Weird Bible Wonderings #1

Every once in a while, as I read the Bible from my 2014 perspective, a weird thought enters my head – a thought I just can’t get out.  Not long ago I had one of those days.

weatherI spent an evening with friends, talking about a snowstorm that was supposed to hit our area the next day.  It seemed we just couldn’t get enough of talking about what might happen.

“What time will the snow start?  How many inches?  Will it be fluffy or heavy?  Is there going to be freezing rain mixed with the snow?  I wonder if they’ll cancel school?”

The next day, I found myself obsessively watching the snowfall predictions on Weather.com to see exactly how many inches we were going to get, because after all……well, it just matters!

 

And then it happened….my Weird Bible Wondering.

I wonder.....

I wonder…..

I wonder…..

When they were in the wilderness, did the Israelites spend as much time talking about the next day’s manna as we do the next day’s snowstorms?

You see, back in the book of Exodus when the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness, food was tough to find.  So they griped and complained about their situation to God.  The very same God who’d just pulled off a string of great big miracles to liberate them from Egypt.  So – in retrospect – it was pretty gutsy of them to complain.  But God (in a waaaaayyyy more gracious response than I could ever muster up), told them He’d provide manna.  Every day there’d be just enough manna for each of them to collect and eat.  Except the day before the Sabbath, when there’d be two-days’ worth, so they could rest and observe the Sabbath.  Yes, the God who’d already performed amazing miracles clearly spelled out how He would provide for them day by day.  They didn’t have to worry, they just needed to trust.

So how do you think the Israelites responded?  I can just hear them now…..

“How much manna will be on the ground when we wake up?  Will it be fluffy manna or heavy manna?  Do you think it will be windy? If so, the manna may blow away. Or sand may get mixed in and make it all gritty – yuk!  What if it rains – will it turn into manna-mush?   What if we’re still hungry – do we REALLY have to wait until tomorrow for more manna?  Watch out for yellow manna!

“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”  Corrie Ten Boom

It may sound ridiculous, but I’ll bet there were at least a few of those conversations.  Because human nature is, after all, remarkably consistent.  We love playing the game of “what-if” rather than relaxing in the knowledge that God has promised to provide.  Yes, sometimes just trusting God doesn’t seem as satisfying – it doesn’t satisfy our love of speculating about the future, it doesn’t make for good conversation around the coffee bar or wherever you happen to hang out.

So yes, I bet they DID talk about this, even though God told them His plan – very clearly.

And we know they didn’t listen – or if they did, they didn’t trust what He said.  We know, because they hoarded the manna.  Thinking ahead to the uncertainty of the next day, they collected more the one day’s manna.

You see, the Israelites were focused on what they thought were their needs.  Truth be told, we all are.  The Israelites were hungry, so they thought they needed food.  But God knew what they really needed – they needed to trust Him.  So God made the leftover manna rot – because God was determined they would learn to trust His provision one day at a time.  Just like He’s determined with us.

Thousands of years later, I’m like the Israelites and their manna.  If you’ve been reading my blog, you know I’m contemplating some adjustments in my life – clearing out some major time commitments to make room to serve God more.  To be honest, I’m not 100% sure what that will look like.  Not even close.  And my mind keeps spinning on what might happen – like a person about to get snowed on, or like the Israelites with their manna.

“What will I do with my time?  What if God doesn’t make it incredibly obvious what I’m supposed to do?  What if He makes me wait 40 years like Moses before He’s ready to use me?  I could be dead by then!”

And so I’m learning that “what if” isn’t just a fun game I play as I try to guess my future.  It’s destructive.  It does nothing to help my stress level.  It does nothing to help my faith grow.  In fact, it may just be listening to Satan whispering in my ear…..that God can’t be trusted.

But what if….instead of spending my energy playing “what if,”  I focused on seeing how God is meeting my needs today – right here? right now?  Would I be surprised to find my average existence is actually quite amazing?  God’s full, personal attention and intervention, meeting my needs, showing me opportunities to serve Him?  Would I be able to trust Him more?   Would I find, if I focused on trusting God, that my “needs” pale in comparison to God my provider?

