To Decide is to Commit to What is Important

"...Ask for ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it: and you will find rest for your souls."

Jeremiah 6:16

Four-thirty in the morning comes early, but I have made up my mind the night before that this day is our cycling day. My husband and I rise early four out the five weekdays to get our exercise in before we leave for work. We are on the road by five with headlights streaming through the dark, early morning hours. It is a commitment we make and keep because we have decided this is what we are going to do. Yes, some mornings I feel groggier than others, and some mornings I am the one reminding my husband that what we decided the night before will be followed through in our moment of weakness. 

Why do we decide and commit? Because we both know that our aging bodies require movement to stay functional. Like most people, we want to take our lives into the longest distance possible and exercise is a tool toward achieving this goal. 

To decide and commit is to understand what is important. Once you understand what is important, following through with a decision to commit becomes easier. 

The ancient paths, as noted in Jeremiah, is a reference to the truths of God's ways. These truths have been tried and evidenced as true through the lives of those who have acted upon them in faith. History reveals blessings and rest to those faithful and obedient to His revelations. 

Like exercise, I too have decided that God's truths are important. And when I decide to commit to them, "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and selfcontrol" are the gifts I recieve and bestow onto others (Galatians 5:23-24).  

Today, decide what is important and commit. When you are weak, remind yourself of the blessings and rest in following through. 

When you make up your mind, following through becomes a matter of remembering what you have decided. 

The River of Kindness

"Where the river flows, everything will live."

Ezekiel 47:9

The gentle flow of a river has always captured my attention. I am awed by its beauty, fearful of its power, and thankful for the many ways a river nourishes and replenishes the earth. Rivers provide a source of food, electricity, transportation, and a venue for outdoor recreation. Historically, where the river flows, people live. 

Today, I experienced another type of life giving river, kindness. Not one to spend money on expensive drinks, I debated, prayed, yes prayed, and dialogued with myself as to whether or not buying a chai tea on my way to work was good stewardship of the provisions God had granted me. Finally, concluding that I could splurge today, I went to a popular coffee and tea shop to place my order at their drive through. I ordered and began to reach into my wallet to get the exact amount ready that was required. To my complete shock, the kind woman at the window smiled and explained that the man in front of me had paid for my order. Hard to convince, I required confirmation that I had heard correctly. Yes, my painfully debated drink had been paid for. 

Pulling away from the window, tears welled up in my eyes. God had reminded me of the life nourishing impact of kindness. My belief in the ability of mankind to be kind has recently been teetering from watching too many news reports of presidential hopefuls spewing venomous accusations at one another, pictures of cities protesting against perceived or actual injustices, and many other forms of anger displayed through mankind. My belief that kindness remained has been dangling.   

Research supports the impact that kindness has whether we are the receivers or givers; blood pressure is lowered, immune systems are strengthened, depression is lifted, and happiness is bolstered. I would like to offer some of my own, unresearched, thoughts about the power and impact of kindness:

1. Families are restored. 

2. Marriages are healed.

3. Poverty is reduced.

4. Hope is restored.

5. Purpose is discovered. 

My list could go on, but that would take away the time needed for you, the reader, to get up and write a letter, make a phone call, volunteer, or find another way to extend kindness. 

Where there is kindness, people will "live". 

The Power of "I Will"

"I will"

~Psalm 101~ NASB

This morning, my eyes popped open at 3:30 a.m. My attempt to reclaim the restorative benefits of sleep was in vain. So, I chose to rise and take advantage of two sleeping children, a snoring husband, and two still dogs. It is always to my advantage when my 155 pound Great Dane is still.

Rather than moan about the lack of sleep I felt, and think about how tired I would be throughout my day (this temptation crossed my mind several times), I decided to finish my laundry, clean up my e-mail account, and read Psalm 101. 

In the first three verses of this Psalm, the words "I will" is used five times. The psalmist continues with his theme for the remaining five verses. Personal integrity is his goal, and he set his life in this direction by declaring "I will." 

Through grit in my eyes, I was struck by the power of these two little words-I WILL. I wondered what would change in my life if I employed the same tactic and determination of the psalmist. 

Each day we are given a choice on what we will do with our time, circumstances, friendships, marriages, families, jobs, down time, money, our sadness, joys, sorrows, our health, illnesses and diseases, and most importantly we get to choose how we spend our lives. Knowing each decision leads to somewhere, perhaps it is time to choose with intention and power. 

Change does not happen because we desire, but rather it happens when we, like the Psalmist, declare "I will." The direction of your life will follow what you declare.

WAYS TO EMPLOY THE POWER OF "I WILL."

1. I will choose to not get lost in the details of my circumstances, but rather view them through a wide angle that displays purpose. Romans 8:28
2. I will choose to accept the hard assignments in life as my responsibility and steward over them with wisdom. James 1:2
3. I will choose to see God's goodness in the presence of pain. Psalm 100:5
4. I will do the next right thing. Galatians 6:9
5. I will be faithful to employ what I know and trust God for what I do not know. Deuteronomy 29:29
6. I will focus on what is true, pure, honorable and right. Philippians 4:8
7. I will love in the presence of hate. Galatians 6:7
8. I will offer grace and forgiveness. Matthew 6: 14-15
9. I will offer kindness and compassion. Ephesians 4:32
10. I will receive forgiveness. 1 John 1:9

What will be your next "I will"? Remember, what you declare will be where you take your next step.

Share with other readers what your next "I will" will be by posting a comment in the comment section. 

