Life Hack #19: Be Not Pulled

Life Hack #19:

It is part of our make-up to be drawn to that which pleases our senses, isn't it? As little babies, we were fascinated with all things sparkly and bright colored. The slightest hint of gleam and we'd direct our attention toward the object. Smell the wonderful aroma of freshly baked bread and your mouth begins to water for the enjoyment of savoring a warm slice lathered in rich butter. Hear the tender notes of some melody and your toes will start tapping with the beat. Our bodies respond to stimulus from without, but that response begins on the INSIDE of us in response to the thing we are "taking in" through one of our senses. Learning "temperance" is a difficult thing in this life, but if we don't exercise a little self-control over our "sensual intake", we will find ourselves in places we'd probably not like to be! Today's life hack is not about alcohol, but rather the 'appeal' of things to our senses and how we should 'govern' what we allow to spur that 'interest' within.

Who are the people who are always crying the blues? Who do you know who reeks of self-pity? Who keeps getting beat up for no reason at all? Whose eyes are bleary and bloodshot? It’s those who spend the night with a bottle, for whom drinking is serious business. Don’t judge wine by its label, or its bouquet, or its full-bodied flavor. Judge it rather by the hangover it leaves you with—the splitting headache, the queasy stomach. Do you really prefer seeing double, with your speech all slurred, reeling and seasick, drunk as a sailor? “They hit me,” you’ll say, “but it didn’t hurt; they beat on me, but I didn’t feel a thing. When I’m sober enough to manage it, bring me another drink!” (Proverbs 23:29-35)

We first need to be aware of what appeals to the eye. The "eye-gate" is the primary "entry point" which we need to monitor because sight is a tremendous gift. Intake through sight becomes the place where imagination begins to take over. We "see" and then we begin to imagine what we see as our own, how it will affect us if we could just take hold of what it is we see. In the Garden of Eden, why was the serpent so successful when he posed his questions to Eve? Maybe it was because she had already been gazing at the fruit anyway - sight had already paved the way for desire! It tickled her senses - because she "saw" and seeing created desire. Desire is not a bad thing, when tempered with self-control and the wisdom given by the Holy Spirit. Desire gets out of hand when everything we see becomes something we have to get or partake in.

We need to be cautious about what we hear, as well. People will always attempt to tell us things which simply are not true. We cannot believe everything we hear - we must become "testers" of what we hear. Each believer must really get to know the Word of God for themselves. In so doing, you are ensuring you have the foundation to "test" what you hear against what you have studied, recognizing when it just doesn't seem to be quite right, and then seek the wisdom of the Holy Spirit's guidance to determine if this is just a new truth you haven't really grasped yet, or if it is truly something you need to reject.

We must be cognizant of our values. We don't judge a book by its cover. When we have a set of core values which align with the Word of God and principles taught in scripture, we stand a better chance of "interpreting" input wisely. We see individuals for their inherent worth in Christ Jesus, not what they contribute to society, or how influential they are in today's social circles. We hear the sweetness, as well as the longings of the heart of those who share their lives with us. We learn to use gentleness in urging someone to move forward who has been stuck in a rut for a long time. The values we learn at the feet of Jesus help us to put life in perspective, so we aren't drawn to the things which bring hurt or harm into either the lives of those we are in community with or our own.

We must learn about how our senses "drive" and "pull" us toward certain behaviors and life views. There is much in this life that can repel us, but probably much more that can draw us in if we are not exercising a little self-control. The "shiny" doesn't always sparkle once we take hold of it! The "luscious" doesn't always flatter once it is consumed! Just sayin!

The luxury of giving

One must be poor to know the luxury of giving. (George Eliot)

The luxury of giving - have you ever thought of giving as a 'luxury'? I like how Eliot frames this thought because it points to the extreme need and the appreciation of what is given when it is received. You do realize there is nothing good or noble about giving if there is no real need for what you are giving, don't you? You could give away free trash cans till the cows come home, but if there were no cans or boxes in the pantry to fill the trash cans when emptied to fill a hungry stomach, those trash cans would merely be dust catchers. There is indeed a 'need' - but the need is different from what we are giving, making what is given pretty senseless in the end. For giving to be 'spot on', there must be an awareness of the need - just like when God saw the need for our forgiveness and didn't think twice about providing exactly what was needed to meet that need - his Son.

