Making things happen

I am beginning to see that there are two different kinds of people in the world. There are those that wait for things to happen in life, and there are those who make things happen in life. I am definitely the 'make things happen' kinda guy. But there are times when I find myself just waiting. I don't mean the times when God tells me to wait. I mean the times when I abdicate my call to 'make happen', and find myself just waiting for something.

Some of us are just made that way - to make things happen. But sometimes you look in the mirror and you realize that making things happen puts you at risk. You might make mistakes. You might look dumb. You might get labeled as impulsive or half assed because you take the risk rather than counting the cost.

I choose to believe that Papa made some of us the way we are, and that we can trust His natural bent within us. I will be scary - it is supposed to be. That is why they call it a walk of faith rather than a sure thing.

So being a 'make things happen' kinda guy means I need to go make things happen. It doesn't mean that I don't listen to sound counsel or hold back sometimes. It means that I can trust the way I am made because of my belief in who made me. So 'making things happen' is my unique way of glorifying God.

So Papa, at those times when I really question if I am glorifying you, may you, in your eternal grace, make sense of my life and bring glory to You. Even if it is despite me......

Pain and change

We were talking about Job today in our men's bible study, and the issue of pain and suffering came up. It struck me that we all have our fair share of it. Few are the people who haven't suffered.

But what hit me was the ways I personally try to avoid the pain in my life. I realized that I pretty successful most of the time in keeping my anxiety at bay. And in doing so, I feel more comfortable, but I miss the growing that God wants to do in me. Because it is pain that changes us. And when I avoid pain, I avoid change. How is He to grow His image in me if I am unwilling to embrace the very vehicle for transformation He allows to come my way?

I know I am not alone in this avoidance. It is a universal issue. I guess that is why we are so damned set on being comfortable all the time. That is why we surround ourselves with a hedge of safety and comfort that serves its purpose well. Maybe too well - it also keeps us insulated from the pain that can ultimately make us different people.

Unless people are willing to be transformed, we will never really live as the body of Christ.

An annointed moment

Today I was going through some old trunks where I store stuff from past lives. I have three of them. As I opened each, the smells of times gone by came wafting up from the past. It was like the years themselves came up to meet my senses, reminding me of all the time that has sifted through my fingers. I found myself wanting to cry. Not because I had wasted those years as much as I knew I hadn't fully lived some of them. I existed, just trying to get by, waiting for the future, killing time. Now I live the future as it again sifts all too quickly through my hands.

I eventually found what I was looking for. I realized as I closed the last one that the three trunks represent different lifetimes that I have lived - one from childhood, one from early adulthood, and one from life as a full fledged adult. What I had been looking for was anointing oil. I know that sounds weird, especially if you know me. The oil has always represented the presence and spirit of God to me. When I worked as a pastor, I would use the scented oil to touch on someones forehead, setting them apart for the work God had for them. The lingering scent of the oil reminded the anointed and the anointer of His eternal presence.

This weekend I will use that oil again. May the spirit of God pour His presence on all that I do, even if it is despite me.

Making splashes

I just sent my second book off for its first printing. It is funny to see how much I enjoy the process of writing - there is a deep sense of accomplishment having finished it. I never thought I would write just for fun. I guess it meets a deeper need to make a splash in the pond of life. I feel like a book does that. It leaves something behind with my name on it - literally.

So what kind of legacy will we live and leave? For some of us, that ripple in the pond will be the families we leave behind or the jobs we worked. For some it will be a thing they put their hand to and that they created or changed.

What kind of splash do you want to make? I really believe we have a choice about it - if we intentionally splash or not. Some of us will splash big, and some not so big. But I am reminded that the people who have made an impact on my life are mostly people that came and went - they might not even know the impact they had. There have been ripples on the surface of my pond long after they have come and gone. A few remain, and those I treasure deeply.

If I were to hand out some free coaching, I would simply say two words; Splash big!