Tag: Dealing with Problems

Today’s Word Is UNSHAKEN

Wed-Jul-22-2020

I hate putting my time or money into something that ends up not being worth it. A couple of years ago my wife and I were doing some painting inside the house. We ordered this great sounding device that was supposed to make trimming a cinch. Well … upon arrival of the product, we discovered that the quality of the gadget was significantly lower than the quality of the idea. In short, it was not worth using.

Suffice it to say that whatever we invest our time and money in does not always turn out to be worth it. Teaching the lesson of unreasonable expectations to the children in the family takes patience. When my sweet mother-in-law was raising my wife and her two siblings and one of them made a request for something that was “not gonna happen” … she would chuckle and say to them, “Yea, and people in jail want out!”

There is no guarantee you will get what you want. There is always a risk that some things you purchase are a waste of money. And sometimes the places you want to go or the things you want to do are not going to work out.

There is, however, something of a spiritual nature that has a trustworthy guarantee.

Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; … (Hebrews 12:28)

This “kingdom that cannot be shaken” is worth trading everything we are and all we have in order to live in it. In a world in which many people get upset at the things that don’t work like they’re supposed to, the only thing I know of that comes through 100% of the time is the grace of God poured out on us in this “kingdom that cannot be shaken.”

In all my years of adulthood, I can’t think of a single person who ever came back to me and said they were disappointed in the life of faith offered to them through Jesus Christ. This is based on those who were “all in” for the kingdom.

For those who were just trying to “fit God into their schedule,” it seemed to me that they didn’t want to be “in” this kingdom, but just visit occasionally. In that case, God is not really your king. Those folks were frequently disappointed.

I am thankful that there is a “kingdom that cannot be shaken” offered by grace to all of us, in which the warranty never runs out. I’m all in for that! And good news … living in this unshaken kingdom also means that when the events of this life try to rock my world, I can remain personally unshaken because of the unshakable foundation of this kingdom in which I dwell.

If you or someone you know is holding out looking for a sure thing to commit to, hold back no longer. And when you take the leap, you will discover that this is not just an idea, it is a Person, the Creator himself, drawing you into a deep, loving relationship that far exceeds expectations … it will produce a sense of “reverence and awe” within you.

King David was all in, saying, “I lift up my eyes to the hills— from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved …” (Psalm 121:1-3a)

This seems strange to say, but I have been shaken up a few times in my life, and yet remained unshaken, because God absorbed the shaking.

Blessings,

Chaplain Mark

Today’s Word Is SELF-CARE

Thu-Jul-16-2020

Don’t let your efforts to avoid self-centeredness lead you into thinking that it’s not OK to be nice to yourself.

Sometimes dangers are found by living at the extremes of issues that are meant to be balanced. For instance, the solution to avoiding self-centeredness is not to become self-loathing! The middle ground is called … “self-care.”

Self-care is a way of focusing on ourselves for the purpose of becoming what God created us to be. Ironically, as we engage in inward-focused self-care it causes us to become outward-focused and generous to others, to heal rather than hurt them, to bless rather than use them.

So, how well do you rate on “self-care”? One of its benefits is that it helps us in difficult times. Some people wait until there is a crisis and then depend on help from the outside … a grandmother, a best friend, a pastor, a TV show, a self-help book, etc. (all of which are good). However, by not preparing yourself for future difficulties but waiting until an emergency is like the panic method of getting through the crisis. The rest of the time, if things are going fairly well, they engage in little or no healthy self-care.

This approach leaves us equally unprepared for the next crisis, dry spell, conflict, or disappointment. Our failure to grow and mature in the good times, when we should be doing spiritual “strengthening” exercises, means that when trouble comes, we are not equipped to handle it, so we go “outside” again, looking for quick help, and sadly for some, God is not on the list of outside help.

Seeking help from others is necessary and beneficial, but that’s only one aspect of the plan. We are crippled if the only help we have is from emergency outside sources. We also have an inside source. Jesus said that the Kingdom is within you. Paul talked about the Spirit in us, bringing life and peace. Jesus told a woman that she could have streams of living water coming from within her. All to say that your help comes both from within and from outside.

A great transition that must take place in our lives (if it hasn’t already), is first to take responsibility for our mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being and make a “self-care” plan. Then we must learn how this inward health source works. In the Old Testament, David the shepherd boy and eventual King, faced lots of difficulties. And when things got really tough, he would “park” himself, suspend the journey, and “refresh himself” or “encourage himself” in the Lord.

