Why do crazy?

Those who know me probably have noticed a change in me lately - I know this because people keep asking me, "Why are you doing this?" I'm pretty sure they think I am crazy - and maybe I am.

What am I doing? Well, I've started working with a virtual trainer, Brian McMillan from Shutupeatclean and it has resulted in quite a few changes in my life. Now, to be honest, I thought I was doing this simply to lose a few (make that a lot of) pounds and try to fight back aging. I had no idea that I would be doing crazy things like walking six to seven miles with a weighted vest on Saturdays or exercising every day much less eating clean! Now that I've been doing crazy for a few months, I'm starting to see it's a whole lot more than just losing my 'middle-aged', okay - my 'old-aged' physique. 

At first, I noticed that I was tired - but it was a good kind of tired. Getting outside and sweating to get in my steps each day felt pretty good, not to mention how much it helped clear my head to simply spend some time moving. As the walks became longer, I had time to listen to sermons and books that helped me think about things in a different way. Getting in those 10,000 steps each day also helped me step away from all that demanded my time and clear my thoughts. I found myself able to actually THINK instead of simply running from one thing to another.

Before long, I noticed I was standing straighter and walking with more confidence. I could bend over and pick up a pencil off the floor that a student had dropped for the hundredth time without it being such a huge chore and without getting aggravated - well, not as much anyway. I started feeling stronger both physically and mentally.

Instead of spending my time mindlessly vegging out on social media (come on - I can't be the only one that has had the little TikTok message tell me I'd spent a long time on there and needed to put it down!) I was sitting less! The chair that once sucked me in after work didn't seem to have the same suction power! And when I did sit down, I picked up my Bible more often. In fact, since I started all this crazy, my Bible study went from obediently listening to each day's devotion to digging deeper and actually studying! My hunger for good foods was paralleled by my hunger for God's Word instead of junk! This does not mean I don't occasionally enjoy a tv show or two or even spend a little time on TikTok - but there is balance now! 

And now we get to the real reason for the crazy - something I'm only beginning to see that came from my study. In Daniel 7, (where my study has taken me) I came across a passage that referred to the one who was behind all the evil - and he was referred to as the dragon. My ears perked up immediately! Coach calls the people he works with "Dragon Slayers". Is the real reason I am doing all this crazy because God is reminding me we are in a battle? My enemy isn't flesh and blood - not even my own pudgy flesh or diabetic blood! My journey in this life isn't about me...it's about what God created me to do. 

Now I'm not saying I've gotten it all together by any means - I have a long way to go! But in Daniel 7:25, it says that the enemy will "oppress" the saints. Oppress "literally means to 'wear away' or to 'wear out'. As a believer - one who trusts that God has a purpose for my life even if I don't see it - I recognize that I had gotten tired. I was worn out. My mind was telling me to just take it easy. It repeated over and over - "You're getting older, look forward to retirement and slow down!" 

Maybe the reason it is so important that I keep doing 'crazy' is that I needed to recapture my health and thinking. I have an enemy that is trying to make me tired, wear me out, and get me to give up. But as long as God has given me time here on earth, I want to be a "dragon slayer", be it my own dragons or those that I encounter in the world.

So why do crazy? Because I truly believe God isn't finished with me yet and I want to be ready for whatever He calls me to do. I don't want to enter heaven saying, "I know You had more for me, but I was just so tired." 

Come join me in crazy. 

Photo by Trent Pickering on Unsplash

Thanksgiving lessons from the leaves...

Today, as I raked the leaves in my yard, this blog from years ago, came to mind...and it began with the wind.

Yesterday, I tackled the job of raking the front yard. We have a beautiful popcorn tree that just a few weeks ago was full of the most beautiful colored leaves. Now they all lay at my feet and covered every square inch of my yard in crunchy brown fragments. I knew the weather was going to turn and if I was going to get this done, now was the time. So I raked, and raked, and raked. To make the job more interesting, the wind kept blowing and scattering my leaves. I offered up a prayer - okay, it was more of a complaint..."Come on, God! Give me a break!" For a moment, the wind turned and blew with me instead of against me; I smiled only to then immediately experience the wind shift again. It was then that one of those random thoughts hit.

From here on, this blog may seem redundant, stating the obvious for the oblivious. Yet, it is something I must remind myself of daily. Can I thank God in ALL things, not just those I see as a blessing?

As I raked and the wind turned against me again, I realized that the same wind that blew my work away was bringing a cool refreshing to my sweaty brow. It caused leaves to dance in merriment up to the unbelievably blue sky. I could get angry and "shake my fist" at the wind, or I could take a step back and see things in a different way. Instead of working against the wind, I needed to shift my position and work with that wind....see the gift that it brought in the midst of challenges.