The Law of Attraction

As a man or woman thinks so is he or she. [Emphasis is mine]

~Proverbs  23:7~

The law of attraction is a belief that likes attract likes, and that our beliefs and actions are a result of our focus. In other words, you become your focus. 

A friend of mine shared a story from years past when her now grown daughter was then a young girl. Together, they had shared a canoe and began their adventure with my friend at the back of the canoe and her daughter in the front. With paddles in hand, they began to head toward a large boulder located near the side of the river bank. My friend, quick to realize the law of attraction, began to instruct her daughter to look at the center of the river. She understood that once her daughter began to look at the center of the river she would begin to paddle in that direction. Without fail, their canoe began to turn and they averted the boulder that could have overturned their canoe with them in it. 

Living with depression is like paddling down a river in a canoe. There are many boulders in the life of those living with depression. These boulders have names like: worthless, hopeless, useless, helpless, friendless, faulty, fearful, guilty, angry, and on and on. When one, or many of these boulders are hit, lives are overturned and often unable to return upright and function as intended. What the person living with depression needs to understand is that they need to change their focus and divert the hopelessness that these beliefs create. 

Living with depression means you must change your focus and begin "paddling" your "life canoe" in that direction. Your focus, or thinking, must change from worthless to "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14), from rejected to accepted (Psalm 27:10), and from hopeless to hopeful (Romans 5:1-5). You may not control the circumstance you are in, but you can control your thinking. It is work, but "in depression the new way of living is to believe and act on what God says rather than feel what God says." (Edward T. Welch in Depression: The Way Up When You Are Down)

Some ways to begin to paddle in a different direction and avert the black hole depression drowns you in are:

1. Replace the words of worthlessness with the words "I am fearfully and wonderfully made." 

2. Daily, write down 1 attribute you have that has value to you and those in your sphere of influence. 

3. Remind yourself daily that you are loved with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3.

4. Quit listening to yourself about what is broken, and speak to yourself about the healing that is possible. 

5. Each day, invite into your heart songs and words that point to hope and healing.    

6. Move your body, eat right, think right, and believe in the healing power of God's daily compassion and lovingkindness (Lamentations 3:22-24). 

These practices move you into the direction of healing and wholeness. 

Your life is always being steered by what you focus on and ultimately believe. Steer in the direction of right thinking and believing, in spite of what your feelings are speaking to you. 

  

The Gift of Presence

The choir and trumpets made one voice of praise and thanks to God...singing and playing praise to God: Yes! God is good! His loyal love goes on forever! Then a billowing cloud filled The Temple of God-Then....the Glory of God!-that filled The Temple of God.

~2 Chronicles 5:13 The MSG

There is a song I recall from years past. I remember the first time I heard this song. It drove to the heart of how lonely people feel: Even in a crowded street I felt alone. With the pain of just existing I had no where to belong (Brush Arbor). Indeed, this is how I had often felt growing up. In fact, this is how loneliness feels-surrounded yet lonely. 

Research supports that for many people in marriages, relationships, and successful careers, loneliness is often their constant companion. Feeling lonely and being alone are not the same. Loneliness is a common emotion experienced by mankind. Its causes are often complex and unknown. For some people, loneliness is triggered by loss such as a death or divorce. For others, loneliness can be triggered by the experience of depression. What ever the cause, loneliness impacts our mental, spiritual, and emotional health. 

The above verse from Chronicles provides insight into one way loneliness can abate-praise and thanksgiving. When we praise God and give thanks to Him in all things (1 Thessalonians 5:18), we begin to focus on the eternal hope we have been promised through Christ. Praise fills the empty spaces of our heart that loneliness occupies. It reminds us that the joy of the Lord is [our] strength (Nehemiah 8:10). We are reminded that God inhabits the praise of His people (Psalm 22:3). 

Want to experience the presence of God and fill your soul with His presence? Give the sacrifice of praise and receive the gift of His presence. 

Ways to praise and be thankful:

1. Write a note to someone thanking them for their presence and influence in your life.

2. Everyday, write down 5 things you are thankful for. This does not require you to feel thankful, just to write thanks. Feelings follow actions. 

3. Before you get our of bed each morning, speak these words aloud-This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24). 

4. Throughout your day, speak words of thanks to at least three people. 

5. Before you fall asleep at night, speak a prayer of thanks to God for the many ways He provided for you during the day. 

Whatever you chose to do, make sure that praise and thanksgiving is part of your daily ritual. This is the gift of presence in the midst of feeling lonely. 

Miracles and Mouths

“...The tongue of the wise brings healing.”

~Proverbs 12:18~

“A soothing tongue is a tree of life.”

~Proverbs 15:4~

“Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”

~Proverbs 15:24~

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue…”

~Proverbs 18:21~

The joy of miracles encompass our lives everyday. Babies are born, illnesses are cured, diseases go into remission, the world flawlessly spins on its axis, the sun rises and shines everyday as determined, and we are surrounded by the ongoing ebb and flow of oceans brimming with life. In fact, the amount of daily miracles could fill books.

These miracles are passive to us as we breathe in their magic and experience their mysterious ability to transform beliefs. We can sleep through them, ignore them, and turn away from them, but the presence of miracles continue to exert their power and presence in spite of our lack of awareness. It is only when we choose to acknowledge miracles that we experience their life giving and changing force.

But, miracles are not only defined by what happens outside of our personal control. Each day we are gifted with ample opportunities to be a miracle to those living inside our circle of influence -- friends, family members, neighbors, clerks, servers, attendants, secretaries, phone marketers, employees, employers, colleagues, children, grandchildren, spouses, panhandlers, and anyone who inhabits our life space.

