5) Asking God to reveal things that don't please Him, weaknesses I'm unaware of, deceptions I live as truth....WHAM...those requests have painful consequences...at first. But the truth does set free and the truth is bedrock.
I would rather have the ugly truth than a sanitized, be-ribboned lie. And the ugly truth turns beautiful in the hands of the God of grace and mercy. His truth is worth seeking.
4) Praying for someone, the kinds of prayers that ask for blessings of awareness and spiritual health, and knowledge of how big our God is...those kinds of prayers stir things up.
It's very different, and not very costly, to say, "Dear Lord, please bless so and so." So general, so little in the ripple department. After six months of focused prayer we saw relationships twist and turn as God moved in those lives. And even better, we saw God change the way we looked at things, circumstances and other people.
Prayer works. Not as a magic wand. Not exactly as we laid out on our request lists in every case, but in all situations, according to God's big-picture plan. And faithfully praying gave us the opportunity to be blessed by being involved in God's plans.
3) Relationships do not need money or expensive pursuits to be relationships. Tea at home, a phone call, praying for someone, loaning them a book, reading out loud from a book, a walk in the sunshine, a drive, a quick note, speaking blessings into lives, smiles...the list is endless.
Relationships are built through time, love and connectedness. Money is icing on the cake and icing is often overkill.
2) I have limited control. Basically, the only control I have is over my own choices. Not my life, not my future, not even my present. Only the choices I make. I can even make all the "right" choices and end up with the unexpected. Or I can even make "poor" choices and be blessed with things I do not deserve and have not earned.
Bottom line. I am still responsible for what I say and what I do whether it's a "reaction," planned out pro-activity, or the best choice of three not so great options.
But, God does see the full picture, the tiny details and the outcome. And I can trust Him with all of those.
1) What we do today bleeds into all our tomorrows. Working out, passing up unneeded bargains, eating at home, praying for a loved one, or difficult one I should love. Every one of those choices has a cumulative effect that makes for a healthier life for me and my family. The opposite choices have an impact as well, negatively.
This reminds me of the C.S.Lewis quote. "every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that changes into something a little different from what it was before. And taking your life as a whole with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing either into a heavenly creature or a hellish creature."
Interestingly but not surprisingly, the six month Cut the Crapola journey ended up being 99% about the journey and 1% about the results.
That said. I was pretty arrogant to think I could just set out to "change" anything. Sometimes change is simply choosing the better option which moves us slowly in tiny, increments of growth, towards a very distant, long-term goal.
My goals were more nebulous and less defined than the 20 somethings. Even then, six months was not enough. Overall I will say I won't be running a 5K tomorrow but could walk one and run parts, exactly where I was six months ago. My body size has remained pretty much the same, but I think my heart grew a bit. I won't be playing violin at a concert anytime soon but I have slowly and deliberately taken time to reacquaint myself with an instrument I used to hate but now regret hating. My fingers and mind are reawakening to the idea of making music, someday, if I don't give up. My bank account acts as if it didn't know there had been a budget imposed on it. But less eating out has reminded us that what is prepared at home is actually better or at least as good as what is offered at restaurants.
I will be sharing the ten major things I took away from my Cut the Crapola fast over the next few weeks.
Romans 15: 13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Once you choose hope, anything's possible. Christopher Reeve
