Part 1 - What's holding you back?

Ever see one of those verses you've seen a hundred times and all of a sudden a phrase pops into your head that makes you see it in an whole new way? Well, today I saw a facebook post by Sole2Soul Sisters that featured Hebrews 12:1 and the 'random thoughts' started to roll.

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,"

Then the question hit me, "So just what is holding you back?"

I flashed back to a conversation I'd had with my running coach the night before. You see, after years of not running with much consistency, I am trying to make a come back to the sport....but it has been a LOT harder than I'd expected. Something keeps holding me back.

My first thought was, it's the weight. I'm carrying around 15 - 20 more pounds than I did just a few short years ago. To many, I don't look like I've added that much extra drag, but trust me - I can tell the difference.

I have to wonder if I'm not suffering from a little "drag" in my spiritual life as well. Oh, I may not look like I'm carrying extra weight, but over time little things build up...sort of like those extra pounds crept up on me. It's just a lot of "STUFF" that seems to hold me back.

"FlyLady" Marla Cilley talks about Stuff as Something That Undermines Family Fun. Can't go with a friend because I have to take care of my "stuff". Can't play with the kids right now cause I have to take care of my "stuff". Don't have time to spend in the Word or prayer cause I've got to take care of my "stuff". The list just goes on and on. Stuff can take many different forms, but it's usually something that won't matter at all 10 years from now. I'm pretty sure I won't be taking any of it to heaven with me.

I think I need to lighten up in more ways than one. Like many, I've fallen into the trap of filling my life with stuff that is holding me back from living the life God has planned. I want to live my life as a pipeline that God can use, not a clogged drain that tries to hold it all for myself.

I know that living "light" will make this race so much easier to run.

Next time, Part 2 - What's my excuse?

The men with the talents and a starfish

Most people know the parable of the men and the talents. There were three men who were each given an amount of money when their master went away and it was their responsibility to use that money. 

Here is the beginning of the passage from the Message translation (Matthew 25) "It's also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities. To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities. Then he left. Right off, the first servant went to work and doubled his master's investment. The second did the same. But the man with the single thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his master's money."

Now, I am quite familiar with the interpretation of this passage, but this morning while browsing through my emails, I was struck with a slightly different way of looking at this passage. I am not saying this is how you should interpret this passage...it just caused me to stop and think.

Very often I can get overwhelmed with the enormity of the needs around me. I see children starving in other countries, young teens throwing their lives away, people losing loved ones, animals being abused (it was an email asking for a donation to the local animal shelter that started all this), and our earth being destroyed. It all can seem like it is just too much to handle. Too much to help with. Then I remembered the story of the boy walking on the beach where there were thousands of starfish that has washed ashore. He walked along tossing them back into the water. When someone told him that there were too many, he couldn't possibly make a difference, the boy picks up another starfish and tosses it and replies something along the lines of "It made a difference for this one."

Now I can't explain how my crazy mind put these stories together with the parable of the talents, but it did. I was feeling like it is all too much and then came the thought, "Do what you can where you are and God will increase your ability to do more." I sometimes feel like the little bit I am able to do in reaching out is so insignificant - it can't possibly make a difference. But I am called to use whatever he has given me - not bury it because I'm afraid it won't work or be of any real use. That's not for me to decide. I'm just supposed to use whatever "talent" I have and trust the rest to God. The interesting thing is, not only did the talent (money) increase for the two men who used it, they were given even more when the Master returned to check on them.

I may feel like my "talent" has very little value...most people don't get really excited about someone who is able to talk a lot....but I'm to use what I have. God will take whatever it is and multiply it so that it can do more. And whereas I cannot possibly help every hungry child in the world - I can help one, I can't save every animal that has been abandoned - I can help one, I can't clean up the rivers and streams and oceans and hillsides but I can clean up right beneath my feet. It's not about doing everything, it's about doing whatever I can. The thought of the child I can't help must not keep me from helping the one I can. Who knows - maybe when I do that God will give the increase so that I can then help another one!

