The Practice of Preparing...

For weeks I've been struggling with a schedule and plans for daily tasks.  I have a check list of to-dos for each day of the week, and I've prayed over my lists asking for God's help.

How hard can it be to wake up each morning and tackle one thing at a time?  But, every night I've been disappointed and frustrated with my lack of discipline.

"The secret lies in how we handle today, not yesterday or tomorrow.  Today... that special block of time holding the key that locks out yesterday's nightmares and unlocks tomorrows dreams."  The Quest for Character , Charles Swindoll

Living each moment is a practice in preparing our hearts for God and a building of character.  It's not what you don't get done, or what you wish to get done that matters.  It isn't even about what you've accomplished but how you handled each moment in life.

The Word of God is not a list of to-dos, or a checklist of requirements to be marked off as completed.  It is a guide for daily living.  We need the stability of His guidance foremost in our lives because God has given each one of us free will.  It is free will or human nature that keeps most of us from living each moment of today in freedom.

There is a constant battle, and God knew we would make mistakes.  But He didn't leave us without hope.

"What is today?  A day the Lord has made.  A twenty-four hour segment of time never lived before and never to be repeated.  You may never live to see another day like this one.  You may never be closer to a decision you need to make, a step you need to take, a sin you need to forsake, a choice you need to determine.  So - do so today."  The Quest for Character , Charles Swindoll

We learn from yesterday, look forward to tomorrow, but God only desires that we live today, this moment... then the next... it takes practice.

This post is in honor of student parents from eCollege Finder who are making everyday count for them and their children. I've been blessed with a nomination from The eCollege Finder Top Parenting Blogs Award!

eCollege Finder is an established online education resource representing over 120 accredited online institutions.  It is their goal to not only offer the best available distance learning options, but to match each individual learner with the ideal degree program that fits their specific needs and academic goals.

In early 2010 eCollege Finder began hosting a series of Top Blogger Awards. The winners of the awards are listed on the eCollege Finder website to provide students with a pool of resources to help them get through their college years, and to give high-quality blogs the recognition they deserve.  Thank you eCollege Finder for the opportunity, and Tracy for the nomination!

photo credit: David Reber's Hammer Photography

Restoration

The telephone rings.  I rush to answer it.  The voice on the line I recognize is from the nursing home.  It tells me my mother is going to the hospital, I need to head over there right away.

I rush through preparations before running out the door.  At the hospital I grumble under my breath because there aren't any parking spaces near the entrance.  The anxiety and fear are mounting.  Finally I locate an open space, I park and rush to the front door.

At the desk I'm told to wait.  The despair increases.  After some time, and a lot of pacing, a nurse comes to show me the way.  In the room more waiting for the doctor to come.  Tests are run, vitals are assessed, then decisions are made.  My mother will be admitted, but she is coherent.  We wait some more for a room to be prepared.  Wait, wait, and more waiting.

Did you know Jesus never rushed?

The next day, I'm at home.  The phone rings at six am.  A nurse informs me my mother has been put in restraints.  She is combative; hitting, kicking, and spitting at the nurses.  They didn't want to call me sooner, they felt I needed to rest.   They can't get her to calm down and I need me to come as soon as possible.  I rush to the hospital.

Walking in the room I'm shocked by the attitude of my once joyful mother.  She is not herself, and the words coming from her mouth make me take a step back.  The nurses are very capable and gentle, but she is not herself.

Trying to get her mind off the discomfort the nurse starts a conversation with my mother.  "We need you to relax and rest.  Can you do that for us?" she asks.

My mother responds with some angst, "Don't you understand I have three jobs and four daughters to care for.  I don't have time to relax."

As tears come to my eyes and pain sears my heart, she sees me and venomously says, "I don't know you, go away!  You're not my daughter.  My daughter would never let this happen."

I leave the room and wait for the doctor.  Discussing the situation we discover she has not had any pain medication for days.  My mother is experiencing withdrawal.  That combined with the high potassium levels and an infection are causing her unusual behavior.  After orders are made, drugs are administered.

Finally my mother is resting.  The restraints are removed and the rush is over.  I'm able to stroke her cheek, her hair.  I whisper, "It's time for sleep.  You don't have to work now.  I'm taking care of you."

Restoration of health and heart begin!

I don't believe in coincidence, and God always amazes me with His timing.  This week in our Quest for Character we're studying Restoration.

