Monday Morning Memo: Blessed To Stink!

Roses are red,

Violets are blue

Sometimes I stink

How about you?

Isn’t THAT a great way to start your week?  As I’ve told you before…sometimes really strange things ramble through my head and often times…they end up on paper (or in my blog…as in this case)!

I have stunk a lot recently and believe it or not…I couldn’t have been more thrilled.  We have been in Tennessee for the past week and have spent many hours hiking through the Smokey Mountains.  Since the temperatures have hovered around 90, I’m quite confident that my odor hasn’t been too pleasant at the end of each trek.

So why has this made me happy?  Because I have felt very blessed just to be able to do the hiking.  As I have written before, I have a condition called Hypermobility Syndrome, which makes living my life sometimes difficult.  With this syndrome, I do not have collagen in my body, which is what holds a body together.  As a result, my health is a roller coaster ride at times with good days and bad days…very painful days and then less painful days…but every day has pain.

The weeks leading up to our vacation were filled with pain that was unbearable at times.  There were days when it took every ounce of motivation I could muster to get out of bed.  This led to times where I was very discouraged and struggled to keep a positive attitude.  I know we are called to have joy even in the dark valleys…but if I’m honest…I doubt others saw too much joy in me during that time.  I was frustrated because I felt I was doing everything that was humanly possible to keep my health at its best…but the pain continued.  There was one night especially when the pain was so severe as I laid in bed, that I just wanted to give up.  I felt like I didn’t have an ounce of strength left to bear the amount of pain I was enduring at that time.

The amazing thing to me is that God never leaves me alone in the valleys.  He never gives up on me…never turns His back on me.  He is ever present…always there to minister to me when the dark clouds surround me.  During those days He laid it on the heart of a dear friend to check on me often just to see how I was doing.  Another dear friend, who happens to also be my chiropractor, not only worked on me numerous times…but also prayed for me seeking wisdom from above to know how best to treat me.  My son-in-law, who is a doctor, took time out of his busy schedule to check me over and recommended exercises to do that have helped ease some of the pain.  Last, but definitely not least, my husband was my rock during this time (as he has been so many times throughout our marriage)…praying for me and doing everything possible to lessen my pain.  These dear ones were “Jesus with skin on” for me so that I would be reminded that I don’t walk this road alone.

So to stink at the end of our hikes this past week was such a pleasant odor to experience.  The sweat I felt on my skin was like showers of blessings on my life.  These things represented God’s power working in me, which allowed me the strength to enjoy God’s creation up close and personal.  Each step on the trails was a gift…a gift I never want to take for granted.

I don’t know what you are facing today.  I’m confident that many of you are going through much harder days than I will ever see.  You may also be experiencing physical pain that has propelled you into a dark valley.  Maybe it isn’t physical pain, but mental or emotional pain that has its grip on you and you are ready to give up.  Possibly Satan is attacking you and you feel like you are in a spiritual battle.  I want you to know that God is able to get you through today.  He will never leave you alone in your valley…He will never give up on you…never turn His back on you.  He is ever present…always there to minister to you when the dark clouds surround you. 

I am praying that today, God will send a “Jesus with skin on” person to encourage you.  I am praying that you will feel God’s firm grip on your life to empower you and give you the strength to get through this very moment.  And I am praying that in the days ahead, you might feel His showers of blessings poured over you in a tangible way that will allow you to feel His deep love for you.  Who knows…it may even come in the form of sweat and stink…so be watching…we do serve a God with a sense of humor!

Monday Morning Memo: Charging Station

I have written before that I am a sweeper-a-holic.  I can let other things go in my home and it doesn’t bother me…but having an un-swept carpet drives me nuts!

The problem lies in the fact that since I’ve endured four back surgeries, I have been told that I shouldn’t push a vacuum anymore.  That may be news to cheer about for some of you…but this woman didn’t like those words from my surgeon.  I tried really hard to continue sweeping and I did my best to carefully push the machine forward and backward so that it wouldn’t cause me pain.  Unfortunately each time of disobedience quickly reminded me why my doctor had given those orders.

