Created for relationship

August 4, 2008 · Filed Under general · Comment 

I just finished a week-long break from my marathon training schedule. My knees were a bit sore and I wanted to give them time to recover a bit. We’re upping our miles and I wanted to make sure I was ready for the longer distances.

So, early this morning, I donned my “dry fit” shirt and shorts, running shoes and strategically programmed iPod and started back on my running program. It was such a great time! But, something interesting happened this morning. God spoke to me through his creation during my run.

Geese

As I finished my short warm up run and started stretching, I saw this flock of geese fly over me. They weren’t way up in the sky, like when I’ve seen geese before. No, this was a small flock of Canadian geese, and they were only 30 or 40 feet of the ground. It was amazing! They were swooping over the houses in their lopsided triangle formation, but perfectly in sync.

And when I saw them pass over, I had this thought, “Geese instinctively know that they’re created to live and function as a group.”

It was an interesting thought, and immediately I start thinking about how God has created us for relationship–relationship with himself and relationship with others. I mean, when you think about the two greatest commandments, according to Jesus, it’s all about relationship: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39).

You see, we too are created instinctively to live and function as a group. We function better, more efficiently, more effectively as a group. God created us for relationship.

As I started my run, I thought more and more about this need for relationship. As I turned this one corner in my run, I looked up ahead of me, and there they were–all six geese. They had landed in the grassy area of a closed school, and they were grazing off the fresh cut grass. I was pretty surprised to see those same geese from about 20 minutes earlier. And again, another thought, “Not only do that fly together, they eat together. Now, that’s something you can relate to.”

It’s true. I like to eat. And, I enjoy having meals with friends and family. Even in my business, I often have business lunches or coffees, and I enjoy the time of just talking and listening to people. We really are created to live and function as a group.

We are created for relationship.

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Rain

July 30, 2008 · Filed Under spiritual hearing · Comment 

The most interesting thing happened this morning: rain.

I know, that may not sound so interesting, but let me explain.

These past few days have been very heavy for me. Heavy. I don’t really know how to explain it except that it’s just heavy–heaviness in my soul. Heaviness in my heart. Heaviness, burden, lethargy, sadness, subtle gloominess. It’s almost like a low-grade depression.

I awoke this morning again feeling heavy. Lord, what is this?, I prayed. Then, off I went to make my morning hazelnut latte. As I sat down at the computer to journal, again I prayed, What is this heaviness? I don’t like it.

Quietly and gently, the Lord began to show me some of the internal thoughts I had just a few days ago, thoughts about my weight and my appearance. My wife and I have been training for a marathon, and I’ve enjoyed the morning runs–the increased energy and the weight loss. I started feeling pretty good about myself.

Then, as we got back from our vacation this past weekend, I saw a picture of myself in the river swimming. Up to that point, I thought this initial weight loss would have some outward appearance, but I still looked big, and it was very discouraging. Then, over the past couple of days, my knees have been bothering me, so I decided to slow down and not run as much, which again was a bit discouraging.

Lord, is it something I said or thought?

When you saw the pictures of yourself in the river, you were very discouraged at your weight. Even after running for so long, you are not happy with yourself.

He want on to explain to me that how I view myself is essential to the joy (or lack of joy) that I will experience. Joy is an attitude of the heart that we choose to receive or push away. Joy is not the result of circumstances–good or bad. It’s a choice. And, the moment I saw those pictures, I was hit with discouragement, the enemy of joy. Rather than fight it off, I chose to accept it. Nothing has changed. Here I am running and working hard, and for what? I still look the same.

So, I talked the Lord about it. I told him I was wrong for not fighting off those ungodly thoughts, for not choosing joy. I reminded myself that losing weight, training for a marathon, getting into shape takes time. It took time to get out of shape, and it’ll take time to get into shape.

After spending some wonderful time with my Father, the discouragement lifted. I feel lighter in my soul. Joy is coming back. Discouragement is leaving. It feels good!

So what does rain have to do with it? Here in Texas, it gets really hot in the summer. This week, we’re having 100+ degree days–dry, cloudless, hot, summer days. So, this morning as I’m praying through this issue with discouragement, it starts to rain. I heard trickling water outside but thought, That can’t be rain. The only forecast this week is hot, hot, hot.

Then, boom, the thunder rolls in–all this around the time that God is helping me deal with this heaviness. I peek outside, and sure enough, it’s raining. It’s raining when it shouldn’t be raining. Very odd. Very God.

Immediately, my mind goes to Isaiah 55:10-13,

“The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands! Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow. Where briers grew, myrtles will sprout up. This miracle will bring great honor to the LORD’s name; it will be an everlasting sign of his power and love.”

God is sending his word, his promises. I will live in joy and in peace. What an amazing promise!

Thank you, Lord, for the rain!

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Heart Monitor

July 29, 2008 · Filed Under spiritual hearing · Comment 

My wife and I are runners.   We’ve signed up for a marathon training program.  She’s training for a full marathon, and I’m training for a half.  I guess that makes me half the woman she is.  Not sure if that’s a good thing or bad thing.

After coming back from vacation this past weekend, we couldn’t find our running watch and heart monitor.  It’s a cool little device that monitors your heart rate while you run, and then calculates calories burned (never enough) while monitoring your time (needs to be longer) and your heart rate (a little high).

We searched the house over.  Still couldn’t find it.  I’m starting to think that maybe we left it at our vacation spot.  While driving home, I had this thought, “I should check the red backpack.”  Then, immediately I thought, Is that you God?

When I got home, I told my wife to check her red backpack.  Sure enough, it was in there.  We had searched all of our bags quite a few times over.  But, for some reason, we missed the red backpack.

So, the big question–was that God?  Was he whispering that thought into my mind?  Did I hear the voice of God?  Or, was it just a memory, a coincidence, a random thought?

I believe it was the voice of God.  Why?

First, my wife and I often pray and ask God to show us where things are when we can’t find them, and we often hear him tell us where they are.  

Secondly, the followup thought I had was quite interesting–Is that you God?  That’s not a normal thought for me.  I didn’t necessarily pray for God to show us where the heart monitor was, but I think about that one scripture that says, “your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him” (Matthew 6:8).  It’s like I had this thought, I should pray.

And thirdly, we often think God is only concerned with big issues–world hunger, presidential elections, war in the MIddle East, getting along with my mother-in-law.  But, it’s not just the big things that God cares about.  I have learned that God even cares for the little things in our lives.  He’s not like man that gets burdened with many things.  He can handle them all–lost keys, electricity bills, should I take this job, help me with my mother-in-law.

He desires to be involved in every area of your life, even the heart monitors.

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