Make it Count!

It is amazing how much God speaks to me through my conversations with others. Recently I was having a conversation with a friend who has recently come through some very challenging health situations. This health situation was so severe that should it have gone undetected, he would have died suddenly without warning. Fortunately, he had some minor symptoms and upon investigation the problem was detected, corrected, and removed. Sounds simple huh? Well there were major surgeries, months of rehab and countless changes in lifestyle required to make this healing occur over the course of the last 6 months. All the while this person was off of work and out of commission in his home, many many people picked up the extra work and attended to his needs so he could focus solely on recovery. Suffice it to say it was like a ripple effect. Even my wife, kids and friends sacrificed something for this man because I chose to put in extra hours at work to cover the load of his absence.

Now he is back at work. For all purposes no one would know any different - by observing him - you may assume he doesn't even know any difference. Same attitude, same work performance, but shy a few inches from his waistline. Yet I fear lack of discipline will be this persons demise. You see, the doctors have ordered a strict diet and exercise change to make the healing last. Yet it is disconcerting to me to see that he continues in his old ways eating the same foods and acting in such a way that nothing ever happened. As I watched him eat, I jokingly chided him about what he was consuming. Then I realized I was more than joking... I was downright upset. But why was I upset? As I analyzed it I realized I was upset because I felt cheated. I personally sacrificed for his recovery. Even my family - indirectly - sacrificed for his recovery. The Doctors, nurses and rehab workers all sacrificed immensely for his recovery. Not to mention his own wife, kids, family, and other friends... collectively 1000s of man-hours were spent directly and 1000s more spend indirectly to literally save and redeem this man's life from death's early grip. But he seems now not to care. Well, I suppose he cares. At least he says he does. He says the right words. He says "Thank You." And he tells us how reflective he is and how much this has changed his viewpoint of life. Yet words without action seem empty and useless. I mean if it hasn't changed his viewpoint enough that he's willing to alter his diet or exercise then he really hasn't gone through enough of a viewpoint change. At present state, none of the sacrifice really seems to matter.

I decided that I cared enough about this person that I must share my thoughts with him. I told him about my joking... and the honesty behind it. I shared with him the sense of violation I felt not to mention how is wife must feel when she sees his unaltered state of lifestyle choices. My parting words to him were this... "If you really cared about what people did for you while you were laid up and recovering, don't just tell us... show us. Make it count by changing your behaviors."

As I heard myself say these words it was as if the Holy Spirit descended upon me, took control of my mouth, and opened the ears of my heart. He was saying to me... "don't just tell me you're thankful for my Son's sacrifice... show me. Make it count by changing your behaviors." Needless to say, I've been wrestling with the Spirit the last few days trying to Make it Count... by changing my behaviors to show HIM I'm eternally grateful!

God bless my friends... please pray for my friend as well that in this temporal world, he will make the choices necessary to show the others he is thankful for their sacrifice.

The Disappointment of Rejection

Recently someone I really admire stepped out in faith trying to make a difference in the world. This person decided to open their home to a member of their family who came from lesser circumstances and offered them a new way of life. This nephew was provided with free room and board, a credit card of his own, a new car, a sizable monthy allowance for spending money, all in a surban environment to finish their high school years in a 4 star school system. Now the nephew was asked to sign a contract of sorts. The agreement was that he had to maintain a certain GPA, have some daily tasks within the household like lawn mowing and putting away his own laundry. Suffice it to say it wasn't a "free ride" but it was a chance to hone his self-discipline skills and excape some of the entitlement mentality he'd been raised with. Additionally, my friend even made the incentive offer that upon graduation with a successful GPA, he would pay for the first 2 years of college! This seems like too good of an offer to be true doesn't it!

Now let me take you to the end of the story. The nephew has moved out and rejected the lifestyle (and its ammenities) that were offered to him. Why is that? Because the discipline it required was too great and his pension for immediate pleasure trumped the perceived benefits of the offer made to him. Witnessing the disappointment of my friend is really disturbing. He was trying to do right and make a difference, but someone told him "no" to his offer.

