The Root

Finding the root cause of something often takes time, dedication, skill, and usually money.

That grinding noise every time your car is running? There is a reason for it.

That water leak in your basement? Where is the breech?

That relationship struggle? What is behind it?

Everything ugly starts somewhere. But, sometimes we can’t see the origination spot because there are too many other presenting issues that make it difficult to find the root cause.

Sometimes there is a generational issue in a family. Sometimes an incident in the life of someone throws things off for a bit. Sometimes it is just the sin that is in the world and inside each of us.

But it all begins with sin. And sin began long ago in the Garden of Eden.

How many times I thought I was so sure that I never would have…

taken a bite of that apple…

denied I knew Jesus three times…

built a golden calf…

Yet, I have done all this and much more.

Chopping something down to its root is not enough because there are still sprouts that can come up from there. We need to dig out the root. Otherwise we think we conquered that thing, but it is still very much alive.

This thing — this sin that has taken root in our life can affect our health, our relationships with humans, and, most importantly, it will cause challenges in our relationship with God.

Is there something – some sin or some form of it – that keeps coming up in your life? Do you think you have conquered it only to have it rear its ugly head once again? Is it consistently causing issues in your life?

Ask God to help you understand the root cause of the pattern that seems to be on repeat in your life (aside from just acknowledging that we live in a sinful world and we are sinners). Ask for His direction in healing or resolving that issue. It may be good to talk to a trusted friend or a healthy Biblical counselor. Getting to the root of it doesn’t mean little sprouts won’t show up here and there. Of course, we are all works in progress. But as God does His work in and through you. you can be sure that He wants that situation to have healing and closure, too.

Sometimes it might involve forgiving someone. And that someone might even be yourself!

Always adding…

I love new opportunities. But, with a packed schedule, if I add something, I need to say “good-bye” to something else.

This sounds like my wardrobe. And my book collection.

I cannot keep adding to what I do without allowing some space for it. So, I am going through a bit of a re-evaluation.

What are my priorities?

There are only so many hours in a day, in a week, in a month, and in a year.

And, it would be foolish for me not to include time and space for the unexpected. Sometimes those unplanned things are super amazing and sometimes they are super intense and draining. But, the truth is, we all have them. This year we started off with what was probably Flu A for two months.

Two months. Yikes! We had to just do the bare minimum to get by.

But we are finally healthy in that respect. In terms of business, I am always evaluating what is working and what is not. Or, even if something is “working” is it where I should spend my time? Maybe the things I added during a season were meant to be there for only a season. What gets to be a part of my “permanent collection” and what needs to be pared down.

Pruning doesn’t only mean you are trimming dead stuff. Pruning is also cutting off the living branches because they are growing in undesirable directions or they are crossing another branch or even rubbing on another branch. Trees and bushes burst forth with lots of possibility. We can shape and tame them. Proper pruning can encourage stronger, healthier growth and prevent future problems.

We can also shape and tame our schedule. And, similarly, proper pruning of our schedules can encourage growth and strength and prevent future conflicts.

So, if you have been adding to and never subtracting from the demands you put on your life it might be time to think through that a bit. I typically don’t make rush decisions unless I am pressed. But I do trust that God will give me insight either through those around me or just “that feeling” that something needs tweaking in my schedule.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Impending doom

That sounds so defeating, but it is that dread of the complications in life that seem to be just around the corner.

It is very possible that they are around the corner. But I try not to give them life or more power over me by saying that they are lurking or think of these situations as waiting to pounce on me.

Stuff happens. And my response to my circumstances makes all the difference in the world. I may not be able to change the situation but I can change my outlook.

We can’t clean up every situation and have it turn into something amazing. It just isn’t something we can do. Unfortunately, there are many painful losses that we experience in life. They can be devastating. And we can feel lost.

But, we can ask God to show us where He is and ask Him to let us know what He is doing in and through the situations. He is surely doing something even though we may not have the eyes to see it.

But, there are times we are so busy anticipating doom that we are not able to enjoy where we are at the moment. We dread that the other shoe is going to fall and ruin everything. I suppose it can be important to prepare, but we can also make ourselves crazy by trying to prevent anything terrible from happening. We lose sight of the life right before our eyes.

It is important to practice handing all of our cares and concerns to God. Whether you start the day by handing them off or end the day asking God to take the concerns and grant you His peace, I encourage you to do it.

He neither slumbers nor sleeps. Psalm 121:4

The voice of Truth

There are voices all around us. Which ones carry the most weight?

Do you have a voice you hear that speaks encouragement? A voice that regularly speaks harsh judgement?

Have you found the voice worth listening to?

Let me encourage you to consider the voices around you. If you aren’t hearing words of encouragement from the people in your life it is important to dig into God’s Word. Find a healthy place to worship that shares the truth of God’s grace, forgiveness, love, and mercy.

Once you are settled, look for others who need the voice of God’s Truth in their lives. Be sure to share it with them.

God loves you.

Jesus died for you.

And He longs to be in relationship with you.

But don’t stop there. Dig in and fill your heart and mind with God’s Word and God’s Truth.

It is the voice worth paying attention to.

Conflicting opinions

Have you ever had an opinion of someone and have someone tell you they have the complete opposite experience or opinion of the same person?

I know there are multiple sides to people — human being are complex — but to have someone see the person you love (or cannot stand to be near) in the completely opposite way is fascinating.

It’s come up quite a bit lately for me so it seems to be something that God is encouraging me to pay attention to.

I have watched this from a distance. Of course, I have been a bit smug when someone gave me the willies and it turned out they were, indeed, someone whose behaviors would make anyone squirm.

That 360 view helps — all angles does give a better prospective. But, to what end? And, truly, maybe the heart is the most important aspect of it all and only God knows what is in the heart of man.

So, we are left with what we see. And, I don’t know about you, but my vision is not perfect these days.

Discernment is so important. Considering the opinions and experiences of others can also be important but should be taken with a grain of salt.

When I see wildly different opinions on someone I tend to assume that the truth falls somewhere towards the middle. Some people are polarizing. Some people can really be a chameleon. And we are left trying to figure out what is true. And maybe all of it is true.

Maybe ________________ [fill in the blank] showed mostly be their rough exterior but a grandchild was able to experience their tender, loving side.

Maybe ________________ [fill in the blank] grew to be loving and patient and trustworthy but had burned a lot of bridges early on so people who knew them and were impacted by that earlier behavior will not ever trust them again.

Maybe ________________ [fill in the blank] showed a lot of love to a certain group of people from a distance but couldn’t quite muster up any of those warm fuzzies for their family who lived close to them.

Some things are not for us to solve or know. When I hear conflicting opinions about a person, I pay attention. There might even be conflicting opinions about me. I am much slower to change a good opinion to a bad one. But, if there is enough evidence to show the positive in someone I previously would have seen in a negative light, I am open to readjusting my opinion.

We all have our opinions and experiences. It is important to run all of it through God’s perspective. Ask Him to show you what you need to see. Why is all of this coming to your attention? What would He have you learn in this circumstance? And where do you go from here with the knowledge?

God’s perspective is the most important.

Detours

I often think about those that wandered in the desert for 40 years.

I have done my fair share of wandering.

I ask for sustenance and then whine about it. I get impatient with God’s timing and make my own idols to worship.

I can’t poke fun at them because I am them!

Some of my detours are short and some are, sadly, a bit long.

Sometimes I get derailed when life throws me a curveball. Other times I willfully run into the briars or tumble down a ravine. And then I have some bumps and bruises and scars.

God knows my tendencies. And He gives me warnings — if only I had ears to hear.

Thankfully, He never slumbers nor sleeps. I probably am a full time job. And I am thankful I am on His mind and heart and He pursues me. God wants me connected to Him and on a fruitful path. And, thankfully, He can bear fruit from the more challenging decisions in my life’s journey.

Thank you, Lord, for loving me in and through my detours and for Your steadfastness!

Father of Compassion

I stumble. I fall. I do those things I wish I would not do yet again.

Even though I get frustrated with myself, I have never once imagined God ready to pull His hair out because I am not “getting it.”

Instead, I see His mercy and grace and compassion.

It isn’t that the wrath of God does not exist. But the Bible illustrates many situations where God showed compassion: Jesus feeding the crowds, Jesus meeting the woman at the well, Jesus healing the many, many people He healed.

Maybe all of those different scenarios are for us to see ourselves in them.

