Radical Trust

“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O King that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Daniel 3:17-18

Radical trust in God means you trust Him even when it seems He may not come through. You are not pregnant, but you still trust God. You do not have a job, but you still trust God. You have been betrayed, but you still trust God. You are sick, but you still trust God. You are lonely, but you still trust God. You are afraid, but you still trust God. 

Your wise decision-making is based on God’s trustworthiness. You know He is able, but it may not be His timing. So, do not compromise your convictions, but trust in Him. It may not seem fair or right, but God has a bigger picture in mind. Do not be held captive by your finite knowledge and understanding of your circumstances. You can still trust the One with infinite wisdom and understanding. You are not alone in your current fire of difficulty or adversity. 

The Lord is with you. Your faith has been bolstered and is not extinguished because you know God is walking with you. Your faith is fire proofed by the Holy Spirit. The flames of hell are no match for fire from heaven. Your Savior defeats Satan in every encounter. But even when you are denied acceptance and physical comfort you can still trust God.

Trust in God is not just for the good times, though a radical trust may be required even during prosperous times. But radical trust is greatly needed when things heat up and you lose something precious or you are refused something you may deserve. This is the time to ratchet up your radical trust. It is for times like this that God has molded your faith.

What if God has not come through? Radical trust means you stay focused on His past faithfulness. The mundane in our everyday life is a link in the chain between life’s transitions. Today’s link is important to tomorrow’s transition. We should hope for the transition to come, but trust God with today because we cannot handle more than today’s troubles or triumphs. Therefore, do not worry about matters out in the future that you have no control over.

You must trust God with today without worrying about the uncertainty of tomorrow. This is radical trust in Christ. If you obsess over fear of the future you most certainly will define the ambiguity with negative consequences. Then, unwittingly, you create a self-fulfilling prophecy and worry yourself  sick and maybe others too. Or, you become of no use for today because you are too worried about tomorrow. You get stuck in the inertia of distrust.

But, the Lord can be trusted. Meditate on His faithfulness instead of what might happen. Unleash the radical trust that resides within you. When you were younger radical faith marked you as a follower of Christ. Reignite that passion for Jesus. Lay aside the sins of disbelief and worry. The cross of Christ and his resurrection are radical. Trust God even if He has not or does not come through as planned. He is still trustworthy, so be radical in your trust!

Do I radically trust the Lord with past events and decisions? How trustworthy is He for tomorrow?

With acknowledgement: Boyd Bailey’s “Wisdom Hunters” daily devotionals

A Code to Live by.....

FESTIVE FRENZY!

It’s hard to believe that yet another Christmas is upon us! We are bombarded by the “surround sound” frenzy of consumerism…lemming-like dazed hordes at crowded malls…canned, tacky “Christmas music” and sweaty Santa impersonations…in your face temptations to buy, buy and buy some more on credit…stressing and arguing over Christmas arrangements…dreading the new year reality check of over-eating, over-drinking and over-spending. Yes, it’s hard to believe how we have been suckered into the whirl-wind activity of one single day! And yet for most of us, we keep getting back onto the same treadmill year in and year out!

So, what’s it all about?

I find myself asking this question every year. There is the temptation to run away from all the activity, busyness and “obligations” into one of our magnificent wild places, just to enjoy sitting around a crackling fire at night with the sounds of the bush as company…to have time out…to escape the annual expectations and to share in the therapeutic solitude of creation with those I love, value and appreciate. A time to reflect, connect and to meditate on that momentous event in that filthy stable so long ago.

What does Christmas mean to us? More personally, what is our response to the Christ-child and God’s gift of salvation through the sacrifice of His son Jesus? Surely this is the true message of Christmas? I believe that as we enjoy the warm intimacy of giving and receiving on Christmas day, if that is your custom, so too does God long for our reciprocal response to His gift of His precious Son. The awesome, eternal “exchange” of one life for another – Jesus life for our own lives!

Christmas is truly a time of giving. It is also a very necessary time for taking stock and reflecting on the true value of things and people in our lives. Let us all make concerted efforts [not meaningless, short-lived resolutions] to change our priorities, attitudes, words and actions…before it’s too late!

What a difference a sad event in someone's life makes. Isn't it amazing that George Carlin - comedian of the 70's and 80's - could write something so very eloquent...and so very appropriate after the death of his wife.
 “ The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom.   

A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”

MAY YOU ENJOY A BLESSED, PEACEFUL, LOVING AND MEANINGFUL CHRISTMAS!



FESTIVE SEASON REALITY CHECK!

A Breadwinner’s Tragic Tale

The Costly Lie of Financing a Lifestyle with Debt

These are tough economic times. We all feel the pressure and we all know friends and family members who are struggling immensely with job loss and financial crisis.  Many of these epic struggles are plainly seen.  But I am more and more convinced that behind the façade of financial stability and a solid standard of living that we may observe, many more people are living lives of silent and hidden desperation.

