When Stinky is Good (January 31, 2021)

Looking back over my life, I am very thankful for a wide variety of blessings from the Lord.  I have been blessed with a great family.  I have people in my life who love me and whom I love.  For my family (immediate as well as extended), I am thankful.  I’ve been blessed with experiences.  There have been opportunities to experience new things, to travel, to taste, to see, to do.  For those experiences, I am thankful.  I’ve been blessed with friends.  There have been people who have entered into my life during different seasons, those who have built me up and encouraged me to grow in Christ.   For those friends, I am thankful.  I’ve been blessed with things.  There have been gifts and purchases, material things that have made my life more enjoyable.  For those things, I am thankful.  I have been blessed with food.  I can’t remember every single cookie that I have consumed, but there have been a bunch…not to mention all of the other yummy things!  For delicious food, I am thankful.  Most importantly, I have been blessed by God.  I have been offered new life in Jesus.  I have been offered a restored relationship with the Father.  I have been offered the Holy Spirit to dwell within my heart.  For those (and so many other blessings of God), I am thankful.

Though my list could go on, I hope that with this short summary it is obvious that I have plenty for which to give thanks.  I have a large list of when things have gone well, when things have gone smoothly, when the blessings of my life have been apparent, and for those, I am thankful.  But, let’s be honest, it’s easy to give thanks for the blessings that we instantly recognize as blessings.  But what about the hard stuff?  Have I learned to see God’s hand in the trying times?  Can I be thankful for the challenges?  For the difficulties?  For the blessings that did not immediately appear to be blessings?

So, I ask, have you come to recognize that there are occasions in your life that are hard, that are challenging, that seem like they are not blessings, but in reality they are actually blessings in disguise?  Have you come to realize that sometimes the stinky stuff, the hard stuff, is not only just a blessing but can also be for your best?  Have you come to trust God to the point that you allow God to use the difficulties in your life for your good?  For your benefit?  

Whenever I was a younger man, fresh out of college, I went through a bit of a rough patch.  I had just moved to a new town, to a new area, to a new job.  No friends close.  No family close.  No church connection.  Just me off on a new adventure, wondering what would happen next.  In all honesty, it was pretty scary and intimidating.  I had no idea what lay before me, no idea what life would bring.  Still, before long, things began to happen.  I started working and was invited to go on a bike ride with some coworkers.  “Great!”  I thought.  This was an opportunity to meet some people, to share some experience, to start to establish some friendships and some life in a new town.  So, I headed off, excited for the ride.  I got the bike together, met the folks, strapped on my helmet, and we proceeded on our adventure.  It didn’t really go as planned.  Within 5 minutes of beginning the bike ride, I crashed.  Not just a little crash.  A big crash.  Apparently my Ohio-born, bike-riding self was not ready for Pennsylvania hills and jumps (even if they were smaller jumps).  I went flying down the first hill, over a little jump, and when I landed my momentum took me over the handlebars. 

So, there I was laying on the ground, and I thought, “What a great way to meet new people!”  Talk about a first impression (and a whack to my pride)!  I picked myself up, straightened up my bike, and was ready to continue the ride.  The only problem?  I noticed that what had previously been one, smooth clavicle bone now had a significant bump.  Not only that, the bone on one side of the bump seemed to move separately from the bone on the other side.  It was broken.  My biking adventure was over before it ever really started.  This time of meeting new people and beginning new relationships didn’t really work that well.  Instead, I was sidelined, told to take it easy until my injury healed.

Now, a broken bone isn’t usually the end of the world, and it wasn’t for me either.  I figured things would pick up, things would take a turn for the better.

Things picked up.  I wasn’t convinced that it was for the better.

Within the first couple of months of my solo, adult life, I had moved where I had no friends, where I had no family, where I had no church.  I had broken a bone and been limited in my activities.  I was alone with no outlets, and no great prospects of things getting better.  In addition, I learned that my mail was being stolen (pretty consistently, and I had to get a PO Box), I was robbed (not horrendously, but someone broke into my apartment and took some money and some other things), I was stalked/followed a bit by a shady neighbor (who likely committed the burglary), and I was feeling like life was pretty rough.  During this time, I was not feeling “blessed” in the least.  It was feeling quite the opposite.

But, do you know what happened?  

God used it for my good, for my best.

