Posts Tagged 'choices'

let the small things stay small

Published May 11, 2012 Angola , Holy Spirit , living , prayer , saving moses , spiritual 1 Comment
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We’ve all had the experience of driving along & someone flips us off or does something rude that was stupid.  We have a choice with these kinds of petty actions – we can let them stay small & fade into the past or we can get wound up about them & carry them into the present.  Small things need to stay small, be that rude comments, gestures, attacking words, etc.  Don’t magnify things that need to stay small.  Of course I’m not advocating being a door mat, but I think that we can easily get caught up & distracted on things that should stay small.

On the flip side, let’s be sure to magnify important things like genuine love, Jesus’ presence, grace and forgiveness.  Let’s stay focused on letting the Holy Spirit continue to work in our lives to make us big people! :)

Stay tuned here as well for updates about my upcoming Saving Moses trip to Angola next week!

what would Jesus say?

Published May 9, 2012 enemies to intimacy , Holy Spirit , living , prayer , spiritual 2 Comments
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 Several years ago, it was really common to see the “WWJD” (what would Jesus do) bracelets everywhere & from time to time I still see them & they make me smile.  Lately, however, I’ve been thinking about what would Jesus say.  I’ve been thinking about this not in my communication with others, but more so in what Jesus says to me.  You see, from time to time, I wrestle with thoughts about discouragement, failure, disappointment, etc.  If I’m not careful, these thoughts can overrun my brain & become dangerous distractions from Jesus’ plans & purposes for me.

When I look at Jesus’ life & His words to us, they are always filled with life, faith, strength, encouragement, forgiveness, love and acceptance.  The only people Jesus ever slammed with overt offense were the religious leaders of His day who were judgmental, selfish and even ungodly.  To everyone else, His words were full of life, encouragement & faith.  When I think about Jesus’ words & their contrast with the discouragement & failure thoughts that run around in my mind sometimes, I’m faced with a choice.  I either listen to His life-giving words or I let the failure & discouragement thoughts run amuck.  I’m choosing Jesus’ words, because I’m Jesus’ sheep (John 10).  :)

Some thoughts on being popular

Published April 17, 2012 enemies to intimacy , Holy Spirit , living , prayer , relationships , spiritual 3 Comments
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Popularity is an interesting topic. We generally want people to like us & think we’re cool. We like to fit in & feel comfortable around the people with whom we interact – I think this is all pretty natural. Where we get into trouble with the popularity pursuit is when the popularity w people undercuts our popularity w God. It’s nice when our people & God popularity complement each other, but when when we have to make a choice between being popular w people or being popular w God, make the decision now to chose God.
In the long run, choosing God will always sort out with better results than trying to be popular w people :)

Some antidotes for worry

Published March 22, 2012 enemies to intimacy , Holy Spirit , living , prayer , spiritual 3 Comments
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Worry seems to be a common ailment. Lots of people worry about lots of things- the economy, health issues, family challenges, school frustrations & lots more! Some worries seem to be justified & some are almost nonsense. Worry is common, but there are a few things you can do to overcome worry:
*pray the answer (God’s Word) more than the problem
*worship – exalting Jesus always makes my problems look smaller & smaller
*be careful about your conversations – complaining can be fuel for worry
*read a Psalm at breakfast, lunch, dinner & bedtime

Don’t let worry be bigger than Jesus in your life!!

what are your options?

Published February 29, 2012 Holy Spirit , living , prayer , spiritual 1 Comment
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 I recently read about when the Jews left their slavery in Egypt & I came across an interesting verse, when they were being chased by Pharoah.  At the end of Ex 14:12, the Jews are complaining to Moses & they say something like, “It would have been better to stay as slaves in Egypt than to die here in the wilderness.”  I started thinking about this & it really hit me that they only saw 2 options: slavery or death.

Unfortunately, I think we make the same mistake when we exclude God from His involvement in our lives. Truly, without God’s participation & involvement in our lives, we face the same kinds of options that the Jewish people saw at that time.  In contrast, it seems to me that the more we involve God in our lives, the greater the adventures, miracles, shock and awe!! So let’s make sure to include God more & more in our lives :)

mental hygiene

Published December 29, 2011 enemies to intimacy , family , Holy Spirit , living , prayer , relationships , spiritual Leave a Comment
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My kids have their bi-yearly dentist check up next week & we will hopefully be cavity-free.  I know that the hygienists will ask them if they floss & brush daily & my kids will answer with mixed results.  As adults, most of us have probably already been down the dental hygiene road & appreciate the importance of regular brushing & flossing <– this video is CRAZY FUNNY!!! :)

I think, however, that we might want to consider not only the hygiene for our teeth, but also the hygiene for our thoughts.  Personally, when my thoughts begin to go down dark alleys, the consequences are very negative for the ABCs in my life (attitude, behavior & conversations).  Paul tells us in 2 Cor 10:5 that we should take captive every thought that tries to lift itself higher than the knowledge of Jesus in our lives.  Let’s be sure to make our thought life surrender to Jesus’ Lordship.

