Necessary Tension

I am always surprised by the way simple experiences evoke profound response. I recently started working out, and as is customary, I was experiencing discomfort and fatigue, while at the same time enjoying the euphoria that comes with waking something up that has been asleep for far too long. As I was walking through my house last week, I could feel the muscle fibers in my legs and arms. They were responding to the exercise and effort with a loud voice. It was this beautiful, albeit somewhat painful, tension that got me thinking. I loved feeling those parts of my physical body come alive, and I was willing to continue pushing, stretching and strengthening those muscles; even if it meant feeling that pain and discomfort. We know in order to grow muscle, we must tear the individual fibers in order that they can repair and become stronger. Then it hit me. Our lives need to be lived this way. Our spirituality must be expressed this way. With beautiful, necessary tension. When we say someone is a "couch potato," we know what that means. No activity, lazy, unmotivated to exercise. But what about our faith? Are we exercising that in such a way that we are experiencing an awakening, accompanied by a Holy awareness within our spirit that creates some discomfort? James put it this way in chapter 2, verse 26:

"Anyone who doesn’t breathe is dead, and faith that doesn’t do anything is just as dead!"(Contemporary English Version)

The verse prior talks about Rahab the prostitute, who pleased God with her actions in hiding the spies. I can only imagine the TENSION she must have felt in her actions. Paul also writes in Philippians 2, verse 12b:

"So work with fear and trembling to discover what it really means to be saved." (CEV)

In our spiritual life, it's not enough just to be saved! We must work at our faith, as if we are exercising the most vital muscle of all. We must continue to take steps of faith, even when there is discomfort and pain; because we KNOW we are experiencing life, and life to the full (John 10:10). Think about the guitar. If the strings are loose, it does not produce anything beautiful. Yet, if the strings are tightened with the right amount of tension, something wonderful happens. The musician continually tunes and adjusts that tension in order to achieve the best from the instrument. We are instruments to be used for God's glory, but we need to allow Him to apply a Holy tension to our heart strings, otherwise we are good for nothing. So in that ordinary experience of exercising my physical body, I now have a profound response in my spirit. I don't want to be a couch potato Christian who does nothing to exercise my muscle of faith. I want to experience the necessary and beautiful tension that can only come from a life wholly devoted to following Christ.

Lovely Little Things

Today I have been blessed! No, I didn't win anything or receive wonderful news. In fact, most of my day has been spent cleaning the house (boo!). Floors needed scrubbing, bathrooms were ready for a good sparkle, dusting was crying out for attention, and everything needed vacuuming. I don't usually clean on the weekend, but our weeks lately have been a blur of necessary activity, all leading up to today. You know, the day when you realize you can't stand the clutter for another minute. What would I rather have done today? Hmmm. Read a book. Watch a movie. Enjoy my back deck. Just about anything but clean.

My blessing came in the form of my husband, who willingly and gladly gave up most of his Saturday to clean with me. It's Saturday, people. There's a lot of football to be watched, not to mention other man things he likes to do on the weekend. But he chose to do the mundane work of cleaning with me. Through something as simple as vacuuming, he showed love and care for me. Not only did he clean, but he moved a bird feeder outside just so we could watch the chickadees and cardinals. Today, I'm so very thankful for these little things.

We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Program

Kids do it. Spouses and friends do it. Our jobs. Sickness. All interruptions at some time or another in our life...that elusive pursuit of happiness. Maybe your life plays out like a sitcom, with the well-timed audience approval (mercy clap and canned laughter) when you constantly find yourself in a funny or awkward situation with those around you. Or, perhaps yours is a drama, filled with tense and anxious moments, often occurring in the hospital or police setting. Then there is the reality show, with all of it's "bleeping" to cover the unseemly verbal parries between the stars. Am I the only one who sometimes feels like my life is a program, complete with regular characters, guest stars, plots and sub-plots? Ok, how about when you are watching one of your favorite programs, and it's just getting to the good/funny/dramatic part when you hear "THE INTERRUPTION." "We interrupt our regularly scheduled program to bring you this important blah blah blah," because by this point, you are really only perturbed that your show isn't on.

Your son wakes up with a fever and can't go to school. Interruption to your super packed work day. OMG. Your best friend calls and needs to talk because something has happened, but you know it means 30 minutes on the phone and you're just not in the mood to listen. How about the doctor visit than changes everything. The car accident. The parent who has a stroke and now needs care. Human interruption invades the very core of our SELF. We don't like it, and we really don't want it. Why can't we just get on with our program?

There's another interruption, though. And this is the one that we can easily ignore. It doesn't have the face of our child, or the voice of our friend. It doesn't provide a paycheck or need any physical care. It doesn't beg or cry for our attention. It's the voice of a savior. It can be as quiet as a whisper, or as thunderous as a Lion. God, Himself, speaks and moves among us with such clarity and purpose, that we cannot deny His presence. His is a Holy Interruption - He has something to say to you and me! Are you listening? Are you willing to be obedient to the invasion of the Holy Spirit in your life? Or would you rather hear, "We now return to your regularly scheduled program."

A Berry Graceful Response

Today is cold. Really bitter cold, with a sharp wind that cuts through any number of layers of clothing. I had been lulled into a false sense that it really wasn't winter, until today. New Year's Eve was almost balmy, and New Year's Day arrived much the same. Ahhh....wouldn't it be nice to fast forward to spring? But, the cold reminds me that I am really not at all in control of my environment, for it is, indeed, winter. I am only in control of my response. So, I bundle up in my coat, turn on the heat in my car, make sure I have warm socks and gloves on. But none of that changes the icy temperature that assaults my face and makes me wince. It is still winter. Oh to be like the hardy nandina, whose simple response to the frosty temperature and blustery cold wind is to produce beautiful red berries amidst the lacy, delicate foliage. It's a grace response, full of beauty. It gracefully bends in the wind, wears a thick blanket of heavy snow with ease, and bounces back as the melting begins with the shining sun. So I'm going to try and think like the nandina this winter and respond with grace and beauty, whether to the icy season or to an icy person. Grace is what makes all the difference.

Day by Day

Creating a new daily habit takes discipline. So does becoming an Olympic athlete. Of course, if I look at every new discipline as if it had "become an Olympic athlete" written all over it, I would probably never start. So this year, I'm approaching new habits and discipline differently. The goal is definitely on the horizon, and my failures are clearly visible in the rear view mirror, but I'm fixing my gaze on the road directly in front of me. Today. Making this moment and this day count for something. Eventually, the rear view mirror images will change, and who knows...I might accomplish something. Something big. Something of Olympic proportion. All things are possible, with God. (Matthew 19:26)