Taking Time

Life can get very busy very quickly.  An endless to-do list, appointments, and commitments can make life seem a little overwhelming at times.  If your life is like mine, there are so many times that it seems we do not have two seconds to stop and catch our breath before the next thing to do pops up on the radar...but such is life as we know it in the 21st century.

I think this makes it important to take time to evaluate what it is that we want to set as our major priority, our main thing, our passion,  that one thing that we want to leave as our legacy long after we are gone from this earth.  We need to take time to sit down and figure out what mark we want to leave on this earth, and set our course towards that task.  For me, I think that revolves around the relationships that God has blessed my life with.

A while back I read a book with a section on contentment.  The writer described how she was always looking forward to the next event or season in her life....wishing that certain life events would come to pass--and ultimately missing out on the good parts of the current season she was in.  I can totally relate to that.  When I was in school, I could not wait for graduation and to start college.  Once in college, I could not wait to begin my career.  When I was single, I could not wait to get married.  In doing this, my life seems like a total blur.  I know where I am...but for the life of me, I do not know how these seasons of my life passed before my life so quickly.  I wonder if "wishing our lives away" is a symptom of discontentment in our present set of circumstances. 

As a person who generally sees herself as content, I wonder why I am wishing my life away, instead of taking the time to savor all of the little moments that form the big picture of my life?  For me, I think it has to do with planning for what is ahead rather than taking the time to enjoy the moment before me.  It is easy to take those mundane moments for granted now, amid the housework, careers, and all of the obligations that we commit ourselves to do.  Maybe, we need to just take a quick moment during our quiet time with God to just be thankful for all of those mundane moments that are filled with so many blessings like good health, relationships that have enabled us to grow, the fact that we have enough and do not lack anything we need--because in reality, there are so many who would give anything for good health, healthy relationships with their family, a good job that they enjoy, or even a paycheck that provides for the needs of their family.  Maybe wishing the seasons of life away is more of a sign of a lack of gratitude in our lives than a season of discontent.  We enjoy where we are in life, but are too focused on the things that lie ahead than to thank God for the here and now.  Maybe we just need to take time with God and thank Him for all of the blessings He has placed in our lives.

Only Visiting this Planet--Taking Your Faith Seriously

The last few weeks, our Sunday School lessons have focused on the End of Time and Heaven.  To be honest, there is a lot that I do not understand about these two topics, and I don't know that we will ever fully understand them until after they take place.  What I do know, is that I focus way too much in what is happening here and now, that I lose perspective in the main thing...which is I was not created to live on this planet as it is now.

Every person is an individual created for eternity.  When God created Adam and Eve, his intention was that they and all people would have fellowship with Him and live in a perfect world. 

God in His loving nature, gave man free will and one simple guideline to follow--Do NOT eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  Satan enters the garden, talks to Eve and entices her to eat the forbidden fruit, and then she gives it to her husband Adam--and life has been hard ever since.

God in his love, knew we would sin, and planned to send his son Jesus, to take away our sin through his horrific death on the cross--because sin requires a sacrifice.  Jesus, the sinless son of God, is tried, unjustly convicted and sentenced to death on a cross.  Because this sacrifice was offered, we can be made right with God and live in Heaven with him for eternity, if we accept the gift of His sacrifice and allow him to be Lord of our lives.

Knowing this truth, we can say that this world is not meant to satisfy us.  We live in a fallen world with suffering, sin, war, famine, injustice, and sickness.  Life here is hard and unfair.  We yearn for more, but struggle to find satisfaction in our lives, our careers, or our possessions...but something always seems to fall short.  These longings inside our heart is God's way of reminding us that we were not made for this world.  Our security and happiness will not be found here, but rather in Heaven--because that is where we were meant to be--in complete and total fellowship with Father God as our provider, our helper, our sustainer.

We know this, but yet we chase after this world as if it is the only thing that counts.  Sometimes I wish I could just get a glimpse of what Heaven will be like, so that I could totally understand that the present sufferings and sacrifices that we are making in this life are such petty offerings compared to the joy and wonder that we experience when we get to Heaven.

