What's Your Struggle

We all have struggles.  There are issues in our lives that we battle with continuously. And even if we are doing well right now, that doesn't mean that the battle is over.  It's just in a lull, sort of a cease fire or a temporary truce.

Of course there are the problems, such as addictions, that derail life completely and beg for some action.  But what I'm thinking of are those nagging issues that interfere with our quality of life.  We feel like we can handle this through force of will or maybe a little bit of good luck.  But in a lot of ways we are no more able to conquer these problems than we are able to control the weather.

We think that our particular problem is not one worthy of bothering God over.  We can take care of this one on our own.  A workaholic thinks that soon things will settle down at work, and then more time with the family.  Compulsive eaters will correct their diets right after the holidays, the compulsive gambler thinks after the one big score.  We think that the solution is in our power and right around the corner, but we've been thinking that for a long time.

What ever is in our lives that separates us from our relationships with family and more importantly God, is a problem.  We have been around a lot of corners and all we seem to find is another corner up ahead.  And let's face it, some of these problems are hard because our society celebrates much of it.  Working hard is a good thing.  We celebrate with excess rich food, put extra brown sugar on the sweet potatoes please.  We like new things and advertisers pummel us regularly.

Some problems upset life so dramatically that something has to be done, but for others, the fall is so gradual that we don't even know that we're falling.

The 12 step programs have it right.  Step 3 is turn our lives and will over to the care of God.  The solution is there.  It's not that we're that strong, He is.

Love and Heartbreak

Today I want to do something different.  No video or pictures.  I have a good friend that posted this on Facebook last night.  With his permission I am going to share it hear.  Please read this.


Ok, this one is for my kids, because I know that they read my posts, especially after my deep, sentimental story about the Christmas tree last year. Now they tease me about my random "wisdom moments" that don't always come out well when I try to talk...sometimes I'm better at writing them. So, here goes...I hope you will always have the courage to open your heart and fall in love some day. Why courage? Because courage is what you will need to get you through in case your heart gets broken, and since we're human that's bound to happen. Even if you marry your one an only first love for a lifetime, it will take courage to have your heart broken when you hold your loved for the last time as they take their final breaths. And if you are the one of you two to pass on first, you won't escape the heart break,because you'll feel the pain of seeing your grieving loved one left behind. But heartbreak is good, and is the measure of your love. How? ...the more painful the grief, the more intense the love you shared. The grief and heartbreak lets you know that you were really in love, and not just dreaming it all (though I hope you get to feel that dreamy side for a long, long time.) And it will take courage to open your heart up and love again, but it will be worth it. As you pray to God to ease the pain, I hope you also thank God for the amazing love, lessons, and memories you shared, that ultimately will prepare you for an eternity of experiencing God's love in an even more perfect way...which trust me is hard to imagine sometimes when you're in love. And bless the person that broke your heart, because in the big picture, they also put their heart on the line, and you can't learn to love without the loving heart of another.
Oh, and there is one final heartbreak, but it's totally worth it. When your heart is finally united to God's heart...it's going to explode, even if your heart was well prepared with lots of love on earth...it's going to break one last time, but then it will be healed, forever.

by Rob Patton

There. Now That's Done.

Have you ever set up a swimming pool?  We have one of those soft sided pools that we set up in the summer and put away for the winter.  Early in the summer we get it out, rake the ground, spread the liner, look for new leaks, set up the frame and fill it. Some people pay to get the fire department to fill it.  We just fill it ourselves from the hose.  It takes a few days.  Then we put in the chemicals and wait for the Sun to warm the water.  It's a big project and when it's done there is that sense of accomplishment when I say, "There.  Now that's done." But I know that I am just getting started.

Like many things, owning a pool is an ongoing project.  There  is the testing and the chemicals and the skimming and the cleaning.  Then as the summer goes on there is the inevitable battle with algae.  Finally there is take down time which is draining and cleaning and folding and storing.  Pool's are not the only thing like this, the pool happens to be on my mind now because it's fall and I am involved in the put away project.  There are many things in life that are just ongoing projects.

