Good vs. Evil

I’ve thought a lot about changes lately. Is it because of the new year and all the hype about resolutions and self-improvement? Perhaps that's a good thing. Maybe we need to have time to focus at least once a year on improving ourselves in order to get rid of bad habits or begin new, better choices that will benefit our health and our outlook on life.

Along with the idea of letting go, we embrace the positive aspect of new beginnings. Healthier eating habits are on many of our self-improvement lists, right along with exercising more regularly. These are certainly both at the top of my list.

Taking on a new life challenge may seem like just another thing to do. It isn’t until we embrace this new lifestyle that we begin to understand the rewards of changing our habits. Feeling slimmer and more energetic are the byproducts of healthier living choices, and who wouldn’t desire to feel better physically each day.

Our church has encouraged a similar philosophy when it comes to our Lenten season and indeed, our spiritual growth throughout the year. Instead of “giving up” something for Lent, we explore the option of “taking on” a new spiritual discipline. Perhaps it might be a small group study that will encourage us to read more or be in the Word on a regular basis. Accepting the challenge of self-improvement is exciting at the onset.

When we begin, we have high hopes for great change in our lives. It is when we try to adapt our lifestyles to accommodate our new ideas that we struggle. We still have the same time constraints as we had before, and now we are trying to cram in something more. While we know it is in our best interest, why do our best laid plans fall to the wayside as we choose instead to grab a bag of chips and plop down in front of the tv for our favorite program?

The self-improvement we seek cannot be considered for only the short term, and must reflect our desire for wholeness in all aspects of our lives. Weight loss is at the top of my list for this year, but so is spiritual growth. I am eating healthier and exercising. I love taking walks in nature and that is one kind of exercise I can easily keep up with.

Maintaining spiritual discipline in my life is so much harder. Not only do we have the busyness of our lives to deter us, but the evil one is so good at knowing our weaknesses and will dangle that golden carrot just beyond our noses for distraction. We can sense the aroma of something promised, something just beyond our reach, that seems so much better than what we have right in front of us.

What a challenge it is to discern if the desires of our heart are laid there by our loving Father or discretely placed by the evil one to sabotage any forward progress we are trying to make.  Both can appear to be our heart’s desire, and pull strongly on the direction of our lives.

How then can we know the difference? The answer is through prayer. Take your desires to the Lord and then wait for an answer. If it is the direction we should travel, the pull on our heart will feel stronger when we pray and lay our concerns at His feet.

If our pathway is divergent because of the glow of desire, it is probably our own insecurities reflecting off the golden carrot.  Satan is a master artist so do not be deceived. He can make something look so perfect and promising, when what he is really attempting to do is pull us away from God. 

I can speak from experience that he can make a choice in your life seem to shine like gold, and indeed seem to come from God Himself. Satan delights in putting a doubt within us that provides dissatisfaction in our lives, pulling us off our path and away from God.

We often can’t see the truth of the deception until we have chosen the wrong path and have begun to follow it. Then the devastating truth is revealed, and I hear Satan laughing with delight. But he will not have the final victory.

God is always there, waiting for us to return to Him. He is like a loving Father with outstretched arms and we only need to run to Him to be saved. The best time to turn to Him is before we make a decision that will change our lives. Pray for discernment, and for direction. And wait patiently for God to make clear the path He knows is best for you.

And if we err, as we sometimes will, and find ourselves on the pathway to destruction, cry out to Jesus to rescue you, and come to Him in repentance. Pray for forgiveness, and it will be given to you. Then pick up the pieces of your life and find the right pathway once again, the path that will lead you to happiness and peace, walking side-by-side with your Savior in harmony with all of creation. 

Where Do I Turn?

We lift prayers for family members who are traveling a difficult road of life. We pray for healing and comfort for those who are ill or recovering from surgery or another trauma. 

When I pray for others, I ask for God’s presence to be near the person in need. God’s all-powerful presence is calming and peaceful for me, so I pray for others to feel the calming peace of knowing God is near to them, too.

Each time we face a trial, we have a choice. I know not long ago my reaction to a stressful situation would have been to completely stress out. I would feel frustrated and out of control, totally unsure of what to do. Now I have a new tactic. I pray.

Turning to God in the midst of my stress is very calming. I wish I could say I always remember to do this right away, but I am still learning! Each day is a new opportunity to try a different way of dealing with the challenges our lives bring. For me, turning to God releases some of my burden. I envision leaning on Him for support, encouragement and direction. My thoughts become clearer, and I look for solutions instead of focusing on the problem.

I have also learned that my emotions are information. Very important information. I used to be afraid of my strong emotions, and I held them inside instead of releasing them. Now if I feel sad, or confused, I try to figure out why. Sometimes it’s good to just let it out (privately if possible). Go ahead and cry or be angry and yell at the wind. Then, when the emotions have subsided, it is easier to see more clearly. Examine where the emotion came from, what caused it and what can be done to remedy the situation.

We are given emotions and nerves to sense our world. Another great tool is our intuition, or instinct. We have come to rely on our material world for all of our needs, but there is a part of us that can sense beyond tactile or other sensory perception. 

All animals are born with instinct to survive. We have protected ourselves in our safe little worlds and don’t often use our instincts anymore. But they are still there. 

