Be Kind

A post from my sister, Jonell  —

I am the front desk receptionist at an eye doctor’s office, so I see every patient that comes through the front door. Every day I see many different personalities and moods: funny – somber – sad – mad – grumpy – pleasant – humorous – teasing – loud – obnoxious – and more. One girl in our office can take the grumpy patients, and by the time they have completed their frame selection, they are laughing together. What a gift she has to brighten their day.

No matter the patient that comes through the office door, I have learned the need for kindness.

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle of some kind.”

This quote has helped me to be kind, because I don’t know what kind of day they are having. Maybe they have just found out they have cancer; have buried their father; lost a child; having financial problems; having marital problems; etc. Maybe their attitude is a result of what battles they are currently fighting at the present time. If I am kind, maybe I can be a bright spot in their day.

Look at these verses on kindness:

Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another. Romans 12:9-10

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

Remember this old song? Maybe you’ll be humming it this afternoon!

 

Brighten the Corner Where You Are

Do not wait until some deed of greatness you may do,
Do not wait to shed your light afar,
To the many duties ever near you now be true,
Brighten the corner where you are.

Chorus:
Brighten the corner where you are!
Brighten the corner where you are!
Someone far from harbor you may guide across the bar;
Brighten the corner where you are!

Just above are clouded skies that you may help to clear,
Let not narrow self your way debar;
Though into one heart alone may fall your song of cheer,
Brighten the corner where you are.

Chorus

 

Here for all your talent you may surely find a need,
Here reflect the bright and Morning Star;
Even from your humble hand the Bread of Life may feed,
Brighten the corner where you are.

Chorus

Telling God How to Do His Job – Not a Good Idea

Every now and then I mutter under my breath, do you?  “Don’t TELL me how to do my job!”

The worst is when a know-it-all newcomer type flips suggestions and ideas out there as though it’s my first day at this and I haven’t thought a coherent thought since adolescence. I feel it when it’s a well-meaning individual as well, even someone I think probably cares, but if they don’t know the setting or the conditions, the deadlines or the regulations we have to comply with, I’m still inclined to think it, albeit more kindly.

“Don’t tell me how to do my job. Please.”

Lately I’ve wondered how often God must feel like saying the very same thing.

“Don’t tell me how to do my job, allright?”

We mean well most of the time, I think. We remind ourselves that He said “Ask and it shall be given you, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you” so we do. But our asking too-easily becomes telling. There’s trouble in a portion of our lives and we’ve been thinking about it. All the time, we’ve been thinking it through, and we have some ideas about what would probably work. But these troubles are bigger than we are, so we go to God. We ask, but our asking sounds a lot like telling.

I’ve had children ask me things in a telling tone of voice, some not even my own. Bosses too. My mate. Neighbors. Customers and clients. Even complete strangers. I doubt God likes it any more than I do. But it’s sure easy to pray that way. We use an asking tone of voice to tell God to heal someone close to us, being careful to say “please” to increase the chances of His saying “yes”, and then we list our reasons why He should do so. We ask Him if we can have the job we just applied for because because because, and “ask” Him to please do it by the 15th because because because.

I can almost hear Him: “Don’t TELL me how to do my job!”

He did actually express those sentiments at least once, remember? It took him four chapters to finish what He had to say! [gulp] Job was grappling with all that had happened to him, (Job 1 & 2) his three friends weren’t much help at all (Job 3 – 31). Elihu, the youngest at the table had more insight than Job’s three alleged friends (Job 32-37). When the Lord finally speaks (Job 38-41) I can almost hear His words under His breath as he inhales and prepares to speak. “Don’t TELL me how to do my job. Now listen up.”

I’m a newcomer. God’s been at this forever. Literally.

I’ve never given orders to the morning or shown the dawn its place (38:12)

I don’t know the way to where light lives or where darkness resides (38.19)

I don’t know how things work in the animal kingdom; not like God does (ch 39)

I am in no position to correct God or tell Him how to answer my prayers. Job’s words could easily be mine. I resonate with them. “I am unworthy— how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth . . . I will say no more.” (Job 40.4-5)

Eliphaz’s sigh of relief could easily be mine upon hearing God’s words “…I will not deal with you according to your folly.” (42.8)

I’ve stopped trying to tell God how to do His job when I pray. I still bring Him my concerns but I don’t offer solutions anymore. He has resources I know nothing of. He knows the ramifications of every scenario I can imagine and can see their effects through all of time. I can’t. So I tell Him my concern in its basic form, and let Him deal with the details and the options. The earth’s axis doesn’t come up through the soil in my front yard; the world does not revolve around me and my family. I’ve prayed that way, but really it doesn’t. It’s freeing, actually, to know Someone stronger, more powerful, more resourceful than me is caring for life’s perplexities and challenges, is comforting those who need it most, is providing wisdom in just-right supply. His answers are perfect and their deliveries are perfectly timed. What’s more, He enjoys when we recognize His work and thank Him.

