Start Small

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. 

2 Peter 1:3 

How would you like to be able to live a life of excellence? One of our flaws is called impatience.  You see, we want all the good stuff NOW!  Not yesterday, not tomorrow, not an hour from now......we want it NOW!

Let me ask you a question: if you want to build muscles...does this happen with a single trip to the gym?  If you want to lose weight, does that happen after your first bite of vegetables?  If you wish to become proficient with firearms, does that happen the first time you pull the trigger?

You see, in order to live a life of excellence, we my use all that God has given us!  We have to begin our life of excellence by working on the small things.  The life of excellence is a culmination of excellence in all the smaller aspects of life!  Start with telling the truth; being courteous; forgiving; do what you know is the right thing to do....in so doing, you will begin to build the life of excellence.  

But it starts by showing excellence in the small things. 

KWITCHA GRYPIN

Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.

Philippians 2:14-16 NLT

 

We all know someone (or sometimes a group of them, as they tend to flock together) who cannot say anything positive.  They spend their days complaining about everything.  Nothing seems to be able to meet their standard.  I have even asked a few of these complainers how they were able to find a spouse that met their standard of perfection, to which the response was given "they were the closest so I settled."  

 

Did you know that if you hear something enough times, you will begin to believe it too?  So be careful when dealing with chronic complainers or you may find yourself among their number.  Chronic complainers are like ticks in that they will suck the joy right out of you.

 

Why do we like to complain so much?  Could it be that we are simply naturally negative critters who find no joy in anything?  That can't be true....I find joy in lots of things and complaining isn't one of them.  Could it be that we feel superior when we point out the perceived deficiencies in the world around us?  Quite probably!  We do like to feel superior and if we can point out someone else's deficiencies then we have struck gold!

 

But what does GOD tell us to do?  Do EVERYTHING without arguing or complaining!  WOW!  Some folks are likely to explode from not being able to argue and complain.  So let me put it this way, WE example life for others (especially our children).  How do you think they will grow up if we give them the example of complaining and arguing all the time?

 

Just planting that seed for thought right there.  

OH (expletive)!

The Lord asked Cain, “Where is your brother? Where is Abel?”“I don’t know,” Cain responded. “Am I my brother’s guardian?”
Genesis 4:9

Have you ever had one of those moments where you thought "OH (expletive)!"?  Yeah, me too.  It's rather like looking out of the airplane window and seeing a skydiver with a sign reminding you that he used to be the pilot.  It's that moment of panic where your stomach churns and threatens to create other issues.

I believe Cain had one of those moments when, after he had killed his brother, God came to him and asked "Where is your brother?  Where is Abel?".  You can almost feel Cain's pucker get tighter!  Almost as puckered as Adam and Eve were when God came to visit with them and asked Adam why he was covering himself.  

I remember taking some cookies off the plate at my Gramma's house.  Grampa asked me if I had taken any of his cookies.  In my young mind, I was astounded that he could have any indication that I had done such a thing, so in all my quick-witted thoughts I told him, "No SIR!"  That's when I got the "Run for your life" look from my Grampa!  It wasn't until I became a parent that I understand how he knew it was me.  Something about the crumbs on my face and the chocolate chips stuck to my teeth, and a few more clues (he had seen me while pretending to nap in his recliner).  You see, Grampa really didn't HAVE to ask the question because he already knew the answer.

God is the same way, when He asks us a question, He already knows the answer.  So what are we to do with those moments when our stomachs drop?  Tell God the truth!  He already knows anyway.  It's better to tell the truth.....ALWAYS!

OUTSTANDING!!!

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Romans 12:2 

 

Remember when you were the "new kid in class"?  You didn't know anyone and the LAST thing you wanted to do was be that one kid who was "different."  We like fitting in.  We like feeling as though we belong.  But sometimes we are tempted to change who we are just so we can "fit in."  And those changes are draining, fake, and will eventually crumble.

Think about this: if we, as Christians, were meant to "fit in" why would God instill within us a need, drive, desire to be different?  Why would the actions of the world bother us?  Why would we care about anyone else?

On the other hand, I have been part of (and worked for) churches who were far from welcoming to visitors or anyone new who joined the church.  As a matter of fact, Christians can be the most arrogant, self-centered, judgemental people ever!  Why?  Because we want to belong to the exclusive cliques and the only way to be exclusive is to exclude those who don't measure up to our standards.

What is God's standard for us?  To love each other in the same way He loves us!  THAT makes us different!  We love because God first loves us!  Ponder that for a moment.

I'm Supposed To Do WHAT?

Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

Ephesians 4:32 

Is there ANYONE among us who has not done or said something so boneheaded that we wished we could disappear?  How many of us have blurted out something in a moment of anger that we wish we could take back?  How many of us have done something we wish we could undo?  If you have never made a blunder, then I'd truly like to shake your hand.

How many of us would you think are carrying some sort of grudge because of something that was said or done?  Here's a nugget of information: More people that will admit are carrying around a grudge because of something someone has done or said, and we have carried it for so long that we don't realize the way it slowly changes us into cynics.  That cynicism will seep into every aspect of life and can ruin relationships once held dear.

We sometimes choose to hang on to the anger and hurt rather than risk forgiving, because we want the person who caused our pain and anger to suffer!  WE want THEM to suffer!  Why?  Who made us their judge, jury and executioner?  And, if we are wanting them to suffer for what they did to us, doesn't that make us....just.....like....them?  You see, revenge is NOT forgiveness.  Revenge is not a prerequisite to forgiveness!  Revenge has no part in the forgiveness process.

