Life Hack #24: Turning the Other Cheek

Life Hack #24:

A person who plans evil will get a reputation as a troublemaker. The schemes of a fool are sinful; everyone detests a mocker. (Proverbs 24:8-9)

We all have come across the kind of people who just love to sit around, planning some kind of misbehavior, waiting for the moment to spring it on someone. Most of the time, it is in jest, but that is not always the case. A troublemaker is anyone who causes difficulties, distress, or worries - kind of out of habit and with a desire to bring injury, harm, or suffering to another. This individual makes a habit of making life miserable for others. Not the kind of people we want to associate with on a regular basis! They are the "instigators" - wherever trouble seems to be brewing, you can pretty much be assured they had something to do with it! Avoid these individuals as much as possible - because the end they desire differs from the end God desires for your life!

The troublemaker has a heart bent on evil. The difference between an occasional misadventure caused by not thinking something through and the trait of being a troublemaker is the scheming and planning to create evil - through either foolish intent, or outright attack designed to ridicule and bring contempt. To engage in "trouble-making" once in a while doesn't suggest a heart bent on evil, but just a human heart! To engage in this way of life all the time indicates intent. The heart schemes in order to taunt another with either verbal, physical, or emotional distress - in order to bring some pleasure to the troublemaker and accompanying distress to the one they are targeting.

A troublemaker gets the reputation of being the "prince of rogues". A rogue is one who is both dishonest and mischievous. When a "rogue" organism is found, we call it that because it differs so much from the original it just stands out. This individual is untrustworthy - just because of all the ways they manipulate and scheme to work whatever plan it is they have in mind. It should not surprise you that the rogue personality is also described as a fool and a mocker. One who schemes and plots to bring about a particular end is given to foolish thoughts and finding ways to point out the faults of another (even if is through sarcasm).

We have to recognize their heart if we are to avoid them. God gives us the ability to be able to look at the behaviors of another, listening also to what their words betray about their heart. When these things point clearly to this 'routine' of wrong type of behavior, it is best to avoid these individuals. Since we can all be engaged in a little bit of trouble making on occasion, we can all say we have a little bit of the "rogue" in each of us, but these individuals don't vary in their practice - it is consistent. 

Some may think when we engage with a troublemaker, we actually give them more fuel for their fire. If we ignore their behavior, not allowing their words to affect us, they get flustered with being ignored, but this doesn't shut down their behavior. Being ignored is not what the troublemaker wants - they want to cause their upheaval and see those who they target respond to it. When they are ignored, they scheme a little harder and find new ways to begin their trouble-making schemes again. The best way to deal with the troublemaker is to return good for their evil. Isn't that the lesson Jesus was teaching when he said to turn the other cheek. The troublemaker will be caught off-guard by receiving a blessing when he brings forth a curse. We almost put him in a place of being put "off-balance" because the scheme did not have the effect he designed. Return enough blessings in the face of his schemes and he will be shut down. He may not stop being a troublemaker, but he will move on because he knows he cannot beat you! Just sayin!

Crying Uncle

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

(Dr. Seuss)

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

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

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

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

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

Am I in trouble?

Gonna meddle a little here this morning. Do you ever get into trouble? I mean the kind where you just aren't really sure there is any way out of it - the trouble you make or that is made by those you associate with that is just about to bury you alive. The truth is that most of the time we make our own trouble - we don't need the help of others to really do a good job at finding and meddling around with trouble. Trouble isn't a thing - it is a set of actions that lead to a result we probably will find a little undesirable. I joke from time to time that I am 'making trouble' when someone asks me what I am up to, but if I were honest here, the times when I am really 'making trouble' in my life are not a joking matter!

