You go first!

Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return. Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt. So don’t bother correcting mockers; they will only hate you. But correct the wise, and they will love you. (Proverbs 9:7-9)

Men have many responses to rebuke, don't they? Some will scoff and say you are wrong about them. Others will argue vehemently that you have made wrong decisions yourself, so how could you possibly judge their actions as wrong. Still some will find any rebuke as belittling, cowering as a child scorned, afraid of what others will think should they find out what they have 'done wrong'. When a child of God is rebuked, it is a definite sign they are loved too much to be allowed to continue in their folly. 

We may not judge one another - it isn't our place to act as 'judge', but God does ask us to look out for the welfare of one another. We aren't just to turn a blind eye to another's wrong actions. As much as is possible, we must gently guide them back toward making wise choices. Does that mean we criticize or condemn their actions? Absolutely not! It simply means we recognize their actions as contrary to God's commands and LOVINGLY seek to see them restored.

You teach the wise, not the foolish. You bring insight to the righteous because you know they will embrace it and learn from it. When we look out for one another, we might see certain actions that are 'red flags' the other one may not easily see themselves. We find ways to point them in the right direction, away from those red flags, so they can be safe, secure, and at peace within their hearts.

A word to the wise, though. Don't correct others for actions you have been engaging in yourself. That is hypocritical. Take care of you own sin first. The, as God leads, become an example of his grace and wisdom to those who may also struggle with making right choices similar to the ones you are now making. We won't be able to help another learn until we have learned our own lesson first. Just sayin!

Lulled?

Those who learn from the lessons of life will join the others who are wise. Those who disregard discipline sabotage themselves, but those who are open to correction gain understanding. Reverence for the Eternal is the first lesson of wisdom, and humility always precedes honor. (Proverbs 15:31-33)

"You were given this life because you were strong enough to live it." (Author Unknown)

We don't receive lessons in this life through osmosis, but because we walk through them and learn from them. Someone might think they were given the life they were given because only THEY could live up to the challenge. The challenge wasn't given to you because you had the strength, it was given to you to reveal the strength the Almighty would give you to walk through it. We call it life and it comes at us at extraordinary speeds on occasion. The lessons of life will lure us in like a slow, lazy river gives us the sense all will be peaceful as we launch out only to find it takes us straight into the roaring rapids of chaos! Most of us want the lazy river kind of lessons - the ones we learn by laying back, luxuriating in the beauty of the moments which pass, and the sounds of peaceful breezes coming through the trees. We might get a little curious when we begin to hear the rapids in the far-off distance, but we still don't connect those sounds with the river until our raft begins to rock a little, picking up speed, and we begin to wonder a little, but we are still not stirred enough to make course corrections. Yet, when the full-on rapids begin to jerk us back and forth, tossing all manner of cool spray into our faces, and the horror of the moment grips our emotions, we somehow begin to pay attention!

The wise don't avoid the river altogether - they learn to navigate it because they don't allow it to lull them into repose and stupor. They remain attentive to the sounds of the journey, for the subtle changes only catch a listening ear - they alert them to course corrections long before they become "necessary". They enjoy the journey not because it is without challenges, but because each challenge reveals a new opportunity to embrace life and learn what is revealed in the moment. There are those who regard discipline as "control" - either that which you exert in the moment, or that which is imposed upon you at the time. Did you know the word "discipline" can be translated "education". To learn is to live a disciplined life - a "discipled" life. The followers of Jesus were asked to do more than just "float the river" with him. They were asked to "learn of him" - to engage in life with him, actively participating in the journey. We learn the greatest lessons when we actually participate in them.

Disciples (disciplined individuals) actually exhibit two very important character traits: 1) development and 2) preparation. Preparation involves time - time spent "getting ready". A baby is in the womb for how many months? Nine, if they are full-term. What is happening during that time? The baby is developing - getting ready to be born. Born too early and it needs all manner of artificial support, because it wasn't intended to live outside the womb that early on its own. What happens to the parents during the time the baby is in the womb? They are preparing for that which is developing within! They are making adjustments to their lives in order to be ready for the new life about to become part of theirs for a long, long time. The room is set up, the seat is installed in the car which will ensure the baby is secure for whatever journey they will take together, and the clothes are amassed which will keep that infant warm as it slumbers through nap times galore. Sometimes they actually make life corrections, such as beginning to save money, knowing the time has come to change how much they spend on only themselves, as another is coming who will count on them to provide for their needs. They are learning - preparing and developing.

As we go through life, it isn't the challenge which actually prepares and develops us, but the one who walks us up to the challenge, then continues to walk with us throughout it! He prepares us in the quiet, lazy river moments, only if we are attentive to his lessons. He strengthens us and takes us into the "advanced lessons" of life in the rapids, but he never abandons us upon the waters - ever! Just sayin!

