Remove the Do Not Disturb Sign from Your Life

disturb“Do not disturb.”

You’ve seen the sign hanging on hotel room doors. The sign means that the occupants want themselves and/or their things left alone. Maybe the occupant needs to sleep in. Perhaps he or she has valuable items that they do not wish for others to see.

Whatever the case, the message is clear. Be quiet and stay on your side of the door!

Our Personal Do Not Disturb Sign

How often have you wanted to display a Do Not Disturb sign prominently on your chest? We prefer an undisturbed life. We want our plans to succeed, our families to grow, our businesses to profit, and our health to stay strong. If we were to get our way, nothing bad would ever come our way. No one or nothing would ever cause us heartache or disappointment.

But that is an unrealistic expectation isn’t it? All of us experience some disturbances now and then. My good friend Bobby Simpson (Higher Ground Softball) reminded me that those disturbances are not necessarily bad things. In fact, we find our faith grows better in the fertile ground of challenges and trials. (See James 1:2-4, and 1 Peter 1:6-7). Sometimes, as Bobby says, we need disturbing.

Sometimes…we need disturbing.

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Thoughts Upon Turning 50

So teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom. – Psalm 90:12

I want to share with you a few thoughts that captured my heart as I considered my 18,262 days (that’s 50 years plus 12 leap days) on my birthday.

The prominent theme that I have come to grasp over these last 6 weeks or so is that life is not about me, it’s about God and His plan for His creation. If all we ever do is consider our circumstances in light of their bearing on us, we really miss the grandeur of God’s glory as He includes us in His purposes for now and eternity.

A second truth I pondered today is that life is all about the journey… the walk. Enoch lives 365 days. I think that is significant since it is one year for each day of our year. To me, that signifies that he lived a FULL life, and the Bible says about Him that he had a testimony that He walked with God. I’ve experienced a lot of ups and downs in my 18,262 days, but God has walked with me every step of the way, often carrying me. I grow closer to Him because the journey has so many challenging turns. When I started this blog in the summer of last year, I was inspired by Steven Curtis Chapman’s song “The Long Way Home” (video below). That’s what this life is, a journey on the way to eternity.

A final truth I have pondered today is that God is not finished with me yet. They call us 50-somethings “middle aged.” I guess that means I have somewhere around another 18,000 days to go? Whatever. I do know that I have more passion for ministry now than ever. I sense the urgency of our time and I have a longing in my soul to make a difference for Jesus in the days that I have left.

No matter your age, if you have surrendered your life to Jesus and become His follower, life isn’t about you. Let me encourage you to begin to view your days as opportunities for God to include and involve you in HIS plan for HIS creation. Count your days so that your days will count…for HIS GLORY.

What to Do When Your QB Gets Hurt…and other life lessons from football

Aaron Rodgers – Green Bay Quarterback and Discount Double-Check Salesman – left last night’s game with an injury. Green Bay lost 27-20.

Sunday, the Houston Texans led 21-3 at half-time when their head coach, Gary Kubiak, collapsed while leaving the field.  They lost the game 27-24.

As I thought about the challenges these teams faced, I thought about some challenges my family and I are facing.  What do you do when things don’t go the way you planned?  These football teams can’t decide to wait until they can play under better circumstances. They make adjustments and move forward.

In life, when circumstances seem to mount against us, we can’t just stay in bed and wait for “better times,” we have to adjust and do the best with the circumstances presented us.

At just the right time – as usual – God sent a needed Scripture to me this morning that helps me see how I can continue even with less than desirable circumstances.

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. – Romans 12:12

  • REJOICE in hope – my life is not a random flow of unrelated coincidences.  GOD IS IN CONTROL.  My confidence for today  and all of my tomorrows rests in my Sovereign God who is working His plan for my life.  My game plan may need  adjustments, but HIS cannot be thwarted.
  • Be PATIENT in tribulation – Keep on keeping on, even when the going gets tough.  Don’t quit, shrink back, or make excuses.   Do what you CAN and stop complaining about what you CAN’T.
  • Be CONSTANT in prayer – Stay in touch with the ONE in control of the plan.  He is the one to guide my adjustments.  Acknowledge Him in all my ways and He will make my path straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

When circumstances catch you off guard, remember, our all-knowing God knew they were coming all along.  Trust Him and faithfully keep doing the last thing He told you to do until He tells you to do something else.