I was in trouble, so I called to the Lord for help. The Lord answered and made me free. The Lord is with me, so I will not be afraid. No one on earth can do anything to harm me. (Psalm 118:5-6 ERV)

As kids, we'd ask our friends if they got 'in trouble' for being home late, or for having ripped their shirt, or for having lost that new sweater they got at Christmas from grandma. The 'event' was enough that we expected the outcome for our friend to maybe not be all that 'favorable' when they were faced with the searching eyes of their parents. It is like 'trouble' was a condition - an outcome of having been careless or less focused than we should have been. In reality, we weren't all that far from the truth on that one. "Trouble" is an outcome - one that usually ensues because we took some course of action that wasn't correct. 

As adults, we don't ask each other if we got 'in trouble' for the things we do and it is harder for us to really tell if someone is feeling the weight of their bad decisions or not because we have become so good at concealing our 'trouble' from others. I wonder what would happen if we were a little more transparent with each other about the 'trouble' we find ourselves in at this moment. If we aren't going to be honest with each other, we definitely need to be honest with God. We cannot hide our 'trouble' from him - no matter how skilled we become at concealing it! What happened when we got home late as kids? A lot of the time some of our 'privileges' were restricted for a period of time. We couldn't go out the next day to play after school as a form of 'punishment' for our tardiness the night before. The reason we sought so desperately to cover up our 'troubling actions' as kids was because they carried a form of 'punishment' with them! No wonder we don't want to admit our troubles to each other and even God himself! We fear the judgment and punishment that could come!

The good news is that God isn't in the punishment business - he is in the restoration business! He isn't going to overlook our misdeed - in fact, he made a way for us to be out from under the guilt and shame of it through his son, Jesus. So, instead of punishment, he extends grace. Yes, there are outcomes to our actions - we call those consequences. Speed down the freeway, get pulled over, and you get a ticket. God knows the consequence of speeding will cost us something - we are to recognize the value behind the rule we have just broken. It isn't that he is punishing us by us having to go to traffic school or pay that fine - it is a consequence of our bad choice. Sin has consequences and sometimes I think we associate these with punishment. We somehow think God is punishing us, but the opposite is true. He has provided a means for us to no longer make those bad choices, learning from the consequence that resulted from our past 'not so good choices', and he helps us 'get out of trouble' by consistently working in our lives to help us make the right choices in the future. We serve a God who comes alongside - not one who lords it over! Just sayin!

Is anyone actually listening?

Right now in our country, there is a great deal of discussion, or perhaps debate over the issue of who should hold the highest seat of political office in our government. There are supporters on each side of the debate, but it is hard to tell which way the issue will end. The two parties oppose each other - one trying hard to have an impact on the other until whoever finally 'wins'. Have you ever wondered if your life could ever make an impact - if you could ever be a positive influence in the lives of others? Perhaps you have listened to people of your past or present who repeatedly belittle you, tearing you down every chance they get, making any hope of "impacting" the world in a positive manner a little less than a 'probable' vision for you. Maybe you have tried to make an impact, having ventured out in one area or another, only to find yourself running into brick walls and resistant forces.  Impact can be positive or negative - two possible outcomes exist. Impact is really nothing more than being an influence. It doesn't matter what we do (or don't do, for that matter), we are "impacting" someone! It may not be in a positive way, but we are always going to impact this world - we choose what type of impact we will make.

The people of Nineveh listened, and trusted God. They proclaimed a citywide fast and dressed in burlap to show their repentance. Everyone did it — rich and poor, famous and obscure, leaders and followers. (Jonah 3:5)

Jonah told himself he could never impact the city of Ninevah - a huge city which took nearly three days to traverse. He was one man, on a mission, across a huge city, with only one voice to proclaim a very important message. Let us never forget that the impact of one faithful and committed life can influence the masses - when the steps of the one are ordered by God. Imagine being in his shoes for a moment. This is a huge city, made up of probably hundreds of differing beliefs than his - all 'sides' trying to make their 'side' known. He is about to enter into some pretty "unfamiliar" territory. Isn't this one of the hardest things we are asked to do - going where we are the least familiar and maybe the least welcomed? I'd like us to consider that God often sends those who are least familiar into places where they are least welcomed because they are less likely to make excuses for the actions they see! In fact, God often uses the one who comes with "new eyes" into the situation because they have no preconceived "limitation" on how they can alter the situation.