Applying what we know

If you stop learning, you will forget what you already know. (Proverbs 19:27)

It has been a good day whenever I learn something new. Ever had to learn a lesson you just didn't want to learn? I have - too many times to count! Those are the ones that are tough to learn, but necessary if we are to grow up into strong and "survivable" creatures. I had to learn to brush my teeth, or decay would ensue. I had to learn to tie my shoes because I would trip over the laces if untied. These were probably some of the easier lessons to learn in this life - the ones I can say I have mastered. Then there are the tougher ones - like learning to keep my mouth shut at times when less words are better than more, or how to navigate risky relationship paths that need to be traversed, but which are pocked with all kinds of landmines! You know those lessons I am referring to - for you have your own. In those moments, it would be easiest to just stop learning - to say the learning would be too hard. Yet, if we want to grow up into strong and "survivable" creatures, we need to learn even the tough ones!

The hardest part of learning is being teachable. The idea of being teachable implies we are willing to be exposed to risk. It is indeed risky business to put ourselves out there - to be in the places of uncertainty where we see our abilities put to the test. I used to dread it when a teacher would call on me for an answer. Why? It was putting me in out there - I was required to show how well I had been listening and it often revealed my ability to "learn" the stuff they had taught! This was easy when it came to the things I actually enjoyed learning, but for the harder stuff - it wasn't so fun. Learning comes by study, instruction, and experience. Study is when we spend time getting into the facts about something we are interested in learning. Instruction is more of the example by which we learn - we see something modeled and then we try to replicate what we have seen. Experience is when we actually take the parts we study and the stuff we have seen modeled and put them together into the practical expression of that "skill".

To be truly teachable, one has to be willing to incorporate all three parts of learning into their day. Leaving out any of these parts is going to "skew" what it is we will learn. If we don't study, we won't have all the facts we need to make good decisions as to how to act, where or when to take action, or even when it is best to just wait a little to observe the outcome. When I was taking chemistry classes, I learned about acids and bases. One is quite "benign", and the other is quite "harsh". Acids can cause a huge reaction when mixed with things which "interact" with the "harshness" of this product. Although bases seem quite benign, they have a way of interacting with other "harsher" products - bringing "balance" to the equation. Too much of one or the other can actually result in something quite unpleasant. I remember stinking up the science lab with something akin to the smell of rotten eggs with a particular sulfur reaction!

If we don't ever have the chance to see the object of our learning modeled, it might be harder to grasp it. This is probably why cookbooks and cooking websites are filled with all those delightful photos of how the meal should look when you have it all done. Learning to have the meat, potatoes, and veggies all finish at the same time is quite a different matter, though! One must apply some of the knowledge they have learned by both "modeled" behavior/actions and what they find in the books (studied learning). This is why the recipe will give us those instructions on how long something takes to reach the desired level of perfection, not just the instructions on how to bread it, fry it, and serve it. The instructions have been provided so we can model the same "perfection" as they produced in the photograph!

When we take our studies and combine them with modeled behavior or actions, we have a better chance of actually producing "similar" outcomes. Here is the word of warning - we might just not produce the "exact" same outcomes - it might only be similar. Until we repeatedly produce the same reliable outcome each and every time, we cannot say we have gone to the level of being experienced with the learning. Experience is the level where we finish what we start and do so with pretty reliable consistency. Most of life is about learning the lessons - we just have to combine the skills of study, instruction, and experience. In time, we will master those things we are willing to apply ourselves to - we just have to be consistent in our application! Just sayin!

Prod me a little - it is okay!

The words of the wise prod us to live well. They’re like nails hammered home, holding life together. They are given by God, the one Shepherd. (Ecclesiastes 12:11)

A water pitcher has a spout that is designed to pour out the contents it holds in a "funnel-like" stream that hits the spot we aim the spout toward (hopefully a glass or container). Someone you know pours into your life - who 'hits the spot' almost all the time for you? Go ahead - really think about those in your circle who actually "pour into" your life and 'hit the spot'. You are likely to discover there are a lot more who have the "spout" turned toward them - not you! They take from you, expecting you to pour into their lives, without any thought of ever pouring into yours. If you are as fortunate as I have been, there is always some individual who seems to be able to pour into my life just when I need it. I have often shared with you some things a friend said that sparked some introspection on my part. Without even knowing, the friend "poured into" my life - words of life, words of conviction, and even words of hope. The faithfulness of my friend's "pouring out" is a continual blessing to me. What do the words of a faithful friend do in our lives? They "prod" us to live well, hold life together, and are really words from God, just spoken with a human voice.

