"Painful Progress"

“Painful Progress”

 

About 20 years ago I had surgery to correct a deviated septum which (according to Karen) had caused me to snore. As I was waking up and still under the effects of anesthesia Karen, the doctor, and our nurse friend Brenda came into blurry view. I waved at my guests and Karen said to the doctor, “He’s trying to say thank you” to which he replied, “Oh no, he’s not!” (He was right!) After a couple of weeks of uncomfortable recovery the nocturnal music was alleviated and for the most part has remained so since.

In February Karen had foot surgery then two days later fell and broke her arm which necessitated another operation. And then came physical therapy, which was not a pleasant experience with the bending, stretching, etc. But it was needed to regain strength and range of motion.

Both our experiences can be summarized with “No pain, no gain”. In other words, for progress in physical healing and recovery to take place discomfort couldn’t be avoided. The same carries through into other areas of life. For example, we’ve heard of people who have built successful businesses who invested (in Churchill’s words) “blood, toil, tears, and sweat” (not to mention time and money) to produce lasting results. The problem is that many of us don’t want to put in the effort needed for positive outcomes.

Just after Jesus fed the crowd of 5000+ He sent His disciples by boat to Bethsaida (Mark 6:45). When a gale came up He saw His friends “…straining at the oars….” (Verse 48). The same Greek word is used by a centurion in Matthew 8:6 who came to Jesus on behalf of his servant who was “…paralyzed and in terrible suffering.” So the disciples were in pain trying to make progress before Jesus showed up walking on the water and got in the boat, then the storm calmed down (Verse 51).

Jesus never promised us a life of ease—in fact, just the opposite (“In this world you will have trouble.”—John 16:33). The Apostle Paul writes, “…Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2 Timothy 3:12). Our journey is difficult—but God goes with us each step of the way (“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”—Hebrews 13:5). So He’s our Partner in this painful progress we call life. What else could we ask for or need?

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"Nothing Can Be Done?"

“Nothing Can Be Done?”

When Karen and I moved to Lakeland we went to several agencies for quotes to secure insurance on our house and cars. One long-established firm offered a price which was lower than the others so we took out the appropriate policies. About a month later we received a substantial additional bill for our house coverage. When I questioned the added charge I was told that the firm’s representative had checked the wrong box indicating the type of house construction. Since the agency had made the error and we had based our decision to purchase on it I felt they should absorb the added cost for the first year which they refused to do saying, “Nothing can be done.” I responded that something could be done but they chose not to do it. Needless to say, our insurance is now with a different carrier.

Since our renewal date is approaching I thought about this incident and realized how often my lack of faith implies God is powerless to act. Jesus’ disciples showed a shortage of trust when they were faced with a hungry crowd. After telling Jesus they had insufficient funds to meet the people’s need Andrew brought a boy with a small lunch to Him with the words, “…How far will (it) go among so many?” (John 6:9). Despite their “nothing can be done” perception Jesus multiplied the bread and fish and all were satisfied. Since “…without faith it is impossible to please God….” (Hebrews 11:6) could it be it was this boy’s faith that prompted Jesus to act?

Is there a time that God says, “Nothing can be done.”? I can think of two such circumstances. The first is when He’s not trusted. When the citizens of Nazareth, His home town, opposed Him His work was hindered (“…He did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.”—Matthew 13:58). The other involves our “good works”. We may think we’ve done enough worthy acts to commend us to God but He says through His prophet, “…All our righteous acts are like filthy rags….” (Isaiah 64:6). But God knew one more thing could be done and He did it by sending Christ to earth as “…the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2). Nothing more can be done by my efforts—Jesus died once to take away my sins (see Hebrews 9:28). And I thank God nothing more is needed!

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"The Nothing Box"

“The Nothing Box”

(The title is from a humorous talk by Mark Gungor entitled “A Tale of Two Brains” on YouTube)

Picture this: A man has a box in his garage marked “The Nothing Box”. It’s sealed with packing tape and appears to be empty. But is it really? When someone picks it up and shakes it nothing happens. But there is something inside: air. This serves as a reminder to us of the scientific principle (generally credited to Aristotle) that nature abhors a vacuum—that is, every space must be filled with something, even if it’s air that can’t be seen. So in actuality there’s no such thing as a nothing box.

Let’s apply this axiom to our mind. It’s not a nothing box—something will always occupy it. The question is what will that be? What I allow to rent space in my head will largely determine my course of action in a specific situation, maybe even my life’s total direction.

The Apostle Paul cautions us that our mind can go in either a good or bad direction when he writes, “The mind of the sinful (person) is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace….” (Romans 8:6). He later challenges us to “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus….” (Philippians 2:5, NKJV) and assures us that “…we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16). But how do we live this out in daily practice?

Some forms of meditation advise us to “empty our minds”. (In other words, make them a nothing box.) But even if this could be done, would it be wise? If we leave our mind open in this way something will fill it—and the results may not be pretty! How much better to heed the words of Philippians 4:8: “…Whatever is true…noble…right…pure…lovely…admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Emphasis added). Dr. Jay Adams suggests we use this passage to form a “think list” to combat the unhealthy thoughts vying for entrance into our minds and fill them with positive qualities for which we can praise God.

In itself, my mind is neutral (as is yours). Like time or money, how I use it determines if it’s good or bad. To avail its becoming close to a nothing box I’ve devised my “think list” and kept it handy. It’s one of the best things I’ve done to keep my life in focus. Try it—it works!

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan (with helpful input from Karen)

"A Forever Home"

“A Forever Home”

 

Karen and I enjoy watching “House Hunters” and its many offshoots on HGTV. The premise involves an individual, couple, or family searching for a home and choosing one from the three that were toured on the program. Sometimes the objective is finding a starter home after renting to begin building equity. But a phrase often repeated by clients is, “We’re looking for our forever home”, meaning they intend to live in it for the long haul.

During our 47+ years of marriage Karen and I have moved 11 times. (By contrast, my brother Dave and his wife Jean have lived in the same house—the one Dave and I grew up in—for some 45 years.) We’ve discovered that moving isn’t fun! (Took us a while, didn’t it?) So when we relocated to Lakeland in 2014 we looked at it as our forever home and plan to occupy it until God calls us to our true “Forever Home.”

In 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 Paul describes Jesus’ coming to take His redeemed people to be with Himself (an event called the rapture, from a Latin word meaning seize). The result is that “…we will be with the Lord forever.” (Verse 17, emphasis added). The Greek word is usually translated “always”, a term we must be careful in using because it allows for no exceptions. So in this context “forever” is appropriate because there will never be a time we’re not with our Savior.

It’s not a bad thing to have roots someplace on earth, but we can’t forget that, in the words of an old Gospel song by Jim Reeves, “This world is not my home I’m just a passing through, My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.” Jesus warns us not to concentrate on earthly treasures but on heavenly ones (Matthew 6:19-21). And God reminds us “…Our citizenship is in heaven.” (Philippians 3:20) which is “…an inheritance that can never perish spoil, or fade….” (1 Peter 1:4). Our home on this planet will eventually crumble, but we’ll occupy the Home Jesus has prepared for eternity (John 14:1-6). Which merits our greater emphasis?

Where’s your Forever Home?

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan