Lessons of Driving

Traffic on a school morning can be precarious, at best. Last week, just a few blocks from the school after dropping Mario off, was no exception. As I began to accelerate after waiting at a stop sign I noticed another car starting to accelerate as well. Talking out loud to other drivers as if they can hear me makes no sense whatsoever, but I tend to do it, more often than not. In this particular case, what escaped from my mouth towards the other driver was, "oh reaaally???" as I continued to accelerate and they stopped.

However, just as that comment flowed from my mouth I realized that I knew the person driving the other car. My feelings and attitude immediately changed from being completely irritated to nothing but love as I again spoke out loud saying, "oh hey! It's "so-and-so"! (name concealed for obvious reasons!) Hi, so-and-so!" while waving frantically and smiling really big out my window towards her. It just so happened that the other driver was a personal friend of mine that I really respect and love. In fact, we even go to church together. I always enjoy seeing her as she is always, without fail, bubbly and full of joy. As I finished driving through the intersection and the rest of the way to work, I thought nothing more of the negative part of that interaction, but only felt the love that I have for so-and-so and was glad to have seen her.

Yesterday at church we laughed as we talked about what was going on in our minds that morning at that intersection. Both of us busy, trying to get from point A to point B, going through the motions of every day life and just trying to check that one more thing off the long list of things on our "to-do" list for the day. But throughout the evening yesterday I began to think about this situation more...and then suddenly awake at 4 a.m. this morning, I am also thinking about it. There is a lesson in this encounter.

I have been wondering how many people I have "talked to" while driving, and how many people I felt that negative feeling towards when they committed what I perceived as some minor transgression against me. Why do I take those things so personal? My actions and behavior is as if they have gone out of their way to personally offend me. But in the overwhelming majority of the cases that transpire, in all likelihood, they don't even know me so how could it ever be personal? How many times are we just two busy drivers, trying to get from point A to point B, going through the motions of every day life and just trying to check that one more thing off the long list of things on our "to-do" list?

As I think about the extreme change in my feelings just by realizing that the other driver was a friend, I question why the perceived transgression became non-existent at the instant she was recognized. It was literally like night and day; all negative feelings taken over by the feelings of love that I have for her. All was forgiven and forgotten that quickly. So how many other drivers should I have felt this way towards? I am compelled to answer honestly with, "way more than I have."

Even as maddening as driving can be at times, we never really know what others are going through...what they have on their minds...what is heavy on their hearts...what is serving as a distraction to them. We have no way of knowing when a person just finished getting into an argument with their spouse, just found out that a loved one is terminally ill, was just let go from their job, etc. We just don't know. What would happen if instead of getting upset, getting an attitude and talking in a negative tone to other drivers, I actually felt the love and forgiveness that I felt at the moment I saw my friend? What if I showed that grace by smiling and waving to the other driver like I did my friend? (Perhaps not quite as cheesy of a grin, lest they think I'm a loony.) :-) Perhaps, just maybe, that would make their day a little better.

What if, in my every day life even outside of the car, I treated each person I came in contact with with the same level of love and respect? The people I pass in the halls at the hospital, the other shoppers at the grocery store, the other people in a restaurant, the people I walk past each day? In reality, we don't really know what those people are going through either. Maybe they could use a smile, a "hello", to be complimented on something simple or a small conversation...that might be the only compliment or conversation they get all day...or week...or month...

Just as I felt a surge of love for so-and-so, I want to also feel a surge of love for others around me. I want to show compassion towards others even in the mundane routines of life. And as I think about choosing that word mundane, I am immediately bombarded with the question, "what part of life in Christ is supposed to be mundane?!?" None of it! Living a life for Christ is an adventure...a crazy adventure that has so many unexpected twists and turns you couldn't write a book to capture all of the details. That is the life of a person that is "sold out" to living a life for Christ; You never know what God will send your way next.

Lord, thank You for the life lessons that You teach me each day, in so many different ways. Thank You that when I do something offensive You still smile and love me all the same. Thank You for loving me despite the silly or offensive things that I do. Thank You for Your forgiveness and for not just "driving off" out of my life with harsh words for me. Thank You for giving me a heart of compassion and love for others. Thank You for allowing me to live my life for You. Thank You for all of the past adventures You have taken me on, as well as the adventures You have planned for the future. And thank You in advance for providing divine opportunities to share Your love with others in even the most simple and practical ways.

