Crying Uncle

I've heard there are troubles of more than one kind; some come from ahead, and some come from behind. But I've brought a big bat. I'm all ready, you see; now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!

(Dr. Seuss)

Wouldn't it be nice to always live in a "Dr. Seuss" world where everything rhymes and all in life is whimsical and free? News Flash: The world isn't 'Dr. Seuss' compatible at times! Some troubles come from ahead, some from behind - this is reality. I have to ask - are you ready for those troubles? If you are like me, they sometimes catch you a little off-guard! You 'think' you are prepared, but when they hit you full-force, are you really? A moment of true confessions here - I'm not! In fact, I find myself kind of mulling over the muddle I am in and then realize I am gonna need some help!

We are glad for our troubles also. We know that troubles help us learn not to give up. When we have learned not to give up, it shows we have stood the test. When we have stood the test, it gives us hope. (Romans 5:3-4)

My attitude in the midst of troubles is probably not much different from yours. I don't whole-heartedly just embrace every trial, hardship, or troubling situation with thoughts that 'this will make me better'. If I were to be honest, I might even look for a way of escape! It isn't that I don't want to grow - it is that I resist the method God sometimes uses to bring forth that growth in me! Yup, over fifty years of relationship with Jesus and I still find myself resisting what he is doing at times. I am not immune to rebellion - in fact, there are times I think I have cornered the market on it.

In the midst of the trouble, I have to remind myself that this will help me to develop something some might equate to spiritual stamina - the ability to 'not give up' in the midst of hardship. It is hard to believe the way we show we have stood the test - endured the hardship well - is to not give up in the midst of it. During Basic Training in the military I think the goal is to see who can endure the hardship and not give up. The Drill Sargent does everything in his power to break you, to make you second-guess your decision to 'join up', and to see if you will 'cry uncle'. 

Why do we rush into things so easily, then in the midst of the hardship that comes, we find we want to rush out of them as easily? I think it is because we think there is this option to 'cry uncle' in the midst of it. When we resort to 'crying uncle, we are submitting to the thing we see as harder than we can endure. We are admitting defeat. We cry for mercy because we perceive the trial is 'too hard'. Rather than 'crying uncle' the next time we are faced with troubles, maybe we need to ask God to change our perspective in the situation. Perhaps if we saw it as he sees it we might just push on and not hold our tails between our legs! Just sayin!

Celebrating Defeat!

Defeat may serve as well as victory to shake the soul and let the glory out. (Edwin Markham) 

Most of us would agree with the idea of victory sending us into places of awesome praise and tremendous celebration. Those who win some major sporting event will jump up and down, slap each other on the back, whoop, holler, and even cry in awe at having "done it". The tremendous release of emotion can almost overwhelm, but the sense of "high" which was celebrated with such passion cannot live on, for the moment will pass, memories will remain, but the moment is now behind. On the other hand, one walks away from the "win" as the defeated. Is it possible they could celebrate in similar fashion, for out of the things that shake our very souls can come greatness and character formation not quite found in the moment of gleeful victory?  

In my distress I prayed to the Lord, and the Lord answered me and set me free. The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me? Yes, the Lord is for me; he will help me. I will look in triumph at those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes. (Psalm 118:5-9 NLT)

As I write today, the song by, "God is on the Move", is playing softly in the background. If you haven't heard it, the words that capture my attention are "God is on the move today" and "God is on the move in many might ways". My friends, I don't know the things which seek to overwhelm you, or the troubles that disturb your restful slumber, but I know for a fact that God is on the move! It isn't just the victories we celebrate in Jesus - we celebrate the defeats, as well. Why? These are the moments he uses to show us just how much we need to lean into him - to do more than just declare ourselves Christians, but to act in every way as though we are!

Whenever I begin to see the waters of my own life stir a little more than usual, building into lapping waves at first, then eventually in rolling waves, and soon into mounting waves carrying such force behind them that I am pretty sure I will feel their churning effect, I can either panic, or I can look up. The seas are constantly changing, not because the fish move from here to there, but because of those waves - those underlying currents, the winds of the air, the phases of the moon, and the movement of our earth's own crust all play a part in their change. Nothing is static in the seas because they are meant to change! In fact, nothing is static in our lives because we are designed to move from glory to glory - sometimes through tremendous victory, and at others, through agonizing defeat.

This may seem strange, but I fear victory more than I fear defeat. Why? Victory has a way of lulling me into times of complacency - because I somehow think I have "arrived" or that things are all "worked out". The truth is, the place of victory is just a place of temporary rest - it isn't the place I am to stay forever! In time, the waves will begin again! While I don't relish the times of defeat, and my pride takes a tremendous hit at times, they are probably the "best times" in my life because they are the times I learned to trust. They are the times I let go of my stubborn will to do things my way, leaving behind some pretty bad habits and hang-ups, taking tenuous steps forward into the unknown. Each tenuous step was always met with God's encouragement, though. Never once did God kick me when I was down in order to keep me down. In fact, sometimes we need a little "kick" to get us moving again! It is as though the wave frees me from the resting place where I remained entrapped and just continuously pounded by those waves which were doing nothing more than wearing me down. In setting me free, he changed my perspective - giving me a new freedom to see things from a new vantage point.

