Being Intentional

I have made a covenant with my eyes...Job 31:1

Last night my husband and I were given tickets to a college basketball game. Not just any tickets, though, but center court, high-back chair, front row tickets. We could actually reach out and touch the players and referees. Not bad for free, so I thought. Placing us center court, front row, also meant being face to face with tail wagging, breast popping, extremely young pom pom girls. Their smiles were enthusiastic, their pants tight, and their dances provocative. I watched as my husband of nearly 30 years diverted his eyes away each time confronted with these youthful temptations. I also observed that the two men sitting to his left appeared to employ the same technique each time. Forget the other men, they were hooked on the gold and brown babes. Finally, I reached over and thanked my husband for being respectful and not eyeing the "candy" directly in front of him. His response; "I'm having to be intentional. They are right in front of me." I wondered if this was the technique being used by the other two men, or if they simply were not interested. Being Intentional meant my husband made a choice not to look in spite of what his natural inclination desired. This choice accomplished his goal--to not lust after another woman and break the marriage covenant he made nearly three decade ago to me. His being intentional spoke deeply to my heart. How many times have I made an excuse for a job left undone, a relationship neglected, or a phone call not returned. Last night, my husband made no excuses. He simply did what he had to do. Period. I sit cognitive of the new resolutions I just recently penned. They are sitting buried under papers next to my desk and unattended--dinner with friends once a month, individual time with each child, memorize scripture, pray more, and the list goes on. What now is my response? I am going to find those resolutions and throw out my excuses. Like my husband, I am going to be intentional and do what is right regardless of how I feel. I am going to make a covenant to be intentional towards those I love. I am going to divert my eyes away from that which distracts and tempts me to neglect what is important. How about you? What or who have you neglected? Being intentional to do what is right is not easy, but it builds quality relationships and friendships. Today, join me in being intentional and set your eyes on what is necessary and right. 

Living with Blisters

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12

As a hiker, I know how paralyzing getting a blister can be. My family and I hiked down Pikes Peak two summers ago, and I was rendered bootless at one point in our nine hour descent. After returning home, I discovered that my feet had not been properly attired for such a rigorous adventure, and first aid was required for a few months after. Recently, I took on another adventure. This adventure is one of the heart and soul. After a very long day in my new role, I encountered a vile, bristly human soul. I was tired and easily wounded, so I left with a heart that had been blistered. And like any physical blister, this blister paralyzed my soul. I began to walk soulfully wounded. My heart needed first aid. It has been a few days since my encounter with this rugged and harsh being, and I have asked myself what can I do to prevent being blistered by this person again. Her vile and bristly nature is perhaps like Pikes Peak, stationary, but my encounter with her, like Pikes Peak, will have to change. I will have to don different soul protecting measures to avoid getting blisters on my soul. So, what will I need to drape my soul with? Compassion, Kindness, Humility, Gentleness and Patience. These attributes will guard my heart. They will remind me to step with awareness as I navigate the terrain of a rugged and bristly soul. You see, getting blisters descending down Pikes Peak did not stop me from wanting to revisit this magnificent work of God. It simply made me aware of what I need to do differently, so that I am not distracted from the beauty of such magnificence. My encounter with this harsh soul made me aware of what I need to do differently, so that I do not miss the beauty of what God has created in each individual soul He stamped "fearfully and wonderfully made" Psalm 139:14. Today, I plan to drape my soul in blister proof character. What attributes do you need to clothe yourself in, so that the eyes of your heart can see the beauty of a of a rugged, bristly soul? 

Doing What Matters Today

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth. Proverbs 27:1

As I sit reviewing my previous week and assessing my calendar concerning the commitments that glare at me in the week ahead, I feel my soul languishing over the lack of margin in my schedule. I can already feel my adrenalin gearing up. How will I navigate the landscape that stretches out before me? I know God reminds us that lack of planning leads to failure, but this is not my problem. My problem is that the plans distract my attention away from the "matters" that lie at my feet today. I cannot seem to enjoy today. My children, along with their cousin, are laughing and dancing, while the sounds of their youthful joy become a distraction to my stratgic "game planning". I began to realize that something was out of sync, because the unknown outcome of tomorrow was casting a shadow of the music and beauty of today. How can God entrust me with tomorrow until I act responsible with the gifts and purposes He has laid before me today? I decided to stop gearing up for tomorrow and give massages to each one willing to trust me with their bodies and minds. I had a line of willing participants. The outcome was family bonding and mutual love exchanged. My lesson-joy is found in doing what matters today. Surrendering my gifts and talents in the moment and not to an unkown future. Being present minded with an eye toward the future. To live with hope is to know that tomorrow will take care of itself. What plans do you need to lay down, so that you too can do what matters today. Today. It is filled with promise and purpose. So, surrender tomorrows plans to today's joy.        

