Taken for granted

"So you'll never understand the mystery at work in all that God does." (Ecclesiastes 11:5b) That verse rings true. I try to understand the whys, how things will turn out, the plan that God is working on, but usually I never fully understand. Oh, I might catch a glimpse of it or understand better on some days than others, but most of the time it is a complete mystery. I like that (well, most of the time). I like a God that is way more creative, way more in control, way more loving than what I can imagine. God is mysterious and I don't understand how he works, but I know that I can trust HIm. I think that is enough for me.

"Even if you live a long time, don't take a single day for granted." (Ecclesiastes 11:8a) Wonder how many days have gone by that I have taken for granted? So busy planning for the future that I forget to live in the present. So worried about the past that I forget about today. Today has much to enjoy. What good do I need to pursue today? What am I putting off today because I am taking for granted that I can do it tomorrow - a moment to encourage someone, a chance to say "I love you", a thank you that needs to be said today, a chance to play instead of being serious, a time to laugh with some friends, a chance to have a conversation? Are you taking anything for granted today?

Random fact that I learned from the Snapple lid this morning - seals only sleep 1 and 1/2 minutes at a time. Does that make the mothers of a newborn feel better? At least you are getting more sleep than the seals.

Have an incredible day and find someone to tell them why they have brightened your day! Get busy enjoying today and living in God's mystery.

Nobody forgets the truth

"Nobody forgets the truth. They only get better at lying." - quote from the movie Revolutionary Road. Can't tell you why exactly, but this quote struck me while we were watching the movie, enough so that I wrote it down. We pretend, we tell ourselves what we want to hear, we try to drown it out with busyness, we lie over and over again to ourselves, but no matter what we know the truth. We get better at pretending it doesn't bother us when we go the opposite direction of the truth, but it is only pretending. Good reminder why I need people who will remind me of the truth when I am lying to myself.

Can't say this movie was exactly an uplifting movie or even one I would recommend, but besides the quote above, for me it also painted a good picture of what happens when we settle. We are the most alive when we chase the dreams we have been given. When we start settling for the money, the known over the challenges of the unknown, start settling for the "happy, American dream", being content being just like everyone else - have we just gotten better at lying? Sometimes those dreams look outrageous, maybe even a little foolish to others, but what really is the draw of looking exactly like everyone else? In the movie, the death of dreaming, the given up the passion of what could be, finally paid a high price in the end. The only person willing to speak the truth was also the one who was in a mental institution, the rest were content living the lies they told themselves. Wonder if that is why when we are willing to speak the truth that sometimes people look at us like we are crazy?

As a church I wonder what God-sized dreams we are giving up on just to settle for looking like everyone else? Are we only getting better at lying?

The companion piece

Been thinking about a companion to yesterday's blog on thoughtfulness. I was talking with a group of guys last night and I kept coming back to the work "thankful" in my mind as we talked about our lives. Those two words seem to go together to me. I think being intentionally thoughtful, or even when it is spontaneous, is the overflow of our thankfulness. When I stop and realize the things I have to be thankful for, then it motivates me to share the generosity that I've been given with others. If I am focused on my shortcomings, the things I don't have, me, me, me... then it is hard to be thoughtful of others. But when I realize how incredibly fortunate I am, then it is easy to share that with others. I want them to experience the same type of things that I am thankful for.

What am I thankful for? Here are few things that I thought about. Some serious, some not as much, but still things that I am thankful for.

• Talking last night highlighted for me how incredible my family was growing up. I had a consistency and love that few people have. Lisa and I often talk about the fact the we were both blessed to grow up in such strong homes and that we want to pass that on to our boys. Our extended family means a ton to us.
• Similarly our friendships are amazing. They are our chosen family and community. We have friends that we know love us and will do anything for us that they can. Because of our thankfulness for that, we can intentionally try to be that same type of friends to others.
• I am thankful for friends who give my wife awesome birthday presents. Best birthday present that I never received, but have loved.
• I am thankful for creativity. I love being around people who are creative. It is so encouraging and refreshing for me. I think that creativity has impacted me in multiple ways and helped me pass it on to others.
• I am thankful for Lisa. Can't imagine a better wife. She completes me in areas where I am lacking. That allows me to invest in high school guys and tell them the type of non-negotiables to look for in a wife.
• I am thankful that some of my friends that share a similar warped mind as mine. The fun we have allows that joy to spill over to other areas of my life.

So what are you thankful for? How does that make you more thoughtful?

Are you thoughtful?

Who do you know that you would describe as thoughtful? I may think about doing something for somebody, but often that is far as it goes. A good intention, but no action. The thought is good but actually showing them you care is even better. Steven Furtick has written a couple of blogs recently about thoughtfulness. He was talking about systematized and spontaneous thoughtfulness. Both are important. Taking the time plan to do things for someone (systematized) shows they are important to you. For example, say you know someone who likes a certain type of coffee. What if you marked it on your calendar to bring them a cup of their favorite coffee one morning in the next month. You take the good thought and plan it out. Doesn't really require much of your time, but it shows how much you value that person. We usually have good intentions, it is just the follow through that requires some help. How can you plan today to show thoughtfulness to those you care about? Plan to take them a cup of coffee, write them a note, babysit their kids so they can have a date night - put it on your calender today and make the plan.

Spontaneous thoughtfulness is even easier in my mind. It is doing right then. No advance planning necessary. Steven summarize it like this - "If you see a need, meet it. If you think a thought of affirmation, give voice to it. If you have a kind idea, implement it." Who do you know that could some spontaneous thoughtfulness today? Don't wait, show it now. We don't hesitate to point out where people fall short, or criticize the way things are done, let's be even quicker to express the good we think. Start looking for opportunities to be thoughtful and I bet you will start seeing ways to impact people every day. Have a good day being thoughtful!

Reoccuring phenomenon

It's funny to me that about the time I am ready to give up on somebody or have decided I am done investing in a friendship is when that person will call and start making an effort to initiate the friendship. I can't remember how many times I have had a similar conversation with my wife about the fact that I am done with trying to be friends with someone only to have that person call, e-mail, text, whatever within the next day or so to see how I am doing or to get together and hang out. Matter of fact I was there again not too long ago. I don't understand this phenomenon at all. It is as if they realize when I have reached that point where I am ready to quit and then they decide it is worth pursuing. That slight glimmer of hope is all it usually takes for me to be willing to reach out again, even if it is slightly tentative at first as I don't want to get burned again. That hope of what it could be is enough to motivate me to risk it again. I know the best that is offered in that friendship and even though I often feel it isn't worth it because of the hard work that can be involved, I am still drawn to the "what could be". The hope of something I have seen, even if it isn't fully what it could be.

Sometimes that is what keeps going in my faith as well - the hope of what will be. Sometimes all I see is the chaos of every day life and lose sight of what is in store. The day when things are fully restored to the good that God originally intended. I lose focus and tend to forget about the important things. I am distracted by the other things going on and forget about the relationship I can have with Him. When I am focused on pursuing Jesus, then that hope is real to me. It is right in front of me. Kind of like those good friendship that you know you can count on. They don't seem to require much effort because you enjoying being around those friends so much. That is when the hope is easy for me to see. Where do you see hope? Anybody else experience this strange phenomenon with the people in your life?