commenting

As we enter into the dog-days of summer, I am fighting the awful disesase known as “summer-brain.”  This is right around the time in the calendar year, when I find myself slowing down.  My thinking slows down, my speech becomes sluggish and my body feels like it needs more time in rest mode than it actually requires.  I understand why certain places in the south, it’s common to see people gently swinging on porch swings drinking sweat tea and fanning themselves to survive the heat of the summer months.

There is one area of my life that also seems to slow down as well - my spiritual life.  Apathy sets in like a misty fog and before I know it, I’m not as hungry to spend time in God’s presence.  It always catches me off-guard because the slowness of the summer months is so subtle and before I know it, I’ve neglected one of the most integral aspects of my life - my relationship with God.

I’m reminded of the tree (Psalm 1) that is planted next to streams of water.  No matter what the season, that tree will bear fruit.  I want to be like that tree.  Well first of all, I want to be like a tree and be firmly planted to begin with.  But second to that, I want to make sure that I am planted to the place that offers continuous refreshment bringing health, vitality and bearing fruit.

Recently, my roommate came home with free movie tickets. We all decided to watch Prince Caspian - the newest in the Narnia series. Having been a little disappointed by the first one, we were eager to have our impression of the movie series be redeemed. We were more than impressed by the movie and each came away with our favorite parts.

*Spoiler alert: don’t read any further if you haven’t seen the movie yet and plan on watching it*

My favorite part of the movie was when Lucy faces off with the enemy on the bridge. She is the lone figure on her side of the bridge and on the other side is an enormous army. Lucy pulls out her little sword, which is more of knife, all the while looking as though she is taking a stroll and enjoying the day. There is a moment of confusion as the enemy attempts to figure out how to do deal with this young and somewhat unarmed little girl. Next, Aslan steps into the scene and stands next to Lucy and is able defeat the enemy.

This was my favorite part of the movie because it gives us a picture of what faith is to look like. Lucy is the one out of the four who is able to see Aslan, whereas the rest feel as though Aslan is being elusive throughout the movie. Lucy represents a faith that has a childlike certainty and purity to it. She knows that so long as she has found Aslan and so long as she is by his side, everything is going to be ok. I love this scene in the movie because it shows that even when you are facing a raging army and the odds seem completely against you, when you put your faith in God, there is a certainty and peace that comes with knowing that He is in control. In the end, Lucy didn’t even really need the little sword that she pulled out.

As I experience more in life, I find that it becomes harder and harder to maintain a childlike faith in God. I tend to become more calculating and “realistic” in my approach to life. At times it seems counterintuitive to me to have to become like a child in order to mature in my faith. But time and time again, whether it is facing new challenges, jumping off the cliff into the unknown or being stretched in my responsibilities, I feel that tug in my heart to deepen in my faith and to do so by becoming more and more dependent on God…like a child.

Late Monday night as I frantically looked through paper work attempting to file my tax returns, I realized that my heart was beating faster than usual and that beads of sweat had begun to form on my brow.  Needless to say, I was “hair-pullingly” stressed out by the end of the night because I also had a paper due the next day and a truck load of loose ends to tie.  I like to call this state of being, my crisis state where my body is on hyper alert, my mind is running at a 100 MPH and my subconscious is determining whether I should fight, flee, or freeze.  These are the times, I kick myself for being a hopeless procrastinator and discouraged perfectionist.  These are the times when I send desparate prayers up to God crying out:  help me help me help me!

I was able to get everything done - the taxes, the assignments, and squeeze in some time to rest as well, but I couldn’t help wondering about how I handle stress and worry.  I realized that I tend to go from crisis to crisis and granted the work gets done, the kind of toll it plays on my life over time is not pretty.  Worry is like a friend that you initially think is really great but in time this friend becomes the dominator of the conversation in your mind and binds you to an out of control relationship.

Something I’ve noticed as I meet more individuals in the counseling context is that women in particular worry a lot.  Women worry about everything!  From what to wear in the morning, what calories to consume or not to consume, what others are thinking about them and even worrying about worrying!  So as I sat at my dining room table on Monday in front of the computer and telling my friend called worry to just shut up and leave, I thought of the following things that is helpful to unworry the worried life:

Breathe - When things get out of control, in that moment you are seeing everything as a crisis.  Take a minute to just breathe and let your emotions settle down enough that you can begin to work things out one moment at a time.

Let go - Determine what things that are out of your control that you are worried about.  A lot of our worry comes from things you simply cannot control.  Remember that things that are not in your control are in God’s hands.  When it comes down to it worry is a direct enemy to trust.

Mess up - Worry is particularly a problem for those who need to do things perfectly.  Correction:  Worry is a problem for those who need to do everything perfectly.  Stop obessessing about the one detail that is not perfect and face the fact that maybe that one email can wait until the next morning or that maybe that getting something other than an “A” is ok (Gasp)!

Ask - Sometimes we are in such dire circumstances that we just need to ask for help from someone.  Asking is such a difficult thing for us because it reveals that we are in need and we don’t like feeling like we’re a burden to someone else.

