Habits

It is a cold and rainy Friday afternoon! The wind is blowing and the leaves are falling almost as quickly as the raindrops. So, what is your normal reaction to that kind of day? Put on the old, tattered robe and curl up under a warm blanket? Fix a pot of soup? Pull out a good book? I would answer all of these! As a matter of fact, I love an occasional chilly, wet fall afternoon to have an excuse to hunker down and snuggle up!

When the storms roll in, there is something protective and comforting about returning to old habits. The danger here is that sometimes those old habits are not necessarily healthy habits. Sometimes they are, in fact, downright destructive. Like answering an emotional afternoon by returning to the pantry...seven times. Or cleaning out the freezer, and by cleaning I don't mean scrubbing. Or by extending the warm time under the blanket way past the rainy day.

It is why formulating these new healthy habits are so important. Drinking adequate amounts of water. Tracking our First Place week. Eating a diet full of God's great foods, varied and delicious. We must prepare! The storms will come in a myriad of ways. Let's get ready by ingraining these healthy choices into our lifestyle. So that they become our "old habits" that we return too!

Proverbs 3:5-8 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. "

Praise HIM!

Trust!

See that picture? That is my then 19 year old, sweet little daughter climbing 160 feet up Red Rock just outside Las Vegas, Nevada. She and my husband took a little trip out west last March and spent a day learning this new sport. According to my dear ones, it is quite a difficult yet exciting adventure. Acrophobics need not apply.

They were blessed with a wonderfully skilled and seasoned climber as their instructor. They both donned special climbing shoes, a climbing harness complete with a belay loop, a carabiner(which looks like a keychain to me) and a helmet. After instruction time, they each began their ascent. Molly made two climbs and fell in love with the sport. My husband was satisfied with one attempt.

Now here is the interesting part. When you descend, you must put your hands at your side, and just sort of bounce back down using your feet only. The belayer below holds the rope. Talk about trust. Your life is literally in the skilled hands of the instructor below. Try taking back control of the return to ground , like my husband said he did, and you will find your moving shins introducing themselves to mr. solid rock wall, making life much more difficult. My husband made it down safely, but not without scrapes, bumps, and bruises on those legs of his. I admit, I would have been just like Chuck. Holding onto the rope for dear life. I do not know many who would relish letting go of the the life-line holding you 160 feet above ground. Surrendering both life and limb into the hands of an instructor who you met only hours earlier?

Obedience and trust. Huge issues in rock climbing. They mean the difference between a smooth return to ground and a bumpy ride down. Unharmed shins or bruised ones. Huge issues in Christ following too. Obedience. Deferring to the expert. Following the instructions. Submitting to another's will. And Trust. Placing yourself into the hands of THE skilled Expert.

Praise HIM!

Psalm 9:10 :" Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you."

Tell Him!

Today was a beautiful day! The air was crisp and cool and the sun was shining so brightly. It was the kind of day that you let your car windows down and you just enjoy the breeze.

That is exactly what I was doing this afternoon, when along comes this adorable boy walking with his Dad. He was actually bouncing along, with his end-of-the-day, boyishly sweaty, brown hair and a big toothless smile. You could tell by that bounce in his step he was excited about something. His dad's car was parked next to my own so I overheard some of the conversation. The dad was busy loading up the jeep with the goods from Walmart. His son was holding what appeared to be a special purchase. This fellow looked about 7 years old and apparently had had a good math lesson today. He looked down at his purchase and read, "Dad, this has a one-seven-O on it. Dad, did you know that if you take away the zero you have 17?" He chattered on, "and if you add 3 to the 17 you get 14?" ( I am guessing he meant take away, not add.) Then as he was climbing in the car he said, "and Dad, did you know if you can't get the difference, you re-group?" Then the door to the jeep shut, and the excited youngster's conversation with his dad disappeared.

I keep thinking about that conversation. It was late afternoon. The end of probably a long day at school and work. But there they were. Dad listening quietly. Son voicing every lesson that he learned during the day...and with an almost ecstatic voice. This boy truly wanted his dad to know everything he knew. He wanted his dad to understand that this had been a momentous day, at least as far as math goes. You could tell this little guy just wanted to share, with his dad, the great joy that learning that math had brought him.

It made me sit quietly in that breeze I had been reveling in all day. And I wanted to tell DAD, my heavenly DAD, all about the joy that cool, crisp, sunny day had brought me! Praise Him!

Psalm 105:1,2
"Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts."