July 19, 2018

Focus on Jesus

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. – James 1:12

Some seasons of life are just hard. It might be a wayward child, a divorce, a job loss, an unexpected illness. It could be a wreck, a fire, a season of unexpected bills. It could be the death of someone you love. The storm crashes against us again and again and, some days, our faith seems so weak.

It’s not about whether you will face a storm. We all do. It’s about whether you have prepared your heart for its inevitability.

The Bible tells us to grow our roots deep in faith so that we can withstand life’s trials. Some take heed and do just that. Others merely skate along, with a naïve certainty that they can handle anything. They believe that really bad things only happen to others. They assume a strength that has never been tested.

Until it happens. Then you learn that waiting room chairs are hard and the hours endless while a loved one fights for her life in ICU. You learn the treasure of friends who just let you cry without trying to “fix” what only God can repair. You learn the difference between a necessity and a need. You learn the miracle of small steps forward, an extended hand, friends who show up and help without being asked.

And you learn empathy and grace. You learn that you can do everything right and still have your world fall apart without notice. You learn that nothing on this earth is certain and that our only true anchor is Christ.

You come to understand the camaraderie of strangers bound together by crisis. You learn medical terms and rehab techniques and how to find and accept specialized help. And you learn that pride has no place when you are in desperate need of a kind word or a flicker of hope.

There is no place as lonely as an ICU waiting room in the middle of the night. There is no place as lonely as the first moments, the first hours, in a house void of someone who will never come home again. There is no place as lonely as the days of transition between what was and what now is.

You learn the blessing of presence that some gift so generously. You learn the blessing of faith as long-ago memorized verses come to mind. You learn the truth that fertilized hope will carry you when the darkness threatens to overwhelm you.

You persevere, taking one step and then another, because you really have no choice. People say you are strong but the truth isn’t so pretty. There is nothing to do but go forward because life doesn’t pause for broken hearts, destroyed lives, shattered dreams.

You focus your eyes on Jesus, your anchor in what seems to be the never-ending storm. The world tells you to move on, to forget, to get over the past. Your heart wishes it was that easy. You take another step toward Jesus, toward His patience and compassion.

And one day your heart feels a little lighter. Your grief remains. What was will never be again. But you feel His Presence in a way you never felt before. You smile up at Jesus and take another step toward home.

May 6, 2018

Ask God For Guidance

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

– James 1:5

It was the third week in a row she’d shown up with some type of drama bubbling from her mouth. She needed prayers, she immediately proclaimed. I silenced the “don’t we all” that instinctively rose up inside of me.

She seems like a really nice lady. She does. But sometimes I wonder if she's really requesting prayer or if she just wants everyone's attention focused on her. Do you understand what I'm saying? Do you know someone like that?

I believe strongly in prayer. I do. But sometimes we share way too much information with way too many people. It's probably always been this way. Still, the age of social media just fuels it forward.

That and the old school Southern prayer request/gossip session that takes place in many Sunday school rooms each week. A prayer request keeps building until everyone seems to be sharing an opinion about poor so and so and all that they're going through. We are given way more information than we need. Of course, that wasn't the point. The point was to gossip without feeling guilty about it.

We all talk about others. We do. Don’t get all high and mighty. It’s true of you as much as it’s true of me. We don’t call it gossip. We call it sharing information. Are we sure where that line is between gossip and information? Do we even care?

There’s a sign I’ve seen on Facebook that asks, “Have you prayed about it as much as you’ve talked about it?” There’s a simple truth to that. Most of us spend way too much time talking to others about someone else and far too little time praying to the God who can make it all right.

We work ourselves into an emotional frenzy over something we can’t begin to change. We speak loudly against someone, speculating about their motives, without talking to them or asking the simple questions. Churches are no different than anywhere else. Sometimes we may be the worst offenders.

Think about it for a minute. All any of us need to know is that someone is sick, hurting, going through a tough time. That’s it. Nothing more. God knows the details. 

The only time we need to know more is when there is a legitimate need. For example, a few years ago a young woman lay dying of bone cancer. She was only 25. She and her husband had three young children. We couldn't change the sad facts but we could provide practical help. We collected money to anonymously pay the electric bill. Others took groceries and casseroles. Specific needs that were met by a community that cared.

Have you ever had people talking about you behind your back without bothering to speak to your face? Have you heard people asking for prayer and then telling way too much information? Have you been in a group and listened as they speculated and gossiped about a “prayer request” for long periods of time?

