Captain Busyness

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”

  But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:38-42

Multi-tasking has become our mantra.  We work late, get home late, eat late, work some more until the wee hours of the morning, jump into bed expecting sleep to be waiting on us, then we remember that project we are supposed to have finished tomorrow, so we're up again, and on and on and on.  

Then we wonder why we're tired.  So we start pounding down the coffee, energy drinks, and push ourselves ever harder to do more of everything.....EXCEPT relax.  It's as if we have lost the ability to actually relax!

In today's passage, Martha is trying to be THE perfect hostess by greeting Jesus at the door and then off to the kitchen to prepare the meal, back out to set the table, back into the kitchen to peel potatos and carrots, shell the beans, make the bread, baste the meat, back to put napkins and silverware on the table......Martha was BUSY!

Mary, on the other hand, wanted to learn from Jesus.  She took the time for the IMPORTANT instead of all the busyness.  Martha decided it was time to call Mary out right in front of Jesus, so she comes blustering into the room, INTERRUPTS Jesus, and demands that Jesus make Mary leave the important to help her with the busyness.  Look at Jesus' response: "My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details!"  

Jesus chides Martha for focusing on the busyness of life.  Notice also that Mary isn't sitting on her backside being lazy, rather she is sitting at the feet of Jesus and she is LEARNING from Him.  Tired of being tired?  Let go of the busyness and learn to rest and relax.  Spend time with your loved ones.  Busyness is learned and has become ingrained in us.  Isn't it about time to learn how to rest, relax and recharge? 

It Just Won't Stop! I Feel Like I'm Drowning!!!

Why am I discouraged?
    Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
    I will praise him again—
    my Savior and my God!

~Psalm 42:11

 

Ever feel like that punching bag for a prize fighter?  Ever feel like that your circumstances are trying to drown you?  Ever feel so fed up that you're ready to walk away?

 

When we feel like life is funneling us through the passage filled with broken glass and rusting barbed wire, and the only thing between our will to continue through to the other side and our desire to just give up is a very thin layer of skin...what do you do?  Then you see someone who seems to have all the good things in life seemingly being handed to him on velvet pillows on golden trays.  How do you feel now?

 

When life kicks you over and over and no matter how hard you try, you just seemed to keep getting kicked, what are we supposed to do?  

 

Here are some practical things you can do: 

• Recognize that everything that is happening is for a purpose.  Like it or not.
• Talk with God, openly and HONESTLY, about what you are thinking and feeling.  If your words come out as tear drowned sobs, God knows what you're talking about.  If your words come out as angry shouts, God knows what you're talking about.  If your words just won't come at all, God knows what you're talking about.
• Be HONEST with your loved ones about what's going on with you, and seek their help.  The absolute worst thing we can do is put on the "I'm Okay" mask and lie about how we are doing and feeling.  Remember, God didn't put us here to be alone.
• Accept that what you want or hope for might not be the plan that is best for you.  Be flexible (especially if you expect others to be flexible). Your answer might not be the same answer God has in mind.
• Learn to look at the situations from multiple perspectives.  Ask your loved ones for their HONEST perspective.
•  Understand that you are NOT alone!
• Be prepared to TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF OF IT!

God allows some things in life to happen to us that can overwhelm us so that we can remember that HE is the one in control of all things.

Time To Actually DO Something!

But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!”
Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”
“Yes, come,” Jesus said.
So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.
Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”
When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.
Matthew 14:27-32 

We hear it frequently...."I can't."  I hear it quite often from people who CAN but just want someone else to do it for them.  

Children are very good at this little game:

     Parent: Help me carry the groceries into the house.

     Child: I can't!  I am already doing something.

Sound familiar?  You see, we use "I can't" in place of "I don't want to" with astounding regularity.  And the truly sad part of this, is instead of holding the "I can't" accountable, we just sigh and do everything ourselves because "I don't want to" start an argument.

Here's an eye-opener for you: Almost every miracle Jesus performed, He required the recipient to DO something.  When Peter wanted to walk on water, Jesus didn't magically transport him out of the boat, He told Peter to DO something!  

Jesus told Peter "Come" which meant Peter had to:

•  gather the courage within himself, 
• step out of the boat, 
• TURN LOOSE OF THE BOAT, 
• ignore the raging storm around him,
•  and walk.

In Mark 2:1-12, a paralyzed man was lowered through the roof of a house by his friends.  The man was paralyzed, yet Jesus told him in verse 11:

• stand up
• pick up your mat
• go home

You'd think, because the man was paralyzed, Jesus would simply take pity on him and not expect anything from him.  Taking pity on someone, and you might not like this but it's true, means you have GIVEN UP on that person!  Having Compassion means you are willing to help but you expect effort from them in return.

 

We see this quite often from those who want you to give them ______ (housing, food, money, insert your favorite "help me request") without any effort on their part being expected or required.  It might sound harsh, if we were not supposed to actually put forth any effort, God would have created the Universe to revolve around us and everything on the Earth would be so easy, that we could lay around in our floatie chairs and do nothing!

 

People actually make it their life's mission to seek pity from others so they don't have to DO anything for themselves!  And many of us will sacrifice everything we have (life savings, time, effort, relationships, you name it) so the pity seeking person will not be inconvenienced by actually being expected to DO anything for themselves.  

 

1. Helen Keller - was born deaf AND blind, yet learned to overcome her disabilities to become an inspiration to others.
2. Tom Dempsey - was born without toes on his right foot and without fingers on his right hand, yet on November 8, 1970 he kicked the game winning 63-yard field goal for New Orleans against Detroit.
3. Stephen Hawking - has become paralyzed due to motor neurone disease and can now communicates using a single cheek muscle attached to a speech-generating device, yet is an author, lecturer, and professor.

