Since retiring in June of 2013 I have had an endless summer-no routine, no deadlines,no "work" ! My family worried I would be bored and have nothing to do. Boredom has never been a problem in my lifestyle and my project and to do list seems endless. What I have missed is the sense of routine. What I have missed even more is the challenge of doing the hard things! Some how "taking life easy" is not at all fulfilling! It also doesn't keep me where I want to be!
I had already been thinking of this because of the time of year. Making plans to create goals for the year ,a game plan to achieve those and enlisting an accountability partner to help me stick to the plan. I have learned through experience that it truly is insanity to continue doing the same thing and expect a different outcome! I have also learned that if you aim at nothing you will hit it! That the way to accomplish more is to if you think it ink it! Also for me to win at the weight battle I must follow the slogan "if you bite it WRITE IT!" Corny but true! These things became famous sayings because they have merit!
All that to say that I have mentally been preparing for Back to School i.e. Back to Self Discipline and routine for a couple of weeks now. Last Sunday's sermon put all this into a very clear perspective for me! My take away for the day was different from the intended theme and it came from a very brief glimpse of a video shown. The theme for the day was the tremendous love God has for us shown by His only son dying on the cross. A gift I am very thankful for and am always overwhelmed by.
To illustrate we watched a video representation of the crucifixion ! One scene showed Christ thrown down at the cross He was expected to carry up Golgotha where He would meet His agonizing death ! He was already beaten bloody. What I saw was how He wrapped His arm around the Cross leaned into it and embraced it - to me it looked like He kissed it! What I remembered were these words of scripture "endured the cross for the joy set before Him". That full scripture is found in Hebrew 12:2
" Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith,who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. "
Another translation The Message says that same verse this way
" Keep your eyes on Jesus ,who both began and finished this race we're in,study how He did it! Because He never lost sight of where He was headed- that exhilarating finish in and withGod- He could put up with anything along the way :cross, shame,whatever and now He's there in the place of honor. When you find yourself flagging in the faith go over the story again item by item. That long hard hostility He plowed through. That will shoot adrenalin into your souls!"
Another thought that came to me was a conversation one Easter with one of my sons. He was at that hard age when society expects you to pick a career and get education that might serve you the rest of your life. He expressed that yes the cross was painful and humiliating but he also thought for Jesus it .was the best moments of His life because He was finally getting to do what He had come to do! Think about it.
So here's what I have recently learned that I thought someone else might need too ---We need the hard things in our lives! We need challenge and routine and just plain doing what we don't want to do! It may be exercise or dieting or making up the bed or keeping the dishes or the car washed. It maybe difficult relationship things! Whatever our "cross" is , to be Christ like we need to embrace it!
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