Jim Martin's Encouragement Note #19
You can navigate life well, even during the most difficult times, if done in the strength of the Spirit (Rom. 8:10-11). Whether you are a parent, a business person, or a minister, you and I deal with life through our own street-level faith in Jesus. This everyday faith is where we are challenged to hold on to Jesus as Lord even when life is hard.
It also helps to be committed to good daily habits and practices. Paying attention to these practices can be important difference-makers. Caring for the self is vital!
The following “Encouragement Note” is intended to provide a nugget or two of helpful encouragement.
The List of Five
Keep Hope In Front Of You
Where do you keep your focus? The USA election? A possible vaccine? Or, do you focus on the hope we have been given by God himself?
I heard my friend Matt Snowden speak of former Prime Minister Harold MacMillan of Great Britain. MacMillan was asked by someone what would determine his government’s course. His answer was “The events, young man, the events.”
It is certainly true that the events which take place in our lives can have a profound impact on us. Many of us can point to a particular event or crisis that was formative. Our parents’ divorce. A job loss. A house fire. Congregations can often point to particular moments that helped shape that particular group of people (the death of a beloved elder; the year the church began serving an inner city elementary school, etc.)
This year, there have certainly been events that have been impactful, such as the pandemic, a financial crisis, a racial crisis exploding, and a rancorous presidential election.
Yet, Christ-followers believe it is not the events that determine the ultimate course of our lives, but God himself who leads his people through whatever circumstances might exist (Gen. 50:15-21; see vs. 20).
This means I don’t have to be overly focused on the many events that may have knocked the wind out of me or might have been exceedingly painful. Instead, I anchor my life on the one who rules the wind and the waves. I can trust him through it all. It also means that I don’t have to focus on fixing others (“If only these people would behave then life would be good.”) Instead, I can focus on my own functioning.
You may have caught on to this sooner than I did. For years, instead of becoming a healthier self, I was stuck in frustration over people who were “in the way” of progress. As a result, I became angry and frustrated while actually making very little progress.
Suggestions:
Today, thank God in prayer that your hope is found in the one who died for us all.
Acknowledge the pain and difficulty of your life. Then cling to the truth, “But God reigns!” We have a ruler and he is the Lord God!
The Cigar and The Threat
I was a young preacher. One Sunday, I was approached by a man who was upset. This moment became a story I have not forgotten.
We were living in a small town in Tennessee. I had only been preaching for a few months. I preached that morning from the book of Acts. In the text, there was something about Jew-Gentile tension. I talked about this text and part of the application related to racial problems of our day (1978).
After church, I walked out of the building onto the white gravel parking lot. Suddenly, “Brother Bill” pulled his shiny black Cadillac beside me. The electric window slowly came down and cigar smoke roll out of the car window. He motioned me over to the driver’s side. Holding the big cigar in one hand, he glared at me. Then he said, “Let’s don’t talk about the races.”
He stared at me, waiting for a response. This was a young, small church. “Brother Bill” was our wealthiest member by far. It was well known that his financial contribution was significant. I knew his words were not a suggestion. Rather this was an order and on the backside of that order was a threat.
For a few seconds, I looked at the cigar and thought about what he had said. Then I said, “Bill, I hear what you are saying, but the reason I said what I did today is because this is what the Bible teaches. If this is what it says, then I have to say it. I answer to God.”
I was very young and inexperienced. I didn’t respond the way I did because I was particularly brave or unafraid. I was scared in this moment of confrontation. Yet, I had (and still have) a belief that Scripture has authority over any human being and that God is in charge of the preaching moment. I did know that even in this moment of confrontation, God was with me.
This event is seared into my memory. God is faithful.
What Do You Have Time For?
One of the finest, most impactful books, I have ever read regarding time is Greg McKeown’s Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. Note these words from McKeown’s website:
Have you ever found yourself stretched too thin?
Do you sometimes feel overworked and underutilized?
Do you feel motion sickness instead of momentum?
Does your day sometimes get hijacked by someone else’s agenda?
Have you ever said “yes” simply to please and then resented it?
If you answered yes to any of these, the way out is the Way of the Essentialist.
I found this book to be very helpful. Perhaps you might find it helpful as well.
