What Is Your Aim?

A year ago, we were different than we are today, and one year from now, we will have changed somehow. This new year many make overly optimistic plans for this new year, yet optimism is no guarantee of success.  Others think that a good intention means a new beginning, and they can make a fresh start whenever they want. That would be nice if it were that easy.

This time of year, many get out their mental calculators, keeping scores of their victories and losses. Most of us hope this year will be better than last.  Maybe we can change our perspective from ‘this is how things should be? It’s not easy to let go of all the mental stuff we insist we need for tomorrow and all the other things we continue to haul with us from our yesterdays.

When you get up in the morning to face a day, what do you say to yourself from the beginning to the end of the day? So many could say, “I don’t even think like that; I just get up and do what I’ve got to do.” It’s evident in the Bible that God wants us to aim at something more meaningful.

We make it our aim to be well pleasing to Him. 2 Corinthians 5:9

Being aimless is like leaves blowing in the wind in the backyard. The wind blows that way; they go that way. They tumble, bounce, and press against a fence but have nowhere to go, like so many who are in a hurry with no place to go.

God did not create us in his image to be like leaves blowing in the wind. He has so much more for us. One thing that we can all count on this new year is change

Some changes we gladly choose, and others we don’t. Yet, despite our high hopes and best efforts, we often fail to change in the ways God desires. We can’t just grit our teeth and force ourselves to act with compassion. It’s not about trying harder on our own.

Yet, many of us have become far too passive in our pursuit of change, wholeness, and peace. Could it be in our therapeutic age we have fallen into the passive mindset of “I’m just dealing with my issues” or “I’m trying to survive.”

But I see a more non-passive approach to change in the New Testament. Namely, set your mind.
“Set your mind on the things above, not on the things on earth.” Colossians 3:2

God has something far more different in mind for us this new year. There is a better way. 

Live for what matters to God
We are cruel to ourselves if we try to live in this world without knowing the God whose world it is and who runs it. Knowing God is to first know His character and His ways. Knowing God is life’s greatest pursuit and crucially important to the living of our lives.

Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom. Let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me. Jeremiah 9:23-24

If you’re making plans today, submit them to God. If god’s answer is different from yours, be ready to embrace His plan. His way is always best!

We cannot change things and people, but we can leave a lasting impact on other people’s lives if we choose to live for what matters to God. God has been changing the hearts and minds of people and nations for thousands of years, and He desires to change yours’ and mine, too.

Here’s the deal: God significantly changes our lives when we live out a heart's cry of, “Not my will, but thy will be done. What do you want me to do for You Lord?” And that will be enough. The God that does not change changes everything!

Be grateful that His love for you will never change! That’s one thing you can count on today and forever!

May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you. I have always been mindful of your unfailing love and relied on your faithfulness. Psalm 26:3; 33:22

 

Your Presence Matters To Others

Don Ritchie moved in across the road from the cliffs that overlook Australia’s beautiful Sydney Harbor where he lived until his death back in 2012. The sheer cliffs of what has been called the ‘Gap’ offered the most picturesque views of the Tasman Sea but also attracted desperate men and women pondering suicide.

Living just 200 feet from the edge of the sheer cliffs Mr. Ritchie would regularly approach individuals who were lingering a little too long overlooking the cliffs and would ask them, “Can I help you in some way?” He had a keen sense to spot would-be suicides and became known as the Angel of the gap. Officials credited Don with preventing 160 deaths, but according to his family, the number is actually 400 - 500. He would invite the hurting individuals contemplating suicide to his home for tea.

“I used to sell kitchen scales and then I was a manager of a life insurance company. At the Gap, I’m trying to sell people life.”

Always remember the power of the simple smile, a helping hand, a listening ear, and a kind word."
                                                                                                                                 - Don Ritchie
 

 Don’s presence saved people’s lives
You are never more like Jesus than when you with great concern (not condemnation, anger or frustration) intervene with someone in their time of affliction. Your faith is never more real than when you inconvenience your schedule to help someone who is in their time of pain.

“A godless world has no time for the outcast, marginalized, and inconveniences of other people. Jesus’ clear words from Matthew 25 turn our attention to the fact that the ‘ministry of presence is all about not missing the opportunities in the mundane moments of life.” Jeremiah Johnston

The ministry of presence is in the unscheduled moments of life
Busyness can be the greatest enemy of wise thinking and an enemy of mental health. Busyness and distractions definitely define our times. Think of how “On-Demand” is offered from education to entertainment and how we are encouraged to binge on this or that.

