You have way too many alternatives!

The absence of alternatives clears the mind marvelously. 

(Henry Kissinger)

When it comes to our thought life, I daresay we could do with a few less 'alternatives' to ponder, rehash, and ruminate upon. We all probably struggle a little bit with the 'clutter' of thought we encounter all day long as we go about our regular tasks and chores. Any 'alternative' is simply means we have to make choices - one becoming more demanding or clearer than the others. We choose when to begin the laundry, whether we will leave the vacuuming another until another day, or even if we will listen to music while we go about those chores. We choose to hold onto or let go of the thought 'alternatives' when it comes to our misadventures that leave us feeling a little less than 'right' in the end. Guilt can lead to shame all because we don't let go of something we have spent way too much time ruminating on in our minds. Anger can lead to bitterness because we continue to turn over the embers of some unkindness done. Indeed, we need to clear our minds of the 'alternatives' we have been holding onto if we are to have clarity of thought and certainty of purpose.

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies. (Philippians 4:8-9)

An alternative is really a choice between two courses - take one and the outcome will go one way; take the other and you could see a different alternative. In science lab we would see what each 'alternative' produced - some ending up with spoiled projects, while others showed huge potential and even success. Look at the alternatives put forward for us in this passage and you will see there is one that produces a good outcome - the other producing a less than desirable one. It is also important to realize making the right choice in determining the 'alternative' we will pursue isn't by accident - it is a matter of practice. In science lab we didn't just do the experiment once and say we would get the same results time after time again. We practiced it over and over ensuring the results remained consistent. God expects us to change the way we think - the alternatives we consider - not just once, but repeatedly until the consistency of choosing the 'right alternative' is 'built into' our thoughts.

I think we might just struggle way too much in our thought life because of all the 'alternatives' we have allowed to amass in all those brain synapses. We store away all manner of thought, good and bad alike, sometimes without even being aware we are doing so. We see something and it gets stored away. We hear another thing and we tuck it away. We do it unconsciously - without purposeful thought or action on our part. Don't believe me? Have you ever been engaged in a conversation with someone and then find your mind drifting a bit, only to come back to the conversation knowing you were just asked a question? You were unconsciously 'listening', but not 'consciously' hearing. Engaged once again and you are more purposeful in the conversation. God isn't going to brainwash any of us and get rid of all the 'alternatives' that clutter up our thought life just because we pray one time for him to bring clarity. It takes active 'practice' on our part to sort out those thoughts, confess they exist, and then rid ourselves of them by choosing to think on the 'alternative' to those thoughts. This is what our passage says - rid yourself of the worst, considering instead the best. Time to 'whittle down' a few of those alternatives, my friends. Just sayin!

It is up to us

I have days when it seems like I can accomplish just about anything, and others where it seems like there is nothing getting done. Interruptions seem to rob my planned activities and replace them with those that were unplanned. The harder you seem to work at something (especially those things that are a little harder to accomplish in the first place), the more difficult it seems to become. You never seem to "catch up", never seem to fully "grasp" the goal - making it harder and harder to get to the desired end. In the end, you just stand there in total frustration, more in a muddle than you were when you first began. Just as quickly as we started, we find ourselves out of energy to continue the journey toward that goal! We stop short of the goal - never really crossing the finish line. What a waste, huh? Or is it? We all need reminders from time to time to stay focused even when there are things that aren't going so well for us. 

You know by now that I like the writings of the Apostle Paul - I seem to associate with his heart, I guess. His honesty is what always draws me to his words - the struggles, the questions, and then his simple trust. One of my favorite passages: "I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back." (Philippians 3:12-14) He hasn't "arrived" - and neither have we! He is open about the struggle (the strain) it takes to reach the goal set out before us - it could be a spiritual, emotional, physical, or even a financial goal. He isn't the "expert", but he knows the voice of his God beckoning him onward. Here we find the point of most of our failure - in our hearing of God's voice beckoning us onward, telling us not to forsake the goal. We all struggle with the "stretch" once in a while, but sometimes we struggle more than others - either because we hear and don't respond, or because we just refuse to hear.

