Hospital Food

Hospital food has quite the reputation.  It really doesn’t matter what name is on the outside of the building, the food served inside leaves much to be desired in many cases.   Interestingly enough, the quality has changed very little regardless of the number of complaints from patients, physicians, and guests.  The leadership in one hospital in Ottawa, Canada wanted to change all of this.  They figured that the only way to truly understand what people were griping about was to eat the food themselves.  Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were served to the executives for a solid week directly from hospital kitchen.  

The verdict?  A major change was needed… and fast!

It’s easy to act like there is no issue or problem.  We can go through our day nodding that adjustments need to be made or feigning concern about a cause or situation.  But when we step into the shoes of those affected… our viewpoint changes!  That’s why Christ came. He put on flesh and was born as a baby so that He could fully experience the human condition.  Heartbreak, loss, victory, justice, elation, and gratitude… Jesus felt all of these and so much more.  When we pray that we’re hurting… He’s felt it.  If we are asking God for strength, He’s experienced that too.  

Jesus did more than just create the human race… He joined it.  And because of this we know that He truly understands and addresses our needs specifically.  Today, take a few minutes and thank Him for what He’s already done… and know that whatever you are asking Him for today He has felt it too.  He understands.  Personally.

Three Ways

As I was reading through God’s word, I came across this important instruction from the Apostle Paul.  

“So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.”  Ephesians 5:15-17

In this passage of scripture, he gives three distinct ways we are all to live our lives. 

1) We are to live wisely… How do we do this?  We should make choices that follow God’s direction instead of our own.   We need to apply past failures to move us forward into future successes.  We are to surround ourselves with friends who help us in our walk rather than pull us backward.   And finally, spend our time serving and giving to others.  Generosity and a servant’s heart are two pieces of evidence that reveal a life moving in the right direction.

2)  We are to make the most of every opportunity… This includes maximizing our lives.  Eat well, sleep enough, save some money, seek joy over happiness, do something that fulfills us, connect with others, grow, read, etc.  And we do these not for their own sake… but so that we can be prepared when God gives us opportunity to move forward.  There is nothing more unfortunate than something we’ve been praying for coming to light… and not being prepared to seize the chance to make it happen. 

3)  We are to understand and act on what the Lord wants us to do.  What is that?  What is it that God wants  ALL of us to do with our lives?  We talked about it a few days ago.. fulfill the Great Commission as explained in Matthew 28:18-20.  To go out and share the Good News with those that have never heard it…. to be the hands and feet of Christ serving others… to be the living church…. active, loving, and providing for others.  

Paul is telling us to live wisely following God’s example, be prepared for and seize opportunity, and fulfill the Great Commission… are you willing and ready?

Your Word

Biblical scholar Howard Hendricks once told his son Bob, “Be so dependable that if you say you will be somewhere and don’t show up, they send flowers.”

Are you thought of as reliable?  Are the commitments that you make as good as done?  If you don’t fulfill a vow to be somewhere… will those you’ve made a promise to think a bad thing has happened?  If this doesn’t sound like you… I’ve got good news:  today is a new day.  Making our word our bond requires a steadfast commitment.   Scripture echoes the importance of being good on our words in Matthew 5:37.  It says,  “Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one.”  If you’re given the opportunity to make a commitment…stop and think about it.  Are you really going to honor it?  Will you really show up?  If so, great!  If not, remember, it’s better not to make a vow, than to make one and break it later.  Be a person of integrity… someone that people can trust… and when you say “yes” or “no” in the future, those around you will know exactly where they stand and what’s going to happen as a result of your decision.  

That Same Small Rope

If you’ve ever gone to the circus, you know the size of the mighty elephant.  But did you know that when they are behind the scenes, they are kept in place by tying a tiny rope from their leg to a small stake in the ground?  How does this work?  Simple.  When they were baby elephants, that same small rope used to hold them securely.  Sure, they could easily break it now... but because it used to be strong enough, they’ve become conditioned to believe it always will be. 

Many of us are the same way.  A mistake early in our life ties us to the post of failure.  We think... why bother trying to break free?  We’re just like that elephant that stops trying to tug on what used to hold them in place.  Fact is, you aren’t bound by your past to a lifetime of defeat... If you know Christ as Savior, you have His strength to break free.  In Philippians 3, Paul tells us that he has forgotten the past and is focused on the future.  Do the same!  Pull against that tiny rope of your past mistakes and watch it release you.  It’s time to be the person God tells you that you are!

The Real Story

Xiang Junfeng’s wedding was an incredibly special day in her life.  So much so that each day she gets up and puts on her wedding dress… or one of her other wedding dresses… and spends the entire day in it.  When asked why she does this, she says that the gown represents the proudest day in her life and wearing it reminds her how happy she is to have married her husband.  

Sound strange?  There’s more to the story.

She wasn’t just a celebrating being a bride that day… she was celebrating her freedom.  Earlier in her life she had been kidnapped and sold as a slave… forced to marry an elderly man and spend 15 years plotting an escape in a life she never wanted.  As she ran from where she was being held captive to Liujiazhuang Village, she met a woman who did whatever she could to help.  Not long after Xiang met this woman’s brother… they fell in love… and got married.  

How many times do we rush to judgment when hearing about someone’s life?  If I would have stopped after the first paragraph, many of us would have walked away thinking this woman is eccentric… odd… someone who needs to come to grips with “the right way to act.”  But when you hear the rest of the story, things get clearer and start to make more sense.  She isn’t wearing a wedding dress everyday just because she’s a happy bride… she wears it as a symbol of emancipation and of the true love she’s found in her heart for her new husband.

