So watch your step, friends. Make sure there’s no evil unbelief lying around that will trip you up and throw you off course, diverting you from the living God. For as long as it’s still God’s Today, keep each other on your toes so sin doesn’t slow down your reflexes. If we can only keep our grip on the sure thing we started out with, we’re in this with Christ for the long haul. (Hebrews 3:12-14)
If someone were to tell me to "watch my step" I suddenly become very cautious about where I find my footing. Some things are just harder than others; some might catch us a little unaware. Sometimes we might get a little bunged up along the way - but trust me, it usually is not because we lacked the warnings! We likely just didn't heed them! God's plan is not to trip us up or wear us out on the journey, but to bring us to our next destination "unscathed" and "safe"! Satan doesn't want heaven filled - he wants hell filled! He wants companions in his eternal misery and doom - not a one of us escapes his attempts to trip us up or bring discouragement in our journey. "Misery loves company" - no one wants to really endure doom and gloom all by themselves! If we know there might just be some "unevenness" meant to trip us up - giving all manner of a lack of predictability to our journey - we might just prepare for the journey, be on alert as we travel this path, and be sensitive to the warnings posted!
God doesn't put obstacles in our way - he removes them! When we face obstacles in our path, it is either because we have put them there ourselves, or we are being challenged by the hosts of hell to not make the journey successfully. How do we put obstacles in our own path? It really isn't all that hard. We might not prepare for the journey ahead, thinking we can just launch out into the unknown. Preparation means we align our hearts and minds with the heart and mind of Christ - we get with him on the matter at hand, allowing him to point us in the right direction. There is a difference between asking for advice and then asking for direction. One is optional, the other gets us to the destination! Sometimes I think we treat God's warnings as "advice" rather than as imperatives in our lives - but whenever we do, we usually encounter some issue within the path!
The whole purpose of the challenge is to divert us from God - it is a detour. The detour he plans is designed to get us so off track we are basically lost in the process. The whole purpose of pathway challenges (according to God) is to grow us up in our dependence upon him to protect, provide, and promote us. He points out the hazards, reminding us to "watch our steps" - allowing him to "order" them - in order to protect us. He also desires to provide for us - keeping us well in the journey and focused on what is best for us in the process. All in all, he desires to "promote" us to a higher level of both dependence upon him and closeness to his heart. In turn, we become stronger men and women, exemplifying the character of Christ more and more with each step.
Sin's little compromises are the small pebbles we stumble upon - but we almost always are looking for the huge rocks in our path. The smallest pebble can turn the most unsuspecting ankle, causing unnecessary pain and suffering! We don't want to focus only on the big stuff in our path. We want to be aware of both. Most importantly, we want to help each other out with this "alertness" to the hazards in our path. This is what some refer to as holding each other accountable. In the most literal sense, it is one watching the steps of another, being alert to the smallest hazards, as well as the glaring boulders! We often don't see the little hazards - for we focus too far ahead in the path. One walking alongside can see the place we are about to walk better than we sometimes can - heeding their warning is often the very thing we need the most!
We all start out this Christian walk with the same "stuff" for the journey. God doesn't "slight" any of us and then "embellish" someone else. He loves all equally and unconditionally. He provides for all equally and abundantly. He responds to all equally and with absolute authority. The path may be different - but our provision and source are the same. I cannot overlook the importance of "companions" in this journey. No man or woman is truly an island unto themselves. We might think we can walk alone but trust me on this - I have tried it and it doesn't work. I need the one next to me in this journey! I need their constant reminders and their warnings. In fact, God put them there just for this purpose - so why not embrace their presence as a provision directly from the hand of God? Just sayin!
Showing posts with label Journey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Journey. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 25, 2023
Monday, April 10, 2023
Let's not forget
At times we all wonder why we are traveling a particular road. We cannot put our finger on why it is we are facing the challenging, and sometimes a little treacherous road we must cross. In those moments, we wonder if we made a wrong turn somewhere, or if this is the way life is supposed to be - potholes, narrow and sometimes hair-raising switchbacks, and climbs so hard you almost peter out on the way up. I guess I face those roads a little differently than some. Instead of wondering why I am on the road, I just ask! In fact, in time I come to discover something unique about every road I have traveled - I am not traveling it alone! I may have made a wrong turn - but I still don't travel alone. I have Jesus right alongside me no matter what road I am on and this one thing I know - I cannot "bail" - the road will be traveled!
Keep and live out the entire commandment that I’m commanding you today so that you’ll live and prosper and enter and own the land that God promised to your ancestors. Remember every road that God led you on for those forty years in the wilderness, pushing you to your limits, testing you so that he would know what you were made of, whether you would keep his commandments or not. He put you through hard times. He made you go hungry. Then he fed you with manna, something neither you nor your parents knew anything about, so you would learn that men and women don’t live by bread only; we live by every word that comes from God’s mouth. Your clothes didn’t wear out and your feet didn’t blister those forty years. You learned deep in your heart that God disciplines you in the same ways a father disciplines his child. (Deuteronomy 8:1-5)
The toughest part of "traveling" so many roads over the course of a lifetime is the "remembering" part. I don't particularly remember the names of all the places I have travelled, but they are "imprinted" images of some of the most beautiful spots. I see things through the eyes of a photographer sometimes - capturing permanent images of a few blades of grass holding on for dear life from the side of a rocky outcropping, or maybe the mossy covering of a log settle on the shoreline of a lazily flowing creek bed. These are images I recount when I want to remember some of the beauty of my physical travels - not just in photographs, but in "photo quality memories". There are equally memorable "images" of those spiritual places I have traveled, both by taking the right turns and the wrong ones.
There are also a few traveled roads I'd like to put out of my memory - how about you? Those were the toughest roads to travel and took the biggest toll. Those roads seemed to be some of the longest journeys I have taken - and the loneliest! Maybe we all have a tendency to want to block those difficult memories - those times of traversing over those roads of regret we have traveled. I believe even the toughest roads - those riddled with potholes of regret - were never traveled alone and were not without purpose, opportunity, and learning. Israel traveled 40 years in a desert place, sometimes too caught up in themselves to recognize how long they had been traveling the same piece of ground over and over again. We can get so "inward" focused we don't realize we are traveling the same piece of ground repeatedly. It is kind of like not being able to see the tree right in front of us because there is a forest so vast and dense all around us. When we immerse ourselves in the misery of the moment, we cannot see the exit which may be our ultimate deliverance.
Keep in mind what God says - don't forget even one step of the journey! None of those steps were without purpose. In those times of our toughest challenges, God was showing himself strong on our behalf, allowing us to see a little bit of where our focus was too much "me", "me", "me", and maybe even giving us a little taste of what heaven was like in the end. We will remember the "heaven" part, but we have a tendency to forget the parts in-between! Those times when we were pushed to our limits - seemingly tested to the point of breaking - those are the times we want to put behind us, walk away from, and never turn back. I believe there is value in remembering the lessons of the journey - capturing even "snip-its" of the moments where we came face-to-face with either ourselves or God (hopefully both).
Those journeys were the very opportunities God used to show us exactly what we are made of and what he wants to do and be. In recognizing what our "make-up" is, we can take heart in knowing God "makes-up" for what we lack. In learning how he comes to our rescue each and every time we call, we come to appreciate his ever-present guidance in our lives. In discovering the depth of our need, we also discover the depth of his love and mercy. These are indeed "worthy" memories of the journeys we might want to "put behind". Just sayin!
Keep and live out the entire commandment that I’m commanding you today so that you’ll live and prosper and enter and own the land that God promised to your ancestors. Remember every road that God led you on for those forty years in the wilderness, pushing you to your limits, testing you so that he would know what you were made of, whether you would keep his commandments or not. He put you through hard times. He made you go hungry. Then he fed you with manna, something neither you nor your parents knew anything about, so you would learn that men and women don’t live by bread only; we live by every word that comes from God’s mouth. Your clothes didn’t wear out and your feet didn’t blister those forty years. You learned deep in your heart that God disciplines you in the same ways a father disciplines his child. (Deuteronomy 8:1-5)
The toughest part of "traveling" so many roads over the course of a lifetime is the "remembering" part. I don't particularly remember the names of all the places I have travelled, but they are "imprinted" images of some of the most beautiful spots. I see things through the eyes of a photographer sometimes - capturing permanent images of a few blades of grass holding on for dear life from the side of a rocky outcropping, or maybe the mossy covering of a log settle on the shoreline of a lazily flowing creek bed. These are images I recount when I want to remember some of the beauty of my physical travels - not just in photographs, but in "photo quality memories". There are equally memorable "images" of those spiritual places I have traveled, both by taking the right turns and the wrong ones.