But that would mean I need to stop looking at my fears, my “needs,” and look instead at Jesus.  All. the. time.  Consciously choosing to look at Jesus, when Satan wants me to look at my uncertainties, my fear that my needs won’t be met.  But Jesus knows my needs – and Jesus wants me to learn to trust Him.

Dream Hard Trust HarderIn the end, a life spent trusting Jesus everny day is way more exciting than a life spent worrying.   Just ask Peter….who ended up walking on water.  Just ask Moses…who saw that Red Sea parted.  Just ask Paul who – imprisoned with his life in danger – kept his eyes on God and saw countless souls come to faith through his words.  Just ask Corrie Ten Boom, Billy Graham, or Hudson Taylor.  Or perhaps some Christ followers you know.  No, a life spent trusting Jesus is not boring – when you look and see Him working, it’s exciting!

And in the midst of all that, I’m still obsessing about how much snow we’re going to get  this winter – even though it really doesn’t matter a whole lot.  In the end, we will get snow, and when we do I’ll stay home from work because the roads will be treacherous.  We may lose power or (gasp!) our internet connection.  Our cell phone batteries may run down.  We may get colder than we would like.  The pipes may burst.  But I will survive.  On the off chance I don’t….I’ll be rejoicing with Jesus.

And the God who worked miracles for the Israelites – who was obsessed with teaching them to trust Him….He WILL bring me through my own times of uncertainty.  And if I pay attention, I’ll be amazed at His provision.

What about you?  Do you spend your day playing mental gymnastics about what might or might not happen in the future?  Has God ever surprised or amazed you at how He’s met you needs?  We’d love to hear your story in the comments!

My 2014 “Triple-Dog-Dare Ya” Goals

New Year’s is fast approaching, and with it my annual tradition of goal setting.  I’m a fan of  goals, but it seems every year they’re becoming eerily (wearily?) similar.

This year needs to be different….

I want to get it right – so that next December I don’t say “I didn’t make a lot of progress” or “so many missed opportunities.” You know….the gap between “how my year should be if I really live by faith” vs. what really ends up happening.

I suppose this year the sense of urgency is increasing.  It pains me to say this, but in just a few weeks I’ll be able to order off that “special menu” many restaurants have.  You know, the one with the smaller portions and lower prices. I shudder to think of the word “senior” and me being used in the same sentence.  It’s time to get serious and kick things into high gear.

Instead of focusing on the same old goals, what if we each picked at least one item that would be revolutionary in our lives? One that would hit at the undercurrent of dissatisfaction, and turn life back into a great adventure?  Would we dare do that?  Would I dare do that?

That implies change – with potentially big consequences.  It sort of makes me feel like the character Flick in that scene from “A Christmas Story”  where Schwartz dares him to stick his tongue onto a frozen pole:

christmasstory450_53158a_8col“Well I double-DOG-dare ya!”
“Now it was serious. A double-dog-dare. What else was there but a “triple dare ya”? And then, the coup de grace of all dares, the sinister triple-dog-dare.” “I TRIPLE-dog-dare ya!” “Schwartz created a slight breach of etiquette by skipping the triple dare and going right for the throat!”
Ralphie, Narrator and Schwartz in A Christmas Story

That’s what I need for 2014 – a “triple-dog-dare ya” goal.  Bold and daring.  (But hopefully without leaving my tongue stuck to a pole!)

I decided to seek wisdom from the masters.  So here, my friends, in a nutshell, is pretty much everything one needs to know about goal-setting:

#1 -“YCopyright © 1995 - 2008 Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). All Rights Reservedou rarely have time for everything you want in this life, so you need to make choices.  And hopefully your choices can come from a deep sense of who you are.”  Mr. Rogers

Diana Translation – I have way too many demands on my life – and I’ve learned it’s impossible to do them all well.  It’s time to make some choices based on God’s Word and the gifts, talents and desires He has built into me.

francis chan#2 – “Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that really don’t matter.” – Francis Chan

Diana Translation – Just because I CAN do something, doesn’t mean I should.  How can I better align myself with God’s plan for my life?  If I weren’t afraid of failure, what would I do?

tom-landry

 

#3 – “Setting a goal is not the main thing.  It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan.”  Tom Landry

Diana Translation – Intentions without follow-through are cheap.  Don’t just build goals, build solid plans to make sure you reach them.