Jesus’ own words reflect the tension of being in his presence in the midst of distracting busy living.

“For I was hungry a and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me… and when did we see that you sick or in prison and visit you?…“Truly I say to you, as you do that to one of the least of these you did it to me.” Matthew 25:31-46

Jesus’ parable shows the reality that the most basic needs of people are met by others: food, drink, shelter, clothing, medical help, and care during imprisonment. Jesus shows us that in meeting the simplest needs, even the basic needs of life, He can meet every need in life; however, Jesus uses people.  He doesn’t use FedEx or a drone from heaven to your doorstep. God works through people like you and me. 

In our extremely busy world, we schedule everything around our calendars. It’s important to plan and be good stewards of our time, however, life-changing encounters occur in the unscheduled moments of life. 

God enjoys surprising us with his presence!
May we be more aware of how our presence in other people’s lives can be the very thing someone desperately needs and like Don Ritchie, your presence can bring life to others!

The next blog will continue with how your presence really does matters to someone.

 

Redefining Failure

 

A young man was appointed president of a bank. Intimidated by his new responsibilities, he nervously sought the advice of his gray-haired predecessor:

Sir. What has been the secret of your success? The secret, young man, is two words: right decisions! replied the older man. But how do you make the right decisions? One word: experience. But how do you get experience? The old man smiled. Two words: wrong decisions.

We all make bad decisions. We all fail. We can deny that we fail, or run from it and even allow it to become a paralyzing fear or we can see failure as an important part of our success.

The difference between success and failure depends on how you look at it. Our culture has conditioned us to see success as a most desirable goal and failure as a terrible event. The reverse may actually be closer to the truth.

We make excuses or blame others for our failures and pretend to be successful when were not. There are some who believe they’re failures and others who believe they’ve never failed. Lets’ face it we all fail.

Michael Jordan said,” I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On countless occasions, I have been entrusted to take the game-winning shot and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that’s precisely why I succeed.”

Although failure is not a requirement for success, it can be a stepping stone to deeper relationships with God and others. By God’s grace, we can learn how to fail successfully! God is a specialist in working out our failings into His purposes. We can learn a lot from our failings.

After thousands of failed experiments, Thomas Edison would say, “I have not failed. I have learned thousands of ways that won't work.” It’s not so important that we fail, but that we learn from it.

“Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I obey your word... It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decree.” Psalm 119:67, 71 The Hebrew word for ‘afflicted’ refers to not only physical suffering but also to brokenness and failure. The psalmist makes it clear that failure can bring emotional and spiritual growth.

As a child, Moses was privately tutored in the Pharaoh’s palace with all its’ advantages. Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action. Moses had it all. He was handsome and had a great resume. When Moses spoke, people listened! His life is a case study of how God uses our failings.

When Moses became aware of his people’s oppression he thought he could deliver them by his own power (Acts 7:25). The Rambo Moses tried to emancipate the Hebrews by his own passionate will and might. Seeking justice in his own way he took matters into his own hands and took the life of an Egyptian (Ex.2:11-14) and he was in big-time trouble!

There are some observations from Moses’ failings that we all can learn from. The first observation is that no matter where we come from and despite what we may think…

No One Is Exempt from Suffering
Moses had not yet learned the distinction between passion and purpose and impulse and principle. He was sympathetic towards the plight of his people’s suffering and wanted their oppressor to feel his wrath. Yet, the response to his impulsive action was heard in the question by own of his own people, "Who made you ruler and judge over us?

Instead of Moses delivering and leading the Hebrews no one was listening or wanted to follow him, at least not yet. Moses was afraid, disappointed, and exhausted. He pushed his own way and ran from what he caused apart from God’s way and timing. Sound familiar?

For Moses, there was no deliverance, only failure. Moses learned the hardest of lessons that we also would do well to consider. The second observation:

Passionate self-will before knowing God’s way can lead us to disaster
Oh, precious ones may we learn not only this observation from the life of Moses, but so much more from his life in the next coming blog.

 

The Shepherd Is In Your Valley

There is a swinging pendulum of opinions about safety, opening back up or shutting back down, COVID testing, PPE, equality, social justice and, a lot more. It’s no surprise that worry and fear is a reasonable response to what’s happening in our world. 

