A King, A Dad, A Judge And Us

There is a pretty good chance you remember some of the stories about David, the humble shepherd boy who killed the giant, Goliath, and went on to become the mighty warrior king in ancient Israel. He truly accomplished great things in his 70 years, of which more than half were devoted to serving God by serving the people of God.

David wasn’t the perfect, godly man, yet in spite of the wrongs he committed against God and others, he is known for the heroic deeds of his life. He was rewarded with fame and fortune for all of his victories, yet at the end of his life the most important task to him was to pay tribute to God. He wanted to insure that the God who led him to victory, who showered him with mercy, who granted grace where it was undeserved, would be honored in such a way that all people would see the monument… the temple… the place of worship that his son, Solomon, would erect. Why? Because, without God, nothing he had accomplished mattered one bit.

I lost my hero… my King David last December. I held his hand as he left this world and entered the presence of the God he loved and served. Before he left, he wrote in his journal, “The message at my funeral is not about my virtue, but about God’s grace.” I believe that Dad and David shared the same heart for God (though my Dad was much less violent and never allowed power to corrupt him). I know that I long for the message of my life to point to God, not to anything I may accomplish.

This morning I got word that a friend, a colleague in ministry, a women who devoted herself to her God, her family and community lost the battle to cancer. Judge Amy Cornell leaves behind a husband and three young children. It’s hard to lose a hero. It hurts deeply. But, the Davids and the Franklins and the Amys of this world have planted seeds in our hearts that remind us there is something more to life than our days on this planet. It is our adventure with our God that allows us to invest in others while we are here that pays dividends into an unknown future.

While many of us are still scrambling to gather our 2017 tax information we can see where our financial investments were in the previous year and take stock of what we spent, discovering what we apparently valued most.  We can look back at our calendars and discover how our time was invested and discover more of what we valued.  But, may I encourage you to step back and look at your people… your spouse, your parents, your children and grandchildren, your co-workers and neighbors, and witness the investment you placed in their lives in the previous year. Who have you been to those people God has placed on your path? Did you shine the light of truth; shower the love of God that overflows within you; walk alongside and teach the ways of Jesus? 

What are the dividends being paid on your most important investment… the time and prayer and grace and love and instruction that you are pouring into others for God’s sake? That, according to Scripture, is all that really matters in the end. God made us each His Masterpiece. We were each created for a purpose. We are all part of a Divine plan. Heroism is not reserved for the King Davids or the Clarence Franklins or the Amy Cornells of this world. So, shake the wrinkles out of your super cape and soar to that place where God is calling you to be a hero, reflecting the goodness and grace of a loving Creator God.

God And Stuff

Sunday Chris admitted that he has introduced his kids to the show LOST, which he claims is at the top of the list of best shows ever, so that they can all binge watch it together. Well, I’m not gonna lie… we did that a few years back based on our son’s recommendation and we did enjoy it… mostly… BUT, I was under the weather today and decided to take a look at the organization guru everyone is talking about and I did some binge watching myself. Tidying Up With Marie Kondo on Netflix. Now, that’s a life changer! It beats the (neatly folded) socks off of LOST!

After listening to Chris’ sermon Sunday about the importance of how you spend your money and how much Jesus really does care about that, coupled with advise from Marie Kondo, mingled with the experience of raising a zillion kids, or so, and seasoned with a conversation I have had with a few moms about the burden stuff places on their shoulders, I am convinced that one of the most important concepts we can share with our kids from the words of Jesus is that it is truly impossible to focus on the God who saves us when we are focused on the stuff that is controlling us.

Now, if you are done reading because that was the longest run on sentence in the history of the written word, just hang in there. I won’t do it again. At least in this blog. Promise. But, I was on a roll and I just couldn’t help myself!

Jesus said, “You can’t love God and stuff.”

Pastor Chris said, “Over 40% of what Jesus taught was about the danger and pain and harm that comes from overvaluing our stuff.”

Marie says, “When you keep things that don’t spark joy, you can’t get to the things that do.”

Parents say, “Clean up your room or your grounded… and I’m going to trash it if it’s still a mess tomorrow!” Which brought joy to nobody, EVER!

Children say, “I’m bored! There is nothing to do,” as they sit in a house so full of toys and games that they can’t identify anything that looks remotely fun.

Parents, part of teaching your kids to be respectful involves teaching them to care for their belongings. If they leave a mess behind, they are showing disrespect to everyone that shares the home with them. They are essentially expecting others to step over their things or take care of them for them. They show disrespect to the person who sacrificed to purchase that item for them when they don’t value it enough to put it in its place. Teach them to be respectful and responsible by teaching them to be tidy with their belongings. These lessons come much easier when there isn’t SO. MUCH. STUFF.

Most kids that I know would be overwhelmed with the task of putting everything in their room in its proper place because they have more stuff than they have place! It’s not likely that they are the ones responsible for that. Most of what your kids own didn’t get there because they saved their money and went on a shopping spree.  Sure… I hear you… blame the grandparents! But, it is still your home and your rules and if there is more than your child can manage, give it away and teach them generosity. Pack it away and recycle the toys from time to time. Don’t allow their room to get to a place where there is so much that it causes them anxiety. A clean and tidy room opens up all kinds of space for creativity and make-believe and fun.

