Speed and Soul

Last winter, I had a chance to ski. Which is a great memory as we suffer through another brutal, Texas Summer. I had not skied in a decade and did not know how well I would pick it back up. To my surprise, I immediately started where I last had stopped. Skiing is a great sport. It involves beautiful scenery, speed, and limitless possibilities. There is nothing better than hitting a steep slope, with the iPod blaring, shooting through moguls. However, one bare spot on the slope, can bring a good time to a screeching halt. A bare spot is a place on the mountain where the snow has worn thin and exposes the rocks below. When a ski hits a bare spot at a great rate of speed, the ski comes to a stop, while the skier's body tends to stay in motion, which normally resembles a snowball rolling down hill. While fun to watch others in this condition, it is not fun to experience yourself.

I have noticed in my own life that there are times my soul hits bare spots. I will be making great spiritual progress and then all of a sudden, I come to a screeching halt. For instance when my soul is bare, I suffer from a bit of road rage. I am certain I am the only person who knows how to drive and resent the fact that others are using my roadways. I am sure I am the only one this happens to? Or, I find that my patience with other people tends to wane. I can't get them to what I want them to do. Don't these people realize that people who think they know everything messes things up for people like me who really do know everything. In times of Soul barrenness, I tend to be less grateful and more critical. I notice petty imperfections in people and things instead of being grateful I have been give the blessings of family, friends, and others, as well as more material possessions than 50% of the world's population. So, when and why do these soul barren seasons occur?

It has taken me years to figure this condition out, but SPEED KILLS. Speed can and will kill your soul. Now, I am not advocating laziness or complacency, but you can only go as fast as the soul will allow. Look at Isaiah 40:27-31....
27 Why do you say, O Jacob,
and speak, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
and my right is disregarded by my God”?
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
30 Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint. (ESV)

Notice, a couple of key points. First, everyone is going to lose energy--- "even youths shall faith and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted". Did you know this about you? You and I are not built for an infinite amount of activity. We are finite in our abilities. While we would like to think of ourselves as energizer bunnies, we are eventually going to reach our breaking point. I find great comfort in recognizing that in Christ's own life and ministry, he took time to rest. In fact, Jesus spent time at the mountains, the beach, and the desert. Ironically, these sames locations are among some of the most popular vacation spots still.

Second, notice only One can give energy, namely God --"but they that wait for the Lord shall renew their strength". Waiting...what is that like. Waiting can be like a doctor's waiting room; a place where you read some out of date magazines, visit with some strangers,wait for your name to be called, while hoping to not contract some new disease. I do not believe this is the message of this text. Waiting is more of the idea of the waiter. I have met only one person in my life who wanted to be a professional waiter. Most waiters or waitresses in restaurants are waiting tables to get to another place in life. Maybe they are a student waiting tables through college, or a person in-between jobs waiting on a better opportunity. When we hit a bare spot, waiting may mean serving others until you get a new assignment. I greatly admire people who actively wait in times of transition such as loss of a job, death of a loved one, or other major life change.

In addition, "waiting on the Lord" is not just about serving, it is also about sitting. Specifically, it is about sitting at Christ's feet. You may remember the story of Mary and Martha. Martha was busy waiting tables literally, which Christ did not condemn. However, Mary sat waiting at his feet. Closeness to Christ brings confidence to his people. When we sit at Christ's feet, he speaks to us at our point of need and it refreshes, revives, and strengthens our threadbare souls.

So, Speed Kills. You can only go as fast as your Soul will allow. When you see bare spots beginning to show, which by the way, others see them too. You might need to remember you are finite...everyone is going to run out of energy. And then WAIT, because there is only one who gives energy. As you WAIT, remember to SERVE and to SIT. Once you do this, you can get back to making good time.

Defining Moments

Character seems to show themselves small ways everyday. Most people have figured out how to look good and be good in front of an audience. The audience brings with it some built in accountability. However, true character can only be revealed when no one is looking. It is in moments of solitude, when no one will ever know what we did or how we did it, that the substance of who we are is revealed.

For instance, have you ever gotten too much change back from a cashier? I remember candidly as a 10-year-old boy in Sherman, Texas riding my bike, the Redline 600a, to the local 7-11 on a hot, summer day to enjoy the pleasures of a cherry icee, some skittles, and a couple of dollars worth of Mrs. Pac Man, one of the greatest games ever created. Having procured my culinary delights and not really paying attention to exchange of commerce, which had just transpired, I began to limber up my fingers for what would prove to be at least 10-12 minutes of high paced excitement. As I was putting the money into my pocket, I realized I have been given a ten-dollar bill, some one-dollar bills, and some coins. Knowing I had only brought a ten-dollar bill with me on my journey, I knew the cashier had made a mistake. At that moment, my 10-year-old mind began to consider the possibilities. This had just become the greatest day ever. This newfound fortune, because ten bucks is a lot of money when you’re ten, was going to provide me which hours of entertainment and benevolent possibilities. I immediately determined to invest a least five-dollars into the successful annihilation of Mrs. Pac Man. Then, my thoughts turned benevolent. I found myself seriously considering the possibility of buying Big Reds for everyone in the place.

Then it happened. I began to hear the voice in my head. It wasn’t just any voice; it was her voice – my mother. Why was this tyrant plaguing me now? Wasn’t it enough I had done my chores? Even three blocks away, her mom radar was picking up the joy of my new found wealth and this must be why she was out to destroy it. The voice was louder and louder, until I could not take it anymore. The voice was reminding me of what we had been learning over these last few months at the kitchen table. The first phrase that stood out was, “Thy shall not Steal.” While we didn’t usually use the King James Version of the Bible, preferring the New International Version, a poster displaying the Ten Commandments articulated this command with this verbiage. Having grasped, even at the age of ten, that stealing was not limited to bank robberies and carjackings, I knew to keep the money would be stealing. In my mind I began to justify how the oversight of the cashier was not my fault. I dug my heels in firmly, believing the man behind the counter would learn a good lesson from this experience.

Then it happened. I began to hear the voice in my heart. It wasn’t just any voice; it was His voice—my Lord. Have you ever noticed when God is speaking to you directly, even at 10-years-old, you figure out quickly you don’t need to talk back. There are just some conversations you are not going to win. I began to realize that not giving back this money was really not about the money. It was about my obedience to do what was right when no one was looking simply because of God’s command. I either believed in Him and as He said or I didn’t. Even when it is painful, it is still nice to be close enough to the Lord to hear His voice.

So I made my way back to the counter. I told the man what had happened. As it turned out, he could have gotten fired for being short of money in his cash register, this is something you don’t think about when you are 10-years-old. He thanked me, said he appreciated my honesty, and gave me a Slo Poke; the Slo Poke the caramel nougat that can survive nuclear fallout. As I rode home, having enjoyed my icee and 10-12 minutes of Mrs. Pac Man, I rode home with my character in tact…and a Slo Poke.