Lane Jumper

Well patience has been my biggest lesson this week.  Let's start with a quick story.  This week I had to travel to Peoria, Illinois to visit one of my customer's.  I left normal time on Tuesday and looked at the weather before leaving as there is a stretch which can be pretty treacherous.  Everything was clear and I was making good time,  looking forward to getting into the hotel a bit early and getting a nice workout in and catching up on some homework. Well just over half way there and 10 miles from Chicago the traffic sign says 10 miles 156 minutes.  Must be a misprint right.  Yeah I wish.  I was stuck in a huge snow storm and it took me over 4 hours to go 10 miles in complete whiteout conditions.  This trip did not end there as on my way home I hit white out conditions throughout my entire trip and had some of the worst roads I had ever driven on.  I thank the Lord for the safe travel as for others this trip caused many issues.

While sitting in the huge traffic jam and storm on Tuesday my blog for this week came to me.  No one was moving, the semis were putting their trucks in park and walking around.  4 lanes of traffic were completely stopped with no route around.  You just had to wait it out, you had no choice.  Well one lady was not so patient.  She constantly jumped lane to lane for the next 4 hours.  I never changed lanes and she was always within two cars of me even though she was determined to get out.  This really got me thinking about each one of us in our lives.  How we get caught up in moving quickly and not sitting down and being patient.  When we get stuck in a traffic jam are we the first person to jump from lane to lane to find a way out.  Have you ever thought that God may be slowing you down for a reason?  It is very easy to get impatient and keep moving as their is so much going on in life and most of the time we all feel we don't have enough time in a day to get everything done.

Patience is a virtue and it is not easy to always be patient.  Our society teaches us not to be patient.  When you go to a fast food place and you don't have your food almost instantly you are taught to be upset.  It is so easy to not sit back and take the time to relax.  Life puts road blocks in front of us daily with some being bigger than others. Have you ever thought to take that time and instead of getting upset and pushy to sit back and look at the blessings you have?  This time can easily be spent freaking out on a situation you cannot control or it can be a time to reflect on your relationship with God.  Did you ever think maybe God wanted you to slow down?

I can tell you I am normally the person who is mad at the fast food people or trying every way around that road block but this week I realized that I couldn't change my situation.  I was still antsy to get moving and get to my destination but was able to relax and focus on my relationship with God.  I want to challenge each one of you this week to slow down when a "traffic jam" is put in your life and look towards him.  Don't be the one who is moving lane to lane to gain nothing but use this time to gain a deeper relationship with him.  Relax and have some time with God.  We have a hard time getting a break from everything that is going on so when you get a break that wasn't expected use it for the best.  Strengthen that relationship with your Father.

Colossians 3:12

New International Version (NIV)

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Treating others with respect

In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the prophets.

—Matthew 7:12

I hope everyone has been having a good week.  So much has happened for me this past week and the one item that really stuck with me is something that I experienced just the other day.  Have you ever thought about how you treat others?  Do you treat your friends, co workers, family, or significant other with respect?  Is this respect at all times or only in particular situations?  

Trust me I understand it is hard sometimes to treat other's with respect.  It is hard to go against the grain with the way that the world says you should treat others.  Unfortunately, I am seeing this more often than not.  That disrespect pushes people to that edge where they may turn to drinking, drugs, or slip into a depression.  People turn around and start to beat themselves up for the mistakes they have made in their life.  They get upset at the weight they are or the situation they may be in.  Have you ever turned this around and thought about how you would feel if people were treating you the way you treated others?  This is very difficult to do as you get caught in the moment of people laughing a lot of the time because they don't know what else to do.  Is that the person you want to be remembered as?  Think about the way the world starts to view Christians.  I just got done reading the new book by Kirk Cousins the quarterback of the Washington Redskins and he said it in a way that I never thought of.  Here is a paraphrase of the words that he wrote.  When you are a Christian you are putting on the jersey of God.  Just like any sports team this jersey has the team name (Jesus, Christian, God) on the front and your last name on the back.  When you look back at your day are your actions representing that name on the front in the best way possible?  What about the name on the back?  Are you leaving the legacy that you want?  

Each one of us no matter our education, physical attributes, or family history can leave a lasting impression on thousands of people during our life.  Think about the amount of people you come in contact with in one day.  Do you smile at them, say hello, hold a door for them, or encourage them?  Having a positive attitude and representing that name on the front could change someone's day.  Maybe your smile to one person will turn into a smile for another and everything begins to multiply.  It doesn't have to be anything crazy but showing others you respect them and that they are special.  

I struggle with these items each and every day.  I have noticed by starting my day in God and listening to Christian music throughout the day allow me to be more positive and build others up.  That necessarily won't work for you but I challenge you to go out and find what will get you focused on God and respecting others.  I want to challenge you this week and think about putting the jersey of Christianity on each day.  Remember the name that you have on your chest with your actions throughout the day and the way to talk to others.  If you see someone disrespecting another stand up and put an end to it.  If we show respect to all those we meet in our lives we can make a change in this nation and truly show that Christianity is more than what people see from the outside.

1 Timothy 4:12

New International Version (NIV)

12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.

New Year

Happy New Year everyone!

So what is your resolution this year?  Is it the typical hit the gym, or eat healthy?  Have you already broke it?  While celebrating the new year and looking forward to what 2014 would bring my way I really got thinking of the excitement which surrounds this one day a year.  It all surrounds the new start, the forgetting of the past and looking forward.  It truly is great to put everything in the past like the choices you made and look forward.  To look at the new life and your dreams you have for yourself.  But what really got me is why do we only celebrate this once a year on a specific day?  Why do we choose this night to be around our best friends and not have time so many other nights?

When you look at a new year it is perfectly similar to the new life we receive from Jesus Christ.  Every day is new year's eve for Christians as God clears the past and pushes us to look forward.  Have you ever thought about living your life this way?  The joy looking forward to what is new.  If you can treat everyday with a new beginning and put new goals in front of you.  Let's focus on those goals being faith goals, growing your faith, reading the bible, helping the less fortunate, or turning against your sins. Just like on New Year's eve we need to surround ourselves with other believers.  Having a solid group who pushes you to know the Lord more will help you keep your resolutions.  This group shouldn't be someone you see that one night a year but people that you see and talk to so often that they are family.

I challenge you this year to treat every day as a new year, as in Christ it is.  Surround yourself with a good Christian group and have them hold you accountable for your resolutions.  Be the person you want to be in 2014 each and every day.  With the gift the Lord gave each and every one of us, each day is a new year for us.  Take the happiness and joy you have looking at the new year and use this everyday in your life as a Christian.