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You are here: Home / Archives for life applications

Waking Up to Trust

October 17, 2018 By admin

For all the times I’ve heard humans go on and on about love and how Jesus is huge on loving all people everywhere, I have never heard a single monologue on trust. Considering I sit in a church each weekend, this should be strange. Yes, and sadly, the dearth of education on this subject has cost me a few boatloads of emotional energy—not to mention a few thousand moments of misplaced expectations.

The truth about trust hit me square in the face one day about a decade ago. I had been fuming to myself about the repeated judgments of a certain co-worker and how he would regularly lavish his twisted take on whoever was not present. As kind as I had tried to be around him, my turn had finally come. Driving home that day, I was crestfallen. I was part hurt and part frustrated. What was his problem?!

This is when enlightenment fell from Heaven. I heard a voice in my mind ask why I was acting all shocked and mad. Why? I returned. You don’t see why? The voice asked how many times I’d heard of this guy doing this. Ok, many. The voice then asked over how many months or years I’d witnessed this behavior. Ok, several… and…?

As this mental dialogue progressed, my ignorance came shining through. This guy was known to take a swing with his “baseball bat” every time someone rang his doorbell. I’d read it through the grapevine and seen the damage with my own eyes, more than once, yes, and yet without a second thought I had run up the steps to his house with a smile on my face and hopes of having tea. I was the fool.

Over the next few days I processed how trust is opening up oneself to receive favor. It’s a choice that is made—even if not consciously—and a choice to which the trusting one is held fully responsible. Why had I not figured this out sooner? I was trusting all over the place—without even one thought or intentional question about the person I emotionally embraced.

It all sunk in very fast. Trusting should not happen before the other party has shown over time that they are capable of coming through. Their track record should be the only consideration. And yes, if they exhibited negative behavior, expectations need to be adjusted, and emotional bonding kept in check. It made me think of the Proverb that states how it is out of the heart that all of life flows. What could be worse than opening my heart up to someone with a track record for ill? What could be more devastating than broken trust and a broken heart?

Today, many years of practice later, I am doing quite well. Instead of naively hoping that all the evidence will be wrong this time, I observe a person’s emotional maturity and accept them where they are, making choices accordingly. I size up Mr. Coworker, expect what is evident, and treat him with respect without looking for any kind of goodwill to be returned. Basically, I emotionally adjust to reality and resist opening myself up for something good that will certainly not be given.

What is so huge about all this is that we are only as strong as the people we let into our hearts and lives. And what is so overlooked about all this is that the choice is always ours. Even if you have to share geographical space, this doesn’t mean you have to share your heart. And by the way, if you check out the Bible on trust, you will find it adamant that we are not to trust humans—even ourselves. We are told to trust only God.

I can count on two hands the people I now trust. They, as it turns out, are all people who have given their lives over to God. They are people who have shown over time that they are committed to honoring God’s laws and teachings. So, in the end, I guess I have found the Bible to be right on. Screening those who I trust has got me—even if indirectly—trusting only God. And what a huge relief that has been.

Clarissa Worley Sproul writes from the Pacific Northwest.

The post Waking Up to Trust appeared first on Answers for Me.

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Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Answers for Me.

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Filed Under: Dear God, News and Feeds Tagged With: answers for me, bible, clarissa-worley, face, find-it-adamant, heart, house, jesus, life applications, pacific, people, proverb

Don’t Be Stupid

September 26, 2018 By admin

My sister has this friend who married a guy who was great at teaching the Bible. He was very pious and they married fast. They also separated fast. It turns out teaching the Bible was how this guy covered his deep fears, mean temper and habit of absolute control. It turns out that just because somebody looks shiny and nice, doesn’t mean they are! Hello? Sound familiar?

The fact is, you can love Jesus and still be stupid!

Unfortunately I find that many Christians who like Jesus—even love Him, sing to Him and go to big nice churches to pray to Him—do so without getting into His teachings and wisdom. This can be devastating to all involved; first for the Jesus-toting simpleton; and then for the world of skeptics looking on.

Jesus teaches that love is kind, practical, deep and should be tested. Jesus teaches that we should be careful and honest and be sure to count the cost of things first. You’d think with all He’s taught we’d see less romantic casualties among Jesus’ followers… but no. Often when confronted by someone infatuated I find the same ignorance everywhere. So how long have you known her? And her friends? And her family? And her history? These are the kinds of questions that can save a young groom an ocean liner’s worth of heartache. They are questions of a most basic nature. And if you’ve accepted Jesus and believe all those blessings He promised are going to be forthcoming, these are questions you’d better have good thorough answers for.

Our ignorance on the relational teachings of Jesus reminds me of a joke I read a few years ago. It turns out this girl is crossing a street when a voice says, Jump on the curb! Doing so, she nearly misses being run over. This happens a few times before the girl looks up into the sky and asks whom it is that is speaking to her. I’m your guardian angel, says the voice, to which the girl asks—well where on earth were you on my wedding day?

