What are People Thinking?

Have you ever have one of those experiences that just leave you shaking your head wondering what people are thinking, or if they are thinking?  A while back I had an experience that still leaves me baffled to this day.  I remember it each time I walk past the donut counter at my local grocery store. (Which isn’t as often as the number of times when I stop by the counter unfortunately.) 

It was a normal Sunday morning in that I was off to get the donuts while my family was still asleep.  We gather as church on Sunday afternoons so it allows most of my family to sleep in on Sundays which I might add is a nice change.  I walked up to the store shelf and grabbed a prepackaged dozen of frosted donuts with sprinkles and began making my way to the check out line. As I was walking I noticed some movement in the box so I looked closer.  Sure enough there was a fly trapped beneath the plastic lid.  I made a bee line (or should I say a fly line) for the donut counter to get another box.  Not wanting someone else to get this box without noticing it’s “extra contents”, I took it to the woman at the counter and explained the situation.  To my amazement she asked me if I would like her to mark down the price of the box of donuts with a fly in it.  I gave her what I’m sure was a very strange look, and said “No thanks I think I’ll just get a different box.”  (that does make me think twice about going to the “day old” marked down pastry shelf).

Now before any of you well meaning moms tell me that there are starving children in Africa that would have loved to have that box of donuts fly and all, I want you to know that I’m not unsympathetic to their plight.  But I was not about to pay any amount of money for a fly laden box of donuts. 

The whole story made me think.  In what aspects of my life am I settling?  What areas of my life am I willing to keep doing the same thing on and on because its mostly ok, or because at first glance it lookls good, but upon closer inspection it’s laden with things that have the potential to sicken my life, or hold me back from all that God has destined me for?

In what realms of my life; family, church, work, friendships, am I putting up with the flies because the rest of the situation looks really good?  Don’t get me wrong the answer isn’t necessarily changing of venues, but maybe changing of expectations.  Don’t be willing to settle for just having fun with your kids instead of being willing to deal with some of the tough behavior that you have been tolerating when you know it needs corrected. Don’t be willing to have areas in your marriage where you just don’t go because you or your spouse aren’t willing to talk about it.  Don’t settle for friendships that are merely social in nature with no intimate conversation.  Don’t continue to work a job that you don’t enjoy without making a plan to move up or move out to something better.  Don’t continue to do church or attend church if you aren’t growing closer to God and others as a direct result of what happens when you gather as church. 

Let me liberate you  Jesus said “I have come to set the captive free”  and If He were literally walking the earth today, I believe he would be not only tending to the sick of spirit who are apart from Him lost in their world of sin, but that He would also be tending to the sick of spirit who because of what they have believed about Him, or His church have settled for a life all wrapped up in something that will make them act religious, but that lacks the power that could make them change. (2 Tim 3:5) 

Let me encourage you to do something Godly today and make a decision.  It is one way in which we are created in the image of God that we have the capacity for choice, a free will.  But a free will used only to decide to stay the same when the same is less than God intended for you, can be a toxic thing.  Proacatvity and intentionality are meant to be our friends, not things that will inspire fear or paralyzation.  Spend some time today in your Sunday routine asking the Spirit of Christ within you to highlight areas of your life that He wants you to better steward and then take a step to bring that change about.  For life is too short to settle!!!

Ben Bit the Big One?

About three years ago, a stray cat- barely a year old herself- took up residence in our back yard.  We had gotten rid of our indoor cat due to my youngest son being dreadfully allergic to cats.  Unfortunately, he loves cats very much and seems to be sort of a cat magnet in our neighborhood.  So anyway, it became obvious before long that this stray was pregnant.  Now, I’m not sure what the gestational period for a feline is, but it seemed like only days from the time she started showing before there were five little kittens running through our back yard and she was true to form for a momma cat- off and gone leaving the kittens to fend for themselves.  They all made it through the summer, but as fall approached the most loved one, Beautiful (I didn’t name them), was hit by a car and we found her lying along side of the road with that familiar smushed look.  Several months thereafter, Muffin Berry (I didn’t name the cats) was found frozen along side of our car parked in front of the house, leaving Tuff, Benny, and Shylow (you know!). Shylow went to the pound as a consequence to my kids because they followed her out of the yard and into the alley behind the houses and crossed the street in an unabashed violation of our don’t leave the yard rule.  This leaving Benny and Tuff.  I discovered in the spring that Tuff, much like her mother before her, was starting to show, and because I didn't want to relive this saga over again with a fresh litter of kittens, I took her to the pound as well.  That left Benny.