When something is "prodded", it is being "awakened" or "aroused" to do something. As a kid, I used to travel through the desert surrounding my home, looking for holes and burrows. It was my greatest joy to "prod" by putting something within those holes and find there was actually life in them! I was overjoyed to see a small critter scamper out and look at me with their big eyes, wondering who had just awakened them from their slumber, pulling them from their cool place. Sometimes we need a little "prodding" to get out of some spiritual, emotional, or physical "slumber". It is often the faithfulness of a friend's words, sometimes encouraging, other times a little convicting, that causes us to arouse from our place of complacency. Nails hammered home - the work of the carpenter. The purpose of the nail is to "hold something together". It is a fastener, is it not? The words of a wise friend actually may be a little "sharp" at times, huh? Just like the nail has a sharp point, a friend's words may seem a little sharp at times. Ever try driving a dull nail into wood? It just doesn't cut a path to its destination all that well! The dullness of the nail cannot drive past the resistance of the wood. No matter how much "hammering" is done, the nail just cannot get past the point of resistance. Just as there is a purpose in the nail having two sides - pointed and flat - the words of a wise friend have two sides. One side cuts through the resistance of our selfish pride and the other is available to be continually "tapped" by the Master Carpenter (Jesus)!

Nails hold things together - an apt illustration of the wisdom of a friend, spoken into our lives at the right moment. When we waiver, drift off-course, or are just in a slump better known as a "pity party", the words of a faithful friend can actually "bring together" the pieces of our life in an ordered fashion. They not only "pull together" the individual pieces, but they "hold" them together. If you have ever made anything with wood, you will realize the importance of this concept. You cannot just put this end of wood to the next, nail them together and expect them to hold up under the pressures exerted upon them! There is some sense of order in bringing the pieces together and "where" the nails are driven. A faithful friend actually sees the order in which the pieces are fit together and is able to know exactly "where" and "when" the wood is readied for the nail to be driven. When driven home, the "firmness" produced is awesomely strong! A faithful friend - who can find one?

In looking for a faithful friend, do you scout for a person who is willing to be the "nail-driver" God calls them to be? My friend often sees my blog and says, "I provided another object lesson for you". The words sparked a little thought on my part, because she was faithful to speak those words, and the Lord did the rest. When you are surrounded by the wise, the pieces come together in your life. When fools speak into your life, the pieces just make a mighty mess of a woodpile! Woodpiles are only good for gathering creepy-crawly creatures like spiders, ants, and termites. All are pretty messy and destructive. The spiders spin their webs to catch the unsuspecting. The ants invade like an army, so small so as to go undetected until their numbers amass to insurmountable amounts! The termites just eat away, undermining the integrity of the structure. I don't know about you, but I want the "wood" of my life to be put together well, free of any invading forces, trap-setting, or crippling influences. Just sayin!

The truth about my pride

Some of us are asked to do things we aren't all that willing to do - especially when we consider the price of what is asked of us. Some will say the price they are asked to pay doesn't equal the reward they will receive from whatever it is they are asked to do. Perhaps someone riddled with cancer asks you to go with them to the doctor for their next update - while inside you are secretly dreading the long waits that cut into your day's plans and the fact you are surrounded by sick people with waning hope that just act to make you a little more than depressed. Maybe you have been asked to give of your time to a ministry at the local church or been 'volun-told' you will be the rep at a local event sponsored by your employer - all the while wondering just how much this is going to "cut into" your "free time". Regardless of what you are asked, you probably occasionally struggle a little with the "price" associated with it, huh? We all struggle when it comes to the price we pay - it is only natural. What we fail to recognize is Christ wants us to move from responding in the natural and beginning to respond in the spiritual - especially when it comes to the 'cost'!

"If you want to give it all you've got," Jesus replied, "go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me." That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crest-fallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn't bear to let go. (Matthew 19:21-22)

This rich young ruler was having a hard time with Jesus' response. He had the desire to follow Christ, but the "price" was just too high for him. He left "crest-fallen" because he was "holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn't bear to let go." You know, we hold onto a whole lot of stuff - not just the physical stuff, but even the emotional and imagined stuff. Stuff we hold onto tightly becomes the very thing we will consider to be too great a price to pay. Dad helped me secure the best deal on my first 'brand new' car at a local dealership many years ago - then he watched me drive home, following carefully behind while I got used to my shiny new blue Ford Escort. I had never owned a truly new car so this was a big step for me - both in cost and in responsibility. I was probably close to 30 or a little older at the time. I was so delighted with the reliability of my new transportation, having had cars that I regularly had to replace parts on (many times with my own two hands and lots of 'labors of love').