Recently, I’ve talked with several pastors and they say that the common thread among their churches is anxiety and fear. They’re not worried about their health and safety, so much as they are about job security and this month’s bills, rent or mortgage? Will their kids go to school in the fall? Are my savings at risk? Should we cancel vacations and business trips and not visit older loves ones.

The non-stop angry divisiveness and violence in our country fosters even more anxiety. The list of anxieties is long, but they’re not new. All of us have experienced anxiety, disappointment, and grief. If we're honest we’ve also felt lost before for a variety of reasons, in not knowing what to do or where to go or who to talk to.

Being lost is not just a GPS malfunction
Too many know what it means to be disconnected, discounted, diminished, or demeaned. Life has many dark valleys through which we must walk. When we do feel lost, we need someone to show us the way back home. A good shepherd will leave the ninety-nine sheep to find the lost one.  

In the winter shepherds in mountainous areas usually keep their sheep at home. There's usually a fenced area where they can graze and where they are fed grain. But when the snows subside in the mountains, it is then that the shepherds take their flocks and move with the snowmelt up the mountain, there finding fresh pasture land, eventually moving up to the timberline. Above the timberline, there are all types of pastures that are green and fresh. The air is clean. The water is clear.

In the summer shepherds usually won't even go home. They'll just sleep out with their sheep at night. It’s shepherd's responsibility to care for them, to know the canyons and the valleys, to scout them out, to know where the dangers are, and to pick the path that, while still dangerous is the safest path of all.

The shepherd protects the sheep from predators and provides their nourishment
If a lamb deliberately walks away, the shepherd searches near and far to get that lamb back. He’ll use his staff to redirect the sheep who get off course. A shepherd notches the ear of a lamb born to his flock because he has rightful ownership of it. They are His.

To the shepherd, the sheep are not just a number, but a face, a name and, a story. The Good Shepherd knows your name, your life and He knows what’s best for you. He’s proven Himself and is worthy of your trust.

We all have deep, dark valleys of our own experiences and we don't all call them by the same name. Make your own list. What are those things that you fear? It doesn't take any of us long to come up with a list of what could happen.

Here’s the deal: What I need to do is what we all need to do: trust the shepherd.
The Lord is God, he is in charge, and he is in control. He knows things that we would never be able to know. He's close. He understands. He has it all figured out. He is greater than the greatest difficulty. He is more powerful than the deepest and the darkest of your valleys.

He's there with you even when it’s so dark you can’t see. The Lord will do the job that a shepherd is supposed to do. He will do what he is capable of doing and he promises that he will be with you and never leave you. He will find you and take you home with Him. If you’ve been wounded or sick, He’ll pick you up and carry you all the way home.

In Psalms 23, notice the personal pronouns of "I" walk through the valley…"My" shepherd. "You" are there. It is one-on-one with God. The Good Shepherd is always there with you. He sticks closer than the best of friends.

When you walk through that dark deep valley, be sure to be the Lord's sheep, to claim him as your shepherd, to trust him alone to get you through. When he is so trusted, he who is always there will be with you even until the ends of the earth.

Is Normal Just Around The Corner?

Is normal just around the corner? What is normal? Is it when you can extend a handshake or hug someone again? Depending on where you live, when you can get back to work. Take off the mask and attend a concert, sit on the beach, attend a major league baseball game? When the economy comes back? Regardless of your perspective things are going to be different.

Is back to normal when you get your job back? When you can pay your bills or your kids get back to school or you can see your elderly family members. When you can go to a restaurant or take a vacation. Fill in the blank.

Hopefully, as a result of COVID millions have had time to think about their lives and what’s important. Some hope their lives will change in some significant way. Maybe we’re hoping for something different, maybe even an adventure, but we end up settling with the usual. 

No one planned on COVID or any other personal tragedy. Things happen that are out of our control. In the middle of adversity we can develop a different perspective. Recently some of us have or are going to discover a roller-coaster adventure that we didn’t plan on. We need to hold on.

Thousands of years ago God asked Abraham to leave all the things he was familiar with and go to a land he had never seen and winds up wandering for years. Jacob and his sons go to Egypt looking for groceries and four hundred years later Israel pulls up stakes and heads for home. 

The fishermen Peter, James and John heard the master’s voice and threw their nets aside to follow Him. Get ready, the old is past and the present and future are going to get interesting. Saddle up your horses.