There are also a few traveled roads I'd like to put out of my memory - how about you? Those were the toughest roads to travel and took the biggest toll. Those roads seemed to be some of the longest journeys I have taken - and the loneliest! Maybe we all have a tendency to want to block those difficult memories - those times of traversing over those roads of regret we have traveled. I believe even the toughest roads - those riddled with potholes of regret - were never traveled alone and were not without purpose, opportunity, and learning. Israel traveled 40 years in a desert place, sometimes too caught up in themselves to recognize how long they had been traveling the same piece of ground over and over again. We can get so "inward" focused we don't realize we are traveling the same piece of ground repeatedly. It is kind of like not being able to see the tree right in front of us because there is a forest so vast and dense all around us. When we immerse ourselves in the misery of the moment, we cannot see the exit which may be our ultimate deliverance.
Keep in mind what God says - don't forget even one step of the journey! None of those steps were without purpose. In those times of our toughest challenges, God was showing himself strong on our behalf, allowing us to see a little bit of where our focus was too much "me", "me", "me", and maybe even giving us a little taste of what heaven was like in the end. We will remember the "heaven" part, but we have a tendency to forget the parts in-between! Those times when we were pushed to our limits - seemingly tested to the point of breaking - those are the times we want to put behind us, walk away from, and never turn back. I believe there is value in remembering the lessons of the journey - capturing even "snip-its" of the moments where we came face-to-face with either ourselves or God (hopefully both).
Those journeys were the very opportunities God used to show us exactly what we are made of and what he wants to do and be. In recognizing what our "make-up" is, we can take heart in knowing God "makes-up" for what we lack. In learning how he comes to our rescue each and every time we call, we come to appreciate his ever-present guidance in our lives. In discovering the depth of our need, we also discover the depth of his love and mercy. These are indeed "worthy" memories of the journeys we might want to "put behind". Just sayin!
Thursday, July 2, 2020
Blow my mind, God!
I saw this post today that simply stated: "Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations." The quote belongs to Zig Zigler and ends with, "The best is yet to come." This thought captured my mind for just a few moments. Why? Some of us are on the most difficult road of our lives right now, while others of us are enjoying our destination! Why is it that we cannot all enjoy the destination without the difficult roads? I think there is much to be learned in the journey, complete with all the twists and turns, perilous drop-offs, and even those rutted paths that seem to jostle our fillings loose! That said, perhaps the journey may be equally as important as the destination!
He gives strength to the weak. And He gives power to him who has little strength. Even very young men get tired and become weak and strong young men trip and fall. But they who wait upon the Lord will get new strength. They will rise up with wings like eagles. They will run and not get tired. They will walk and not become weak. (Isaiah 40:9-31)
He gives strength to the weak. And He gives power to him who has little strength. Even very young men get tired and become weak and strong young men trip and fall. But they who wait upon the Lord will get new strength. They will rise up with wings like eagles. They will run and not get tired. They will walk and not become weak. (Isaiah 40:9-31)
The moments on the journey are riddled with all kinds of doubts, though. We don't know for sure that we are headed in the right direction when all we see is the winding roads and rutted paths. We might think we are, but until we begin to see the promise of the destination in our view, we have those low points when we begin to allow our doubts to work against us. Doubts are some of our worst enemies, aren't they? Our mind has a way of turning even the smallest of 'niggling fears' into the biggest honking worries ever! How is it that we cannot control our thoughts - letting them get blown way our of proportion? It may be we are listening too closely to our own 'advice' and 'fears' and not close enough to the voice of the one guiding our journey!
The best is yet to come - perhaps this needs to dominate our thoughts today. There are those of us who think our 'best' is behind us, but if we are serving Christ Jesus, the best is always before us! There is nothing in our 'rear-view mirror' that will ever measure up to what God has awaiting us right around the bend. Yes, the journey may be hard, but the reward will outweigh the hardships we endure along the way. I remember being pregnant and thinking this living thing inside of me was about to eat me alive. There never seemed to be enough sleep, I couldn't get close enough to a restroom to keep my bladder safe from those attacking kicks, and my food intake seemed to be going to support the life of another, not me.
The thing 'growing inside of me' was truthfully demanding a whole lot of me, wasn't it? As God begins to 'grow things inside of us' spiritually, there seems to be a lot of demands that come with that life being produced. It isn't unusual for us to doubt we want to see it through - in fact, it is quite commonplace to want to throw in the towel along the way! The further we get along in the journey, the harder it is to turn back, though. The distance between where we are today and where we'd need to go in order to 'go back' isn't worth it. The distance between where we are today and where we are going to be once we reach our destination is, but I am not the one who needs to convince you of that. God is! He isn't going to demand you take a journey that leads to 'nowhere', so trust him for the journey's end. If you ride it out, the enjoyment of what he has for you might just blow your mind. Just sayin!
Sunday, October 8, 2017
The Big Red X
We should not judge people by their peak of excellence; but by the distance they have traveled from the point where they started. (Henry Ward Beecher)
5 Trust the Lord completely, and don’t depend on your own knowledge.6 With every step you take, think about what he wants, and he will help you go the right way. 7 Don’t trust in your own wisdom, but fear and respect the Lord and stay away from evil. 8 If you do this, it will be like a refreshing drink and medicine for your body. (Proverbs 3:5-8 ERV)
If you have ever watched one of those "talent" shows, you might be familiar with the concept of the "big red X". You see, as the musicians, singers, and performers take stage, they are in a position of proving they are not deserving of the "big red X". They hope for a standing ovation, and most importantly, for the overwhelming approval of the three or four judges sitting in front of them. In our lives, we sometimes don't "put ourselves out there" because we fear the "big red X". We don't always know we will "perform well" in whatever feat lies ahead of us, and we sometimes put way too much credence in the value of those we deem as "important judges" in our lives. Let's clear a couple of things up - God is the ONLY judge that matters and ANY distance we travel that brings us closer to him is the right path to take! It doesn't matter what others think or how they will "judge" us. The good news is that God doesn't give out "big red X's". He might not always approve of the way we are "performing", but he uses his position as "judge" in our lives to get us back on course, not to tear us down or humiliate us.
All of us have a ways to go in our walk toward being like Jesus. None of us has actually arrived at the point of "perfection" in this earthly realm. We might as well face it - all of us are still "practicing our acts" to see that we "perform" well each and every time we set out to take action in life. This is called obedience, not "performance". We take steps toward our goal, climbing just a little bit closer to "no red X" performance in our lives, but we don't always "nail it" like we'd hoped to when we started out. Don't worry so much about the times you didn't "nail it", but look to God to show you how to make the necessary corrections so you come closer and closer each time you set out on that journey.
Many people will attempt to exert their influence in our lives based on some particular set of actions they see (our performance). In turn, we often "bend" toward whatever action they see as "necessary" in order to get us closer to not receiving a "big red X" from THEM. This is contrary to what scripture tells us, for we are not to live to please men, but to please God himself. (Colossians 3:23) We are do to all things so as to please God, but we get all wrapped up in what others will think about the actions we are taking and give way too much credence to their "opinion" about our actions. At best, they render an opinion. God doesn't want us living by opinion, but by truth! His truth reveals those who seek him first, keeping their focus directed toward him, will find themselves hitting the mark!
Obedience is a journey - it is a climb. We don't need to get so focused on the destination as to miss the milestones along the way, though. I want to be at the point which marks the climb's highest peak, but along the way, there are some pretty significant milestones that obedience reveals. We need to enjoy these milestones, for every step of obedience is a good step to take, even when you don't quite realize the summit of the peak yet! Just sayin!
Monday, June 26, 2017
Disappointment yields discontent
I once heard it said that disappointment is the fertile breeding ground of discontent - the more we hope for something that may not ever happen or takes way longer to happen than we imagined, the more discontent we become in the circumstance we are living. It is because we are so focused on the object of our hope that we lose sight of the many blessings already right here in front of us. It is possible to be too "future focused" - hoping continually for something "better" in the future - that we forget just how blessed we are right now.
The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.
(Proverbs 10:22 NLT)
My pastor spoke this past weekend about the realization of goals - getting from "here" to "there". As he made his point, he reminded each of us of the dangers of getting somewhat off-course "on the way" by the things that distract us somewhere in the midst of that journey. As he put it, "You will get somewhere, it just won't be there." There are a probably more times we realize "somewhere" moments in life than we might just realize. The moment we lose sight of what it is we are seeking, experiencing a little disappointment in the slow progress we are making, the more we become distracted by the things that get us to "somewhere", but not "there".