James tells us to seek wisdom from God. We don’t have to talk about our issues with others. We don’t need a pastor, a friend or another group to intercede for us. Because of Jesus, we can go directly to the throne. Why do we think we have to air everything in public? Why do we need to give our opinions on things that are really none of our business?

If you've got a problem or concern, take it to God first. Seek His wisdom and guidance. Then, if you feel the need for further counsel, seek out one person you know and trust. Gossip doesn’t solve problems, even when it’s covered in a “prayer request.” In fact, it just makes them worse.

February 4, 2018

Consider Yous Words and Choices

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. – James 1:19-20

I am choosing to keep my words to myself. I tell myself it is none of my business. Deep down inside, I am furious. They should know better.

He had surgery yesterday. Yes. It was minor surgery that only required an overnight stay in the hospital. But no surgery is really minor. Anything can go wrong, especially when the operation is on an older person with blood pressure issues.

He drove himself to the hospital. He went into surgery with no one in the waiting room. He has family who could have been there. They should have been there. They chose not to be.

I am sure this man is not innocent. He led me to believe that his daughter would be at the hospital as soon as she took the kids to school. Nope. That was never part of the plan. He didn’t contradict me when I asked if his son would be coming when his daughter left to pick the kids up.

Maybe I spent too many years as a caregiver. Maybe I was too close to his late wife, a woman who would never have allowed him to be at the hospital alone.

He is the only one in his immediate family who isn’t in the medical field. They should have known better. Apparently, they didn’t.

I should have known better too. Maybe that’s why I’m so angry. I know he plays word games with people. He’s just like my Mother in that. He misled me in order to get me to believe what he wanted. I never did convince her that she was being dishonest. I don’t think I’ll even try with him. What’s the point?

He had his reasons. He didn’t want to bother anyone. He didn’t want to worry them. Yet they should have been worried. We all should have been.

My gut told me to cancel the trip to take my cousin to see her sick daughter. I was so torn. Worry for someone I love vs. being there for someone I care about. I trusted his family to step up. I shouldn’t have. It won’t happen again.

I lost both of my parents within a short period of time. Their needs and illnesses consumed my life for years. I don’t regret any of it. I did what I needed to do to help them. I would do it again.

I am increasingly learning that most people don’t view it that way. It is their choice. It is their right. I need to hold my tongue and consider carefully before I speak. It isn’t my job to convict or admonish them on how they treat their parents. The Holy Spirit truly doesn’t need my help.

Caregiving isn’t easy or convenient. Nor is admitting that sometimes we all need help. And holding my tongue? Well, that’s not easy either. But I’m working on it. I really truly am.

January 31, 2018

Care For Others

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. – James 1:27

They would come if it was necessary. One would have to take sick leave. The other would have to make it a long day because she couldn’t leave her dog. At least they offered. The third sibling didn’t even do that.

Their special needs sister was in ICU at a hospital more than 100 miles from their elderly parents. The flu had placed all the area hospitals at capacity. It was the closest available ICU bed to the facility where she lived.

This sister had lived at home until seizures destroyed her memory. It became impossible for her parents to care for her and they found a wonderful facility 32 miles from them. Her mom especially had devoted her life to this daughter’s care. This forced separation was tearing her apart.

This 86-year-old woman called me. Could I drive her to see her daughter? Absolutely. I never considered anything else. I was glad to do it.

Let me explain a little bit about my life. I am self-employed. If I don’t work, I don’t make money. There are no paid sick days or vacation days in my world. I also have a farm with animals that must be cared for whether it’s convenient or not. In fact, I called on a dear friend to stop by and check on the animals while I was gone that day.

I should also explain that this mom and her daughter are family. I know what it’s like to try and care for someone you love with no physical support from the people who should step up and help.

It isn’t always possible to hire someone. It isn’t always practical. And, frankly, it isn’t always what needs to be done. A loving family member can accomplish so much more.

At the hospital that first day, I was the one asking questions. I was the one helping the medical staff gently explain that this was not going to have a happy ending. While this illness might not kill her daughter, the mom needed to prepare herself because her daughter was nearing the end.

Maybe God planned it that way. I knew what to ask because there are lessons you learn as a caregiver that really can’t be forgotten. Experience can be a painful teacher. Preparation does help when the days near their end.

But there was another part of me that was angry at the other children for not being there for their mom. She shouldn’t have had to ask them to come. She shouldn’t have had to explain that she needed them.

