When Did My Faith Become So Small and My Excuses so Big?

I believe in total healing. Physical, mental, emotional, spiritual. I have for years. I’ve practically shouted it from the hilltops. Yet I’ve come to a point in my own journey of physical healing where I realize how much doubt I’ve actually been carrying around. I look around me and see how much too many of us do on a daily basis.

I do more than average as far as nutrition, natural, alternative health. I apply a good amount to my own life. Yet, in the little corners tucked away, there is a knowledge within me that I could be doing more. I’ve had my share of reasons I don’t. But I’m over it.

I relate to all my friends, clients, and loved ones and their reasons they can’t or won’t go deeper into their commitments towards health, nutrition, alternative health care. I’ve walked most of them myself at one point or another. Money, incovenience, social pressures, marital strife, personal commitment. My journey in to health and healing is far enough advanced that I tend to average out ahead of the game – even with my compromises of three steps forward one step back – but I’m not sure how long I can keep going that way as I see more recently people in my life embattled in complacency of taking the “middle of the road” approach. Each day that passes I am more convicted that we go about our lives in the world accepting of our profoundly sick society. I see first hand that we are too complacent to live in a compromised state of health – willing to cut our losses and live with side effects. When did it become okay to think, “well it could be worse?” or “This is as good as it gets.”  Why don’t we ask, better yet, why don’t we DO whatever it takes, what it takes to be better, to find HEALING?

I DO believe in total healing – and deep inside of me I know the commitment level that will take on my part. On some level, its a burden. The work it’s going to take has seemed undaunting before now. However, if I have to step it up a level to prove what I already know to be true, then I must – because people around me are sick, dying, tired, exhausted, or living in chronic pain. Needlessly. I know this. No doubt in my mind. God has been moving me towards physical healing this year – and just today – I finally see how small I’ve made my God to be. I live with an “incurable,” “irreversible,” illness. I was born with it. It’s not enough for me to simply believe He can cure me if He wants. I have to accept responsiblity to do my part – no matter the inconvenience or commitment level I must make – financially, emotionally, socially – to ready my body for that healing. Its time to lay aside all excuses.

Friends, our nation is profoundly sick. We rank #1 in emergency health care. We rank #73 in HEALTH and WELLness. We are a sick and dying nation because of LIFESTYLE diseases. Its time we each evaluate what in our lives has so much power over us that it has taken control of our life and dimished our health. What can be more important that living the life God designed us to have?

My God is so big! He can heal me. I believe He will. I see Him doing so each day.  It’s past time for me to lay aside my disbelief, excuses, and complacency.

Let’s Get Real

I was talking with a friend recently who expressed fear over
telling someone that she loved something very deep and personal. She feared rejection
and judgement from her close Christian friend. What if  her friend chose to end the friendship with her. I hurt for her that she had to experience this  fear during a desire to
be real, open, and honest with her friend about who she is.

I’ve been contemplating this conversation a lot. I’ve been there. More than one time and for a variety of reasons. Some, as I look back, weren’t even really big life issues. Some were. I’m 40 now, and the more I ponder this the more unsettled I am. With myself. With the human race.With  fellow believers. With the church. With the world.

What have we come to?

I guess most people would be asking that question in the context of, “what has the world come to?”

It’s  fair question –and it deserves its time and place. It’s a question that’s has been asked many
times over, and debated amongest philopophers and theologians. But it’s not the
context I’m after.

What have we come to? Believers. Christians.

Why are we so judgemental of each other? Why are we not moreloving, forgiving, accepting of one another. Understanding. Compassionate. Sympathetic. Empathetic. Merciful. Gracious. Kind.

Is this not the model our  Savior has set for us?

Yes, there is a time and a place for judgement. There is a time and place for chastisement. But how much further might we get when a friend comes to us with something deeply private and personal to share with us  that we meet them where they are. Jesus meets us where we are. In the middle of our sin. He greets us with open, loving arms – often when our hearts and lives are at the blackest, ugliest, most depraved state of our life. He doesn’t look at us and send us away or turn His back on us. Where would you be right now if He had?

He says, “Child, welcome Home. I love you. Come on in. Rest here. Be redeemed here. Be safe here. Be accepted here.” He says, “For you, for this very situation you are in right now, I died. Be not ashamed anymore. Be not afraid anymore.”

It gives me reason to pause. It should give us all reason to pause. The next time a friend tells us they want to share something what will our response be? Brace yourself. Brace yourself, Christian. Are you really ready to hear what they want to share? They want to be real. What will your response be? Your heart is racing. There’s a lump in your throat. Your head is spinning with possibilities. Maybe they got a tattoo. How dare they defame their body like that! Gasp! Maybe they drank wine. How gasthly. Maybe they havean addiction.  Maybe they are living in
sin. Gay. How despicable. Committed a crime, maybe even a heinous one? You might have to purge them from your life forever.

Wait!  Who ARE we to judge? Who are WE to turn them away. Would Jesus? Do we not risk losing something far greater in our human reaction?

What?

A relationship? A friend? A brother or sister in the Lord? A soul to the depths of hell.

Is it worth our human response?

Would Christ expect more of us, Christians?