What a perfect example of ignorance. Unlike a car that is suddenly screeching around the corner out of nowhere, getting married is not something that hits us because we left the curb at the wrong time. Promising to hunker down with another faulty and fallible human for all time is huge, and there’s a really good chance our guardian angels couldn’t get a word in edgewise. (Just try talking anyone out of marriage in marriage counseling.) We cannot point to anyone but ourselves when having chosen a mate, things explode all over. Last time I checked, there are directives on how to do this all through the Bible. Think about it… who bought the dress and rented the church?

And maybe this is why I sometimes think that Christianity as a religion has really gone shallow on the teachings of Jesus. Why else would there be as many poor marriage choices within the church as without? Why else would an older Christian lady marry an online prince and loose her life savings, or even worse, be so gullible as to believe that because the guy could pray so nice, he must be that answer to prayer?

This really hit home to me back in 1993. Remember the story of those young Christian girls who chose to become David Koresh’ third and fourth wives? I actually knew where they were from. I knew people they’d gone to church with. And when I read those cover stories, I couldn’t imagine what they had been thinking. Jesus is nothing like David Koresh, and holing up in Waco, Texas, wasn’t anything like the kind of life Jesus taught was ours.

So yeah, I think that sadly, it is possible to be into Jesus to some degree and grow up around Christianity and still make really poor choices. Why? First, because the evidence is overwhelming—it happens a lot. And second, because liking someone—even loving someone—doesn’t mean you’ll be wise like them, Jesus included. Wisdom, as the good book of Proverbs states so clearly (over and over ad nauseam) is for those who seek it. Stupid can be accidental, wisdom; never.

Clar Sproul writes from the Pacific Northwest.

The post Don’t Be Stupid appeared first on Answers for Me.

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Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Answers for Me.

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Filed Under: Dear God, News and Feeds Tagged With: answers for me, before-the-girl, bible, church, girl, life applications, stupid, wedding

Shallow Living

September 25, 2018 By admin

Sometimes I wonder how much more shallow our culture can become before it disintegrates. Jesus said in Matthew that we should not worry about stuff like what we’ll eat, drink or wear. He mentions these three things more than once. I read this and then flip back to the world I live here in the good old USA and I cannot help but notice that all of business and life seems to focus on these three things. It’s either what you need to eat, what you should be drinking, or what you (or your house, car, kids, spouse, yada, yada, yada) should be wearing. Am I the only one noticing this? Really, is there more to life than deciding what tastes and looks best?

Jesus said don’t worry about this stuff. I’m sure he was speaking to people who didn’t have much and were worried about whether or not they’d eat and if and when they’d get the clothes needed to keep warm. Still I think this is even more essential advice for those who live with decadence. Our culture has morphed completely away from what we need to what we want. If the need line is at the bottom, I guarantee you we all live many, many, maaaannnny layers above that in the want zone.

Think about it, what was your last crisis? Have you wondered if you’ll eat tonight or at all over the next few weeks? Do you wonder if you’ll have a roof over your head? No, you’re worried about not having something appropriate to wear to a party, or wherever, or when to get that new cell phone, table, T.V., or riding lawn mower. It’s about options now. What we want vs. what we don’t want.

What’s so twisted about all this is the fact that what we’re supposed to be living for keeps getting eclipsed by our seeking those things that Jesus said not to worry about. We have a million options for food and clothing and this seems to have captured most of our imagination. Jesus actually taught that there was a whole life to live beyond all these basic needs and that the Father’s great care for us meant we could keep our focus off the daily stuff and on the big picture. But instead, it seems we’re pretty happy focusing on outfitting our lives.

I think it’s a cop out. I think getting busy with all these mundane necessities of life and celebrating them, obsessing about them, saving for them, and all that, is just one more way to never get deep into our personal journey of self-discovery and service. It’s like we think we can make the basic stuff that is supposed to support the grander purposes of life, into the grander purposes of life. And why? Is it easier?

I believe in each of our lives there is a grand theme to be played out that calls for the very best and greatest we can give. It may scare us to death, but it will be refreshing and will sometimes challenge us beyond our comprehension. Yet it is the path; the mission that we sense needs to be accomplished—something light-years ahead of whether or not we want take-out for dinner tonight. It’s what we call destiny.

Our challenge is to not get sucked into the stuff that is passing away. To not make our lives about the trappings of life, but about our Divine mission and purpose. Anything less, and we’re settling for being sub-human. Anything less than that and we’re selling out.

Get more articles like this and updates.

Clarissa Worley Sproul writes from the Pacific Northwest.

The post Shallow Living appeared first on Answers for Me.

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Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Answers for Me.

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Filed Under: Dear God, News and Feeds Tagged With: articles, artificial, house, imagination, life applications, lives, mission, stuff, trvia, trvial pursuits

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