Sometimes the lessons of life jump right out at you, other times you have to search a little deeper, pondering the happenings around you and intentionally looking for a take-away. Such has been the case in the past week.

Life lesson #1: Good things can come from circumstances we wouldn’t choose

A mandatory absence from school due to the flu resulted in Clay being pleasantly surprised when something fun happened after the fever broke and he was feeling good enough to be up and around again. (Mama’s note: This lesson meant even more to him because he had learned an earlier lesson: if you stay home when mom doesn’t think you’re really sick you will spend the entire day in bed, resting, not playing)

It is so hard to be in the midst of pain, in the middle of a mess we didn’t choose, but if we simply get thru whatever is on our plate, whatever has been thrown into our lap, whatever is in our day that we haven’t planned on, there is often a blessing that comes at the end of the journey.

Sometimes that blessing is simply rest at the end of a long day. Sometimes it’s an added pleasure, a game played with Mom, a kind word from a friend, or a sense of satisfaction that wasn’t there before. Sometimes it’s the feeling of “I am so glad that is finished!” or even “I’m so glad the pain is gone” after the three day headache has finally disappeared.

Yes, sometimes you have to look pretty hard to find the blessing, but it’s worth the time spent in reflection to see it!

Life lesson #2: Don’t wait until it’s too late to tell someone how you feel

I was reminded again of this important lesson recently during the days my sister-in-law lay in the hospital hanging by a thread between life and death. I talked to my brother a lot that week. One of the things I felt compelled to say to him, as I listened to the exhaustion in his voice, was how blessed I was to be able to witness how sweetly he was honoring and loving his wife of almost forty years.

I also thanked him for being such a good cheerleader in my, and my children’s, life. While I had told my oldest daughter that I wanted her to be for her siblings what my oldest brother has been for me I had never told him how much his support and words of encouragement have meant to me thru the years.

While I am not glad my sister-in-law was so terribly sick I am thankful that it opened the door for me to pass along my appreciation – or perhaps that door was open all along and I was too distracted to notice it. Hmmmm – might be yet another life lesson in that one!

Life lesson #3: miracles still happen

My sister-in-law is a living-breathing miracle. One of the nine doctors’ that attended to her during her hospital stay said it’s the third miracle he’s been privileged to see in his lifetime. I like to think I see miracles everyday (How’s does the solar system stay put? We each have a unique fingerprint.how can that be? How can a human cell hold so much information in it? It’s all a miracle to me!) but without a doubt, the fact that sis-in-law is still alive gives testimony to the fact that miracles still happen!

Life lesson #4: Sometimes you work hard, sacrifice much, and still lose the game, yet the lessons learned from hard work and sacrifice will benefit you long after the game is over

As evidenced in previous blogs we are basketball fans. The end of the season has been a hard one for several of our favorite teams and players. But ultimately, after the tears have dried, the lessons learned on the court are life lessons that will lead to success in areas far beyond the world of basketball.

Colossians 3:23 says “Whatever you do, work at it will all of your heart”.

To me that says we honor God not by our wins or losses, but by our willingness to do the work, with a right attitude.

Those are my take-aways from the past few weeks. It would be easy to breeze thru life so quickly that taking time to reflect on lessons learned would never happen. I am thankful for this blog as it makes me look at life thru a new, reflective, lens. That lens is reflecting where God is at work in my life and in the lives of those I love!

Which leads me to life lesson #5: Take time to sit and ponder, you just might be surprised at the places you see God at work!

Until next time.

Beth

Spring fever has hit our house! Our youngest has succumbed to the flu bug that seems to be making its way thru the school and community. I’ve been opening windows and washing door handles in an attempt to keep those germs away from the rest of the family. Everybody has been instructed to pump up on Vitamin C, wash their hands, and stay away from whatever it is that Clay is touching. Sharing is a great thing until it comes to germs!

And so it has come to pass that Clay had to miss his first day of school this year. He had been working on perfect attendance and was very disappointed that this bug was going to ruin his record. This was the first year that attendance became a big deal to him. In his first two years of school he would, and could, find most any excuse to stay home. This staying home was new to me as our daughters have all liked school and staying home with a “tummy ache” was something they never really tried to do.

Not Clay. His tummy, his head, or (my personal favorite) his eyes would often be in so much pain that he was sure school couldn’t and shouldn’t be a part of his day. The funny thing was about an hour after his sisters would leave he would almost always start feeling better. So we had to put a new rule into affect at our house: If you are too sick to go to school you need to spend the day in bed, resting. No television, movies, DS, computer, or other video type systems. Books are allowed (books are so nice and quiet) but if you’re too sick to go to school then quiet rest is the order of the day.

Now don’t get me wrong, if kids are obviously ill – fever, repeated visits to the bathroom, or recovering from surgery or another visible “you can’t go to school” malady – I am all about keeping them comfortable and even entertained while they rest quietly on the couch. It’s just when their “sickness” is a little harder to pinpoint that I have found the healing power of a boring day in bed to be quite miraculous!

At least it has worked at our house!