Yesterday on the radio, I heard an interesting thought. What if the resources we have been given haven't been given for us to use on ourselves, but to pass on to others. What if we are merely to be the conduit through which God passes out His blessings. The problem is, we hang on to them. We even rent storage buildings to we can "house" them, then we wonder why we aren't able to reach out more to others. Here's a scary thought: that's just what Satan did. He was created to act as a conduit that passed the praise on to the Father but he decided to keep some of it for himself. I think I may have to chew on that one for a while.

I'm not suggesting we all sell everything we have and give it away. I am suggesting that we take the talent that is in our hands and reach out to the "one" that God brings our way this day. I have to wonder what will happen when we all "pick up one starfish" and toss it back to safety.

Don't bury your talent because the need is so overwhelming and you fear it will not be enough. Give what you have and watch God mulitply it so that you can do more. I'd love to hear your stories. Please share them with us so that others can be encouraged to do what they can do with what they have.
Happy Starfish tossing ya'll!

Salt in the wound

Okay, I was bleeding. It didn't really hurt, but somehow in the process of moving some debris from the area I cut my finger and made quite a mess. After checking it out, I realized it wasn't that serious, put a band-aid on it and went about my merry way. That is until later when I was working with some salt and it got on the wound. OUCH! I didn't think I could rinse it off fast enough!

The sting didn't last that long, but as I washed off the cut, the thought came to me "pouring salt in the wound". In the way my random thoughts run, I immediately thought of how we are called to be the salt of the earth and well, all that got me curious. I always thought salt in the wound was bad, but we're to be salt to a wounded world and well, those two things just didn't seem to go together.

I did what any red blooded, (wounded), woman would do. I googled it...I went right to my computer and looked up salt and wounds. That's when I discovered something pretty interesting. While salt may sting initially, it is one of the best antiseptics that can be used to help wounds heal naturally. Some doctors even recommend the use of a saline solution (salt and water) to clean some wounds instead of hydrogen peroxide! It seems that it doesn't damage the healthy cells like other things do and actually helps the body begin to heal itself.

Of course, there is a spiritual random thought in here. If we are to be the salt to the world, and we learn to use the water of the Word, then we can help bring healing to those around us! Let that "soak in" (pardon the pun) for a minute. Part of our job as "salt" is to be a healing agent to those around us. Pretty cool, huh.

Now, don't expect the wounded to get excited about this salt. I can tell you from experience, salt stings at first! I guess it's at work driving out all the bad stuff from the wound. That doesn't mean the salt shouldn't be there doing what it does, it just means it might not always get a welcoming committee when it arrives. Actually, the salt really doesn't have to "do" anything. The presence of it is enough....if it is salty. I guess that's the tough part - staying salty. But it's something we really need to do, cause in case you haven't noticed, there are a lot of wounded people out there.

I wasn't thrilled when that salt hit my cut, but I've noticed that since it did - the cut seems to be getting better. It's not nearly as tender as before. I can still see it, but it doesn't hurt to touch it anymore. That sounds like healing to me. Makes me wonder if I'm "salty" enough to help bring healing to those I come in contact with each day....and do I have enough water of the Word to make a difference.

Mark 9:50
"Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other."

Colossians 4:6
"Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."

The difference in a goal and a resolution

By now, many have relegated their New Year's Resolutions to the trash along with their Christmas wrapping paper and boxes. Some haven't completely trashed them, they just given it a try and when it didn't work figured they'd try again next year, so they packed their resolutions away with the ornaments and decorations. A few hardy individuals are hanging on for all they are worth, barely holding on but determined that this will be the year of success. Then there are those of us who have decided that resolutions are an exercise in futility and given up on making them all together.