Motives

What are you doing right now?

Why are you doing it?

What are your motives?

Now really think about that...what are your motives?

A particular scripture has been coming back to me over and over again in one way or another. By the way, that's when you know God is trying to get your attention! In various different ways the following has been coming up:

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." Colossians 3:23

Can you imagine that? Think about it for a minute...seriously!

You're doing your laundry and the Lord is sitting there with you just chatting it up over some Starbucks...but it is really the Lord...and you are doing the laundry for HIM! How different would your laundry get done than how it is done today? I'd have to make sure the perfect amount of soap was in the washer...I'd double check to ensure that the liquid fabric softener was in the wash too...then as soon as it was done, I'd be all over getting it in the dryer...folding it up all nice and neat when it was done...and likely even put some of the most amazing creases in the clothes with the iron before hanging it up.

You're driving to work one day and the Lord is sitting there in the passenger seat with you and you both are rocking out to a mix of Third Day and Kirk Franklin...and you are driving for HIM! A guy cuts you off and then flips you off! Shut up! Would you be so irate with the jerk that cut you off that you flip him off back and ride his tail for as long as you can stand it? Or would you be embarrassed for the jerk (smile) and pray that God forgives him because he obviously has no idea of what he just did?

You're given a ursa major project at work...you know, the kind that keeps you awake at night because you have no idea how it is going to turn out...and you are stressed about it...and your boss doesn't seem happy with you or how the project is going. In fact, your boss isn't even treating you fairly at all. But then you remember the scripture and realize that you are working for the God of the heavens and the earth and not for your boss. How do you handle it? Just do a mediocre job and call it a day? Or do you blow everything out of the water because that is what you would do for God? (For the record, the boss thing isn't real for me at all...my boss is awesome!)

I'm sure you get the point...

So I have heard / read / thought about this scripture quite a bit...and it has gotten me through some tough spots (in one job I actually printed the scripture and posted it over my desk to remind myself and in an effort to try not to be so frustrated with the job / boss at the time). But there has been a pattern...I think of it...it matters...it helps...but then I quickly go back to not thinking another thing about it. Ever been there?

Well, I started to think about this last night I got incredibly excited with this thought...

What if people started governing their whole day...every second of it...in this way? What if everything they did, they did for God? Seriously, would your house not be the cleanest ever? And don't you think that people would just go over the top with everything...it feels to me that everything would almost be a celebration! Out of an overflow of love for Christ...out of the excitement and humility...out of the pure desire to please God...wouldn't our lives look different? Like, drastically different?

So today I decided to try to remind myself over and over again of this scripture and incredible concept. I found myself engaging a whole lot more with everyone around me...total strangers...my day in class I was able to focus and participate more than I ever would have in the past...all of my discussions with people just "felt" different...it literally changed my entire day for the good. I felt like I had so much more joy inside of me...that I emitted so much more joy coming from me...and my entire demeanor was different, all because I was doing it for the Lord, not for man.

There is freedom in that. There is joy in that. There is an indescribable love in that.

My prayer is that I will continue to move with this motivation; that what I am doing is for the Lord...that my motives remain pure...and that no matter what happens I am able to keep that concept central in my heart. My other prayer is that you will also think about this all the time and see how it changes your life. Just imagine how the world would be if all believers governed themselves this way!!! Wowzers! :-)

A Price Worth Paying

I once had great friends. Also had some pretty good distant friends. Really liked my job. Had a wonderful family. Enjoyed being a mom.

All of those things were great, except I got comfortable. And when I got comfortable, I compromised in multiple areas of my life. I lost my edge. I talked too much because I just wanted to hear myself talk, or worse, just wanted to talk about myself. I got lazy. I slept in. Focused on me. Focused even more on the things around me. Stopped noticing the people. Oh, I was nice and all but I didn't have true relationships.

And then one day this little voice inside of me nudged me...reminded me...of the power of fasting. I resigned myself to fast for things, but soon realized that I should be fasting not for things, but for a deeper, more intimate relationship with God. True to how God moves, pretty soon there were several people praying and fasting together and we were in hot pursuit of God. We wanted our Lord and Savior to move...we wanted to hear from God...we wanted to see Him manifest Himself in new and wondrous ways. Soon, our physical hunger became a spiritual hunger...an insatiable hunger for God Himself. The very God that created the universe, the stars, the heavens, the purpose for your life - and mine. God moved and continues to move, rest assured, and I am not at all surprised.