So let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you'll see it yet! Now that we're on the right track, let's stay on it. (Philippians 3:15-16)

Anything less than total commitment really is not commitment! Commitment suggests engagement - active participation, purposeful movement, active listening. Anything less is really "dis-engagement". Paul's reminder to us is of the need for total engagement. Throughout scripture, we see accounts of many who start well, then get off-course along the way, heading down some path that just doesn't make any sense. Why? It usually begins in the "listening" deep within their hearts and minds. We "hear" a lot of stuff, BUT what we "listen to" is what affects us the deepest. I have shared many times - listening is an action, not a passive process. Listening is indeed engagement. It makes no sense to hear clear direction and then ignore it, right? Yet, we do! We read God's Word, become acquainted with God's will for us, then just go on without ever "conforming" to his will - all the while wondering why we aren't making any progress toward that goal. It is all a matter of focus - the clearer our focus, the easier it is to stay on track. It is God who gives us clarity - it is up to us what we do with the clarity we receive! Just sayin!

Let me be clear here...

What are the ways you are influenced? Where is it you turn to when you need to be updated on the state of affairs in politics, the weather, or the results of the football game? It used to be we had newspapers, but more and more of those have gone by the wayside. We used to huddle around radios and listen with intent as the latest events were crackled from the airways. Now we are likely to read our social media posts, quick one liner tweets, and updates on our 'electronic' news feeds. As times change, so do the ways we receive our influences in life. We might not realize it, but the things that need to have the greatest influence in us are actually being suffocated out of their place of influence by all the things that vie for influence in our lives today.

"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)

We have many opportunities to listen and to respond to many voices each day. There are individuals we admire that speak words of advice - easy to embrace as a voice we actually want to listen to. There are individuals that are passing acquaintances in our lives - we listen to them, but are more selective in what we act upon when they speak. Then there are individuals that are only influential because of their position, prominence, or popularity - we'd be surprised how often we lean toward their voices without even realizing it. Each voice represents a unique place in our lives - some are more intimately "in tune" with the deep spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of our lives. That is what Jesus was referring to when he said the sheep hear his voice. As a matter of fact, they listen for it! Why do they know his voice? Simply because they have become familiar with it. It is a pretty well-accepted fact that we respond to what we are most comfortable with. If we are comfortable with the voice of Jesus, it stands to reason that when he speaks, we will respond.

Look at what Jesus says about the "other voices" we listen to:

• They are deceptive - they don't come at you with honest intentions. There is an agenda in mind that is contrary to your good.
• They are misleading - they promise one thing, but end up leaving you in a more chaotic place than you were in the first place.
• They are not reliable - they are not only deceptive and misleading, but they cannot be counted on when the rubber meets the road.

The voice of God is entirely different:

• It is trustworthy - his voice is well-known by his disciples. He comes with words that encourage, exhort, and direct. As he speaks, the words settle in deeply and 'bear witness' within our spirit. 
• It is directive - his voice gives clarity, never bringing chaos or uncertainty. In fact, his voice is instructive to those who know him.
• It is loving - his voice comes at times when we need to know his presence, oversight, and care the most. His words are those which uplift, keep us safe, and afford us the opportunity for shelter.

Today is an opportunity to clarify the source of the "voices" we listen to. The voice of God - simple, direct, and loving - comes at us "straight on". As our shepherd, he has direct access to our lives - no need to weasel his way into our lives because he has been granted open access to our hearts, minds, and emotions. If the voice we are choosing to listen to is coming at us in a forced, uninvited way, it is likely not the voice of God. There are many choices in life, but none so rewarding as choosing to listen to the still small voice of our loving God. Just sayin!

Let us be grateful

Let me see clearly so that I may take in the amazing things coming from Your law. (Psalm 119:18 VOICE)

What is it you are not seeing that clearly right now? Is there some question you have been wrestling with for some time unable to quite reach some form of resolution or solution? Is the time you spend pondering the stuff of everyday life kind of getting harder and harder when you expected it might just let up a little? If so, you are not alone in this inability to see clearly at times - we all suffer from the same "lack of clarity", but may not always admit to it because we don't actually realize we haven't reached a point of "clarity" yet.

I think one of the greatest things which unlocks clarity in my own life is when I reach a place of gratitude in whatever are I am struggling or wrestling with at that moment. That may seem a little naive at first, but hear me out. When I transition from questioning into trusting, it usually happens when I begin to settle into being grateful for whatever it is I am facing or dealing with regardless of how tough, unfair, or monumental it may seem. I think Melody Beattie penned it beautifully when she wrote: "Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend."  

It doesn't take much of a rudder to turn a huge ship, my friends. Sometimes the smallest amount of gratitude in our hearts and minds ends up bringing the deepest sense of trusting, the exact amount of hope we need, and the most insightful direction we could ever receive! We may not be removed from the tough place, but we somehow manage to see it differently. I don't know how all that works because I am not God, but I have seen him do this in my own life time and time again - simply because I turn from complaint about the issue, stop struggling to produce the answer myself, and begin to just thank him for holding me right there in the midst of it until he reveals the way out.

