Do-overs are Awesome!

Don’t you love that concept of “Do-over”?  Don’t you wish sometimes in life after you’ve just messed up big-time that you could just yell, “Wait!  Do-over!”  and everything would reset for you just the way it was before you messed up?  Wouldn’t that be great? 

You say something you really didn’t mean to say, and you can see that your words just devastated the other person—“Wait!  Do-over!”  and the damage is instantly undone.   It’s like you never said anything at all.  Or you wreck your parent’s car and injure someone.  “Wait! Do-over!”  and zzzzzip!  You are right at the point before things went awry, and with your new-found knowledge, you can avoid the mistake and move on consequence free.  You choose differently and avoid the wreck and no one is any the wiser.

What a great concept, if a simple “Wait! Do-over!” would un-change all the bad mistakes and stupid choices we make or dumb accidents we have because we’re not paying attention.  But it’s not that simple.  There is no magic do-over rule.  For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.  Have you ever experienced that rule?  For every choice you make, there is a consequence.  That’s the rule.  If you want good consequences, you have to make good choices.  But if you make bad choices, there are bad consequences to have to deal with.  That’s life!

Some of you, this morning, are carrying heavy loads because of the choices you’ve made.  Some of you are absolutely miserable this morning deep under the surface, even though you outwardly may be smiling and joking. 

See we live two different lives.  One that is on the surface that we let everyone see, and one that is beneath the surface that we desperately try to keep hidden, except from a choice few people that we’ve learned to trust.    And you live life scared to death that someone you don’t trust might find out who you really are and not like you because of it.

You desperately long for a Do-over.  A new beginning.  One that says….ok…I  have really screwed things up in my life, but wait—do-over!!!  I just want to be at peace inside myself.  I just want to be able to look at myself in the mirror again and know that I’m an ok person.  I just want to be loved for who I am.  I want to drop this load of guilt and shame.  And I just wish I could start all over and not be so stupid and make the same mistakes.

Did you know the Bible says that there is such a thing as a do-over.  While it can’t erase all of the consequences of your sin and bad choices, it can make you appear, to God, as though you had never sinned.

1 John 1:9- If you confess your sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness.

Now that’s a Do-Over of epic proportions!

A Perspective on Happy

It would seem that in our society people are on a rampant search for happiness.  And we seek a thousand different ways to make ourselves happy.  But are we succeeding?  It doesn’t appear so.  No matter how we search or what we buy, happiness seems to be short-lived and continually elusive.  We search and search, we buy and buy, and try and try, but at the end of it all, we are just as miserable as when we started.  How do we gain the adventure-filled life.  How do we go beyond mere existence into joy?  How do we find passion and color in a world that is full of shades of gray?

In this day and age, it would seem that the end result that people want out of life is to just be happy.  And we throw those two words around like we can somehow manufacture them or buy them.  We take our hard-earned money and we spend it on things that are exciting, or things that we think will help us in that elusive search.  We buy cars, or boats, or planes or new houses, or any number of things, thinking…if I could just get my hands on that, then I would be happy.

It starts young and continues all the way through life. I’ll be happy when you buy me the toy that I want or the cereal that I want.  If not, I’ll pitch a fit right in the store until you cave in.  I’ll be happy when I’m old enough to do whatever it is you won’t let me do because you always tell me I’m too little.  I’ll be happy when I get a new bike and can get around on my own.  I’ll be happy when I get my driver’s license and you let me drive the family car.  I’ll be happy when I can get my own car.   I’ll be happy when I get a girlfriend or boyfriend. I’ll be happy when I graduate.  I’ll be happy when I  get into a good college.  I’ll be happy when I graduate from college.  I’ll be happy when I get a job.  I’ll be happy when I get married.  I’ll be happy when we buy a new car or move to the suburbs and buy a new house, and have 2.5 kids…then I’ll be happy.  I’ll be happy when I get a new job that pays me more money to pay all of these miserable bills, or a job that has a nicer boss, or better co-workers. I’ll be happy when I can take that dream vacation.   I’ll be happy when I can get a divorce.   I’ll be happy when I can get remarried. I’ll be happy when I can retire and travel.  I’ll be happy when the grandkids come over.  I’ll be happy when they leave.  I’ll be happy when I’m not such a burden on other people.  I’ll be happy when I die.

And we live life with such malcontent, that we continually wish it away.  We don’t want what we have now.  We want something better.  We have become a nation of self-seeking navel gazers more concerned about our own feelings than the fact that there are over 2 billion people starving to death in the world right now.  Or there are millions of AIDS orphans in Africa.  Or that people in Haiti can’t get beyond a poverty existence even though they sit 120 miles south of the richest country in the world.

Who cares about them?  I’m not happy! I don’t feel good about life or myself right now.  I don’t like my existence. I don’t care about others.  I just care about me. I want to be happy! And I will do whatever it takes to make myself happy…even if it is at the expense of other people. But the problem is, the sad truth is…I can never be happy, because it isn’t really my poor circumstances that makes me miserable, it’s my perspective on my circumstances. 