“And David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.” (1st Samuel 30:6) (KJV)

“The king and all the people who were with him arrived weary at the Jordan; and there he refreshed himself”. (2nd Samuel 16:14)

At those times when you have needed encouragement, did it ever occur to you that with God’s help you could be your own encourager? Or if in need of refreshing, you could “refresh yourself”? And that it would work! And that it would be enough! That’s because the Holy Spirit is actually the source of it. He’s the one filling your cup.

Self-care involves following the Lord’s plan for a healthy you. And if that doesn’t include spiritual health then it is not a holistic plan. The health food store and the gymnasium are not the two main keys to healthy living! If you are physically fit, but emotionally toxic or spiritually dry, then you are not truly healthy. You and the Lord can figure out this self-care plan. It involves physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects. And please don’t leave out the Body of Christ portion. We grow best in fellowship.

Whatever your plan, if your efforts to take care of yourself do not result in blessing others, then you are likely practicing self-centeredness not self-care.

Be well, be blessed, be a blessing!

Chaplain Mark

Today’s Word Is BURDENS

Wed-Jul-15-2020

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” – Jesus (Matthew 11:28)

Another version says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened…”

The heaviest burden many people carry is the load of expectations placed on them by others. Trying to live up to an image of who others think we should be can become a weight too great to sustain.

One of the reasons people flocked to hear Jesus was because he talked more about a God who cared, than one whose heavy hand wanted to control them and punish them for not being good enough or for breaking too many rules. I wonder if a single rabbi (teacher) had ever in their lives invited them to come follow so they could rest!

But Jesus was doing just that, which essentially was an invitation to live a life of trust in the goodness of God. Those who felt hopeless, oppressed, and tired of trying and failing were intrigued by these words … “Come to me, and I will give you rest.”

Now, this was not an invitation to stop trying, nor to escape responsibility, but to receive an internal shift from dependence on the approval of others to dependence on the grace of God. Worldly living says, “I will love you if” … and then there comes the expectation.

Kingdom living (God’s Kingdom, that is), says that you are loved by your Creator and your Savior for who you are, not for what you accomplish. The first step of Kingdom living is to get rid of the baggage, the load of expectations, the fear that you might not prove to be worthy, … and in exchange receive the following reality … You are accepted because God made you and loved unconditionally because that’s who God is and what he does.

After that, there are lots of things we do to accomplish Kingdom purposes, but they are not done to prove we are acceptable, they are done out of thanks that we were “declared” to be acceptable as God’s primary gift. (We call this salvation or conversion.) We are no longer laboring and heavy laden under a load of disapproval, but rather there is rest from it.

Welcome to the Jesus life. Now, I need to complete the picture. In the beginning, I only gave you one of three verses to describe the Jesus invitation. Here’s the “rest of the story”:

Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

You may notice that after Jesus offered rest, he told us to take his yoke upon us, which is the equipment placed on the shoulders of oxen and other work animals, for the purpose of carrying or pulling loads. How about that! … Invited to rest and put to work! But that’s it! Rest, work, rest, work. Not work, work, work, work.

In the Pharisees’ world, the “working” at proving ourselves to be religious and obedient was primary. In Jesus’ world, the “resting” is primary. The Sabbath is the holy day when God rested. For God, six days was “enough” to complete creation. Get it? This faith we practice has works of righteousness involved, but not to prove our worth and not to the extent that they become a burden we can’t carry. The most important day of the week is Sabbath, meaning the most important aspect of the Kingdom life is rest.

Is this making sense? Jesus invited us to turn around, to stop thinking of religious performance as the basis of life, but rather to let rest and assurance be the focus of life, with an attitude towards works of faith that sees it as a joy, not a burden, and certainly not the way to prove anything to God.

The result is rest for our souls, because the yoke (workload) is easy, and it burdens us only lightly, because it was given to us by a Savior who is both gentle and humble.

Blessings,

Chaplain Mark

By the way … this has been my favorite passage of Scripture for 40+ years. When I was a young pastor, I had read this passage many times, but the first time I used it as a sermon text, I began preparing and spontaneously became overwhelmed with tears at Jesus’ invitation to come to him and get rid of my burdens in exchange for his rest and a yoke that was much easier than the burdens I had been carrying for such a long time.

I say this because when we are first saved, we understand our salvation as we experienced it at that point. But later on, more revelations of the nature and glory of this new life in Christ will touch us in deeper and richer ways. This passage became my best symbolism for the illustration of salvation … to give him what I have, and in return get what he has. That’s the best bargain anyone in the world will ever get!