Discontent is bred when disappointment isn't overcome - when the hope or goal isn't renewed on a frequent basis. The "hope" or "goal" is really our "direction" in life - we are headed a certain way because we hope for a certain outcome. When that direction is altered in anyway, we find the trajectory of our lives takes a totally different course, sometimes landing us in a totally different spot than we set out to achieve. Some of us tend to map out a course and never revisit the map along the way to be sure we are still on course!
Whenever I plan a driving trip, I map out my journey. I look at the online maps, or drag out one of those actually "foldable" paper types, and look at the various routes I might take to get me from here to there. In many cases, there is more than one option to get me to that destination. In some cases, there may only be one. It is important to know this before I begin, but what I don't realize is how distracted I can become by the length of the journey. There is that tiny antique place just off the highway, or the promise of some fish in that lovely creek just down that road. Before long, despite the careful planning at the start, I can be on a totally different journey simply because I act upon my discontent!
We don't always know what will come up between our "here" and "there" moments in life, but if we deal with the disappointments along the way, we stand a lot less chance of succumbing to the discontent bug that gets in our bonnet! Just sayin!
Sunday, December 4, 2016
Just one more step
For his eyes are on the ways of a man, and he sees all his steps. (Job 34:21 ESV)
While considering this morning's passage, it brought to mind by an East Indian poet by the name of Rabindranath Tagore: "You can't cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water." The steps of a man are always in the sight of the Almighty - even when all he is doing is standing and pondering what it would be like to "get across" to the next place he'd like to be! The eye of man takes in the water in front of him, but God knows the passage safely through that water to the other side. Confucius said, "When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps." While not all our goals are exactly what God would have for us, in adjusting the "action steps" we take toward those goals, it often becomes apparent the ones which he never intended to have us pursue in the first place! As we ponder our next steps, we might do well to ponder if they are the specific ones God would have us take!
God's eyes are on the ways of a man - not just his steps, but also those times when we are just pondering the next step to take, or the vastness of the sea before us. He isn't just watchful of those steps, he has prepared a way for all of those steps to be taken with his care continually over our lives as we do - even when those steps are not specifically in the direction he'd have wanted us to take! That may seem a little hard to believe, but God's doesn't take his eyes off of us, nor does he remove his care over our lives just because we take a wrong step or two. Some may think he somehow leaves us to our own devices, but even in allowing us the autonomy to choose our own way, he continues to place specific "pondering moments" at the seaside of life to help us to see the journey we are facing if we continue on that path.
Someone once said it is not enough to just stare up the steps - we have to step up each step if we are to ever make it to the top. The truth is we don't always want to make the climb. We find the steps out of where we have gotten ourselves into a bit more daunting than the steps into that place seemed to be! That is when we stop and consider just how hard a climb it is "out" - but be assured of this - what is at the top of the stairs is much different than what we wallow in at the bottom. The steps are not taken by pondering - they are taken when we put for the effort to actually make the climb. God does the work of redeeming us from our sinfulness, but he also requires us to do more than just stare at the steps. He wants us to put forth the effort to climb each one - not two or three at a time, but one by one.
I have never been to the Statue of Liberty, but I hear the climb to the crown deck is somewhere around 400 steps. That is a lot of steps, my friend, but nothing compared to the nearly 900 steps required to ascend the Washington Monument. Does one outweigh the other in significance or splendor? Not really. They are both monuments. They are both symbolic of something significant. One just "out-steps" the other! Some of life's journeys are 400 steps, others are a much harder ascent, but all of these journeys are taken one step at a time! Just sayin!
While considering this morning's passage, it brought to mind by an East Indian poet by the name of Rabindranath Tagore: "You can't cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water." The steps of a man are always in the sight of the Almighty - even when all he is doing is standing and pondering what it would be like to "get across" to the next place he'd like to be! The eye of man takes in the water in front of him, but God knows the passage safely through that water to the other side. Confucius said, "When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps." While not all our goals are exactly what God would have for us, in adjusting the "action steps" we take toward those goals, it often becomes apparent the ones which he never intended to have us pursue in the first place! As we ponder our next steps, we might do well to ponder if they are the specific ones God would have us take!
God's eyes are on the ways of a man - not just his steps, but also those times when we are just pondering the next step to take, or the vastness of the sea before us. He isn't just watchful of those steps, he has prepared a way for all of those steps to be taken with his care continually over our lives as we do - even when those steps are not specifically in the direction he'd have wanted us to take! That may seem a little hard to believe, but God's doesn't take his eyes off of us, nor does he remove his care over our lives just because we take a wrong step or two. Some may think he somehow leaves us to our own devices, but even in allowing us the autonomy to choose our own way, he continues to place specific "pondering moments" at the seaside of life to help us to see the journey we are facing if we continue on that path.
Someone once said it is not enough to just stare up the steps - we have to step up each step if we are to ever make it to the top. The truth is we don't always want to make the climb. We find the steps out of where we have gotten ourselves into a bit more daunting than the steps into that place seemed to be! That is when we stop and consider just how hard a climb it is "out" - but be assured of this - what is at the top of the stairs is much different than what we wallow in at the bottom. The steps are not taken by pondering - they are taken when we put for the effort to actually make the climb. God does the work of redeeming us from our sinfulness, but he also requires us to do more than just stare at the steps. He wants us to put forth the effort to climb each one - not two or three at a time, but one by one.
I have never been to the Statue of Liberty, but I hear the climb to the crown deck is somewhere around 400 steps. That is a lot of steps, my friend, but nothing compared to the nearly 900 steps required to ascend the Washington Monument. Does one outweigh the other in significance or splendor? Not really. They are both monuments. They are both symbolic of something significant. One just "out-steps" the other! Some of life's journeys are 400 steps, others are a much harder ascent, but all of these journeys are taken one step at a time! Just sayin!
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Enjoy the Journey!
If a person lives many years, then he should learn to enjoy each and every one; but he should not forget the dark days ahead, for there will be plenty of them. All that is to come—whether bright days or dark—is fleeting. Be happy, and celebrate all of the goodness of youth while you are young. Cultivate a cheerful heart every day you have youth. Go where your heart takes you. Take in the sights. Enjoy, but remember that God will hold us accountable for all that we do. When all is said and done, clear your mind of all its worries. Free your body of all its troubles while you can, for youth and the prime of life will soon vanish. (Ecclesiastes 11:8-10 VOICE)
Bette Davis said, "Old age is no place for sissies". Isn't that the truth! Someone else said something along the line of doing all this stuff, spending all this money, exerting all this effort to help someone actually reach old age, but completely missing the very thing they need the most: The ability to enjoy it! The key to living many years is in the ability to actually enjoy those years - not in the by and by, but in the here and now!
Thomas Hardy gives us some interesting insight: "The value of old age depends upon the person who reaches it. To some men of early performance it is useless. To others, who are late to develop, it just enables them to finish the job." I think he has something there - we can "peak" early, driving hard and accomplishing much very early on. In our old age, will we have the energies to enjoy it? Not likely - because we "used up" all the energies we had trying to accomplish all that in our youth.
I am a believer in "slow and steady" growth. All growth is progressive and at times we do seem to grow in "spurts", but once we reach a certain point, we "level off", don't we? The "leveling off" point doesn't have to be the end for us. It can be a place of fresh beginnings - of doing new things, exploring new insights, and coming into new places of enjoyment. Our writer's advice - clear your mind of all its worries - free your body of all its troubles. I think these two things might just be key to us enjoying life well into old age!
A free mind - one uncluttered with all the worries of life - is able to embrace new truths, explore new things, and take in new wonders. One cluttered beyond capacity is quite limited in what else it can allow in without having to let something out! Mind and body go hand in hand - a cluttered mind makes very little way for an unburdened body! It isn't how fast we accomplish growth - it is that we actually appreciate the growth - enjoying the journey! Just sayin!
Bette Davis said, "Old age is no place for sissies". Isn't that the truth! Someone else said something along the line of doing all this stuff, spending all this money, exerting all this effort to help someone actually reach old age, but completely missing the very thing they need the most: The ability to enjoy it! The key to living many years is in the ability to actually enjoy those years - not in the by and by, but in the here and now!
Thomas Hardy gives us some interesting insight: "The value of old age depends upon the person who reaches it. To some men of early performance it is useless. To others, who are late to develop, it just enables them to finish the job." I think he has something there - we can "peak" early, driving hard and accomplishing much very early on. In our old age, will we have the energies to enjoy it? Not likely - because we "used up" all the energies we had trying to accomplish all that in our youth.