Our walk with God is a bit like the pool.  There is the initial set up, we learn about Jesus and accept salvation.  We get the sense of "There, that's done." We feel renewed and sharp.  But like the pool, it is only the beginning.  We need to keep cleaning and accept Grace every day.

Just like the pool, when we start walking with God everything feels fresh and clean.  Without the daily cleaning with Grace out lives become funky.  We can't think of Grace as a one time fix, but rather it is an ongoing project.  We all need a good Grace cleaning every day.

Bloom Where You"re Planted

If, only if.

Only if things were different, then I would do great things.  If my bills were paid off, if I wasn't so busy. after I lose 10 pounds (or 20?), then just look out.  If things were different, but they aren't.  Many of us are waiting to get started.  Started on what ever we think is next.  When I was in college I worked for a while in a warehouse.  There was an older man working there with me.  He was biding his time, waiting for retirement.  He would talk of the plans that he and his wife had for retirement.  They were taking the camper and heading west.  You can probably see where this story is going.  She got cancer.  Plans change.

So what are you doing right now?  We have today and there are no guarantees about tomorrow.  If things were different I could do X, maybe I even would do X, but that's not the life that I have.  The trick is making the most out of this life, not some life that doesn't exist. We can join Walter Mitty and Don Quixote or we can decide to bloom right now, right here, in these circumstances.  

God blesses us every day, and we need to make the most of it.  In the bible and throughout history there is story after story of people who rose up and had a significant impact in spite of their circumstances.  Joan of Arc was a peasant woman who rose to lead the French Army in the 1400s.  The idea that French soldiers in this era would follow either a woman or a peasant is really ridiculous.  It all happened as she followed the will of God.  And that's just one story.

God calls for us to make the most of what we are given today.  He gave the Israelites Manna from the sky, but only enough for today.  It's not like planning for tomorrow is bad thing.  We still need to plant the crops, sow the grain and put up stores for the winter.  But while we are doing that, are we living in God's blessings or waiting for different blessings? 

It's a Gift

At Christmas time we have the traditional exchanging of gifts.  People give us gifts and we in turn give them one with a value that is about the same.  Some groups put rules on gift giving at the holidays in the name of dollar limits or exchanging names.  Everyone who brought a gift can participate in the gift exchange.  In these situations, we are giving as much as we get.  We say thank you, but come on, they got something nice too.

But sometimes it happens.  You get that gift and you didn't know it was coming and you have nothing to give back.  Or maybe you are given a gift that is significantly more extravagant than one that you can give.  We aren't very good at accepting gifts in this way.  We feel beholden and uneasy. Most of us would rather not get a gift n this way.  

They say that it's the thought that counts.  And it sure is.  I think the problem with getting a gift when you have nothing to give back is the realization that this person thinks of me differently than I think of them.

Our salvation is like this.  It's a gift.  It's that simple.  There is nothing to earn.  You can't reciprocate with something equivalent.  God gives the gift.  We accept it and say thank you.  And the amazing thing is that because it is like this, we can't boast.  We can't think of ourselves as being superior because we didn't do anything to earn it in the first place. And when we realize the enormity of the gift, we are faced with the enormity of God's love.  We have to conclude that he loves us more than we are capable of loving Him or anyone else,

It's like being prideful when you are driving someone else's car or taking credit for someone else's score.  It is a gift so that none may boast.  

How Do They Do It

Some people really put up with a lot.  They go through amazing struggles and trials and conflicts.  And yet they get through it.  I think of Hurricane Katrina striking New Orleans.  People trapped on roof tops.  People at the Super Dome with no power, food or water.  The scale of disaster was enormous.  And yet somehow people got through it.

Of course, not everyone got through it.  And some people didn't get through it well.  But then there are those people who rise above it all.  Who get through things with grace and class.  Like the situation doesn't touch them.

