And now this...

With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts. 

(Eleanor Roosevelt)

What does this 'new day' bring for you? It isn't a loaded question, I am simply asking us to consider what new strength or new thoughts may come today. I discovered quite some time ago that my thoughts do a lot to influence my physical, emotional, and even my spiritual strength. What I choose to dwell upon when I go to sleep at night can 'color' my rest with either delightful ease and refreshment, or unease and feelings of greater weariness when I rise. Our thoughts actually encompass us and often determine the strength with which we will face each hurdle that comes. Someone once told me it is hard to escape your thoughts and I think they were right. Our thoughts permeate everything we do - even our rest.

This is the reason we do not give up. Our human body is wearing out. But our spirits are getting stronger every day. (2 Corinthians 4:16)

Our human bodies are indeed wearing out. I played hooky last Wednesday and went up to the Rim Country to take in some nature and fishing with my BFF. It was delightful being in the outdoors, but at altitudes I am not used to exerting myself in and after some hot months that didn't let me get out to take long walks or enjoy bike rides, my body was a little 'deconditioned' for the trails. I enjoyed them, but I took them at a much slower pace than I would usually take them! My body wasn't keeping up with my mind because my mind told me I could climb the peaks and traverse the valleys - my body told me I needed to sit down and admire the scenery!

One thing I can count on as other things in my life are 'wearing out' is that my spirit isn't getting weaker. In fact, it is growing stronger as time goes on. I find I am 'comfortable' in my own skin, enjoying life a little bit more, and just content to be a child loved deeply by God. I don't know about you, but that definitely makes up for the parts that are wearing out! Regardless of our age, we need new strength for our day - pure thoughts to guide our actions. Throughout the day, my mind is bombarded by hundreds and hundreds of 'influencing thoughts'. I hear this or that on the radio and away go my thoughts. I see an ad on the TV and away go my thoughts. I listen to a song and away go my thoughts. I overhear a conversation and away go my thoughts. Our thoughts are always 'on the move', if you know what I mean.

If our thoughts are constantly on the move, how do we get them to stop for a while so we can actually enjoy a little 'mind rest'? I think it comes when we re-center our thoughts on what matters. God wasn't telling me I couldn't take the trails last week, he was asking me to just sit and enjoy what he had made. He reminded me of his infilling breath as I listened to the gentle breezes through the tall pines. He delighted me by bringing the wee chipmunk to my side, eager to have just one piece of my lunch. He captured my attention and began to renew my spirit when he focused me on the stump with roots wrapped tight around boulders that should have made the tree's growth impossible. God is always ready to renew our thoughts. We just need to be willing to slow down enough to have both our strength and thoughts renewed! Just sayin!

Such as I have

Not he who has much is rich, but he who gives much. 

(Erich Fromm)

I have asked individuals what they have to 'give' in life - what it is they could share with others - only to find they don't believe they have anything 'worth' giving. That is indeed a sad state of affairs, isn't it? To believe one has nothing worth 'giving' - nothing they can invest in the life of another, nothing that would help the situation, nothing at all that they would deem of 'worth' to anyone else. It isn't 'what' we give as much as it is 'how' we give. God always reminds us that it is the attitude of heart behind the 'giving' that matters - not so much the thing that we give. We could give our time, but if we do so grudgingly is it really a gift? We could give our finances, but if we do it with a stingy heart because we don't think someone really needs it, is it given in love? 'How' is much more important than 'what', but trust me on this, we all have a 'what' that God is calling us to give!

Good will come to the man who is ready to give much, and fair in what he does. (Psalm 112:5)

Look at what our passage says again. Does it say that God comes to the man who is always giving much, or giving at all? No, it says God comes to the man or woman who is 'ready' to give much. In other words, God is concerned with the heart motivation - the ability may be there, but if the desire is wrong, the giving is really not what matters. God always focuses on the heart, because man's heart can get so fickle at times. We can get wrapped up in all the wrong things at times, making our heart a very mixed up and messy thing. Giving begins in the heart - there is more to giving than possessing something that someone wants or needs. There is this attitude of giving without strings - giving because it expresses the insanely large amount of grace and love God has lavished on this hard heart of ours!

Readiness to give is key here. We need God to help us move our attention away from the 'what' and help us to see more the 'how' of giving. As you may recall, there was a beggar by the waters one day as the disciples approached. He asked for a little hand-out of some coins because it was the only way he could support himself - his debilitating condition kept him from earning a day's wages. That moment defines very well the concept of the 'how' and not the 'what' of giving. Peter had been deeply touched by Jesus - his life had been transformed. His heart was grateful and filled to overflowing with the grace of Jesus. In that moment, he shows us that we don't have to possess the 'silver and gold' to give. "Such as we have..." is all we need! (Acts 3:6)

Readiness to give is a heart thing - it is more than what we possess in time, talent, or treasure. It is even more than our ability or capability. It is perhaps more about our availability to God than anything else. Our heart is only available to others when it is first available to God himself. When we open ourselves to him first, he leads us into opportunity after opportunity where it is clearly not 'what' we possess as much as it is 'how' we are possessed. It is the filling of Christ in us that makes us ready to give - get him in the right place in our life and we will be read to give no matter what we think we possess. Just sayin!

Life gets messy

When you put a cup in front of you, do you fill it until it overflows, or do you stop somewhere short of the top of the rim? If you are paying attention, you likely fill it just below the rim, or a little down from there because you have to pick it up, transport it somewhere with you, and you don't want it spilling all over the place as you do. When God fills us, he doesn't care about the 'spill over'! In fact, he hopes some of what he fills us with will actually spill over and begin to affect those around us. If you are telling God to 'avoid the rim' in your life because it will get a little 'messy', you are probably missing out on some of the awesomeness God intends not only for you, but all those he puts in your lives!

I pray that Christ may live in your hearts by faith. I pray that you will be filled with love. I pray that you will be able to understand how wide and how long and how high and how deep His love is. I pray that you will know the love of Christ. His love goes beyond anything we can understand. I pray that you will be filled with God Himself. (Ephesians 3:17-19)

Life gets messy at times - it just cannot be avoided no matter how hard we try 'step out of the way' when the messiness comes our way. God is an 'over the rim' kind of God. He isn't content to give us half a filling of his grace, love, or peace. He wants all of those things overflowing in our lives. We are to be filled with his love - to overflowing. We are to be filled with God himself - to overflowing. When we limit him in our lives, we are saying we know better than God what we need in our lives. Spoiler Alert: None of us really knows better than God - he sees a much bigger picture than we do and he isn't going to stop at halfway in our lives!