Then came the fateful day when my new car got its first "boo-boo". I took it to one of those oil change places where they do the oil then check every fluid and level known to man. As I drove home, I did not notice anything wrong, but when I got out of the car and walked into the house, I was stopped in my tracks. There on the front left fender was a huge drip pattern where the paint had begun to come off (well, actually it was the top shiny coat). I immediately panicked and began to wipe furiously with a soft cloth. What I came to realize was no amount of rubbing was going to change the fact the brake fluid carelessly dripped there had eaten through the paint. I spent some hard earned money on some various types of polishing creams and waxes, and in time, it was "almost" perfect - but I knew it was still flawed. Now, I tell this story about myself because I want you to know my response. I was "crest-fallen" - my "possession" was now less than perfect. I remember even asking God how HE could have let this happen! A dangerous thing to ask unless you really want the answer!!! In a matter of a few days, he eventually opened my eyes to the fact I was more "proud" of the car than I was in giving him the glory for providing the job that provided the very finances to actually buy it! In fact, I was so focused on showing off the car - with an attitude of extreme pride - I forgot totally to give any honor to him for the job he had miraculously provided which not only provided well for my household as a single mother of two, but allowed such "extravagances".

Often, we know we have a little bit of a wrong focus based on our response to an event that affects the objects of our affection. If our focus is on the object first, what has happened to it and how this affects US, we might just have a little bit of a wrong focus toward the object or ourselves. Often, we hear the last thing we expect to hear - "Ummm....I think your eyes may have been a little more focused on that object than on me." These words are Christ's - deeply affecting our world when they are spoken into our hearts. The object of our affection is also the object of our attention. We stand there dispirited, discouraged, and often depressed. Why? Simply because we realize we are not in the place we want to be as it comes to our relationship with Christ. As I looked at the car fender that day, my eyes began to open to the truth of my pride - a constant companion with me in this journey we call life. If I got less than an "A" on a paper in school, I struggled with my response to it - pride. If I found myself unable to keep up with the demands of a job which could require 12-14 hour days from me AND raising two children on my own, I got down on myself - pride. If my spiritual life was not where I wanted it to be, I bought more books, read more of the Word and prayed harder, but still did not grow much - pride. Now, who would have thought one event could have opened the door to so many issues? When God begins to speak, he rarely stops until it is ALL said!

In short order, God began to bring balance into my life. All through the tiny streaks created by an "corrosive" fluid on the fender of my car. I wonder if God intended something "corrosive" to be the very thing that began to "eat away" at my overwhelming pride? Maybe! You never know the lesson God will use - you just need to be open to the possibilities! I am not saying the battle is won, but today failure is an opportunity for me to learn, not a tragedy to be avoided. Life balance involves time for God (first thing each morning), time for family, and time for others. Work is a means to "finance" my life's enjoyments - ministry, family fun, and even a new video game once in a while! We never know what life-lesson is being taught - but if we are open, he will teach us. Rather than turning away crest-fallen, we will be transformed by his Spirit within us. We just need to be open. Just sayin...

Let's stop, shall we?

I saw this little "hit like if you agree" post on Facebook the other day.  It wasn't credited to anyone, so I don't know who to give credit to, but here is what it said:

5 Things We All Need to Quit Right Now - 

1. Trying to please everyone

2. Fearing change

3. Living the past

4. Putting yourself down

5. Overthinking

Now, this isn't bad advice at all, but for most of those who read the list, we will willingly type "yes" or hit the "share" button, but really stopping those things once and for all in our lives is another matter!  To break this down a little, I would like to give us a scriptural perspective on each one of these - 

1. Trying to please everyone:  Do you think I care about the approval of men or about the approval of God? Do you think I am on a mission to please people? If I am still spinning my wheels trying to please men, then there is no way I can be a servant of the Anointed One, the Liberating King. (Galatians 1:10 VOICE)  We spend way too much time trying to please everyone and probably a whole lot less time trying to please God.  Somehow we have equated "being all things to all men" as though it meant we had to bend over backwards to accommodate their every whim, agree with all their plans, and allow all their nuances without any regard to how those things line up with what God desires for his servants!  The truth of the matter is that God asks us to allow the fruit of the Spirit to begin to transform our lives, allowing the production of unconditional love, joy, peace, patience, kindheartedness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control to permeate every relationship (Galatians 5:22-23).  It isn't that we "unconditionally" accept or agree with each other - it is that we allow unconditional love to be revealed in our actions toward those we disagree with!

2 & 3. Fearing change - Living the past:   Do not allow this world to mold you in its own image. Instead, be transformed from the inside out by renewing your mind. As a result, you will be able to discern what God wills and whatever God finds good, pleasing, and complete. (Romans 12:2 VOICE)  Change is just going to happen - fearing it will paralyze us and keep us fixed in the past.  We are "molded" by what we fix our attention or focus upon - be it something in front of us, or that which nips at our heals demanding our constant refocus on the past.  Change which is not "dreadful", but may be a little uncomfortable, is that which comes from the inside out.  Scripture doesn't promise change will be easy or even that it will always come out the way we want it - but it does promise that when we embrace the change God brings, we begin to discern God's will and the things he sees as good, pleasing, and which actually work toward something we all long for - to be "complete" in life.

