The deepest renewal

Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness. (Desmond Tutu) 

But those who trust in the Lord will become strong again. They will be like eagles that grow new feathers. They will run and not get weak. They will walk and not get tired. (Isaiah 40:31)

As we walk throughout our day, weariness can come upon us after much toil and hard work, right? Did you know that we don't even need to toil to tire? Ever hear of a friend say they were more tired when they got out of bed than they were when they went to bed? Weariness is both a state of mind and body - it includes our spirit, soul, and all that makes us human. The 'strain' of life doesn't have to be physical - emotional strain can take more out of us than a hard day's labor. Sometimes we grow weary because we become dissatisfied with how long something is taking - like an answer to our prayers. Even the most 'balanced' individual can grow weary spiritually and emotionally. That is why it is so important that we recharge ourselves in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We can be all 'charged up' at the beginning of our day, or the challenge that lies ahead, but does that 'charge' always last? NO! We need time to recharge with Christ in the midst of it all. It is easy to get caught up in all that is going on around us and miss that God is beckoning us into a little time alone with him. Time in prayer, worship, and in the Word. Time that will recharge our 'batteries' and help us be ready for whatever is about to come next. We might try to push past the weariness, but the more we do, the harder it becomes to resist the things which arise from that weariness. Things like words that are a little too 'clipped' or 'brash', or perhaps withdrawal into an 'emotional dark hole' that seems to surround us with no way out. Before that happens - take time!

We only see light in the midst of the darkness because we have taken time to refill our spirit, settle our emotions, and reenergize our minds. There is no better place to find light for the situation than in the presence of Jesus. It isn't a 'room' as much as it is giving him room to work within us. We might think of the need to renew as going to a place, but God tells us it is him taking our place that actually brings the deepest renewal. Just sayin!

Just rest

You’re my place of quiet retreat; I wait for your Word to renew me. I shiver in awe before you; your decisions leave me speechless with reverence. (Psalm 119:114)

Whenever we declare God to be our 'place', we are saying we are 'positioned' within him. We are not just in the region of him, but we are in close intimate contact with him. When I ask you over to my 'place', do you go to my neighbor's and declare you are 'at my place'? No, you come right up to my front door, ring the bell, or come right in because I have opened the door for you. We are 'placed into' Christ's presence and it is there we are to dwell as a quiet place of retreat from all this world demands of us.

I enjoy a quiet afternoon just kicking back and doing nothing from time to time. Why? It renews me a bit. It creates a calm within my life and it helps me unburden from the stuff that normally puts a weight upon my shoulders. Laundry done, floors vacuumed, bathrooms scrubbed, and trash in the bins - I kick back. I might listen to music, or catch up on a movie or two. Whatever it is I choose to do in 'my place' of quiet retreat, it is meant to renew me. Think of God's presence of such a retreat - a place of constant and much needed renewal.

Does renewal happen automatically just because we are in 'the right place'? I think we might expect it to, but there are times when the renewal process occurs in being open to discovery. Discovery means we are in a frame of mind to experience something new - what better thing to renew us than the Word of God. I know there is nothing 'new' in this good book we call the Bible, but I have never been disappointed in what is discovered within the pages as I begin to explore it with an open mind and heart. Being in the right 'place' with God means we are also going to receive from him what it is we need the most - truth that exposes any element of misguided trust in our lives.

His presence does more than renew - it regenerates so much that there is a new vigor produced. An excitement is created where truth is revealed - where the presence of God speaks into our lives. That 'thrill' of receiving his truth should truly leave us speechless with reverence. Too many times we get a little touch of his grace and a little insight into his truth and we go off without really relishing it as we should. Come into his place - get up close and personal with him. Then just relax there until his Word renews, regenerates, and reinvigorates your soul. Just restin!

Whew, I am tuckered!

I am not a 'runner' like some are - simply because my knees cannot take that stress. I do enjoy a good brisk walk, though. In a spiritual sense, we all 'run' a race, so to speak - just as in the natural sense of running, we need to learn the spiritual principles that help us to run so as not to hurt ourselves. Some of us will run in a direction all of our own choosing, but when we do, we run alone. As a believer in Christ, we run in a race alongside the greatest runner of all times - Christ himself. If having his example (pace-setting) before us is not enough, he left us with a huge crowd of "models" who also ran the race and won. We can learn much by considering how they ran.

Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! (Hebrews 12:1-3 MSG)

Strip down! In the military, we learned to run in combat boots, full fatigue uniform, and sometimes even with our packs on our backs. If you have ever tried to run any distance in combat boots, you know this is not an easy feat. They are just not built for running! Let alone carrying a pack and in a uniform not intended to keep us from sweating!  It is amazing to consider just how much "stuff" we want to carry into the spiritual race we run each and every day. We have burdens we just don't want to let go of because we are too stubborn or think we somehow 'deserve' those burdens - serving only to weigh us down. We have covered up our sins with ill-fitting facades that don't let us 'breathe' at all - adding extra weight and discomfort all around. We are to have our feet shod with the gospel of peace - - yet we plod along in "combat boots" of our own doing! We hold onto anger and bitterness as though they were attached to our very soles (actually they are attached to our "souls"). The instruction to us is quite simple, but oh so hard to do: STRIP DOWN!

Start running! No race is ever won until we actually begin running, but a runner will likely tell you there is advantages in building endurance in walking first! I have been both the observer on the sidelines and the runner in the race. I no longer can run in the natural sense due to the damage my knee has suffered over the years, but I can still cheer on those who do. In some senses, I miss the ability to run (at least with any grace and semblance of knowing that I know what I am doing). There was something in the adrenaline rush of running alongside others -- pushing beyond your perceived capacity to run any longer until you got that second burst of energy that helped you go just a little bit further and push a little bit harder. You don't get the energy until you run! Have you ever seen a runner out at 2:30 in the morning? I have. Why are they out there at that hour? Their body craves the run. I wonder how much we actually crave the run in the spiritual sense? We likely barely crave the walk, much less the run!

Keep your eyes on the finish line! If you run, there must be a destination in mind - you cannot just head out into the wild and run - you have to plan for pitstops and places of rest. If you just set off running without a goal in mind, you might not ever make it home. I think of the character from "Forrest Gump" played by Tom Hanks. In the movie, he sets out one day to "run". He has no destination in mind -- he just runs without really considering his starting point or his end point. When he gets to the opposite coastline, he stops, turns around, and runs again. He does this several times until one day, he just stops. He is finished running. This is similar to us running without a goal in mind. We set out, run a long time, then just stop. We really don't have much to show for our running, but we can say we "ran". How much better would it be to have run a race in which the goal was clearly in mind?

Study how Jesus ran! A good runner studies how others endure the race. He looks at how they pace themselves, where they rest, when they take nourishment -- how they have run stands as an example for us to follow. Imagine learning how Jesus "paced" himself. You don't see him arriving on the scene (earth), taking over local governments, clearing the temples of all sinful characters, and announcing "I am God", do you? He allows himself to be "paced" by the one who knows how the race should be run (his Father). He had dedicated times of rest and solitude. He took nourishment (both natural and spiritual) because without it, he'd not be able to continue on. Why do we attempt to run any differently?
You will get weary! Running fatigues the one running. What we do with the weariness determines if we will end the race well! Do we rest a while, regrouping our spiritual strength, renewing our stamina to run hard again, or do we just give up?

If we allow weariness to keep us from running hard again, the race beats us! God warns us of the weariness which will come upon even the best runner. His advice to us -- review the race from the viewpoint of the winner! That will shoot adrenaline deep into your soul indeed! So, are you running today? Have you stripped down? Is your goal clearly defined, or does it need some refining? Who are you holding out in front of you as a "pace-setter" in this race? Are you finding yourself weary? Maybe it is time to refocus, renew, and re-engage in the race. See you on the "track", my friends! 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!

Overdue?

If it has been a long while since you have been able to get away on vacation or to a quiet spot on a beach, high in the mountains, or just alone by a pool somewhere, then you know there is nothing more renewing than a little retreat. I used to think of times of retreat as something along the line of a "forced withdrawal". I really just did not enjoy time away from what I was doing everyday. Some would have called me a little too retentive to let things go and let others take the reins for a while so I could enjoy time away. I have come to recognize that "retreat" is sometimes the most strategic thing you can do!

You're my place of quiet retreat; I wait for your Word to renew me. (Psalm 119:114)

The very act of withdrawing into a place of quiet and safety is often the best move we make - even when we know there are a whole lot of other 'movements' that need to be made. That very movement into a place of what appears to be a lack of movement is actually bringing us to a place of refuge. Within that refuge, there is privacy for the planning of the next movements we will make and for the clarity that can come when movement ceases for a while and we can just stand back and look. The opposite of retreat is advancement. There are very specific times when we need to pull away, step back, and allow God to change our focus long enough to impact our plans for the next steps we take. Advancement may not be possible until we have had a moment of retreat!