Today’s Word Is TRANSMIT

Tue-Jul-14-2020

Besides physical sickness, there are many things in life that get transmitted, some exceptionally good things and some very harmful things. Love, hope, and joy are contagious, but so are anger, discontent, and bitterness.

There is a Bible passage that talks about the transmission of spiritual and emotional healing.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” (2nd Corinthians 1:3-4)

In other words, as God comforts us, we are inspired to comfort others. This word “comfort” has a deeper meaning than just getting a pat on the back or a hug to make you feel better. The “comfort” spoken of here is deep, more like a profound, life-changing healing.

Simply put, “Healed people heal people.” As we find and receive healing from God, we become agents of healing in the lives of others.

But there is a reverse principle implied in this verse that is also true. “Hurt people hurt people.” The past hurts that some people have endured get passed on or transmitted to others. The person who feels hurt, often reacts and compensates by hurting others.

Here are two ways to apply these principles.

First, get yourself healed up. Address your hurts and find peace. Dig deeper into the Word. And there are many churches, ministries, grace-filled Christians, and inspiring books to help you. God’s healing comfort is deep and effective. Most of the time, the “just forget about it” approach doesn’t work. In the medical world, wounds that are not painfully cleaned out and treated with inconvenient shots, stitches, and bandages, will not heal, they will get “infected.” Emotional wounds can also get “infected” if not painstakingly treated.

Second, understand and forgive others who display hurtful behavior toward you or others. It may be that they are not simply “mean” people, but far more likely that they have been hurt in the past in such a way that they don’t realize how they are hurting others or how to stop it. They need someone who has been healed (like you, for instance) to help them get healed.

Be well!

Chaplain Mark

Today’s Word Is SURE-FOOTED

Mon-Jul-13-2020

The Lord God is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places. (Habakkuk 3:19)

The concept of “hinds’ feet in high places” was impressed upon me many years ago by a profoundly wise and kind pastor named Rev. Harper Sasser. He loved the idea of being sure-footed when negotiating the difficult times of life. He could minister to those who were distressed and help them to calm down simply by his presence and encouragement. He was a living example of what it looked like to be sure-footed, and he could help you to understand and believe that you could do the same!

A hind is a female deer that can place her back feet exactly where her front feet stepped while bounding along at a quick pace. Her feet landed not one inch off of the best place to step next! She can run with abandonment in rocky terrain that makes us humans nervous just to watch it! In times of danger, she can move quickly to avoid danger and not get “off track,” while scaling unusually difficult rock formations to elude predators or to reach feeding areas that looked impossible to access.

I have watched enough National Geographic shows to have seen Rocky Mountain settings where these sure-footed animals run and jump around on rocky cliffs. It makes me nervous, thinking they could slip and fall 1,000 feet. But they maneuver perfectly every time.

The message of Habakkuk the prophet was written at the time of the Israelites’ captivity by Babylon. What could be worse? These were frightful times. There was a sense of hopelessness. But Habakkuk told God’s people that even in such a calamity, they must trust God above all else. He was going to keep them on their feet, helping them to endure and to overcome. Sounds a bit like some of the troubles we are facing today.

Have you developed a depth of faith that enables you to cope with difficulty better than many of the secular folks around you? I have been asked on occasion how I made it through a particularly troubling situation. The answer … God has given us “hinds’ feet.” He has taught us and blessed us enough that when we are negotiating those rocky cliffs of tribulation in life, we are able to maneuver without fear. By the amazing grace of God, we seem to land on our feet in situations where others might fall apart or fall down.

Are you experiencing any trials or tribulations? Is the enemy trying to run you down, hoping you will slip and fall? Use the sure-footed ability that God has given you and you will find yourself landing safely on the spots God has provided to preserve you.

What a gift and a blessing … to handle tricky times with the nimbleness of a deer on a dangerous mountainside. It is a matter of trust.

Blessings,

Chaplain Mark

Prayer for the Day

Almighty God, maker of all things, we honor you today and give thanks for life itself and for the amazing journey of faith you have given each of us. Thank you for family and friends, for daily guidance, and for your Word, which is “a lamp to our feet, and a light to our path” (Psalm 119:105). In the challenges of life, we are thankful for each step along the way that keeps us securely anchored in you. In Your Holy Name we pray, AMEN.

Today’s Word Is BROKENNESS

Mon-Jun-29-2020

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” – King David (Psalm 51:17)

The first place to start is this … everybody needs fixing. I need fixing. You need fixing. The list of perfect people is not very long, there has only been one name on that list … ever.

