Sunrise, Sunset

I'm back from my weekend trip to Destin with Jon and his family. I'm a little sunburned, very tired, but had a very fun time hanging out with everyone and enjoying the gorgeous scenery. I love being on the water, and as long as there aren't jellyfish or sharks around, love being in the water as much as possible.

Nature has always provided an avenue for me to truly catch a glimpse of God, and the beach is one of my favorite places to see His handiwork. Yesterday, the water was bright turquoise, and we could see clear down to the bottom as we sped along in the boat. The sunsets were magnificent. (I slept in, but I'm sure the sunrises weren't too bad, either!)

When I see such beauty in nature, I wonder how anyone can doubt that there is a God who created the heavens and the earth.

Sharpening

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)

This is one of my favorite Proverbs, especially when I consider the value of friendship. I am blessed with several friends who regularly "sharpen" me.

Some friends sharpen me through offering different views of God and of His work in our lives. Having friends with diverse personalities and experiences gives me the opportunity to see different angles of God and have Him reveal Himself to me in new ways.

Another form of sharpening is through criticism. I'll admit that I don't always graciously accept criticism (which is a nice way of saying that my gut reaction is to pout if someone criticizes me!). But I'm learning the value of constructive criticism, particularly when it comes from friends. They've seen me at my best and my worst, and love me just the same. Their criticism is not meant to tear down but to build up, to make me stronger and sharper and more effective.

Just as a dull knife is ineffective, we too need sharpening (however painful it may seem) from time to time. What are some other ways that friends can "sharpen" us?

Traveling Heavy

I'm preparing for my second beach trip in less than a month, hooray! It took many years of denial, but I've finally come to the point where I accept the fact that I am not a light packer. I know some people can throw a week's worth of necessities in a tiny duffel bag and be set, but I'm not one of those people.

I not only pack all the necessities, but also everything I might possibly need for any weather situation. Shorts and flipflops for hot afternoons. Long sleeves and cardigans for cool nights. And shoes? I usually take 4-5 pairs of shoes for one weekend. It's a sickness, I know.

So, what's your travel style, heavy or light? I've heard lessons before on the need to travel light in a spiritual sense, i.e., laying our burdens down and letting Jesus carry them for us. But today I want to talk about the need to travel heavy, by taking up not only what we need in the moment, but also preparing for potential situations.

In Ephesians 6, the apostle Paul discusses the need to arm ourselves each day:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (Ephesians 6:10-18)

I usually pray in my car on my way to work in the morning, and I lift up various challenges or situations that I know that I'll face that day--meetings, projects, current stresses. However, I don't always remember to prepare for the unknown temptations or challenges--the cranky co-worker, the driver who cuts me off in traffic, the emergency phone call. I focus on the immediate but not always think about what is beyond that.

Notice that Paul does not say that we'll be able to stand IF the day of evil comes, but rather WHEN it comes. It may not be today, but eventually I'll run up against evil forces at work against me. If I start every day by putting on God's armor--His truth, His faith, His righteousness--then I can be better prepared to face the encmy of my soul.

That is the kind of "baggage" that we need to take up, every day.

Laughing at Life

She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. Proverbs 31:25

Proverbs 31 is known as the chapter giving a description of the "virtuous woman" or "wife of noble character," depending on your translation. Although I'm not a wife, I certainly hope to be one someday, and even today I can put to use most of the qualities listed in this passage.

Lately I've been pondering verse 25, particularly the phrase, "she can laugh at the days to come." I have a great sense of humor and love to laugh, but I don't think this verse means that the virtuous woman busts a gut laughing every day (although that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing). Rather, I think it suggests that she doesn't take herself or life so seriously that she can't enjoy it. Knowing that God is providing for her, taking care of her and her family's every need, she is able to relax and not worry about what tomorrow will bring.

This woman isn't sitting back on the couch and absolving herself of any responsibility. If you read the rest of Proverbs 31, you'll see that she's a pretty busy woman, taking care of her husband and children, her household and her business ventures. But her trust in God, her fear of God, enables her to meet challenges head on.

I can often laugh at yesterday, but it takes a lot more effort to laugh at the days to come. I am learning (although very slowly at times!) to take God more seriously and to take myself and life much less so.

The West Wing

If you could choose any career based on the skills and abilities that you currently have, but were given unlimited resources and opportunity, what would you choose?

I think I'd want to be a Presidential speechwriter. I've always been fascinated by the White House, and would love to work there (depending on the administration in office). Although my background is PR, I would not want to be the White House spokeswoman, taking the heat from the press day in and day out. But the idea of writing speeches that leave a mark on history is very appealing.

Say W, do you have any openings?

Change the World -- One Good Deed at a Time

When I think about the challenge to live for Jesus, I often feel overwhelmed because I so often fall waaaay short in that. I think of it as a huge undertaking, that I need to do grand and lofty acts in order to make a difference in my world. This list of random acts of kindess, courtesy of Guideposts, reminds me that sometimes the small things can have a big impact.

See how many of these random acts of kindness that you can perform this week:

1. Hold the door open for the next person coming behind you.
2. Stop for a pedestrian who is waiting to cross the street.
3. Adopt a street or just pick up litter in the neighborhood.
4. When you feel someone has done a great job — tell him or her
5. Collect items for the food bank. Support other important causes.
6. Write a thank-you note to someone who made a difference in your life.
7. Make a point of really listening to those around you.
8. When someone is trying to merge into your lane of traffic, let the person in front of you.
9. Let someone with fewer groceries go in front of you.
10. Pay for someone's toll or gas.
11. For one day or week, choose not to pass along gossip you hear.
12. Drop off a positive note and a treat on a co-worker’s desk.
13. Whatever the topic of conversation is, choose to discuss the positive side of it.
14. Forgive someone.

Never Stop Learning

I was blessed with a love of academia. I did not love studying or taking tests, but I did (and still do) enjoy learning about history, about science, about new and exciting places and about masterfully written literature.

Even though I've been out of school for 10 years now, I still enjoy learning. I've been tempted to cancel my expanded cable service but haven't because I don't want to miss out on the History Channel or The Learning Channel or Discovery Channel. (Okay, and ESPN!) As I mentioned in an earlier post, I really enjoy reading as well, particularly non-fiction.

The call to not be mere believers in Christ but disciples as well has always appealed to me, because discipleship denotes learning. For a long time, I always thought of discipleship as learning through Bible study, through sermons heard or articles read. But I'm discovering that God has other ways of discipling me as well.

Many times, it's easy for me to take a seemingly mundane situation and see God in the middle of it. He's often using those situations to try to teach me. When I find myself waiting in a long line at the grocery store, He may be using that as an opportunity to learn patience. (Sigh.)

When I catch myself smarting off to someone or being short with someone in the middle of a stressful day, He may be teaching me the importance of being slow to speak and slow to anger.

When the "Service Engine" light appears on the dashboard of my aging car, He may be using that to teach me to look to Him to provide for me.

I'm not discounting the importance of studying your Bible or attending Sunday school or church or engaging in other activities designed to encourage your spiritual growth. But I think that it's also important to have our eyes open to what's going on throughout the week to see where God is trying to teach us. I believe that discipleship is not a weekly, Sunday or Wednesday night only event, but that it's a daily, ongoing process.

Reflect on your day and ask God to show you what He wants you to learn today.