This year, I did not make any resolutions...instead, I made a goal, and so far I'm seeing a big difference. That could be because of the difference in me, or it is more likely due to the difference in resolutions and goals.
I've read plenty of articles on making good resolutions, but somehow I still always fail to keep my resolutions. Envisioning success, writing them down, making them measurable...nothing seemed to help. Perhaps this is because resolutions tend to carry with them a "DO or DON'T" mindset. If I vow to do something and then don't, I've blown it. If I vow to NOT do something and then do it, I've blown it again. There are just too many opportunities to fail. Goals on the other hand are different.

With a goal, if I don't reach it, I don't stop. I just keep trying. I talked to my students about this. Many of them play soccer or basketball and I asked them, if they were playing and missed the goal, would they just give up? Of course, the answer is no...you try again....and again.....and again....and, well, you get the picture. Goals carry in them the idea that if you don't reach your goal the first time, you keep on trying. Resolutions carry the idea of either you do or don't; one slip up and it's over.

With a resolution, if you don't accomplish it, you've failed. With a goal, I can see myself getting closer and closer to the target, even when I fail. It's a process, a learning and retraining process. It's so much easier to see that I am making progress with a goal. I may still miss the mark by a mile, but at least I'm closer than I was when I started...even if it's only by the tiniest fraction of an inch! The fact that I am even looking at the goal is progress, because it means I have a target to work toward. You've heard it said, those who aim at nothing hit it every time. I'm tired of hitting nothing.

This year, I have a couple of goals. I've put a calendar up to help me see how I'm doing toward reaching those goals. I've also made myself accountable in other ways....but the point is, even on days I do very little, I'm still doing SOMETHING toward getting closer to the mark.

Even if you haven't made a goal for this year, the year is young and there is plenty of year left! Make a goal. Think about it...the decisions you make today can make a difference in the year, the decade...even in your life! If somehow you wind up reading this article with very little year left - I still encourage you to make a goal. Make use of the time you have and get closer to the goal than you were before you started. There is no time like the present.

The difference in a resolution and a goal - it's never too late to work on getting closer to our goals. Join with me and we'll  make a difference in our tomorrows. I like the way Paul, the author of Philippians put it:
Philippians 3: 12-16 (Message translation)
"I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.

So let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you'll see it yet! Now that we're on the right track, let's stay on it."

How do we get there from here?

Many years ago, when my husband and I were younger and gas was MUCH cheaper, we'd just go out for a ride to see where we'd end up. Once we wound up at a gas station that had the unique name "Someplace Else". It stuck in my mind because I've had lots of times when I thought I was going in one direction only to find I wound up at "someplace else."

I guess being slightly ADD, or HD (High Def) has added to this problem. I have to ask my husband on a regular basis how to get started going somewhere. Oh, I don't have difficulty with the places I'm really familiar with, like work and church and the way back home....but places I go to only occasionally, like Meridian or Atlanta or ANYPLACE other than the norm...I have to ask which way I go to get started. He is always patient and tells me something like, "Go like you're going to Laurel..." or "Go past the convention center," or even "Go past the school where you work, but don't turn in there...just keep going straight."  Once I'm on the road, I'm pretty good....make that pretty good if I have a map.

Well, this past week I read a verse from Romans 5 that really caught me off guard. It was talking about hope, something that we could all use a lot of this year! What struck me was the unexpected way you go to get there! Here, see for yourself: "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." The emphasis part is mine, cause it is what caught my eye! I never thought of suffering as the road to hope before.

The translation I was reading at the time offered a bit of help. According to this translation, suffering was translated as 'thlipsis' (Strong's) and a further explanation was given that it meant "pressure, oppression, stress, adversity....imagine taking your hand on a stack of loose items and manually compressing them. That is thlipsis, putting a lot of pressure on that which is free and unfettered. Thlipsis is like spiritual benchpressing." Okay, so evidently the first leg on the journey to hope isn't at all what I had imagined...it is difficulty!