The second thing is this … you can’t get fixed until you admit you are broken. This is a problem. Who wants to admit they need help? But we are like a broken watch in need of the watchmaker.

King David wrote some very wonderful poems. He was a wise man. He was a warrior and conqueror extraordinaire. But, he had a thirst for power and a lust for women. (You can read that story in 2nd Samuel Chapter 11.) His attraction to Bathsheba led to adultery, followed by a plan to get rid of her husband so that no one would find out.

The prophet Nathan cornered David into a discussion and confession. David was brash and gutsy, but he knew from history that if you are guilty, you don’t challenge God or one of his prophets. It will not end well.

So he hit his knees, and admitted his brokenness.

It is amazing and sad how many people will not do the simple thing of confessing their wrongdoing, admitting their brokenness, taking on a contrite attitude, and asking God to forgive and restore. By the way, when I say “they,” I really mean “me” first. People sometimes revere pastors and spiritual leaders, but we are not exempt.

I once saw a woman get a new start on life by forgiving her sister for something done 30 years before. (She was waiting for the apology that was never coming.) I have seen an adult daughter reconcile with her mother over something that happened as a teenager. I have seen two employees look at each other with a contrite heart, and both simultaneously say, “I’m sorry.”

Feeling broken may seem like a bad thing, but if it is acceptable and even desirable to God, then it really is a very good thing. Having worked as a hospital chaplain, I have seen many patients trying to be their own doctor, instead of listening to those who know how to heal. By the same token, I have also seen many people trying to be their own spiritual doctor instead of listening to God or the wise counsel of a spiritual leader.

It is human nature to take a different approach than humble confession. One way we do this is just to deny the problem. Another is to make excuses for why we think we were justified in our sin or failure. And yet another is to defiantly think we should just be let off the hook. Court cases end up like this sometimes … the accused pays a penalty without admitting wrongdoing. For David, this was not going to happen.

If we can’t admit our wrongdoing, we won’t get far in our faith journey. A song by Micah Stampley, called “Take My Life,” starts out … ”Holiness, Holiness is what I long for; Holiness is what I need.” A later verse adds, “Brokenness, Brokenness is what I long for. Brokenness is what I need.”

God mends broken people, but first comes admitting we are broken. A good posture for this is on our knees, hands out, eyes looking up to God. At this point, tears often come. And then begins the healing and restoration. Get used to this. It will come again and again as you get washed more and more. The 51st Psalm was written by David during the Bathsheba experience. Verse 2: Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Verse 7: Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Clean on the inside, that’s what God wants to do.

Broken and Blessed!

Chaplain Mark

Today’s Word Is DISSATISFACTION

Thu-Jun-18-2020

Over the years the disagreements between my wife and myself have gradually diminished to very few occurrences. And hurray! … we have been happily married for 35 of our 37 years of marriage! The first two years we had a hard time adjusting! Our disagreements during that period were almost fatal, until in a moment of breakthrough, we realized we were actually on the same team and should proceed with that in mind. Whatever skirmishes we have had since then were mostly minor and often humorous. But I can recall a day about four years ago when we hit a bump. Each of us was dealing with our own bothersome health issues, plus some other stresses such as moving to a new home.

Today in our marriage, bad days are fairly infrequent for us, and when they occur it usually works out that the one doing OK supports the one having the bad day. But … on that particular day we decided (not really) to each have our own bad day on the same day … and express it forcefully! Such times can cause intense feelings of dissatisfaction. During the first couple of years I occasionally thought I should just leave, and although I’m afraid to ask (LOL), I’m fairly sure she had the some thought a few times. (Or maybe quite a few times … gulp!)

Have you ever been involved in something in which you reached a point of being ready to leave … “I’ve had enough” … “I can’t continue this”? In the Bible (John chapter 6), the great multitude of followers of Jesus were having a rough time with some of his “difficult” teachings, to the point that many of them decided to leave.

John 6:66 sounds like a bad number … and it is … From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. (John 6:66)

The “chosen” twelve disciples must have been struggling with the same inner conflict, and Jesus asked them if they, too, wanted to leave. But the disciple Simon Peter blurted out a gem of a confession at this point.

“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:67-68) Now that is an amazing, Holy Spirit inspired declaration!

