Devotionals for the Heart: Puzzles

Puzzles and Procrastination
A devotional by Glynis Becker

“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross!” –Philippians 2:6-8 (NIV)

Last week I should have been writing.

I needed to get words down on paper for a project I was working on, but often at times like that I become a master of procrastination. (Please tell me I’m not alone in this!) I ended up doing a whole bunch of other ridiculous things in place of what I should have been doing. Some of these were things that needed to get done — like clearing the stack of papers cluttering a bookshelf and cleaning the shower — but others were absolutely not important at all, including “fixing” the Rubik’s cube that’s been sitting in my home, messed up for at least six months.

I risk aging myself with this next statement: this is an original Rubik’s cube I’ve had since I was a teenager. I’ll also risk letting you in on another secret: I’ve never solved it without help.

My bachelor’s degree is in mechanical engineering. I am by nature a problem solver. I love puzzles of all kinds. Jigsaw puzzles, crosswords, logic puzzles. But I only love them if I know I can solve them. I like a challenge, but I don’t like to be frustrated. If I think there is no way I can solve a puzzle, then I’m out.

The exception to this for me is the Rubik’s cube. I’m absolutely comfortable knowing that I need help to fix it. I’m okay with pulling out a book or opening up a website to have someone show me the steps to get that cube back to its previously perfect state. I also know that there are people out there solving the thing in way less than a minute and I can’t do it in days. I’m okay with that.

Since I’ve been trying to fix it on my own since the mid-80s, I’m thinking at this point, it’s probably not going to happen. So, it has become a lesson in humility for me.

What an important lesson to learn in life. Humility in our day-to-day interaction with people makes us so much more compassionate with them and keeps us open-minded. We can’t learn anything new or truly listen to another person if we are so wrapped in our own pride that we think we already know it all.

Humility is a big part of our faith as well. If we realize what our place is in the world and in God’s story, we better position ourselves to be used by God to bring the kingdom, unhindered by the need to take credit for the good that happens. We can point to Jesus and honestly say, “You don’t need me. You need Him!”

Jesus is the ultimate example of humility. He is God in all power and strength and glory. Yet He became a baby with all an infant’s frailties and dependencies. Jesus needed someone to feed Him and teach Him to walk. But His humility resulted in the ultimate sacrifice at the cross that led to salvation for all of us.

“But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.” – Hebrews 2:9 (NIV)

If Jesus can humble Himself like that, then each day I need to make sure I am humbling myself in a similar way. I think I’ll put that Rubik’s cube somewhere so I can see it often. Whether it’s messed up or perfect, it’s a reminder to me that only in following the direction of Christ, can my life be best used for Him.

Let’s Pray: Father God, give me direction today. Show me the steps to take, even if it’s just one, to follow You more closely in humility, grace, and love. Thank you for your gift of Jesus and the example of humility. I love you. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

~*~
Author Bio:

Glynis Becker writes devotions and inspirational fiction, hoping someday to have a published novel on her resume.

She has co-written several screenplays, including the film Sinking Sand, available on DVD and digital streaming.

Glynis, whose childhood was spent all over the country as an Air Force brat, has called South Dakota home for many years, along with her husband and two teenage children.

When she’s not writing or reading, she is watching more television than she should and crocheting. You can find her at www.glynisbecker.com.

Devotionals for the Heart: Dreams

Devastated but Determined
A devotional by Chaplain Paul Anderson

“…Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.” ~Habakkuk 2:2 (KJV)

Dreams have no deadline, but inspiration has a gestation period.

Have you ever awakened with a vibrant idea that could lead to greatness but were too busy to write it down and pursue it? I have. Several times. Alfred North Whitehead wisely said that, “Ideas won’t keep. Something must be done about them.”

The first step in nurturing creativity is to write down good ideas as soon as you can after it is perceived. Write with as much detail and clarity as possible. Later, review what you wrote and expand on the idea. If you do not, the power and clarity of the inspiration will fade. I am actually, smarting from the loss of a good idea that recently faded due to my own proclivity to distraction.

I woke up one day about two years ago, inspired, with a book in my spirit. Immediately, I wrote the introduction and outlined 12 chapters. It was to be a short, small book about first aid for injured relationships. I would think about it, ponder thoughts and write, occasionally, but soon, I lost the muse.

I regained the passion this year, in March. I wrote diligently on my iPad, saved each addition and almost finished the book. Then, I got distracted, again. When I went back to the file, it was gone. All that was left of my work was the original outline. Devastated does not begin to express how I felt.

Procrastinating when inspired is a bad and costly habit. The book that I was working on, once completed, may or may not have sold a million copies. The cost, however, of losing it, is not counted in money, but in the content, context and currency of the soul.

Last week I stood among the ruins of the ancient city of Ephesus, in Turkey. Among the artifacts of the ancient city was found and displayed a marble fresco honoring the ancient, mythological, goddess Athena. Athena was a fierce and ruthless warrior. Victory was her slogan.

The marketing gurus of the popular sports brand, Nike, extracted their logo, the swoosh, from that fresco and the legend of Athena. Her sense of immediacy in battle was condensed into the marketing slogan, “Just do it!”

When noble inspiration strikes you, don’t delay or procrastinate. Just do it! Write it down so that others may learn from it, advance it and grow.

The lyrics of the third stanza of the rousing ballad “Lift Every Voice and Sing” capture the pathos of lost inspiration: “Stony the road we trod/bitter the chastening rod/felt in the day that hope unborn had died…”

Dreams unpursued that lay stagnant in our souls are often reabsorbed into the cosmic nexus of inspiration, to be shared with a different responsive spirit, or die stillborn in our souls. When a woman miscarries a baby, it must be extracted lest the decay within challenge her continued existence. What happens when inspiration dies inside? The soul becomes putrefied and withers.

However, praise be upon him, God, the ultimate muse, is a restorer. God believes in and generates new beginnings. A lost opportunity is not the end of life. It should be instructive and act as an igniter when a new muse whispers.

Be assured that the next book that God inspires in my spirit will be written. The next noble impetus in my soul will be acted upon, quickly. May the same determination that I feel be your experience as well.

Go forth and conquer. Your success is conditioned by your response to inspiration. Just do it! Do it now and complete what you started.

~*~
Author Bio:

Chaplain Anderson served for 20 years as a U.S. Navy Chaplain. Over 26 years of active duty, he was promoted through the ranks from Seaman Apprentice (E2) to his final rank as Commander (O5) in the Chaplain’s Corps.

Prior to his Naval career, Chaplain Anderson pastored in the Allegheny East and Potomac Conferences of Seventh-day Adventists. His undergraduate preparation for ministry was completed at Columbia Union College (WAU) in Takoma Park, Maryland. He has subsequently earned four graduate degrees–a Master of Divinity from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, a Master of Education in Counseling and Personnel Services from the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland and a Masters of Sacred Theology in Religion and Culture from Boston University. His Doctor of Ministry degree was conferred by Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.

Chaplain Anderson also completed four units of Clinical Pastoral Education at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He also holds certifications in Suicide Awareness and Prevention, Civil Mediation, Alternative Workplace Dispute Resolution, Temperament Analysis, Marriage Enrichment, Workforce Diversity, and is a certified Life Coach.