Those who go to him for help are happy, and they are never disgraced. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him and saved him from all his troubles. The angel of the Lord camps around those who fear God, and he saves them. (Psalm 34:5-7)

Those who go to him - this suggests that the way to have our need met is to actually take it to the one who is going to be able to meet that need. I would not call a brick-layer to fix my garage door opener anymore than I would go to a mechanic to reset a broken bone. The need must be 'matched' with the one capable of meeting the need, right? We 'go to him' and in turn, he responds with what we need the very most - grace. The thing about grace is that it comes in all kinds of forms. Today it could look like a box of groceries to fill your empty stomach, but tomorrow it could look like the touch upon your soul that bolsters your spirit and gives you the courage to step out into new experiences. Grace doesn't have just one 'form'. It comes to us, but first we go to him for it. 

There is a conversation about our need - we sometimes forget that acknowledging our need is the first step in getting the help to actually do what needs to be done. I shared that I am in the place of redoing a few things around the house. These projects have been astronomically large - larger than I really wanted to undertake on my own. To say the least, moving all the furniture to get the walls painted is hard enough, but then putting everything back in its place, cleaning up all the 'over-spray dust' left by the paint spraying, this is way more than I can handle alone. So, I reached out to my kids and grandkids to help. Do you know what? They helped me make short order of the 'tearing down' part of the job and I am confident they will help me make short order of the 'putting together' part of this job, as well. Why did they come? I acknowledged my need. There was a day I would have been too stubborn to do that, you know - but I am no longer afraid to ask. 

What changed? I think it is the realization that my need and my pride oftentimes are in direct conflict with each other. I need something, but my pride keeps me from asking. How about you? Do you ever have that conflict - afraid to ask because you don't want someone to know how deep your need really is? It took me a long time to get past my pride in life - to ask for help when I needed it - to fully appreciate the 'luxury' of giving and the 'blessing' of receiving. Yesterday, my BFF brought me enchiladas, rice, and an apple-cinnamon muffin. I could have nuked something for my meal, but with all the chaos in the house, she knew I needed that hot meal and that I needed it right when she brought it. Do you know what? The 'luxury' of giving is a blessing. The 'need' we have isn't going to be met if we never acknowledge it. Allow others the 'luxury' of giving - your life will be blessed when you do. Just sayin!

I need dance instructions!

I always thought I'd enjoy learning how to ballroom dance. I like to watch the gracefulness of two people being so totally in sync with each other that they can just glide across the floor. If you have ever watched my try to dance, you will know I have absolutely no understanding of the concept of being led in the dance. I struggle with not getting ahead of the one who is leading! I don't know why that is, but maybe it is because I have never really had a dance partner that knew how to ballroom dance themselves! I have never been led by one who knows how to lead. Having the right lead in our lives goes way beyond the ballroom.

Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for? (Matthew 16:24-26)

Jesus has spent endless days answering the accusations of the Pharisees - men who just plain did not accept him as the Messiah. They were so consumed by all their religious rules - Jesus was consumed with the fact that access to God is not with keeping rules, but in knowing Christ. They pushed away from him - he pulled those who were open to his teaching near - because he desired to lead them as the one who knows perfectly well how one is to be led! Jesus has just finished asking his disciples who they REALLY think he is. They answer with the "pat" answers, the easy answers - well, people say you might be John the Baptizer, Elijah or Jeremiah. He asks them to declare who THEY think he is - one lone disciple spoke up - Peter. He declares with a certainty - you are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. He recognized the one he wanted to lead in his life!

