Investing in What You Can’t See, Post #23

April 8, 2014

Investing in What You Can’t See, Post #23

So I just had to purchase a new HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) System for my home. Not what I wanted to spend a huge amount of money on—something I really can’t see yet I can feel it…

It was going to be so fun to spend my tax refund money on trips, spa days, paying principal on my mortgage…you get the drift. Sorry to say that’s not the way it worked out.

As a single woman, I don’t ever go up in my attic. Who wants to lug a huge ladder into the hallway, punch the little wooden door and climb up the ladder to the top step just to see darkness up there? Not me, buddy.

So the HVAC guy told me that not only did I need a new outdoor unit and air-handler in the attic, but also I needed all new ductwork. What is wrong with the ductwork I have? He proceeded to show and tell me that it’s all deteriorated, that the reason my electric bills had been so high is that my unit and ductwork are about 20 years old. The analogy he used to describe heating my house was akin to having the oven on with the oven door wide open, wasting valuable energy and resources. Hmmm…

Not wanting to be taken advantage of, I called four companies to receive bids. My mouth fell open when the lowest bid for HVAC and ductwork was $2000 more than I had anticipated. Gulp…

The new system was installed last week. The only way I can easily tell I have a new HVAC system are my cute digital thermostat in my hallway and the new shiny metal gray unit outside my house. Although I don’t go up there, I know that shiny new ductwork is in my attic. It has been transformed and renewed!

You might be asking, “So what?”

As I lay in my bed hearing the click of the heat come on, it occurred to me: How much do I invest in my faith and my relationship with God, something/Someone I can’t necessarily see, but I can feel?

Through the years, if I had gone up in my attic and inspected the dark, scary places of my house, I could have maintained my ductwork better.

My heart is the same way. If I don’t examine the dark, scary places in my heart, shed light on my weaknesses (which may include bitterness, resentment and buried memories), intentionally repair them, I will pay the consequences down the road. The results: I can’t always see the results, but the people around me and I can feel the wonderful difference. May we examine the HVAC system of our souls and make the investment in what we can’t necessarily see. It will change the atmosphere around us, around our world. Feel the change of heart?

Reflect:

–How can I intentionally inspect, deep-down, to get what I’m expecting?

–How does your “attic” of the soul look? How is the atmosphere you operate in—too chilly, just right? Invest today in your faith. Please comment.

Renew:

–“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” –Ezekiel 36:26 (NIV 1984)

–“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” –Psalm 51:10 (NIV 1984)

–“May He strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.” –1 Thessalonians 3:13 (NIV 1984)

— “For the Word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” –Hebrews 4:12 (NIV 1984)

Recharge:

—What is your plan to “clean up” your soul’s attic and invest in what you can’t see? A few suggestions–1) read a little in your Bible daily (if you never have read it, open it up and start with Proverbs or John); 2) find a Christ-centered church home to attend–Easter is less than two weeks away!; 3) volunteer and serve others; 4) reconcile with a loved one who wounded you or vice versa; 5) Forgive. The possibilities are endless. Please comment.

March 25, 2014

Going After Laughter, Post #21

When is the last time you laughed, truly belly laughed? Do you take yourself too seriously?

I love to laugh and make others laugh. Laughter and smiles are universal. It makes me smile to hear other people or children laughing.

“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” –Proverbs 17:22

According to an article by the Mayo Clinic, a good laugh has great short-term effects like stimulating your heart, lungs, and muscles, increasing endorphins, soothing tension. Long-term effects from laughter may improve your immune system, relieve pain, improve your mood, lessen your depression and anxiety.

Clean, good-humored laughter truly is the best medicine. Just smiling makes you even more attractive.

Do you surround yourself with people or even one friend who lifts your spirits and laughter comes easily? If not, intentionally set times to spend time with someone or people with whom you can laugh.

Laughter is throughout the Bible. One of my favorite stories is when God told Abraham and his wife Sarah that they would have a baby when they were ages 100 years old and 90 years old, respectively. Needless to say, Sarah laughed—at God. She conceived and bore a son and named the baby “Isaac,” which means…. Laughter.

