Thinning the Melons in My Life

 

“Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.”

Psalm 119:36-37 (NIV)

 

Years ago I helped my father-in-law plant acres and acres of watermelons. Five seeds to a hill . . . hill after hill after hill. My back was sore from bending and my hands had blisters from hoeing but before I knew it, tiny plants were shooting up in the mounds of warm soil.  Each stem was dark green and healthy and I envisioned watermelons by the thousands, ready to be picked and eaten!

 As we looked over the fields, my father-in-law made an odd request: “Now that we have our plants growing in each mound, you need to go to each hill and thin it down to just two plants. Leave the two strongest healthy plants and pull up the other ones.” I was dumbfounded! Pull up all but two of the healthy plants?

 That request made no sense to me. After all, I reasoned, the more plants you have, the more watermelons you will harvest. I just couldn’t do it. I decided on my own to pull up only one plant from each hill. I was working long and hard when I looked up and saw my father-in-law watching me with a “she needs a lesson on watermelons” smile on his face.

  “Child,” he said, “there is a good reason to pull up all but two plants. If you leave all the plants in the watermelon hill, they will crowd each other out. You will have several vines but none will be strong and healthy enough to produce really good watermelons.”

 He continued “They will compete for the moisture, for the sunshine. All your work will be in vain.” So, head bowed, I retraced all my steps and followed his directions exactly as he had instructed me.

 In life, there are times when we have too many really “good things” rivaling for our attention. Maybe it’s leading music at church AND teaching a Sunday school class AND writing for the church paper AND being the head of several community organizations AND . . . Whew! Do you get the idea?

 Now if we were honest, we could easily list all those “worthless things” that Psalm 119 addresses, like spending hours on Instagram or Facebook or Twitter, binge watching movies or television, or maybe shopping for a new outfit with several unworn ones in our closets. But what about the “good things” in our lives?

 Maybe you are a fortunate woman who has many, many talents to share with those around her. That’s great! But we need to be careful as wives and mothers that we do not spread our energy and ourselves too thin because all those things will compete for our time and we will find that we do not do any of them well.

In addition, those we love – our children and husbands and friends – may suffer from our lack of time and attention to them. We will become pulled in so many directions that we will find ourselves unable to do any one thing well and therefore every area of our lives – every “good thing” – will suffer as a result. Do you just feel your stress level increasing with that statement? Me, too.

 Let me just ask you: what is your passion? What do you feel the Lord has planted in your heart? What idea keeps you awake praying in the middle of the night? That is where your focus should be. If you do not feel pulled toward one particular area, go before the Lord and ask Him to show you what He wants you to focus on in your life with your talent

 I encourage you to spend less time on “worthless things” but it is also time to say “no” to some good things as you are trust the Lord to show you His best direction for your life. We all need to learn to thin the melons.

 Lord, I desire more than anything to be the servant that you want me to be. Show me the good things in my life that I can give up in order to see the better things that you have for me to do for you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

R.A.P. it up . . .

 

Reflect

• Do you find yourself exhausted and drained at the end of the week because of all the activities you have been involved in the past seven days?

 

• How do you respond to your family when your energy level is low because of your involvement in other things?

 

Apply

• List every organization/activity that you are involved in for one month.

 

• Pray about each one and then ask the Lord to show you which one(s) you should cross off the list and which one(s) you should focus on.

 

Power

• Psalm 119:36-37 (NIV) “Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.”

 

• Isaiah 40:31 (NIV) “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

 

• Philippians 4:6 (NIV) “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

How Do You Handle a GR.U.M.P.

 

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)

                It’s funny how we can forget what we had for breakfast by 11 am but vividly remember a hurtful situation from 20 years ago. So it is for me the day I was formally introduced to the concept of a grown up mean person – or GR.U.M.P.

                The company where I worked had formed a softball team. The coach was the husband of one of my co-workers. My main position was pitcher but I also played first base occasionally.   The season had started off well and I was thoroughly enjoying the pastime with my teammates – until Susan, the wife of the coach, became upset with another team member.

                One day Susan came by my desk as I was talking with a co-worker and commented “I am so mad at Connie. She is always talking about how she is better than the rest of us, just because she has played softball on other teams. I think she needs to be benched for a while to teach her to keep her comments to herself. What do you guys think?”

