Wake up and Stand Up!

Picture by Caprice Miller

“But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.  This is why it is said:  “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” – Ephesians 5:13-14

What a happy face this guy has!  Someone really got their creativity on the day this piece was created.  It’s amazing what people can find to do with stuff anyone else would have thrown away.  But there are some that just look around at random pieces and parts and see…..well…..a colorful “Muffler Man” with a smiling face.  Their creative senses are awakened at that point and instead of just thinking about it, they actually make it happen.  That seems to be the most amazing part – putting a random idea into action.  That’s how inventions are born.  Someone sees something, their mind starts clicking with an idea and they can’t stop until they attempt the idea.  It’s as if their minds are always awake and working.  This is a person that could make the rest of us tired just watching them. 

Many of us would probably admit to being part of the group that may have an idea, but instead of going with it and doing something to make it happen, we stay put and just keep thinking about it…..dreaming about it….sleeping on it.  We are probably just tired of watching that other person working on their own idea.  But the reality is that life doesn’t always make it easy for us to put those dreams and ideas into action.  It’s easier to just not tax ourselves with anything additional on our “to-do” list.  So, we go about our day with our heads down and tail up just checking off the tasks at hand and eventually letting that idea or dream drift away.  It was just a random, passing thought anyway.

There are times when those ideas and dreams may not be as random and far-fetched as they seem though.  Because we were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26), it makes sense that we would be creative ourselves.  Not all in the same manner, but in different ways from artistically to organizationally, musically to “culinary-ly”.  That is the beauty of God’s design and it makes life so exciting.  However, most of us miss this really exciting aspect of life because we don’t always see our creativity as such. Instead, we become complacent with our unique creativity and get stuck in the rut of tasks and sleep through the life that God has for us.  It’s time we take the verse above to heart and “Wake Up!”  God has put so many extraordinary things around us, but we take them for granted and have become increasingly “underwhelmed”.  It’s a shame that in order for us to be amazed at His wonders we have to be hit over the head with them at times.  It doesn’t have to be that way.

As you “Wake Up!” today, know that God would like to shed some light on you and your surroundings.  Stand and lift your head up so you can take in what He has placed around you.  Recently I had the opportunity to help, along with MANY others, with the world’s biggest chalk drawing of Jesus (17,000 sq. ft.) in the parking lot of Fellowship Church.  Jesus Chalk Drawing  I had been on my hands and knees diligently coloring in the square I was assigned to for some time.  It was a big square!  I finally took a moment and stood up to give my knees a rest.  As I did I looked around and realized how enormous this drawing really was and how small I seemed in that moment comparatively.  I literally stood in awe!  Sometimes we have to stand up and take notice of our surroundings in the midst of our tasks.  When we do, God will wake us up and open our eyes to what He is doing around us.  It may seem enormous and overwhelming in the moment.  But when we allow Him to take the lead, He makes it come together.  And when we allow Him to do that, it is always so much better and shines so much brighter.   Whatever that idea or dream is, step out to make it a reality and let God lead.  Let Him be glorified through it all and know He wants to shine on you.  And then be ready to stand in awe of Him and life He has orchestrated.

Let's Share

Picture by Caprice Miller

“The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.” – Proverbs 27:9

The aroma of popcorn is immediately recognizable.  Just the scent is enough to help complete a movie experience.   Even if you don’t consume it yourself, you can still enjoy the buttery goodness just from the smell. The sense of smell can be so sensitive and can trigger a variety of emotions.  There are just certain things that are so pleasantly familiar that it kind of gives a sense of comfort just to recognize the smell.   For example, the smell of cinnamon and vanilla reminds me of Christmas and some amazing family memories.  And the smell of Old Spice reminds me of hugs from my daddy.  You’re probably thinking of your own “trigger scents” right now. 

In a similar way, time with friends also gives us that sense of comfort.  When we spend time with great friends we walk away with a renewed sense of joy.  We look forward to the next time we get together and we feel encouraged.  Time spent with great friends makes you want to be a better friend too.  The right friends in our lives should be reflective of what my pastor calls the “Right THEY”:

Tough – they’ve got your back and you can depend on them.

Honest – they will be honest and truthful even if it may hurt a little…in love.  Sometimes we need help hiding that little touch of crazy we might have.

Encouraging – they build you up and remind you of what’s important and what your blessings and gifts are.

Yielded – they are yielded to God’s direction in their lives, so it’s natural they will help you stay on track with God’s direction in your life too.

The right THEY in our lives are like the pleasant smell of “perfume and incense” the verse above speaks of.  These friends help us to maintain perspective when life may be spinning.  They share our joy when something great happens.  They share our sorrow when we need a shoulder to cry on.  When we can’t remember what our blessings are and what truths God has for us, these friends help us remember.  Yes, they laugh with us, cry with us, celebrate with us, encourage us and point us in the right direction when we might find it hard in the moment to hide our crazy. 

For some, you may have a whole group of friends that fit into this THEY category.  For others, there may just be one or two.  In any case, take a moment to thank God for them.  And then, take a moment to thank them for being that THEY in your life.  Perhaps this would be a great time to share some popcorn and create more memories.       