Now, looking back, I can point to that time in my life as a turning point, as a place of change in my relationship with the Lord.  I can point to that time as a season where God worked some things out with me, and I worked some things out with God.  Before then, I had “known” God…in an intellectual, grew up in church, believed in God kind of way.  After this time, I responded to God on a whole new level, and I came to know God in a whole, new way.  I invited Jesus into my heart, into my life, and I began to understand my personal relationship with God…instead of just following some rules and trying to live a “good” life.

God took a time that was a low point, a time that was difficult, a time that was filled with hardships and struggles, and he used it for my best, he used it as a blessing.  I don’t know if my life and my relationship with the Lord would be in the same place if it weren’t for those difficulties in that season.  Now, I am thankful for the blessing of walking through a time that was stinky.

The other day I was reminded again that “stinky” can be used for what is best.  Much like I’m not a mountain biker (still have too much Ohio in me or something), I’m not a farmer or a gardener.  I appreciate farmers and gardeners tremendously and the work that they do, but I am not one.  That said, we live on the edge of a working farm, and it does not always smell pleasant.  In fact, sometimes it downright stinks.  Right now, this week, it stinks.  

Why?

Manure.

Plain and simple.  Manure stinks.  It stinks up the whole area.

When the farmers come around with the spreader truck and they spray that liquid wonder all over the fields, I know that I’m in for a bit of a stinky season.  I know that it is not going to smell nice.  I know that if my Grandma Morris were alive to drive past our area, she would exclaim, “Smell that nice, country air?!?!”  Then she would laugh, and we would all laugh with her.  (Grandma was a city girl.  Whenever she’d take us on trips, she would always laugh and make comments about the country air stinking.  She was always thankful that she didn’t have to smell it for too long.)  

Do you know what else I know about the stink?  I know that it is best.  I know that the stinky stuff helps.  I know that as bad as it smells that it benefits the crops.  (I also know that the stink will fade…or that I will become immune to the smell, and that it is worth a little stink to live in the country.)

The stinky stuff?  It’s best for the fields.

It can be the best for us too.

Sometimes, the hard seasons, the difficulties, the challenges, the setbacks, the obstacles, the stinky things are the very things that God uses in our lives to draw us closer in our relationship with him.  Sometimes, the stinky stuff is used not only for our good but also for our best.  

One of the challenges?  Remembering that as we are going through those times.  Trusting in God even when the manure is stinging our nostrils and we are wishing that we could fly on past like we are in our grandparent’s blue, Chevy Impala, zipping down the freeway instead of being stopped, living right in the field where it was spread.  We wish we could speed through the stink.  Instead, we’re living right in it.  In those times, it is difficult to see the blessing of what God can do in the difficulties.  It is hard to see the blessing of the trials when we are still in the midst of them.  Nevertheless, we are asked to trust.

Paul said, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18)

Paul could look forward to those things that God was going to do in him, even when he was presently suffering.  Paul could look forward to the glory that God was going to reveal, even in the midst of the stink.  Paul could trust in God, even as his nose hairs were being singed by the smell of the liquid wonder being sprayed all over his fields.  Why, because it was easy?  Because he enjoyed the aroma?

No.  Paul trusted God.  Paul trusted God and knew “…that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”  (Romans 8:28)

Friend, my hope is that we, too, may have this trust.  My hope is that we, too, may look past our present sufferings and recognize that they are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.  My hope is that we, too, may trust in God, that God would use even the stinkiest of times for our good (and sometimes even for our best).

 ~ Pastor Chris 

Heart Check (January 24, 2021)

Have you ever done a self-check?  A self-exam?  

Now, I know that we are supposed to do them every once in a while for our physical well being, and that is good practice.  But, have you ever considered a spiritual self-check?  A spiritual self-exam?  I believe that is good practice too.

We can ask…How is my relationship with God?  Is there anything that is currently standing in the way of my fellowship with the Lord?  Any sin that I’m hanging onto?  Something that is leading me away from my relationship with the Almighty?  How about others?   How are my relationships with my friends, my family, with strangers?  Am I bearing witness to the love of Jesus?  Am I loving my neighbors?   Am I demonstrating grace?  Am I offering forgiveness?  How about with myself?  Do I know peace?  Am I living a life of joy?  How about stuff?  Have I made any idols?  Do I long for anything above God?  Am I worshipping anything false, untrue?  And money?  Am I being faithful with my finances?  