I think of a sweet friend who used to travel to Arizona several times a year to give her brother and sister-in-law a break from caring for their elderly mother. Yes, they had sitters around the clock. But they rightly wouldn’t leave their mother without another family member there to supervise and monitor the situation. It makes a difference. It really does.

She gladly did it. She gave of herself, at great financial sacrifice, because it was the right thing to do. Was it easy? No. But she did it anyway.

Sometimes we are called to sacrifice of ourselves to provide care for those we love. We shouldn’t need to be asked. And we shouldn’t let someone else do it for us. It’s our responsibility, whether it’s convenient or not.

January 4, 2018

Seek Answers From God

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. – James 1:5

It weighs heavy on my mind. The calf is sick. She’s been sick for weeks. Most people would have given up long ago. Maybe I should but there’s something in me that just can’t give up.

I’ve had the veterinarian out. I did that the first day she was sick. She’s had a total of four shots. Three were for her snotty nose and drooling. The last was for a sore foot that she developed much later. The foot has also had medicine directly applied. She wasn’t too happy about that.

She appears healthy but she has no energy. She is spoiled rotten. That’s my fault. I tote her feed and water and hay. I even bought her some special sweet feed. She loves it by the way.

But she’s not getting better and I don’t know what to do. I really need my Daddy to tell me what to do. Except he’s gone to heaven. I remind myself that even if he was still here, his mind was gone. He wouldn’t know anymore. That just breaks my heart all over again.

I am so grateful to my heavenly Father. I am grateful that He never leaves me alone. I am grateful that He is generous with His wisdom. I am grateful that He has all the answers.

So I pray and wait and hope. At one point, I asked God to take the baby calf if He didn’t plan to heal her. She’s still here, waiting for me every morning for the feed she now expects. And refusing to do anything she doesn’t want to do. She’s stubborn. And she has me wrapped around her hoof.

James goes on to say this: But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. (v. 6)

Believe. Do not doubt. So I get up every morning and we do it all again, this little calf and I.

When it all first happened and my Daddy was gone forever, there would be days when I would cry out to God for help. I wouldn’t know what to do and there was no one to help me. No one. Except for God. I would demand that He show up, that He show His face, that He tell me what to do and, in some cases, how to do it. God was all I had and, not surprisingly, He was all I needed.

That hasn’t changed except that I am even more dependent on God these days. The list of what I don’t know grows longer each day. I have learned so much but I have so much to learn. I am blessed with wonderful people in my life. I am beyond blessed with a God who never leaves me alone.

Each day I ask for wisdom and then wait expectantly for His knowledge and direction. I don’t know what God’s plan is for that little calf. I will continue to feed her and care for her until God tells me not to do it anymore. It’s that way with most things. I get up, work, and do what is in front of me, trusting God to light the path I travel. I trust His wisdom and I trust that He will always be there to give me what I need as the journey unfolds. One step at a time.

May 24, 2016

God Stands Faithful

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. -- James 1:12

I hate surprises. I do. Almost every surprise I have ever had in my life has been bad news. Today was no exception.

We think we have our lives planned out and then someone else makes a decision and everything gets shifted around. It’s that simple and that complicated.

Sometimes it seems that the harder I try to plan, the harder Satan works to knock those plans down. I am reminded that there really is a war going on and Satan is trying to derail every Christian from doing God’s work and proclaiming His glory.

Last year I participated in a Priscilla Shirer Bible study. She noted that when she agreed to film War Room she was warned to expect an attack from Satan. And she got it. Full force. She obviously persevered and the movie is wonderful.

That’s just how life is. When Satan sees you doing something good, he will do all he can to change your direction. It’s just so important to pray in those times. It’s so important to ask God for guidance and protection. Remember that nothing can touch you without God’s allowing it.

That doesn’t mean bad things won’t happen. They will. It just means that our strength and courage will come form God. We have but to ask. We are His children. He loves us. He will fight for us if we will but stand still.

I didn’t even know what to pray today. I didn’t know what to say, what to ask for or what is the best path. God knows. The Holy Spirit also knows what to ask. The Bible tells us that the Spirit will intercede for us. I am thankful for that.

I have no idea what will happen in the days and weeks to come. I do know that God is in control and that He will work this out for my good and His glory. He promised and God always keeps His promises.

On days like this, when yet another surprise has sent me down another road I didn’t plan to travel, I am so thankful that He is someone I can depend on.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Suffering Brings Us Closer To Jesus

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. -- James 1:2-3

Okay. I’d like a show of hands. How many of you enjoy trials of many kinds? Okay. How many of you enjoy pain and suffering? Right. Not a single hand went up. Not that I expected anything different.

