Keep Calm? Are You CRAZY?

If you believe that being a member of the Clergy means we are free from frustration, irritation, and the desire to use unkind words (and in our minds punching someone), then you will probably want to steer clear of Ministry as a career.

Let me explain: on Wednesday, I had a calendar full of events and appointments.  I had planned very carefully how to make it to each event and appointment early so I could have time to gather my thoughts, pray, and then go into action.  However, when I make plans, God proves that He has quite the sense of humor because every single driver I got behind apparently had no clue that the vertical pedal on the right makes the car move.  No matter which lane every car I got behind slowed down.  So much for arriving early (although I was early for the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Service).

When it came time for a hospital visit at Lexington Medical Center, I got stuck in the traffic on the exit ramp for almost an hour (whoever designed the traffic flow for that location should be shot).  While making that visit my phone was blowing up with robocalls from spoofed numbers (and I seemed to have called myself twice).

Stopped at the grocer to renew my supply of office candy.  I had 4 items in the express line.  The person in front of me had food enough to find the source of the Nile.  Therefore, that was another 45 minute wait in line at a grocer who only had 2 lines open. After ringing up all this customers purchases, out came the coupons (many of which were expired which led to a rather heated debate), finally the purchase was made and the customer had to look at every item on the receipt to make sure they weren't being over charged.  Because of this lengthy exchange, I was a few minutes late to a Swearing In at the Sheriff's Office.

This continued all day, wherever I went.  So by the time I was ready to come home, I knew my blood pressure was probably at the exploding point, so I stopped off to calm down and have some coffee.  I re-read the devotional passage and had a few choice words for God because the passage was Psalm 131:2, "I have calmed and quieted myself."  David, the Beloved of God, must not have ever had such a frustrating day if he was able to calm and quiet himself!  And yet, perhaps he actually did have such a day because if he quieted and calmed himself then he was not quiet and calm before.  I could literally feel God's WHACK to my forehead.  Instead of lashing out at Him as I had intended, I had to confess my heart and ask forgiveness.

The second part of verse two reminds us that when a child is upset, they seek the comfort of their parent to handle and resolve what's bothering them.  That's what I needed (and still need) to do.  Then it hit me, yet again, God is the one in control of ALL things!  My frustration, irritation, anger, and unkind words were my effort to take over God's job and God used all the days events to remind me He truly is the one in charge.  When I finally realized that, Calm and Quiet replaced all that had been within me.

I'll leave you with Psalm 131:3. "O Israel, put your hope in the Lord—now and always."  God is God, and we are not, so let Him do His job.

Need Comfort?

As a mother comforts her child,
    so I’ll comfort you.

Isaiah 66:13 

 

Let's see.....there was that time when I got my tonsils out; there was that time I had to get stitches in my face; there was that time I face planted on the driveway; there was that time I broke my collar bone falling down the stairs at Dad's office; there was that time when I got my wisdom teeth out; there was that time when I had a fever; there was that time when I had a REALLY bad reaction to Penicillin; there were so many times when I needed to be comforted.  Okay, reading back through that list, many of them were the result of my own clumsiness, but I still needed comforting.  And Mom was right there to comfort me.

 

When my own daughter was an infant, there were times she would cry and I'd go pick her up and try to comfort her, but nothing would work except her Mom.  There's something about the way Mom's are able to make everything better.

 

How many times have we run to God with our worries? How many times have we run to God when we have messed up?  How many times have we run to God when our hearts are breaking? How many times have we run to God when we were afraid?  And God is always right there to comfort us just as a mother comforts her child.  "The peace which surpasses ALL understanding" (Philippians 4:7) warms our hearts and soothes our fears.

When You're Backed Into A Corner...

But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.

Exodus 14:13-14 

 

Picture it: The Israelites have just been led out of the land of Egypt (after the 10 plagues) and have made it as far as the Red Sea.  Pharoah (ruler of Egypt) decides he wants the Israelites back in Egypt and takes his army to chase after them.  The Israelites (led my Moses) now find themselves with the Egyptian Army on one side of them and the Red Sea on the other side.  They don't know how they're going to get out of this one (insert cliffhanger music here).

 

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you just could not see how a good outcome?  I have.  What happens when we encounter these situations?  We panic!  We complain! We blame! None of which are helpful to our situation.