Pray - As we turn our wills to God in prayer, and begin to take his truth to heart - that the God who feeds the sparrows and clothes the lillies of the field and holds our life in his hands, is more than enough to provide, strengthen and lead each of us according to His will.  In our worried lives, when we turn to God, what it really comes down to is abdicating our own version of how we think we can solve our problems and allowing him to take Lordship over our wills and our lives.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?  Look at the birds in the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they?  Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”  Matthew 6:25-27

I just returned from a Spring Break Service Project to Louisiana this Saturday. Some students and one working person sacrificed their spring breaks to go on a trip to visit the Dream Center and Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge. All in all, it was an incredible experience for all of us. We were impressed with the big vision that the Healing Place Church has to bring the door of the church to the people of their neighborhoods. We were able to participate in a lot of the ministries that the Dream Center runs - whether it was passing out gum to college students on the LSU campus, whether it was going door to door in some of the poorer neighborhoods handing out candy and taco dinners, whether it was serving breakfast to the homeless population or whether it was mopping and cleaning up the Dream Center, we had a great time getting out of our comfort zones to participate in Kingdom Work.

One particular story I’d like to share is the story of one woman who’s life was turned around during our visit to the Dream Center. We had gone out one particular day to hand out some goodies to people in the community. We were also handing out some fliers with a hotline number on it for at risk youth who were homeless or struggling through a difficult situation. This woman (young, single mother of three) had just lost her job and was struggling through a violent relationship. She was about ready to give up and commit suicide that week had help not arrived. The previous week she had received a flier that another team had handed out and put it aside thinking it was some “church” thing. When her son arrived with another exact same flier, she decided that God was speaking to her and decided to attend the Woman’s Thrive that the Dream Center hosts every Friday. It was during the Woman’s Thrive that she heard the Gospel message presented and was also able to have her physical needs met. As a result of the active ministry of people from the Dream Center, this woman’s decision to destruct her own life was redirected to receiving the unconditional love of Christ in her life.

Her experience and the consistent service of staff and volunteers from the Dream Center really reinforced the principle that when we show up and are available to do whatever it is that God wants us to do that day, that people’s lives can be transformed. That second flier that this young woman received was the only thing standing between death and life.

There are so many others out there who have no access to the same kind of resources that we tend to take for granted. Three meals a day, a car, enough money for entertainment, and even our mental faculties. Imagine if all those things were stripped away and you had absolutely nothing to fall back on. I have to admit that this was challenging for me to internalize. However, I do believe that God was awakening many of our consciences and causing us to face and embrace people that we are so quick to forget.

Just when I thought I made it through this winter without a serious illness, I came down with the flu this past week. I was bedridden for a couple of days, with my home run by my husband! In all honesty, my husband did a great job taking care of me, the kids and the home. Although, my oldest son and I had a good laugh at how the laundry was folded

In the past, when I saw the signs of a cold or flu sneaking up on me, I would try and exercise, eat better and sleep more. I believe that’s how I made it through most of the winter free of illnesses. However, with a lot going on in the past couple of weeks, it was easy to ignore those same signs. Thus, my body just crashed. I don’t remember the last time I felt so miserable.

Not only are there signs letting us know of an oncoming physical illness, but I realize there are signs that can also tell us when we are becoming spiritually unhealthy. In our daily busyness, it becomes easy to crowd out needed times with the Lord. Either we skip our time with the Lord or we spend that time too quickly without real meditation on God and His Word. Then, the next day it gets easier for it to happen again, until some days and weeks, but hopefully not months and years, pass by. In that time, do you ever notice the signs telling us that we are not spending quality, needed time with the Lord and being filled with His presence?

We might begin to complain more, lose our patience, have a negative attitude, be less forgiving, be more curt with people…I’m sure we can add to the list. These are signs telling us that we might need to slow down or stop in our daily lives to make sure we are staying spiritually healthy and strong.

Psalm 1 reminds us that we will be like a tree planted by streams of water, bearing fruit and not withering when we delight and meditate day and night on the law of the Lord.

My son (a 2^nd grader) and I attended a funeral recently. One of his classmate’s mother had unexpectedly passed away several days ago. The news of her death affected our school community and the classmates of her children (2^nd & 3^rd graders). Her passing reminded me once again of the brevity and the important things of life, and made me miss my own mom who passed away years ago.

At the funeral service, the pastor called all the children up front for a brief talk. Since many of the 2^nd and 3^rd graders from the school came out to support the two girls and her family, the front area was full with young children. The pastor shared about the two dates written on the program. The first date was when the mom was born. Those who don’t believe in Jesus know that the second date is when the mom died. But, for Christians, we know that the second date is when her life began in heaven, the eternal home. The time from her birth to her life in heaven is “the years in-between”.

That phrase, “the years in-between” caught my attention. It reminded me once again that my home on earth is temporary and that I am just passing through. It made me evaluate if I was making myself too comfortable on this earth, knowing that it will all pass away one day. It also made me evaluate to see what I was doing with “the years in-between” until I reach my eternal home.

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. – Colossians 3:2