Is an adventure a thing we make happen or something we choose or does it choose us? 
An adventure is, by its nature, a thing that comes to us. It is a thing that chooses us, not something we choose.” C.K. Chesterton

Abraham was not looking for the one true God, but God showed up with an invitation. Many of us can miss God moments so easily because our plans and expectations can become our hindrances to seeing what is and what can be.

As a result, we can get stuck in perpetual discontent and think, “This is the way things ought to be!"
We can get so committed to arranging our happiness that we miss precious moments right in front of us. We don’t think of what might be around the corner because we think we know what’s coming. We seek our happiness in temporal things because our hearts have nowhere else to go. Sad, it doesn’t have to be that way. 

Could it be that we’ve missed something along the way? Has trivial distractions and the tyranny of the urgent clouded our vision of what is important?  Do we make so little of eternity by magnifying the significance of our own lives and diminish the reality of the next life to come?
                     
                       We make nothing of eternity and an eternity of nothing.  Blaise Pascal 
          
Embrace what God has said about the life to come and how it impacts us today
Set your affections on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:2
If you read history, you’ll find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were those who thought the most of the next world. CS Lewis

He has set eternity in our hearts. Ecclesiastes 3:11

No eye has seen, no ear has heard and no human mind has conceived the things that God has prepared for those who love him. I Corinthians 2:9

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth...but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven... For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  Matthew 6:19-21

Even though eternity could be just around the corner for you and me it is to be lived today!
I saw a big frontier in front of me and I heard somebody say let's go. Saddle up your horses. We've got a trail to blaze. Through the wild blue yonder of God's Amazing grace  let's follow our leader into the Glorious unknown.

This is the life like no other. This is the great adventure. So come on, get ready for the ride of your life. Gonna leave long faced religion in a cloud of dust behind and discover all the new horizons just waiting to be explored. This is what we were created for.   The Great Adventure - Steven Curtis Chapman

MLK and Your Dreams

We all hope for a better tomorrow. All of us have hopes and dreams that we would see the best of life for others and for ourselves, but things get in the way.

Time passes and our hearts continue to long to see those hopes and dreams come to pass. Life takes a turn we didn’t expect or planned on from either our own choices or just from the hard stuff of life.

What about your dreams and hopes? 

Do they seem so distant and unattainable, maybe even impossible? For some their disappointment has brought them to such a place of desperation that they feel like giving up. Does anyone care about this or about me? Will anyone stand up for justice? Yet, in the midst of all the brokenness, there is always hope! It’s not over for you or me?

We can all learn much for our own hopes and dreams from Martin Luther King Jr.’s life. King grew up in middle-class surroundings and his father was the highly respected pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. At the beginning of his social justice calling King was afraid for his family and his own life. In a sermon, he prayed

“Lord, I must confess that I’m weak now and I’m losing my courage and it seemed I heard a voice saying, Martin Luther stand for righteousness. Stand up for justice. And lo I will be with you always, even until the end of the world. He promised never to leave me, never leave me alone. No never leave me alone.”

Three nights later a bomb exploded on his front porch. Though not injuring anyone, King a man of fierce determination took it in stride.

In the book ‘Bearing the Cross’, King said, “I am tired of the threat of death. I want to live, I don’t want to be a martyr. There are times I doubt if I’ll make it through. I’m tired of getting hit, beaten, tired of going to jail. But the important thing is not how tired I am, the important thing is to get rid of the condition that lead us to march.”

Here is an excerpt from King’s famous ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’ to fellow church leaders in Alabama.

“But more basically, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their "thus saith the Lord" far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town. Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid.”

To read the whole letter in context click here: When the march in Selma was over King addressed the weary marchers from the steps of the capital.

“How long will it take? However difficult, however frustrating the hour, it will not be long. Not long, because no lie can live forever. How long? Not long, because you reap what you sow. How long? Not long, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice. How long? Not long, because my eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord…” 

King was a man of focus who inspired many to re-consider the cultural norms of injustice. Though exhausted from years of steady plodding he remained resolute. Over the years I’d heard others refer to less admirable aspects to his life in order to minimize what good he had done. 

What strikes me the most was not his personal sacrifices or his incessant non-violent marches, nor even his eloquent speeches. It was his firm grounding in the Christian gospel that motivated him to inspire others! 

