Monthly Archives: September 2009

Discipline

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I’m a disciplined person. It’s a trait that I developed early in life. I recognized the rewards for being disciplined and trying harder. If I tried harder in school, I was rewarded with better grades. If I exercised more and longer, I lost weight. If I worked longer hours at work, I received recognition from my bosses. I’ve learned that hard work and discipline bring rewards. This personality trait is helpful in so many ways.

It’s also harmful to my emotional well being at times. There are things in life that don’t change no matter how much I apply myself to a situation – no matter how disciplined I am. My subconscious believes that the harder I work at getting someone to like me, the more they’ll like me. Well, that’s just not the case. I also subconsciouly believe that if worker harder or longer, I will achieve perfection. Ridiculous. My disciplined nature has become a curse in some respects because I can’t distinguish between those situations where discipline and hard work will lead to a reward versus just making me crazy.

In my faith walk, being disciplined is both good and not so good. I am disciplined to set aside time every morning for Bible study and prayer – this has brought me closer to God, helped me learn scripture and understand his standards for living. No matter how much harder I work at spiritual pursuits, however, I can never earn my salvation. That’s already been accomplished through Christ’s death on the cross. I can try harder to fully understand God’s love for me but even that can’t be forced or learned. I could volunteer for every church activity and participate in every Bible study, and yet they won’t help me know God’s heart. I need to listen to God’s voice and yield to the Holy Spirit to convert my head knowledge into a heartfelt understanding of God’s love. When it comes to God, sometimes the most important thing I can do is…nothing. That might be the hardest thing ever for someone who’s used to persistently working harder and longer.

“Be still, and know that I am God;” Psalm 46:10

God’s protection sometimes goes unnoticed

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It’s taken me a while to write about this situation. I needed time to process all that happened and all that could have happened.

On a recent trip to SD, Greg was seriously injured in a riding accident. It was the result of several unintended consequences all coming together at once. Sadly, he came off his horse onto a pile of rocks, beneath a barbed-wire fence in which his horse was tangled. By the time the dust settled, he had four broken ribs, a punctured lung and a cracked vertebrae.

In looking back, I now see that God’s hand was protecting Greg through the wreck. I’m sure some of you may be thinking that if God had been really watching out for Greg, the situation would never had happened in the first place. I understand. Let’s unwrap both sides of the argument.

Now it’s obvious that God had been protecting Greg. First, a man that was riding with us that day was a former EMT. I had no idea what to do when the accident occured nor did the rancher for whom we were working. That morning I wondered where that stranger had come from; later that day I was thanking God that he was there. He kept Greg from passing out and going into shock until we were able to get him out of the canyon in which we were working.

Second, the place at which the accident occurred was the only place all day where we could drive a truck in and out. An hour earlier and we would have needed a helicopter.

Third, I know God was watching over him because the horse stepped on Greg’s rib cage. Yes, he has four very painful, broken ribs right now. But, had that horse stepped on him three inches to the right, he would have stepped on his internal organs. Three inches north and the horse would have stepped on his heart. You tell me – how lucky was he?

Now, for those of you thinking that if God had really been watching out for Greg the accident would not have happened, I must say that I prefer that it hadn’t taken place. God, however, has a purpose in the accident. Can I tell you what that purpose is? Not with 100% certainty. Perhaps this is what was needed to cause the horse’s owner to sell that horse before it hurt someone worse? Perhaps God is using this event to cause Greg to do some soul-searching in his life. Perhaps God was sending me a wake-up call to realize how important Greg is to me? That moment of panic when I saw the horse step on Greg is one I’ll never forget. He may be working in other ways that we may not yet see. In time, we will.

Friends, Greg’s accident is a reminder to me how we take our loved ones for granted and we also take for granted that we know our horses. Please, please, please remember that as much as we think we know our horses, they can always do something unexpected. And more so, please tell your loved ones how much they mean to you. Try not to take them for granted — ever.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Amy

Unscheduling – Part 2

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I feel the need to elaborate on my unscheduling post of a few days ago.

The idea of unscheduling — or at least slowing down — has been a recurring effort in my life, particularly in the past year and a half. Perhaps you’ve made attempts to slow down periodically as well.

I started taking Fridays off from work around Memorial Day 2008. Originally, I saw the day as my time to focus on writing for God. That worked for a while. Pretty soon, however, work started crowding into that time. And errands. And personal appointments. The rest and renewal I had hoped would come from a day of writing got set aside to accommodate my busyness and my persistent need to please others. I would work on Fridays because it was inconvenient for clients or work colleagues to plan for my absence on Fridays. I would run errands on Fridays because it was more convenient when the stores were not as busy as they are on the weekends. My time with God slipped away – it crowded out by the world. So, I’ve started putting the boundaries back up. I’ve consciously stopped scheduling things for Fridays. It feels good – good for my relationship with God and others, and good for my personal well being.

About 6 to 9 months ago, I tried another tactic to find some peace and sanity. A slave to my schedule, I had noticed week after week when every evening on my schedule was filled with activity — all activities I thought important. I was living  - no, existing – at a frenetic pace. As the weeks went on, I grew weary and crabby to the point of having a complete meltdown by the weekend. The busyness of my schedule made me crazy. So, I started scheduling a night at home. (I guess this is contrary to the idea of unscheduling but it’s what I had to do to regain some sense of peace.)  One night, every week, that’s blocked off for me. This little effort has been an immense help at returning some sanity. It gives me the peace to make it through the rest of the week.

Both Fridays off and scheduling a night at home have helped me rearrange my priorities. It gives me time for God and time for myself. They’re times when I can shut out the world and focus on what’s important to me. To get renewed.

