Are you "working God" or letting God work in you?

I think, a lot of times, people try to "work" God... instead of letting Him "work" in them. You know, like when people try to "work" the system? I hate that. In the long run, it only hurts. Not only the individual, but eventually groups of people, communities and even societies are affected. But that is for another day. Right now, I want to ask you a question.

Are you working God or letting God work in you? Hey, think about it. I'm serious. I believe a majority of Christians are more focused on "working God" than letting Him work in them. Why do I say that? Well, let me ask you another question. Do you have to be in control of situations? No? Is that why you get terribly upset when things don't go your way? The fact of the matter is: most of us want to be in control of our lives.

To live this life is both extremely easy and incredibly difficult at the same time. Why? I believe the main reason is because we can't let go. To acknowledge God as our creator is - in our estimation - our way of doing God a big favor. I've got news for you. He doesn't need any favors from us. However, He would like to love us and knows that if we completely trusted Him and actually believed and incorporated His promises into our daily lives, well - life would fall into the "extremely easy" category.

The hard part of living in this world isn't due so much to life circumstances, as much as it is our difficulty in letting God work in us as He works through us. Instead, we "work God" as we attempt to bring Him down to our level.

What does that look like for you? I'll tell you what it looks like for me on Monday.

It Just Ain't Natural!

The truth is... life will oftentimes require us to do something that isn't in us to do, naturally. Are consequences always bad? No, of course not. However, in order to experience consequences that we want, well, we usually have to pay for it in some way. But can we? Some people will suggest self-sacrifice. Perhaps a willingness to love the unlovely. What about forgiving those who wrong you?

Those are all good points and are things that we can even "do"...for a while. If you are in a really good frame of mind and are emotionally in high gear, chances are good that you will be able to "pull yourself up by your bootstraps"...and "get crackin". Sigh... yes, you who know me well- recognize that sigh, don't you?

So what point am I trying to make? My point is simply that I don't have the strength to continue applying all those good things that were mentioned in the first paragraph. I can only "self-sacrifice" for so long. My love for people is strong, but sometimes I just don't 'have it in me'. And forgiving? Well, I'm supposed to... but where do I get the strength? Let's see, doesn't the Bible say we should basically always be in forgiveness mode? Yes, it does. As a matter of fact, it refers to those very good traits as the Fruits of the Spirit...not the fruits of man.

Bottom line is: I can't do it in my own strength, indefinitely. But the Holy Spirit in me can... and He will direct me to people or into circumstances that will help me when He chooses. The Holy Spirit can do these things because it is natural for Him to be, well, Supernatural. But for us...

It Just Ain't Natural!

Truth or Consequences?

Did any of you watch that game show? Gee, it is so difficult for me to remember. I suppose I vaguely have some distant memories of repeats. I am only 25, after all. Just kidding. What I do remember of the show, however, is that is was fun. Basically, people had to answer a question truthfully or experience consequences that were rather entertaining for the viewer. Unfortunately for us "real world people" we have had to experience, more than likely, the fact that consequences in real life aren't always very fun. We'll talk more about that later.

Suffice it to say, we know that we'll experience consequences if we don't acknowledge the truth in our lives. But what is the truth? Well, Jesus said "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father except through Me." John 14:6

You see, Jesus is either who He said He is, or He is a liar or lunatic. Either you believe Him or you don't. Sorry, but good men don't lie. Oh, and please don't elevate Him to the level of a prophet. Unless, of course, you think it's natural for prophets to lie and call themselves the Creator of the Universe.

Jesus Christ is often referred to as "The Rock". Well...

You can't throw a rock in a pond without causing ripples. The Rock is the Truth. The ripples are the consequences. So what do we really want in our lives?

Truth... or consequences?

