Have you noticed that “blessings” from God are not always clothed like blessings?  Sometimes when they knock on our door we do not recognize them.  Like peddlers, mendicants, little girls with cookies or young men and women with glossy literature we want to turn them away, give them a scrap of our time, be polite but hesitate to open the door more than necessary to converse briefly with them and then hopefully send them on their way to our neighbors.  We don’t see them as blessings, but as nuisances and interruptions in our busy day of pursuing blessings by another more familiar name.  We are too caught up in crossing things off our to-do lists so we can at least feel blessed, even though we really may not be blessed.

When blessings come, they are not only unrecognizable but they are also sometimes late, out of sequence and just not what we would affix as giving value to our lives.  We are much more prone to bemoan the absence of blessings in our lives in the frustration of dealing with their delays and in so doing prove ourselves more ungodly than godly and anything but deserving.  It is a catch 22 as they say, a paradoxical conundrum in which the very act of seeking a blessing has a way of dredging up the ungodly side of our nature that would threaten to disqualify us from the very thing we yearn. 

“Showered with blessings” – showered?  We think not, “Not in my life, not now.” If anything it may seem like a time of drought.  The ground of our heart is parched and dry and the heavens seem brass.  Showers of blessings –  how can that be?  Perhaps it is just not the season. But the rain does fall, Jesus tells us, on the just and unjust alike.  And there is no rain without clouds.  Could it be that we expect showers to come from a cloudless sky? That we have mistaken the season and in what manner showers of blessings must come.

Dark clouds and wind seem to dampen our days rather than bless them. But it is from them, which of necessity, showers of blessings are produced.  Could it be that in our darkest times, when the plans for sunny days must be aborted that and we find ourselves scrambling to run for cover to salvage whatever we can that God is really soaking us in blessings?  Could it be that the very experience that seems anything but a blessing may in reality be the bearer of good news and an invitation for us to open the door wide and invite them in? 

Just as the ground that receives the rain does not immediately evidence its benefit other than softening the soil – and that in and of itself is a harbinger of blessing – in time a green shoot of life does appear as a long lost friend poking their head up in a crowd to delight you with surprise by their very presence. 

Blessings then are out of time, out of sequence, usually delayed, often camouflaged and unrecognizable in dusk’s dimming light, easily rejected as a nuisance and not appreciated.  Stormy skies that rumble into our lives have a way of eliciting from us ungodly reactions and thereby make us, at least in our estimation, unworthy of blessing. 

But our consolation is in the mysterious ways of God’s grace.  While we are being showered by God with blessing we neither recognize it nor deserve it and yet He is doing it nonetheless, and only time will fully reveal the extent to which He has gone to fulfill the truest longings of our heart.

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Just yesterday I was talking to a person and we were commiserating about the fact that the longer we live the less we know.  This observation was generated out of a mutual confession of perplexity with regard to recent painful disappointment he had suffered.  Some things in life, especially painful circumstances beyond our control, the unfixables of life, eclipse our understanding.  Like the moon passing before the sun, or cloudy skies blocking its warming rays, there are times when we do not comprehend the whys and wherefores of life.  Such darkness can make it difficult to find our way.

It is necessary to be reminded that understanding the reasons for our lot in life is not necessarily the solution to our problems.  While there is a tendency in all of us to grapple with the “why” question, sometimes it serves only to prolong our pain.  One thing is certain, pain and suffering are an ever present part of the human condition.  Not only does our experience testify to this, but an examination of the life of Jesus Christ, the Son of God confirms it.  Isaiah the prophet predicted hundreds of years before His birth that He would be “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” (Isaiah 53:3) And the writer of Hebrews tells us years after His death, burial and resurrection that He “learned obedience from the things He suffered.” (Hebrews 5:8) 

If Jesus had to deal with pain and suffering in His life, how much more do we?  In fact Paul the apostle tells us that our suffering in some mysterious way is meant to compliment and complete the sufferings of Christ. (Romans 8:17 & Colossians 1:25)

How can that be and how is that meant to happen?  Richard Rohr, a Franciscan friar and author, has said “If you do not transform your pain, you will always transmit it.”  That statement clearly spells out the two options we have when confronted with pain and suffering.  We can ask God to take our pain and transform us into better people.  Or if we fail to do so, we will only become bitter and transmit that bitterness to others. “See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled.”  (Hebrews 12:15 ESV)

Suffering is meant to be transformative – first and foremost to transform us more into the image of Christ.  It is meant to happen through a transaction that might be called a divine exchange.  Psalm 55, written by King David provides us a pattern for how that exchange takes place.  In this Psalm, he is crying out to God regarding the fear, anguish and affliction he is suffering at the hands of an enemy.  Ironically, this enemy was once his friend.  It is an unfair reality in David’s life that he did not choose nor deserve.  Can there be any greater pain than the pain of betrayal? (It must be noted that this is a Messianic Psalm foretelling the suffering Jesus Himself would experience at the hands of His friend, Judas.)

