inspirational

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.

“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.

God Remembers

Here’s something I read this morning in the print edition of the Our Daily Bread devotional:

God remembers us wherever we are. Our concerns are His concerns. Our pain is His pain. Commit your challenges and difficulties to Him. He is the all-seeing God who remembers us as a mother remembers her children, and He waits to meet our needs. — C. P. Hia

But before reading that, I read Genesis 8 and posted my own short devotional over at Panting Hart (where I used to try to write a daily devotional).

Picked On?

Not necessarily! Four measuring sticks to answer the question...

Everyone has felt picked on. (I assume that to be a reasonably accurate statement, don’t you?)

Too easily and too often, though, we feel picked on when we shouldn’t.

So, in the interest of clarifying that statement (as well as in the interest of helping you not feel picked on when you shouldn’t), I offer up four measuring sticks to answer this question:

Are “they” picking on you?

  1. If they are just fault-finding, yes.
  2. If they are sincerely concerned about you, no.
  3. If they want to know your view instead of assuming to know it, no.
  4. If they want you to tell them more about The Issue in order to balance their own views, no

Does that makes sense to you like it does to me?

But what if you truly are being picked on?

What are godly responses to being picked on?

  1. Pray blessing on them.
  2. Be open to what might apply to you anyway.
  3. Forgive them.
  4. Look for the opportunities to love them.
  5. Reject anger, bitterness, self-pity, vengefulness, and further fault-finding.
  6. Don’t gossip or resort to evil speaking of them.
  7. Remember: Any “lumps” you get actually are less than you deserve.
Above all, love God!