Tag Archives: purpose

The world will be different…

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We are called to be world changers, not world chasers.

 

I was touched by the tribute to a dear lady who recently breathed her last on this earth:

 

“The world will forever be different without Mary;
Just as the world is different because of Mary.”

 

This obviously was a tribute that Mary lived. It must have been woven into the fabric of her daily life. The remarkable thing about such a tribute is that it isn’t earned by being perfect, nor by conquering every battle. Such a tribute doesn’t require monumental or earth-shaking accomplishments, at least not the type that make the headlines. I think two words might have summarized Mary’s world-changing life: purpose and passion.

 

I think others saw Mary as a world-changer because she saw her life as having purpose. She had an identity given to her by her Heavenly Father, an identity that must have served as an anchor of faith and hope, a light that shined even into the darkness of pain and sorrow, even when there were no satisfactory answers to the “Why?” questions. Her sense of purpose must have permeated not only her marriage and family, but her friendships and work. I think seeing oneself as having one singular and integrated life is essential to the character and purpose of a world-changer. Life is too big to be compartmentalized into segregated components (my home life, my work life, my spiritual life, etc).

 

I suspect others also saw Mary as a world-changer because of the passion with which she lived her life. She invested herself, pouring herself into the hearts of others. She seemed to me to be totally vested in fighting the fight of her life, giving everything she had to live each day given her and to live it well. At the same time, I suspect she also came to be passionate about the heavenly rest that was waiting for her. It seems world-changers are able to balance these two perspectives, humbly submitting themselves to live with one foot on earth and the other in heaven. True world-changers are less concerned about doing “great things” for God and more focused on doing small things with greatness.

 

Today is not just one more day you are facing. It is not just another humdrum routine. Be a world-changer. Live out your purpose with passion.

 

The world should be different without – and because of – you.

 

“The mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” Luke 6:45

 

 

Moving toward maturity

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Hebrews 6:1 “Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity…”

 

Parents delight in newborn babies in all their innocence and fresh opportunities before them.  We celebrate a young person’s graduation milestone, recognizing their transition toward adulthood. We plant gardens and trees in the expectation and hope for what they will produce. While we sometimes wish we could pause time and remain in that special beginning moment, who would really want things to remain that way forever? A child who never moves on to forge his or her own life, a garden that doesn’t grow and produce food, flowers that never mature to bloom, a tree that produces no shade or fruit?

 

So it is in our lives, that we should continue to mature in the ways of life, the caring for others, and our mission which reaches way beyond ourselves. Paul encourages us to ‘move beyond the elementary teachings of Christ and be taken to maturity.’ Have you ever noticed that it is often easier to learn an elementary principle than how to consistently apply that toward a worthwhile outcome? Have you observed this in your own spiritual life, that you have learned the basics about Jesus but fail to find victory over life’s struggles? So it was also in Paul’s day. His students had learned facts about the Christian life but not how to apply the gospel toward living a mature life. (Hebrews 5:12).

 

Isn’t that true in our lives too? Just as rain falls on the land and produces both weeds and fruit (and veggies!) so God’s truth and grace falls freely on us so that we can mature in faith, experience victory over life’s trials, and bear fruit for His kingdom. Mature believers press on toward producing beneficial fruit while those who feel trapped by life’s circumstances produce weeds that choke out life.

 

But wait; there is hope! Paul says (Heb. 6:9), “Beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you.” Yes, we may have lived a careless, undisciplined, unfocused life up until now. We may have let circumstances govern too many of our responses. But it is not too late! Keep the hope (v11) that by God’s daily outpouring of compassion we will not be consumed by this world, but will find our way to move on toward a mature, purposeful life that counts for all time. This hope anchors us and holds our lives firm and secure in the midst of life’s most terrifying storms (v19).

 

Let us press on toward maturity. It is indeed granted by God’s provident grace (v3) but it does not occur at all without our intentional efforts to draw close to Him throughout each day.