Back to my story … For both my wife and I to be tired, cranky, and emotionally upset on the same day seemed like an enormous challenge, one which might have made us question if we could keep going. Frankly, this had probably been building for quite a few days. What do you do when this happens? As people of faith we can learn something from Simon Peter about what is the right question to ask. If we look to the God of our faith and into our inner being, the truth is obvious. After all, that same belief, foundation, attachment, and love that we have (and the disciples had) with Jesus, is also true for us in our marriage.  … “Where would I go?” … and we know the answer … “You are the one.”

Many people give up on faith, marriages, jobs, friends, etc. because they jump without considering the question, “Where would I go?” That’s worth thinking about. Is there something you are about to give up on? Obviously, some things need to be abandoned, but in the case of faith or marriage or other things that God has a plan for, we need to ask, “where would I go?” The Holy Spirit reminded Simon Peter that the best place was right where he was, with Jesus, despite the struggle, questions, and doubts.

A few times in various circumstances of my life, I have jumped when I shouldn’t have. We all have done that. Dr. Phil would gladly jump in and say, “And how’s that working for you?” And the answer is … it’s not.

Sometimes dissatisfaction gives us the chance to realize and affirm that we are where we are for a reason.

Blessings,

Chaplain Mark

Today’s Word Is AWARE

Mon-Jun-1-2020

Thus says the Lord, who makes a way through the sea and a path through the mighty waters, “Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past. Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43:16,18,19)

There is a song that says, “God will make a way, where there seems to be no way.” I hope you believe that. Just like the Israelites facing the Red Sea, we often look forward and mistakenly think there is no way. We think about “former things,” about what worked and what didn’t work. We conclude that those things which worked will still work, and what didn’t work still won’t work. Not so with God.

Let us read this verse carefully, because “remembering” is an important biblical principle. Isaiah is not telling us to forget the past. The book of Deuteronomy repeats many times the need to remember God’s faithfulness in the past as we proceed forward in our faith journey into the future.

Think about how Isaiah phrases it. “Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past.” He is warning us against intentionally dredging up memories of failures. Because new challenges call for new approaches, and God constantly presents us with a new way forward. God knows that if we rely exclusively on  what worked or didn’t work before, we can easily lose focus on him. He wants us to trust him!

Isaiah is pointing out that if our thinking excludes God’s power to do new things, then we may turn back instead of moving forward. God wants you to make it. You are his beloved. There is a difference between being “aware” of the past and being “confined” by the past. And as we are aware of former things, so must we also be aware that God is greater than former things. He has new things.

On the other side of the Red Sea, there was going to be a kingdom purpose for the people of God to fulfill. Thus, the Red Sea had to relinquish passage to those called to the Promised Land. Beyond our obstacles are purposes and dreams. Not selfish ones. Big ones. Kingdom-sized and kingdom-focused.

God will move obstacles and part waters for those who pursue his preferred future. Moses believed in the promised future land. But when driven into a trap in pursuit of that dream, what would he do? An army behind him, a great sea  in front of him. Would Moses be aware of God … of his presence, his purposes, his power, his promises, his plan? Are you aware of all these things in your present moment? It’s the key phrase of this passage … “Will you not be aware …?”

So, Moses listened to God’s instruction to hold up his staff toward the obstacle, the Red Sea, thus declaring that what should not have worked … was going to work … crossing the sea without a boat or a bridge … because his thinking took God’s purpose and ability into account.

Stop looking at how things used to be, used to work. The past is behind you. The future is on the other side of that obstacle. What are you going to be most aware of … the past behind, the obstacle ahead, or God above? From your vantage point, the promise out there may not be visible. But from God’s vantage point, it is.

Now occasionally, God says to live with things as they are for now, but more than we are aware, he says to move on, trust him. And when he speaks for action, take your staff, and hold it up in defiance against the obstacle. Yes, that can be a risky, scary act of faith. But it is your signal that you are aware … aware of the past, aware of the dream, aware of the obstacles, and most of all … aware of God’s ability to do a “new thing.”

If God has a purpose in mind for you, you must not be limited by the way things have been working up until now. In your wilderness, God will make a road. In your desert, God can make a river.

Blessings,

Chaplain Mark


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Today’s Word Is CONSEQUENCES

Fri-May-29-2020
It’s Humor Day!

In the Prohibition days, “revenuers” would go out into the mountains looking for illegal moonshine stills. One such revenuer was trying to track down a particularly well-known moonshiner. He came to the house where he thought the man lived. Outside the house there was a young boy clothed rather raggedly and sitting in a tree.

“Hey there, young fella,” the revenuer said from a distance.

“Who you and what you want?” replied the boy.

