Life Thoughts
The Light of Your Face
Wretched and shameful I could barely see
Then Your grace was poured out to me
You called and searched for my soul
Desiring only to make me whole
I ran and fled from Your face
Feeling guilt, remorse and disgrace
I was naked and bare and full of doubt
In love and compassion You sought me out
You showed me the sacrifice of Your Son
and by His death a great victory was won
By His blood I was washed and purified
And my sins were paid when He died
Now I stand in the light of Your face
and walk in the shadow of Your grace
I am redeemed and made whole
You have rescued my soul
I no longer hide in fear and shame
Nor do I run at the mention of Your name
No more guilt or disgrace
I stand in the light of Your face
Picking a Fight
Braveheart is one of my favorite movies. While it tells a wonderful love story, it also has many challenges for me as I look at the life of William Wallace. Near the end of the movie as his life comes to an end, he cries “Freedom”. That moment always touches the warrior heart in me. I want freedom. Freedom from so many things that ensnare me. At one point in the movie, the Scottish Nobles are trying to negotiate a comprimise with the English and Wallace heads out to the meeting and his men ask him “Where are you going?” and without hesitation he replies “I’m going to pick a fight”. He had had enough of comprimise and decided that it would be freedom or death.
I recall one of my own life situations as a teenager where I had a Willaim Wallace type day. I was an 8th grader in Leverett’s Chapel School, it was a school where K – 12 all went together in a rural East Texas community. There were about 500 kids from K – 12, each class had around 25 kids. There was this guy, Johnny Wray, who was in the 9th grade and he was BIG. I was lanky and about 140 lbs soaking wet and John was stocky and well over 200 and solid muscle. He was center on the High School football team and he was a solid. Johnny dated Michelle who was in my class. Everyday when I would see Johnny he would punch my arm, I mean every day! One day I had just about enough, so I uttered a few explitives and invited him outside to settle it once and for all. I was a total idiot! He could have killed me.
And as school house fights go, there was a crowd and we faced off. Johnny looked at me and smiled and the next thing I know, my nose was bent sideways and the blood was gushing! I turned and walked away, humiliated and defeated (at not wanting another of those mind rattling punches to the head).
William Wallace courage, no, some courage yes. The remarkable thing about that day, was that it was not a loss as I and you would have thought, but was probably one of my most victorious days as a youth. You see two things happened that day after the fight. The first was that the High School football coach, Coach Jackson, stopped me in the hallway and recounted the tale of the fight as told him and laughing he put his hand on my shoulder and said “I hope you come out for the football team next year, thats the kinda guts and determination we need”. Wow! What feeling to be wanted by the coach. I played football all my high school years at Leverett’s Chapel. The best part of that was all the things I learned as part of that team and from Coach Jackson about life.
The second benifit of that day was Johnny Wray. Johnny was my friend from that day on. As I recall he intereceeded on my behalf several times when I was about to get a good school yard butt kicking. He was my friend.
Whats my point in this? Sometimes we have to pick a fight, we cant always just roll with it. It is definitely that way spiritually. We can plod along for sometime without really taking a stand. We experience defeat after defeat, or one arm punch after another. But when we decide to stop and stand, to resist the devil and hold or ground, to scream freedom and are ready to die to walk in it. I think we will find that heaven’s coach is saying to us, “thats what I am looking for in my players!” I believe we will also find that we are not alone but have a defender to help us through those struggles.
I love how The Message says it in Ephesians 6:10-12 And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.
Are you wise or foolish?
Proverbs 29:11 says “A fool gives full vent to his anger, bu a wise man keeps himself under control.”
Have you ever found yourself so angry that you just unleashed, vented, attacked, let loose on someone? I know this is something I have struggled with alot as of late. No, I am not talking about something physical, but more verbal.
Consider the drive to work, everyday, day in and day out, stop, go, stop, go – then getting cut off! You feel it rise up in you. You think, ” Why I otta . . . ” or you go as far as wave with one finger. Did you just loose your control, even a little?
Consider coming home, the kids are fighting, the spouse is nagging, the dog is barking – then opening the mail and getting that unexpected bill. You feel it rise up in you. You think “I cant believ this”, ” I cant afford that” generally folllowed by a few explitives. Did you loose control, even a little?
Those are some of the common, everyday things we bump and wrestle with. Imagine now loosing your job! Imagine now find out your spouse is having an affair! Imagine now the betrayal of a close friend! Imagine now the loss of someone close to an unexpected death! Imagine God did not act the way you expected Him to!
Ephesians 4:26 – 27 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.
Psalm 4:4 In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.
Mid-Life Crisis
And who said that it was men who had the mid-life crisis? I mean take a look around. Don’t wait to adjust it all at once. Take stock in your life daily and make minor course corrections, otherwise you will hit the rocks or veer way off course and find yourself wondering how you got there.
