Working Out … My Faith - Janet Sketchley

I’ve finally found a daily personal workout routine that suits me. Friends told me about its benefits, but I didn’t really believe them until I proved it for myself.

Sure, I knew it would be good for me, but it seemed like such an effort. And how long would I manage to stick with it? I’d tried before.

Still, I decided to work at it for six weeks. After that, the experiment would be over, and there’d be no shame in quitting.

The first thing that changed was my attitude. Once I started looking at this as something to anticipate, I stopped procrastinating. It’s not a boring ritual, but a way to renew my energy and purge my stress.

Putting some time into it every day is far more effective than my hit-and-miss efforts in the past. I’m starting to see results.

This time, I’m committed to the process. That means no more filtering the instructions through my own understanding, or treating them as suggestions that I can choose to ignore. If I’m going to give this a real chance, I have to do it right.

And I can’t be critical of others who follow the same regimen. If they look too good to be true, perhaps they’ve been practicing longer – or more faithfully. If they seem weak, maybe they need some encouragement. Ideally, these workouts have a group component to complement the daily personal one.

I’ve found it helpful to have someone to act as coach at times. A friendly observer can point out where my form needs improvement. And an extra set of eyes reading the Manual can keep me from getting off-base in my interpretation.

Plus, there’s the accountability factor. I don’t want to have to admit it when I slack off!

My trial period is over now. I’m more energized and focused, and my whole outlook on life is better. The results convinced me this is a worthwhile activity. I’m still tempted to be lazy, but I don’t give in very often. I want to keep growing stronger.

It amazes me that daily quiet times with the Lord can make this much of a difference. These special times when I savour God’s presence in prayer and in the Bible have become my soul’s anchor in my busy days. My spiritual muscles are getting stronger.

Maybe I should try some push ups ….

© Janet Sketchley, 2004, 2009 (This one's from the archives, but it's a fit for January and the season of New Year's resolutions)
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For devotionals, reviews and conversation, stop by Janet Sketchley's blog, God with Us: Finding Joy.

Addy McCleod - Glynis Belec

Today, as I read another blog, memories flooded back. The blog writer talked about a negative experience she had with a teacher many years ago. She spoke of how the incident affected her life and how we can be influenced by such an experience. I agreed wholeheartedly about the kind of impact a person in a position of authority can have on a child. That influence can be positive or negative and it can have great bearing as he or she grows.

Then I thought about Mrs. Addy McCleod, my sixth grade teacher. Mrs. Mcleod was the first teacher I had when I came to Canada. Everyone said she was firm and mean. I found out that her heart was golden and she had the patience and compassion of a saint.

It was 1967. The boys in my new school were terribly cruel to me for a multitude of reasons. First, I had a funny English/Scottish accent. My mother made me wear the same gray school uniform that I wore to school in Scotland. They called me stale because it seemed as if that was all I had to wear. Many tearful afternoons were filled with questions for my mother.
"Why are the boys so cruel to me? Why do I have to wear this silly uniform? Why did we come to Canada, anyway? "

Soon Mom bought us more clothing and relented about us having to wear our school uniforms each day. But the boys still found reasons to pick on me.

Mrs. McLeod would sometimes catch those mean boys teasing me and she would give them the dickens. I remember many times spent with her in the classroom. She protected me from the nasty verbal blows. She intervened when I was most vulnerable. She encouraged me to be the best I could be and she showed me how to seize learning opportunities. She had not one iota of meanness in her even though she ran a tight ship in her classroom and even the mean boys knew better than to challenge her or misbehave.

As I work with children each day this week, I am going to think about Mrs. McLeod and the profound influence she had in my early years. I will remember how important it is to stick up for the weak, the forgotten, the insecure, the timid, the new kid on the block...

Come to think of it, Addy McLeod showed a lot of Jesus. I am thinking that maybe...just maybe...she opened up a door for me. She has passed the torch. My turn.

Future Tense - Marcia Lee Laycock

2010. It seems like future time. Wasn’t it just yesterday that 1984 was so far away we thought we’d never get there? Then came 2000, a new millennium. And on we go. The years race after one another as though they are competing in the Indy 500. And I can’t keep up. Maybe I’m feeling my age. The big 60 is looming and I just can’t wrap my head around the idea. I’m also conscious of wanting to “do something” with my life, wanting to make my life count with the remaining time I have left. I want to write the best novel I can and see it widely read. I want to speak to as many audiences as I can reach. I want to fulfill what God’s will is for me in the coming year. It makes the future seem a little tense.

But then I read a verse like “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life…” John 3:36, and John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

And I am encouraged. It’s all so simple, really. Just believe. Suddenly the pressure to perform, the pressure to “do something” fades. God has a plan and it’s a good one. He knows what books I’ll write and what He’ll do with them. He knows what audience’s I’ll speak to and how he’ll direct my words to their hearts and minds and accomplish His purposes.

And I know he has a greater future planned for me – eternal life.

Eternal life. I can’t wrap my mind around that concept, either, but I know it’s a promise I can count on, because my God is faithful and merciful beyond knowing.
And I know it’s not going to be a boring life. It’s going to be so full we’ll have to be glorified to contain it. Wow. Now that’s a concept! Glorified, as he was - like Jesus. Able to stand before God almighty. Able to talk with angels. Perhaps able to write words that will flow directly from his heart to mine. The mind boggles.

There are a lot of dark clouds looming in the future, according to almost any forward looking “seer” you might choose to listen to. But the concepts mentioned above blow them all out of the water. There is no need to stress over what to do with our lives when we know He is in control. There is no reason to fear a future in which our bodies will be transformed, able to walk on water and slide through solid walls, as Jesus did. There is no need to shudder at a future where God’s Spirit, His unconditional love, grace and mercy will be poured out on his people in ways that will astonish even the most sceptical. There is no logic in trembling at a future in which God’s own Son will invite us to join him in ruling a new earth and a new heaven.

Sound fantastic? Sound too good to be true? I agree. But I have chosen to listen and believe what God has declared – “For I know the plans I have for you … plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).

2010. Hallelujah, here we come!

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