End of your rope

“David also conquered the land of Moab. He made the people lie down on the ground in a row, and he measured them off in groups with a length of rope. He measured off two groups to be executed for every one group to be spared. The Moabites who were spared became David’s subjects and paid him tribute money.” ‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭8:2‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Can you imagine, lying down on the ground as a soldier stretched a rope over you to decide whether or not you were to be executed? Imagine you’re the one at the end of the group. You’re thinking, “Will the rope be long enough to spare my life??”
Being a servant and paying tribute to a foreign king may not have exactly been desirable outcomes, but compared to execution, I’d bet the result was welcomed!
Are you at the end of your rope? What outcome in your life appears less than desirable? Can you think of an outcome that’s worse? Let that motivate your gratitude for all the good in your life, even those things that appear at first to be less than desirable.

Why Are You So Angry?

What are you so angry about? (Ephesians 4)

Ephesians 4:26, 31 “In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.”

A good friend of mine pointed something out to me that I’m not sure ever really occurred to me before: Relationships are all we have. When you cut through it all, it’s not our possessions or position or perception that defines us, it’s who we know and who knows us. How we interact with others, and how others interact with us, that’s what really matters in life.

Recently, it seems I’ve been exposed to much more conflict than “normal.” Of course there are always disagreements in life, but it just seems more prevalent right now. Whether it involves family, friends, co-workers, or business partners, long-time relationships all around me are quarreling

I guess I should count myself fortunate that I am not the one personally involved in the conflicts. The best I can tell, no one is angry with me, so I am not affected. Or am I?

Our pastor has said something numerous times that applies in this context: Hurt people hurt people. Holding on to bitterness and resentment doesn’t really affect the other person, it affects the one that is holding on to the bitterness. On the other side of that coin, though, acting out in bitterness and resentment not only affects the other person, it also affects the one acting out. Further, it affects others as well. When you look at it that way, bitterness is a pretty selfish act, don’t you think?

It bothers me when the people who are closest to me are hurting. It also bothers me when they are hurting others. But it bothers me most that there is very little that I can do about it. This is yet another area where I must trust the Creator and the Prince of Peace to remedy the problems of this world. If he can use me to that end, then I’m available, but I must trust him to do what he has promised to do, and that is to bring peace and salvation to people.

There are always two sides to a conflict. Too often, we concentrate on what the other side should do rather than on what we ourselves can do. Or, we focus so much on what we can and can’t do that we forget about what God can do. And what he will do, if we ask.

Our church has a core value: Focus on the things that unite us and not on the things that divide us. I think that principle has merit in a church setting, but I also think it has application in our homes, schools, and workplaces. If we concentrate on those things we have in common instead of focusing on the differences, we leave very little to feel bitter about.

We can’t let our selfishness destroy the relationships God has put in our lives. That may seem like the easy route today, but it won’t seem that way tomorrow.

Look for the tough road today. More than likely, that’s the one God wants us to take.

Today?

Ephesians 5:15-16 “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”

There’s something about a deadline that heightens the urgency of a situation. It’s difficult to articulate, but pressure-packed situations have a certain allure, a thrill, that just doesn’t materialize without urgency.

When I was in school, I very rarely completed my projects in advance. Whether I had two days, two weeks, or two months to complete it, I always found myself scrambling to finish my work just in time for the deadline.

I know what you’re thinking: “You shouldn’t procrastinate.” Funny thing: I almost always started the project as soon as it was assigned. I didn’t put it off. But for some reason, it never came together for me until right before it was due.

These days, I try to create artificial deadlines for myself. It doesn’t always work, but every so often I’m able to fool my natural tendencies into finishing before the real deadline arrives.

When I think about the deadline that God has established, I have to remind myself of my normal behavior. The Bible says that no one knows the day or the hour, but someday Jesus will return for us. And we have until that day to let everyone know about his grace and his forgiveness.

I can’t help but think that God knew my nature, and didn’t want to tell me the deadline. Instead, he wants me to treat every day like his arrival is imminent.

Don’t put off for tomorrow what could be done today. After all, today could be THE day.

Time to Reboot

Luke 15:20b “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”

There’s an old adage that you never really appreciate something until it’s gone. A little more than a week ago, my wife and I experienced that firsthand.

It didn’t seem all that serious at first. I sat down at the computer, and the mouse responded, but I couldn’t get any programs to open. At the time, I was a Windows user. So I did what all Windows users do: rebooted. Unfortunately, Windows didn’t come back up. I tried every way I knew, and still nothing. And I kept trying, hoping that somehow, the next reboot would work.

My initial reaction would normally be the dread about my data being lost. Fortunately, it had not been too long since my last backup (I had learned that lesson, the HARD way). The real inconvenience, though, was that we were without a computer.

Whether it’s me checking the news and weather in the morning, or Pam checking her email during the day, it’s an inconvenience when we can’t sit down at the computer as we normally would. Until we were up and running, there was a void in our lives, however insignificant.