And so it was at the end of the day, a day that the reading on the thermometer made Clay stay home, that I had to laugh. His fever broke in the afternoon. He was definitely feeling better. And he was so surprised when I asked him if he wanted to play a game. He didn’t realize he was allowed to have fun when he was home sick.

I think there’s a life lesson in there somewhere and I promise you I’m going to be thinking on it over the next few days!

Until next time.

Beth

Galatians 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

Last week we talked about what keeps us from being healthy; about the fruit that we should be seeing manifested in our lives as we live and grow in Christ. I listed the fruit, as well as the character traits that grow due to the lack of fruit in our lives.

This week I’ve done a little self-check; I examined my life for fruit.

Have you done that lately? Have you asked yourself if you are living a life of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? Are you exercising your “faith muscle” and allowing the Holy Spirit to grow you into the child of God He desires you to be?

As I looked at my life, especially my life as I’ve walked thru some hard times, (times that required exercising that “faith muscle” until it hurt!) I recognized areas that I have definitely grown – YEA GOD! In terms of relationships, there is evidence of fruit, healthy fruit! A decade ago my answer may have been a little different, but the “stuff” of life has drawn me to the word of God, and the word of God has without doubt been at work in my heart, in my life, and in my home! Praise God!

And yet I found that in terms of the “stuff” of life, I am still a work in process. “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” is MUCH easier for me to exhibit when it comes to dealing with people than when it comes to dealing with some of the daily details of life.

My stumbling blocks seem to be patience, faithfulness and self-control as they relate to the daily stuff that finds its way to my kitchen counter, e-mail box, purse, closets, and drawers!

And as we saw last week, the lack of those fruits growing healthily in my life causes me to remain unhealthy in a couple of areas – those are the very areas that Jesus asks of me “Do you want to be well?”

My answer? Well of course I do – I just don’t have time to take care of that particular issue that is keeping me stuck on my mat!

My lack of patience says, “It’s an overwhelming task that I can’t accomplish quickly so why bother!”

My lack of faithfulness keeps me from being a good steward of the stuff that God has allowed in my life – oh dear, could it be I’ve gotten lazy in taking care of what needs to be taken care?

My lack of self-control keeps me over-extended in regards to my time, it keeps me “on the mat” (or in my car seat?) instead of walking! (yes, literally! This mama needs to start walking again!)

These three areas have been on-going battles for me. Why do you think I talk about disciplines and stewardship so much? Yup, ’cause I’m always battling my undisciplined nature!

I’ve come a long way baby, there was a time when my finances were undisciplined. Thru the sound teaching of the Crown Financial Ministries Bible study I was able to recognize where and why I was struggling in that area. At least that’s one area I can see growth!

There was also a time when the discipline of being in God’s word each and every day was not a part of my daily walk. PRAISE GOD for my friends Andrea, Lisa and Becky and their willingness to walk that walk with me.

I honestly believe that had our accountability group not been grounded and founded in the word of God, Circle of Friends would not be in existence today!

So there is definite growth that is happening in my life. There is healthy fruit to be found: in relationships, in finances, in time spent in prayer and reading the word of God, and in a ministry that is keeping me wondering what God is up to now!

So maybe, just maybe, there is hope for my paper piles, my calendar, my exercise program, and my drawers and closets!

Until next time.

Beth

You’re back – I’m glad! Sometimes I worry that the words that I write will make people say “I’m not going to read her stuff anymore!” In fact I had one dear friend tell me that what I’d written made her SO angry – she thought I’d written it about her. I hadn’t. The words I write are lessons God is teaching ME! If He is teaching you the same lesson then we have more in common than either of us realized! Hey friend – you wanna walk this path to good health with me?

Last week we looked at John chapter 5, the story about the guy that was stuck on his mat, crippled by a disease/illness/dilemma that left him paralyzed; recognizing where the answer could be found but not able to get himself there.

Jesus gave him this answer: “GET UP, pick up your mat and walk”.

So how does that apply to us today? Well, to me it says we need to be willing to be part of the solution. It’s not enough to recognize the problem, it’s not enough to know where the answer lies. We must GET UP and do our part in pursuing health – physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

So what keeps us from getting up? What keeps us from being healthy? What lies behind the word “Yes, but” in our response to the question Jesus asks: “Do you want to be healthy?”

Fear? “Yes, but I’m afraid?”

Shame? “Yes, but if I ask for help what will people think?”

Pride? Denial? Feeling overwhelmed and not knowing where to start? I shudder to think that part of the problem could be laziness, or ignorance. Those are not words I really want used to describe anything that I’m a part of.

What about ambivalence, anger, bitterness, or jealousy? The old “it’s not fair” card gets pulled out frequently when we see something that we think should be ours but for whatever reason it’s not, and it often becomes an excuse for not doing what it takes to be where we want to be.

I’m pretty sure none of those are listed in Galatians 5, the scripture that defines the fruits of the spirit.

