Tori Gay

I remember when I experienced my very first pedicure...Ahhh, it was wonderful!  As I sat in the massaging chair, my feet being soothed by the bubbling water, I think I could have been in La-La Land in a matter of minutes.  I have to admit, though, I was a little anxious about getting one.  I had heard horror stories from others, and I didn't want to limp away with one of my own.  After those wonderful moments of soaking and relaxing, the lady started in on the hard part.  While she was working her magic, I noticed how she seemed to enjoy what she was doing.  I don't know if she actually was, or if she even felt like doing it, but the impression she gave made me feel a lot better.  I was certainly very appreciative of her performing the act! 

Isn't that such a picture of Christian service?  As we carry out whatever service we do for the Lord, we should do it cheerfully!  I'm pretty sure that, if the lady's face had been painted with a glare the whole time, I wouldn't have felt very comfortable!  As it was, she appeared to be perfectly happy with her work.  I wondered how many times a day she did pedicures.  Did she ever get tired of it?  Or had she become used to the deed and enjoyed seeing how good it made others feel?  Whenever we perform a Christian service, what kind of face are we making?  Do we wear a serene smile that says “I'm glad to be helping you in the name of Jesus”?  Or do we crinkle our nose to show our distaste for the task?  Sometimes, if we do the same thing over and over, we get tired of doing it or start thinking that it's a waste of our time.  Don't let the devil feed you a lie like that!  Just look at it like you're getting really proficient at something, and when the task is more mechanical, you can focus on the human aspect of the service!  (I know that doesn't apply to every Christian act, but it does to some.)
 
As I thought about her facial expressions, I pondered her inside appearance.  Did she really feel like being there that day?  Had she shown up for work grumbling and complaining?  Or had she driven to work hoping to have many satisfied customers?  In other words, was her internal motivation sincere?  That brings up some pretty important questions when referring to our Kingdom work.  1Timothy 1:5 says this:  “Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:”  Is our figurative – or literal – foot-washing born out of a pure desire to show God's love?  If we have a “good conscience”, we know that we are showing charity because the Lord has instilled in our hearts the desire to do so, and we're not just trying to look good.  Our “faith unfeigned” is a testimony that we believe God can take our simple acts of kindness and bless others greatly.    
 
Something that might ease the grumbling and complaining is knowing the effects your actions are having.  If you ever find yourself not wanting to 'wash feet', think of the smile that deed will bring to their face!  Remember times past where you've felt an overwhelming sense of joy at how the Lord used you to make someone's life better in some way.  Of course, there are different levels of Christian service.  For those blessed with the gift of giving, they might help people pay off their house (that's a true story).  For someone who has less to give monetarily, but is blessed with the gift of exhortation, their service might be as 'simple' as speaking an encouraging word.  Not only should we gain fulfillment from helping our fellow man, but just think how it makes God feel!  He can say to the angels, “Look what my child just did in my name!”  It gives Him something to brag about :)  In Matthew 10:42, Jesus said, “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”  That gives me the impression the Lord placed a lot of importance on Christian service!
 
When we find opportunities to share Jesus through an act of kindness, let's not destroy the deed by scowling the whole time!  Sometimes, we're physically tired, and it's hard to do things for ourselves, much less for others.  Just remember, though, that time is not wasted.  Not only might we be giving someone a much-needed blessing, but God is pleased when we do for others.  Just knowing that we're putting a smile on His face should bring a smile to ours :)  
 

This is a writing from about 4 years ago.  Since I have just recently completed the 2-year process of moving to TN (lol), it just seemed natural to share this :)

The year 2005 was a pivotal point in my life.  It all began with an inconsiderate neighbor in my  anonymous Hattiesburg apartment complex.  His stereo speakers were right next to my living room wall – you know how thin they are -  which was a half a stone's throw from the bedroom wall that my head was next to.  The things must have been the size of refrigerators, because, let me tell you, they could put out the volume. And he must have been a night person, because that's when the noise would begin.  I remember one particular night that I actually went over to ask him to turn it down.  He apologized and said he would.  Well, it didn't last long.  Shortly thereafter, the blaring began again.  I was so mad!!  I got my broom and started to beat on the wall.  I hit it so hard that I left indentations.  FINALLY, he turned it off, and I was able to catch a little shut-eye before time to go to work. 

