January 2009

Lauren Fletcher

January 2009

Week 1: Keeping New Year’s Resolutions - Is it Possible?
Week 2: Getting out of Your Funk
Week 3: Whoa

Week 1: Keeping New Year's Resolutions - Is it Possible?

Several years ago, I determined to conquer my chocolate addiction. I opened up a bag of chocolate kisses and placed the pieces of candy in groups on the counter. The first group of chocolate kisses contained the number I, not the nutritional information on the bag, considered a serving. The second group contained one less piece of chocolate, the third group contained one less than the second group, and so on. The last bag contained one or 2 chocolate kisses. You get the picture. I placed each group in a zip lock bag, with the intention of allowing myself one zip lock bag a day of chocolate. By the last day of my chocolate withdrawal rehab plan, I would eat only one chocolate kiss and would be cured. This was my goal and the method by which I planned to achieve it.

Now, here is what actually happened. Days 1, 2, and 3 went fine. Something in my day did not go perfectly on Day 4 and I ate the contents of every remaining zip lock bag. As I looked at all the empty zip lock bags on the counter, I thought, “This is an impossible goal to reach!” Now, three years later and more than several pounds lighter, I found it was actually not unattainable.

So, why wasn’t I initially successful? My plan didn’t work because I really was not ready to give up chocolate. I wanted to be ready, but I didn’t really desire change, yet. However, when I came to the place where my clothes didn’t fit and I felt sluggish from eating too much sugar, the real desire for change came. It is amazing how long we will tolerate the misery of that which is difficult to change.

John 5:2-9 tells about a man who had experienced an “infirmity” for thirty-eight years. The word infirmity means feebleness of body or mind. This particular man was lying near a pool waiting for certain conditions to take place and hoping to be healed. Jesus saw him lying there. Read for yourself the question that He asked.

“When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?" (John 5:6 NKJV).

When Jesus was conversing with people, He typically went right to the root of the problem. The bottom line was that this man needed to decide if he really wanted to be free of his “infirmity.”

The man’s reply is interesting.

^“The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me" (John 5:7 NKJV).

This man had two excuses - imperfect circumstances and people who stood between him and his blessing. Sound familiar?

Jesus didn’t address either excuse because when He is present and active in a situation, those excuses are mute. They aren’t legitimate because, with Him, nothing is impossible. Our victory is not dependent on a perfect day. Our victory is also not dependent on the actions of other people.

Read how Jesus responded to His excuses.

“Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk. And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked …” (John 5:9 NKJV).

Were you expecting for Jesus to sympathize with the man over the misfortune of his condition, his circumstances, and his unfortunate experience with the other people who kept getting ahead of him? Were you surprised when Jesus simply told the man to get up.

No amount of verbal empathy alone would have healed the man. The man needed a new mindset and a new approach, which involved assuming responsibility for himself. No one could take that step for him. He, alone, was responsible for getting up, regardless of the circumstances and people surrounding him. He had to respond positively to what Jesus wanted to do in His life and then, make the effort to take a step.

Jesus also commanded him to take his bed with him. Can we assume he would no longer be spending his time in the spot that reminded him of the 38 people that had gotten ahead of him or of the 38 years of misery he had spent lying there?

Consider one area of your life where you have needed change for 1, 10, or maybe even 38 years, and ponder these questions:

1. Do you REALLY want change? Are you receptive to what God can do in your life?

2. Are you blaming your lack of victory on circumstances or people?

3. Do you mistakenly believe that your solution lies solely in sympathy or help from others?

4. Are you willing to use God’s Word as your guide and take the steps, by faith, that you need to take?

As I mentioned last week, God’s grace is sufficient. If you are receptive, God will do His part in your situation, and you will be expected to take the steps He instructs you take, knowing that He will provide the grace and strength you need.

I pray this will be the year you will believe God for change in that situation or circumstance in your life that is crippling you in some area. You don’t have to live in misery for 38 years. Today can be the day you begin moving in a new direction!

The blow dryer on the bathroom counter of our hotel room this past weekend did not look like ours, but I knew that it was because my husband had just unpacked it and placed it there. I recognized the design, but not the color. The dryer on the counter was dark green and ours was gray, or so I thought. What a drastic difference in color lighting can make!

Apparently, we do not have enough light in our bathroom at home because we weren’t even aware of the dryer’s actual color. We also didn’t realize that we weren’t seeing things as they really are. We have become very accustomed to, and comfortable with, the level of light in our bathroom. Lack of light is deceptive that way. Sometimes, we mistakenly think we already have all the light we need.

What does this have to do with the temporary “funk” many find themselves in after the holidays and in the midst of a sun scarce winter?