This daily miracle rests in the power of our tongues. Biblical Proverbs are laced with reminders of the life force our tongues wield. With our words we can choose to speak life or death, along with healing or woundedness. We can become a speaking miracle to a world longing for transformation. In short, our mouths are the miracles.

Teachers speak miracles by giving children hope to believe that their weaknesses become their strengths and springboard into a future filled with success. Doctors and nurses speak miracles of hope to the sick and dying. Parents speak miracles as they extend words filled with grace to faltering children who need reminding that forgiveness lifts their downcast eyes and sagging souls heavenward. Spouses speak miracles as they shoulder burdens by words of comfort. Friends speak miracles as they minister in the waiting room of hurt with those they love.  

Everyday miracles live in the awe of an aptly spoken word. Words that inspire. Words that brim with hope. Words that aspire to transform apathy into ambition. Words that believe all things are possible.

Today, be the miracle that someone has prayed for, longed for and hoped for. Choose your words with love and wisdom as you deliver them with gentleness. Let your mouth be the miracle.

Jesus, speak words of hope inward to my heart and outward through my mouth. Let others experience the miracle of healing and life through the power of my tongue. Today, and each day, I submit my tongue to creating miracles filled with hope.

Exits and Oxymorons

Exits and Oxymoron’s

And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” ... Then he believed in the LORD ... And He said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out of UR and of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it.”
~ Genesis 15:5-6, NASB ~

A large exit sign hung over the sturdy, steel door. A push bar was strategically placed mid-way on the door enhancing one's ability to believe that safety was an easy push away in the event of an unplanned evacuation.

My heart was heavy. I was leaving after a decade of nursing the hearts, minds, and bodies of the youth I had grown to love. When my eyes caught the exit sign, I understood that fresh opportunities for ministry lay beyond this land of familiar spaces, patterned schedules, and unpredictable personalities. Wet tears streamed down my cheeks until I read the sign posted on the door below the exit sign: “Absolutely no one is to open this door at any time.” The irony of an exit door with a posted warning sign not to open was too laughable for me to spend another moment teary eyed and nostalgic.

This became my “Abraham” moment. God was showing me that beyond the walls and doors of my present employment was a vast land filled with new adventures, relationships, and meaningful life work to look forward to completing. I, like Abraham, would need to believe and move past the contradiction between my feelings and what I knew to be true.

We each have been endowed with motivational gifts that compliment the life territory that God has ordained for us to possess. And just like the seasons change, our life's work will be completed on various life landscapes. We must be open and ready when God posts an exit sign and points us in a different direction. If we believe that life's exit doors are to remain closed, we will become stunted and our life's work stalled.

What new life territory has God shown you? Have you believed it is time to exit where He has you presently, or have you believed the contradiction of your feelings, friends, or fears?

Today, take a step of faith and push open the exit door God has posted. Look up and believe, and prepare to possess the new land God is showing you.

LORD, today, I will choose to cast my eyes upon you. Give me the courage to push open the doors of opportunity that you have ordained. Give me the strength to believe and trust you as I walk out into new territory.  

Please, No Door Knobs For This Girl

The Holy, the True....opening doors no one can lock,

locking doors no one can open....

~Revelation 3:3 The Message

I loathe touching public door handles. Perhaps the course in microbiology I was forced to take in nursing school burned into my mind the hidden dangers of bacteria and viruses that lurk on inanimate objects waiting to claim victory over their next innocent victim-me. I act like a one woman hazmat team when attempting to open and close public doors. 

I wish I held the same caution concerning the doors of my life. I have spent years forcing open "life doors" that have proven unfruitful and have slammed shut open "life doors" that I have viewed as ominous and threatening. The outcome has been restlessness of soul. I have felt like a frog leaping from lily pad to lily pad drowning in the life pond designed to protect and nourish me.

I am beginning to realize when God opens a  life door no effort on my part, or the part of another, can close it, and when He closes a door no one, not even me, can open it.

God assures us that His purpose and plans are specially designed to our unique personality and temperament. He will determine which doors are to be opened and which ones are to be closed. Our job is to trust Him. This trust will save us from sickness of soul and illness of mind. 

Today, I have decided to allow God to remove all the knobs on my life doors and to trust him when a door closes, or is closed, and when one opens. Will you join me?

This hands off approach is preventive medicine for the soul and a promise filled with "new dreams, new possibilities, and new beginnings." (Restored: Healing Prayers and Inspiration for Those Living with Depression by Lynne Jordan)

Today, LORD, I submit to Your Sovereign will. Hands off I stand before You. I trust your Goodness and perfect character. Open and close the life doors you have ordained for me. Amen. 

    

Marching in Place

The muddiest water clears as it is stilled. And out of that stillness life arises

~Tao~

Each fall as the air is filled with fresh smells, crisp, clean air, and brilliant colors that no artist could ever replicate, my thinking becomes clear and I experience a settled peace that no other season brings. Nostalgia sets in. The past I recall are the marching days of band. Dressed in uniform, eye steady on the drum major, instrument held ready to bring to mouth, I was ready to perform and take part of a larger purpose. We were crisp in our moves, timely in our steps, and clear in executing our notes. When we were done, we knew we had succeeded in providing the entertainment to revved up fans seeking something to fill in the wait of half-time during football season.  

Marching bands do not step out onto the field without having spent multiple hours practicing. Our band director, equipped with clipboard and megaphone, choreographed our steps and choose our tunes. We followed his direction as if life was dependent on our absolute obedience. The most demanding moments came when, listening to the drum cadence, we had to march in place. 