But I have a feeling if we look at those fruits the lack of them will hold some answers:

Love – the lack is ambivalence, just don’t care, hatred, hostility

Joy – the lack is bitterness, depression, sadness, sorrow, grumpiness

Peace – the lack is war, a battle, anger, despair, discord, discontentment, anxiety

Patience – the lack is, well, impatience – if we can’t have it now then why bother?

Kindness – unkindness, rudeness, meanness, bitterness probably plays a part here again

Goodness – when good is absent what you have left is evil, ungodliness, impurity

Faithfulness – unfaithfulness, cheating, disloyalty, deceit, pretense, laziness

Gentleness – without it there is harshness, no tolerance of those who need or offer help, roughness

Self-control – oh my, well without self-control there’s all kinds of junk, much of it beginning with the word “over” over-eating, over-spending, over-extending (as in filling a day with more than can possibly be accomplished), undisciplined behavior

Honestly, I think in each of those opposites we can see reasons that keep us from being healthy.

Perhaps the greatest lesson to be learned from this scripture is that we have to have FAITH in the One Who asks us the question and tells us to walk!

If we don’t trust that God is for us, if we don’t believe that Jesus came to heal our deepest need, if we don’t have confidence that the Holy Spirit is living IN us, giving us strength to get thru the pain and darkness, we will be stuck in our own strength, bearing our own bitter fruit instead of bearing the fruit of the spirit that is a by-product of the power of Christ living in us.

The fruit of the spirit grows in us as we grow in Christ. As we WALK by faith with Him. Walking by faith is an exercise in and of itself – and lets face it, faith is much like a muscle, it needs to be used in order to stay in shape!

But first we still have to answer the question “Do you want to be well?”

If the answer is yes then today is the day we need to seek the wise counsel that will help us, once and for all, pick up our “mat”, (or get off our couch) and WALK!

Until next time.

Beth

I’ve been studying John chapter 4 thanks to the Meet Me At the Well conference last weekend. This week I decided to keep reading on into John chapter 5. Do you know the story? It’s where a man who was lame (Webster says: crippled, having an injury that makes one limp; stiff and painful; poor, ineffectual) had been laying by the waters of Bethesda waiting for the waters to “stir” because when that happened whoever got into the water first found healing.

That’s where Jesus found him, beside the pool, waiting, but never getting in. Jesus asked him a very compelling question, “Do you want to be well?”

He didn’t answer yes or no, instead he told Jesus why he couldn’t do what it took to get well. He couldn’t get himself there in the state he was in.

I find Jesus’s answer as compelling as his original question. He didn’t say “let me carry you there.” Nope, Jesus answered him “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk!”

There are lessons to be learned in those simple words.

The first lesson can be found in Jesus’s straightforward question: “Do you want to be well?”

The lesson is about honesty, being honest with the Lord, and with ourselves. “Do you want to be well?” That’s a direct question that can only be answered with a yes or a no.

If we say yes then we need to be willing to do what we’re told. “Get up!” Do what it takes to get to where you know you need to be.

If we say “Yes, but…” we have rationalized why we cannot get ourselves to where we know we need to be.

I doubt that we ever say, “No, I don’t want to be well”, but our actions speak louder than our words. What about when we respond, “Yes, of course I want to be healthy!” and then do nothing? Or what if we simply refuse to answer the question?

What would Jesus have said to the paraplegic if he had given those responses?

Perhaps we see a bit of the answer in Matthew 19:16-22 when He talks to the rich young man who asks what he must do to get eternal life yet is unwilling to do what it takes to have it.

Jesus speaks truth, whether we are willing to follow it or not.

And it is our loss when we choose to ignore the truth He has spoken.

The second lesson to be learned is in His answer: “Get up!” Pick up your mat and walk!” Few of us lie around on mats anymore; perhaps today he would say “Get up! Get off your bed/couch/chair/duff and walk!”

If we recognize that we have an ongoing problem, an issue, an illness, an addiction, a dilemma that keeps resurfacing and we keep rationalizing it all away, we are like the guy on the mat. We know we are missing out on being healthy, and we are stuck in that un-healthy place.

Recognizing the problem is only half the battle; we still have to be willing to do what it takes to start the process of healing. The doctor is probably not going to come to us. Neither is the counselor, or the personal trainer, or the organizational coach, or the friend that can walk beside us on the road to good health.

We have to GET UP and do what it takes. We are responsible to take those first steps, to walk, to pursue health – physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

So what keeps us from getting up? What keeps us from being healthy?

Hmmmm. Perhaps we should ponder that one over the next week.

Here’s the challenge: write down the issue that is keeping you on your “mat”. What is it that has you “crippled” – physically, emotionally/relationally, or spiritually? Think about it, ask God to help you be honest with yourself and with Him.

We need to recognize what is keeping us “mat-bound”. And then we need to allow Jesus’s words to penetrate our hearts, “Do you want to be healthy?”

And if our answer is “Yes, but.” we need to recognize it as an opportunity to examine what it actually is that is keeping us stuck on the mat.

I have a feeling God’s word will point us in the right direction there too!

Until next time..

Beth