“Settling Down in Unsettling Times”

March 27, 2011

Introduction: I will confess I have been a bit stressed out in recent days…and I probably need to SETTLE down. You know what I mean…“lighten up, take it easy, relax.” It means “To put firmly into a desired position or place; establish.” Why was I stressed? Well as I see it there were three mice…which in retrospect they became elephants:

            First, I was having an email conversation a few weeks ago, and the person commented that we are living in “unsettling times.” Economy, Middle East etc. Secondly, just a few days later a very trusted friend and I were commenting on the same world events, and he was taken with the “pace” of change and said that he wasn’t sure if anyone really knew what the outcome eventually would be. Third, I was listening to a radio program which advertised a kind of a “doom and gloom” web broadcast…which peaked a morbid sense of curiosity in me so I went to the sight… watched and listened. I can tell you, IT LIVED UO TO ITS BILLING! At the 20 minute mark in this broadcast, I finally came to my senses and turned it off.

                        See why I was stressed? Why I needed to settle down? I am not here to say that what I heard in conversations, listened to and watched on the web wasn’t interesting, alarming, or sobering, but the personal outcome that I experienced due to all these conversations and observations…took me to a place that over the years I have refused to live… a place of alarm, fear, unrest, stress…what if and what then scenarios…and maybe most alarming of all a DIMINISHING CONFIDENCE in the God to whom I belong and in whom I have placed my trust. So, I got to thinking if anyone else might be feeling or sensing what I was feeling and sensing?

            Here’s a pleasant bit of encouragement….since January 1, 2011 29 natural disasters have occurred causing untold suffering, loss of life, and what I’m sure will be billions of dollars in damages! And to add to that…Tunisia…Our Economy…Egypt…Gas Prices…Libya…Family Strife…ad infintum!!!

NO WONDER I’M STRESSED!! I NEED TO SETTLE DOWN!!

I think we all go through these times of unrest…stress… anxiety…the what if and what then scenarios…in fact, what I have just referenced isn’t all that unique to our day!

            My parents grew up during the Great Depression and they told me the stories of what it was like during those very dark years…

            A very close friend I worked with told me, that as a young boy growing up during the early days of WWII, of the uncertainty he and his family felt about whether the USA would prevail in the war.

            The sixties; assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Robert F. Kennedy; the cold war (duck and cover) Vietnam, the riots in Watts, anti-war demonstrations…

                        I remember as a 9,10 year old having a conversation with my dad about the stress I was feeling about this stuff, and the fear I was feeling. His answer to me is as relevant today as it was then…more on that a little later.

So when I look at what we are experiencing today should I be surprised? Solomon said,

Ecclesiastes 1:9-11 (NLT)

History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new. We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now.

Even so…it’s 2011 and stuff is happening all around us what are we to do? As parents what do we tell our kids? How do we plan for a future that is SO uncertain? Is this the end of the world? WHERE IS GOD IN ALL OF THIS…and does He care? So, what do I do with all the mice and Chihuahuas, and elephants? How can I settle down in unsettling times?

Just hours before Jesus arrest, trial, and crucifixion we find Jesus and His disciples sharing their final meal together. During what we refer to as the “Last Supper,” Jesus washes the disciple’s feet; Judas has left to begin his betrayal journey; Jesus has spoken incredible words of challenge, encouragement, and comfort. Just before His great prayer in John 17, we have some extraordinary words that I am confident encouraged His disciples and I believe will bring encouragement to us.

John 16:33

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

HOW CAN I SETTLE DOWN?

PEACE Please! (“I have told you these things, so that IN ME you may have peace…”)

            I need peace in my heart, my mind, my life! We ALL do! BTW, this is more than an absence of conflict this is an INNER PEACE that ONLY comes from one source …JESUS!!! That was what my father shared with me all those years ago. And as Jesus addresses His disciples the “PEACE” He is referencing in “IN HIM!” Look at this, He says, “these things…” so I ask myself, “What things?” Certainly one could look at the entirety of His teachings, but more specifically He is referring to the comments He has made at this “Last Supper.” Let me highlight a few from John 14-16.

                        This place this world is a temporary stop! (John 14:1-3) This place, world, with all its good and all its challenges…is not the final answer; it is not the final destination! Christ has so much more in store for us.

                        Jesus is the ONLY way to have peace with God! (John 14:6) There is NO way to have peace with God except through Jesus! This is narrow…I admit…But this is God’s plan not my idea! Everything changes when Christ is at center of your life; when He is the priority; when it’s His purposes we are pursuing. The stuff that swirls may not stop swirling…but our hearts are quiet and at rest because of Jesus.

                        All His resources are available to us! (“I will do whatever you ask…greater”) (John 14:12-14)

                        We will not face life alone! (John 14-16)

                                                The Holy Spirit whom Jesus promised would empower us, guide us, teach us, be with us…ALWAYS!

                        Stay connected to Him! (John 15) When we “live in Him” we will be productive, effective, and remain at peace!

