My daughter and I take a picture with my stepfather shortly before his passing
Day 66: Remembering
32 “You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.
Leviticus 19:32
On today as people across the world reflect on the birth of Jesus I remember those who sought to teach me about Him by their example. Having a stepfather at an older stage of life is a bit different than growing up with one. But I fondly recall how my stepfather would constantly remind me to stop stressing and remember that God has everything under control. He would tell me stories about how things worked out in answer to prayer.
My daughter and I in this picture just finished playing with grandpa. He may not have had much energy but he was able to tickle even in his final weeks-he loved bringing joy to others. We will miss him.
So today, I remember what he tried to teach me most, to trust in God.
Merry Christmas! Although scholars have taught us that Jesus wasn’t born at this time of the year I still want to take a moment to acknowledge that I trust in the God who sent His only Son to die for my sins.
5 when I call to remembrance the [b]genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. 6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:5-7
I get excited when I see someone using their gifts. There is nothing like watching a preacher who rightly divides the Word, or hearing a skillful singer sing a song. I love watching those who can paint fill up a blank canvas with strokes that lead to a masterpiece. I admire those who understand how to take money and make it grow. I enjoy watching in the kitchen when delicious food is being made by those who make it best.
And when I am watching someone do something that I have a passion for it pokes me. It taps me and asks the question, “David, what are you doing with your gifts?” I remember going to Georgetown University many years ago to a concert. The opening artist was someone I had never heard of. It was just him and his guitar…but he captured the attention of the room. He made us laugh and tear up. He was amazing. He didn’t have the best voice I’ve ever heard, but the songs he wrote, played and sang and the way he shared them drew us into his orbit, making us all become his fans.
While I was sitting there I felt persuaded that I had to use my gifts that were similar. I had a similar experience last weekend. I want you to have the same experience as well. So promise me you will not only read God’s word and pray, but that you will use the gifts He has given you. Stir them up. When you use them as God intended when He gave them to you you will make the world a better place and bring glory to your Creator.
Today, I will watch, read, and listen to that which inspires me to use my gifts!
19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.
Genesis 2:19-20
God created animals for man to watch over and enjoy. And as we look for ways to become physically and mentally healthy we should make sure we spend time with the animals. According to the CDC there are many benefits to having pets:
“Studies have shown that the bond between people and their pets can increase fitness, lower stress, and bring happiness to their owners. Some of the health benefits of having a pet include:
Decreased blood pressure
Decreased cholesterol levels
Decreased triglyceride levels
Decreased feelings of loneliness
Increased opportunities for exercise and outdoor activities
Increased opportunities for socialization”
If God designed me to have regular interaction with the animals he created then today I will consider ways I can spend more time with them. Why don’t you take a trip to the zoo? Maybe a pet should be in your future.
Thank you for joining me on this journey to wellness. Please share and subscribe.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Philippians 4:8
Depression comes to visit me more often than I’d like. When it comes I can’t seem to find satisfaction in anything. I can exercise and feel a bit better. I can take supplements and feel a bit better. But I admit that I’m not able to get rid of it right away when it comes.
So what is the remedy. The bible encourages us to thing about uplifting things. I’m sure part of my feelings of depression are from what I’ve heard and read over the past few days. There is so much corruption. And then there is so much deception. It becomes difficult to even know who is telling the truth. This makes my heart so sad.
And I suppose at the core of my feeling is wanting to know that what I’m doing counts. I want to know that my presence matters. I want to know that I’m making a difference in the world, in someone else’s life.
So I’m sharing a word of encouragement to you that encourages me as well. Try this. Think of someone who needs your help. Then help them. Don’t you feel better? I do. I’m writing every day for 100 days because I want to encourage those in my sphere of influence. We can heal. We can feel better. We can do better. God will help us. We will help each other. And knowing that makes me feel better.
Today, I will help someone and I will feel better as I bless them.
Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.
Proverbs 4:26
Imagine if you were told every day since you were born that you were ugly. The chances are high that you would believe it. Imagine if you had been told that you were stupid. While some might be inspired to prove that statement wrong many if not most of us would be a victim of this lie turned prophecy.
PLEASE READ THIS! Every day you are exposed to repeated lies and negative ideas. Some come from businesses that want to convince you to buy their product. They want you to think that your life is incomplete without their product. Some lies come from organizations that wish to control your behavior. Some come from others who are victims of unhealthy influences themselves. But no matter the source this will harm your health.
Please think of the remedy through two lenses today: The first, how we learn.
When you have to prepare for a test you usually spend time going over the information you have studied. If you are not able to remember certain concepts then you go over those ideas more until you have mastered them. You use repetition to learn.
So the music you listen to over and over, the programming you view over and over (with commercials you view even more times over) all teach you. So if you spend most of your time learning what others want you to know you are a victim of their agenda. What do you want to learn? Pursue things that will make your life better.
