Courage For Today

realize

Foods at Your Table

Grace

Those that know me or hang around me for very long figure out very quickly that I am a picky eater.  I am not sure why I am that way, but it’s just the way I’ve always been.  Sometimes it is the textures of foods I don’t care for. Many times its the very taste of items that I don’t like.  There are many foods I will not eat because of the way they are processed or grown.  My pickiness covers all food groups from vegetables to meats to desserts.  I have to admit it drives my wife crazy because she is just the opposite and will eat almost anything.

Of course, I realize that what I eat is ultimately my choice. Whether I eat healthy food or eat junk food; whether I remain picky or broaden my food horizons, the foods at my table are there by my choice.  While others may present foods to me or even insist that I eat them, my table is characterized by the foods I like and choose to eat.

As you go through life, you’re going to have to make decisions on what to allow and what not to allow in your life. Many times, you will be surrounded by negative people and negative thoughts.  We live in a terribly negative and critical world and sometimes you are going to be on the receiving end of the criticism.  In thinking back on my own life, I have received my share of critique.  In many cases, I let the criticism just burn me to the core.  I knew that I shouldn’t, but I took my eyes off of God and, instead, focused on the criticism. I was miserable and I let the opinions of others control me.  Over time, I learned that I was in control of what I allowed into my thought patterns. In short, I became “picky” about what I allowed in my life—just like the food I allowed at my table—focusing on the good of God and not the negative of others.  In fact, I found the three “foods” that I can never allow at my “table:”

  • “You’re Never Going to Make it Through This:” How many times have we all heard this in our lives?  Too many to count, I would imagine.  I could tell you story after story of dead-ends in my life and how it didn’t appear I could make it any more.  In every case, when I was at my end, God took control and saw me through.  Don’t listen to those who tell you that you’re never going to make it.  Instead, realize you are exactly in God’s hands and HE will work HIS perfect plan through you.
  • “You’re Not Good Enough:” As a teenager and young adult, I always doubted myself and second guessed everything I did.  I didn’t have a lot of self-confidence and I was often jealous of the talents and abilities of others.  After a lot of heartache, God finally showed me that I am uniquely created in God’s image.  I stopped comparing myself to others and began focusing on my God-given talents and abilities.  Instead of listening to others tell you you’re not good enough, remind yourself that you are special in God’s eyes.  God gave you just enough for what you need to accomplish at this time in your life.  God will continue to mature you and grow you based on what you need at a particular time in life.
  • “Everyone is Against You:” If you haven’t discovered this already, eventually you’ll find that many people in life simply don’t want you to succeed.  I have found that jealousy is the primary reason.  After all, it’s much easier to make yourself look better by knocking others down.  Maybe its the promotion you didn’t receive because someone else worked against you.  Maybe its lack of support from friends or family and you are on an island by yourself.  Whatever the reason or whatever the cause, never forget that while some in the world may be against you, God never is and is always in your corner.

As you are setting your table in life, avoid these three “foods” and thank the Lord for providing you with everything you need for this day and for your circumstances.

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Inhabited or Inhibited

Strength

The Lord has blessed us with a desire or need to be filled.  We all have a void or emptiness that only Christ can make go away.  When I accepted Christ as my savior, I became filled with Christ’s love.  I believe that the bible teaches us that we become a new creature in Christ.  When we accept Him, our “old self” is replaced with the “new” that can only be done with God’s Grace and Mercy and Forgiveness.

At first, my new life as a Christian seemed a contradiction.  It was very difficult for me, and still is, to learn that Christ now directed my life——not me.  I had to learn that EVERYTHING I did or hoped to do, was directed by God.  When I fail to realize that, or when I try to show God that I know better, I always fail.  God, in His infinite grace and mercy, allows me to make my own decisions; after all, I still have a free will.  However, it didn’t take to many times of failure and misery to realize that I needed to always follow Him and seek His guidance, even when His ways and His timing didn’t match my own.

While the World often believes that being a Christian is restrictive and inhibits you, I’ve found just the opposite.  Being inhabited by Christ and His love frees you to be the person (and Christian example) that He desires us to be.

As you start your Day today or tomorrow, ask yourself this question:  Am I inhabited by Christ who strengthens me, or am I inhibited by Self who weakens me?  Only you and God know the answer to that question, and only you can make the change.

