Settling

Not everyone is afflicted with great expectations.

Many of us secretly believe that the safest path is the one where our hearts are kept on a tight leash. If we don't want much...we are seldom disappointed. A short wish list makes for an easier life--or so it seems. No one would accuse us of harboring great expectations. At some invisible place we don't even remember, we decided to aim low and to retreat from the risky places where our hearts might take a painful hit or two. We get good at settling. It's a familiar tale--one that thousands of us live--and if folks knew our real story, they would understand why...

It takes such courage to stay awake to possibility--to keep bringing a hungry heart back to God, over and over, until he says it's time to let go. It takes faith to believe that if God says no to a good dream...it means God is up to something that will, eventually, have his glory written all over it. I find that trusting God with my life often leads to a place that's exhilirating and yet oddly painful at times. Indeed, it can hurt to hope.

--Better than My Dreams by Paula Rinehart, pps. 19-20

Thankful for Good Service

Shopping is an activity that I usually enjoy, although the closer it gets to the holidays, the less my enthusiasm for being surrounded by hundreds of others searching for the "perfect" gift. Of course I love a good bargain, but good service can really go a long way toward making or breaking the shopping adventure.

One summer in college I worked retail, and if I hadn't already been determined to finish college and pursue a career in something other than retail, that summer certainly clenched it. Working retail is very stressful, and I can only imagine that the holidays multiply that stress tenfold. Particularly in this economy, when customers are spending less, retailers are declaring bankruptcy, stores are closing and workers are being laid off (leaving the remaining workers to pull longer shifts), I am sure that working in retail is not the most pleasant job experience right now.

Our city is not exactly renowned for great customer service, so it's somewhat of a surprise when I encounter a particularly friendly or helpful worker. This past Saturday, I was shopping at Marshall's and the dressing room attendant was extremely friendly. In my experience, unless I'm shopping at a store where the sales associates are working on commission, most dressing room attendants seem less than thrilled to be there. Sometimes they don't bother to say anything, just grunt a little as they thrust a number card my way. I am pleased to report that that was not the case at Marshall's. The attendant greeted me warmly with a huge smile and seemed downright glad to be at work that morning. I left feeling like I'd been well taken care of and glad that I had shopped there.

Unfortunately, I failed to get her name, but I plan to write a letter to her manager commending her for such excellent service. The experience is also challenging me to improve upon my own service to others (particularly at work), to not only do what's expected but to go above and beyond, and to do it in a friendly way that says I'm thankful to work there. Furthermore, I'm challenged to be more caring and compassionate toward those who serve me, especially during the holidays. My being friendly to a worn out salesperson could be a much needed lift in the midst of a frustrating day.

Let me challenge you as well to catch people--whether in a store, at your own place of work, or at home--doing something good and commend them for it.

Death Before Life

Now a man named Lazarus was sick. (John 11:1a)

I love a good resurrection story. It's encouraging to hear stories of marriages mended, friendships restored, diseases healed, finances turned around and other wonders.

But before there can be a miracle, there has to be a situation in which a miracle is needed. And that part, well, I don't like to deal with so much. Because if a miracle is truly needed, the situation is pretty dire. And serious. And in all likelihood painful.

In Lazarus' case, he had to die before a resurrection could take place. There had to be the emotional pain of losing someone close to them before Mary and Martha could rejoice in the miracle of having their brother restored to them.

I wonder, if Lazarus had not been seriously ill--if he had not died--would his story even be included in Scripture? After all, John later indicates in chapter 21 that there are far more stories of Jesus' works than can be contained in the Bible, so if He had not raised Lazarus from the dead, would Lazarus' death warrant even a mention?

In thinking about other miracles Jesus performed, there's a similar theme--loss of some sort precedes receiving. The bridegroom at the wedding feast had to run out of wine (risking great social embarassment) before he could be given even better wine (transformed from ordinary water, no less). Everyone that Jesus healed--the ten lepers, the blind and lame--had to experience not only the loss of physical health, but also the humiliation of being teated as outcasts in society. Peter and his fellow fishermen had to endure a night of fishing with no catch (which probably felt like a waste of time) before they were called by Jesus to cast their nets on the other side and haul in the greatest catch of their careers.

