Fountains of Life

Repetitiveness

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I’m in a ladies Bible study right now where we’re encouraged to read all five of the chapters from the book we’re studying every week (1 John), and I must say, it’s very interesting to see how each time I read it, the Word gets a little bit deeper into my spirit.

The Apostle Paul says in Phil.3:1—“To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.” That word “safe” there means “firm, that which can be relied on.” Paul wanted the Philippians to be secure, and not be harmed or led in a wrong spiritual direction, so he wrote some of the same things repeatedly to them. Sounds very much like what a parent does.

Those of us who have been parents, understand the need of repetitive instruction. You can’t just tell a young child to brush their teeth before bedtime and expect them to automatically do it from then on. Usually there are many reminders of this before they learn the habit. 

Learning any new skill also requires a lot of repetitiveness. When I took piano lessons, I had to run my scales over and over again to create muscle memory in my hands. A basketball player will run speed drills passing and dribbling the ball up and down the court countless times. As with any sport, language, or ability, we have to keep repeating it — practicing it — again and again before we finally “get” it.

The same is true with understanding scriptures — it can take time before we “get” them.  The Bible isn’t just a book you read through once; it’s God’s own words to us as to how we’re to continually live and conduct ourselves. So we have to continually read it.

Take for example Romans 8:1 —“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” I remember a time when, as a teenager, I had this verse memorized. “Yeah, there’s no condemnation for those who are in Christ,” I’d casually thought. And I’d believed it to a degree. Then I got older, life happened, and I found myself living under all this condemnation (mostly from myself). Years later when I re-read this passage one day, a lightbulb went on in my head (and heart) — “There’s no condemnation for those who are in Christ!  What a revelation! I was set free at that moment from a weight of heaviness of guilt and shame that was over me when I understood the truth in the Word. I’d finally “got it”!

So for a truth to get embedded in my spirit, or a skill to be learned, it needs to be repeated over and over again. This is the “safety” Paul is referring to — we’ve done it so many times it become reliable and we know it well enough it would be difficult for anyone to challenge us.

Repetitiveness isn’t monotonous, it’s life-giving. Any thing of any worth takes time to cultivate and develop. 

Now let me re-read these chapters again before my ladies Bible study group meets this week.  

Invisible Power

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It’s that time of year when the Atlantic Ocean comes alive with various storms and hurls them our way. So recently we were in the middle of another tropical storm alert here in Florida as a hurricane passed nearby. This past one was no problem for us in the northeast — not much rain, just lots of wind — but the wind was crazy! I could barely hold onto my hat when I was walking the dog down the sidewalk! She got so excited with all the commotion made by this invisible power.

I find weather, particularly wind, to be a fascinating thing. You can’t see it, however, its power can be felt and seen in many ways. Anything loose gets tossed around — trash cans not taken in are sent tumbling down the street and debris from the trees is scattered all over everyone’s yards. Even my front door made loud noises as the wind whistled through small little cracks in the frame. 

Truly such amazing invisible power.

Kind of like the power of love, isn’t it? 

Like wind, love isn’t something that can be seen but the effect of it can be. And how can we not mention the subject of love without quoting some of 1 Cor.13. Here are verses 4-8: 

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

Love may be invisible like the wind, but we do see its impact: instead of seeing trees bend, we see people bend. Instead of trash filling up the streets, we see light and joy fill up a place. Instead of fears, we see faith.  

In a letter to his daughter, Albert Einstein said that love is the most powerful force there is in the universe, and the Apostle Paul says that love is the only thing that really matters. (1 Cor.1-3) 

Only love has the power to reveal to the world who God is. God so loved the world that He gave His most precious gift, His Son, in order to have
fellowship with us. (Jn.3:16) Such are the enormous effects of this astonishing invisible power.

I have seen the power of wind on television reporters trying to stand and talk in the face of hurricanes. I have felt gale force winds myself while standing on the beach. And I have been on a sailboat in a nasty squall on the St. John’s River that ripped off a hatch as the rain blew horizontally and violently tossed us around. But the invisible power of God’s love is much greater than anything we could ever possibly imagine. Much, much greater. 

Let’s share it to everyone we meet. 

Another Lesson From My Puppy

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By Cyndi

Most mornings I take Dasha, our 9-month-old puppy, on a walk in our neighborhood. It’s early so her senses are wide-awake and smelling everything! Regularly, as we’re walking, she sees a lizard and spastically pounces to catch it, jerking my arm and, at 42 pounds, sometimes almost pulling me down. The tiny creature usually escapes but my shoulders become tired of this lurching around in multiple directions. “Good thing we have a leash that’s a little stretchy,” I think. 

And here comes another lesson from my puppy.

That stretchiness of the leash acts like a shock absorber for my arms. It has some “give” in it so it’s not taut all the time. It yields a little. So I hear the Spirit saying to me, “Maybe you should be more like this leash; not so stiff and stressed out. Have some ‘give.’” Oh boy.

Interesting thought. I do find myself oftentimes wanting to hurry through the day — to get things done, drive home faster, hustle from one thing to another, but for what? So I can then finally relax?!