I think if we really knew this with our hearts instead of just our head, it would also change how we relate to the non-christians around us.  If we really believed that Heaven is the ultimate good place where we will fellowship with God forever without any more sin, strife, suffering or anxiety--and that Hell was real and that those who do not accept Jesus will spend eternity there--our walk and our testimony that we live out would be totally different.

Non-christians would  be drawn to us because we would reflect Christ's love to them.  We would do everything possible to make sure that our friends, family and the people we meet will be in Heaven with us for eternity instead of suffering eternal torment and separation from God.

This is something that I have been thinking about and has honestly slapped me between the eyes, and I don't think we as Christians can ignore this truth any longer.  If we do not take our eternal destiny seriously as christians, then how can we expect those outside of Christ to do any differently.  This is the cross that we should take up daily, and use every opportunity to live in a manner that shows the world who we are and what we stand for.  

This does not mean boycotts and picket lines, and telling people that they are going to Hell and God hates them--like the Westboro Baptist Church does.  What it means is sharing Jesus' love to each and every person we come in contact with, so that God can use that love to draw others into fellowship with him. 

It is time that we quit putting on and taking off our Christianity based on the situation and people we are around and trust God to help us live the life he wants us to live.  I want a life that honors God and speaks that I submit to his authority and leadership in my life.  I want a life that shows His love to each person that I meet.  I want a life that encourages others to seek God and find the eternal life and peace that only comes with a relationship with Jesus Christ.  I want the world to know that I am only visiting this planet, and I want to bring as many people "home" with me as I can.

I will never know all of the answers this side of Heaven, but I am so thankful that I will spend eternity with the one who does.

The Greatest Gift

The greatest gift that you can give or get is love.  True love can't be earned, only given to the undeserving.  It has no expectations, and no limits.  It gives without bounds and seeks out others before self.  It looks on the good, noble and just things,  forgives and guides the areas that falls short of those standards.  Maybe this is why the Bible says love never fails, because it continues to see the potential of mankind, and refuses to abandon hope that one day it will realize that full potential.

I honestly believe that love is the highest potential that man can wish to obtain.  To love others without preconceived conditions, labels, standards, is difficult, if not downright impossible at times, but that is what real love is.  It loves in spite of what a person is, does, or how difficult a situation.  I think it takes a stubborn persistence to do this, but real love is putting others first, even when you don't feel like it or when the other person does not deserve it.  Love that is earned or deserved is not love, because love is a gift.  Love is the ultimate investment, because you invest your heart and soul into another without promise of any return.

I believe that true love is the ultimate revelation of who God is.  When I look at my marriage to my dear husband, I see a man who loves me regardless of my mood, looks, what I do.  He just loves.  There is no way that I could ever earn that kind of unselfish giving of himself, yet he demonstrates that love in words, actions, and his attitude to me.  There is a grand security in that fact, because his love is not dependent upon my actions and being earned. I have a security in that kind of love.  I have security because it has proven itself to me day after day for going on 6 1/2 years (5 years of marriage and a year and a half of dating), and remains unwavering.  And as a gift, it is mine to accept or reject--Love is totally dependent upon me to accept it, but that is all I have to do.

I think God created love in this manner, because he knew love was not something we could ever earn this side of Heaven, and also because He knew that we needed something to bring about a feeling of stability and security in this life.  There is nothing more secure that having the love and acceptance of another, and being able to live out your life as you are without having to live as another person deems you should live.  I am not saying that we should not hold ourselves to certain standards, or that there is not some standard of morality--I am saying that love does not hold those things over your head as a prerequisite for being the recipient of love.

Love takes us warts and all, and if we allow, transforms us into better people, and in doing so makes us more loving to others.  My prayer for you is that your cup overflow with love, so much so that it can't help but spill out to everyone around you!

