Opinion vs Inspiration

I have opinions. I'm a woman, of course I have opinions! The question is not whether or not I have something to say, it's whether or not I have something I should say. It can be so easy to "know better" about one thing or another, but I have found that as the conversation progresses I am forming an opinion on only part of the truth. As the truth unfolds my opinion changes. Therefore if I had stated my opinion earlier I would have been contributing to a partial truth and fueling something that was illegitimate. So how do I know when I should speak and when I should stay silent? I find that it depends on where my words will direct. If it puffs me up because I'm smarter or wiser or more experienced or whatever then it is time to be silent. If my words direct them to God's Word or His love or grace or peace or to increase their faith...you get the picture, well then it's time to speak. Early in a conversation words are flying and people are processing and there is usually a lot of fluff and not a lot of meat to what is being said. As the dust settles usually the topic is boiled down enough that you can at least get a glimpse at the heart of the issue. That's when the truth begins to emerge and inspiration begins and the heart of the issue can be directed toward God's heart and that is the right time to speak.

Just when you're not ready

I watched the season premier of House. If you haven't seen it and intend to then don't read any further! Anyway, at the end of last season he commits himself to a mental institution due to hallucinations he's having. After detoxing from his drug addiction he demands to be released. The head doctor of the facility tells him he's free to go, but he won't recommend that his medical license be reinstated unless he stays and undergoes therapy. For the majority of the show is House fighting the therapy, but eventually (believe it or not) he submits to it. House goes through an interesting process of self discovery. He has highs and lows through the process but when his world comes crashing down the head doctor tells him he'll write his letter of recommendation. House says he's not asking for pity, he needs help. The doctor then talks him through his perspective of what House has just been through and shows him that it is time for him to move on, he's accomplished what he needed to.

I often think about Bible stories of those whose world has crashed down around them only to be handed their ministy. Peter, after denying Christ. Daniel after losing his home, his family, and even his name. Esther, Joseph, Ruth.... Who am I forgetting? It seems that just when you are not ready for it, the world is handed to you.

Age vs. Maturity

I think some of us, as we age, are afraid to try new things for the fear of looking foolish. It's like a part of us actually believes we are supposed to be good at everything that we are going to be good at because of our age. But being good at something is really only maturity, or experience, in that particular area. Does age really have anything to do with it? Whether you're two, ten, or fifty your ability to play the piano has to do with your experience playing the piano. If you have never touched the piano and attempt to play Bach you are going to look foolish. Just a thought for the perfectionist in you.

"You can get fired for your potential"

I heard this said by a sports announcer and it stuck with me. Presumably it means that you were hired and a salary was set according to your potential. You can't then perform and rate yourself in comparison to others. You can't get by because you aren't failing or just because you are playing. It got me to thinking about the spiritual implications of that. God knows what we are capable of. It doesn't matter where you've been or what you've been through or how old you are, there is no excuse that will suffice because He knows. When you stand at the judgment seat and He asks you why you didn't give it your all, what excuse could possibly hold up?

Interaction please

This blog would be a whole lot more fun if we got some discussion going here. There is an idea that I've been toying with that I'd like you to explore with me. We, the church, are the body of Christ. Wouldn't it seem that God, being God with all his intricacies, would take that metaphor much further than just being the hands and feet? For instance, the heart is a muscle that pumps the blood throughout the body. A quick web search brought me to this:

Blood is the liquid pumped by the heart throughout the body. The cells are produced in the bone marrow.

The chief function of blood is to bring oxygen and nutrients to tissues in the body, and to carry away carbon-dioxide, lactic acid and other waste material. It also transports hormones and other substances between organs and body tissues.

Blood is made up of the following main components:

• Plasma - This is the fluid of blood. It is mostly water, with about 4% proteins including albumin, as well as antibodies, hormones and blood clotting factors.
• Red blood cells - These make up most of the blood cells. They contain a red protein pigment called hemoglobin which combines with oxygen so it can be carried around the body. They also contain the proteins which determine blood types.
• White blood cells - These are part of the immune system, and defend the body against infection.
• Platelets - These are sacks of blood clotting chemicals.

Okay, so if you show some interest I'll give you my thoughts on this metaphor later, but I want your thoughts first.

Blessings

How many blessings are we blind to because we have an agenda? God has really been working on me lately to give up control over my plans. As I've been working on this I've noticed, of course, other people who have the same struggle and what it is costing them. It's so much easier to see it in others, isn't it? Anyway, so what I've noticed is that when you are so focused on what you want you get tunnel vision and can't see what's going on around you. Sometimes it's a relationship that you've wanted to strengthen but you are unknowlingly putting up obstacles to it. Sometimes it is an opportunity or a gift. There are so many good things that you automatically close your eyes to because you are so focused on what you think should happen. I would like to encourage you to take the most important thing you have going on today and give it to God and step back, open your eyes, release your agenda and see what God can do.

