In Transition

Maybe a Dr. Seuss quote isn't totally appropriate, but hey, it's fun! And it hints at new adventures. 

My sons and I are in transition. We've sold our home and have moved out. We are very thankful for a loving family who has welcomed us into their home with open arms until we are ready to step forward into our next home.

I'll likely be silent until we get our act together. But I'm sure I'll have plenty to say once we're settled!

Until next time...

Forgetting the Past

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Is it truly possible to forget the past?

There are images, words, and sounds I wish I could erase from my mind and never, ever have them return. Like a cool sci-fi movie, where only the good memories remain.

But if the ugly stuff from our past was completely erased, wouldn't we also erase our ability to learn from that past? Wouldn't we lose our humility that's gained from making mistakes? Wouldn't we lose the desire to help others who are going through what we've gone through in the past?

Oftentimes, those ugly images and words pop up to the surface of my mind. And if I'm feeling especially low, or if I'm tired, those words and images stay and grow. They become bigger-than-life monsters that feed my fears, doubts, and insecurities.

There's a Bible story about Paul, formerly Saul, who did some horrible things to other people in his past. How often did those words, sounds, and images haunt him? He was a regular guy, like the rest of us, so of course they must've surfaced from time to time.

I'm so thankful he gives us this advice in Phil. 3:13:

"...but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead..."

When I'm stuck in the "past cycle," I've learned to recite this verse again and again. Only then am I able to change the channel of my mind, so to speak, and look ahead. 

It isn't easy, especially when certain things smack me in the face every day.

The past is a powerful and destructive drug, constantly drawing us in. And just like a hit of meth or heroine, we reach for more. With each hit, we spiral downward. 

Learning from the past is good. Helping others as a result of our painful past is also good. But marinating on a painful past doesn't serve any good purpose.

For me, forgetting the past is a daily thing. When I look forward to what lies ahead, I have hope. I'm encouraged by the small new things that have already begun.

If you have a painful past, my hope and prayer is that you'll change the channel on those memories when they threaten to drag you down. It's difficult, and it won't happen all in one day. But we can discipline ourselves to not stay in that dark place.

Instead, look forward to what lies ahead. 

Until next time...

Something New

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On New Year's morning, I woke up to the following verse:

For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. -- Isaiah 43:19

What a perfect way to begin the new year. I read that verse over and over again, truly allowing it to seep into my soul. Each time I read it, something new came to the surface. As I broke it down piece by piece, here's how it encouraged me:

For I--it's not me who's doing something new. God is at work. He's cooking up something. For me, it's a daily task to take my hands off the wheel, and realize I'm not in control. Once I remember this, I'm at peace again.

Something new--not the old. Not the same old junk. Something new. Something fresh. Something that lines up with my gifts and my purpose. Something that is good.

See--keep my eyes open! When I pause and truly open my eyes, I can see Him at work. I can see the blessings He's already given me. I can see how the closed doors and open doors are directing my path.

Already begun--I don't have to wait for it to begin. It's already begun. I don't have to think, "Some day something good will begin." No, it's begun.

Make a pathway--This reminds me that He has gone before me. He is making crooked places straight. I don't have to struggle for the pathway. It's already done.

Wilderness--More about this at the end of the post.

Create rivers--create. He created it all, and He can create something from nothing. It's not my creativity that will solve my problems and make a way for me. It's His.

This verse refers to the wilderness and the dry wasteland. In the wilderness, we wander around confused, afraid, unsure of where to go and what to do. In the dry wasteland, we experience lack, thirst, and longing.

It's such a relief to be reminded that I don't have to figure it all out. I don't have to marinate endlessly on my problems, wondering how to solve them. The right ideas, opportunities, and people await me. He is doing a new thing. I do see it.

If you're in the wilderness right now, if you're in a dry wasteland, it may seem as if nothing good can come out of it. It may seem as if there is no solution to your problem, and no way out. If you're in that dark place, I encourage you to read this over and over again. Pray over it. See what is revealed to you.

Something new is happening for you. Do you see it?

Until next time...

Change Your "Why?" to "How?"

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Every once in a while, I read something that literally drops my jaw. Such was the case when I read, "Ask God How, Not Why" by Laura Story, author of "When God Doesn't Fix It."

If you're going through something--or have gone through something in your past--that does not make any sense at all, I urge you to read through the entire post. If your mind is open, the post will drop your jaw, too.

Story suggests an exercise. Take a sheet of paper and write down all your "Why" questions. I have a list of Why questions that I've marinated on in the past. You have your own Why questions. Then she suggests you flip the page and write some How questions.

I love the metaphorical act of flipping the page. It's as if we're saying, "Ok, I have lots of Why questions. Now I'm switching from the Why. I'm moving on to How."

She gives a list of suggested How questions, but you can make up your own. Her suggestions were enough to blow me away.

I highly recommend you do this. No matter what difficulty you're going through, I promise, this exercise will help you. Because my guess is this: what you're going through does NOT compute!

But here's where my jaw dropped. Story says this in closing:

God is good. He knows what, with His help, we can handle and where we most need to see His work. It's easy to sign up for a short-term mission project or donate money to a building campaign at church. And it's true; we can see God working in those places. But would you be willing to sign up for the brokenness in your life, if you knew your brokenness would bring glory to God and enable you to learn to trust Him in everything? We're tempted to measure our circumstances on the world's scale, but God's economy uses God-sized scales. His story is so much bigger than ours, and one day when we see it in totality, we'll have all the answers we desire.

Whoa! What? Check out the area I highlighted. I did sign up for a short term mission project. I do donate money to the church for building campaigns. But would I have signed up for the brokenness in my life to glorify God and learn to trust Him in everything? 

No way. I wouldn't wish this on anyone, and I never would've signed up for it. But I do see how it's working for my good. Truly. Pain has a way of changing people--for better or worse. For me and my sons, it's changing us for the better. That's because God is in it, working, changing, transforming. 

Do yourself a favor: read the post, do the exercise, and let your mind wander from Why to How. 

Until next time...