The second to last verse of the Psalm, quoted at the outset of this article, is the key to this divine exchange that can transform our pain into peace.  We do not know if this is David exhorting himself or the Holy Spirit breathing a word of direction to him in the midst of his agony. 

David writes “Cast thy burden on the Lord.” (vs. 22a)  The word “cast” in the Hebrew is a strong action word as if to say “fling or throw it.”  And the “burden” being thrown literally refers to those things in life that are beyond our control, as if given by divine providence or at the least, a lot in life we find ourselves bearing.

Exchanging pain for peace can be a forceful transaction.  It is obviously a heartfelt all-abandoning process.  Again we need to consider Jesus as our example in how he transformed His suffering. “During his life on earth, Jesus prayed to God, who could save him from death. He prayed and pleaded with loud crying and tears, and he was heard because of his devotion to God.”  (Hebrews 5:7 God’s Word Translation)

The literal meaning of the promise at the conclusion of the Psalm 55:22 is very insightful and worth claiming.  “And He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.”  (vs. 22b)  The Hebrew word for “sustain” here is pregnant with meaning.  It literally means to “comprehend” the suffering in a way that enables a person to both endure it and find nourishment or sustenance from it.  And so doing the suffering will not be allowed to so “shake” a person to the point of bringing them down.

Jesus came to show us how to suffer, how to carry the pain of the human condition and how to transform it for God’s purposes.  For the joy that was set before Him He carried the cross for our transformation.  That is why it is not an option to cast all our burdens on Him if we want to exchange pain for peace.  Both joy and suffering are found in the same deep places of our soul.

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But I can honestly say that a combination of faith, bible knowledge, personal experience and age have turned me into a procrastination overcomer.  I’ll admit that like most people I still have the occasional battle with procrastination, when it comes to doing things I do not want to do; but I have discovered some simple principles that have helped me immensely.

Procrastination when practiced regularly can develop into an art form.  Like many people I was first captivated by the art of procrastination when I was in college.  It was there I discovered two things about procrastination.  If it were not for the last minute, I would not get anything done.  And when it came to doing things I didn’t want to do, especially studying, someday became my favorite day of the week. 

There has been voluminous research done on procrastination, hundreds of books written on the topic and countless principles posited for overcoming it.  So it is with a due sense of humility that I offer my condensation of all that and everything I have learned into three simple principles that work for me.  Here therefore are three ways I have discovered to beat procrastination.

1. Plan it.  Write down what you want or need to do, and when you plan to do it.  It is even helpful to give some thought to how you are going to do it and recording those details as well.  Put the dreaded task in a prominent and appropriate place on your “to do” list.  If it is out of sight, it will be out of mind and as a result you will not likely think of working on it even when you have the opportunity.  The old adage, failing to plan is planning to fail applies.  Just planning on doing something by assigning it to your to do list will give you a winning advantage.  “The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage.”  (Proverbs 21:5 NAS) 

And asking God to help in the planning process adds even greater benefit.  “Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you.” (Psalm 37:5  NLT)  I have found, like many people, that for some big tasks or projects, just engaging in the planning process itself, can provide added motivation to do it.

2. Sleep on it.  Many tasks we hate to do, and tend to procrastinate, muster every ounce of energy to tackle.  They can drain strength and initiative just thinking about them.  For those tasks even planning the details of doing them can weary us.  But here is a secret I’ve found, and it may seem counter intuitive.  Put off the task by sleeping on it – literally!  Wait until you have had a good night’s sleep or at least until you’ve had a nap. 