 

But look at what God told the Israelites through Moses: "Don't be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today."  Somehow I can hear the people of Israel shouting, "ARE YOU KIDDING? 'STAND STILL and WATCH'? Are you insane?"   We don't do very well at sitting still, do we.  We want to fix the situation.  We want to make a way out.  WE want to find a solution.  

 

I used to chuckle at the old Lifesavers advertisement where the child who is squirming in church is given a Lifesaver and immediately calms down.  My thinking was, Lifesavers are candy.....candy is made of SUGAR.....giving sugar to a child will, most likely, create an situation whereby the squirming ceases.  But I could be wrong.  Regardless, we don't like to sit still.

 

Have you ever been so upset that you couldn't even see straight and someone told you to "calm down"?  How well did that work?

 

However, when we stop trying to do God's job and we let God be God, it's amazing the solutions He brings.  So when you find yourself in a situation where you aren't sure there IS a solution...give it to God and let Him be God all over your situation!

Knee-Jerk Responses or Just Being A Jerk?

Better to be patient than a warrior,
    and better to have self-control than to capture a city.

Proverbs 16:32 

Have you ever noticed that when something happens knee-jerk responses are the first things we hear about?  Let's say, some pizza restaurant owner decides that his employees deserve to have a day off and chooses that day to be Thursday.  Within hours, there are reports and speculations as to why the owner chose Thursday.  Then come those I Love Thursday people who demand a boycott of the restaurant because they "have a right" to eat pizza at this restaurant (which they now despise) on Thursday. Then there's a call to boycott pizza! And on and on and on.....the knee-jerk responses get weirder and weirder!

Have we lost our senses?  Have we lost the ability to actually think rather than overreact?  Okay, granted if you kick me in the shin, I'm liable to say some quite unclergy things and probably kick you back.  But we, as a group, seem to want to take things to the extreme!

When does it stop?  What would have happened if, when Adam and Eve partook of the fruit, God decided not only would Adam and Eve would be destroyed, but He destroyed the Garden, then the world, then the Universe?  Overreaction perhaps?

Patience is, like all virtues, learned (and not very easily, I might add).  If we took the time to think about how our actions impact, not just us, but everyone else, we would be a lot calmer.

I looked back at the Mother Emmanuel shooting and saw how the congregation members, family members, faith community members, and city members all came together in peace.  Were they hurting?  ABSOLUTELY!  But they did not encourage riots, they did not call for retaliation, they did not trash and burn Charleston.  They came together to comfort one another!  THAT takes calm.  THAT takes patience.  THAT takes love!

Take time to think! Thank about how many times Scripture states, "Peace be with you"

Why Are You Afraid To Try?

“Don’t be afraid, Daniel, for from the very first day you applied your mind to 

understand and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard."

Daniel 10:12 

I used to tell people that I was not afraid of anything...and I was lying through my teeth. My First Sergeant asked me what I feared, and I said "Nothing First Sergeant."  He looked right into my eyes and said, "Then you are dead and I have not use for you."  And he was absolutely correct.  If we truly fear nothing, then we are already dead.

I get to work with the greatest bunch of misfits, clowns, and awesomeness all rolled into one.  Some of them would have me believe that they fear nothing, thinking I can't see behind their facade.  But these same people who are so tough they make Chuck Norris weep and whimper really ARE afraid!  They are afraid to let anyone know they are human!

Being human does not mean you are weak, it means that you accept that:

* you hurt (just like the rest of us), 

* you crave friendship and love (just like the rest of us), 

* you get sick (just like the rest of us), 

* you have dreams (just like the rest of us), 

* when those dreams crash it hurts (just like the rest of us),

* when a two year old hands you their toy phone you're going to answer it (just like the rest of us),

* you get tired (just like the rest of us),

* you need to laugh (just like the rest of us)

Being human is accepting that you are normal....well, as normal as "normal" goes for you.

But it also means that God knows you (all about you) and loves you anyway.  It means that if you are willing to talk to God, He will not only listen to you, but He will answer you!  And THAT can be scary, because some of us aren't sure we want to hear what God will say.  Here's what God is telling you right this very minute: "Don't be afraid.  I have called you by name and you are Mine! I have incredible plans for you, so trust My love for you and let's get this journey started."