Wall of Integrity

Integrity is something I highly value. A man or woman’s character is easily defined by the life they lead and the integrity in which they walk.

Webster defines integrity as:

1: firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values:incorruptibility

2: an unimpaired condition: soundness

3: the quality or state of being complete or undivided: completeness

The Great Wall of China is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It stretches over 4,000 miles and was built to protect China from the barbaric hordes to the north. The designers of the wall made it so high that it could not be scaled, so thick that it could not be penetrated, and so long that no one could go around it.

Yet, during the first hundred years of the wall’s existence China was successfully invaded three times, without the wall having been climbed or breached. So how, you ask, did the invaders raid China? Well, the problem wasn’t the wall – it was the gatekeepers! In each of these invasions the barbarians simply bribed the gatekeepers who opened the gates, so the enemies just walked right through.

The protection of the Great Wall of China was only as secure as its gatekeepers. What a lesson, since, don’t we all also have “gates to keep”…our eyes, and our ears, and our mouth? No matter how strong we may feel, we can never forget that these points of entry will be seen by our enemies and there will be attempts to bribe or seduce us so they can break through. We must not allow the “barbaric hordes” to invade our lives by failing to keep careful watch at these entry points –our integrity and our authority depend on the security of our gates! We are, after all, the chosen of the Lord.

Revelation 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

Push On

I ran across this little story in my morning reading: A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin, age five and Ryan, three. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson so she said; “Now boys, if Jesus were sitting here, He would say, ‘Let my brother have the first pancake. I can wait.’” Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, “Ryan, you be Jesus.”

Isn’t that story, or a close version of it, so true with most of us? We’re all for living the ‘good life’ of a Christian but there are times once in a while, that we would really appreciate it if the other person would ‘be Jesus’ so we could get what we want or act how we felt. I’ve heard Christians say - and I’ve said it myself on occasion - “Why do I always have to be the bigger person?” Or “I’m tired of being the bigger person.”  Come on, you know it’s crossed your mind and lips, too.

I wonder if the ‘man’ part of Jesus got tired of ‘being Jesus’. Fortunately for us, he had the ‘God’ part of Him that carried through if His ‘man’ grew weak and weary. I do not know that was the case but Scripture said He knew every temptation known to man, grew tired and hungry. But He kept on ‘being Jesus’ through it all.

Hebrews 12:1-2 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

There are times in our lives when we feel like we just can’t continue in the race; times when we are really tired of being the bigger person, tired of being the walking example, the Jesus people see. These are precisely the times when the enemy loves to assault us to the point of breaking and torment us saying “You’ll never make it to the finish line, you may as well just quit now”. This is the time we need to cling on to God’s promises! The Lord will soon reward our diligence for all our toiling here in this world. Paul said, “Let us not grow weary in well doing for in due season we shall reap if we do not faint”.

Humpty Dumpty Sat on the Wall

I love omelets. I looked forward to making an omelet for breakfast this morning. Anticipation teased my taste buds since yesterday afternoon. I started by sautéing the diced onions, added chopped ham and large diced mushroom (One does want to actually taste and feel the mushroom after all). I whipped the eggs till frothy, pouring them gently over the veggie mixture and sprinkled on chopped Italian parsley. When set to my preference, I folded it and transferred it to a plate…drooling all the while.

The first bite I knew it was okay…just okay. My anticipation and expectation for the omelet set my mouth up for a letdown. All the ingredients were fresh and of good quality. The execution of preparation was flawless. By all rights, it should have been delightful. It was good, middle of the road good. Not outstanding. The purpose of the meal was to nourish and fuel my body. It did that very well. It wasn’t heavily laden with fat or artery clogging cheese. The bulk of the omelet was healthy veggies. It was good healthy food that served its purpose. Why did I feel so let down? I did it to myself.

Admittedly, I am something of a food snob. It seems I am creating a food snob out of my husband, too. He’s become quite the food critic lately. Here’s what I think we’re doing…we have raised the bar of expectation so high, less and less can jump over it. It’s a mentality fostered and fed by elevated expectation. Normal, everyday food gets labeled as ‘less than’. How sad is that? I enjoyed the making of the omelet and received great satisfaction from the process, still…I wanted more. Heavy burden for a simple omelet.