He goes one day's walk into the city limits. The crowds are gathering around, listening as this one solitary preacher delivers the message of God's condemnation of this entire city of people. Imagine the impact this message had the potential of making in Jonah's life - or on the outcome of how long that life might still be lived! Here he was, a foreigner with a very unpopular message, proclaiming it just as God had asked, in a land with traditions and customs he was actually saying were not 'right'. I'd be trembling in my sandals, folks! I trust God, but come on! One small 'preacher' against an entire heavily armed city? The odds don't seem fairly stacked, do they? Oh, did I forget to mention it was one OBEDIENT soul against a city? God can do more with one obedient soul than he can with a million wishy-washy, mamby-pamby pew-warmers! Uh oh! Gone to meddling now! Whenever we get "real" with God, he gets "real" IN us. This reality of God's presence with Jonah was definitely an influence within the city of Ninevah. It was more than the message - it was the evidence of God within this preacher which made the difference! The presence of God determined the impact! It is the presence of God in your life that has the greatest potential to alter the lives of those you are called to influence today!

The story goes on to tell us even the king was touched by the message this one faithful 'preacher' brought to this city. The entire city is called to a fast - a time of mourning for their sin, deep repentance, and seeking God's mercy in their lives. Look at who God used to accomplish this - a man who struggled with obedience so much that he tried to actually run away from what God asked him to do - a man who had just experienced afresh the mercy of God, finding restoration and renewal at a time when he was at his lowest point! Nothing speaks louder to those we have the potential to influence others than the mercy of God evident in our own lives - never discount the power inherent in your example! If you think you have nothing to offer a hurting world - think again! The mercy of God speaks clearly even when we think we have nothing "good" to offer! Just sayin!

Agitated, but not undone

"Here comes Trouble, with a capital T". Trouble is different for everyone - there is no set definition of trouble because it can morph into so many different paths depending on the individuals involved. Some of us seem to "find it" without even looking - it is like we are a magnet and trouble is some form of metal. Others seem to "make it" as though it were some natural outcome of everything they put their minds to doing. Still others seem to do everything they can to "avoid it", regardless of the cost - sometimes even avoiding all manner of living because if they didn't, it would find them. Trouble cannot be avoided sometimes - but we can find a good way to deal with it when it comes!

Take a good look at my trouble, and help me—I haven't forgotten your revelation. Take my side and get me out of this; give me back my life, just as you promised. (Psalm 119:153-154)

To trouble something or someone is to disturb the mental calm or contentment of that person or thing; to worry it and bring it distress; or agitate it so as to no longer allow it to be still. In the Hebrew language of old, we'd put a "Selah" after this so as to "stop and consider" what this says to us. The idea of 'trouble' really is one of making sure there is 'unrest' - the lack of some form of stillness or rest. When we sense "trouble" coming our way, or having already arrived on our doorsteps, we have the sense that our mental "calm" is being attacked. We just begin to "feel" the stress of the "trouble" bringing a lack of peace, working on our pleasant state of contentment we had come to enjoy so much. Here's what I have learned: We don't need to open the door! Trouble only has access to our mental state when we "open the door" to it!

If we leave someone on the doorstep of our home, they don't have the ability to create havoc on those of us on the inside! Oh, they can keep pounding on the door, trying to gain access, but in a while, their continual efforts will prove only to have created a little unwanted "noise" in our lives! It is much easier to filter out the "noise" of trouble than to deal with the "setting right" of the mental anguish it creates! Some of us just need to apply a few more filters when around those who would like nothing more than to disturb our contentment. How do we "not open the door" to trouble's play on our minds? In moments when we are feeling like we are beginning to "wind up" or "lose our peace", we need to pull into those things that "re-create" peace in our lives. I find the times I spend in the Word, listening to good music, and reflecting on God's care over my life as "peace-producing". You may just find the effort of keeping the door "closed" to the mental anguish of trouble is easiest when you are listening to the voice of God's peace-producing Spirit!