 

 

Belief Trumps Attitude

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I am learning some important lessons in this journey. For example, as strength varies throughout the day and when appetite diminishes, I learn to eat my ice cream FIRST! 🙂

I have heard many folks say we have good spirits or a strong attitude in the face of this cancer. The simple truth is this:

“Our gospel came to you not simply with words, but with POWER, with the Holy Spirit, and with DEEP CONVICTION. The word of God is AT WORK in you who BELIEVE.” 1 Thessalonians 1:5,13

None of us get this right all the time. We all get distracted. (For example, getting up the courage to eat was sometimes a struggle for me during the chemo, as was forcing myself to walk at least a half mile on my weakest days.) But God’s Word promises there is real power available to those who believe it…power to live out our moment by moment lives according to what we believe.

I remember teaching a values clarification class on stress management years ago to a group of adults with mental illness. In the middle of the discussion, a young man raised his hand and asked, “So you are saying that whenever we act in ways that contradict our true beliefs, we will always experience stress?” Exactly!

Belief is an active word. It doesn’t just refer to an historical discovery of some principle. True belief drives us to present action despite what circumstances may present themselves. We choose to love in unlovable moments. We keep quiet when we are tempted to complain about someone. We reach out when we are inclined to withdraw. We believe even as doubts cross our mind.

When the Bible says ‘believe’ it actually means “Keep on believing.” We can’t simply rely on a past decision or experience. We have to keep believing in the midst of each circumstance, the great ones and the challenging ones. True belief reminds us of our passion and purpose and doesn’t let the storms of life distract us. True belief keeps us focused with eyes firmly fixed on our goal, so we can continue to press on toward the prize we seek.

Dealing with this Leukemia requires all the prayers that many of you are offering on behalf of Marcia and me. (It matters!) And it requires believing and acting on belief, in what is and always has been true, and always will be true.

Faith still climbs mountains

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True faith is a gift from God. It comes from His amazing grace and continual desire to draw close to His creation. But what we do with this gift determines a great deal about how our life will unfold.

We can ignore it and gradually, like an unwatered plant it will whither, grow dormant, or even die. We can nourish it with periodic church attendance, bible study, occasional prayer, positive thinking, and the likes. And we might find this faith a welcome friend, although perhaps not strong enough to whether the toughest of storms. Worse yet, sometimes we place our faith in unsustainable sources: untrustworthy friends, finances, health, science, politics, sometimes even family. My personal experience is that only the faith that continues to grow daily in the One True God offers real and lasting hope. Over time this faith becomes the most practical expression of daily living and speaks to all everyday problems and circumstances.

As I interact with the nurses here at the hospital, I can usually clue in to which days are more chaotic than others, which ones just pull them down. Today, in connecting with one such dear nurse, I reminded her of the true story when Jesus spoke and calmed a storm. I told her that He could do that for her now, and also that even if her storm continues, He can calm HER heart in the midst of the storm.

This is almost always our personal experience in our current cancer storm. The storm continues, but God calms our hearts. We have made consistent faith deposits in good times so we have an abundant account from which to draw upon now. Faith is also like a muscle you exercise regularly so that it is ready to bear the weight required of it.

But all this talk of rising above the storm, staring cancer in the face with strong resolution is not the talk of a “super-Christian”, far from it! Faith is simply lived out, imperfectly, day by day, and usually moment by moment.

Faith still needs to climb mountains, it still needs to go through the valleys.

Today, I find my mind thinking and talking to my body about this second round of chemo as my stomach starts to react negatively. Worry still tries to creep in. But worry is counterproductive. Essentially, worry is the prayer of the atheist. This quote I found today speaks good advice when we start to worry:

“Don’t waste your energy on worry.

Use your energy to BELIEVE.”

What do you choose to believe in so much that it guides your consistent and intentional thoughts and actions throughout the activities of your day? What faith growingly consumes your passion and fills you with purpose? May it be a faith that is completely trustworthy, a faith that will climb mountains.