As we head in to 2017… let’s dedicate ourselves to digging below the surface in the lives of those we know.  Let’s stop with the pleasantries and spend the time getting to really know people.  Jesus modeled this so many times in scripture… His discussion with the woman at the well (John 4), his talk with the woman who committed adultery (John 8), and his choosing of the original disciples (Luke 5).  Christ didn’t judge any of these people by who He saw on the surface… He pushed through the apparent and uncovered the potential.

There are people all around you today that are begging you without words to ask that second question.  Rather than just “How are you doing?”… they want “How can I help?  What do you need?  or Is there more you need to share?” They want you to ask for the story behind the story and genuinely care about it.   There is so much more to people’s lives than a first impression.  And if we are really going to love them like Christ does, we have to be willing to hear them out and get the whole picture.   

Want to be a real friend?  Dare to ask questions, seek understanding, and get involved beyond the surface of the relationship.  It will help illuminate, enhance, and bring maturity to a bond that can last a lifetime!

Living Free

I recently read the story of Sammy Luciano.  A couple years ago he was arrested for the 34th time.  34 arrests.  34 mugshots.  34 bookings.  I can hear you thinking as you read this… why?  Why was this man allowed back on the street after the first ____ arrests?  His rap sheet is a who’s who of crimes:  robbery, fleeing and eluding, battery on a police officer, drugs, etc.  Why isn’t this man in jail with no chance at seeing freedom ever again?

Should society give up on Sammy Luciano?

Many would say yes.  He’s caused enough trouble and violated enough laws to justify it.  He deserves to spend the rest of his life as a statistic… the evidence of a broken and fallen world.  

But the Bible gives us a whole other way of thinking… Should we forgive someone no matter how many times they have wronged us?  Let’s look at what Christ told Peter…

“Then Peter came to him and asked, "Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times? "No, not seven times," Jesus replied, "but seventy times seven!” (Matthew 18:21-22, NLT).

Seventy times seven.  So 490 times Jesus?  So on the 491st offense I can give up on them?  No… Jesus was making a point.  He wasn’t doing it for mathematics sake… He was telling Peter that no matter how many times someone has wronged you, there is always a reason to forgive.  

Not forget.

Not pretend it didn’t happen.

Not “let them win”

But forgive.  

And when we forgive we allow ourselves to move on.  Should Sammy Luciano not pay for his crimes?  Of course he should.  He has violated the laws of the land and needs to face the punishment for it.  Should we as Christ-followers dismiss his existence and treat him as though Christ didn’t die for him too?  

No.  We are to forgive and move forward.

What relationship in your life needs forgiveness?  They have wronged you.  Called you names.  Stood on your last nerve until you just couldn’t take it anymore.  They may have said “I do!” but didn’t.  Lied to you.  Cheated on you.  Raised you in a home where verbal and/or physical abuse was the norm…

And we’ve decided that they don’t deserve forgiveness.  That we will put ourselves into the cage of unforgiveness… firmly crossing our arms and refusing to budge.  And each morning we’ll wake up bitter and angry at something that happened a long time ago… desperately begging God to make things right by going after the person who did us wrong.  Little by little, our choice not to forgive poisons our ability to love and trust.  We hurt ourselves and the person who hurt us doesn’t even think about it anymore.   Doesn’t seem fair. 

We don’t serve a fair God… we serve a just One.  God’s justice is different than our own.  He makes things right in His own way, timing, and method.  All we are asked to do is forgive.  

We may think we aren’t as bad as Sammy Luciano.  After all, we don’t have that kind of past following us around.  But remember… we are all sinners.  We all miss the mark.  Daily.  We may not have stolen a car but we lied to our boss.  We didn’t sell drugs but we had lustful thoughts about a co-worker.  Are they the same severity?  No.  But in God’s eyes they are both sin.  And they are both detestable to a Holy God.   We think God should forgive us for the minor sins and hold them accountable for the major ones.  To God… all sin is the same.  Every single one.  

Fact is, we love receiving forgiveness but hesitate giving it.   Today, I challenge you to look closer into your heart.  Is there bitterness there?  Anger?  A driving passion to either seek revenge or judge someone’s else’s sins as greater than your own?  Take a moment and seek God in this.  Ask Him to help you forgive the offender regardless of the number of offenses.  And He promises to forgive us if we do it: 

Matthew 6:14 “"If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you.”

Sammy Luciano may have done nothing to us personally.  But our reaction to his story reveals a lot about who we are and how we feel about forgiveness, grace, and the ability for a person to change.  Who in your life needs you to see them with new eyes today?  Forgiveness may not be an easy thing, but it will release you from a lifelong prison of bitterness and hate.  You hold the key to that cell… it’s time to live free.

Unspoken

A Hebrew poet once said, “As long as a word remains unspoken, you are its master; once you utter it, you are its slave.”  So true.  Words are powerful.... they can change the course of a relationship...or ignite a revolution.  But once they escape our lips... we are responsible for their affect on the world.  

Scripture tells us in Proverbs 21:23 “"Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble"   Studies have shown that the average person speaks around 13,000 words per day... that’s a lot of opportunity to make mistakes!  But it’s also a tremendous chance to share love, grace, encouragement, and, most of all, the Gospel.  Today as you have conversations... choose to be verbally intentional. Think through each syllable... weigh out each phrase.... And remember, you can’t take words back... but you can make them count for Christ.