Marching in place often meant we had fallen out of formation, missed a note, or that the band director simply needed time to regroup and rethink the direction and intention of his destiny for us. Sometimes there would be confusion, but marching in place offered a respite during the hot days of practice and allowed us to catch our breath and think. Marching in place was also better than when we were asked to stop marching, because it was hard to regain our momentum and recapture the rhythm collectively we had marched in sync with once we stopped. 

Today, I need the life lessons that marching in place taught me. First, marching in place allows time to process direction and intent. Life's busyness often propels us forward, but being propelled forward does not equate with direction created for meaningful purpose. Second, marching in place allows you to mark time and be ready for when forward motion is necessary. Third, marching in place provides respite from a life marked by heavy demands and multiple voices crying out for help and direction. 

Often times marching in place can feel stagnant, but there are life notes to be heard in the "stillness" of marching in place. Marching in place means we have time to think, time to dream, time to recreate, so that when we do move forward there is beauty and intent to our steps. Marching in place allows us to breathe so that when we play our "life notes" they are played in tune and on time. People need the beauty of a life lived well and marching in place is where muddy waters clear and life arises. This year, spend time marching in place and enjoy the clarity that this practice can bring. 

Father, I am willing to march in place. Provide clarity and direction as I listen for your direction. Help me keep my rhythm in stillness so that I am ready to move forward at your beckoning. Let my life be beauty and inspiration for those watching me march for you. 

Wrinkle Cream, Integrity, or Both?

For we have been consumed by Your anger and by Your wrath we have been dismayed. You have placed our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence. For all our days have declined in Your fury; We have finished our years like a sigh. As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years; yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; for soon it is gone and we fly away....So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.

Psalm 90: 7-12

I have been a nurse for nearly 30 years. One statistic I repeatedly share with people is that 10 out of 10 people die. I have never seen this statistic altered in spite of advanced health care technology, new medicines, brilliant doctors and researchers, detox diets, and wrinkle creams. People die-with or without wrinkles. People die young, old and every age in-between. People die with billions of dollars in their bank accounts or barely enough money to be buried. Good, bad, righteous and evil, all people die. 

I realize my life goal is to convey hope, and I am fairly confident that most of you reading this do not feel very hopeful. But as I read this psalm, I am struck by the message it speaks to me-Life is brief, but our biggest problem is not how brief life is, but the sin in our life. 

Why does this psalm address sin? Because sin shortens our life. Repeatedly, God instructs us to live clean, pure, and righteous, so that our days will be lengthened. Do righteous people die young? Yes. But, we also know that God is sovereign, and the number of our days belong to him. So, what is our response to be? Do we fight to live longer by believing in the power of modern-day medicine and anti-aging miracles? Do we continue to slather billions of dollars worth of wrinkle cream on our faces and necks to deny the fact we are aging and are going to die? Do we live with integrity and wisdom ignoring the use of advanced technology and wrinkle creams? Or can we do both?

I believe integrity and wrinkle cream can abide together, along with the use of modern technology. The difference in our life success and longevity, however, will be determined by our focus. This psalm exhorts us to grasp the brevity of life, so that we will live this life with wisdom. J. I. Packer writes:

Be wholly committed to Christ’s service each day. Don’t touch sin with a barge-pole. Keep short accounts with God. Think of each hour as God’s gift to you, to make the most and best of. Plan your life, budgeting for 70 years (Psalm 90:10), and understanding that if your time proves shorter, it will not be unfair deprivation but rapid promotion. Never let the good, or the not-so-good, crowd out the best, and cheerfully forgo what is not the best for the sake of what is. Live in the present; gratefully enjoy its pleasures and work through its pain with God, knowing that both the pleasures and the pains are steps on the journey home. Open all your life to the Lord Jesus and spend time consciously in his company, basking in and responding to his love. Say to yourself often that every day is one day nearer. Remember that, as George Whitefield said, man is immortal until his work is done (though God alone defines the work), and get on with what you know to be God’s task for you here and now.

We cannot minimize the impact of sin in our life. God does not. Live with integrity. Live for Christ. Psalm 90 ends in verse 17 by stating, "Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; and confirm for us the work of our hands; yes, confirm the work of our hands." You see, God provided this life for us to bring glory to Him through our work. Sin distorts His glory and shortens our life. I have decided to live for Christ regardless of the number of days ordained, and I will do this with the aid of wrinkle cream and modern day technology. When I die, it will not matter the state of my skin or my health, but my soul. Today, in wisdom, seek the forgiveness Christ has to offer and live with integrity, in sickness or in health, and with or without wrinkles. 

Today, Father, teach me how to wisely invest the life You ordained. There is a difference between spending and investing. Teach me how to invest into eternal purposes. And like Jonathan Edwards proclaims, "Stamp eternity on my eyeballs!"

What Will Be Your First?

Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him. 

1 Corinthians 2:9

As I reflect on the many "firsts" I have had in my life, I feel the warmth of love and tenderness of having had experienced these precious and priceless moments. The first word my oldest daughter spoke at the age of 6 months. The first time she reached out her little hands to be held and hugged. The first time she ate spaghetti and wore more on her face than consumed in her tiny belly. Her first hair cut. The moment my daughter looked up at me on her third birthday and asked, "Is my two all gone?" The first child to graduate high school and then college. The first time the man who would become my husband would reach out and take my hand and place it into his. The moment I remember feeling loved and accepted by someone other than my family. My very first nursing job after graduating nursing school. The moment I reached my goal of getting through grad school and getting to don the garments bestowed on those who survived. Yes, I have had many wonderful firsts and I anticipate a future filled with them. 

