Priorities

Jan 10 2021

Giving God your zero

Social media is certainly interesting right now—with lots of upheaval on sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Parler.

Many who have enjoyed a robust following are finding the bottom is dropping out seemingly overnight.

Others are being banned for “violating” the rules in some way.

And still others are voluntarily calling it quits on platforms with which they can no longer agree.

The result?

The need to start from zero somewhere else.

With zero content and zero followers—completely starting from scratch.

Of course, some are finding they don’t have a choice in the matter—but others are doing so as a matter of choice.

I made that choice over a year ago, leaving Facebook and later Twitter, too.

Starting from zero with God

All that got me thinking about the dynamics of starting from scratch.

Of the willingness to give God our zero and trust Him with the outcome of doing so.

I read about four guys who did the same during my devotionals this morning: Andrew, Peter, James, and John.

In Matthew 4:18-22, we read the description of how they became Jesus’ followers:

¹⁸As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” ²⁰At once they left their nets and followed him.
²¹Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, ²²and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
NIV

When Jesus called them to follow Him, they immediately got up, left everything and everyone behind, and did exactly that.

I wonder how many of us would be willing to do that today.

To leave behind our comfortable lives and follow Jesus into the unknown.

To give Him our zero and trust Him with it.

To do what’s needed in the context of our call to put His kingdom first.

His will be done.

On Earth, as it is in Heaven.

The willingness to leave what’s familiar, to depart previous success, and start from scratch can be a hard thing to do.

But God will honor your willingness to do exactly that.

If you trust Him with your zero and step with Him into whatever He has next.

Jan 07 2021

When is it okay to be silent?

I watched a video recently in which the speaker urged the “silent majority” to speak up.

While I understood what she was saying, her invitation also got me thinking about the dynamics of silence.

Now, me thinking about things can lead to a variety of scenarios.

If I’m trying to multi-task, that might mean that I put:

A dryer sheet in the washer.
The wrong pillowcases on the wrong pillows.
A double helping of mousse on my hair.

However, when I’m thinking in a more focused way about something like when-it’s-okay-to-do-this-or-that, I usually (hopefully) start with asking God what He thinks.

Since I try not to live in an echo chamber, the other thing I typically do is try to understand various perspectives.

Three camps of silence

When it comes to how individuals decide about being silent, I think it basically boils down to three camps:

Those who are determined to remain silent.
Those who may be willing to speak up for the right reasons.
Those who are going to consistently trumpet their opinions.

That leads me to thinking about what kinds of dynamics influence who resides in which.

Factors that may influence silence

There could be a variety of factors at play, but generally, they may involve things like:

Personality. We’re all wired differently. Just because introverts are more likely to remain silent on a topic doesn’t mean they don’t care. And extroverts shouldn’t judge them for being true to themselves.
Stage in life. Older individuals often have the life experience and wisdom that informs whether they should or shouldn’t speak up. Those who are younger may be more impulsive and willing to jump into the fray.
Life goals. If you’re full of energy and ready to lead new initiatives, good for you. But if you’d prefer to focus on experiencing inner peace, good for you, too.
Priorities. While this is similar to life goals, what I’m referring to here is that each person’s situation is different. For some, their plates are quite full—as is the case for family caregivers or individuals dealing with health or other difficult issues. When this is the case, speaking up about various things likely isn’t the priority they’re focused on.
Faith. This one could have many nuances, since there are various types of faith systems that people embrace. As you may know, I’m a Christian, so I live and write from that perspective—which is why I expand more on this below.
Perceived importance of the issue. Sometimes this is clear-cut, such as the need to advocate for the most vulnerable. Often, this is highly influenced by faith. It’s also a factor that each person has to decide for themselves.
Fear. Unfortunately, that’s a real thing in the world we live in. Some are afraid to speak up due to consequences that may occur if they do so—which, even more unfortunately may also be a real thing.
Courage. As you likely know, courage isn’t about the absence of fear, but the willingness to act in the face of it. I’d just like to point out that great acts of courage aren’t always visible. Instead, they may occur within small and individual acts that we’re never aware of.

Balancing silence with speaking up

Personally, I think all of those factors play into finding a balance between being silent and speaking up.

For me, it’s a matter of responding to the Holy Spirit‘s urging to become involved in something, take a stand, or make my opinions more visible in some way.

But to do so, I have to spend the focused time in prayer and study of the Word that’s needed to sense God’s leading.

While there is great power in speaking up, I think there is also great power in being quiet.

In being mindful and measured about how we communicate our opinions and views.

Our country is a mess right now and many are frustrated and overwhelmed.

In such an environment, it can be easy to have a knee-jerk response to current events.