Yes, I believe it to be a good idea to have a practice of spiritual self-examination with these (and other) questions in mind.  An honest assessment of where we stand in our spiritual walk is beneficial, is good, is healthy.  It helps to highlight any areas of weakness and points us to the path that we should take.  Self-reflection on spiritual matters is beneficial.   Do you know what’s even better?  Spirit-led examination.  Instead of just asking questions and trying to evaluate ourselves, we go to the expert.  We go to God.  God, how am I doing?  What are areas that need attention?  What are areas that I have overlooked?  How can I grow closer to you?  We ask the questions, and we pray that the Holy Spirit would whisper to our hearts.  We seek God and ask for God to continue to cause us to grow closer to Him.  Self-examination is good.  Spirit-led examination is even better.  It’s even more beneficial.  It can lead us to repentance, to forgiveness, to new life, to new growth in Christ.

So, why do I bring this up?  Well, it’s probably time (or past time if this isn’t one of your normal routines) for a check-up.  A check-in.  A spiritual, God-led examination.  How are you doing?  Really?  How is it with your soul, with your heart?  (Now, at this point, I want to encourage you to resist the “I’m fine” urge.  It’s easy to hear these types of questions and just say, “I’m good.  No worries for me.  Everything is great.”  Sometimes we respond that way before we even ask the questions.  Try not to do that.  Instead, really ask…God, how am I doing?)

Besides the fact that this is good practice in general, I find that these Spirit-led examinations are particularly helpful during difficult seasons, and let’s face it.  We are still in a difficult season.  As has been mentioned in the past and as will be mentioned in the future, it has been a tough, tough season.  It has been a long road, and though we might have glimpses of the end of our present struggles, we really don’t know when this road will end.  So, it would do us some good to take a moment, right here in the midst of this season, to pause and to reflect.  How is it with my soul?  How is my heart?  How am I?

Be honest.  

If you’re filled with grief.  Recognize and express your grief.

If you’re filled with fear.  Recognize and express your fear.

If you’re filled with worry.  Recognize and express your worry.

If you’re filled with apathy.  Recognize and express your apathy.

If you’re filled with ______.  You get the idea.

Honest reflection is important.  It is the only way to deal with reality and move forward.  Even if you honestly don’t know how you’re feeling, how you’re doing, or if it is a combination of a lot of things, recognize and express that too.  Tell God, “I don’t know.  My pastor is telling me to do this, and I really have no idea!”  

Then, when you’ve honestly come before the Lord, ask God to shed light on your present situation.  Ask God to reveal that which you do not see.  Ask God to whisper to your heart.  Maybe God will whisper, “You’re actually doing better than you think.”  Maybe God will whisper, “Ooohhhh, I have a lot of work to do with you.”  Either way, know that God cares, that you can trust in the love of God, and that Jesus is gentle.  After all, Scripture says, 

“A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory.” 

~ Matthew 12:20

This description of Jesus was first prophesied in Isaiah 42:3.  The Lord spoke to Isaiah to share a message of what the coming Messiah would be like.  Not a warrior, as some would picture warriors.  Not a conqueror, as some would picture conquerors.  Instead, One who is gentle.  One who is forgiving.  One who is kind.

“A bruised reed he will not break…”  

Are you beaten up, broken down, oppressed by the weight of your sin, feeling like your strength is gone, and that you do not know how you are going to make it through this seemingly endless season?  Are you a bruised reed?  One who has been trampled and bent, lowly and at the point of breaking?  Jesus, the Messiah, will not break you.  He will not trample upon you or beat you down further.  Jesus will not damage your already fragile state.  Instead, he will treat you with kindness, with compassion, with forgiveness, with grace, with love.

“a smoldering wick he will not snuff out…”

Are you tired, weak, and weary?  Are you at the end of your rope?  Do you feel as if you do not have the strength to take another step?  Are you like a wick that has been burning but has now run out of fuel, all that is left is a little bit of smoke at the very end?  Jesus, the Messiah, will not extinguish the tiniest bit that is left of your flame.  He will not snuff you out.  Instead, he will meet you with strength, with renewal, with energy, with joy.  He will meet you with the ability to fan even the tiniest of flames into a blazing inferno for God.

“A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory.”