It is amazing how much more doable a task can seem when a person awakes refreshed from a restful sleep.  One of the reasons this works, and research confirms this, is that although the body is resting, the mind is not.  The mind is working while we are sleeping – planning, problem solving and preparing us for the task when we awake.  This is especially true when we commit our concerns and fears about the dreaded task to the Lord in prayer.  “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” (1 Peter 5:7  NLT)

This principle of rest preceding work goes all the way back to the creation of Adam and Eve.  Their first day on earth was the Sabbath.  It was not until the next day, after a full rest, did they tackle their work of tending the garden.  Modern society has reversed the Sabbath principle.  We think that we work in order to rest, that the sequence is – work then rest, work then rest.  But God’s plan for productivity and fulfillment in life is the rhythm of rest then work, rest then work.  Jesus said it best.  “The Sabbath (rest) was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”  (Mark 2:27)

P.S.  Watching TV or indulging in some other procrastination art form does not qualify as rest.  Only sleep does.

3. Start it. Give it a minimum of just 10 minutes of your time.  This is one of the most amazing tips and tricks that I have discovered to overcoming procrastination.  It is called the “10 Minute Rule” in some time management circles.  First off, anyone can give something 10 minutes.  We waste that amount of time numerous times in every day.  Ten minutes is a very low and very doable commitment.  It just takes overcoming the inertia to get a small start.  Anyone can do it.  But here is the genius of this.  Very few people, once they get started will want to stop after 10 minutes.  I have accomplished more big projects this way.  The 10 minutes so whets my appetite that I get hooked, booked and cooked by the project and end up being reluctant to stop.  It is a wondrous principle. 

There is a twist on the familiar Bible verse “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.”  (Ecclesiastes 9:10 NIV)  We usually take this verse as a command.  In other words, if you are going to do something, do it with all your gusto and do it well.  But I have discovered with this “Start it! 10 Minute Rule,” that this verse is really a promise.  The promise is that whatever your hand starts and is willing to give a minimum of 10 minutes to, you will end up so immersed in the project that you will naturally respond by doing it with all your might.

Here is one final thought, and it combines all three principles into a workable understanding of how so many people in the Bible overcame procrastination to do great things for God.  The phrases “early in the morning” or “early the next day” are used numerous times to describe how individuals went about tackling daunting tasks in obedience to God.  Every one of them, from Abraham, Moses, Joshua and David to Jesus and His disciples, all did three things. They planned to do what God was telling them by putting it at the top of their “to do” list.  They gathered strength and resolve by first sleeping on it.  Then the first 10 minutes early the next morning, they started to do it.  The rest is history.

If you have been procrastinating on a necessary, but daunting task, give these principles a try.  1) Plan it. 2) Sleep on it. 3) Start it – with just a minimum of a 10 minute commitment.  Bring God into it with prayer on each step and you will find success.

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From personal experience, observation of other people’s lives and my study of scriptures I have come to this conclusion.  Most defining changes in people lives can be attributed to one or more of three powerful motivations.  Those motivations are love, truth and pain.  They provide the primary tipping points for life change.

Three of the most radical changes in my life can each be attributed to one of these three motivations.  Giving up a carefree single life to pursue the heart of my now wife of forty years was motivated by love – a love that began with a first sight meeting at the top of a stairs.  Surrendering my life and future to the Lordship of Jesus Christ was motivated by truth that I discovered in studying the Bible –  revealing that He was indeed the Son of God.  And moving on to a new career would never have happened if I had not been so engulfed in the pain and frustration of a dead end job.  Nothing motivates like being sick and tired of being sick and tired.

One of the great benefits of being a pastor is that over the years I have had the privilege of seeing God radically change the lives of many people.  The before and after snapshots are stunning, particularly of those whose former selves were marked by addictions and destructive behavior.  Interestingly enough, each person’s testimony almost always can be traced to an initial motivation to change and embrace Christ because of an encounter with God’s unfailing love, an undeniable truth or an unrelenting pain.

To test this theory, think about your own life and the significant changes you have made for the better.  What brought you to a tipping point of change?  What motivated you to take radical steps to give up the old in order to embrace the new?

The Gospels provide us many examples of how God uses love, truth and pain to motivate people to make major changes in their lives.  Those who made a radical commitment to follow Jesus invariably did so because of a tipping point encounter with His love, His truth or His offer of freedom from their pain.  Here are examples of how each motivation works.

