Say Ahhh

I know how busy everyone is and I truly appreciate you taking the time to read my blog. If you are like me there is a 50/50 chance you won’t make it to the end of this 620 word blog before your mind darts off to make a to do list, or plan what you should have for dinner and if you have everything to make that dinner, or solve world hunger. Knowing that, I am going to tell you the conclusion of this blog at the beginning. Take a deep breath and then slowly let it out and say Ahhhh. Now do it with me – 1, 2, 3 –Ahhh. That is the summary of this blog so if you don’t finish reading you at least have the major point. Just say Ahhh.

For those of you who are still with me, every time you come to the blue Ahhh I want you to count to three, take a deep breath, and slowly say Ahhh. The National Institute of Anxiety and Stress says there are proven benefits to deep breathing. They state that deep relaxation techniques such as deep breathing lowers blood pressure, relaxes muscles, and slows your heart rate. It also prevents stress from building up, reduces insomnia and fatigue and reduces general anxiety. It increases your energy level and helps you turn off analytical thinking and racing thoughts. The list goes on and on. In a nutshell, deep breathing helps to reduce anxiety and when practiced regularly may also help prevent anxiety.

Who knew something so simple and FREE could be so beneficial? God knew. We are truly wonderfully and fearfully created. But beyond the physical benefits we can derive from simply taking a few seconds and letting out a good Ahhh, there are spiritual benefits also. At the same time we are allowing our physical bodies to release stress, we can take those seconds to be mindful that we are At Home with God and allow Him to fill the stressed space within us with His presence. Now that is a great exchange rate!

John 15:4 says Remain in me and I will remain in you

2Chron 15:2B says that The Lord is with you when you are with him

2Tim 1 12 says he is able to guard what you have entrusted to him

Whatever situation it is that brought you to need to breathe deeply, God has a solution. If you find yourself in a stressful situation due to unforeseen financial needs, take a few Ahhh seconds to allow God to bring you home to the truth that he will supply all your needs. If you find yourself stressed over a physical need, allow God to bring you home to the truth that He is the great physician. If you find yourself filled with anxiety over a situation that has broken your heart, allow God to bring you home to the truth that He is the healer of the brokenhearted. Let your Ahhh be an automatic signal that you need to come home to God and allow Him to quiet your body, mind, and spirit and bring peace.

The goal of this time together is to cause us to consciously seek to be homebodies. Whatever is going on in our lives, whether they are filled with great sorrow or filled with great joy, we will close our eyes and say Ahhh and know we are at home with God . Now I want to close just the way we began, so if you have zoned out for a while, now is the time to rejoin us. I am going to count to 3 and then I want us all to say one last Ahhh…….

Dive In!

Sink or swim is the phrase my daughter posted on facebook as her two youngest made their way to swimming lessons. They could not wait to get to the pool. They had fond memories of their previous lessons with a pretty young girl gently coaxing them into the water. There were floaties and noodles and waiting arms to catch them. It was so much fun and safe. As soon as they arrived at the side of the pool, they knew this time was so very different. This time there was a 19-year-old guy who was there to teach them to swim. There would be no fluff, no gentle coaxing, no floaties, and no noodles. It was not going to be fun or safe. Basically, the order of the day was sink or swim.

God brings me to those places in my life from time to time. I have been enjoying His love, enjoying His blessing, enjoying my time with Him and then it seems like I show up one day and it is sink or swim. My safety nets have been removed; those things that made me feel safe are gone. So what do you then? Well, Brianna will do what she is told and Jake is thinking if he is going to endure this there has to be one big toy at the other end as a reward.

I have a little bit of both of them in me. I will do what I am told because I love the Lord and I know that whatever He asks of me is out of love and for my good. I know that He will never let me drown, maybe scare me to death, but not drown. I can’t bear the thought of not going on with Him – so I obey. But I also have some of Jake in me. I know the promise of His word that says He rewards those who seek Him.

Hebrews 11:6 (New Living Translation) 6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

The reason for His promise is not there for me to hold over His head and say if I do this then you owe me but a more precious truth is revealed to me. He gave me the promise to give me confidence. He gave me the promise to excite me. He gave me the promise so I would have the courage to jump in and learn the joy of swimming in the deep water. I will no longer be tied to fear. No longer tied to the shallow end of the pool. No longer a prisoner of the shore. He is calling me to freedom. He is calling me to know Him in a deeper way than ever before. He is telling me there is so much more for me to discover about Him. So I jump in the deep end.