Christians have a secret weapon that can get them through the trials.  If you are a Christian, things can only get so bad.   I mean what's the worse that can happen?  If you die, you go to heaven, and that's not so bad.  This should give Christians the ability to approach problems with a grace and confidence,

Paid in Full

Debt is really something in this country.  The national debt is knocking on $18 trillion.  That is an unfathomable amount of money.  They say that it comes down to over $55,000 per US citizen.  I think the real amazing part is that it wasn't all that long ago that we had it paid off.  In the 90s the US economy was going gang busters.  The debt seemed to magically disappear and the politicians were arguing over what to do with the surplus.

Well that didn't last long.  A couple of wars coupled with tax cuts, expansion of medicare, adding a new department to the government, more tax cuts, a few bail outs, a few surges.  As they say in Washington, you spend a billion here and billion there, soon it turns into real money.

Now this really isn't a political rant.  Both parties share in the problem of the country living beyond its means.  I want to focus on when the debt was paid.  I remember in the late 80s and early 90s the nation debt seemed insurmountable then too.  And just like now the conversations were about cuts and taxes.  

When the debt got paid off the entire conversation changed to one of investments and opportunities.  Should the money be returned to the citizens or invested in the future?  These conversations are a lot more fun to have then the ones about which services are getting cut.  

My point is this.  Debt is bondage and solvency is freedom.  Freedom to invest, to plan, to explore.  And the debts do not have to be financial.  When we owe debts they burden us and restrict what we are able to plan for the future.  

In some versions of the Lord's Prayer it says, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors."  Our sins create a debt on our soul.  And that debt holds us back.

God can release us from our debts if only we ask.  Our past piles up after a while.  And just like the national debt, it can seem like more than can be overcome.  But God says that freedom is available.  And just like the US economy in the 90s, your conversation can change from regrets about the past to plans for the future.

Hard to Forget

Memories are funny things.  Somethings are hard to remember and some things are hard to forget.

Personally, I am pretty good at trivia games.  Quickly remembering facts is pretty easy.  But what about the car keys?  Or remembering to pick up milk.  What about people's names.  Now there would be something handy to remember.  There are days that I would trade being good at tivia if I could only remember why I came into this room.

I do remember asking my wife to marry me.  Trying to come up with the perfect place, finally getting up the nerve when we were on a bike ride on Mackinac Island, stopping in the middle of the street and asking her then and there. I remember holding my son on the day he was born and feeding him in the hospital nursery.

Some things are hard to forget, no matter how hard we try.  Like everyone else I remember the horror of 9/11 and being both stunned by the destruction and trying to wrap my head around it all.  It was a day that changed every thing.

Some of the hardest things to forget are memories from times that we were really hurt.  Sometimes we hold a grudge, even when we want to let it go.  Even when we want to forgive, we can's forget.

God's forgiveness is different than man's.  When God forgives, He does it with the perfect love that also forgets.

In 1 Corinthians Paul writes that Love keeps no record of wrongs.  In our humanity that is hard to do.  God however is able to do it perfectly,

Another Second Chance

The Permanent Record.  We hear about it at school.  Those things that are going in  there become a little more important.  At least it seems that way.  The permanent record is often told as a bit of a joke.  "You know this is going on your permanent record."  It's funny how they never tell you that something good is going on that record, only the bad.

Keeping score, holding a grudge, remembering the record.  We like to keep track of the wins and the losses.  It feels good to think that we are a little ahead.  The Egyptians believed that when we died there was a great weighing of our souls.  If all you your transgressions cause your soul weigh less than a feather, then you are in.  I'm not sure what happens when it is too heavy, but I assume something bad.  

One of the benefits of having a relationship with God is His short memory of out transgressions.  Redemption is a clean slate.  He doesn't keep the record of wrongs.  When we mess up, we want a second chance at doing right.  But a second chance can only happen the first time that we mess up.  After that it is a third, fourth, fifth or sixth chance.  With God, it is always another second chance.  The other mess ups are gone, let's focus on this one.  You repent and are forgiven.  Here is the second chance.  Now sin no more.

