Sunday, June 24, 2012

God has not forgotten us...

Life is pretty overwhelming at times. I am not going to lie. The good thing is that life is not overwhelming right now for me! But a little while ago, I had an experience with God when I was overwhelmed that totally blew me away.*** For those of you that are still getting to know me, I am one of those people that seem to find myself getting into uphill battles more than downhill battles. I push through it anyway and hope for the best. During one of these periods, I was very stressed about my situation and I asked God how long will this continue to go on. Things got darker and I became discouraged, but he answered shortly after.*** I was going through the book of Psalms, and I was reading Psalm 12 and 13. I will let you read it on your own, but 12 focuses on one struggle I had and 13 was a different one. With 13, it starts out with David asking, "How Long, Oh lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?" I had to laugh. The chapter talks about feeling left alone by God as his enemies easily find success. Yet it ends with David saying that he is trusting in God's love and will praise him and sing to him because he is good to him.*** The fact that this was the exact topic I was thinking of when I read it reminded me that God HAS NOT forgotten me. It also reminded me that David, his beloved King, felt the same exact feelings... so it is quite normal. It also reminded me that even though my situation may not be ideal right now, it is temporary and he is good to me. It reminded me to persevere when trials are tough and that God will take care of me. I can trust man, but I should never give them the burden of fulfilling my hopes or desires. Only God can do that, and he will do that if my heart is aligned with his will. Until I see it come to pass, I had to remind myself to praise him for my soon to be answered prayers.*** The next day, as I was sitting in my room, I got a phone call that answered the main prayer request that I had. I had felt that I was forgotten as I was striving to get answers for this next stage of my life. What I did not stop to think was that even though I was not getting communications returned, the situation was still under control. Everything went through like it was supposed to, but I was not waiting patiently for the final answer. In the end, I realized that God remembered me.*** So my encouragement to you today is that if you feel forgotten by God, be patient. Just because it is not an immediate yes, does not mean that it is an immediate no. It could be, "Wait for my perfect timing." It is completely normal to feel forgotten by God, but remember that he has not forgotten you.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Not Taking Short Cuts

When I sat down to write the other day, I was intending on writing something different... but this was too prominent for me to pass up. As I was watching the opening of the Oklahoma City/Miami series (NBA Finals), OKC's big screen was showing words that were meant to capture the ethos of their team. One of which was "Not taking short cuts", which is something that jumped out at me that can totally preach. In a world where people want everything yesterday, peer pressure is very strong, family expectations can be borderline destructive, and finances are tight, it is easy to want to take the short cut, but we have to have integrity and patience.*** I can remember times when I tried to take short cuts. One scenario that comes to mind is when I tried to break into the ministry. I had some great offers that would give me experience and give me a title, but the long term effects would have been damaging. In my hurry to to take the offer while it was still on the table, I felt pressure to just say yes. I quickly contacted my friends who knew the church, and found that no one was saying anything positive. They were lukewarm answers. I also realized that the pastor barely knew me from Adam and was offering me a job. I declined the job, and came to find out that it was the best option for me. After I declined, people began to tell me how they really felt and I realized that if I would have hurried, I would have been in a very bad place.*** One thing that I have learned is that if something is too easy to get, then you have to be careful. For instance, if something is free on the internet, usually there is something wrong with program. If you are being offered a job quickly and the place has a high turn over rate, there is probably a good reason. This is why it is important to take the time and look at the situation before jumping into it.*** When I think about scripture, I think about what Jesus did. He could have made life a heck of a lot easier on himself. He could have placated the crowds and grew popular, but instead he spoke the hard truth. He could have sucked up to the Pharisee's and got their favor, but instead he called them out. He could have lived a life as a miracle worker/teacher/prophet, but instead he agreed to be the sacrifice for the father (and trust me, he was not happy about that). What I begin to realize is that Jesus took criticism for doing things the right way, but in the end doing what was right was the sacrifice needed to give us salvation.*** When I look back at my life, a realize that many of my hardest times were due to trying to take short cuts. Whether I tried to hurry something rather than being patient, tried to buy something before I had the money, or that I was "just trying to get through" something, I was not taking the time to think things through properly and weigh the pros and the cons. Usually, it bit me in the butt!*** Now back to basketball. The reason why Oklahoma City did not take short cuts is because they did not blow money needlessly on one player (which cripples their ability to resign their stars), they let their teammates grow together and understand each other rather than putting together a smattering of players and demand perfection, nor did they bring in flashy or egotistical players that draw a lot of attention to themselves, instead they brought in well rounded team players whose talent attracted attention. Thats the way it is in life, if we live with in our means, put in the honest work and grow stronger and wiser, and let our work ethic speak for our ability, we will build a life that will endure the long haul. Yes, we will have to endure our lumps in the road (OKC had three miserable seasons), but the reward is sustained success.*** In conclusion, think about the Roman roads, the layers upon layers that they used to build those roads. It took time, effort, and money, but they are still in use today. We can either chose to build roman roads or settle for cheap asphalt that will have to be replaced frequently. With me, I am trying to build a Roman road. Thats why I got my Masters of Divinity. Thats why I am getting my Masters of Counseling. Thats why I am doing an internship. Thats why I am becoming a Navy Chaplain. Because in order to do ministry well, I need to put in the time and effort to acquire both knowledge and wisdom. Whether it is what I learn, what I go through in life, or who I meet, I want to put in the honest work to become the best minister that I can be. Yes, it can be frustrating at times, but at the end of the day I can say that I did not use the quick fix approach and that I am built to last.***