I am a believer in "slow and steady" growth. All growth is progressive and at times we do seem to grow in "spurts", but once we reach a certain point, we "level off", don't we? The "leveling off" point doesn't have to be the end for us. It can be a place of fresh beginnings - of doing new things, exploring new insights, and coming into new places of enjoyment. Our writer's advice - clear your mind of all its worries - free your body of all its troubles. I think these two things might just be key to us enjoying life well into old age!
A free mind - one uncluttered with all the worries of life - is able to embrace new truths, explore new things, and take in new wonders. One cluttered beyond capacity is quite limited in what else it can allow in without having to let something out! Mind and body go hand in hand - a cluttered mind makes very little way for an unburdened body! It isn't how fast we accomplish growth - it is that we actually appreciate the growth - enjoying the journey! Just sayin!
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Fix the fix I am in!
Most of us would think of a journey as a time of adventure and discovery. It is a crossing from one place into another - maybe not permanently, but it can be experienced and enjoyed nonetheless. To others, it is a quest of sorts - a mission to accomplish something such as crossing a dream off of your "bucket list" of things to do someday. If we view a journey as "destination-bound" movement, we kind of think of it as a way of getting from where we are to where we might want to be. If we view it as somewhat of a "dream", we might never really make much movement toward it, right? The truth of the matter is that a journey is anything we do or think which helps us pass from one place or state to another. If we take actual steps, leaps, or bounds to get from here to there, it is probably more of a physical journey. If we prepare mentally and spend time in study, it may be a little bit of a journey in thought resulting in development of thought. If we add some "spiritual discovery" into the mix, we find ourselves growing on many planes while moving from one place or position in life into another! I don't refer to "spiritual discovery" in a mystical sense, though, but more as a movement which involves the development of our faith, trust, and deeper love for Jesus!
If you don’t have all the wisdom needed for this journey, then all you have to do is ask God for it; and God will grant all that you need. He gives lavishly and never scolds you for asking. (James 1:5 VOICE)
The important thing for us to remember is a journey is somewhat of an "unknown" - we set out on it without always having the full revelation of what we will see, experience, or learn along the way. We place our trust in what we understand about the journey and then launch into it. The good news is that we don't have to take the journey alone, or in our own strength, wisdom, or power. We can simply ask God for the wisdom we need for the "movement" and he will provide it! As with all "movement" in life, there is somewhat of a shift from where we are at that moment. What we experience in the journey we take when God is the one empowering us for the journey is a little bit of a "shift" in our trust - we move from relying upon what we know or believe will get us to where we hope to be, to reliance upon the one who has prepared the destination for us.
One thing I have learned in life is that I don't possess all the knowledge, strength, or power I need for the journey! I may have thought that I did on occasion, launching off with total reliance upon my own wisdom to get me through. It didn't end well! There is much more "safety" and "protection" when we have the Lord's perspective and his provision along the way! Now, did I learn that overnight? Nope! Did I have to take a few "failed journeys" in life before I finally got it? Yep! Did that make me look a little foolish in the end? Yep! Am I ashamed to admit I took some missteps? Nope! Why? I know that even in ending up at the "wrong destination" I was able to get something out of the journey! I think this is important for all of us to recognize because we have all somehow taken journeys to destinations which were clearly not the ones God intended for us and we did it without even consulting him about it. These "wrong destinations" don't have to define us or bring us any shame in life. They only help to bring us to a better understanding of our utter dependence upon Jesus!
To be truthful here, I have arrived at some destinations which proved to be absolutely "wrong" for my life, and instead of just trying to "fix" the "fix" I found myself in, I have often just sat there and cried my eyes out to God, ashamed of having arrived at that destination, but not too ashamed to ask for his help to get myself out of it! I like what James says: "He gives lavishly and never scolds you for asking." What I what us to say in those moments of realizing the "fix" we are in is: "Thank you, Lord, for not scolding us when we admit we have failed miserably or gone out on our own in this journey of life! Thank you for embracing us, helping us to "regroup", and setting us on right paths once again! Thank you for helping us move beyond our shame over the failure into a place where we recognize we are forgiven and set right in your sight!" It might not be the easiest thing to forgive ourselves, but when we realize we are forgiven by the one who loves us more than anyone else in this entire world - we get there! Just sayin!
Monday, December 29, 2014
Journey on...
Anne Lamott said, "I do not at all understand the mystery of grace - only that it meets us where we are, but does not leave us where it found us." If you are not familiar with her writings, you might just be surprised by her openness in describing struggles with things like single parenting, alcoholism, and even her father's struggle with brain cancer. Tough subjects, but honest discovery of the ups and downs (including the depression) of living life as it really is. At best, this is where each of us finds ourselves - living life as it really is. We may try to make life what it is not, but in reality, we don't control the "strings" which direct the actions of others or those which will affect our lives - we just live what comes. I think we need to recognize the value of not living this life on our own merits, or in our own efforts. We need the grace which comes from God alone - the grace which makes us holy, not because of our own merit or actions, but because of the actions of Christ on our behalf. His obedience made a way for us to move into grace - bringing us to places we could never achieve on our own!
The Law teaches that offerings and sacrifices must be made because of sin. But why did Christ mention these things and say that God did not want them? Well, it was to do away with offerings and sacrifices and to replace them. That is what he meant by saying to God, “I have come to do what you want.” So we are made holy because Christ obeyed God and offered himself once for all. The priests do their work each day, and they keep on offering sacrifices that can never take away sins. But Christ offered himself as a sacrifice that is good forever. Now he is sitting at God’s right side, and he will stay there until his enemies are put under his power. By his one sacrifice he has forever set free from sin the people he brings to God. (Hebrews 10:8-14 CEV)
By his one action - Christ has made the "avenue of grace" open to all mankind. By his one action - Christ has removed the obstacles blocking entry into the presence of God. By his one action - Christ has made the means of obedience clear for all - not our efforts, but his grace!
We describe grace as unmerited favor. It was indeed purchased with a great price - the life of the Son of God. It was secured once and for all - for all mankind - through the sacrificial death of Christ. No other means remains for us to experience the presence of God - for all efforts and sacrifices on our behalf will never accomplish what the journey of grace will!
Yep, it is a journey - one upon which we enter into as we begin to follow Jesus. Jesus never looked for those only interested in a "free ride" - but for those willing to put down their own agendas and to take up his path. Grace is not a free ride, my friends - but it is a free gift. The ride actually gets a little harried and bumpy along the way, but the journey is worth the bumps!
We are made holy because Christ obeyed God - not because we come marginally close to accomplishing obedience in our own lives. It cannot be more explicitly expressed - no measure of accomplishment on our part is going to produce perfect obedience - only grace can substitute what we cannot accomplish in our own efforts.
Christ's sacrifice is good forever - for everyone. If we think about the shelves at a local market, we might be reminded of the stacks and stacks of a particular product. If we only view the product time after time as we go into that market, we know of its existence. We have not experienced it, though. One day there is a table set up with free samples of the product - we partake of it. It is in the partaking we are taken into the enjoyment of the product. It is in the partaking of grace that we are brought into the enjoyment of it! We can look "upon" grace - leaving it at a distance - but until we allow it to be "taken in" we won't experience the awesomeness of it!
Grace never leaves us where we were but calls us from here to there. The "there" may not always be apparent, nor may it be the easiest road to traverse, but it is in the travel that we come into the fullness of grace. We don't appreciate the sacrifice until we understand the value of it - we don't understand the value until we see the results - we don't see the results until we complete the journey. Just sayin!
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Finishing well
We begin a lot of things, don't we? How many of these do we actually finish? In terms of finishing, we don't do as well as we do with the beginning part! To finish well, we need to have not only tenacity, but we need to have set out on an endeavor we find worthwhile and rewarding. If the thing we set out to do is so overbearing and adds burden instead of delight, we get bogged down and often lay it aside because it is "too hard". It is like when we say we will read the Bible in a year. We find ourselves reading for the sake of reading - not really taking time to savor the truth contained within. We plug on through the "boring" chapters, get excited about checking off the finished portions, and then look at how much still lays ahead. The issue is not so much in the starting, it is in the finishing. How we finish is as important as that we finish!
My child, listen to me and do as I say, and you will have a long, good life. I will teach you wisdom’s ways and lead you in straight paths. When you walk, you won’t be held back; when you run, you won’t stumble. Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go. Guard them, for they are the key to life. (Proverbs 4:10-15 NLT)
There are couple things I would like to consider this morning as we look at what it is we have committed to in life. If we are to fulfill our commitments, we need to be aware of how our choices will affect what it is we choose to remember and what it is we will let go of as we journey through life. We also need to figure out who or what it is we will allow to reign in our life. If that isn't enough, we need to keep in mind some things will just plain need to be released - relinquished completely because they have no part in the "ending" even though we might have been holding onto them in the beginning or picked them up along the way.