So last November we decided to purchase a robotic sweeper.  In case you aren’t familiar with this gizmo, it is a vacuum that runs all by itself.  I can either schedule it to run at a certain time, or I can just push the button and it takes off on its own.  It moves away from its charging station, lasers the surrounding area so that it knows where to clean, and then gets to work.

The only negative is that it can’t sweep my entire home without having to recharge itself part way through.  Fortunately though, if it needs more power, it automatically returns to the charging base and powers up.   While it is recharging, I usually empty its dirt bin so that it will be ready for the next leg of its job.  Then, once it is recharged, it goes back to finish sweeping the carpet all on its own…with no help from me.

I’ve decided this week that I need to learn from my sweeper.  When I find myself feeling drained physically, mentally or spiritually, I often just try harder.  I dig my heels in and think that if I just work harder or put in longer days I’ll be able to be the person God wants me to be.  The problem with this theory is that, of course, I run out of steam and I become so used up that I’m not able to be productive at all.  That’s when frustration and despair can rear their ugly heads and there is no way that others are seeing Jesus in me.

I need to realize that at those times when I’ve used up all my power, there is Someone who is waiting for me to remember that I need HIS power to do what I’ve been called to do.  It is so critical that I take the time to plug into Jesus and allow Him to recharge me and refuel me for the task ahead.  It’s during that time of empowerment, that He is able to clean every crevice of my being…wiping away every bit of dirt and grime that I have picked up while in the world.

Are you feeling drained and powerless as you begin this new week?  Maybe it’s time you return to the ultimate “charging station” Jesus Christ.  He already knows exactly what you will face today and in the days to come and has already “lasered” out a plan that is perfect for you.  He will be able to empty out all the dirt that has crept into your life and replace it with His sweet Spirit.  His Spirit will then refuel you and fill you with the power needed for you to follow His plan and, as a result, others will see His image in you.  

 “God can do anything, you know—

far more than you could ever imagine

or guess or request in your wildest dreams!

He does it not by pushing us around

but by working within us,

his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

Glory to God in the church!

Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus!

Glory down all the generations!

Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!”

 Ephesians 3:20-21 (The Message)

Monday Morning Memo: Worth It All

If your home is like my home…you’ve had your television tuned to the Olympics pretty much every day recently.  The athletes just amaze me.  Their determination and drive are so inspiring.

What we get to see is the culmination of days, weeks, months and years of blood, sweat and tears to get them to this competition.  They didn’t just wake up one day at the beginning of the summer and decide it would be fun to go to the Olympics.  This has been their goal for the majority of their lives and they have sacrificed greatly to qualify in their sport.

Where would they be today if they would have given up when the going got tough?  What if they would have decided when they had injuries that it was just too much pain to endure to get healthy enough to return to their sport?  What if they would have made the choice to just play video games and sleep in every morning, instead of getting up early to begin their training each day?

Of course I think we all know the answers.  If they would have done just one of the things I listed…they would be home watching the Olympics from the couch like you and I have been.  They would have missed out on achieving their dreams because they decided it wasn’t worth the sacrifice.

I’m guessing if you asked them today if every sacrifice they made was worth it…they would say it was.  Every bit of pain, every missed party, every hour of lost sleep…was worth it as they now are receiving the prizes they’ve worked so hard to attain.

What about you and me?  Most of us will never compete in the Olympics, but we all have dreams that we would love to see come to fruition.  The question then becomes…are we willing to sacrifice to see them happen or will we give up when things get too hard?

I’m confident that God has called all of us to do great things for Him and that is where our focus needs to be.  We know that the journey to accomplish those things may not be easy.  It may require us to sacrifice blood, sweat and tears to achieve the goals and dreams that He has placed before us.  I’m sure there will be times when we want to give up…when we feel that we just have to give too much or give up too much to fulfill His plan.  Satan wants nothing more than to see us stop short of receiving God’s blessings.   If he can get us so discouraged and frustrated that we resort to just sitting on the sidelines…he knows it will keep us from being effective for God.