We know that we will suffer during our lifetimes. And we know that we’ll endure pain, both physical and emotional. We even know that we’ll struggle from time to time. But to consider any of those things joyful seems like quite a stretch for anyone.

Yet that is what we’re told to do. Why? Because it is through suffering that we rely on God the most. If we could handle it all by ourselves, we wouldn’t need a Savior and Creator. Our trials draw us closer to God and make us stronger in our faith.

Those same trials can also cause us to move further from God. There are some common illusions about faith and every now and then we come face to face with them. One illusion is that Christians -- real Christians -- don’t suffer greatly. I’m not really sure where that one came from because the Bible tells us repeatedly that we will suffer.

And not necessarily because of sin. Sure, we can cause our own circumstances by making bad decisions. But no one decides to get cancer or have a cheating spouse or lose a child in a car accident. Bad things happen, not because we’ve sinned but because we live in a fallen world.

It’s just so sad when someone thinks they’re sick because God is mad at them. Or people look down on someone as being less a Christian because he/she struggles financially. Or we think that if we could just be a better Christian, God would protect us from all bad things.

It just doesn’t work that way. God doesn’t work that way. God never said He’d keep us from harm. God said He would walk with us through the valley. God promised to love us no matter what. God promised to give us strength and peace no matter what we face.

It is true that trials and pain change us from the inside out. They cause us to cling to Jesus, to hold tight to His hand because, honestly, when our world is caving in He’s the only steady thing we’ve got. He’s the One who will hold us up when we can’t face another moment of agony and despair.

Perhaps that is the joy James writes about. That closeness which comes when we draw closer to God, when we learn to rely on Him above all else, when we rest in His love no matter what turmoil swirls around us.

Pain and suffering are part of this world. But we don’t ever have to face it alone. Cry out to Jesus and feel His comfort surround you with peace.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

What Makes You Angry?

My dearly loved brothers, understand this: Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. -- James 1:19

What makes you angry? Now don’t get all worldly here. It’s too easy to list social injustice and war and things that happen to other people. What makes YOU angry? What’s that button that is sure to set you off?

Let’s take it a step further. Do you have a problem with anger? I’m not talking about hitting or being verbally abusive, though those extremes definitely indicate a problem. My question has more to do with day to day stuff, like traffic, and work, and kids that won’t clean their rooms. Do you find yourself getting angry every day? Maybe even several times a day?

Certain things make us angry. They just do. We can pretend we’re not angry. We can hold it all inside, refusing to let others know. But they know. Because it always comes out in one form or another.

The key to stopping anger is finding out what the triggers are and why they send us from calm to heated in two seconds flat. My trigger is being ignored, like I don’t exist, that my opinion doesn’t matter, that I’m of no importance. I could psycho-analyze myself, outlining all the whys, but I won’t bore you. Let’s just say that people who have no respect for me do not make me a happy camper.

A friend shook his head one day as he outlined something his six-year-old daughter had done. He struggled for calm, took several deep breaths, then asked her why she continued to do something that she knew made him mad. No answer. I laughed and told him that it was because she knew she’d get a reaction from him. He agreed. She’s young but she already knows how to push those buttons.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve gotten better at letting things go. When you start burying people you love and letting go of old dreams, life gains a different perspective. You start to understand that most things simply aren’t worth the effort anger takes. And, honestly, most people aren’t either.

Why waste time getting upset at another driver on the road? Why hold a grudge against a co-worker? Why get upset when your child doesn’t do what he’s supposed to do? Just hand out the punishment, turn a deaf ear to the whining, and move on. Life is too short for battle every day.

So slow down, take a deep breath, and let it go. While some anger is justified and understandable, most anger just zaps energy best used to cultivate joy.

Friday, December 23, 2011

Jesus Is The Only Gift That Matters

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. -- James 1:17

All of the Christmas presents are finally wrapped and placed under the tree. Will the recipients like the gifts? Will I have wasted hard-earned money on things that will only end up in a garage sale? Will I be criticized and ridiculed for choosing wrong gifts?

I realize it’s impossible to please everyone all of the time. It’s even impossible to please some folks any of the time. Still, we want to give good gifts at Christmas. We want to see faces light up with joy. We want to know we chose correctly and that the recipients really like what we purchased for them.

