Lent Day 25: Riding the wave

I write on my calendar, "Goodbye, everything."

We spoke together in chapel this morning. And we bought our tickets today.

We've booked the flight that will take us from what we know. From our comfort zone. To a new place across the world.

I'm reposting again today. My heart is too full to write, feeling the swell of the new wave ahead.

---- CRESTING THE WAVE----

Life seems to be experienced in waves. Entire years and decades of Jesus' life go unrecorded. Then  his ministry crests: he chooses disciples and velocity quickens to wash toward his sacrifice on the cross as the Passover lamb.

The ebb of the resurrection, where God pulls back mortality's curtain to showcase His magnificence and power even over death, creates a riptide for the disciples. Jesus spends 40 quiet days with them, expounding on God's mission. He shows them their future as Life-With-God before he withdraws to allow the Holy Spirit to descend.

The Spirit roars into the life of the apostles with godly authority and power. Life and renewal splash throughout the city of Jerusalem and ripples into the world through the pilgrims attending the Pentecostal feast.

Throughout the book of Acts, ebbs and flows in the intensity mark the spread of the gospel:

• Organization and favor.
• Persecution, outward movement, and expansion. 
• Suffering and missionary proclamation. 
• Exile and writing to preserve the record of Christ and the early Church.

Have you experienced such seasons of quiet, followed by building energy and a surge of momentum?

Where am I right now? A bucket of "aha"s have been dumped on me since last weekend. The wave is rising and I am being carried into the future. I'm not certain of the shore toward which the power of "forward" is pulling me. And that doesn't matter too much. God only requires my "being in this" completely, attentive and intentional toward the work of His Spirit.

How do we "ride the wave" in seasons of change?

1. Breathe in the time of calm and stand at ease when there's no direction.
2. Mull over (and record) lessons learned and insights acquired during the pause between what was and what is becoming.
3. Still your fears of change. God is in control. Completely. Utterly. Beautifully. He holds your future securely and will not let you go.
4. Prepare yourself. Embrace whatever comes your way. Pray. Meditate on scripture. Serve at church. Read an insightful book, listen to a speaker, or attend an event. You may unexpectedly run into an acquaintance or eavesdrop on other conversations.
5. Be willing and obedient. When work appears, when a door opens, when God clears away the clutter of the past to a clear future ... say YES.
6. Surf the wave. God's current will direct you. Enjoy the ride: fighting the water will smash you, suck you under, and make you feel like you're drowning.
7. Enjoy the view as you land on the new shore. Wherever God takes you, He has planned this in advance. What is the wonder of this next job, this new ministry, or this fresh relationship?

What's your favorite wave to date? Were you surprised where the current took you?

Read more:
*The Lord said, "I have chosen Abraham, that he may charge his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice." Genesis 18:19 NEV

*Sing for joy, O heavens! Rejoice, O earth! Burst into song, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on them in their suffering. Isaiah 49:13 NLT

*And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.” Matthew 20:17-19 ESV

*Faith was reckoned to Abraham as righteousness. Romans 4:9 NEV

Moravian Prayer: God, teach us to do justice by entering into relationships with persons in need. May we learn from them lessons of dignity, faith, and righteousness as we serve—that we may become wholly committed to your kingdom's work. Amen.

CS Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Lewis wrote these to show the opposing intentions of God and the devil. In this novel, Screwtape is a young demon-in-training.) In which Screwtape reveals the Enemy’s (God's) intentions:

"Now it may surprise you to learn that in His [the Enemy’s] efforts to get permanent possession of a soul, He relies on the troughs even more than on the peaks; some of His special favourites have gone through longer and deeper troughs than anyone else. 

"The reason is this. To us a human is primarily food; our aim is the absorption of its will into ours, the increase of our own area of selfhood at its expense. But the obedience which the Enemy demands of men is quite a different thing. One must face the fact that all the talk about His love for men, and His service being perfect freedom, is not (as one would gladly believe) mere propaganda, but an appalling truth. 

"He really does want to fill the universe with a lot of loathsome little replicas of Himself—creatures whose life, on its miniature scale, will be qualitatively like His own, not because He has absorbed them but because their wills freely conform to His. We want cattle who can finally become food; He wants servants who can finally become sons. We want to suck in, He wants to give out. We are empty and would be filled; He is full and flows over. Our war aim is a world in which Our Father Below has drawn all other beings into himself: the Enemy wants a world full of beings united to Him but still distinct."