1. Unfailing Love - A great example of the power of Christ unfailing love is the woman with the alabaster jar.  She crashed a dinner party to wash the Savior’s feet with her tears and anoint them with her expensive perfume.  Jesus was so taken with her devotion that he cites her love for Him as an exemplary motivation for such abandon.  ”For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.”  (Luke 7:47)

2. Undeniable Truth – Many of the early adapters to follow Jesus did so because they were truth seekers who had a revelation of who He really was.  That was the case for the first three disciples to follow Jesus.  They were John, Andrew and Simon Peter.  John and Andrew in their quest for the Messiah were initially followers of John the Baptist.  But when he pointed out to them that Jesus was the promised “Lamb of God” that truth so rocked their world that they immediately left John to follow Jesus.  And armed with that truth they in turn went searching for Peter, a fellow seeker of truth, to share their new found revelation declaring “’We have found the Messiah’ that is the Christ.”  (John 1:41) We know the rest of the story how all of them forsook everything, including their boats and nets to follow him.

3. Unrelenting Pain – Jesus himself points out this principle of conversion change in His telling of the story of the prodigal son.  You have probably heard the saying people don’t see the light until they feel the heat.  That was true of the prodigal.  He needed to experience a life of pain wallowing with the pigs before he saw the light. “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!”  (Luke 15:17)  That was the motivation that caused him to repent and return to his father’s house.

Is God stirring your heart to make some changes?  Which of these three motivations are at work in your life?  Are you feeling the tug of something or someone whom you love?  Are you seeing things in a different light?  Is there pain in your life it’s time to find relief from?  If so ask God to increase that motivation to move you to a tipping point of action.

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Two winters ago I was on a jog through our neighborhood after a light dusting of snow.  Just one block from home I slipped on a hidden patch of ice and went sprawling forward onto the sidewalk.  It was a jarring experience and after confirming nothing was broken I picked myself up and gingerly walked the rest of the way home.  That fall caused me to change my winter running habits.  I made a decision then and there to limit my running to indoors on a treadmill unless the footing outside was clearly ice free.

Falls are scary because of the potential harm they can wreck in a person’s life.  As true as that is for physical stumbles, it is often even more impacting with spiritual ones.  For one thing spiritual falls are more common.  And the nature of spiritual falls frequently hinders people from getting back up and running again.

There are many causes for spiritual stumbles.  Sin of course tops the list.  But things like relationship conflicts, worldly distractions, disappointments and a failure to maintain spiritual disciplines all contribute to causing slips and trips spiritually.  Spiritual stumbles lead to discouragement, condemnation and ultimately feeling estranged from God.  All that contributes to a sense of unworthiness which is probably the biggest factor hindering a person from recovering from a stumble.

Overcoming all that can be a challenge.  But there is a secret to getting back up again.  And it has to do with understanding what it means to have our spiritual identity “in Christ.”  Spiritual falls, much more frequently than physical falls, cause us to have spiritual amnesia.  It is as if every time we take a spiritual tumble we hit our head, and as a result forget who we are. 

The established fact is that anyone who puts their faith in Christ Jesus becomes a new creation and a child of the heavenly Father. (2 Corinthian 5:17)  Throughout the New Testament, this new identity is frequently referred to as being “in Christ.” 

The quintessential passage of scripture conveying this foundational truth about our new identity “in Christ” was penned by Paul in writing to the Ephesians.  He actually begins this epistle by addressing his readers as “the faithful in Christ.”  (1:1)  He then goes on in the opening verses to enumerate nine different aspects of what it means to be “in Christ.”  To be in Christ means to be spiritually blessed, chosen, holy and blameless, redeemed, forgiven, destined, hope filled, included and marked by the Holy Spirit. (vs. 3-14)  That in a nutshell is a description of the new identity each Christian has by virtue of their born again experience through faith in Jesus. 

A person’s identity both naturally and spiritually does not change with a fall.  If I had hit my head when I slipped on the ice and broken a bone, become unconscious or even forgotten who I was, I would still be who I am.  I would have the same name, same family, same address, same social security number, same bank account etc.  Falling and forgetting does not alter ones natural identity.  And it is the same for one’s spiritual identity.  Falling spiritually does not alter the facts that in Christ we are blessed, chosen, holy, redeemed, forgiven, destined etc.

The secret and key to getting up after a spiritual fall is affirming and claiming our spiritual identity in Christ.  Since most spiritual falls result in a sense of unworthiness, that unworthiness militates against an acknowledgement of who a person really is in Christ.  One thing that may help is in imagining that when a person is born again they are given an ID card to carry in case of a fall and resultant spiritual amnesia.   On one side of the card is says “New Creation” because “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.”  (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV)  And on the other side of the card it says “No Condemnation” because “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1 NIV).