As I wrapped package after package, I had to wonder if somehow we’ve missed the point of it all. Oh, don’t get me wrong. I like getting presents just as much as everyone else. And I even enjoy giving them. But, you know, it’s not my birthday. And it’s probably not yours either.

When did the birth of our Lord and Savior become more about Santa Claus than about a tiny baby lying in a manger? When did gifts for ourselves and those we care about become more important than those the wise men brought to Bethlehem? When did we lose focus of God’s plan for us all? And when did we start letting ourselves get so caught up in the retail marketing frenzy that we spend too much on items that won’t mean much in a few weeks or months instead of placing our focus on all things eternal?

What would be the most wonderful Christmas gift this year? To know that all those I love and care about truly know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. I don’t mean that they know the right answers to the questions. I want them to know Him in their hearts. Any of you who have people close to you who aren’t saved know exactly what I’m talking about.

The only perfect gifts come from God. Everything else is only temporary. So why do we focus so much more time, energy and money on the temporary and neglect the eternal? Our priorities are all messed up. We are on a marketing-frenzy merry-go-round and there doesn’t seem to be a place to get off without being labeled Scrooge.

I’m going to have a wonderful time these next few days. I look forward to watching the children in my life tear into their gifts. I anticipate the adults opening their own gifts. I can’t wait to see what’s in the packages with my name on the tag. But I also realize those things, no matter how wonderful, won’t last.

The real gift of this holiday season was a baby born one night in a stable. God’s Son. Born to save the world. Born to save you and me. As we enjoy our gifts these next few days, let us also remember the greatest gift we’ve ever been given.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

What Does Your Faith Show?

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. -- James 1:27

It was simple. I went to a website, read some heartbreaking stories, and selected two seniors to “adopt.” I asked friends and Sunday school class members to help. The result was gifts for our two seniors and extra things for other seniors.

I delivered the items to the local senior center. The directors were nice and helpful. I asked if all the seniors had been adopted. That’s when my eyes got opened to a problem I didn’t realize existed. At least not to this degree. Donations are way off. We took the items to a small office. In past years they used the main room because the items were so plentiful.

The economy is bad. We’ve all heard and experienced that. We just can’t give like we used to. Except the very circumstances that make our financial lives more difficult also negatively impacts the elderly, many of whom live on fixed incomes. How far do you think $694 would go on any given month? Not far enough. And some of them don’t even receive that much.

I know. Few people can afford to give to every worthwhile cause. But how can we neglect our seniors, many of them alone or without people who care? Can’t all of us give a little so that others can receive?

The items the seniors want aren’t fancy phones, expensive clothing or glitzy jewelry. They ask for toilet paper, washing powder, cleaning supplies, food. Basics, you might say. A few asked for other items. One of our adopted seniors asked for a sweater and panties. Did I mention that she’s 90 years old?

It’s too easy to tell ourselves that it is someone else’s problem. It’s too easy to push it off on the church or the government or the family that doesn’t exist or doesn’t care. It’s harder to step up and do what you can to help.

We live in a world where self comes first in all things at all times. We spend our days filled with trappings that don’t matter and items we’ll soon grow tired of. What would it mean to change things up a bit? Actually put others before ourselves? To seek a little less for ourselves and give a little more to others?

In his book The Journey, Adam Hamilton talks about going to Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina. A woman told Hamilton and the others who’d made the trip how it felt to lose everything. Hamilton told her, “We just want you to know the reason we came was to be a visible sign that God has not forgotten you. We felt God sent us to remind you that God is with you.”

Is God calling you to be that reminder for someone? Faith that lives in our hearts shows itself in our deeds. What is your faith showing the world?

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Storms Refocus Priorities

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. -- James 1:12

Tornadoes have ripped across the South. Trees are down everywhere. Houses are damaged or destroyed. Seventeen people -- so far -- are dead. All those touched by the devastation -- either directly or indirectly -- will forever be changed.

My cousin lost his home in Mississippi. The photos are horrifying. He was at home when the twister hit. Except for a bump on the head and some scratches, he's fine. Physically, anyway. How can you be fine when your home is in shambles around you? How can you stay calm when you realize how close you came to never seeing the sun come up again?

One man in Alabama told reporters that he'd been home when the twister hit. Afterwards, he'd gone outside to survey the damage. Except he couldn't find his brother's home. The home that had once been just across the street. The man's brother and his brother's two children are dead. How easily are lives taken during the dark, howling night.

