Selective Hearing

 

I love to run.

I also have two Jack Russell Terriers, Pet and Sam – they love to run, too.

So when I go for runs while I am at home in Cedarville, I really enjoy taking my dogs with me.

However, there is a bit of a problem. My dogs have selective hearing.

Now, if for some reason you are not familiar with selective hearing I will briefly explain it to you: You never hear what you don’t want to hear. Savvy?

Well, my dogs and I have a routine. We live by a busy highway, so when we run across the road, I carry them across and then we run until our legs give out (Mine are usually first). However, if I do not pick them up at the right moment, they tune me out and no amount of screaming will slow them down – and when crossing a 55 mile per hour highway, this can present a bit of a problem.

They never want to hear me say “Slow down!” It seems they know we are out for a run, and that is all they can think about: The goal - run ‘til you drop. They never see the ginormous, four-wheeled monstrosity coming down the highway at sixty miles per hour that has no regards for the little white dogs crossing their path.

But I do.

I can see what they don’t. I can see that if they cross while that car is coming, they might turn into Pete and Sam Pancakes. But instead of heeding my call and coming back, they tune me out and cross the road anyway.

When I was carrying Pete across the road one morning (because he actually listened for once) I thought about this whole situation – and I realized something. I am just like these silly dogs.

It seems that when I think I know where God wants me to go – I go for it. Which can be good – I am sure he appreciates my enthusiasm – however, I often tune Him out in my eagerness to go where He wants me.

Sometimes, I don’t see the car coming.

I start to tune God out thinking, “Okay God, I know where you want me. I’m on it. I’ll see you on the other side!” But I fail to listen to Him calling out the warning to me – I get so focused on where I am supposed to be, and I forget that maybe I’m not supposed to be there yet.

I do not necessarily know what “cars” might be coming at me, but I know that when God calls my name, I need to be ready to wait for Him to catch up, so that we can cross the road together.

Although I can see my dreams ahead of me, He can see the path that will take me to them. Sometimes that means crossing a busy highway.

And I can tell you one thing: I do not want to end up as a Tracy Pancake on that highway.

“The Lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for him and seek him.”

~Lamentations 3:25

Volley to a Million

I am not competitive. At all. I am also slightly easily distracted. Today, I played a bit of tennis with a friend of mine. Thankfully, he is not competitive either. He is also slightly easily distracted. So we played a game that would keep both of our attentions, but would not require any competitive spirit whatsoever. 

I’m sure you’ve played it. It’s the game where you volley the ball back and forth and see how many times you can before the ball hits the net. 

The first time we only made it to three. The next time we made it to twenty-two. Then it started to get exciting. I told my friend, “Let’s make it to 32!” When we got to thirty-two we both said, “Hey! Now let’s keep going until we get to 42!” It seemed that every time we made it past our original goal, we would get excited and raise the bar again. After we had beaten a goal, it seemed disgraceful not to make it farther. 

Our bar had been raised, our standards had increased and we wanted to do better every time. 

Unfortunately, there were still plenty of times we did not reach that standard…we would still too often get only three volleys when our goal was one hundred. But that didn’t stop us – even if we didn’t beat our goal every time, we would still try again. 

As we were playing I thought about God and the bar he has raised for us Christians. How that everyday we must try to live up to his standard. 

It’s like trying to volley to a million!

He has set up this standard for us – given us this perfect example of a human being – and that is what we have to try to achieve. 

Impossible.

Thankfully, God knows that we are not capable of reaching that particular goal – but he only asks us to try. He wants us to get up every morning and begin our game of volleying the ball back and forth – doing the best we can. 

We may get to 100, maybe we’ll only get 32….and heck, some days we’ll barely make it to three before the ball drops. But you know what? 

At least you tried. 

Now, you can try to beat your previous record each day! (It’s addicting, trust me…)

The thing we cannot do, is look at the court next to us and say, “Hey, they’re not playing at all today…why do I need to be out here then?” 

No. God does not call us to live according to the World’s Standards. He calls us to live according to HIS Standards. 

“Stop fooling yourselves. If you think you are wise by the world’s standards you will have to become a fool so you can be wise by God’s standards.”

~ 1 Chronicles 3:18

Don't Get Stung...Twice

About two weeks ago I was out taking a hike with a friend of mine, and we decided to take my roommates dog, Moose. 

As we were hiking along, we were just chatting away and Moose was skipping up ahead - dodging in and out of bushes, around trees, and loving every minute of NOT being the house. 

However, his bounding soon got all of us into trouble - he stumbled upon a hive of angry Yellow Jackets. Well, they weren't really angry until after he jumped on their home, but anyway...