I don't know what "waves" of defeat you may think you are experiencing right now, but let him move you with those waves, my friend. You don't know how much that small change in perspective can change the defeat into a moment of victory and in turn, allow the "glory out"! Just sayin!

Use the peephole!

We all have various people knock on our door, or ring the doorbell.  Sometimes it is a much awaited delivery of something we have ordered and anticipated with much excitement.  At others, it is simply a nuisance, such as when it is a salesperson trying to get you to sign up for a year's worth of car washes.  Maybe it is a friend, unexpectedly stopping by, hoping to catch up with you over a cup of coffee.  Some of these knocks get answered with more gusto than others, right?  Perhaps you have a little "peephole" in your door like I do.  When you glance through and see someone standing there with their list of magazines to subscribe to, you might be tempted to not even open the door, right?  Whoever invented the "peephole" had a brilliant idea!  Whoever invented the window alongside my front door - no so brilliant!  It is hard not to answer when someone can see me looking through the peephole!  I wonder just how many times we open our doors emotionally or spiritually to things we might not be too thrilled to welcome?

Oh, that my steps might be steady, keeping to the course you set; then I’d never have any regrets in comparing my life with your counsel.  (Psalm 119:5-6 MSG)

There are two pesky visitors to our emotional and spiritual "doors" which we should always avoid answering the door to - regret and defeat.  The use of a tiny peephole might help us avoid opening the door - but when we have a full view of through the window at the side of the door, there really is no excuse for us opening the door!  Regret knocks frequently on our emotional door.  In the most literal sense, anytime we open the door and welcome in Regret we are opening the door to his companions - Sorrow, Dissatisfaction, Disappointment, and Resentment.  Whenever we open the door and welcome in Defeat through our spiritual door, we are are also opening the door to his companions - Frustration, Embarrassment, and Shame.  Unfortunately, neither of these "visitors" to our doors comes alone - they bring companions every time!

Regret, the leader of the "Downer Gang", comes a knockin' anytime we make decisions without thinking, often as a result of just responding to an emotion we might have.  The "impulsiveness" of us opening the "emotional" door in the first place is part of the problem.  We need to learn how to use the "peephole" we have been given - the Word of God tucked away in our minds, recalled for us by the Holy Spirit when we hear the knock on the door.  For instance, anger is a knockin', we are about to place our hand on the deadbolt of our emotion-door, and we hear the reminder to turn the other cheek, or to take the log out of our own eye before we go after the splinter in another's.  This is the Holy Spirit bringing to remembrance some portion of scripture we have become familiar with in the past - giving us a small window into what our response to Regret and his Downer Gang should be.  If we don't ever use the peephole, we can open up to all kinds of messy business!

Defeat, the leader of the "Demolition Derby", comes a knockin' anytime we "try" something new and find ourselves in the midst of failure.  The key word is "we" and the key action word is "try".  Whenever WE try anything on our own, we often fail, and failure invites the Demolition Derby and Defeat squarely into our living space!  So, what "peephole" actually is available to protect us from this invading force?  I think we are given insight into this one with the scriptures such as, "With God all things are possible", or perhaps even, "Seek first the Kingdom of God".  The truth is, we cannot live the life of an overcomer if we are always being overcome!  To change this, we have to change our perspective - from US changing the world within US to God changing US so we can change the world.  Failure is not an option with God - it is only an option when we are trusting in our own abilities.  Anytime we open the door to God's grace and leading, we are stepping into his victory.  We are no longer dependent upon our potential, but upon the potential he has already demonstrated on our behalf through the life, death, and resurrection of his Son, Jesus.

Regret and Defeat are two "companions" we have welcomed way too long into our lives.  For some, it is time to do some "house-cleaning" and evict these pesky varmints!  It is time to make an end to their destructive and debilitating presence in our lives.  How do we do this?  The same way they came in!  If we welcomed them in through our emotional door, they exit the same door - with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can clean house!  No one is better at helping us monitor our emotions better than he is - it is like having a home security system in our minds!  If we welcomed them in through our spiritual door, they exit the same way they came - with the oversight and protection of the Holy Spirit.  He is the one to remind us we fight not TOWARD a position of victory, but FROM a position of victory - we are just driving back the forces who seek to invade the territory which has already been declared to be ours!

So, I don't know who has been a knockin' on your emotional or spiritual doors this week, but it is up to you to use the peephole you have been given!  Learn to look first and you might just welcome a whole lot less in!  Just sayin!