Baby Step 10: As Simple As 1, 2, 3

The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re not going to stay where you are.”[1]

--John Pierpoint “J.P.” Morgan

  ‘Can’t they keep their minds on God for five minutes?
    Do they simply refuse to walk down my road?’[2]

It is easiest in the morning. Assuming you slept the night before, you have the energy to look forward. The willingness to follow your plan. The focus to honor your boundaries. Preparedness to accept the covenant you made with God.

Then evening comes, energy dissipates, willingness becomes buried in the need to escape, our attentiveness moves from plan to business as usual, focus and boundaries become blurred; we neglect to stay prepared.

How can you make positive changes in your life and behavior when each day is a struggle just to survive? How can you keep your mind on God when you fear the change you need to make will just leave you alone on the other end?

I wonder if Jesus, as he resolutely set his face toward Jerusalem and death, worried about this daily drift? Did he look at his disciples’ fear and lack of understanding would create a carelessness ending in an unintended destination?

God created a perfect plan to take the slaves known to the Egyptians as the Hebrews and form them into a nation of spiritual fortitude and power. He even hand-picked a leader and prepared him in the house of the Pharaoh, and among the herds and wilderness of the Midianites.

The nation that would become Israel and the disciples that would become the early church looked good on the surface. However, could they pay the price of success?

Today, like them, “each day is filled with thousands of opportunities to change the story of our lives. . . . [We need to position ourselves] to make the most proactive, intentional and beneficial decisions possible.” [3]

^7-12 If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That’s to prevent anyone from confusing God’s incomparable power with us. As it is, there’s not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we’re not much to look at. We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus’ sake, which makes Jesus’ life all the more evident in us. While we’re going through the worst, you’re getting in on the best![4]

It is as simple as:

1.       Deciding not stay where you are;

2.       Staying focused on God and his plan five minutes at a time; and

3.       Being willing to carry the visible message of salvation visible in our   brokenness. and weakness.

Bibliography

Hyatt, Michael, and Daniel Harkavy. 2016. Living Forward: A Proven Plan to Stop Drifting and Get the Life You Want. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books. Accessed March 2016. LivingForwardBook.com.

Petersen, Eugene H. 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. The Message. Carol Stream, Illinois: NavPress Publishing Group. Accessed March 18, 2016. https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/Message-MSG-Bible/.

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[1] (Hyatt and Harkavy 2016) p. 15

[2] (Petersen 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002) Psalm 95:12 MSG

[3] (Hyatt and Harkavy 2016) pp. 18, 19

[4] (Petersen 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002) 2 Corinthians 4:7-12 MSG

Baby Step Nine - Trusting God for Deliverance

Baby Steps - March 12, 2016

Psalms 107 and 108

James Cameron, the writer and director of the 1997 “epic romantic disaster film “(Wikepedia) felt that the juxtaposition of a “love story interspersed with the human loss would be essential to convey the emotional impact of the disaster.” The musical score including the love song,  My Heart Will Go On, was composed by James Horner. Although it is the only song on the soundtrack that has lyrics, my favorite rendition is a piano solo by Mike Strickland.

I find the intensity of the music, originally written without lyrics, to convey my experiences of my emotional connectivity with our daughters, and the love and power of God to act in the midst of many troubles and calling upon His promise to bring his authority and victory to every situation.

In Psalms 107 and 108, (Wesley Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version, 2009), we are called as a people of God regathered from exile to give our “Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Many Troubles” and to offer our “Praise and Prayer for Victory.”

“O give thanks to the Lord for he is good;

    for his steadfast love endures forever.

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,

    those he redeemed from trouble.” (107:1-2 NRSV)

“but he raises up the needy out of distress . . .

Let those who are wise give heed to these things,

     and consider the steadfast love of the Lord.” (107:41, 43 NRSV)

All God’s redeeming acts encourage and teach the faithful.

“Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,

     and let your glory be over all the earth.

Give victory with your right hand, and answer me,

     so that those whom you love may be rescued.” (108:5-6 NRSV)

“O grant us help against the foe

     for human help is worthless.” (108:12 NRSV)

“Give us help for the hard task.” (108:12 MSG, (Petersen, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002))

DELIVERANCE

“In a world of often dueling oppression we may overlook the fact that everyone encounters times of discomfort, danger and distress. The severity and duration of our experiences differ, but no comparison is necessary.” These Psalms assure us, whoever we are: no matter our “race, gender, age ethnicity or belief.” Let the redeemed, “whoever we are, wherever we live, whatever we are going through, let us ‘say so’ to recognize God’s power to help us overcome.” (Wesley Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version, 2009, p. 734)

Somehow, someway, God has given me a special connection with my daughters. No matter how near or far, I somehow feel and own their emotional pain, distress, or danger. They don’t need to call, I just know. My heart responds intuitively. My body responds viscerally.  I would never ask for this pain, distress, and trouble be lifted from me, because somehow, someway God helps me carry their burdens and breathes life into my prayers.  I know we are the redeemed. I believe this connectivity between our girls, myself, and my God grants the opportunity to “say so” on behalf of those I love. We can, through God’s power, overcome the needs of the day, the season, even the extended exile because we know.