You can run from one thing to the next, but you still won’t be happy, because you carry your affliction deep inside you.  And until change can happen in you, you are destined to be miserable in life because you can never outrun yourself.  At the end of the day, if you continually make decisions based on something else you think will make you happy, you will find that you’ve actually created a bigger mess with more pain, more misery and more unhappiness than you had before.  And not only for you, but for anyone who happens to be around you.

That job, that lousy car, that no-good spouse, that miserable school—none of those things is really your problem.  Your problem is YOU!

Do you see a young woman or an old hag?

So what it is that makes you so miserable?  It’s your perspective. It's how you CHOOSE to look at things.  People have survived much worse than your current circumstances and yet can still live with a joy that makes no sense.  Concentration camp survivors.  POW’s.  Cancer patients.  People who have had one of their children raped and murdered.  People who have withstood horrific things in life, including multiple losses, who can have a joy and happiness while you are miserable.  What’s the difference? Perspective.

They have a purpose to their lives.  They have a passion for what they do.  They have a desire, not for their own happiness, but to make someone else’s life better.  And their outward perspective ultimately brings an inner joy to them.  Suddenly they are lifted above their own problems and life becomes an adventure because of their changed perspective.

The problem for most of us is that we are trapped in our misery and, are you ready for this?  We like it.  Oh, we don’t like being trapped, but we refuse to change our perspective, and so we remain trapped, prisoners of our own perspective.

God, grant me a fresh perspective today and help me to see that happiness is not a destination, but rather a manner of traveling.

Soft Society? or One Purpose of Suffering

We’ve become a soft society. How do I know? Listen to what we complain about. They aren’t complaints that the government just killed our pastor or our uncle or our spouse for loving Jesus. We don’t complain about how hard it is to share the gospel in our society. We don’t even complain about starving to death. As a matter of fact, we complain about food. We have the luxury to complain about food. I don’t like this kind. It’s gross. There is not enough of it to suit me.

We complain about weather. Too hot. Too cold. Too windy. Too rainy.

We complain about homework and jobs. We complain about cars that aren’t as nice and about high gas prices. We complain at restaurants or oil change places or even, believe it or not, Wal-Mart when the service isn’t fast enough. We complain about other drivers who don’t go fast enough when the light turns green. In spite of all we’ve been blessed with, or perhaps I should say, in spite of all the circumstances that we are blessed not to have to live with, we still complain about anything that encroaches on our idea of the good life. We’ve become a soft society.

So how does the Lord get our attention in a soft society? How does the Lord get us more committed when our lives are not on the line every day? How does Jesus get us to grow closer to Him when we are more concerned with what we are eating after church than the food He wants to give us while we are still in church?

You aren’t going to like my answer. I don’t like my answer…but it’s biblical. I have come to believe that it is through suffering that God talks best. Let me rephrase that. I believe it is through suffering that we learn to hear God best. I don’t believe that God causes human suffering. But I have come to believe that He will come to the one who is suffering and draw near to them and grow them to be closer to Himself. When you think of suffering in the Bible, who do you think of? Job. Listen to what the book of Job has to say about this.

Job 36:15 But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction. 16 “He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food.

Maybe we can see the tough spot we are in today from a different perspective. Perhaps, if we listen closely, we may hear God speaking to us. Not to condemn us, but to woo us and refine us so that He can present us faultless, without spot or wrinkle to the Ancient of Days.

Recommissioned

Once Elijah hears the gentle whisper, he gets it. He had wanted a big display on Mt. Carmel to impress the people into following God. We often want the same thing. A big miracle. An unleashing of God's power to impress people of how powerful our God is. Like in the Bible when He parted the sea, or sent the plagues, or fought for Gideon who was way outnumbered. Or like the windstorm, the firestormor the earthquake in this case. There's power...but it's results are soon forgotten.

In the end, those things aren't what keep someone coming back to God. It isn't the wow factor that keeps us faithful. It's the "now" factor. Right now I can hear that gentle whisper if I just stop long enough. Right now I can be restored by time with God. Right now I can see my circumstances differently after having my perspective readjusted by God.

God let Elijah know that there were still 7,000 in Israel who had not bowed to Baal. In short...let's change your perspective Elijah...you are not the only one left. It's not as bad as it seems. And then God gives him his new marching orders. 1Kings 19:15 The LORD said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu."

Isn't that just like God? About the time we think we are worthless and we can't go on, He pulls alongside, lets us rest, gives us some fresh food and then re-commissions us. He's still in control. And He isn't done with you yet. Take some time. Rest. Listen. And be restored back to useful service for the Kingdom of God.

Time Alone With God

Strengthened by the food the angel gave him, the Bible says that Elijah traveled 40 days to the mountain of God, Mt. Sinai. There he came to a cave and spent the night. In the morning God came and asked what Elijah was doing there. And Elijah starts a pity-party. "I'm the only one left that is faithful and now they are trying to kill me too."

God told him to go stand in the mouth of the cave, and suddenly a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. Rocks were flying everywhere. But Elijah didn't sense the presence of God in the windstorm. Then there was an earthquake. No God there either. Then a huge fire. Not here either.

