Too Close to the Edge

There was a young boy who had trouble falling out of bed.  Every night his father would hear the clunk of him hitting the floor and run into his room to make sure he was alright.  On one particular evening there was no noise; instead the son came running into the bedroom of his father and said, “Daddy, I figured it out, I know why I keep falling out of bed.”  The father replied, “Great son, please tell me why you keep falling” to which the son said, “I am staying too close to where I got in.”

Staying too close to the edge will do that.  The apostle Peter instructs us in his second epistle to “add to your faith…”  The journey for the believer does not end after salvation; it is just the beginning.  The Lord wants His children to grow in grace, to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.

The reason why so many Christians have trouble “falling” is because of their unwillingness to go further in their relationship with Christ.  The Lord is not only to be the Savior of our soul; He is to be the Lord of our life.  This means we grow closer in our relationship with Him on a daily basis.  The further we get from the edge, the more secure we will be in our relationship with Him.  The closer we get to Him, the better chance we have of getting a good night’s rest.

 

Learning to Let Go

There was a little boy who got his hand stuck in the family vase.  His mother knew the heirloom was extremely valuable so she didn’t want to harm the vase but she saw her young child getting impatient.  She tried everything from pulling and tugging to squirting hand soap down the priceless heirloom; but nothing worked.  When her husband got home and evaluated the situation he knew what he had to do: he took a small mallet and slightly tapped on the expensive container.

Immediately the vase cracked from top to bottom and fell into pieces on the ground.  It was then they noticed their son’s clenched fist.  Surprisingly the parents asked, “Have you been clenching your fist the entire time?”  Seeing his parents upset he opened his fist and said, “Yes, I didn’t want to let go of my quarter.”  The valuable heirloom was destroyed for a grand total of 25 cents.

What are you holding onto?  Sins of the past?  Doubts of the future? Uncontrollable worry? Regret? Fear? Sorrow?  When we fail to let go of these things we stand the chance of ruining and destroying something much more valuable.  Much like this boy, many people cannot find freedom from their circumstance because they refuse to release the little things in life.  Don’t lose the family heirloom over a quarter- open your hand and give whatever it is to God.  Learn to let go and be set free.

“When I let go of what I am, it is then I become what I might be”- Unknown

Institutionalized

They say that prisoners, if given enough time, can actually become accustomed to their environment and lose their desire for freedom.  It is called being institutionalized.  This is when a criminal prefers to remain in prison because he has become used to his bondage.

In the initial days of his imprisonment a convict would do anything to escape the cold slab of his fate and the iron bars of his despair; however, over time he is conditioned to the atmosphere of oppression and will find solace in his confinement.

There are some believers who live the same way.  They actually prefer bondage over freedom, addiction over recovery, and sin over forgiveness.  They become deceived in their thinking by developing an identity in their indifference.  They buy into the lies of Satan and believe it is better for them to remain in their hopeless situation instead of choosing the freedom set before them- they become spiritually institutionalized.

Jesus said that He came to set the captives free.  You do not have to live in the bonds of sin; you do not have to engage in wicked activity or lustful behavior.  Jesus died so that you can have life more abundantly.  Become unfettered from Satan’s hold and experience the freedom in Christ Jesus.

“It is when people forget God that tyrants force their chains”- Patrick Henry

 

Check Your Baggage

When it comes to flying there is only one thing I enjoy.  It certainly is not the flight.  I always get an unnerving feeling every time the plane takes off and lands.  It surely is not the overcrowded airports.  It never ceases to amaze me how thousands of people can centrally meet and be dispersed to hundreds of locations around the world.  And it absolutely is not the parking.  There is nothing I like about paying astronomical fees and walking a mile away with three suitcases.

What I do enjoy about flying is checking the bags.  After loading the suitcases from home, hauling them miles in a car, and then dragging them through parking lots, gates, and tunnels, there is a sense of liberation when you finally unload the weight at the counter.  Once the bags are checked you are destined to take flight.  You are ready to go higher and forward.