Just got word that Jake and Brianna LOVE their swimming lessons and want to make sure they are signed up for next time because those lessons are outside. This Grandma is going to have to get in gear and take the plunge.

PS Brianna and Jake have made a pact. They are staying together. Even if one passes they will not go to the next level until both of them can go. You know the old saying “Never swim alone.”

So what did I learn?

1. God is always calling me to a deeper experience of His love.
2. He will not let me drown.
3. He is my reward.
4. We are in this together.

5. Dive into God’s love!

I’m diving in

I'm going deep

In over my head I wanna be Caught in the rush

Lost in the flow

In over my head I wanna go

The river's deep river's wide

The river's water is alive

So sink or swim

I'm diving in

I'm diving in

Steven Curtis Chapman

Is It Worth the Struggle?

There are so many things that I love about Jesus and one of them is the fact that He told stories using everyday examples that everyone could understand. He told us about the lilies of the field and the birds of the air and how He took care of them. He told stories about farmers going out to sow seed. He marked His promise with a rainbow. He then filled the world with trillions of unique stories left untold for us to discover. During those times in life when the going is really rough and we wonder if it is worth the struggle, I think He might have said consider the butterfly.

Did you know that there are about 115,000 species of moths and butterflies? They are not rare or endangered. Our world is blessed to have an abundance of butterflies gracing our plants and flowers. During the summer months I can walk out and see several hovered over my butterfly bushes or go to the zoo and see an entire exhibit dedicated to various kinds of butterflies. Out of the 115,000 species I have no idea how many butterflies are actually living on the planet at any given time but I read that there are no two exactly alike. Now you just have to say WOW!!!!

You may still be tempted to say that butterflies are just common insects that are pretty but nothing really special. These beautiful fluttering little creatures start out as just a tiny egg and go through a complete metamorphosis process. A female butterfly will attach a small insignificant egg to a leaf or a stem and from that egg will emerge a caterpillar. Still not the beautiful flying creature we know as a butterfly but rather a worm that will shed its skin four or more times to accommodate its growing body. The Monarch butterfly will eat a lot of milkweed that contains a poisonous chemical. The chemical is not harmful to the caterpillar but

as a butterfly it will produce a nasty taste, which protects the fragile butterfly from being eaten. Next comes a time period when that same caterpillar encases itself in a cocoon that it makes from a silk secreting gland. Then begins the total transformation. This is when the caterpillar tissues break down and the beginnings of the butterfly take shape. The caterpillar will be hidden from sight tucked inside its cocoon for two weeks to an entire season. Slowly it begins the process of emerging from the cocoon into its new life as a butterfly. The cocoon will either be split open as it bites its way through or it will use its own “spit” to soften the end and then push itself out. This entire process may take weeks or years to complete depending on the type of butterfly. The struggle to emerge is what strengthens the butterfly to be able to fly. The butterfly will emerge fully developed but still weak and will sit on the empty cocoon for a while in order for its wings to expand and harden.

They go through this whole process so that they can be on this earth for an average of 20 to 40 days. Some no longer than a mere three or four days while others may live up to six months. During that time they are not just flying around looking pretty. They have a purpose in life that is focused outward. They help to spread pollen so flowers will reproduce.

The butterfly begins as a small insignificant egg, emerges as a caterpillar, and seals itself in a cocoon to come forth as an exquisite butterfly. Andy Andrews book, The Butterfly Effect, contains this quote. “In 1963 Edward Lorenz presented a hypothesis to the New York Academy of Science. His theory, stated simply, was that a butterfly could flap its wings and set molecules of air in motion, which would move other molecules of air, in turn moving more molecules of air-eventually capable of starting a hurricane on the other side of the planet.”

So there you have it. If you are struggling today and wonder if it is worth the fight, go find a butterfly and hear the message that it is worth the struggle.

I try to limit my blog to under 1000 words and I think I could write 1000 words on just the thought of a tiny egg filled with potential but believing it is nothing or an unlikely caterpillar destined to fly. How about being encased in an overwhelming situation and fighting your way out gaining strength with each blow? The big finale would be living out your God given purpose in life with the potential to change the world. Since my word count is closing in on me I want to hear from you.

