Monday Morning Memo: Absolutely Nothing

“Accomplishing the impossible begins with seeing the invisible.”  I love this quote by Steven Furtick and when I read it, I immediately agree with what it says…but then living it out doesn’t come so easy.

 

Why is it so hard for me to see the invisible…especially when it comes to trusting God?  I trust a lot of other things that I cannot see.  I trust that there is a sun in the sky even when it is completely covered by clouds.  I trust there is going to be air to breathe as I go throughout my day, but I can’t actually see it (well, with the current smoke from fires…I guess I can see it!).  Many times in my life, I have trusted that when I have been pushed into an MRI machine, the pulses of radio wave energy, which I cannot see, will take pictures of areas inside my body.

 

But trusting an invisible God, even though I have seen the effect of the power of His hand, is much more difficult.  When it comes to trusting Him, I want something tangible.  I want proof.  I want facts.  I want details.  And of course…I want results!

 

I have a feeling that I am not alone in this, and I wonder how often God shakes His head at our ways.  Knowing how much He loves us and how much He wants the very best for us, I can’t help but believe He is saying, “Please my dear child, trust the invisible…because it is much more wonderful than anything you can even imagine or see with your own eyes.” 

 

I think part of the problem is that we bring God down to our size, instead of realizing how big and powerful He really is.  Nothing is impossible for Him.  Nothing makes Him wring His hands.  Nothing catches Him off guard or even makes Him break a sweat.  Absolutely nothing.

 

If I’m honest, the disorder I deal with on a daily basis, Hypermobility Syndrome, often has me fearing the future.  Learning more about it and realizing what the future may hold for me…can easily put me in an emotional tailspin.  Sometimes I think I might be better off to not have a clue what my future more than likely holds…figuring ignorance just might be bliss.  But I also realize that education can help me know what I need to do to try and stay mobile for as long as possible.  

 

What I need to remember is that even though I don’t know what tomorrow holds for my health…I serve Someone who does.  My disorder is not making my Jesus wring His hands.  It has not caught him off guard and He definitely isn’t breaking a sweat over my future.  Nothing that happens to me will surprise Him…absolutely nothing.  What seems impossible to me…isn’t impossible for Him.

 

What is it in your life today that just seems impossible?  What do you want to see accomplished but you just can’t make yourself step out in faith because there isn’t anything tangible to hold onto?  Remember the size of your God.  What you cannot see…He sees clearly.  What you cannot do…He has already done.  What you cannot achieve on your own…He already has it accomplished and is just waiting for you to step into His plan.  I happen to believe that when we do this and when the fog finally clears, what we will behold will be worth the first step into the unknown.

 

“We don’t yet see things clearly. 

We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. 

But it won’t be long before the weather 

clears and the sun shines bright! 

We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, 

knowing him directly just as he knows us!”

1 Corinthians 13:12 (MSG)

Monday Morning Memo: Do You Tinkle?

I’m going to be honest right off the bat today.  I find parts of the Old Testament really boring.  Yep, I’ve said it and I’m not taking it back.   Who begat who (which includes names I can’t even pronounce) and what animal could or couldn’t be eaten, can, at times, cause my mind to wander. But once in a while I come across a verse that catches my attention and even makes me chuckle a little bit.  At least it makes me snicker…but I know I have a strange sense of humor.

One of those verses is Exodus 28:35, “Aaron will wear this robe whenever he ministers before the Lord, and the bells will tinkle as he goes in and out of the Lord’s presence in the Holy Place. If he wears it, he will not die.”  I know…I have a weird sense of humor, but I just keep picturing Aaron walking around with his bells tinkling and the scene just makes me smile.

Of course, it also makes me curious.  Why did Aaron have to wear bells when he went into the Lord’s presence?  Why was it important that he tinkled?  These questions took me to several commentaries to see what others thought about this scene.  

The consensus of the writers was that the bells were worn so the people knew every move the priest made while he was in the tabernacle.  He was there to perform the sacred rite on their behalf and so the tinkling of his bells was proof to them (even though he was out of their sight) that he was doing just that.  This was so important that if the priest failed to wear a robe with the bells, he would be put to death!

This really got my mind wandering.  What if you and I had to wear a bell so that we tinkled throughout our day?  What if, because we tinkled, everyone would know exactly where we were and what we were doing?  Would I be ok with doing that?  Would you be ok with doing that?