We might find we have a tendency to make others our place of retreat. When things aren't going as we'd like, we sometimes find ourselves gravitating to the comfort of sounding off to another individual. There is nothing wrong with having a trusted friend. Yet, there are times when the best person to hear about"our issues is not our trusted friend, but God himself. We have to guard against using our trusted friends to be what God deserves to be in our lives. If we really desire the clarity for our next move, God will use our friends to help us by giving us the confirmation of what he gives us when we seek him first. Be careful, though, because we have a tendency to make God operate on our schedule and that may not be his schedule for the issue. The fact is, times of retreat may be necessary long before we feel we are ready for them. We often don't realize how "ready" we were for the benefits of retreat until we have enjoyed the blessing of that time away from what it is that had us all wound up so tight in the first place!

We often don't understand the joy of quiet until we have stepped away from the chaos of the daily battles. In the midst of the fray, we seldom realize that we have no real sense of peace. I am not just referring to the absence of noise, but the real sense of inner assurance that comes from knowing that what you are engaged in is exactly as it should be, in the exactly correct timing, and with the exactly correct steps being taken. In the times of retreat, there is often a "re-ordering" of our steps. Until we enjoy the quiet place, we pretty much won't see with clarity the next steps we need to take. We have a hard time with the waiting part of retreat. Just as soldiers pull back into periods of planned retreat, we need to do the same. In the retreat or pulling back, time is given for healing, fortification, and just enjoying each other a little. To be at our best, there are times when "waiting" is the best "action" we can take!

Not sure where you find yourself today, but if you have been hitting it hard, you may be ready for a little retreat from the chaos of your circumstances. The fact remains, no one can run at full speed forever - we all need times of retreat. It may take some doing, some adjusting of your priorities, but you will find the benefits of retreat far outweigh the constant plugging away under the pressures of your day. I don't believe "retreat" times always need to be extended weekends away from home in some cabin on the mountain top, long vacations away from phones and emails, or periods of sabbaticals from your professional pursuits. I do believe they need to be frequent, dedicated times of rest. Times when God is able to renew us at the very center of our being. Wherever, and however that is accomplished in your life - do it! You don't realize the benefit of retreat until you have taken the opportunity to experience it! Just sayin!

Okay, I am ready now!

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want...  Have you ever really stopped to consider those words, or are they just words of 'nice sentiment' to you? If the day will hold just a moment or two for contemplation, I think these could just be the words we might want to meditate upon! They are better than anything we can do to 'medicate away' the pain - emotional or physical. They are more trustworthy than even the most binding of contracts on this earth. They are more fulfilling than the biggest and best of meals we could luxuriate upon. These are words spoken with intent - they are words that are filled with hope - and they are words meant to encourage us even when all else seems to fail us!

God, my shepherd! I don't need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from. True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I'm not afraid when you walk at my side. Your trusty shepherd's crook makes me feel secure. You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies. You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing. Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life. I'm back home in the house of God for the rest of my life. (Psalm 23)

We have an authority over our lives. The role of the shepherd is to lead and protect the sheep, "directing" them, and "providing" for them. As a leader, the shepherd sets the way, just as a person in charge of directing gives wisdom and insight, and a provider makes every need his priority. When God is in this place of 'leadership' in our lives, we don't need anything else! We are able to stand confident and assured because we know our direction is established and all we will need along the way will be available to us when that need arises.

You lead me beside still waters - in a way, he is bedding us down, providing us with rest for our weary souls, and allowing us the comfort we need in order to be restored. All the world hurls at us daily serves to wear us down - it sucks energy from our souls, occupies precious space in our thoughts, and entangles us in its grasp. Still waters run deep - there is a refreshing that comes when we partake of what God provides for our restoration. You restore my soul - true to his word, he gives us time to catch our breath - even when others would not. I cannot count the times when life was throwing stuff at me so fast that I physically, mentally, and emotionally did not feel like I could ever come up for air. The pressures mounted and the fears entered in - that is the natural outcome when pressures mount and we are left trying to lead ourselves through the many pressures we face. We can find some insight here - we need to go to where God is leading us - there we find rest.

The worst thing we can do is to believe that we are too busy to take time for God, to 'preoccupied' to even allow him to refresh our weary souls. God delights in "giving us space" and "giving us time" to really refocus our lives. It is there in that 'space' that God gives us the sense that he is "alongside" us in our struggles. When we sense his presence, there is a renewed confidence that we shall come out on the completely opposite side of the troubling circumstances with our head held high, our minds at peace, our energies renewed, and our faith built strong. That last verse reminds us of God's unending love for us - his faithfulness to pursue us every step of the way. He "chases after us" - we don't chase after him. What a sad fact, but truth nonetheless. He is the one pursuing us - so that his love may affect us deeply and his grace may embrace us closely. We don't know the many times when God's pursuit was initiated in our lives by the "wrong turns" we took along the way, but a shepherd is ever-alert to the many wanderings of his sheep.