Lessons from a Familiar Story

I have always loved the story of Jesus healing the crippled man at the pool (John 5:1-18).  I love how Jesus notices the man in his hopeless situation, and how he takes time out of his busy schedule to talk to and heal this man.  To me, it shows me so much about Jesus' character and the priorities he set during his ministry.  I think it is also a good lesson in what our character and our priorities should be as Christians.

The setting for this story is that Jesus is in Jerusalem during one of the Jewish feasts on the Sabbath.  As he is walking near the temple, he notices a particular man, among many diseased, sick, and crippled man who had gathered around the pool.  They were there, because legend had it that an angel would come down to the pool, and stir up the waters.  The first one into the pool after it was stirred by the angels would be healed.  

This particular man had been there for thirty eight years, waiting for his miracle.  He had no family, and no friends.  He was crippled, abandoned, helpless...and essentially hopeless, yet he still sat by the pool...waiting for his miracle.  What a sad situation for this man to be in.  

Jesus goes up to the man, the first thing he asks is basically,"Do you want to get well?"  

The man replies by recounting his situation to Jesus, that he has no friends or family and that every time the pool is stirred, someone else gets into the pool before he does.  The poor man was helpless.  Seeing his hopelessness, Jesus heals him and tells him to get up and take his mat and walk.

At this point, we should all be happy.  After all, a man who had been crippled for 38 years, a man who could not help himself, was finally free to move about on his own.  He could walk!  

But...the religious people of Jesus' day were not happy.  A law had been broken, because no work was to be done on the Sabbath. The man was questioned about why he was carrying his mat on the Sabbath, and healing was evidently in their eyes, work.

The laws regarding the Sabbath would allow you to do certain things, like help and animal who was in danger, so why is this a problem?  After all, we are talking about a human life being forever changed...isn't that what the Sabbath is supposed to be about, resting in God and getting spiritual healing?  Well, the Pharisees did not see it this way, and gave the man and Jesus a hard time.

Another thing I noticed, is that Jesus had compassion.  Jesus was probably on his way to the temple, after all, it was the Sabbath, and a special one at that...it was a feast day.  There was a lot of preparation involved in preparing for those extra special holy days.  In the midst of all that he was involved in, Jesus still had time to notice the man and heal him.

How many times do we hurry through our busy days and not notice someone who is alone, hurting, and hopeless.  Jesus' top priority was doing God's will, and a big portion of that was helping others.  Jesus regularly took notice of specific people with a desperate need when he was busy with other things.  Jesus set his priorities in a way that showed that other people were a priority, and treated them with love and compassion--rather than the interruption that they were.  How many times do I fail to do this?  More than I can count and want to admit.

Christianity is about the relationship that we have with God, and our fellow believers.  It is about those relationships more than the rules. Sometimes we have to jump in and do the work at hand to help others, after all, isn't that what Jesus did?

Taking the High Road

I have been taught since childhood to take the high road.  You never know who is watching, so always act with integrity and go beyond others expectations so that you are known as a person who takes pride in themselves, their work, and their relationships. 

As I have gotten older, I am learning that this is easier said than done.  Expectations are high.  You get tired.  Sometimes, you just get tired of dealing with the same struggles day in and day out.  Sometimes we just want a shortcut or an easy way out, because life can just get too hard at times. 

Taking the high road is difficult. It is a tough road to follow, especially when life begins to nip at your heels and you begin to struggle with all of the stress that seems to land on your plate.  I know…I have been there, done that, and have all too many t-shirts that advertise my struggle to stay on the high road.

With all of the difficulties, sometimes I wonder if it is really worth it.  After all, who would really know if I took the easy way out?   Who would know if I compromised my beliefs on this one thing?  Well, for me the answer was at least the two most important would know…me and God.

Being raised in a Christian home smack in the middle of the Bible belt, I am all too familiar with my conscience and the havoc it will bring on a poor compromising soul trying to sleep.  I know…again, because I have been there and done that-- in my younger, dumber days.