To that revelation Jesus adds this teaching we have before us today. Anytime there is a revelation of the person of Christ, hearts are opened - leading is occurring. Anyone receiving that revelation comes into a place of discipleship. Jesus tells them - anyone who intends to come with me must let me lead. This is the stumbling point for many a person - letting Christ lead. We want the controls - we find it difficult to not pursue salvation on our own terms. Jesus reminds us that it is not a self-help pursuit - discipleship is sitting at the feet of the Teacher, learning of him, allowing him to direct our path, and enjoying the privileges of his leading. People of the day in which Jesus was teaching would have understood this concept better than we do today. We are not accustomed to having to wait for the Rabbi to circulate into our townships in order to get the teaching of the Word - to become educated, learned, and wise. Today, we can simply turn on our computers, seek out innumerable teachings online and find ourselves immersed in all that promises the answers to life's woes.

The message of leadership over one's life is found in a person, not in the pursuit of a religion. It is Christ that desires to lead - to be the one helping us gracefully make it across this ballroom called life. It is his GIFT of sacrificial love that we embrace with open arms, allowing ourselves to be led. Jesus asks us to answer one important question today - who do YOU say that I am? If you call him Savior, rejoice! If you have yet to call him Savior, reach out to him today. He is waiting to be invited into your life. Remember this: Jesus not only wants to lead our lives - he came to this earth specifically to make a way for our lives to be led. When we submit to him, we are allowing the fullness of the gift of his sacrificial love to be at work in our lives exactly as he intended. Open up to his leading - control is best when it is submitted to one who knows how to perfectly lead. Just sayin!

A nod says it all

I bless the holy name of God with all my heart. 2 Yes, I will bless the Lord and not forget the glorious things he does for me. 3 He forgives all my sins. He heals me. 4 He ransoms me from hell. He surrounds me with loving-kindness and tender mercies. 5 He fills my life with good things! My youth is renewed like the eagle’s! 6 He gives justice to all who are treated unfairly. (Psalm 103:1-6 TLB)

What "glorious things" has God done for you lately? If someone asked you that question today, how would you answer them? What is the first thing that would come to mind as something he has "done lately" on your behalf? Many of us would fall back on the old rote answer of having saved our souls and keeping us from all harm, but how could we be more specific in our account? Many times we find the easiest answer comes in the form of those generalized comments, lacking the true thought or consideration behind it. God isn't stingy in his love, so let us not be stingy in our acknowledgement of how he reveals that love in us!

Our answers are to come from "all our heart" - in other words, with some emotion and true appreciation for these things. There are moments when I specifically thank God for keeping me from the pain of colliding with another vehicle in my journey somewhere. I have narrowly avoided an "impact" which would have damaged my vehicle, possibly my body, and the other's life or possessions. It may be due to my distraction, or totally out of my control, but either way, I am intensely grateful for the protection God provided at that very moment when one of us wasn't as "focused" as we needed to be!

There are times in life we become distracted by "life" that we just miss the moments of God's intense blessing. It isn't that we don't receive them, it is that we don't acknowledge them as we should. As easy as it is for us to miss the opportunity to point out those blessings in the moment, it is equally as easy to begin to develop a way to "recount" those blessings - if not immediately, at least at the end or beginning of the day. I think God wants us to have that quiet time with him at some point in our day to help us not miss those moments totally. He wants us to take time to realize all the ways his protection, provision, and power has been operational in our lives.

I had the opportunity yesterday to spend a little time working in the yard on my latest project with the help of my son. I just don't see him as much these days as I'd like to, so every moment with him is cherished (even if we are up to our elbows in dirt and grime). At one moment, I must have had a questioning look on my face as we were attempting to figure out how to level a particular piece of land to be ready to receive my workshop build. In a matter of fact way, he simply stated, "Mom, I've got this! I've done this before." I stared at him a moment and nodded, backing away in delight that he "had it". It made me think of the many times I must look at God with a quizzical look on my face and then hear his answer, "Child, I've got this...I've done this before."

God doesn't expect gigantic moments of praise each and every time he blesses us with his presence, but he does appreciate that same "nod" and then our stepping back to let him continue to display his power, protection, and provision in all the wonderful ways he does! Just sayin!