Many challenges I face in life are nothing more than things not going the way I think they should. Perhaps in these times, there is something I can learn. Do I fuss and fume when things don't go "my way"? Do I stare in disbelief when life hands me pain? Do I forget to look up and see if perhaps that which is causing me frustration is at the same time blowing in something else I need? Am I willing to be thankful in ALL things?

That same popcorn tree had given us shade all summer long when we needed it. It had painted a beautiful picture to welcome me home during the first few days of fall. It will serve as the backdrop for our nativity this Christmas. I had thanked God for its shade and colors, could I thank God for its barrenness as well? Would I lift my eyes from the mess at my feet to see the hope? 

I don't know what wind has blown into your life lately...but is it possible that the wind that is "messing with" your plans may also be bringing blessings and hope you have not seen. Though it seems that all is crashing around you....look up. Your strength and hope are there. You can not see them, just like you can't see the wind. But just like the wind, you can feel it and know He is there.

This Thanksgiving, in the midst of all the hustle and bustle of cooking, cleaning, and holiday activities, may you feel the cool wind of His presence and know that He is there. That is something we can truly be thankful for.

 

 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (MSG)

^16-18 Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.

Photo by Alex Motoc on Unsplash

Just quit

That voice...the one that whispers in your head, "Just quit". 

It's always a whisper - anything else and you might recognize the voice. It's a familiar one... " just quit."

It continues on...that whisper. "No one notices. No one cares. Who do you think you are to try this? It won't make a difference."

That whisper. It drains you. And it seems impossible to make it go away.

So instead of making it go away, add to the words. Add the word "don't" and turn it all around.

When the whisper says "Just quit," quietly add the word "don't...just DON'T quit."

Even if no one notices - just don't quit.

Even if no one cares - just don't quit.

Even if it doesn't seem like it makes a difference - just don't quit.

Slowly the voice of your enemy will fade and in its place, you will begin to hear the voice of the great cloud of witnesses who are cheering you on. "Just don't quit! You can do this. What you do matters." 

The enemy only wins if we listen to him. The enemy is the only one who benefits if we quit.

But those who benefit if we don't quit - those are too many to count.

So when the whisper comes - "just quit," come back by adding one little word. 

Just. Don't. Quit. 

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who by faith have testified to the truth of God’s absolute faithfulness], stripping off every unnecessary weight and the sin which so easily and cleverly entangles us, let us run with endurance and active persistence the race that is set before us," Hebrews 12:1 

Photo by Emma Simpson on Unsplash

The Gilligan in me...

 

Today's random thought is a bit more random than normal! 

Remember the old tv show, Gilligan's Island? Poor Gilligan, he was forever messing up. It seemed that each episode he found a new way to do something "stupid" - something that made you want to facepalm at the ridiculousness of it all. On the rare occasions that he wasn't the "clown" of the episode...wait; he was ALWAYS the clown of the episode. 

In contrast, there were all the other characters that each had endearing qualities - the Skipper who had to lead this eclectic bunch, the Professor who could make anything out of coconut shells and scrap ship parts, Ginger who was gorgeous and looked perfect every episode, Mary Ann who was equally pretty and yet just so darn likable, the Howell's - the rich couple who somehow still had plenty of the finer things in life despite being stuck on a deserted island...and Gilligan. 

But today, the song from the series played in my head..."If not for the courage of the fearless crew, the Minnow would be lost." Let's see - the crew would be the Skipper...and GILLIGAN! If not for Gilligan's courage, they would have all been lost.

We all have times when we feel like the Gilligan of the bunch. We kick ourselves at our own stupidity and we're embarrassed that we're not the smart one or the pretty one or the rich one or the one that everybody loves - we're the Gilligan. But according to the song, that's not how Gilligan is remembered - he's remembered as courageous, saving the lives of those on board. His mistakes aren't sung about - it's the one moment in time when he did what he'd been prepared for.

In Esther, there's a verse that talks about perhaps Esther had been made queen for such a time as this. I know that very likely no one reading this has been crowned queen lately, but perhaps in our own Gilligan way, we have been created for such a time as this. History won't remember all the mistakes you made every day. They won't write a song about how you goofed up on a regular basis. History will remember the difference you made in the lives around you as you rose to the occasion as needed. Well, let's be honest, history probably won't remember most of us at all. But those who needed us that one time that we came through - they will remember us. And that is enough.

So for all the Gilligans out there, remember you are the fearless crew. History won't remember all your awkward times, it may not remember you at all...but you were born for such as this! 

Esther 4:14 (b) 

"...And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

Photo by Max Goncharov on Unsplash