The Whiner Diner

Yeah, I confess. Sometimes I would just like to go someplace and eat and eat. Comfort food. I would call the restaurant the "Whiner Diner". The only problem is that nobody really wants to listen to you whine. Sigh. I know it doesn't do any good to complain. Does anybody out there ever feel like me? I mean, I know I could talk to God... but sometimes I want to talk to someone with skin. Someone I can see. I hate constantly telling my woes to my husband... and I'm sure he hates hearing my sad stories. Hey, I'm just a little tired of it myself. So. Since there is nobody to talk to, I'll talk to this blog.

Well, I've had "frozen shoulder" for about 6 months now. It's painful, the mobility of my arm has decreased greatly, I've been told it could take up to 3 years to "get better". Sigh... exercise might speed up the healing process... but I'm getting so tired of having to be self-disciplined constantly. What else? Oh. I just got a poison oak rash. I'm very allergic to it. Simple things never help, which is why I stopped all hiking about 15 years ago. The smoke from a campfire will carry with it the fumes of poison oak and it's all over for me. Finally, after 15 years I had the audacity to go camping for one day and night... and now I have poison oak. What else? Well, my neck is constantly hurting. I keep loosing hair (I'm feeling like a dog with a major shedding problem), I gained 26 pounds in 3 months and can't seem to loose it... in spite of the fact that I eat meager meals. (Please don't tell me to eat lots of small meals. I know that.) Consequently, I can only fit into one pair of jeans now - and they are uncomfortably tight. Whine, whine, whine. Those are just at the forefront of my mind at the moment. The skin cancer on my face was removed almost two years ago... with the exception of continual scar tissue that decided to take up permanent residence of the left side of my face. Joy.

Alas, I think I should close the "Whiner Diner"...not for lack of business, as I'm sure many people would come... at least once. They may not want to come back, however, since the thing that most people want would be missing. What is that? People who would listen. Compassionate people who care about others more than themselves.

Hmmm... maybe you and I should become one of those people? What do you think?

Pricey Perspective...

Who ever heard of a "pricey perspective?" What's that supposed to mean, anyway? Well... think about it. I bet you'll come to the same realization that I did. I mean, we all have different perspectives. Different ways of looking at things, right? Unfortunately, many times our perspective or view of a situation can be faulty... and therefore "pricey", because it cost us our peace of mind, if nothing else. So what are the reasons we have different perspectives?

I'll share a few ideas I thought of, but I welcome your thoughts. I am, after all, just one person.

First of all, I (for example) don't have just one perspective. I have many different perspectives at different times, for different reasons. So what are they?

1) Personality type. Okay, that's a big one. Like it or not, we are all very unique. There are various ways of "branding" personalities, but my favorites are... well, how about if I talk about that in another blog? For now, we will just acknowledge that we have different personalities that come into play when we view situations.

2) Circumstances. Don't tell me that doesn't affect your perspective! (Ex: Got up on the wrong side of the bed; got a bonus at work; somebody complimented and encouraged you;etc.etc.)

3) Physical Problems. You're sick...as in ill. Maybe it's "that time of the month". Perhaps you have PMS (Hormone fluctuations), maybe you have chemical imbalances that the doctor has diagnosed. The list goes on...

4) Faith. When you believe in Christ and He accepts you into His family (and He accepts anyone who asks) your perspective changes when your focus stays on Christ. It makes a world of difference. What was horrible can become bearable and even good when we refocus our perspective and remember God's perspective. "And He causes all things to work together for good, for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

We all have perspectives, but they don't have to be pricey!

Witness: The Living Martyr

Okay, okay... you think I'm going to talk about people who live like victims. Nope. How about, instead of having you guess what I'm going to say, I just tell you? Isn't that just a great idea?
I thought you'd think so. Well, I suppose I could start out by telling you that the martyr thought did cross my mind when I wished I could die. But, I must say, that's not really martyrdom. That's just wanting to escape pain and hoping that death would bring relief. Been there, done that. Well, obviously I didn't complete the process or I wouldn't be here right now. Anyway. We were talking about martyrs.