After that night, I prayed harder than ever for an escape from that apartment.  I'd been praying for a while, but that episode left me in tears, and I just couldn't take it any more!  So, I began the frustrating endeavor of finding a new place to live.  I was hoping to stay in Hattiesburg, close to work and Wal-Mart, just in the less citified parts.  I looked and looked, but I couldn't find anything that I was comfortable with.  After a short period of searching, I finally stumbled on an ad that sounded good, but it was in Purvis, about 15 miles from work.  I had a couple of friends there, but I had never thought to myself, “Hey, I think I want to live in Purvis!”  But, out of curious desperation, my mother and I hopped into her green Oldsmobile and went to see it.  The moment the landlady, Mrs. Johnson, opened the door, I fell in like with the place.  The moment she led us to the master bedroom with the garden tub, I fell in love!  Seriously, that tub sealed the deal :)
 
I roped some of my 'privileged' friends into helping me move one heat-infused day in July...the 20^th, I think.  After two weeks of getting things somewhat unpacked, it was time to start looking for a church.  The friends that I had in Purvis had recently started going to Okahola Baptist Church, and they told me I ought to visit.  On Sunday, August 14, 2005, I made my first trip to Okahola, and I haven't left since!  The last five years have been such a time of spiritual growth for me.  I was able to get involved – something I hadn't been able to do since I was in high school – and spend time with some great Christians.       
 
As I look back, I can so clearly see how God was orchestrating things.  I didn't at the time, though.  All I could see was the moment I was in:  a moment of desperation to flee from that apartment!  But, if it hadn't been for that one over-the-top incident, I wouldn't have started looking for another abode.  If I hadn't begun the search when I did, I probably would have missed out on a great place to live.  If the Lord hadn't directed me to Purvis, I never would've started going to Okahola.  And that would have meant a longer wait for my spiritual growth spurt and missing out on knowing some wonderful people. 
 
So, whenever you find yourself wondering why God has allowed something – whether it's an unthoughtful neighbor or something else – just remember that He knows exactly how He's going to fix things!  Sometimes, it's inconveniences, and sometimes, it's catastrophes, but the Lord uses all types of situations to get us to the good things He has waiting!
 

When it comes to movies, I'm a late bloomer.  I hardly ever go to the theater, and I only rent them once in a blue moon, so I don't see a lot of new ones when they're actually new.  In the past, I've had friends who were “spoilers”.  I'm sure you know one or two – they want to talk about a movie, especially the ending, and spoil it for you!  I remember one occasion with a spoiler friend (it escapes me who) when they were doggedly trying to tell me about a movie (it escapes me which) I hadn't seen that I really wanted to.  Now, if I'm going to spend two hours or so watching a movie, I don't want to know any pertinent details...especially the ending!  But this faceless friend was being obstinate and wouldn't shut up about it.  So, in order to salvage my future movie-watching experience, I covered my ears and yelled, “La-la-la-la-la-laaaa, I can't hear you!!” 
Don't laugh, you know you've done it before :)  The simple fact is that we don't want to hear what we don't want to hear, and we'll do what we can to avoid hearing it.  The not-so-funny part of this anecdote is that we sometimes do the same thing when God's trying to tell us something we don't want to listen to.  Surprisingly, or maybe not, what He tells us is usually similar to a movie.  There's a situation that we want to see about, and it has a plot and an outcome.  We don't know the details, but we know we want to see how it all plays out.  Especially when our little movie won't be so great, the Lord tries to impart His knowledge of the certain circumstance and its ending.  But because our flesh desires this thing, we hang on to our determination to see it transpire.  That's when we cover our ears and yell, “La-la-la-la-la-laaaa, I can't hear you!!”
 