That suffering takes us through the next town on our journey - perseverance. This trip is tougher than I'd imagined. Perseverance means endurance....the ability to keep on keeping on. I know from running, one of the hardest parts is building up your endurance, and sometimes it comes down to mind over matter! My mind wants to quit long before my body reaches its limits. Please tell me I'm not alone in this battle. Surely others know what I mean.

The next town we come to on our trip is "character". We've all met some real "characters" in our life, but that's not what this word means. Here it means more strength of convictions. I heard once that "character is who you are in the dark when no one is looking." That's a pretty good definition. I knew that trials helped produce good character in us, but I'd never really thought of it as part of the route to hope.

Finally, we reach our destination...hope. According to Strong's, "hope is not a sense of optimistic outlook or wishful thinking without foundation, but it is the sense of confident expectation based on solid certainty." have you ever met someone who had that hope? I have, and come to think of it, they had all gone through some pretty tough times, yet with God's help, they had endured. They had a character that shines like the sun in the dark places, and no matter what, they had hope. It wasn't some Pollyanna attitude, it was based on what they knew...that no matter what - God is faithful.

This year, this decade....I hope you find your way from here to hope. You may not like all the towns you pass through on the way, but trust me - it's worth it. May your years be filled with hope that never fails.

Happy New Decade everyone.

This little light of mine.....

This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine......That was one of my favorite verses to sing with the kids in Children's Church. I always loved seeing them get to the part when they said, "Hide it under a bushel -NO! I'm gonna let it shine." They sang that part with such fervor you could hear them all the way down the halls.

The Bible refers to light in Matthew 5:14 - 16, “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven." This comes right after the metaphor that we are to be 'salt', (see yesterday's post.) But what does it mean to be light?

This one is a fairly simple idea, after all we did make a children's song out of it. We are to shine our light so that all men may know the Good News, but how we go about doing that, well - that's a bit more difficult.
I, for one, love light. I open up all the windows, turn on every light in the house, and paint the walls in such a way that the entire room reflects the light! The more the better! I am loud in everything I do and I like the world around me to be bright and shining! I am, however, painfully aware that this light, like my personality, can be at times irritating.

Take my husband for instance. This is a good man, a quiet man, a godly man....but he doesn't see light the same way I do. He wears sunglasses to protect against the glare. He turns off the overhead lights because they give him a headache. He wears a baseball cap almost all the time to help shade his eyes. He closes the curtains to keep the light inside the room subtle and soft.

Light can either draw you toward it or make you shy away. I love waking to the gentle light of morning streaming through my window...however, having someone flip on the light switch suddenly makes me pull the covers over my head. I am drawn toward the warmth of a glowing candle, but I turn my gaze from a bright spotlight. The bright beacon of a lighthouse would be a welcome sight in a storm, and yet the gentle nightlight that helps me make my way down the hallway at night can be just as welcome. (Hey, nobody likes stumping their toe in the dark!) Different light is needed at different times.

The thing is, the light has to get out into the dark places to really become effective. While we gather together to "trim our wicks and replenish our oil", the church building isn't the most effective place to let our light shine. After all, we don't really need another candle in a room full of light....we need it in the dark places. We are needed in the world.

In the book, Tale of Despereaux, Boticelli tells Roscuro, "do not go up into the light. You will regret it." According to the passage, rats are not supposed to like light, yet Roscuro is drawn to light as a result of Gregory lighting a match in his eyes. Once having seen this light, he cannot shake it's pull on him. The could be no place darker than the dugeon where Roscuro lived, yet one small glimpse of light forever effected him to want more.

Light can change our views on so many things. For example, sometimes our problems don't seem as overwhelming in the light of day. In the dark hours of the night, the burdens can seem almost too much to bear, but once the sun comes up, hope comes with it. Many today have lived in darkness for so very long that they have lost all hope. They need light, but no artificial light will give them hope....it must come with the Son. Someone must be willing to share the light that they have found.

