Keep the Focus

I will be the first to admit that the last few weeks at work have been rough.  We've been reorganizing personnel due to one of the doctors leaving.  In the midst of that we had a staff member with a family emergency and another turn in their two weeks’ notice.  As the manager of the office, the majority of the pressure to fix these issues has all been on me, making it extremely difficult to keep up.  So, in the back of my mind even when I am at home (or anywhere else really) I’m thinking about work.  I’m trying to sort out all of the changes and work through the process that is needed in order to get everything back to “normal”. 

As I’m going through this time I have had another thought cross my mind: If I didn’t have God walking with me through all of this could I handle it as well as I am?  Honestly, at the end of every day I’m exhausted, but would I go completely crazy without Him here with me?  Would all of this effect my mood more than it has.

You see, when a person’s ultimate focus is on God and everything else is a far-off second place then problems like these won’t take that person down.  God knows what I’m going through right now at work and knows that I am going to make it through this tough time.  He sees the light at the end of the tunnel even when I don’t and He is directing me there.  God knows that I’m going to be victorious in all of this so that He can revel in that victory.  It’s those realizations that allow me to get through.

This is just an example of what He is reminding me of lately, and I hope it’ll help you through whatever you are going through as well:

1 Peter 5:7-10

[7] Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

[8] Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. [9] Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

[10] And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. [11] To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

The Size of the Problem Doesn't Matter

Nothing is too great and nothing is too small to commit into the hands of the Lord.  - A.W. Pink 

I have no idea who the person who wrote this is.  Yet, this has been my philosophy in regards to prayer and so I wanted to share this with you. 

I often feel that Christians don’t pray about things because they feel that it’s not important enough.  They think that God just doesn’t have the time for such a small problem.

I’m here to remind you today that God wants to hear from you on every aspect of your life.  He is ready to help you tackle the large things in your life and the small things just the same.  Just because it’s small to you that doesn’t mean that it’s small to God. 

Pray daily on all aspects of your life.  Allow God to work in all areas not just what you think are the things for Him while you hold others back.  God wants to help you, so let Him!

Be Somebody

When we were kids we all had an idea of who we wanted to be when we grew up.  We had a thought as to what job we’d have, what kind of house we’d live in, how many kids we’d have, etc.  Yet, as we’ve grown up, many of us haven’t quite hit those lofty goals that we set for ourselves.  How many of us thought we’d be exactly where we are now?

I was thinking about this the other day while listening to the latest single from Thousand Foot Krutch called “Be Somebody.”  It's not regret for any of the decisions that I've made getting to where I am today, but instead the realization that God has me exactly where He wanted me from the start.  It’s remembering that His plan for my life was always going to be realized and that I am here for His glory.  I am here to do things in the world that He has always known I would do.  He never doubted where I’d be and has never been disappointed in the fact that this is where I am today.  

When you start to look at your life the way God does, as I have just done, how does that make you feel?  It’s not a mistake that each and every person is where he or she is in life because God knew you’d be there from the first second He thought of creating you.  You are here because He wants you where you are right this minute.  Be proud of the relationship that you have with Him and all that you are doing for His kingdom.  Keep striving to do more, as He knows you can do more.  Keep striving to strengthen the bond you have with God and continue to grow in your walk.  Just because He wants you here now doesn’t mean that He doesn’t want you to keep progressing to be the somebody He can use in new ways in the future.

Spiritual Medicine Cabinet

The other day I was looking through our medicine cabinet at home.  I have to tell you, we have a ton of stuff in there.  It’s almost like we’re prepared for anything; yet, whenever we need something, it seems like we don’t have anything to fill that need. 

Has your spiritual life been that way before?  You feel like you are fully stocked as you’ve read your Bible, you’ve prayed, and you've been to church.  You feel like you are fully stocked against anything that the devil may throw your way.  Then all of a sudden something comes up and those supplies are inadequate.

Why does that happen?  How can you feel prepared but instead not have what you need?  Well, this is one thing that I know; unless you are keeping up, those supplies can expire. 

Now you may be asking if all the Bible reading and prayer can expire at this point.  My thought there is that every time that you spend time with God there is something new that He is teaching you.  He speaks to me differently when I read the same Bible stories.  One time He teaches me about this part of the story and the next it’s something entirely different.  Also worship music can hit me in different ways depending on the circumstances which I’m in when hearing it.

So, my point today is that you should never feel fully prepared.  You should always be rotating the stock in your spiritual medicine cabinet to make sure that you have whatever is needed when the enemy attacks.  Keep on reading your Bible. Keep on worshiping God.  This will keep you ready and not finding yourself in need later.