I’m certainly tempted to do so at times.

But when I step back, pray, and wait on God‘s direction, then I can be more peaceful.

Because I’m responding to the Rock of His leading—instead of the shifting sands of my own emotions.

With such an approach, I can better engage with the world in the way God wants me to.

And reserve my focus and energy to exit silence and speak up about the things that matter most to Him.

Jan 05 2021

Why God doesn’t need our shortcuts

Don’t you just love a good shortcut?

A special route that’s all your own that lets you leave that long line of traffic behind?

If you live in a congested area, shortcuts can be such a joy, and one reason I love turning on Poppy—which is the name of my Google Maps girl so named for the star character in the movie Trolls.

Although we’ve lived in the Ocala area for several years now, I’d still get lost if I didn’t have my trusted Poppy to tell me how to get where I need to go.

And when I let her pick the route, she always provides the shortcuts I’d never know about if left up to my own devices.

Of course, there are other types of shortcuts besides those we use behind the wheel—and sometimes they can lead to pitfalls we don’t quite expect.

When shortcuts lead to pitfalls

Though shortcuts can be beneficial, they can also be a hazard if not applied in the right way.

For instance, taking a shortcut in manufacturing may reduce the quality of a product—which can hurt both customers and the reputation of the brand that created it.

Shortcuts in construction can lead to structures that may not last very long—or worse, be unstable and unsafe.

And don’t even get me started on the list of problems that can occur when shortcuts are taken in healthcare.

The various ways that shortcuts can lead to pitfalls would create a very long list, and I’m sure you get my drift.

Sometimes shortcuts are helpful and sometimes they’re either a hindrance or just outright harmful.

The motivation behind shortcuts

Examining and understanding motivation is a big deal in all kinds of scenarios—including the shortcuts we decide to take.

As a general category, motivation captures both positive and negative dynamics.

When it comes to shortcuts, positive dynamics may include:

efficiency;
productivity;
profitability; and
a desire to be good stewards of our time.

Negative dynamics may include:

greed;
laziness;
impatience;
profitability (yes, that one makes both lists); and
a lack of concern about the impact of our actions on someone else.

When I consider God’s opinion about shortcuts, I’m quite sure He’s not pleased when we take them based on the latter list.

And certainly, if He’s not part of the process, likely it’s not a shortcut that’s part of His plan.

We’re all vulnerable to shortcut-pitfalls

Although Abraham and Sarah were both close to God, they took a major shortcut that created quite a mess.

Genesis describes God’s promise to Abraham that He would make him the father of many nations (Genesis 12: 1-4; 15).

The problem was, Abraham was getting pretty old, and so was his wife, Sarah.

And though they desperately wanted children, that just hadn’t happened yet.

Still, they intended to believe God and embraced the promise of parenthood.

However, after 10 years of waiting for Him to fulfill His promise, Sarah finally gave up and offered her maidservant, Hagar, to Abraham so he could have the offspring God had promised (Genesis 16:1-4).

Unfortunately, Abraham agreed and all three of them stepped into a shortcut that created quite a mess.

You can read more about the mess in Genesis 16 and Genesis 21:9-21, but the bottom line is that trusting God to fulfill His promise would’ve been a much better decision than moving forward with their own plans.

We’re all vulnerable to this dynamic that played out in Abraham and Sarah’s lives.

After all, in our impatience about this or that, it can be tempting to latch onto a shortcut that may not be part of God’s plan for us.

And God’s plan is always, always better than our own.

We never have to accept the shortcut-solutions of the world that are not part of what God wants for us.

Because the Creator of the Universe will provide all that we need.

But sometimes we have to be patient and trust God as we wait.

Being faithful in prayer, study of the Word, and abiding in Him as we do.

Jan 02 2021

In the New Year: 3 Steps Toward Inner Peace

Inner peace?

In the context of the tumultuous year we’ve just closed the books on, experiencing inner peace may sound as luxurious and foreign as an all-inclusive tropical destination that’s probably not safe to visit just yet.

Or a fantasy ride at Disney—which, in the U.S., is mostly open only in Florida right now.

If trying to experience inner peace in the midst of our dicey times seems like a New Year’s resolution you’ll never achieve in the coming year, the good news is there are certain steps you can take to help you get there—like the following three.

1. Start each day with God.

I know it’s tempting to grab your phone or turn on the TV first thing in the morning for a “quick peek” at whatever you’re itching to see.

Maybe that’s a favorite social media channel with the latest on family and friends.

Or a news site that offers the latest headlines and up-to-the-minute controversies.

Or your email inbox, where all those critical messages have been waiting all night for you.

But I encourage you to put all of that aside and spend some focused time with God first.