I suppose we could take comfort in two things:  1) God's not surprised by our bullheadedness, and 2) It's been happening since the beginning of creation.  Of course, we shouldn't use either of these as excuses not to listen to God.  On the contrary, we should look at the historical ignoring of God's words and realize how much it behooves us to listen to Him.  We only get three chapters into the Bible when we see the effect of Adam and Eve's refusal to listen to God's instructions.  That moment just set the ball rolling.  Book after book, chapter after chapter, we read of people covering their ears when the Lord's trying to tell them something.  Not only do we find out that they didn't listen, we find out what happened when they didn't...you'd think we'd learn to heed His instructions by seeing what others went through when they didn't.     
 
I find it a little surprising that  the “la-la-la-la-la-laaaa”ing didn't end in the Old Testament.  When Jesus came down, the people who were ignoring Him actually got to see Him and the miracles He performed.  They had gone from la-la-la-la-la-laaaa-ing  by faith to  la-la-la-la-la-laaaa-ing by sight!  Wow.  I do believe that, if Jesus were to be standing in front of me, telling me ANYTHING, I'd believe it!!  Wouldn't you?
 
Over the years, and often in the most difficult ways, I've learned to stop covering my ears and hearken unto the voice of the Lord.  For me, the hardest part of doing what He says is that it requires selflessness.  Whatever the Lord commands requires a sacrifice of self and self's desires, and that can be perplexing to the Adamic nature.  But because I've learned that heeding His voice has a much better outcome than ignoring it, I just pray for help to listen to and act on what He says.
 
So just remember, whatever the Lord tells you is always in your best interest.  And sometimes, ignoring what He's trying to tell you can impact your life in ways you could never imagine.  Keeping this in mind, resist the urge to cover your ears and yell, “La-la-la-la-la-laaaa, I can't hear you!!”

When I was in school, like most  kids, we were always finding odd ways to amuse ourselves.  One of the things I remember was the arm-push thing.  We would push our arm up as hard as we could while somebody else pushed down on it as hard as they could.  After holding that position for about a minute or two, the other person would move their hands, and our arm would feel weightless.  It was a pretty cool feeling.  (I told you it was odd ☺) 
If you think about it, we often push against God's hands.  A lot of times, we don't agree with what He's got planned, so we rebel.  Sometimes, we're scared, so we push His intentions away.  And sometimes, our faith is too weak to handle what God wants us to do, so we push against Him.   
 
It would make more sense for our lives if we stopped pushing against the Lord.  We can't change His plans, anyway.  All that exertion we're using trying to push against His will for us could be used carrying out His will for us.  We'd be happier, and we'd be contributing to the Kingdom.  But it can be so hard to give up that struggle easily.  There's so much we want to experience that is *of* this world, and that alone is a push against God's hands. 
 
2 Kings 18:20 says, “You say you have the counsel and the might for war—but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel against me?”  Isn't that funny?  Just like the ones He was addressing, we think we've got everything we need to go to “war” against God...who do we think gives us our strength?  And you know He's not going to empower us to fight *Him*!  He gives us the free will, yes, but not the strength.
 
Pushing against God's hand is showing our disobedience, and we know that nothing good ever immediately follows disobedience where God's concerned.  The Bible is full of examples, but the first that comes to my mind is Jonah.  All Jonah had to do was go preach.  (OK, maybe it was a bit more involved than that, but still...)  Instead, He started pushing his puny little arm against God's hands.  Unfortunately, when someone starts up an arm-pushing game with God, He usually doesn't move His hands to give us a weightless feeling.  First of all, old Jonah got thrown overboard in the midst of a violent storm.  Then, he spent three days and three nights in the stomach of a fish (altogether now,  “Gross!!!”)  After that, he got upset with God's compassion on Nineveh and said he wanted to die.  Add to that God sending a plant to shield Jonah from the sun but then sending a worm to eat the plant so that Jonah almost died from a heat stroke!  That tells me that I should avoid arm-pushing matches with the Lord, because He's gonna win!  And by the way, that's one reason He puts these stories in the Bible :) 
 