4. Putting yourself down:  Because of the grace allotted to me, I can respectfully tell you not to think of yourselves as being more important than you are; devote your minds to sound judgment since God has assigned to each of us a measure of faith.  (Romans 12:3 VOICE) While scripture does tell us not to think of ourselves as being more important than we are, it might just do us well to realize just who it is we are.  As a child of God, adopted into his family, given his seal of adoption through his Spirit, we are his forever.  That makes us pretty special, but it doesn't mean we become puffed up and arrogant about it, either.  On the other hand, what allows this adoption isn't any action on our part - but rather that of grace being "allotted" to each of us.  Each of us is uniquely created by the hand of God, in the image of God.  I wouldn't put God down, so to put what he has created down is just to say to him that his creative ability is kind of flawed!

5. Overthinking:   Don’t be anxious about things; instead, pray. Pray about everything. He longs to hear your requests, so talk to God about your needs and be thankful for what has come.  And know that the peace of God (a peace that is beyond any and all of our human understanding) will stand watch over your hearts and minds in Jesus, the Anointed One. (Philippians 4:6-7 VOICE)  When we overthink things, we usually get into that mode in life where we are so anxious about it that we don't take the steps we need to take.  Overthinking is really a sign of misplaced trust - either because we are trusting ourselves too much, or we have placed our trust in another flawed human being who cannot be any better at being faithful than we are!  When we struggle with overthinking, the best antidote is to stop, listen to our thoughts, then promptly turn those thoughts over to God. It isn't easy, because our brains want to re-churn that butter a million times.  Guess what? Butter doesn't become any more "butter" than when it was first churned!  We need someone to give us the right perspective - and that comes as we turn what we have churned over to God!  Just sayin!

Learning vs. being taught

It was Winston Churchill who once said, "I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught." Boy, isn't that the truth! I like learning new things, but there are a whole lot more times I resist being taught more than I'd like to admit! Life is full of teachable moments, but not all of us are great at actually engaging with the moments. According to scripture, a good student is one who "closely observes" and then "follows instructions".  A good student will not only follow instructions, but he will observe so as to emulate or "reproduce" the behavior / actions of the one he is observing. I like watching those cooking shows on TV, but do you know how many of those recipes I actually make?  Zero!  I don't even come close!  What they do provide for me is a seed thought of how I might make or use something differently than I had in the past.  Oftentimes, this is a means of learning we may not really count on happening - reserving something we have seen, heard, or experienced for use at a later time in life, but not always in exactly the same way we observed it.

You have been a good student. You have closely observed how I have lived. You’ve followed my instructions, my habits, my purpose, my faith, my patience. You’ve watched how I love and have seen how I endure.  ...So surely you ought to stick to what you know is certain. All you have learned comes from people you know and trust because since childhood you have known the holy Scriptures, which enable you to be wise and lead to salvation through faith in Jesus the Anointed.  All of Scripture is God-breathed; in its inspired voice, we hear useful teaching, rebuke, correction, instruction, and training for a life that is right so that God’s people may be up to the task ahead and have all they need to accomplish every good work.  (2 Timothy 3:10, 14-17 VOICE)

Observation involves our senses.  It stands to reason much of what we learn is taken in through one or more of our senses (sight, touch, smell, etc.).  It also stands to reason we can observe and not have touched, heard and not have seen, etc. Not every sense will be involved as we learn, but science has shown that the more of our senses which are engaged in the learning, the more we usually learn.  I'd like to go one step further with that and say the more of our emotion which engages in the learning, the more we might actually engage with being taught.  As we consider that one, we can probably see the emotion doesn't have to particularly be a good one in order for us to be taught.  Getting our feelings hurt and being left with "raw" emotions abraded by the circumstances we have come through will help us to learn a lesson we may not want to repeat in the future, right?

It also stands to reason we learn some of our deepest and most meaningful lessons in life from those we know and trust.  I hesitated for a long time in asking for advice on how to actually make my investments begin to perform so I would have a little put away for my retirement.  I had to ferret out who I could trust with my financial naivete.  It wasn't easy to know who to listen to, or what patterns of investing to follow because there was a lot of "advice", but very few who actually were accomplishing all they set out to do.  When I finally found someone to advise me, I began to realize I could do things in ways which would position me for a better return on my money, but keep me relatively safe in terms of protecting those investments, as well.  Trust is a big factor in learning - for no one is open to being taught when the one teaching under-performs, over-promises, etc.  