                        Be obedient to Him! (John 15) In all things obey; in our relationships, finances, moral/ethical decisions in everything obey…you see, when we do blessings will follow!.

                                   

HOW CAN I SETTLE DOWN?

WISE Up! (“…In this world you will have trouble…”)

            Let me explain… The statement Jesus makes, “In this world you will have trouble” is a reminder that we are NOT IMMUNE to troubling stuff. That we will be pushed to the brink at times. AND, I also believe for the sake of my eternal destiny, for the sake of my family, I need to not stick my head in the sand but realize trouble WILL come and my response is to be WISE…not paranoid about the stuff around me…about the unsettling times…BUT WISE, ALERT, WATCHFUL! We dare not be ignorant of the stuff that “UNSETTLES” US!! I am not suggesting we forever watch the 24 hour news cycle to “keep our head out of the sand” but wisdom dictates that we remain aware! Look at what Jesus said…            

                        Mark 13:7,13,32,33,37 (GNT)

And don’t be troubled when you hear the noise of battles close by and news of battles far away. Such things must happen, but they do not mean that the end has come…Everyone will hate you because of me… “No one knows…when that day or hour will come…Be on watch, be alert, for you do not know when the time will come… What I say to you, then, I say to all: watch!”

                        Things are going to happen, trouble will come so…be alert…be aware…WISE UP! It will settle us down!

HOW CAN I SETTLE DOWN?

CHEER Up! (“…Take heart…”)

            This phrase can be translated from the original language of the NT in couple of ways: “be courageous” and “cheer up.” I LOVE IT! Cheer up! Before anybody goes and says how trite a response that is…consider a couple of very important details.

                        First, WHO’S saying it! It’s Jesus that is saying cheer up! If it were only me, there may a measure of encouragement in my words… BUT THIS IS JESUS!!

                                    Revelation 1:8,17-18 (NLT)

“I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.” When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.”

                        Second, WHAT He says!

                                    “I have OVERCOME the world.” WOW! Not just the stuff, the trouble, the stress, the anxiety, the fear, the uncertainty…but the WORLD, that system that causes it all—that’s why we can CHEER UP! It is anything but trite…for when we are in union with Christ we win! Why? Because He has won! “No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” Romans 8:37 (NLT)

I mentioned a few minutes ago that when I was 9 or 10, I became very fearful and worried about all the stuff that was going on around the country and the world. When I told my dad he took me to one place…be at PEACE WITH GOD! And since that time I have done my best to live that way. There have been moments…like a couple of weeks ago. However, while Marcy and I put some things in place for difficult times…(wise up)…I said on more than one occasion “I choose to put my trust, hope, confidence in God. He hasn’t failed yet…and I know HE NEVER WILL!” But it ALL STEMS from ONE thing… How can I settle down in unsettling times? How can you?

Be at Peace with God!

This is how we wise up and cheer up…this is where we gain the sense of the overcoming power of Christ…in being at PEACE WITH GOD!! 

Are you at peace with God? Have you made Christ the Lord of your life? You can today.

John 14:6

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

Romans 10:9

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

These two verses share the way to peace and the process…pray these verses today. Peace is possible…peace is available. Stuff won’t necessarily stop swirling, but with the “peace of God that transcends understanding” firmly in place in your life elephants will go to Chihuahua’s and even to mice.

Be Blessed,

Gary

Thankfulness 3.1

As I have reflected and thought about the upcoming holiday, an elephant sized question crossed my mind: Have I lived up to the challenge I was exposed to a year ago? Here it is.

“Gratitude is to be the natural and daily expression of my life as follower of Christ.”

Have I done it? Have I lived that way this past twelve months? Oh I hope and pray I have. REFLECT with me for a moment or two on the last twelve months…here are some of the happenings in our lives: Good health…A new granddaughter…Godly provision…

Sold our house in a down market…

          Without pride I can honestly say my response to each of these was THANK YOU LORD!!! I did OK, but I wonder…even though I do not know what the next twelve months will hold can I take my gratitude up a notch? Can I be MORE THANKFUL?

In the 1850’s in Germany, a word was coined/created…it is the word “WORLDVIEW.” Jack Martin Leith defines it for us… “A WORLDVIEW is the overall perspective from which one sees and interprets the world; a collection of beliefs about life and the universe held by the individual. A WORLDVIEW is like an operating system in a computer, controlling operations BEHIND THE SCENES but mostly OUTSIDE the user’s awareness. When someone UPGRADES their WORLDVIEW certain things that were previously impossible become possible, and some things that were difficult become easy.”

                   WOW! I like that! Consider this…what if we were to UPGRADE our worldview in regards to thankfulness? What might that look like? Before I go there, I think there is at least one assumption that we will have to concede…for the sake of our conversation. We will need to assume that we are living according to a BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW. If we are then that simply means…

                             I acknowledge God as the ONE TRUE GOD above whom there is no other.

