Choose the Better Way

(Unsplash: Burst)

I know better. 

I know better than to go my own way, no matter how right it seems to me. When I surrendered my life to God, I gave the gift of choice back to Him in acknowledgment of His sovereignty over my days. But I still have such a hard time letting go of control. 

Part of the problem is that the way I want to take not only seems right to me, but to other people, as well. I fear their reactions to my (God’s!) decision to act another way. I dread their disappointment in me. 

That right there is the problem… once again putting fear of man over fear of God. Shouldn’t it be more important that God is pleased with me than that my friends are? I have no greater Friend than He. What He says goes, whether I understand it, agree with it, or not. I give up my will as a sacrificial offering. The more it costs me, the more valuable it is to Him. 

I am probably overthinking the situation anyway. My friends have more weighty considerations on their minds today than what I’m doing with my time. 

Nowhere in God’s plan for my life is it written that I understand. I think one of the hardest words in the Bible to live out is “trust”. Thankfully, the more you do it, the easier it becomes. 

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV, emphasis mine)

Be the Bird!

(Unsplash: Kevin Cress)

I was cooking dinner when it happened... something hit the deck door window with a bang! Apparently, a red-bellied woodpecker had been feasting at my birdfeeder when something startled it. In its haste to get away, it flew straight into the pane of glass. The force of the collision knocked it to the deck, where it spun around on its back a few times before finally righting itself on the doormat. There it sat, trying to gather itself… and I knew the next few minutes would tell if it would make it or not.

At first it didn’t look so good. His head leaned forward, his beak parted slightly, almost touching the ground, his eyes closed. I went on with my cooking, watching and praying. He seemed to be just sitting there silently, gathering his resources.

Soon there were telltale signs of life. The head lifted a little higher, the beak opened and closed a couple of times. A few more minutes passed and then his eyes opened and he appeared to be more aware of his surroundings. Moments later he was twisting that neck that I feared had been broken, cocking his head in the direction of the birdsong to his left and right.

Does this sound familiar?

Maybe you, too, were happily living your life when you received some news that hit you smack in the face and suddenly turned your life upside down, sending you spinning. But you righted yourself, absorbed the blow, and now are gathering your resources, trying to recover from the shock of it all. I think it’s these first moments that are so telling in what the outcome will be. And what should our response be in moments like these?

“Be still and know that I am God…” (Psalm 46:10 NLT).

Maybe that's what these initial days are about... a chance to remember Whose you are. To regroup, physically, mentally and spiritually. To open your eyes to the support team around you. To cock your head to listen to the voice of God talking to you.

That woodpecker eventually lifted itself off that mat and flew back to the life it loves.

So will you.

 

A Disturbing Diagnosis

 

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

The diagnosis has stunned Brad’s family and friends, who until just two weeks or so ago saw him living his life with all the gusto and joy with which he’s filled his first 30-odd years. Then a bachelor party trip to Talladega to celebrate a friend left him feeling unwell… not an unusual occurrence after a weekend of partying with friends. But the sickness lingered and seemed to worsen instead of lessen, forcing repeated trips to doctors and hospitals… testing… and finally, the dreaded diagnosis.

Fear is a natural response in such a situation. Surprisingly, however, the name of the disease itself offers hope… if only it can be grasped. “ALL” brings a Scripture readily to mind: “And we know that ALL things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28 KJV, emphasis mine).

Every mention of the disease in its abbreviated form will thus be a prophecy…and a reminder from God that whatever happens in upcoming days, the events will unfold according to God’s plan for Brad and his wife. And we know that those plans are good.

So is Brad’s attitude, as a recent text from him shows: "I agree it’s ALL gonna work out.” Amen.

“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)

Choosing the Cat over the Coffee

 

Wednesdays start off a little differently than the other days of the week. I take a weekly medication on that day, first thing in the morning, and I’m supposed to let it “percolate” in my system for those first 30-60 minutes of the day before eating, drinking or letting anything else pass between my lips.

It’s the coffee I miss… that first morning mug of java, hot and fresh, a delight to my body physically while feeding my soul spiritually during my regular devotional time. I find myself watching the clock to see when I can hit the button on my Keurig and let its life-giving, mood-lifting juices flow!

But sometimes it happens that the pets have cuddled close to me on the bed during that waiting period, and when “go time” arrives, I’m loathe to disturb them just to get up and get the caffeine I crave. It’s not the dog so much, who sleeps to the right of me as I sit propped up against the headboard of my bed, my books scattered around me. It’s the cat who sleeps in blissful repose either tight along my left leg or (as now), sprawled across my lap.

Sometimes I simply choose the cat over my coffee. As desperately as I crave the latter, even more do I love the former… the feline who chooses to spend tie with me as I do the same with God. In a myriad of ways today, we’re all grateful once again for the gift of choice!

“This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him….” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20 NIV)