These are King’s words the night before his assassination in Memphis.

“Like anybody, I would like to live long. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will… I’ve looked over and I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land. So I’m happy tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. My eyes have seen the coming of the Lord.”

King was committed to the cause despite its cost. He carried his hopes and dreams everywhere he went. So, here’s the deal. His hopes and dreams were for others and not just for himself.  He tenaciously persevered through all his trials and like you and I had times of doubt and felt like giving up, but he didn’t!

He knew he wasn’t alone and my friend, neither are you! So, if you feel discouraged or even feel like giving up then reflect on King’s extraordinary life, but may we never forget the real King of the universe who gives us a living hope that will last forever! If you’re a Christ-follower know that He WILL be with YOU and WILL hold you in HIS hands while your life story unfolds.

Things might be out of your control, but not out of HIS! He has a plan for you and all is not over, so hold on! He will be with YOU! It’s not over – there’s still time. He will see you through and ultimately to the Promised Land!

Simeon's Song of Waiting

A journalist assigned to the Jerusalem bureau takes an apartment overlooking the Wailing Wall. Every day when she looks out, she sees an old Jewish man praying vigorously. So, the journalist goes down and introduces herself to the old man.

She asks, "You come every day to the wall. How long have you done that, and what are you praying for?" The old man replies, "I have come here to pray every day for 25 years. In the morning I pray for world peace and then for the brotherhood of man. I go home, have a cup of tea, and I come back and pray for the eradication of illness and disease from the earth."

The journalist is amazed. "How does it make you feel to come here every day for 25 years and pray for these things?" she asks. The old man looks at her sadly. "Like I'm talking to a wall."

Simeon was another devout Jewish man who had been waiting for years to see Israel’s Messiah. Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation (comfort) of Israel. Luke 2:2 He was part of a community of faithful people in Israel who were patiently waiting and keeping the hope alive that their Messiah would come.

We all have waited for somethingSimeon waited for decades, but if he had given up on waiting he would have missed the moment God had ordained. I don’t know how long you will have to wait for something, but what does matters is who you are becoming while you are waiting. Like Simeon, we hope for a new day or a new beginning. Over six hundred years before Simeon the prophet Isaiah encouraged Israel with these words.

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.    Isaiah 43:19

Since we all need hope and comfort in our lives then we’ll want to learn from Simeon’s song of redemption. God entered human history to bring light to a very dark and broken world through the birth of His son. God invaded our world to occupy the human heart. He does not need our money, looks, talent, connections, clout or fame. Those things just kind of get in the way.

In ‘Mary’s Magnificant she sang, “He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.” Luke 1:53 You see humility is honesty. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. 1 Peter 5:8 We don’t have anything to give Him that He needs, but he does want to occupy our heart and once he does He desires to take up more territory.

God kept His promise that he would send the Messiah.When you place your hope in God’s faithfulness to keep His promises you’ll discover that what’s important is who you are becoming while you wait. 

Billy Graham was interviewed about his new book ‘Nearing Home’ and was asked, “What has been the biggest surprise of your life?”Billy’s response, ”Growing old has been the greatest surprise of my life. I’ve been told how to die as a Christian, but no one told me how to grow old.”

When Billy’s wife died she what she chose to put on her gravestone had nothing to do with all her remarkable achievements, it had to do with the fact that as long as we live God will be working on us while we wait.

In this life we all wait, we're all under construction.
Don’t lose heart, don’t give up! The glorious invasion of earth by the Lord Jesus that began two thousand years ago is not done, it continues. He’ll occupy more hearts and homes and we get to be part of it!

Will you sing a song of redemption along with Simeon while you wait, one that is filled with hope in the promises of God? As we learned from our four songs of winter sung over the centuries, God’s greatness and His undeserved grace are big enough to meet our needs!


We have much reason to sing even in the winters of our discontent.God sent His Son as prophesied and because he has proven Himself faithful to keep His promises He will come again as he said! While we wait may we proclaim His grace and peace to those around us this season and every day. If you haven’t made room for Him ask Him to occupy your heart and you’ll finally really come home.

Is Loneliness a Solvable Problem?

Millions think that loneliness is a solvable problem and the solution is usually a person.

The reasoning goes something like this, ‘When’ I’m in a relationship or ‘when’ I get married I won’t be lonely anymore.’ So, each week over 40 million American lonely hearts pursue someone online to take their loneliness away. This pursuit takes a lot of time and it can be empty and exhausting.

