Life Lessons

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Are You Hungry?

I love Skyline Chili! 

There are times that I plan the timing of trips and events in my life around known locations of Skyline Chili restaurants . . . not that I go somewhere just because Skyline is there, but I make plans to be there over a meal time (or two) even if that means adjusting some other things on my schedule.  I do the “home” version of Skyline from time to time because the closest restaurant is over two hours away . . . well, depends who’s driving and how hungry they are. ☺  I know a lot of Skyline “junkies”.  I know them because I am one of them.  Granted, I’m not as bad as some . . . we all tell ourselves that about our cravings, don’t we?  There is always “someone” who is more extreme about their desire. 

What are your cravings?  What do you long for so much that you find all kinds of ways to satisfy that longing? 

Where does your desire for God stack up in comparison to other desires in your life?  Do you find yourself adjusting your schedule so that you can spend more time with Him . . . or less?  Does your hunger for God become visible in times where you can think of nothing else?  Do you try to downplay your craving for God because others might think you strange or fanatical?  Is your life energy used in pursuing God . . . or are you passive about your relationship – satisfied with the status quo, whatever that is.

God says that the only way to know the Father is through the Son, Jesus.  He also makes it clear that if we seek Him, we will find Him when we seek Him with a whole heart.  Are you busy satisfying your craving for God with a wholehearted pursuit of Jesus?  Jesus can, and will, satisfy our longings when we long for Him!

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Spring Beauty

Spring BlossomsThe ebb and flow of spring in Michiana seems to be giving way to summer-like conditions for the time being.  It is mid-May in Michiana, so enjoy it while it lasts . . . it could be winter-like conditions at any time.

 It is amazing how much things change at this time of year in the time span of only a week or two.  The woods outside my office is a thick green . . . you really can’t see into it.  Just a couple of weeks ago, it was bare and open.  Deer would wander through the woods and be quite visible from my office.  Blossoms that had begun to appear are now either done blooming or hidden by the dense foilage of the trees and brush.  It is easily apparent which trees have life and which ones no longer do.  They are not all growing at the same rate or even exhibiting signs of life at the same time or in equal measure.  Yet growth is apparent in that which is living.  A couple of weeks ago, I was in the mountains and plains of Idaho and Utah.  It was amazing to be able to walk from the heat of summer into a spring meadow then into winter conditions – sinking into snow over my knees – all within a two hour hike. 

It kind of reminds me of life and of me.  Seasons come and seasons go, both in nature and in life, but do I really stop and appreciate each one.  For many people, both in nature and in life, spring is the easy season to enjoy and appreciate.  The life, the beauty, the growth, the energy, the tranquility – the things that make spring such a peaceful and pleasant season – cause us to do everything possible to hasten its arrival and delay its departure.  Yet those very traits are not possible without a winter’s rest . . . a winter’s nourishment.  I can’t imagine living in an area that lacks the four clear seasons that northern Indiana has.  They help me to see and understand life.  I appreciate winter because I love spring.  Yes, I often think that winter could be shorter, milder, nicer, even more gentle.  But not so short, mild, nice, or gentle that spring fails to appear so beautiful.

The “winter” times of our life serve to highlight the “spring” times where we experience growth, vitality, energy, and change.  This isn’t strictly an age thing as much as it is a spirit and soul thing.  If it is going to continue to grow and mature, the 100 year old tree needs spring just as much as the 10 year old tree.  God has called us all to a life of growing maturity through Christ Jesus.  Is the vitality of spring present within you as you daily experience a renewed life with God’s Spirit living in you?

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Ready To Fly?

I love watching people at airports.  Very few seem to be happy.  They are headed somewhere, but are tired, frustrated with the waiting, not wanting to go where they are headed, afraid, . . . even lost.  Yes, there are the handful that are probably heading to see a close friend, take a vacation, or some other occasion that they are looking forward to with anticipation.  They stand out.  Their joy and enthusiasm seem misplaced in surroundings that are hurried and endured rather than embraced. 

I seem to be strange among fliers.  I love extended layovers between flights.  If I can, I always try to schedule at least a two hour layover when I have to change planes during a trip.  It gives me time to relax and enjoy the journey.  It gives me time to watch and pray for people.  It gives me time to walk.  It gives me time to smile.

One of my favorite places to watch people in an airport is in the security screening line.  It doesn’t seem to matter how often and how clearly the “rules” are posted regarding what is allowed and what isn’t – there is always a steady stream of people trying to pass through the line with things that are not allowed.  Some are unaware that the items they are carrying are in the “do not pack” list.  Some have items that they didn’t know were in their bag.  Some think the rules shouldn’t apply to them and their items.  Some simply think that they are dumb rules so they attempt to ignore them.  During my most recent flight, I watched a lady argue extensively with a security agent over a 4 ounce bottle of hand lotion.  The limit is a 3 ounce container.  As the argument went on and on – and the security agent called for his supervisor – I wondered, “is 4 ounces of hand lotion worth missing your destination?“. 