 “I like Connie but I guess you’re right.” my co-worker answered.  I shrugged “I think we have a great team but I wouldn’t bench her for giving her opinion.” Susan went back to her desk and I totally forgot the conversation – until our next softball game.  

                The team ran out on the field and I grabbed my glove and started toward the pitcher’s mound when the coach stopped me. “Hey, Nancy, wait a minute. We have a new pitcher. You’ll go in later.” I was totally caught off guard.  A new pitcher?  I wondered why until I glanced at Susan aka GR.U.M.P. Her smile and laugh gave me the answer: I had not agreed with what she had wanted to do. And therefore, I would pay for it. I finally got in the game:  for the last play of the last inning – in center field. 

That was only the beginning. For the rest of the season, I sat on the bench for every game. I didn’t play another inning. It was the same each game: I cheered for the team. I encouraged when we got behind.  All the while sitting on the bench. And then I went home and cried until, with half of our games left, my husband gave me some great advice.

“You have choices. You can quit. Quit the team. That’s what she wants you to do anyway.  You can ask the coach why you are sitting the bench every game but you already know the reason. Or you can refuse to let Susan’s mean spill over into your life and spoil your glass-half-full attitude.”

Then he gave me a hug and grinned: “She doesn’t know it but the ball is in your court – well, field actually. It’s totally up to you how this turns out. It’s your call: keep striking out or hit a home run.”

He was right. I had gone home after every game and cried at how unfair it was for me to be sitting on the bench because the coach’s wife didn’t like my comment. My conversations at home with my husband were 100% focused on my hurt feelings and my anger and . . . me. And the glass half full that I had always had? It had become emptied and cracked.  I had become miserable at work and I had taken that misery home with me.

I would love to tell you that I immediately changed my attitude and forgave Susan but I didn’t.  It took prayer and Ephesians 4:32 to remind me that, as a Christian, my attitude should always be kind and forgiving. Even when I am treated unfairly. Especially when I am treated unfairly.

The first day at work after my heart change from the Lord was hard. When the GR.U.M.P. walked by my desk with her usual glare, I smiled and said “Hi Susan. How are you?” She said “What business is it of yours?” and rolled her eyes and walked on. Susan only got angrier as I became kinder. That anger then became directed at the other softball players and by the end of the season, they decided to disband the team.

I learned a lot from my GR.U.M.P. experience. As a Christian, my attitude and total reaction has to come from the Word of God. I have to examine my heart and get rid of any anger or bitterness I may have. And I need to forgive just as Jesus has forgiven. Nothing less will do.   

My heart changed, too. I no longer saw a GR.U.M.P. Instead I saw Susan: a woman who needed the kindness and forgiveness Jesus had given me. And I prayed that, one day, she would accept His gift.

                Father, please help me have the right attitude when I have been treated unfairly. I ask for patience and a genuine love toward those who seek to attack and hurt. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

·         Think about situations in which you have been treated unfairly by a GR.U.M.P.

·         What was your immediate reaction? Forgiveness and love or anger and retaliation?

Apply

·         Memorize Ephesians 4:32. Keep it on a note card in your purse and on your bathroom mirror.

·         Let your first response when confronted by a GR.U.M.P. be one of kindness and compassion.

Power

·         Ephesians 4:32 (NIV) “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

·         Colossians 3:12 (NIV) “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

·         Luke 6:27-28 (NIV) “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”

Dedicated to the One I Love

 

“He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.”

John 7:18 (NIV)

 

Spending an afternoon reading obituaries of people I do not know is not a normal pastime for me but I confess that I was fascinated by the content of each one.

 

Some were very flowery and full of honors the person had attained in his or her lifetime; others were concise and to the point with no frills. But what got my attention was one particular word that was used over and over: “dedicated.”

 

Mr. Smith “dedicated his life to the planting of trees in his community.” Mrs. Callahan’s obituary stated that she was “completely dedicated to her bridge club for 33 years.” Yet another woman “dedicated everything she had to promoting healthier lifestyles for household pets.”

 

I am certain that those activities were important to those people and may have been important to others around them as well and I am equally certain that they were worthwhile pastimes. But I cannot help but try to wrap my mind around the word “dedicated.”

