Worry Is Like a Rat

Do you worry? One thing I’ve discovered about worrying, it doesn’t help the situation, and sometimes it makes it worse. One thing for sure, it’s a bad habit. A very bad habit.

You may have heard the story about the pilot and the rat. It’s been around a while and although no one seems to know who wrote it, it’s a great illustration that shows us how to deal with worry. It goes like this:

Years ago, in the pioneer days of aviation, a pilot took off from an airfield. After he was in the air about two hours, he heard a gnawing sound. He realized that a rat must have gotten inside while his plane was on the ground. The gnawing continued. It was a very serious situation, and he was worried.

At first he didn’t know what to do. It was either return to the airfield he had left two hours before, or continue on to the next airfield which was over two hours ahead.

Then he remembered, “The rat is a rodent and it’s not made for heights – it’s made to live on the ground and underground.” So the pilot began to climb. He went up a thousand feet, then another thousand, until he was more than twenty thousand feet above the earth.

The gnawing ceased. The rat was dead. It couldn’t survive the heights.

Worry is like a rat. It gnaws at us and can eventually cause serious damage, physically, mentally, and spiritually. But worry can’t stand the heights our prayers go when we take our worries to the Lord. Worry can’t stand the atmosphere when we praise Him, when we thank Him, when we mediate upon His Word and quote His promises.

In God’s presence, the gnawing ceases. Worry is dead. It can’t survive His lofty presence.

Leaving a Legacy, Part 1

There are two things for certain in life; we all will die one day, and we can’t take anything with us when we do. For those of us who don’t have much material wealth to leave to our loved ones, what kind of legacy can we leave to those who come along behind us?

I’ve been reading in 2 Timothy 1:5 about the legacy of faith that was left to Timothy. The Apostle Paul is writing the letter and he says; “I have been reminded of your sincere faith (Timothy), which first lived in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded, now lives in you.”

Sincere faith is a wonderful legacy to pass on. I did some research on the word “sincere” and found that it’s possibly taken from two words in Latin; sine (without), and cera (wax). Without wax.

I was curious why the word ‘sincere’ had such a meaning. One of the stories going around is that stone workers during the Republic of Rome, would cover imperfections in stone by applying wax in crevices, much like homemakers or unscrupulous antique dealers might rub wax into wood to hide a scratch (About.com). For dealers to say that their product was “Sine Cera” meant you were getting an honest deal and the stone was of the finest quality, pure, with nothing hidden.

That’s the kind of legacy I want to leave behind, a faith with no wax added. I invite you to join me in praying this prayer; “Lord, purify my faith, make it sincere with nothing hidden, that I might leave a legacy of sincere faith to those who come behind me.”

Don't Look Back

I learned a lot on the mission field. Many times, scripture came to life when I saw people living like they did in Biblical times.

In Costa Rica for example, oxen are still used to plow fields. The people there paint the oxen yokes with bold colors and create interesting designs that have been handed down from generation to generation. Many times we would see farmers plowing with their oxen on the side of a steep mountain and marvel at how they could do it. It’s definitely an art.

Once they start to plow a row, they don’t stop until it’s done. They must keep their eye on where they’re going. If they look back, they’ll get off course and the row will be crooked.

In Luke 9:57-62, Jesus is urging men to follow Him. First one and then another had an excuse. They said they must do other things first and then they would follow Him. But in verse 62, Jesus tells them, “…No one after putting his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Jesus was comparing people to a farmer plowing a field. He wanted to show them that they would get off course if they turned around and started taking care of every day things instead of following Him.

Everyday cares still draw us away from the Lord and what He is calling us to do. We have to press on toward Him and what He has set before us if we’re to be fit for His kingdom.

Have you set out to follow Him? Then don’t look back, it will get you off course.

Idols and Other Stuff

There comes a time when you’ve got to get rid of “stuff” or your house won’t hold it all.

Ahh, but just getting ready for a garage sale brings up all sorts of emotions. Trust me, I know. I just had a garage sale.

What about that vase that Aunt Emily gave you? You can’t get rid of that, what would you tell her when she comes to visit? Or that tool that hasn’t been used in 5 years? You may need it, you never know! Or, you can’t get rid of that stack of magazines, remember all those recipes?!

