“You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.” – Proverbs 19:21
A frustrated woman, that’s what I was one day not long ago as I tried diligently to wrap and fold neatly, a pack of crackers. Sounds like a simple task, right? Try it sometime, and really pay attention to what happens. I found a few interesting tidbits that day that I could relate to life.
A pack of crackers, first pulled out of the box, is a beautiful thing, especially for a mind like mine that craves order. The package is crisp and smooth. The crackers are lined up neatly in a row, no breaks or crumbs in sight. The seam opens smoothly and they are crisp in your mouth. Then comes the trouble… how to return the package to a decent-looking state without losing your mind.
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We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.
“‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.’ Thus says the Lord God to these bones, ‘Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life. I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the Lord.’” Ezekiel 37:4-6
Most mornings, the pain in my body wakes me before the alarm goes off. Laying there a bit irritated that my body has deprived me of sleep, the morning inventory and ponderings begin. How much pain is there and is it the kind can it be ignored? How much energy is available and will it improve as I start moving or quickly fade? How angry is my gut and how well will it cooperate with eating throughout the day? What is planned for today and will it have to be adjusted due to the responses to the prior queries? At best, I will encourage my body to get moving and function relatively normally (for me) throughout the day. At worst, I’ll end up more like a slug accomplishing the bare minimum. More often than not, it will be somewhere in the middle of the two. Notice that there is no “This is the day which the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it”, nor is there a mental or spiritual inventory. In those early moments of the day, it’s usually all about the body. Short sighted, focused and exhausting. I long for days when I awaken refreshed and alive. Whether or not one is ill, this life can be wearying. Trials and illness most certainly sap the strength from us on every level encouraging us to withdraw and become self-focused. However, jobs, family, relationships and social obligations are just as capable of draining us of physical, emotional and spiritual strength. Without attention to our souls, we become like the bones in Ezekiel’s vision: dried up, hopeless and cut off. In those times it’s important to remember who we are, where our strength comes from and where or hope lies.
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For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Romans 8:5-9
When I was in college, I took a chapel class that discussed controversial social issues. Two of those were suicide and euthanasia. Since my time in college and in the context of chronic illness, both of these choices have been gaining acceptance in our culture. The basic premise in their justification is that the person dying is ending their life with greater dignity and grace. To be sure, the aging process and health concerns such as dementia, ALS, Parkinson’s disease, strokes, cancer, etc. often bring on many indignities before finally ending life. However, to take matters into our own hands rather than relying on God’s timing is willful and contrary to God’s precepts. Rather than providing dignified death, it is either giving up or a defiant act in that it denies God’s goodness, wisdom, love and purposes. A death that is truly dignified is much more graceful and determined than suicide or euthanasia.
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God never said that the journey would be easy, but He did say that the arrival would be worthwhile.
God does not give us everything we want, but He does fulfill His promises, leading us along the best and straightest paths to Himself.
“He who lays up treasures on earth spends his life backing away from his treasures. To him, death is loss. He who lays up treasures in heaven looks forward to eternity; he’s moving daily toward his treasures. To him, death is gain.”
Randy Alcorn
http://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/inspiring-quotes/30-inspiring-christian-quotes.html
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2
A couple of weeks ago I was traveling and stopped to get gas. The screens on the gas pumps not only provided instructions, but also weather, news and entertainment. As I pumped gas, the screen showed “the word of the day” and displayed the word “pertinacious”. The definition that it provided was “willful” and the example of usage that it gave was “He became pertinacious in his old age.” As I thought about this, I immediately thought about Solomon, Joash and Amaziah. The connection came from a chart of the kings of Judah that I’ve been using to keep them straight. These three are all listed as having done right in their youth and evil in their old age. They started strong but their resolve waned as they aged. As I investigated the meaning of the word further, I found that there are two very different meanings to the word. The one that commonly comes up first is determination or perseverance. However, it is the secondary definition that reflects willfulness.
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“Lord, make me to know my end and what is the extent of my days; let me know how transient I am. Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing in Your sight; surely every man at his best is a mere breath. Selah. Surely every man walks about as a phantom; surely they make an uproar for nothing; he amasses riches and does not know who will gather them. And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You.” Psalm 39:4-7
Last week I suggested to my wife that we go on a WaveRunner tour which we did. To understand the significance of that statement, you need to understand that while I love going to the ocean, I’m not a fan of venturing very far out into the ocean. When I do, I like it to be on a very large boat, e.g. cruise ships, ferries, etc. and I prefer to have land in sight at all times because, in a word, I’m fearful.
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The law of his God is in his heart; His steps do not slip. Psalm 37:31
Once again, on our first night here after settling in to our lodging, eating dinner and getting groceries, we finally had a chance to walk on the beach. The condo that we have rented is at the southern end of the island with a large beach behind it that must be crossed to get to the ocean’s edge. As is our usual custom we were both barefoot and quickly found this to be problematic as the area is not covered with the typical smooth sand. By contrast, we were walking on broken sea shells while dodging dead sea urchins and vegetation. Consequently, we had to be vigilant in keeping our focus on the placement of our feet for each step. Enjoying the scenery took a back seat to self-preservation.
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