Christ reminds us that in Him we can anticipate, and journey life with excitement, because He is preparing for us a kingdom filled with things that our eyes have not seen nor our ears have heard nor our minds can even conceive. Jesus, a man who died to let us experience eternity filled with firsts. The first time I look into the face of the Man who died for me and declared "clean and forgiven." The first time I will wake up knowing that eternity promises to be free from body aches and pain, difficult relationships, disease, disasters, hate, evil, jealousy, lies, abuse, fatigue, strife, drudgery, and trials of various kinds. Jesus, a man who promises to fill my heart with love the first time I see Him face to face. 

What will be my first? I can only Imagine, as the song by MercyMe goes. 

                                                 I can only imagine 

What it will be like 
When I walk 
By your side 

I can only imagine 
What my eyes will see 
When your face 
Is before me 
I can only imagine 

[Chorus:]
Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel 
Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still 
Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall 
Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all 
I can only imagine 

I can only imagine 
When that day comes 
And I find myself 
Standing in the Son 

I can only imagine 
When all I will do 
Is forever 
Forever worship You 
I can only imagine

What will be your first? Come to Jesus, and with great anticipation, Imagine. 

Father, today I come to You with excitement and anticipation as I imagine the joy of what will be my first moment in Your presence. Keep my eyes and heart upon you. Hope does not disappoint (Romans 5:5) and You, Jesus, are my hope. 

Who or What is Light Source?

"The eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is clear; your whole body is full of light; but when it is bad, your body also is full of darkness."

Luke 11:34

"Walk as children of light."

Ephesians 5:8

Most recently I have been filled with a persona that has been anything but light bearing or light giving. Darkness has been invading my soul, and like any dark room, you are bound to bump into things or people and incur personal or collateral damage. My damage has been collateral, as my oldest daughter plainly conveyed to me. In the darkness of my soul, I have been bumping into the hearts and emotions of my family members. 

Not understanding where the light of my soul had taken refuge, I came upon a quote by Kim McMillin in her book, When I Loved Myself Enough. McMillen writes, "I learned that when I am feeling pain it is because I am living outside the truth." Yes, I have been living outside of the truth, so it makes sense why darkness has been my friend. 

What is this truth I have been living outside of? It is the same truth that many people forget: That the approval of people, the perfect job, respectful children who live neat and tidy, stress free relationships, checkbooks that balance, friends that remember you, families that live in perfect and peaceful harmony, a world that extends forgiveness, houses that never need cleaning, newscasts that highlight peace and tranquility among the nations, circumstances that lead to favorable outcomes, and a schedule that is balanced with perfect margin for breathing space are not necessary in defining or fulfilling one's purpose. People, jobs, nor relationships provide the guiding light of truth. All of these sources are really shadows cast over the true source of light-God himself.

Luke states that the eye is the lamp of the body, and that when the eye is clear, we are filled with light. So, it comes down to focus. Focus sets my heart in motion. If my eyes are focused on the one who is the true source of light, then my heart and soul will not languish from a darkness that prevails, or an exhaustion that defeats. Yes, I have been depending on others and circumstances to be my guiding light. Instead, I found darkness.

God is the true light, and He is truth. He reminds me that my identity is in him alone. The pain I feel living in the fragile shadows of false light or truths disappear when He becomes my focus. My purpose becomes clear, and I am absent of the emptiness of depending on others to fill and sustain me. "The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I have hope in Him." (Lamentations 3:24)

Who or what is your source of light? Remember, whomever or whatever you follow as your light becomes your identity. Today, identify with God and allow Him to illuminate the truth of who you are: walk in the power and discovery of His guidance and provision.

Father, when I sit in darkness, remind me that I am not following the true light-You. Help me to recognize when I have allowed the outcome of circumstances or the approval or others to replace You. You alone are my hope. In You alone I walk in truth. Thank you for revealing Truth. Thank You for being Light.

  

  

Cup of Algae Anyone?

If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink

John 7:37

I love fresh eggs. My family has raised chickens since 2000, because I am convinced that the only good egg is the one you retrieve everyday from your personal poultry flock. In recent years I have enjoyed experimenting with a variety of breeds, simply because I enjoy the colors and plumage of these distinct birds. My current flock is beautiful, and I have enjoyed their color and markings. 

Birds like people need daily care. My husband consistently tends to our flock during the nine-month school year, while I take over during the summer months. In our recent transition between him ending his care and me taking over, we lost one of my favorite birds. She had not been sick, to my knowledge, nor had she shown any signs of illness until the day before her death. I mused over the possible cause of death. 

As I began my daily summer care, I noticed that the water container my husband had set out was discolored. Upon further inspection, I was shocked to discover that the water was filled with blue-green algae growth. Had my husband not changed their water? How could he have not noticed the pea-soup colored water? Further, I discovered a swimming pool filled with stagnant water covered in blue-green algae that was tucked behind the chicken coop. Mystery solved. My chicken had died from drinking water contaminated from an over growth of blue-green algae, which can produce a deadly toxin. I went from being sorrowful over the loss of my one hen to grateful that the remaining 29 had actually survived. I removed the pool immediately and scrubbed the water container and filled it with clean, fresh water. 