The same is true in our daily walk.  We accumulate all types of weights and burdens.  We walk around with anger, grief, bitterness, and sorrow; not realizing that we will never be able to go higher unless we unload.

There is a sense of relief in knowing that Jesus is the load-bearer and the weight-sharer.  We can check our bags at His counter.  And if we fail to do so, there is a possibility that we will miss our flight.

“Any concern to small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be turned into a burden” -Corrien Ten Boom

Simplify to Maximize

Legendary coach Vince Lombardi was at a football convention one year where the theme was strategy development in winning games.  One by one various coaches addressed the crowd giving away policies and principles they used throughout their careers.

Lombardi, having heard all the various schemes and strategies stood up and said, “Listen guys, this is football, and there are only two basic strategies anyone needs to know- when we have the ball, we aim to knock the other team down.  When the other team has the ball- we aim to knock everybody down!  And that’s it.”

Lombardi’s success in large part was due to his ability to simplify things.  He won five league championships and two Super Bowl Championships with this simple but straightforward mentality.

Life can be busy and complicated, and those who succeed will be those who learn how to simplify things.  Is your life too complicated?  Do you have multiple projects going in multiple directions?  Do you feel as though you are doing more than ever without getting anything accomplished?  There comes a time when we have to “simplify to maximize.”  Success comes not by doing everything, but by doing certain things the right way.

“Genius is the ability to reduce the complicated to the simple” -C.W. Ceran

 

Don’t Cry Over Spilled Paint

During my early twenties I worked as a house-painter for my grandfather.  I will never forget the first time I turned over a gallon- bucket of high gloss paint.  The entire area where I was working became flooded with enamel.  The paint that was supposed to be on the wall was now covering the floor; and on top of that I had to deal with what my grandfather was going to say.  My grandfather wasn’t a hard man, but business was business, and the spilled bucket of paint slowed everything down.

I will never forget what he told me when he saw the mess.  He said, “Son, what makes a painter a professional is not his ability to stay clean, but his willingness to clean up the mess.”  In his grandfatherly way, he explained that the nature of the paint business was messy.  He told me about the first time he too turned over a can of paint and then said something I will never forget, “You can’t avoid spills; you just have to be responsible to clean them up.”

Life is somewhat like painting houses.  It is tedious and time-consuming work; and you’ll want to keep a rag on you because it is going to get messy.  You and I will not be able to avoid the “spills” of life.  But the difference in someone who fails and someone who succeeds is their willingness to clean up the mess.  If you have made a mess of things- don’t feel alone, we all have turned over the bucket; just be willing to start cleaning it up.

“We are all failures- at least, the best of us are” -J.M. Barrie

How to Help Someone in a Hole

There was a preacher who walked by a hole one day and heard a man crying for help.  The man cried, “I have fallen into this hole and cannot get myself out.”  The preacher assured the man that he would indeed pray for him; and then walked away.

Not long after, a police-officer walked by the same hole and heard the same man crying.  The police officer told him it was unlawful for him to be in the hole.  He wrote him a ticket and threw it down the hole and walked away.

Then a politician walked by the hole.  He asked the man if he was registered to vote.  The man said, “No, I have been down here in the hole.”  The politician told the man where he stood on the issues of the day and walked away.

Finally a close friend walked by and heard the man crying.  When he saw it was his friend down in the hole he immediately jumped in the hole with him.  The man in the hole said, “Are you crazy, now we are both down here in this hole?”  The friend replied, “No worries! I have been in this hole before, and I know the way out.”

Sometimes God allows us to go through adversity to simply help others.  Had we not been through particular problems in life we would not be equipped to assist others when they go through the very same problems.  God will never waste a trial; He wants to use your struggles as a source of strength and encouragment to those around you.  Don’t look at your trouble as an obstacle to be refused but rather as an opportunity to be reused by helping someone who will one day be in the same hole.