We need to remember that any sacrifice that we have to make WILL be worth it all.  God’s plan is always perfect and the rewards He has waiting for us will be worth way more than a gold medal.  The awards ceremony at the Olympics won’t hold a candle to the banquet that God will prepare for us when we have completed His will for our life.  Oh what a day that will be and I’m guessing we will then say, “Oh my…this is worth every sacrifice I made to follow His plan!”

“God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.”

   Ephesians 3:20 (The Message)

Monday Morning Memo: Trust in Action

I shared with you last week that I was going to recite the following phrase when I felt life dragging me down, “I will choose to trust Him today…when storm clouds come my way…I will choose to trust Him today.”  I made a point to do just that during the past seven days and I was amazed at how calming it was just to say those words.

But the Lord knows that I am a visual learner and that I needed to see this in action and he provided the circumstances last Tuesday to make this a reality.  I attended the viewing and funeral of the daughter of friends of ours.  This young woman, Emily, was 32 years old and had never spoken and never walked.  In fact she had not been able to do anything to care for herself…everything had been done for her by her loving family.  Emily had cerebral palsy and the doctors had said that more than likely her life span wouldn’t be more than 13 years. That probably would have been true if not for the excellent care and love she received.

It was shared during the funeral that even though Emily couldn’t speak…she definitely knew when her family was around…especially her sisters.  When they were together Emily would flash a huge smile and before long they would have her belly laughing.  She may not have verbally been able to communicate, but her laughter spoke volumes.

During the time of viewing, we approached Emily’s father to give him our condolences.  I hugged him and told him we were praying for them. I also complimented him on what amazing parents they had been for all these years.  His answer?  “Oh caring for Emily has been a blessing.  We would do it all over again in a heartbeat.”  I was speechless.

We then greeted Emily’s mother and I also hugged her and reiterated what I had said to her husband.  Her answer?  “This is how we have served Jesus.  People talk about wondering how to serve Him…this is it.  Caring for her has been our service to Him.”  Again…I had no words.  

This my friends, is trusting Jesus when storm clouds come our way.  This is what serving Him is all about.  This is not getting angry and bitter because life has dealt us a raw deal…but taking what or who has been placed in our path and using the detour to serve Him.  This is what it means to live for Jesus.  Every. Single. Day.

Are Emily’s parents saints?  No, probably not.  I’m guessing there were days where they were frustrated and tired and felt helpless.  If they would have had a choice, I’m sure they never would have chosen this life for their daughter but life doesn’t always go the way we have planned.  They realize though, that being a Christ-follower doesn’t always look pretty.  It’s not always easy and many times it’s downright difficult.  But they have learned that to be a true follower of Christ means that even when the storms clouds come, our responsibility is to keep serving, keep loving and above all…keep trusting.  It is then that the challenges of life become our blessings.

The funeral ended with Emily’s uncle singing a song I had never heard before…but it was absolutely perfect.  The song was “The Light of That City” and I’m not sure there was a dry eye in the room by the time he ended.  The lyrics were so fitting; especially the words “And the lame, they will run all over the streets of that City”.  I knew at that moment everyone was picturing Emily doing just that.  You can listen to this beautiful song at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0puijGvOis4&list=RD0puijGvOis4&index=1.

I went to the funeral that day to encourage this family…but instead I was the one who was touched.  Emily was blessed with an amazing family who couldn’t stop talking about how excited they were for her because she is now running the streets of gold…using her voice to praise her heavenly Father and eating without the use of a feeding tube.  Emily is now whole and experiencing the sights and sounds of heaven.  But I happen to think that she already had an idea of what heaven would be like…because she was blessed to experience a little bit of heaven here on earth in her home.  All because a family chose to trust and serve where God had placed them.  What an example…what a blessing.

“Be devoted to one another in love.

Honor one another above yourselves.

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor,

serving the Lord.  Be joyful in hope,

patient in affliction,

faithful in prayer.”

Romans 12:10-12