Please take just a couple of minutes and leave me a comment on the blog site (I don’t know how to do that exactly) or hop back on facebook and leave a comment or message. Give me your egg, worm, cocoon, butterfly, change the world comment. Be advised I may very well use your comment in a teaching somewhere down the road.

Consider the butterfly!

Lifeguards

It is the middle of July in central Illinois and it is hot and muggy. It is one of those days when you go out of the house that the air is so saturated with humidity it feels like you have walked right smack dab into a brick wall. Everyone is looking for a pool, a beach, or a lake to find some cool relief. Safety around water is always a hot topic on the news; as well it should be, since according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Every day, about ten people die from unintentional drowning. Of these, two are children aged 14 or younger. Drowning is the sixth leading cause of unintentional injury death for people of all ages, and the second leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 14 years.” That comment sent me searching for water safety tips and I came across this article.

Drowning Doesn't Look Like What You'd Expect

Those words caught my attention. I knew what I expected to see was someone flailing their arms, kicking, and screaming for help. If drowning didn’t look like that, what did it look like?

Dr. Pia, in an article entitled "It Doesn't Look Like They're Drowning" featured in the Coast Guard’s On Scene Magazine (Fall 06)

Drowning people are physiologically

1. Unable to call out for help. The respiratory system was designed for breathing. Speech is the secondary or overlaid function. Breathing must be fulfilled before speech occurs.
2. Drowning people cannot wave for help. Nature instinctively forces them to extend their arms laterally and press down on the water’s surface. Pressing down on the surface of the water permits drowning people to leverage their bodies so they can lift their mouths out of the water to breathe.
3. Drowning people who are struggling on the surface of the water cannot stop drowning and perform voluntary movements such as waving for help, moving toward a rescuer, or reaching out for a piece of rescue equipment. From beginning to end of the Instinctive Drowning Response people’s bodies remain upright in the water, with no evidence of a supporting kick. Unless rescued by a trained lifeguard, these drowning people can only struggle on the surface of the water from 20 to 60 seconds before submersion occurs."

WOW! Who knew? Of course, there are signs of distress before this final stage that lifeguards are trained to spot. Thank the Lord there are those who watch diligently over those around them. My thoughts began to be pulled from the natural to the spiritual. Does someone who is spiritually drowning look like I would expect? Is it possible that people who are spiritually drowning surround me and I simply don’t see? What do I expect a spiritually drowning person to look like? Do I expect to see a homeless person living on the street? Do I expect to see scantily dressed women walking the street or men hiding a brown paper bag holding a pint of whiskey? Do I allow my expectations to blind me to the man in the Armani suit or the woman walking through the airport with the real Coach bag and Christian Louboutin pumps with signature red sole. What about people I know personally? Do I notice the young mother of three sitting beside me in church every Sunday who is overwhelmed with the demands of life and feels like she is drowning? Do I notice before it is too late the junior high boy who is being bullied at school and is wondering if life is just too hard? Is it possible the grumpy man in front of me at Wal-Mart just found out he no longer has a job or the angry woman at the post office just received a call from her doctor and heard the word cancer?

The truth is that people are on the verge of drowning all around me and I just don’t notice. “Blindness isn’t a result of too little light that is darkness. Blindness is when you are not able to see when there is light all around you.” (Source unknown)

What does a drowning person need? They need a lifeline and someone to throw it out to them. Jesus is that lifeline and He is counting on you and me to make sure that those around us are brought to safety. There is an old song, I know the words are dated, but take time to read the message.

Throw out the lifeline across the dark wave;


There is a brother whom someone should save;


Somebody’s brother! Oh, who then will dare


To throw out the lifeline, his peril to share?

Throw out the lifeline with hand quick and strong:


Why do you tarry, why linger so long?


See! he is sinking; oh, hasten today


And out with the life boat! Away, then, away!

Throw out the lifeline to danger-fraught men,


Sinking in anguish where you’ve never been;


Winds of temptation and billows of woe


Will soon hurl them out where the dark waters flow.

Soon will the season of rescue be o’er,


Soon will they drift to eternity’s shore;


Haste, then, my brother, no time for delay,


But throw out the lifeline and save them today.

Lifeguards are trained to diligently watch those around them for any type of distress. The moment they spot a person in distress they act. As you go throughout you day, ask God to make you aware of anyone who just may need a lifeline and then act. You never know this may be the day you save a life.