Computers are one thing, but the voids left by the people in our lives are much more considerable. When your husband, wife, mom or dad is out of town, you might sense an emptiness while that person is away. Or perhaps you have a friend that has moved to another town. When you can no longer hang out like you used to, you notice how much you miss that time together.

There’s a phrase I’ve heard that perhaps you’ve heard as well: There’s a God-shaped void in all of us. There’s a longing, a craving, in each of us that cannot be satisfied except by Him. But have you ever considered that maybe God longs for us, too? He has a spot in his heart that only we can fill. And I don’t mean “we” collectively, but he has separate empty spots for you, and you, and you, and me.

Whether we’ve only been away overnight, or for a week or month, or longer, we can call out to him now. He is yearning for us just as much as we are for him.

Let’s not make him wait any longer. This time, our reboot will work.

Start, and Finish

Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

My wife has a sore throat. Again. She had one for a while, and finally broke down and went to the doctor. He prescribed and antibiotic, which she took faithfully. She just didn’t completely finish it. She was feeling better, and just as many of us would do, she stopped taking the medicine when she stopped feeling the symptoms. Unfortunately, now her sore throat is back.

I’ve been guilty of not finishing, too. I’ve started diets, but quit before I reached my goal. I’ve begun books that I closed before their conclusion. I’ve been to movies and fallen asleep before the end. At one time or another, it’s safe to say that all of us have stopped short of our target.

On the other hand, most of us have tasted the satisfaction of completing a project, too. Sometimes, even simple tasks can be rewarding, like looking at a freshly mowed lawn, or wiping down the sink after washing a pile of dishes. The more complex the mission, the more fulfilling it becomes to complete that mission.

When I was in high school and college, I used to run. I never really loved running for running’s sake, but I genuinely enjoyed it when I achieved an objective. At first, I set out to run a 5K, which is about 3 miles. After a few of those, I tried a 10K. I even mixed in the occasional sprint-length triathlon. At the pinnacle of my short-lived running career, I trained and completed a half-marathon, or about 13 miles. My hope was to finish the race without walking. And somehow, with the encouragement of my family and friends, I did it.

A herniated disc keep me from running anymore, but I still look back with pride at finishing that race in Orlando. I didn’t win, not by a long shot, but I finished. And though I will likely never run another one, I have the contentment of having tried and conquered.

Following Christ is an endurance race. The time we spend in prayer and in scripture is our training. But there are times when the training ends and the race begins. It is important, though, to finish. We will face situations in life that are challenging, even scary. But when we hear God’s still, small voice, we must obey, both in the little things, and the big ones.

What is he telling you today? If we’re listening, we can hear him. But once we hear him, then it’s up to us to follow through, and finish the race he sets before us.

Ain’t Misbehavin’

Romans 13:13a “Let us behave decently, as in the daytime.”

I’ve heard that character is who you are when nobody is looking. Quite true. But character is also who you are when others ARE looking.

Several members in the community where I once lived (and I use the term “community” loosely) have been arguing frivolously about the finer points of our homeowner’s association rules and regulations. A large part of the war has been waged in twenty-first century fashion: via email. Back and forth, heated and harsh words have been exchanged. Blistering comments and snide remarks are peppered throughout the sordid commentary.

Some have noticed an interesting similarity among the nastiest of the emails. They are unsigned. Sure, there is a return email address, but most of the addresses are anonymous and benign, so the individuals who author them are free to write without fear of consequence or repercussion. It is amazing how bold and how brash one can be when ‘hiding’ behind an email.

This behavior is nothing new. Gossip and dissension have been around through the ages. Technology has only given us a new avenue.

Everyone has to deal with emotion. Sometimes, though, emotion may control our actions. It is then when we must taper our emotion with perseverance. Perseverance produces character, and character, hope. (Romans 5:4)

Behave decently. For our character can produce hope in others, too.

What Was I Thinking?

Romans 8:6 “The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.”

During my teenage years, my grandfather lived with us. He was blind, so he needed some extra care after my grandmother passed away. For the most part, though, he was self-sufficient.

Towards the end of his life, he suffered with Alzheimer’s disease. He was often wandering the house mumbling almost incoherently about some sort of nonsense. He would sometimes even bark out an expletive in anger, at what or whom nobody knew. It was almost as though the bitterness and hurt that had accumulated in his heart, deep below the surface, was finding its way out and being released.

That was the dark side of the disease.

On the other hand, he spent a lot of time joyfully singing. And laughing. And praying. He would tease me and play with me (even though he sometimes didn’t recognize me). He’d talk on the phone for hours on end with the “church gossips” (often resembling the almost incoherent nonsense he would mumble while walking around the house). In a much more positive way, his ramblings seemed to more often reflect his vigor for life and its little victories. (His favorite song, which he seemed to sing incessantly, was an old hymn, “Victory in Jesus.”)