What does all this mean for me? Well, in a nutshell, it means I need to take the light I have been given out into the world. It means I have to be mindful of those whom I am with...not everyone is ready for me to throw back the curtains and turn on all the lights - they need a little light at the time. It means that even if I feel like I can only be a small nightlight to keep someone from tripping, that alone can be a good thing. It means that I can trust God with the results. Once a little light is seen, it forever draws the recipent to want more.

But hide it under a bushel - no....I can't do that. No matter what, I'm gonna let it shine.

Please Pass the Salt

By now, those who know me know that I don't cook. Well, at least I rarely do. I just can't seem to get it right; something is always a little off. Of course, like any good mom, I give it a try and have managed to somehow keep us all from starving, but I am in no danger of winning any cooking prizes any time soon.
I envy those people who can taste something and know just what ingredients it contains and know just what is needed to make it perfect. I don't think I'd know what any herb or spice tastes like, with the exception of salt, and I even have trouble with that sometimes.

Nothing is quite so tricky as finding just the right amount of salt for food. Too little and my grits taste bland and a little like the bag they come in. Too much and they are suddenly inedible. Yes, I know you can add potatoes to something you have over-salted, but who wants potatoes in their grits?

This whole salt thing got me to thinking about something from the Bible. According to Matthew 5:13, we are to be salt of the earth. According to wikipedia,  "Salt is a necessity of life and was a mineral that was used since ancient times in many cultures as a seasoning, a preservative, a disinfectant, a component of ceremonial offerings, and as a unit of exchange. The Bible contains numerous references to salt. In various contexts, it is used metaphorically to signify permanence, loyalty, durability, fidelity, usefulness, value, and purification."

I love the idea that as Christians we are to bring flavor to life. We are to bring out the natural gifts in others, much the way salt enhances the natural flavors in food. Unfortunately, at times I'm afraid my cooking abilities spill over into my spiritual life and I "over-salt" my world.

Don't get me wrong, I truly believe in sharing the Good News of Jesus with those around me....but yesterday I saw an article that reminded me of over-salting food. In this article people were berating others for NOT wishing them a Merry Christmas in a department store. Now, I'm for Christmas as much as the next person, but becoming irate at not being wished Merry Christmas when I buy yet another un-needed gift for someone strikes me as a bit off. It's sort of like dumping the whole box of salt on my meal....it just doesn't make sense.
To me, salt should bring out the natural gifts in others. It should make you thirsty for the Living Water of the Word, and it should be just enough so that you want more. If you dump too much out at once, instead of wanting more it simply drives you in the other direction. (How do I know this? I told you I was a lousy cook!) I don't think that's what the gospel writers had in mind.

I have to ask myself, am I being salt to the earth? Am I living my life in such a way that others want more of what I have, or am I keeping it all to myself? That makes things dull and tasteless. If, however, I am allowing God to use me to find the good in others, to seek out those in need and share what I have been given, (that need doesn't have to just be physical needs by the way), and if my life can somehow signify permanence, loyalty, durability, fidelity, usefulness, value, and purification, then perhaps I've finally discovered how to use my seasoning well in life.

The rest of that verse talks about salt losing it's flavor....that it becomes so mixed with other minerals that it no longer has any taste. I have seen times in my own life when I have become so like the world that I was in danger of losing my "taste". It is a delicate balance to be in the world and yet not become so mixed that I lose my effectiveness. That doesn't mean I have to separate myself and live in some commune, but it does mean I have to be aware of the influences the world can have over me. I can't simply dump out my salt on others and run, I've got to keep my heart right while I "shake out a little salt" as I go. I don't have to worry about running out because God provides an endless supply when I'm using it the way He intended!

I may never find myself being the focus of some cooking show, but I truly hope that somehow I can learn to be "worth my salt" in life. I'm off to see who's life I can add some salt to today. Care to join me?
Tomorrow, perhaps we'll talk about being light.

Matthew 5:13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men."