 

It is defined in the dictionary as “devoted to a task or purpose; having single-minded loyalty, exclusively allocated to or intended for a particular service or purpose.”

 

So let me ask you: what are you dedicated to with all your heart and all your life? What task or purpose fills your days and evenings more than anything else? What consumes your thoughts and plans day after day?

 

I asked myself those same questions and I didn’t like my answers: surfing the internet, chatting on Facebook or on my cell phone, watching one reality show after another on television. None of those activities are bad or heading me on a path straight to the lake of fire.

 

But where is my dedication to sharing Jesus with the elderly neighbor next door or writing a note to someone that I know is hurting or time simply spent in the presence of my Father telling Him how much I love Him?

 

If my obituary were written today, I fear it would read “She was dedicated to four hours on the internet every day – rain or shine.”

 

Not anymore. I resolve to refocus my life on the eternal.  Then perhaps one day my obituary will read “Her life was dedicated to the One she loved.”

 

Father, this moment I dedicate my life to you. Show me what I can change so that I am totally devoted to you and to your service. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

 

R.A.P. it up . . .

 

 

Reflect

• What activity in your everyday life takes up the majority of your time and energy?

 

• Does it have anything to do with serving the Lord and telling others about Him?

 

Apply

• Take the time to journal your activities, day by day, for one week.

 

• At the end of the week, group all your activities together under two titles: “For Me” and “For the Lord” and determine in which group you dedicated the most time and effort.

 

Power

• John 7:18 (NIV) “He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.”

 

• Matthew 21:37 (NIV) “Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and all your mind.”

 

• Romans 12:1,2 (NIV) “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.”

 

Eyes to See the Army

 

 

“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are

more than those who are with them.”

II Kings 6:16 (NIV)

 

My five-year-old grandson was excited about starting pre-school but nervous about not doing well on his entrance exam. His mother had prepared him with encouragement.  “Just do your best and you will be fine,” she told him.

 

Jude sat down on the tiny chair in the classroom and waited quietly for the pre-school teacher to start the screening. The first question appeared to be an easy one: “Jude, what would you do if you walked into a dark room?” she asked. He never hesitated for one second as he replied “Panic!”

 

We see a similar response from the servant of Elisha the prophet in II Kings 6:15. The Aram king was at war with Israel but he was unable to inflict damage because every time he made a decision, Elisha would let the king of Israel know the plans of his enemy. This enraged Aram’s king to the point that he decided to send a huge army in the darkness of night to surround the city where Elisha and his servant were staying so he could capture them.

 

Elisha’s servant woke up to chariots, horses and men surrounding the city. The servant knew the odds were not good at all and he was on the verge of all out panic. In fear he asked Elisha “Oh, my lord, what shall we do?”

 

But Elisha calmed his servant by telling him that “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” (II Kings 6:16) He then asked the Lord to open the eyes of his servant so he could see the host of angels with chariots and horses, waiting to obey God’s command.

 

Can you imagine the expression on his servant’s face as he looked around and saw the huge holy army ready to do battle? The panic in the servant’s heart would instantly be replaced by calm. Are you wondering how this applies to you?

 

What “dark room” are you entering today? In what “city” are you surrounded by an army positioned to attack? Are you afraid because of a situation at work that threatens to overtake you or a relationship at home that appears hopeless? Are you frightened as you look at the world and what the future may hold for you and your family?

  

Please do not panic! Just because you cannot see answers with your physical eyes, do not count out the warrior Jesus Christ. He is beside us, protecting, directing, defending and doing battle on our behalf. Just as He sent reinforcements to Elisha, Jesus stands ready to do battle for us, His children. Trust Him to one day allow you to have eyes to see the army.

 

Father, thank you for your protection of my family and me. I praise you for doing battle for us against the enemy. Help me to not panic and be fearful but to trust in you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

 

Reflect

• Have you ever faced a situation that did not appear to have a good outcome?

 

• Was your first response to panic or pray? Why?

 

 

 

Apply

• Carry today’s power verses on note cards in your purse or pocket.

 

• When fear and panic threaten to attack, pull out your cards and thank the Lord for the promise and encouragement in each verse.