I truly believe that one of the few things that we have outright in this life is our character.  It takes a lifetime to build a good one, and just one poor decision to destroy one.  For me, it is one of the things that I treasure, because it is the basis of who I am and what I stand for.  A wise pastor of mine always recited the quote that “Character is who you are when no one is looking.” 

So often it is those moments when no one is looking, where we make the decisions that make or break our character.  One compromise can lead to another…and before we know it, we are off track taking a long walk down a road we never meant to take in the first place.  That road is usually riddled with more potholes and obstacles than the high road ever had.  The price of compromise and altering course is normally much higher than if we would have just hunkered down and did what we knew was right to begin with…even if it was difficult to do.  Compromise can destroy your character, your reputation, your relationships, and even yourself as a Christian.

You have to deliberately choose to take it with every choice and every step you make in life and that is what makes taking the high road so difficult.  It is the consistency that makes us who we are…and it is consistency that will keep us on the “high road”.

The Journey

This year, our church is challenging us to read the Bible through in a year.  I am following the chronological plan they provided, and am currently reading through Exodus and the story of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt and into the promised land.  

As I read, I am realizing that so much of this story illustrates the Christian walk.  God called Moses to rescue the Israelites from the bondage of Egyptian slavery.  Their life in Egypt was one of working in temperatures of over 100 degrees F, in the mud and muck making bricks.  They had taskmasters who would make sure the slaves met a certain quota.  As the slaves worked, I am sure the taskmasters would get to know the slaves in order to learn how to best motivate them and get the most amount of work out of each and every slave.  The taskmasters knew how to get every ounce of work out of the slaves without excuse, and when the slaves did not meet their quota--I am sure there was a severe penalty to be paid.

You would think that because they were living in those conditions, that they would be happy to escape with Moses--even if it led to wandering through the desert or fighting for their land.  Anything would have been better than what they left behind in Egypt...right?

Well, as with anything, the newness of their freedom begins to wear off, and life begins to get difficult.  They begin to miss the food of Egypt, complain about too little water, and I am not even going to mention that they make and worship a golden idol when Moses is away for a few days meeting with God.

But before we condemn the Israelites for being spoiled, ungrateful children, let's take a look into our own hearts.

As the Israelites, we were rescued from the bondage of sin by Jesus.  We were enslaved by Satan and doomed to live a life of sin without God.  Jesus rescues us from that and calls us into the Journey of the Christian life.  At first, we are on fire, ready to impact the world for Christ.  After all, we have seen his power first hand, and we want others to know feel what we have experienced.

As the days and years drag by, the newness begins to wear off.  Our short attention spans forget the miracles, wonders, and the lengths that Christ went to to save us from our sin.  We forget how helpless we were, and that we were enslaved by a cruel taskmaster whose soul purpose was to torment us in this life, and in the afterlife.

Life gets hard, and we lose faith.  We begin to try to do things in our own power, only to find out that we can't.  We look back to the good old days when we were captive and remember those pet sins that we used to indulge, or those days with no responsibility---because after all--slaves do not make decisions about their life, they just do what they are told.Then we grumble, just as the Israelites did as they wandered through the desert and the wilderness.  

God took the Israelites on a round about route to the land of Cannan, because they were not spiritually ready to fight the native people of the land.  He led them on a longer path, to build their faith.  I think sometimes God does the same with us.  He knows where our weaknesses are, and works those things out before we ultimately find that sweet spot where God meant for us to be.

We were not created for this life.  We were created as eternal beings for paradise, but sin came in and our purpose was altered.  We are not supposed to be comfortable in this life, but in the one yet to come when we enter Heaven.  Until then, life is a journey, and God uses this life to transform us into who we were meant to be.  As we travel on the journey, we will learn joy, peace, patience, love, and the other fruits of the spirit.  We will be transformed and even live an abundant life here--if we just trust God and allow him to work in the ways that He needs to in this life.  We are on a journey, and the purpose of the journey is to transform us and to make us like Jesus, and to have fellowship with him and obey his commands along the way.