General David Morrison said when he is quoted as saying, "The standard you walk past is the standard you accept." There are times we 'set new standards' because our behavior doesn't match the past standard we had come to follow, aren't there? When we drift from a standard, what is one of the most common things we do? Don't we attempt to cover it up by making an excuse for that violation of the standard? Rarely do we find ourselves acknowledging our variation in standard as a path we should not have taken in the first place. Whenever we do acknowledge that 'wrong path', we aren't setting a new standard, we are finally sharing that we aren't willing to accept excuses for our wrong behavior.

If you excuse yourself, saying, “Look, we didn’t know anything about this,” doesn’t God, who knows what you are really thinking, understand your motives? Isn’t your Protector aware of why you aren’t protecting the innocent? Will He not repay you in kind? (Proverbs 24:12)

Behavior is somewhat based upon the situation - at least that is what we'd like to tell ourselves. If we can 'blame' the circumstances for our behavior, we don't have to shoulder the blame ourselves. The problem with this type of action on our part is that there will always be some 'circumstance' that we can blame! We will never shoulder the blame, or make the right course corrections - we will never be observed adjusting our behavior 'back to standard' if we are always shifting the blame. The standard is declared in the Word of God - it was modeled in his Son's life while on earth - and it can be seen in the lives of others who adhere to these standards themselves. We are not without positive examples of how to behave - we just might turn a blind eye to those standards! Our true heartfelt motives are often revealed in the worst of times. I'd have to say that things are kind of tough right now for our nation. We are having to adjust to business and school closures, a lack of income for some who are forced to 'not work' during the shutdown, and even a lack of supply for others as the demands seem to be escalating all around us. How we face these 'circumstances' right now might just reveal a little bit of our underlying motives.

If we are honest with ourselves, we can oftentimes find the places where we have allowed a new standard to be set in our lives. Stop for just a moment to consider the last action you took in terms of what you said or did for or toward another individual. Was it honorable? Was it done from a right motivation? Did it build up? Did it meet a need? If we perhaps snatched up the last bag of dried beans or package of toilet paper off the shelf when we already have a stockpile at home, we might have to acknowledge the action was neither honorable or with the right motive. If we then took those beans and toilet paper to a shut-in senior who cannot find a way to the grocer right now, we might say those actions built up and provided for a real need for that senior. Our actions speak very clearly of our motivation - they also reveal the standard by which we live. Just sayin!

Don't cop that attitude with me!

The greatest day in your life and mine is when we take total responsibility for our attitudes. That's the day we truly grow up. (John C. Maxwell)

As I was raising my children, one of the most important lessons I believed they needed to learn was that of taking responsibility for their actions. Perhaps they didn't always appreciate the significance of this lesson, but I think it has served them well in their adult years. There are many of us that go through life attempting to shift responsibility from one place to another because making it our own is kind of uncomfortable at times and downright hard! We like the comfort of shifting blame, but does that really bring us any comfort? Not if you consider the weight of guilt blame-shifting places on your shoulders! Have you ever heard someone say, "You made me do it", or perhaps, "I have this bad attitude because you did that..."? Our attitude is OUR responsibility - it isn't dependent upon how another responds, what circumstances we find ourselves in at the moment, or even if it is a 'good hair day'. It squarely rests on our shoulders - no amount of 'blaming others' will ever change the attitude we have chosen.

Don’t let selfishness and prideful agendas take over. Embrace true humility, and lift your heads to extend love to others. Get beyond yourselves and protecting your own interests; be sincere, and secure your neighbors’ interests first. In other words, adopt the mind-set of Jesus the Anointed. Live with His attitude in your hearts. (Philippians 2:3-5)

If we choose the right attitude, we can master the right responses in life! The attitude of Christ was to put others first - not to make himself look good all the time. He didn't consider the ridicule of the Pharisee religious leaders of the day to be something that he'd dwell upon, or let it affect his response to those in need around him. Instead, he pressed on. He created a positive culture, not allowing others to 'dump on him', nor did he dump on others. Was he always a rule-follower? I think he may have been, but he wasn't afraid to challenge the 'rules' that didn't make sense. When money-changers set up tables in the temple to exchange the currency of those who would travel from afar to offer their yearly offerings and special offerings, he challenged them. Why? They had adopted an attitude of greed - taking a 'cut' of the money exchange as their own. There would have been a great deal of temptation to not 'upset the apple cart' since it didn't really seem anyone was getting 'significantly hurt' by this exchange. Yet, Jesus isn't willing to 'leave well enough alone'. 

He may have seemed upset (angry even) to the onlookers, but in fact, he chose the right attitude - he was protecting God's people. Anywhere between 300,000 and 400,000 Jews came to the Temple each Passover season. That was a huge chunk of change for these money-changers, knowing that the Greek and Roman coinage would have to be exchanged into the Jewish shekels in order to buy their offerings. Many of these thousands would have been poor or 'lower-income' individuals. To lose even a small portion of their funds was significant to them. So, in choosing to cleanse the Temple of these money-changers, Jesus was actually saying he valued the people he came to redeem. The choice we make in exhibiting the right attitude is entirely ours - the motivation for the attitude coming from deep within our heart. If we align our heart with Christ, our attitude should be pretty 'right-on', my friends. Just sayin!