Jesus is gentle.  Jesus is kind.  Jesus is caring and compassionate, filled with mercy and love.  Jesus is also holy and righteous and the king.  Did you see what was in that last bit there?  “…till he has brought justice through to victory.”  There will be a time where every wrong will be righted.  There will be a time when sin will be vanquished.  There will be a time when justice will reign forevermore and only that which is holy will remain.  Jesus is gentle.  Jesus is not weak.  Don’t mistake the two and erroneously think that we can just carry on doing whatever sinful thing we want and that when we meet Jesus face-to-face we can settle up then.  Don’t think that we can hide what is truly going on in our lives from God and deal with it later.  Nope.  The time for honesty, the time for humility, the time for true Spirit-led self-evaluation is now.  Go to Jesus now, as you are, and trust that He will handle you with the gentlest love.  That’s way better than waiting until the day when all truth has been laid bare and justice is brought all the way through to victory.  As CS Lewis says, 

“There is no use saying you choose to lie down when it has become impossible to stand up. That will not be the time for choosing; it will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realised it before or not. Now, today, this moment, is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It will not last for ever. We must take it or leave it.”

There will be a time when everything will be laid bare, out in the open before the throne of Jesus.  I don’t know about you, but I’d rather get to that time covered by the cross, washed in the blood of redemption, of forgiveness.  I’d rather get to that time knowing that at many, many, many points along the way that I’d laid at the feet of my Savior and have asked, “How am I doing?  What needs work today?”  Or where I’ve said, “God, I’m struggling…can you give me strength?  God, I’m faltering…can you help me to stand?  God, I can’t even put into words what is going on right now within me…can you whisper to me by your Spirit?”  I’d much rather do some Spirit-led examination now, some Spirit-led assessment now than to wait too long.  I’d rather meet with and experience the gentleness of Jesus in this life than to wait to meet and talk with him as he sits on his throne of judgment.  Wouldn’t you?

So, friend, how is it with your soul?  How is it with your heart?  How is it with you?

Are you beat up?  Bent?  Battered?  Bruised?

Remember, “a bruised reed he will not break.”  Jesus can mend your brokenness and make you whole.  Jesus can heal your wounds, can care for your injuries.  Jesus can meet you right now, where you are, and he can lead you on.

Are you tired?  Worn out?  At the end?  Without strength?

“A smoldering wick he will not put out.”  Jesus can meet you right now in your weakness, in your tiredness.  Jesus can give you the strength to carry on, the ability to persevere, the passion for your fast-fading flame to reignite into a burning passion for God.

Do you think that you have it all figured out?  That you don’t need God?  That you’re good on your own and that you can make it just fine?  Do you think there is no need to worry about your shortcomings or the plan that God has for your life?

“He will bring justice through to victory.”  Though Jesus did not come as many would have expected.  He still came in strength.  He still came as a warrior, as a conqueror.  He has fought sin and death and has been victorious.  One day, you will stand before him and every part of your life will be laid bare.  At that point, it is too late to receive, too late to believe, too late to confess.  Recognize your need for Jesus now.  Choose Jesus now.  Fall at Jesus’ feet now before that time comes.

Perhaps, you’re none of the above.  Perhaps you have been meeting with Jesus, are filled with the Holy Spirit, are abounding in the grace given to you by the Father, are walking in the strength of God.  If that is the case, praise the Lord!  Continue on in grace.  Continue on in strength.  Continue on in Jesus.

Regardless of where you might find yourself, it is good to do a heart check, to do some Spirit-led reflection.  Trust yourself in the hands of our loving Savior this day.

  

 ~ Pastor Chris

An Uphill Battle (1/17/21)

I love where I live.  I really do.  I consider myself very fortunate and blessed to get to live in such a beautiful place out in the country.  I am grateful that I have the opportunity to live there, and I am consistently reminded of God’s goodness and love through the nature (and the people) that surrounds me.  Yes, I am incredibly blessed.

