I felt like a second-grader walking home from school. My feet were wet and cold, my pants covered with light brown silt from the muddy water. The sounds of trickling snowmelt were all around me, and the shy was leaden gray. The problem was, I was not a second-grader walking home from school, but a pastor trying to keep the church parking lot from being flooded by runoff from the adjacent highway.
Our church property sits pretty low, and its drainage is barely adequate for the snow that falls in our parking lot. It may be the middle of winter, but the temperatures went from single digits to 40 degrees overnight, causing some serious melting to begin. Today, we discovered that a stream of water was flowing into our property from both Highway 135, and the bike path that runs in front of the church. So, Karen and I broke out the shovels and a pick, and went to work creating a trench to channel the water off the parking lot and into the drainage ditch where it belongs. We know these temperatures can’t last forever, and we don’t want to become Gunnison’s newest ice rink.
So there we were making little channels in the ice and snow and encouraging the water toward the drain. Little by little, the water would soften the ice on which it was running, and we could make the channel a little deeper, and a little longer. Finally we reached the actual drainage culvert that exits our property. All at once we broke through the final ice barrier, and the water started to move freely. Now the task was to widen and deepen the trench until we could confidently turn our backs and let physics do the rest. Occasionally, tiny chunks of ice and slush would create little dams that would impede the movement. A quick stab with the shovel was usually sufficient to get the water moving freely again.
As we worked, I began to think about how this process paralleled that of keeping a clean fresh flow of God’s life in our hearts. Just like water wants to flow downhill, God’s own desire to flow in and through us creates a “positive pressure” from Him to us. I think Christians waste a lot of time trying to convince God to speak to them, or to work in their lives. I know, I know, you are saying, “but sometimes it doesn’t feel like God is paying attention, or that He necessarily wants to communicate with me.” Well, even though we may not “feel” it all the time, God’s Word is filled with His assurances that he will never turn His back, doze off at a crucial moment, or neglect us in any way. Consider just these two passages:
I lift up my eyes to the hills--where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip--he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you--the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm--he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and for evermore. (Psalms 121:1-8 NIV)
God lives in a state of sleepless vigilance over the lives of the people He loves so much. We have to remember at times to lift up our eyes and ask ourselves the question, where does my help really come from? It comes from the Lord, and I will trust in him today!
He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax my hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] (Hebrews 13:5 Amplified Bible)
What an assurance! God is active and vigilant, and you can take that to the bank.
Draining the parking lot that day, we discovered three things: First, it only takes a small channel to get things moving the right way. All we had to do was scratch a line in the ice, and the water started its natural downhill movement. In the same way, it only takes a small effort on our part, basically making a place for God in our day and our thinking, to start the flow of His life to and through us. Jesus described Himself as, not only standing at our door, but knocking. He said all we have to do is open up and let Him in, and He will come and eat supper with us. He shows up with takeout, and we just open the door – what a deal.
In the same way, once things were flowing the right direction, the water itself expanded its own channel. We did some digging later to help that process, but as soon as the water started to move, the flow began to increase. Once we open the door to the Holy Spirit’s activity in our lives, He will begin to soften our hearts, and encourage a stronger and deeper flow of life, revelation, and the love of God.
And finally, we noticed that it only took a small blockage to begin to plug things up and slow the whole process. After a short time, our job consisted mostly of keeping an eye out for little piles of slush that would gang together and impede the flow. A quick jab with the shovel was all it took to get things moving freely again. Spiritual parasites like unforgiveness, fear, and apathy, must be eradicated quickly, and on a regular basis. It doesn’t take much effort if you catch them early. It just takes genuine repentance.
So be encouraged. God loves you, and He is constantly working to make Himself known to you. Open the door for Him, and quickly remove any blockages that He points out to you. Your life will be flowing like a river in no time flat.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
More R.E.S.P.E.C.T.
Today I want to try to sketch a picture of respect. How does respect look in a home or other relationship?