When we find "trouble" in our circumstances, there comes a moment when we begin to feel the "stress" of the trouble. Stress serves a purpose in our lives, but only when it is recognized and utilized to full advantage! That which is stressed is that which can be proven strong. If we embrace trouble's distress - the punishment it wishes to inflict on our lives - we probably have not gone to God for his "de-stressing" in our lives! Trouble works hard to agitate our calm. In the disturbance of our calm, "muck and mire" is allowed to bubble to the surface. Sometimes this is not a bad thing because exposure of what has "settled" into the recesses of our mind or emotions can actually be a benefit. In the discovery of what lays hidden below, we often can be released from those things. Water is actually "filtered" through an "agitation" process. If you ever were in the scouts, military, or just hiked/camped a lot, someone told you about drinking from the fast moving streams, not the slow, lolly-gagging ones. Why? Water in the fast-moving stream was "freer" of impurities! So, agitation serves a purpose! Embraced for its designed purpose, there is a benefit to the agitation of trouble! Just sayin!

He did what?

In our Christian walk, there are moments when we wonder what is happening - to the best of our knowledge, we are living in obedience, making right decisions, doing exactly what God has asked us to do - then out of the blue, testing and trial seems to come our way. What is up with that - where did we go wrong? There are going to be time when, even in our 'best obedience', we are going to see testing come! The disciples were heading to the opposite shore one day in a boat there were pretty sure would take them safely to their destination - something the Lord had asked them to do - and in a moment of time, their circumstances change. In their obedience, their testing moment comes.

As soon as the meal was finished, he insisted that the disciples get in the boat and go on ahead to the other side while he dismissed the people. With the crowd dispersed, he climbed the mountain so he could be by himself and pray. He stayed there alone, late into the night. Meanwhile, the boat was far out to sea when the wind came up against them and they were battered by the waves. At about four o'clock in the morning, Jesus came toward them walking on the water. They were scared out of their wits. "A ghost!" they said, crying out in terror. But Jesus was quick to comfort them. "Courage, it's me. Don't be afraid." (Matthew 14:22-27)

First things first - sometimes we trust in things that have proven trustworthy at other times, but at this moment, they may seem a little less than trustworthy. The boat they were in was not likely to help them out very much - it would fail them if that is all they placed their trust in. There are times we place so much trust in something in the natural that we don't really trust in God. When the waves of life come, we get pretty well tossed about! It is important for us to see that the "boats" of our own making - the things we have at our dispsal in the natural sense, or could do for ourselves to escape the storm - these are seldom the best things to rely upon.

The winds they were about to face would alter their course - if they were to give into them. It is not an uncommon thing for us to face winds of opposition in life. In fact, we almost always have "crosswinds" that want to "blow us off-course". All these winds seem to do is to is to make the journey a little harder - slowing down our progress, making it more difficult to reach the end of the storm, or reach our ultimate destination. The winds actually help us more than we think because that pressure of those waves of resistance drive us to move beyond the trust we could place in our own "rowing" to actually reach out to God's hand to bring us through instead.
The rowing that occurs when facing a contrary wind is futile if it is just us doing the rowing. All the strength we can muster is not enough - our good works will never get us deeper in Christ, nor will they produce the lasting peace we desperately are seeking. There is no lasting benefit in our own efforts - we need the touch of Jesus in our lives.

Out in the middle of the lake, storms all around, tired from the rowing, boat holding more water than you'd like to see? Don't despair! God is on the way. The timing of his arrival may be a little different than we'd like to see, but he is on the way. One thing is clear in this passage - God always comes in the hour of our greatest need! It is at the point that our strength is just about gone - our hope is silently fading away - this is when he comes! I guess I've never really had Jesus come to me "walking on water", but I'd have to say that he has come in ways I thought would be impossible, at times what I'd label as unimaginable. When Jesus came to them on the water, he was not in another boat. He was doing the extraordinary - the unexpected. His coming revealed his power over that which was giving them the most terror at the moment - the waves, the wind, and their worries.

