Getting Unstuck

I knew it was coming -- that first 30 degree morning run of the season.  I dreaded it.  It's going to be cold!  I didn't want to go.  I was stuck on the inside looking out.

But I also knew that if I am going to run at all this winter, I needed to get out there.  I just had to remember how to dress for it.  By the end of the winter, I will again know the right combinations for each temperature--whether 20 degrees or 50 -- a t-shirt under a long-sleeve, when to wear a jacket, gloves or even a hat.  Those who embark on outdoor adventures know what matters most is not the plummeting temperatures or harsh weather but how you approach it by what you wear.  Wisdom is embedded by experience.  Dress in layers and get out there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

God's Word talks a lot about what to wear to any occasion and in all circumstances.  Not just the red scarf of courage, but layers of love and grace and pockets full of kindness to give away. Not armor to wear to a disaster, but forgiveness and a compassionate heart, even on the every days in the neighborhood, even in the unexpected, even in the most unlikely places.  God shows us how to get unstuck by preparing us and equipping us beyond the phantoms of our dread so that we may respond to His nudges.

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved,

compassionate hearts, kindness, humility,

meekness, and patience,

bearing one another,

and if one has a complaint against another,

forgiving each other,

as the Lord has forgiven you,

        so you also must forgive.

And above all these

put on love,

which binds everything together

           in perfect harmony.

                  Colossians 3. 12-14

And so this brisk morning, I pulled an old long-sleeve from the bottom of my drawer, found my fleece still hanging on the hook, grabbed a thin pair of mittens just in case, and headed out to the frosty park.  I ran outside my comfort zone.  Not surprisingly, it was far better than I could have imagined-- a beautiful and refreshing experience outside with crisp cold air, a mosaic of colorful leaves on the path, and under the canopy of a sheer blue sky.  I am so grateful I did not miss that.  I did not just endure.  In getting out--even in my reluctance-- God gave me exactly what I needed.  Obedience to God brings with it strength for today in whatever I will face and bright hope for the days ahead.  Not the world's "you can do it."  But God's "I am with you."

Our circumstances may stay the same.  But I can approach what is on my path with a new heart and mind, no matter the conditions.  What am I wearing into this situation?  And am I walking with Him?

We all struggle with things a lot scarier, riskier, more consequential and overwhelming than a cold morning run.  But we need not be paralyzed by them.  God never promised that life in this broken world would be easy, but gave us His Word over and over again, "Do not be afraid. I am with you."  We are not alone.  And He embraces us with His strength and grace.

The key to getting unstuck is to trust God, dress in layers, and get out there, choosing to get out of the miry bog --or just out the door --by even taking one step, and then another.  His faithfulness covers us, even in our scary places.  Just do something.  Trust Him in this.

God will surprise you.

If I had known, I would have taken a picture

I had the privilege of picking up our five year old twin grandsons from school on Thursday.  They each carried a small paper lunch bag, the remnants of the school Halloween party earlier that day.  It was a fun day of dressing up in costume.  The most memorable to them was their buddy Fletcher dressing up as a wolf.  Animals of any kind roam endlessly through their imaginations.

Even on the short ride to their home, they were already digging into those little bags to discover the treasures there.

By the time we walked into the house, a couple pieces of candy were already consumed.  They continued to pull out a plastic ring, a rope bracelet, a black ink stamper (what was someone thinking?!?), and of course, more candy.  

But what stood out to me that afternoon was when one of the boys reached into his little bag and pulled out some Smarties, one of his favorites.  He walked over to me and handed me the little plastic wrapped roll.  "Give this to Papa.  I want him to have this."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If I had known what was taking place, I would have taken a picture.  But I didn't have to.  That image of his generous spirit is engraved indelibly in my heart.

It was not like he didn't like this sweet treat.  It was not like he was coerced into "share with your grandfather." And it is important to note that he had no idea that Trick or Treat was coming.  He did not know that there would be anything more. But his offering was a pure five year old expression of love.  Not an emotion or an "obedience."  But the reality of "I want to share with you."  And it spoke loudly of his character.  He is aware and responsive to those around him in his life. Somehow even at this young age, he realizes it is not all about him.  He loves others, not because he has to, but he gets to.

I can't wait to see how God will use his generous heart.

Just a little piece of candy and a very big heart that God will continue to use his whole life through.  Kindness continues to reverberate.  It blesses others.  It changes us. 