Live beyond understanding

Is it possible to live beyond your understanding? I was stuck by this thought as I was marveling at God. I've been a Christian for 27 years now and I am consistently struck with the simple things about God that I've never realized or by things that I've been wrongly taught or that I've misunderstood for all these years. I get so excited and want to grab everyone I can and open their eyes like mine have just been opened and allow my excitement to overflow into them. I am blessed with some wonderful women in my life who love to just soak it all up and find my joy contagious, yet it's obvious that there are things I'm saying that they want in their lives, they just haven't grasped it yet. Is it possible for them to live and walk in the joy and light that I do even though they don't understand it yet? As for myself, as I walk in and experience God's goodness and explore these new revelations I'm thinking yes, it is possible to live beyond your understanding. If we are living according to what we understand of God, then we are putting our faith in our capacity to understand, not in God. We close the door to everything beyond human comprehension. Yes, we can understand that there are miracles without understanding the miracle, but that is still leaving us as judge and jury. If our faith is truly in God then we will put our whole into his hands. Not just our health and finances and salvation, but our dreams and potential and plans and hurts and EVERYTHING!!!

Lost faith

Is there a dream you've left behind? Or something that you used to believe that you've lost faith in? A promise you've given up on? Or a hope that you've allowed to die? You know the saying that it is darkest before the dawn. Many times it looks like it's all over just before you get whatever it is that you're waiting for. Then when it comes you can doubt it, fear it, try to kill it because you stopped believing, or it's not what you thought, or it looks different than you imagined. Losing faith in your hope makes you lose faith in what you know...what you believe...and in yourself. When everything is crashing down on you and it seems as if there is nothing left to do but to give up, then look up. The biggest and best things are things that God gets the glory for, they are things that you have to walk through the fire for, and they are the things that are worth it all.

Chill, baby

Everything's better when you just relax! When you are in the water if you tense up and struggle you sink. That can be reflected in life too. When you tense up and fight you start to sink. When you relax and give it to God your vision clears and you are lifted up. So, relax. Chill out. Things might not be going your way, but if you stop fighting they can start going God's way and things will be much better than you ever could have imagined.

Choosing friends

Most of us seem to choose our friends by who we are comfortable with, who we trust, and who we have something in common with. The problem is that we then keep complaining about the same things. Either we run into the same problems with friends time and time again, or our lives keep taking the same wrong turn, or we just aren't getting what we feel we need to out of life. What if we need a different approach on choosing our friends? Maybe we need to figure out what we need in our lives and find friends who have acheived what we need. For instance if we need more peace in our lives we probably find peaceful people boring and would not be attracted to them as friends. However your life keeps getting turned upside down and you can't figure out why. If you pursued a friendship with someone who has acheived the peace you need it would be uncomfortable at first because you approach you life in different ways. If you make a decision to move past that discomfort and to learn and respect their approach to life, while you may not fully adopt it, you'll learn something incredibly valuable and be so much closer to the life you've always wanted. So what do you need more of in your life and who can you start spending time with to help push you in that direction?

He's not slow

2 Peter 3: ⁹ The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

How many times do we glare at God when we are talking to Him, scolding Him for taking too long to do what He's promised. For some reason we are thinking that He's missed it, or that we see something He doesn't, or that He's forgotten and needs to be reminded.

We can be so foolish and small minded and forgetful. Has He ever missed it? Ever been wrong? Ever needed our input? Has he ever failed us? Have we ever looked back and said "I told you so" to God? But we nag Him like we know better than He does. Will we ever learn?

Just a thought

If you lived your life following God's will so completely that the devil HAD to stop it, could he? Has he?

Final Destination

Sorry for my absence last week. I'm still not quite sure where this blog should fall on my priority list and last week other things took precedence.

While on vacation I saw the latest Final Destination movie. In case there is someone out there who is unfamiliar with the concept it is a series a movies where in the beginning someone dreams or has a vision of an upcoming disaster where they and those around them die. They suddenly "wake up" disoriented and experience what they just saw in the dream/vision and do everything they can to protect themselves and others from experiencing what they just saw and now are convinced is about to happen. There is much more to the movie, but for the sake of this post I'm going to stop there.

My thought for the day is this: Isn't the Bible our revelation of disaster that is going to strike and kill us and those around us? I realize that most of you reading this blog have already done what you need to in order to protect yourself, but have you forgotten or neglected the urgency to do what you can for those around you?

You have to let them see

We all have things inside of us that we want others to value. Whether it's the ability to lead or a heart to care for others or something else, we all have something to give, and we all have a need to have it validated. The thing is the thing that we need to have validated most can be the thing that we are most protective of and hide. Or we think it should be obvious to others. Or we think they should just take our word that we're good at it. Here's the thing, if they need what we have to offer we must presume that there is a problem that needs to be solved. The bigger the problem the greater the need.

Let's look at this as a sickness that needs a cure. If you are sick you go to someone you trust to have a solution. The severity of the illness directly corresponds with credentials you'll require for you to trust them. Let's say it's just a headache. You already know what you need so the credentials required aren't great, so you just call out "Hey, I have a headache! Does anyone have anything?" Someone walks up to you and hands you some pills. Aren't you still going to ask to see the bottle? What I'm saying is that if what you have to offer isn't being used and valued in the way that you hoped there are a few things you need to consider. Are you guarding it too closely? Have you let others know you have a possible cure? Have you shown it to them? Have you allowed them to sample it on their terms? You're looking at it as a service, they are looking at it as the health of something they care about.