You see, I forgot. I forgot how God moves when you seek Him. How could I ever have forgotten that? I got lazy. I chose to sleep in instead of getting up early in the morning and spending time with the one that made me so I could choose to worship Him. I got comfortable. I compromised. I shared my heart with people who I never should have shared my heart with. And don't get that last statement wrong...I'm not talking about sharing my heart with a man, I'm talking about sharing my heart with people...just people, some of whom had no intentions or desire to protect the heart I was sharing. When I look back I realize that all of that time I should have been talking about Him, not me. I am thankful for those that stuck around while I was stuck on me.

I believe that those that are close to me now can attest to the fact that fasting comes with somewhat of a cost. Let me just tell you that when you are comfortable, the devil doesn't care about you too much. That is purely because you pose no threat to him. However, it is when you begin to turn your focus on God that you get the devil's attention. It is when God starts to use you that the devil feels it necessary to step in. It is when your stomach growling reminds you to pray and praise God for who He is and all that He has done instead of run for the refrigerator to quiet it down that the devil snaps to attention and starts messin'.

And the devil is the epitome of mess. He strives to hit you in every area that means something to you. You'll know when he is messin'...you'll know when God is moving and has gotten the devil's attention...you'll know when your life is about to change by the author Himself. That is when your kids start acting crazy...as if you haven't taught them anything and get in trouble at school, at home, and any other location they step foot into. That is when the people at your job who you were once cool with turn on you, talk about you, spread lies about you and even go to your boss about you. That is when you find out that the people you once thought you were friends with really never were because they were talking about you behind your back the whole time - you were just too off your game to realize it. It is when your finances are so out of whack you don't even want to look at your bank account. It is when things start to break, strange things happen and when you can't sleep at night. It is when you start to notice yourself doubting your abilities, your knowledge, your skills, your friends, your family and even God's vision that He Himself has placed in you.

But I will also say that this is where your faith can be secured. God is bigger. God is bigger than anything that the devil can try to throw at you. God can handle all that and so much more. He has been handling the devil for years...He isn't going to stop now. This is real life. This is today. It is God's battle to fight...not mine. My job is to be obedient to Him. To keep my eyes on Him. To maintain a hunger for Him. To focus on Him. To listen to Him. To be sensitive to His Spirit that is inside of me. To love Him.

The beautiful thing about it is that the more the devil tries to mess, the more I turn to God, and each day I find myself quieting down (physically and spiritually) and becoming more secure in Him. Not in those around me...but in Him. I feel as though my eyes are open to what is really going on. I am blessed beyond belief, and sometimes to the point of tears, with a wonderful family and so many incredible friends. Relationships are important...and so is having a deep hunger for God.

Let's Talk About Intimacy

According to C.S. Lewis we are "half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us." Have you been there? Are you there now? Lewis goes on to say that we are far too easily pleased. Do you think that's true? Think about it for a minute...

There are so many things on this earth that can pull our attention away from God. Those things don't stop with drinking and sex...it could be money, our jobs, a hobby, sports, and the list goes on. Don't get me wrong: not all of these are negative things. It is when some of these things take our focus that it becomes a problem. Notice I said "take" our focus. They are, in fact, literally taking our focus away from God. We become so focused on them that they become our idols. And what is an idol? Something or someone that is regarded with admiration, worshipped, and becomes our focus over everything else.

Our idols can essentially become our one-night stands. They provide momentary pleasure but ultimately leave us empty and void of the deep joy that we are longing for. They seem to promise some sort of ultimate contentment, but they never really do. Chris Tiegreen says "they rob us of something far more valuable - an intimacy of infinite depth with a Lover whose love has no limits." That lover is God.

Do you feel like God is far away? I am learning that it is when I quiet myself, focus on Him, make my time with Him a priority and not a time that I try to fit into my schedule if it will work out, and then just listen, I can sense the very real nature of God Himself.

I have been known to say that I am not cut out to be in a relationship. That is not true. In fact, quite the opposite is true. I am called to have a relationship with God through Jesus and the intimacy of that relationship far exceeds anything that anyone else could ever offer. The intimacy with Him is not temporary - it is the most pleasurable that I could ever have with anyone.

Zephaniah 3:17 says: "The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Allow God to quiet you with his love. Focus on your intimacy with Him. Know that He delights in you and made you to delight in Him.