For all the negatives of Alzheimer’s, there was some good in seeing an honest glimpse of his inner joy and peace. Abuelo (as we called him) was certainly far from perfect. There is really no telling all that had gone through his mind over the years. But as the patriarch of our family, it was encouraging to know that when his mind began to “leak,” more good came out of him than bad.

Maybe this is his grandson talking, but I’d like to believe that it meant that he spent a lot more time during his life thinking about the good stuff than thinking about the bad.

Which begs the question: What am I thinking about?

Can You See?

Psalm 146:8 “The LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous.”

“The risks are minimal,” I was told. But that didn’t really matter. The prospect of seeing without the aid of glasses or contacts was worth whatever risks there were.

“Can you guarantee that I’ll see 20/20?”

“No, there are no guarantees. But I’ve done thousands of surgeries, and nearly all were successful.”

Again, it didn’t matter. I was ready. I wanted to see, and if I trusted this physician to point a laser into my eyes, in a few minutes, I would be able to see better than I had ever seen before. My eyes were misshapen, causing them to focus incorrectly and blurring my vision. The laser was designed to correct the shape of my eye, and improve my vision.

After the surgery, my eyes needed to heal. Everything was hazy, and it felt like there was sand in my eyes; but that was ok, because my vision was already improving. But by the next morning, the change was remarkable. I could see the alarm clock for the first time in my memory. It was still a little hazy, and a little uncomfortable (if not unsettling), but I could see.

Our hearts want to see, too. They are misshapen, and distort reality and cause us to focus incorrectly. But there is a Great Physician that wants to point the laser of His Word into our hearts and cause us to see better than we ever have before.

The improvement will take some time, but sometimes the improvements are noticeable immediately. And as we heal, our vision gets better and better. It may be a little uncomfortable at first, if not a little unsettling, but in time, the benefits will far outweigh the risks. There’s just nothing like seeing clearly.

Let God help you to see. . . it’s worth the risk.

We Win

Psalm 43:5 “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”

I’ve been wrestling with a very difficult situation recently. I’ve struggled with it. I’ve thought about it a lot. It has woken me up at night. I’ve had a pit in my stomach the size of Lake Okeechobee.

I was talking it over with a group of people that I’ve learned to trust. In the heat of a discussion about what to do, one very wise friend pointed something out. She rhetorically asked, “Aren’t decisions much easier when we know that God ultimately controls the outcome?”

She was right. I was laboring and agonizing over what to do. And my struggle was affirmative evidence that I wasn’t trusting God for the outcome.

It’s easy to let our circumstances get us down. We can go round and round trying to solve the problem in our minds, but until we leave the results up to Him, the spinning only makes us dizzy.

It’s sort of like watching my favorite college football team on DVR. They could be winning for most of the game, then right at the very end, the other team threatens to score to tie or win. If I was watching live, I would be very nervous. But not if I already knew who won.

Are you downcast? Are you disturbed? Don’t let life’s gut-wrenchers steal your joy. After all, we already know who wins.

Unashamed Hope

Psalm 25:3“No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse.”

I have this friend who is a pastor. His personality is warm and infectious. He was a former college basketball player, and even at fifty-something, still carried an obvious athleticism and build. His personality was very gregarious, and he had a confident, though not quite arrogant, demeanor. I enjoy his company.

One of the reasons I enjoy being around him is that from the beginning, he seemed to find common ground with me very quickly. As I got to know him, and observed his interaction with others, he seemed to relate very quickly with everyone he encountered.

There was one time in particular, while we were at dinner, that I recall vividly. He made an instant connection with the waiter. It seems this twenty-year-old had transferred from a major university to the local community college after an injury eliminated the future possibilities of continuing to play sports there. Sports became their familiarity. Before I knew it, the two were ribbing each other like old friends. The two postured and jabbed at one another in a good-natured exchange about sports, when suddenly the discussion turned (deliberately) to God.

My friend asked the waiter, “Do you want to guess what I do for a living?” (Boy, was that a loaded question!) He used that introduction, and the bond he’d formed with him, to invite that waiter to church, hoping to connect him with Christ-followers, and ultimately, with Christ.

I know what you’re thinking, because the same thought crossed my mind,: “Sure, he’s a pastor. Of course he invited him to church.” But I don’t think that was it at all. He just believed that people matter to God. He wasn’t even inviting him to his own church, but to mine. He was unashamed of his walk with Christ, and eagerly wanted our waiter to know Him, too. And our waiter was receptive, and seemingly interested.

I don’t know if that waiter showed up at church that weekend or not. (For all I know, he was just being polite in hopeful expectation of a good tip.) But because my friend had taken the time to make a connection with him, the young man was not taken aback or offended by the invitation, and there seemed to be a chance that he would actually show up.

I’m beginning to see the value of putting unashamed hope in Him.

No one whose hope is in God will ever be put to shame.