Lessons for Living

That Sword in Your Head

Or is it a Swiss Army knife?

The writer of Proverbs describes an unwise person as “one who speaks like the piercings of a sword” (12:18). Our tongues can be like a multi-bladed Swiss Army knife when it comes to the variety of ways that we cut and destroy each other.

Unhealthy attitudes of anger, irritation, frustration, and impatience — even disappointment, stress, guilt, and insecurity — all contribute to our damaging speech. And as we cut with our words, we wound and divide friendships and relationships. It’s no wonder that the infamous list of seven things that are an abomination to the Lord includes anyone who “sows discord among brethren” (Prov. 6:16-19).

How do we stay off that list?

Since I didn’t write this, I shouldn’t just quote the whole thing, should I?

Here’s the rest: Cutting Remarks. Please read it.

Let Me Tell You About My Funk?

I just read Andrée Seu’s post-for-today over at WorldMagBlog: Battling fear and doubt.

I haven’t read any of her stuff in a long time. I’m glad I read this one:

God keeps showing me the moment-by-momentness of the Christian life, and the inauthenticity of anything else. Recently it happened when I was planning to share a few fears and doubts with a friend in a letter that I was planning to write later in the day. I knew my friend to be a good counselor, and I expected that he would talk me out of my funk and back to sanity.

It was then that it struck me: In order to share those fears and doubts with my friend, I would have to hold on to them until the evening when I had time to sit down with a pad and pen. That means I would have to refuse to allow any other thoughts to intrude on my funk, if the Spirit should want to try to wedge in there with a little light or a redirection of thought.

This, I think, also points out a potential problem in the Christian counseling enterprise. Counseling, at its best, is great. But if we are not careful it can foster a kind of spiritual laziness as we, the counselee, take on the role of a waiter waiting around for rescue by a human custodian of wisdom, rather than doing our own rebuking of doubts and fears and all things contrary to the truth of God.

“That means I would have to refuse to allow any other thoughts to intrude on my funk, if the Spirit should want to try to wedge in there with a little light or a redirection of thought.”

I don’t know if I ever thought of it that way before.

I Used to Be Twenty-Six

a lesson learned in the second batch of twenty-six years

I look back twenty-six years to when I was twenty-six years old. I was mature for my age then. As I close in on the end of my second batch of twenty-six, I think I’m now less mature for my age. But now I got sidetracked from the purpose of this post.

When I reached my twenty-sixth birthday…

  • I had been a husband for five years.
  • We had two children — LaVay (3) and Russell (close to 1).
  • I was just into my fifth year of teaching high school at our church school.
  • I had just begun my second year as principal at that school.
  • It had been about 2.5 years since we had temporarily “retired” as Mexico missionaries.
  • I didn’t own a house, because I was trying to lay up treasures in heaven.

Over the next eight years, I added more to My Accomplishments.

Alas, I also added to My Pride, at least on the inside.

But inside or out, that affliction portends bad things to come. Always.

“…God resisteth the proud…” (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5).

“When pride cometh, then cometh shame…” (Proverbs 11:2).

Since the bad harvest of pride often doesn’t come right away, we get careless and carefree with pride.

Then we pay the price.

Now, twenty-six years later and having tasted its bitter fruit, do I still struggle with pride?

Sure. But now I recognize the struggle (most of the time). And I engage the battle (more of the time).

I loathe pride. And in a healthy way (I think), I fear pride.

When I find myself embracing it, I try to come to my senses and push it away in repentance.

I have experienced pride’s wrecking ball.

“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).

“Before destruction the heart of man is haughty…” (Proverbs 18:12).

“A man’s pride shall bring him low…” (Proverbs 29:23).

The proud He knoweth afar off (Psalm 138:6)

So many of My Accomplishments have gone to nothing. And so many of My Opportunities have evaporated.

What a waste!

Yup, I have paid dearly, though not yet fully.

Would I like a do-over? In a sense, my answer really doesn’t matter. The stark reality is that I don’t get to try again. That part of my life is gone, gone, gone.

Maybe God will give me an opportunity to do better tomorrow.

I hope so.