I want miracles to occur in my life, but I'm reluctant to welcome the losses and need that precede the miracles. But in order to experience Jesus working in extraordinary ways, sometimes we first have to experience extraordinary hurt and suffering and needs. Sure, Jesus knows my needs in advance and He could easily pre-empt the suffering and take care of such needs before I even know about them. But He has more than just a miracle in mind.

So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick." When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." (John 11:3-4)

Healing Lazarus, even from miles away, was not beyond Jesus' power. He chose to wait until there was no human hope before raising Lazarus from the dead, in order that God's glory could be on full display. Those who witnessed the resurrection had no doubt that it was God's power at work.

Miracles are great, but if they do not point to the glory of God, they're worthless. Like Lazarus, God sometimes brings us to a point of being far past any human hope of things being made right, so that when He does act, we know without any doubt that it is Him alone making the miraculous happen.

I certainly don't understand God's timing. I don't know why He chooses to bring restoration and resurrection to some situations right away and not to others. But I do know that everything that He does is for His ultimate glory. Even allowing death in all its many forms to take place. Death precedes life. And I can't wait for the resurrections God has planned for me.

Serendipity

Last night I returned from Biloxi, where the only gambling I did was with my life as I was exposed to an abundance of cigarette smoke as I walked through the casino to get to the convention center where our fall meeting was held. Overall, our convention went well and our members seem pleased. I was grateful to get home in time to watch Alabama exact its revenge on Mississippi State.

I love how God often reminds me that He is indeed in control and knows what He's doing. On Wednesday, shortly after arriving at the hotel, a co-worker and I were asked to drive to the airport in Gulfport and pick up a guest speaker who was flying in from Tennessee. Due to some less than accurate directions from a waitress at the hotel, we ended up taking the scenic route to the airport. Because we were a few minutes late, my co-worker called the guest speaker to let him know that we were on our way. To our surprise, the speaker was still at home--turns out that he wasn't due to fly in until Thursday.

It was rather annoying to discover that we'd driven all the way to the airport for nothing, but it actually ended up being a good thing. When we got into the car we discovered that someone had left the overhead light on, so if we had not had to take a drive that afternoon, chances are we would not have discovered the light on until we were ready to head back to Montgomery days later, and by that point the battery would most likely have been drained.

I can't help but laugh at this little serendipitous moment that occurred in the middle of a frustrating drive. Once again, God reminded me that not everything is as it seems--He has a purpose for everything that occurs, no matter how seemingly meaningless--and He can take frustrating moments and turn them around for good.

The Week That Was

It's been an eventful week in my neck of the woods. At work, we're preparing for our annual fall Convention, which begins this Thursday and concludes on Saturday. As if that wasn't eventful enough, there was this historic, life-changing event that happened Tuesday night. That's right, my third niece, Evelyn, made her debut into the world. I can't wait to see her in person (along with the rest of her family) at Thanksgiving.

Oh yeah, there was also the matter of a little Presidential election going on that day as well. Seriously, I can't say that I was particularly bowled over by either candidate (and certainly not by their running mates). Until a few days before the election, I wasn't sure who was going to get my vote. While I disagree with quite a few of the President-Elect's stances on various issues (and I disagreed with Senator McCain as well), it is rather thrilling to see history in the making. Regardless of our feelings about the outcome of the election, we need to be in prayer for all of our leaders, from President-Elect Obama down to our city councilpeople. They desperately need wisdom and foresight to lead our nation, perhaps now more than ever.

Although certainly the birth of my niece was the highlight of my week, Bama clinching the SEC West (in Death Valley, no less) was pretty special. I think that even if we'd been up 28-0 going into the fourth, I would not have let my guard down. LSU is one of those teams that pulls off some unbelievable plays, and they played Bama harder than any team has thus far this year. I was thankful we pulled out the win in the first overtime--I don't know if my heart could have taken multiple overtimes.

So a new week begins with Bama retaining its #1 ranking, my family one beautiful little girl bigger, no more political ads on TV (hooray!) and a great deal of work to cram into the next two days before we head down on Wednesday to get set up for our Convention. Maybe next week will be calm for a change...