Clarity

I am fascinated by the stars, especially this time of year.  The seasons are beginning to change and a crisp, coolness is in the breeze.  The air is welcomed by my lungs.  The night skies are cloudless and the moon shines bright.  If spring is to new beginnings then fall is to reflection.  And, gazing up to that sky, I am doing just that.

Earlier this year, after being unable to answer the question in the New Year’s message “What did you do with 2010,” I determined to climb out of the pity-hole I had dug for myself.   I wasn’t going to let life pass me by.  Shortly after, I found myself at a decision point in a series of circumstances I had labeled “From God” merely because they were what I wanted to do and I had justified it was all for a good purpose.  Yet, when it came to making the decision to move forward, I heard a distinct “No.”  Instead of following that instruction, I pushed the mute button and talked over it, rationalizing how it was good for me to do and also good for God, claiming that obviously all of the events leading to it weren’t just strange coincidences.  I enjoyed what I would be saying yes to do, I would be serving, and I would be getting involved in a group with others--the reasons I told myself yes were as good as they were limitless.

As I went forward with my decision, I faced tough consequences.  I found myself in situations I hadn’t encountered in years.  When put to the test repeatedly, repeatedly I failed.  When I had the chance to show strength, my witness was weak.  I desperately wanted the friends and family feeling I had been coveting, but even while in their presence, still I felt like an outsider.  Though I tried so badly outwardly to fit in, I was still inwardly different.  Labeled as quiet, I would watch and listen, seeing what I thought I needed to be but knowing that it didn’t match who I was or what God had brought me up to be.  I shed tears.  I had my heart crushed…But, God.

Back to present, staring in this starry expanse, I see His glory.  I see the face in the moon, understanding and not critical, and I hear the words “All this I tried to keep from you.”  And letting the night breeze blow across my face, I have clarity.  How one simple “Yes” took my life down a series of steps I wasn’t supposed to have taken--pain that could have been avoided, character that could have remained in-tact.  Where I had seen only one small choice, a Yes or No to one simple thing, He had seen the downward spiral that would eventually unwind.  Yet, right here standing in His majesty, I smile, realizing He also knew I would come now to this very moment, closer to Him than ever before.   

True to His Word, He works all things out for the good of those whom believe in Him.  Although disobedient, He took that Yes that should have been a No and my subsequent repentance and has put me back on His path.  Through this experience, I was able to get to know more of those whom I was serving and have since filled other needed roles.  He has placed me in positions where I can be true to myself and not compromising.  Faces now have names.  I am greeted with hugs.  I now have younger brothers and sisters, mothers, fathers, and friends.  I laugh with them.  I talk serious with them.  I teach.  I learn.  I grow.  And with God, I go on.  I’m back to where I started six months ago, but further down the road, equipped with yet another testament to His unlimited supply of grace and mercy which He continues to pour out on a wretch like me.  I once was blind, but now I see.

Make 'Em Want It

An astute business leader commented to me not long ago that it was his mission to find what each of his laborers had studied and to put this knowledge to good use in the workplace.  The math major would assist with bookkeeping, naturally, an English major would assist with editing publications, and I, as a marketing major, would assist with creating ideas to publicize and popularize our ventures.  

Though he admitted he didn’t study marketing and didn’t know its fundamentals, to his credit, he nailed the basic principle when he said “Find a way to make this thing exciting to people.  Make 'em want it!”  Isn’t that it?  Isn’t that what marketers do – take what they have and make it exciting?  Don’t they make the product or service look like something that someone can’t live one more day without?  It’s the buzz, the excitement, the passion.  “I want that!  I need to have that!”  It’s the energy, the flair, the authenticity.  We can tell when we’re being sold, when the message isn’t genuine. Surely, no one will ever buy a product with a tagline “Try this and you’ll definitely be disappointed.”  Doubtfully would one buy from someone whose expression is more of woe than the “Whoa!” they proclaim.

Yet, sometimes, is this not how the world may see some Christians today?  We talk of this salvation we have, this hope in us, our church, our songs, and on and on.  But what do they see along with that?  Is there a genuine passion behind the message or just some sales pitch?  Do we sing “How great is our God,” yet walk around deflated and defeated?  Do our expressions speak woe is me at the same time our mouths say “Jesus loves me?”  How are we marketing Christ to others?  Do we endure situations in a manner that people take notice?   Do they see our joy and our peace even in the midst of chaos and go “I want that?”  This is the one thing they can’t live one more day without and today might be the only day.  Fortunately, supplies aren’t limited and the phone lines are never busy.  