Don't miss the subtle reminder in this passage - he doesn't rebuke the storm first, he settles their hearts instead! The cause of their worries, all their toiling through the night, the testing of their strength - all these concern him, but not all get his attention in that moment. He focuses on them first! Settling their hearts - bringing them rest in their spirit as his priority. The next time you are facing the winds of opposition in your steps of obedience - look where you least expect to find the Lord. It is likely he may come in the way we least expect his help! Just sayin!

Squeezing a little?

"I've heard there are troubles of more than one kind; some come from ahead, and some come from behind. But I've brought a big bat. I'm all ready, you see; now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!" (Dr. Seuss) Could it be that maybe some of us just need a bigger bat?  I pose that question because it seems like there are some in our lives who just don't ever seem to get past or away from those problems which "come from ahead" or "come from behind".  It could even be one of us who just doesn't ever get truly "free" of the things which have come as "troubles of more than one kind". I challenge us not to think about those troubles, but the size of the bat we have been given to help us deal with them once and for all!

When the upright need help and cry to the Eternal, He hears their cries and rescues them from all of their troubles. (Psalm 34:17 VOICE)

Peter Marshall had a great perspective on the troubles which come in life:  "God will not permit any troubles to come to us, unless he has a specific plan by which great blessing can come out of the difficulty."  Re-read that if you must because there is something quite profound in that statement - God has a specific plan by which GREAT blessing can come OUT of the difficulty.  The greatness is found IN the difficulty, not by avoiding it.  In the midst of troubles coming from ahead or coming from behind, we find ourselves kind of "sandwiched" in the middle, and this makes for a whole lot of squeezing! This is perhaps why we don't like troubles very much - it isn't the thing which come out of them which we so much resist as it is the amount of "squeezing" it takes to get the blessing out!

Troubles vary in scale from things which mildly irritate us and give us a moment of grief, to the type which almost crushes us under the weight of the thing.  The first type of "inconveniences" we deal with, probably on a daily basis, such as traffic jams on the way to work.  The middle of the road types of troubles may be those things we wish no one would ever have to deal with such as the loss of a job, or death of a much loved pet.  Then there are the really hard ones, like the diagnosis of cancer, or the loss of a loved one. Life is indeed filled with troubles which "come from ahead" and "come from behind", but the outcome will be different depending on what we keep in the forefront of our mind. Yes, I just got a little "Dr. Seuss" on you and made that one rhyme!  Our mind can be filled with doubt, fear, frustration, and the like.  If peace is not what fills our mind in the midst of trouble, we aren't carrying the "right bat"!

In the words of the great hymn penned by Horatio G. Spafford, "When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul. It is well with my soul, it is well, it is well with my soul."  Peace attends our soul - it watches over our minds - steadies our raging emotions - and floods our hearts with overwhelming joy.  No matter the trouble, the thing we use to deal with them is what makes the difference.  As Seuss said, the bat he carried gave him an "edge" over the troubles.  The "bat" we carry in life is none other than that of the peace of Christ which rules our hearts and minds, bringing comfort to our soul and strength to our body.  Peace is not a "thing", but a person - Christ.  It is not the absence of chaos, but the presence of God bringing order out of that chaos.  

The next time troubles approach you from ahead or behind, remember who it is who stands clearly in your defense at that moment of great trouble!  You might just find those troubles begin to reveal what is being "pressed out" by their pressures from all sides.  Just sayin!