If we want to heal from the toxic effects of others manipulative repeated exposures we should unplug from the exposures. Take a media fast. Maybe choose for a week to only listen to, read, and study that which is positive or healthy. Then see how you feel after that week. If you are waiting for someone to come save you perhaps this is your wake up call. Take action yourself. God has already provided what you need.
The second lens to consider is how we buy. Traditional wisdom has suggested that we make a buying decision after 8 to 10 exposures to a product. People will believe a lie if they hear it long enough. We may have beliefs that hurt us because we have been exposed to repeated lies until we accept them as truth.
Expose yourself to the healing words from God’s book. Spend time with people who say things that improve your life. Nurture relationships that are healthy. Because there is so much information aimed at you to enslave you and misuse you, you and I must be vigilant in immersing ourselves in what is best for us.
Today I will unplug from that which repeatedly diminishes all God has made me to be.
There are somethings that fill my heart with wonder. I love the water. I love being near the ocean, feeling the mist and hearing the waves rhythmically come to shore. When I sit by the water I feel peace. I wish I could do this every day.
There are people whose gifts fill my heart with wonder. Last night I was able to spend time listening to an incredible musician. Dwayne Adell is a pianist unlike any other that I’ve heard. His unique gift is remarkable in that he doesn’t practice the piano in the traditional sense but has the ability to play the most demanding, beautiful and inspiring melodies and harmonies.
When I listen to him I am filled with worship. I am amazed by the gift that he has been given. I don’t worship him. I worship the giver of the gift. When I’m basking in the sanctuary of nature I don’t worship the ocean or the trees, I worship the designer of all that calms and inspires me.
The writer of Psalm 8 seemed to understand how I feel in these moments of wonder. He writes:
8 O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
9 O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!
My problems are small compared with the glory of all that God has created. My sickness or depression is a tiny thing compared with all the joy and healing expressed around me in so many ways from the hand of the one who gave us life. So it is important to spend time in things that create wonder in our hearts. For this wonder begets worship.
For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.
Ezra 7:10
Day 18: To Do It
I have made a study of weight loss methods: Low carb, Keto, The Maker’s Diet, and the list goes on. At some point it may be easy to get caught up in research and not translate the good information into committed action.
A great leader in the bible, Ezra was known for honoring God’s law. But it wasn’t that he just read about it. He prepared his heart to seek the law, TO DO IT, and to teach Israel. He learned. He did. He shared.
This is a great pattern for us. It’s good for us to learn. It’s even better for us to share. But that won’t take the place of doing. If I learn that my body is overwhelmed with stress and it’s causing me discomfort, the discomfort will not end until I deal with the stress. Maybe I need to plan a walk in my day out in nature. Maybe I need to unplug from my devices every evening after 8pm. Maybe you know things that will help reduce stress. Let’s do them. Let’s go beyond learning and get to doing.
Today I will do one new thing I’ve learned to improve my health.
Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!
— Isaiah 30:18
One of the most important things that we suffer from is an incorrect picture of God. It causes us a lot of anxiety. We imagine that God is a vindictive God looking to find every fault that we have and eager to destroy us for our sins. But how opposite is the truth!
When we look at how God responded to the fall of mankind we see a plan that costs Him dearly. Rather than destroy the sinners he decides to restore them. Hmmm. That seems to be the opposite of how many today describe Him. And the fact that God’s Son gives his life in order for us to be saved touches me deeply.
So when I am hurting I can come boldly or confidently to God because I know he cares for me. His love is healing. He has compassion. He is touched by what we go through.
Knowing I am the recipient of compassion enables me to have compassion for others. I don’t excuse what is wrong. But I consider the feelings and thoughts that lead to that action and seek to love them anyway and pray for them. I hope others will have compassion towards me. When I open myself to have compassion for others I find forgiveness and my heart begins to heal.
Today I choose to open up my heart towards others because I’m grateful for God’s compassion towards me.
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
Proverbs 27:17
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2
My stepfather lost his first wife to cancer. So whenever he met someone dealing with cancer he would tell them of the benefit of Guinea Hen Weed. A popular natural rememy used in Jamaica more people are becoming aware of it’s helpfulness on many fronts but especially when dealing with cancer.
He could have been bitter that he lost his wife. But instead he chose to fight what had taken someone so dear to him.
Imagine how much better our world can become when we share are discoveries with one another. If you figured out how to lose weight why not share what has worked for you? If you have survived divorce what not share what practices have helped you mend. If you have recovered from disease or loss of a loved one, why not share what has helped you make it through.
In the bible we find that God is happy when we show love to each other. It’s a sign that we are like Him.
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
I John 4:7
Yesterday I posted a picture on Facebook of me suffering with allergies. One of my high school teachers posted two remedies that have worked for him. I’m going to try them today. That’s love. That’s being like God. Let’s love one another and help each other out.
Today I will find one way to show someone I love them by being helpful.
If you find this post or any of the other posts from this blog (www.journeytoworship.org) helpful please share and subscribe. Thank you in advance for your support. I can reach more people with your cooperation.
Day 64: Stir Them Up
Day 36: Fighting Depression