Interestingly, praying this way has shortened the length of time I spend going through my grocery-list of requests and suggested answers. And that gives me more time to thank Him for what He’s done, or is doing now. And I have more time to listen. It’s amazing, in a way, when God speaks and I know I’m not in charge, I don’t catch myself thinking “Don’t tell me how to do my job.” He has every right to. And I want to know.

Selah—

Observe…

“…why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you?… “

God hears – God provides – God smiles at His work in our lives.
To fret and worry is wasted energy. How easily we forget.

Selah —

RESET

I appreciate reset buttons.

When my computer sits cross-legged in the middle of the floor, arms crossed across its chest scowling at me and refusing to do anything I tell it, the reset button puts an end to it’s little tantrum. We start over. True, we usually have to go back and talk about whatever it was for a little bit, but at least its little “fit” is over.

When I push too many electrons through everything I have plugged in out in the yard, I usually trip the GFI outlet on the side of the house and everything stops. I turn off what ever it was so it doesn’t go crazy when the power comes back on and I start tracing the path back toward the power panel to find the reason. It usually takes me a little bit to figure out why the electricity isn’t flowing any more. Often I find the cause when I lift the outlet cover and see the tripped switch on the outlet. I put my finger on the little button marked RESET, pause just a second, and PRESS. When I go back out to where I was working I’m usually a bit more careful about the demands I make on the extension cord and power equipment so it doesn’t happen again.

In the lab where I work there’s a digital scale that measures in the thousandths of a gram; 24.596g for example. Between readings it’s supposed to read 0.000 but a drop of oil, a fragment of something, or even air currents can change that reading by just a little bit. I need accurate readings on that scale so when it reads 0.0123, for example, and the platform is obviously clean, I usually blow at it. Whh-hh-h! The numbers scroll up and back, hopefully to 0.000. When the air movement from the room’s air handlers holds it near zero but not at 0.000, I press a little button on the control panel: RE-ZERO. It takes a second, shows me 0.000 again, and we’re ready to proceed with the next test.

When life pushes hard, demands make rest less-likely and I (of course) step up to the plate and do my best to deliver success, sometimes it takes its toll on me. It doesn’t usually throw me into a tantrum but it can make things tense for those around me. Sometimes push-push-pushing brings on the need to just stop. Not forever, but for a little bit. To breathe, recollect and resume. Sometimes life’s conditions change enough that I’m not sure where point one is anymore. My time with the Lord each morning is usually a good re-zero time, but sometimes I have to take a little more time and just be still with Him so He can press the reset button down inside me. Sometimes it means taking part of a day or a few hours with the mindset “I’m not doing ANYthing for a few hours” so I can regroup and realign. My son referred to it as a “RESET” this last week and I instantly liked the term. I’ve been thinking about it since. It fits, I think.

The Lord told His people to take a break on day seven and rest. He knows people – He makes them – and he knows it’s important to rest.

He also told them to give the land a break every seven years. He knows we’re greedy I guess, and that left to ourselves we’d ruin the very land that provides for us. Let it rest.

If I had the SCRABBLE tiles for the word REST on the holder in front of me and slipped another E in the appropriate place, REST would become RESET.

Rest. Reset. Not bad!

God, I’m glad you thought of everything. I’ll do my best to cooperate when You insist I take a break, and I’ll pay attention to when I need to re-zero with You and those I love.

RESET

 

[PRESS HERE]

 

 

He Answers. Every Time.

I complain to God sometimes. Do you?

• The evening news pulls my bow into a frown every time I watch it, but turning it off doesn’t help any.
• Plans get diverted and amended a bazillion times. I get tired of it and finally tell God about it.
• Situations get a little choppy.
• The bills come in way-faster than the deposits.
• The basement floods at the worst-possible time, and it’s nothing I can fix myself.
• Mean people thrive. That’s not what the bumper sticker says, but they get the upper hand and they bully their way into dominance. I tattle to God about it.
• Injustice seems normal and righteousness feels like a social disease or something.
• The “good life” misses the bulls-eye. Okay, it misses the target altogether and sails off into the woods somewhere.
• I work feverishly and do my best but somehow manage to slip further and further behind.
• Well-meaning, good people misread my best intentions (I’m a well-meaning good person too) and before I realize it, good, well-intentioned people are at odds with each other.
• Replenishable things organize to wear out or expire all at once. Tires, refrigerator, water heater, old fillings, semester dues and fees all hit the same week. Gotcha’.

These haven’t all happened in the last few days or anything, but they have all happened. After a while a guy feels like saying “Lord God, are You even listening? Hello? How long, O Lord, do I need to call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you “Violence!” but you don’t save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are right here in front of me, there’s strife and conflict abounds. The law is paralyzed and justice never prevails. the wicked hem in the rightous and justice is perverted”.

Those aren’t my words, by the way, they’re from Scripture. Habakkuk told the Lord exactly what he thought. (David did too a few times.) The Lord answered Habakkuk — and not with lightning. Apparently it was a reasonable enough exchange that Habakkuk registered another complaint (these are both in Habakkuk chapter 1). And the Lord answered again with reason, wisdom, truth, logic, and a handful of warnings in the form of “woe to him”. He ends with a dead-serious, solemn truth: The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him. (Hab. 2.20)

I can imagine Habakkuk, index finger over his pursed lips… thinking about all he’s just heard, going through the list of things the Almighty just said. Perusing the truths woven with warnings. He thinks. He reasons. He reflects and remembers. He prays. And it’s while he’s in prayer that he resolves. I will.

It’s at the end of chapter three. Fear and respect in 3:16 ending with “I will wait.”

17 – though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls…

… yet …

(amazing)

 

… I will rejoice in the LORD. I will be joyful in God my Savior. I will. Period.

And here’s why. It’s a short list.

He is my strength … He enables me to navigate the high places, sharp rocks and steep slopes like a deer (or a mountain goat).

-=-=-=-

We taught our kids when they were growing up that they could tell us anything – anything at all – so long as they said it respectfully. We wanted them to know they could be completely open with us about whatever it was. For the most part they did pretty well with it too. Habakkuk told God –with respect in his voice– precisely what he was thinking. God answered. Habakkuk went another lap. Carefully. God responded. And the created saw the power and wisdom of the creator.

God answers. Every time. He may not change anything in our circumstances. But He hears. He knows. He has reasons. What’s more, He walks through life’s trouble with His children when He chooses not to intervene. I need to remember that. And I hope I do as well with my resolve as Habakkuk did.

I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength. Count me in. I will.

Selah—

Four Words for Friday the 13th

Having lunch with someone today? Want to impress a few people at break or at dinner tonight? Here are three big words for today, and one little one.

Triskaidekaphobia (from greek tris=three, kai=and, deka=ten) is a fear of the number thirteen.  Here’s an [example].

A specific fear of Friday the 13th (that’s today) is called paraskavedekatriaphobia or friggatriskaidekaphobia.

Might take a few minutes of practice to get the pronunciation down, but could be worth it, hmm?

The short word? Trust. I’m thinking of Psalm 115.11 where it’s used:

You who fear Him, trust in the LORD — He is their help and shield.

What’s a number to be afraid of, when there’s God to trust in? He’s as strong on a thirteenth that falls on Friday as on Saturday the fourteenth or Thursday the twelfth.

Enjoy today~!

Great Joy

If I were the apostle John (which I’m obviously not) and if I were writing to my friend Gaius (which I’m not – so I’ll write to you) I’d probably have a few lines at the beginning of my third letter that read something like this.

It gave me great joy to stop in at your blog and read about your faithfulness to the Lord, your gratitude, and see how you’re living your faith in clear and certain terms.    (you can see what John actually wrote in III John 1.3)

I remember times when I wondered what in the world my kids were thinking.

Or if they were thinking at all! (Anybody home in there? TALK to me!)

Well they do, and they are.

Step softly now, don’t want to intrude or interrupt, but here’s what Bethany’s thinking, and what’s on Jared’s mind.