Light, or lack of it, determines how you see things. How you see things shapes your perception of reality and therefore, your response to it.

Are you looking at the circumstances of your life in the best possible light? Spiritually and practically speaking, the Bible provides the light we need.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105 NKJV).

We must always be open to as much light as possible from this outstanding, infallible source. Suppose that when I told my husband that our blow dryer was actually green, he had refused to even look at it in the context of the room with greater light. What if he had said firmly, “I am not going to waste my time looking at what I already know is not true.” We must always be open to the greater light that God’s Word provides. I have been reading the Bible for many years now and still, God is revealing new and deeper insights to me through His Word.

Try looking at your fear, worry, despair, discouragement, and hopelessness in the light of what the Bible says about your situation. Maybe you are not sure where in the Bible you could find help. Go to www.biblegateway.com and do a keyword search of any word connected with your current challenge.

One reference that you can add to any search is found in Jeremiah 32:27.

"Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?” (Jeremiah 32:27 NKJV).

It’s not enough, however, to simply look at what the Bible says about your situation. That truth must be believed and embraced. It must actually become a part of your belief system. Then, when someone else tries to look at your circumstance in the light of their opinion, you can confidently be assured that they are simply not looking at it in the best light. If someone were to try to convince me now that my blow dryer is gray, I would simply respond, “It only appears that way. I have seen the true color of my blow dryer in better light than you are now seeing it.”

“The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple” (Psalm 119:130 NKJV).

The word “entrance” refers to an opening or doorway. If you make a conscious decision to allow God’s Word to enter your heart, light will also enter and a new perception and understanding will come with it. Proverbs 15:30 describes the chain reaction that naturally follows.

“The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, And a good report makes the bones healthy” (Proverbs 15:30 NKJV).

When you allow God’s light to enter your heart, it will…

shine through your eyes,

bring joy to your heart, and then

health to your body.

God’s penetrating light is so powerful that it affects us body, soul, and spirit. This is just the prescription for someone in a funk. There is a rest and joy that comes with the light that comes from God through His Word. If you don’t have this, you are still not looking at your situation in the best light.

Whatever your circumstance or situation, God loves you very much and wants to comfort you and give you hope, rest, and joy.

I encourage you to go ahead and say, in faith, “… You will light my lamp; The LORD my God will enlighten my darkness” (Psalm 18:28 NKJV).

"Whoa!!"

My husband and I recently enjoyed using a gift certificate that entitled us to a stay at a charming “bed and breakfast” in Amelia Island, Florida. While there, we enjoyed a carriage ride, one of the amenities included in our gift. Those of you who are regular readers are probably anticipating a true story about our carriage being drawn by a runaway horse galloping through a quaint resort area, narrowly missing cars and pedestrians. I want to warn you not to expect anything that dramatic. It may surprise you that some, though not many, experiences in my life are actually normal and occasionally, even slightly dull. I do, however, see valuable lessons in many life experiences, and I found a gem in this one as well. So, keep reading!

While seated on the horse drawn carriage and waiting for someone to arrive, our tour guide chatted with us. Every few minutes, though, the horse started walking without any commands from her. The carriage driver would then pull back on the reins attached to the bit in the horse’s mouth as she spoke a verbal command to which the horse would respond and stop.

The Bible speaks of this process:

^“ …we put bits in horses' mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body … every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:3,7,8 NKJV).

The Bible speaks of success in training animals, but laments the challenge of taming the tongue.

So, what, apart from putting a bit in our mouth, can we do to handle this unruly member that resides in our body?

Here are some very practical suggestions straight from the Bible:

Try this prayer!

“Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips” (Psalm 141:3 NKJV).

Be prepared, however, for what will happen if you ask the Lord to watch and guard your speech. When you become restless and move ahead without the command to do so, you will most likely be very aware of a still small voice saying something similar to “Whoa” and “easy.”

Be so aware of God, He can guide you with “a look.”

“… I will guide you with My eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule, Which have no understanding, Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, …” (Psalm 32:8-9 NKJV).

A parent can control a child with “a look”, but only if the child sees “the look” and responds to it. Be observant of God’s involvement in your life. Let Him guide you with just “a look.”

Start listening and paying attention to what you are saying.

“I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me “(Psalm 39:1 KJV).

We should not give more attention to counting the calories we put into our mouth than we do to counting the cost of the words coming out of it. “Take heed!” In other words, pay attention to your speech habits!!

Do not be fooled!

“If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless” (James 1:26 NKJV).

Without a bit, a bridle, and someone guiding and giving commands, that horse pulling our carriage yesterday would have been useless.

Our enjoyable experience would have been nonexistent.

Bridling that tongue is quite a challenge, but so worth it.

Have a blessed week.

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