Messiness is part of who we are - like it or not. We aren't going to avoid failures in our lives - they are part of the messiness we create. We aren't ever going to bypass his need for grace - it is the only thing that actually helps clean up the 'messiness' of our failures or shortcomings, so that what overflows instead of the messiness of failure is the goodness and grace of Christ. The goodness and grace of Christ is what fills us instead of the shame and guilt of our sinfulness. The thing we begin to value instead of whatever filled our cup that led to that failure becomes the very life of Christ within us. The goodness and grace of Christ is more than an 'additive' to our cup - it is what replaces what has occupied our cup!

We need to be drenched with the life of Christ. Scripture reminds us: You’re only truly happy when you walk in total integrity, walking in the light of God’s word. What joy overwhelms everyone who keeps the ways of God, those who seek him as their heart’s passion! They’ll never do what’s wrong but will always choose the paths of the Lord. (Psalm 119:1-3) The joy that overwhelms might be likened to the cup that overflows. When we begin to choose to fill our cup with more and more of Christ, we begin to realize that our cup is 'refilled' - not "added to", but 'filled anew'. His love goes beyond anything we can 'contain'. His love isn't meant to be contained - it is meant to overflow so it can affect the messiness of the life of another. Just sayin!

A little 'thought talk'

Kindness in words creates confidence. 

Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. 

Kindness in giving creates love. 

(Lao Tzu)

I will be a little bit transparent here because I think being honest helps us all grow. There are times when the words I want to speak are not the right or best ones to speak. The words that are about to come out of my mouth are just not all that uplifting and they likely will do nothing 'good' if spoken. Been there? There are times the actions I want to take are less than kind. In fact, they border on being rude, ridiculous, or obnoxious. Been at that point? There are moments when I just don't want to give anything else because I feel like I have given enough or have nothing more to give. I bet if you haven't experienced either one of the form ones, you may have experienced that one. We all get to a place at times when 'kindness' is just the foremost thought, action, or attitude that we display. No matter how 'good' we are - we have moments when get a little too catty (slightly malicious and spiteful), or perhaps dwell on something in our minds way too long and for all the wrong reasons. If we live and breathe on this planet earth, with others who live and breathe on this planet earth, we will likely experience these moments together from time to time. It is part of us being human. God asks us to do one thing - watch our talk. Why? Words matter - they build up or tear down; create or destroy; give life or take it away.

Watch your talk! No bad words should be coming from your mouth. Say what is good. Your words should help others grow as Christians. (Ephesians 4:29)

I think I shared this story before, but a wise teacher once told our class that we would all be very surprised what our 'talk' was really like if we'd carry a small tape recorder in our pocket all day recording everything we said. As we would play it back, we might just come to realize how many times we find ourselves talking smack about ourselves or another. It is possible our conversations that day revealed a little bit of insecurity on our part, or that we actually 'worked our words' to undermine something another was doing or saying. Words reveal a great deal about what is in the soul, my friends. That was the purpose of the exercise - to reveal to us what it was that we spent our day 'talking' about. In the end, some of us in that class walked out a little ashamed by how self-focused we were, while others left worried they were being way to hard on someone in their life. The lesson wasn't very 'flattering' to say the least - it revealed something that we may have not known because we rarely 'listen' to our own words!

We are not all going to carry around a pocket recorder to figure out how we are speaking, are we? Yet, there is a lesson in that experiment that pretty much confirmed most of us don't 'watch our talk' very well. We talk without thinking - merely allowing those words to 'get out there' without much forethought as to how they will be received by others hearing them. Our words are supposed to build up, not tear down. Did you ever stop to consider that sarcasm is a means of tearing down someone? Our words are supposed to create an atmosphere rich in all things that contribute to growth and positive development. Did you ever say something cruel or unkind that you know 'stunted' the growth for at least a little while? Words are powerful - that is why God tells us to watch them. It isn't a suggestion - it is a command. We are to watch our talk, but did you ever stop to think that words you don't say may be equally as important as the ones you do say?

Even the words we form in our thoughts are important to 'monitor'. Listen to the wrong words long enough in your own mind and they will begin to 'color' the other words you do speak! We don't learn to speak truth until we recognize a lie when it is spoken. We don't appreciate true words of encouragement until we realize the insincerity of some 'encouraging words'. We might just benefit from taking our 'thought talk' to another level - actually 'talking it out' with God himself. In so doing, we might just find the words we have been thinking aren't all that edifying to ourselves or others. We need God to help us change our thought talk as much as we need him to change or 'temper' our 'outward talk'. Just sayin!

Do life as you do life

What are the people in your life doing today? I didn't ask what you are doing - I asked for you to tell me what they are doing. Do you know? Did you bother to ask? If you did ask them, what was the motivation behind your asking? There are times we ask what someone will be doing or what they are doing right now because we really want them to be doing something else - something we want done. There are also times we ask because we don't want to interrupt them if they are knee deep into whatever it is and our interruption would only waylay them, robbing them of their time and energies that would be best invested in exactly what they are doing. I think we might not do as good of a job 'understanding' what another is doing, though. We 'hear' them tell us they will be doing this or that, but do we take time to understand the 'why' behind their 'doing'? It may seem insignificant, but when I realize someone I care about is doing laundry for the fourth time this week, I may begin to appreciate they need some help with the task!

Nothing should be done because of pride or thinking about yourself. Think of other people as more important than yourself. Do not always be thinking about your own plans only. Be happy to know what other people are doing. (Philippians 2:3-4)

Our plans are good, but I think some of us may be guilty of trying to always include the other person in our plans, sometimes at the exclusion of theirs. When we begin to see how another prioritizes their work, we get insight into where they are investing their energies. For example, I 'prioritize' my blog for first thing in the morning. Why? I am at my best and this is the time I have set aside to get alone with God, study his Word, and let his words come through me. Yes, I have written a few blogs later at night, but the truth of the matter is that I am a morning person. Early to rise and early to bed. That's me. When someone wants to support how it is I 'do' my day, they will also recognize the importance of me giving my best time of day to God first. Understanding why a person prioritizes their day's activities is only one way we begin to understand how they 'do' life. 