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Our Decision To Be or Not To Be

Self-Worth

I have to admit it—I love keeping “to-do” lists.  I make lists to go shopping.  I make lists of tasks for goals I want to achieve.  I even have an electronic “to-do” list software program that helps me organize and plan my daily work tasks and keep track of deadlines.  There is something about having a list and knowing that I have captured everything I need to do that keeps my stress at a minimal level.  When I go through the day and think that I have forgotten something, I become more stressed.  The list gives me a system to avoid forgetting things.    I know others, however, who when they keep lists it has the opposite effect and stresses them more because it continually reminds them of what they need to do or what they have not done.  Obviously, each of us is different and we have to find out what works for us.

As I was sitting here today, I was reminded of our mission in life as Christians.  We are charged to be the salt of the earth and be the light of the earth.  Our mission is to stand tall and live our lives in such a manner that others would be drawn to Him.  God should never be a secret in our lives to the point that we’re afraid to display to others.

How different would my Christian Life or Christian Testimony become if I simply replaced my “To-Do” List with a “To-Be” List?  How much stronger would my testimony be if I worked harder on becoming more in Christ, rather than simply doing all the time.  As you examine your own life, I wanted to list some “To-Be’s” that God brought to my own heart as he challenges me to be more:

  •  To Be more like God and realize that without Him, I am nothing.  When there is less of me, there is more of Him.  The point of my greatest weakness actually becomes the time of my greatest strength because, at that moment, I move out of the way and allow God to take charge.
  • To Be content with who I am and what God has done in my life, realizing that when I do, I suddenly realize the importance of the things that simply can’t be bought such as family, friends, and relationships.
  • To Be hungry for God and His Word and build up an appetitite for learning and teaching; understanding the richness and wisdom of His Word and creating a greater desire to follow in His steps.
  • To Be more caring for others and to show true compassion; having a true servant’s heart and attempting to use my God-given gifts and abilities for the benefit of others.
  • To Be mindful of my priorities and my relationship with God so that He can enable me to do more for Him.  Understanding that the World’s priorities are not necessarily God’s priorities for my life.
  • To Be strong in my commitment to Him, despite any persecution I may receive , and to carry on no matter the obstacles. This will only drive me closer in my relationship with Him.

As you look at your daily “To-Do” list, why not add a couple of “To-Be’s” as well?  Let’s all spend more time being instead of doing and get excited about what God will do in our lives and the lives of others.

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In God’s Hands

Strength

I can still remember vividly the days that both of our children were born.  I was a typical young father.  I didn’t really think I knew what I was doing.  I certainly wasn’t prepared.  I would imagine that no new parent is ever really prepared.  We all do the best we can do and with a lot of on-the-job training, we somehow manage.

The day my daughter was born was especially scary since she was our first.  My wife and I showed up at the hospital early in the morning.  Off we went with the admission nurses on to get settled in our new “home” for the next several hours, our birthing room. There was nothing special about the room and I was so nervous that it really wouldn’t have mattered anyway.  We could have been in the nicest Hotel and I would have still been just as nervous and anxious.

The birth was joyous and overwhelming with emotion. Mom and baby did fine. I was a proud, new Father, even though I didn’t have a clue what to do. The nurses would bring our daughter to our room for feedings and show us all the important things we would need to know when we got home.  We would see her a few moments and off she would go back to the nursery.  We spent a couple of uneventful days in the hospital and then it was time to check out and go home.

It was the day that we left the hospital that always has stood out in my mind.

As the Nurse helped my wife into a wheelchair, with our daughter, to roll them out to the emergency room exit of the hospital, I went ahead to the parking lot so I could drive our car to the emergency room entrance to meet them.

We helped my wife into the car and then the nurse handed our daughter to me so that I could place her in the car seat.  As she handed our daughter to me, I’ll never forget that she said “she’s all in your hands now.  Take good care of her.”  It was at that moment that the awesome responsibility of parenthood hit me between the eyes.  There weren’t going to be any nurses to help with feedings and diaper changes, or to simply ask questions when we weren’t sure. It was something about the way she said those words to me that made me realize that a new, young life was totally dependent upon me and my wife.

My daughter is an adult now raising her own family.  I think back on the many, many mistakes I’ve made as a parent, but somehow we survived.  I realize that she was in my hands for many years and now she has her own children that are in her hands.

As a Christian, it has always been a source of security for me to realize that I am always in God’s hands.  I sometimes jokingly wonder if He sometimes thinks that he may have bitten off more than he could chew when I became one of His Children. But, then, I realize that my life is no surprise to him. There is nothing in my life that catches God unprepared.  Our Heavenly Father is a confident Father and I often need to remember to remain confident in Him and that he never fails me, despite how I may have failed Him.

Are you in His Hands?

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