Principle 23: Avoid the Schemers

Do you know any troublemakers?  You know, the kind of people who just love to sit around, planning some kind of misbehavior, waiting for the moment to spring it on someone?  In the most literal sense, a troublemaker is anyone who causes difficulties, distress, or worries - kind of out of habit and with a desire to bring injury, harm, or suffering to another.  The point here is that this individual makes a habit of living to life miserable for others.  These are definitely not the kind of people we want to associate with on a regular basis! Another word for this individual is "instigator" - wherever trouble seems to be brewing, you can pretty much be assured they had something to do with it! So, out of respect for yourself, you might want to learn how to avoid these individuals as much as possible - because the end they desire differs from the end God desires for your life!

A person who plans evil will get a reputation as a troublemaker.  The schemes of a fool are sinful; everyone detests a mocker.  (Proverbs 24:8-9 NIV)

The difference between an occasional misadventure caused by just not thinking something through and the trait of being a troublemaker is this whole idea of scheming and planning to create evil - through either foolish intent, or outright attack designed to ridicule and bring contempt.  The troublemaker has a heart bent on evil.  To engage in "trouble-making" once in a while doesn't suggest a heart bent on evil, but just a human heart!  To engage in this way of life all the time indicates intent - and intent is what is our focus here today in this passage.  The heart schemes in order to taunt another with either verbal, physical, or emotional distress - in order to bring some pleasure to the troublemaker.

I like the way the Message translates this as a troublemaker getting the reputation as "prince of rogues".  A rogue is one who is both dishonest and mischievous.  In scientific terms, when a "rogue" organism is found, we call it that because it differs so much from the original it just stands out.  In the most literal sense, this individual is untrustworthy - just because of all the ways they manipulate and scheme to work whatever plan it is they have in mind.  This is a way of life for them and it should not surprise you that the rogue personality they have is also described as a fool and a mocker.  The three go hand-in-hand.  One who schemes and plots to bring about a particular end is given to foolish thought and finding ways to point out the faults of another (even if is through sarcasm).

So, how do we avoid keeping company with these troublemakers?  First, we have to recognize their heart.  God gives us the ability to be able to look at the behaviors of another, listening also to what their words betray about their heart, and when these things point clearly to this type of behavior, it is probably because there is at least a little pleasure in it for the one who engages in this behavior routinely.  Since we can all be engaged in a little bit of trouble-making on occasion, we can all say we have a little bit of the "rogue" in each of us, but these individuals just don't vary in their practice. They are easier to spot than some may think because their actions and words give them away.

Some may think when we engage with a troublemaker, we actually give them more fuel for their fire.  If we ignore their behavior, not allowing their words to affect us, they get flustered with being ignored, but this doesn't shut down their behavior.  In fact, being ignored is not what the troublemaker wants - they want to cause their upheaval and see those who they target respond to it.  When they are ignored, they often just scheme a little harder and find new ways to begin their trouble-making schemes again.  Maybe the better way to deal with the troublemaker is to return good for their evil.  Isn't that the lesson Jesus was teaching when he said to turn the other cheek.  The troublemaker will be caught off-guard by receiving a blessing when he brings forth a curse.  We almost put him in a place of being put "off-balance" because his scheme did not have the effect he designed.  Return enough blessings in the face of his schemes and he will be shut-down.  He may not stop being a troublemaker, but he will move on because he knows he cannot beat you!  Just sayin!

Troubled Waters

Take a good look at my trouble, and help me—I haven't forgotten your revelation.  Take my side and get me out of this; give me back my life, just as you promised. 

(Psalm 119:153-154 The Message)

We probably have heard the say, "It is Trouble, with a capital T".  Trouble is different for everyone.  Some of us seem to "find it" without even looking.  Others seem to "make it" as though it were some natural outcome of everything we do.  Still others seem to do everything they can to "avoid it", regardless of the cost.  

When I looked up the word "trouble", I came across the very first definition and stopped to ponder it a while.  Take a moment to think on this:  Trouble is to disturb the mental calm or contentment of; to worry; bring distress; or agitate.  Hmmm....in the Hebrew language, we'd put a "Selah" after this so as to "stop and consider" what this says to us.

