| In Numbers 13, we read about the Lord commanding Moses to send twelve men to explore Canaan, their promised land. At the end of forty days, the twelve men returned to Moses and Aaron and reported to them and all the Israelite community. After scoping things out, ten of the men gave a grim report including the fact that they saw giants there and they could never overcome them. They turned the people against Moses and Aaron, and they even wished to return to Egypt. But there were two men, Joshua and Caleb, who disagreed. They saw the promised land from a different perspective. They agreed there were obstacles but focused on the fact that God was with them instead of on the obstacles. I sometimes feel like a grasshopper surrounded by giants. Can you relate at all? The issues that concern me and mine seem huge. Some of the issues make my heart hurt. I agonize about my precious friends and family who are far from God. I struggle to see any glimmer of hope. There are those in my circle who are facing tremendous health problems while others battle with unexpected financial challenges. People who I love and respect are lonely and feel lost after the death of a spouse. The giant issues surrounding me seem overwhelming…when I take my focus off God. How often do I have to catch myself in grasshopper mode when I don’t see God working in these situations? Unfortunately, it happens more than I like to admit. My God is big, and he has a plan that is better than anything I can come up with. When I focus on my big God and the fact that he is able to work in all the situations that mean so much to me, then my problems begin to shrink.  Lord, help me trust you more, and to trust you completely. You know the things that weigh heavy on my mind and the things that break my heart. Please continue to work in me at the same time that you are working in these situations. I ask for open hearts for those I love so they can be drawn to a new or stronger relationship with you. Show them your love. Help me stay focused so that my grasshopper tendencies diminish. |
Category: Character
Ridiculous Questions
| People ask ridiculous questions sometimes, don’t they? I walked into a building trying to close my wet umbrella and someone asked, “Is it raining?” I was with someone who was on crutches and a stranger asked if he hurt his leg. I overheard a person ask a very pregnant woman, “so you haven’t had that baby yet?” A man was wearing a Dallas Cowboys jersey and ball cap. Someone nearby asked if he was a Cowboy’s fan. You know what I mean. People mindlessly ask things even though they know the answer. But Jesus didn’t ask mindless questions, did he? His questions always had a point. Think about these situations where Jesus asked a question: -“Who touched me?” Jesus asked in Luke 8:45. He was in a crowded place. Because he is all-knowing, he knew who touched him, but he wanted others to see and hear her story. -“What do you want me to do for you? Matthew 20:29-34 -“Do you want to get well?” John 5:1-15 -“Do you love me?” Jesus asked Peter in John 21:15-17. Jesus asked Peter three times. Have you, like Peter, blown it with Jesus? Do you ever think about this question in terms of your own life? Let it sink in right now. We are constantly faced with choices that boil down to whether or not we will follow Him or the world. Do you want to get well? Do you want to move forward spiritually? Lord, open my eyes to be able to see you. Let me hear you speak to me and guide me each day. Forgive me when I question you and your ways when it seems to me things are out of control. Help me understand that things are never out of your control. Remind me to tell the story of how you have changed my life whenever you prompt me to do so. Lord, help me choose you over the things this world offers. Forgive me when I have let my schedule, my finances, my job, my family, and my hobbies squeeze you out. |
Which Word Is Next to Your Picture In The Dictionary?
We were recently travelling quite a bit, zigzagging around the country. I am sort of a people-watcher. My Uncle Pete always said, “Idiots come in swarms!” I believe it. Some people are a delight, and others are a fright.
We meet a lot of different people in our various ministry endeavors. Some people crack me up with their forwardness. And then, there are people who are comical to watch as they interact with others. So many people seem to be lost in spirit with no purpose in life. We have met people who are so loud and obnoxious in public places that it makes me cringe to think of how they interact with their families at home. Some cannot have a conversation without spewing four-letter words. You know the type – they have no filter and say whatever pops into their pea brain. Yikes.
Occasionally I see people who seem to be on vacation but look as though they could have never found their way without help. I often glance at Jody and ask, “Where are their keepers?”