“There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up”– John Andres Holmes

Keep the Windows Clean

There was an older couple who watched their neighbor every morning through their window.  As the younger neighbor hung her clothes out to dry on the line the elderly woman noticed how dirty the clothes looked and commented to her husband about the filthy garments.  The next morning the same thing happened.  As they sat at their kitchen table, they ate breakfast and talked negatively about the dirty clothes of the neighbor.  This went on for several weeks.

One morning however, they woke up and looked out the window; much to the elderly woman’s surprise she said, “Honey, look there! Her laundry looks so much better.  Someone must have taught that poor lady how to clean those clothes properly.”  Her husband replied, “No Dear, I just got up earlier today and washed our windows!”

It is much easier to see the dirty laundry of other people when we fail to notice the dirty windows of our own lives.  It is a very dangerous thing to be judgmental.  Jesus said, “Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye” (Matthew 7:3).  I have learned in my own life- when I spend more time trying to fix myself, I spend less time trying to fix others.  Keep the windows clean, and you’ll not see the dirty laundry!

“Criticism is an indirect form of self-boasting”

The Value of Solitude

Many times in the life and ministry of Christ He is found in solitude with His Father.  Jesus was not a hermit or an isolationist; on the contrary, He was always surrounded by vast multitudes of people with great needs.  But He did know the value of spending time alone with God.

In the busyness of life we oftentimes fail to get alone with our Father.  We become inundated with appointments, schedules, obligations, and responsibilites.  We surround ourselves with people, entertainment, and technology.  In the attempt to connect with everything around us, oftentimes we become disconnected with God.

There is great value in solitude for when we get alone with God we dismiss all the cumbersome noise that so often distracts us from hearing His voice.  Time with God allows us to pray and commune with the Lord on a more personal level.  Time with God affords meditation upon His Word.  Time with God allots worship, praise, and adoration.  Time alone with God will cause you to refocus and reconnect with what is important in life.  There are only twenty-four hours in a day, so you cannot “make” time with the Lord.  No, to spend time with God you will have to “take” it.

The time you spend with Him is the most valuable time of the day.  Cut off the distractions somewhere in the day and spend some time with your Heavenly Father.

“Our religious activities should be should be ordered in such a way as to have plenty of time for the cultivation of the fruits of solitude” – A.W.Tozer

Jesus and Vertigo

For years my wife has dealt with vertigo.  There are times when she cannot walk or drive without experiencing major complications.  Although I have been sympathetic with her condition I was not able to fully comprehend the effects- I always thought it was a little exaggerated to be honest.  But over the weekend I began experiencing some dizziness and disorientation as well.  Having gone to the optometrist I not only discovered that I now need glasses, but I also found out that what I have been dealing with since Thursday is none other than (you guessed it) vertigo…and it is awful!

I have a completely different sympathy for my wife now; and looking back over the past few years I admit that I was a little insensitive to her condition.  Isn’t it amazing how we become more compassionate through experience?  It is only when we can identify with the problem that we actually become sympathetic toward the problem.

This is why Jesus Christ is such a Great High Priest!  He is sympathetic and merciful toward us because He knows our sorrow and grief.  He has experienced our pain, our suffering, our humanity.  He knows and has undergone the human experience.  He encountered the loss of loved ones.  He passed through the storms of life.  He dealt with betrayal and denial.  Yes, Jesus knows exactly what you are going through because He has already gone through it.  And because He has gone through it He knows how to bring comfort and relief.  Consider the words of Hebrews 4:15-16, “For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace in a time of need.”

There is great consolation in the fact that Jesus “knows all about it.”  He is sympathetic toward you and I and wants to give grace in a time of need.  Yes, Jesus understands it all- even vertigo.

“At every crisis in life it is absolute salvation to have a sympathetic friend to whom you can think aloud without misgiving” – Woodrow Wilson