Responding to Plagues

“Instead of rethinking their actions and glorifying God, they cursed God’s name because He had the power to carry out these plagues.” (Revelations 16:9 VOICE)

For the last year, a pandemic has spread across the world. The effects have been far reaching. Most of us have had to make sacrifices and changes to our lifestyles. Our perspectives on what is important and valuable have shifted. The two questions that I hear most frequently are:

Will things ever go back to the way they were?  

What will the new normal look like? 

Repentance is difficult in the midst of a crisis. It requires a change in perspective and direction. The desire for familiarity and stability is natural, especially when our lives have been upended. That is why our response to the current plague has been mixed. Some are eager to go back to previous lifestyles. They reminisce about the good old days when we could go about our days just as generations before us did. Others are rethinking their actions and changing their ways. They are reevaluating their priorities and correcting the trajectory of their courses. 

Lord, teach me to repent and change my ways. Grant me wisdom and discipline. Help me to honor you by making good choices. 

One Good Thing

“Learn to do good...” (Isaiah 1:17 NLT)

A few months ago, I started spending a few minutes each evening examining what I had done and left undone during the day. The list of leftover chores, failures, and messes always seemed to pop up in my mind without effort. The good things, on the other hand, required active searching and acknowledging. 

Most of us tend to dwell on our deficiencies. This can be helpful if we learn something from our missteps and attempt to change our habits. However, mere self-flagellation is unproductive. Acknowledging positive choices or blessings can be uplifting. It can also teach you to intentionally do good. 

I have learned to do at least one good thing every morning. It doesn’t have to be earth-shattering, but something that I know to be constructive. I pause during my day to notice minor blessings. I search for opportunities to encourage or help. I celebrate the accomplishments of others. 

I am keenly aware of the  suffering and injustice in this world. I am not suggesting that we gloss over any of it with a veneer of positive thinking. We may not have the power to make sweeping changes that have global impact. Yet, all of us can do one good thing daily.

Goal Setting

“Within your heart you can make plans for your future, but the Lord chooses the steps you take to get there.” (Proverbs 16:9 TPT)

The dream of someday running a marathon had been secretly buried in my heart for decades. I would run shorter distances, but 26.2 miles seemed too big of a goal. There were too many hurdles: lack of time, lack of athleticism, knee pain, other commitments, etc. It wasn’t until my late forties that I finally found a coach who helped me to get past my mental blocks. He gave me a training plan and held me accountable. He pushed me to do more than I imagined I could. He taught me to embrace discomfort. In the last three years, I’ve run six marathons and an ultramarathon. These distances do not scare me anymore. I know it will require training, sacrifice, commitment, and pain. However, I also know I can get through it with some direction and accountability.

Now I use the lessons I learned from marathon training to approach other types of goals. I want to be authentic, healthy, circumspect, intentional, resilient, bold, empathetic, and empowering. I yearn to understand Truth and express it. I hope to grow in self-acceptance and gratitude. I desire justice, goodness, and fairness. I do NOT want anyone to suffer--but if there is suffering, I hope it is never squandered. 

God has placed these desires within my heart. I have been given a lifetime to achieve these goals. I am unsure what course the Lord will choose to get me there. But this I know--I need daily instructions and accountability. I have to work toward my goals in small, consistent steps. Procrastination, distraction, and discouragement are hurdles I must overcome. I must keep my eyes focused on the goal, fight the good fight, finish the full course, and keep my heart full of faith. 

 

Doormats and Step Stools

“Love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top.” (Philippians 2:4 MSG)

You can learn more about individuals while observing how they treat others than you can by their external packaging. Especially notice how they treat those who have less power when they think no one is watching. Do they walk all over people thoughtlessly? Or, are they considerate and kind? 

If someone is condescending to their spouse and children, most likely they will continue the pattern with their coworkers and friends, too. Most of us know to stay away from those who trample on others.  No one wants to be a doormat. However, there is a more insidious form of exploitation that I have observed. There are those who treat others like step stools so as to elevate their own status. These are the individuals who intentionally seek out people whom they deem inferior and subordinate in order to make themselves appear superior and dominant. They step on others to get to the top. 

When you love one another, you are not obsessed with getting your own advantage. Deep-spirited friends do not treat each other like doormats or step stools. Instead, these relationships are marked by mutual respect and consideration. The practice of sincere love spills over into all our relationships, whether it be with a spouse, a friend, or a stranger. We find joy in being honorable, generous, and equitable--helping each other grow and bringing the best out of everyone. 