O Lord, give me a generous heart like that.  

The point is this:  whoever sows sparingly

will also reap sparingly, 

and whoever sows bountifully,

will also reap bountifully.  

Each one must give

as he has decided in his heart,

not reluctantly

        or under compulsion,

for God loves a cheerful giver.

And God is able to make

   all grace abound to you,

so that having all sufficiency

    in all things at all times,

you may abound

               in every good work.

           2 Corinthians 9. 6-8

May we live hilariously like that.

I Almost Missed It

In the middle of a rough and rocky wilderness road, I realized suddenly where I was. 

Don't look down.

I was driving for the first time a 4 x 4 truck on a 100 mile unimproved road through the Utah desert, on narrow paths along cliffs, and at times just feet from the edge of canyons.

I had no idea what I was doing.

My husband and I were participating in a three-day mountain biking and camping excursion in Canyonlands National Park, a remote and arid landscape in the vast wilderness of Utah.  The group would mountain bike the entire 100-mile White Rim Trail in three full days of cycling.  I expected to ride in the support truck through the flat terrain of the desert, from campsite to campsite.

But adventure always exceeds our expectations....and sometimes far beyond our perceived abilities. 

That first morning, moments before we started out, the team leaders decided to bring along not just one support vehicle, but two instead, accounting for the forecast of inclement weather.  Instantly, I was no longer a passenger, but a driver.  I didn't even have enough time to panic over the thought.  The first incline was a serpentine narrow road.  "Just get me through that harrowing part," I told them, "and I'll be ok driving the rest." And so someone else drove that initial scary part.  The rest will be breeze, compared to that. Just a flat dusty road.

Or so I thought.

But my plans were pathetic compared to what God had in mind.  I love that God desires to surprise us and to shake us out of our complacent attitudes, convenient plans, and comfortable surroundings, no matter where we are, even on the most ordinary of days and even in the remarkable.

There was grace in not knowing what was ahead of me.  The reality was far beyond my fears, worries, expectations, or even of what I considered my skill set. What emerged was an elevated narrative as God intended all along. 

And somehow, there was no room for debilitating fear in the cab of that truck. Instead, I was in awe of my surroundings.  I was awestruck by God.  I was actually enjoying this adventure.  Even the hard parts.

Before I knew what I would be doing, before we left for the trip and drew closer to our departure, the weather forecast grew more dismal by the day.  Temperatures continued to drop, the chance of rain multiplied, and the wind velocity increased. Daily, I grew more hesitant to go as the trip appeared more and more out of my comfort zone.  We were going to be tent camping in that.

"It's going to be cold,"  I said to Bill.  "It's going to be wet.  It's going to be hard."

And he replied:  "It's going to be epic."  Far more than I anticipated.

Yes, it was cold.  It rained buckets. We experienced wind, rain, hail, and at times, brilliant blue skies peeking through. The 100-mile road was rockier, steeper, and sometimes indecipherable. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is that really the road?  Is that glimmer of water on the trail just a shallow puddle or a deep crater the size of a Chicago pothole?  And more times than I could count, the road dropped away into a canyon just feet away from where I was driving.  Don't look down.  It was an adventure I could not have made up in any kind of fiction.

And over and over, when the impossible appeared before me, God gave me another gear that I never knew I had.  

 

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope.

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases,

His mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

great is Your faithfulness.

                      Lamentations 3. 21-23

The views outdid one another in grandeur every time the road curved and another panorama appeared.  God whispered His strength through the hard stuff.  He shouted His glory through creation all around us, from the tiniest cactus stubbornly holding its ground to the monumental cathedrals carved by the sheer rock walls and canyons.  God enlarged our range of vision in more ways than one. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was mesmerized by the landscape.  It was not so barren at all.  I was surprised by the story unfolding before me, that which was enjoyed, shared, suffered and lived through. 

I almost missed it by bowing to my fears and excuses.  I can't do it.  Not in me.  Not on my life.  And I would have been far poorer from missing that incredible experience.

And I think of what I almost miss daily.  Am I open to God's adventures in what He places before me today?  Not my will, but His.  Not my plans, but His.  Not even on my radar, but in His design for me and others this day.

Do I face today with the attitude of ordinary, or really hard, or "it's going to be epic" -- far deeper than I can imagine?