In life, even with our spiritual encounters, we are guilty of doing the same thing. We want everything to be ‘an experience’, something that really moves us. We miss the joy of simple everyday things while we wait to be impressed by something that may not come along.

God rarely speaks in a rolling thunder. He says to be still and know that He is God. Sitting quietly with God nourishes our spirits and satisfies like nothing else. There’s a lesson there.

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happinesss

It is incredibly sad to me how many people are working themselves into a tizzy to pay for the 'things' they believe will make them happy. Using the analogy of 'life' being a journey, they are zipping down the highways of life at breakneck speeds preoccupied with the extensive juggling they must do to keep all the balls in the air. Meanwhile the wheels are coming off their lives and they are too busy to even notice….all in the name of seeking the elusive "happy."

I had a friend that, when asked what his long-term goals were, would reply, "I want to be happy." He couldn't tell you what 'happy' meant to him or what steps he would take to get there but 'happy' was his destination. It seems to me that if you cannot describe what 'happy' looks like to you or what direction you need travel in seeking it, how will you know when you arrive?

Look around, it is common to find people doing the same thing. They are chasing happy and missing the beauty of life all around them. Bigger houses, newer vehicles, more big-boy toys, trendier clothes, and elaborate vacations are leading these folks around as if they had a ring in their nose. The 'American Dream' has blinded and confused people for a long time. Once the American Dream was living a life of freedom, now it is enslavement to debt. Though we no longer have a foreign king taxing us to death, we are taxing ourselves. Our battle cry of "Give me liberty or give me death" has turned into "I owe, I owe, so off to work I go."

Meanwhile, our kids are growing up and we are missing it. Our parents grow old and leave this world and we missed that, too. Our loyal canine companions are stuck behind a fence in the backyard waiting to see if they will get a loving word or touch from their 'owners'….hmmm, it just struck me that 'owner' is awfully close to the word 'owe'….bet that isn't a happenstance.

Debt is the result of constant yearning for more, and requires working beyond reason to repay, which in turn prevents us from spending time in those bigger houses with our kids (that miss us whether they admit it or not). Still no one in our home is either happy or satisfied, then tell me again…..why are we doing all this?

If it were a math sentence, it would look something like this:

(Yearning for more + larger purchases = Debt) > (hours in the day + energy) X (less time with family + more stress) = unhappy family and less quality of life

When I think back on the things that made me happy as a kid, I recall walking in the woods with my grandpa, sitting on the pier watching the sunset over the water, hearing my Daddy sing, marveling at the smell of sweetpeas, listening to the wind howl at night through open window, watching ducks float on the pond, hearing the coo of doves, playing with my cousins, sharing a bowl of fresh figs and cream with my grandma…..those things I remember. I cannot tell you what I got for any given Christmas or birthday present or what kind of car we had.

As an adult, it is the smell of a baby, a good cup of coffee, laughing with friends, walking in the woods, sitting on a pier watching the sunset over the water, hearing the coo of doves, seeing the faces of my grandbabies, hearing my children's voices, hugs and smiles from people I love…those things and more like them make me happy. It is the people with which we share our lives and memories that bring the greatest happiness. You can't find that in a catalog or department store.  

Seems to me people work terribly hard at being happy. My husband's arm around my shoulder makes me happy and it doesn't cost a thing. "Happy" is appreciating the journey, not a destination. That's why so many people never 'find' happiness, they flew past it too quickly without seeing it go by as they pedaled as fast as they could trying to get ahead of debt and constant yearning. Sad that.

Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

These words are the often-quoted Serenity Prayer. Most of us have heard this, prayed this, or at least read them somewhere. This past week I wanted to use them in a lesson plan for the junior high class I teach at church, so I decided to do a little research on the prayer. The back-story to this little prayer was enlightening.

