Lent Day 7: Life in test mode

 I failed a test this week. I prepped for it, stepped up to the plate, and fell flat over my sneaker laces. Maybe you've been there:

• When you miss a deadline, do you beat yourself up for it? 
• If someone comes in the door and your entry is a mess, do you fret for days? 
• If a deadline seems out of reach, do you give up instead of pressing on for one more try?
• You had a great opportunity and it flopped. Now you are scared to try again.

 One of the hardest tasks for goal-setters and high achievers is self-forgiveness. Letting go of failure. Looking beyond the obvious miss to a possible future win.

"Always Hopeful" by Toni Grote

We sometimes find it easier to forgive others than to forgive ourselves. Is there something in your past (or in the day) that you need to release in order to move forward?

God has completely forgiven us through Jesus Christ. That means he does not remember our sins against us. He knows we have messed up (there's no God-amnesia, after all!) but he doesn't hold our past against our future.

Consider doing the same for yourself today. Learn from the past. Let it go. Then look to the future with hope and a sense of possibility.

Read more:
 *The Lord says, "I will not continually accuse, nor will I always be angry." Isaiah 57:16

*Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” Luke 5:20

*Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12 NIV

Moravian Prayer: Forgiving Savior, as we journey through this season of Lent, our hearts are overwhelmed with awe and gratitude for the patience and love you show us. Bless us always thus, we pray. Amen.

(Plan and) Build carefully!

Ever felt like you started forward with a great idea, only to watch it get buried under a deluge of unexpected complications? Felt like a torrent of problems was sweeping away your previously smooth operation?

Flooding in the centre of Bradford-on-Avon,
near Bristol, stops work on this UK construction site

Above is a real-life example. England recently experienced a spate of flooding. BBC photographers snapped a construction site under water. The architects, builders, and planners did their part and started the project in good faith. Looking at the water swirling over their hard work is daunting.

Surely, this was an unexpected twist to a project that was doing well. How on earth could one regain ground after such a catastrophe? I bet the contractor and architect will meet with City Council to discuss the flood zone. Does one rethink plans for this low-lying area? Redo the buildings' foundations to make sure they don't wash away in the next overflow? Or clean up and carry on?

It's easy to be enthusiastic when thinking of possibilities. "Idea People" get frustrated with apparent naysayers who insist on working out all the details before they proceed. On the other hand, cautious managers want answers before their team leaps into action, no matter how wonderful the proposal. How do you work with opposing views? And how can you recover from catastrophic interruptions?

1. Every gate we enter represents increased freedom or restriction. You can rarely go back to where you were, whether that's a safe or risky place. Choices today open new possibilities and burn bridges behind us. However, status quo (doing nothing) is usually more dangerous and unfulfilling than alertness and motion. Only dead and weak fish let the current take them without a fight.
2.  Consider the past as well as the future. How have we proven ourselves. Are we

• optimists ("Everything will work out,")
• painstaking researchers ("Who knows what will happen unless we think it through?"), or
• project managers ("What steps need to be taken for success?") 
• Has your intuition pushed you into greatness or caused injury? 
• Has your wariness saved you from harm or caused stagnation? 
• How does that affect your future decisions?

3. Diversify the team so gifts of vision,  detailed record-keeping, and implementation provide balance.

• Jumpers: be willing to think before you jump. Partner with someone who is careful and will help you think about the cliff you're about to tackle. (You'll begin to understand the ramifications beyond the initial leap.)
• Bookkeepers: be willing to carefully consider how an idea could revolutionize the world as you know it.  (You'll expand your repertoire of possibilities and skills.)
• Implementers: be willing to compromise on the process when you're working with someone who has proven success. Partnering with people who have great ideas, energy, and enthusiasm keeps you current. It changes life to an adventure rather than offering boring routines on a secure treadmill. (You'll help keep those visionaries focused, make the accountants happy, and round out your CV with new accomplishments.)

4. Evaluate. We must be willing to take off our blinders to see what's really happening before and during a project.

• Have we taken proper precautions? 
• Are we tipping into a danger zone?
• Are we stalling a really good idea because of fear? 
• Burying progress under rules and technicalities?