The big picture here is that pushing against God's plan for our lives puts us under some very unnecessary weight.  Because God is sovereign in our lives (El Elyon), He is in control.  To just trust that completely gives us the freedom to be obedient!  Knowing that He's in charge of mapping out our lives takes that burden off of our shoulders.  So, just like the arm-push thing from school, the only way to get that “weightless” feeling from pushing against God's arm is to STOP PUSHING!

When I was in kindergarten, I had a friend named Jeremy.  It seems like every day would find us playing together at recess.  We had those little bouncy horses – they were mounted onto a giant spring – and we would stay on those things for pretty much the whole time.  That is the only memory I have of him...I don't think we were even in the same class.  After kindergarten, I don't remember ever seeing Jeremy again until the latter days of high school.  I went to church with a friend, and, lo and behold, there was Jeremy!  I think I figured out that he was kin to a lot of people in that church, just like I was.  It was the weirdest thing, though.  At the risk of looking stupid, I asked him if he remembered me, and it seems like he said yes.  That's been eons ago, and I haven't seen him since, but I do think about him sometimes. 
Sadly enough, this is sometimes the story of our Christian life.  When we first meet Jesus, we start spending a lot of time with Him and become close friends.  We see Him almost every day, and He becomes a constant presence in our lives.  But, as we grow older, we don't have as much time on the playground as we did as baby Christians, so much of our focus is on the 'work' of life.  Unfortunately, we've been so accustomed to seeing Jesus on the bouncy horse that we forget He can go anywhere we go!  Instead of taking Him to school and work and every other place, we leave Him sitting on that horse.  The funny thing is, we have more of a *need* for Him in places other than the playground!
 
At certain points, He crosses our mind and we wonder what He's up to.  We never went back to recess, and we never asked Him to move through the rest of life with us.  So, we take a trip back to that play area and find him sitting on the same horse, just waiting to see if we'll come back to Him.  After a little catching up, we look at our watch and realize we've run out of time for visiting – there's too much work to be done!  So, we bid our adieus and leave, leaving Jesus on the playground.     
 
Can you imagine if the roles were reversed?  What if Jesus were the one to walk off the playground and leave us sitting on the horse, waiting for Him to come back?  I can't even comprehend that!  Once we become friends during “play” time, Jesus wants us to grab His hand and drag Him with us everywhere we go!  Not only do we need Him with us to help us live our lives, others need to see that we are inseparable!  The best way to let others know how good a friend someone is is for them to know that “where he/she is, Jesus is there, too”. 
 
So, if you have quarantined Jesus to the illustrative playground, make a trip there pretty soon to see Him...but don't leave Him there!  He's there to be our friend, but He's also there to be our teacher, counselor, protector, and everything else that life requires. 
 

When I was young – many, many moons ago – I did like most young people and became a “Back-Row Baptist”.  Our church was a little different, though.  There were only a few of us Youth, and we didn't sit together, so we didn't spend our services talking and passing notes.  Instead, I would always kick back in the far right corner and daydream...usually about the car I wanted or the boy I was interested in :)  But, I have to say, there were a few times that I actually dozed off.  I hated the idea of sleeping in church, though, because I completely missed everything that was said.  At least when I was daydreaming, my ears would still pick up some points.  (That was yeeeaaarrrs ago, and no, I don't sleep in church anymore!) 
Reading through Acts 20 one night, verses 7-12, reminded me of those times.  You see, Paul was preaching in Troas.  Since he was leaving the next day, he knew he had to make the most of his time, so he kept preaching until midnight.  Well, I guess a certain young man named Eutychus didn't get his nap that day, because he fell asleep.  That wouldn't have been so bad if he hadn't been sitting in a window.  As it was, his trip to dreamland caused him to fall out of the window and to his demise.  Paul – the very one whose words had lulled Eutychus to sleep – was the one who rushed down and brought him back to life!  How's that for irony?     
 
So I admit it, I laughed at the picture of this in my mind.  No, it wasn't funny that Eutychus died, but I could just see the scene unfolding.  But then, I couldn't help but relate it to my days of pew-dozing.  What pearls of wisdom for my Christian life did my brain not get to process because of my Sunday siestas?  The preacher whose voice sang me to sleep – it's nothing personal! – was the same voice that was imparting words that I needed to hear for the sake of my Christian growth.
 
If we look at these verses on a bigger scale, it becomes more universal.  Like Eutychus, a lot of people start out with open ears in life's church service.  They have every intention of staying for the entire service and to not miss a thing.  But then it starts to happen...First of all, the window is the most dangerous seat, in more than one way.  It's an open window to the world, no pun intended :)  There's no wall to shield them from the warm sun and gentle breezes of the world outside of the church service.  All they have to do is turn their head, and the activities of the external environment can grab their attention.  Before they know it, the warm sun and soothing breeze have taken their toll, and  the person can barely stifle the yawns that keep creeping up.  Pretty soon, their eyelids grow heavy, and the preacher's voice seems to float farther and farther away.  Finally, unable to prolong the fight, they succumb to the Sandman's beckoning. 
 
Thus begins the second phase of “Why the Window Seat is the Most Dangerous Place to be in a Church Service”.  As they get good and settled in the Land of Nod, their body enters 'sleep' mode.  As soon as it's time to roll over, guess where they roll...You've got it, straight to the hard ground below.  At this point, sleeping in church doesn't look so bad.  Going from dozing in the safety of the service to death in the world is a mighty big change.  Fortunately, it's not irreversible!  Someone in that church service saw them fall, and you know how quickly bad news travels!  Granted, there will be people who will do nothing but say, “What a shame!”, but *somebody* is going to run down, throw themselves on that motionless body, and begin speaking life into it!  Many times, it is the preacher who has the power to restore that spirit.  The one who preached for hours, full of the Lord's Word, but was unable to keep that person from falling out of the church's window, is the one who can venture down to where they fell and call them back to life!
 
I've never toppled from a window, nor do have the desire to do so.  However, I have found myself hanging on to the {metaphorical} windowsill and looking fearfully at the ground below!  Thank God that there were people to come and haul me back into the church!  Once I was back in, I decided to take a seat as far away from the window as possible!  That's the best insurance against falling out of one :)  So, if you've got a window seat in life's church right now, how about moving to a safer seat?

I'm pretty sure that, if I asked for a show of hands (assuming I could see them!), as to how many people tried to run away when they were a kid, there would be quite a few. I remember my experience very well. I was fed up with the “abuse” I suffered in my kiddie mind and was determined to escape. My step-grandfather, Daddy Boy, told me that I could move into the back of his truck. He was going to put the livestock cage on it and cover it with a tarp. If I got cold, I could build a fire, and since it would be in his and my grandmother's yard, I could come in any time I wanted. Given a new-found hope with this plan, I went home and started packing. Even as a child, I was a pack-rat, because I was trying to take *everything* with me! I remember produce bags full of old beads that I would be using to furnish my new home. Of course, it never happened, but at the time, Daddy Boy was offering something far better than what I thought I had.

The sad thing is, there are so many Christians out there who feel like that child who just has to run away from home in order to find a better life. They don't stop to think about all of the great things they've got in God's house. There's provision, peace, and safety, just to name a few. But, sometimes, God or His rules may upset them, and they don't want to be under His roof anymore. So, they run somewhere else, complaining about their poor state with their Father. There will always be somebody or something to offer them an out from their *horrible* home life. So, they go back and start packing. Most of the time, anyway. I'm sure there are times when they don't even bother to go back, they just head straight to their new place.