The Israelites had a similar problem. Because of their incessant complaining, God sent serpents among them. Then he told Moses to make a bronze serpent and put it on a stick. Anyone who looked upon it would not die from the snake bites.

Seven hundred years later, the Israelites still had the bronze serpent. It had become an idol and they were worshipping it. (Numbers 21:5-9 & 2 Kings 18:4).

It makes you wonder, where does "stuff" end and idols begin?

Did I Hear You Honk?

Most things don’t work unless a team pulls together to make it work. Years ago I read an article from an unknown author about Geese and Teamwork.

As each goose flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird behind it. By flying in V-formation, the whole flock adds 71% more flying range than if each bird flew alone.

The Lesson? People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier when they are traveling on the thrust of one another.

When a goose gets sick, wounded, or shot-down, two geese drop out of formation and follow him down. They stay with the goose to help and protect it until it is able to fly again or dies. Then they launch out with another formation to catch-up with the flock.

The Lesson? If we have as much love as geese, we will stand by each other.

Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to fly alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front.

The Lesson? If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those who are headed where we want to go.

When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies at the point position.

The Lesson? It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership.

The geese in formation honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.

The Lesson? We need to make sure our honking from behind is encouraging and helpful, not discouraging and critical.

“Therefore, however you want people to treat you, so treat them…” Matthew 7:12

Can You Wrap Your Mind Around This?

An unbelievable course of events had taken place. Jesus Christ died on the cross and on the third day His body was gone from the tomb, but His burial clothes lay undisturbed. A large number of His disciples actually saw Him and talked with Him; on the road, in a room... It staggered the minds of His disciples and they struggled to piece together what was happening.

Actually, before He was put to death, Jesus told them all that was going to happen, but they couldn’t wrap their minds around it. I think we are often like that. We have God’s Word, but sometimes we find it hard to wrap our minds around what it’s saying to us.

A case in point is Jesus’ teaching about giving the Holy Spirit to those who believe in Him. “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you…Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” John 14:26-27.

When Jesus ascended to the Father, the Holy Spirit was sent to live in those who accepted Jesus’ death on the cross for their sins. If you are a Christian, have you thought about the POWER that lives within you? It’s hard to wrap your mind around it, isn’t it?

Do you realize that with all that power, God expects you to use it for good? That puts the power of God in your hands to reach out to friends and enemies alike with God’s LOVE.

Can you wrap your mind around this and purpose to show God’s love?
“I will extend God’s love to those I know, those I meet, those I’m estranged from, those in my family, those in my neighborhood, those I work with, those I live with, those I go to Church with. I will extend God’s love to my enemies as well as those I love. I have the power of God living in me to do good and I will!"

Fixing the Fix

Have you ever been in a fix and couldn’t fix it? I often talk to people who are in that place. They are so far down; the only way they can look is up! But looking up is exactly what we should do. We should look up and ask our Father in heaven for help.

After all, He’s our Maker, our Manufacturer and only He can change us, fix us and restore us. He will maintain our peace, comfort us, enable us, protect us, defend us and empower us to do everything He calls us to do. But we work against Him when we try to fix our problems without consulting Him, waiting on Him, and obeying Him.

Some Christians I know find the Christian life pretty hard. They’re in the habit of taking control of their life and running everything…and making a mess of everything! They don’t realize that when they gave their life to Him, He took it seriously and He has control whether they realize it or not.

They’ve formed habits that are hard to break. They keep looking for another fix to fix their fix instead of giving it all to God and waiting on Him.

They don’t realize that the fix they’re in is there to teach them something and they will never fix it outside of giving it to the Lord.

A Pastor friend used to say, “If you fix the fix God fixes for you, He’ll have to fix another fix for you.”

Many of us have a habit of trying to fix the fix instead of giving our fixes to the Lord. But if we are faithful to yield our habits to Him and ask Him to change us, sooner or later we’ll learn that it’s an exercise in futility to even try and we’ll begin trusting Him more to fix our fixes for us. Thank goodness He never gives up on us!

Hmm, it’s so simple to come to Christ and be born again. But becoming mature and growing up in Christ - that’s the hard part!