The Fight Is Bigger Than You Think

The Fight Is Bigger Than You Think!

It feels like we are all in this battle against this tiny, yet powerful molecule which can cause us to get really sick.  I think most people would define winning your individual battle in this way:  

1. Avoid catching coronavirus, or

2. Recover if you do catch coronavirus. 

But I think it is MUCH bigger than this.  I think corona can win in some other pretty significant ways too.

• If you come out of this season, physically unhealthier than when it started.  I think people are choosing to cope with the stress by turning to unhealthy things: junk food, alcohol, the couch to name a few.  I know we don’t have access to things like gyms and sports.  I know we have more downtime.  I know my kitchen with my favorite foods is steps away from my current office.  But it all comes down to choices that we make, literally hundreds of times every day.
• If you didn’t deal with the anxiety.  Face it, we were all at least a little bit shaken by this.  Maybe it had direct impacts on your life, maybe it was a huge loss or lots of little losses, maybe it was just a daily feeling of insecurity and fear of the future.  The most important question is ‘What did you do about the anxiety?’  Did you let it cripple you and basically shut out the world?  Did you ‘suck it up’ because others probably had it worse than you?  Did you squash it with unhealthy habits? (see #1)  OR….Did you identify what you were feeling and process through it?  Did you talk about it with others who love you?  Did you talk to God about it?  If the anxiety was really big, did you seek out professional help?
• If you didn’t take advantage of some unique opportunities.  Here is a list of just some of the opportunities that might have come your way:

1. More time with your immediate family
2. More time to do things like read, resume or start a new hobby, etc.
3. More $$.  If your income was not impacted, chances are that your spending went way down.
4. More needs around you

Soooo, basically you have more time and more money.  And you are surrounded by people who are struggling either emotionally or financially.  You have a unique opportunity to love and serve people like you have never loved and served them before!  

• If you didn’t spread hope.  Some things have spread even quicker the past weeks than Corona and those things are rumors, false facts, fear and panic.  Right now, people are listening more…to the news, to press conferences, to social media and to each other.  When people heard you speak or read your words, did they hear fear or hope?  As Christians, we are carriers; not of a disease, but of the greatest hope of all time!  During this season, people were literally starving for hope.  Did you give it to them?

I believe this is all going to end eventually.  Many parts of it will fade from our memories.  2020 will be that year when for the whole world, time was basically paused.  But for you, who won?  Did you REALLY beat the virus?

HELLO 2020!

 I am not typically a resolution girl.  Too many failures in my 53 years I guess.  But there is something that I love about buttoning up a year and opening the GIFT of a brand new one.  I love the moments of looking back and reflecting….being thankful, letting things go, celebrating, grieving.  And then I love the idea of a new beginning!  A chance to start fresh and improve.  A year is like a present from God that you get to open at midnight tonight!  It is not something I earned or something that I am owed, but it is a gift in every sense of the word.  And each year those gifts become even more precious, because I know that they will not keep coming forever (on earth, anyway).

As I have been thinking about an area of my life I want to ‘step up my game’ in 2020, the thing that keeps coming to my mind is doing a better job of loving people.  The 2 most important things to do in this life are to love God and love people.  And so I want to do both of those things really, really well!

To make it more concrete, I am breaking it down into 3 areas….

1. FAMILY.  Over the last decade there have been many significant changes in my family.  My girls are now adults, Scott and I are now empty nesters, my parents have moved into a stage where they need a lot of care and attention.  Each of these things have required a large shift in the way I respond and interact with each of these people.  And, I don’t think I have always done a great job.  I sometimes get lazy and choose to do something mind numbing, rather than engaging with those closest to me.  I sometimes say things to my girls that was more appropriate when I was parenting them as teenagers, rather than the adults that they are.  In general, I don’t speak words of love or encouragement or celebration to those who are the most important to me.  And that needs to change.

2. FRIENDS.  I want be the best friend that I can possibly be.  I want my friends to know that I am there for them and I am ready to serve them.  I want to get better at seeing their needs and their hurts and then doing something about it.  I want to plan events rather than waiting to be invited.  I want to send more cards, give more thoughtful gifts.  I don’t want a single one of them to wonder if I love them.

