church | Courage for Today

The Peace of Returning to Your First Love

“But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” (Revelation 2:4)

Complacency in life is something we all have to guard against. It’s so easy to get in a comfort zone and lose sight of your true mission and calling in life. When reading this verse in Revelation, you see that Jesus was complimenting the Church of Ephesus on the longevity of their faith and some of their good deeds. However, he was disappointed in them as they seemingly had forgotten their past and from where they had fallen. They had gotten comfortable and were not doing the things they had done at first—they had lost their Joy. They had forgotten their excitement when they first met their Spiritual Bride–Christ himself. In other words, they were just going through the motions of “playing church.”

I can identify with the Church of Ephesus. There have been times when I’ve just gone through the motions of “Church World” and have even done what Peter did in John 21:3 when he said he was “going fishing.” At that particular time, Peter showed us that he had temporarily lost his Joy and went back to what was comfortable to him. We’ve all done this at one time or another.

The question is: Are you going to stay comfortable and complacent, or are you going to return to your First Love and do what God has called you to do?

Courage Thoughts for Today:

Think back on when you first accepted Christ as your Savior and how excited you were?
Do you still have that same level of passion today?
Have you gone back to what is comfortable in your life, rather than what you should be doing for Christ?
What can you do, starting today, to return to your first love?

Managing the Slippery Slope of Pride

Self-Worth

My athletic days are long behind me but, at one time, I was fairly active in many different sports. I often played tennis—and was fairly good. I could hold my own in a game of basketball and loved playing baseball. One sport that wasn’t so kind to me was snow skiing. Of course, growing up in the South meant that snow was a rare sight. To ski meant that I had to travel to a ski resort of some kind or another. While I didn’t have a chance to do this often, it was always an adventure when I hit the slopes.

I’ll never forget traveling, as a teenager, to a particular ski resort. I was part of a church youth group and had the bright idea that slaloming down a mountain would be a great way to show my church friends what a great athlete I was. After what seemed like a terribly long drive, we finally arrived at the resort and got settled in our respective rooms. Everyone was excited and wanted to do something to burn off some excess energy. So, our chaperones decided to take us to the actual slopes where we were to receive some basic skiing lessons. Our instructor looked like he had been born on a pair of skis, but I had already decided that there was nothing he could teach me. His pretty sunglasses and shiny boots and fancy equipment—along with proven expertise—were no match for my natural ability. We didn’t have much time to actually ski that day, but just receiving those brief lessons was enough to mentally convince me that I was ready for the next Olympic trials. I knew that skiing could not be that difficult and I didn’t need some know-it-all instructor telling me how to prepare. I couldn’t wait until the next day and demonstrate my natural skiing ability to anyone that would watch.

I thought that next day would never arrive, but finally we were all aboard the church van for our short drive to the ski resort. Each of us got our ski boots and skis and the all-important ski poles to help you change directions on the slopes more easily. Most of the newly outfitted youth were off to the chair lift that led to the beginning slope. I had no desire to waste my time with the less athletic. I jumped on the chair lift that climbed to the top of the highest trail. No beginner slopes for me. I had received my one lesson and had no fear. It was to the top I went. I should have known this was a mistake when I crashed off the chair lift almost getting hit in the back of the head by the chair behind me. Somehow, our instructions the day before left out the intricate details of how to exit a chair lift safely. Nonetheless, I was undaunted and just looked at the near death experience of the chair lift as simply a mechanical failure and was not related in any way to my skill level.

The moment finally drew closer for my first flight down the hill. As I stood at the top of the hill looking down, I envisioned the wind blowing in my hair as I swished from one side to the other, effortlessly navigating around other less talented skiers. I dreamed of becoming airborne over small moguls and landing perfectly on the other side with no loss of balance. I saw myself racing to the bottom of the slope, approaching the ski lodge, complete with a final spray of snow as I stopped so eloquently at the finish to a chorus of cheers. Boy was I wrong.

I slowly used my ski poles to push over the starting point and began my descent. Immediately, I was not concerned about the wind blowing in my hair or landing perfectly at the finish. I was worried about survival. Nothing I heard from the prior day’s ski instructions mattered. All I saw was a wooden picket fence lining the side of the course approaching me at what seemed to be the speed of light. There was nothing I could do. There was no where I could go. There was no way to “look good” at what I was doing. I was going to crash. I was going to be embarrassed. I was going to be the laughing stock of the resort.

As I lay there in a pile of snow with the tips of my skis between two panels of the fence, I wasn’t sure what hurt worse—my legs from the impact or my pride. As much as I wanted to impress my friends, there was no way to “look cool” as the fence and I became one for a few moments. Suddenly, a ski patrol rescue worker came to my aid and helped me untangle and get things back in order. He made sure I was OK and shadowed me down the rest of the slope until I reached the bottom.

As I thought about this episode all those years ago, it reminded me how dangerous pride can be in our lives. I was convinced that I knew everything there was to know about skiing. I even received some instructions, but refused to really listen to what I was told simply because my desire to impress was greater than my willingness to prepare. I was willing to sacrifice even basic preparation for what I thought would be a great reward. Life is like that. Sometimes our pride of wanting to be more and do more outweighs our desire to prepare. We all have the greatest instruction book in the world with the Bible. Many of us have great leaders, parents, and teachers who are great resources for your preparation; unfortunately, sometimes we think we know best. Listen, learn and prepare so that you’re viewing life as a successful journey down the slope and not a failed crash from the start.