We don't uncover truth - it comes to us because we have opened our hearts and minds to receive it. One of the keys to unlocking our minds is to change from using the key of "questioning" to using the key of "thanking". When my marriage was falling apart many years ago, I had lots of questions, hurts, anxieties, and frustrations. The one thing that settled my heart and mind, guiding me through that tumultuous time was being grateful for what I had received and learned during those years of being together. I don't always embrace the lessons the first time I am going through them, but as I see things unwinding or getting a little chaotic in my life, I can choose to see things from a different perspective, not because I become "enlightened", but because I choose to be thankful.

We are in a season dedicated to being grateful for the many wonderful things God has placed in our lives. I challenge each of us to think upon the things we are not the most grateful for today - those tough things we are facing. As we think of those things, could we just for a moment ask God to help us change our focus from one of wrestling or struggling with those things to just being grateful for them? We don't know what awaits us around the other side of those things, but trust me on this one - when we change to a position of gratitude, we may just see possibility where we only saw challenge, hope were we only imagined the worst, and delight where we had been experiencing all manner of frustration. Just sayin!

Clutter got you?

PAY ATTENTION:  Did you ever stop to consider these two words in that order? First, to "pay" means you give something over in order to obtain something different.  It has the idea of "transfer".  "Attention" has the idea of directing one's mind toward something.  So the "transfer" here is one of "mind space" - we are giving our "mind space" to another in order to have what it is they will "fill" that space with.  At first that may not seem like much, but if we do this enough, we become filled with the right stuff.  If we yield our "mind space" to the wrong stuff - that which is very limiting in its focus and which really has no lasting benefit for us - we find our minds become "cluttered" rather than more "ordered".  Maybe this is why God adds the next words - listen to me.  The idea of giving one's mind space over to God in order for him to fill it involves some willingness on our parts to make the exchange, but it also requires us to sort out some of the stuff occupying space today which only adds to the clutter!  If you have ever had a garage or yard sale, you understand this concept.  What probably precipitated the "sale" was the idea of space being cluttered!  You got to the point of being fed up with the clutter and just wanted to get it out of the way.  Instead of just letting it go, you hold the sale.  Why?  It is stuff we got attached to - it had some value to us - and probably still does.  So, we hope to get a little of that value back by selling it.  The problem with this is we don't get what it is we think the "value" really is!  I wonder if we do the same thing with God?  He gets us to the point where we recognize we have a whole lot of clutter in our minds and then we want to barter with him to have him "give us something of equal value" to replace it!  Silly us!  The value of clutter is really no longer "valuable" to us!

“Pay attention, my people.   Listen to me, nations.  Revelation flows from me.    My decisions light up the world. My deliverance arrives on the run, my salvation right on time.    I’ll bring justice to the peoples.  Even faraway islands will look to me and take hope in my saving power.  Look up at the skies, ponder the earth under your feet.  The skies will fade out like smoke,  the earth will wear out like work pants, and the people will die off like flies.  But my salvation will last forever, my setting-things-right will never be obsolete. (Isaiah 51:4-6 MSG)

Clutter is really a disorderly heap - another word for "litter".  Now, does that make you look at your "mind's clutter" a little differently?  It should, because nothing in your mind which is "litter" really has any further value.  Maybe this is why God tells us to let go of offenses - they are "litter" taking up space in the place where God wants to go about "transferring" something better for our enjoyment.  Perhaps this is why he tells us to get rid of gossip - because all the imagined stuff we create in our minds about another really keep us from seeing them as God sees them.  Could it be God wants us to get rid of the "litter" in our lives so he can fill the space with his grace, love, and mercy?  If grace was there, we probably wouldn't take offense so easily.  If love was there, we probably would guard against the words of gossip.  

Back to our passage.  God is really telling us to be willing to make the exchange of what it is which holds our focus today in order to have our focus for tomorrow expanded.  In other words, if I let go of what doesn't lend value today, I will be open to having something of superior value occupy the space once occupied by only the "litter" of my thoughts and memories.  He gives us some other hope here, too.  Let's explore:

-  Revelation flows from him.  Another word for revelation is disclosure.  What really happens with all that "litter" in our minds?  Isn't it something we rarely "disclose".  The opposite of disclosure is openness.  I don't know about you, but I want my mind to being open to his teaching, hearing what his voice has to speak, and being attentive to what it is he has to show me.  Revelation - disclosure - flows from him!  Isn't this good news.  Another word for revelation is exposure.  This probably scares us a little, but just as when we finally decide to clean out the garage of its "clutter", so it is with our minds and hearts.  There might just be some "exposure" of stuff we didn't even know we had kept around all that time!

