Blog – Page 13

Time Clutter

August 8, 2015

I love paper – all kinds of paper, especially gift-wrapping paper. It calls out to me in the store. Occasionally I will toss a roll of the captivating stuff in my cart “just in case.” No wonder the closet in my spare bedroom became overrun with paper and gift bags.

The day I decided to organize that closet, I began by pulling out all the gift-wrapping materials. Yikes! Considering how few occasions I have for wrapping, I was amazed to see the ridiculous amount of paper I had accumulated. Weeding out the pile and organizing the remaining papers gave me a great sense of accomplishment.

But that closet, and in fact my entire house, is not the only part of my life that needs de-cluttering. What about my time, and the activities that fill it? Many of them got into my days the same way the paper got into my shopping cart: appealing at the time, but not really needed.

Such activities may be harmless; but taken to excess they eat up space in my day, just like the paper took up space in my closet. A few minutes here, a few minutes there, and then I wonder why I don’t have time to do the things I had planned for that day. We have so much electronic input at our fingertips, and so many activities and relationships clamoring for our involvement. It’s a good idea to take them out occasionally, examine them, and ask God to help us decide which ones are really worth keeping. Then our days won’t resemble a closet over-run with useless items.

Jesus warned about letting the cares of this world crowd out the Word of God in our hearts (Mark 4:19). When we start thinking we’re too busy for the things God has called us to do, it’s time to weed out other activities that are taking more than their fair share of time in our days. Time to get rid of the clutter!

Tale of Two Seas

August 3, 2015

In Israel, our leader, Grady, pointed out many places where topography illustrates Biblical truth. One great example is the contrast between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. The water in both comes from the Jordan River, which flows from a natural spring at Banias in the northern tip of Israel, enters the Sea of Galilee from the north, comes out at the southern end, then flows south another hundred miles and enters the Dead Sea. There the river ends.

Both seas receive their water from the same source, yet they are completely different. The Sea of Galilee is a beautiful freshwater lake teeming with many kinds of fish and other living things. The Dead Sea is so salty that nothing can live in it except some microscopic bacteria. The water is nearly 35% salt, making it so dense that people can easily float on it, as my niece Nancy enjoyed doing.

Water entering the Sea of Galilee has an outlet at the other end of the lake, so there is a continual influx and outflow of moving, “living” water. When water enters the Dead Sea, however, because the sea is so low, like a giant hole in the ground, it has no outlet streams. Water comes in, but can’t flow out. As it evaporates, it leaves behind salt and other minerals.

This contrast illustrates an important truth for our lives. God has blessed us to be a blessing to others. When we try to hold onto what He has given us, we become stagnant and lifeless, like the Dead Sea. But when we allow the blessings– money, love, wisdom, whatever God has given us – to flow through us to others, we are like that living water, full of life. To find ourselves in a continual flow of blessings, we need an outlet.

Jesus said it this way: “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full — pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back” (Luke 6:38 NLT).

Co-Inky-Dinkys (As My Dad Called Them)

July 25, 2015

Do you believe in coincidences? Einstein called them God’s way of choosing to remain anonymous. While I agree that God is involved in every so-called coincidence, I don’t believe He wants to remain anonymous. In fact, I think He loves it when we recognize and acknowledge His hand in our lives.

Last winter I spent two months in a 55+ community in Arizona (residents call it the park). I rented a cello so I could play music with my niece who lived nearby. When I first arrived, I casually mentioned in a conversation with God how cool it would be if there would be someone in the park who I could play music with as well as with my niece. Then I promptly forgot I had said it.

A few days later, I visited the park’s writers’ group. Each member read something she had written. One woman, Kaylynn, read the New Years letter she had written to family and friends, in which she mentioned that she and her husband played in a local orchestra. As we were leaving the meeting, I asked her what instrument she played. “Oh, I play the viola,” she answered.

“Oh really?” I said. “Well, I play the cello.”

“Oh my goodness,” she replied. “I’ve been praying for another string player in the park to play music with. Would you like to get together sometime?”

During the two months I was there, we discovered many things in common beside our interest in music and writing. God had provided a friend who brought much pleasure to my days there. Was that a coincidence? Well, she had almost decided to read something else that made no mention of her music playing, but at the last minute felt prompted to read the New Years letter.

Had she not chosen to read that, we could have gone the whole two months without discovering our mutual interest, missing out on a very rewarding friendship. Instead, we got to be the answer to each other’s prayers. How cool is that? And we did not let God remain anonymous. We told many people about how He had brought us together. No such thing as a random co-inky-dinky!

Alan’s Favorite Scripture

July 20, 2015

“Count it all joy brethren when you encounter various trials” (James 1:2). For years my husband, Alan, had a problem with that verse. He couldn’t understand why we were supposed to be joyful when we came upon a trial. It didn’t make sense… until one day God showed him that every time we encounter a trial, we are really encountering an opportunity to choose whether to walk in the Spirit (do what God’s Word says), or walk in the flesh (do it our own way).

With each trial that presents itself we can rejoice – not over the trial, but over the opportunity to choose how we will respond to it. Once viewed from this perspective, the verse became one of Alan’s favorite scriptures, although I would be lying if I said either of us ever came to enjoy the trials themselves! Or that I always respond to trials this way.

These choices confront us continually. How do we react when someone hurts or offends us? Do we choose to forgive, as the Bible says, or do we harbor resentment and take offense? When the clerk at the grocery store, or the person behind us in line, is cranky, do we respond with kindness or try to think of a great come-back to put her in her place? When someone needs our help, do we lend a hand, or are we “too busy?” You get the idea.

Every time we make that choice to walk in the Spirit, we are allowing God to “show up” in the situation, and we grow in patience and perseverance (James 1:3-4). No matter what happens to us, it is always up to us to choose how we will respond. So, let’s count it all joy!