All we learn in life, all those moments we spend being taught, all add up to one end goal - that we will be up to the tasks ahead of us and accomplish what we set out to accomplish. There is no purpose in learning, in subjecting oneself to being taught, if there is no real "goal" in mind.  At first, while being taught some of the lessons I have learned in life, I didn't really know what the "goal" may have been, but as I began to settle in to learn those lessons, I began to see the evolving purpose or goal.  When I set out to lose weight, I might set a goal, but in the end it isn't the number of pounds I lose, it is how I feel when I do.  I know my "healthy weight" and when I achieve that, it produces within in me an ease of movement, reduced pain in my joints, easier breathing as I move, etc. The goal has other ways of affecting my life, not just that those pants in the back of the closet fit again!  Those other "realized goals" may not have been the ones I set when I determined to lose the weight, but they are accomplished as a result of taking the steps toward the goal of losing XX pounds.  Often the things we "realize" in learning one lesson in life provide ample opportunity for us to see how that lesson begins to help us in so many other ways.

As Churchill said, we can set out to learn, but if we aren't really ready to be taught, all the "learning" isn't going to happen as it should.  This is probably why we see "lessons" being "recycled" in our lives - we just weren't quite ready to be taught when the lesson was there for our learning.  Just sayin!

A little lesson from the ants

Okay, today's lesson may seem a little bit like a biology lesson, or a study into insects, but bear with me as we take this journey.  Ants are social creatures - living in colonies and not out there all alone.  In this respect, they are kind of like us humans - doing much better in a "colony" of sorts than trying to make it through this life all alone.  I marvel at how these tiny creatures figured this out when they only have about 250,000 brain cells and we humans cannot figure this out with our greater than 10,000,000 brain cells!  Deep within the colonies of ants, the worker ants spend all day moving the unborn larvae closer to the surface so they can get the heat of the day, but then faithfully move those same larvae deeper into the nest so they can be warmer.  It is a repeated process until the tiny larvae hatch.  Other ants will work all day gathering food for the colony - carrying weights twenty times their own body weight back to the colony to ensure the colony thrives.  Still others will carry in tiny bits of leaves, providing small pieces of "barricade" material to ensure the tunnels of the nests can be protected against water in times of rain. Another group of ants work for move the chunks of soil to the surface, creating new tunnels in which food may be stored, larvae laid, and the like.  There is this sense of duty to look out for the colony - to do their part to create the right environment to ensure the colony survives.

You lazy people can learn by watching an anthill. Ants don’t have leaders, but they store up food during harvest season. How long will you lie there doing nothing at all? When are you going to get up and stop sleeping? Sleep a little. Doze a little. Fold your hands and twiddle your thumbs. Suddenly, everything is gone, as though it had been taken by an armed robber. (Proverbs 6:6-11 CEV)

We often know we have a "part" to play in the bigger "picture" of life, but we are often quite confused as to what that part may be.  If we were honest about this, we probably know, but we just don't fully embrace it.  Most of the time, the "part" we are called to play is not outside of what we are most comfortable doing.  In other words, we "fall into" our "duties" in life because of a certain comfort level, or "aptitude".  

Did you know that ants have five eyes? Yet, in spite of their "capacity" for vision, they see very poorly!  Two big eyes, known as compound eyes, help them see motion around them. Three smaller eyes, known as ocelli, actually help the tiny ant sense light intensity.  They detect motion and "feel" or "sense" light.  Five eyes - the capacity for vision - but the vast majority of ants are either using them for "motion sensors", "heat detectors", or they are totally blind!  

We humans have been the capacity for "sight" in many different ways, haven't we?  We can take in information, form a "picture" of it in our brains and then interpret we are looking at a red rose.  We can see light, apprehend darkness, and points in between.  Yet, I have to ask - is our vision any better than the ants?  Do we use what we can appreciate through out "sight"?  Even these tiny ants know their part to play in the colony - despite their limited vision.  They use what they know and rely on it being the right thing for them to be doing.  Sometimes I think we just need to use what we know to be true about our "aptitude" in life, not being so confused by all we "see"!

The ants are probably one of the oldest living creatures - making scientists think they are pretty well "adapted" for their environment.  I wonder how well adapted some of us are? Do we fulfill our calling where we find ourselves today?  Or are we always looking for another colony in which we may realize our "true calling" in life?  If we were to be truthful with each other, we "know" our calling, but we just don't think we are in the right place to actually do what it is we are called to do, or we are too intimidated by others doing the same task!  We need to be about the work we are created to do - not always looking for another place to do it!

Ants have two stomachs - one for the food they will ingest for themselves, and one for the feeding of other ants.  They even have a smaller pocket in their mouth where they can store additional food for other ants.  If we stop for a moment to consider this phenomena, we might just see how it can apply to how we fulfill our mission in our "colony" of sorts.  The food stored in the tiny pocket in the mouth is immediately available to provide for the one who is hungry and in need of nourishment to keep going.  The food in the second stomach is there to bring out at a later time.  Kind of like when we store up truths we are taught, keeping God's Word at the ready in times of immediate need and then having it hidden deeper within, to be called upon whenever and wherever it is needed!