What's cooking?

I took trumpet in high school to get out of cooking class. Then we had 4 kids and I've never played trumpet again. But I've cooked thousands of meals!

A closed mind

This move has taken the cooking right out of me. I'm not yet at home in my kitchen. I pull two portable burners out of the cabinet when I need them, rather than having a stove. We don't have a regular oven: we have a fandangled halogen and microwave combination. I know how to use a microwave so that's fine. But the other part - for baking, roasting, and grilling - is beyond my energy or interest level. It exhausts me to think of adjusting top and bottom lights "just so," even with a cheat-sheet.

Some people cook by recipe: they like the formulas someone else comes up with. I prefer to read cookbooks and recipes as suggestions. "What's in my cupboard that might turn out like that?" The proportions, ingredients, and cooking time seem flexible. 

I'm also an "appetite" cook: "What am I hungry for?" I'll browse the fridge, freezer, or cupboard for a base ingredient and start adding to that. Usually there's a meal on the table in 10-15 minutes. In our new space, we have a full spice cupboard. Rather than looking at spice jar labels, I've always opened the lids to smell combinations to add to a dish. (Mind you, filing spices by type of cooking - American, Asian, baking, etc. - helps me sort options. 

Waiting for the chef's return

But I can't think of what to cook. I've been microwaving stuff or making soup or ramen. Chocolate sounds good - I might break off a piece of that to eat with raw snap peas for lunch. If I get hungry enough, I figure I can thaw something from the freezer or head for our full pantry. But I'm not that hungry when I go into the kitchen. Hopefully it - and my cooking skills - will settle down soon.

Have you faced a block in something that's always been easy or natural for you? If so, how are you dealing with it? Got a tip of how to move through the transition?

Read more:

*The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV

*This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” 1 John 1:5-7 ES

From The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Volume II. On feeling: I think the thrill of the Pagan stories and of romance may be due to the fact that they are mere beginnings—the first, faint whisper of the wind from beyond the world—while Christianity is the thing itself: and no thing, when you have really started on it, can have for you then and there just the same thrill as the first hint. For example, the experience of being married and bringing up a family cannot have the old bittersweet of first falling in love. But it is futile (and, I think, wicked) to go on trying to get the old thrill again: you must go forward and not backward. Any real advance will in its turn be ushered in by a new thrill, different from the old: doomed in its turn to disappear and to become in its turn a temptation to retrogression. Delight is a bell that rings as you set your foot on the first step of a new flight of stairs leading upwards. Once you have started climbing you will notice only the hard work: it is when you have reached the landing and catch sight of the new stair that you may expect the bell again. This is only an idea, and may be all rot: but it seems to fit in pretty well with the general law (thrills also must die to live) of autumn & spring, sleep and waking, death and resurrection, and “Whosoever loseth his life, shall save it.”

One hundred "Yes"ses

"How did you get to this point?" someone asked us last week. "How can you leave everything behind to live on the other side of the world?"

"Just say yes." It doesn't much thinking to come up with an answer. "A hundred small 'yes'ses make a big 'YES' possible." When our habit is following Jesus, it feels natural for our feet to turn to his ways.

Do we struggle? Question? Doubt? Struggle? Wonder?

Even sometimes, offer objections?

Of course.

But each small 'yes', repeated over and over as we grow in faith, opens our hearts to consider things we would have thought were impossible. We learn to trust that the One - who delights us with small and ordinary opportunities - has prepared us for extraordinary paths.

Where are your spiritual feet taking you today? (What is your "YES!" to Jesus?)

Our yes is here: http://gokowalskis.com. Please join us by praying and giving.

Read more: 
*If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding  gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others. It is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the completeness comes, what is in part disappears.

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a (wo)man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13 NIV

(CS Lewis) Though Christian charity sounds a very cold thing to people whose heads are full of sentimentality, and though it is quite distinct from affection, yet it leads to affection. The difference between a Christian and a worldly man is not that the worldly man has only affections or ‘likings’ and the Christian has only ‘charity’. The worldly man treats certain people kindly because he ‘likes’ them: the Christian, trying to treat every one kindly, finds himself liking more and more people as he goes on—including people he could not even have imagined him- self liking at the beginning.

