Rural V. Urban (WIL, 8)

Richard J. Foster says: "Rural life tends to function around a daily cycle, whereas urban life tends to function around a weekly cycle. In the country there are chores to be done morning and evening - such as milking the cows and feeding the chickens. A daily prayer discipline makes good sense in this context. In urban life, in contrast, everything presses hard toward Friday - TGIF, as we say - and the weekends are much more discretionary. In this context it might make more sense to order a prayer life around a weekly pattern. Instead of feeling guilty that we cannot set aside time for prayer on a daily basis, perhaps it would be better to devote Saturday mornings, for example, to more extended experiences of prayer and devotional reading" (Prayer, p.73).

Okay, I don't have cows or chickens, but, over the course of my marriage, I find I operate from a rural life perspective. I love the Slow Food movement and baking bread from scratch, especially in the morning. I prefer to chop vegetables by hand instead of using the much speedier food processor. I scoop out squash seeds by hand, squeezing them through my fingers, rather than using a spoon. I employ my slow cooker once a week (although I admit that is again an urban fad). I am even more likely to shower in the late afternoon than in the morning. Why shower before digging around in the garden?

I have a hard time planning on a weekly basis. I suffer paralysis of thought when someone asks, "What's going on this week?" Sometimes, it's easy to answer if I'm planning a trip or in the midst of a project that takes more than a few hours. Otherwise, it's hard to land on a thought worth mentioning that will take up a whole week. The question is really about the major agenda points, but when life is currently made up of little things, it's easier to take it one day at a time. I prefer to plan and be prepared. However, I push myself to focus on the Present rather than the Future, and thus, develop a habit of living Here and Now. It's a weird balance because I like scheduling my to-do list. Yet, I get lost in what I want or need to do and close myself to what God brings along my path.

A few years ago, my mind alighted on a thought: one way to serve those around me was to adopt an 'Available' mindset. The way I approached this new revelation was to be more Present and Open, watching for opportunities to Give and Serve inside the daily workings of life. Opening a door for someone, letting another car into line, breathing while I'm driving, shopping, working.
One of my favorite authors encourages using time to Just Be, not filling every spare moment with Doing something. Although it could be employed as an excuse, my programmed-for-efficiency mind warns, enjoying the gift of life is one thing we are certainly called to do. "Taste and see that the LORD is good" (Ps. 34:8); "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (Jn 10:10b).

The way that works for me is taking each day as it comes. "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him" (Mt. 7:11). Oh, Father, give me the grace and strength for this day.

(WIL, 8)

Expectancy (WIL, 7)

Planting seeds is an act of faith. Pulling weeds is perseverance. Amending the muddy soil with rotted compost and fine pieces of sand drains sweat with the digging. Depositing tiny seeds into an expanse of dirt looks like folly. For weeks, nothing appears. Just when you've put Hope to bed, a blink of green hits your eye. You look closer - did I really see a sprout?? Ah Ha! Finally. Sigh. Success. Yet, this seedling's journey is just beginning.

Life is so active, vital. Always moving: always establishing new benchmarks, new goals, new highs. If it's not moving, it's dead. But is that really true? Dormant seeds are long dead to the impatient. Then they erupt in front of those who forgot all about them. Where did that come from??

God plants many seeds that take much more than a season to emerge. He carefully tends them, watching for weeds and pests. He shows us patience. He calls us over to see the tiny life that is fighting upward from the muck, literally using the waste of the old to fuel new growth. His song is Expectancy.

God is so patient. Any patience I have must come from Him. He knows it's hard for me to wait because He knows everything about me (Ps. 139). My Life is a lot of waiting - and waiting is not my favorite thing. But He knows the timing better than I. And I have to wait, for His ways to work themselves out (His ways are not my ways, Isa. 55:8).

While I wait, Abba cultivates my character. In doing all the necessary business of life: paying bills, correspondence, chores, I practice consistency, responsibility and perseverance. "Learn what pleases the Lord," Paul exhorts in Ephesians 5:10. When my heart is fertile and hears His Words, may He quicken courage in me to follow.

I do not wait without Hope that He will act. He promises to act (Rom. 8:28).

We Are At War ...

but with spiritual forces. Recently I heard a very good sermon (unfortunately not posted as I write this) asserting that negative self-talk is a spiritual battlefield. The speaker emphasized those times when memories assault us unbidden. Out of the blue, we are crippled with guilt, regret, fear. We remember that we are not worthy of love, forgiveness, mercy. And we believe it. We know how bad we really are. We cannot hide from ourselves.

Richard J. Foster says,"Oftentimes your heart will condemn you for things for which God will not condemn you" (p. 69, Prayer). And although healthy guilt and remorse are a necessary part of my relationship with God, it is a lie that I am unacceptable. God himself has made me acceptable. The lie is wedged in my mind to create a rift between me and God, between me and other people. In recognizing this bait and switch tactic, we remember the power purchased for us to consciously choose to believe God and reject the lies.

As children of God, we have powerful tools to help us conquer these falsehoods. We are promised that "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:1), and that we can take every thought captive, to make it obedient to Christ (2 Cor. 10: 3-5). Although "the heart is deceitful above all things" (Jer. 17:9), God promises to transform us by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:2).

The reality is this: The Enemy is Father of Lies (John 8:44), not just deceiver, and he will not go away without a fight. He prowls around like a lion (1 Peter 5:8) looking for prey. But God does not leave us to fight our own battles. He fights for us. He runs to our aid.

And Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33, 1 John 5:4) so, as Paul says in Ephesians 6:10-17, put on the whole armor of God...we are not abandoned, we are not alone.

Ask Him for the faith to believe His promises, His Word. He is Faithful and Good. He is able to meet all our needs (Phil. 4:19).

Encourage and share your experiences with each another (Eph. 4:29).
"Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 5:19-20).

Seek the LORD and you will find Him. Be honest with yourself and with others. Give thanks for who He is making you. Ask for eyes to see the gifts He's bestowed and for a thankful heart that prepares the way for our Lord. 

(WIL, 5)

Mountaintops to Valleys

    Mountain-top experiences are glorious. After the hard work of trudging up the hill, through the mud and snow, begging your muscles to push against the unrelenting slope, focusing one foot in front of the other, hardly seeing the trees around you, waiting for the fog to part and reveal a glimpse of the mountain you long to see - finally, a resting place with a view.
    My retreat last weekend was a mountain-top experience. Retreats are essential. The relentless pace of Life is too much for me to handle and I need time to receive nourishment: other people preparing food, people stepping in so I can step back, others taking my place for awhile, God speaking with the Familiar out of the way.
    I shouldn't be surprised to experience a trough when I get home. I go back to work and catch up with people I left for a few days. The evening out of emotions and perspectives is natural, but still painful. The memories of the heights gasp to return, however, the intimate knowledge of the trenches makes the experiences at the heights more vivid, more lasting. And so I must return.
    The work of Life is done in the valleys, not on the mountains. I am made for the lowlands where I am made to thrive, breathe easier. I cannot consciously handle being in the Presence of God all the time - yet. He is still working on me, changing me from glory to glory,  refining me and molding me into a form I could never dream of being.
    "Praise to the LORD, the Almighty..."