Consider the ants and you might find a lesson or two you can take to heart.  One more before I go today - the worker ant and the trail he leaves for those who will come behind. The worker ant sets out in search of food - leaving a trail of scent others may follow.  If he finds a good source for their food, he follows the trail back to the colony and sets other worker ants on the course of following the same trail back to the food source.  This becomes the "highway" by which they will travel over and over again, until all the colony benefits from the discovery of one ant's hard work.  I think our "colonies" may be made the richer if we were to lead others to the "food" of our hard study and lessons learned.  What do you think? Just askin!

Life-Lessons Galore

How many of us have a hard time saying "no" to ourselves?  It might present the opportunity in the department store when the latest fashions hit the rack, or perhaps when we see the advertisement on the television touting the next best invention to make life easier for all of mankind.  Maybe it presents itself when we open the pantry and fridge only to tell ourselves there is nothing "good" to eat in the house, launching us into our cars and on our way to the Dairy Queen.  Oh, don't get me wrong, the pantry and fridge weren't empty - they were stocked almost to overflowing - there was just not something which tickled our fancy at the moment.  I haven't driven a car in over two weeks due to my knee replacement - something I haven't had to "forsake" since I started driving in my teen years.  This makes fulfilling my every whim and fancy just a little more difficult right now!  It almost forces me to make better decisions - because even my grocery shopping has to be done by another!  It is hard to "predict" what I might fancy a day or two down the road and I don't want temptation in my way when I am trying to eat well.  So, I don't plan for the "binge" - I deal with it when it comes!  Maybe this is something I need to learn in all parts of my life - spiritual, emotional, physical, and intellectual - to "deal" with the desires as they come and not always provide an "out" for myself when I don't want to deal with the "denial" of a want.  Notice, I did not say I would deny my needs - just my wants.  There is a big difference - one is fueled by our love for all things God desires in our lives, the other by the lusts or desires of our flesh.

Oh, how I prospered! I left all my predecessors in Jerusalem far behind, left them behind in the dust. What’s more, I kept a clear head through it all. Everything I wanted I took—I never said no to myself. I gave in to every impulse, held back nothing. I sucked the marrow of pleasure out of every task—my reward to myself for a hard day’s work!  Then I took a good look at everything I’d done, looked at all the sweat and hard work. But when I looked, I saw nothing but smoke. Smoke and spitting into the wind. There was nothing to any of it. Nothing.  (Ecclesiastes 2:9-11 MSG)

Solomon, the son of King David, summarizes a litany of accomplishments he has undertaken as King of Israel.  In fact, he outlines things such as building grand houses, planting lush vineyards, surrounding himself with luxurious parks filled with all manner of trees and blooming plants.  His "grounds" are opulent and make more than a few people envious of his good fortune.  He has developed irrigation channels and water holding reservoirs so his fields, parks, and flowerbeds don't suffer in the dry seasons.  He bought slaves and watched as their families multiplied, providing him even more resources with which to continue his luxurious lifestyle.  Today, it would be likened to hiring all manner of servants - chauffeur, butler, maid, cook, housekeeper, groundskeeper, etc.  His herds and flocks were innumerable and yielded a multitude of offspring, ensuring his continued expansion of wealth and fame. Silver, gold, and all manner of booty were claimed in military battles until his warehouses were full to overflowing with his wealth and bounty.  He had entertainment any night of the week - right at his fingertips.  He even could court and entertain the most luscious of the kingdom's young women - all drawn to him, all available to do his beckoning. Yet, in all he had amassed, he was miserable - because he had never learned to say "no" to himself.  

Sometimes things come quite easily to us - without much effort.  At others, we have to strive and work and redo and replant.  In time, we might see a harvest which resembles something close to what it was we imagined.  We envy those who seem to get things given to them on a silver platter of sorts, whether it is in the way of what they own, or in the way of what they are able to grasp intellectually and explain with what appears to be the greatest of ease.  I wonder - do we really know what life is like behind the scenes for these individuals, though?  I did well in school - as I love to study.  I received good grades and enjoyed privileges to learn more as a result.  In fact, others noticed how well I did in school, and how well I seemed to grasp the facts I was taught.  I have even been told they envied me for how "easily" I "got" what the teacher was teaching.  I wish they could see me in the life-lessons I have had to learn at the feet of Jesus and the hand of the Holy Spirit.  They might just rethink this idea of me "learning easily"!  The life-lessons didn't come as easily as the book-learning!

In fact, the life-lessons had to be repeated on several occasions - simply because I didn't get the lesson the first time around.  The lesson may have taken on a slightly different form, but when I looked at the purpose behind it - it usually dealt with one or two of the main issues in my life which Jesus was dealing with me about.  Pride and fear were two biggies he has had to teach me many a lesson about - not learned easily in the first hundred or so rounds of life-lessons!  Yep, there have been that many rounds - I don't exaggerate! Life-lessons sometimes take us humans a little while to "get" - simply because they are aimed at the heart, the mind, and our will.  All three have to get into alignment with his teaching and this is where the "rub" occurs most of the time - either the heart is willing and the mind and will are not, or one of the other two are willing and the heart just isn't in it.  When God finally gets hold of all three at once, the light dawns and it is like the lesson I struggled to "get" finally takes hold.  