                             I accept scripture as God’s word and that it is the RULE OF FAITH AND PRACTICE.

                             I believe that Jesus Christ is the ONLY WAY to know God and His sacrifice for mans greatest need (sin) is complete.

                             I value life as God VALUES LIFE as scripture reveals it.

                             I embrace a Biblical ETHIC and MORALITY and live my life accordingly.

                                      While this is an overly simplistic definition…it will suffice for our conversation.

BTW, this idea of UPGRADING should be very familiar to us all by now…

          We no longer have TV’s with tubes…

          Mobile phone the size of our laptops…

          Or Commodore 64 PC’s…

         

Here’s my point…when I speak of UPGRADING, I am encouraging us to look at our BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW and to be sure that THANKFULNESS is an “overall perspective from which we see and interpret the world.” It would be my desire that OVERFLOWING THANKFULNESS would be a driving influence of my BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW!! That I would take what I learned and practiced this year and move it from say…3.0 to 3.1 for the year ahead of me! I believe I can do that.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “Always giving thanks to God for everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Ephesians 5:20)

Wouldn’t it be great if this always in everything THANKFULNESS permeated our hearts, minds, spirits, bodies, lives, decisions, beliefs, and our actions! At least three things will need to happen:

          First, we need to recognize the source of THANKFULNESS. It’s God!

          Second, THANKFULNESS needs to become our “instinctive” way we face life.

          Third, we will not allow circumstances to dictate our level of THANKFULNESS!

So, if it is an upgrade I need than I am ready to receive it. What about you?

From me to you and from mine to yours… HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Small or Big

Over the years I have experienced something that is nothing short of amazing...that a very small, cute (by some peoples standards), seemingly harmless mouse can cause such dramatic repsonses! Responses like screaming, jumping, running, broom hitting (at the mouse not the husband/wife who is also terrified), and general hysterics. However, you take that same mouse, or one of its bazillion relatives, and put in a cage in a pet store, and we will oooh and aaah at how cute it is...and even some of us decide to take one home with us...even as twisted as that may seem!

Something as small as a mouse can cause all kinds of responses. As a homeowner we will devote time, money, and energy to eradicating the rodent; we will set traps, call exterminators we will not rest until the mouse is gone! Or we will buy a little cage, decorate it for our pet mouse, buy toys, and feed it...blah blah blah blah blah! And I get it!

However, consider this...I cannot tell you how many times I have had a conversation with someone, or entertained the thoughts myself, that when it comes to SMALL things that cause me concern God isn't concerned...because it is so small. If my experience is like yours, you may respond like I tend to... I minimize the small things; I don't deal with them, and whats more, I convince myself that God isn't concerned so why bother him with my "mouse." In reality, I might be reacting to that small mouse with great anxiety and allowing it to grow in intensity...even to the point it becomes an elephant.

Someone much wiser than I wrote, "that the things that are important to us are important to God." WOW! If I will accept this, my anxiety level notches down immensely! Why? You see, we are usually very willing to take our big things (elephants) to God, but less likely to "bother" God with the little things (mice). If God is concerned with the elephants and the mice of my life, then I should WITHOUT hesitation give to God ALL of the things that cause anxiety. The Bible says, "Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Good advice...wouldn't you say?

So the next time that small "mouse" shows up...remember if it is important to you it is important to God.

Hello Blogosphere!

In a little over a week I will celebrate/mourn my 55th birthday. I have been told that 50 is the new 30 and with that in mind LET'S BLOG!

If anyone is reading this, you may be curious what "Elephants, Chihuahua's, and Mice" is all about...and even if you aren't curious you at least deserve a brief explanation. Most of us have heard an expression like "the elephant in the room" or something akin to it. Life thrusts upon us large and complex issues that we all must address ie. the Elephants. There are also issues that may more than likely resemble Chihuahua's and Mice...the smaller less intense but not unimportant, and I think for the most of us, that's where we live.

Being a person of faith I filter my Elephants, Chihuahua's and Mice through that filter and while I make no claim of infallibility, perfection (just ask my wife), or ANY corner on the wisdom market there are some things that I trust will be helpful to whomever my readers/contributors will be.

Elephant's can become Chihuahua's!

A couple of years ago my family and I went through a very difficult season of time. It was traumatic, hurtful, and turned our world upside down. Everything I thought would comprise our future was changed in a couple of months time. We were devastated! But even in the middle if our hurt, a simple promise from Solomon's wisdom shouted loudly through the noise of my pain and hurt: "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." Proverbs 16:9

This verse rocked my world. I knew it to be true, but at the moment of stress and challenge, I wasn't encouraged. The elephant was overwhelming! However...two years later...it's a chihuahua. God's purposes are much more clear...the experience still hurts, however its intensity is SO much less. I fully expect it to become a mouse in the not to distant future.

Is there an elephant in your room? Be encouraged...it can become a chihuahua. I know God has the very best in mind for me...and for you.

We'll talk more later...

Blessings