Even though that is the case, even though I love where I live, it is not perfect.  There are things that make living in that place more difficult than if I were to live somewhere else.  For instance…internet and TV service.  There is basically one option.  One provider.  If you’re not happy with them?  No internet or TV for you.  It’s not ideal.  (I’m not complaining though as we mooch our internet…and a bunch of other things…off of my in-laws.  Thanks Boyd & Maggie!)  Another issue?  Road conditions.  We live off of a dirt road.  Vehicles get dirty.  Potholes happen.  Mud happens.  No nice pavement leading me home.  (I even preached a whole message related to my dirty car and appearances.)  Want another example?  Great.  Here goes.  Proximity.  We’re not really terribly close to much.  Granted, I can get to a Speedway and a Dollar General pretty quickly, but if I want another store?  Well, I’m looking at least about a 15 minute trip just to hit a Walmart.  Whole Foods?  Wegman’s?  Meijer?  Kroger?  Piggly Wiggly?  Seriously?  No such thing anywhere close.  One of the things that makes our home awesome, the location, also makes it difficult, the location.  We’re far away from things…which is good.  But, we’re far away from things…which is bad.

There is another thing about where I live that is challenging.  The topography.  The topography?  The topography.  The landscape is beautiful, but it is challenging…especially if you want to go for a walk, or a run, or a bicycle ride.

You see, our driveway is in a valley.  Beautiful.  In the spring there are flowers that line it, trees are planted close by, it even follows a small little run-off stream.  The problem?  At the end of the driveway, the valley ends.  So, if you were to leave our house, and go down the driveway, immediately at the driveway’s end you would be faced with a choice.  Right or left?  Up a hill or up a hill?  

Hill there.  Hill there.  No other option.  

Unless you just wanted to walk/run/bike back and forth up and down the driveway a bunch of times, or if you wanted to drive in the car somewhere else, to walk/run/bike from our house the choice before you is as follows:  Hill or Hill.

Would you like to run up the hill to the left?  

Would you like to run up the hill to the right?

Nice choice, isn’t it?

To make the choice even better, both are nearly equal in terms of difficulty.  The one on the right might be a little less steep at first, but it lasts longer.  Either way you turn, you’re facing a challenging hill.  Straight away.  As soon as you reach the end of the driveway.  There’s just no way to avoid it.  If you want to go for a run or a walk or a bike ride from my house, you’re going to have to deal with a hill (well, you’re really going to have to deal with more than one hill depending on the length of your adventure), there’s just no getting out of it.

Here’s my problem.  I would like to try to exercise with some regularity.  However, I do not like going up hills while exercising, nor do I want to drive somewhere else that’s flatter just to be able to sweat…remember the proximity issue that I already mentioned.  Therein lies the dilemma.  If I go out to exercise, which hill will I choose?  The hill that I don’t like to the left or the hill that I don’t like to the right?  The hill that I dread to the left or how about the hill that I dread to the right?  Which one?

When faced with this choice, I wish that I could respond “Neither!  Give me another option!”  I know that’s not possible, but that is what I would like.  Flat roads.  Smooth traveling.  Ease of exercise.  But, that cannot happen so I choose a direction, I pick a hill, but I’m not usually happy about it.  More often than not, I’m thinking, “Boy, I hate this hill.  Why are hills so hard?  Why can’t I live somewhere flatter?  Why is it so hard to breathe?”  On the way up the hill, I’m just looking forward for the hill to be over, to be out of the way so that I can enjoy some relatively level ground (for a little bit).  Nope.  I’m not usually a fan of hills.

…but that view has been challenged recently.

At the start of the new year, I began reading a new devotional book that discussed hills in the first entry.  Within this reading, it mentioned that one of the functions of a hill, of a mountain, is to collect water.  When it rains, water is directed down the hills to streams that provide for the valleys below (remember the little runoff stream I mentioned by my driveway?).  From these streams, life can bloom.  Plants can grow.  Fruits can ripen.  Blessings can flow.  The hills play a vital role in caring for the valley.  

Even though hills can be tough, even though going uphill can be undesirable and straining and difficult, hills are beneficial.  Hills are necessary if we want to have a fruitful life.

Right now, to me, it seems that we are collectively continuing on in an uphill struggle, an uphill battle…one that most of us would not have chosen if we were given that option.  Week after week the news is filled with things that were previously unimaginable.  Death tolls higher than the week before.  People breaking into buildings in the name of political protest (on both sides of the argument).  Restrictions.  Convictions.  Turmoil.  Unrest.  On and on and on and on.  The hill looms before us and no matter which way we turn, we see more hills, and we can wonder, will it ever end?  Will it ever level out?  Will we ever again see a valley or a fruit tree or a blessing?

Hills are challenging.  Hills are hard.  Hills are not always fun.  We sometimes like to complain about hills.  But, they can be necessary and provide blessing.