-  God's purpose in revelation is not to do us in or set us to flight.  It is to set things in right order.  A few year's back, my mother was coming to live with me.  During the week's preceding the move, I spent time "decluttering" the various cabinets, closets, and spaces of my home.  Do you know how I felt when I had that project done?  Awesome!  Why?  Simply because all the remaining "stuff" mattered and it was in right order.  Guess what?  My cabinets and closets don't look that way after over four years of being together! It is time for a little "revelation" of the clutter again - in order to get rid of what we don't use and what takes up precious space.  Our minds are filled with stuff taking up precious space.  Isn't it good to spend some time on a regular basis going through the "space" to ensure it is clutter-free?

-  There is something about "paying attention" which never gets old when we are paying attention to the right stuff.  If you have ever just had the TV or radio on as "background noise" while you went about doing what it is you were otherwise engaged in, you know what I mean about paying attention to the right stuff.  You will be going along, then almost all of a sudden, something catches your attention.  You hear something of interest.  You have no idea how you got to the point of "paying attention" to this particular broadcast, but something "hooked" you.  All the other stuff was just "background" - the thing which caused you to sit up and take notice was the "information exchange" which occurs as a result of paying attention.  God's revelation is very similar - it never gets old, but we need to be available to receive it.  Just sayin!

I've been thinking...

Have you ever considered just how hard it is to get the knowledge we form in our heads to begin to affect our hearts?  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!  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 The Message)

First of all, let me say something which may open your eyes a little.  You and I are not in this 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 which has been leaving us in such a quandary!

Solomon points us to the first truth:  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 a little of the truth we are exposed to, allowing it to even affect one area of our lives, it begins to allow for the next phase of our growth.  At church this week, the pastor was speaking about the importance of building trust in relationships.  He commented trust is built on truth.  The same is true in our spiritual lives.  Learning to trust God is built on embracing his truths revealed in his Word.  As we even 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 had a friend instant message me this week with the opening statement, "I've been thinking..."  Now, don't get me wrong, 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!

Do you know what clarity of the mind is really like?  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 which is passing through it!  A clear mind is one which 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 journaling.

Now, if you haven't picked this up so far, the truth we focus on today is clarity of mind and its impact on developing wisdom which is reflected in our behavior.  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.  You know what my friend was doing when she said, "I've been thinking..."?  She was working on "un-muddling" her thoughts.  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....

Sermon Lessons: Clarity

 ^22-23"Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. If you pull the blinds on your windows, what a dark life you will have!"

(Matthew 6:22-23)

As a nurse, one of the first things I notice in my assessment of a patient is the clarity of their eyes.  The eyes really tell a lot about what is going on with a person.  Whenever one of the boys gets sick, I look to the eyes, often seeing reddened "rings" around their eye, making the eyes themselves look a little "hallow" and "sad".  They may not open their eyes as wide, and the "crystal-clear" appearance of the eye may look a little "foggy" or "dry".  See, the eye really can "alert" us to much that is going on inside a man!

I may not know all the specifics of what is making the child "ill" at that moment, but the eyes "betray" the thing that is happening in their body!  The same is true with our eyes when it comes to emotional and spiritual matters.  They affect the "clarity" of our eyes, as well!  For example, ever see a man so stressed by what he has managed to get himself into by not being able to say "no"?  His eyes betray much about his situation - he appears like there is no hope of being out from under his burdens, his lack of rest, and his fear of failure.

Whenever you want to "meddle" a little into the life of another - simply examine the eyes.  You don't even have to ask much to see that the person is hurting, they are playful, or they are weighed down by some circumstance. The truth is that the eyes are indeed windows into our souls.  They betray the true condition of the heart.  Whatever is within a man will be on display through the eyes.  Maybe that is how moms all over the world know when their children are lying to them!!!

Try as we might, we cannot successfully hide what is hidden deep.  We think we "pack it away" very successfully - but as Jesus puts it, either we display the good, or the not so good!  There have been many times that I told a friend that their eyes "betray" them - even when they are saying everything is "all right" in their lives.  The sadness or pain displayed in their eyes says more than their words do.  We would do well to look beyond the words!

So, why is this important?  Simply put, what we allow into our lives affects what others perceive from our lives.  We are mirrors of what is within - through the "eye-gate" of our souls.  When we begin to be selective about what we will allow into our lives, we are also making choices about the "window-treatments" we are allowing for the windows of our soul!