3. RANDOM TRAVELERS.  These are the people who move in and out of my path everyday.  They are at the grocery store, serving me lunch at a restaurant, in the houses on my street, in the lobby at church.  For a long time, I have labeled myself as an introvert and that has become my excuse.  Random conversations are hard and so I just don’t do them.  This year I want to really SEE these people and I want to make sure they see me and that I am interested in them.  That I truly care about them.  Hopefully that is different than most of the world and when given a chance, I can point that difference to God.

Man….as I read back though this, it sounds hard!  Do I really want to commit to this?  Since I know the way to love God, is to love His people, my answer is YES.  I also know that the ONLY way I am going to do this, is with His help.  So I am going to add one more thing….which is to pray for all of these people and to ask God to guide me to make the changes.  I’m not calling this a resolution since that means 10 pounds off in January and 12 back on by April.  LOL.  But as I open the ‘gift’ of another year tonight, I am committing to a year of radically loving people. 

Some Thoughts on Election Day 2016

1. Social Media is a horribly divisive thing.  I am sure for centuries there have been differing political views in families and friend circles and churches.  But people are now “saying” things out loud, online, that they would never vocalize in person.  Unfortunately I don’t think Believers in Christ look much different than the rest of the world in this area.  If you truly want to reach people who are lost and you openly support a candidate and bash the opponent, you have just lost the respect and possibly the ear of half of the people who read your posts.

2. I am so confused by this whole feminist thing.  So many people seem to be voting for Hilary based on her gender.  I get it…..many people also voted for Obama based on his race.  But why are women suddenly being viewed as oppressed?  In America?  Really?  I must be totally blind, because things seem pretty even to me.  I can’t help but wonder what women in three-fourths of the world, who are TRULY oppressed, think when they see American women claiming to be feminists and talk about being oppressed.  It’s embarrassing.

3. Ultimately I had to base my vote on something.  Honestly, until about a week ago I didn't think I could cast a vote for either person.  As much as I could, I pulled the personalities of the candidates aside and chose the person who I believe will lead the country in the best direction.  You will not see me post who that person is on facebook or twitter or even on this blog, (which I'm not even sure anyone reads.)  I'm smart enough to know that proclaiming who I choose is not going to influence others to do the same.  And I am choosing to love people rather than divide people.

I didn’t vote for our current president, and I didn’t agree with most things he did while in office.  But I still had a level of of respect for him.  It’s probably the way I was brought up to respect those in authority.  I cringed inwardly when I was around people who bashed him.  Whether the person I voted for wins tonight or not, the president is the president.  I was born into, and have chosen to remain in, a country where the people choose.  And most importantly, God is always good,

Wait. I Like Sports??

This morning I was reminded that the Summer Olympics are this year!  Now, if you know me, “sports fan” is definitely not in the list of terms people would use to describe who I am.  Sure, I enjoy an occasional Buckeye football game or maybe a little bit of football between the Superbowl commercials, but VERY little else.  But for some reason, I will turn on the TV and watch summer and winter Olympics.

So this got me thinking.  What is it about the Olympics that appeals to me?  I have pondered this today and here is the best conclusion I came to.  Before an event, the network shares stories of some of the athletes.  We hear about how some of them overcame crazy obstacles to get where they are.  Maybe they had some type of physical disability that they conquered.  Or they come from a little-known country where they had to train themselves.  But despite what was in their way, they made it to the very top of their sport.  They made it through qualifying rounds and now they are the best of the best and get to compete for a spot on a podium.  Before the Opening Ceremonies, I probably can’t name a single athlete that will be competing (remember….not a sports fan) but for 2 weeks I get to be inspired by great stories and emotional victories.

So, if I was at the top of my game, would I have a story?  What would the 3 minute clip be before I swim the 400 meter individual medley.  (yeah, I think I would pick swimming if I was going to be there.)

<< Cue dreamy, dramatic music >>  Born to a loving family of average means in the capital city of Ohio, Beth had a great childhood.  She got to experience great things like family vacations, awards at school and really great friendships.  Like many first-borns, she liked to excel in school, in music and in making good life decisions.  She rarely got into trouble of any kind (well maybe little bits here and there, but that doesn’t show up in the film.)  She went to church most every Sunday as a kid and served less fortunate people through various organizations.  People who knew her well thought she had it all together.  BUT…….she was dead and headed to hell.  All of her moral living and good deeds were worthless in changing her destination.  Over time, and with Godly people speaking into her life, she realized that only through a real relationship with Jesus could something be done about her doomed existence.  << Cue epic music> >>  Her life took a 180 degree turn and she changed her destiny forever!