Darkness Doesn’t Mean Absence From God

Strength

I learned the hard way as a teenager that I didn’t like small, closed places. I don’t know if I am officially claustrophobic, but I will definitely stick to wide open spaces when given the choice. I was thinking about a youth trip I took with my Church when I was a young high-schooler. Our Youth Leader decided that it would be fun to go exploring caves. The way he described it sounded pretty exciting to me. We were going to enter this particular cave, climb down the winding corridors twisting and turning our way seemingly to the earth’s center. I couldn’t wait.

Finally, the day came and it was off to the cave. After what seemed like an eternity of driving, we arrived at the cave’s entrance. We met our guide who spent several minutes explaining the do’s and don’ts and describing what we might expect. I remember that he warned us about the darkness and the cold and the possibility of encountering bats and insects. He also warned us about small, tight places where we might have to crawl on our bellies inching our way through narrow passage ways. Suddenly, cave exploring no longer seemed so glamorous to me. Several of the older adult chaperones decided to stay back at the Church Van. They would be there waiting for us when we returned. Unfortunately, there was no way I was going to back out. After all, I had my teenage macho image to protect.

At first, the journey didn’t seem so bad. The entrance was large and cavern-like and there was plenty of light. That soon changed. The more we walked, the darker and smaller the cave became. Our flashlights that seemed like floodlights at the beginning, now seemed no brighter than the light of a firefly. I was becoming frightened. It’s funny now, but not only do I remember the darkness, but I also remember the deafening quietness of the cave. The noises of the outside world were non existent. There was no traffic noise. No animal noise. Nothing. Nothing except the occasional breathing sounds of my friends or someone kicking rocks with their shoes. The darkness and the silence were terribly depressing and defeating. I distinctly remember the feeling of hopelessness and helplessness even though I knew that all we had to do was head to the exit and we would soon see the light of day and our chaperones would be there waiting for us. All we had to do was keep marching and endure the helplessness a little longer and we would welcome the sounds of the birds chirping and the trees rustling in the wind. It was the anticipation of knowing without a doubt that we would soon be rejoined with our friends and be back to the real world that kept me focused. There was something about knowing that our journey was only temporary and also knowing that we weren’t really alone that made things easier. Even though I couldn’t hear or see my adult chaperones, I knew they were there if I needed them.

Many, many times in my Christian life I have journeyed down paths that seemingly had no end. I’ve journeyed down paths that were dark and silent where it seemed like I was all alone. The overwhelming feeling of loneliness or feeling overwhelmed and defeated have almost been victorious in my life at times. During those times, without fail, God has shown HIMself in a miraculous, mighty way. At those darkest points, HE would show me a glimpse of HIS light. HE would speak to my heart in a clear voice that left no doubt of the next step I should take.

I learned over time that just because I couldn’t “see” God in a particular situation, or “hear” God speaking to me like I felt like HE should at the time, HE was still there. HIS timing doesn’t always meet my timing, but in the end HE has always been there waiting for me with open arms showing me HIS light.

Are You Giving God Your Presents or Presence

Self-Worth

I can understand why the Holidays are sometimes depressing for many folks. We start weeks before Christmas buying our gifts for friends, family, and loved ones. Everywhere we go, we hear Christmas music on the radio and in the malls. We see the excitement (and sometimes fear) in children’s faces when they have that all important chat with Santa. We are busy planning Christmas get-togethers with co-workers, friends, and family. There is the tremendous build-up before Christmas, then the Big Day comes, and it’s over. Just like that; it’s over.

Of course, there are many that dread the Holidays because they don’t get to experience any of the things and events I mentioned above so it can be depressing for them not because of the let-down, but because there “never was” to begin with.

For most of us, the few days after Christmas, before New Years, is dedicated to taking down Christmas Trees and ornaments and packing them in the attic until next year. Or, we might be spending our Gift Cards from our favorite Department Store, or perhaps returning that Sweater that only your great-grandmother would have loved in the 1930’s. We all spend too much money buying gifts and presents, with good intentions, but most of the time it ends up being more gifts than any of us could possible use or need and, then, its back to life as normal—just with more stuff than when we started.

I have to remind myself on occasion, as a Christian, that there is really nothing I can buy, wrap-up and give to God as a Present. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve certainly tried. I’ve tried to dress better when attending church. I’ve tried to give to worthy causes (sometimes just to eliminate my guilt). I’ve tried to educate myself in certain church classes and doctrines to make others think I was more intellectual. I have tried to impress others with my Outside Appearance instead of any Inside Gifts I may have. Before you judge me, you’ve done the same things. I’m just being honest. We all try to “wrap ourselves up” with some beautiful wrapping paper so we can give God ourselves in some form of a Present that is as worthless to God as my great-grandmother’s 1930’s Sweater.

What God wants from us is NOT our Presents, but He wants our Presence. HE created YOU and YOU alone with special gifts and talents to be used in HIS service. He wants your presence in speaking to others when the opportunity arises. He wants your presence in touching the life of a young person. He wants your presence in restoring the relationship with your spouse. He wants your presence in setting a better example at work. He wants your presence in reaching others for HIM in only ways that you can do it with the gifts and abilities that God has uniquely blessed you with.

As you look at your Christian Life, are you guilty of giving God your Presents or your Presence?

The Peace of Returning to Your First Love

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