Too many lids?

It may seem like a small thing, but yesterday I emptied the dreaded 'lid drawer' of all those plastic lids to the various size containers I have in another drawer. Then I pulled out those containers and guess what I did next....I matched them up! Lid with container until all were matched. Then I found what I had suspected all along....many a lid remained with no matching container. Why? Perhaps the container had found another use such as it being a holder of items in a storage drawer, or it just simply got yucky looking and was discarded. I was left with 10 or more lids with no 'mate'. No wonder that drawer was frustrating me! I then sorted through the containers until I found the best to keep and made up a box to take to the local thrift store. Know what? I finally can find a lid to match my remaining containers! Once the 'clutter' was gone, it was easy to do! There are just times when we need to take time to 'declutter' our lives a little. Not just the junk drawers in the kitchen, but the inner emotions that have an effect on our outward actions!

So get rid of all that is wrong in your life, both inside and outside, and humbly be glad for the wonderful message we have received, for it is able to save our souls as it takes hold of our hearts. (James 1:21 TLB)

There are a lot of us who allow too much 'clutter' in our emotions. We hold onto stuff that we know very well holds no purpose in our lives, and we find ourselves kind of 'sorting through' all the clutter most of the time. We cannot really do much until we finally allow for the stuff to just get put in order, though! Just like the lids and containers in my kitchen, the emotions that clutter our lives are likely not of much benefit to us. They are only creating a whole lot of extra work! They get in the way of getting at what we really want to say, how we should respond, or what we really need to be feeling in the first place. How do we know it is time to declutter our emotions. There are times that we find the emotion doesn't 'match' the issue - just like the lids not matching the containers in my kitchen. There are lots emotions, but the issue is just not 'matching up' to the emotions being displayed. Whenever we see this 'mismatch' occur, it is likely time to take time alone with God to allow a decluttering to occur!

You might think there is no 'mismatch' going on in your life, but most of us have a 'lid or two' hanging around inside our emotional 'lid drawer' that needs to be sent packing. It serves no purpose and only gets in the way of what we should really be focusing on anyway. When we ask for God's help to 'declutter' our emotions and memories, we find he does a very thorough job to all the 'drawers' we give him access to. If we hold back a 'drawer or two', we might benefit from the 'clean up' of the ones he declutters, but we will still not have freedom from the 'total clutter' in our emotions. Those 'off-limits' drawers in our emotions are not benefiting us! They are creating chaos and frustration - so why not give him access and be free of the clutter? Just askin!

What's that I hear?

"Heaven's my throne, earth is my footstool.  What sort of house could you build for me?  What holiday spot reserve for me?  I made all this! I own all this!"   "But there is something I'm looking for: a person simple and plain, reverently responsive to what I say."  (Isaiah 66:1-2 MSG)

It is an encouragement to me to know that God is not looking for the eloquent or fancy to use for his purposes because I am neither. He is looking for the simple and plain to utilize as his instruments of grace and mercy to a hurting and hungry world. I spent some time a while back just looking at the various definitions of "simple" and "plain" found in Webster's dictionary. It is always a wonder to me to discover the "less than common" meanings of the various words we use in our English language. Know what I discovered? Simple isn't all that simple and plain isn't all that plain! For example, did you realize 'simple' means to be free, but freedom comes in many forms. It is to be free from guile - the bad stuff that pollutes our lives and affects our innocence. It also speaks for the freedom that exhibits itself in modesty - without vanity getting in the way of others seeing us as we really are. Most of us think of 'simple' as uncomplicated or free from that which gets us muddled up. This is true, but never truer than when 'simple' describes the need to not 'display' anything in our lives other than Christ and his grace.

While simple carries a little more 'complicated' meaning, is it possible 'plain' does as well? As a matter of fact, 'plain' might mean to us that something is kind of 'unflavored', but being plain in the sense God desires means we carry a much different flavor in our lives now that Christ is in it! We might be free of that stuff that impacts our purity in life, but we are also able to see things clearly because our lives are free of impediments that once obstructed the view. We find our perception is clearer and our minds are more open - they aren't as cluttered anymore. Plain might just be the way we would describe a life that is free of anything extravagant or 'pungent', but a plain life in Christ isn't 'flavorless' or without a sweet odor! In fact - we might just say is it something to be 'savored'!

All that meaning in two simple words. Break each down a little, and you will see a picture of the one whose life God can continually pour more of his power and grace into. Our passage today indicates that God is looking for the one who is willing to live above the guile or mess of this world (the insidious cunning in attaining a goal; crafty or artful deception; duplicity of character that is exhibited in so many who live without God in their lives). Those that do not need to be the center of attention attract the attention of God! Isn't it amazing how God works? Step out of the limelight and God shines his glory through you!