 

Power

• II Kings 6:16 (NIV) “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

 

• Psalm 56:3 (NIV) “When I am afraid, I will trust in you…”

 

• Hebrews 13:6 (NIV): “So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

 

My Neighbor

 

“The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”      Galatians 5:14 (NIV)

The quiet request last Tuesday morning was simple enough. “Drive around your neighborhood and pray.”  But two objections immediately came to my mind: first, it was almost 6 am and I was headed home after a hard workout at the local gym and I was tired. And second? The request was spoken to my heart.

 This wasn’t the first time the Lord had nudged me to pray. And while I always try to be obedient to what He is directing me to say or do – this was not one of those times. All I could think was “Seriously, Lord? Seriously? I’m tired! I’m hungry! People will see me drive by slowly and think I’m a thief looking for an open door.” I countered with an alternative: “What if I pray after I get home, Lord? Isn’t that good enough?”

Instead, my suggestion was met with the same quiet request once again: “drive around your neighborhood and pray.” But this time, I obeyed, turned off my right turn blinking signal and began to drive, slowly, past home after home. My stubborn heart of selfishness began to melt as I prayed over each one. First by the home of a precious lady: “I see her drive by, Lord, nearly every day. I’m sure she is lonely since her husband passed away. Please cover her with courage and strength.”

Another house came into view and yet another, filled with people I only know by a casual wave when I see them. "What do they need, Lord? Are they hurting? Bring people in their lives who are encouragers.” And on I drove. By a home that seems to have more yelling than laughter (“Are they afraid, Lord? Angry? What are their needs? Please let me know.”) and on past a home where I have yet to meet the people living there. “Show me how to be a kind neighbor, Lord.”

The elderly man (“He lives alone, Lord. Please give him hope.”) and the man and wife who serve the Lord despite health issues (“Thank You, Father, for their beautiful witness, no matter what!) were next.  Home after home after home.

By the end of my neighborhood prayer drive, I was in tears and ashamed of my initial attitude about praying for my neighbors. Instead of an immediate “yes” to a request from the Lord to intentionally pray, I responded with a “no” because it was not convenient for me and my time schedule. Did you catch that? My convenience and my time schedule.

Would you believe that the very next morning as I was once again driving home from working out, the same nudging occurred? It did. I felt that the Lord was giving me one more opportunity to obey and to care about my neighbors. The difference was that this time I instantly obeyed. And I prayed even more specifically.

My eyes were opened to needs everywhere: branches down in a yard, a family with no church home, food for an elderly neighbor who lives alone, visiting and listening to another – just to name a few! And suddenly I realized why I was nudged to do this: these people in my neighborhood are all children of God! Each one has visible and invisible needs. And while I may never know what all those needs may be, that does not relieve me from the responsibility as a Christian of lifting them up to the Lord and choosing to be available for whatever need may come up.

I need to open my physical and spiritual eyes and then be willing to fill whatever need is revealed to me. And I need to be generous; that may not necessarily be monetarily but generous with my time and whatever talent I may have in my life. I need to love my neighbor as I love myself; in other words, I need to love my neighbors as Jesus loves me. I need to be compassionate toward everyone. Everyone.

What about you? I encourage you to look around as you ask the Lord to show you the needs in your very neighborhood. Jesus refers to “neighbor” as anyone – no matter how close they physically live to you. Start with your neighborhood and then include those around your community, state and even the world. May we never forget to love our neighbor as Jesus does.

Father, please give me your eyes to see my neighbors as you see them. I want to show love and compassion as you have shown me over and over. Help me to see needs and to fill them. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

·         Have you ever felt the Lord nudging you to do something but you just didn’t do it?

·         What was your reason? Out of your comfort zone? Just didn’t want to do it?

Apply

·         Make time to either drive or walk through your neighborhood periodically and pray over each home. Ask the Lord to show you how you can help your neighbor.

·         Make a point to meet neighbors you might not know where you live. Also pray for neighbors in other countries who need encouragement.

Power

·         Galatians 5:14 (NIV) “The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

·         Mark 12:30-21 NIV “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”

·         Proverbs 3:28 (NIV) “Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow – when you now have it with you.”