All choices we make result in some form of action. These actions produce memory - good or bad, pleasing or disagreeable, fruitful or wasteful. Whatever choices we make impact the memories we will have of the journey. Most of us focus on the "stuff" in the journey - not the memories we are forming along the way. These very memories may present us with problems or provision in the future. Job went through a lot - losing home, family, livestock, land, and the list goes on. He was covered in some kind of disgusting skin disorder which left him sitting on a pile of poop, scraping the disgusting skin lesions with a shard of pottery. Now, what memories do you think he may have been able to make in those moments? He could choose to hold onto the memories of how much misery he went through, the pain of the losses, or the agony of the disease. Yet, as we view the end of his life, we see he chose not to hold onto any of these memories. He chose to hold onto the memories of God walking him through each of these! Now, nothing is more powerful than our memory during times of stress and hardship. What we choose to hold onto in the recesses of our brain may actually be the determining factor between finishing and finishing well.
If you have ever gone through stuff which was a little challenging, you probably have struggled with the tendency to want to "talk about" the stuff a lot. In other words, you choose to focus on the issues at hand by "rehearsing" the issues over and over in the ways you choose to speak about them. There is such power in our words - what we choose to rehearse in our words often becomes the thing we believe in our hearts! Maybe this is why God instructs us to hide his Word in our hearts and to recall it in times of testing and trial. When we rehearse the right stuff, we often don't get into the misery of the moment so much. We elevate our perspective through the words we choose to speak! All of us have "history" and sometimes we tend to be a little histrionic. We get all wigged out by the things which have happened to us and what we have had to go through in life. Sometimes we just need to let go of this stuff if we are to move on. Some of our history isn't helping us finish - it is holding us back! To move on, we have to let go!
Actions move us - just like the wind moves the leaves on the tree. You may not "see" the wind, but you see the evidence of the action of the wind. The same is true of some of the things which we choose to hold onto in life - we don't always see them, but we see the results in the actions which are produced. Therefore, learning to maintain the right perspective in the midst of the "stuff" we journey through and taking control of what it is we will choose to remember is important to producing the right actions (the right movement) in our lives. Just sayin!
My child, listen to me and do as I say, and you will have a long, good life. I will teach you wisdom’s ways and lead you in straight paths. When you walk, you won’t be held back; when you run, you won’t stumble. Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go. Guard them, for they are the key to life. (Proverbs 4:10-15 NLT)
There are couple things I would like to consider this morning as we look at what it is we have committed to in life. If we are to fulfill our commitments, we need to be aware of how our choices will affect what it is we choose to remember and what it is we will let go of as we journey through life. We also need to figure out who or what it is we will allow to reign in our life. If that isn't enough, we need to keep in mind some things will just plain need to be released - relinquished completely because they have no part in the "ending" even though we might have been holding onto them in the beginning or picked them up along the way.
All choices we make result in some form of action. These actions produce memory - good or bad, pleasing or disagreeable, fruitful or wasteful. Whatever choices we make impact the memories we will have of the journey. Most of us focus on the "stuff" in the journey - not the memories we are forming along the way. These very memories may present us with problems or provision in the future. Job went through a lot - losing home, family, livestock, land, and the list goes on. He was covered in some kind of disgusting skin disorder which left him sitting on a pile of poop, scraping the disgusting skin lesions with a shard of pottery. Now, what memories do you think he may have been able to make in those moments? He could choose to hold onto the memories of how much misery he went through, the pain of the losses, or the agony of the disease. Yet, as we view the end of his life, we see he chose not to hold onto any of these memories. He chose to hold onto the memories of God walking him through each of these! Now, nothing is more powerful than our memory during times of stress and hardship. What we choose to hold onto in the recesses of our brain may actually be the determining factor between finishing and finishing well.
If you have ever gone through stuff which was a little challenging, you probably have struggled with the tendency to want to "talk about" the stuff a lot. In other words, you choose to focus on the issues at hand by "rehearsing" the issues over and over in the ways you choose to speak about them. There is such power in our words - what we choose to rehearse in our words often becomes the thing we believe in our hearts! Maybe this is why God instructs us to hide his Word in our hearts and to recall it in times of testing and trial. When we rehearse the right stuff, we often don't get into the misery of the moment so much. We elevate our perspective through the words we choose to speak! All of us have "history" and sometimes we tend to be a little histrionic. We get all wigged out by the things which have happened to us and what we have had to go through in life. Sometimes we just need to let go of this stuff if we are to move on. Some of our history isn't helping us finish - it is holding us back! To move on, we have to let go!
Actions move us - just like the wind moves the leaves on the tree. You may not "see" the wind, but you see the evidence of the action of the wind. The same is true of some of the things which we choose to hold onto in life - we don't always see them, but we see the results in the actions which are produced. Therefore, learning to maintain the right perspective in the midst of the "stuff" we journey through and taking control of what it is we will choose to remember is important to producing the right actions (the right movement) in our lives. Just sayin!
Monday, March 18, 2013
Direction AND Counsel - We Need Both
Ever feel like you have been following the directions you have received only to find you are lost? It takes only one subtle turn in the wrong direction, one overlooked sign, or one moment of inattentiveness to find yourself totally out of the path you are supposed to be following to reach your destination doesn't it? In retrospect, you can probably look back and recognize the point you should have turned, should have heeded the sign, or been paying closer attention to the journey than something else which captivated your attention at the moment. What happens next? You spend a whole lot of time getting back on course. Sometimes the best laid plans are not always going to work out as you planned simply because the one doing the "following" of the plan is a little inattentive, huh?
Without good direction, people lose their way; the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances. (Proverbs 11:14 MSG)
Our proverb this morning deals with good direction - wise counsel. Direction points us in some particular path, right? Thinking of a compass, you look at the little arrow on the dial to know which "direction" you are headed. Hopefully, you know the direction you are headed - or the arrow just points you in a direction without any particular aim. Direction suggests action. No one consults a compass just to get a general idea of where the arrows are pointing. You use a compass because you are about to make a move and you want to ensure you are on the right course. I am blessed to have one of these built right into my rear view mirror on my car. I can consult the mirror, seeing clearly I am headed south, southeast, or whatever direction the nose of my car is headed. Until the nose is completely aligned in a particular direction, causing the wheels to align the car along that course, the direction is not consistent, is it? Once I have "turned into" the direction, I am heading as the compass shows. As long as I am turning, the compass is adjusting to the direction I am turning.
Now, what does this have to do with our spiritual lives? Direction is determined by the compass we follow and the direction we point our hearts, minds, and eventually the activity of our bodies. Thinking of my car again, the engine is like the brain - it feeds the car with the energy to move forward. The heart of the car is really whoever is at the steering wheel - for the one doing the steering determines the ultimate direction of the car. No amount of energy exerted by the engine will get the "nose" of the car facing the right direction - it takes someone steering it to accomplish this. In turn, the wheels respond to both the one steering and the energies exerted by the engine - moving the car forward on the path or direction chosen. If God is the one determining the direction of our lives, he is at the steering wheel. He is the one determining what energies our mind should focus on and he is also the one determining the path our wheels should traverse.
Counsel is instruction given which actually helps to direct the judgment of another. Going back to my car again, I have a little device I plug into the dashboard called GPS. This handy little device can be programmed to get me to the destination in mind, guiding each and every turn I make. I can also do such things as tell it I need to find the nearest gas station, restaurant, etc. It gives me more than advice. It gives me specific suggestions to ensure I arrive at the destination I had in mind when I started the venture. Counsel is kind of like the GPS in your car. It helps you make wise judgment calls. Some GPS systems will even divert you around traffic congestion, accidents, etc. I think every car should be equipped with one of these devices - how about you?
In considering our spiritual life, our GPS is really the Holy Spirit. He gives us the counsel - things which lend good judgment to our turns and destination choices. God is at the steering wheel, driving the car - the Holy Spirit is acting as the compass. He helps to ensure the direction we are headed is actually made with the best judgment as possible. Now, I don't know about you, but I want to know I am both headed in the "right" direction and the most "beneficial" course. Getting to my destination spiritually can go through many twists and turns, but not all those twists and turns are going to be beneficial to my journey. The Holy Spirit guides me around those areas in my journey where I will encounter the "congestion" of unwanted "traffic" and the annoyances of "accidents" which do nothing more than cause unwanted delays.