Drinking algae contaminated water is not a practice I recommend, but many of us daily drink from spiritually contaminated containers filled with "spiritual algae" in an attempt to satisfy our longing and thirsty souls. Our minds and intellect thirst, and we often quench this with material that leaves us panting and dissatisfied. Our souls and emotions thirst too, and we turn to the culture that can leave our souls languishing.  

Jesus is the only source from which our souls can daily drink from and be satisfied. His  "spiritual water" is filled with Hope, Compassion, Loving-kindness, Forgiveness, Justice, Peace, Patience, Gentleness, Love, and Goodness. His guarantee is that when we drink from His "water container" we will never thirst again (John 4:14).

What "cup of algae" have you been drinking? Although you may not think your drinking hole is contaminated,  it may be that there is a delayed reaction and that the full impact of your choice has not yet been realized. My hen died. Are you in the process of dying spiritually or emotionally? Today, choose to drink from a source that is pure and clean and promises life eternal and life in abundance. Today, choose Jesus. 

Jesus, thank you for offering "spiritual water" that is pure and promises life eternal. Thank you that your love and kindness never cease and your compassion never fails. Today, I choose to drink from the fountain that sustains and satisfies. Today, I choose you. Amen. 

Brown Paper Bag Love

While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:18

Years ago I attended a church were a kind, elderly widowed man faithfully attended. This man had been a pillar in both  his community and church. His aging body beguiled his once prominence and strength. Never would I have known his importance in the community, because his gentleness and humility was his drawing card. 

Naturally being drawn to the older elderly, I began to bring him Christmas gifts each year wrapped in brilliant colors and pizzazz. On one particular Sunday I came prepared to deliver my usual bag of goodies. What was different this year, though, was when I approached him sitting in the pew he was waiting for me. He had taken note of my consistent yearly packages and decided he would reciprocate. Sitting next to him was a small brown paper bag folded over. His frail hand was resting on top of the bag with an anticipatory grin spread across his face. "How sweet," I mused. I greeted him and delivered my simple gifts in my usual elaborate packaging. Reaching down, the man quietly and simply handed me the brown paper bag. We exchanged pleasantries and I went on my way. 

Admittingly, I blew off the contents of the bag and went about my day. Later I opened the brown paper bag, and to my complete shock, I found the most beautiful, hand-crafted, hand-painted wooden egg from the Ukraine. The artistry of this gift continues to be astonishing. Like the man's earthly opulence hidden behind meekness, his extravagant gift of love was hidden behind a brown paper bag. 

This love, wrapped in a brown paper bag, reminds me of the way the King of this universe delivers His love. While the world waits to have God deliver His extravagant love in houses, cars, careers, deep friendships, taylor-made clothing, words that stroke our egos, and other sightly acts and gifts of confirmation, God chooses to deliver His love hidden behind simple, rough packing. Often we ignore or rebuke these gifts as inferior, because they do not appeal to our selfish desires and senses. But know this, the packaging may be rough but the gift inside is extravagant. 

My dad's suicide was one such gift. At first I rebuked the thought that a God who loved me would hand me a package wrapped in such pain and trauma, but what I learned over a period of several months was that inside this roughly donned package was "hand-crafted" and "hand-painted" gifts of beauty that only a King could have crafted and delivered-love, compassion, insight, grace, forgiveness, understanding, and most importantly being personally attended to by the King of the universe. God delivered so much of my understanding of life through this "brown paper bag" of love. In fact, like the egg, I would never trade my gift with anyone else. 

What is inside your brown paper bag? Perhaps you have dismissed this gift or have been angry at the way it was packaged and delivered. Sometime diamonds are delivered in rough packages. Today, take hold of your bag. Open it. Embrace the love, because like me, once it is opened you will never want to let go. 

Jesus, you were delivered on a cross. Blood streaming down. Because of this, I now have eternal life. God, thank you for brown paper bag deliveries-the unseen gift of eternal life. 

       

Wonder and Amazement

But Peter said, "I do not posses silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the Name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene-walk!"...And the people saw him walking...and they were filled with wonder and amazement.

Acts 3:6, 10

Reading the story of how Peter healed a lame man in the strength and power of Jesus Christ was moving, but what really stood out to me was the response of those who had known of this man's history. From birth this man was lame. Each day he was taken and set down at the temple gate to beg for his daily bread. After his miraculous healing, the people "were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him." 

After reading this, my mind began to question the last time I had been filled with "wonder and amazement." When was the last time I remember seeing or experiencing someone being healed? Being a nurse one would think every day, and in reality this is true. But what saddened me was that in the presence of every day miracles, my soul's vision and ability to experience "wonder and amazement" lay shrouded under daily doubt, grumbling and complaining, and attitudes that reflect my inability to see opportunities in trials. Yes, God still performs healing miracles of mind, body, and soul daily, but I had allowed daily disappointments to blind me to His glorious, healing presence. 

How about you? How different would your influence be if you would open up the window of you soul to view the daily miracles of God's healing and grace? How different would your attitude be if you chose to praise God "in all things" in place of complaining and grumbling? What if instead of doubt you saw possibilities? When is the last time you were filled with "wonder and amazement?" What is clouding your vision to see the every day miracles that God performs?

God still performs miracles. Jesus Christ still heals. The ability for us to see these daily acts of healing lies in where we choose to place our focus. Today, I am going to choose to see the miracles and healing of life all around me, regardless of how small or seemingly insignificant. I will choose to remember that Christ died so that I may live eternally in His presence. How about you? Choose this day whom you will serve-Be saved and be filled with "wonder and amazement."