This same spiritual law works terribly in the opposite direction. The Germans, perhaps, at first ill-treated the Jews because they hated them: afterwards they hated them much more because they had ill-treated them. The more cruel you are, the more you will hate; and the more you hate, the more cruel you will become — and so on in a vicious circle for ever.
Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance. The smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of. An apparently trivial indulgence in lust or anger today is the loss of a ridge or railway line or bridgehead from which the enemy may launch an attack otherwise impossible. 

Life, more and less

Our friend Lindsey leaves for the Philippines today. We met her at Pre-Field Orientation (PFO) in June. We're praying that she's the same blessing as an elementary teacher as she's been to me already.

On our end, we continue to pare down (5 bags and a skateboard, picked up by the Big Blue Truck today), sell (Craigslist), and give away (Freecycle) our possessions. It's messy work.

Here's a before and after of painting the upcoming bathroom. Friends, kids, and W continue to sand drywall in hopes of painting the basement this weekend. W hopes to put up cabinets soon so I can shift things from our kitchen. The next householders need the space!

In process:
our bath-to-be

What a difference
white paint makes!

Timothy, Melissa, and Kinsey (2) move in this week with the rest of their stuff. A bunch is here: I'm typing and grading Singapore papers on their kitchen table. Their boxes are crammed under the pool table (in our former dining room), sit atop the hutch in the family room, and fill K's future bedroom. The guest room is getting emptier: we moved its futon to the LR; and their bed goes in tonight.

Almost healed: one of the
bruises from having the
futon crash on me last week

I'm almost at a stand-still mentally. Visual as I am, I break into a cold sweat with the clutter of W's 3'X3' book scanner on the window-seat, our Le Corbusier chaise halfway under T's wrought-iron-base table, and my suffering houseplants ... and that's just the kitchen nook, never mind the rest of the house.

Lord have mercy. Thanks for prayers and smiles, hugs, and other comfort from those of you who say, "We've been there. We know. It's not forever." Love ya!

In the middle of this process, I've had a lot of time to reflect on God's character and His priorities:

Just big enough: a little
fridge @$75 from CL

• How God sees us. Each of us is valued and beloved by him. Those unlike us are JUST AS PRECIOUS to Him as we are. He wants a relationship with every one of us, drawing us close through the cross and the power of His resurrection.
• How each person is made. Parts of us reflect God's nature, beauty, and goodness. Other parts need renewal and refinement by God's grace ... day by day, month by month, year by year.
• How we interact with others. Some of us fear closeness and proximity. Some welcome it. Still others don't care one way or another: they easily flow in and out relationships.
• How we perceive and process the world. I'm mostly visual so what I see impacts my inner life. As a musician, I process life by walking over to play piano in the LR corner. I'm missing my well-tuned, beautifully-maintained Bosendorfer already.

  

  Mama-mia! What a mess.

• How we process change and transition. W and I are moving ahead differently. With a full-time job, he teaches during the day. He is occupied with the build-out in the evening, racking up concrete accomplishments at both places. My full-time job - including lots of breaks - includes ordering my surroundings. My biggest accomplishment seems to be learning patience, waiting for others to finish so I can move forward with tasks.
• Routines are important. Our kids came over for lunch Sunday. The normal felt good, pulling out pots, plates, and food, cooking, and eating together. When life is in turmoil, it helps to sit back, relax, and enjoy the familiar.
• God's ways are wonderful, complex, and never quite expected. Reading scripture and praying for others keeps my mind on Him. I'm really happy and anticipating the future, most of the time. (Yeah, I write to process the rest. Writing and making music keeps me semi-sane.)

Read more:

*Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 124:8 NLT

*You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts
in you. Isaiah 26:3 NLT

*Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” NLT

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:17-2 ESV

*At the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth. Philippians 2:10 NLT

Moravian Prayer: Father, help us, protect us, and comfort us. As we walk through your world serving your will we know that you are there with us. Thank you for always being by our side. We are humbled by your mighty word. Amen.