“I am looking for a man named John Smith. Do you know him?”

“Yessir, I do. That’d be my grandpappy.”

“Is he at home?”

“No sir.”

“Could you tell me where I could find him?”

“Well, sir, he’d be down at the still about now.”

“Could you give me directions to where that is?”

“Yessir, for five dollars I could.”

“OK, son, I can do that. Tell me where to find him.”

“First you pay me the five dollars.”

“Now, son. The way it works is that you tell me how to find him, and if he’s there, then I’ll come back and pay you the five dollars. Is that a deal?”

“No, sir, that won’t work. The five dollars first.”

“No, son, first I go find him and then I come back and pay you.”

“The five dollars is first, Mister, ‘cause you ain’t coming back.”

I heard that story from the wonderful Nell Mohney, author, speaker, and newspaper columnist, whose husband Dr. Ralph Mohney was the long-time pastor of First Centenary United Methodist Church in Chattanooga. She was a treasure who inspired many.

Here is my application of Today’s Word … There are some sure things about sins. They have consequences. There are certain decisions we make such that if we go down that road, we will not be coming back to the way things were. Fortunately, if we are in right relationship with God, we can be forgiven. But the blessing of being forgiven will not undo the consequences we caused regarding our own future nor the damage caused in the lives of others.

Often, we find that our foolish desires may have a temporary benefit, but afterward a great cost. It can be said of the temptation to sin, that it will “take you further than you wanted to go, keep you longer than you wanted to stay, and cost you more than you wanted to pay!” Let’s help each other not to go down those roads from which there is a great cost and no coming back to the way things were.

Blessings,

Chaplain Mark

Today’s Word Is MOTIVATION

Mon-May-11-2020

Compassion for others can be a great motivator, and that might be why you are working in a certain profession, or why you are involved in your church’s efforts to help others, or why you are driven to be on the lookout for someone to assist. The drawback to being motivated by the compassion in your heart for those in need is this … it can end up in “burn-out.”

Without sufficient “thank you’s” – without enough successes –  and because of untimely or distressing failures – we can sometimes find ourselves ready to quit. And our moments of discouragement like that can begin to occur more frequently. We might begin say to ourselves, “I’ve had enough,” or “This isn’t working.” We could just be gradually wearing down and wondering when we will cross over the line into saying, “I can’t do this anymore.”

Compassion, while necessary, cannot permanently stand alone as a motivator. Compassion both “empties our tank” and “fills our tank.” The time and energy we expend, which drains us, can be somewhat counterbalanced by the joy and satisfaction of seeing people get well, and of finding fulfillment through our work. But sooner or later, the drainage factors win, or the frustration of dealing with difficult people becomes too much, or we run into barriers or opposition to the good things we are trying to do. When this happens, and our tank gets low, we may be tempted to just hang it up  – unless there is another source of inspiration and energy that doesn’t depend on how successful we are at maintaining a positive attitude.

Here is a truth … The only long-term, sure-fire way of operating with sufficient and even excessive mental, emotional, and physical energy is to have a source other than just feeling good about helping the people we serve, or feeling fulfilled in our calling, or gaining respect and success.

From my perspective, the combination of the love of God, the work of Christ on the cross, and the comfort and power of the Holy Spirit is the only sufficient source in all the world to sustain us when our motivation is at a dangerous low. This love, affirmation, and encouragement from God is the emotional fuel that we require. When our motivation for our work is rooted in Him, we have an unfailing source that works equally well whether we are in a season of successes or in a moment of failure.

This is what the Apostle Paul meant when he said, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:17) We may be doing works of compassion, and we may care deeply about those whom we serve, but the motivation for doing them cannot simply be our desire to help.

So, I describe the deeper truth this way – “Yes, I am doing this because I care about you.” But underneath is a deeper motivation, that “I am doing this for Jesus and in His Name.” My ability to care about people has limits. My compassion can be tested sometimes and may begin to slide. But the compassion of Jesus has no limits. In the words of the Steven Curtis Chapman song, “His strength is perfect when our strength is gone. He’ll carry us when we can’t carry on. Raised in His power, the weak become strong. His strength is perfect, His strength is perfect.” (Based on 2nd Corinthians 12:7-10)

If you are relying on yourself, your successes, or even encouragement from friends to keep you motivated, eventually there will come a time when it won’t be enough. God doesn’t just want us to “survive,” he wants us to “thrive.” God alone can supply unlimited motivation. The other support we receive will be icing on the cake.

Have a blessed day,

Chaplain Mark