Archive | June, 2011

What I Love About Prayer: No Lines!

30 Jun

Readers of the Washington Post were asked to compose a very unwise line for a college Application formapplication:

“When I told my friends I was applying to LeHigh, they were like, no way, and I was like, yes way. And they were like, way cool.”

“Four years of fees at your institution come to about $78,000. Just bill my father and mail me half the money. He’ll never find out.”

“First off, coach said there wasn’t going to be no writing.”

“To demonstrate my love for your school, I have spray-painted your logo on my town’s water tower.”

“College is probably the last place they’ll look for me.” (1)

Drill SargentSpeaking of lines, a drill sergeant had just chewed out one of his cadets.

As he was walking away, he turned to the cadet and said, “I guess when I die you’ll come and dance on my grave.”

The cadet replied, “Not me, Sarge…no sir! I promised myself that when I got out of the Army I’d never stand in another line!” (2)

Lines … I hated lines, but God gave me much patience with lines after I realized how long some lines are in other countries where people are desperate for the most basic needs. Six people in a Wal-Mart line? Piece of cake.

But recently, as I stood in a long line at my grocery store, I had the sudden thought: “I’m glad I don’t have to stand in a line to talk to God.”

He tells me to come boldly to His Throne of Grace (Hebrews 4:16). I pray in Jesus’ name because God Hears PrayerJesus is my mediator (1 Timothy 2:5); but I have free access. God is always waiting for me to come to Him.

I don’t need reservations (other than my saved-by-grace relationship with Christ), and I don’t have to struggle to get the Father’s attention. He’s listening!

The Psalmist wrote, “…I cried out to him … God has surely listened and has heard my prayer ….” (Psalm 66:16-20)

And unlike having to come up with a clever line for a college application to be accepted, I am already accepted through my relationship with God’s Son (“accepted in the Beloved,” Ephesians 1:5-6).

And coming up with clever lines isn’t necessary with Father God. In fact, He prefers that I don’t. He wants me to simply tell Him what is on my heart. I can share my requests without fear (Philippians 4:6-7).

As I stood in that long line at the grocery store, grateful for my access to God, I took time to pray for some of the people I saw in the store:  a harried mom with two toddlers, a weary cashier, an argumentative man. It was a good use of my time.

Simple thoughts, today:

  • Thank God that there are no “lines” in prayer.
  • Thank Him for accepting you so freely in Christ.
  • And use any future lines in stores or at gas stations or wherever you find yourself to pray for things that matter.

(1) Cybersalt Digest, Issue #3495 (11/27/10)

(2) Cybersalt Digest, Issue #3491  (11/23/10)

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The Choice to Mess Up – Part 2

28 Jun

[Continued from 6-27-11]

Diet BuddiesKatina Fisher said her friend Kimberly announced that she had started a diet to lose some pounds she had put on recently.

“Good!” Katina exclaimed. “I’m ready to start a diet, too. We can be dieting buddies and help each other out. When I feel the urge to drive out and get a burger and fries, I’ll call you first.”

Kimberly replied, “Great! I’ll ride with you!” (1)

Not exactly the kind of accountability Katrina was looking for …

Remember that yesterday I (Dawn) confessed that I was struggling with Pam’s encouragement to join her and a few other ladies for some exercise and attitude checks on our way to healthier lifestyles? I have to admit that I stewed about that for two days! Have you ever done that?

Why do we balk at things that are good for us?

I have all sorts of reasons for why this is going to be hard for me:  My age (harder to lose weight); I’m arthritic (hard to exercise with much gusto); it’s hard to find time to exercise (I’m a type-A person in overdrive), etc. It’s just hard!

As I’ve written before, these are all good REASONS, perhaps … but not EXCUSES.

I may struggle, but the truth is, I have the Holy Spirit dwelling within me to encourage and empower right behavior; and “…the fruit of the Spirit is … self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).

God’s ways of communicating with me often make me LOL with Him. As I struggled with this decision on Father’s Day ~ while eating a one-inch-square One-inch Browniebrownie I’d made for a Father’s Day party ~ I suddenly recalled some words I’d read in Made to Crave:

“The temporary pleasure of ONE BROWNIE  would never be worth me having to tell my accountability partner that I made the choice to mess up.” (2)

There it was … “the choice.” I’d been making lots of choices to mess up in the area of self-discipline ~ particularly concerning food and exercise. Life is all about choices, and that is the passion of my heart. (Check out my website, Heart Choices and blog, Heart Choices Today!) But here I was, intentionally making some poor choices in this area of my life ~ rationalizing all the while that I was making such wise choices in other areas.

The issue wasn’t the brownie; the issue was my heart.

I suddenly had the mental picture of Jesus walking up to me and asking, “Why are you fighting this? Remember …  your check-sheet says you were created to love and enjoy Me, to glorify Me, and to serve Me every day.  One of the ways you can glorify Me is to let Me change this area of discipline (see 1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:17). You can do this for ME, Dawn … you can do it to bring Me glory.”