In the movie Jerry McGuire, Jerry’s girlfriend said, “Jerry, you can’t be alone, you don't know how to be alone, you’ve never been alone.” Many believe the same thing about themselves. Four out of ten Americans admit frequent feelings of intense loneliness.

Loneliness has been described as: assuming others have it together, but you; taking inventory of your life and feeling you’ve made many wrong choices; you’re hurting, but no one understands your pain or it’s an aching to have someone to share your life with.

The reality is that all of us experience loneliness regardless of our relationship status.

A different perspective about loneliness can possibly change your life
There are a lot of reasons why people feel lonely and I’m sure you could provide your own list of reasons or definition. It is extremely helpful to know there is a difference between loneliness and aloneness. 

Loneliness is an emotional state of feeling disconnected from others
The problem is that we have unspoken assumptions about loneliness. We attach meaning to loneliness from our families and societal assumptions. I am unlovable. I am undesirable. I am a social failure. I am a bad person. Nobody could ever want to be with me. I am not a whole person unless I have a partner or spouse. I just can’t be alone. I deserve a relationship. I have to have some romantic relationship in my life. I’ll settle for bad love than no love at all. What would you add to the list?

Whatever the cause loneliness has very little to do with being single. Some of the loneliest people are married. Loneliness is not solved by marriage. Saying ‘I do” does not solve loneliness or guarantee intimacy. A study of 3,400 married couples by the University of Michigan revealed that 65% are profoundly unhappy and 70% said they wouldn’t marry the same person. While that survey may reflect today’s ‘selfie’ culture, it is what it is.

Aloneness is the physical state of being separated from others

All of us regardless of our relational status experience a sense of aloneness and yearn for relationships. Yet, loneliness is not dependent upon the lack of people in our lives. We can still feel lonely in a crowd as Albert Einstein said, “It’s strange that you can be known all around the world, but be so lonely.”

Extroverts can laugh and be around people constantly and still be a member of the lonely hearts club. For introverts aloneness can be less intimidating, but they have a greater risk of isolation and subjective introspection. Alone could simply mean, “I’m alone right now, no big deal, I have friends, family and co-workers.”

What do you do when you’re alone and feel sorry for yourself?After a tremendous victory over the false prophets of Baal the prophet Elijah was stretched to the max by the confrontation on Mount Carmel. His nerves were fried and he was hungry, thirsty and weary. Deeply distraught he prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,take my life.” Maybe you've said that before?

Elijah left his servant behind and journeyed into the wilderness all alone which made his situation even worse. Now alone, he had a pity party telling God he was the only faithful Jew in Israel. No wonder Jesus sent out the disciples in twos.

In times of fear and aloneness we need somebody to talk to and pray with to help give us clear perspective on our situation.  Like Elijah we can make poor decisions when we’re alone. In times like this we are especially vulnerable to the culture’s exploitation of relationships.

God is patient and worked with Elijah and brought him back to reality. God provided for him right where he was at and spoke to him in a still small voice. Thank God He is long suffering towards his children and speaks to us when we are feeling hurt and alone. He can do the same for you!

Honesty in the Journey

All of us struggle and no one is exempt. Bad things happen to good people. A phone call, a hard conversation or a heartbreaking doctor’s report. None of us can escape pain no matter how hard we try. Pain is inevitable, misery is an option.

We can run from our pain or fight it or become cynical and detached. As Simon and Garfunkle sang,
“I touch no one and no one touches me. I am rock and rock feels no pain and an island never cries.”  Many people won’t admit to themselves but they have resigned themselves to, “Is this all I get? I guess this is the best there is.”

We all struggle with something
Whether it’s physical or emotional pain, the pain of failure or a broken relationship, or the pain of honesty. Many are struggling to just to make it through the day.  Some pretend that everything’s okay when their dying inside.  They’re not trying to fool themselves, but maybe they’re trying to fool everyone else. Maybe they think inside that they don’t measure up or that what they’re struggling with is so embarrassing it would not be worthy of someone’s time.

Could it be that we have created a false image of what it means to be a spiritually mature person? As if, being a spiritually mature you don’t ever get depressed, worried or disappointed.  So, many put on a happy face.  Image management can become exhausting and it’s not very fun either.  Far too many buy things they don’t need to impress people they don’t even know.