Have you ever stopped to consider how much gas is wasted when you don't divert around an accident or traffic delay in your car? We think the highway will be the fastest course, most direct, etc. In actuality, the delays of taking this path may not make as much sense as having taken the surface streets. In contrast, we might actually save both time and energies (fuel) in getting to the destination. The Holy Spirit (acting as our GPS), helps to do both for us spiritually - getting us to our destination in the perfect timing and ensuring we are not totally "spent" in the journey. Trying to do it without GPS may be possible, but it is not very wise! Just sayin!
Without good direction, people lose their way; the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances. (Proverbs 11:14 MSG)
Our proverb this morning deals with good direction - wise counsel. Direction points us in some particular path, right? Thinking of a compass, you look at the little arrow on the dial to know which "direction" you are headed. Hopefully, you know the direction you are headed - or the arrow just points you in a direction without any particular aim. Direction suggests action. No one consults a compass just to get a general idea of where the arrows are pointing. You use a compass because you are about to make a move and you want to ensure you are on the right course. I am blessed to have one of these built right into my rear view mirror on my car. I can consult the mirror, seeing clearly I am headed south, southeast, or whatever direction the nose of my car is headed. Until the nose is completely aligned in a particular direction, causing the wheels to align the car along that course, the direction is not consistent, is it? Once I have "turned into" the direction, I am heading as the compass shows. As long as I am turning, the compass is adjusting to the direction I am turning.
Now, what does this have to do with our spiritual lives? Direction is determined by the compass we follow and the direction we point our hearts, minds, and eventually the activity of our bodies. Thinking of my car again, the engine is like the brain - it feeds the car with the energy to move forward. The heart of the car is really whoever is at the steering wheel - for the one doing the steering determines the ultimate direction of the car. No amount of energy exerted by the engine will get the "nose" of the car facing the right direction - it takes someone steering it to accomplish this. In turn, the wheels respond to both the one steering and the energies exerted by the engine - moving the car forward on the path or direction chosen. If God is the one determining the direction of our lives, he is at the steering wheel. He is the one determining what energies our mind should focus on and he is also the one determining the path our wheels should traverse.
Counsel is instruction given which actually helps to direct the judgment of another. Going back to my car again, I have a little device I plug into the dashboard called GPS. This handy little device can be programmed to get me to the destination in mind, guiding each and every turn I make. I can also do such things as tell it I need to find the nearest gas station, restaurant, etc. It gives me more than advice. It gives me specific suggestions to ensure I arrive at the destination I had in mind when I started the venture. Counsel is kind of like the GPS in your car. It helps you make wise judgment calls. Some GPS systems will even divert you around traffic congestion, accidents, etc. I think every car should be equipped with one of these devices - how about you?
In considering our spiritual life, our GPS is really the Holy Spirit. He gives us the counsel - things which lend good judgment to our turns and destination choices. God is at the steering wheel, driving the car - the Holy Spirit is acting as the compass. He helps to ensure the direction we are headed is actually made with the best judgment as possible. Now, I don't know about you, but I want to know I am both headed in the "right" direction and the most "beneficial" course. Getting to my destination spiritually can go through many twists and turns, but not all those twists and turns are going to be beneficial to my journey. The Holy Spirit guides me around those areas in my journey where I will encounter the "congestion" of unwanted "traffic" and the annoyances of "accidents" which do nothing more than cause unwanted delays.
Have you ever stopped to consider how much gas is wasted when you don't divert around an accident or traffic delay in your car? We think the highway will be the fastest course, most direct, etc. In actuality, the delays of taking this path may not make as much sense as having taken the surface streets. In contrast, we might actually save both time and energies (fuel) in getting to the destination. The Holy Spirit (acting as our GPS), helps to do both for us spiritually - getting us to our destination in the perfect timing and ensuring we are not totally "spent" in the journey. Trying to do it without GPS may be possible, but it is not very wise! Just sayin!
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Step out, step in, and be on your way!
As I was in the Word this morning, I came across a very familiar passage to me, but one which outlined some things I think we'd do well to really hold onto as we begin this new year. January is a time of renewal - we begin the process of sorting through the stuff we ended up with from the last year, some of it physical, others a little more mental, and then we decide what will remain and what will go. As we go through this process, we often decide some "commitment" of some sort is necessary. We call these "resolutions". I don't like to make any "resolutions" because as soon as I do, they are subject to being broken! One thing I do appreciate about the new year is the chance for a fresh start. It is like God gives us a clean slate - a chance to begin again. So, as the days tick by, what we chose to do with our "clean slate" makes all the difference in the outcome of the year!
The revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together. The signposts of God are clear and point out the right road. The life-maps of God are right, showing the way to joy. The directions of God are plain and easy on the eyes.
God’s reputation is twenty-four-carat gold, with a lifetime guarantee. The decisions of God are accurate down to the nth degree. (Psalm 19:7-9 MSG)
The starting point for any change is recognizing the need for change. It is often in the discovery of something in the Word that we uncover the very thing which needs to see "change" in our lives. Maybe this is why our psalmist begins with the idea of God's revelation being whole - there is nothing missing there. When God reveals stuff to us, he does it completely, although we may not "grasp" it fully the first time around. Most importantly, look at what David says about God's revelation - it pulls our lives together. At first, we think the revelation of truth in our lives will pull us APART, but it is only in pulling things apart that we can "weed out" what doesn't belong - the very thing we need to get rid of in order to be "pulled together".
As we are exposed to the possibilities of change, we almost always struggle with the uncertainty change produces. Most of us resist change for this very reason - we don't know what lies ahead, so we balk a little when change is called for. The good news is God provides "signposts" which point out the path we need to take. It is one thing to proclaim we need change - it is quite another to actually know what to do and how to do it! God's "signposts" are first of all clear - they don't get us more confused, but settle us into a certain course. Then they are able to keep us pointed in the right direction. Look at the passage again - there is not just one signpost - but many. God is faithful to give us "check-in" spots along the way to let us know we are on the right track. Isn't that what the various signposts on the highway help us to know? As we see those numbered signs ticking by, we can see we are making progress in the direction we were headed. God's signposts in our lives do exactly the same thing. His signposts may not be physical, but they are there nonetheless. It may be the encouraging words of a friend who notices the first signs of change in our lives, or the image we see when we look into the mirror. The idea carried here is that their will be "confirming" spots along the way which give us assurance and keep us heading in the right direction.
Change begins with the first step, but continual renewal comes in following the "life-maps" God gives. This is why I spend time each day in the Word. It is my "life-map" by which I am assured to find not only the first destination along the pathway of change, but each continued resting spot, cleansing spot, and renewal spot. Yep, just like a traveler using a map to find the next rest stop along a busy highway, God uses his Word to get us to the next place of "rest" in our journey through change. Why does he bring us to resting places? If we didn't rest, we'd burn out! There are also cleansing spots along the way, just like a traveler who finds it necessary to run the car through the car wash on occasion on a long journey. The purpose of the car wash is not to just shine the car up, but to remove the debris from the journey! A whole lot of "debris" has a way of attaching itself to the car in the journey, just like a whole lot of debris has a way of attaching itself to our hearts. We often need to take time to "cleanse" ourselves in the places of cleansing - so we are able to see clearly for the next leg of the journey. The renewal spots are those places where the weary traveler not only finds rest, but intake which strengthens and energizes them for the journey. Change is made easiest when we are following the "life-map" clearly marked out with these "stops" along the way.
Getting clarity along the journey is often needed, isn't it? If you have ever been on a journey into new territory, you might just not the area well enough to traverse it with confidence. David tells us God gives us directions which are clear and easy to follow. If we are relying on any other directions, the journey through change will be made all the more difficult! God stakes his reputation on the clarity of direction he gives - there is no mystery in his directional advice. He is not the one who says, "Turn right at the fourth bent oak tree on the right side of the road, then left at the sixth red barn." In fact, he says things like, "Stay within this boundary line and you will be fine." His directions are trustworthy.
In the venture through change, we need to know someone has a plan. Isn't it good to know God has things thought out and planned for us down to the "nth" degree? I am eager to step out whenever I know someone has planned well, aren't you? When the planning is in place, all I need to do is take the first step. What is the first step God is asking for you to take today? Maybe you don't have a full view of the "life-map" yet, but I believe you will begin to see each "leaf" of the map unfold as you take the first step and then each subsequent one in response to the unfolding of this plan. So, step out, step in, and be on your way. The road ahead awaits. Just get steppin!
The revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together. The signposts of God are clear and point out the right road. The life-maps of God are right, showing the way to joy. The directions of God are plain and easy on the eyes.