Why am I even talking about this here? Well it was a great spiritual application for me.

1. On one level, how many people have rejected the life-giving gift of Jesus and all the rewards that come along with it. And how must God feel when His children reject his gift? I'm sure He's much more heartbroken than my friend - as it's not just a lifestyle decision, it truly is a life or death decision His children are making. When He was willing to give it all - and pay for our life - not just college - how disappointed He must feel when we arrogantly say no because of immediate pleasure seeking.
2. On a second level, how many times have I rejected God's daily offer to help me or to lead me? My arrogance of believing I can do it all myself leads me into daily disappointment. When my task list remains at the end of the day I'm disappointed because I'm not productive as I planned. And even when it is completely checked off, I may have never accomplished a single thing that God wanted me to that day. How disappointing is this?

If you have never accepted God's gift or if you have blatantly rejected it... I urge you to realize you - like my friend's nephew - may be passing up on the deal of a lifetime... literally.

Secondly, if you have already accepted this gift, join me in realizing every day is set aside with the perfect amount of time to accomplish what God instructs us to... but maybe if you find your self out of time... you (like I) may have rejected God's offer to help us order our days.

Either way... you can avoid being a disappointment... will you?

Day 88 - Nearly the End!

OK... so I haven't been good about posting as I'm reading but I am nearly finished with this 90 day reading schedule and have nearly completed the Bible in 90 days! It has been amazing and fast. I must admit I don't enjoy this rate of consumption and it has occasionally given me indigestion. I need to slow down, to chew on it and sometimes return to it several times before I officially feel full.

After reading the Bible cover to cover I don't presume to be able to summarize everything God has taught me... but here are a few.

• HE can always be trusted.
• HE will always provide for my needs (but not always my wants).
• ALL things work together for His purposes... ALL Things!
• HE is always speaking to me... it is me who chooses to listen (or not!)
• I really stink at relational prayer with God... though I'm quite good at giving him my list of demands!
• Though the world seems out of control right now... HE is always in control.
• I need Him... now, today and every day!

One of the disciplines I've enjoyed from this experience is the process of journaling on-line. This blog has been an accountability tool (Thanks Dr. Matt for keeping me honest and on track) as well as a self-reflection exercise. I've always been told to speak as if you're being recorded and write as if it may be published... in some regards this is the purpose of this journal. I am being recorded and published and most importantly I'm pouring my thoughts out to God and his image(s) here on Earth - which is YOU!

For that reason, I've changed the name of my blog.... You'll notice it is not called "Hearing God's Voice." The 90 days may have ended... but God has so much more to say... Stay Tuned. He's only just begun.

August 12 - Day 79

If you are reading this and seeing the amazing gap between July 27 and now you'll realize I haven't done very good about keeping up with blog posts. Something about international travel, jetlag, returning to the routine AND preparing for Baby #3 has just not afforded me the mindspace I needed.

Reflect on that last comment... how often to you find yourself saying things like this? I once heard a speaker talking about economics... and he was talking about the shift in consumerism in the postmodern era. His phrase was "people afford what they value." I suppose this captures my heart a little more lately.

You see, I've been keeping up on my reading. I've been doing it religiously. I value completing this goal in the 90 days. Yet, I haven't been doing my reading as a means for relationship - of finding Jesus in my daily time in the Word. If I haven't afforded the mindspace to find a relationship with Him, then I suppose it would mean that I don't value a relationship with Him. And how harsh does that sound?

Harsh but true... lately I've been flying on my own managing most priorities. Yet I always seem to be behind and tired. I don't feel proactive at all nor do I really feel productive. I'm sure it is because I left Him out of it.

A friend recently loaned me a Book on CD which I've listened to intensely over the last few days. It has really helped me realize this void in my life and how easily it was to quit looking for relationship and fall into the way of "religion." I highly recommend it...

http://www.amazon.com/Shack-Special-Hardcover-William-Young/dp/0964729245/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218570588&sr=8-1