Anticipation

I am smack dab in the middle of waiting for my daughter to be born. My wife is at full term, she has some contractions here and there, and she is rather uncomfortable. The due date is a mere 12 days away, but the doctor has said we can go at any moment. So, here we are waiting. Kind of in limbo; Kind of not sure what to do. And so we wait... And we wait some more.
Doctors still don't know what really causes a mother to go into labor. There assessment is that nature will chose when the baby comes. My assessment is that God has a divine moment set aside for the birth of His creation. We dare not mess with God's sovereignty, so we wait and wait some more. I wonder how many of us get way to impatient waiting on God to unfold things the way He wants. Good things happen to those who remain patient.
My advice to you today is wait patiently on the Lord. Don't rush it, otherwise you'll mess it up. Rather, understand that God's timing is perfect! We have a tendency not to be perfect, so how about we just stay out of the way?

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Speak...

"If a tree falls in the woods and nobody is around to hear it, does it even make a noise?"
The answer is: Yes, God heard it. He is aware of everything in His creation and nothing ever escapes his gaze.
Two things I desire to talk about...
First, sometimes we become discouraged because it seems like nobody is really listening to us. We pour our heart out to someone and the person ends up changing the subject or not showing a real interest. We give "hints" to someone about something we need, but they don't hear the hint. We begin to feel isolated, alone, discouraged, and not valued. I wish that I could tell you that another human being will come to your rescue and help you in that moment of need. Sometimes it happens, but in many cases that help never comes from another. This is why divorce, estrangement, loneliness, and suicide are prominent in our society. If you are looking to another human being as being the one thing you need, you are sorely mistaken.
Second, the person you need to be looking for is Jesus Christ. He is the only one that knows every thought you have, heard everything you say, loves you regardless, and VALUES who you are. If you are out there and you feel like you have nobody, you definitely have Jesus Christ! He will never leave you nor forsake you. You might have gotten hurt by so many others, but He will not hurt you.
Sometimes I wonder if anybody ever hears me at all, I don't think most do, but I have a wonderful Savior and Father who does.

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Words to live by...

Wisdom is having the foresight to not need hindsight. Please comment below...

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Good stuff

And now for something completely different...

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What to do with "Blah" days

People are going to have their good days and their bad days. There will be some days when everything is going right, much has been accomplished, and hope for the future is evident. Then, there are those days where it seems bad is permeating through us and around us. Perhaps we fell into sin or see sin around us, or a disturbing situation took place. Most people can probably talk about the good days and the bad days. But, the majority of life is made in what I like to call the "blah" days. These are the days when neither much good nor much bad happened. These are the dangerous days where we find out who we truly are. These are the days when not much happened in the office, not much is going on this evening, and a little was accomplished but not much. The things you remember most happen on the most horrific of days or the best of days. Everyone knows what they were doing when the 9/11 tragedy took place, just like many older people know what was happening when Pearl Harbor was bombed or John F. Kennedy was shot. Many remember what took place when news came that a loved one had died or when a spouse asks for a divorce. At the same time, many remember when their child was born, or when they first invited Christ into their heart, or when that game winning point took place, or the wedding day, or the day they got the big promotion. You get a few of those years a day. Sometimes you may slip into the "bad" time for a few weeks and sometimes you skip about in the "good" time period. However, its those in between moments that truly develop our character and what we are all about. Those moments when we decide to do the dishes so our spouse doesn't have to do them. Or when we give somebody a ride to the airport. Or when we step out and help somebody out.
God looks very closely at how we are in the happy days and rejoices in us. I think God really loves seeing his children happy. God mourns those days when all is going wrong and we are frustrated and upset. It's a painful process, but he knows that this will help to define us and make us the complete person we need to be. What is God thinking on those days when we are in the midst of the hustle and bustle of life? I think he looks for those moments where we do good, when we talk with him, and when we choose to do what is right even if there appears to be no motivating factor for doing right.
Rejoice in the "blah" days, for these are the days that truly define you as a person and show whether you are progressing or degressing.