So the next time you stumble and fall, and find yourself battling feelings of unworthiness and confusion as to your identity in Christ; pull out your card and read both sides.  “New Creation” and “No Condemnation.”  It will help you remember who you are and get you back up running the race.  You’ll be glad you did and have a grateful heart for His forgiveness and the cloud of witnesses from Hebrews 11 cheering you on!

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As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. Exodus 17:11 (NIV)

Some things only happen if someone prays and will not happen if someone does not pray.  That is the intriguing message from this verse.  If that is true, it is the most compelling reason there is for a person to pray – especially for the things we want to happen.  

This startling lesson on prayer took place shortly after the children of Israel left Egypt and began their journey into the wilderness toward the promised land.  They were attacked by a people called the Amalekites, and Moses sent Joshua out with an army of men to fight them.  Moses, along with his brother Aaron and another leader by the name of Hur went up on a nearby hill to watch and pray.

Unlike so many of us, they had the enviable benefit of observing exactly what happened when they prayed and when they didn’t.  It was like God Himself had engineered a lab experiment on prayer.  Having the vantage point of watching from the top of a hill, they were able to see the direct results of their prayers as they surveyed the battle raging in the valley below. 

It did not take long for them to discover that winning the battle was directly dependent upon their prayers.  The problem was they had to figure out a way to enable Moses to keep from dropping his hands in prayer.  So they “took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up–one on one side, one on the other–so that his hands remained steady till sunset.” (vs. 12)  That clearly did the trick and we are told “So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.” (vs. 13)

This lesson on the priority of prayer was so important that God instructed Moses to record the details of the victory on a scroll so that it would never be forgotten. (vs. 14)  And Moses himself was so overwhelmed by the significance of this revelation about prayer that he “built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner.” (vs. 15) “He said, ‘For hands were lifted up to the throne of the Lord.’” (vs. 16)  He did not ever want to forget about the deciding difference prayer makes.

I think we can now surmise from this passage of scripture in Exodus 18 that the message is loud and clear:  some things only happen if someone prays and will not happen if someone does not pray.  However the way God answers prayer, His will and His timing, are so cloaked in mystery that we do not know what things in life specifically fall under this rule.  That is always the x factor when it comes to prayer.  It therefore challenges us to take seriously the admonition to “pray without ceasing” – especially for the things we want to happen.  (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Based on this principle of prayer we can see why it has been said:  we should pray as if everything depends upon God and work as if everything depends upon us.  That is what Israel through Moses and Joshua did and God gave them an amazing victory.  Should the desired victories in yours and my life be won with any less effort?

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For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. Zechariah 4:10 (ESV)

Great things all share one thing in common.  They once were small.  Great countries, cities, companies, families, inventions and accomplishments, yes even the people behind them, all began as small things.  In their smallness they were once vulnerable and dependent upon favorable conditions to sustain them.  They exist today because someone envisioned a preferred future for them beyond their smallness.  Someone in fact actually took such delight in their smallness that they were willing not only to patiently endure their smallness, but to invest their very lives in nurturing that smallness to grow toward greatness.  That is precisely what God has done for us.

Although smallness takes many forms, there is always a redemptive quality about it when viewed as a beginning.  It can be a small bank account, a small talent, a small job, a small home, a small circle of friends or even a small heart of love and compassion. 

Smallness at its irreducible minimum is merely a seed thought or idea.  And as with any good seed that envisions its beholder with the possibility of things to come, it engenders hope. 

God loves smallness.  So should we.  Smallness is not something to be despised or merely to be endured.  It is something in which we are meant to genuinely rejoice. 

It might be said that smallness is next to Godliness.  Mother Theresa underscored this truth when she said “We can do no great things, only small things with great love. . . Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.”  The truth is God’s plan for great things always begins with small things – an act of love, a seed-thought promise, a baby in the bulrushes or a man with a vision holding a plumb line. 

That has been true of my life.  My marriage, five children and eight grandchildren began innocently enough with an angelic visage of a beautiful woman at the top of a stairway.  My calling as a pastor came one night as I thumbed through the Bible and God took the words of Isaiah 42:6 and wrote them upon my heart.  I was on a morning run, eighteen years ago when the seed thought of planting a church literally dropped into my mind and less than six months later  Bridgewood Community Church was born.

A glance, a heart stopping impression and a thought, all such seemingly small and insignificant things, and yet they have altered the course of my life and the lives of many others.