What does it mean to be free of complications in our lives - to be free of that which obstructs our view? It means that we don't complicate our lives with things that just keep us busy, not really producing anything of lasting value. I have a tendency to complicate my life with all kinds of things. It could be those relationships that don't bring any real value into my life (like hanging around with those that bring us into places of compromise in our choices). It could be those activities that take my time, but I am just using it to 'fill a spot'. Whatever it is that "clutters" our life - it acts as a obstruction or a complication in our spiritual walk. It keeps us from a clear view of God's plan and his purposes for our lives.

If you try listening to ten people talk all at one time, making requests of you to perform multiple different tasks simultaneously you will like not catch the absolute intention of each of the ten petitioners or the specific task they need accomplished! When our lives are free of clutter, it is easier to hear what is being said! Our hearts are more prone to respond when their is clarity in what we are hearing. We can "unclutter" our lives, but as with any other 'cleaning job', it takes some effort, but it is worth the effort! We might just begin to hear that still small voice of our God in the hidden recesses of all that clutter being moved out! Just sayin!

God's prayer

In the dumps:  A gloomy, melancholy state of mind; depression.  Do you ever find yourself “in the dumps”?  We refer to this almost as a “place” rather than a frame of reference referring to our attitude.  Yet, the origin of this phrase clearly points to a sense of deep melancholy.  There are a ton of synonyms:  down low, blue, sad, unhappy, low-spirited, discouraged, fed up, moody, pessimistic, glum, dejected, despondent, dispirited, downcast, morose, crestfallen, and downhearted.  Whew!  What a list!  If you really look at all of them, where do these words “focus” us?  Don’t they focus “us” on “us”?  When we say we are “unhappy”, isn’t it really us interpreting something in life as “making us” feel less than good about a situation?  When we say we are “discouraged”, aren’t we saying like we don’t feel like doing anything more to see the outcome change?  The fact is, being “in the dumps” is really something which WE have control over!

When my soul is in the dumps, I rehearse everything I know of you, from Jordan depths to Hermon heights, including Mount Mizar.  Chaos calls to chaos, to the tune of whitewater rapids.  Your breaking surf, your thundering breakers crash and crush me.  Then God promises to love me all day, sing songs all through the night!  My life is God’s prayer.  (Psalm 42:6-8 MSG)

David says something we don’t want to gloss over – when he is “in the dumps”, he takes control!  He begins to rehearse what he knows about God.  To rehearse is similar to watching re-runs.  You play the facts over and over again in your mind until your heart catches hold of them!  The idea is one of allowing the things we "know" about God to get into our spirit and to begin to lift us from the place of despair we have allowed our spirit to drift into.  

David also describes some how he "feels" when he finds himself "in the dumps".  It is more than just a state of mind - he feels it intensely in his body.  If you have ever been near whitewater rapids, you know how intensely loud this is.  You almost cannot hear anything else because the noise from the rush of the water is so great.  In the place of despair, melancholy, or depression, we often cannot hear over the "chaos" of the noise created by our own emotions!  We find there is a whole lot of "clutter" interfering with us hearing correctly.  

So, how do we deal with this "clutter" of "internal noise" which gets in the way of us hearing God?  David says we continue to rehearse what we know until those other "noise sources" and "crushing forces" begin to let up.  The truth is, when we focus on God and begin to rehearse his goodness in our lives, it is not long before some of the "noise" settles.  The source of that "noise" cannot stand in the presence of God for long - it has to submit to God's presence!

The most awesome part of this passage almost escaped me, though!  It is the very last statement:  My life is God's prayer.  Now, think on that a little with me.  Our life - complete with all its mess and muddle - is God's prayer.  I guess I never really thought about God praying, but then I had a moment of revelation.  Jesus prayed!  He interceded for us!  And he continues to do so to this day!  Jesus takes our needs before his Father.  We also have the other member of the Trinity praying for us, as well.  The Holy Spirits gives us the very words we utter, praying through us when we don't know how or what to pray - isn't this really a form of God praying?  

So, David asks himself why he chooses to stay "in the dumps" when he has all this going for him.  Sure, there is "noise" all around which only adds to the confusion of his low spot, but it is never louder than God's voice.  Yes, there is "chaos" abounding, confusing us and getting us to a place of feeling almost dispirited, but his Spirit is there lifting us out of the place we sink so easily into.  I wonder if we realize just how awesomely blessed we are to have God making us a matter of prayer?  Just askin!