And so for me, this is the year of the “triple-dog-dare-ya” goal……

While I’m not totally done with my goal-planning (after all, it’s not January yet), these themes are emerging for my 2014:

1.  First Priority – Free up a significant amount of time to make room for the things God would have me focus on during this period in my life.

2.  Adjust my personal and ministry priorities and choices based on what really matters – especially those things that are aligned with the gifts and abilities God has given me.  This could mean many things, but for sure it will require more willingness than ever to trust God and “go out on a limb” to obey His leading, and then see what He does!

3. Share my goals and plans with a critical few who can provide wise counsel and hold me accountable.

Well, that’s where I’m at in my 2014 goal-setting. Thoughts or advice?  What about you?  What bold goal would make a big difference in your 2014?  I’d love to hear from you!

How Do You Rate?

It’s that time of year again!   No, not Christmas and New Years – I’m referring to that OTHER “special” time of year.

You know, that time where we endure employee performance reviews with our bosses – telling them what we’ve done, then hearing how the boss sees us.  I admit it – this is one of the more uncomfortable times of year for me – hoping my boss will appreciate how hard I’ve worked, but fearing he didn’t notice or understand what I did.

I’ve lived through this performance review cycle 31 times in my career. After 31 times, it’s still uncomfortableBecause let’s face it, deep down we all want to be viewed as “better than most,” and not just “average.”  

In some watodolistys, my Christian life is like this, always wondering how “the Big Boss” views me.  I want God to be so impressed with me that He comments to the angels about my amazing performance.  And since God built me to be task-oriented, I run my personal life with “to-do” lists trying to achieve great results for God.  I love checking items off my list.  Did your devotions?  Check!  And in my imagination, a little voice whispers “God is SO pleased with you for spending time with Him.”

So you shouldn’t be surprised to learn that in addition to my “to-do” lists, I also set annual goals for my life.  Please don’t laugh at me – remember, God made me like this.  It helps me get things done. Besides, having annual goals is WAY better than New Years resolutions.  Because I can work on goals all year, and not just throw everything away on January 2nd when I choose cheesecake over my New Year’s diet.

Which I probably will……

As I get to the end of this year and reflect on the state of my personal 2013 goals, I’m afraid they aren’t in great shape. My personal performance rating would be “Didn’t Meet Expectations.”  I didn’t lose 15 pounds.  I didn’t de-clutter the house.  I didn’t spend as much time with friends as I intended.  I’ve been focused on just surviving in 2013, and it shows.

In spite all that I didn’t do, I was able to spend time with Jesus most days.  And you know what?  That made all the difference.  Because Jesus is not like an earthly boss….no, He is WAY better!

Bosses says “Get things done.”

Jesus says “Love the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind.”

Bosses says “Live by your accomplishments.”

Jesus says “Live by faith.”

Bosses say “Figure it out!”

Jesus says “Follow me, and trust me.”

Bosses say “You can be replaced.”

Jesus says “You’re precious to me – I gave my life for you.”

Bosses say “You’ll be held accountable.”

Jesus says “Your faith in me saves you from your sins, I see you as righteous.”

And that’s when I realize….being rated as “righteous” by the God of the universe….well, I can’t think of a better rating than that!  So why am I working so hard to impress Jesus, when all He asks is that I love Him, trust Him, place my faith in Him?

And as I hold on tightly to Jesus each day and trust Him, He shows me things I can do for Him that day, that don’t necessarily “count” toward my goals – but that share Christ’s love with others.  And you know what?   I think Jesus cares a lot more about my following His lead and sharing His love with others each day than about my annual goals.  I just need to remind my task-oriented brain of that.

How about you – do you live off a “to-do” list?  Are you constantly checking to see if you’ve done enough to please God?  I’d love to hear your thoughts…..

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