However, I would be remiss if I did not admit that sometimes small things can greatly try our patience.  Weariness and discouragement can have a way of setting in when the days of small things are prolonged and never seem to end.  There have been times in my marriage, my ministry and life at Bridgewood when I have gotten sick and tired of small things – niggly things that irritate me and never seem to change. 

But God encourages us not to give up, draw back or forsake patient endurance.  Through the writer to Hebrews He tells us “We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”  (Hebrews 6:12 NIV)  That encouragement has been my sustaining grace.

The joy of smallness is found in appreciating the simplicity and intrigue of its unfolding.  And the journey through smallness can be one of discovery and delight.  Yes the desired destination beckons, but don’t let that promised place rob you of your joy in the present journey.  Beware of destination disease that seeks to bypass or hurry you through smallness.  It can cause you to miss perhaps the greatest joys and lessons of the journey.  Life has a way compounding soon enough.  Learn to tarry in and enjoy the simplicity of smallness.

I find great joy in my present stage of life and in the fruitfulness of God’s blessings upon my family, my calling and my church.  But as I consider my days of small beginnings so many years ago, I can honestly say that I was no less joyful then.  After all, what could compare to the intrigue and delight in dating one’s beloved?  Or the simple joys of raising small children?  Or what greater discoveries are there to be made than learning God’s ways in applying oneself to studying for the ministry? And oh for the simplicity once again of a small church plant with a single minded focus of reaching unreached people for Christ. There can indeed be great joy in smallness.

When Zechariah prophesied the words quoted at the beginning of this article he was speaking to Israelites who had returned from captivity in Babylon.  Most of them had never seen the splendor of Solomon’s temple that had been destroyed seventy years earlier.  God was promising them through the prophet Zechariah that a new temple was going to arise on that very site.  As one can imagine building a temple from the rubble, especially approximating Solomon’s, would be a monumental task.  But God called them to faith and invited them to rejoice in small beginnings. 

The beauty of smallness is the humility in which it is often clothed.  Probably the greatest blessing of smallness is the humility of heart that is required to embrace it.  Humility has been defined as appropriate smallness.  It is recognition that someone has much yet to learn and needs to continue to grow and mature.  Humility at its core acknowledges a dependence upon God.  Thus smallness of circumstances when coupled with humility of attitude is a prescription for God to do marvelous things.  He promises grace to the humble and exaltation in due time. (James 4:6 & 10) 

Accepting small beginnings with a dependent humility releases the power of God.  It is not without significance that the oft quoted Old Testament verse about the release of the Holy Spirit’s power is associated with the same passage which speaks of the joy of small things.  Just four verses earlier we read “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.”  (Zechariah 4:6 NIV)  

The good news is that the temple was rebuilt just as God promised and Zerubbabel who started it saw it through to the finish. (Zechariah 4:9)  Take courage, the small things in your life are worth rejoicing in and you will one day see their fulfillment by the power of the Holy Spirit as well!

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The repetitive nature of the daily news is an indication of how old a person is getting and hopefully an impetus to garner some wisdom from it all.  Recently I realized I’ve been ingesting a regurgitation of the same sound bites for over 50 years.   How could it be that I’ve spent my entire life monitoring global hotspots in Africa and the Middle East, sword rattling over oil supplies and nuclear weapons, uncertain market forecasts, political campaign mudslinging, dastardly mind-boggling crimes and the latest woes of local sports teams? 

I couldn’t help but think of the writer of Ecclesiastes, who looking back over his long life threw his hands up in frustration and said “Meaningless, meaningless . . . Utterly meaningless!  Everything is meaningless.” (1:2)  Then he asks the question of the ages:  “What does a man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?” (1:3)  This question essentially frames the answers he paints on the canvas of the rest of the book

I’ve taken some of those brush strokes of wisdom from Ecclesiastes to embellish a sampling of what I’ve learned from my many years of making meaning of the repetitious nature of life.

I am calling them twelve things I have lived long enough to know.   I’ve lived long enough to know . . .