Benny was the runt of the litter, smaller than all of the rest, one ear bent down and the other sticking up in an almost permanent unbalanced look.  His voice was always scratchy, like he was sickly and about to die, and his naturally smooth stride was interrupted with a limp from a crooked leg that had been broken because my son fell on him while carrying him when he was a kitten.  We have all grown very fond of the scratchy meow he makes while trying to sneak into the house as you open the door to leave.  He has made it through two winters, many a turf defending fight, and a whole lot of tough love from my sons.  As I left for work today, I noticed in the middle of 3^rd Street just off of Topeka Blvd the familiar look of road kill, but this road kill had gray colored long fur and a white belly just as Benny did.  I circled back around to make certain, and even though it is difficult to tell when you can’t see the face, I was pretty sure my fears had been realized. I called my wife to give her the bad news and both of our hearts sank.  Our kids will be very sad. While walking through the Home Depot getting some bids for my window business, I began to think of life lessons from Benny’s short life, and I would like to convey just a couple here.

First off, there is the obvious lesson that the most popular, the fastest, and the best looking  are not necessarily the ones chosen to live the longest, most fulfilled existence.  Even King David was chosen to rule the nation of Israel after all of his other brothers who were stronger, better looking and bigger had been passed over.  God loves to use the foolish things by this world’s standard to confound the wise.  

Secondly, there is the unconditional love factor.  Benny was proof to me that my kids had the capacity to love unconditionally even when they played too rough with him, and he would bite one of them in self defense, they still didn’t get mad. 

Thirdly, he had been to me an example of loyalty.  Every time I came home, almost without fail, he would be there on the porch to meow at me as I would recite to him our own personal catch phrase, “How you been, Ben?”

But the most serious lesson to me was the one the Lord whispered to my heart- that people are far more important than animals.  He lovingly encouraged me to remember to have compassion and empathy for the hurting, abused and broken that cross my path each and every day in our great city. Because He died for them, too. 

After leaving the store I decided to take some time off to bury Benny with my kids' help and use the moment as a teachable moment for my kids regarding the brevity of life.  As I drove toward home, I received a call from my wife, whom I expected to break this horrible news to my kids because moms are just good at that sort of thing.  She said that she had looked out the window towards the smushed gray mass in the street and couldn’t tell for sure if it was Benny when she noticed Benny sitting on the rail of the front porch, guarding his turf and looking all noble.  The last lesson God showed me was be careful not to make assumptions before having all of the facts.  The road kill, on closer inspection, seems to be a rabbit. If you know any one missing a large gray and white rabbit around the 3rd and Topeka area you might forward this blog to them.  Have a blessed day.               

Worry, The Anti-Faith

One of my favorite passages of scripture is found in Proverbs chapter 3.  It tells us to trust God with all our Hearts and not to lean merely on our own understanding.  It promises that if we do this that God will make our paths straight.  I have once again been wrestling with the tendency to worry about where my next paycheck will come from. It's comforting in these times to read what the apostle Paul wrote when he said "why do I keep doing the things that I know I should not do".  In some ways my being self employed has a hidden blessing of helping me not to worry about getting laid off because it happens to me several times a month.  Once I complete a bid for someone my job is finished and in essence they lay me off.  I get more pink slips that most people I know. But once again I have found myself falling into the tendency to worry when I reach the point of not having more work lined up.  It is as if I have to be the one to provide instead of trusting God to do so.  Now I believe it is a fine line we need to do our part to be open to pursuing ideas we have and taking steps of faith when the path is not as clear as we would like it, but we need to remember no matter how straight the path may be we do still have ups and downs.    One of these downs happened to me yesterday as I completed the last know work I had lined up.  I got home and went to the computer looking through want ads regarding income opportunities, trying to make something work if you will.  As I was finding nothing, I was gripped with the fear of how am I going to pay these bills.  Almost as a counter to that thought my phone rang and it was a local number that I did not recognize.  I answered to find it being a new potential customer who was looking at an advertisement that I had placed on the internet over a month ago.  I had pursued the idea to place that ad a month ago with no response since posting it I assumed it was all for not, but just when I needed a new income lead to follow, BAM! the phone rings.  I am going to do my best to keep from acting in anti-faith (worry) for it doesn't benefit me one bit, and seeing my good and loving god come through for me in the ;last minute way builds my faith and beats back my fears.,  He is Good and, He is for me, and I am getting to know Him better with each circumstance I find myself in.