What is all the Buzz About?

A few years ago my wife got the great idea of planting flowers along the driveway side of our house.  She was able to get some flowers from a friend of ours and we went about planting them in the before mentioned area.

One thing that I didn’t know about those flowers was how many bees they would attract when they bloomed.  It’s almost like someone is a beekeeper and has a hive only 2 feet from my house for about 3 weeks every summer.  And these bees aren’t just little things, they are the biggest bees I’ve ever seen!

These flowers remind me of another lesson I’ve learned in my spiritual walk.  It’s easy as a Christian to create a buzz and get people interested in God for a short period of time.  What is difficult is sustaining that buzz and helping those attracted gain their own spiritual walk with Christ. You can easily get a quick glance from those interested in something you are doing, but sustaining that interest is another story.

So, does that mean you shouldn’t get the world’s attention from time to time?  No.  In fact, that attention you gain is great.  Yet, the key is to have a plan for, what you are going to do once you have that attention in order to sustain it and convert it to a love for God.  You have to plan for success, as you never want to plan to fail, right?

Today I want to encourage you to continue seeking others for God and doing what you can to gain the interest of those around you who aren’t Christians in order to bring them to a relationship with Christ.  But, I also want to encourage you to have a plan for what to do with those interested parties once you’ve gotten their attention.  You don’t want to be like the flowers near my driveway that have bees, thankfully, for only a short time.  You want the bees in your life to come near, stay awhile, and get cozy with God!

A Lesson Being Learned

I’m often amazed by the lessons that God teaches me and the variety of ways that He does it.  Quite often He’ll use something that happens to a family member to remind me of a lesson I’d learned in the past or teach me something new.

The past four  weeks have been just such an example.  You see, four weeks ago Noah (my twelve-year-old 7^th grader) broke his wrist sacking the QB and making him fumble in the team’s first scrimmage with the 8^th grade team.  I was standing there on the sidelines watching the play and remember seeing him grab his wrist and say it hurt, but he kept on playing.  I noticed he wasn’t very effective but was still willing to work through the injury.

It was after the practice that we started to evaluate the injury together.  Almost immediately I went back to the time he had broken his arm a few years back and many of the symptoms were the same.  Thankfully I work run an office of four orthopaedic surgeons so I knew which questions to ask, and I quickly determined that he needed to see one of the doctors the next day.

The lesson that God has been teaching me is twofold.  First He taught me that knowledge really can be power.  In this case knowing the right questions to ask and knowing how to treat the injury allowed us to get the wrist taken care of right away instead of letting the injury continue to linger.  This also translates to my spiritual life, as the more I’m in God’s word and the more of it I know, the stronger I am when problems arise.  I know how to handle spiritual situations because He has provided me with the resources to diagnose an issue and take care of it.

The second lesson has been patience.  God has taught me to be patient and not allow my excitement to take over.  I realize that this injury of Noah’s, if not taken care of correctly, could linger the rest of his life.  I’ve come to the realization that 7^th grade football isn’t the end-all-be-all of his career, and that if his wrist takes longer to heal I will be ok with waiting (even if the rest of the parents on the team are not)!  God has reminded me of this lesson as it’s one that I continually need to be reminded of.  It’s His timing for my debt to be paid off, for someone I’m witnessing to gain a full understanding of the relationship they need with God, and with Noah’s wrist healing and his getting back on the field.

God continually uses situations and other people in our lives to teach us lessons.  Sometimes it is a huge mallet hitting us in the head, while other times it’s a simple tap on the shoulder.  Yet, there are always lessons to be learned in order for advancement in our spiritual lives to be attained.

Donuts

I know you can’t tell when you look at me, but I’m a big fan of donuts (Insert laughter here).  There is just something about the flavor of a donut that I love.  My favorite are a strawberry jelly filled that have a icing on top.  There are two main type of the classic round donut.  There are the regular ones with the hole in the middle and also the ones that have the filling in the middle instead. 

Have you ever seen your Christian walk like a donut?  When you are empty inside and missing God then you are like the donut with a hole in the middle.  At your core there is something missing, and you have an area that could be filled.  There is a void that He is just waiting to fill whenever you ask.  Believers are those that have allowed God to fill them and He has done just that.

So, what kind of donut would you rather be?  Would you rather be out there with a hole in the middle, or would you rather be filled?  If you know what you want to be, why not go out and try to find other donuts with a hole in the middle and get them filled as well?