I don’t know of a time of year that has more potential to be more oppressive, more directive, or more influential regarding thoughts and emotions than this time of year — this “holiday season.” [cp_quote style=”quote_left_dark”]My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear… Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life… and health… Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life… and perverse lips put far from thee. Let thine eyes look right on… Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.”
Proverbs 4.20-26 [/cp_quote]I’m compelled to write today to affirm or to warn myself (and you) to keep a settled heart — to be thoroughly rooted and grounded in God’s Word, to be wise with our eyes, careful in our conversation, guarded with our desires, daily feeding on the fresh bread and drinking from the rich well of God’s Word. For the onslaught will come, at the least anticipated moment, it will come. It may come subtly or in a sudden flood. From the least expected source, the inundation of want and desire, the compulsion to buy, to have, and to get some more. It sure is easy to be discontent when such floods rush in.
And that emotion of discontent will grip me if I don’t daily determine to keep a settled heart.
The ads in the internet sidebars, the magazines, music in the stores, signs, newspapers, mailers, radio commercials: all designed to influence and appeal to our mind, will, and emotions. You may not have needed a single thing this morning, for example, but by the time you glanced at Newspaper, Facebook, the daily mail or walked through the grocery store, or Costco or wherever else you might have been, you were probably struck with all kinds of images, sights, scents and sounds that stirred up your emotional impulses.
I know mine were stirred today as I drove along seeing that “it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.” I briefly lingered over a song as I pressed buttons on the radio in the car, “I’ll be home for Christmas, you can count on me…” and I thought of times past when I heard that song and wept for those who wouldn’t be home that, or any other, Christmas. I saw trees being decorated, and strings of lights being hung on homes in a neighbourhood I was driving through. Instantly, I needed lights — in one moment I went from being content with no twinkle lights to needing them.
There’s an almost intoxicating aroma from the bags of heavily scented cinnamon pinecones that flank the doorway of our local store. I thought, Ooooo, I need those! Just up the street, carts were collecting all over the Costco parking lot — not a one by the entrance — but, Oooo, the scent of fresh pumpkin pies wafting out the doorway! A whole lot of shop, shop, shopping going on. Food, electronics, gifts and more gifts filling the unending streams of clanking carts — and though I was just there for some normal grocery shopping, I felt I needed to look around at all the stuff — compelled to see all the pretty lures. Do you do this, too? Do these feelings wash over you, too? It’s pretty important to keep a level head — to be content with such things as we have (or are able to purchase or not) and to be thankful regardless our circumstances. There is always something to be thankful for. Always.
Keep a settled heart, I remind myself.
For many years, Nancy Leigh DeMoss has been such a great encouragement and inspiration to me through her books, radio programs and other messages. She’s one of the women the Lord’s used to inspire me to use the gifts God has given me to teach and walk alongside women after the manner of Titus 2.3-5
And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. 2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. 3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. 4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. 5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. 6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” Revelation 3.1-6
Giving up is not an option. Cutting off all contact is not an option. Negating or negotiating wrong choices is not an option. Reversing the damages is not an option — that is to say, whatever precipitated the wrong choices is done. You cannot recreate the past. If you made stupid parenting decisions, if you weren’t there as a parent, if you messed up — whatever — you have to get past the idea that you can, today, make your yesterdays or their yesterdays any different. But you can walk on in obedience and faith today.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” –Romans 8.35-39
The more time passes, the more I realize how much I need “relating” affirmation or validation. It’s not that I need affirmation in order to do something so much as affirmation that what I’ve done (or am doing) matters. I find myself asking (either literally or mentally), can you relate? or know-what-I-mean? Validation, kwim? For the last month or so, I’ve been mulling over the thought of “validation” the need/desire for validation. It’s sort of an assurance of being on the right track, or having done something well, or, in some cases, assurance that you’re not alone in whatever failure you’re experiencing or have experienced. Trouble is, most of us rarely get to that needed validation because we don’t pass through the gates of vulnerability very often — that, or our focus is misplaced, or we’re not really doing what we’re called to be doing.
It’s hard to remember the humanity behind egregious behavior sometimes. That, and our own desperate need for the same love, respect, patience, forgiveness and forbearance despite our own sinful behaviour, our sin-filled pasts, our lapses of good judgment, our folly. We forget, in viewing inhumane behaviour, in the heat of disagreement, and frustration and horrified emotion, that we, but for the grace of God could be in their very same shoes. Planned Parenthood’s barbaric practice of killing — destroying life — dismembering babies and contracting with companies the sale and distribution of those body parts is so grotesque that it’s hard to even imagine — it’s incomprehensible. The astonishing thing about this though, is that even though it so assaults our senses that we cannot fathom how civilized individuals could possibly engage in such activity, let alone organize it, the truth is: we are could be doing, or are capable of doing, the very same thing. That’s a sickening thought, isn’t it?