God does not tire of hearing from us. When we are coming to Him it is usually out of our own need or we are coming on the behalf of others.

Even if we aren’t coming to Him with pure intentions He can take and shape our prayers to become “His will.”

As humans, we can get tired of repeated situations with the humans around us. Our fuses are sometimes short for our siblings, co-workers, neighbors, spouse, children, or grandchildren.

He is the Father of Compassion.

My prayer is that I respond as one who is frequently shown compassion, mercy, and grace. I hope to reflect my Father’s heart.

Full circle

I trust that God is doing the things He says He will.

I have to admit, I feel like full circle really means “in my lifetime.”‘

But, it doesn’t.

God works in and through generations for resolution and healing. Life isn’t just neatly tied up in a bow while I am living. And, when I am no longer alive, I can trust that God’s work continues on.

Some things do come full circle within my life but I don’t think that is the standard.

Here is a non-spiritual full circle moment that struck me the other day: My dad never visited Hungary even though he spoke Hungarian fluently and was a champion of all things Hungarian. He died when he was 40 and with 4 young children, I am sure it was on his bucket list of things to do some day but you have to feed the kids and pay the bills with a young family.

My mom took my brothers and I to Hungary within 3 years of my dad’s death. Maybe the two of them talked about her doing that when it was evident he was not going to survive. It was an incredibly brave thing to do as a single parent. Our ages at the time were 5, 8, 12, and 16.

Fast forward to 2012 when Don and I took our 4 kids to Hungary. We had hoped to go with my mom but she just wasn’t feeling up to the travel as she was ill. After she passed away, we knew we were in a golden moment before the kids had adult commitments that we wanted them to go to Hungary.

And, as a bonus, we even met some of my dad’s relatives that we didn’t even know existed before 2011!

In 1957 my paternal grandmother apparently wrote a letter to her relatives stating that she was hoping that she would travel to Hungary at some point. “So, we will leave this for the future when travel is allowed to all countries, and then we will also visit you in Tiszakeszi—by the will and grace of the Lord.”

She didn’t get there. My father didn’t get there. But I was able to get there. And, I even met the cousin she was writing in this letter! Incidentally, upon meeting us, that cousin said, “Now I can die.”

Wow! I mean, truly, she waited 55 years from that letter to meet a U.S. relative. And through the many years of correspondence there were probably even earlier references to someday meeting face-to-face so I am quite sure she waited longer than 55 years.

I think that was a full circle kind of thing. And if God can orchestrate something like that, I think I ought to leave Him to do His thing in my life and in the life of my family.

The timing may not be what I have planned and the way may not look the way I think it ought to, but, I need to trust Him in how He pulls it together.

Have you noticed something come to completion in your lifetime that was started a generation or two before you?

God is trustworthy to bring things full circle!

It was not by your sword or your bow…Joshua 24:12a

So often we think we did the conquering. But, as I am reading through Joshua, I am reminded that God is doing the work.

Sometimes I look for that magic formula for success. Or I am sure that what I said made the difference.

Maybe it is less about me.

And maybe it is more about what God is doing in the hearts of others.

Maybe my sword and bow isn’t a part of the success.

Whatever it is that needs to be conquered or overcome may need some action on my part but really is more about what God is doing.

Every day I relinquish things to God and then scoop them back up to fret about and try to control.

In truth, my best offense and defense is God!

The things we cannot change

There are so many things that are done and cannot be undone.

Sometimes, it is heartbreaking to realize that. But it is reality.

A word that has been spoken.

A deed that has been done.

Of course, there are times we can change course and somehow “fix” it. And while that may be helpful and useful and healing, the original wholeness that was messed with won’t probably ever be whole again.

There is a wound. A scar.

The memory of what was done or left undone.

But, there is always God and what He can do.

We just need to recognize that the power rests with Him.

We cannot “man handle” someone else’s response. No “sweet talking” our way in or out of things.

Accepting a reality doesn’t mean we have to like it. But, acknowledging it is a step in the right direction.

Knowing that God goes before me and behind me and hems me in makes the difficult parts of life’s journey more acceptable. It isn’t always fun, but there is joy in the journey.

Lord, help me to trust You to redeem those hard things that cannot be changed. Give me wisdom to know when things are out of my control and trust that You will work out the details.