Now For The Details...

Order has been restored to the project! Wallpaper is gone! Painting is done! New curtains are hung! New décor is in place! Clutter has been discarded!

What remains has been organized into matching tubs and bins. I even made matching hand towels from a “retired” terry bathrobe that had hung, forgotten, in a remote corner for more years than I care to remember.

The work would appear to be finished, but it isn’t. There are still some details remaining that only those who live in the house 24/7 would notice … such as the missing blind in the south-facing window over the kitchen sink.

And so it is with our own spiritual lives. When first we become Christians, God focuses our attention on the obvious areas that need to be changed if we are to become the new person that God intends us to be. Friends and acquaintances see the transformation, marvel at the “new us” and remark on what God has done. And we start to feel pretty good about ourselves, this new relationship with God, and the new direction in our life.

But eventually God puts His thumb on a detail that only we (or those who live with us 24/7) see. And He says; “Now this too must change.” And we balk … usually because he has targeted a fundamental part of our personality or a favorite past time … or a secret pleasure or perhaps a thought-life. We don’t want to give it up—which means that it has become an idol. Or we don’t see a need for giving it up—which means that we have become our own idols. Or we don’t truly believe that God is capable of delivering us from this particular sin.

Well God is a God of details. In Exodus, God gave Moses many, many details for the construction of the tabernacle and the fabrication of the priestly garments. And I used to wonder why such details mattered. But one day I finally “got it.” The tabernacle was God’s earthly meeting-place; and just like our own homes, the details reflected the values of the Resident who inhabited that meeting-place.

After Pentecost, the followers of Christ—including us—became earthly tabernacles of the Blessed One. And He still cares about the details of His tabernacles. He still expects us to reflect His holiness in thought, word and deed. And with our submission and cooperation, He enables us to do so. He wants to be the Lord of our details.

In John 14:16-17, Jesus says “…I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him for he lives with you and will be in you.” (emphasis added)

Your current renovation may look pretty good to others. But what does it look like to those who live with you 24/7? What is God saying to you about the details?

Pastor Kit

Who Is In Control?

I totally lost control this past Saturday … of the project, the downstairs, and my work area. Here’s how it happened...

When Pat retired from the military, he insisted on setting up a desk in our living room so that he could be “in the bosom of his family” while he worked from home. That arrangement has had its pros and cons, but Pat has been adamant about keeping his office in what used to be the living room … even though bedrooms have opened up as our children have moved out.

Pat’s desk eventually found friends: a computer desk, a writing surface, five bookcases, two filing cabinets, a scanner, and two printer stands. He also commandeered my plant shelf and the coffee table! Needless to say, the living room ceased to be a “living” room for anyone other than Pat!

But now that I have reconfigured the furniture in the half of the room that Pat doesn’t occupy, he suddenly “got a vision” of what the room could look like with new furniture … new office furniture!!! So on Saturday, Pat covered every available surface in the living room with books and papers as he cleaned out 16 years’ worth of clutter. I could barely walk through the room, and I wasn’t pleased.

Control is elusive. We want to control things that we can’t and probably shouldn’t … such as others’ choices. Then we refuse to control things that we can and probably should … such as our own choices. Choices that could improve health, relationships, emotions, finances, and spiritual fitness … if we would just choose!

Sometimes we take the path of least resistance. We compromise (as I did with the wallpaper) and later discover that our compromises have taken control. What once seemed tolerable becomes intolerable!

But there is an option when it comes to your life and your choices. You can choose to give all control over to God. And when you do, you will discover that He has a way of changing your priorities and working in the circumstances so that everyone benefits.

I abandoned the living room for the back yard. I gave both dogs a long overdue grooming. I busied myself in the kitchen and in the laundry room while Kate helped her father move the computer desk upstairs. At one point I overheard Kate ask if they shouldn’t see if I could help. (I think it was when they were hoisting the desk up and over the banister from the stairwell into the upstairs hallway.) Pat wisely answered, “Mom isn’t here right now.”

By day’s end Pat had his books and papers corralled in boxes, the desk moved upstairs without mishap, and the furniture arranged so that I could advance in my assault on the wallpaper. And God showed me, yet again, that progress will be made and tempers will be cooled if I will just opt to relinquish control to Him.

Who is in control at your house these days? You really do have a choice!

Pastor Kit

Just Keep Pluggin' Along

When I started my wallpaper eradication project, I thought that I would be stripping wallpaper for four or five months. I am now beginning month seven and the master bedroom is finally finished!

Sometimes I feel like quitting ... but just two bedrooms and one bath remain, so I can’t stop now. Instead I’ve incorporated this work into my daily routine. I might as well keep pluggin’ along until I’ve finished every room before I box my steamer up and store my paint supplies away.

It’s amazing how much we can accomplish if we just keep pluggin’ along. Races can be won (think of the tortoise and the hare), debt can be settled, money can be saved, weight can be lost, old destructive habits can be broken, new healthy habits can be formed, relationships can be restored, degrees can be earned, new skills can be learned, projects can be finished. Just by pluggin’ along.

But first you have to get started.

When I began this project, I had to make some changes. I knew that I needed to keep walking for exercise, so I switched from daily walks at Joseph Whidbey State Park to daily walks to Whidbey Island Manor to check on Mom. I turned my computer off and told friends and family to either email me at work or call me at home if they needed to get in touch. (I’ve become quite adept at painting with one hand while talking on the phone!) I haven’t read a book since I started this project, nor do I read our magazines from cover to cover these days … but I do read the daily paper to keep up on the news since I no longer watch it on TV.

A real bonus has been that Pat has taken over the yard work. Mowing and trimming used to be almost entirely my domain--and that was fine with me. I much prefer working outside, but having mowing off my “to do” list freed up a couple of more hours each week.

And that was all it really took … a few changes combined with enough motivation to get started. After that it was just a matter of pluggin’ along … sticking to the plan … finding ways to stay motivated … day after day … week after week.

Some of you know exactly what I am talking about. There are plenty of folks who have chosen to get started on their own “home (read: self) improvement” projects. And some of you are growing weary in your new routines. This message is for you. Don’t give up!! Look back and think about how far you have come. Imagine where you could be in a couple of more months.

Many of you have already accomplished much and are an inspiration to others, so pay it forward. Find someone to encourage on their journey. Take the time to celebrate your own success and to cheer others in theirs … and then just keep pluggin’ along.

Pastor Kit