What If?

Why am I anxious?
Why am I restless?
    I trust you!
And I will praise you again
    because you help me,
    and you are my God.

Psalm 42:11

 

"What if?" is a question I hear quite a lot.  Do we ask this because we want to be certain?  Or could it be that we are fearful of making a decision?  Or could it be that we are just bad at relying on the love of God for us? 

 

We like to have all the answers before we decide and we like to have all the pieces in place before we move.  You have probably heard the question, whether or not you have pondered it, "What would you do if you could not fail?"  Go ahead....ponder that for a moment.

 

Now...think of how much time and energy we waste by doubting and filling the air with "What If?" questions.  Have you ever heard the song "Blessed Assurance"?  God has promised us in Romans 8:28 that we cannot fail.  Granted, there will be times when the outcome will be much different than we expected, but God will not allow us to fail.  

 

What if I encourage someone and they bite my head off?  Do it anyway and let God deal with the other person.

 

What if I offer someone guidance from my own experience and they don't take it?  Do it anyway.  And let God do with it what He will with the other person.  

 

What if I reach out to someone and they reject my offer?  Do it anyway and let God deal with them.

 

I may have mentioned this before, and then again I may not have, I crochet afghans.  They are called BUBBAs (Butt Ugly But Big Afghans) and I give them away.  I crochet them while I have quiet time and when I am contemplating.  The very first one I made I gave to my Bride as a wedding gift 18 years ago.  She enjoyed it for a while and gave it to a lady who was starting her life over after spending time in SisterCare.  Now, either of them could have laughed and rejected the BUBBA.  But they didn't.  Over time, this has become a ministry project (with a Facebook Page too).  

 

When I came to the Sheriff's Department, I kept making them.  I was terrified to give away the first one.  People would think I was weird or something (and I am weird, so there).  One of our retired Deputies was in the hospital dying, I gave his wife the first one.  Last year when Sheriff Lott took his Oath of Office, this dear lady came up to me after the ceremony to thank me for that BUBBA and to let me know that she still finds comfort in it.

 

What if I had ignored God's prompting and not given that BUBBA away?  But God promised that He would make sure I did not fail, and He was absolutely right.  Here it is 11 years and some 50+ BUBBAs later and God is still proving Himself true to His Word!   

When Should We Give Thanks?

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

 

 Have you ever found yourself in a rather sticky situation that you REALLY wish you didn't have to endure?  I have found, from experience, that pretty much all such situations in which I find myself are the result of my own actions, inactions, decisions, and just my own lack of thinking.  And when I am in the midst of such a situation, my first thought is to find a way out FAST!

 

It's not easy when we realize that we are the ones who messed up.  Honestly, even thought I KNOW God is fully aware of my situation, I have this habit of not talking with Him about it.  Why?  Because I am too stubborn, too embarrassed, too angry, too something other than thankful.  Consider this: How do we learn? Usually from experience...and Experience is a cruel teacher.  

 

Think about it...how did you discover that cookies right out of the oven were hot?  By grabbing one and feeling the heat.  How did you figure out that there's a difference between suntan and sunburn? By getting sunburned.  We learn usually by doing it wrong, but that is one of the things we should thank God for, He didn't have to give us a mind that is capable of learning.

 

But think about this: When we are grateful and thankful to God in EVERY situation we remind ourselves that God is in control and will work everything to our good and His glory when we learn to turn loose of it. 

It's In Your DNA

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

John 1:12-13 

 

As a Christmas gift to myself, I decided to get one of those kits where you can have your DNA analyzed and find out about your history.  I sent the kit off today with excitement and more than a little apprehension.  What happens if my DNA comes back to inform me that my family tree doesn't fork?  What happens if I find out that my ancestry was filled with "folks of ill repute"?  What would people think if they discovered that they were related to me?  What if my ethnicities all point to "Other"?  

 

I find it amazing that scientists can find something that God created us with and use it to find out all sorts of information about us.  And we have just, in the last few years, figured out how helpful DNA can be, and God has filled us with this information since the dawn of time.

 

While I await the results, I am confident of one fact...my true family DNA is God's.  You see, as believers we have been given the right to claim our place as children of God!  God has so constructed our spiritual DNA so that it will always come back to Him. 

 

David was not kidding that we are fearfully and wonderfully made and that before anyone saw us, God saw us as He was knitting our bits and pieces together to form us into the child He would include in His plans.  Take just a moment and thank God for the families He has included us in and celebrate His plans for us.

Sleepless? Is It My Bloodshot Eyes?

In peace I will lie down and sleep,
    for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.

Psalm 4:8 

 

Have you ever had trouble sleeping at night because you have so much on your mind that it's like having a jolt of electricity flowing through you?  Yep....me too.  And I admit that I have relied on sleep meds to deal with this issue.  Guess what?  They were a "hit or miss" when it came to sleep (they only seemed to work when I was so exhausted that I kept dozing off in my recliner).

