Watch What You Wish For

As I sit here once again doing very little (watching some football, surfing the Internet, etc.), I can't believe how easy it is to get into the habit of doing nothing.  I also can't believe how disgusting it feels.  It feels like I an addiction.

During normal busy times I like to take a Sunday afternoon and relax a little....take advantage of a couple hours with nothing planned.  I've even found myself wishing for times like this.  But because my kids have taken turns with a nasty virus, there's been way too much idle time for me.  At first I welcomed the opportunity to watch some movies with my kids.  Play some video games together.  I thought that some extra time to just be together would be great.  And it has been.  But what I'm noticing after several consecutive days of laziness is that in spite of the physical rebellion my body has waged against me, my mind now is addicted to this state of suspended animation.  My body is sore from inactivity....it's crying out for some, any activity.  This must be what atrophy feels like.  I sit and I say to myself "I've got to get up and do something" but my mind just won't make it happen.

This has to be what happens when we sit idly on our faith.  Apathy starts to set in.  We care less about how (or if) others see God in our lives.  The longer we fail to exercise our faith, the more likely it is to start to decay.  Just like when you sit way too long doing nothing and your legs get sore, your faith can do the same thing.  It gets stiff, tight, uncomfortable.  If you're up and moving regularly to stay loose.....to stay ready.....your mind and body respond when you need them.  If you stretch your faith, feed your soul and your spirit with Godly things regularly, they're ready for action when you need them.  Have you ever noticed that if you do nothing for a long time, you start getting sleepy, tired, achy, even though you've done nothing?  When your soul gets sleepy from inactivity, sin slips in.

Have you also noticed that when you get exercise regularly you feel more rested after a short break?

Make no mistake....it's not easy.  It's a real battle to stay in it physically, mentally, and especially spiritually.  It's really hard to resist the temptation to "reward" ourselves with some extra down time.  That's not God that makes it that hard....that's the evil one.  The devil loves nothing more than to see our passions sucked out of us by......nothing.

While I know that Sabbath is very important, and that it's a very good thing to spend time with our families without an agenda dictating our schedules, I also think that it's necessary to stay engaged, to stay connected during those times.  

 It's back to work for me tomorrow, so I'll get back on somewhat of a schedule.  But it's another short work week.  There's another long weekend coming.  I know it sounds crazy, but I'm already a little concerned about that.  My prayer for myself and for everyone else this week will be that we stay engaged during our down times. 

I'd like to wish everyone a blessed 2009, and I hope that together we can keep the path clear to God's door in the months to come.  If God is new to you and you're not sure about who Jesus Christ is or how he fits in your life, please find your way to church, or at least to the Bible.  God's word is for everyone, and you might be surprised at how fitting The Word can be to whatever you're dealing with right now.

If you pray, I ask that you pray for someone that you've never prayed for before, or for someone that you're at odds with right now.  It's surprising how hard it is to be mad at someone you're praying for!

Most of all, stay engaged.....feed your faith.....stretch your spirituality a little.  You won't be disappointed with the results.

-Mike 

Whiter than snow

Merry Christmas.

It never seems like enough. I tell someone "Merry Christmas" and I feel like I should also hand them something. Everyone seems to be struggling this year, struggling to be "merry". Everyone has either faced loss this year or is very close to someone who has. What are we supposed to do?

For what it's worth, I truly believe that we are in the midst of a cleansing process. We're being forced to live without things we've never considered losing before. Our area is especially hard-hit because of the industry on which our community thrives. Unemployment in this county ranks among the worst in the country. But as I've said before, I'm hearing more and more people starting to talk about their faith and how God may fit into their life. It's not uncommon for us to seek God when we're at a low point in our lives. So maybe God has created a sort of "global valley" to see if we can make our way back to Him. I don't know.....it just really seems like we're supposed to be getting a bigger message out of all this. We sang a song in church this weekend that had a line in it that I really like: "whiter than snow, whiter than snow, wash me and I shall be whiter than I've ever known". Maybe the timing of all this is meant to knock the dirt off of us so we can be washed clean again.

...Just a thought.

Merry Christmas...and I really do mean it.

Not My Plan

It's been interesting lately to listen to people's reactions to current job and economic conditions. Many of the people I see regularly know that I'm a Christian and that I'm comfortable with God being in control of my life. Maybe that's why suddenly it seems that everyone wants to talk about God's plan. They want my opinion on God's plan for my life, as well as what I think God has planned for their life. But when I start to talk about how I think that God's plan for his people is something to be discovered in a relationship with Him, not decided over the break table, the response is usually the same: "I just wish He'd show me what I'm supposed to do about a job" or "I hope His plan includes health benefits".

I'll admit, I've wondered lately what's in store for me, too. But I keep coming back to the same thought - God's plan for my life can't possibly revolve around my job. My life has been pretty easy. In fact, I'd say it's been really easy. The biggest loss I've had to bear is my father dying when I was 37 and I wasn't ready for him to be gone. I can only describe my life until now as protected. I feel that I have been routed around all the things that could have (and in some cases should have) gone terribly wrong. As I walk with Christ my Savior, I just know that there is a fantastic purpose for my existence. And I can say with reasonable certainty that it's not so that I can simply work at my job. There will be a type of perfection that will surround something that I do in my lifetime, because it will be exactly what God wants me to do.

If you're unsure about what God's plan might be for you, I'd suggest a heartfelt prayer. God hears the prayers of His people, but be advised He's not the genie in the lamp. He doesn't grant wishes. If you pray for something specific to happen in your life, you'll need to be patient and know that even though you're sure it's in your best interest, it might not be something God deems necessary for you right now. I've started praying that He would simply prepare me for what He'll need me to do, empower me to make decisions that honor Him, and equip me and strengthen me to fend off all the things satan will send at me to distract me.

My Long Winter's Nap

I've been asleep for so long. That's what it feels like. I've been sleeping, dozing, sort of meandering through life.

This time of year always makes me look back at what I've accomplished in the last 11 months. For many years, it led to feelings of failure because I wasn't making a lot more money after a year of hard work. For the last few years, however, I find myself thinking that I spent a whole year and really didn't further God's Kingdom at all. I list all the Bible studies, Sunday School classes, community service groups, church committees and prayer chains I was involved in. But in the end, we really don't know what that amounts to, do we? For me, it makes me feel better about myself. But does that mean that the kingdom was served by my actions?

This year, I wonder to myself if that mystery isn't by design. After all, we are human, especially me. If I knew that in the last 11 1/2 months there were 19 people who would find salvation because of something I did or said....I might be inclined to take a couple months off. I'd probably give myself a "high five". Maybe I'd just sleep a little, doze a little, meander a little. You know, as a reward for all my hard work. Yeah, I'm pretty sure that my Lord knows me well enough to keep that information to himself. This way, I feel I need to keep trying.

There will always be things that make me feel that I've fallen short. That's because I have. But these "things" are not God's plan for me. I've fallen short for the same reasons that everyone else has.....because I'm human. I've fallen short because I can't make it alone. I think I've fallen short because God wants me to need him.

So I try to stay awake. I try to get others around me to stay awake....to keep me company so that we don't miss opportunities to serve Him.