Psalm 23:6 says, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.” That tells me that if we stay at home where we belong, life will be better! It will also be a lot safer. If we're dwelling in the Lord's house and have His mercy following us, we're shielded from a lot of what goes on in the outside world. And anything that does set out to harm us is turned around, because God takes what is meant for harm against His children and turns it into good! {Most} earthly parents who still have children at home do whatever they can to protect them and give them a loving home environment. If they're still under 18, the parents probably aren't making them pay bills or deal with any of the other household headaches. The child just trusts its parents to take care of things. Sure, the parents give them chores to do that help maintain the upkeep of the household, but its never anything overwhelming. If the Lord intended for mortal households to be like this, don't you think His is set up pretty much the same way? As long as we're living in His house, He takes care of things...if we let Him! He does, indeed, give us chores to do within His house, but it's nothing *stressful*. We bring the stress on ourselves when we start trying to run the household instead of just living in it!

I think the hardest part of living in God's house is following His rules. We've all heard it - “As long as you're under my roof, you'll follow my rules!” Well, God's no different. Our Heavenly Father has rules that govern His household, and some people just don't take that very well. So, they begin to feel “abused”, and start looking for some other place to live. Usually, the alternative is much worse than their Father's house. I don't know about you, but I've never heard a story where the runaway ended up better off after they left home. They leave the stability and, hopefully, love of a home and end up on the streets somewhere. That usually leads to a life of crime and other horrible things just to survive. All because they didn't want to abide by their parents' rules. (I do realize that the reasons for running away vary, and sometimes there is real abuse involved.)

So, the next time you feel like running away from God and getting out from under His roof, take a minute to consider the consequences. Leaving the protection of His abode puts you at risk for all sorts of things in life...and a very horrible thing after this life. Most of the time, children who want to run away from home are just dissatisfied with the rules their parents have imposed, and deep down, they know things really aren't that bad, and their parents love them. It's the same situation with us as God's children. Don't leave the safety and love of God's household for the violence and hate of the world!

OK, so who all remembers playing “Spin the Bottle” when you were a teenager?  There was only one time that I remember playing...Guess I must've managed to escape the other times :)  Anyway, this particular memory finds us sitting on the floor in a friend's basement, and as I looked around, there wasn't anybody that I hoped the bottle would land on!  lol  In this game of chance, I didn't want to take any of the chances!

As that scene crossed my mind again, I thought how the world seems to be playing one giant game of “Spin the Bottle”.  They're all sitting on the floor in that circle, looking at what surrounds them and coming to conclusions of what they hope the bottle lands on!  They stare into the faces of things like Fame, Fortune, Pleasure, and other worldly things that they think will make their life better or complete.  This situation poses several problems. 

The first is that you can't judge how good something is for you by looking at it.  In that circle of people, the most good-looking person could be the most devastating to your life.  Fame, Fortune, and Pleasure are all attractive to us, and that's for sure.  As we get to know each of those worldly enticements a little better, we see what happens to a person after the bottle lands on one of them.  Fame can turn people into paranoid hermits (sometimes legitimately so).  After a few bad encounters, they figure out that they can't even go to Wal-Mart for themselves, because “everybody” and their brother wants to talk to them (or stalk them!).  Fortune makes for a lonely companion, because people get to the point where they can't distinguish their real friends from those who are just out for a free ride.  Pleasure...Well, when the bottle lands on pleasure, people get selfish.  Everything they do is to “please” themselves.  Not to mention how they tend to lose some of their moral fiber  

Another problem is that making decisions based on a blindly-aimed figurative bottle creates unnecessary chaos.  Instead of taking “purposeful”, “God-directed” steps that lead to an expected end, spinning that bottle puts us on trails to things that have no place in our lives, which interrupts the peace that the Lord intends for us.  God has a divine “plan” for our lives – full of order and preparations.  I like how the New Living Translation puts Isaiah 25:1:  “O LORD, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God.  You do such wonderful things!  You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them.”   There's no strategy for your life when you're spinning the bottle.  But, for one who is searching for happiness in “something”, the possibility of what the bottle “could” land on is where they find their hope...Sad, isn't it?

