Easy Button

Wouldn't it be great if life came with an EASY button. Yes, I sometimes shop at Staples, but that doesn't seem to help when you get to the really sticky situations in life. Unfortunatley, the easy path is usually the one that leads us away from our hopes and dreams. Rather than traveling through uncharted territories, or exploring new opportunities, taking the easy path usually takes down the same course that millions of others have travelled.

Most of us have probably heard the quote, "Pioneers take all the arrows." There certainly is danger in being the first to journey into brave new worlds, but I heard a great spin on that old addage that inspired me.  "Pioneers take all the arrows, but they also have the biggest ranches." I have taken a lot of arrows in my life, but I have also been rewarded with blessings few get to experience.  Watching the sun rise over the Mt. Cook in the Southern Alps, hearing the morning drums, followed by the soft echo of Christian hymns in the jungles of Africa, or building homes for those who lost everything after Hurricanes devastated Honduras. These are riches that far surpass any material gain I have ever enjoyed.

There have been many times in my life when I prayed that God would make my path EASY. Fortunately for me He had other plans. The trials, the tragedies and the heartaches of life have all been training grounds to minister to others. There have been times when I sought riches, wealth, fame and prestige, but God reminded me that life is most rewarding when I serve, when I humble myself, when I fulfill his plan for my life. So go ahead, hit the easy button, but if you do - you are missing out on the blessings that come through struggle and hardship.

God, I've got a Question

I have suffered through some dark days during my past. There were times I wondered if I could keep groceries on the table, and times I worried that God had forgotten me completely. During those times, I often made a tragic mistake in climbing out of my doldrums. I turned to everyone but God. I borrowed from friends, made decisions without counsel and generally had my priorities out of whack.

This week I have been reading about the "power of God in us" (Eph. 3:20). God works in us and through us, so do Christ and the Holy Spirit. We have a comforter, guide, and intercessor when life gets hard, or simply if we need to turn somewhere for counsel. Why is it that God is always the last one on our list of advisors when we need help?

Next time you need help with anything (your kids, your finances, your emotional stability, even your faith) try turning to God first. Here are 5 reasons you should lean on God daily:

1. "He is able . . ." (Eph. 3:20).  Able to do more than you ask, able to do more than you can imagine. Where others can and will fail, God is able.
2. "He will never leave you nor forsake you. . ." (Heb. 13:5). It is kind of nice to have someone to depend on when the rest of the world walks out.
3. "He cares for you . . ." (I Peter 5:7). Peter reminds us that we can turn our cares and worries over to the Lord because he genuinely cares for you.
4. He has endless resources. (Psalms 50:10). If you really want help you need to ask the one who has an endless supply of resources. "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. . ." (Psalms 24:1)
5. He promises to provde (Matt. 7:7-12). Ask, Seek, Knock - God is calling us to test him, challenge him, lay our needs before him.

My job consists of asking donors to give. It can be trying at times and like a sales position, the pressure is always on. Imagine the comfort I recieved about a month ago when a donor made a significant gift and then said, "Call me in the fall for my end of year gift, or if you ever need anything just pick up the phone." I trust him when he tells me that.

God is asking us to "just pick up the phone." Ask, seek, knock! Lean on Him, trust Him, turn to Him for all  your cares and needs.

Adversity

Adversity, hardship, and struggle are the training grounds for how we compete in life. I remember as a child wanting to quit the baseball team because I wasn't as good as some of the other players. Every time I dropped a fly ball, or booted a grounder I felt inadequate. I didn't handle adversity very well.

It wasn't till I had lived a while that I learned that adversity is the mental and moral equivilant of weight training, It gives you strength to deal with everything life can throw at you. This was the idea the philosopher Nietzsche was trying to get across when he said, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger."

How we handle adversity says a lot about who we are and the level of success we will achieve in life. I have had my moments I wanted to give up, throw in the towel and bask in my own self-pity. I have felt beaten-down and defeated by life when a single ray of sunshine reminded me that their is so much to live for and fight for.

Which person are you? Are you the person who feels defeated when adversity comes, or do you welcome the challenge, engage the enemy and fight the good fight? You attitude and approach will determine your altitude in life.