This is a Psalm of Life. It is about God's pursuing love, engaging us in his restorative provision, and renewing us for the next challenge we face in our day ahead. Life is found in his arms, in the nudges of his shepherd's rod, and in his quiet places of renewal and rest. Renewal is around the corner - you are being pursued - stop, listen, and behold the face of your pursuer. Take time to allow him to occupy your 'preoccupied' space a while and you might just find yourself readied to 'attack life' in a totally different manner! Just sayin!

Configuring

Have you ever had to endure that really long period of time it takes for your computer's operating system to actually update? I am in one of those incessant spinning wheel cycles of some major update right now and I am forced to write this on my phone. I don't know why configuring something that already works pretty well has to take so long. There are times when I ask God the same thing about my life. I try to figure out why it is taking so terribly long to finish what he has started! Usually it is because I haven't connected with him in quite the right way so as to allow the "update" to be done!

Don’t look at my sins. Erase them all.  God, create a pure heart in me, and make my spirit strong again. (Psalm 51:9-10 ERV)

When you think of updating something you probably think of a new coat of paint, a few new furnishings, or putting a new facing on something. The fact remains there is still the old under the new when this all you do! You are merely dressing up the old to look new again. God isn't satisfied with just putting a few new window dressings in place. He wants to do more than dress up the old. He is after truly making new what was once old and written. That is why it takes a little longer for him to "configure" us at times.

Back in the day, we used to sing a worship song with words from one of the Psalms that reminded us of God giving us beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for our spirit of heaviness. We don't sing that anymore, but the words are still true. God takes what might look okay on the surface and works beneath that surface appearance to produce new results. He is in the exchange business, not just the update business. He gives us a new operating system, not just a refresh.

If the refresh can take so long, just imagine how long it can take for things to be exchanged! We might imagine a refresh is all we need, but God knows when we need more than a little updating! He knows when the best plan is total renovation!  Just sayin!

Fishing

Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 

(Romans 12:12 NLT) 

Have you ever spent any amount of time fishing? You buy just the right rod and reel, secure the amount of tackle you believe you will need to land that huge haul of wiggly swimmers, and head off to the huge lake or pond to drop that line in the water. Then you wait. Then you wait even longer. Still you wait even more. After about two hours of this, I have had it! I am not very good at this "angling" thing! Yet, I find the day totally relaxing and awesomely invigorating, even though I have given up on the original intent of the day - fishing. Why? Maybe because it is spent with people I love, watching them do something they love. Or perhaps it is that I enjoy being in nature and observing the handiwork of God - remembering he created all this magnificence for none other than each one of us. Better yet - perhaps it is because of both of these reasons! 

Sometimes we aren't in the best of places while we are living life day-to-day. We find ourselves tied up in knots and our confident hope in God wanes a little bit because we find the troubles we face looming big in our immediate sight. I think waiting is the hardest thing to do, especially when things haven't gone as expected or desired. Babies are born with heart defects or epileptic seizures, requiring endless hours of care and dare I say worry about their every need. Homes are set into chaotic disarray when one takes ill. Families are torn apart by decisions made in haste. It isn't that life isn't easy - it is that life gets complicated and there is a degree of "unrest" that occurs for each of us. When all is at "unrest" in our lives, it is the best time to come to a place of quiet repose and just "be still" in God's presence.

Many of you have followed my blog long enough to know how much I love to vacation with my BFF. She thrills my heart with her laughter, gets me recharged with her beautiful smiles and warm hugs, and challenges me to soar to new heights - all probably without even realizing she is doing it! This vacation isn't cram packed with visits to this amusement park, or that tourist spot. In fact, it is spent enjoying the hiking trails and sitting on the shorelines in quiet repose, just recharging our batteries, so to speak. There are many in need all around us - cancer ravaging bodies of those we love; jobs being lost by those we respect and care about; and family dynamics challenging even the best of us. One thing I have learned - we rest and God does the rest! We pray and he does the work of sorting out those prayers, making sense of all that has us tied up knots. We ask and he does the work of helping us find the right answers. We seek and he reveals that which will perfectly meet our need.

May I challenge each of you to take time to recharge your batteries once in a while - you probably don't do it often enough anyway! It is the best time to just remember the God you serve and the blessings you have been given in life. The challenges will sort themselves out when we learn to rest in him a little bit more. Just sayin!