My devotional continued, “The hills collect the rain for hundreds of fruitful valleys.  And so it is with us!  It is the difficulty of the hills that drive us to the throne of grace and brings down the showers of blessing.  Yes, it is the hills, the cold and seemingly barren hills of life that we question and complain about, that bring down the showers.” (Nicholas Ludwig Zinzendorf)

The hills…the ones we complain about…the ones we would rather avoid…the ones we wish were flat.  They can cause us to go to the throne of grace, to kneel before the Lord, to seek God in ways that we never would have sought God in the smooth times.  Seeking God for strength.  Seeking God for comfort.  Seeking God for provision.  Seeking God for His will and plan.  Seeking God for wisdom.  Seeking God for healing.  The hills can cause us to kneel before the throne of grace and in so doing they can bring down the showers of blessing.  

Hills, even though difficult, can be more beneficial than a life that knows only the flatland, smooth and easy, never experiencing anything hard.

In the world of running and cycling, many elite athletes (of which I am not even close to being one) move to Colorado to train.  Many take up their home in Colorado with the express purpose of training to be an even better athlete.  Why?  Easier?  Better coaches?  More affordable?  Nicer views?  Nope.  None of those things.  They move there because of the hills.  They know that if they can train and beat their bodies into shape on the mountains of Colorado, every other race, every other obstacle will be like a fruitful valley.  They know that if they can persevere through the most rugged of terrains, training on elevations that deplete their oxygen levels and strain their muscles, that they can persevere and compete in any other environment that they might face.  Elite athletes in these disciplines know the benefit of hills.  They know that they can be used to usher in blessing.

Going forward, I hope to look at hills differently.  When I reach the end of my driveway and I see the hills, I hope that I will refrain from complaining.  I hope that I will not mutter and wish that I lived somewhere flat.  Instead, I hope that I view the hills as an opportunity to harvest blessing, to seek the throne of grace, to see the water collected, to witness the fruit being born in my life.  Hills can produce blessing.  This is true in terms of fitness/exercise, but it is also true in our spiritual lives as well.  Hills, though difficult and challenging, can be the very source of spiritual renewal and strength.  

Psalm 104 says this,

 

He makes springs pour water into the ravines;

it flows between the mountains.

They give water to all the beasts of the field; 

the wild donkeys quench their thirst.

The birds of the sky nest by the waters; 

they sing among the branches. 

He waters the mountains from his upper chambers;

the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work. 

~Psalm 104:10-13

Yes, God uses hills to provide.  To provide water.  To provide strength.  To provide satisfaction.  To provide contentment.  To provide reliance upon our Creator.

Friend, I ask you, what hill do you face?  What uphill battle are you fighting?  What lays before you that you are dreading and cannot even see where your path will level out?

In those times, when you are climbing a hill, let me encourage you.  Seek the throne of grace.  Seek Jesus.  With everything you have, with everything you are.  Throw yourself at the feet of our loving Savior.  Seek his strength.  Seek his mercy.  Seek his love.  Seek his healing.  Seek his comfort.  Seek his peace and know.  Know that God can use the hill, even the most difficult and challenging one that you have ever faced, to bring forth blessing, to bring forth results, to be used for your good (Romans 8:28).  Then, may you experience the goodness of God.

Perhaps in doing this, the next time we reach a hill (and as we climb this one), we will know that we can get through with Jesus and that we will be better for it in the end.

  

 ~ Pastor Chris

Big Changes. (January 10, 2020)

We’re into it now.  2021 is officially underway.  Notice any huge changes?  Any monumental difference from all that was 2020?  Any big shift?  Has your personal life improved dramatically?

Maybe your answer to those questions is “yes.”  For me, the answer is “no.”  Things seem to be as they have been.  My personal life continues much as it did.  No noticeable shift from a couple of weeks ago.  Same general patterns and habits.  No drastic difference.  On a larger scale, we are still dealing with the wide variety of implications stemming from COVID.  Still dealing with a charged political atmosphere.  Still dealing with life…with all of its challenges and disappointments (as well as all of the blessings and celebrations).  Nope.  For me, 2021 hasn’t started off to be a ton different than 2020.  I haven’t noticed any big shift, any huge difference.  The world did not instantly change the second that the ball fell and the confetti popped and the toasts were made and the kisses were given.  