First, when we sense "trouble" coming our way, or having already arrived on our doorsteps, we have the sense that our mental "calm" is being attacked.  We just begin to "feel" the stress of the "trouble" bringing a lack of peace, working on our pleasant state of contentment we had come to enjoy so much.  Here's what I have learned:  We don't need to open the door!  Trouble only has access to our mental state when we "open the door" to it!  

If we leave someone on the doorstep of our home, they don't have the ability to create havoc on the inside!  Oh, they can keep pounding on the door, trying to gain access, but in a while, their continual efforts will prove only to have created a little unwanted "noise" in our lives!  It is much easier to filter out the "noise" of trouble than to deal with the "setting right" of the mental anguish it creates! 

How do we "not open the door" to trouble's play on our minds?  Well, in moments when we are feeling like we are beginning to "wind up" or "lose our peace", we need to pull into those things that "re-create" peace in our lives.  I find the times I spend in the Word, listening to good music, and reflecting on God's care over my life as "peace-producing".  You may find the effort of keeping the door "closed" to the mental anguish of trouble is easiest when you are listening to the voice of God's peace-producing Spirit!

Next, when we find "trouble" in our circumstances, there comes a moment when we begin to feel the "stress" of the trouble.  Stress serves a purpose in our lives, when it is recognized and utilized to its advantages!  That which is stressed is that which is proven strong.  If we embrace trouble's distress, we probably have not gone to God for his "de-stressing"!

Last, but definitely not least, trouble works hard to agitate our calm.  In the disturbance of our calm, "muck and mire" is allowed to bubble to the surface.  Sometimes, this is not a bad thing, because exposure of what has "settled" to the recesses of our mind or emotions can actually be a benefit.  In the discovery of what lays hidden below, we often can be released from those things.

Water is actually "filtered" through an "agitation" process.  If you ever were in the scouts, military, or just hiked/camped a lot, someone told you about drinking from the fast moving streams, not the slow, lolly-gagging ones.  Why?  Water in the fast-moving stream was "freer" of impurities!  So, agitation serves a purpose!  Embraced for its designed purpose, there is a benefit to the agitation of trouble!

Just some thoughts on what may be "troubling" you today!

Action --- Reaction

I'm too young to be important, but I don't forget what you tell me. Your righteousness is eternally right, your revelation is the only truth.  Even though troubles came down on me hard, your commands always gave me delight.  The way you tell me to live is always right; help me understand it so I can live to the fullest.
(Psalm 119:141-144 The Message)

Is there really an "age" when you are too "young" to be important?  Sometimes I think we "discount" our potential based on our chronological age!  God doesn't!  He sees potential in the words of a child just learning to speak and the aged who share from a vast wealth of accumulated knowledge.  The "potential" one has is really determined by the "yielded-ness" of one's spirit and heart.

Do we all have days when it seems like trouble is chasing us?  You bet!  There are days when I don't know if I have seen my tail coming or going because I have been chasing it so long I don't know the difference!  There are definitely times when trouble is chasing us.  We just cannot do much about this phenomena, except pull closer to Christ and ride "through" the trouble with him in control.  The more difficult times for us are when we are the ones chasing trouble!  This is a situation we can, and should, change!  

To chase trouble is simply unwise all the way around.  In order to break the cycle, we must recognize that we are in the cycle of chasing something unwise, unprofitable, or unkind!  It is likely unwise because of what the pursuit embodies - - selfish motives, impure outcomes, etc.  It is definitely unprofitable because of what if produces - - destroyed character, lost relationships, etc.  It is totally unkind because of its effect - - angry outbursts, wounding words, etc.  These troubles we CAN avoid - - but do we?

Living to the fullest is only possible when we get a handle on the things we are chasing!  We can do very little about what is chasing us, but we can learn how to respond to the chase!  When chased, do we allow the troubles to stop us in our tracks, surrendering to their influence, and just allowing ourselves to be taken in by the pressures of the trouble?  If so, we are playing the part of the victim.  God wants us to remember that we are not the victim, but the victor!

