Lent Day 4: It's complicated

Do you find life complicated? Some people try to make everything bigger, harder, weirder, or more dangerous than needed. I prefer things simple. Direct. When they're embracing rather than off-putting.

"Are you afraid?" people often ask us, about our call to Indonesia. Some wonder if the move from here to there is so huge and complex that it will suck the breath out of us.

Well, yes and no, as far as fear goes. We're not afraid of volcanos, violence, or opposition. Stuff happens here as well as there, and there's no safer place than under God's watchful eye. We'll try almost anything once (including food). The big thing for us? God shows up every time his people gather, so that's a delight we're anticipating.

We are occasionally cautious or feel trepidation about what we don't yet know. How will it go 'over there'? Will we learn the language? Will we fit in and love the culture (as we expect)?

The planning is complicated. And perhaps the landing will be, too.

That said, God assures us that we CAN understand his intentions through scripture. We don't have to make trusting him more complicated than it is. The secret stuff belongs to him (Deut. 29:29) and the rest belongs to us. The goal is obedience that leads to abundant life in Christ.

During Lent, let's open our hearts and our minds to receive the gospel (Good News). Let's embrace the things we know, don't know, and our fears.

Surely a God who could perfectly spin the Earth on its axis can help us negotiate today and tomorrow!

Read more:
*They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read. Nehemiah 8:8 NIV

*The large crowd was listening to Jesus with delight. Mark 12:37 ESV

Moravian Prayer: May your Word, Lord, go out to all the world. May all who follow your precepts find great delight in loving one another—and serving you. Amen.

How to see with new eyes

Before: an office heaped by neglect
and drawers emptied to move a desk

What do you need to see with fresh eyes? What project or goal have you been putting off?

Most of us have old eyes. We look without seeing our habits, clutter, and destructive patterns because we recognize familiar patterns as norms. How can we see things with new eyes or fresh vision?

I walked through our front door Sunday night after spending two months in Montana. Before my sabbatical, I blocked out things around the house to focus on my dissertation and travels. One of the most exciting things about my return home (besides seeing the kids and our grandchild!) was getting a fresh look at the house.

Before: the other side of the table...

Yesterday I had an eye migraine which I suspect was caused by "good stress" and the elevation change. However, W got an early start today (6am) and I woke full of vigor. First, the dogs and I walked a few miles around the neighborhood. Then I unpacked food, clothes, and toiletries. Finally it was time for some real renewal of the house, which I'd been ignoring and putting off...

During: furniture begins its move into
place and the sorting begins.

I washed and de-spider-ed the conservatory before tackling my utterly chaotic, post-dissertation office. (Happily, Jonathan appropriated my "dissertation" desk while I was away.) I leveled a drafting table as my standing desk and re-purposed a glass table for my sitting desk. Some clutter waits to be sorted, but the bulk of my chore got done today. Hurrah! Hurrah!

So how can we look at things with fresh eyes so that we can renew ourselves or our spaces? Here are a few suggestions:

1. Leave your familiar environment and come back. Let things settle down while you think from a distance about new possibilities. I graphed a few ideas for my office while in MT before choosing a plan of action.

During: leveling the standing desk

2.  When you return, consider your priorities and who you are--before you restart routines. Priorities may require personal changes, spiritual renewal, or decluttering a physical space.

3. Make a list of what needs doing before the sheer mass of change bogs you down. I began to jot down must-dos and chores in a notebook, on the evening of our return. It took a couple of days before I had energy to begin. Those "little" actions I've notated may take months to complete, but I'll check them off as I go. The list helps steer next steps in the right direction.

4. Start small but don't quit until your energy runs out. Drift through the list, doing what is at hand and what pleases you. If you find yourself running out of steam, do something else. Then get back to the main task. (Between the two daunting jobs of the conservatory and office, I diverted to small chores on the check-list to keet energy high: I ran the dishwasher, washed and folded laundry, cut my hair, checked FB, and blogged.)