Respect is all about value. We know that God Himself has ascribed an unsurpassable worth to every human being. How do we know that? Because God, the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, was willing to lay aside the expression of divinity, become one of us, then die a gruesome death on a cross to elevate us into relationship with Himself. In covenant terms, He exchanged His life for ours, or fully and eternally shared His life with us on an equal basis.
So we are valuable in God’s sight, but we don’t always treat each other as valuable. As we enter into various levels of relationship, we have various opportunities to express the value that we hold in our hearts toward one another. Respect is the expression of value in practical terms. I can express value to a stranger by allowing them to pull up to the gas pump ahead of me. I can stop my car and allow someone to cross the street on foot, or pull through the intersection. I can hold a door, or pick up something they dropped. All of these actions say, “I see you, I know you are there, and you deserve my attention at this very moment.” Not doing things like this says something too. It says, “I am only aware of myself, my needs, and the pressing concerns of my day, which are clearly more important than your needs and concerns.”
This is the underlying truth behind actions that communicate either respect, or disrespect – while they may seem insignificant to you, they communicate with the utmost clarity what you really feel toward the other person at that moment. You might as well have put a billboard that says, “You are my greatest treasure”, or “on my radar screen, you are a flea on a dead porcupine’s belly.” Well, you might use different words there.
Respect gives full attention. Respect does not continue to do other things, even though one might be able to, while conversing with the object of respect. Respect might put down the sports page, turn down the music or the game, set aside the financial report, or hang up the phone, just to listen to the object of respect.
Respect makes eye contact. Respect squares the shoulders, and looks into the eyes. Respect does not stand or sit half turned away from the person you are interacting with. Respect doesn’t slouch or roll the eyes. Respect knows how to give a firm handshake.
Respect listens to what another says. Listening is not just hearing. Listening is giving value to an opinion. A listener goes on to consider and weigh what another person has said. A listener often asks questions to make sure that one has understood the words of the object of our respect. Even when you decide you disagree with someone, respect will not respond with a personal attack, or resort to name-calling.
Respect speaks politely. Respect uses words that do not demean the other person. Respect never talks behind the other persons back, or causes public humiliation. Respect does not make jokes with friends at the other person’s expense.
I could go on and on, but this is a blog, not a novel. The point is that we are constantly communicating respect, or disrespect, to one another with words, eyes, and body-language. In our culture of self-centered individualism, respect is a dying art form. It is up to those of us who understand its value, to practice it and train our children in it.
Respect is all about value. We know that God Himself has ascribed an unsurpassable worth to every human being. How do we know that? Because God, the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, was willing to lay aside the expression of divinity, become one of us, then die a gruesome death on a cross to elevate us into relationship with Himself. In covenant terms, He exchanged His life for ours, or fully and eternally shared His life with us on an equal basis.
So we are valuable in God’s sight, but we don’t always treat each other as valuable. As we enter into various levels of relationship, we have various opportunities to express the value that we hold in our hearts toward one another. Respect is the expression of value in practical terms. I can express value to a stranger by allowing them to pull up to the gas pump ahead of me. I can stop my car and allow someone to cross the street on foot, or pull through the intersection. I can hold a door, or pick up something they dropped. All of these actions say, “I see you, I know you are there, and you deserve my attention at this very moment.” Not doing things like this says something too. It says, “I am only aware of myself, my needs, and the pressing concerns of my day, which are clearly more important than your needs and concerns.”
This is the underlying truth behind actions that communicate either respect, or disrespect – while they may seem insignificant to you, they communicate with the utmost clarity what you really feel toward the other person at that moment. You might as well have put a billboard that says, “You are my greatest treasure”, or “on my radar screen, you are a flea on a dead porcupine’s belly.” Well, you might use different words there.
Respect gives full attention. Respect does not continue to do other things, even though one might be able to, while conversing with the object of respect. Respect might put down the sports page, turn down the music or the game, set aside the financial report, or hang up the phone, just to listen to the object of respect.
