The Spirit Living in Our Heart

The days of getting up and being ready in fifteen minutes have vanished.

Although I’m in relatively good health, my life cycle has changed. This fact dawned on me one morning when it seemed I simply could not get ready.

A diagnosis of glaucoma and dry eye disease means I must use three types of drops daily. One twice a day, another once a day, and still another several times a day. Keeping up with the schedule taxes my brain.

Patches of extremely dry skin also resulted in a prescription cream that I had to apply twice daily for two weeks, with two weeks off before repeating the treatment.

And then there are the pills I swallow. One to control my acid reflux. A daily aspirin because I’m over fifty, along with the daily vitamin to make sure I get what I might not through food. Add a beta blocker to regulate my Tachycardia. Finishing off the list is another over-the-counter acid reducer to help the prescription-strength one. Of course, there are more for other age-related issues, but you get the picture.  

I shouldn’t complain—and usually don’t. Others are worse off than me. My wife has a pouch full of medicine she must take daily to deal with health issues far more severe than mine. And those with rare diseases or other life-altering medical issues can top her—such as my brother who has Parkinson’s.

Reading what Paul says is comforting—and should be for all who have reached the later life cycle or are suffering with life-altering medical challenges (2 Corinthians 5:1). I may not spend as much time as some do dolling up certain parts of my body or toning my muscles, but I don't neglect it through unhealthy habits either. Regardless, my body will do what bodies do: age, change, and eventually die.

We can’t keep these bodies alive, but God can—and will. Just not in their present form. When we die, or when Christ returns, our bodies will be transformed and fitted for our eternal home. A home where no pain, sickness, disease, medicine, or death will inhabit. Nor will there be any more life cycles.

Enjoy the life cycles—despite the changes they bring. They mean you are one step closer to eternity.

I have a confession: I don’t embrace interruptions delightfully. Truthfully, my best days are focused, productive, and distraction-free. There, I said it. Perhaps this is your confession as well.

For the most part, this mindset works to my benefit. Yet, admittedly, there are times when I would do well to embrace life’s interruptions. And for me, one Friday was one of those times.

On that day, it snowed in my state—a rarity but a welcome, lovely surprise. Schools and many businesses closed, and there was a buzz of excitement in our town as everyone prepared for the snow.

Although we didn’t get a lot of snow, we had enough to enjoy for one lovely day. When the flurries began, I ceased working, went outside, and enjoyed the excited squeals of children on my street. Later in the afternoon, when the snow was still falling, my husband and I walked through our neighborhood and, once again, I watched children play, slide on makeshift cardboard toboggans, and even build a snowman. How they managed this with the little bit of snow we had, I can’t say. But I can say I was delighted with the entire experience. 

As I reflect upon this, I realize how much it must thrill God’s heart when we delight in Him, in His creation, and in the simple pleasure He provides.

This verse was King David’s words, written from personal experience as a man who loved God supremely and found his greatest joy in Him (Psalm 37:4). Yet David wasn’t advocating this as a means of receiving whatever we want. Instead, he was saying that delighting in God transforms our hearts to conform to His. And when this happens, we delight in what God desires for us, which is always the best, most blessed things in life. Things like snow days.

So, while it’s admirable to stay on task and work wholeheartedly in whatever we do, there are other times when we’re wise to embrace life’s surprises. And if we do this, we may find ourselves delightfully interrupted and wonderfully blessed.

I didn’t fully understand just how generous the Lord God was until I started sowing generously, bountifully, and obediently.

When I first started my creative writing ministry, I didn’t understand just how generous the Lord could be. I also didn’t take tithing as seriously as I should have. I tried to honor the Lord through various publications, but I wasn’t honoring Him as much as I should have.

But when I began honoring the Lord through my consistent weekly giving and through my circumstances, I got to witness His generosity in my life. I also got to see the spiritual realities of my sowing and the reaping in due season. I learned to be faithful with a few things so that He would entrust me with many things.

The spiritual realities of sowing and reaping are real, and they are a promise that the Lord must fulfill (2 Corinthians 9:6). But part of this conditional promise is realizing that sowing with generosity means sowing consistently and generously with our tithes of money. It also means creating room for the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit to display their generosity by fulfilling God’s promise to bless our sowing with reaping.

Paul reminds us of this principle. So does the writer of Ecclesiastes. He instructs us to send our grain to various places because we may yield a return (11:1-2). We are to sow with generosity, not allowing our hands to be idle.

Trust in the Lord’s promises and sow generously.

“I’ll get him back if it’s the last thing I ever do,” the woman said. For weeks, she spent all her time plotting her revenge—and making sure everyone knew about it.

When someone hurts or mistreats us, our flesh wants to retaliate ... to fight back. Coming at them like the proverbial bull in a china shop is a natural, carnal response. But as God’s children and His representatives in this world, He expects a different response. While we might feel compelled to verbally attack them, discredit them, and make them suffer, we actually become the one who suffers.

I’ve always paid close attention to the Scripture that says we should not repay evil for evil, and I love the way the Message puts it: Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.”

One writer says that when we try to avenge ourselves, we violate God’s Word. When we attempt to repay evil for evil, it will never bring satisfaction. Instead, it opens the door for guilt and condemnation to creep in and steal our peace. It will keep us angry and totally miserable.

God tells us to forgive. To turn the other cheek. To love and pray for our enemies. To cast our care on Him and let Him handle the outcome. It’s not always easy, but it’s so worth the effort.

If someone has betrayed you and you want to get back at them, ask yourself, “Is it really worth it?”

It was a beautiful sight. Over the weekend, sparkling white powder had fallen from the sky, covering the landscape with new, unblemished freshness. An artist would have struggled to capture its beauty with the stroke of a brush.

Yet I could not gaze upon this incredible transformation for long. I needed to relocate the garbage cans to the end of our driveway for trash pickup. Bent over, I struggled to scoop the layers of crystal beads. This position made it hard to see where I was going and if I was shoveling a straight path. Often, I looked up to assess my progress. I was removing one scoop of snow after another. So why, when I turned and looked behind me at the path I had shoveled, was I veering to the right and then to the left?

The answer was simple. As I moved forward, my eyes were not on the goal. Instead, the task at hand and the beautiful snow distracted me, leading me to change direction. But quitting was not in my DNA. I persevered. I focused on my point of reference beyond the hindrances, pushed forward, and made the necessary corrections along the way. Finally, I reached my goal. It was a prize worth the effort.

Paul encouraged the Philippian Christians to move forward and then declared his unshakable determination to conquer his past hindrances (Philippians 3:13-14).

But a straight line to the goal is not how it happened for Paul. His life veered to the right and then to the left. He lived through a myriad of blunders and shortcomings. Yet he actively pursued the prize rather than dwell on his past failures. Single-mindedness, keeping the prize in sight, and laying aside all distractions that would keep him from following Jesus Christ resulted in success. The achievement included knowing Christ, learning to be like Him, and pursuing a life aligned with God’s purpose.

Now, that is a prize worth the effort. Make the effort as Paul did.