We talk a lot about rebuilding during the aftermath of storms. And, yes, residents will rebuild. Families will grieve and learn to live with a deep sorrow that never really goes away. One day it will all seem like a bad dream. Almost. Because nothing is ever the same in the days and years that follow a devastating loss and overwhelming destruction.

God calls us to hold steady during these trials of life. He bids us to come nearer to Him, to shelter in His waiting embrace. We become stronger by drawing on His strength. Our hearts are changed. Suddenly we understand those words others have uttered so many times before. Things really don't matter.

God's praises were sung in our family and in many other families as well. The survivors looked around in the blinding light of a spring day, eyeing the destruction, and remembered. This is the first day of Holy Week. Jesus is on His way to the cross. He understands suffering. This is nothing compared to what He endured so that we could have eternal life with God.

Friday, March 11, 2011

He Never Leaves Your Side

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. -- James 1:2-3

It is easy to be a Christian when life is going well. It is easy to sing God's praises and to shout with joy to anyone who might hear. It isn't so easy when your soul is downcast, mourning and stressed and feeling the pain of life.

Yet it is in that moment when we most need our Creator. It is then when we can draw closer to His side as He protects us from the tumultuous path that threatens to bash us against the rocks of destruction. He holds us close. We are safe so long as we rest in His shelter.

I am thankful that I don't take this journey alone. I know there are lessons to learn and strength to be gained by an outcome that is beyond what I can control. I am hanging on to my Savior, my Redeemer, my Protector. I am clinging to the One I can count on.

We all face trials in this life. We forget that sometimes. We are caught up in our normal lives, bored by the routine, when suddenly "normal" explodes all around us and we are left with pieces of a life we once knew. Time changes things. It changes people and circumstances. God stays the same. Steady and true. Never waivering in His love and support.

James tells us we will face great trials in this life. We must use those times to strengthen our faith and refuse to give Satan a foothold in our lives. God is there, ready to battle for us. All we have to do is reach out from our spot amongst the crashing waves. Call His name. Feel yourself lifted onto dry ground. Battered and bruised but safe and secure. You made it through the storm. He never left our side.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

What Are Your Priorities?

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."

-- James 1:22

Are you talking to me, God? Surely you meant someone else. I don't have time to take care of widows and orphans. I mean, really, I don't. I work hard. You want me to give some of my money away too? I can't afford to do that. No. Not me. It takes a lot to keep up my lifestyle.

Why do I have to be the one? I go to church most Sundays. I even tithe. Why don't you get on somebody that doesn't do that? I do my share. I do. Why should I have to give more than other people? It's just not fair.

And I don't know why I'm the one who's supposed to give my time to others. There are lots of people out of work or retired. Let them do it. They've got time to drive someone to a doctor appointment or coach an Upward Bound team. What do I know about kids anyway? It takes all I can do to network and advance my career. I don't have any energy left to give to anyone else.

I know I should spend more time reading the Bible. I try to read my Sunday school lesson every week. I don't always make it. It doesn't matter. I've heard it all before anyway. I grew up going to church and vacation bible school and all those things. I learned all the songs, complete with hand movements. I memorized a few key verses. I'm good. Really.

Yeah. I know you'd like to hear from me a little more, God. I try. Really I do. It's just that I get busy. I'm not much of a morning person. It takes all I can do to get up and get to work on time. I know. It's a little easier when I'm going out to do something fun. Still, I mean to talk to you when I get home. I'm just so tired. It's like the rollercoaster never ends. I wish I had just one day to do nothing. Wouldn't that be great?

What did you say God? Oh, that's why you said Sunday should be a day of rest. Yeah. You're right. I should do that. It does feel good, too, when I spend time when the kids at church or invite an elderly widow out to lunch. I probably enjoy it more than they do.

I know. I don't really need that new car I've had my eye on. Mine is only a couple of years old. It wouldn't hurt me to buy a bag of groceries for that family down the street. I hear the man lost his job and his wife has cancer. That's a tough road. Maybe I could pay the electric bill for that elderly man who lives near my parents. They say he's struggling to get by on social security.

I could probably carve out some time every day to sit with you, God. I miss our time together. I learned a lot when we were together. Come to think of it, I felt a whole lot less stressed when you and I visited together every day. I thought it was just that I was extra busy. Maybe too busy.

I think maybe I need to realign my priorities, God. Thanks for pointing that out. You didn't mean for the Bible to guide somebody else. You meant for it to guide me. Thanks for loving me enough to send Jesus to save me and thanks for loving me enough to not ever give up on me. Your child.