out with the old... in with the new...

We humans are creatures of habit. It's easy to develop habits, hard to break them. The thought of change might excite us, yet still we complain about it and typically try to avoid it at all cost. Habit feels safe -- even destructive habit. Take the alcoholic, for instance. Everyone else can see him destroying himself, yet he feels "safe" in his habit. Habit provides a sort of reassuring numbness, an easy, "dumbed-down" version of life, so to speak. Habit, of course, is not always a bad thing (I'm quite contented to live in my house for many years to come), but too many times, it drains us of passion and energy, seemingly sucking our souls away...slowly, but surely.

I find that I fight against change -- sub-consciously and consciously -- as much as the next person, but inevitably, God wins. And God is always about change. I look back at some of the crucial decisions in my life and can see how I was fighting against God simply because he wanted change in me, and I was finding the change to be so painful. Still, in my heart, my desire to do God's will and not mine, my acknowledgment of his lordship in my life, my surrender to following him no matter the cost allowed him to continue bringing about change. It's crazy to look back now and see how the change/changes were so vitally critical to my growth and how much better my life is now because of them. Simply put -- God's way is always the best way. If only we could truly live by Proverbs 3...

¹ My child, never forget the things I have taught you.
Store my commands in your heart.
² If you do this, you will live many years,
and your life will be satisfying.
³ Never let loyalty and kindness leave you!
Tie them around your neck as a reminder.
Write them deep within your heart.
⁴ Then you will find favor with both God and people,
and you will earn a good reputation.

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
⁶ Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.

⁷ Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.
Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
⁸ Then you will have healing for your body
and strength for your bones.

⁹ Honor the Lord with your wealth
and with the best part of everything you produce.
¹⁰ Then he will fill your barns with grain,
and your vats will overflow with good wine.

¹¹ My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline,
and don’t be upset when he corrects you.
¹² For the Lord corrects those he loves,
just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.

¹³ Joyful is the person who finds wisdom,
the one who gains understanding.
¹⁴ For wisdom is more profitable than silver,
and her wages are better than gold.
¹⁵ Wisdom is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.
¹⁶ She offers you long life in her right hand,
and riches and honor in her left.
¹⁷ She will guide you down delightful paths;
all her ways are satisfying.
¹⁸ Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her;
happy are those who hold her tightly.

¹⁹ By wisdom the Lord founded the earth;
by understanding he created the heavens.
²⁰ By his knowledge the deep fountains of the earth burst forth,
and the dew settles beneath the night sky.

²¹ My child, don’t lose sight of common sense and discernment.
Hang on to them,
²² for they will refresh your soul.
They are like jewels on a necklace.
²³ They keep you safe on your way,
and your feet will not stumble.
²⁴ You can go to bed without fear;
you will lie down and sleep soundly.
²⁵ You need not be afraid of sudden disaster
or the destruction that comes upon the wicked,
²⁶ for the Lord is your security.
He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap.

²⁷ Do not withhold good from those who deserve it
when it’s in your power to help them.
²⁸ If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say,
“Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.”

²⁹ Don’t plot harm against your neighbor,
for those who live nearby trust you.
³⁰ Don’t pick a fight without reason,
when no one has done you harm.

³¹ Don’t envy violent people
or copy their ways.
³² Such wicked people are detestable to the Lord,
but he offers his friendship to the godly.

³³ The Lord curses the house of the wicked,
but he blesses the home of the upright.

³⁴ The Lord mocks the mockers
but is gracious to the humble.

³⁵ The wise inherit honor,
but fools are put to shame!

Depending on "our own understanding", living lives of habit rather than trusting in what God wants to do in us or trusting in what he created us to do and be -- that's what leads to lives of turmoil and unfulfilled dreams. The next time you begin to groan due to the discomfort of change, remember to just trust in God's goodness -- that he loves you and he knows what is best for you; that he is working some kind of change in you which will lead to greater fulfillment than you could ever imagine! Get excited! God is changing you. And that is always good.

c2009 Lorenda Houston

Check your ego at the door...

Humility...

Practically nonexistent in our culture. I mean, the more money, cars, women, shoes, clothes, chains, grills and diamonds you have in the hip-hop world, the more you have the "right" to brag. And, you should brag. And, you're supposed to brag. And, the more you brag, the more respect you get. But, that respect is more like jealousy -- jealousy which results in "haters" or jealousy which results in people wanting to latch onto your star and use you for their own gain. Thus, the more famous you become, the less people you can trust... So, why were you bragging again??? Nothing good comes from it. Apes running around the jungle beating their breasts to outdo each other. We've come so far to have gotten nowhere...

And, before you think the hip-hop world is simply a sub-culture with extreme ways of acting-out, take a look around your world...businesses, churches, governments, schools...teachers, preachers, politicians, physicians... It's everywhere. Ego run amuck.

So, what's the big deal? What's wrong with a little ego? I mean, isn't self-confidence important? Don't we want our children to feel empowered? Don't we want them to feel they can be the "best"?