Be Still and Know that I am God...Psalm 46:10

Recently I received another invitation to be part of a new and exciting ministry. Flattered? Yes. Able? No. As this opportunity lay before me, I struggled to do what I knew was right--gracefully decline. But this decision was wrought with pain. Why? Because, it meant I would have to disappoint those who placed their confidence in me and extended the invitation. I would be left to wonder if I had neglected to be a good steward of the gifts and talents that God had infused within. It would be my teary-eyed state of exhaustion that would jolt me into a greater reality. The reality I am referring to is that God created me a "human being" and not a "human doing". God does not desire a relationship with me because I am a good steward of His gifts. I was created to know Him, and this requires me to "be still". Yes, I will serve with my gifts and talents, but not because I have to or fear living with the guilt of disappointing others. I will serve because He loves me and I love Him. Laurie Beth Jones in "Jesus Life Coach" states that we need to choose between what is good and what is great, and that when all the endless acres of "diamond" opportunities lay before our feet, "we [will] need to be able to understand what to pick up and what to put down". Today, I am going to have to say No, so that I can say yes to what really matters-family, friends, and most importantly, God. What do you need to say no to?

Lasting Legacy

...each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work. 
1 Corinthians 3:13

Driving down a very familiar road, my husband and I were enjoying a quiet afternoon with good company and good conversation. As we trekked further down this serene, county road, I anticipated once again casting my eyes toward a home that had been remodeled into anyone's dream home. The owners had spent several years transforming their once simple abode into a magnificent work of architectural "envy". I was not prepared for what my eyes would behold next. Where once stood the testimony of hard work and creative ingenuity, sat a charred, empty space. This home, the home I had  admired and fawned over, had completely succumbed to the ravages of combustion. The owners must be devastated, I mused. As we continued our course, I couldn't stop thinking about the builders, the owners of this home. I challenged myself by  questioning how I would manage this type of loss? Then I began to think about how God reminds us to build things that can withstand "fire". In fact, He reminds us that the work of our lives will be tested by fire, and that only what is of eternal importance will endure and survive. Careers, degrees hanging on walls, fine homes and eye catching cars will not withstand the heat, but how we manage the people we encounter in our careers, how we use our degrees, homes, and cars to serve humanity will decide what lasts. Today, consider the work of your hands and the state of your heart. Is building a house as important as building a home where spouses, children, family and friends feel loved and wanted? Is having the "dream career" going to outlast the relationships we build along the way during our career? When our fast and eye catching car rusts, and it will, will it dis-enable us to continue carrying a friend through a difficult time? What matters is what lasts. What matters to you? Will it endure, when tested by the fire of life? 

Vision Restored

And He took him outside and said, "Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them." Genesis 15:5

Yesterday I had an "Abram" moment. I had lost sight of the promises of God. Like Abram, I needed a visual reminder of a God that is bigger than my doubt and fear. Abram must have been ruminating on what he thought was not to be when he stated, "O Lord God, what will you give me, since I am childless....?" I too was ruminating on what may not be, as I found myself pondering on the results of a most recent diagnostic exam. So absorbed in my thinking, that I failed to look outside and see the beauty that rested before me. A beauty that extolled the majesty of God and illuminated the promise hope. It was then that I realized I was allowing my doubt and concern to shroud the sovereignty of a God whose plan is perfect. My focus was turned inward, where darkness concealed hope, and not outward and up toward a God of great vision. I wondered how often I had missed God's message of hope, because the eyes of my soul were cast down. God took Abram outside and told him to look up and count stars. Stars reminded Abram of the covenant promise. Yesterday, I too was reminded to look up and count blessings. As I took in the beauty of the sun's brilliance blanketing the earth's cold and snow, I realized how important it was to look out and up and not in. I wanted to cradle myself in this moment. What are the eyes of your soul cast upon? Do you find darkness or hope? Are you looking inward when you should be looking out and up? Hope is found when we look toward heaven and count God's promises and His blessings. Hebrews 13:5-6 reminds us that we can, with great confidence, declare that the "The Lord is our helper and we need not be afraid" (emphasis mine). Today, what is keeping you from looking up and having your vision restored?  

"Whatever is True"

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Proverbs 4:23

Reluctantly I tossed back the warm, fleece sheets that dons my bed and literally rolled out of bed this morning. I really had no pressing demands that required me to stand upright, but I decided that it was better then allowing my mind to race and ponder upon uncertainties that lay before me. With night grit still in my eyes, I went on autopilot and sat with my Bible open and my brain still in REM mode. After two hours of  read, yawn, and feeble prayer trance mode, I stumbled across an old photo of my dad leading me, and my very young daughter at the time, on his horse. We were all much younger then, but what caught my attention was the smile emanating from the depth of his soul and spread wide across his face. Captured in the moment was a picture of joy. It has been several years since that moment, and I sat wondering what happened. Somewhere along the way my dad lost sight of what was true. We loved him. He was loved by others. But most importantly, he was loved and cared for by God. Somewhere along the way parasites entered his mind and captured his heart. Parasites that spoke lies regarding the hope he had in Christ. An infestation that veiled the truth of the power we have to overcome any adversary and circumstance. A truth that states that "nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable, absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love" (Romans 8:38-39 the MSG). I contemplated how my father could have lost site of this truth. As I sat looking upon past memories with a smile, I was reminded that I too have the same hope my father once held dear-God's love for me and all of His created. A love that is unchangeable in the mist of a changing world. This truth is for everyone, and we all must guard against the lies and daily parasites that threaten to cloud this truth. We must stand like a sentinel against soul sabotaging lies that imprison our hearts and minds and rob us of the joy that belongs to those who are in Christ Jesus. We must dwell on only what is true and honorable and of good repute (Philippians 4:8). Today, know that nothing, absolutely nothing, can separate you from God and the love he lavishes upon us each day, except the lie. What lies are you believing?