 

God has a rather unique sense of humor.  There were times I would toss and turn for hours, then have the uncontrollable need to get up and chat with God around 2am.  First, I did all the talking and little listening.  I would unload everything that was on my mind.  Some times the more I unloaded, the more I discovered to be unloaded.  Finally when I finished unloading, I would begin to feel sleepy again and I can't prove I heard it, but I can't prove I didn't; I could swear I heard God chuckle and remind me that He's got me in His care.

 

Then, I would toddle off to bed and the next 4 hours were the best sleep ever.  You see, when we learn to START by letting God know exactly what is on our minds and hearts we will be amazed what a relief it is to turn everything over to the ONE who can take care of everything and us too!

 

Let's try it together.  That's right, I'm still learning too. 

Run? Are You Kidding Me?

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set out for us.

Hebrews 12:1 

If you've ever watch the Track and Field Events in the Olympics, you've probably noticed that the none of the athletes are carrying heavy weights when they run.  You'll probably notice that they seldom, if ever, look back.  Why?  Because these would hinder their running.

Now...notice that we are being told to "run with endurance."  Why is that?  Well, because life is not a sprint!  When we sprint, we expend a lot of energy and focus needlessly.  Life is a GIFT which God has given each of us.  We are expected to be in it for the long haul, so that we can receive the help we need and give the help others need; so we can be a blessing and we can be blessed; so that we can learn to let go of the things that hinder our running.

"Get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely" the writer is not kidding.  We carry around too much.  When we are finally able to surrender our "baggage" to God through Christ, we will feel the weight come off our hearts!  But that means we have to be brutally honest with ourselves, because God already knows all our secrets.

Run the race with endurance!

Whose Time Is It Anyway?

But those who wait for the Lord’s help find renewed strength;
they rise up as if they had eagles’ wings,
they run without growing weary,
they walk without getting tired.

Isaiah 40:31 

I like to watch birds fly.  To see such majesty as a hawk or an eagle is breathtaking.  And it reminds me of the words of Isaiah "they rise up as if they had eagles' wings, they run without growing weary, they walk without getting tired."  Such promises are encouraging and uplifting, when we read them we feel out hearts begin the ascent into the skies of joy...and then reality hits and we come crashing back into our trials and struggles.  We tend to blame God for not answering our prayers immediately and solving all our struggles without any effort on our part because, after all, He is God and we are not.

We tend to miss the important part of this passage found in the first line: "But those who WAIT for the Lord's help..."  We must learn that God works on HIS schedule, not ours, and we must learn to wait.  Now....this doesn't mean we sit back on the sofa and wait for God to decide to do something.  Far from it!  God reminds that none of our impatience will get Him to work any faster, just like continually pushing the elevator button does not bring the elevator to you any faster!  When God tells us to "Wait" and "Be Still" He expects us to focus on Him and listen for Him.

Why are we to wait and be still?  Let's think about a couple of possible reasons...could it be that we are still struggling to get past our past?  Could it be that God is putting all the pieces in place for His perfect plan for you which might include someone else gaining experience to help us?  Could it be that God wants us to slow down and realize the incredible gift He has given us in the nature which is all around us?  Could it be God is simply reminding us who is the one who is really in control of everything (time, situations, plans, details)?

As we wait on the Lord let's not be idle!  Take the time to reflect and THINK.  God is God and we are not!

Heart's Desire?

“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,
    and desperately wicked.
    Who really knows how bad it is?
But I, the Lord, search all hearts
    and examine secret motives.
I give all people their due rewards,
    according to what their actions deserve.”

Jeremiah 17:9-10 

I was spending time with some friends before Christmas.  When it was time to leave, one of them told all of us "I hope God gives you the desires of your heart."  While that may seem like a friendly and encouraging sentiment, on the way home it struck me....if I were given the desires of my heart, that would be a very bad thing.  There would be some whose entire lineage would disappear from time.  I would be the one with the biggest paycheck instead of pinching pennies.  There would be only one law of the land....mine.  You see, my heart harbors some very dark desires that should NEVER be released.  Pandora's Box has nothing on the evil that lurks in the shadows of my heart.

Instead of seeking the desires of my own heart, it would be proper and much better on the general populace if I prayed that God would change my heart, change my desires, clear my heart of shadowy places, and help me focus on God's desire for my life.  As the Psalmist declares in Psalm 51:10 - "Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me."

Perhaps we should start 2018 praying Psalm 51:10 every day.  "Father, Create in ME a clean heart and renew a loyal spirit within me THIS DAY.  I praise You and Thank You for loving me enough to cleanse me and renew me and call me by name and using me for Your purposes."  Think about it!