Ego and bravado are very different from self-confidence and empowerment. And, sure, Noah was the "best" vineyard grower...until his family were no longer the only ones alive on the planet after the flood! There is no such thing as the "best" singer, the "best" athlete, the "best" surgeon, the "best" pastor, the "best" artist, the "best" musician, the "best" gardener, the "best" teacher, the "best" anything... The only "best" you can strive to be is the best YOU. The only "best" I can strive to be is the best ME.

We all have abilities. Gifts. Talents. Things we can do well. Things we can do better than someone else can do them. But, we are not the only ones with those particular talents. Many people have the same talent, the same or similar ability. Some abilities even number into the thousands of people who can do them well... So, why then do we allow our egos to tell us we are in competition with one another? And, on the flip side, someone else can do some things better than we can, so why do we allow our egos to tell us we're worthless because we can't do what that person can? Take it a step further -- many people share the same talent but with differences within that talent. Why would we think ourselves better or lesser simply because our ability is different.

Take singing, for instance -- a subject close to home for me, being one of my talents. How utterly ridiculous would it be for me to believe myself the "best" singer in the world, considering people who have the ability to sing likely numbers into the millions? Conversely, how utterly ridiculous would it be for me to think I have no place to use my singing ability since there are likely millions of other people who can sing in the world? Both scenarios are ludicrous. And yet, that is what we do. In an instant, we are jealous of each other, comparing ourselves, allowing ego to control us, and in the end, to destroy our ability to use our talents in the way God intended.

God is the author of our abilities, the giver of the talents, so he must have had an intention when he gave them...

Our gifts were given to us to share with others, to bless those around us, to help someone else, to be used to make the world a better place. Our gifts were not given to us for the purpose of making us feel we are somehow better or more special than someone else.

I was not given the ability to sing because I am special in some way. I was not given the ability to sing because I "deserve" it. I was given the ability to sing so that I, along with millions of other people, could figure out ways to use it to help someone else, to bless others, to make the world a better place... There is no "good", "better", "best" on God's talent scale. It's more like -- "those who effectively share what they've been given" and "those who let ego render useless what they've been given".

If anyone was the "best", it was Jesus Christ. And he, in every way, was humble. He was born in a tiny nothing town, to a girl no one knew. There was no golden halo circling his head, no royal welcome. His birth was not announced to the leaders of the day, but instead, to those society considered the lowliest, as well as to those who were studying, questioning, searching for answers... He lived a quiet life, and when finally he did begin to show who he was to people, he never sought fame or what society considered important places of leadership. His closest followers didn't even understand his humility, for they tried to convince him he deserved to be a king on this earth. When those closest to him should have been washing the dust off his feet, as was the custom in those days, he was instead washing theirs. The ultimate leader was the ultimate servant. He who had all the talent, he who could have bragged the most, he who could have strutted around like he owned the world -- because he actually did -- he "took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being...he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross." (Philippians 2:7-8 NLT)

Humility...

Why is it so important?

Because, without humility, we cannot share our talents and bless others with them in the ways the one who gave them to us intended. Humility allows others to receive what we have to share. Humility breaks down jealousy and envy. Humility melts the hearts of those who need to receive what we have to share. And that is the point. Someone needs to be the recipient of your talent. Not so they can be amazed by how great YOU are, but so they can be amazed by how great GOD is...

Don't let your ego render you useless in God's kingdom -- a kingdom set up with an entirely different set of scales.


c2009 Lorenda Houston

Back from Manila...

There's nothing quite like traveling to another country on an outreach trip... The frantic days leading up to it, trying to remember everything that needs to be done, hoping nothing is forgotten... Being unsure of what to pack and how much of it... Saying goodbye to friends and family... The nervousness about the actual travel, whether by road or by air, and the weariness that sets in as the hours begin to slowly tick by... The sudden immersion into foreign surroundings and a completely different culture... The fogginess of the mind and exhaustion of the body when unable to fully catch up on sleep... Eating unfamiliar foods, sleeping in unfamiliar quarters, being taken out of your comfort zones and away from the ability to control your surroundings...

As the days go by, you find that unfamiliar places begin to burn an unmistakable map into your heart... Unfamiliar faces greet you with smiles, as you realize they have anxiously anticipated your arrival and waited with their own nervous excitement, wondering what you will think of them... Adrenaline rushes in to give you strength to push on through your weariness and give your best at each gathering, for with each set of fresh faces, the same warmth and anticipation greets you... You begin to understand that, just as they are being touched and changed by what you give, so you are being changed and touched by them...by this experience of selflessness, of willingness to roam outside of your comfort zones, of surrender to God's control rather than your own... Before you know it, you are shedding tears as you say goodbye to those you now consider a new part of your family, connected undeniably to you by the love of Jesus, by shared humanity, by shared experiences... Physically, so many miles apart, but emotionally, spiritually, connected forever...


c2009 Lorenda Houston