Four evaluation steps during transition

I've worked through four levels of evaluation in transition to my next ministry calling.

I started my process at the bottom of the chart by listing simple "pros and cons." Since then, each tier has propelled me forward in defining the new mission:

1. Pros and cons: Start a transition by asking, "What's good or bad about this?" Consider the advantages and disadvantages of staying in place or moving forward. This gives you a Yes/No answer.

• Think about Caleb and Joshua's courageous decision to conquer the (humanly) unconquerable Promised Land. When others said, "It's too awful. Too terrifying. Too much. Plus we're too weak!" ... these two men boldly said, "If God is with us, we can take the giants, the hill country, and the challenges." (Numbers 13)

2. Possibilities and threats: "What are the risks of engagement, compared to possible achievements?" What could happen? Is God directing this? We ask trusted mentors to stand with us as we consider a big move.

• Jonathan and his armor bearer demonstrate brave exploration. They were already out of the camp; yet they took a big chance for a potentially huge win. "Let's go for it. I've got your back," says Jonathan's teammate. (1 Samuel 14) This is where we shout out before scaling the cliff, to see if God is in it and others agree.

3. Multiplication and stasis: Our choice is to stay with what we have ... or offer everything to God. We ask, "Is God in charge? Or do we need to retain control?" God blows out our paradigms of what is possible by taking over. We ask: "What could happen that we don't know about? Do we trust God, even if it's going to be a wild ride?" We know we lose everything by holding on to what we have.

• Jesus multiplies the loaves and fishes. What might God do with our willing sacrifice and utter abandonment? Everything is fair game at this point, even a boy's lunch. (Remember, the youngster has lost his meal at this point.) (Matthew 14:19;15:36; Luke 5:6;9:3-17). BTW: God never offers a small consolation prize for disobedience.

4. Resonance and resistance: In refining options, we evaluate our place in the story. What "rings our bells" because it matches our gifts and calling? On the other hand, what produces an instinctive resistance? How can we use the resonance and resistance to define what "moving forward" looks like?

• Remember "Thy will be done," from the Lord's Prayer. Think of Jesus at key points of defining his mission. His baptism. Enduring his temptations. Moving through ministry to the applause or scorn of people. Here, we constantly ask: "Does this glorify our Father in heaven? Is this what He is calling US to do ... or does this opportunity belong to someone else?" (Matthew 6:9-13)

I don't know Step 5. I'll pass it along, when I find out!

What parts of these steps match or disagree with what you've experienced during transitions?

Lent Day 16: Get moving!

What a smart man:

Find "Daily Thoughts" from Real Simple here.

Do you crave safety over activity? Prefer to stay where you feel secure rather than venture into the unknown?

For some, a difficult past produces fear about what lies ahead. I had a wonderful childhood. My affirming parents said, "Go ahead and try it!" when I wondered if I could do something I hadn't yet tried. (Mind you, to this day Dad's still learning new things!)

If you're stuck and cautious about what the future holds, consider the following:

1. God knows your past. Your present. AND your future. Nothing surprises him about you as you were, the way you are now, or what you are becoming.
2. God is strong enough to be in control of what's coming. He is able to see you through the best and worst of times. His control oversees the actions of others, too.
3. God is all-wise. If you depend on him, he will steer you through the unknown with perfect wisdom. Because you're human, you may make mistakes. But nothing will steer you so far away that he cannot retrieve you and your situation.
4. God likes - and loves - you. He works all things together for those that love him, to those who are called according to his purpose. (Read Romans 8 for the full scoop.)

If you've committed your life to God, decided to follow and obey him, and have begun to love him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, remember this: He's in charge.

When you feel overwhelmed or frightened, remember that everything is in view for Him. And everything is under HIS control. When our granddaughter was learning to negotiate stairs, she held tightly to our fingers. When she'd slip or take too big of a step, we'd close our hands over hers and keep her from falling.

Step out in obedience and see how God's hands hold you safe. (He's more capable and even more loving than a grandparent!)

Act with confidence, not trepidation. Do your research. Be wise. Then leap into this life that is the adventure of faith! You'll be happy to know that "You're not in Kansas [nor in the same-old same-old life] anymore."

