Another Step

Imagine you decided to take a trip southward and eventually ended up in Antarctica. This would take some serious maneuvering of travel modes, but it is distinctly possible that the frozen tundra of the South Pole would be your stopping place if you kept going south.

Once you arrived, you might complain about the cold temperatures and how it wasn't what you expected, but this is still the journey you chose to undertake. With a desire for warmer temperatures and a lack of enthusiasm for your surroundings, you can begin a northward trek. The truth, however, is that you won't be on a sunny beach in a short period of time. Your journey to the South Pole took a while and the warm beaches of Miami, Florida aren't quite within reach yet. You've got to keep traveling in the right direction to get where you want to be.

I see this being similar to the picture of recovery. We usually end up in predicaments (relationship, financial, mental health, habits, addictions) because of a series of choices. While we can see positive gains from a change of direction, there are still steps of healing that will take time. Committing to the process of growth and healing is a lifelong journey.

You can't change in a day what took a lifetime to create, but you can take another step in the right direction. Where do you need to take a step today?

Taking a Break

In the past few weeks I've been bothered by some pain in my right heel. I'm not sure what has caused it, but I noticed it after one of my running days. I took a week off in hopes of giving it some time to heal, but it didn't get completely better. Since I'm stubborn (and perhaps a little addicted to running) I decided to get back on the streets in spite of my discomfort. It doesn't hurt too much when I'm running, but I have to concentrate to make sure it isn't altering my stride which would lead to other problems.

I was talking about it with a friend over coffee this week and came to the conclusion that I should take some extended time off to allow it to properly heal. I don't want to do something so damaging through my stubbornness that will cause me long term damage. As much I don't want to stop running, it's in my best interest to adjust my habits to give me time to recover. I will have to ramp up my gym time and use other methods of keeping my fitness levels where I want them.

Sometimes we've got to make difficult decisions that aren't the most appealing in the short term, but make better sense for our long term health. This takes an understanding of life goals and the willingness to make temporary adjustments that will eventually bring greater benefits. Success in life isn't just about what's happening right now, but how the present is setting us up for a better future.

Seeking Serenity

We have recently started a program called Celebrate Recovery which is a Christ-based recovery program aimed at helping people find healing from life's hurts, hang-ups, and habits. There are repeated elements of the weekly service which help as we all search for positive routines in our life. One of those practices involves reading the serenity prayer aloud collectively before dismissing to our groups. While the repetition can potentially lead to numb recitation it can also become more powerful as it embeds itself in our spirit. The words are powerful if we focus on the intent behind them and hopefully learn to make it a vital part of how we push forward in recovery each day.


God, give me grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.

Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,

Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

Amen.

The Hard Question

One of the hardest questions we can ask ourselves is, "Why?" It's easier to ask the question of "What?" because we can list the symptoms of a problem without having to address the cause. We can ask the question of "Who?" because we need someone to blame. We ask the question of "When?" as we figure out the time frame of the problem. There is even the question of "How?" to lay out the actions leading to our predicament. None of these questions, however, will help us discover the reasons we end up where we are.

When we shift our focus to wanting to know the rationale behind our circumstances, we can start to solve the problem. An internal audit brings us face to face with our own motivation and moves us beyond complaining about our current circumstances to actually doing something about them. Without knowing "why" something has happened we only address things superficially. Getting to the heart of the matter means peeling back uncomfortable layers and looking deeply at the root cause so healing can begin.

Afraid to Change

When Jesus saw him stretched out by the pool and knew how long he had been there, he said, "Do you want to get well?" John 5:6

The man Jesus is talking with has been an invalid for 38 years and asking a question about his desire to get well might seem a little ridiculous. After all, who wouldn't want to be healed from a lifelong illness? You would think the man would be (figuratively) jumping at the opportunity so that he could (literally) jump into a different way of life. Apparently, Jesus felt the need to check this man's motives before doing anything.

How would we answer this question if Jesus asked us? Maybe we think it would be easier to just keep complaining about the state of our life or to make excuses for our current circumstances. Believing this won't change anything in a positive way. 

If we want to make things better we actually have to do something about it. This man didn't heal himself, but he had to be willing to let Jesus heal him. Are we willing to let God into our lives enough to bring the healing we keep saying we need?  Or do we just want to have something to complain about without making any effort towards lasting change?

More Than a Song

Some songs have a more powerful personal impact than others because they stir up memories of special occasions and important events in our lives. It may be a song from our wedding, a melody that takes us back to the carefree days of our youth, or lyrics that helped us through a tough season of life. These songs tend to stick with us through the years and evoke pleasant emotions whenever we hear them. There is a special significance to them which may not matter as much to others, but certainly carries great power for us.

There is a woman in history who had an interaction with Jesus which is recorded in the book of John. We don't know much about her except for this brief engagement. She met Jesus at a well in Samaria while looking for water and ended up finding the Savior she had been searching for all her life. Despite all her choices and the social and spiritual isolation that resulted from it, she found forgiveness, comfort, and value in the eyes of the Messiah.

She may not have had the songs of today to sing, but I would imagine that she could identify with the powerful lyrics of the song below as a result of her encounter. This redeemed woman could speak with authority on the rescuing power of Christ and how her world would change. If we could listen to this song with that story in mind it might make it as powerful to us as well.

Verbal Attacks

Imagine writing down on a card the most hurtful thing ever said to you and the most hurtful thing you have said to others. These are the words that trap us in the damage of our past and prohibit us from moving forward in freedom. These are the words that have affected our lives and shaped the way we handle our relationships. 