“The leash is part of the walk,” I hear the Lord say. “Chill out. Don’t be so tense!” He whispers. (That’s how He talks to me, friends.)

Climbers who scale huge cliffs hundreds of feet high, use safety ropes in case they fall. These ropes absorb what would be a very sudden shock if they fell, giving them a little “spring” instead of a jerk at the end. If it didn’t have any springiness, it could really cause some major harm to the person. 

Emotionally, we’re not equipped to carry a heavy load all the time. We’re not meant to be “strung out” or “wound tight.” We need some “give” and “elasticity” in our beings like a dog leash or a climber’s rope.

In Matt. 11:28 Jesus tells us to “Come unto Me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” I believe this is an invitation, not just for the end of the day when things are finally done, but for the journey throughout the day. I want to be resting in Father’s love instead of emotionally getting yanked around by various “lizard chasings” all day. 

I need to keep my pliancy — my ability to be jerked by these daily unexpected happenings yet still be at rest and maintain my peace. 

So, my dear reader, I have set a goal —  to walk through life on a stretchy leash. I want to be able to absorb anything the world throws at me while still reflecting a semblance of my Father to others. I think I may need a really long one though.

Acceptance and Surrender

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I read something pretty powerful the other day:

Acceptance and surrender – two concepts that hurt the most before we do them.

Yet, these are two of the main things that can move us forward in life. 

The Word tells us we will have trials and tribulations (troubles). (Jn.16:33) There will be afflictions in this world. Being saved and a beloved child of God doesn’t mean life is going to be perfect or without pain. It just means we know where to get strength and peace from in the midst of all of it. 

Coming to acceptance of something is a huge step. It doesn’t mean we give that thing our approval, or that we like it, or that we don’t wish it would change. But it does give us a starting place. Once we accept something (or someone), we can ask God how we should pray, or what decisions we may need to make. 

For instance, my mother is getting up there in years (86), and with her living alone in the same house I grew up in, there are some challenges that come with her situation. There are always things to be done — the house needs repairs, a large yard needs to be tended, doctors appointments to go to, prescriptions to pick up and more. 

Now don’t get me wrong, I love my mom; but over the past years, handling her affairs as well as my own has been a bit strenuous at times. And resistance is futile. I cannot change this situation with my mother. So rather than fight an un-winnable battle, I try to make the choice to accept it and surrender to God’s will. (Some days are easier than others.) 

This surrendering is a yielding to the plans of the Holy Spirit, not mine. I still have to balance my family, work, and home with my commitment to her, but staying in a negative mindset, always wishing things were different doesn’t change anything. Instead it just makes me more stressed or worn out.

But once I accept and surrender (in everything), my stress level goes down. I accept that the line I’m in is going to be the slowest and take a lot more time than I’d hoped for; I accept the person I love is not going to change so I need to figure out how to love them just as they are. These are decisions I have to constantly make. When I exchange my judgment for mercy, my anger for joy, life begins moving forward again.

These two things — acceptance and surrender — truly are hard to do, but with God’s help, and sometimes a support group or counselor, we can get to the other side and continue to grow and mature more into His image. (2 Cor. 3:18)

Lessons From My Puppy

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So we have this new dog, right? And let me tell you, it’s a real test of patience and understanding sometimes! She’s still a puppy, about eight months old now, and there are moments when she can be — well — trying. Yet God has a way of using everything, even her, to deal with me. 

The other morning I got up pretty early and did my usual routine of taking her outside to potty first thing. It was still a bit dark and the humidity was up (as it usually is here in Florida during the summer). My patience was running thin as I was beginning to sweat and wanted her to hurry up and do her “business” so we could go back into the cool house, but she continued wandering around the backyard sniffing the air and just wanting to sit and enjoy the dawning of the day.

Then the little Voice came to me: “Why don’t you be more like your pup?”

“What about my pup? She’s just wasting time aimlessly wandering around — I’m hot!” Discerning this was a teaching moment from Father God, I surrendered and said, “Okay. Let me stop for a moment and observe her.”

I watched as she sat looking up at the few remaining stars that were about to fade as the sunrise peeped through the trees. I watched as she perked her ears up to hear the birds beginning to chirp at the day’s breaking. Creation was speaking the newness of the morn, praising their Creator for a brand new start. The old song from Lamentations 3:22-23 immediately rose up in me: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning, new every morning, great is Thy faithfulness, O Lord. Great is Thy faithfulness.”

I smiled. Yes, great is Your faithfulness, Lord. This morning You were just wanting to remind me of Your goodness as I was about to zoom right past it to get to my daily “devotions.” Little did I consider that His presence was already there in the backyard with my puppy. I think God smiled too.

There are other lessons I’m learning from my puppy, but for now, let me simply encourage you, my dear reader, to stop for a moment — to be still and know that He is God. (Ps.46:10) Every morning receive His mercies and rejoice in His faithfulness. If you’re like me, you may need a puppy to help you remember. God is always good.