After: the sitting desk is ready. Time to blog?

5. Remember that things usually get worse before they get better. Don't get discouraged if everything feels like chaos. You don't have to finish what you started in one day!

6. Celebrate what you've accomplished. Take a photo of "before" and "during" so you can enjoy the "after." When I've finished my office, I'll post the final photos.

God is merciful. He made the world in six days rather than all at once. Afterwards, he rested and enjoyed his creativity. Let's give ourselves permission to do the same.

Read more:
*Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. Psalm 139:7-10 NIV 

*I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, so that they may keep my ordinances and obey them. Ezekiel 11:19,20 

*Jesus said,] "'I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father's hand. The Father and I are one.'"

John 10:28–30

*Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. 1 Peter 1:22

Moravian Prayer: Come replace our hearts with whole hearts devoted to you, Lord Jesus. Take away our love of sinning and burn away the impurities of our minds. Help us bring every thought, word and deed into captivity through our mutual love and ministry. Amen.

Single-minded

Do you ever find yourself going in 101 directions, unable to concentrate on the person in front of you or the one thing that needs your attention?

With so many options, it can be hard to find our focus. Our minds and bodies get worn out because of over-stimulation. Often we're interrupted just as we're honing in on a task or idea. Away we go to the distraction, forgetting that we need to work deliberately and sequentially on what is important to create something of lasting value.

Sometimes we need one person who will listen and empathize because the rest of our lives are so scattered and no one will stop long enough to hear our stories. Or, we may find it hard to circulate at an event because someone is monopolizing our time with trivia, desperation for attention.

These and other symptoms of busy-ness keep us from living life to the fullest. Though we have "more," our heart feels "less." With a plethora of online "friendships" and event possibilities, we end up lonely and tired. Friendless (because friendships take face-to-face time and ongoing attention).

God's kindness allows us to reinvent ourselves every day. We are allowed to change those things that do not serve Him or us. Stepping into the light of his grace, we say no to everything that does not align with his purposes for us. We welcome those things that nourish and protect our souls, our families, friendships, and communities inside and outside the Church.

How can you live today in the single-minded newness of life Jesus promised?

Read more:
* I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. Ezekiel 11:19

*So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has be-come new! 2 Corinthians 5:17

Moravian Prayer: Creator God, give us clear vision to see that you make all things new. Give us courage to understand your new creation even when it seems so much more comfortable to keep the old. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.

BE WHO YOU ARE

I follow Chris Guillebeau's blog "The Art of Non-Conformity Dispatch," Sometimes his blog makes me smile, sometimes it makes me feel at home, sometimes it just makes me shake my head. What do you think my reaction was to this one? (see below.) Highlighting and font are his:
*****************

November 15, 2010

Who You Are and What They Say

If you are confident, they will say you are arrogant.

If you are deliberate, they will say you are too sure of yourself.

If you have a sense of purpose, they will say you are self-absorbed.

If you know who you are, they will ask, "Who are you, anyway?"

If you believe in kindness and compassion, they will say you are naïve.

If you are a dreamer, they will say "join the real world."

If you are a rebel, they will try to shut you down.

The instructions include:

rein it in
slow it down
wait it out

pull it back
take your time
play it safe

But you will know:

They are envious because they want what you have.

They are afraid of change even as they crave it.

They are projecting their own regret into resentment of you.

It's not all bad news: some of them will sort themselves out and end up joining you. Because you are a good person and have had plenty of false starts of your own, you'll understand and welcome them warmly. We've missed you! you'll say. It's about time you made it.

As for the others, well, you will remember what Gandhi said:

"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."

 ********end of Chris' blog*****************

For those who know me well, you know my reaction was, "Been there, seen that." Chris nailed it for those who have trouble conforming to boxes.

Blessings on you. My advice? Keep your head low if necessary, but keep your heart and soul on God's course for YOU. He made us with personality and abilities. It's our responsibility to develop those as we grow in character, no matter how anyone tries to conform us to their will.

RK