How do we move past these jumbled letters that have afflicted us so deeply? We can take the first step by taking that card littered with pain and throwing it away. We replace those words of pain with genuine expressions of encouragement and forgiveness. We refuse to allow the past to be the only thing that defines us and we replace it with the graceful hope of God's future. The resonating gong of this verbal litter hitting the trashcan symbolizes our pain and regret being cast aside. It's the sound of the beginning of our healing. 

Love Rekindled

I will readily admit that one of my favorite responsibilities as a pastor is when I am able to officiate weddings. Today I was able to preside over a remarriage for a couple as they came back together after being apart. Instead of an impersonal ceremony at the courthouse they decided to have it done here at the church. It was a simple crowd of two of our staff members and their beloved 16 year old dog. It was the best part of my day as it allowed me to be part of something very intimate and God-honoring.

I thought of several things today as I took part in this beautifully sweet ceremony.

• The cliche saying that "you don't know what you've got until it's gone" is absolutely true. 
• God is able to restore all things-not just some things, but all things.
• Tough life lessons can produce deep-rooted love and understanding.
• Don't take important relationships for granted.
• Grace that is received from God and shared with someone else is incredibly powerful.

Sometimes a poignant reminder of what is important and a new beginning is what's needed for all of us.

Scar Tales

I have a few scars on my body: one on my forehead from tackling a church pew at 3 years old, one on my hand from catching a broken ceramic bowl and getting 10 stitches, and a couple on my right knee from arthroscopic surgery many years ago. My wife has her own collection ranging from c-sections to cancer-related surgeries, and nerve reattachment in her finger.

Our body's scars tell personal stories of accidents, healing, and recovery. Our emotional scars do the same even though they may not be as outwardly visible. Sometimes our inward scars scare us and we try to hide them instead of confronting them and then telling our story of healing and recovery. For our own growth and the benefit of others, we have to not be afraid to tell those stories. Our testimony can encourage others and speak of the healing power of God in our lives. They help describe who we are and the journey we have taken to be at this point. We can help people in similar circumstances endure the hard parts of recovery and realize that they aren't alone in the painful part of their journey.

My scars don't inhibit me like they used to, but they do remind me of the path I've taken to get here and the power that is found in sharing recovery.

Stretched

“I am old, Gandalf. I don’t look it, but I am beginning to feel it in my heart of hearts. Well-preserved indeed!” he snorted. “Why, I feel all thin, sort of stretched, if you know what I mean: like butter that has been scraped over too much bread. That can’t be right. I need a change, or something.” 

Bilbo Baggins, The Fellowship of the Ring

I will admit that there have been times when Bilbo's words might have been my own. The demands of life,ministry, and personal ambition can threaten the necessary stability I seek. These feelings are warning signs that my life has been thrown out of balance and an adjustment is necessary. This highlights my need for rest and reinvigoration on a regular basis if I am going to thrive. When I stubbornly ignore that peaceful necessity I eventually run out of emotional, mental, physical and spiritual resources. I am left feeling like a hobbit in need of great change when the solution to my craving is to simply rest in the calming presence of my King who rejuvenates me completely.

The gift of the Sabbath is the remedy for this malaise. While it is often used as a desperate recovery tool when things are out of control, it was intended to be a regular respite for our soul. It's the recognition of our limited abilities and our dependence on God that gives us the strength to endure by finding regular rest. It's one of God's great gifts to us-it's why Jesus insisted that the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.

Two for Flinching

We have a white mutt of a dog named Zeddie. He is a rescue dog that our family adopted from friends several years ago. He had obviously been abused and most likely by men (based on his reaction to any man that comes around.) Even after all of these years of living with us (and countless affectionate scratching) he cowers when I approach him. I don't really blame him--it's now a natural reaction from his past. Trust was broken in him a long time before we had him and this protective mechanism has  become the pattern of his life. 

It's not a whole lot different with us. When our trust has been betrayed we no longer feel safe. Whether it was mistreatment at the hands of family members, a relationship destroyed due to infidelity, or our attempt at honesty being quickly and severely dismissed, the result is the same. The sad side effect is that it also impacts our relationship with God. We wonder how He could have possibly let this happen to us and we shrink back when He approaches us because we question His motives. It's an unfortunate projection of human failings on an imperfect God who desires intimacy with His children. 

The only way to battle through it is to take the risk of letting God reach out to our bruised and battered spirits. Taking that first step might be one of the hardest things we'll ever do, but I know from experience that we won't regret it. The touch of a loving Father heals our brokenness and fills us with hope when we can't seem to find it anywhere. 

Speed It Up

When I was working in athletic training there was always a lot of pressure to get athletes back on the playing field as soon as possible. This was a shared desire among coaches, athletes, parents, administration, and even the athletic training staff. One of the most common questions was, "What can you do to speed up the healing process?" The truth is that you can't speed up the natural process of healing. What you can do is create optimal conditions for the body to heal itself. You can work to remove obstacles that slow down the natural process and in turn set the athlete's body up for success. 

When we suffer emotional, mental, or spiritual damage the same principle applies. We want to be healed from this trauma right away, but there is always a process we must go through. 

What should we do to remove obstacles to healing? 

• Work actively towards forgiveness
• Practice persistent & consistent prayer
• Have accountability with people we trust
• Immerse ourselves in Scripture
• Confess & repent our sins

While we can't necessarily speed up healing, we can work to eliminate things that will impede our forward progress.