Today, Father, remind me of the every day miracles you perform. Fill me with thanksgiving. Heal my hurts. Restore my hope. Fill me with the wonder and amazement of You. Lord, today, I am filled with "wonder and amazement" that You love me, a sinner. For this alone I stand amazed. Amen!

Stepping with Intention

Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.

Galatians 6:9

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 

John 3:16

Hiking trail three in Turkey Run State Park, located in Central Indiana,  in early spring can not only be breathtaking but very treacherous. My husband and I began our hike through the ravine that leads to ladders mounted into rock. Ice still clung to the rocks overhead, and black ice rested boulder and mud, while sheer ice covered the stream as we decidedly moved forward. Each step on our hike was deliberate and intentional, because lack of focus and intention would ultimately lead to a wrong choice, a misstep, and finally a mishap. 

As we passed fellow sojourners, we listened as they conveyed the trials of the up and coming trail that lay before us and behind them. They shared their battles wounds from missteps and asked their questions about the trail that yet lay before them and behind us. We joked, we admired the canyons, but we never forgot the importance of staying focused and stepping with intention. My husband commented that the trail was like "trying to figure out a jigsaw puzzle." 

This trail reminds me of the importance of "stepping with intention" through life. How different would our lives be if we were more mindful of the choices we made, if we analyzed our words before we spoke, if we, with great intention, decided the best way to "love one another?" What if every step was calculated and best suited for the situation? And what if after that we still made the wrong choice?

My lessons that day? Keeping my mind focused and being intentional of my steps kept me safe and mostly dry. Although I did make a few poor choices that led to sinking in mud and water, being focused and intentional allowed me to be quick and change direction without the misery of being stuck in a wrong decision and lamenting over the consequence. 

We are all navigating the "jigsaw puzzle" called life. Each day we muse over the next piece. Often we haphazardly attempt to connect the pieces to form a meaningful picture, but find that nothing makes sense and only leads to pain, frustration, and wasted time. The challenge we should all accept is that we must choose with intention the next step that will lead to the most success with the least amount of personal and relational damage. If we choose wrongly, then we must be quick to recalculate our decision and redirect our steps. We must accept forgiveness and continually move forward for the good of all. 

Christ died to free us from the burden of our sin. He stepped with intention to the cross, because He understood it was for our good He was dying. For whose good should you begin "stepping with intention?"

Hooked by Fear

Fear Not

God, 365 Times!!

I am slow to learn a lesson. In fact, most of my life lessons have come through taking a "life field trip" in place of learning in the "classroom." I was the "why" kid growing up, and typically insisted on doing what the adults in my life attempted to protect me from-consequences. Recently the ancient directive by God to "fear not" was solidified in my mind on a late night fishing trip. And yes, I had to learn this lesson on a "life field trip."

My husband and I decided to take our fishing poles and cast off a dock located near a cemetery. It was dark and cold when we arrived, and the area was vacated. As we began to park, we saw a truck with its headlights pulling in. I casually remarked that perhaps "Jack the Ripper" had been resurrected. As we walked down to the dock, my mind began to wonder about the unknown visitor we thought was present. My mind, and admittedly my husband's mind, began to allow fear to dictate our behaviors. After every cast, we both looked back toward the cemetery and began to imagine apparitions appearing to overtake us. Really, I was more concerned about who had pulled in after our arrival. My husband began unsheathing his fillet knife in his mind, and role played the many ways he would protect his "fishing damsel" in distress. Actually, I believe he was rehearsing self-preservation techniques. After a few short minutes, we decided to call it quits and go back to our truck.

The short journey back to the truck was not without consequences. In my fear, I had not anchored my bright, pink crappie lure, with two treble hooks, to my pole. I was completely self-absorbed and not realizing that I was jerking my pole back and forth as I continually scanned my environment with as much variance in degree as my body would allow. What snapped me out of my reactive responses was my husband's unusual use of colorful expletives cast towards me. Suddenly, my fear turned to curiosity, and as I turned to inquire the nature of my husband's use of words, I saw the consequences of my fear dangling from my husband's temple-my bright pink fishing lure. I had hooked my husband. The lure initially struck his nose, bounced up to his eye, and then decidedly landed above his eye and attached to his temple. Thank goodness his hat, and not his skin, took the hook. After I recovered from laughter, I then realized why God continually tells us to "Fear Not."

When we fear, we hook into ourselves and not God. Fear prevents us from trusting God and places trust in ourselves. It creates a self-protective layer that refuses to acknowledge others around us. We damage others with the hooks of our words, our actions, and our careless omissions. "Fear not," because we make poor choices. Trusting in God empowers us to care about what is happening to those surrounding us. It reminds people that if my God can take care of me then He most certainly can take care of them. Why "fear not?" Because "He is with us." Today, hook into God and not fear.

Father, today, help me to trust you. Remind me that fear creates pain in those around me. I will trust in you, because you will always be with me. In you, Oh Lord, I trust. Amen 

Mindful Occupation

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits;

Who pardons all your iniquities (Sins),

Who heals all your diseases (physical, mental, spiritual, emotional);

Who redeems your life from the pit (graves of our own making),

Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;

Who satisfies your years with good things,

So that your youth is renewed like the eagle....

The LORD is compassionate and gracious,

Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.

Psalm 103:2-5, 8

"How did I end up in this place again?" were my thoughts on December 29, 2012. My closets were full of clothes no longer suited to my taste, my cupboards were overflowing with dishware that I do not use, socks were piled with no mates on my laundry table, and kitchen drawers stocked with good intentions forgotten littered my cabinets. Once again my home was occupied with "stuff" draining my mental energies and controlling my time to move, clean, and work around. 

