This week we sang a song called Stars by Skillet. Its a good song and a thought provoker. It starts with “You spoke a word and life began.” Ok, I have no issues with that for it falls in line with my thinking about God. It goes on to say “If you can hold the stars in place, you can hold my heart the same.” This is where my mind starts to wander.
For me, I don’t really struggle with the whole God created the universe thing. Even if I had to choose between a creator of everything and everything just banging into existence, the creator takes less faith to believe. For you and I were created with an inner wonder and the seeking of a creator. But that’s not where I’m going today.
Where my eggs start to scramble is when I think of a God that holds the stars in place and wants to know me in a personal way, not in the same way some people know us as someone they work with or someone they know from from the bar type of thing. But instead the way our closest friend knows us. Even more than that, someone who knows the things we don’t even tell our closest friends. That’s what I struggle with.
In Psalms 147:1-4 NLT it reads “How good to sing praises to our God! How delightful and how fitting! The LORD is rebuilding Jerusalem and brining the exiles back to Israel. He heals the broken-hearted and bandages their wounds. He counts the stars and calls them all by name.” There is a lot going on here by my account. I believe it is good to sing praises to my God. That is a direct reflection of my faith in Christ. It is also interesting to read about Jerusalem and all the implications that has wrapped up in it (for another time) but the part that hits me hardest right now is God will heal my broken heart and in the same breath not only counts the stars but has them all named.
That’s where I’m landing today.
I am so far from perfect that if I had to count up all my failings, I don’t have enough fingers and toes to even count up this past week. I have a feeling I’m not alone there either. God wants us to do our best at following what Jesus said. What he would like for us to do as it all boils down to Love God, Love Others. (And yourself too) Jesus wants us to be realistic in our daily lives and take care of one another.
See if you can relate to this or not. I was working on a project far from home and trying to build something that I don’t know if I should have taken on or not but my help consisted of my wife, my son, and me. Let me preface this with the fact that 20 years ago there would have been no issues with anything. For 20 years ago I could lift the world with one hand, fly to the height I needed to work and do it all without breaking a sweat before noon. But today, I get out of bed wrong and my back is sore, my knees hurt, and may attitude goes in the trash so fast it surprises even me. I know old people suffer from this but not me of course. How about you?
Something as simple as growing older can cause us to struggle in many areas. Yes, our bodies seem to show the signs first but the mind is what really can cause us the most trouble. If we have worked like I have over the past 30 years in construction, it’s no wonder stuff doesn’t work like it used to. It’s our mind that get us, or I should say me, in trouble. I don’t allow myself the grace to slow down or heaven forbid realize I can’t do what I used to anymore. I can talk myself down from the ledge of slowing down but my problem this time was I was working with people that didn’t have the same background I did. I quickly became frustrated by the fact that others were not as intuitive about the project as I was. That’s where my mind led me off the path of greatness and down the ravine of trouble and sorrow. I started to offer up help in ways that were, let’s say not real constructive. I of course don’t want to throw myself under the bus but at the end of the week on my drive home it nailed me pretty hard that my life long experience of construction has taken me down a path that would rather choose production over relationships, Or that’s the way it seemed anyway. So what am I going to do?
Well, that may be a little to raw or personal for some but it’s causing me to wrestle with things that are going to take me into the next stage of life. That next stage of life for me is going to be survival of the mind over the body. My mind goes at the 30 year old pace in thinking about production and my body says “hey, wait a minute, you’re in your fifties and stuff don’t work the same anymore.” Let alone having to understand the changing culture of the workplace.
Construction is a different culture than almost any other job there is as sometimes it doesn’t really matter how much you try or want to do your best you have to do it right or there is no gain. I know that sounds harsh but it’s one of the only industries that is pass fail and not based on a degree of effort. This is what I’m having to move up to the front of my mind and eventually into actions. I have been in some sort of leadership most all of my life; from businesses to volunteer boards and teaching of churches and small groups but until know I was able to get away with a style of leadership where if I did it myself and I could make it all work. Now, I’m not saying I was always right or always wrong but I could make it work.
Today is the start of the realization that I need to put into practice something I heard a business coach say. Take care of your people so they can take care of your business. This is becoming more and more real for me every day. As I make this transition from being able to do it all to having other people do it for me there is a real disconnect for people like me. Most people are smarter than me and figure this out right away but not me. I’m a proud Scandinavian with a think headed nature. But by the grace of God I too may be able to figure out a way to do a better job at taking care of the people around me in such a way that they will flourish and therefore I can flourish. For me this will be a real adventure. I will struggle with not being able to do the things as fast, as well, or even at all, the things I once was able to do. That pokes my pride. But if I am going to believe that God cares enough to name all the stars and yet still take an interest in me then maybe I can do the same for others. That’s really getting back to the heart of loving God and loving others anyway doesn’t it.
As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week I want to challenge you to take a moment to think about ourselves first. I know that seems wrong at first but if we don’t take a personal perspective of life we will lose it. For me, I have some people I need to make some things right with, how about you? That doesn’t’ mean everything will get fixed overnight but it will be the first step in letting a God who “heals the broken-hearted and bandages their wounds.” Start to work in us and on us.
This holiday season why don’t you join me in starting to live life a different way. One where we take care of our own mind first and put the priority on relationships as we move forward in business, church, and life in general. Know that God wants to have a relationship with you like he wants us to have with others. Let him walk life with you and let’s see what happens. Love ya, have a great day and Happy Thanksgiving!
Brayn
ETHOS 4 LIFE 