“Love does not brag about one’s achievements nor inflate its own importance. Love does not traffic in shame and disrespect, nor selfishly seek its own honor. Love is not easily irritated or quick to take offense. Love joyfully celebrates honesty and finds no delight in what is wrong. Love is a safe place of shelter, for it never stops believing the best for others.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 TPT)

 

Intuition and Sensitivity

“Who gives intuition to the heart and instinct to the mind?” (Job 38:36 NLT)

My husband and son are highly sensitive to music. I suspect this musical instinct is genetic, because they can hear elements in a song that I don’t even notice. For example, if the background music in our home is inferior in some way, my husband and son become visibly uncomfortable until they can fix the problem. They will stop what they are doing and fiddle with the sound system or turn it off completely. Unlike them, I am able to tune out imperfections in background music and still go about my business. 

I have a friend who has a strong sense of smell. She can detect subtle odors that most of us would not notice. Certain scents give her headaches. I imagine that her hyperosmia is more a burden than a gift. I wonder how miserable she would be around a person who is wearing heavy perfume to cover up body odor! She wouldn’t be able to do anything other than get away from that smell. How awful would it be if she were stuck on an airplane next to such a person! 

Although my musical instincts and my sense of smell are not highly perceptive, I am sensitive in a different way. My intuition picks up on even the slightest hypocrisy, deceit, injustice, inauthenticity, ignorance, indifference, sorrow, greed, degeneracy, and exploitation. Incongruency bothers me. It is painful for me to function when surrounded by dissonance or the stench of insincerity. However, very rarely do I have the power to change the discordance around me. I wish I had the ability to make changes to the system, turn down the volume, or hold my nose--but I do not. All I can do is remove myself from the culture of chaos and opt out of participating in dishonesty. 

Lord, why did you make me sensitive and powerless at the same time? You gave me intuition, but I am unable to influence change. You gave me keen instincts, but I can’t do much to help others. Instead, I feel constantly on edge--knowing but impotent. 

Hard Transtions

“I am doing something brand new, something unheard of. Even now it sprouts and grows and matures. Don’t you perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and open up flowing streams in the desert.” (Isaiah 43:19 TPT)

My aloe vera plant had outgrown its pot. It was time for me to transplant parts of it into a new container. I dug up a few baby plants from the base. I got one with a root still attached, but most of them broke off prematurely. I didn’t have much hope for their survival. I put all of them on the counter for a day to harden them off and replanted them in new pots with fresh soil. Now I am watering and waiting to see if they make it through the next few months. I can’t see what is happening under the soil. Are the plants putting out roots? All I can do is watch the leaves for signs of life and health. 

As I nurture my aloe vera shoots, I am reminded that new beginnings are not always exciting and fun. The transition period is often unfamiliar and uncertain. The possibility of loss and untimely fragmentation can be anxiety-provoking. Since internal growth is hard to observe, despondency can set in. It can feel like a long journey through a dark wilderness. But when God transplants us into new circumstances, we can be assured that He provides ways through the wilderness. He will open up flowing streams in the desert. When God initiates something brand new, something unimaginable, we may not be able to perceive all that is happening in the invisible realms, but we can be confident that things are sprouting and growing and maturing. 

The Stress of Inauthenticity

“A person of honor has honorable plans, and his integrity gives him security.” (Isaiah 32:8 TPT)

There are certain television show characters that are painful to watch. One such role is that of Carol Rance on the comedy series Episodes. Carol is a consummate people-pleaser. She dresses impeccably, says whatever people want to hear, and conforms to the expectations of those around her. Carol’s desire for approval and belonging, even at the expense of her authenticity, ultimately leads to a series of false relationships. She craves connection at work, in friendships, in romantic liaisons--but her insincerity results in disconnection. Her self-sabotaging habits prevent her from having what she wants. Alienated from her true self, she seems constantly stressed and under pressure. Even though Carol Rance is a fictional character, I can’t help but feel pity for her. 

The desperation of people-pleasers is painful to witness. The stress of inauthenticity often leads them to feeling anxious, rejected, and insecure. Their cravings for admiration and acceptance make them targets for manipulation. They fall prey to the bait of belonging, easily getting lured into conforming to the standards of others. 

How can anyone really belong when they are disingenuous?

Is it possible to truly respect a fake person? 

The desire for love, acceptance, and respect are universal. Yet, a person who is false cannot be loved for their true self. Acceptance without authenticity is pointless. Insincerity is inherently dishonorable. People of honor remain true to who they are, accept themselves as they are, and present their genuine selves to the world. A life of  integrity and authenticity is a prerequisite to real love, respect, acceptance, security, and peace.