Take 10, 20, 30 minutes or more and seek Him through prayer and reading of the Word.

Of course, if you want to make Bibles & Bathrobes™ part of that time, that’s awesome! But even those are meant to be only a primer for your more focused time with Him.

If you spend time with God before delving into all of those potentially-disturbing distractions, you’ll be more suited to deal with them from a posture of peacefulness only He can provide.

2. Adopt a with-God, take-control mindset.

I don’t know about you, but it seems like there’s a growing chorus of voices clamoring at me from all directions telling me what I should and shouldn’t do.

Since I’m a bit of a rebel (okay, maybe more than just a bit), that just doesn’t cut it with me.

Instead, I prefer to march to the beat of a different drummer.

Or make up a beat that’s all my own.

Follow the road less traveled.

Or cut a path through the thicket to create a route that never existed.

And to do all of that with God as my ultimate Guide as I do.

That kind of approach goes against the grain of many in our society—especially those who don’t care what God thinks or even believe He exists in the first place.

Although I want to help such individuals come to know Jesus for the first time or come back to Him if they’ve wandered off, we just don’t share perspectives on a great many things.

Instead of worrying about what others think, I want to listen to and please God.

Remember that you don’t have to passively absorb all the chaos around you; respond in-kind to negative sentiments expressed in various contexts; or do what others tell you (okay, there are some things you have to do if you don’t want to end up in jail).

Instead, I encourage you to follow God’s direction and adopt a take-control attitude with Him as you do.

3. Limit your bad-news exposure.

Speaking of chaos and negative sentiments…

As I mentioned recently, we decided to move from satellite TV to a streaming provider instead.

In addition to saving lots of money, things have become much more peaceful around our house, too.

That’s not because there’s anything serene about streaming, but because our country internet can be so sluggish that we often have to limit access to one device at a time.

When things are especially congested, sometimes we just give up and opt for the quiet.

All of that has made me much more aware of how much time I used to spend either online or watching TV.

And often, I was watching the news or reading something on the internet that got me riled up.

What I’ve realized within our need to ration our internet access is that there’s a whole world of peacefulness just waiting for me to turn everything off.

In our always-on world, our exposure to bad news can be endless.

And that’s not good for our mental or spiritual health.

Instead, I encourage you to set aside a specific amount of time each day for being online or watching TV to catch up on whatever you need—and then turn things off and step into the quiet and peacefulness that’s waiting for you there.

This post is adapted from Sue’s Perspectives column in the latest edition of The Empowered Traveler™ Newsletter. If you’re not already a subscriber, you can do that here: Subscribe to Sue’s newsletter.

Apr 21 2020

What matters most?

“What matters most?”

It’s a question I’ve asked myself a lot throughout my life—and in the current state of our world, the need to answer it is more pressing than ever.

Certainly, that’s true in the context of the many critical and ongoing decisions being made by various leaders as they try to gauge and balance the needs of our society.

But it’s also true for each of us—even more importantly so.

The answer to this question is different for everyone and evolves as we move through different seasons of our lives.

No one can decide what matters most to me except me.

And no one can decide what matters most to you except you.

Asking and answering this critical question is also a powerful tool to help us do all kinds of important things—like set priorities, make decisions, and give ourselves permission to follow our dreams.

In fact, I used this question one recent morning as I was journaling and spending time in prayer.

Aware that I have many things I’d like to do and only so much time to do them—both within each 24 hours and my remaining time on this earth—I often find the need to spend time trimming my ambitious list so I can focus on that which is most realistic and aligns with things I’m passionate about.

When I’m doing this, another question I add to sharpen my focus is, “When I’m in my final moment prior to death, will I regret not having done this?”

Believe me, using those two questions together provides a lot of clarity!

For example, I belong to several writing organizations, and each has a different focus. While they all provide great resources, I don’t always have time to make the most of them despite the fact that I’m paying a membership fee.

So, when I saw the renewal coming up for my medically-focused writing organization—which is quite pricey—I asked myself those two questions in the context of what areas of my writing I want to use my limited time and energy to develop.

Suffice it to say that I decided when the Lord is about to call me home, I won’t regret not having spent the time, money, and energy to learn more about regulatory medical writing.

On the flip side, I would regret not finishing some other writing projects God has put on my heart—and continuing to develop other areas of my writing that I’m passionate about.

So, what matters most to you in this season of your life?

And what might need attention to prevent regrets during your final moment?

They’re powerful questions, and often have quite personal answers.

If you’d like to share, please feel free to email me back.

Or maybe call up a friend to have a little chat.

And remember God’s always available for that, too.

This post first appeared in the April 18, 2020 edition of The Empowered Traveler™ newsletter.