Would you buy what you’ve been selling these days?

mp3 players

Forgive me, as I’m not very technologically inclined.  I was recently given what appears to be a flash drive/memory stick and also advised that it holds a large amount of mp3 files and some of us “lucky” ones would have some music already loaded onto ours in addition to the documents we needed to execute our work tasks.  After arriving home, I went to retrieve a few of the documents and found that indeed some songs were already on my device.  “It’s nice to get something for free,” I thought.  But, as I looked at the titles and knew the songs’ lyrics and subject matter, I realized, even though free, this wasn’t my type of music.

While I could just leave the files on the device and not listen to them, this device is still mine.  It’s most likely that no one else will ever see that these files exist; however, I do not want them representing me.  Should someone come across them, they will see a contradiction between who I say I am and what my actions say.  They will not know I didn’t download these files and don’t listen to them.  They will see them and form an inaccurate opinion of me.  Additionally, if I erase these files, I will have extra space to add more of the good songs I do enjoy.

It is the same way with us as Christians in today’s world.  We are Christ’s mp3 players.   While the world freely offers us its garbage, we don't need to take it.  We belong to the Lord and are representing Him in what we say and do everyday.  People are always listening and always watching.  Those who don't know Him look to us to form their opinions of Him.  As Christians, when our words and actions don’t match the Word, we sing an inaccurate tune about God.  Therefore, the Lord works in us to erase the crude, rude, and dirty things about us.  Even those things that we think will remain hidden He will uncover to make us more like Him so that nothing corrupts His image.  And, as He deletes the junk, He will replace it with treasure.  

What song are your words and actions singing today?

Sign on the Line

Sign on the line and it is official – that shiny new car is yours.  You have never driven home so cautiously before.  For at least the first month, you park in the back of the lot at the store to avoid the chance of any door dings.  Before getting in each time, you spot-check all areas for any scratches and spit-shine even the tiniest specks of dirt.  You are sure to wipe any and all dust off of your feet before getting in.  But why?

Anything we pay a high price for, we value.  We want to take care of that item and keep it like new, the best it can be.  We avoid places where its beauty may be compromised, instead, placing it where it has better chances of maintaining its integrity.  With great concern, we keep it in close sight to make sure nothing bad happens to it.  We can’t keep ourselves from looking at it or thinking about it.

So, if we treat material items in this way, why do we not expect Jesus to be the same with our lives?  Why do we fight obedience to Him and insist on doing things our way?  Instead, we should realize that since He paid such a high cost for us, He values us enough to want to keep us shiny and new, too.  His plans for us keep us from being compromised by the dangers and consequences of sin.  Though, inevitably, our roadmap will take us down a few dirt roads, the inside of us will remain clean if we submit ourselves to the Lord’s plans. 

When we remember the high cost paid for us, we will understand that the Lord wants nothing less than the best for our lives.  We will see His concern is great for us and that He never stops thinking about us.  His name is signed on the line where He bought us in the eyes of the Father with His life.  Have you been living with His name on your title? 

Recalculating

You see the green path on the screen.  Continue straight for five miles.  You know the voice, “In one mile, take exit on left.”  Then it happens.  You get distracted.  A child cries from the backseat.  A phone call.  A billboard.  Loss of satellite connection.  And then you hear it, that dreaded word.  “Recalculating.”

Occasionally, like the child in the back seat, our daily life distracts us from going where we should.  Other times, our lives are interrupted unexpectedly like the incoming phone call.  Or, at times, we are distracted by temptations when the billboard catches our eye.  Sometimes, like the loss of satellite, our cause of distraction is due to a lack of connection to the Direction Giver.  But, there is always that word to return us to our course.  “Recalculating.”

In the moment, it is east to get frustrated.  “Great!” we exclaim, realizing we have missed our exit.  “Now what can be done?”  We get upset with ourselves for being distracted enough to miss the turn.  We blame ourselves, because whatever the reason, we should have stayed on course, but we didn’t.  We now feel guilt because of lost time and wonder if we have missed the opportunity to get to our destination.