First, let me say I was surprised to learn the most common version of the Serenity Prayer was just a piece of it. The above simple four-line prayer we know is but an opening to the original words written as part of a sermon by Reinhold Niebuhr, an American of German decent in wartime 1943. An American pastor that found himself at odds with Protestant and Catholic Church leaders because he felt they failed to lead their people in the crisis of war, he was a deeply devout man that wrestled daily with the problem of how to relate his innermost religious commitments to the public life of the community. The complete original prayer written in a time when the world was facing the evil of Hitler is as follows:

God, give us grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.

Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next. Amen.

From the beginning of the prayer, the need for serene acceptance is evident. In a war-torn world of the day, it might seem impossible to feel serene yet the need for acceptance of the current situations came with a serenity only found when one seeks it in God. The petition asks for courage to step up for changes necessary in the hostile environment of that day translates to a timeless plea that transcends any place in history. Though not mentioned, the times required discernment combined with wisdom to determine the things one could change from those things that we must accepted.

Still, in that time of war and evil threats to society as he knew it, this Pastor prayed for these things in order to live in appreciation of each day, accepting, as Christ did, the hardships as stepping-stones to living in peace by trusting and surrendering completely to God. He accepted this surrender would bring him reasonable happiness in this life and assured the supreme happiness in eternity with God.

The remarkable outcome of this humble prayer was that today, sixty-seven years after first penned, this prayer is one of the most recognizable and often quoted prayers of our day. It asks from God the power and skills to live, as He would have us live; recognizing complete surrender to God as the only path. That, my Friends, is a timeless message for us all in any generation.

Think About It

What ever happened to good old-fashioned thinking for oneself? I believe we are in a time when access to information is so easy and abundant that we have gotten mentally lazy. It has filtered down into our lives to the point of mental limbo where we simply wait for information rather than putting thoughts together to conclude on our own. There is the issue of too much busyness and chaos in our lives that we reject anything that requires us to think about even one more thing. I also believe that there is so much technology in our lives, the likes of which scare the bejeebers out of the majority of us, that we defer to those I call the 'techies' and hand our questions over to them while we sit at their feet waiting for our problems to be resolved. I am guilty of this.

I recently purchased a new computer program what will make my job a lot easier…assuming I ever learn how to use it. Somewhat jokingly, I told a couple of my friends that I needed a personal assistant to read the 'how to' and 'help' information on running the program, then show me what to do. We all had a good laugh but I was serious. I know that will not happen but what a delight it would be if it should! You would think one that enjoys research, as I do, would not have an issue with this but I keep telling myself I am too busy to read it. Secretly, I am fearful that it will challenge me and I have neither the time nor the energy for more challenges right now. ***sigh*** Meanwhile, I flounder in my ignorance and daily wish I could use the new program. I'm a little ticked off at myself over this.

Another example, our grandson # 4 recently spent a few days visiting. He slept on the couch while here and every morning would fold his bedding and put the room in order. Grandson # 3 had been with him the first few days, leading the way. Our sectional couch has many loose pillows across the back and they removed these to sleep; there is a color order that I prefer in pillow arrangement. Grandson # 3 instructed # 4 on how to place them where they belong. On his own, Grandson # 4 stood with pillow in hand and asked how they went. I reminded him he had previously performed this task and to think about it a minute. He stated he did not live here so he did not know. I asked him to think back on placing them the last time and to visualize doing it. He looked at me as if my head was on fire. This is a bright young man and I am certain he could work this out for himself if he were only willing to think about it. He was not. It was easier to wait for someone to tell him than to contemplate the issue at all. Sound familiar?

A man I consider a mentor works as a professional life couch. I read his blog faithfully and never fail to learn from him. In a recent post, he outlined the traits needed for a life coach and one struck a chord with me. "Powerful questions cause the client to explore and process deep feelings and emotions they would normally avoid. This is a must for change." I like that! Thinking, exploring, processing…all some of my favorite things! That is what I attempt to accomplish with Truth in the Morning. My writing style for Truth is simple conversation to share lessons God has shown me with examples from my life, in hope that people can relate to everyday issues they face in their own. I believe people will avoid thinking about issues that make them uncomfortable when addressed head on but may possibly ponder a concept when seen through the lens of someone else's life. I have to be transparent to a fault to share so much of my failings and shortcomings, which isn't always easy. However, God gave the task to me and if I can reach others for Him by opening up my life then that is what I will do. The beauty and wisdom of this…He makes me have to think about helping you think…I love that!