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The Joy of Progress

There is nothing more challenging than maintaining passion and fire in the midst of failure. You try, try, try and fail, fail, fail. Usually, this leads to quitting and disillusionment. However, for some, they go crazy and actually continue to pursue success. There are countless stories of athletes, business entrepreneurs, politicians, and ministers who went from the pain of failure to the joy of success. What is amazing is that very few can point to any specific moment when everything changed. Rather, they continued to do what they believed was the right way to do it. It is during this time of failure that we must look closely at the slight level of progress that has been made and take joy in it. We must grab onto those small moments that have the potential for success, otherwise we become very discouraged.
As a pastor, there are too many moments where failure has been the predominant force in my life. Either I messed up, someone else messed up, or a little bit of both. Yet, I'm still here. I am here for one reason and one reason alone. I feel called, equipped, and cannot picture myself doing anything else that this juncture in my life. Yet, by most standards I have failed much more than I have succeeded. However, I believe most standards are wrong when defining failure and success. The degree of failure should be measured by the amount of time it took us to quit something. If you haven't quit, then in my opinion, you really haven't failed. Those who view me as a failure because I allegedly hurt them, or wasn't a strong enough leader, or lacked that "flare" that defines a good leader really aren't around me all that much because they quit. The critics will always be critical and the only way it can effect me is if it leads to my quitting.
Instead, learn from your mistakes, stay true to what God has called you to do, and never forget that the two great commandments should influence every action. Hang onto that, don't quit, understand failure happens, and make sure you are judging success on the right standards.

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Perspective

There is an obsession with being the "best" at something. People will look all over the place to find that one area where they can be the best. Athletes will look for it in a sport. Am I big, little, fast, slow? Whatever I am, what will I fit into best? For those that realized they weren't all that good at sports, something else might tickle their fancy. Maybe they enjoy being involved in the dramatic arts, or perhaps the work well with their hands in an artistic fashion. Still others may play an instrument well or sing well. Others make like the idea of politics, so a debate club is just right for them. It seems like elementary through high school is set on finding what a child's niche is so that they can say that they are at least good at one thing. Maybe you can cook, or build, or teach? So many possibilities. Those who find something that they are really good at usually find a deep satisfaction, a positive contribution to society, and joy.
And then there is the rest of us... You know what I'm talking about. I have played many different sports. I played basketball, but quickly found that I wasn't all that great so I moved on. I tried wrestling and found I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought. I threw discus and quickly learned that my body was not designed to throw such a thing. I played football and discovered I was ok, but very much undersized. I have run a marathon and several half-marathons and I found out that I'm slow. I have played softball and discovered I'm not very good. I tried swimming and was sorely disappointed. I play disc golf and am no where near what others are able to do. Ok... so sports is just not my thing. I enjoy playing and it is much fun, but I'm just not good at it.
Ok, so sports is out, how about working with my hands! Well, I have hung dry wall, put on rooftops, worked with electric, plumbing, and concrete. My work is amateur and not very good. I can put up tents, however to be honest a trained monkey could put up a tent.
Ok, so no sports, and no working with my hands. Don't get me wrong, I love to do both, but I'm just not good at it.
Perhaps, I could be artistic... My pictures aren't very good. My pottery isn't good. My culinary skills are lacking. I am a sub par musician. Ohhhh, I could do poetry... nope that didn't work out so well.
Maybe I am more gifted when I use my mouth. I could teach... except all those blank stares are looking back at me. I could preach... except, well I can do it, but I'm definitely not the best. I could write, but unfortunately only about three people read this blog, so that is probably not a good sign. Maybe I could counsel people, unfortunately I'm success rate isn't very good.
You may be thinking to yourself, that sounds a whole lot like me. You may not be the best at sports, working with the hands, artistic, using your mouth, and probably a whole lot of other things. That is a good thing, because only a select few can be the best at something. What we need are people who are willing to serve in whatever area. I'm not the best cook, but perhaps I can make something for someone who is feeling a little down. I'm not the best athlete, but maybe I can bond with some of my acquaintances by playing. I'm not a great musician, but maybe the song I sing will speak to someone's heart. I'm not the best preacher, but maybe God can use my mouth to speak what he desires.
I always struggle with not being very good at much of anything, but what I do have down is finding ways to serve others in my limited capacity. That is what God desires from each of us. You may feel discouraged because you just aren't all that good at things. Don't get down, because then you miss stepping into a position with all your flaws and serving another human being. Keep up the good work at imperfection, because Christ can be made perfect through it!

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