Some 'do' life 'out loud' - needing to talk through things with others because in so doing they find their 'answers' are sorted out - not because the other person had the answers, but because in talking them out, they were able to see them clearly. Learning to listen and not 'talk over' someone who needs to 'talk through' their plans is hard sometimes. We want to 'interject' our ideas and thoughts about how they should 'do life', but in truth they aren't asking for our opinion or approval! They are merely using that time together to bring clarity to their plans - by talking them through with another. Others 'do' life in a more 'list checking' kind of way. They are organized to the 't' and find it absolutely mind boggling to live without a list. They don't understand those who can live 'spontaneously' and just 'do' what suits them at the moment. They 'need' their lists - it gives them focus and they thrive best when they have focus.

You see, we all live life a little differently, don't we? We all 'do' life at our own pace, using our own 'methodology' for how we get things done. Instead of trying to make someone live life as we do, it is quite honoring of the other to allow them to do life as they do. Just sayin!

The lesson in the stump

As I sat by the gently lapping cool waters of a lake, fishing pole in hand, just admiring the stillness and lazy activity of the ducks that swam by, I began to ponder a stump on the shoreline. What made this stump so unusual was the way the roots were positioned. The tree had obviously been wherever it had been growing for quite some time as the breadth of this tree's base was about two feet wide. It had been felled at some time, stump now firmly placed at the edge of this rocky shoreline. Underneath the great expanse of the tree base was an amazing display of the tree's 'will' to grow in the first place. There were a series of roots, each about four to six inches in diameter, tightly curled around huge pieces of boulder sized rocks! I think the stump was placed where it was because it would serve as a tether for boaters to 'tie in' on the shoreline and enjoy a little fishing at that spot, but the tree's 'will' to grow must have been tremendous for it to have survived as long as it did in the obviously 'rocky' soil it had taken root within as a 'wee tree'. We probably have all heard it said, "Where there is a will, there is a way." That tree and the hundreds surrounding me on those shorelines proved that very point - the 'will' has a whole lot to do with how we prosper when the 'soil' of our lives isn't as 'perfect' as we might desire it to be!

Happy is the man who does not walk in the way sinful men tell him to, or stand in the path of sinners, or sit with those who laugh at the truth. But he finds joy in the Law of the Lord and thinks about His Law day and night. This man is like a tree planted by rivers of water, which gives its fruit at the right time and its leaf never dries up. Whatever he does will work out well for him. Sinful men are not like this. They are like straw blown away by the wind. So the sinful will not stand. They will be told they are guilty and have to suffer for it. Sinners will not stand with those who are right with God. For the Lord knows the way of those who are right with Him. But the way of the sinful will be lost from God forever. (Psalm 1)

We might not always find ourselves in the 'perfect soil' in life. Life comes to us complete with all the rocks and boulders it can manage to put in our path, doesn't it? We can try to circumvent a few of them, but if we are to grow, we must push past them to the 'better soil' just on the other side of them. There isn't any assurance our 'life soil' will be 'rock-free', but there is total assurance that our growth will be tended and directed by the one who will help us find the 'base' we need in which growth will be forthcoming. The roots on that stump gave evidence of a couple things I think we can consider this morning:

The roots didn't circumvent the boulders and stones - they used them as 'anchoring' in their life. The winds around those parts could be pretty severe at times, especially when monsoon season is in full force. The cooler winters can bring inch upon inch of heavy snow and ice, making the trees 'bear up' under tremendous weight at times. Yet, they stand - tall and straight - unhindered in their upward growth. Why? They have not circumvented the hard places! They used them to give 'anchorage' in their lives. We can learn to use those hard places in life as something that gives us greater 'anchorage', or we can always go on avoiding them. Just remember - the upward growth that will stand the test time and time again isn't found in the 'soft soil'. Resistance doesn't have to stop us - it can act as a means by which we find the greatest 'hold' in life.

The trees were wedged into the tightest of spots - not wide open spaces, but very tiny spots that gave way to their expanded growth. We might think we are in a 'tight spot' right now and not see there is always room for us to grow a little bit more. The growth comes for those trees when they push beyond their present limit. They have to expand their roots so that the things in their way begin to give way to allow for their growth. Certainly it is easiest to just grow a little and stop when we face resistance. Many forestry workers come through our high country and 'thin' the growth of the trees. Why? They are helping the littler ones growing just beneath these bigger ones see the light a little better. Some of us just need a little better view of the light in order to begin to reach a little further and grow a little taller. Just sayin!

God is a BIG PICTURE kind of leader

As I have grown older, time seems to pass faster - except when you are waiting for the day to come when you can load up the car and just head for your fishing hole! The "ebbing" of a new day seems to be upon me before I even realize that the old one has passed me by! There is one truth that endures through the passage of time - - God's Word is dependable, even when I am not! For some, this goes without saying because they have adopted the Word of God as a standard by which they live their lives. They have tested it and found it to be "a sure thing". There is another truth that I think we might miss on occasion, but it is equally as important - - everything serves God's plans, especially you and I!

What you say goes, God, and stays, as permanent as the heavens. Your truth never goes out of fashion; it's as up-to-date as the earth when the sun comes up. Your Word and truth are dependable as ever; that's what you ordered—you set the earth going. (Psalm 119:89-91)

As much as we can count on the "permanence" of God and what he says, we can count that nothing (absolutely nothing) escapes his purposes and plans for and within our lives. This should give us hope that the events of yesterday prepared us for something we will face today and the occurrences of today will prepare us for the challenges of tomorrow. Sometimes we think events are "random", or that they could not serve any real purpose in our lives. If we read what God says here, EVERYTHING serves his plans! The most amazing thing to me is that we find the reliability of God's Word is often easier for us to trust than the assurance that God is at work in the midst of the present events! We doubt his "awareness" of our circumstances - - thinking that maybe these "events" have "popped up" without him really being "in the know" about them. We can never forget the fact that God is divine - - he has no limitations when it comes to being in all places at all times, knowing all things that are known, and exhibiting all his power right when and where it is needed. We have a hard time with these concepts because we are trying to grasp them from a purely "human" perspective.