Striving to be a Slacker!

I am! I use the term slacker often in a negative way, but this morning it came to mind and I realized it was a positive thing and a state of being that I should strive for. Huh? Is that right? Have I officially gone bonkers? No...hear me out!

Let's start with the definition of a slacker..."to make or allow to become less active; relax (efforts, labor, etc.)" What I am saying here is that I want to be less active. I want to just relax. Yeah, sure. Everyone wants to just relax...right? Sit around on the couch all day...watch TV...eat Bon Bons...day in and day out... Is that what I mean? No! I'm not saying that I want to be lazy! That is not what I'm saying here. What I am saying is that I want the activity and efforts throughout the day to not be my own...I want them to be God's. I want less of me and more of Him. I want Him to be able to use me for His purpose...His glory. I am just a shell. He is God. I will gladly take a backseat and let God drive.

In John 15:5 Jesus says, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." Stop there. Go back and read that very last part...some translations say, "Apart from me you can do nothing."

I just read a piece in my devotional this morning that struck me: "much of the Christian life is God stripping us of our self-effort so that He can live His life in us without our interference. God is after our relenting and our trust in His strength...we are to be utterly dependent on the power of God that works in us and in our circumstances." Another "WOW!!" moment! :-)

I am striving to be a slacker! I want to be a Galatians 2:20 woman: "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Less of me means more of Him! I'm all for that!

Let's be slackers together! :-)

The Shift

Did you feel the earth shift a little bit this morning? Did the world seem a little clearer? Brighter? Well, if so, that was my paradigm shifting from God's clarification this morning.

My life has taken such a drastic change over the last six months. It has been as if the earth has continually shifted under my feet over and over again. Just when I feel as though my feet are firmly planted in one area, the earth shifts and I find myself standing in another area. God is keeping me on my toes, for sure!

I realized this week that I am SOOOO incredibly blessed! I have some of the most amazing friends and family. They love the kids and I...they are part of our lives...we are living life together...loving on each other..listening...talking...loving. I can't even express this point as much as I'd like to. Even with friends and family that I have intermittent communication with, there is still this sense of a bond that goes beyond the drifting. I am thankful for each person...

There are "regulars" in my life now that should be winning some type of an award or something. By regulars I mean that they put up with me on a regular basis...over coffee each week, in the office, via email, at church...and I'm pretty sure I should have taken some stock out for Panera and Espresso because I'm betting that we are solely the reason they are still in business.

Early this morning (much earlier than right now) my morning started off with a text message to and from one of my favorite people who is helping keep me accountable. I am serious when I say that God meets us every morning and this morning especially, put on the most amazing concert for just us with beautiful sounds of the birds. While most of the people in the area slept, we were awake and hyper sensitive to God's presence and love. How amazing is that?!

In reading my devotion this morning, along with sipping on a large cup of yummy coffee, and after God primed me with the concert, my paradigm shifted. You see, I've been complaining or going on with my friends about the challenges of life. A few in particular. And in one particular situation, I had almost completely given up and resigned myself to a fate that was awful - one that I never should have thought about or considered. But this morning, God orchestrated something very different. Here is an excerpt:

"Do we complain about our hardships? If so, we have forgotten that the universe is meant to glorify God, not us. Consider how His power might be made known in our trials. Redirect your prayers not to improve your situation but to have your situation demonstrate His glory. Thank Him for making Himself known."

I have been doing nothing but complaining about my situations and believe me, I have been praying for God to improve them...under my terms...with MY definition of what that meant. But when you really think about this point from the devotion, the possibilities are literally endless on how God could use our situations in a way that will glorify Him. My way? Or His way? I choose His way. I may not know what that is yet...and there may be this control-freak part of me that wants to know now what that will look like...or determine the outcome, but in the end, I want it to be HIS way, not mine. He is way more creative than me! :-)

And so when I think about how the Israelites were kept as slaves in Egypt so that God could be glorified as their deliverer in Exodus 11:9, and then I read on further that he purposely led them into what could have been (and rightfully should have been) a fatal situation in Exodus 14:4 but turned that situation into one of many that led people to realize who God was when he parted the sea, and when the blind man was blind all his life until Jesus allowed him to see in John 9:1-7, again, giving glory to God...I realize that my situations, as dismal as some of them may seem, will be, at some point, used to glorify God in His way, His timing, is...well...exciting!

Did you feel the shift?