May 7, 2016

Thoughts Control You

How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me

-- Psalm 13:2

What’s on your mind today? What keeps coming up as you travel through your day? Who has upset you? What has happened that you keep rehashing again and again?

Because whatever is on your mind is what controls you.

So many of our battles actually take place in our mind. We go over and over events that are past -- some good and some bad -- and never seem to move on. Maybe you’ve met someone who still lives for the glory days of high school, even though it was years ago. Or maybe you know someone who suffered through a divorce a decade ago and yet the bitterness comes out again and again.

Or maybe you spend your time worrying about what might happen in the future. It’s so easy to imagine all kinds of scenarios that aren’t likely to ever occur. We waste so much time and energy on a future we can’t predict. Do what you can to prepare and trust God to see you through the rest. In other words, let it go.

We can’t possibly enjoy today when our minds are on the past or the future. Life is what happens when we’re grieving the past and planning the future. Focus on life.

It’s especially hard to enjoy today when we’re trying to come to terms with heartbreak. That person is still gone every minute of every day. There is a void there where a loved one once stood. That’s where the choice comes: Do we wallow in what we can’t change or rejoice over memories and the promise of an eternal reunion?

That sounds callous doesn’t it? I don’t mean it to be. Even years after the loss, grief can come crashing in suddenly and fiercely. But the choice not to dwell there belongs to you. It comes with taking control of your thoughts rather than letting the grief control you.

The same is true with betrayal. It’s easy to get caught up in thoughts of revenge and justice. For what purpose? God avenges His own. Don’t let someone who betrayed you continue to control you by occupying your thoughts. Trust God to handle it in His time. He will.

King David frequently poured out his anguish and grief to God. We can learn from him and do the same. There’s something so freeing in giving God all that’s in the past, all the worries for the future, our grief and our brokenness. It allows us to refocus our minds on today and the joy that comes anew each morning with His Presence and our love for the One who saved us.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Keep Eyes Focused Straight Ahead

Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.

Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm.

Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.

-- Proverbs 4:25-27

In the Deep South we learn early to look down while we walk, especially during late spring, summer and early fall. You never know when one of those “sticks” will start moving and snakes can be deadly.

That’s great advice for navigating our region safely but it can create bad habits when it comes to living our lives. When we spend all our time looking down, we lose sight of what’s ahead.

Look around you. There are probably some wonderful things going on in your life. We always have blessings, even when circumstances keep us from noticing them right away. Some seasons of life keep us focused on what’s wrong and we miss those blessings that are right before us.

When we look down, we see our immediate circumstances. We see unpaid bills, health problems, family strife, uncertain job prospects, even the laundry waiting to be done. We worry so much about what’s happening right now that we lose sight of Jesus. We lose sight of hope.

What’s important? Family and friends. People. Living as Jesus would have us live. Doing good where we can, however we can. Staying focused on what lies ahead, on the eternal life that awaits us at the end of the journey.

It isn’t always an easy journey. We want to believe that somehow as followers of Jesus we should be immune to the stresses of daily life. Where did we ever get that idea? The Bible clearly tells us that we will suffer. It also tells us we will never walk alone. He will never leave us.

Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light.” -- John 10:35-36a

The light lies straight ahead. You see it when you focus forward rather than downward. We don’t always see where we’re going but we don’t need to. All we have to do is follow the light and Jesus will lead us along the right path and on in to eternity with Him.

The road on this earth is rocky and filled with stumbling blocks. Resist the urge to linger on your worries and turn instead to Jesus. Trust Him to lead you home.

Friday, September 16, 2011

We Need God

So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in his good time he will honor you. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you.

-- 1 Peter 5:6-7

Wow. This just sounds so easy. Like passing a glass of sweet tea to a friend. “Here you go. You drink this. I don‘t like it. I don‘t know what to do with it. So I‘m giving it to you. You deal with it.”

I keep thinking that one day I’ll uncover a secret ingredient that makes this whole step easier. The only problem is that I don’t think it exists. The “secret” isn’t a secret. The ingredient is trust. And life has taught me that trust isn’t a dependable thing.

But God is trustworthy. He is honest. He loves me, though sometimes I can’t imagine why. He wants good things for me. I could go on and on. I know all this in my head. I do. But it’s that heart of mine that has been broken by life so many times that really messes with that whole trust thing.

I have a running dialogue in my mind for any given scenario. Well, the bad ones anyway. I’ve learned to expect the worst and that’s a really bad place to be. I don’t want to chose that path again. I don’t want to believe those lies one more time. I want to believe God. I want to trust His vision of who I am and who I can be.

I look around and I see so many worries everywhere. I know I am not alone. I see the unemployed mother working in a backyard garden trying to grow food. I see the elderly woman living alone in an apartment in a dangerous area of town because it’s all she can afford. I see a couple longing for a child they can’t have. I see marriages breaking apart, children falling behind, and a world that is lost and flailing.

And then I remember His offer. Give Him our worries. Follow His light. Find answers and peace. All we have to do it admit what we already know: We don’t have the answers and we aren’t likely to. We need help. We need guidance. We need God

Wait For God

The LORD is wonderfully good to those who wait for him and seek him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the LORD.

-- Lamentations 3:25-26

What are you worried about today? Are you afraid you or your spouse will soon be unemployed? Are you concerned that your child is making friends with the wrong people? Can you pay the rent or mortgage? What about food? Or car repairs?

There’s a lot of uncertainty in the world today. It’s everywhere. It’s not about political parties or liberal vs. conservative. It’s about faith and trust in a God who loves us beyond anything we could ever imagine. It’s about walking where we cannot see and knowing that He holds our hand and lights our path.

It isn’t an easy journey. I’ve stumbled more times than I care to admit. What about you? Do you sometimes falter in how deep your trust goes? Do you ever doubt that He really will pay the rent, provide a job, protect your child? Because we all have choices to make and sometimes we make the wrong ones and really bad things happen. Our choice. Our fault. Our disaster.

But God never leaves us where we land. At least, not when we cry out to Him. It’s a promise He has made again and again. Wherever we are, He’s there. He never leaves us. We leave Him.

So the task for us to practice that Fruit of the Spirit titled “patience.” It’s continuing to pray, to read God’s Word, to do what He says even when we can’t seen where He’s going. Maybe especially when we can’t see where He’s going. Because whatever He has planned for us is far better than anything we could ever imagine.

When we’re scared and uncertain, it’s sometimes easier to force our way forward. At least, the direction we think is forward. We don’t trust God to really take care of us, so we’re determined to find a way to do it for ourselves. Know what I’m talking about? Probably because most of us have been there at one time or another.

Remember: God never leaves us where we land. No matter how big of a mess we’ve made, no matter how deep someone else has hurt us, no matter how hopeless the situation seems, God can do anything. God will do whatever it takes to help His children. Maybe not in our time frame or in the way we envision, but He will help us.

So trust Him. Wait for Him. Believe His promises. God will never, ever let you down or leave you alone to face whatever you’re facing. Cry out to Him. Seek Him with all your heart. And wait for Him to show His Glory.