Lessons Learned Part Two

May 27, 2009

Last week I shared with you a few of the life lessons that I have gleaned while serving as your Associate Minister and now as I am literally days away from turning in those keys that I have carried for so long, I offer you my final lessons that you have given me the space to learn.

Matthew 5:44-45
But I say to you, ‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.

I’ve learned over the years to become more observant of my behavior and that of others. This is not a lesson I have mastered but I see such value in trying to think through the effects of one’s actions and then act in compassion. Seeking to ask questions like, “who will this decision affect and what is the cost benefit analysis?” Somehow, the accomplishment of this cause and effect strategy seems like a straight path to wisdom.

One of the great strengths in my make up is being futuristic. But I’ve learned that living out there in the future means that I miss the savory nature of the present. I won’t ever see this moment again so learning to value this moment in time seems to be so key for claiming joy. I think of Job and how in the face of his pain he reflected on this fact. He understood that God was involved in every moment of his life. Remember that my life is a breath (Job 7:7a). I wonder if we remembered that fact more often if we wouldn’t value each moment as a gift.

Maybe if we remembered that fact, we’d also worry a bit less. I encourage you to read the section of Matthew 6:25-34 part of which reads “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food and the body more important than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to the span of your life? . . .”

In our culture we spend a lot of time worrying about needless things and some things that seem quite needful, but if we’ve learned to place the things of our lives—all of them-- in God’s care and then let go, then what do we have to worry about? A friend of mine, while driving around the capital beltway, once saw a billboard that said, “Worry is the misuse of the imagination.” My imagination is just too precious to misuse and I’m betting yours is too! 

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”

This verse sits on the bookshelf in my office. Planner that I am, it reminds me that there is a higher and better way. Too often we get caught up in our own agendas and with our own goals. We become inflexible and sometimes so inflexible that we force our way such that we cause pain to others. Isn’t it better to be kind than to be right? This verse reminds me of the value of doing the loving thing and trusting the big picture to God.

Isaiah 61:8b “ . . . and I will direct their work in truth . . .” reminds me that each one of us is here for a purpose that is greater than ourselves. When we can discern what our unique gifts and talents are and how God will calling us to utilize them beyond our own purposes, our lives become of monumental value. I have always believed that we can do what we love and love what we do—all of which is rooted in our God-given purpose.

So as I leave, I wish for you a life without worry in which your focus is on God first. Then through that focus may you find your purpose and live it out, living in each moment a life that honors God and makes a difference. I wish you each my love and Godspeed! Amen.