Respect makes eye contact. Respect squares the shoulders, and looks into the eyes. Respect does not stand or sit half turned away from the person you are interacting with. Respect doesn’t slouch or roll the eyes. Respect knows how to give a firm handshake.
Respect listens to what another says. Listening is not just hearing. Listening is giving value to an opinion. A listener goes on to consider and weigh what another person has said. A listener often asks questions to make sure that one has understood the words of the object of our respect. Even when you decide you disagree with someone, respect will not respond with a personal attack, or resort to name-calling.
Respect speaks politely. Respect uses words that do not demean the other person. Respect never talks behind the other persons back, or causes public humiliation. Respect does not make jokes with friends at the other person’s expense.
I could go on and on, but this is a blog, not a novel. The point is that we are constantly communicating respect, or disrespect, to one another with words, eyes, and body-language. In our culture of self-centered individualism, respect is a dying art form. It is up to those of us who understand its value, to practice it and train our children in it.
Monday, February 9, 2009
R.E.S.P.E.C.T.
This morning, Karen and I were talking about respect. We were discussing the fact that it is very important to have some people in your life that you really respect. People we respect often become the role models, and depending on the level of relationship, the coaches in our lives. The opinion of a person you respect matters to you. You value their insight and perspective.
Sometimes, I find people that seem to care about everyone’s opinion. They really struggle in life if someone disagrees with them, or Heaven forbid, doesn’t like them. That is a very hard way to live. You simply can’t please everyone, and while everyone does deserve a basic level of respect as a person and a creation of God, not everyone deserves your respect where their ideas or lifestyle is concerned. For example, I really don’t care about what a person who does not know or walk with God thinks about my Christianity, my lifestyle, or this church. Don’t get me wrong, I care about these people, I want them to experience all the wonderful things that God has for them, but I don’t care what they think of me. I may even be interested in their opinion as a means of understanding and better reaching our culture. But I will not change the way I live to suit them, or lose any sleep over their words.
Karen and I thought about what causes us to respect someone. We decided it was mostly about a person’s character. I highly respect people that demonstrate Godly character. I especially respect people that I know have gone through hard times, rejection, or unfair treatment, but have maintained their integrity through the whole thing. I respect people that in the face of chaotic and stressful circumstances, have kept their head, and continued to live by their principles. These are the people I want to emulate, and it is the opinion of these people that I really care about. I want to know what makes them tick, and I value their input into my life.
Now, respect should be the default attitude between a husband and wife don’t you think? So, what does that look like on a daily basis? Well, that’s a great question, and will make an interesting article. Maybe tomorrow or the next day.
- Now go out and make some great choices.
Sometimes, I find people that seem to care about everyone’s opinion. They really struggle in life if someone disagrees with them, or Heaven forbid, doesn’t like them. That is a very hard way to live. You simply can’t please everyone, and while everyone does deserve a basic level of respect as a person and a creation of God, not everyone deserves your respect where their ideas or lifestyle is concerned. For example, I really don’t care about what a person who does not know or walk with God thinks about my Christianity, my lifestyle, or this church. Don’t get me wrong, I care about these people, I want them to experience all the wonderful things that God has for them, but I don’t care what they think of me. I may even be interested in their opinion as a means of understanding and better reaching our culture. But I will not change the way I live to suit them, or lose any sleep over their words.
Karen and I thought about what causes us to respect someone. We decided it was mostly about a person’s character. I highly respect people that demonstrate Godly character. I especially respect people that I know have gone through hard times, rejection, or unfair treatment, but have maintained their integrity through the whole thing. I respect people that in the face of chaotic and stressful circumstances, have kept their head, and continued to live by their principles. These are the people I want to emulate, and it is the opinion of these people that I really care about. I want to know what makes them tick, and I value their input into my life.
Now, respect should be the default attitude between a husband and wife don’t you think? So, what does that look like on a daily basis? Well, that’s a great question, and will make an interesting article. Maybe tomorrow or the next day.
- Now go out and make some great choices.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