At best, we can catch a glimpse of the divine - - God giving us insight in a moment in time into the events, serving to bring us peace or assurance that all is in his hands. We don't really "live in" the divine, so we have to learn to "trust in" the divine! Trusting he has an awareness of everything that happens - - nothing escaping his plans - - - it is hard sometimes. We don't know what a new day holds for us, but we do know this - - God has been in control all along, he remains in control today, and he has full control of tomorrow. There are plans bigger than our understanding at work in our future - - all we can do is trust them to be "worked out" according to his "master plan". We don't see the purpose in many things such as the loss of loved ones, reduction in income, changes in friendships, or an unexpected illness. In our "finite" minds we cannot conceive the plans God has in each of these events - - we can only trust the "infinite" perspective of his "BIG PICTURE" view of it all. Just some things to keep in mind as we launch into this new day today:

- God has placed you in this particular season in your life for a reason. Each season serves a purpose. Some are times of preparation, others are times of growth. Still others seem like times of coldness and dormancy. Even in those "dormant" seasons, there is work being done. The ground of our hearts may seem cool and blanketed in darkness, but just beneath the surface seeds have been planted and are just waiting to take root in just the right season.

- God has designed the friendships you have within this very season. They serve the purpose of helping you with the "labor" and the "rest" of the season you are experiencing. You are not designed to face the seasons of life alone - - he has purposefully placed individuals in your life as companions in this walk.

- God has provided for your future. It may not be evident as you look through the "vision" of today, but he sees that "big picture" of what tomorrow will bring. His "vision" is far better than ours - - he sees right through the present and into the future. We need to trust the Lord to lead us by his hand. He's marked out the path - - we simply need to follow it forward. Just sayin!

Oh, I knew it!

I know a great many people who have developed this skill of answering a question with another question, as though that 'answers' anything. In some circles, such as counseling, this is a common occurrence - the questions asked are designed to get the person to come to a conclusion about the answer themselves so that they begin to problem solve through the situation. There are times when the most appropriate answer is indeed another question. If your child asks you why they have to eat their vegetables, do you think answering, "Because I told you to", is the best answer? It is highly likely the child will allow those veggies to just grow cold on the plate. If the parent was heard saying, "Johnnie, what do you think is the reason you should eat your vegetables?", what do you suppose they might receive as a reply? Perhaps the parent would hear the response, "Because if I don't, I will never get to watch TV this evening." If the parent hears this, what is it Johnnie is saying? He is equating doing something very unpleasant for him to some form of pleasant pursuit in return. In asking the right question, you see the underlying focus the person may actually have. Johnnie is not concerned with the great nutritional intake for his body, but rather that he misses out on the next episode of his favorite TV series!

Just then a religion scholar stood up with a question to test Jesus. “Teacher, what do I need to do to get eternal life?” He answered, “What’s written in God’s Law? How do you interpret it?” He said, “That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself.” “Good answer!” said Jesus. “Do it and you’ll live.” (Luke 10:25-28)

Jesus often took the tact of answering a question with another question, not because he was avoiding an answer, but because he was interested in having the one asking the question finally see the true motivation of their heart in asking it in the first place. Here we see the "motivation" of heart laid out for us - the scholar stood up with a question to TEST Jesus. His intent was not in really discovering the way to get eternal life - it was to attempt to expose something in Jesus which was contrary to the Law of Moses. What a disappointment he must have experienced when Jesus turned back to him with another question and he basically hung himself out to dry with the answer he was forced to give. Jesus was not going to say to the scholar, "Let me interpret the scripture for you, since you are only mortal." He "honored" this man's studies in the scripture and asks how "HE" interprets what the Law requires. I think the scholar must have been a little taken aback by Jesus "honoring" him with the opportunity to answer the question. "You have answered this very well, Mr. Scholar - now, get busy doing it and you will have this eternal life," really did not sit well with the scholar. The scholar felt "boxed in" a little by his own answer - so he looks for a "loophole" to give himself an "out". 

"Hey, Jesus, who is my neighbor?" Isn't it just like us to want a loophole? We clearly show we understand the requirements, but then we want a way out! We just don't want to eat our vegetables because we don't like lima beans! We know they are good for us, containing the "right stuff" to help us stay strong, but those pesky lima beans just give us cause to pause. Maybe it is a texture thing, or just maybe we cannot stand the smell. Regardless, we want a "loophole" that will not "bind" us to our "understanding" of the value of their intake. By definition, a loophole is a means of escape or evasion. Sometimes we use a question to attempt to evade the true disclosure of our heart. At others, we use it to cover up our lack of understanding. Either way we are attempting to find the way of escape. We want to evade the "rule" or create enough "ambiguity" with the rule so as to "water it down" enough to avoid the consequences of the rule. It is like when the child asks, "If I eat five lima beans, may I watch TV?" The intent is to "bargain" his way out of eating the entire serving - so he can move on with what he finds more enjoyable. We often use questions to "bargain" our way out of some understanding we have, don't we? The man's understanding of the Law goes beyond the surface of just being a good person. The scholar answers he would love God with all his passion and prayer. When passion gets behind our action, we find ourselves just a little more "vested" in the action, don't we? 

In answering this way, the scholar was pointing out he "knew" the principles of serving God - with depth of heart and honesty. When we love God with all our passion this is depth of heart - when we love him with all our prayer, we are opening up to him in honesty. When the scholar says you put a little "muscle" into your love, he is probably saying that man needs to put feet to their words. In other words, you don't just say you love God and want to serve him - you show it in your choices. The scholar also points out that the mind plays an important part in serving God - bringing what we "know" about God into practice in our own lives. The scholar really boxed himself in when he added the last statement about loving his neighbor as himself. Now he had no real way of escape because Jesus was prepared for the next question - "So, how would you define neighbor, Jesus?" His reply, "Let me tell you a story and then you decide who PERFORMED the acts of heart, mind, and service which exemplify a good neighbor." Jesus used the man's own answer to present the answer the scholar thought would trip Jesus up somehow. In telling the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus then turns to the scholar and asks the scholar to point out who was the "neighbor" in the story. The scholar's answer? "The one who treated him kindly." Uh oh! Exposed by your own question! He came to Jesus with an attempt to TEST Jesus. In turn, Jesus uses the "testing" questions of the scholar to "test" the scholar's own heart! This is so like Jesus! He uses the "testing" questions of our own heart and mind to "test" the real intention of our hearts and the wisdom of our minds. The next time you ask Jesus a question and hear a question in reply, just know he is asking because he knows we already know the answer - we just need to recognize that we do! Just sayin!