I've said it before and I will say it again, "Forgiveness isn't true forgiveness unless it costs YOU something!  It will cost you the perceived right of revenge.  It will cost you the bruises of the pain caused to you.  It will cost you!"  Having said that, forgiveness does not mean we forget what has happened.  Forgiveness quite literally means: "To send away."  In truth, when we forgive, we are sending away the pain and anger.  When we forgive, we no longer hold their words or deeds against them (even if they never apologize), because we are sending the situation to God to deal with.

As a matter of fact, next time you are tempted to be unforgiving, as this question: "If that were me, how would I want to be treated?"  Let's be honest, we are ALL guilty and we ALL want to be forgiven, so if God forgives us because of Christ Jesus who are we to do any less?

Am I The Only One?

What exists now is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done;
there is nothing truly new on earth.

Ecclesiastes 1:9 

 

Have you ever had to endure a situation where you felt as though you were the only one going through this?  It's a HUGELY frustrating feeling, isn't it?  After living through the stress and struggle for so long, we begin to wonder how anyone could possibly have an inkling of what we are enduring, much less care that we are slowly sinking and there's nothing we can do about it.

 

To be honest, we, as humans, aren't usually ones to come rushing to someone who is enduring a hardship, difficult time, or struggling.  Why?  Perhaps it's because they hide it well and we don't realize there's an issue.  Perhaps we prefer not to notice because we want to stay in the "no-sad zone."  Perhaps we feel drained from having just reached out to someone else struggling and we aren't ready to do that again just yet.

 

Whatever our reason, the person enduring the struggle eventually will begin to believe that they are the only one who has, is, or ever will face such a challenge as theirs.  That feeling can lead to despair!  However....God reminds us that we are NOT alone in our struggles.  Notice today's verse: "...there is nothing truly new on the earth."  Did you catch that? Our struggles may be new to us, but they are not new and they are most certainly not new to God.  Nothing surprises God!  And, as a matter of fact, God allows struggles in our lives to teach us how to help others later on who may be facing a similar struggle.

 

Yes, we will encounter situations where we slump down and wonder "Why me?" and we will begin to believe the whisperer from the pit who tells us no one cares, no one understands, no one has ever faced this, and the whisperer LIES!

 

One of the things I try to remind the Deputies and employees of the Sheriff's Department: "If I don't know what's going on with you, I can't help you or find help for you."  And it's true!  But start with God, He has more resources at His immediate disposal.  But understand YOU are NEVER alone!

Life.....Driving Me Crazy!!!!

When my heart is overwhelmed, 

lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

Psalm 61:2 

 

If we were to look at all that is going on in your life, job, and mind...what would we discover?  I'm willing we would discover many who are either on the verge of, or already, overwhelmed by everything.  We have quite the balancing act to perform while we are on this Earth.  

 

We have family issues (finances, activities, juggling childcare, clothing, housing, food, transportation, where to we go first for Christmas/Thanksgiving, what do we need to do not to offend the family members, and on and on); 

 

We have job issues (am I doing a good job, will I be able to get promoted, how do I stay out of the gossip/politics, how am I going to afford the new insurance rates, what mood is the boss in today, how can I find time for vacation when I have projects that need my input, does my family come first or does the job, and on and on and on);

 

We have relationship issues (Does he/she like me, have I messed up, he/she ticks me off with her actions/words/inaction/silence, how can we have a relationship with my crazy schedule,  how do I deal with the people who insist on criticizing my very existence, how do I repair this broken relationship or do I even want to, is this relationship good for me or is it creating more stress than it's worth, and on and on);

 

Toss into the mix the daily items of which we have no control (traffic, engine trouble, weather, etc.) and it is amazing that we haven't crawled into a cave to wait it out.  We feel the stress and anxiety mounting with unrelenting progress and the faster we try to keep juggling everything the more frantic we become until we finally just can't take it anymore.

 

What happens when we become overwhelmed?  We begin to doubt our worth.  We begin to feel as though we are a failure.  We lash out at others because they seem to be able to handle the pressure better than we can. Our neck and back muscles  begin to knot and even the chiropractor can't unknot our knots.  Our sleep gets disrupted because our mind won't shut down, OR we can't seem to get enough sleep because we don't want to face the world any longer. Our health begins to decline. And finally, we begin to shut down.

 

So what do we do? Allow me to offer some helps, please note this is not a complete list by any stretch, but hopefully something will offer a bit of relief:

1. TAKE TIME OFF!  I know, you don't believe you have the time to get away, but you do.  So what if the project moves forward without you.  It your health declines because you won't take time to recharge, the project will still move forward without you.
2. FOCUS ON THE IMPORTANT! If your home life is in turmoil, it will bleed into your work which will cause your work to suffer.  God provided you a family for a reason, embrace them.  Make them your place of refuge!  If you are dating, your relationship status will take a toll on your performance in every other aspect of your life.  Therefore, if the relationship is building you up and making your WHOLE life better, good.  If you are left constantly wondering if this is going to work out....walk away.
3.  Take Care of YOU!  God only gave the universe ONE you!  You are the only you EVER!  Therefore, take care of you...your health, your sleep, your life, your everything.  Remember, the same God who keeps the seas from enveloping the world is the same God who holds you in His hand and knows how many hairs you have.
4. Learn To Let Go! "Life is simple, it is we who complicate it."  I love The Big Bang Theory!  There are many wonderful quotes from that program, but my favorite is from Sheldon "Life is simply the breathing, taking in nourishment, and expelling waste.  The rest is unnecessary."  If you have more activities than you can keep track of, eliminate some of them.  And, at the risk of offending parents, children do NOT need to have so many activities that you are merely a taxi!
5. Rely on the ONE Who is in Control!  God is God.....we are not.  God loves us beyond our ability to comprehend.  God is the one who should be our primary focus because He is the one with the plan for each of us.  Talk with Him.  Talk with Him a LOT!  Talk with Him about EVERYTHING!