Frozen In Your Tracks

Picture by Caprice Miller

“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”  – Luke 6:45

It must have been REALLY cold on this day in order to freeze water like this in mid-stream.  What a great picture it made though.  It makes you wonder how long this water ran before it froze.  It almost seems like it could have been the work of a fairy tale character with special “freezing powers”.  I wonder if the character would be considered a hero or a villain.  A hero might have frozen the water they couldn’t get to the spout to turn the water off, so they just froze it to save time and more wasted water.  A villain may have frozen the water because they were just annoyed by the sound of running water or maybe wanted to stop the water supply of a village.  That’s just wrong!  These motives could tell us a little about the character of….the character.  Is the heart of the character good or evil?

What does your character say about you?  The verse above gives some insight to how we can recognize what kind of character a person has.  I wonder if the hero in the scenarios mentioned before ever had their character misjudged because of their actions or words in a heated moment.  Fear and anger can sometimes cause us to act out of our normal character.  Acting out of character could be enough to “freeze” those around you wondering “What in the world just happened!?”  In contrast, a person of a more “villainous character” doesn’t really worry about being misjudged.  They use a common practice of “freezing” those around them to maintain control.  Others are not sure what will happen or what will be said next.  Everyone else is in a constant state of “walking on eggshells” so that this person will not turn those freezing powers on them. 

We have all experienced times of frustration that pushes our buttons.  The difference is what the actions that occur from the button pushing say about the character of our hearts.  Do we feel a quick sense of remorse realizing that our actions have “frozen” someone in our lives?  Or have these actions and words become a common practice that is to be expected from us without remorse?  These questions will determine the next action that takes place – an apology that leads to a thawing and reconciliation or simply moving on deciding that others should just learn to stay out of your way….let them stay frozen. 

The thought that should really freeze us all in our tracks is something that Jesus warns us about in the following verse.  He expands on the message of what is stored in our hearts and warns us of the consequences: 

“³⁵ A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. ³⁶ But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. ³⁷ For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” -  Matthew 12: 35-37

Our words and actions are powerful and can be used to build others up or tear them down…freeze them.  Sure we can find ways to justify why a person may have needed to be “frozen”. But what we choose ourselves makes a difference in the lives of others. It also reveals what is truly in our hearts. 

Take a moment to rewind your mind and reflect on the words and actions of the past days.  What do they say about what’s stored in your heart?  Does it freeze you in your tracks to think you might have to answer for those words and actions?  If so, ask God to clean your heart and replace what is there with His goodness.  The result will be an overflowing of His love from a grateful heart.     

Vertical Value

Picture by Caprice Miller

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” – Psalm 139:14

AAAWWWEEE!!!!!  Just seeing these little guys makes me want to go into the little high pitched voice that we use when a baby is present.  They look so cuddly and cute….like a baby would be.  At first glance you would think they are all the same cute.  But it doesn’t take long to realize they are each unique in their own special way.  And each way is just as adorable as the other. 

It’s interesting to think about the differences though.  Being that these little guys are meant to be sold to an admirer, the subjective opinion of the potential buyer comes into play.  To take a page from the Toy Story script, what if they could hear what opinions were said about each?  “I don’t like red.”  “There’s too many hearts on that one.”  “The stitching on that one is messed up.”  Picky, picky people! 

Now, what if we do that to each other?  Oh wait….we do.   Social media has made it so easy to make derogatory comments about people with no thought that those comments might actually be seen by that person.  Out of sight, out of mind, right?  In this age of technology, chances are that people are searching for what is being said out there about themselves.  How many “likes” do we have or who commented on the post?  In essence, we are searching for our identity and value in the eyes of others, even if those others are strangers who know nothing of us. 

Sadly enough, before we even look at social media, many of us have a tendency to begin this type of dialogue with ourselves.  We deem ourselves not pretty, skinny, fat, talented, smart, whatever enough and stamp ourselves with a label of “not enough” and “unworthy”.   This usually is brought about by the comparison game we play with ourselves.  Once again, we look around at others for our identity….our value.  We determine our own worthiness and value simply by how we measure up to others from our own perspective or someone else's. 

It’s time for a new perspective.  The verse above is taken from Psalm 139.  If you read this short little chapter, there is verse after verse that tells us how special we are to God….The Creator of the Universe.  Think about it – He created the entire universe and as human beings, we are His most precious creation.  He created us to have a relationship with Him.  You are so precious that He knows your thoughts, when you get up and lie down.  (Psalm 139:1-4)  He knit you in your mother’s womb.  (Psalm 139:13)  He gave His Son for you. (John 3:16)  If we are created with such special care, how is it that we look at ourselves and see something so contrary to that? 

When we decide our value from a horizontal perspective – from those around us – we end up shunning God and His precious creation.  We are choosing not to recognize our uniqueness, the talents He has given us and His deep love for us.  Instead we choose to concentrate on the uniqueness and talents of others and wish we had what they have instead.  Chances are, they are doing the same thing.   But when we make a choice to look up and understand that our true value comes from a vertical perspective – from God - our world could be turned upside down.  We begin to view ourselves and our talents differently.  We begin to view others from this perspective as well.  A sense of gratitude starts to bubble to the surface – just like the writer of this Psalm.   We end up standing in awe of God’s unique and masterly designed creation.  Not in a boastful manner, but in thankfulness of life.  We discover that those “quirks” that we took for granted are really unique talents that were given to us.  We begin understanding and accepting His love for us. 

Change your perspective today.  Know that your “Vertical Value” is a much better and truer perspective than your “horizontal value” ever could be.  Take a moment to praise God because you are fearfully and wonderfully made.  Now, tell someone else that they are too.  Accept the love God has for you as His unique creation and let that love overflow to the world around you.