Month: August 2022

3 Reminders for Back to Work or School For most of us, the summer vacation is over or at least coming to a close. September is often the beginning of a new season or new yearly cycle. Most of us find ourselves going back to work or back to school. As we do, here are 3 things to keep in mind. We are a blessed people. If the world was a village with 100 people, then 53 of those people would be living on less than $2 (US dollars) a day. 16 people would have access to the internet and 18 people would be illiterate. Sometimes we think of work or school as a grind, but in reality, it is a great privilege to be able to get up each day and work or learn. People around us need encouragement. Being part of a community of faith means that I’ve had a lot of people encourage and support me over the years. When a crisis hits, I have many places to turn. This isn’t the case for some folks who will be sitting beside you over the next few months. Be willing to be vulnerable and open to others. Share a bit of life with them. They might just need to hear about the hope that is within you. You aren’t going in alone. Over the summer I read a couple of quick fiction books. You know the kind where the action hero is all alone and has to prevent the world from being destroyed. (Don’t judge me.) Those stories are obviously fiction. Yet many people feel like they are the action hero who is all alone and battling against the world. You aren’t alone. The year ahead may be challenging but you aren’t going in alone. Whatever you are facing in the next weeks or months ahead, this promise of God has often been repeated in Scripture to his people: “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Dt. 31:8)

For the last three years, there has been a constant stream of construction in front of the building where our church meets. I thought the work was all to be finished in June of 2022, but apparently that only related to the tram lines. The tram lines are running again. There’s now a great new tram stop close to the building, but the rest of the street is still a mess. Lately, the endless sound of jack hammers makes me think they are doing more destruction out there than repairs. On a positive note, one of the strengths I see in Switzerland is that they really do invest in their infrastructure. Roads, water systems, electrical grid as well as trains and trams are all well maintained. It keeps things running on time. There is less time lost to accidents or breakdowns.  Having lived in a couple of countries that weren’t so keen on maintaining infrastructure, I do appreciate the Swiss way of thinking. Even if it seems to take way too long. There is a need for maintaining infrastructure in our private lives as well. Individuals have different approaches to maintaining good systems in life. Some people work hard, play hard and then break down because there was no plan for maintaining their health – either mental or physical. Others have an overly strict daily routine that keeps them healthy, but with little time to enjoy the rest of life. Most of us are somewhere in the middle. There is also work to do for our inner life. Some days we need to hang out a sign that says, “Temporarily closed for spiritual maintenance.” That’s a time when we stop other things and just spend some time with God. We read his Word and meditate on it without rushing to the next thing. We invite the Spirit to point out any areas that need work. Asking God to fill us fresh with passion and zeal for life. We don’t have to be ‘closed’ for long but every so often we need more time than just a quick devotional. We can work it into our schedule, or we can wait until something breaks down. The invitation Jesus gave to his disciples is also extended to us, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”  (Mark 6:31) Don’t wait too long before spending some time on spiritual maintenance!

“If you think you are too small to make a difference, you haven’t spent the night with a mosquito.” I love summertime in Canada, but hate those little mosquitoes. I can’t remember how many nights I have gotten up, turned on a light and searched for that single mosquito that was making my sleep miserable. Although small,  they are powerful and have the ability to make people move. It’s a simple principle but an important one we shouldn’t forget. We aren’t too small to make a difference in the world around us. Small acts of kindness and support can make a big difference. Likewise, small acts of cruelty and harsh words of discouragement can easily put people down. Our actions matter and affect other people whether we always think about it or not. We shouldn’t discount our ability to encourage or discourage others with our words and deeds. Perhaps many of us would like to be remembered for making a big difference in the world. We look for the right opportunity and the right position from which we can do big things in order to impress people and God. Let’s not forget that while we are looking for those ‘big’ opportunities in life we have hundreds of ‘small’ opportunities to impact and change the lives of other people, especially the people we care about. You can make a difference in this world. You have the chance each and every day when you interact with people around you. Make the most of it.  “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