Yes …  I can do for my Lord what I might not, perhaps, even be willing to do for myself.

My commitment to a self-disciplined lifestyle started with surrender on Father’s Day, when I handed Father God my stubborn heart. 

I wrote a note to Pam:  “OK. I’m in.” And then (before I weakened), I scheduled in specific exercise “appointments,” and made the decision to join an online group where I will record my eating for each day ~ two choices I made as a gift to my heavenly Father.

Nothing has changed in the circumstances ~ it’s still going to be hard for me ~ but it’s going to be a joy, because my heart has changed.

Good intentions do not automatically translate into good results. Desire is the first step, taking action is the second step, but having some sort of accountability will help you press on when you don’t feel like it. More than a simple check-up, an accountability partner or coach can help you be creative, try new strategies, and move to a better place.

By the way, go easy on your accountability partner … you are, after all, asking for the person’s help! Grumbling and griping isn’t pretty, and your partner really doesn’t deserve to hear it. (But a good accountability partner isn’t afraid to speak the truth in love, knowing that your heart’s desire for change may waver sometimes. A good accountability partner will keep on  encouraging you toward health, positive change, and excellence, because he or she really cares about your progress.)

How about you? What is your struggle today? Is there a spot of rebellion in your heart? Whether you use a check-sheet, an accountability partner, or a simple-but-powerful commitment to God, MAKE THE CHOICE. Allow the Lord to do the work in your life that you will never regret.

(1) http://laughs.rd.com/clean-jokes-and-laughs/10-hilarious-weight-loss-jokes/article165978-1.html#slide

(2) Lysa TerKeurst, Made To Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food (Zondervan, 2010), p. 45

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The Choice to Mess Up – Part 1

27 Jun

David Martino wrote about a teacher in his Bible class who asked a woman to read from the Book of Numbers about the Israelites wandering in the desert.

“The Lord heard you when you wailed, ‘If only we had meat to eat!’” she began. “Now the Lord will give you meat. You will not eat it for just one day, or two days or five, or ten or twenty days, but for a month ~ until you loathe it.”

When the woman finished, she paused, looked up and said, “Hey, isn’t that the Atkins diet?” (1)

Many of us go on various diets or try to overcome unhealthy habits, and psychologists tell us that the task is easier if we have someone in our corner, checking up on us. Christian psychologist Dr. Henry Brandt once said, “In the business world, we have a term that says the employee will do what the boss inspects, not what he expects. It’s the same way in parent-child relations. The child will do what you inspect, not what you expect.” (3)

I’ve found this is true in personal areas of discipline, as well. I may expect some changes in my life, but unless there is some “inspection” ~ some accountability ~ I’m not likely to change. I will keep on making choices that aren’t the best, and as a result, my life gets a little messy.

People often laugh at my check-sheets. I have to admit that I’ve probably designed two dozen or Check Listmore check-sheets during my adult years. My latest one has at the top, “I Was Created to Love and Enjoy, Glorify, and Serve God Every Day!” And those are the categories that I detail for personal growth and accountability.

God and I have been the only ones who see that checklist daily.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not into legalism at all. I’m a Grace Girl. God knows I need His grace every day in every way.

But I’ve found that if I don’t push myself ~ if I don’t strive for more ~ I tend to vegetate and get self-satisfied. How much better to get my marching orders from God, and then design a means of accountability to help me know when I’ve achieved my “assignments” from Him!

Confession time. Though I tell others they need accountability partners, I struggle against them.

I recently had this truth hit me squarely in the face (or maybe in the heart).

Pam Farrel asked a group of ladies (who had already mentioned they were trying to get fit and/or lose weight) to join a short-term group of women who are committed to that goal. Now mind you, I had already voiced my desire to get my eating/exercise act together after reading Lysa TerKeurst’s Made to Crave. I even have a Facebook partner, Deedra, going through that with me.

But when Pam asked me to join the group ~ which essentially meant that I would follow my own “program” and goals ~ I balked because I had to go in for an initial “weigh in,” and someone was actually going to record my weight on a card.

I emailed Pam, “I am praying about this.”  (Meaning, “I’m struggling with this.”) I’ve analyzed that struggle. For me, it consisted of pride, fear of failure, frustration over a scale that hasn’t moved in months, and basically (I’ll admit it) not wanting someone to tell me what to do! (Read that as pride again, with a good dose of rebellion.) As I saw Facebook posts by Pam and my friend Maria and others, intensely into getting fit, I kept shaking my head ~ “Lord, I don’t think I can do this.”

Meanwhile, Pam wrote back, “Just say yes. No downside.”

[So what did I do? And why? Stay tuned ... I'll tell you tomorrow.]

(1) http://laughs.rd.com/clean-jokes-and-laughs/10-hilarious-weight-loss-jokes/article165978.html

(2) http://www.leader-values.com/Content/detail.asp?ContentDetailID=1121

(3)  http://forum.quoteland.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/99191541/m/7871002381

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