Reworking the row

I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. (Philippians 3:13-14)

Focus determines destination. As Denis Waitley puts it, "Don't dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer." Too many times, we get muddled in what 'went wrong'. All we can focus on is the error and not see what can become of the error. I crochet as a hobby - not well, but it occupies my mind and time. When I miss a stitch, or only part of the yarn was pulled through on a stitch, I usually don't realize it until somewhere into the next several rows. As I turn the work, I can see that some 30 to 100 stitches back, something went awry. Do you know what I could do? I could just ignore the error. If I want the finished item to look the way it should, I pull the stitches out, redoing the work entirely back to that 'stitch' that went wrong. In life, we don't get to 'pull out the stitches' back to where we went wrong, but we can bring the 'wrong stitch' to God, leave it with him, and focus on the beauty of what is being created within us now!

Yes, the error occurred. Yes, you might have done something differently. Yes, you could dwell upon what went wrong, but that would mess up today's opportunities to 'do right'. When we err in life, we have this wonderful thing called 'repentance'. We can bring it to God, confessing our failure, and then move on in a different direction. When I pull out all those stitches, I am working BACKWARD. In life, we don't accomplish very much by 'working backward'. If we want to see what led to an error, working backward can sometimes get us to the 'root cause' for the failure. When we allow God to help us see not only the error, but the root cause, we don't spend a lot of time 'reworking' life. We repent, find a new path, and move on. I have come to realize there isn't much I can do with the past - only the present and the future. How about you? Are you spending way too much time 'reworking' the past only to find it is costing you way too much emotional energy and not really helping you move on? If so, it may be time to stop what you have been doing and focus on what needs to be done now. Just sayin!

The old new wasn't all that bad, was it?

For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. (Isaiah 43:19)

The 'old' may have seemed pretty awesome, but have you ever considered what God may be doing when he is beginning something new in you? There have been times when I have been so comfortable with the 'old new' that God did in me that I resist his moving me on into something 'new' again. I want to look back instead of forward, making it harder for him to keep me focused on what he is about to do. God may be laying out some pretty awesome change right ahead of us, but as long as we are constantly looking back and longing for the 'old new', we aren't going to fully embrace the 'new' he has in store.

I have noticed that God begins something 'new' and then he kind of 'wraps up' the 'old new' for us. It is like he is repainting the walls of our lives. The old was good for a time, but it doesn't quite 'measure up' to what he wants to see displayed in our lives now. So, he prepares us for the new by calling us, challenging us to see what he is doing, and then entering into it. We may not have realized how much of a 'wasteland' our 'old' had become until we see how he is transforming it. Hold onto the wasteland and eventually you will become crusted, dry, and hardened.

We get to the new from the old by following the pathway God provides. He has already made the pathway, but we might not see where it leads yet. His promise is that it is 'through' the wilderness of the 'old' and into the freshness of the new. To be entirely truthful with you, there have been times when I have known God is moving in my life but have had no idea what he was doing. As hard as I tried to understand what he was doing, where he was leading me, or what the need was for the 'move', I just didn't see it. God isn't finished and we need to trust him even when all we see is the wasteland around us. The path is THROUGH it! 

Give God the reins. Let him reveal the path, then set out to see where it leads. The 'old new' was pretty awesome when we came into it, but what God is about to do may be even more awesome. God doesn't want crusty Christians - he wants living, vital ones. Just sayin!

Unscathed and Safe

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!

Racers, start your engines!

Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him. (I Chronicles 16:11)

"Desire is the key to motivation, but it is determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek." (Mario Andretti) Imagine a race car driver assuming the position behind the wheel of a highly powered auto, revving the engine several times, buckled in, watching intently for the flag to drop signifying the start of the race. What sense would it make for the driver to rev and rev, then putt-putt away from the starting line, lagging behind all those who are out lapping him? He has all the power he needs - he just doesn't tap into it! He knows the goal is the finish line, but he doesn't seem to be committed to the goal, just the ride. God needs individuals who are more than along for the ride - he needs those who will tap into the power he provides - using it fully to see they cross the finish line. 

Seek him - but when you find him, what will you do with him? What will you allow him to do for you? That racer has sponsors - those who will invest in him time and time again. We have one 'sponsor' - God himself - investing in us time and time again. Never tiring of making that investment - all he asks of us is the commitment to see the race through with all the power he provides. We have strength beyond our means, but will we use it? Whatever you are facing today that seems a bit like it might overwhelm you is kind of like what that race car driver faces when being 'out lapped' by a few cars. He doesn't just allow them to 'out lap' him - he pushes the pedal to the metal and taps into the power of that engine!

Continual seeking means we engage the 'engine' - we do more than 'rev' it a bit. We tap into the power God provides in our seeking and we take the laps with gusto. We may not gain much in one lap, but when we continue to face each lap by tapping into the 'super-powered engine' within us, we soon 'out lap' the doubts, fears, and disappointments of life. We don't know the potential within us, but when we do more than 'play with religion' and actually take on this relationship with gusto, we see that potential released full force! Just sayin!

Permitted vs. Beneficial

We sometimes can be guilty of trading our eternal freedom for a temporary freedom here on this earth. We get to die on our own terms - think on that one a bit and you may just understand why the Apostle Paul reminds you and I that some things are not all that beneficial to us. We might not be 'sinful' in our actions, but are our actions always that beneficial to us? Comfort is not always the end result of following Jesus. The life of Christ within us means we aren't going to experience comfort when we try to slip back into our old ways of living. In fact, we will begin to experience our 'comfort' is quite 'disturbing' to us because God has so much better planned for us!

Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life—no longer captive to sin’s demands! ...When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That’s what Jesus did. That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don’t give it the time of day. Don’t even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life. Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time—remember, you’ve been raised from the dead!—into God’s way of doing things. Sin can’t tell you how to live. After all, you’re not living under that old tyranny any longer. You’re living in the freedom of God. (Romans 6:6-14)

Just because something is permissible in our lives doesn't mean it is beneficial for us right now (or ever). We might justify our behavior because we know something is 'permitted' - but we don't stop to consider if God is actually giving us the 'go-ahead' to engage in that behavior. Permissible differs from beneficial, but we don't stop to consider the cost of 'permissible'. For example, we may be 'permitted' to drive at speeds up to 75 mph on the interstate, but it is not 'beneficial' to do so when it is highly trafficked, the weather is bad, or the wildlife is attempting to get from one side to the other. 

Sin speaks, but we don't have to listen, choosing to listen to God's voice instead. God speaks, but we may pick and choose what we hear. Did you hear that? We 'pick and choose' what we will hear when God speaks to us. Why? We aren't willing to let go of some of the things we know are 'permissible' in our lives that God is saying are actually holding us in places of bondage we may not even recognize. How can something 'permissible' hold us in bondage? God is asking us to leave it behind so he can bring us into something greater, but we are holding onto it because are in a place of comfort right where we are. 

We should not rely upon what God says is 'permissible' in our lives. Always ask him what is 'best' for our lives. What is it he says is 'beneficial' for us? The two may be the same, but there are times what we know he permits is really keeping us from ever moving forward to what is totally beneficial and beyond our imagining. Just sayin!

Move on

It has been a while since I have been able to break free from the day-to-day caregiving of an elderly parent, so I am a little overdue for some fishing! The great outdoors always beckon to me because I love to be out in nature. I enjoy the moments of listening to the gentle breezes bristling the tree leaves and the gentle movement of the stream's waters. I like to observe the curiosity of the birds as they explore the forest floor and the gentleness of the deer grazing in the open meadow. There is just something about being able to 'break free' for a while that helps to renew a mind and body. While some will choose to laze around the lake, taking in nature in all its beauty, others will head for a few days with far away relatives and friends, renewing the bonds and memories which the miles have imposed in their separation. Yet, others will clamor for the long lines of the amusement parks and the intense thrill of riding the latest rides. Whatever the location, the purpose of the time 'away' is "to get away" from today's hassles and to enjoy some time in a moment of "escape". I daresay, we "leave" in order to "renew". Some will use this break "from" work or school as a time to pick up family and belongings, moving to a totally new place in the country. Jobs, family demands, or other opportunities influencing their decision to "move on". Moving on is different from experiencing something such as a vacation, though. To "move on" suggests one is leaving something totally behind, whereas to vacation indicates a short 'leave' from daily responsibilities to enjoy a time of renewal.

So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we've left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn't you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace—a new life in a new land! (Romans 6:1-3 MSG)

The choice to "leave" one location, then to "cleave" to another is sometimes temporary, as in vacation. At other times, as when one is 'moving on', it is a very permanent choice. I wonder how we treat the "leaving" of our past lifestyle "before Christ" - as a vacation from sin, or as a clean break? I have treated it as a "vacation" at times - turning back to the same old stuff. How silly is that? I tasted the goodness of grace, felt the renewal of forgiveness, and then chose purposefully to step back into what I had just left. Some would say I need my head examined, right? Well, we are probably a little off-base there - what I really need is to have my heart examined! Whenever we treat God's forgiveness and his renewal as a "season of vacation" from our sin, we are likely to turn back to it at a later time. When we actually make a "move away" from sin, we have a much better time overcoming it. God offers us an escape from the "country where sin is sovereign". This is a place of profoundly wrong choices which impact us in many negative ways. We find ourselves lacking in relationship stability because we choose to focus on self rather than others. We are engulfed with self-pity because we don't get our way. When we do get our own way, we don't find the fulfillment we hoped would be attached to the choice. It is truly a place we'd like to escape.

Vacating a space can be temporary, or permanent. The determination becomes apparent when we examine how much we have "dissolved" our ties with the place we left. If we go on a vacation, we pack a few bags, knowing we will return. In fact, we often ask someone to watch over our place while we are gone, ensuring the plants are watered and the house is cared for. We plan to return. We never intended to "pull up roots" and move on. We were looking for a temporary "fix" for our need. Vacating a space permanently doesn't always mean we make a clean break, though. We can "move on", but take all of our stuff with us! We pack up the moving van with all our belongings, put the car on a hitch behind the van, pile the family and dog in the front seat and away we go. We "leave", but we are still "cleaving" to the stuff we are taking along with us! We can "leave" in order to "cleave" to something new. I did this when I left for the military in 1976. I left it all behind with only the clothes on my back (and they quickly took those away from me). When I arrived at Ft. Jackson, they gave me new garments, a new place to live, and all new associations. It was a true "break" from my life as I knew it. They were intending me to "cleave" to my new way of life!

I wonder how we treat our "break from sin" - is it a clean break? If we leave, but never break the tie of "cleaving to" the sin, we find ourselves drawn back. I returned "home" after basic training - but I was changed. My ties to home were different. It was my past. I had a future planned out for me and I was "on mission" with the military. I had a new purpose for my life. Guess what? God has the same plans for us. Break totally with the past. Be on mission with him in the present. This is his plan. This is where we find liberty and purpose. Just sayin!