Police officers learn the tactical expertise of "the chase" - - going after the criminal in a skillful manner so as to "minimize" the potential for injury to bystanders.  Have you ever noticed the troubles that seem to chase us are not as skillful in "minimizing" the injury to innocent bystanders?  Why is this? Probably because we haven't learned how to avoid responding to the troubles chasing us by turning them over to God for him to deal with them!

We chase troubles, they don't just chase us - - but we can do much about what we allow our mind, spirit, and emotions to chase after, respond to, and be affected by.  It is equally important to allow God to prepare our minds for the troubles we will face with each new day - - some out of our control, others brought on because of our "lack of control".  Every response to trouble begins with the thought we attach to it.  If we attach the thought process to a troubling circumstance such as, "With God, all things are possible," then we are more likely to look for a solution instead of surrendering to what we may feel we have no control over.

Every thought leads to an action - - every action leads to a reaction.  Respond to trouble with the right action and the reaction will be positive!

Mine Fields and Waves Galore

¹⁸ If people can't see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves;
But when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed. 

(Proverbs 29:18  The Message Bible)

This same passage can be translated: "Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction."  (NIV)  The idea is that we are often people that seem to require being "in the know" as it applies to what is coming next in our lives.  As we well know, this seldom happens.  We plan and prepare, but often the best of plans becomes nonsensical when dealing with the things that present themselves at our doorstep demanding our attention and energies.  This passage considers the idea of "revelation".  For us to understand the passage, we must understand that word.

First, revelation carries the idea of disclosing something that had otherwise or previously been hidden.  It is common in church circles to say that we don't know what God is doing, but that we will just trust him with the outcome.  That is certainly commendable, but we fail to admit just how much we are struggling with "not knowing" what God is doing!  We find ourselves stumbling around in the dark and hoping that we are going to come into a place of light sometime soon.  This is not the way God wants to have us proceeding through life.  He wants to give us opportunities for disclosure - times when he brings us into the knowledge of what he is about to do.

Second, revelation brings the idea of communication.  For communication to be effective, it must be two-way.  Much of our communication with God is simply one-way....we pray and expect him to listen, answer, and reveal.  There are times when God may be asking us to do the listening, answering, and revealing - in hopes that true communication will occur.  There is something powerful in "good" communication - it cements relationship, building strong foundations.

Last, but not least, it carries the idea of inspiration.  When we are brought to a place where vision is created, there is an internal igniting of passion to pursue what we are seeing clearly.  A good leader will first create the vision around what he is desiring to accomplish, then will assist those around him to lay hold of that vision, its possibilities, and its challenges.  Together, they tackle the challenges - through the innovation of the whole, there is an ability to overcome what challenges the one.

Without revelation (disclosure, communication, and inspiration), we cast off restraint.  In other words, there is nothing to restrain us from taking one course of action over another.  We are aimless.  Aimless people accomplish absolutely random things.  There is no order to what is created.  Good may come out of this type of effort, but it is certainly not as good as if we understood what we were doing, its purpose, and how it fits into a bigger plan.

Attending to what God discloses is the key within this passage.  There is a song I have come to love.  Some of the lyrics of this song present the idea that we are going through life "dancing through the mine-fields" and "sailing through the storms".  Now, most of you will admit that you rarely see mine-fields as places to dance!  In fact, you'd avoid them at all costs.  Putting to sail in the midst of a storm is also another treacherous venture that none undertake too willingly.  The thing is, we can dance through the mine-fields and sail through the storms if there is "disclosure" about how to navigate them! 

Mine-fields are nothing to God!  Neither is the storm!  Where there is revelation, there is the ability to navigate safely.  Not just picking through them a little step here or there, but dancing through them!  Not just taking one wave at a time, but riding high upon the peaks of white-water and propelled forward by the winds of adversity!  Revelation is the key to dancing and sailing!  Have you stopped long enough today to seek some revelation (disclosure, communication, and inspiration) from the one who knows where the mines are or when the next wave will come?