If we don’t put up the walls around our schedules, the world will determine our priorities for us. We’ll be plowed under by appointments and things we “should” do. What do you do to make sure you’re giving God and yourself needed time for restoring your spirit and peace? I’m curious to know what works for others.

Unscheduling

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I’m working on unscheduling my life. Sounds appealing, I bet. We’re a scheduled society. Morning ’til night we have activities to consume our days to the point of craziness. Well I’m tired of it and decided it’s time for a change.

For those of you who know me, you won’t be surprised to learn that I’m a very structured, disciplined, regimented person. Everything in my life has a place and a time, at least to me. Work happens during set hours. I exercise every morning before work but after my Bible study. There’s not a lot of room for variation — unless you count biking riding instead of running as variation. There’s also not a lot of room for God to interrupt my plans, to put someone in my day that may need a friend or the voice of truth in their life at that time.

I’m self employed. I set my own hours. In general, I don’t answer to others as long as I meet my clients’ deadlines and expectations. So, in reality, there’s little need for the rigidity by which I live. Why do I hold myself to such structure? I may never know the answer.

Here’s what I do know. Tonight was the first night of unscheduling. I made ratatouille, listened to some soothing instrumental/spiritual music and unwound. Day one, great. Tomorrow is day two.

I know that there will be things that come up that I will have to put on my schedule. I’m realistic, after all. I believe, however, that keeping my schedule as available as possible for what moves me, for what God would have me do, is an important priority day-to-day and in every season of my life. If I schedule every day full or commit to various volunteer or ministry opportunities, I have no latitude for that which God has truly called me. I’m not available for God to use me. He hasn’t called me to answer every call; I need to be available to answer the calls specific to me. I only pray he’ll give me the discernment to know which are for me.

In His Grace,
Amy

Significance of Names

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(c) 2009, Amy S. Lewis

Poco Bueno. Colonel Freckles. Hollywood Dun It. A horse’s name often reveals its ancestry and hopefully the desirable attributes that are passed on from one generation to the next. One could expect the get of these sires to perform to the caliber of their ancestors. So, breeders try to give their foals some derivative of those names into their foals so the bloodlines will be apparent with little investigation. Their names can say a lot about who they are and their heritage.

Our family names also indicate something of our heritage but they don’t indicate anything about our character. Our first names sometimes have historical meaning, however, few of us actually know what that meaning might be. “Amy,” for example, means “beloved.” This speaks to my heart when I think of being God’s beloved daughter.

In the Bible, God gave several people new names that represented who they had become or would become after encountering God. Abram became Abraham, which means “father of many,” because his descendants would be more numerous than the stars in the sky. After wrestling with God along the banks of the Jabbok River (Genesis 32:22-28), Jacob’s name became Israel, which means one who struggles with God. Simon would be called Peter, meaning “the rock.” Peter would be a rock in the early church built on the foundation of Christ.

When we encounter God and become followers of Christ, we have the name “Christian,” which means we represent Christ. Just like descendants of Poco Bueno are expected to perform a certain way, people expect Christians to act according to the Bible, or at least their perceptions of how a Christian should act. Others watch us to see if our behaviors are any different. And they remind us when we’re not different. Christians are thought of being hypocritical because our behaviors don’t align with those that the world perceives appropriate of Christians. It’s a harsh reality of proclaiming our faith. Representing Christ to a watching world is a big responsibility.

But we can’t have it both ways. We can’t profess to be Christians only when it’s convenient or when we’re around other Christians any more than the grandson of Colonel Freckles can ignore his bloodlines. Abram and Jacob could never shed their new names, and we shouldn’t seek to deny our new name either. We should wear it with pride. It’s an honor to associate with Christ. We need to pray that the Holy Spirit will empower us to live up to all that the name Christian suggests.

Questions for reflection:
1. What would your new name mean based on your experience with God, the way you’ve served him or how he plans to use you?
2. How do you expect Christians to behave? How do you respond when they may break from your expectations?
3. In what situations are you less likely to reveal your identity as a Christian? Why? What’s holding you back?

Controlling the Tongue

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I’m reading through the Gospel of John right now. I’m previewing it before I start the nine-month study of the book in BSF. Every time I read and reread the Bible new passages stand out to me. I notice verses that I apparently just glanced over now previously. There were two of those for me this past week.

The first was Jesus’ words to the Pharisees in John 8:26:
“I have much to say about you and much to condemn, but I won’t. For I say only what I have heard from the one who sent me, and he is completely truthful.”

That verse caught my eye because in Hebrews 4:15, we’re told that Jesus faced the same temptations that we do. I’ve struggled with that thought. I wonder, did Jesus really struggle with food as so many of us women do? Was he tempted by drugs or alcohol? But the John verse confirmed for me that Jesus did face the temptation of condemning people with his tongue. He could have spoken judgment and hostility. He controlled his speech though, only speaking the words God gave him. As always, Jesus is our example, this time showing us how to control our speech and how to treat those who treat us poorly. I have a long way to go in living up to his example.

The second verse that jumped out at me recently was John 11:51:
“This prophecy that Jesus should die for the entire nation came from Caiaphas in his position as high priest. He didn’t think of it himself; he was inspired to say it.” (NLT-1986 (not updated version))

This verse caught my eye because the words that Caiaphas spoke also were from God. Just goes to show us that God truly can use anyone for his purposes — even the man that would be largely responsible for Jesus’ death. Not only use him but also give him words to speak.

As I continue to work on controlling my speech, I guess the real lesson is how do I let God control my tongue instead. How can I be more open to him speaking (or not speaking) through me? By yielding to the Holy Spirit. By thinking before speaking. By being quiet when my words might be critical or discouraging.

Ephesians 4:29: “Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.”