Okay, I’m cheesy.  But face it….people love a good “rags to riches”, “defeat turned to success” story.  And LITERALLY all my moral living and good deeds were like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6) until I realized that in Christ, I could gain everything.  And even the best tear-jerking Olympic athlete story pales in comparison to the stories of being dead and then being alive!  

Man, I love a good story…

Ephesians 2:5-6The Message (MSG)

He Tore Down the Wall

2 1-6 It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah.

Failure to Launch

I wasn’t going to do this post, but it kept popping into my head, so this is my attempt to get rid of it.

Disclaimer:  This post is not directed at anyone in particular.  If you read this and think I am writing specifically to you, I definitely am not.  It is merely based on my observations and my opinions concerning this young adult generation.

More and more often I am seeing young adults (18-28) who are not “launching.”  I would almost describe them as stuck.  They either don’t know what they want to do or they don’t have any motivation to just do something.  They may either continue to live at home, dependent on their parents, still living as a teenager even though they are in their early twenties.  Or sometimes they take the step of moving out, usually with other friends who are also “stuck,” and continue to drift aimlessly for the next decade.

Don’t hear me saying that everyone’s life needs to look the same…..graduate HS at 18, go to a 4 year college, land your “forever career”, marry at 24, babies at 26.  I think there are lots of paths that look very different than this.  But when I look at so many young adults, I don’t see adults.  Also, don’t hear me saying our family got all of this right.  We didn’t.

I don’t think it can be said that 100% of these cases can be “blamed” on parenting, but I do think that there are certain things parents can do to give their kids the best chance at success.  There are certain milestones that hit before a kid turns 18 that help lead to independence.  These are baby steps to adulthood and when I see families who don’t take some of these steps, the result is not always positive.  

• Getting a driver’s license.  It is a lot of work and stress for the parents, but it is so necessary in building independence.
• Working a job.  You may think “How is making blizzards at DQ going to help my child?”  Well…time management, budgeting, work ethic, interview skills, interpersonal skills, understanding employee-employer relations….I could go on and on.
• Being totally responsible for their school work.  By the last 2 years of high school, I think kids should be self-motivated and handling their own education.  Too many times I see parents checking grades on-line daily, delivering forgotten school items to the school (oops, I was bad about that one), talking to teachers and administrators when a 17 year old should be doing that themselves.
• Working out problems themselves.  I’m not saying don’t be supportive and give advice or jump in when absolutely necessary.  I AM saying, “Let them fail.”  If they are having a problem with a friend, they need to work it out.  The coach is not playing them on the team?  Encourage them to set up a meeting to talk about it.

There is something about this generation that is vastly different than my generation.  Sure, we had a few drifters, but for the most part my peers left home at 18 for college or the military or a career and rarely ended up back home.  We set goals and, even if they were unrealistic and had to be modified (yes, I started out pre-med), we had a plan.

I also think we are too willing to support this drifting lifestyle; letting kids stay home for years while they figure it out.  But they aren’t figuring it out.  They are playing video games and living in a world of social media rather than the world of flesh and bones.  Things like walking into a college class or interviewing for a job are hard and uncomfortable.  Why do that when you can sit in a comfy house where people won’t reject you or you have to do things that aren’t always fun?

So far I have hit on a lot of practical, concrete things.  But there is one really big thing, too.  I believe that parenting your child’s spiritual health is by far the most important thing you can do to get them ready for adulthood.  You cannot make them say YES to Christ….only they can do that.  But you can do everything within your ability to fan the flame and fuel the fire.  For an 18 year old living on mission, adulthood and independence are not big, scary things.  They are amazing opportunities to do the only two things that are really important.  Bring glory to God, and show others the reason for your hope.  EVERYTHING else you do with your life comes back to those 2 things if you are a believer.  If you keep Him your focus and your mission and your prize, suddenly interviewing for a job, getting an apartment, building relationships become a little more appealing, don’t they?

Again, if you know me and you felt like I was talking about you, I wasn’t.  This is a broad trend and maybe someone with a 12 year old will read this and do something differently.

Keep It Simple

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.  