We hear about marathon runners who use prosthetic legs.  We hear about blind mountain climbers. We hear story after story about people who decided that they wanted to DO instead of receive pity.

 

Here's my point: If Jesus expected those He helped to DO for themselves (thus, removing their excuses) who are we to do otherwise?  

 

What A Valentine!

For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

 

Today's passage is very familiar.  In fact, it's so familiar that most of us can recite it without having any real idea what we are saying (because we learned it by rote years ago).  

 

Valentine's Day just passed.  I hope you got a Valentine or two, and I hope you gave a Valentine or two.  Valentine's Day is the holiday designated to express love for those we truly care about.  And the Greeting Card companies, Candy Companies, Jewelry Merchants, Stuffed Animal Sellers, and all the other corporations seeking to profit from love, spare no expense trying to get (or guilt) all sorts of material goods that are supposed to "express what's in your heart."  Yet, none of them have been able to capture (or even mention) the greatest Valentine's Gift of all....Jesus Christ!

 

Think about it:  God didn't have to create anything, but He did.   God didn't have to give us anything, yet He has given us everything.  God didn't have to provide a way to rescue us from ourselves, yet He did.  God provided the perfect gift for imperfect people in the form of His Son.  

 

Jesus, who did not sin, accepted ALL of our sin and paid the required price to purchase our freedom for eternity.  This is the Valentine's Gift God offers.  And the only "catch" is that we have to accept His gift. 

When Your Soul Is Thirsty

With joy you will drink deeply
    from the fountain of salvation!

In that wonderful day you will sing:
    “Thank the Lord! Praise his name!
Tell the nations what he has done.
    Let them know how mighty he is!

~Isaiah 12:3-4

 

I remember that it was in July when, on a family vacation, we stopped at a place called Bandelier, New Mexico so we could see the cliff dwellings of early Native Americans.  I was having a ball climbing the ladders, looking at the holes that had been carved into the cliffs to serve as homes.  There was QUITE a bit of temperature difference inside the caves compared to the outside where the ladders were.  Outside it was HOT!  Stifling dry heat where you could get dehydrated before you realized what was happening.

 

Now....our family seldom took a vacation without bringing our dachshund, Ginger, with us.  Ginger did her best to enjoy the time with us, but being so close to the ground, as dachshunds are so short, she was getting very hot very fast (not to mention dogs have fur coats).  So we strolled along pretty quickly and Ginger got carried a lot of the way.  

 

Finally, we reached a stream and the Park Ranger told us the water was naturally clean enough to drink from (remember this was in the early 70s).  Ginger didn't care, she saw the shallow stream, wandered out into the middle of it, had a drink, and then laid down in the cool water.  You could almost hear her singing praises to God for putting this stream right where she needed it most.

 

But think about this, have you ever been so thirsty that you couldn't even work up enough spit to swallow?  And when you finally got that first sip of cool water.......  Such is how our soul rejoices when we embrace the Living Water that Jesus promises us.  

If You Would Be Wise....

Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent;
    with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent.

~Proverbs 17:28

 

Did you know that wisdom is a lesson learned?

 

Think about this:

     *     Is it a good idea to get between a Mama bear and her cub?

     *     Is it a good idea to walk barefoot through a room in the dark?

     *     Is it a good idea to wrestle with a skunk....or a porcupine?

     *     Is it a good idea to jump off a cliff without a parachute just to taunt gravity?

 

You see, we learn some wisdom from experience.  I learned very early on that talking less gave my ears more of a chance to hear, and also gave my mind more time to understand.  Ever met someone who thought the one who talks the most and the loudest MUST be the one who is right?  Hmmmmm.......just because one uses many loud words does not make them wise; it merely makes them loud and annoying.

 

Let me share with you some nuggets of wisdom I have learned by being observant and listening:

     *    If the drink machine takes your money, putting MORE money in it seldom works.

     *    If you are in a hurry, traffic lights will conspire to stop you at every intersection.

     *    If you don't ask for help, chances are the ones who can help you won't know.

     *    Learning to laugh is good for the body, mind AND spirit.

     *    Hugs are the best therapeutic tool ever.

     *    If you encourage honestly (instead of using flattery) the results will last much longer.

     *    Pretending nothing hurts is nothing more than lying to yourself.

     *    Children see MUCH more than we give them credit.

     *    Children hear far more than we would like them to.

     *    Children will tell way more than we want them to.

     *    The person who annoys you, OWNS you! Because they have captured your attention long after they're gone and far longer than they are thinking about you.

 

 

"From the errors of others, a wise man corrects his own." - Publilius Syrus

Laundry Money!

I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.

~Philippians 4:12 

 

 

We've all said it and we've all experienced it....when there seems to be more month than our salary can cover.  I'm with you on this one.  

 

Saturday is usually laundry day at our house.  There have been times where I literally had pocket change to survive on until payday.  Mostly because I had not planned adequately and partly because when you can least afford it, things start breaking or leaking or just quit working and the urgent expenditures begin snowballing.  But there have been a times where I have been SO stressed about finances (yes, Chaplains can get stressed too.  We're learning just like everyone else), that all of my prayers were for help making ends meet.

 

So imagine my ecstatic joy when I was folding my clothes and $10 landed on the floor at my feet.  Now for some, ten dollars isn't much, but for me it was the wealth of Solomon!

 

Here's something I have learned and God still reminds me of almost every day: Focus on the ONE who provides rather than the provision and my perspective will change to appreciation.  God is the God of ALL creation!  He owns it all.....every last bit of everything.  And He loves us!  He has promised to take care of us.  All He asks in return is that we put Him first ("Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.") and you will be astounded by the results.