As much as we would like everything to get better with the snap of our fingers or in the blink of an eye, life doesn’t always work that way.  More often, big change comes through small steps taken repeatedly, habitually.

I know.  I know.  You can argue, “What about when ____ happened?”  “What about this instance?”  “What about this example?”

Yes, sometimes big changes take place quickly, in an instant.  Sometimes large shifts can happen at a moments notice.  That is not out of the realm of possibilities; however, we cannot expect for that to be the norm.  Instead, we need to allow for the possibility of change happening rapidly while working towards the change we seek through our smaller actions taken repeatedly.

No, moving from 2020 into 2021 did not instantly produce huge changes.  Shifting from one year to the next rarely does.  Instead, if we want to see change happen, if we want to see huge differences take place this year, we need to start with small decisions, with small steps, with little actions taken over and over again.

Let’s start with the personal issues.  Want to see a big change in your personal life this year?  Want to be in better shape?  Want to eat healthier?  Want to spend less time sitting on the couch?  Want to have more friends?  Want to have more money to spend on ice cream?  Want to spend more time in prayer?  Want to get closer to God?  All of these things (and many more) require change to take place.  Perhaps big change to take place.  Though we can allow for the drastic, for the miraculous, for God to do something amazing, change doesn’t typically come in that manner, no matter how much we may want for it to.  The “quick change” answers typically fail.  Fast acting diets.  Easy fix solutions.  10-minute-problem-solving strategies.  Get rich quick schemes. These all usually come up short, or they may even produce an end result that is worse than the starting point.  Quick fixes usually aren’t the answer for long, lasting changes.  Instead we need something different.  We need to take smaller steps and we need to take them repeatedly to find the large change that we seek.

Want to be in better physical shape?  Start with something small.  Maybe it’s a five-minute walk three times a week.  Do that again and again and again.  Then bump it up to a ten-minute walk three times a week.  Do that again and again and again.  Keep going.  Repeat.  Repeat.  Repeat.  Stick with it, make small increases, keep up the habit and the next thing you know you will be a daily walker, walking a half-hour plus per day and you will find yourself in better physical shape.

Want to eat healthier?  Take small steps.  Start by cutting out one thing.  Maybe you can do without the Coco Sugar Bombs for breakfast.  Or maybe you need to impart a “cookie limit.”  Typically eat a box?  How about half a box?  Keep up this practice.  Gradually add other things to the routine.  Try out a vegetable.  It might not kill you.  Once again, if the small steps are taken repeatedly and consistently, before you know it the big change will happen.  You will be eating healthier.

Want to have more ice cream money?  Take small steps.  Look at your expenditures.  Find one thing that could be pared back.  Perhaps you don’t need to eat vegetables with every meal.  Save a couple of bucks by skipping the broccoli for lunch.  Put that dough towards your ice cream fund.  Take small steps.  Do this over and over and over.  The next thing you know…you’ll be having Ben and Jerry’s every night.  (Not an advisable life-plan/goal, but hey…its an example.)

Want to get closer to God?

Want to be more connected to Jesus in your prayer life?

Want to be more sensitive to the movement of the Holy Spirit?

Want to be more faithful in your finances and with your giving?

Want to know the Bible?

Guess what…small steps.  Take them repeatedly.  Gradually increase as you grow, as the habit is built, as the steps have been taken.  Small steps, taken repeatedly will lead to big change.

Large changes in life can be overwhelming.  We can look at them as a giant obstacle that we will never overcome.  “Read through the Bible?  The whole Bible?  Seriously?  How could I ever do that?”  Well, if you break it down into small steps, it is much less difficult.  Buy a five-year Bible or a three-year Bible or a one-year Bible (depending on how much time you can set aside easily in your daily routine).  Read the selected passages each day.  Consistently.  Repeatedly.  Stick with it.  The next thing you know…you’ll have read through the whole thing.

“A prayer warrior?  How could I ever become a prayer warrior?  I can’t even spend five minutes in prayer?”  Small steps.  Take them repeatedly.  Write a reminder.  Set a timer.  Dedicate three minutes before breakfast each day when you will pray for others.  Do that.  Repeatedly.  Consistently.  Next thing you know you’ll be praying for folks and increasing your prayer time.  Big change through small actions.

On and on and on and on this can go.  If we truly want big changes to take place in our lives, we need to set out on small, feasible steps, and take them repeatedly.  Consistently.  Until they are habit forming.  After doing this for some time, you’ll be able to look back and be amazed at where you are compared to where you were.