Sometimes we have an instinctual feeling about a person or situation, and we need to trust the feeling and listen to that tiny voice. It can be difficult with the noise and busyness of our lives. But if you practice trusting your intuition, you will find it to be a helpful tool to use in navigating your way through this life.

So where do I turn? I learn a lot about myself and how to deal with a situation by understanding my reaction to it. When I am overwhelmed, which is frequently, I turn to my Savior for peace and direction. Most of the time I am sustained with the comfort that acknowledging Him brings me. Knowing that He is always near is a great comfort. His peace calms my spirit so that I can find a direction to resolve the situation. 

God’s Spirit lives in us, when we make our hearts welcoming to His presence. This is achieved through relationship with Him and through striving for right living. He doesn’t expect us to be perfect. We can never be. But we can strive to live our lives according to His principles, learning and growing in our understanding of ourselves and our place in this world.  Through His love, we can learn of His perfect peace. 

Please enjoy this video of Laura Story's thought-provoking song, "Blessings". I have had the priviledge of sharing the message of this song through singing it with my sweet sisters in Christ in our trio at church. Laura has faced incredible trials in her life, through her husband's illness, and this song was born out of her experience of praying her way through that trial.

Hope through Forgiveness

We all make mistakes. Some are big, and affect our lives or our world for a long time while others are small, and impact us on the inside in how we view our place in the world.

One thing is certain, we can’t change the past. The laws of physics in our universe assure us of that. So what can we do, but move forward into a new day.

We can learn so much about ourselves by realizing our faults and human frailties. And it does us no good to berate ourselves for our mistakes. We need to learn what we can from our minor disasters and then learn how to move on.

First and foremost, if we have done harm to others, we must ask for forgiveness. If we are unable to do this face-to-face, we can bring our requests to God. After all, He is the master of forgiveness. Pray for forgiveness for your mistakes, and pray that God's comfort will be known to anyone you have caused to feel pain.

We should pray to God for forgiveness if our actions have taken us off the path He chose for us. We know when this is so because of the way we feel inside.  Sometimes our choices seem like a good idea at the time, but we realize later how self-serving they were and how wrong it makes us feel.

There are times when we feel anguish over our choices, like a pounding waterfall beating us relentlessly with torrents of regret and shame. These are the times to come before your Maker and confess your mistakes and pray for forgiveness and a new direction in your life.

Other times, our mistakes are smaller and not as far-reaching, though we feel the sting in our memory and wish we could right the wrong. Sometimes this can be achieved by facing our guilt straight on. Pray for direction in how to go forward. An apology can go a long way in bringing peace to your heart and to others if they feel wronged. Pray for grace, that God will help everyone involved respect and understand the humanness behind the error.

We will make mistakes. It is part of our human nature. Staying stuck in regret will not help us. We must learn what we can from the past, and move forward with new hope. Let the little things go by, as they are probably not a big as you think. And work through the big problems with an eye toward what you can do to right the wrong rather than dwelling on what you have failed to do.

Take time to understand why you made the choice you did, to help prevent making the same mistake again. Understand that we are all human, and God knows we will make poor choices at times. He wants us to live in freedom and in peace, so do what you can to makes things right, and then forgive yourself. This is usually the hardest part, but you can take this to God too. Ask for help. Pour out your heart to Him. His is listening. 

Let God’s grace shine in your life and live it as an example of how we should treat one another. And that includes loving yourself. Charity begins at home, and must extend to all the world. Let us find hope and peace through forgiveness and compassion, and allow it to spread throughout this world we share.

Is it Okay to Pray during Football?

Three football games in three days. That was the tournament schedule for our youngest son this weekend. After winning the first two games to qualify for the championship, they faced their final opponent yesterday afternoon. 

Unfortunately, that game was not without controversy. Throughout the three game spectacle, we experienced the myriad emotions we humans posses and saw people at their finest and their worst.

The first game was a blow out, with the other team not able to score at all. Our boys channelled their nervous energy into great playing on the field. Though the victory was sweet, the game did not have the intensity of a closely fought game.

The second game was tense from the first kickoff that the other team returned for a touchdown. It was a close game that went down to the final seconds and we won by only one point. Emotions were running high and there was great jubilance on our side of the field as this victory qualified our team to play in the final game.

The Championship game was a good competition between two well-trained teams. But in the end, the opposing team had penalties that resulted in two touchdowns being called back. The referees were fair, the opposing coaches were livid, and poor sportsmanship became an unwelcome visitor to the game. It soured the victory. Though the joy of winning was marred by those incidents, our team kept to its high standards of good sportsmanship. I wish I could say the same for some of the parents in the stands.

This Championship victory was a great accomplishment for our team, and there are moments these boys will remember for all of their lives. They became a team, learned how to work together to achieve a goal and trained their bodies and their minds to accomplish the task.

Sounds a lot like life in the long run.

Do you ever feel sorry for the ones who don’t win? Of course in any competition, there has to be a victor and a runner-up, and oftentimes not much separates the two except one has achieved just a little bit more, run a little faster or scored that extra point.

I think the real victory is in personal growth, in challenging one’s own body and realizing what you are capable of achieving.

On a team, friendships are made that last long after the the last game is played. And the honor of living your principles and fighting the good fight ignites confidence that carries far beyond the football field or the final score. 

Applying those qualities to your life makes everyone a victor. Congratulations to all!