Pretty neat, hmm?

If you’ve got teens or tweens at your house, love em’ through the awkward and uncomfortable stages, there’s enjoyment on the other side of each one.

Take it to the Hoop

Remember this look?

Remember how we marvelled? How we admired his determination and tenacity?

Remember how we smiled when Michael Jordan confided that he was cut from the team in high school?

I still admire him. He led from inside. He inspired. Always encouraging, always “can-do” even in the face of adversity. I remember the way he played the game after his father’s tragic death. Coach Phil Jackson has written some noteworthy things about him and he’s known as someone worth emulating.

Michael Jordan will be long-remembered for being willing to feed his teammates assists and rebound fearlessly when the Bulls were hot. I remember a win with less than 1 second on the clock. Everyone, including their opponents, expected Jordan to take the last shot but he fed it to Scottie Pippen who put it up and through. Jordan was fine with an assist; they won at the buzzer. Conversely, (can I say that even though he flew Nike’s?) when it seemed they just couldn’t buy a basket, he’d do his best to start something. He fixed his eyes on that orange hoop with the net hanging from it, let his tongue do whatever it wanted — and drove in. You have to admit, it’s hard to miss from this close. “Just do it? I’ll do it. “

I especially like this portion of his bio:

Entered the 2002-03 season ranked as the all-time NBA Playoffs leader in field-goals attempted (4,497), free-throws made (1,463) and attempted (1,766), second in steals (376) and field-goals made (2,188), fifth in assists (1,022), seventh in three-point attempts (446) and ninth in three-pointers made (148)

A guy just doesn’t rack up stats like that standing at the top of the key wishing things were different, ya’ know? (How’s that for an understatement?)

We talked about Abraham Sunday morning and one of the points Chip made was that Abraham was quick to say “I’ll do it” when the Lord said ‘go’.

There are a couple areas in my life right now where it’s up to me. Just me. If I don’t do it, ain’t nobody gonna. I can hear my Coach (I say that respectfully) calling from the sidelines “put it up!”

I’m gone. Tongue and all. (Just don’t take my picture, OK? I’m not ripped like Jordan is – far from it.)

The Verbs in Psalm 37

If you’re ambitious, you have tendencies others don’t have. If you’re driven, even positively so, you’re already aware of the risk I’m about to describe. What does a devoted Christian do when things don’t look much like Proverbs 3:5-6? I’m talking about

UNREALIZED GOALS.

We grow up hearing we can do anything we dream. If we can imagine it, we can do it. To an extent that’s true, sometimes even our dreams pale in comparison to the actual results. Sometimes.

We hear at professional workshops and seminars that one of the keys to success is the ability to picture what success will look like so we can move in that direction. You’ve heard this too, haven’t you? Now that you know what it looks like, break that dream into yearly, quarterly and daily steps so you can arrive, “Voila!” safe, secure and unruffled on the shores of success.

We know it’s not good to brag or boast about what we’re going to do; James was clear on that: All such boasting is evil. What you OUGHT to say is ‘if it is the Lord’s will we will live and do this or that.” His exact words are in James 4.13-17. So we try to comply. We dream (some of us just can’t help ourselves). We structure. We plan, thinking and praying “God is this what you want? It is, isn’t it? Please say ‘yes’.”

Some of us actually take the time to stop and ask, ponder and consider before setting any of our plans in place. We want to know for certain we’ve sought the mind of Christ in these things. Then, confident that it’s so, we set out on the journey we believe He brought to mind. Our goals and plans were set with our ears atuned to His whispered guidance, we’re quietly confident we’re going to see these things come to reality.

The trouble is, they don’t always. And we —or at least I— don’t know quite what to do when that happens. We doubt ourselves. We question God. We second-guess His leading. We wonder where we missed His guidance. We try not to throw things at people who opposed our initiatives, God’s actually, and voted against the motion in the church business meeting. We can’t imagine what’s gotten into that close friend who just refuses to see it. Net result: Unrealized goals. I can’t begin to count the number of times I’ve experienced this. And I have to be honest with you. I’m still not used to it.

I say in all earnestness, “God I’m going to bring you glory. I’m going to live all-out and spend it all in your name. I want you to receive all the credit for what’s accomplished here” — and then whatever it is falls short. Way short. It’s like the arrow I aimed at the moon turns to play-doh, melts and falls out of the sky.