Just something to think about……..

Thumbs up

Wow, if I believed in karma, which I do not, I would say I was having a bad karma day. The fundamental teaching of karma goes like this: `for every event that occurs, there will follow another event whose existence was caused by the first and this second event will be pleasant or unpleasant according as its cause was skillful or unskillful.' In my world, we refer to those as consequences, which can be good or bad. Today, I can't win for losing! There is a multitude of colloquialisms I could spout but for the sake of simplicity (I'm intimidated by fate now) suffice it to say I am not functioning at my usual standard today. All efforts to get back on track after a full two weeks of being unbalanced have failed for one reason or another. I resolved today was the day I would regain some semblance of control in my life once more. Ha!

My usual routine is an early rising, Bible reading/study, write the blog, have a quick breakfast, and then work on the book. This carries me through to lunch or beyond depending on how productive the writing is going. As I mentioned, all efforts to return to my normal routine now that all my houseguest have gone has failed miserably. Since I was very unproductive this morning, I decided I might need a new routine, shake things up a bit and approach it with a fresh perspective.

I did do my Bible reading before I headed out to the garden once light enough to see and harvested what I could. God, fresh air, and nature: what more could you ask for? I incorporated my stretching and walking after that in hopes of regrouping a bit. Feeling energized I made a healthy breakfast of a veggie omelet made with summer squash, onions, garlic and hot peppers. Hmmm. Feels as if I'm off to a good start. Rather than my usual post-breakfast cup of coffee, I filled my cobalt blue goblet full of fresh water; this is a resuscitated effort to drink more. Motivated by aesthetics, I found I am more likely to drink water from that pretty glass over anything else. I was cutting a key lime to squeeze into my water when I sliced my thumb with the knife. As you might guess, the cut instantly filled with limejuice. This felt like fire and I instinctively stuck my thumb in my mouth; the thumb with hot pepper juice on it. Now my thumb and mouth burned!

Here I sit with a bandaged thumb, no Christian blog written, not a word on the book and it is almost 10am. I feel like I need a nap, B12 shot, and a far away vacation. Due to the thumb incident, I do not know if the attempted new routine would have provided a more productive me for writing or be a great big flop. I'll try again tomorrow I guess. For now, I'm taking my throbbing thumb to the guest room. We will curl up in the bed under the net canopy; soaking in the ambiance of the room I enjoy so much with its warm Mediterranean colors and smells. If a nap happens to come my way, I will embrace it with open arms. I will meditate to cleanse my mind and quiet my soul. I have found repeating 'Jesus' to myself over and over calms me just as He calmed the raging sea. Tomorrow, I will open my eyes and take comfort in knowing God is still in control and the sun will dawn as it always does. A new day, fresh start and new mercies; I need them all.

For Whom the Bell Tolls

"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were: any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee." John Donne's Meditation no. 17 from "Devotions upon Emergent Occasions" (1624)

A bell, once rung does not, cannot take back the sound that many hear. Recent events brought this principle to mind. It is common for people say and/or do rash things that affect many others with consequences they did not either foresee or have concern for in their desire to satisfy self. We are all connected, one way or another, our actions, and choices leave an imprint on those standing close to the action, the splash zone, if you will.

No man is an island. We did not come into this world on our own, our life leaving a shadow on many others. Yet, we often make decisions as if we were the only one concerned. The quote above reflects the author's insight of this concept. In our Christian faith, we read in scripture that we are one body as the church, the Bride of Christ. It seems as though our one body suffers from seizures with pieces and parts flinging about independently. We can easily see that when the left foot wants to head to the right and the right foot wants to head to the left that we will end up on our collective derriere in short order if we abandon consideration and cooperation.

I am not saying we should not think for ourselves, heavens no! However, I am saying that before we go about tossing boulders into the lake we need consider those touched by the ripples, which inevitably radiate out in all directions. It need not be a boulder; the smallest of pebbles has the same effect.