I don't think I am in this "life-lesson" roller-coaster ride alone, though.  I believe I have others alongside, ahead of me, and even behind.  All going through the ups and downs of learning what God wants.  In turn, we will eventually all "get" what God wants us to learn, but until then, we ride and hold on!  Solomon realized one thing - learning to say "no" to self is a hard thing, but until we do, no manner of accumulated wealth, fame, or fortune will substitute for the greatness of God's grace connecting heart, mind and will into one.  All we strive for outside of this connection is nothing but smoke. The only permanence which brings deep satisfaction is that found in the grace and mercy of Jesus connecting our heart, mind and will into one - surrendered to him, yielded to his leading, and sheltered in his protection.  Just sayin!

Remembering ALL the roads

Remember:  To think of again and again; to remain aware of; bringing what exists in the unconscious mind back into the conscious mind.  All of us remember things - some a little differently than others.  I remember my first "solo" bike ride - but mostly because I have scars to show for it!  I remember the birth of my two children, but not every excruciating moment!  I remember the meal we had for dinner last night - but it carries no significance to me. There are times when we remember stuff in a manner which really is a little "off" in the perspective of aligning with the actual way things "went down". We have "fabricated" our own "truth" in the memory.  If you have ever been on a mountain-top experience for a while, you likely have some pretty fond memories of those moments in time.  On the other hand, if you have also endured the dryness of the desert times, you might just have some pretty significant memories of those experiences which almost did you in.

Remember every road that God led you on for those forty years in the wilderness, pushing you to your limits, testing you so that he would know what you were made of, whether you would keep his commandments or not. He put you through hard times. He made you go hungry. Then he fed you with manna, something neither you nor your parents knew anything about, so you would learn that men and women don’t live by bread only; we live by every word that comes from God’s mouth. Your clothes didn’t wear out and your feet didn’t blister those forty years. You learned deep in your heart that God disciplines you in the same ways a father disciplines his child.  (Deuteronomy 8: 2-5 MSG)

Every road is the opportunity for a memory.  Every desert experience is a moment in time when God directed his attention toward something in us which needed to get exposed - some good, some not so much.  The mountain top experience doesn't quite have the same impact of "exposing" our hearts as the desert does.  In the dryness and barrenness of the desert, what we really have deep in our hearts just seems to get revealed.  Amazing how a little "frustration" in a good moment can turn into outright "anger" in the desert, huh?  The desert has a way of magnifying what is really buried deep within.  Maybe this is the purpose of the desert - so our hearts get some time to reveal their true selves!

Probably the most significant part of our memories is "what" we hold onto from these experiences.  The tidbits of truth, moments of hope, revealed truths - we don't hold onto the "entirety" of the desert experience in our memory, just the memorable moments.  Some in Christianity refer to these as those "teachable" moments.  Others call them their "AHA" moments. Whatever you may call them, they are the times when something of significant revelation occurred.  A part of you was revealed - God enlightened you to not only yourself, but to his grace to change that part into what he actually envisioned for us.  These are the moments we create "memory" about because they speak to us of the growth produced even in the barrenest places of our lives.

Most don't recall the tests of obedience - yet the desert is full of them.  In the midst of the desert, God is calling for some element of obedient response from us.  We usually hold onto the "results" of the steps of obedience, but forget the actual moments of distress which brought the revelation of where our obedience was being called for.  We don't think about "how" we got from step A to step B - we just know we got there!  I think God instructed Israel to remember ALL the roads they traveled in the desert because each had a significance in their overall growth.  I think this is why I enjoy keeping a journal of those important moments - capturing in word what God is speaking deep into my heart.  It gives me a way to recall his dealings.  It also gives me a way to gauge my reactions and actions to his call for obedience in my life!

In the midst of the a test, there is a whole lot of silence.  Why?  To give you time to process your thought - to bring into you conscious mind what has been stored away in your unconscious mind.  The desert provides silence.  You don't see or hear much, but you become very conscious of what is working in your mind!  I think this is important for us to recognize because we sometimes think God deserts us in the desert, but in truth, he just gives us time to realize what we already know!  The desert just brings it to the surface a little clearer!  

If you walk in the desert long enough, you begin to realize the fruitfulness you possess already!  The desert has a way of bringing out the fruit.  You might not think this possible because you only see the barrenness, sense the quietness, and resist the "heat" of the desert experience.  In the midst of the desert, God is showing us what matters - what we can hold onto.  So, rather than resist the "dryness", maybe it is time to allow it to bring out what we already know, but maybe haven't brought into the forefront of our memory in a while!  Just sayin!