For God’s children, all things work out for good for those who believe.  No exit we miss for any reason will keep us from the destination He has for us if we get back on His track.  Sometimes we have to make a U-Turn and go back before continuing on.  Other times, we can take the next exit and return to the path.  If we keep listening to that voice, we will get to hear “Arriving at destination ahead.”  One warning: we must make sure we have programmed in the right address, for once we have arrived, there will be no more chances for “recalculating.”  Set your GPS wisely.

We Need Rain

“We need rain.” 

Living in Florida, I have heard this phrase often lately.  We look around and see the consequences of the drought - yellowing lawns and patches of dirt and sand where grass used to abound.  How ironic as humans, recognizing that for nature’s beauty to blossom, we proclaim “We need rain,” yet in our lives, we curse when the dark clouds roll in.

During the storms of life, it is our nature to focus on the heavy downpours and the darkness, the whipping winds and the booms of thunder.  In darkness, the greening of the grass cannot be seen.  But what if we shifted our focus to see the Sonlight in the midst of the storms?  What if we challenged ourselves to see that without the rain, we would suffer a drought in our walks with the Lord?  Imagine if we could change our minds to see ourselves as dry and famished like the blades of grass, starving for the nutrition only the rain can provide us to develop our beauty.  Would we weather storms differently then?

Like the blades of grass, instead of shrinking in the rain or seeking cover, we need to open ourselves up to embrace it and soak it in.  We should see the rain as our sustenance – a necessity for us to be what we were created to be.  Without the rain, we would not grow. The rain is our opportunity to absorb His love and concern for us, be strengthened and encouraged, and blossom. It develops our character, our beauty, and our dependence upon the Lord for life. 

“We need rain.”

A Delightful Jog in the Woods

I enjoy walking on trails through the woods and often substitute this for the normal gym routine.  Though I’ve never been much of a runner - ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you I don’t run unless chased – I have recently found myself beginning to jog intermittently.  Until a recent run in the woods, I always thought I was just getting an exercise physically. I didn’t know that I was going to receive something much more.

I started off walking, reflecting on the day.  Then I felt the urge to pick up the pace and began a light jog.  I recalled in my thoughts my previous experiences with running, always the last place finisher in school when we had track days to “run” a timed mile, perfectly fine checking in with a time of 15:14 as all of my peers sat in the cool grass waiting on me.  Maybe it was because they were watching and I didn’t want to huff and puff and get red-faced when it seemed so easy to them.  Maybe it was the pressure on my heart that got to be too much after the first minute that walking seemed to be the easier choice.  Maybe it was the heaviness as I focused on each individual step forward.  Whatever it was, I never continued to press through and always took the more comfortable route.

As my breathing picked up and my heart began to race, I was tempted to go back to walking.  But, I felt this encouragement within me to focus on a large tree in the distance just before the trail bent off to the left.  By focusing on the tree, I couldn’t focus on myself – the heavy feeling around my heart, my rapid breathing – I just saw the tree getting closer.  While I knew the trail didn’t stop at the tree and there was more in the future I couldn’t see, all I needed to do to keep going was focus on the tree - not the present trial and not what lied ahead of it.

In that moment, I realized, amidst my physical exercise, I was receiving a spiritual workout as well.  In life, we can take the easy route and walk through.  We can look at our peers and wonder why things happen for them that don’t happen for us.  We could be discouraged along the way and let the pressures of life keep us from our full potential.  We could be focused solely on ourselves and our misery and each painstaking step.  Or, we can focus on the Tree.  We could realize that our paths aren’t meant to be the same as those of our peers, but as long we stay on course with the Tree, we’re right where we need to be.  Instead of discouragement, the Tree helps us conquer things we never thought possible, challenging us to be better, to keep going, to never give up.  Focus on ourselves – the present is filled with strife, worry about the future.  Focus on the Tree – the present is actually enjoyable and the future will come naturally. 

Staying focused on the Tree is the key to enjoying everyday life.  It’s impossible to compare ourselves to others, complain how bad life hurts at times, and say it is too hard to go on and enjoy life at the same time.  But, if we stay focused on the Tree, life can be a delightful jog in the woods.  Never a runner before, I am now focused and ready to run the race He has set before me.  Care to join me?  It’s never too late to start!