I am grateful that God gives me extra chances.  There are things that I struggle with and things that seem no trouble to resist.  But for issues that I struggle with, they are ongoing and relentless.  Many chances are needed.

A Sin-Ectomy

I have a gall bladder.  I know several people who have had theirs removed, but I still have mine.  It seems like an infected gal bladder can cause all kinds of problems.  I know a person who was having back problems that turned out to be related to gal bladder, another had intestinal problems.  Getting that out of there seems to fix the problem.

Some things aren't so clearly solved.  Some medical problems are more systemic or are not connected to a single removable problem.  How many people with diabetes or heart disease wish that they could go in for a procedure and fix it all.  Those conditions need to be managed.  Diet, exercise, life style, maybe some medication, all go together to manage an ongoing problem.

Some problems are not medical but spiritual.  They arise from a moral problem that plague us.  These are conflicts between what we think, what we feel and what we do.  Sometimes we find ourselves full of hate, bitterness or anger.  We wish it was gone but there it is.  For these problems there is so little that the medical profession can do.  It's too bad that there isn't a hate-ectomy that doctors could perform.  

Christians refer to these moral dilemmas as sin.  Sin isn't just what we do, but what is in our hearts.  It is the difference between coveting and theft.  Coveting is desire, jealousy and resentment all wrapped up in one.  You want what they have and you are none too happy about it.  Coveting can consume you and make you miserable even if you never act inappropriately.  But removing sin is God's specialty.

I find it interesting that so much attention is placed on the healing that Jesus did.  In many ways, physical ailments are easier to manage or at least understand.  For example in this story from the book of Mark

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man

A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Forgiving sins is God's business.  Get your sin-ectomy today.

The Benefit Package

During World War II so many men had gone to war that there was a labor shortage back at home.  The government was afraid that there would be massive inflation as employers competed for a shrinking number of employees so it instituted a national wage freeze.  This caused employers to come up with other ways to attract employees (The law of supply and demand will not be stopped.) such as offering health insurance.  And so the employee benefit package was born.

Benefits can be a major incentive for a job.  What do you get out of it?  There can be pay, vacation time, insurance, pension, or 401k.  Google famously provides benefits in terms of its working conditions.  Free gourmet meals,  Foosball tables, health clubs, you name it.  They say that the benefits lead to a more relaxed and dedicated work force. 

Some benefits are more internal.  Pride, a sense of fulfillment or the chance to be part of something important, to make a difference.  God's benefit package is one step beyond internal, it is eternal.  God provides benefits that can impact both this life and beyond.

Peace of mind, forgiveness, purpose..... It has to be worth at least as much as a Foosball table.

I Love This Plan

On a baseball team nine players need to take the field and cover all of the positions.  Sometimes players are out in a position that they don't want to play.  They are out in right field, but they would rather being playing the infield.  The thing is that SOMEONE has to play right field.  You can try to tell the coach that you don't want to play that position.  He will likely find you another place that you can be, such as sitting on the bench.

If you want to get in the game, you have to be willing to play where the team needs you, not only where it is your favorite.  In most situations we can decide to wallow in the misfortune or celebrate the opportunity.  A lot of it comes down to attitude.  

It's easy when the job that needs doing is one that you want to do anyway. Life only has a limited number of these that come along.  Most things fall into the category of "not that bad" and how much fulfillment it brings to us depends on the attitude that we bring to it.

And so it is with our walk with God.

Have you ever noticed that no one ever says that they are feeling the call of God and He wants me to stay home tonight with my feet up and watch some TV.  Maybe He's calling me to have some blueberry pie along with it.  No, nobody ever seems to get that call.  Probably because God doesn't need to call anyone to that task.  It is well covered.

Our attitude with God affects our relationship with God.  We need to be willing to serve where He wants us to serve.

If we want to have a relationship with God, we need to be willing to get in the game at whatever position we are called.  It's either that or sit on the bench.