Is this sounding familiar at all? If you’re a type-A it is, if you’re driven or highly-motivated, it is. So what do we do when this happens? And happens again? And just doesn’t quit happening?

I found a ring of keys to this dilemma in Psalm 37. Each verb is a key that unlocks one of the prison doors of unfulfillment. Together they give me the ability to accept His “not yet” or His “no”, especially when the dream I thought was of God gets delayed, derailed or destroyed.

Here’s Psalm 37:1-9 with the verbs bolded to help you see the idea. Start here, then open your Bible to Psalm 37 so you can mark the verbs you’re responsible for when there’s trouble. Mark the page somehow or write in the front fly-leaf “When things go wrong here’s how to respond: Ps. 37″

1 Fret not yourself because of evildoers;be not envious of wrongdoers!

2 For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

4 Delight yourself in the Lord,and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the Lord;trust in him, and he will act.

6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,and your justice as the noonday.

7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,over the man who carries out evil devices!

8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

9 For the evildoers shall be cut off,but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. (ESV)

That’s not an easy assignment! But it’s what He wants and needs for me to do. “Fret not yourself” three times?! Hmmm – He must know me.

There are a few verses later in the Psalm that give me the ability to sigh “Well, OK-then” and accept His directives; here they are:

23 The steps of a man are established by the Lord,when he delights in his way; 24 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,for the Lord upholds his hand. 25 I have been young, and now am old,yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. 26 He is ever lending generously,and his children become a blessing. 27 Turn away from evil and do good;so shall you dwell forever. 28 For the Lord loves justice;he will not forsake his saints.They are preserved forever,but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. 29 The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever. 30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,and his tongue speaks justice. 31 The law of his God is in his heart;his steps do not slip. (ESV)

Okay, off to Psalm 37 now, see what the Lord shows you. Let Him encourage you with confidence in His outlook and perspective. Even if some of those goals have empty places next to them where there’s supposed to be a completion date already written in – like some of mine.

Everything’s On the Counter

I have some fond memories of coming into the kitchen on mornings when I had a full day ahead of me and Mom or Dad had taken the time to set things on the counter they knew I’d need. Sometimes I discovered things in waiting that I hadn’t thought of, but would later when I needed them.
Whether it was a fishing trip into the mountains or a field trip at school, those things waiting for me on the counter first thing in the day told me someone had been thinking about me, anticipating my needs for the day and made sure I had everything I needed to make the day a success and a pleasure.

I like to think of God doing that for us every day. When we come around the corner and into the kitchen thinking nothing but “coffeeeeee” there’s a backpack or briefcase sitting there containing everything we’ll need for the day. God has already been through today, He knows what we’ll need today and has everything ready and waiting for us. There’s usually nothing extra for us to lug around (unless we decide not to use it for some reason) but it contains all we need for the day ahead. (Philippians 4.19)

It’s more than sandwich, apple and chips; He knows what we’ll need today in the way of patience and encouragement, perseverance and faith, food, finance and shelter. He knows what temptations the adversary has scheduled for the day and has included a matching number of foil packets marked “Escape”.

I like to think of Him sitting across from me while I enjoy my juice and coffee. I like to imagine His smile as my eyes figure out how to focus again and I find my speaking voice. His words in the early morning soft-spoken and reassuring. I picture His smile when I compliment Him on His creativity in making the birds at the feeders outside the window, and the flowers opening to the early morning sun.

When the time comes to move into the day I imagine Him opening the screen door for me, smiling that I have my briefcase with today’s provisions. “All set?”

“All set,” I smile back, and nod a “thanks” at His holding the door for me. What my neighbors never see, primarily it’s between Him and me, is that He follows me to the car and goes through the day with me. He doesn’t even mind driving, making decisions, offering perspective and wisdom —when I ask Him to (such a Gentleman). The days I remember to do that, though? Always worthwhile – even if they’re hard.
-=-=-=-=-

Everything’s on the counter for you today, friend. Your heavenly Father’s been thinking about you. He knows what you need today and it’s all waiting for you first thing in the morning. He is honored when we live with Him in mind, thankful for His provision, using the escapes He’s packaged for today’s temptations. If it’s been a while since you’ve “taken Him with you” through the day, give it a try. You might even let him lead — I doubt you’ll be disappointed in how the day goes.

Selah —