Read more:
*Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I pray to no one but you." Psalm 5:2 NLT

*O God, do not keep silence; do not hold your peace or be still, O God! Even now your enemies are in tumult; those who hate you have raised their heads. Psalm 83:1-2 NEV

*I will go in the strength of the Lord God; I will make mention of your righteousness, of yours only. Psalm 71:16 (NKJV)
*The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 NEV

*Christ was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by the power of God. 2 Corinthians 13:4 NEVMoravian Prayer: With the power of your word, O God, you spoke the universe into being and raised Christ from the dead. Help us always to act with the knowledge that our strength comes from you.

God of all time and eternity, we your human children scurry around frantic with anxiety in the face of opposition. Teach us your patience and assure us that the final victory is yours. Amen.

Of all the stupid things...

Man gets head stuck in bin

We weren't aloud to say "stupid," growing up. It was considered vulgar. Mom would have washed our mouths out with soap.

But once in a while something comes along that's so ridiculous that "stupid" applies. For example, Scottish emergency responders had to separate a man from the bin into which he'd pushed his head. Dumb fellow!

I haven't gotten my head stuck in a public trashcan but I've done my share of silly things. As I was waking yesterday, UCB Ireland programming was highlighting the value of fear in preventing us from doing stupid things or putting our lives at risk. The speaker also noted that youth is known for risk-taking rather than the wisdom of fear. Experience and age produces caution. Probably true: I'm less willing to take risks as I age.

Back in the day: at a son's wedding

However, there are three other reasons that produce caution in me. Their names are Wilhelmina, Phyllis, and Patti. I'm going on a retreat this week with them. We've met for 18 years (if I'm wrong, they'll correct my dates). The first ten years, we met every 3 weeks and did 2 annual weekend retreats. The conditions for admission to the group?

• female
• wholeheartedly seeking God
• able to keep confidences
• willing to share life

Those gals know me inside-out, and I can predict their responses to life as well as they can anticipate mine.  We've shared things our husbands don't know (mostly girl-things, attitudes, and actions that wouldn't benefit our marriages if we told the guys).

I look forward to the retreats but also dread them. God puts a finger on my heart each time, pointing out where I am spiritually dense or unwilling, where my nature is not aligned with his, and where I've been disobedient. Oh how I hate to be put on the spot.

2012

And how I welcome God's love and the kindness of the WPPRs in pointing out my faults as well as boosting me for accomplishments. It's hard to make progress when ours are the only eyes permitted on our inner beings. We are too forgiving of ourselves, either overlooking flaws and sins, or excusing them with, "That's just how I am," or "If only they would ... , then I would be different/ respond differently/ etc." An outside look of compassion or finger pointed in love have made a great difference in my life.

Do you need similar accountability? Here's a checklist of questions to clarify your answer:

• I'm in a position of responsibility. Scripture says those in leadership will be judged more carefully and severely than others.
• I wrestle with an issue or issues that I haven't been able to resolve. This might be a hidden sin, a destructive habit, or stymied progress in spiritual maturity.
• No one knows me inside and out. This self-protection usually hides the issue above.
• My spouse or roommate or friends are tired of listening; I talk in circles or only to them ... without resolving issues. A good accountability group will challenge you if you make no progress or keep bringing up the same patterns. My search for the WPPRs began after my husband asked me to "find some girlfriends" because, as he noted, "I'm not Jesus. You need someone else to talk to."
• I need input from others. Your view of ministry or job or family life may have become myopic: your in the forest so you can't see anything but the nearest trees. Trusted counselors provide perspective and balance.

Finally, here's a summary in how the WPPRS have repeatedly hauled "off the stupid truck," as a Texan friend eloquently put it. WPPRs is not a Bible Study or friends' day out. What WPPRs does provide for each of us:

• a safe haven, confidential accountability
• regular meeting; you know you will be called to talk about your life about every three weeks; provides caution in life
•  prayer partners
• insight into being a wife, mother, daughter, sister
• balance, perspective – everyone has “something,” thank God for the shape of my own cross!
• retreat – “girl time” for talking, study, laughter, movies
• unexpectedly: deep, close friendships

I'd encourage you to ask God to bring you the joys of deep connections!

At just the right time... the happy toppling of strongholds

Got an unrecognizable spiritual block? In a funk and stuck? Yeah, me too.

