Is Your House In Order?

Be careful what you think,
    because your thoughts run your life.

Proverbs 4:23 

I discovered a new television show that I enjoy watching, because it causes me to think and evaluate. The show is called "House" and Hugh Laurie is a fantastic actor.  The character he portrays, Dr. Gregory House, has, through the course of his life experiences, become very jaded, cynical, and callous.  This tends to push people away, keep them at arm's distance, and leaves him with very few people who he will actually be open with.

The more I thought about this character description, the more I began to evaluate my own life.  When I was younger (and had hair), life fascinated me and I embraced each day with enthusiasm.  I loved getting out with my friends and enjoyed spending time together.  And then "life" happened.  I honestly cannot put my finger on exactly when I began to become jaded.  I cannot tell you when I began pushing people away.  I cannot tell you when I began to feel apathetic toward others.  But it happened!  Not all at once, but slowly over time.

When you face the worst in people every day, and try to make sense of it in your own mind, the layers of cynicism will encase your heart and mind.  We think it is to protect ourselves from "them."  In reality, we let it happen so we don't have to care or show concern or feel.

God has a way of peeling back the layers of our steel wrapped hearts.  When He does, we feel things we have not felt (or wanted to feel) in a long LONG time and that is not a comfortable feeling.  But God does that for a reason, even though His timing may not be convenient for us, so we will remember we are still human with needs, wants, and feelings.

We must pay attention to what we are thinking because what we think will direct our actions, attitudes, and our perspective.  If we become so cynical that everything becomes just another irritation, it's past time to re-evaluate our thoughts.  Here's the point: When we focus on God and remember that we are His child, just like everyone else we meet, we will begin to see the layers of cynicism strip away.

We must get OUR house in order (our thoughts, our perceptions, our actions) before we become jaded and cynical. 

Shins Are For WHAT?

I praise you, Lord,
    for being my guide.
Even in the darkest night,
    your teachings fill my mind. 

I will always look to you,
    as you stand beside me
    and protect me from fear.

Psalm 16:7-8

I think I have told you before, but my mind is more of a crayon instead of a tack nowadays, that I have discovered why God gave us shins....to help us locate the corners of furniture in the dark.  I can't tell you how many times I have been in a darkened room and, sure enough, my shins are the ones that find everything there is to bang into.

It's no fun being in the dark.  And, quite honestly, I don't know how people live in the areas where night lasts for 6 months.  

I know I have told you about some of the darkest times of my life.  We all have such times when wonder if we will ever know happiness again; where we doubt we will ever be able to face others again; where we know our lives no longer have purpose...those are some of the darkest times.  Yet, even in the darkest times, God has a way of reminding us that He is with us.  Whether it is through a person, a quote, a book, a movie, a pet...God always has a way of reminding us.  And in those times, when we accept His offering of caring, it's like a light begins to glow in the darkness.  And eventually, that glow will grow until we see that our darkness was of our own making and the light of life really is within our grasp because God has brought us to it.  

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." 

I Should See Clearly Now!

 I’ve blotted out your sins; they are gone like morning mist at noon! 

Return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free.

Isaiah 44:22

 

For some reason, I can't remember why, I was up before the sun.  I got my coffee and sat outside and listened to the predawn sounds of the animals beginning to awaken and begin their day. It's truly amazing the sounds of the world that are just out of sight.

 

As the sun crept into dawn, the world seemed to be shrouded in a mist, which kept the scene before my eyes hidden.  The sounds were still there, but I still couldn't see what was making the sounds because all the activity was taking place under the cover of the morning mist.

 

As the sun rose higher, and the mist began to burn away, I saw the squirrels seeking the acorns they had buried.  I saw the birds seeking the bugs and other favorite delicacies.  I saw a rabbit who had found its way into the garden, munching happily on some vegetable I had no intention of eating anyway.  And right at the tree line, I saw a doe with her fawn watching me as they munched whatever it was they had found.

 

There was a whole world taking place, yet I was blinded by the mist. 

 

This is true of our own lives.  There's a whole world of incredible life taking place, yet we are blinded by our own selfishness, greed, politics, prejudices, lies, and various other sins.  Yet God reminds us that HE has wiped away our sins like the morning mist at noon.  HE gives us another chance each day.  HE has paid the price and has bought our freedom from slavery to sin....and He asks us to return to Him.