More than physical strength

It is easy to sit up and take notice. What is difficult is getting up and taking action. 

(Honore de Balzac)

Strength comes in many forms, doesn't it? Some develop strength because they spend hour after hour 'working out' - honing the strength within their muscles. I am not much of a 'work out' kind of gal, as is probably quite evident by the extra inches I carry here and there. I do have some strength still left in these muscles of mine, as I am still able to wield open that jar of pickles with a tight grip and a little 'elbow-grease'! I know a good many who have a strength that comes from down deep inside of them, allowing them to face some pretty fearful things day after day, like the nurses who have taken care of hundreds and hundreds of COVID-19 patients, enduring the long hours and grueling work of being 'suited up' in all that protective gear. They may go home at nights absolutely exhausted, faces swollen and broken down from the hours and hours of wearing N-95 masks, bodies fatigued by the hours of standing at those bedsides, monitoring every breath, heartbeat, and flicker of the eye. Yet they exhibit the strength to return the next day to do it all over again. Where does this type of 'inner strength' come from? I think the 'resolve' to do something that is onerous comes from having made a choice to serve others - despite the cost. There are times in life when we need to focus a little bit more on the 'inner resolve' than the physical endurance - the physical isn't going to cut it because what we face will require a 'stamina' that isn't humanly possible.

Are you strong because you belong to Christ? Does His love comfort you? Do you have joy by being as one in sharing the Holy Spirit? Do you have loving-kindness and pity for each other? Then give me true joy by thinking the same thoughts. Keep having the same love. Be as one in thoughts and actions. (Philippians 2:1-2)

We belong to Christ, making a strength that is not our own available to us. That strength is sometimes referred to as 'inner strength' or 'supernatural strength'. Not to get all mystical here, but there is something that seems to inhabit us with inner 'resolve' that we clearly know is not there by our own doing. We have spent our reserve and somehow there is more that seems to come from within. This isn't our reserve - it is the fresh infilling of the strength of Christ within! There is nothing more powerful than to be operating in this realm. We are strong because we belong to Christ, but do we use that strength in ways that bring him honor? We are comforted when things seem too hard to handle, but does that comfort move us into action once again? The inner 'resolve' that Christ gives to us isn't just to 'build us up' so we are feeling 'good' again. It is given to us so we will turn again to the task at hand and continue on. 

As a child of God, we are asked to do some pretty tough things - like loving those who may not seem all that lovely at times. I know there are a lot of people who just get on our 'wrong side' in life - it is a fact of life that we won't always agree. As a matter of fact, there are some pretty awesome people I can think of right now who I don't agree with for one reason or another, but that doesn't keep me from loving them. As we examine our passage today, we are given clear instruction to 'think the same thoughts, have the same love, and be as one in thoughts and actions'. That is a pretty tall order for us humans, isn't it? To think the same thoughts is maybe the hardest of all. We all have opinions and truth be told, not all of our opinions are really 'right' or definitely 'wrong'. That is why they are called opinions! An opinion is a belief or thought that rests on ground INSUFFICIENT to produce complete certainty. So, why do we differ over things that are merely opinion?

If we want to be as one in thoughts and actions, we need to allow our 'oneness' to be built upon the things in our lives that are not built upon truth, not opinion. If we commit first to be undivided in our beliefs, with those beliefs being based upon the truths proclaimed in God's Word, then perhaps we will find ourselves a little less focused on the 'opinion' that would otherwise divide us. We would get a little closer to being ONE in thoughts and actions - developing an inner resolve and strength that brings us back time and time again to thinking and doing the right things, in the right way, for the right reasons, in the right timing. Just sayin!

Nameless, unremembered acts of kindness

The best portion of a good man's life is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love.(William Wordsworth)

Take a moment today to just think of one kind act you can do for someone in your life. Who knows, it may even be someone you don't know, like the person with a flat tire stranded on the side of the road. Don't just do that kind deed because you may get something back in return - that doesn't make it a kind deed - it makes it a selfish one. The moment you do that kind deed, take notice of how it makes you feel. There is something like a feeling that the love of God in your life just multiplied. You know what - it isn't that his love multiplied in your life - it is that your sense of his presence did. You put yourself aside for a moment and allowed him to shine. 

Last of all, you must share the same thoughts and the same feelings. Love each other with a kind heart and with a mind that has no pride. (I Peter 3:8)

There is a definite difference between the 'nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love' and those we do because we want the attention, or desire something in return. As I was listening to the remade intro to Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, I recall the scene of introducing a new friend - a man who was very badly messed up by life's ugliness, leaving him angry and unable to forgive people in his life. Ephesians 4:32 reminds us that we are to forgive others as Christ forgave us. If you consider the ultimate act of kindness, the forgiveness of our sins would rank at the very top, wouldn't it? If you consider the ultimate act of kindness you might be called to extend today, it could be that someone in your life desires and needs the gift of your forgiveness.

Forgiveness is the ultimate act of kindness - it certainly requires we put ourselves aside and allow God to shine through us, doesn't it? Pride has absolutely no room where it comes to forgiveness. In fact, pride enters in anytime we desire to hold someone in a position of being 'in debt' to us - allowing bitterness to enter in and bring right along with it rage, anger, feelings of agony. We stay trapped in the bitterness - chained to the past. Not only does it chain us to the past, it anchors us to be unable to move on into the future. We only heal as we let go of the thing we are holding onto so tightly because we feel we will lose something we are owed if we let it go.

Loving each other with a kind heart and with a mind that has no pride - the ultimate act of kindness and love being that of forgiveness. It can be a nameless, unremembered act, can it not? Letting go of the hurt, releasing the debt, getting free of the chains that have you so badly bound - an act of kindness and love indeed. Who needs this "action" in your life today? What thing have you been holding onto so tightly because you think there is something 'owed to you'? If you resist, you will shut-down and your kindness will be superficial. If you submit, you will find that your world opens up to you in bright new ways. Just sayin!