Every year I declare that I will not be taken over with unnecessary "stuff", but each year my mindless choices take over and occupy me like Germany did in Eastern Europe during World War 2. When I read today's Psalm (103), I am struck by how my spiritual, emotional, and mental life could be different in 2013 if I begin the practice of "mindful occupation." 

Mindful Occupation is to be occupied with God. To be intentional about allowing him to fill and control my thinking. If I am intentional about what occupies my mental, spiritual, and emotional "closets and drawers," then I will be free from the unnecessary clutter of fear, doubt, worry, and anxiety that clutters my soul. 

This Psalm is about being occupied with the the knowledge that in Christ my sins are forgiven, that I am healed from the diseases that my sin inflicts (fear, anxiety, worry, hopelessness, etc),  that He redeems and removes me from the "life graves" of my own making, that I am crowned with His love and compassion, and that the satisfaction of knowing I am pardoned will renew my heart and allow it to freely soar in His presence and grace. 

Yes, "mindful occupation" will allow us to choose what enters both the home of our hearts and our houses. I must be mindful, or like my house, I will be overtaken with unnecessary artifacts that clutter and clamor for both my time, space, and energy.

 Today, choose to "Bless the LORD" and then step back and be blessed. Let Him fill your heart and mind with truth. Occupy your thoughts with His promises of love and restoration. Be renewed knowing that He is "slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness." What better way for your soul to be filled and controlled. Yes, we have a choice. Today, mindfully choose Christ.

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name (Psalm 103:1). Today, and each day forward, be filled with the "GOOD NEWS" that Jesus Saves. Amen. 

Super-sized by Smallness

Choose for yourselves....

Joshua 24:15

Having been a nurse for nearly 30 years, I am a witness to the ravages of daily lifestyle choices that bring about disease and death. A vivid portrayal of the consequences to daily life choices can be seen in the 2004 documentary "Supersize Me" by Morgan Spurlock. In this film Spurlock explores the health outcomes of making daily, dietary choices that run counter to good health. He spends 30 days eating all three meals at one chosen fast food establishment, and readily agrees to "supersize" any menu item if asked. The results were rapid weight gain, high cholesterol levels, mood changes, liver changes, and other dangerous health outcomes. His rapid decline led some on his medical team to implore him to abort the experiment before irreversible body and organ damage occurred. Spurlock continued to the end. 

The results of Spurlock's poor outcomes did not rest in his agreeing to being "supersized," but in his day to day, moment to moment decisions of menu items he selected. Each day, and for each meal, he made small choices that ultimately led to his "super-sized" health decline. Like Spurlock, our day to day, moment to moment "small" choices lead us to experience "Super-sized" consequences.

It is in the smallness of life's daily decisions that we end up living with "supersized" outcomes. Divorce occurs because the unfaithfulness of the spouse began with one "small", intentional glance. Financial ruin resulted after one friendly game of poker. Death ended a vibrant life due to one "small" vodka shot. All decisions are "Super-sized by Smallness." 

Decide today, and each day, what you want your life to be "Super-sized" by, and then make the "small" choices that become the pathway to this end. Like Spurlock, life holds out a menu, and like Spurlock, you get to choose.

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live....by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days.... Deuteronomy 30:19-20   

Today, choose life-choose Christ.

Father, I choose you, I choose life. Every small decision leads somewhere. Help me to make the right decisions. Help me to have a vision that leads to life with you. In your power and in your strength, I rest. Thank you, LORD, for the power to choose small and live large. Amen. 

  

Grace like Grout

The LORD's lovingkindness indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. 

They are new every morning. 

Lamentations 3:22-23

A few years back I led a team of teenagers to the Dominican Republic. Our job was to assist laying block that would become a perimeter wall that would surround a housing compound for orphans and children with special needs. My personal strengths lie in relationships and not labor, but as the leader I needed to lead by example. So, with trowel in hand and mescla (mortar/grout) in bucket, I set out to fill in the gaps between blocks. The grout acted like a bonding agent holding the wall together, in addition to preventing water from future rains penetrating and weakening the structure.The strength, durability, and safety of the wall was in proportion to me mixing and mounting the right amount of grout. Daily I would assess my work and patch holes that had been created by me not applying the proper amount or the right amount of pressure. I discovered that filling in mortar joints was more of a craft than I had first considered. Grout work was for skilled hands. 

Constructing my "life wall" is like the wall I assisted in constructing in the Dominican. I must be mindful to build in a manner that can withstand the pressure, heat, and the torrential rains that life's challenges assail at me. But what happens when my complaining, my sin, and my mindless words of ingratitude and childish attitudes put gaps in my "life wall?" That's when God's grace, like grout, steps in. 

God 's grace, His lovingkindness, His daily compassions reinforce and strengthen the "mortar joints" of my life. God's skillful hands takes grace and lovingly and willingly fills in the gaps created by my careless choices. He skillfully applies the right amount of discipline, so that I will remember what created the gap, and lovingly injects forgiveness. His lovingkindness and compassion reminds me that when I am weak He is strong.

Jesus, God's son, was a carpenter, so I am confident He knows how to reinforce a life that weakens from sin. Jesus daily inspects my "life wall" and offers to dip into His bucket of grace, and with cross in hand, fill in the gaps that threaten to crumble my life. Jesus, my strength and my safety.

Father, today, forgive me of my sins. Let Your grace like grout reinforce the weakness that my sin  creates.  I am weak, but Thou art strong. Today, and everyday, I accept your grace. Amen.