1. Increasing the number of channels will never solve the problem of why there isn’t anything worth watching on TV.  All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. (1:8)*

2. Living through a Southeast Asian war, a cold war and several Gulf wars has convinced me there will always be oppressors and attempts to dethrone them.  History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. (1:9 NLT)  Jesus: You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. (Matthew 24:6)

3. Doing what you love to do is the most rewarding employment there is. So I saw that there is nothing better for people than to be happy in their work. That is why we are here. (3:22 NLT)

4. Carving out times of solitude to be alone with God is absolutely essential for mental health and survival. One handful of peace and quiet is better than two handfuls of hard work and of trying to catch the wind. (4:6 Gods Word Translation)

5. What you promise in a time of peace is sure to be demanded of you in a time of war.  So be careful what you promise.  It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.  Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the [temple] messenger, “My vow was a mistake.”  (5:5-6)  No one is discharged in time of war. (8:8)

6. It is a better use of time to focus on the present and shape the future than reminisce about the past. The olden days were not necessarily the golden days.  Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is not wise to ask such questions. (7:10)

7. Everyone has their faults and has said or done things they regret, and so have I.  It makes no sense therefore to become a judge. There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins. Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you for you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others.  (7:20-22)

8. Ignoring a problem by not addressing it or not nipping it in the bud will only allow it to spread and become worse. Deal with it now.  When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, the hearts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong.  (8:11)

9. It is not worth putting too much emotional energy and hope in Minnesota sports teams or any athletic quest for that matter.  “The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong . . . but time and chance happen to them all.”  (9:11)

10. Bad deeds are more memorable than good and sadly a lifetime of achievement can be destroyed by one foolish act.  So guard your heart and walk circumspectly.  As dead flies cause even a bottle of perfume to stink, so a little foolishness spoils great wisdom and honor.  (10:1 NLT)

11. Idleness is the devil’s workshop and it is how you begin and end your day that will most likely determine your destiny.  Sow your seed in the morning and at evening let not your hands be idle.  (11:6)

12. Our ultimate purpose in life is to have a vital relationship with God and seek to live in His presence daily.  Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. (12:13)

*All quotes are from Ecclesiastes, the New International Version, unless otherwise noted.

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“Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.”  Hosea 2:14-15 (NIV)

When you stop and think about it, this is one of God’s most unusual promises.  It is not a promise most people have high-lighted in their Bibles and are claiming as their own. It was written by the prophet Hosea to the wayward northern kingdom of Israel during the period of time when it fell to the Assyrians. (722-721 BC)  It reveals however a very important strategy that God uses to effect positive change in our lives.

The Valley of Achor to which Hosea is referring is not a place anyone would want to be.  First off it was a hot, dry, dusty desert location.  And secondly the Valley of Achor literally means the valley of “trouble.”  It was the infamous place where the Israelites, led by Joshua, stoned Achan and his family for stealing the devoted things from the battle of Jericho.  In Israeli history the Valley of Achor was a place of shame.

And yet in the wisdom and purposes of God there is really no better setting for God to extend His redemptive grace and change the heart of stubborn Israel.  In God’s economy a desert location becomes the perfect spot for whispers of love and a valley of trouble turns into the timely circumstance to offer hope.

Troubling times can have a positive redemptive effect on us if we respond appropriately.  Troubles have a way of getting our attention and accelerating change like few other things in our lives.  And more importantly, they should draw us closer to God as we seek His consolation and guidance.

From a divine perspective a valley of trouble, as it was for Israel, just might be one of the best things that could happen to us.  It forces us like nothing else to reprioritize are lives with regard to things, people and God.

So from God’s perspective here are five blessings of trouble.

1. We listen better.  Troubling circumstances not only get our attention, but they also help us pay attention.  Crises of any kind create teachable moments that force us to learn valuable lessons.  For instance, there is nothing like a health crisis to give someone a crash course in diet and exercise.

2. We change quicker.  When trouble strikes we are often much more open to changing the way we do things, especially if it is necessary for our survival.  Stubborn habit patterns, ways of thinking and doing things all go out the window pretty quickly when escaping difficult circumstances require it.

3. We love deeper.  Difficult times bring into focus how much we appreciate the important people in our lives.  The value of close friendships and family soars and we find ourselves reordering our priorities to make loving relationships preeminent.

4. We help faster.  Whenever a natural disaster strikes neighbors rally immediately to support and help one another.  There is nothing like trouble to bring people together.  Suffering increases empathy and sensitizes everyone to wanting to meet the needs of others.

5. We pray harder.  Nothing drives people to prayer and repentance and God like trouble.  In the grand scheme of things that is the most important and redemptive thing that the valley of trouble should do; motivate us to take God seriously.  If only we could carry that same intensity with us when we get out of the valley.