You are so full of it

Joy is prayer; joy is strength: joy is love; joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. 

(Mother Teresa)

If you have ever been told that you are 'full of it', I doubt anyone meant it as a compliment! In fact, it was probably meant to be a means of point out some ridiculous idea you had, or that you are just full of yourself over some matter. It was said as a 'slam' on your character or behavior, not a compliment. When God looks at us and sees us as full of his joy, his words of encouragement are just that - encouragement to fill us up just a little more with the 'good stuff' he has prepared for our lives. What God desires most for us is that we be 'full' - not with ourselves - but with him. In turn, the joy of the Lord begins to overflow from our lives, touching the lives of others, so that what we are 'full of' becomes a means of blessing.

Be full of joy always because you belong to the Lord. Again I say, be full of joy! (Philippians 4:4)

How is it we can be 'full of joy'? It comes in remembering whose we are - who we belong to. If you belong to Jesus, you are full of his grace. You are overflowing with his peace. Your life is filled to the brim with his love. Maybe those things aren't what some would call 'joy', but if you begin to combine the ingredients of his love, grace, and peace, your heart gets pretty doggone joy-full! When we 'belong', that which we 'belong to' begins to permeate every part of our being. When I first went into the military at the age of 18, I actually lived and breathed being a part of our country's defenses. It permeated my whole being so that I even stood taller, somehow making me walk a little more determined with each step I took. It is possible to be 'filled' because we allow something to so 'permeate' our being that it becomes the very thing we live and breathe.

When that object of 'infilling' is Christ himself, we are certain to have the very 'ingredients' that lead to us being 'filled with joy'. Did you realize joy stems from having placed a great value on what becomes the source of your delight? The 'value' you place in whatever that source of your delight is determines the amount of joy your heart and mind is filled with! If you value your money, your source of delight is something that will fritter away over time, especially if you put it in something as volatile as the stock market. If you value a vehicle that is your 'dream car', you might find great delight in it while it is running well, but when it begins to suffer from the inevitable breakdown of parts, where will your joy be then? Joy is found in more than the 'object' - it is found in the delight we place in that object.

When the object of our delight is Christ, we are placing our delight in something that is unchangeable. His love and grace don't change - our appreciation of them might over time, but his love and grace remain consistent for all time. His peace is as reliable today as it was yesterday, yet we may not appreciate the fullness of that peace equally at all times. It isn't that what 'makes us full' has changed, it is that we find our need for these things vacillates over time. We might need a little more of the sense of his love right now because we are feeling kind of down on ourselves, or that we are not as 'lovable' as we should be right now. We could need to have a huge infilling of his grace because we have been trekking down paths that have led us to places of compromise in our lives. Regardless of the need, the filling comes from exactly the same source!

Be full of joy - not of yourself, or the circumstances, or the momentary and fleeting privilege we enjoy. Be full of that which never changes, is always consistent, and is ever there in our lives. Be full of Christ and in so choosing to be 'filled' you will find peace unimaginable, love deeper than you've experienced before, and grace beyond your wildest dreams. Joy comes not in the 'thing' we have, but in the 'one' who fills us with all these things. Just sayin!

Nope, not going down that path

Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend. 

(Martin Luther King, Jr)

Simply put, an enemy is any person who engages in antagonistic activity against another. In case you didn't know what an antagonist is, it is something that counteracts the effect of something else. So an enemy is one who is opposed to, struggles against, or competes with another. There are a whole lot of antagonists in our lives and seem to be more as time goes on. Tons of stuff which vies for our time and attention, often acting as an antagonist against something else which really would be well-served by us lending both our attention and time to it. The antagonist "competes" for something - time, attention, finances, emotional investment, or even our energy. The key to managing the antagonist is to recognize the effect of the antagonist. In other words, when the antagonist is "engaged", the result of the antagonist is to take our attention AWAY - to get us focused in the opposite direction. We have various medications in healthcare which act to "potentiate" the effect of another medication. We also have medications which will act as an "antagonist" - counteracting the effects of the one medication. One med helps, while the other 'hinders', but in 'hindering', it actually helps.  We also have a whole lot of antagonists and potentiating "actions" in our daily lives, don't we? One thing helps another to have a greater "effect", while another takes away from the it all together.

Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody. Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.” Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he’s thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good. (Romans 12:14-21)

Truthfully, if we bless our enemies, we are not acting as an "enemy", but as an antagonist. We are counteracting the effect of the evil they intend in our lives with the goodness of God. It may not totally stop them in their tracks and cause them to no longer do evil, but let me assure you, it does give them cause to pause! Relationships actually need antagonists in order to grow - in spite of all the effort to avoid any antagonism, we actually thrive on it. Here are just a couple antagonists:

Blessing your enemies - instead of cursing them under your breath. My immediate response to someone who acts in "opposition" to me is to strike out, not give them back a blessing! Instead of striking out, we are asked to bestow good of some kind on them. If you are like me, you might have to think really hard on this one - because bestowing good when you are only receiving bad is hard stuff. Yet, there is a greater blessing in this for us than there is for them! In us bestowing good when we are given only evil, we are "rewarded" with benefits which are physical (such as not expending tremendous emotional energy being angry), spiritual (such as learning what pleases God's heart most), and mental (such as not having to muddle through the mess of rehashed failures).

Getting along with each other - making friends with "nobodies" as some might refer to them - getting along with everybody. Ever TRY to get along with your enemy? It is not so easy, is it? Why? It is simply because they have set themselves to be our antagonist - they are designing their actions to oppose ours. Don't be stuck up. Don't be the great somebody. Don't insist on getting even. If we focus on our own action and reaction, we will be acting as "antagonists" to our enemy! Keeping a right perspective of our own importance helps us not to judge ourselves as better than our enemy. Remembering we don't need to be the center of attention allows others to rise to the occasion. Being willing to let an offense go instead of seeking retaliation really just pours water on the fire of our enemy. We are indeed being the antagonist when we begin to respond this way.

