Monday Morning Memo: 'Tis The Season

‘Tis the season.  It’s common to hear this phrase this time of year.  ‘Tis the season for celebrating Christ’s birth.  ‘Tis the season for shopping.  ‘Tis the season for gift giving. ‘Tis the season for family gatherings.  ‘Tis the season for eating too much so ‘tis the season for elastic waist pants.

These past few days though, I’ve been thinking of other times I’ve used this phrase.  When our children were young, I remember saying ‘tis the season for sleepless nights…toys everywhere…and absolutely no privacy.  As they grew, the season changed to school projects…first dates…college selections.  Then the season changed to an empty nest…weddings…and returned privacy.  But now, in my 50’s, ‘tis the season for helping with grandchildren…helping our parents…losing some of our privacy again.

As I look back on my life up to today, I realize that there have been seasons of my life when I just existed.  I just endured the day-to-day grind of living…waiting for the next season of life to begin.  Instead of embracing where God had placed me and being open and available to learn whatever He had to teach me during those days…I squirmed and gritted my teeth while I begged Him to hurry the days along.  As a result, the memories aren’t all filled with times of growth and precious moments with my God.

I think it is important to remember that wherever we find ourselves today, ‘tis the season.  In other words, whatever stage of life we are in, it is only for a relatively short span of our life.  Given time…our circumstances usually change and those past seasons just become memories.  But the kind of memories we have often depend on the attitude we displayed during our season.  If we complained and grumbled, then our memories will probably not be pleasant and might be filled with regrets.  But if we chose to have joy…wherever God placed us…our memories will continue to give us more joy and contentment.   

I don’t know what season you are finding yourself today.  You may be single and wondering if God will ever bring you a soul mate.  You may be married and wondering if God will ever bless you with children.  You may have children, but wonder if you will ever make it through the toddler stage.  Your children may be teenagers and you are wondering if you will survive the constant hormone changes.  You may have just entered the empty nest season and you wonder how you will find joy in such a quiet home.  Or, you may be in my season, where grandchildren often fill your home with noise and laughter…and at the same time…you are helping to care for your elderly parents who need your “parenting” touch.

All seasons have challenges.  All seasons have pain.  All seasons have joy.  All seasons can be lived for God’s glory.  But how we look back on that season will depend on our attitude while we are in that timeframe. 

We are promised that God WILL see us through each day, each week, each month, each year.  He doesn’t promise that each day will end exactly the way WE had planned…but if we submit to Him, He promises that each season will end according to HIS perfect plan.  That should give us hope…give us peace…give us the strength needed for the next 24 hours.  Never forget that ‘Tis The Season for Him to work in a mighty way wherever He has placed you today.

 “For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,

    so my ways are higher than your ways

    and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

 Isaiah 55:9

Monday Morning Memo: Life Happens

From the mountaintop…to the valley…they say that is what usually happens.  Something occurs in your life that is amazing and maybe even miraculous and you have what they call a “mountaintop experience”.  Oftentimes it is a result of a spiritual experience from a meeting or a retreat where you felt the Holy Spirit working in a very powerful way.  Your heart is full of praise and overflowing with joy.  Your spirit and emotions are flying high and you can attest to the fact that your God is alive and well and still changing lives.  You are ready to face the world and there won’t be anything that can happen that will dampen your spirits.

Then…you come home.  You return to a job that you hate…the kids get sick and you are emptying buckets and taking temperatures…and your spouse is stepping on your last nerve.  Even the dog is irritating you.  Unfortunately it doesn’t take you long to realize that you are no longer on the mountaintop…you have plummeted into the valley of despair.  How in the world can you go from feeling like you have the world by the tail to feeling like God is no where to be found?  Where did you go wrong?

Let me tell you my friend that you didn’t go wrong; you are just proving that life happens.  We live in a fallen world and God never promised that we would always be on the mountaintop.  Life is made up of detours and unexpected hiccups and sometimes it just isn’t pretty.

I shared with you a few weeks ago that I had attended a weekend retreat that was so inspiring.  I saw God work during those days in ways that just blew my mind and I came home feeling like I could take on the world.  My spirit was refreshed, my relationship with Christ was strengthened and I felt peace like I hadn’t felt for a long time.

Then life happened.  My Dad became ill and I had to rush him to the ER and he has been in the hospital ever since.  Our furnace quit working and we were told that it couldn’t be fixed…so Merry Christmas to us we got to purchase a new one.  This past week, my dear friend’s husband lost his battle with cancer and went home to be with the Lord at the age of 62.  And Thanksgiving is this week and because of the unexpected detours of these past weeks I’m nowhere near ready to have 33 people in my home on Thursday.

I don’t know about you…but when I’m in the middle of everyday life I sometimes struggle to see the mountaintop because I’m face down in the valley.  My head is so buried in the troubles swirling around me that I forget to turn over and look up.  You see, whether we are in the valley or on the mountaintop, we can look up at the same heavens but we have to be intentional on looking upward.  Keeping our eyes focused on the One who knows our today and our tomorrow can make a huge difference on how we react when life happens.