Then a gentle, quiet whisper and when Elijah heard it he covered his face with his cloak. What was God's point? Sometimes we look for a massive display of power to convince us that God is God, or to prove to others that He exists. We pray for that massive miracle that will allow our loved one to live or a great miracle that will allow our circumstances to change. And sometimes God answers that way. He did with the fire on Mt. Carmel.

But that's not usually His M.O. Typically, God is more about the gentle, quiet relationship with you that will allow you to trust Him and know that He is there for you even in the midst of your storm. Perhaps we should stop looking for the supernatural deliverance and go more for the supernatural friendship.

Elijah heard that gentle whisper and instantly covered his face. He KNEW he was in the presence of God. Ever have one of those experiences? You can't really explain how you know, but you just KNOW that God is present. Elijah covered his face with his cloak and then God asked him the same question he had asked before: What are you doing here Elijah?

In other words: I sent you to Ahab, I sent you to Zaraphath, I sent you to Mt. Carmel...but I didn't send you here. What are you doing here?

Elijah, probably not even fully aware of his motive, gave God the exact same answer that he had given before...but instead of in self-pity, his voice was probably more of the tone: "Would you believe?" Would you believe that I have been very zealous for the Lord?

We often start out angry and in self-pity, but when we encounter God, we end up trying to preserve our own dignity and we find out that our answers sound pretty hollow.

I think Elijah ran to Mt. Sinai because he was so exhausted that he inwardly knew he needed to encounter God once again. He knew the Sinai was called the mountain of God. He knew it was from this very mountain that God had spoken to the people of Israel centuries before. He knew that Moses had spoken intimately with God on top of this mountain. But when asked why, all he could resort to was: "I've been very zealous for the Lord and all the other prophets are dead and they are seeking to kill me too."

Some things never change. Too many times, in my exhaustion, I try to deflect any attention to the condition of my heart by presenting my works. What I really need in those times, is time alone with God. 

And if I'm not missing my guess, that's what you need too. May He grant you that time today. And may you take that time today.

Elijah the Superprophet Needed a Vacation

So I'm reading the story of Elijah, the wonder prophet. That guy was amazing. Calling down fire on captains and their men for disrespecting him (I can think of a few church members:), telling the king it wouldn't rain again until he told him it would, challenging 450 prophets of a false god. Having them all killed. Praying for rain, then running in front of horses to lead them safely down the mountain. Then he falls asleep under a juniper tree...in the rain, only to be awakened by a messenger from the queen. Bottom line: you are so dead, dude!

What did the super prophet do? Freaked and ran. Which is a lot like me. Not the super prophet part...but the freaking and running part. It seems when we come to the end of our physical strength, often our spiritual resolve goes with it. In short, physical exhaustion leads to spiritual burnout. They are directly linked somehow. I don't know how, but I do know that when I am most tired, I am also most spiritually vulnerable. 

What about you? Are you getting enough rest? Or are you running on empty and finding that your spiritual resolve and strength are also gone? Think about that.  Answer honestly.

Can you imagine the people of Israel the next morning after Elijah's big showdown on Mt. Carmel? They probably looked for the prophet, but couldn't find him. They didn't know that he had received a death threat during the night and in his exhaustion had high-tailed it out of town. Just the day before, they had been on their faces declaring, "The Lord, He is God." And now, with no prophet of God in sight, they had no idea what they should do, so they did what they always did. Went and sacrificed to Baal. What a waste. 

There is something to be said for faithfulness even in the midst of discouragement. Had Elijah remained, God could have wrought a signal victory against Baal worship in Israel. But Elijah didn't stay. And the faith advantage was lost. Perhaps we fold too easily in times of discouragement. Perhaps if we hold on, God can use us to "change the culture". But often, we come to the end of our strength and we lose heart. And we run.

Here's the cool thing. God didn't dog Elijah for his failure. Instead, God gave Elijah a vacation. And fed him. Perhaps God expects more failure out of us than we do. 

Elijah ran. And ran. And finally, when he felt he had put enough distance between he and Jezebel, he collapsed. This same guy is the one whom God had hidden for 3 and a half years, though Ahab had searched all of Israel as well as all the surrounding countryside. It is much easier to trust God when you have it all together and you are feeling good. But much harder when you are exhausted and broken. 

That's where we find Elijah. Exhausted and broken. And the cool thing is, rather than slip a lightning bolt to land just behind him to motivate him, God does something cooler. He loves him. He sends an angel to fix a meal and then gently awaken him. Elijah sits up, eats and then goes back to sleep. Me? I would have freaked that there was another being sitting there with me. But scripture doesn't give any reference to that. It only says he ate and went back to sleep. 

Sometimes, what we need to rejuvenate us is rest. Sleep. A break from media. A quiet place in the middle of nature where we can simply ponder life and then go back to sleep.

Have you thought of taking a personal spiritual retreat? It doesn't have to be for 2 or 3 days, but maybe just an afternoon of solitude and stillness. Don't wait until it is too late. When the pressure is rising and the stress levels are increasing, schedule a half day retreat...or a full day...or better yet, 2 or 3 days away where it is just you, God and the quiet. Rest helped Elijah the super prophet...it might just help you.