1 Peter 3:15 

I recently listened to a 3-part sermon series by Andy Stanley called Prepared.  LOVED IT.  It really reminded me how simple evangelism really should be.  To give Andy credit, most of the thoughts in this post come from him, not me.

One of the most frustrating things about being a Christian is the questions people ask about what you believe. If you had fifteen minutes, you could answer. But what are you supposed to say in just a few seconds? How do you defend your faith without losing your mind?

So often the reason I don’t have spiritual conversations with non-believers is because I am afraid I am not going to be able to face their arguments or defend what I believe.  So even if I feel like I am supposed to open my mouth, I don’t.  It’s not because I don’t love them them enough or because I am not broken over the fact that they are facing an eternity separated from God.  (Well, I think I could get better at that too, but that was not really the point of this series.)

Here is my big takeaway….

I do not have to be able to fight for a literal 6 day creation story.

I do not have to interpret the parables.

I do not have to explain how I think the end times are going to play out.

I do not have to try to prove that Jonah was in a big fish or that Jesus fed thousands of people with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish.

I do not even have to quote scripture.

I am simply responsible for 1 Peter 3:15.  To make it personal: “Beth needs to be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks her to give the reason for the hope that she has.”  That is MY hope.  This is MY reason for believing something that can only be fully believed by faith.  Suddenly that sounds a lot less intimidating to me.  

When someone wants to know why you chose to follow Jesus, his or her question will probably focus on lifestyle choices, the church, Old Testament stories, or miracles. But the question you should answer is, “Why Jesus?” Give the answer Jesus’ followers have been giving since the first century: the reason you’re a Jesus follower is the resurrection. If there were no resurrection, there would be no faith.

Here is what Andy says:

“I believe Jesus died for my sin and rose from the dead, but not because the Bible says so. I believe because Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, James, and Paul said so. They were eyewitnesses and friends of eyewitnesses.”

For this to make total sense, I highly recommend listening to the series.  It will definitely be an excellent tool in your evangelism toolbox.  Here is where you can find the messages.

Longing for Heaven

Longing for Heaven

I freakishly LOVE anticipation.  Whenever there is a big event or a vacation or a huge life-changing occurrence, I thoroughly enjoy the days leading up to it.  I remember as a kid being so excited the night before going to an amusement park, that I literally laid awake most of the night thinking about the fun I was going to have.  First day of school every fall?  Same thing.  From the moment we book a cruise or family trip, the excitement and anticipation begin building.  While I love surprising other people at the last minute with a trip or fun night out, I’m not sure I want to be surprised because that would mean missing out on the “dreaming” about the thing.  Basically I am longing for something that is to come…..something I know I am going to enjoy MORE than what I am currently experiencing.

Sometimes I long for heaven.  No, I don’t think about sending myself there prematurely and I am fine with however many more days or years God gives me here on earth.  But I genuinely get so excited when I think about what is to come.  The funny part to me is that these times of longing often don’t even happen on my worst days.  It can be just an average day or even a really blessed day, but I will catch myself having that excited feeling that I remember as a kid.  What is coming is infinitely better than ANYTHING I am experiencing here.  

The best comparison I can come up with (and it definitely pales) is marriage.  When you get engaged, you instantly enter this stage of anticipation.  Some days are packed full of planning and dreaming and getting ready for the wedding.  Some days your thoughts are constantly on the anticipation of getting to spend the rest of your life with the person you love.  And then some days you get caught up in the realities of every day life and just an occasional “whisper” of a thought about the marriage creeps in once in a while.  And the closer the wedding gets…..the more your anticipation grows.

That is what my longing for heaven is like. Some nights I almost can’t sleep because I am so excited to be in heaven with Jesus.  Some days the waves of life are too consuming and I just have an occasional whisper-thought.  

Sometimes when I see people who are absolutely terrified of death (and I don’t even mean a painful dying process….but actual death) or people who have extreme and prolonged grief after losing a loved one who is a believer, I have to stop and think.  Do they really, truly get it?  Heaven is going to be incredible!  

Every dream or longing I can possibly have does not even come close that what it is actually going to be like!  And if I am so excited just from the little hints that scripture gives us and what my little mind can imagine…..then just wait until the real thing!!

Remember, I said I "freakishly" love anticipation.  I know.  I am not normal.  :)