“Sarah said, ‘God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.’” –Genesis 21:6 NIV 1984

“Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.’” –Psalm 126:2-3 NIV 1984

May you be encouraged to smile and laugh more, and to make others laugh. It sure does lighten the room, lighten your heart, lighten your marriage, and those around you.

Relax, smile, get ready to laugh.

Here’s a clean joke for you:

Little Johnny was sitting in Sunday School one day when his teacher was teaching about Noah and the ark and all the animals.

She asked “With all that water from the Flood, do you think many fish were caught from Noah’s ark?”

Johnny quickly answered, “Of course not.”

“Why not, Johnny? It would be so easy to catch fish,” his teacher asked.

Johnny said matter-of-factly, “Noah only had two worms.”

Reflect:

–What will you do to laugh more?

Renew:

–“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven…a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance…” –Ecclesiastes 3:4 NIV 1984

Recharge:

–Name three positive people in your life who lift your spirits. Make an appointment to see them and spend time.

Resource:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/stress-management/in-depth/stress-relief/art-20044456

March 18, 2014

We Are Perennials, Post #20

After Easter last year, I drove by the 300+-year-old church cemetery near my home and noticed a pile of about 20 or so Easter lilies, all sadly discarded, unloved, awaiting their trashly demise.

I wheeled in, pulled over, spread out my yoga mat in my trunk and placed every one of those plants in my trunk. You see, an Easter lily is a perennial. It will come back to life each year and bloom. So many people, so many churches, throw them away after Easter, thinking their purpose is done. I hauled them all home, gave some of them to neighbors who wanted to reuse/replant them. Mom and I planted the rest in my yard and some at the end of my street. It thrills my soul to now see them popping up from the ground, almost a year later. They are destined to bloom again.

Do you ever feel like a discarded Easter lily? I do. God looks at us as perennials. We may have our personal wilting, decaying periods, but He sees our potential. He knows when we are tended and nurtured, we will grow and bloom again and again.

Last year I learned yet another sweet lesson from my precious Mom, the horticulturist. She came over to my home to help plant some caladium bulbs, which we both love in our yards. She brought eight bags of bulbs, a total of 64 bulbs to plant. One by one, we dug a hole, scooped the soil in, planted the bulb, fertilized, and watered. We planted them all around my big oak tree in the front yard, then the rest along the front flower bed.

When we finished, she did something I had not remembered her doing before. She offered to pray for them, for the newly planted caladium bulbs. As we both stood in the front yard, sweaty, knees covered with dirt from kneeling, she offered a prayer that I can still hear:

“Dear Lord, they’re in the ground now. Please help these bulbs grow well and thrive so that Danya and her neighbors can enjoy Your beauty. Thank You for creating even these bulbs that remind us of You. Thank you, Lord. We love You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”

I had a lump in my throat as we picked up our yard tools and cleaned ourselves off inside the garage. I had no doubt those bulbs would come up, their elephant-ear faces smiling toward heaven. They grew and flourished, every single one.

Have you ever prayed over seeds, bulbs you’ve planted? Do you, do we pray before any endeavor?

Similarly, how do we plant seeds/bulbs of encouragement? I encourage you to start today. It could be smiling at the grocery store cashier, looking her in the eye and asking how she’s doing. It could be to pull your neighbor’s emptied trash receptacle to the side of the house, so that he/she doesn’t have to do it when he comes home from work. It could be inviting your neighbor or coworker to church or Bible study.

We are blessed with endless possibilities of ways to plant seeds of encouragement in people around us. Remember, the Holy Spirit germinates those seeds in His timing. Remember, each of us is a perennial.

Reflect:

–Am I acting like an annual or a perennial?

–What (or whom) have you discarded, not realizing its potential?

–How can I plant seeds or bulbs of encouragement ?

Renew:

–“Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.” –1 Corinthians 3:5-7 NIV 1984

Recharge:

–Consider praying before every endeavor. Please comment.