It made me think.  As I travel through life, do I willingly give up the things that can’t be taken with me?  What do I do when God says, “That thing does not belong in your life if you want to continue this journey to your destination with me.”?  What things have slipped into my life unaware that God is saying can’t be taken along?  What is in the “baggage” of my life that I don’t even know is there? What am I holding onto with such value that I try to sneak it through life?  God is so much better at detecting “contraband” than any airport security screening equipment and personnel.  It would be a wise and prudent move to listen to His instructions on a daily, and moment by moment, basis.

I don’t know about you, but for me, reaching the destination is always more important than the things that I take or don’t take with me.

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Pruning and Breaking Ground

It looks better.  No, not my feet – my yard!  It was such a beautiful day here in South Bend, Indiana.  I just had to take my blistered feet out and tackle some outdoor projects that were long overdue.  This was one of those all too familiar times where I started a “small” project that kept growing until it consumed nearly the whole day.

 I began by deciding that I needed to clean up a clump of mulberry trees that were taking over the back corner of my property.  How did they get so big?  I know I had just cut them back a year ago . . . or two . . . or was that when we moved here?  Wow!  Is it possible I let them go for 5 or 6 years?  By the looks of them when I began today, I suppose it is possible.  Why does a little growth of a pesky plant seem so innocent that I do nothing about it until it has become this huge problem?  Wouldn’t it  have been easier to cut them back each year while they were small? 

There can’t be a life lesson in that.  Surely I wouldn’t let small pesky problems go unnoticed and unpruned in my life?  I wouldn’t wait for a huge overgrowth of problems before deciding something needs done, would I?  Ok, perhaps I have . . . perhaps you have.  Maybe it is time for a self-exam.  Is there a destructive habit . . . practice . . . sin that needs dealt with while it is still small?  Is there something that has overgrown life and is sucking all the joy and contentment out of it?  Then deal with it!  Allow the pruning to take place.  Enjoy the improved look and feel!

The mulberry clearing led me to pruning a couple of maple trees while I had the equipment out.  These were even worse than the mulberry, if that is possible.  They needed dealt with even before I moved here.  I had to get the chain saw out for this pruning.  That is going to leave a scar!  The trees do look better and it will improve their health in the long run.  Sometimes our choices in life lead us to needing a major pruning.  A pruning that leaves scars, but also leaves us prepared for a more healthy life.

Once the pruning was done, it was time to get the garden tilled up for spring.  With the roto-tiller on the Kubota, it is normally not that big of a task.  However, I decided the garden needed to be larger.  This meant breaking new ground.  To try to keep grass growing in the new garden to a minimum, I decided to use the loader to scrape the sod off the strip of ground that is to become garden.  This actually went well, it just took time.  Then came the tilling of the ground.  Even with decent equipment, it took several passes across the new ground to begin to break up and loosen the soil.  It had been lawn for so many years, it wasn’t eager to be loosened up and made ready for garden seeds.  It had become compacted and hard.  With much effort and persistence though, it will become good, fertile ground – ready to produce a crop.  How much effort will it take to soften the ground of life?  When we are hard, or encounter someone who is hard, it is worth the work and effort that it takes to change into good, fertile ground. 

Jesus has the love and patience to prune the most overgrown life and the power to break up the hardest of hearts and make it into the softest, most productive life ever.

All-in-all, it was a productive day.

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Blisters

I thought they were ready.  I really did.  They weren’t!

New shoes . . . I hate them.  Oh, I love buying them . . . I love looking for just the right pair . . . but wearing them? 

Give me my old shoes that are worn through the bottom.  They are comfortable.  They are flexible.  They are . . . not going to cause blisters!

You would think I would learn.  Ok, maybe you know me and you don’t think that ;-).  A couple of years ago I flew down to a conference in the Smoky Mountains and bought a new pair of hiking boots.  I then proceeded to wear them on a 5 mile hike to a beautiful waterfall.  I swore then that I had learned my lesson . . . never do a 5 mile hike in a new pair of shoes.  Well . . . you guessed it . . . I did it again.  We did our 5 mile family walk tonight and I wore a pair of shoes that I had only worn a couple of times before. 

Can you say blisters?  Oh, it gets better.  Midway through the walk, the back of my heels were hurting so bad that I decided I had to take my shoes off.  See . . . I learned.  Don’t do a 5 mile walk in new shoes, take them off half way through and finish the walk in stocking feet.  Smart move.  Now I have blisters on the backs of my heels AND on the bottom of my feet.

Isn’t that a lot like life?  We either avoid new things because we are sure they will be painful or we rush into new things before the time is right and then we face the blisters.  And how often does the pain of the blisters of life cause us to make some smart move that simply spreads and increases the pain? 

The shoes aren’t bad.  As a matter of fact, I really like these shoes.  I should have put more time and preparation into breaking in these shoes before wearing them on such a long walk.  The timing was wrong.  We weren’t ready for each other.  I am confident that there will come a day when these shoes and I will share a lot of miles together.  The pain will subside.  The blisters will heal.  The shoes will become more comfortable . . . more flexible.  We’ll get used to each other.  The newness will fade.  The bottoms will wear out.  And I’ll wonder how I’m ever going to find and break in another pair of shoes that could ever be as comfortable as what these will become.