Does this not then make it even more important that we think of the whole rather than oneself? I, for one, am eternally thankful that Christ considered all humanity before stepping away from his place of honor and deity in exchange for a body of flesh, sacrificing self to redeem our miserable souls. Yet, we often balk at the smallest of considerations; we want what we want and we are willing to defend our right to have what we want regardless of how anyone else may be affected. Not a Christ-like mentality, is it?

A bell, once rung, cannot recall the sound that reverberates throughout our lives. A harsh word will ring in the ear of the receiver long after the tongue responsible has forgotten. A breech of faith, trust, and/or integrity leaves scars on relationships from the slow healing process. We are blessed to have a God that forgives and forgets. We are instructed to forgive so we can be forgiven. The human heart and flesh are less malleable; forgiveness is a conscious decision, though the repair to relationships comes with a need for rebuilding. Our priority need be to consider those concerned before pulling the rope that swings the bell; consider 'for whom the bell tolls'.........

Say No to Status Quo!

I write a short 350-450 word article for our church bulletin every week. You have no idea how difficult it is to reduce, edit and maintain my point in so few words! (ah, humor) This is my cross to bear; the limiting, not the article writing. On several occasions I have written on being aware of that which we give thought. It is easy to fall into the trap of negative thinking, believing our view is the only right view; rather than focused on godly matters over those of the world. Perhaps it is my tendency to over analyze things but I happen to believe that a lot of people do not consider issues that really matter over trivial issues. I think we also tend to take the ideologies of our culture and families as our own without considering why we believe as we do. For the sake of this article, I will refer to that as Status Quo Mentality.

I believe relying on a Status Quo Mentality can be a dangerous thing. Let's face it; little mental challenge is required. When considering the Christian faith, we are told we have the mind of Christ. I doubt Christ would recognize 'His’ own mind when listening to the thoughts of the everyday man/woman. We tend to be bogged down with paying bills or wondering how we will pay them and trying to figure out when we will possibly have time or energy for the demanding yard work. Then there is that irritating co-worker that occupies our thoughts because for some reason they seem out to get us. What in the world will I prepare for dinner tonight? There is laundry to do. What are those terrorist and warmongers up to today? With little effort, we can fill an entire day with thoughts without actually thinking about that on which we chose to think. We color our world with the thoughts we choose to give valuable time and allow to occupy our minds.

In conversation with my friend, Helen, we shared opinions and ideas that we had carried because those opinions and ideologies were fed to us over the dinner table and were told/taught were life's truths and beliefs. I, for one, heard many incredulous attitudes and beliefs that I challenged. I learned early on to question the status quo mentality. It made my life more difficult than it had to be, but it was not in me to accept opinions that would not settle in my belly. I know now that was the spirit in me holding issues to the light.

We've all heard someone justify an attitude by saying, "I can't help it, I was raised that way." We were all raised one way or another and not all of those can stand up to the light. My 'raising' certainly could not. I believe scripture addresses this, in part, in 1 Corinthians 13:11 when it says:

When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.

When I was a child, I believed in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy. It was not an evil plot on my parent's part to deceive me but to bring joy in a child's heart with a little fun fantasy. As I grew older, I questioned and pondered these things. The result: I made a determination based on what I thought rather than what I was taught. In the case of the aforementioned family traditions, no harm was perpetuated. Some family traditional thoughts and beliefs can cause very real harm. Racial issues jump to mind and prejudices of any sort can cripple a nation as easily as an individual. You only need look around the world today to see it daily.

On a more personal scale, allowing our thoughts to remain unchecked will dictate our lives. If you wake up angry at the world, the world seems hostile. If you wake up angry and question why you feel anger; the underlying issues may reveal themselves allowing you an opportunity to deal with them. You discover you can disarm and/or redirect those negative thoughts into something positive and productive. Your entire day can made better by simply taking a few moments while you brush your teeth to be in control of your thoughts rather than letting them control you. The Bible refers to this as taking your thoughts captive. More simply put: think about what you think about!