Some of us have been around some older folk when the filters come off and they’re not trying to impress anyone anymore. That can be uncomfortable or refreshing. We’re all human and we all drop the ball.  

Everything doesn’t have to have a positive spin
We don’t have to manufacture positive emotions to assess our lives. God created us with a yearning for belonging and acceptance.  When we understand and experience God’s unconditional love and acceptance we can begin working from acceptance and not for acceptance. As Augustine said, “You have made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its’ rest in You.”

When we’ve been deeply wounded it’s understandable to try to protect our hearts by isolating ourselves. When we are in our deepest struggle we need to stop running away from people.  Do you have someone you can run to?  

We all need people that when we mess up, they run to pick us up. They need to know we need help. It is in community that God brings His greatest healing. We need people who will believe in us and fight for us.

God doesn’t waste your pain
Nothing needs to be wasted on the editing room floor of your life. God can use your pain. If you can be honest and learn how to embrace your pain it can be a gift to you and for others. Since pain is inescapable ask God how He can use your pain to help others.

The God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 2 Corinthians 1:4

When No Is The Way

Most of us don’t’ want to hear a no, especially if it’s something that we really wanted or was for a good cause. Yet, could you imagine if God said yes to everyone’s request? When God has said no to your heartfelt plans what was your response?

We so desperately want our reasoning to be God’s reasoning. When God says no some are tempted to wonder if God loves them. In reality it’s because he loves us He sometimes says no.

When God says no we can experience contentment by understanding and responding in two ways
Realize God has a better way!
On the Apostle Paul’s second missionary journey, the Spirit forbade Paul to speak in the province of Asia and kept them out of Bithynia near the Black Sea and led them directly to Troas, on the coast of the Aegean Sea. While in Troas, Paul received a vision of a man in Macedonia (in northern Greece) asking Paul to come and help them. This change of course became an open door for the gospel to Europe.

A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. Proverbs 16:9

Our lives can a take a turn we didn’t expect or plan on. The lord has said NO for some unknown reason, but he does have a better way.  Fretting over that from which we have been removed or which has been taken away from us, will not make things better, but it will prevent us from improving those which remain.

Respond with acceptance and humility
After tragically losing everything dear to him, Job fell to the ground in worship and said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.” Job 1:20 -22

When God has said no to you, you are in good company. Over the millennia God said no to King David, the Apostle Paul and countless others because He had a better way that they were not able to see. God’s answers are never wrong, although they may be surprising.

Sometimes He says no and other times he says yes, but in either case His answer is always the best!  Even though David was kept from building the temple God promised Him that his son Solomon would construct and finish the temple and from his lineage would be a kingdom that would have no end. From the tribe of David inevitably came the promised Messiah.

He has a promise for you too!  “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”  When you know Him one day you’ll hear Him graciously say to you, “Welcome home, I’ve been waiting for you.”  May we look forward to that day!

Caring For One Another

Last night I saw the movie Won't You Be My Neighbor? Seeing Mr. Rogers' passionate desire and mission in life to help kids know they’re deeply loved by someone was absolutely inspiring. Mr. Rogers did everything with a heart of genuine humility.

People felt special around him. They knew he really cared about them. During national tragic events from the Challenger Space Shuttle, Presidential assassinations to 911 Fred took on the difficult challenge of helping kids and their parents grapple with grief and loss.

You could see his compassion and feel his hurt for others. Fred took comfort during times of disaster by something his mother would tell him during times of loss. “Look for the helpers. You can always find people who are helping.”

In our humility we find the strength and the power to take care of one another.
Unfortunately, acts of kindness more often than not are small news stories that escape our notice. I wish it were not so. But we live in a world where social media saturation and negative controversy can win our attention. Gratefully, we do hear compassionate stories of healing and restoration.

Over the weekend I heard Natasha’s story about her life in Russia.One day Natasha’s dad left their family and never returned. Her mom was an alcoholic and would leave her daughters for days. Eight-year old Natasha and her five year old sister would go to the only neighbor who would let them stay with them and feed them.


Eventually other neighbors turned them into social services. Then one day as Natasha described it a big black car pulled up and took Natasha and her sister far away to an orphanage. There Natasha lived for eight years in a state run Russian orphanage with another 200 orphans in very squalid conditions. Her younger sister was placed in a foster home.