God’s reputation is twenty-four-carat gold, with a lifetime guarantee. The decisions of God are accurate down to the nth degree. (Psalm 19:7-9 MSG)
The starting point for any change is recognizing the need for change. It is often in the discovery of something in the Word that we uncover the very thing which needs to see "change" in our lives. Maybe this is why our psalmist begins with the idea of God's revelation being whole - there is nothing missing there. When God reveals stuff to us, he does it completely, although we may not "grasp" it fully the first time around. Most importantly, look at what David says about God's revelation - it pulls our lives together. At first, we think the revelation of truth in our lives will pull us APART, but it is only in pulling things apart that we can "weed out" what doesn't belong - the very thing we need to get rid of in order to be "pulled together".
As we are exposed to the possibilities of change, we almost always struggle with the uncertainty change produces. Most of us resist change for this very reason - we don't know what lies ahead, so we balk a little when change is called for. The good news is God provides "signposts" which point out the path we need to take. It is one thing to proclaim we need change - it is quite another to actually know what to do and how to do it! God's "signposts" are first of all clear - they don't get us more confused, but settle us into a certain course. Then they are able to keep us pointed in the right direction. Look at the passage again - there is not just one signpost - but many. God is faithful to give us "check-in" spots along the way to let us know we are on the right track. Isn't that what the various signposts on the highway help us to know? As we see those numbered signs ticking by, we can see we are making progress in the direction we were headed. God's signposts in our lives do exactly the same thing. His signposts may not be physical, but they are there nonetheless. It may be the encouraging words of a friend who notices the first signs of change in our lives, or the image we see when we look into the mirror. The idea carried here is that their will be "confirming" spots along the way which give us assurance and keep us heading in the right direction.
Change begins with the first step, but continual renewal comes in following the "life-maps" God gives. This is why I spend time each day in the Word. It is my "life-map" by which I am assured to find not only the first destination along the pathway of change, but each continued resting spot, cleansing spot, and renewal spot. Yep, just like a traveler using a map to find the next rest stop along a busy highway, God uses his Word to get us to the next place of "rest" in our journey through change. Why does he bring us to resting places? If we didn't rest, we'd burn out! There are also cleansing spots along the way, just like a traveler who finds it necessary to run the car through the car wash on occasion on a long journey. The purpose of the car wash is not to just shine the car up, but to remove the debris from the journey! A whole lot of "debris" has a way of attaching itself to the car in the journey, just like a whole lot of debris has a way of attaching itself to our hearts. We often need to take time to "cleanse" ourselves in the places of cleansing - so we are able to see clearly for the next leg of the journey. The renewal spots are those places where the weary traveler not only finds rest, but intake which strengthens and energizes them for the journey. Change is made easiest when we are following the "life-map" clearly marked out with these "stops" along the way.
Getting clarity along the journey is often needed, isn't it? If you have ever been on a journey into new territory, you might just not the area well enough to traverse it with confidence. David tells us God gives us directions which are clear and easy to follow. If we are relying on any other directions, the journey through change will be made all the more difficult! God stakes his reputation on the clarity of direction he gives - there is no mystery in his directional advice. He is not the one who says, "Turn right at the fourth bent oak tree on the right side of the road, then left at the sixth red barn." In fact, he says things like, "Stay within this boundary line and you will be fine." His directions are trustworthy.
In the venture through change, we need to know someone has a plan. Isn't it good to know God has things thought out and planned for us down to the "nth" degree? I am eager to step out whenever I know someone has planned well, aren't you? When the planning is in place, all I need to do is take the first step. What is the first step God is asking for you to take today? Maybe you don't have a full view of the "life-map" yet, but I believe you will begin to see each "leaf" of the map unfold as you take the first step and then each subsequent one in response to the unfolding of this plan. So, step out, step in, and be on your way. The road ahead awaits. Just get steppin!
Friday, December 21, 2012
Move through to move beyond
Enough: adequate for the want or need; sufficient for the purpose or to satisfy desire. Desire: a longing or craving for something which brings satisfaction or enjoyment. Have you been so desperate for something that absolutely nothing else enters your mind? You just cannot turn your attention from whatever it is you long for, craving it with such intensity, nothing else will satisfy. Wouldn't it be awesome if you could honestly say this about God? He - the object of your longing or craving - would be the center of your focus so much that nothing else would satisfy! I wonder how we get to the place where God becomes the object of our desire more than anything else in this world?
God—you’re my God! I can’t get enough of you! I’ve worked up such hunger and thirst for God, traveling across dry and weary deserts. (Psalm 63:1 MSG)
David tells us the secret. It comes in "working up a hunger and thirst for God". Where is this hunger and thirst "worked up"? Ummm...I warn you...you may want to stop reading now! The hunger and thirst which brings God central in our lives comes in the "traveling across dry and weary deserts". In the "dry" and "weary" places of life, desire is built - not for the "little bits" of God's presence, but for the "sufficiency" of his presence!
Now, since you have not stopped reading, let's look a little deeper at what David is saying, shall we? It is in "movement" we find our hunger and thirst built - not in our stagnancy. David points out it is as we are "travelling across" the dry or weary place we build a hunger and thirst. Some of us get into the dry or weary place and just take up residence there! No wonder we don't have our hearts changed! We "wallow" instead of "travelling through". Do you know what it means to wallow? It means to roll in the dirt in hopes we will find refreshment! Now, how silly is that? If we were rhinoceros we might actually benefit from the "dirt bath", but dirt just doesn't have the same effect for us! In fact, it clogs our pores, brings nasty zits which annoy and leave us pocked, and then it gives us a pretty rank smell! So, I don't recommend "wallowing".
Probably the definition of "wallowing" which comes closest to what I am think we do when we get into the dry and weary places is to move along, but with such clumsiness and slowness as to reflect our awkwardness with the place we find ourselves in. We "move", but it is with no real purpose, no intensity. We just "flounder about" in our dryness. David says we don't work up a thirst unless we are travelling "across". In other words, from one side to the other! There is a destination in mind - out of the middle of the muddle we are in! The only way to get out of the mess is to get to the other side of it!
It is in moving across we find the place of moving beyond. But...to get across, we have to experience a lot along the way. The dry place is often characterized by the "absence" of something. We lack something which we need. The absence builds or intensifies as we begin to "move across" in order to get "beyond". If you have ever been thirsty, you might just have begun to sense the dryness of your lips, the pastiness of your tongue, or the like. If you don't address the thirst, what happens? The intensity of the thirst grows, doesn't it? The awareness of the absence of the fluid your body craves begins to grow. In travelling across the dry places in our lives, the intensity of what our spirit craves is growing. We thirst for that which truly fulfills - not just a tiny taste, but the total immersion!
The movement is key - nothing intensifies thirst or hunger more than "using up" the resources we have at our disposal. Sometimes God leads us into the dry or weary place to show us how little our "enough" really is! He allows us to "use up" what resources we have in "reserve" within in order to show us how much more we really need! The dry places make us aware of our little and his much! So, rather than focus on the "place" we find ourselves, let's begin to focus on what we will discover in our movement to the "beyond" of this place! In our movement, I know our hunger and thirst will be intensified, but it is in the discovery of how much we actually hunger and thirst that we come to the place of being opened to receive "more"! Just sayin!
God—you’re my God! I can’t get enough of you! I’ve worked up such hunger and thirst for God, traveling across dry and weary deserts. (Psalm 63:1 MSG)
David tells us the secret. It comes in "working up a hunger and thirst for God". Where is this hunger and thirst "worked up"? Ummm...I warn you...you may want to stop reading now! The hunger and thirst which brings God central in our lives comes in the "traveling across dry and weary deserts". In the "dry" and "weary" places of life, desire is built - not for the "little bits" of God's presence, but for the "sufficiency" of his presence!
Now, since you have not stopped reading, let's look a little deeper at what David is saying, shall we? It is in "movement" we find our hunger and thirst built - not in our stagnancy. David points out it is as we are "travelling across" the dry or weary place we build a hunger and thirst. Some of us get into the dry or weary place and just take up residence there! No wonder we don't have our hearts changed! We "wallow" instead of "travelling through". Do you know what it means to wallow? It means to roll in the dirt in hopes we will find refreshment! Now, how silly is that? If we were rhinoceros we might actually benefit from the "dirt bath", but dirt just doesn't have the same effect for us! In fact, it clogs our pores, brings nasty zits which annoy and leave us pocked, and then it gives us a pretty rank smell! So, I don't recommend "wallowing".