If He does, may I allow His Spirit to continue to craft in me in the mind of Christ so that the Father may see in me at least a faint image of His Son.

“The Years They Have Wasted”

“People who do not know the Lord
ask why in the world we waste our lives as missionaries.
They forget that they too are expending their lives …
and when the bubble has burst,
they will have nothing of eternal significance to show
for the years they have wasted.”
–Nate Saint

Nate Saint (missionary pilot), Jim Elliot, Ed McCully, Roger Youderian, and Pete Fleming were martyred in 1956 at the hand of Waorani (Auca) tribesmen they sought to reach with the Gospel. In 1958 Jim’s widow Elisabeth, along with Rachel Saint (sister of Nate Saint), went to live with the same Waorani tribe.

HT: The Berean Call

Through Gates of Splendor, Elisabeth Elliot

Personal Security: Situational Awareness

Situational awareness is extremely important, even if you live in a part of the world that seems far removed from “huge” threats to personal security.

As an example of “situational awareness is extremely important,” consider that going down the road in an automobile is a far “huger” threat to personal safety than most people realize.

But this article is about much more than being a safe driver.

The world is a wonderful place, but it can also be a dangerous one. […]

Regardless of the threat, it is very important to recognize that criminal and terrorist attacks do not materialize out of thin air. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Criminals and terrorists follow a process when planning their actions, and this process has several distinct steps. […]

People who practice situational awareness can often spot this planning process as it unfolds and then take appropriate steps to avoid the dangerous situation or prevent it from happening altogether. Because of this, situational awareness is one of the key building blocks of effective personal security — and when exercised by large numbers of people, it can also be an important facet of national security. Since situational awareness is so important, and because we discuss situational awareness so frequently in our analyses, we thought it would be helpful to discuss the subject in detail and provide a primer that can be used by people in all sorts of situations.

[…]

It is critical to stress here that situational awareness does not mean being paranoid or obsessively concerned about your security. It does not mean living with the irrational expectation that there is a dangerous criminal lurking behind every bush. In fact, people simply cannot operate in a state of focused awareness for extended periods, and high alert can be maintained only for very brief periods before exhaustion sets in. The “flight or fight” response can be very helpful if it can be controlled. When it gets out of control, however, a constant stream of adrenaline and stress is simply not healthy for the body or the mind.

[…]

Clearly, few of us are living in the type of intense threat environment currently found in places like Mogadishu, Juarez or Kandahar. Nonetheless, average citizens all over the world face many different kinds of threats on a daily basis — from common thieves and assailants to criminals and mentally disturbed individuals aiming to conduct violent acts to militants wanting to carry out large-scale attacks against subways and aircraft.

Many of the steps required to conduct these attacks must be accomplished in a manner that makes the actions visible to the potential victim and outside observers. It is at these junctures that people practicing situational awareness can detect these attack steps, avoid the danger and alert the authorities.

I think you should read the full article by Scott Stewart over at STRATFOR: A Primer on Situational Awareness. He also has a follow-up article titled Watching for Watchers.

As a former missionary in northwest Mexico and as current chairman of a mission board with personnel in that same region, I find the article an essential, compelling read.

And as a Christian, I’m thankful to be able to rest securely in the knowledge of “divine resources and assets” being “deployed” for my protection and the protection of those in my care.

So in closing I offer you just three verses:

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee” (Isaiah 26:3).

“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God” (Psalm 20:7).

“The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them” (Psalm 34:7).

There are more; feel free to post them as comments below.

“Someone Your Age”

I’m almost past the speed limit. 😯

So this shoe fits my foot:

Then I remembered Psalm 71, the psalm for folks “my age” and beyond. It reminds us of the value of a life well lived and of the worth of lessons learned: Lessons are not just for our benefit but also for us to pass along to the next generations. The psalmist wrote, “When I am old and grayheaded, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come” v.18.

So, maybe being “someone my age” isn’t such a bad gig. It is the privilege of “veteran” Christ-followers to declare the strength and power of God to the younger generations.

Maybe you should read it all — who knows, our feet might be the same size.

Oh, and about that opening speed limit thing. I’m not in a 55 mph zone. Nope. Not that fast.

Above all, love God!