our blog
Apr
Vantage Point
Your Word is not just a promise that you must keep or else you will fail. It is more about the process of formation than a destination in which you will be “holy.”
This is an interesting word. “Holy.” It sounds like some kind of super-spiritual behavior – it sounds like finally arriving at some great spiritual finish line: “I am finally holy! My life is all perfectly arranged! I’ve made it!”
Perhaps of all the religious and spiritual things we Christians throw around, holiness has the biggest image problem. Think of a holy person and chances are the first thing that comes to mind is someone who is stiff and never has a moment of fun.
In truth, all that is meant by holiness is that someone or something was set apart for God’s use. The Bible is filled with stories that take place on holy ground. The only reason those plots of land are special is because something special happened on them. Their holiness depends on how God used them.
So how is He going to use you?
The goal of this year is to put yourself in a position where God will use you. So your word must become a vantage point – otherwise, opportunities will be lost. We want your One Word to become the lens through which you not only see your life and what God wants to do through you, but also how you view each passing moment.
Every day you will have an opportunity to “see” your life and your world though the lens of your One Word. If your word is compassion, it changes the way you see. You can’t simply measure your growth by whether or not you have been compassionate – you must begin to monitor how you see what is happening around you. You walk into a situation and begin to see through the lens of compassion and become available to bring God’s compassion where it might be needed. This is to be holy – you are set apart for his purposes.
If your word is love or faith, it changes the way you see your world. You are looking for opportunities. You are looking for ways for God to use what he is doing in you. You are set apart for his work – your One Word becomes a way to see things and not just a thing to do!
The first step to discovering what He has in store for you is by developing the vision of seeing what you can do for Him. As you are thinking about your word, ask yourself what your perspective would be like through the lens of your One Word. Then, surrender your normal, natural pace to be set apart for him – you are holy (1 Peter 1:16).
Apr
Looking Through a Compass . . .
Thermostats are pretty important but easy to ignore. If you’re reasonably comfortable you don’t even think about it. Thermostats are pretty simple: they have a sensor, a comparator and a responder. A good word for MOW is a word that can be used as a lens and while doing that I was reminded of how a thermostat works in the way I need my word to work in my life.
The “sensor” makes the thermostat AWARE of the current temperature–or how things are right now. A good word can do that too. When my word was relational I was made much more aware of how interconnected I am with others. With compass I’m far more aware of my “position” as it relates to God, to others, to requirements, to aspirations. It is easier to see when you’re “lost” when your word is compass.
The “comparator” measures the difference between how things are now and how things should be. What is the distance between the real and the ideal? What is the difference between my recent response to a “honey do” request and how Christ calls me to respond? What is the distance between the way I recently disciplined my daughter and the way Proverbs and other scriptures call me to parent?
The “responder” guides the reaction or behavior undertaken to minimize the distance between the ideal and the real. With a thermostat it is pretty simple: turn on the unit that cools or heats. Our repertoire of responses has to be much much greater. I can’t even discipline my two kids the same way. For my daughter being grounded is agony. My son wouldn’t even notice he was being punished . . . . until he ran out of drawing paper. The WWJD bracelet serves as a reminder to try to respond like Jesus.
So when I have remembered to use my word as a lens it has taken me through this process of sensitivity to the things that matter most, comparing where I am at with where I should be and then identifying responses that would please Christ.
For example, the other day I could feel myself just wanting to vent at my family about the messy house after stepping over her stuff, around his stuff and on still more stuff. The words were ready for launch . . . . But then I used my word “compass” to ask “where should I really be on this issue?” What matters most? What is the ideal of a godly home? The needle pointed to “peace.” Within that climate of peace we can deal with other issues. That was about 20 seconds of internal dialogue that change a rant about “What the heck is going on here!!!!” Into calm, “OK, let’s have a 3 minute speed clean before I make some lunch. I’ll get the trash, each of you get your stuff. Somebody set the timer on the stove. GO!”
The potential of a word to act as a lens is not simply to put myself under a microscope and find every flaw. Instead I have found it works best to help me become more aware of myself AND my situations and then use my word as a catalyst for both personal growth and expressions of that growth in the real situations of my life.
Reflect on how your word can help you in each of the components above:
• What does it make you more sensitive to that you might otherwise overlook or take for granted?
• How does it help you see the distance between the real and ideal set forth in God’s truth about the issue or situation?
• How can it inform your responses to bring the real in alignment with the ideal?
Apr
Facing Fear Head On
Yesterday my oldest daughter came face to face with one of her biggest fears: the fireman pole at the local playground. This contraption has caused great distress and fear in her life for the greater part of a month. Me being the overprotective parent haven’t helped matters either. Luckily, my wife has been encouraging both of us to be brave.
With Madison now in 1st grade, she is tackling things that once terrified her all in the name of being a “big girl.” Climbing the stairs confidently and placing two hands on the pole, she was going to laugh in the face of danger. Yet, as quickly as the confidence appeared, it disappeared. In an instant, the second she looked down, all her momentum vanished. Even though in reality she was only a few feet off the ground, to her it must have felt like miles. The view left her frozen. It wasn’t until she looked at her parents on either side of the pole, cheering her on, that she mustered the courage to jump and slide.
In our efforts to have Christ’s heart formed in us, we all face situations similar to Madison and the fireman’s pole. Our eyes play tricks on us and we are left feeling intimidated and completely out of our comfort zone. In these moments, living out our One Word terrifies us. When we are in the heat of a situation it is often difficult to achieve any clarity of what should be done.
We are so quick to trust our own eyes without realizing how deceiving they can be. Intimidating obstacles and self-doubt cloud our judgment and distort our view. We get to the edge of taking that next step, but instead settle for what we know. Putting our word into action can be so frightening that many of us would be quick to give up and live in the midst of our status quo.
However, if we don’t take those little steps of faith we can never get to our ultimate destination: a life defined by our intense trust in God. How do we take off our limited view blinders and gain a God perspective? This change doesn’t happen overnight, but these few tips will help aid in the process:
- Take A Step Back and Reflect. All of us experience spiritual amnesia when it comes to remembering God’s faithfulness. We get so caught up in the here and now that we forget how many times God carried us through challenging times. Journaling allows us to look back and see how God’s story is unfolding and what role we’ve played in it.
- Refresh Our Eyes. Many times we become our own worst enemy when it comes to taking a step of faith. We define our self-worth solely by our own standard. The moment we think God is asking us to move, we instantly dismiss it by saying, “He can’t be asking me to do this because….(fill in the blank).” Everybody’s excuse is different, but if we are honest with ourselves, we know what excuse we use to justify our standing still. As challenging as this might be, we must begin to define ourselves by who we are in Christ.
- Create A Mental Mosaic. We will never get the entire picture of what God wants us to do all at one time. If we did, there would be no need for faith. We must take time to understand the pieces of the puzzle that God has made clear. These little pieces often provide some insight to what direction God might be leading.
- Practice The Next Step. Focusing solely on the destination can be so overwhelming that we think the entire task is virtually impossible. What we don’t realize is that God isn’t asking or expecting us to jump from point A to Z in one quick action. All He wants us to do is take that next step. Yet, don’t be fooled. This won’t lead to a more comfortable life. God will always direct us to places that require greater faith.
We’d love to hear your response to the following question: One way to gain a deeper perspective on how God is shaping you is by taking that next step of faith. What does the next step of living out your One Word look like for you? What are you risking by taking this next step? What is at stake by staying where you are?