If we, as Christians, are still playing the game, we're casting a negative shadow on our faith, which is a big problem.  In Luke 9:20, Jesus asks Peter who Peter thinks He his, and Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”  When people look at how we live our lives, don't we want them to get the unmistakable message that Jesus is the “Christ of God”?  If we're playing games of chance with the ways of the world, that doesn't exactly send out the portrayal of a Believer.  (And let's not forget that the biblical meaning of “believer” is someone who “commits” or “cleaves” to something, not merely acknowledges its existence.)  So, we've succeeded in complicating our own day-to-day situations, as well as saying to others that it's OK.  And for those who aren't saved, they “definitely” don't need the go-ahead to wander “farther” into the world!          

The one thing “Spin the Bottle” players need is for the bottle to land on is Jesus, but He doesn't play this game!  You'll never find Him in a circle competing with the world.  He gives us the opportunity to freely seek Him out, and when we do, He's there waiting for us.  As we play “Spin the Bottle”, the Lord just looks on with sadness in His eyes.  In Revelation 3:20, Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”  If we let Jesus in, He'll send the world's “faces” away, and He'll be the only one we see, thereby eliminating the whole game of “Spin the Bottle”!

From 2005 to 2011, one of the times I looked forward to the most was our Watch Night (New Year's Eve) service at church.  (I’ve moved since then.)  It was just such a wonderful time to spend with my church family!  We ate – and what's a good service without that?  – and then we would have singing and preaching until midnight.  Yes, midnight.  You can't ring in the new year before midnight strikes, you know.  It was just a truly joyful occasion as we would all find ourselves filled with hope for the coming year.  I got to thinking of those who live on the flip-side, though.  The people who don't find any hope or expectation in the year that's about to roll in.  There are those who are stuck in the failures of the year that's closing, and they have no anticipation of upcoming victories...How sad!  God wants us to use the new year to begin a *new year* and not stay so wrapped up in the one that's winding down!
 
Merriam-Webster says that hope is “desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment <came in hopes of seeing you>; also : expectation of fulfillment or success <no hope of a cure> “.  Unfortunately, some people have no expectation or belief that their desires will actually be fulfilled!  Ps. 71:5  - “For you have been my hope, Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth.”  Oh, how many people were full of hope in their youthful days!  Remember that?  When we were young and not as jaded by the world, hope – and happiness – were part of who we were...most of us, anyway.  There was expectancy and promise in the days that were approaching.  One of my favorite examples was the end of school.  Oh, as the school year came to a close, we could barely get through those final days!  Our minds were filled with the prospects of the long-awaited summer vacation!  Even though the actual day hadn’t arrived, we had great expectation and belief that our desire would be fulfilled!


2 Cor. 5:17 – “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”  So, when we're saved, we become new, no longer weighed down by our past.  If the Lord extends that much grace, to give us a clean slate, shouldn't we give ourselves enough grace to at least drop the baggage of the past 365 days?  True statement:  The devil delights in our misery.  And he knows if he can convince us to hang on to every little shortcoming, we are definitely going to be miserable!  So, don't let him get the best of you!  When he keeps reminding you of the defeats of the past year, you remind *him* that you have HOPE!


Another thing to let go of in order to make the new year brighter – the reigns!  That's right, the reigns of our lives.  I know we all have the issue of wanting to control our own life, but we can't forget that these lives of ours really aren't *ours*, but the Lord's, and He's in charge, no matter what.  Once we stop trying to make our own decisions and just work within the ones He makes for us, hope for the future will come so easily!  Those who are stuck in failure are the ones that have tried to orchestrate things.  When we give it all over to Him, we release the reigns of control as well as the worry of the outcome.  By relinquishing authority over our lives, we free ourselves up to live abundantly, and that includes knowing that even the failures are worked together for our good!