I always thought a true martyr was someone who died for their faith. Did you know that the Greek word for martyr is actually, "witness"? Yeah. Witness. Technically and originally, the process of bearing witness was not intended to lead to the death of a person, although that was oftentimes the result. As time passed and more and more people died for their faith, the word "martyr" was equated with a person who endured suffering and/or death on account of the witness they held for their religious belief.

But think about it. In the original Greek form, the word simply meant: Witness. My question for myself and for you is, "Are we martyrs, right now?" "Are we witnesses for our faith?" We can be, but do we choose to be a...

Witness: A Living Martyr

Action or Reaction?

A few days ago, we were talking about reaction. I asked you to think about what that might be for you. Some people react by drinking, doing drugs or acting out in some other negative way. For me, I realized my "reaction" took a different form. Repression of my emotions and withdrawal from the world were two of my reactions. For the most part I was not even aware that I was doing that.

So I have a question. As a Christian, aren't I a new creation in Christ? Of course. That doesn't mean that I am no longer affected by sin in this world. We all are, whether we want to believe it or not.

So. Life happens. We react. What next? Well, first we acknowledge that we reacted in the first place and understand what form that reaction took. Hey, if you can do that... you've won half the battle. But what about the other half?

Let's recap. Life happens. We react. We acknowledge that reaction. According to Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr.John Townsend, in their book "Boundaries"... once you have acknowledged that reaction, you are freed up to be pro-active. At last your actions can become positive.

Reactive victims are known for their negative view of themselves and others—they complain that others are against them or have taken away their rights. Proactive people don't demand rights, they live them, but they communicate their needs and desires with love and faith. The ultimate expression of power is love; it is not the ability to express power, but to choose to restrain it.

Your action as a proactive person results in the ability to love others as yourself...to be able to die to self and not return evil for evil. In this state of mind I no longer live negatively, reacting to life as a victim.

Will it come back? Most likely. But now it is easier for me to identify when I am "reacting". And what do we prefer?

Action or Reaction?

Sunday's View

Need to review your view?

www.therocksandiego.org/messages/2010-04-11/

Way Out!

I saw this a while ago and thought I would hold onto it. Thought it was thought provoking. What do you think?

Philosophy says: THINK your way out;
Indulgence says: DRINK your way out;
Science says: INVENT your way out;
Industry says: WORK your way out;
Communism says: STRIKE your way out;
Fascism says: BLUFF your way out;
Militarism says: FIGHT your way out;
The world says: ENTERTAIN your way out;
 
But Christ says: I AM the way out!

What's Your Reaction Action?

The other day I was talking with a bunch of people about the importance of the "reaction stage". Huh? So, what's that? Bottom-line, it is usually seen as a time in a persons life when they "explode". Pent up anger or some type of negative emotion finally decides to "unpent". The person may release their rage through drugs, alcohol, or acting out in some negative fashion.

I was pensive as I sank deep into my chair and contemplated my growing up years. Why hadn't I experienced this "reactive" stage that is supposed to be so typical and even somewhat necessary in the normal development of a person that has experienced an accumulation of past difficulties? Was there something wrong with me? (BTW, those are the kind of thoughts that I plague myself with many a day... which must be one reason why I long for sleep). So, back to the question. Am I normal? Why didn't I have a reactive stage?

Then, not one... but two light bulbs went off in my head. Wanna know what hit me like a lightning bolt? I didn't have one reaction - I had two. My first realization was when it dawned on me that withdrawal from the world is a reaction. Call it silence or passive aggressive behavior. But yes, my reaction was to refrain from action. To withdraw from a world that had hurt me. I repressed all my emotions at an early age. Withdrawal and repression formed my first reaction. It could be yours, too.

Second revelation... or reaction. I realized that when I finally began to understand emotions and feel again - my emotions exploded and ruled my every action. Do emotions rule your actions as well?

All this to ask you... "What's Your Reaction Action"?