Perhaps mental hygiene is even more important than dental hygiene  - but don’t tell my kids until after next week ,)

dealing with discouragement

Published December 6, 2011 Holy Spirit , living , prayer , relationships , spiritual Leave a Comment
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We all have things & times that are discouraging – a job that falls through, a relationship that goes sour, a poor grade at school, etc.  I don’t think that anyone is immune from having some discouraging moments in life.  But the key is what we do with those times & situations.  Here are some things that have been helpful to me with the discouragement topic:

  • just because I failed at something, that doesn’t make me a failure
  • keeping my eyes on God & His promises are more helpful than fixating on the discouragement (we can’t ignore problems, but we can’t let them own us either)
  • keep going – if I’m not careful, discouragement can get pretty heavy & bog me down, so I tell myself to take one step at a time, even if they’re baby steps
  • working out – physical exercise is a great way to burn off some discouragement
  • laugh – sometimes it helps me to be goofy, it lightens me up which is helpful because I tend to be pretty serious in my normal living
  • listen deeply – I find that God’s voice can really help speak light & truth to the discouragement that can try to reside in my thoughts

May you be strongly encouraged today that you are deeply loved & highly treasured!

tipping point

Published October 26, 2011 Holy Spirit , living , prayer , spiritual Leave a Comment
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 Several years ago, there was a really popular book called, “The Tipping Point”.  It was basically about how small things can make massive impacts – I really like this concept for lots of different reasons, but most of all for how it connects with James 3:1-6.  In these verses, the author talks about how a big ship is turned by a small rudder, the bit in a horse’s mouth can make a horse change direction & how a small spark can create a massive fire.  The point for each of these illustrations is to drive home the importance of how we use our words.  Small words & conversations that can seem very innocuous can have very significant results, positive or negative.  So here are some choices for your consideration with the words that we use:

  • compliment or criticize
  • support or sarcasm
  • gratitude or entitlement
  • encourage or discourage

Let’s make wise choices :)

freedom of speech

Published October 21, 2011 enemies to intimacy , living 2 Comments
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 In America, we are very intense about our right to the freedom of speech.  We have no appreciation for anyone who would try to censure our opinion or limit our expression.  And in some ways, I really appreciate this right & I wholly appreciate the sacrifices that have been made to retain this privilege.

On the other hand, just because we have the right to freedom of speech doesn’t mean that we should say anything & everything we want.  Proverbs says that even a fool appears smart when they keep their mouth closed.  There is tremendous wisdom in knowing when to say something, what to say & to whom something should be said.  These choices can be very productive if we make the decision to be constructive with our opinions & freedom of speech & not merely selfish.  In the end, the right to freedom of speech with a selfish intent is often more destructive than constructive.  Here’s a simple idea that I’m trying to work into my daily living:  I want to compliment & encourage more than I criticize & judge.  Want to join me?  :)

growing pains

Published August 13, 2011 enemies to intimacy , family , Holy Spirit , living , prayer , spiritual , Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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We often associate growing pains with childhood – when our joints were sore as kids or teenagers for some unknown reason.  We might have been growing too fast for our bodies to adjust without some aches & pains.  I think this is also true as an adult but in different ways.

Let me give you a few examples:

  • being less selfish is often a painful decision, but it is one that frequently reflects a level of growth & maturity as an adult
  • being more selective about when & how we communicate shows that we are making progress from “blurting out” whatever could be flying through our mind; this is a noble goal, but it can require painful discipline to shut our mouth when we have something really “zingy” to say
  • doing what’s helpful, constructive or even sacrificial when we don’t want to;  I surrender “getting my way” for something I consider to be more important – for me this relates to letting Jesus use my life as a platform to express His will (hopefully, with minimal distortion)
  • getting good at something I’m not good at;  there are lots of schools of thought on this idea:  stay in your sweet spot, do what you’re good at, maximize your talents & minimize your liabilities, etc.  But in my life so far, I find that I don’t get the luxury to do only what I’m good at – I’m required to LOTS of different things, many of which I’m not good at.  So here’s my choice: do the things I’m bad at with ongoing sloppiness, using the excuse that I’m just not designed that way  OR do the things I’m bad at with the intent that I’m going to try to get better at them each time I have to do these things.

Maturity requires growth & growing can be painful.  But I’d hate to become increasingly older & remain as immature as I am now :)

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