I’m determined to not let the events of these past weeks deter me from shouting from the valley that our God is alive and well.  I told my husband this weekend that God knew every detail of my days way before I did and I’m going to let Him do the worrying.  I’ve decided that instead of just saying that I’m thankful this Thanksgiving…I’m going to do my best to show Him how thankful I am by trusting Him to orchestrate my steps.  If He can turn water into wine…He can surely help me get meat on the table for those whom we can’t wait to welcome into our home.  He alone is worthy to be praised and I plan to do just that whether I’m in the valley or on the mountaintop!

As you go throughout this week, I challenge you to join me in showing God how thankful you are that He is a God that can be trusted…even when life happens!

“You will keep in perfect peace

all who trust in you,

all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”

Isaiah 26:3

Monday Morning Memo: Eyes On Us

Well, what a week it has been.  I could hardly wait for the election to be over so that every commercial I saw wasn’t knocking and belittling someone else to make the one who approved the message look better.  But I think we just traded one irritation for another.  Now every time I turn on the TV or the radio…everyone is talking about the protests and riots going on across the country because people didn’t get their way.  I’m all for free speech, but when it endangers people and destroys property, it stops being a “right” that anyone should have.

I really don’t think we should be surprised.  For years now the acceptable thing to do has been to make sure that no one ever fails or doesn’t get their way.  Trophies are handed out to every child playing sports…because we don’t want to hurt their psyche and make them see a counselor some day.  Parents are making teachers’ jobs very difficult because they don’t want their child to be disciplined in the classroom.  Adults believe that they should be able to do their own thing…whenever they feel like it…because no one should have any authority over them.  We have become a “feel good” society and when someone or something doesn’t make us feel good…we believe we have the right to lash out in any way that we deem appropriate.

Unfortunately, all this is happening among Christians as well as non-Christians.  I have been appalled at comments I have heard or read from professing followers of Christ.  At a time when we should be the example of Christ’s love…I think we are falling woefully short.

I heard about a conversation this week between a woman who voted for Trump and her employer who voted for Clinton.  They were talking about the results of the election and the employer wasn’t happy with the outcome.  But then she told her employee something rather surprising.  She told her that she was brokenhearted at the results but that this employee is a person that she feels is extremely intelligent, tolerant and well educated and she respects her. She said that if this employee could vote for Trump, it makes her feel like everything is going to be okay.

Two things struck me when I heard this.  First of all, what a great attitude this employer had, even when she didn’t get what she wanted.  She was able to look at the situation logically and find a way to have a more positive attitude on the future.  We could all learn from her example.

Secondly, it is obvious that this employee has been a great example of how we as Christians should be living our lives.  Her boss has been watching how she handles herself at her job on a daily basis and as a result, when this employer faced a difficult situation, she looked to her employee for direction.  This boss may not realize that this woman is a Christian…but I can’t help but wonder if some day she may seek to have what she has seen in her employee.

It is so important that each of us realizes that we are always being watched and how we act and react to life’s disappointments can have an impact on those around us.  If we stomp our foot and raise our fist when life doesn’t go our way…I highly doubt anyone will want what we have in Christ.

No matter who is in the White House…God is still on the throne and He is supposed to be our focus.  Let’s make sure that those who need Him as their Savior will catch of glimpse of Him in us.   

“Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.”

Philippians 4:9 The Message

Monday Morning Memo: Excuses

There were many powerful moments at the retreat that I recently attended.  Moments that I pray I will never forget.  Moments that changed me and have made me want to be more like Jesus than ever before.

One of our speakers led us through the crucifixion.  From the beginning to the end…he explained every detail of Christ’s suffering.  I’ve heard about this many times before and even read about it over and over but never has it impacted me like it did on that recent day.  When he was done and the time came for us to discuss what we had just heard…we all just sat in silence.  There were no words that could be said to explain why someone would willingly go through such unimaginable suffering for me…and for you.

What I experienced that day, reminded me that many of our excuses are pretty lame when compared to what Christ did for us.  How many times have we refused to do something that we knew Christ wanted us to do…because our schedule was just too full to add His agenda to our list?  Jesus, knowing the agony that He would have to endure for God’s plan to be carried out, prayed to His Father, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” (Luke 22:42)  How many times have we reasoned that we had every right to snub someone because they hadn’t treated us right?  Christ, after being beaten, spit on, jeered at and nailed to a cross prayed, concerning those who had just tortured Him, “Father, forgive them; they don’t know what they’re doing.” (Luke 23:34) And, how many times have we whined and complained that He was silent and not giving us the direction that we needed…all while our Bible sat unopened by our chair?  Christ willingly endured being tortured and crucified for our sins so that we can spend eternity with Him.  Why wouldn’t we want to study His Word so that we can be more like Him?

Excuses.  The dictionary says that to use an excuse is to justify something or give a false reason.  If we are honest, none of our actions can be justified when they aren’t pleasing to Christ.  We have no excuse for not doing His will…for not reaching out to help others…for not forgiving those who have hurt us…for not spending time with Him every day in prayer and reading His Word.  Because He gave everything He had for us…we have no excuse at all.  

  

“But that’s no life for you. You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you.”

Ephesians 4:20-24 The Message