At one point with no dad, no mom and now no sister, Natasha felt deserted, isolated and lonely. She was often deeply depressed and would go to her dorm room and cry wondering if anyone cared for her and what would become of her. Because of her shyness Natasha most of her free time at the orphanage was spent doing homework and reading.

Then one day she was invited to go a Christian ministry center in a town called Kostromo not knowing what that was or where. Some of her friends were invited too so she went. It took two separate long bus rides to get there.

While there the Natasha met people who actually cared about her and listened to her whole story. The people at the center helped her by giving her a place of safety, acceptance and belonging. They provided an opportunity for Natasha to learn practical occupational skills for later in life. 

Natasha was encouraged to go to the University for her education where she also learned English. She eventually became office manager of the ministry center and now eight years later she is the program coordinator.

Natasha’s life was forever changed all because there were compassionate helpers who were willing to love, listen and change a life. Just because acts of kindness are under the radar it doesn’t mean they don’t change the world. 

We can all learn from Natasha’s story and others’stories. Whether it is heartache, fragility, vulnerability, breakability, weakness or disillusionment we can all offer simple acts of kindness and generosity.

Sometimes we need to hold someone without having to say a word. Sometimes we need to let ourselves be held by someone who tells us they care for us. Sometimes, more often than not, we need to say I love you. Sometimes we need talk with a friend or bring a meal to a storm victim. Sometimes we need to be very still for an afternoon or an hour and use our stillness to pray for those we care about. Sometimes we need to …

Sometimes I can get too easily cynical, but in my heart I know that only light can push the darkness away in this crazy mixed up world. You can be a light to someone by pointing them to the Savior. You can be a refuge from the storm for someone. You can make a difference. You can pay it forward. You can be a helper to someone who needs help.

Begin Where You Are Today

Countless people are on an endless quest for meaning. Their search takes them to places they never thought they would be and do things they never thought they would do. This might describe some of our lives in the past or maybe even today. While some of our experiences can bring temporal satisfaction they never seem to last.

Without a deep sense of purpose our lives can be like experiments searching for that elusive thing, experience or person. Unknowingly, we can get so easily absorbed into today’s cultural definitions of success and personal realization that we just might find we’re living lives that could be described as…

The Lonely life

Unprecedented access to social networking has not taken loneliness away. Loneliness is no stranger to socially connected people.

Feeling alone has never been more epidemic. 

We long to know and be known, but our fears and habits make it difficult to give or we feel vulnerable to injury in relationships and we often keep our stories of struggle or confusion to ourselves.  

We’re afraid of getting close. We choose proximity without intimacy. Our hearts are heavy and alone.

The Imposter’s life

Appearance is more important than substance. What matters most is what we appear to be. Sadly, we doubt that much beyond appearance can be found anyway. It’s “all good,” I don’t need to know about your problems, distractions or complications. It’s Margarita-ville, don’t you get it?

As Mark Labberton said, “The imposter’s life is simply not full of pretense; it allows someone to think about us the way they want without actually disclosing who we really are. Since “it’s all good” there’s nothing to worry about.”

The Consumer’s Life

Life isn’t about who you are but about what you have, because what you have tells you who you are. Google knows that what we pursue as consumers, of culture, of goods, of experience, and taste and the things that feed our consumption increases our desire for still more.

The Fearful Life

Real and imagined dangers exist all around is. We can be paranoid or obsessive. Fear can be tamed, but is readily accessed with the right triggers of getting it wrong, not being seen, being hurt, experiencing violence, losing control, failing, getting over- looked, doing damage, causing pain, misspeaking…

Begin Where You Are 

We may be privileged or deprived, but living with these kinds of patterns sets the trajectory for our lives. We can live much better lives. How can things be different? As Bob Dylan, said, “it may be the devil or it may be the Lord, but no matter who you are, you’re gonna have to serve somebody.”

Jesus says to all His followers, “Follow me.” If we want to truly follow Him we need to start where we are, not where we’d like to be, whether it’s at work, home or in our neighborhoods.

Following Jesus starts here. It starts with learning to see the people that we regularly see in a different light, as made and loved by God, that because they matter to God they matter to you and me.

When we truly see others as God sees them we can love our neighbors as ourselves. And when we do we will whine less about the world. Do you want your life to be more of an adventure rather than the mundane lives most people live? Are you ready to dive in? Are you ready for some fun and sacrifice?  You won’t regret it and God will be pleased.