Years ago, I read Gordon MacDonald’s Ordering Your Private World. The book helped me, as a young husband, father, and minister to think about my use of time. The following is wise advice he once received from his father:
Years ago my father wisely shared with me that one of the great tests of human character is found in making critical choices of selection and rejection amidst all of the opportunities that lurk in life’s path. “Your challenge,” he told me, “will not be in separating out the good from the bad, but in grabbing the best out of all the possible good.” He was absolutely correct. I did indeed have to learn, sometimes the hard way, that I had to say no to things I really wanted to do in order to say yes to the very best things.” (p. 82)
This reminds me that I don’t have time for some things and I do have time for other, more important matters:
1. I don’t have time to get moody, self-centered, and irritable….I do have time to love my wife and children.
2. I don’t have time to wallow in the past at what might have been….I do have time to focus on what God wants to do in my life today.
3. I don’t have time to play self-importance games ( What kind of house do you live in? What have your kids accomplished? What are you driving?)….I do have time to build up others and forget myself.
4. I don’t have time to coddle worldly, immature Christians whose idea of church is getting their way….I do have time to love fellow Christians who may express a variety of opinions.
5. I don’t have time to be a peace-monger (doing whatever it takes to keep others from getting upset)….I do have time to be a peacemaker (loving people no matter what).
6. I don’t have time to whine and blame others for being obstacles….I do have time to take responsibility for my own actions and behavior.
7. I don’t have time to complain and focus on the negative….I do have time to speak a word of hope to people who are overwhelmed by heartache.
8. I don’t have time to settle for the mediocre….I do have time to be passionate about what matters most to God.
One of the Best Investments You and I Can Make
You and I invest our time, money, and energy into things that matter to us. Some investments can make a real difference in our future. One important investment you and I can make is in our own self-care. This can make a significant difference in your resilience and your ministry with others.
To be a passive participant in your own self-care may result in not having the resilience or stamina needed for such a time. Once place to begin is in asking yourself, “What are the practices and habits that give me life?”
Here are just a few of mine:
Hearing the voices and seeing the faces of our grandchildren.
Making sure that I get daily exercise.
Having conversations with people whose joy in Christ is evident. (Also, limiting the amount of time I spent with people who are chronic complainers.)
Making sure that I am reading a book that is life-giving and thought provoking in some way.
Spending at least some time outdoors.
Consider the following Self-Care suggestions by Dr. Alex Gee:
Remember to rest (sleep, exercise, mentally unwind, detach, unplug) because you are not a machine.
Recreate (re-create…rebuild, refresh, renew) otherwise you’ll self destruct and burn out and become useless to everyone.
Pray to seek guidance, patience, perspective on issues you’re facing. Your strength comes from the journey you’ve been on with the Lord; and your future strength is based upon your stance today. Prayer makes room for a godly and unselfish perspective.
Build networks with trusted and healthy individuals who undergird you. Include your spouse and significant other in your hectic world so that they become a true partner and support network for you. You are not an island and if you think you are, you’ll soon sink. Emotional intimacy is a sign of emotional maturity. This is non negotiable!
When you’re misunderstood or catch flack from people, don’t take it personally. Shake it off because discouragement is one of the greatest enemies of the soul of the world-changer.
What might your own list look like? What are the helpful, life-giving practices that make a positive difference in your overall well being?
Resources
Historian Jon Meacham’s two podcast series — It Was Said and Hope Through History. These are excellent!
James Clear’s 3-2-1 Thursday (September 24, 2020) newsletter. I love this line - "Feel compliments as deeply as you feel insults."
You might enjoy the newest video from Harding School of Theology (two minutes). Harding School of Theology is in Memphis, Tn. I have been a part of this seminary for almost seven years.
Each Friday/Saturday, I post about ten tweets especially for ministers and other church leaders as they anticipate Sunday. You can find me @jimmartin.
Jim Martin serves as Vice President of Harding School of Theology, Memphis, Tennessee. You can find me at God-Hungry.org. You can find me on Facebook - @jim.martin. My e-mail address is: jmartin9669-at-gmail.com. Feel free to write. I would love to hear what is encouraging or helpful.