Probably the definition of "wallowing" which comes closest to what I am think we do when we get into the dry and weary places is to move along, but with such clumsiness and slowness as to reflect our awkwardness with the place we find ourselves in. We "move", but it is with no real purpose, no intensity. We just "flounder about" in our dryness. David says we don't work up a thirst unless we are travelling "across". In other words, from one side to the other! There is a destination in mind - out of the middle of the muddle we are in! The only way to get out of the mess is to get to the other side of it!
It is in moving across we find the place of moving beyond. But...to get across, we have to experience a lot along the way. The dry place is often characterized by the "absence" of something. We lack something which we need. The absence builds or intensifies as we begin to "move across" in order to get "beyond". If you have ever been thirsty, you might just have begun to sense the dryness of your lips, the pastiness of your tongue, or the like. If you don't address the thirst, what happens? The intensity of the thirst grows, doesn't it? The awareness of the absence of the fluid your body craves begins to grow. In travelling across the dry places in our lives, the intensity of what our spirit craves is growing. We thirst for that which truly fulfills - not just a tiny taste, but the total immersion!
The movement is key - nothing intensifies thirst or hunger more than "using up" the resources we have at our disposal. Sometimes God leads us into the dry or weary place to show us how little our "enough" really is! He allows us to "use up" what resources we have in "reserve" within in order to show us how much more we really need! The dry places make us aware of our little and his much! So, rather than focus on the "place" we find ourselves, let's begin to focus on what we will discover in our movement to the "beyond" of this place! In our movement, I know our hunger and thirst will be intensified, but it is in the discovery of how much we actually hunger and thirst that we come to the place of being opened to receive "more"! Just sayin!
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Who's your match?
I'm a friend and companion of all who fear you, of those committed to living by your rules. Your love, God, fills the earth! Train me to live by your counsel.
(Psalm 119:63-64 The Message)
It is good to have friends. As we begin today, just take a moment to make a list of friends. Now, divide that list into those who you could say were more than just your acquaintances - the list probably got a little shorter. To further refine this list, let's divide out those who we really know have our back - they are more of a confidante to us, they are a compatriot in our mission in life. The list probably got downright tiny with that one! We can have lots of friends, but few will go the extra mile of walking with us through our mission in life - partnering with us in our walk with Christ.
David says he was a friend and companion of ALL who feared God. Then he broke that down a little further - of those that were committed to living by the rules God establishes. He made his lists, too! He knew there were a lot who would make good friends because of their similar interests, but there were some who'd make the best "traveling companions" because of their commitment of heart!
A companion is someone who is a "match" for you. It is like having two pieces of a puzzle that fit perfectly together. The term "companion" is also a nautical term and carries the meaning of the frame on the upper deck of the ship that may be raised in order to allow light to flow into the recesses of the ship. The "companion" brings light into dark spaces! Isn't that a neat way to think of those on the "smaller" list we just made? They serve to "bring light" into what would be an otherwise dark existence!
Maybe we need the companion because of the light they bring that assists God in training us to live by his counsel! When we think of those on our "short list" of friends, we are probably able to see how the individual(s) possess certain levels of maturity, talents, and insights that we have not completely developed in our own lives yet. This is probably why they make such a perfect "match" for us - - they bring into the relationship what it is that we lack!
In the process of being "trained" to live by the counsel of God, the companions we choose in this journey make all the difference in the outcome of the journey. I have traveled to various parts of the world - - the companions in those travels have made all the difference in how it was that I "experienced" the places I visited. For example, when I traveled to the Philippines, I was with others that knew the customs, foods, and things to avoid. I trusted them to help me experience those things that would not bring misery to my digestive system, keep me out of situations where I'd commit a slight in customary courtesy, etc. They knew the region, the people, and kept me safe.
There have been times when I have traveled to brand new places - - with no one on the trip knowing the region any better than the other. It is less reassuring, and I daresay we took less adventures, trusted ourselves less to make the right choices, etc. We simply did not know what to expect, so we were a little wary! The same is true when we only align ourselves with those that are "weaker" than ourselves in this journey we call the Christian walk of faith. We need companions along the way who have "gone before" us - - those with experiences we can learn from.
The lists we made at the beginning were important. If you did not make them, take some time over the next couple of days to really think about your lists of friends, companions, and true "matches" for this journey. If you find you are lacking that true "match" for the journey, it may be a perfect opportunity to begin to ask God to reveal such a person in your life. I have enjoyed these "matches" along the journey - - there have been few, but they have been perfect for the season I was walking in. I pray the same for each of you this holiday season. May God "gift" you with the perfect "match" for this journey you are on!
Friday, November 4, 2011
Signs of Life
You're blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God. You're blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him. That's right—you don't go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set. You, God, prescribed the right way to live; now you expect us to live it. 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.
I thank you for speaking straight from your heart; I learn the pattern of your righteous ways. I'm going to do what you tell me to do; don't ever walk off and leave me.
Then I'd never have any regrets in comparing my life with your counsel.
I thank you for speaking straight from your heart; I learn the pattern of your righteous ways. I'm going to do what you tell me to do; don't ever walk off and leave me.
(Psalm 119:1-8 The Message)
Have you ever stopped to really notice the signs that guide you along your journey everyday? As I traveled to work yesterday, I took some time to actually notice as many of those sandwich boards as possible. There were tons! Then I added in the markings on the road that remind me that bicycle riders could be on my right in their own little lane. Add to that the innumerable signs that prompted me to turn using a certain lane, not to park in a certain area, and get on the bus from this or that particular location, and I had not even made it to the freeway yet without being inundated with all kinds of "prompts" to act a certain way!
I recently traveled with a friend to Virginia and had the opportunity to rent a car there. We explored parts unknown to both of us - relying heavily on the maps provided to us by the timeshare and AAA to identify the locations we wanted to explore. Then we had the trusty GPS unit that we decided we needed to bring along. That rescued us a few times! But...there was one thing that we both noticed as we were driving along that I think might just give us all some opportunity for thought.
- The signs we are looking for are not always clear! We would travel along, see a sign telling us to exit at a particular exit, but that exit had multiple ways to choose! The sign directed us to get off the course we were on, but it did not give us clarity about the next course to choose! Sometimes I think we were caught a little off-guard by the sudden change in course and the immediate action we had to take to get us on the next segment of our journey. That is how life comes at us sometimes - not with a whole lot of clarity, lots of choices coming at us quickly, and us needing to be ready to "think on our feet" to make the best decision possible. It is in the preparation we did BEFORE we left the timeshare that we found we made the best decisions when we got into one of these situations! A little work AHEAD of time got us there safely. The same is true in our walk with Christ - a little time spent getting to know his ways will yield great rewards when we are called on to make those "spur-of-the-moment" decisions of life!
- The signs don't always prepare you for what is ahead! As we made some of these maneuvers through traffic, we were surprised to see that the "merge" lanes of the Virginia roadways were SO much shorter than those we are afforded in Arizona! In my first attempt to merge into freeway traffic, my traveling companion held on with white knuckles, cried out my name in a loud voice, and had a look of terror cross her face that said it all! I had expect a leisurely merge into the traffic only to find that I had about 100 or 200 feet to accomplish going from 35 to 60 in a 4-cylinder vehicle!!!! Eeegads! What my friend could not see was the traffic rapidly barreling my way. She felt the sudden urging of the car to speed up, the quick maneuvers of my hands to steer us into the traffic, and then she and I gasped a sigh of great relief that we had lived to tell the story! Guess what? Life is kind of like that sometimes. We don't get a whole lot of warning about what is coming next and we may have to "adapt" quicker than we'd feel comfortable with. When that happens, we sometimes experience a little sense of "panic" that causes us to be alert to what lies ahead AND what is coming at us quicker than we'd ever imagined! That "panic" is what should drive us to Jesus.
- The signs sometimes don't exist! We took a journey our last day there - following every turn of the GPS faithfully, only to find ourselves deep into a very cheerful neighborhood of military families! We were on a quest to find some type of caves or caverns that the GPS reported was right there where it announced, "You are arriving at your destination". Ummm...unless the neighbors had them cleverly concealed, they were nowhere to be found! There are times we honestly believe we are setting out in the right direction, following all the "turns" of life correctly, and at the end, we find ourselves deep into something we had not expected! Forrest Gump had it right when he compared life to a box of chocolates - we really don't know what we are going to get! All we can do is trust the one that watches over our lives with such care that each journey matters. We did not get to see the caverns that day, but we did get to see some pretty country, enjoy some time just chatting with each other, and then we ended the day with Prime Rib! Not a bad journey!
So, just some lessons about the "signs" we encounter in life. Hope your "heeding" the signs and "preparing" for the journey. See you on the road!
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