Who did He walk among? Who did he call as his disciples? Who did he die on the cross next too? For Whom did He die? For what purpose was His body beaten, bruised, and crucified?

There but for the GRACE of God go I.

For there is NONE righteous no. Not ONE.

For ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

Christ died for us WHILE we were still yet sinners.

His mercies are new every morning.

His love endures forever.

Amazing Grace. How sweet the sound. That saved a wretch like me.

Be ye kind, one to another – tenderhearted, loving. Forgiving one another. Even as Christ forgives you.

I challenge you these things. First, if we cannot be ourselves with someone then what is the point of the friendship or relationship? If we can be real with Christ about who we are, what we’ve done, where we come from, what we are going through – then why cannot we not be real
with those in our life. Is it time for us to be a better friend? Find better friends? Who in your life needs you to allow them to be real? Who in your life do you need to be real with? Who needs your love, forgiveness, acceptance, compassion, understanding?  Who do you need it from?  Lastly, Jesus IS the One Who will never fail you. He is calling you. “Come.” He is waiting. Unconditionally.

We can never be too kind too soon.

Love is patient. Love is kind. Love keeps no record of wrongs. Love endures all. Believes all. Hopes all.

Love.

It held Him there, on that cross. For me. For you. For all.

 

Lessons from Pre-Flight -1

Recently I took a trip to San Fransisco. I really enjoyed the trip for the most part. Learned new things. Connected with people on a new level. Was placed exactly next to the people God knew I needed to be next to on the flights. Which of course should be no surprise. He’s always got a plan even in the humdrum details.

So many of us travel by plane every year – and the ritual of the pre-flight checklist is always the same. Pretty Boring. Routine. I admit, I was doing what I could to tune out the flight attendant giving her memorized pre-flight speech for probably the 100,000 time in her career. I looked around and saw most people were joining me in the “twilight zone” – reading, checking last minute text messages, getting settled and comfortable. Suddenly, there was something she said that caught my attention. Two things in fact. I couldn’t believe there were actually life lessons in the pre-flight safety instructions. Who knew?

I’m sharing the second lesson first. If you’re a first time flyer, it’s not exactly comfortable when you hear, “In the unlikely even of an emergency and loss of cabin pressure, oxygen masks will fall from the compartment above you.” Who wants to think about that? It’s ok, very quickly, we all become “seasoned” travelers – at least enough to zone out the rest of the instructions comfortably. We pass over the piece of the  statement where the practical lesson for everyday life comes in. If we listen carefully, the flight attendant continues to give us instructions for best use of our oxygen masks. No, not the part where she says, “place securely over your nose and mouth, and secure it in place,” although I do highly concur, for best use be sure you secure it to get your OXYGEN! I mean, hello!!!!!! Its vital if you want to LIVE! All kidding aside, the lesson comes in when the flight attendant says, “Be SURE to put on YOUR OWN oxygen mask BEFORE assisting others.”

You know, selfishness, self-care, self, self, self, gets a BAD wrap in the Christian community. Many people have become martyrs on the alter of self-sacrifice without good cause in the name of Christianity. Self is denounced in the church and labeled as nothing but sin. Certainly it can turn into sin, or be used as sin when used inappropriately – but how much more effective can each of us be on this earth, in the church and to those in and around our own life IF we actually were to put on our own oxygen masks first?

Think about what happens in that situation on the plane. Emergency. Masks fall. We selflessly turn to help that passenger sitting next to us, first. Our own life doesn’t matter. We will gladly die a hero. Maybe it’s a  stranger, but possibly a dear loved one. No, we couldn’t bear to think of not taking care of them first. Of course we put on their mask first. Especially our babies. I’d die for my children, as I know any parent would. However, we run the risk of running out of our own vital life giving oxygen making that decision in that order. Do we have anything left to give to the person on the other side of us? What if that person on the other side needed our help as much as the first person? What if it was our second child?  Oh, how do we choose between the two? Impossible, right? Wait! If we DO stop to take care of our self FIRST – and put on that life giving oxygen – will we not increase the very chance and opportunity to assist more than just the one? YES! Once our needs are met (physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually) then our circle of giving/helping/assisting/caring, etc CAN be enlarged and we find that we can do MORE than we could if we just sacrificed our all for only one.

I believe Jesus knew and understood this principle too. He got alone with Himself. Just Him and His Father. He practiced self-care. He got alone.  To rest. To pray. To quiet His spirit. To listen. To cry out. To be heard. To be loved. He went away from His Disciples, from family, from the crowds of many who needed Him.

Christ, does set an example for us to take time to be “selfish.”  Let’s stop giving “self” a bad wrap and realize that we can come back stronger, refreshed, and ready to go for the many demands on our life and from the people in our life – once we have taken care of ourselves.

What is a sacrifice you make for others that detracts from your ability to actually give back MORE to many more others? What ways can you change/alter/improve this action or decision to make it better for not only you (first) but for everyone who’s life you may touch in the future?

What can you do today or in the near future for yourself?

What is something you enjoy doing?

What is something you have always wanted to do?

Dream. Rest. Make Plans.

Take action.

Take time out!

For you!

Be blessed!