An over-abundance of things begins to build within us a need for more. We fill our closets yet we have nothing to wear. We fill the toy box, yet we are bored. We fill our cupboards, but there’s nothing to eat. It doesn’t make sense, does it? But you know it’s true.

Imagine a world where we teach our children to fix their eyes on the God who wants to lavish us with abundant life… that isn’t about stuff. Imagine showing them how to look out at the needs around them rather than in at the greed that our human nature breeds. Imagine knowing from early childhood that when your stuff takes over your heart, it leaves no room for Jesus.

What would it take for you to purge away all that makes your child’s home appear to be a shrine for stuff worshipers rather than God worshipers? This may seem like I’ve gone to meddling in your private affairs. I really haven’t peaked in your windows. I haven’t listened at your door. But, I know how our culture of wanting to provide more for our kids than we had can turn into a monster taking over your home. Teach them well. Less is more. Make room for the joy of simple living. It is a great step in the right direction of raising joy-filled, generous kids who have room to grow and thrive.

Another Year In The Books

I have a confession to make. I am not a good goal setter. I struggle to see things evolving into something new and better. I think that is part of being a “live in the moment” kind of girl. I enjoy life. I love hard. I give my all to each day. My life is good. My family is amazing. My God is faithful. I love my job/vocation. My marriage is outstanding. People cross my path daily that bless me and I love to serve and bless them, as well. So, as Pastor Chris shared the sermon series, “You, In 5 Years,” I really had difficulty trying to figure out where I should be…or should want to be in 5 years. I like where I am and feel like it is sending me on a good trajectory to live and love better in the years to come. Chris said that if you don’t have goals and work to achieve them, you become a more exaggerated version of who you are now. I was fairly happy with that because I see my life as successful in the most important areas. I love people and love to love people. That’s good… right?  I love to serve them and enrich their lives with the wisdom God gives me. More of that can’t be a bad thing. Can it?

Then last Sunday, Ed Haines spoke about the last 5 years of his life and how radically his life and home and family has changed as he committed to following Jesus, learning and living in the Word and loving and honoring others above himself. Somehow, listening to that message helped me to see that my inability to set goals and stick to them is keeping me from being the healthiest, best “me” I can be.

In the last five years I have lost both of my parents, my husband had a 6 bypass surgery to save his life, my grandkids are all in school and one is in the USAF. I was diagnosed with Dysautonomia, which is as hard to understand as it is to pronounce, but it was a game changer. Looking back there has been much change in my life that I had absolutely no control over, but I’m thankful to God that He was preparing me in ways I never realized. Makes me think of Karate Kid… wax on wax off… but I digress…

Last year I turned 60. I was very excited about that because it just seems like a great place to be in my life. My reasoning… I love Grandma-ing, those born into my family and all the ones I “adopt” into my heart on a regular basis. Sixty just sounds very grandmotherly, so I was ready for a wonderful decade of Grandmother-ing to begin, and it did.

I love sharing God’s truth and wisdom with people and 60 seems mature and wise. I reasoned that people would take my counsel seriously and lives would be changed as they learned from my mistakes and found the way God wanted them to go. God opened doors for me to share with people and walk with them through the valleys and the mountain tops of life. I loved it!

I love silence and solitude and meditating on what God is teaching me. Sixty is the perfect age to slow down… just enough to be able to do that. No need to hit the ground running like we do when we are raising a family. Spending my mornings with Jesus and my Dad, who came to live with us, I learned the value of meditation.  I began to take time to smell the roses (or coffee) and sit, Mary-style, at the feet of Jesus before I started my days. Awesome times!

Though 60 was good, it really didn’t play out the way I had envisioned. I sent my oldest grandchild off to the Air Force. He is far from home where my only influence on his precious life now, is through prayer. That put a whole new slant on the value of Grandma-ing.

God has continued to grant me wisdom to share, but I realized more than ever that people only change because they want to change. Change comes from the Spirit of God, the people of God and a heart that is willing to allow God’s transformation. My wisdom, in and of itself, is actually pretty worthless. That changed my approach to ministry and opened my eyes to the need to pray more for others.

I had a great deal of time for meditation during that "magical" year of 60. Having my Dad move in with us kept me home more to care for him. Though his body was weak, his mind was strong and I learned so much from him about the value of sitting and listening for God’s Truth. Slower is better, and then there was that diagnosis that took me from slower, to a screeching halt! Losing my dad and my health was devastating and I needed (need) to be able to ask for prayer to get me through.

I guess what I want you to see is that life is going to change, with you or without you, in the next 5 years. Circumstances beyond your control will take you down beautiful, awful, wonderful, terrible paths. All we can do is work on the person in the mirror who we can help to be ready for those days that inevitably come. The changes I will work on in myself are to pray more intentionally and fervently AND ask for the prayers of others to sustain me when I am weak; to read and learn more that will prepare me to serve and guide more wisely; to find the balance between being a Mary and a Martha; to honor the body God gave me and keep it as healthy as I can for as long as I can.

I love the peace that contentment brings. Contentment is a good thing. But, when it keeps us from seeing what we could be if we put some muscle behind our contentment, then it is just being lazy, and lazy is ugly and unhealthy.

So….Hello 61! May you find me working toward a future of loving more deeply; of praying and learning; of balance and meditation; of caring for my body as well as my soul.

Where will this next year find you?