I came across this article a decade ago, but I’ve carried it with me for all these years to remind myself how easily it can be as a husband and father to create a lie, a false legend over my own family. Sure, I might rationalize it as my responsibility to provide for my family, but in the end, a lie will always be exposed.  And if the lie is a major infrastructure support beam of a family, then the tragedy that ensues can be unimaginable.

David Whitford wrote this first hand account for FORTUNE magazine, entitled, “A Breadwinner’s Tale.” His dad died at home on Father’s Day at the age of 84.  Throughout his life his dad had been what Whitford called a “world class provider.”  He himself lived modestly, drove his cars for years and years. His focus, his sense of responsibility was to provide for his family. He managed to put five kids through college and four through graduate school.  They had “the big stone house with the tennis court, the European vacations, the club memberships…”   As Whitford confesses,

“Dad’s money was almost like tap water to me: never to be wasted but always available.”

And as Whitford’s mom thought,

“We’ve even reached the point where I can buy whatever I want, whatever I need, without even thinking about it.”

In the last year of his life, the lie began to unravel.  The children began to sense that something was seriously wrong.  But how do you confront your own father?  When they did, the results were predictably terrible – full of anger and tension.  However, in the end, he relented and they came to discover that he had been hiding an immense six-figure debt load, mostly on credit cards, that he had been carrying for years.  And now near the end of his life, he could no longer keep this house of cards together.

As Whitford painfully gets his dad’s estate in order after the funeral, he shares,

“This past fall I spent hours at my father’s desk, in his chair, going through his papers – his bank and brokerage statements, his correspondence, his journal.  While I dreaded what I might find, part of me was hoping for a clear-cut explanation, no matter how shocking or painful.  A mistress, maybe.  A gambling habit.  A fatal weakness for penny stocks.  Well, I found nothing sordid.  The only skeleton in my father’s closet was his astonishing debt.”

Whitford delves further into his own search to find out why his dad did this. Simultaneously angry and sympathetic, he writes,

“It’s clear to me now that our family’s standard of living, going back years, was partly a lie.  Dad made it look easy, but beneath the surface he was paddling like a maniac to keep his head above water.”

But the toll of keeping up the lie was worse than that.

“He had a Formica desktop in his office and he used to write all over it.  In pencil, mostly, in that shaky cramped hand of his.  Phone numbers, passwords, odd dollar amounts.  And this, which I found two days after he died: ‘Help me. I’m drowning.’”

Poignantly Whitford writes,

“Dad, we had no idea.  I wish you’d told us.”

As I’ve reflected on this article over the years, I’ve determined that as seriously as I take my responsibility to take care of my family, that I cannot build it on a lie.  Easy credit and debt do not have the structural integrity upon which to build a household.  It may provide the appearance of wealth, but that is all that it is … appearance, not substance.

Second, Whitford’s dad did not include his wife as a partner in the financial responsibilities of the household.  This is an error to avoid at all costs.  The accountability and the shared counsel can save you from a multitude of temptations and mistakes.

Third, there is nothing wrong with living within your means.  It’s a lesson that must be taught to children.  It is a good and responsible thing to teach your family to be content, to learn to save, to learn to earn.

Fourth, don’t live a lie to your family.  Authenticity and integrity are a better heritage to pass on than money.

Fifth, don’t believe the lie that if you don’t provide magnificently for your family that they will not respect or love you.

And lastly, here’s a troubling conclusion.  Whitford phoned Jacob Needleman, a philosophy professor at San Francisco State University, and the author of Money and the Meaning of Life.   After listening to Whitford’s story, Needleman, after a moment of silence, gently observed, “If I could say so, I think if you took anybody in this world, anybody who reads FORTUNE, and you scratched a little bit under the surface, in eight out of ten you’ll find something as startling and troubling and self-contradictory as your father’s story.”

With acknowledgement: Dan Wooldridge

THIS TWISTED WORLD!

Since the “Pledge of Allegiance” and “The Lord's Prayer” are not allowed in most public schools in the USA anymore because the word 'God' is mentioned.....a 15 year old student in Arizona, apparently wrote the following:

NEW School Prayer
Now I sit me down in school
Where praying is against the rule
For this great nation under God
Finds mention of Him very odd.

If scripture now the class recites,
It violates the Bill of Rights.
And anytime my head I bow
Becomes a Federal matter now.

Our hair can be purple, orange or green,
That's no offense; it's a freedom scene..
The law is specific, the law is precise.
Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.

For praying in a public hall
Might offend someone with no faith at all..
In silence alone we must meditate,
God's name is prohibited by the state.

We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,
And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks...
They've outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible.
To quote the Good Book makes me liable.
We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,
And the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King.
It's 'inappropriate' to teach right from wrong,
We're taught that such 'judgments' do not belong..

We can get our condoms and birth controls,
Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles..
But the Ten Commandments are not allowed,
No word of God must reach this crowd.

It's scary here I must confess,
When chaos reigns the school's a mess.
So, Lord, this silent plea I make:
Should I be shot; My soul please take!
Amen

CHRISTMAS