Surprise your enemy (and maybe even yourself) with goodness. This is really what an antagonist does, isn't it? The antagonist "surprises" the other who is intent on destruction by putting something in the way of the influence of that destructive intent. In my example of medications, a narcotic med has the intent of shutting down acute mental function, dulling pain receptors, and lowering the threshold of the body to respond. The antagonistic effect of the medication which "binds" the narcotic and keeps it from having its intended effect renders the narcotic "ineffective" - it cannot do what it was "designed" to do. It still exists in the system of the one who took it, but the effect of the narcotic is limited by the work of the antagonist. When we "surprise our enemy with goodness", it is like we "render ineffective" the intentions of the enemy. We limit their influence on us and others by the "antagonistic" work of goodness! As we learn how to counteract the effect of evil - not allowing it to have a destructive influence in our lives, we will develop some pretty awesome "relationship skills" which will help us be the "antagonist" of evil in this world. Just sayin!

Snow on the roof

Is there a difference between the God you serve today and the one you served in your youth? Some might be quick to admit they 'feel' as though there is a difference, but he is the same God! It is our relationship with him that has changed - our perspective has changed. We see him differently because of all that we have been through with him over the years, but he remains consistently the same. I think we interpret his love differently, appreciate his presence deeper, and relish his comfort more. Our 'age' has placed us in a different 'frame of mind' as it comes to seeing, appreciating, and enjoying the work of God in our lives.

Even when you are old I will be the same. And even when your hair turns white, I will help you. I will take care of what I have made. I will carry you, and will save you. (Isaiah 46:4)

Even when you are old...

I guess it goes without saying that with each new day dawning on the horizon, we are getting just a little bit older. We aren't guaranteed the 'new dawn', but when it comes, we breathe in a new day and begin to take 'action' with what we have been given in that day. In my youth and exuberance to conquer the world, I remember taking very little time to appreciate the dawn. In my older age, I actually relish the sunrise. I observe the awakening of the world around me as light begins to filter into dark places little by little, life seemingly returning to the world. Appreciate the day you are given, my friends, for you are not sure what tomorrow will bring.

When we are old, he remains the same...

He was there to help us in our youth, he will be there to help us in our old age. He takes care of what he has made along the entire spectrum of that life. It is actually you and I that seem to go 'in and out' of the awareness of his presence with us, his protection over our lives, and his power manifest when we were powerless in circumstances totally outside of our control. He isn't going 'in and out' of our lives. In fact, he is the 'constant' that keeps us centered, makes us whole when life chips away at us, and brings us into perfect peace when all around us is determined to keep us tossing to and fro.

Even when your hair turns white...

He will help us. I imagine we need his help as much in our youth as we do in our old age, but we don't usually learn to appreciate his help as much in our youth. I think we stop to take notice as we age - to consider and ponder just a little more. I think we allow ourselves to let go of some of the stuff that occupied so much space in our minds, leaving us room to consider him just a little bit more. We 'make space' for him because we have learned his ways are much more reliable than our own. We trust his movement in our lives because we have seen where his steps lead. 

Some view old age as a thing to be feared - I view it as a time when God gets just a little closer. It isn't that he ever was 'far away', but we now begin to recognize just how close he has been all along. We find greater comfort in knowing he is there - perhaps because our own strength begins to wane a little, making us much more appreciative of how much we need his strength. Snow on the roof doesn't mean we are slowing down in our love for Jesus - it often means we are just learning to be comfortable snuggling into his arms a little bit more. Just sayin!

Stop looking at the obstacle

Obstacles are things a person sees when he takes his eyes off his goal. 

(E. Joseph Cossman)

The goal - what is it you have laid out before you as today's goal? Maybe you are a bigger thinker and have even set out goals for the month and year, or even a five or ten year plan. I am not that big in my thinking and really don't set very long-range goals other than saving well so I will some day be able to retire. In my retirement, I want to do a fair amount of fishing in the streams and lakes around the state. I guess that is a longer range goal. Most of us set some goals, even very small ones, because we have come to realize without goals there is no aim. The problem is that some of our goals are kind of 'out there' - they aren't always easily recognized. They will require consistency, hard work, and even a little bit more than a smidgen of faith. My BFF and I have a goal of starting a small business from our homes that allows us to stay busy into retirement, but also gives us a source of creative release. In turn, we hope it generates us a little extra revenue for those fishing trips! Will there be obstacles - you bet! Will we get distracted by the obstacles on occasion - likely so! Will we refocus - definitely yes! Why? The goal is a good one and it is important to us. We want to pursue things that will utilize our talents and keep us occupied, but enjoying our retirement. It is always good to have goals, but it is never good to let the obstacles keep us from realizing those goals.

I do not say that I have received this or have already become perfect. But I keep going on to make that life my own as Christ Jesus made me His own. No, Christian brothers, I do not have that life yet. But I do one thing. I forget everything that is behind me and look forward to that which is ahead of me. My eyes are on the crown. I want to win the race and get the crown of God’s call from heaven through Christ Jesus. All of us who are full-grown Christians should think this way. If you do not think this way, God will show it to you. So let us keep on obeying the same truth we have already been following. (Philippians 3:12-16)

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego - three friends of Daniel - do you think they woke up one morning planning to end up in the furnace, fire lapping at their heels? I daresay they probably didn't imagine their devotion to the one true God was going to end in a fiery death! Nebuchadnezzar was the king of the land of the time and he had a pretty good-sized ego. He commissioned a huge golden statue, said to be fifteen times the height of a man, as an object of worship - an idol. He then demanded everyone bow down to worship this idol - at a particular time of the day when the horns sounded. These three, along with Daniel, refused to bow the knee to any other god - they served the one true God. Their devotion would cost them something - their lives. The king was less than pleased at their refusal, so he threw them into the fire to burn alive. His fury over their refusal was palpable - but I believe the fullness of their faith was equally as palpable!

Do you know that they were bound up in their coats, thrown into the fire by the king's soldiers, and while the soldiers were putting them into the furnace, the soldiers were burnt up? In short order, these men could have recanted their faith - agreeing to bow down to the golden god. Yet, they remained steadfast in their commitment to honor the Lord of Lords and King of Kings alone. Within in minutes, it is reported to the king that the soldiers had died, but the 'bound men' were walking in the furnace free of their bonds and there was a fourth now walking with them! At that moment, the king realizes they have been set free by the Most High God - not the golden idol he had erected, but the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! He commands their instant release and brings them to him. Why? To acknowledge their faith and to command that anyone who shows disrespect to their God be punished. 