I guess if we are doing exactly what the Lord wants us to do during our day, we shouldn’t mind tinkling.  Our day should basically be an open book to those around us and we shouldn’t have any actions which we need to hide.  There shouldn’t be books we are reading which are filled with pornography or television shows or movies which take our mind to places not pleasing to the Lord.  We should be treating our spouse and our children with the utmost respect and showing love to whomever we come in contact.  Our business affairs should be above board with nothing done “under the table” and our employer should see us doing our very best at all times. 

I don’t know about you, but I have to admit it made me smile when the priest had to wear the bells…but not nearly as funny if I had to.  I like to think that my life is totally focused on the Lord and His desires for my life, but unfortunately, there are times when I would be ashamed to have others listening to my every word.  But, of course, there IS Someone that hears my every word and sees my every move and I’m even more ashamed of those times I let Him down and cause Him pain.  I’m afraid that I would have been dead a long time ago for not tinkling when I should.

As we go throughout our week, let’s imagine we have a bell around our neck that others will hear.  You may even want to put a bell in your pocket as a constant reminder that there is Someone who knows your every move, hears your every response, and knows your every thought.  This just might help us remember that we are to be the light in a very dark world and hopefully, even in the darkness, those around us will hear us tinkle 

“So don’t make judgments about anyone ahead of time—

before the Lord returns. For he will bring our 

darkest secrets to light and 

will reveal our private motives. 

Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due.”

1 Corinthians 4:5

 

“You are convinced that you are a guide 

for the blind and a light for people 

who are lost in darkness.”

Romans 2:19

 

Monday Morning Memo: Flying By the Seat of Your Pants

I had to back up what was on the TV, because I knew Dan hadn’t seen a certain commercial yet. I had recently told him about it, so when it came on a few days ago, I thought he needed to watch it.  It was another one of the ads for an insurance company that usually states something close to the beginning about young homeowners turning into their parents.  This particular commercial states, “Young homeowners can’t do anything without a plan”.  These young people are at the shopping mall and of course they can’t just take their time and shop…everything must be planned…right down to where they will go, what and when they will eat, etc.

 

If I ask myself why these commercials make me laugh so hard…it doesn’t take long to get an answer (yes, I answer myself).  I’m confident that the writers of these commercials have been following me around and all they are doing is just making notes of how I act and react…and that gives them plenty of material to write more ads.  These young people are me…especially the ones in this commercial…because I always need a plan.

 

I don’t like unpredictability.  I don’t particularly like being around people who just “fly by the seat of their pants” through life.  That isn’t me.  I like to know where I’m going…how long it will take to get there…what I will find when I arrive…and then of course…what will happen afterwards.  The word “flexibility” isn’t usually in my conversation because that would mean I might have to change plans in the middle of my journey and well…I don’t do well with that.

 

Attending an event that isn’t well organized?  Well, you might as well put me in a torture chamber.  Let’s just say I don’t do well with that either.   It’s all I can do sometimes to not jump in and start “fixing” things by doing what I think should be done.   

 

But unfortunately, my way isn’t always better.  There are times when those who do “fly by the seat of their pants” are much more successful with what they are doing than I would be.  They have a talent for getting things done at the last minute, all while keeping their stress level much lower than mine.    I often wish I was wired that way…and I’m sure people who have to be around me…wish I was too 

 

This makes me think of the verses in James 4:13-16, Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil.

 

OUCH.  These words step on my toes a little bit.  Now, do I think it is wrong to be organized and want to make plans?  No, I don’t.  But I think these verses are reminding me that life is so short and so very precious…and there are times when I need to be open to follow the Lord’s leading…even when the details I have set…don’t line up with His.  Because since He can see my tomorrow, and I can’t…He may just need to change my plans today for my benefit tomorrow.  

 

And maybe…changing my plans isn’t for my benefit at all.  Maybe a detour is put in my path to benefit someone else…because as hard as it is to accept sometimes…life isn’t all about me   Maybe the new path will give me an opportunity to bless someone else and make their day just a little brighter.  That can quickly make a dreaded change…into a blessing in disguise.

 

I know I’ll never stop making plans and I will always enjoy a well-organized event.  But hopefully I will learn to “roll with the punches” just a little bit more often.  At least…that’s my plan 