The best news of all about being in a valley of trouble – God is there.  He is there to speak tenderly and to offer hope.  And He is there to provide consolation and guidance.

All five of these blessings of trouble are meant to be extended into non-troubled times.  The lessons learned and changes enacted in our lives should at a minimum be proportionate to the depth of the troubles we have had to face.  Let us pray that may be the case.  God’s promise to Israel in the next line of Hosea’s prophecy is also a promise to us.  It says this “There she will sing as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt.” (15b)

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Do to others as you would have them do to you.  Jesus (Luke 6:31) 

Yesterday my daughter dropped her wallet in a Target parking lot at midday while trying to load her purchases and two little girls into her car.  By the time she had returned home, realized it was missing, retraced her steps, talked to Target security, had them verify from their cameras she placed it in her coat pocket at check out, and finally called her credit card company, whoever found the wallet already had two charges on her card, including pumping $75 worth of gasoline into the behemoth they had to be driving.

People who have no sensitivity to the Golden Rule, i.e. can’t put themselves in the shoes of someone who loses a wallet and have the common courtesy to seek to find its rightful owner, really baffle me.  Now I’ll admit my initial reaction to hearing about this person without a conscience really made me mad.  Ironically it triggered something in me that caused me to violate a golden teaching of Jesus myself by cursing that person rather than blessing them.  (Matthew 5:44) It is true that the anger of man seldom produces the righteousness of God and it always amazes me how quickly one can become a Pharisee. (James 1:20)

I am genuinely puzzled however as to what kind of person would have such a disregard for the Golden Rule.  Most commonly defined as “doing to others as you would have them do to you” and epitomized by Jesus’ command to “love your neighbor as yourself” the so called Golden Rule is not just unique to Judeo-Christian teaching.  It is a bedrock ethic of human relationship that is found in every other world religion including Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and Zoroastrianism.

Who is this person and where could they possibly be from?  Sadly they must not have had a mamma who instilled some moral values in them and taught them right from wrong?  And if they did, it’s even sadder to think they are breaking their mamma’s heart right now.  I don’t think they could have grown up in a small town.  For the most part honesty and neighborly values permeate rural communities.   Lyrics from the country song “Where I Come From” tout those enviable benefits of growing up in a little town. “See that door right there, man, I swear that it ain’t never been locked and I guarantee that it never will.”

So, that means our thief, somehow devoid of a religious conscience or moral rectitude, likely grew up in a dog-eat-dog neighborhood of a large city.  It’s possible.  Maybe they have been ripped off so many times themselves that they feel the world owes them a living.  Perhaps, to complicate matters, they have fallen on hard times.  Is all of that reason enough however to victimize a complete stranger?  It is puzzling.

Another scenario could be that they are living under the curse of some self inflicted addiction.  Maybe their midday stupor or desperation for another fix convinced them the wallet was a fortuitous gift enabling them move on to their next appointment with the Devil.  Who knows?

One would think that at a minimum, at least the Silver Rule would apply – “One should not treat others in ways that one would not like to be treated.”  I’ve heard even irreligious people talk with some reverence about good karma and bad karma or make reference to the old saying “what goes around comes around.”  But I guess, bottom line, when someone is without a conscious or driven by desperation, all reason goes out the window.

Maybe our thief is a teenager, captivated by the foolishness of youth, when rational thought is at a premium, and on a lark they just decided to set out on a spending spree.  Could be, now that seems possible although what teenager would be caught driving something that is so big it takes $75 to fill the gas tank?

Ultimately I’ve realized that my ruminations of who this person is or where they come from are exercises in futility unless I adhere to the Golden Rule myself.  One of the biggest tests in applying the Golden Rule is when it must be directed toward those who break it. 

The test of the Golden Rule is in how a person chooses to apply it.  The rule was given as a measure of one’s own life rather than to measure the life of another.  Whenever we point the finger at Golden Rule breakers there are three fingers pointing back at us.  And that means we must seek to treat them the way we would like to be treated if we were them.

Truth be told, no one, including myself is guiltless of unkind and mean spirited actions at one time or another.  In those situations I would want prayer for a revelation of God’s love that would lead me to repentance.  I would want mercy extended to me in my brokenness.  And I would want God to change my heart and offer me His hope for a better life.  I would want to discover God’s blessings and be delivered from every curse.

Watch out, Golden Rule breakers in your life just might be a test to stretch you in applying the Golden Rule to yourself!

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