At some point in our lives, we all come to know a sense of lack. Some people grew up in homes where there was never enough food or money to go around. The sense of lack was significant. For others there was a lack of love or acceptance – no one ever seemed to care for them. As we grow older, we might sense a lack in our skills, abilities or opportunities to accomplish the dreams that we had. There are few people who have not experienced a sense of lack in either their personal or professional life. That sense that ‘something we need’ is missing. As Christians, we can also have a sense of lack from time to time. I speak with many people who want to be ‘good’ Christians but just don’t feel like they can do it. They suffer from a sense of lack; a feeling that they haven’t got all they need to live out their calling. They feel like they don’t have the right understanding or insight, they don’t have the right environment, or they can’t seem to overcome sin. Living out our Christian faith is challenging, and I do know how a sense of lack can handicap us. But Peter tells us that we don’t really lack anything. My favorite Bible verse is 2 Peter 1:3: “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.”(NTL) Peter clearly says that God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We tend to think that we are missing something. We tend to hope that someday we can find that missing ingredient and finally live a godly life. However, we don’t have to wait; we have everything we need now. This is an amazing revelation. When we come into a relationship with Jesus, we receive everything we need to be his followers. Nothing is lacking. However, we are usually unaware of all the riches that we have received. What have we received? Here’s a short list: grace, love, joy, the Holy Spirit, forgiveness of sin, acceptance, hope, spiritual gifts, relationship with the Father, the fellowship of other believers, insight into the Scriptures, and the power of prayer. We have all these things and more, but we can easily forget. Rather than living with a sense of lack, we need to list the blessings and benefits of our relationship with Jesus. We need to do a full inventory of what Jesus has given us. Take some time to meditate on that verse, the sense of lack will disappear.

About 20 years ago, we had one of our most memorable holidays with our kids.  As we headed to the family cottage, we decide to stop for one night at a hotel that had a water park.  Our girls would be able to swim and play for hours. Our son was just six months old, and we were loaded down with every piece of baby paraphernalia ever invented (stroller, playpen, etc). I decided that we only needed one overnight bag to take into the hotel. That way I wouldn’t have to unpack the whole van. It was a great idea and worked well until the next morning when I went out to the van. It wasn’t where I had parked it. I walked around the hotel parking lot three times before being willing to entertain the idea that it had been stolen. And it had been stolen. Not only the van but everything in it. Everything we needed for a three-week holiday, toys, a camera and video camera, my briefcase, favorite blankets and stuffed animals. This was not the best way to start a holiday. The insurance company was helpful and after the police report, I was able to rent a new van. In the afternoon we loaded up the van with the four kids, one overnight bag with wet bathing suits and headed to my parents. After a few days, the insurance company authorized us to begin replacing what had been stolen.  It turned out to be a summer of shopping for new clothes, baby supplies and a video camera. The kids loved it; it was like Christmas every other day. The empty van was found a couple of weeks later. This all happened on the same vacation when three of the four kids got chicken pox and I sliced open a finger requiring a hospital visit and several stitches. We were glad when we finally got back home. The kids, of course, remember things differently. They loved that summer. They got to travel in a cool new van. They got tons of new clothes and toys. They were just glad to be with us. For Rhonda and me, as stressful as it was, we made a key decision early on. Standing in the hotel room with the sudden realization that the van and all our stuff was gone a verse came to my mind: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21 We told ourselves that it was “only stuff’. Our four children (our treasures) were safe and sound and none of us were in danger. The really important things in life were right in the room with us; the rest (the stuff) was just wood, hay and stubble meant for the fire. That moment of clarity, of finding perspective, has stayed with us. Our life has not been about the abundance of things we can accumulate or hold on to. We have moved internationally a couple of times and have left many things behind. We know that it can all be gone quickly. We know that together we were raising four children for eternity. The focus had to be on them and not all the stuff we thought we needed for living. Enjoy these quieter and longer days of summer. I hope you make some wonderful memories, but don’t forget to treasure the things that are truly important.