The Places In Between

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” – Robert Collier

I love to look back and see the victories in my life, great and small.  I believe in marking those moments because they’re important and they matter.  I’m also enthusiastic about starting something, even if it’s hard, because I see the prize waiting for me once I cross the finish line.  It can be the positive character changes that will take place, the profit I know I can make, or even the benefits I’ll receive for making healthier lifestyle choices.  Whatever the prize is, knowing it’s out there waiting for me motivates me to start.

The challenge comes, for me at least, in the places in between.  I know God is calling me to something different, but I’m not there yet.  I’ve started the journey, but the initial enthusiasm has worn off and I’m stuck with that middle section of hard work, perseverance and no immediate results.  This can be the most difficult time to keep fighting on and moving forward. 

It’s during these moments of high effort with no immediate results I’m most tempted to throw in the towel and quit.  It’s when I’m seeing all I need to grow in and making better choices, but my feelings have yet to catch up with me.  It’s when the business plan has been executed but all I see is the debt compounding.  It’s the time I’m most likely to reach for the bucket of ice cream instead of the apple I told myself I would eat instead. 

If, like me, you consider yourself a human, you will fall down during this period.  Note I didn’t say you might fall down.  You will.  You’ll reach back for the old, familiar pattern you’re trying to break.  You’ll start to believe you are a failure and you friends were right – you’re crazy!  Or you’ll polish off the Haagen Dazs and add in some cookies for good measure.

Success is never linear.  As we make our way forward, we will take some steps in the right direction, but we’ll also take some steps sideways, backwards, and everywhere in between.  I’ve come to believe it’s not so much the beginning or the end of a journey that defines me, but it’s what I do in those in between places that really count.  Courage for me in these moments is never about fearlessly moving forward, sword swinging and conviction shining forth brightly from my heart.  No, for me courage in the middle is all about quietly picking myself up from the back steps and the side steps, asking myself what I need to learn from them, and yet again placing my foot forward.   

Author Mary Anne Radmacher says it this way: “Courage doesn’t always roar.  Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying ‘I will try again tomorrow.’”  So whatever it is you are working through or working toward, remember it’s not the times you fall down that matter.  It’s finding the faith and willingness inside to continually pick yourself up again. 

For Further Thought:  The Christian walk is often referred to as a race in the New Testament.  One of my favorite scriptures is found in Hebrews 12:1-2 where we are told “... since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses (people who have persevered and been blessed for it), let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back, and especially those sins that wrap themselves so tightly around our feet and trip us up; and let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us.  Keep your eyes on Jesus, our leader and instructor.  He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterwards; and now he sits in the place of honor by the throne of God.”  How do you get tripped up?  What is one practical way you can keep your focus on Jesus during those moments to help you get back on track sooner? 

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One Magnificent Home!

I love old houses.  There’s something about them that touches me.  Maybe it’s because they’ve stood the test of time; maybe it’s all of life’s triumphs and tragedies combined with the echo of day-to-day existence that lingers in their rooms and hallways.  Life happened there.  Someone built that house with all of their family’s hopes and dreams poured into the very foundation. Personal battles were fought, hugs have been given, and love was shared. 

We say an old house has character, and it’s almost always meant as a compliment.  People marvel and say, “They just don’t make ‘em like that anymore.”  Craftsmanship and individuality shine in old houses.  Each one is as unique as the souls that occupied them.

Yet for every cool old house I see, there are just as many a poor old houses screaming out for a makeover.  Maybe it’s the awkward, poorly planned addition that looks like it was tacked on as an afterthought, or the “modern” update that completely clashes with the original architecture.  Whatever the reason, when I see that kind of place I can’t help but wonder why?  Why would someone do that to a perfectly good house?  Why would they ruin it that way?

It’s simple, really.  It helped at the time.  The owners weren’t thinking long term.  They didn’t consult a general contractor or an architect.  They just needed what they needed in the moment.

I think we’re a lot like those old houses.  We start out new and shiny, full of hopes and dreams.  We’re meant to become these beautiful, charactered people that house God’s spirit.  But life comes along and we add on those awkward additions because it helped or if felt good in the moment.  For some of us it may be an odd bathroom hiding in the back of the house, or at some points in life it may be we need a full overhaul, but we all have something within us that needs a little TLC. 