God brings the epic to it.   And that would be His glory.

Never Stop Exploring

My husband has backpacked with the same group of guys every six months or so for the past seventeen years.  Whether locally or distant, what has made these hikes epic has not always been the destination, but how they faced the unexpected. 

For all of their careful preparation, with the exception of one long weekend, not one hike has gone according to plan.  They have had to alter their routes, their timing, their pace, always being flexible to accommodate what was way beyond their control--snow, floods, winds, emerging health problems, injuries along the way, pandemic restrictions, and the latest, last month in the Alaskan wilderness, a landslide across the access road.  

As they start off at a trailhead, they never really know what they will discover.  But as they have found, the difficult parts, the challenging, and the unexpected does not ruin the trip.  It is what makes it an adventure.  For all of us, the unexpected is the what we likely remember most of our own experiences and how we learn and prepare for the next.

As my husband has discovered on his treks, the adventure really starts when the unplanned appears.  The wonders are not limited to the fantastic views, but in the "how in the world are we going to get through this?"

Even in our most ordinary of days, how do we approach what is set before us?  Just seeing it as the same old stuff....or see something new -- and adventurous-- in it?  Do we see interruptions?  Or opportunities?

My husband and I recently viewed a short series of documentaries about an expedition through the wilderness.  The group had prepared years for this journey-- compiling all the best equipment, carefully planning their routes, places to stop for the night, pinpointing sources to resupply fuel and food, what they would do, how they would do it, and document it all.  

When it came down to it in the documentary, their trip was almost cut short by a depleted supply of bandages and dependence on a rather mediocre chain saw that was thrown in at the last minute.

But my favorite part that they filmed daily was in the waning hours of those hard days, going around, one by one, and asking, "What was your favorite part of the day?"

Their answers were never based on what they had expected to do, to find or discover, but those experiences far exceeding their carefully planned schedule, agenda, or vision.   It is why God calls us to "Follow Me into it."  There is something more that He wants us to see and experience.  

We can lay our day before the Lord, but when we ask Him to lay His day before us, there are no interruptions but His wonders that transcend even our imaginations.

The unknown is not unknown to God.  The unexpected is not what to fear.  It may actually turn out to be your favorite part.  "I never knew I could do that."  "I never knew God could do that."  "I could never have done that without Him."

And just plain "Wow!"

We are not in control.  But He is.  Nothing random after all.  But His staggering faithfulness.

 

For I know the plans I have for you,

                   declares the LORD,

plans for welfare and not for evil,

to give you a future and a hope.

...You will seek Me and find me,

when you seek Me with all your heart.

                       Jeremiah 29. 11, 13 

And that is when the adventure begins. Even in what only appears as an ordinary day. 

What if we add to our conversation over supper, What was your favorite part of this day?  And then look for the unexpected treasures of His faithfulness.  

Never stop exploring. 

October 1 ?!?!

 Yesterday, October still seemed a long time away.  

This morning, I woke up and realized it is here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"It's October," I said to my husband.  "How did that happen?"

"Day by day," he remarked.

I thought about author Annie Dillard's response to the swift passing of time and our response:  "How we spend our days is how we spend our lives."

What is our response to the 24 hours before us?

The world says, "Seize the day."

But God says, "Take My hand."  

 

From of old not one has heard

         or perceived by ear,

no eye has seen a God besides You

who acts for those who wait for Him.

                        Isaiah 64. 4

I don't need to worry that I am missing out.  I just need to be faithful to Him.  Because in what we consider an insignificant detail, God brings both His faithfulness and fruitfulness to it.  Mundane does not appear in God's dictionary.  We think in days.  God has eternity in His hands.  We add.  God multiplies.  We plant a seed.  God produces a forest that will outlive us.

There are no insignificant obediences.   My response to God directly impacts our days and the lives all around me.

And so I pray Colossians 1. 10 and add the word today at the end of each phrase: 

"...to lead a life worthy of You today,

fully pleasing to You today,

bearing fruit in every good work today,

and increasing in the knowledge of You today."

Order our days, O LORD.

Guide our steps.

Direct our thoughts.

Align our hearts

                 with Yours.

Infect our decisions

              and our vision.

 

The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me;

Your steadfast love, O LORD,

                   endures forever.

                                  Psalm 138.8 

Even today.

Even for a billion tomorrows.

Even in this.