We were soon covered from head to toe in swarms of Yellow Jackets and running like mad in the other direction! 

We didn't fair too badly - only a sting or two each, but we certainly remembered the pain! We both said, "Next time, we're not taking Moose on this trail!" And my friend kept asking me throughout the rest of the hike, "Are there going to be anymore Yellow Jackets?" 

Well, today, I was taking Moose for another hike, and about halfway through it, I remembered our Yellow Jacket incident - ironically, I remembered after I found one buzzing around on the trail. (Thank goodness I was able to get past it without getting stung again!) 

I could not believe that I had forgotten the last time! Especially after swearing up and down that I would be more cautious next time! 

I had to laugh at myself. 

Because how often do I do this in real life? 

How often do I do something once, get stung hard core, and swear up and down that I will NOT repeat the experience. 

I will not hurt myself like that again.

I will not repeat that mistake.

I will not.......(insert stupid memory here)

How come even when something hurts you so badly, you still find yourself involved in it again? 

It seems that when the sting goes away, when the wound is healed, we forget the pain. We forget how we got into that mess in the first place.

All we remember is the lovely hike we had surrounding the yellow jacket hive. 

And before you know it, you're back on the same trail.....

It's always easier to remember the good in something.

The physical pleasure in an unhealthy relationship....

The happiness of owning a new toy..until you go into debt....

Whatever your hive may be, don't forget it. Try to keep in mind the consequence that followed the action. 

We can't harbor guilt and pain, but if we are naive and quickly forget what happened, we will find ourselves right back at square one, asking ourselves the same question: 

"What was I thinking?" 

Are You Contagious??

You know what I think is one of the funniest phenomenons out there? How yawns are contagious. 

Why is that? 

The other day I was at work and someone across the room yawned, and I saw them out of my peripheral vision - not even in plain sight! - and I immediately began to yawn! How obnoxious, right?? 

Another thing I find interesting is how contagious smiles are, too. 

A couple of weeks ago I was sitting in the shade with a friend of mine, thinking of something (which I would rather keep you guessing at then outright tell you what it was) and I must have had a smile on my face. Because the next moment I looked up at him, and he was smiling, too. So, of course I asked him what he was smiling about. His reply was, "I don't know. I'm smiling because you're smiling." 

How does that work? Why is it that when someone smiles, you feel the need to smile, too? Or when someone yawns, your body feels the need to follow that example? 

As I was thinking about this, I found myself thinking about all the other things in life that are contagious. And I'm not talking just about Colds and Flus. 

Have you ever noticed how when someone around you is in a good mood, you find yourself in good spirits as well? 

Or when someone else is being generous, you want to be generous, too? 

Or when you are with someone that is calm, no matter how high energy you are, you find yourself calming just by their presence? (Okay, maybe that one is just me....) 

But seriously, I don't think we realize just how much our surroundings affect us. Or how we effect others. 

I think that is why God stresses it so much for us to spend our time around those that affect us in a positive manner - those who can encourage us and lift us up, rather than tear us down. 

It can be so hard to reflect God's character in this world, but that is what God is asking us to do. 

He is asking us to have contagious smiles, contagious generosity, contagiouscompassion...

.....and, above all, contagious LOVE. 

"I want you to show love more than I want you to offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings." 
~ Hosea 6:6 

The Trek

This past August, I was blessed enough to be able to go on this amazing road trip with my brother. We traveled to 4 National Parks, in 4 different states and two different countries. We hiked 65 miles in 6 days and spent just enough time together that we did not eat one another. It was absolutely incredible, to say the least. 

Well, during the last hike of the trip, I have to admit, I was tired. The elevation was burning my lungs, my legs were constantly reminding me what a flatlander I am, and I was counting the steps until we were to reach the lake at the end of the trail. 

Along the path we passed several hikers and I kept wanting to ask “How much father?” and “Does the trail keep climbing UP the whole way there?” But most of all, I wanted to ask, “Is it worth the hike?” 

I never got a chance to ask, but my last question was answered as soon as we crested a hill and had a view of the lake. Without a doubt, YES, it was worth it. 

I thought to myself, "If another hiker asks me if it’s worth it on my way down, my reply will most certainly be, 'Every step.' "   

It occurred to me that my walk with God is like that. “God, will my life keep climbing up hill?”; “God, is there another river I have to cross?”; “God, how many more logs and rocks and roots do I have to climb over before I reach you?”

But most of all, “God is it WORTH it?” 

Is it worth the ridicule I must face occasionally? Is it worth giving up certain pleasures? Is it really and completely worth it?

And do you know what His answer is? 

“Every step.” 

“So be truly glad! There is wonderful job ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while.”

~ 1 Peter 1:6