Recently, I glanced at Jody and gave him the “where is his keeper?” look while we were walking behind an elderly man at an airport as the man stumbled and bumbled. We soon met Bill when he fell as he exited the airport. Bill ended up staying in the same hotel and also went on the same tours as us. Bill was 89 years old and his wife had died not long before this trip. He wanted to take the trip that the two of them had planned. Apparently, his children don’t live near him but spoke to him on the phone. He seemed to be doing fine as far as they could tell, and so they encouraged him to go on the trip rather than just sit home and mope. Oh, my stars, Bill had no business travelling alone. Bill is a precious, grieving man whose picture in the dictionary is next to the words “lost as a goose” and “needs a keeper.”
So that brings us to the question. Which word or phrase is near your picture? When people think of you, what pops into their mind?
When I think about which word or phrase pops into people’s minds when they think of me, I’m challenged to do better! My goal is for words like caring, dependable, honest, forgiving, patient, kind, thoughtful, considerate, and humble to come to mind, but I’m afraid that there are times when selfish, unforgiving, judgmental, impatient, inconsiderate, and gripey are the words that others think first about me because of things I’ve done or said. I have made many mistakes in my life, but I am trying to live a mindful life now, as Christ intended. He is transforming me into the person he created me to be…sometimes with little help on my part.
Join me in examining your life, your words, your actions. No, it’s not so much about what other people think–it’s about what God thinks. But, sometimes, when we closely examine and consider what others think, like me, it might challenge you to draw closer to the Lord so that he can continue that transforming work. Let him continue to shape your life.
Lord, thank you for giving me a separate, distinct, and unique personality. I am special because you say so. It’s not because of anything I have done, but because of who you are and how you are working in my life to make me into the person you created me to be. Lord, help me when I resist you. Fill me with your love so that I can reflect it to others. Help me lean in to the changes you are making in me. Sharpen in me the qualities that honor you and guide me to move away from those that don’t.
Just a Flicker
So, I am this detail-oriented person who is always observing the miniscule things of life. One day I was thinking about the personalities of various people I encounter in my life. I have had interactions recently with some truly extraordinary people and interactions with some less than extraordinary people. Here is a list of a few with whom I have crossed paths:
. a stern, rigid person who later turned out to be kind and friendly when stress and responsibilities lowered somewhat
. a smart-alec person who irritated everyone in his path
. a joyful person who was in the middle of a serious family situation but did not dwell on the negative
. a person who was not self-aware and was condescending, argumentative, and hurtful to those closest family and friends
. a know-it-all person who would argue or one-up every single person encountered
. a caring person who cares so much that people take advantage
. a loving, generous person who treated everyone with kindness
. a gripey person who I eventually discovered was in the middle of a personal trauma that they kept very private
. a happy, laughing person who was actually hurting on the inside
. an arrogant person who was always right (even when it was not true)
. a quiet, but thoughtful person, whose countenance glowed
Today, God reminded me, again, yes, again, that I also have personality traits that maybe reflect exactly who I am but maybe don’t reflect who I think I am or whose I say I am. Hmmm. Who I am…Who I think I am…Whose I say I am—just a few letters are different in those phrases, but those few letters really change the meaning of the phrases, don’t they?
Do my encounters with people leave a positive impression or a negative impression? Do I even care? Am I so entrenched in my way of thinking that I have become indifferent to others? Now, to be clear, I am not saying that we should elevate other people’s opinions over the voice of God. But sometimes, if I prayerfully inspect myself and how I interact with others, God can reveal things about my personality. Do I reflect the love of Jesus as I meander through my life or do I just meander doing my own thing without a thought of whose I am. Someone is always watching. What am I reflecting? Is my life just barely a flicker of light or does it shine for Jesus?
Lord, help me be a learner as you work in my life. Help me not to resist the efforts to smooth off the rough spots in my personality. Make me more like you. Continue your work in my life, helping me grow closer to you. Remind me that growing closer and closer to you is necessary to become more like you. Gently guide me to consider how I am seen by others. I want to reflect your love in everything I do and say. I don’t want to just occasionally flicker.