Psalm 119:105 says this:

“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.”  

 

Sometimes, I fear that we picture this light as like a high-powered flood light, like the kind used at a baseball stadium only brighter.  We picture God illuminating the whole path, giving us the big picture, and then we wish that we could just skip the path all together.  “I just want to be there, God.  I just want to get to that goal.  I just want to see that change.  I just want to be there!”  We hear this verse and we picture and desire the whole path being lit up, for us to get an idea of the large path of our lives, of the big changes, the big things.  But that is not the image that the Psalmist had in mind.  Instead, the light is more of a candle-lit lantern, illuminating each small step that is taken.  Each next step is lit and illumined by the Word of God.  

In picturing this verse incorrectly, we also run the risk of picturing how we would get to each spot along the path incorrectly.  We picture a big change in the future, and we want to jump right to it, skipping all of the small steps that we need to take.  Instead, God wants to take us to the big change, the big goal, the large shifts by allowing us to trust him with one small step at a time.  God wants to show us each step we are to take as we climb the mountain.  He wants to show us each step we are to take as we reach the pinnacle.  God even wants to show us each step we are to take as we trudge through the valleys and the plateaus.  Each step, each small step, leading us on towards the next change, towards the next success, towards the next way that our lives can be more like the life of Jesus.

Big changes through small steps.

This principle is true in our personal lives, and it is true in our connected lives within our community as well.

Want to see big changes in the political climate?  How about starting with our own actions, with our own social media postings, with our own speech regarding how we address those with differing views?  How about spending some time in prayer about the issue?  Pray for those in leadership (a Biblical mandate, 1 Timothy 2:2).  Pray for those who are being insensitive and crass.  Pray, even, for the journalists and the reporters and the people who are making money off of stories that sell.  Pray.  Pray.  Pray.  Why?  Well, the political climate isn’t likely to change by itself, nor is it likely to change rapidly.  It isn’t likely to be fixed with one official or one action. Instead, it will need a bunch of changes, a bunch of actions, a bunch of small movements in the right direction.  Does the political climate bother you?  Make some small steps toward change.  Do your part.  Trust God.  Pray.  That’s the surest way to get closer to the big shifts that are necessary.

How about changes regarding COVID and all things related?  Does the same principle apply?  Yes, I believe that it does.  Granted, COVID is a little trickier as a lot of what happens and what is mandated falls outside of our control or influence.  Most of us have limited abilities to have completely informed conversations about vaccines and herd immunity and what it will take to get the world back to “normal” once again, let alone make any sweeping changes regarding these things.  Most of us are not in control over who gets sick and with what severity and with what health implications.  Most of us aren’t in control over who gets laid off and when and for what reasons.  There is a lot about COVID that is well outside of our abilities or control.  Still, even in this arena, if we want to see change, if we want to see a difference, we can do our part to help bring the change that we yearn to see.  We can take small steps that lead towards the goal that we wish to achieve.  How?  First, let’s be prayerful about our own actions.  Let’s seek God and God’s wisdom about those things that we do and do not do and the reasons behind them.  Let’s ask God to direct our path, particularly in light of COVID, and let’s trust God to lead us.  Small step.  Could produce big results.  Second, let’s pray.  Pray for those who are making the decisions.  Pray for those who are fighting on the frontlines of the disease.  Pray for those who have lost their jobs and are struggling financially (maybe if we know someone who is in this position we can take it even a small step further…cook a meal, send a gift card, pay an electric bill…something).  These are all little, feasible steps that we can take.  If we take these steps together?  Larger change can take place.

We’ve entered into 2021.  God is able.  God is able to take a problem and change it.  Just like that.  In an instant.  God is also able to take the problem and lead a person one step at a time towards change.  God is able to take the spiritually weak and make them spiritually strong.  Just like that.  In an instant.  God is also able to take the spiritually weak and lead them step by step along a path that leads to strength in Christ.  In all things, God is able.  God is able to do the miraculous in moving us towards our goals.  God is also able to light our paths in getting us there.  Do not forsake the small steps of faithfulness just because they are not as glamorous or exciting.  Be faithful each step of the way.  Little by little, bit by bit, step by step you will see the movement of God and big changes will happen within your life. 

 ~ Pastor Chris