Sit back for a moment and think of one area in your life that needs some renovation.  Really bring this situation to the front of your mind.  Now, imagine how your life would be different without this issue.  How would you walk?  How would you talk?  How would you act?  How would your schedule change?  Your relationships?  Your family?  How would you feel about yourself?  Would you carry yourself differently?  Would you breath easier?  Think of how you would feel with that area in your life different.

THAT is what God wants for you!  That sense of freedom and joy, that sense of victory and empowerment are his dream, his vision for you. He wants to restore you in such a way that the internal changes glow externally.  Better than any home you’ve seen restored on Extreme Home Makeover, God wants to build into you a little each day until, over time, people are blown away by the changes they see – in you!

Tired of your own awkward addition?  In 1 Corinthians 3:10 it says, “Like a skilled architect and master builder, I laid a foundation based upon God’s grace given to me.”  As a master builder, Jesus has every tool necessary to transform you!  Did you know he sees you as his temple? (1 Cor. 3:16)  It goes on to say, “As others build on the foundation (whether with gold, silver, gemstones, wood, hay, or straw), the quality of each person’s work will be revealed in time as it is tested by fire,” (1 Cor. 3:12).  Begin asking God to show you how to get rid of the hay and straw in your life and start building with gold, silver and gemstones.  He will make you shine.

For further thought:  One of my favorite scriptures is Isaiah 61:1b-3:

“He has sent me to repair broken hearts, and to declare to those who are held captive and bound in prison, “Be free from your imprisonment!”  He has sent me to announce the year of jubilee, the season of the Eternal’s favor: for our enemies it will be a day of God’s wrath; For those who mourn it will be a time of comfort. As for those who grieve over Zion, God has sent me to give them a beautiful crown in exchange for ashes, to anoint them with gladness instead of sorrow, to wrap them in victory, joy, and praise instead of depression and sadness.  People will call them magnificent, like great towering trees standing for what is right. They stand to the glory of the Eternal who planted them.”  This week, may you be magnificent :-)

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Finding True Love

Love.  It’s the most powerful, most sought after emotion in the world.  We want love, crave it even.  We value it and hold the experience of it in high regard.  We write songs, pen poems, and even willingly embarrass ourselves just to claim it.  Love is a universally amazing experience.

Yet something misguided and twisted happens when we begin to love the idea of love more than love itself.  We can tie our happiness firmly to it and think we can’t be happy or fulfilled unless we have romantic love or experience the love of parenthood, etc.  Love for us becomes an idol.

When you’re hurting, when your life is lying in pieces around you, when you lay awake at night lost in a sea of unworthiness, your need can become dangerous.  You can start doubting your worth, doubting God’s timing.  This sense of desperation starts creeping in along with the lie you’re not worthy of a quality relationship, and that you’re not worth enough in and of yourself.  This is especially true when you’re in a position of emotional trauma and pain because hurt makes us needy. 

In those moments, I have found I have some tough choices to make.  I can choose to get lost in the neediness and lack of worth or I can choose to fight my way back to trust in God’s ability to work through any of my circumstances to grow me to a better place.  Let me tell you, it’s hard!  When I think of the times I’ve stayed in dysfunctional, unhappy relationships just to have some form of love, even if it’s detrimental for me in the long run and I know it, I shake my head.  But I know I’m not alone in that experience.  My need is bigger than my faith in that moment. 

I have learned, sometimes the hard way, the importance of taking my eyes off myself and my perceptions and instead fixing them on the author and perfecter of my faith, Jesus Christ.  His ways are not my ways.  My way tells me there may never be enough so I’d better grab the scraps I can get; God’s way tells me He will give to me in abundance and his gifts are always good.  My way tells me I’m not worth enough to be valued. God’s way tells me I am worth everything; I am priceless. 

With my eyes fixed on Jesus, I slowly feel the fear ebb away.  I remember I am valued for who I am and where I am at this very moment – now.  Not someday; not once I change this or that; not once someone loves me romantically or I’ve given birth or entered into any other relationship I’m trying to define myself by.  My definition of worth comes from the King of the Universe, who loved me enough to send his son to die for me.  With Him I am complete.  Now that is a love worth defining myself by.  

For Further Thought: "Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!" (Hebrews 12:2-3, MSG)  What is one way you can reconnect with God and allow Him to encourage you when you're lost in your own neediness?