I hope when this New Year's Eve rolled around, you found yourself in a house of God somewhere, your heart filled with hope of the year to come!  I think that's one reason that God set up the system of 'years', just to give us a way to sort of start over.  Remember that each year is another opportunity for you to learn and grow as a Christian.  And, as you learn and grow, you can take that knowledge to others, creating a network of impact for the Kingdom!
 

I wouldn't necessarily refer to my self as “outdoorsy”, but I do enjoy being out in nature.  It makes me feel closer to the Lord when I've got a front-row seat to His creation.  Although I haven't been there in a pretty good while, the Longleaf Trace is a delightful place to go.  A paved path through the woods - it's a not-so-rugged outdoorswoman's dream!  The farther you walk, the prettier things seem to get.  But, there are some less-than-pleasant elements to the Trace:  hills just steep enough to make you a bit winded, bugs of every kind, and – ugghhhh!! – snakes (that strip of pavement didn't make them round up the family and move, you know).  Knowing this doesn't deter me, it simply makes me aware that I should be prepared for Longleaf's conditions.  So, I can arm myself with whatever will make my stroll safer, just in case.  Sure, I could choose to never walk down the Trace again, but you know what motivates me to go?  The beauty and peace of being out there on that path! 
    
I think this pretty much describes our Christian walk, don't you?  When we're first saved, we're so filled with joy at knowing where the path leads, and we don't give much thought to the dangers and unpleasantness we might face.  When we hit our first little hill, we find our light-footed ambling becomes more labored.  At this point, we may wonder, “What's this?  I'm a Christian, a child of God.  I'm supposed to be blessed, not met with opposition as I walk!”  Fortunately, there are other Christians who are a little farther along the road, and they can yell back at us, “Just keep walking!  It's not hilly the whole way!”  Once we reach the top of the hill, our breathing returns to normal, and we think, “Well, maybe I've gotten through the tough part.”  The spring returns to our step, and we find ourselves skipping down the trail.  Another little ways, and guess what, we walk into a swarm of flying bugs!  We try to walk through it, but they attack our face, we try to go around, but the whole horde follows us!  Why all this opposition on our journey?  All we want to do is reach our destination!  Finally, determined not to be deterred, we take a deep breath and run straight through, causing the bugs to lose their fighting formation.  Once we're on the other side, we jog a few steps to make sure we're out of their vicinity.  Slowing down, we look around, wondering what's coming next.  We hear voices in the distance, indistinct, but filled with happiness...there must be something good up there!  With a renewed sense of focus, we head for the voices.  Suddenly, we stop in our tracks – the biggest snake we've ever seen is slithering across the ground a few inches away!  It's not merely a snake, it's *the* snake!  Our breathing becomes labored, and we're frozen in our tracks, unable to scream for help.  Suddenly, a fellow traveler appears beside us with a sword (it could happen) and cuts the serpent's head off!  Sobbing with relief, we offer our heartfelt thanks!  After a moment of composing ourselves, we resume our walk.  The voices we heard have now taken the shape of people, and we quicken our pace to get to where they are. 
 
Home is our destination, but the Lord wants us to enjoy the journey!  Even though there are hills, bugs, and snakes, God has filled our travels with beauty, and knowing we're not walking alone brings such peace!  Nowhere in the Bible are we promised a Christian walk without peril, so we shouldn't expect our only encounters to be with birds and butterflies.  Quite the opposite – in Mark 13:13, Jesus said, “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”  I guess that hatred can come in the form of hills and flying insects, both of which can be created by man.  In Luke 10:19, He said, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”  Much of that power lies within the sword that we've been given – the Bible!
 
So, the next time you find an obstacle in your path, just remember that Jesus is rooting for you to reach  the goal!  And when you come across a slimy slithery, pull that sword out and cut its head off!  Don't let anything make you lose sight of your destination!  Regardless of the difficulties, there is no other route you can choose that is filled with such beauty and peace, leading to such a grand and glorious end!