5. Pour heart and soul into the decision. Once we (individually or as a team) decide to move ahead, we commit to doing our best. That way, we move with skilled efforts, regardless of the outcome.

6. Recognize that success and failure are two sides of the same coin. When we've done our best, whether we get accolades for an outstanding win or have to start from the beginning, every attempt teaches us something. Don't get so scared that you never try anything again!

7. At the end of an idea (whether it dies or comes to life), consider the next step. Is this a winner that needs to explode into broader possibilities? Did you scrape through by the skin of your teeth so it's time to end here? Did you lose the shirt off your back? Ask, what lessons did we learn? What skills did we acquire? On a team, who is weak and who is strong? Whom can we count on and who let us down?

And then be willing to ask, "WHAT'S NEXT?" as you wait for God to bring his creative and meticulous direction, working in the world ... through you.

Accepting honor where it's due

Someone says something nice abut you. Something true. Something wonderful that you've worked hard on ... or that comes naturally and easily because it's a cultivated talent or gifting.

Should you feel honored or uncomfortable?

Do you feel you have to slough off compliments and achievements? Or can you celebrate what God has allowed you to do?

This past weekend, we noted milestones in lives of our choir peers. 35 years later, some have pastored churches. Others have raised good children. Many have influenced their communities through non-profits and community service. A few attained graduate degrees. I felt like I was in the middle of spiritual giants, listening to the tales of God at work in good times and bad. The gals dressed beautifully. Everyone seemed comfortable and at ease, having learned to speak in public and interact with others. These are not social skills to be taken lightly!

Many of us - including I - continue to struggle against our childhood church culture, which emphasized that pride comes before a fall ... so we had to deny any nice remarks about ourselves.

I listened to the interchanges at our reunion. We were surprised and thrilled to reconnect with each other after 35 years apart, because we have become adults with stories of God's abundance and faithfulness.

"Congratulations on a job well done." Response: "Could have done better."
"You're beautiful!" Response: "Wish it was true."
"You reached your goal!" Response: "Took more time than I thought."
"Wow, that's cool!" Response: "Anyone could do it."

I wondered if God felt disappointed at hearing us fend off others'  kind acknowledgements. He gifted us, gave us unique personalities, and allowed our experiences with the intent of forming and shaping us into useful and amazing persons. Would you be hurt if your kids rejected your parenting, claiming that they were nobodies and refusing to see themselves as worthwhile?

How do we admit who we are and celebrate our accomplishments without becoming self-promoting or prideful?

1. Did you solicit the compliment? Are you trying to overcome a sense of inadequacy with reverse pride (you are no one unless you're noticed by others)? If so, behave yourself and stop fishing! Your value comes because God likes you, not because of what others say.
2. Know yourself. How are you unique and special? Every person is needed on the planet or we'd be redundant and God would not have made us. Admit God's creativity: you are fearfully and wonderfully made!
3. Admit your giftings. What comes naturally and easily that others might struggle with? Celebrate how God has blessed you with talents and personality.
4. What have you worked hard to achieve? Be happy with how you've developed spiritually and trained a skill-set that is out of the ordinary.
5. What is the person trying to say? Are they genuinely pleased with you or with what you've done? Or are they buttering you up (flattering you) so you compliment them back or give them what they want? Accept the former with a smile, "Thank you, I appreciate that." Ignore the latter with a polite thanks or "Hmmm" and move on.
6. Would God agree with the compliment? When God says you are special and finds you extraordinary as his child - especially when he is glorified by your attention to his blessings - receive the compliment with grace and humility. We understand that it's God's work in you that makes you amazing. Your partnership with him is what we find so special about you, whether it's your sense of style, your gracious speech, or your great accomplishments. Agree with us, already :-)

I'm sending a warm "I celebrate you!" and "So glad you're in my life!" to my wonderful friends and family this morning. You know who you are! (All of you!)

Read more:
*In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Romans 8:37

*For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. Romans 11:36

*Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.1 Corinthians 8:6

*But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3:7-11 NIV