A silent cry for help.

All too often I read through the prayer requests at church with just a cursory glance. I see the emails come across my desk, or posts on Facebook and don't really stop to pray like I should. I have such great respect for those people who are open enough to share their struggles and ask friends and family to lift them up before God's altar of grace.

I wonder for every person who verbalizes their struggles how many more are repressing thier silent cries for help. We put on our Sunday go-to-meeting smile along with our sportscoat and tell the world, "I'm fine!" Slowly and deliberately a cancer is eating away at the bone and marrow of our spirits. I think Thoreau was right when he said, "Most men live lives of quiet desparation and go to their graves with their song still in them."

I have my own moments of despair. There are times I feel that the road I am traveling has a dead end sign just ahead, but that is not my greatest fear in life. Most of us want to leave a legacy! We want to do something that will make a difference. It might be money, or power, or serving AIDs victims and malnutrioned children in Africa, but we want know that our stroll along the sands of time has some significant meaning.

I know what I want out of life. It's not a big house or a fancy car. I don't count my success by the number of digits in my retirement account. I want more than anything else for my children to find the song that is within them. I pray that their unique gifts that God has given will rise to the surface and bless their lives and the lives of others.

Starting Over - Day 2

Yesterday, one of the readers of my blog made a great point concerning how others often interfere with our efforts to to move forward in our lives. We all mess up, we all make mistakes, and sometimes those actions impact others. Despite our best efforts to repent, ask forgiveness or seek reconciliation, some people refuse to allow us to a second chance.

It is truly tragic when others carry these large invisitble sacks around filled with all the sins, failings and mistakes that others have made. Whenever we trip or stumble, they reach deep down in their sack and provide us a running history of everything we have ever done wrong. This mean-spirited approach to life is tragic for two reasons: 1) I have a hard enough time with the guilt, shame and challenges of getting past the mistakes in my own life; 2) I can't imagine adding to that burden by keeping a ledger of everyone else's failings. What a truly miserable existence.

So, how do we deal with mean-spirited folks who would hinder our spiritual growth, put obstacles in our way as we try to navigate forward through life? It is easy to say ignore them, don't pay attention to their rants, but some folks seem to get great joy out of making our lives difficult. It feels as though all their anger and vitriol is being directed only at us. For what is worth, here are a few suggestions:

1. Pray for them. Yes, I know it is hard, but praying has a calming emotional affect on our spirits and it also changes things. God can and will intercede when nothing else seems to be working.
2. Try to understand why. What is it in the person's life, or past that makes them so hateful? Sometimes knowing the facts provides us a greater capacity to excercise grace and forgiveness towards that person.
3. Remember people only have as much control as we allow them to have. When you get hurt, angry, and bitter because of another's actions - you are turning control of your emotions over to those who care the least for you. Personally, I don't want my "enemies" to have that kind of power over my attempts to live victoriously.

So, here we are at the crossroads of another day. Someone is just waiting to rain on your parade, pour salt in an old wound, or tell you that your Pollyanna approach to life is naive and foolish. Its up to you how much control you will cede to that person.

Carpe Diem!

Starting Over - Day by Day

On this Valentine's Day I am reminded that my mom and my wife had at least one thing in common, they both love feel-good, happy-ending, Hallmark movie classics. One of my mom's favorites was the Anne of Green Gables series and I always remember her quoting Anne, "today is new and fresh with no mistakes in it."

As I begin this beautiful Valentine's Day morning I am reminded that I have been given stewardship over today. I have more than my share of mistakes and failures in days past and I have an almost limitless number of opportunities for the future. Just for today I have the chance to live life to the fullest, to accomplish great things, the opportunity to change a life, help a friend, or just spend that important time with family that I so often neglect.

Chances are there will still be things that slip through my grasp today. Tasks, goals or objectives that go unfinished, opportunities that might be missed, or stupid mistakes made along the way. The beauty is that tomorrow I get to start over once again.

All too often we let the failures of yesterday have a negative impact on our ability to pursue our goals today. Here are a few simple rules to start each day "fresh and new with no mistakes in it."

• Ask God for forgiveness - then forgive yourself. Don't allow Satan to hold you hostage because of past sins.
• Make reconciliation with those you are at odds with. Most of our differences can be resolved if we humbly seek to pursue the path of peace.
• Pick a goal or objective that has been sitting idle and get busy. If you want to write a book, write a few pages today. If you want to lose weight, cut back on your calories.
• Take small steps each day. You don't accomplish most of your goals all at once - take small steps and it will amaze you how quickly you will make progress.

God has given you a fresh lease on life today - take advantage of it.