 

I fail at this regularly.  I fail because I take for granted that I will still be here tomorrow.  I fail because I fall right back into the routine that is comfortable.  The time has come to stop taking life for granted and to step out of my comfort zone and to live the life God has for me beyond the mist.  

Lord Take The Wheel!

The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, “Go down to the potter’s shop, and I will speak to you there.” So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over.

Jeremiah 18:1-4 

 

It's never fun when we have to endure change.  It's not comfortable and it's usually not going to happen at the most opportune time....according to us.  Therein lies the key: God brings change, but we are never ready for the change God brings into our lives.

 

Have you ever watched a true potter working a potter's wheel?  They make it look SO easy, that I find myself envious of their skill.  But I got to talk with one potter who was making a cup.  He was almost finished making the cup when he stopped, took the clay, wadded it back into a blob, and started over.  I asked him later why he did that.  He said, "The cup needed to be changed."  No other explanation was given, and for him, no other explanation was required.  He made the cup into the cup HE needed to serve the purpose HE had planned.

 

Time for me to get preachy, so either get some coffee or go wander through Facebook.  God does the exact same thing with us.  God has a plan for us (Jeremiah 29:11) and HIS job is to fulfill that plan. 

 

Paul tells us in Philippians 1:6 - "And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns."  

 

God's ultimate plan for us comes in stages.  Just as an infant must grow in stages to toddler then child to awkward adolescent to young adult to middle aged to senior adult to wizened elder.  Each stage requires change!  If I had my choice, I would have stopped the process when I was 21 years old, I felt like I could conquer the world and nothing could stand in my way because I had ALL the answers.  And boy was I an IDIOT!   With each change in life come challenges which, hopefully, prepare us for the next stage.  But in ALL these changes, God is fulfilling His plan for our lives.

 

It's way past time for me to tell God to "PLEASE TAKE THE WHEEL!" I don't want God to be my co-pilot, I need Him to be the PILOT! 

Follow!

Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.

John 12:26

 

This one will be brief, so grab some coffee and try not to doze off.

 

 I like Monty Python's "Holy Grail" movie (don't judge me!) because it's funny, yet it has some good imagery in it that I can use for these devotions.  One of the things that struck me about the movie is that the servants of the nights followed closely behind their knight everywhere they went (the coconut clopping "horse" was absolute genius). 

 

During Jesus' time, the main job of a servant was to follow the one to whom they belonged to do whatever they were told, carry whatever needed carrying, and so forth.  Wherever the master went, the servant was to follow.

 

If we claim to be Christians, we serve Jesus Christ.  And if we serve Him then we are His servants.  And as His servants, we follow Him so that we are where He is.  And God has promised to honor the servants of Christ.  Following can be difficult, but it is ultimately rewarding. 

RESCUED!!!

Though the tide of battle runs strongly against me, for so many are fighting me, yet he will rescue me.

Psalm 55:18

 

 Ever have one of those days (weeks) where is seemed like you were the target of everyone else?  No matter how hard you work and try, it never seems to be enough or correct?  There have been days when I wanted to throw up my hands and go for coffee. 

 

Let me ask you:

1.  Has it ever seemed like you were living the life of Job in that "while one boss was telling you what you did wrong, here came another boss"?
2. Have you ever felt like your health was, in reality, against you?
3. Have you ever wondered if continuing the struggle was worth it?

I have, and it felt like I was one tired old soldier facing the entire invading Viking horde.  That's the downside.  There's an upside.  No, really there IS an upside!

 

When I reach the point where I am ready to give up and walk away, I realize that I need to stop struggling and follow God's leading.  I can beat my head against the wall until I am unconscious, but God can make a door (or simply remove the wall).  

 

One would think that after all these years on this blue marble, I would have learned that God is still in the Helping and Miracle business and that His business also has an Another Chance department.  Those who truly know me, know that I have made some seriously huge blunders in my time on Earth so far, and will likely make a few more before my time here is completed, but God has always picked me up, dusted me off, loved me, reminded me that I am His and I am to follow Him, and sent me back into the fray of life.

 

No matter what we are facing; no matter what life throws at us; no matter what...we are God's child!  Child of the King of Kings! Child of the one who SPOKE creation into being, yet remembers my name and even how many hairs I have (left).  Hang not your head in weariness or shame, raise it to God's face and let His radiant love fill you!