It may not seem like much, but these three men didn't waver in their faith. They didn't choose the easy way out. They didn't focus on the 'obstacle' in their path - they kept their focus on the one true God. Too many times we allow obstacles to change our path. Instead of changing your path - change your focus. Get your eyes off the obstacle and back on Jesus. If you want to see the fulfillment of a goal, then focus on the goal. If you want Jesus to be the thing others see when they look into your life - then focus on him! Just sayin!

Going berserk?

It was Thomas Edison who reminded us, "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." The truth of the matter is that most of us would rather avoid the 'overall days' and just enjoy the 'lounge wear' days! We want the 'good stuff', but we don't want to put in the effort to actually 'get the goods'. Opportunity is when the timing is favorable - the conditions are met. How many times do we allow favorable timing and conditions to just pass us by? I think if we stop to consider that one, we may just say we have allowed opportunity to pass us by way too frequently without paying even the slightest attention to it as it was. Why? We were not 'positioned' to 'pounce'. The cat who sits still, considering the lizard skittering across the wall isn't duped into slumber by the breeze gently bending the tall grass. He is paying attention - positioning himself to pounce. Opportunity will not pass him by! He is ready and willing. Opportunity requires readiness, but it also requires the will within to act when the opportunity comes our way.

Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. Let Your good Spirit lead me on a straight path. (Psalm 143:10)

Why is it that some of us just don't act upon the opportunities that are presented to us? I think it is because we have not determined to grasp them. Our mind says we are, but our heart betrays us because as scripture says it best, "Man's spirit is willing, but the body does not have the power to do it." (Matthew 26:41) Our spirit is willing, but our flesh is weak. Our mind tells us one thing - our body betrays the true intent of our heart. God reminds us that our 'will' needs to be taught - it needs to learn how to respond more reliably, with intent and purpose. This is why he sent his Spirit - to act as a teacher. We don't become ready to pounce until we are in the right position. The cat who is sitting way up in the tree, or on top of the roof, isn't ready to pounce on the lizard at the base of the wall. By the time he pounces, the lizard will have scurried away!

If we want to be ready for opportunity when it comes our way, we need to learn to recognize it. Then we have to learn to be patient. I have been in the right place, but the timing was not correct. There I was, positioned and ready to pounce, but the timing was not right. If you want to know the truth here, I pounced anyway! Why? I was there - the opportunity was in front of me - so I just did it. The outcome was a little different than what God intended, though. The timing is one thing we don't always wait for when we are looking for the opportunity. We are afraid it will pass us by if we aren't quick enough to pounce. Remember this - - - position is the one thing we can control, timing is the one thing God controls. Position yourself and be ready - then wait. Uh-oh, I just made a few of us uncomfortable with that last statement. We don't like to wait - we imagine the opportunity will pass us by if we aren't pouncing all the time. 

A cat who is pouncing all the time, at every opportunity he sees, isn't really accomplishing much. Don't believe me? Watch a cat go berserk over a laser pointer dot traversing the floor or wall! He is absolutely beside himself pursuing that red dot! Do you know what it means to be berserk? It means that the behavior reveals deranged thought - wild, crazed, frenzied actions that really make little to no sense. Anytime we act on impulse rather than thinking things through - observing for the right place and the right time - we are going to act a little 'deranged'. Our actions will really not make a whole lot of sense. Just sayin!

Learning from mistakes

 

I don't usually post images on my feed, but today this one caught my eye and it made me ponder just a little bit how much we all probably try to 'erase' our mistakes. I don't think I am in this alone, am I? The times we make mistakes can be quite painful, with our memories lending to the painfulness by constantly helping us to recall just how miserably we failed! I think we all get carried away in the memories from time to time - recounting just how far from the mark we were when we hit that 'bottom' place. The mistakes of our past are not something we should ever discount, though. They are indeed 'stepping stones' into the throne room of grace. Were it not for those mistakes, how close to Jesus would you be today? I daresay those mistakes have actually drawn you closer to him! There is something 'humiliating' in making the same mistake, I know this, but there is something 'liberating' in bringing those mistakes (even the ones we repeat time and time again) to the foot of the Cross.

How happy he is whose wrong-doing is forgiven, and whose sin is covered! How happy is the man whose sin the Lord does not hold against him, and in whose spirit there is nothing false. (Psalm 32:1-2)

What is the lesson God is teaching you today? It may come out of a recent failure - a 'trip-up', so to speak. That lapse in judgment, or total disregard for the warnings you were receiving to 'not proceed', what has it taught you? What have you done with the moment of your failure? Have you 'memorialized' it by giving it 'space' in your mind so you can keep rehearsing how poorly you responded? We tend to beat ourselves up over failure, while God welcomes us into his presence with open arms, asking us to see ourselves as he sees us - sin erased, grace given, and the opportunity to learn from the failure set before us. He doesn't erase the learning - he erases the guilt and shame of the sin. He allows the learning because it teaches us to depend upon his 'niggling' that comes to warn us we are about to proceed into something that is clearly not good for us. It teaches us to rely upon his wisdom, to listen to his voice, and to lean into his strength when our own flesh is battling to take the lead.

I think we equate forgiveness with 'erasure' of the mistake, the memory of it, and even the chance to learn from it. We want it ALL gone - as though it never happened at all. Go figure! We are like cats trying to cover over our recently deposited 'duty' in the litter box! Despite all the efforts to make it look like it is 'all gone', there is still that tell-tale odor! There will be signs of sin in our life - it leaves an 'odor', so to speak. God removes the 'dirtiness' of our sin through his grace and he helps us to not return to it as we learn the processes of obedience in our lives. Herein is where we stumble a bit - we forget that forgiveness involves the processes of obedience - taking the right steps time and time again as revealed to us in his Word and times of prayerful thought. Eventually, the 'stench' of the sin as we remember it will go away - but we need to continue to learn to take the right steps to keep us from returning to the 'pile of duty' once again! Just sayin!