Going through the struggles this week with my mother and her health I realize her life is a lesson to me.  She rushed through life believing the more she did the better off we all would be.  She didn't take time to rest and restore in God when she could.  Now, it is being forced upon her, and she doesn't know how to rest.

Take a moment every day to restore yourself and your life in Christ.  Read and study Psalm 23.

photo credit: bradleygee

"I will repay,” says the Lord.

"It's not fair, Mom!"  How many times a day do we hear that?

"It's not fair, Lord!"  How many times a day do we feel it?

Life isn't fair.  It's not fair my son is being raised in a single parent home.  It's not fair that we are struggling when others seem able to skirt around the system, take advantage of others, and lie, cheat, or steal their way to prosperity.

But, we are proudly, defiantly, and obediently different. 

"Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord."  Romans 12:17-19 

Talking with my son about God's judgement is so important.  It's an assurance to him and me that God sees and is in everything we experience.  He is in control and has final judgment.  It's a hard pill to swallow when you see someone getting away with sin, but God has promised...

"It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.”  Deuteronomy 32:35

In our Quest for Character this week we're focusing on God's judgement.  Swindoll closes this lesson with these words.

"In a depraved world, it is difficult to find many sources of encouragement and happiness. Look around.  The scene is bleak and grim.  Corruption, oppression, infidelity, injustice, and rivalry await us around most corners, breeding discouragement and fear.  So it is 'around' us.... under the sun... but never 'above' us.

May God give us eyes to see through our circumstances and to hear His voice of reassurance through the cracks and crevices along this journey called life.  As we seek Him this day, may new insights bring fresh encouragement, new sounds, and long overdue happiness.  Don't miss the sights.  Listen carefully."  excerpt from The Quest for Character page 43

I'm so thankful for the opportunity to share messages like this with my son, and to grow in them myself.  God knows our circumstances and guides our steps.  He helps us to guard our heart from injustice.  He comforts us with His strength.

Read and meditate on Hebrews 12 this week.

A quest for character continues...

Continuing the quest for character...  I didn't pick this book randomly.  The Quest for Character is a two part study.  Part one discusses how to protect or guard your heart.  Part two is how to balance caution with a caring, giving heart.

Having spent most of my life with an open heart it's no wonder the hurts and bruises from the past have made a lasting mark.  My prayer is that through this study my heart (our hearts) will be healed, mended, strengthened, and bring forth the character God desires.  It's a quest for balance of the heart.

 *What is your quest?  Without a quest, life is quickly reduced to bleak black and wimpy white, a diet too bland to get anybody out of bed in the morning.  A quest fuels our fire.  It keeps our mind in gear, makes us press on.

Perceptions of myself have been defined by others and what I've done.  I've been reduced to a bleak black from mistakes and bad decisions, and wimpy white efforts in my walk with Christ.  Neither have amounted to what I believe God desires for me.

We all live in a sort of glass house, and when we start throwing stones or someone throws stones at us it leaves us broken.  Instead God wants us to be strong through Him and His promises and truth.  He will mend the broken heart and make us whole in character.

A quest for character is all about me, it's all about you.  It is an introverted process of development.  A selfish search for qualities God intends for us to have and display for the world to see.  It's our way of searching Him through our brokenness.

*God is forever on a quest.  Ever thought about that?  His pursuit is a subject woven through the fabric of the New Testament.  The pattern He follows is set forth in Romans 8:29, where He promises to conform us to His Son's image.  Another promise is stated in Philippians 1:6, where we're told He began His work in us and He isn't about to stop.

 We are His workmanship, Ephesians 2:10, and it is God's quest to bring to light in us the character He desires.  Some of them are listed in 2 Peter 1:5-7.

I had the privilege of attending a Christian high school.  Every quarter Fruit of The Spirit Awards were given to students by the staff.  There was never a question of who would receive the Kindness Award.  This was my award, and somehow I was always saddened to receive it.  Don't get me wrong, I appreciated everyone thought of me that way, but was my character so one dimensional that I couldn't be considered for any other award?

Through the years I've seen how my character, or lack thereof, has affected my life.  How it has caused fear, depression, hoarding issues, and relational rifts to manifest in my life and heart.  Being kind and caring is a good character trait, but it is such a one sided, one dimensional gift.  Is there more that I can do to cultivate more character? 

So, my quest for character begins.

Here is an article I read some months ago that started my thought process on this subject.

*Excerpts from the introduction ~ The Quest for Character