God responds to our prayers and requests, often surprising us with unexpected grace. Sunday was one of those mornings for me.

I almost skipped church. Our granddaughter, on a sleepover overnight, had a cold and probably should stay in. However, I had promised to volunteer before the first service so my husband stayed home with Kinsey. Off I went.

I'd puzzled over a blockage in my spiritual progress during the past few years: what was keeping me from wholeheartedly pursuing God? Was I wearing out from studies? At an impasse because that sometimes "just happens?" Or could there be some root cause I hadn't thought of? When I prayed, I remained frustrated at the lack of clarity about moving forward in my spiritual journey.

Don Ross, our lead pastor at Creekside, alternates topical and expository (exploring a book of the Bible) preaching. We're currently in the middle of four weeks about Dealing with your own Worst Enemy: how to leave behind the past to freely embrace faith and practice. Last week, he talked about confessing our sin and sins as a release from guilt. Very cool and interesting. I thought about the talk for a few days.

Cain and Abel: Durer woodcut

This week, Don poured scriptures over our heads again. Using Genesis 4, the story of the first death--premeditated murder, he examined the  anger that can result from being hurt by others. He talked about bitterness which provides a stronghold for undermining spiritual health. Don spotlighted the power of anger, the choice of forgiveness, and the resulting freedom from hostility, fatigue, and depression. Hmmm. The symptoms sounded like my internal churning at times.

Was I harboring unforgiveness? Had someone hurt me, whom I was "holding to account?" Immediately, I scribbled four names on my note sheet as God brought four events to mind. My writer's hand captured them: 1, 2, 3, 4. What?! That required no effort at all.

Don offered his listeners three practical responses: 1) forgive and move on; 2) consider forgiveness but hold expectations of others (hope they'd admit to hurting us); or 3) hang on to deep hurts.

OUT! GO! GOODBYE! "I'm ready to move on," my heart shouted as my body sat quietly on the back bench.

Happiness and relief flooded me as I drove home. "I almost missed it!" I said aloud in the confines of the car. "I almost stayed home today." Oh, thank God!!! for a word spoken in a season of openness and inquiry.

This morning, the music inside my body plays happy worship. God reminded me how he has continually refreshed my life by taking away such barriers to freedom and ministry:

• As young adults, one of the guys from youth group apologized for his hurtful words, spoken years earlier. I didn't remember at all. His words had fallen to the ground unarmed and he had suffered alone. After I gladly forgave, his joyful demeanor remained in my memory.
• One morning, driving home from an errand, God spoke "forgive, forgive" into my heart. Nothing more, just "forgive." I began considering what that strong urging meant. Later that day I found out one family member's treachery to another. My heart had been prepared. 
• More recently, two of us mutually admitted our lack of cooperation. Since then, we've become friends and I look forward to seeing him rather than avoiding our meetings.

Is a spiritual stronghold taping you to the spot though your feet long to run and dance? Here's what I learned about moving forward:

1. Open your heart to God. Pray. Acknowledge your inability to do life without God's help. Ask him to make the path clear.
2. Participate in a community of faith where God is speaking, ready to hear what God says. I got to church that day because I was "working" that morning.
3. Trust God to approach you when the time is right. He rarely forces his children to obey but provides ongoing opportunities to follow him.
4. Do what God asks. When your heart starts to pound (or your spirit resists) at confrontation with a biblical truth, you get to decide: yes or no? Obey or rebel? The choice is yours each time. If what's right seems too hard or your will stubbornly refuses, ask God's help. He'll strengthen you so you can thrive rather than exist.

Happily removing things that strangle us

Are you ready to release a stranglehold on your soul and walk in freedom? It may take a while to unwind the cords wrapped around you. The God of grace and lovingkindness invites us to become willing to travel with him, step by careful step. He protects us as we walk toward him in newness of life.

Read more:

*The LORD is God, shining upon us. Psalm 118:27

*(God says) "Just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand." Jeremiah 18:6 (NASB)  

*It is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Philippians 2:13

Moravian Prayer: Work in us, dear Lord. Shape us into the vessel of your will as we do your works of grace. Bend us into your likeness, Lord Jesus and may the Holy Spirit complete in us all your gifts. Amen.