Excuses! Excuses!

I was thinking about how we often make excuses for why we can't do something or why we decided we don't want to do this or that anymore. Why is that we can't say a plain 'yes' or 'no'? Or say 'Yes' or 'No' and then go into a long detailed answer? What about you? Do you make a commitment to do something and then make an excuse at the last minute to get out of it? (I am not talking about valid excuses like I am sick & in the hospital, broke my leg, etc. but the lame or not so truthful excuses).

In both the Old Testament and the New Testament we read about keeping an oath. In Num 30:2, it says, "When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said." And then in Matthew 5:34-37, we read, "34But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; 35or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one."

These specific scriptures are talking about keeping an oath. An oath, according to Merriam-Webster, is "to witness that one sincerely intends to do what one says". We should not swear to do this or that. If we do swear to do something, then Matthew is saying that we sin. When I think on this, I think about how if I say that I am going to do something and then I don't do it, then I am really lying to myself and to God about the real truth behind that statement. For example, I say to my friend that I will go to a concert with her when in reality, I don't want to go. I am not telling her the truth....I really don't want to go. Do I need to give her a reason? Not necessarily. Matthew is saying, rather than make an oath about something (swear that we WILL be there), we should simply say, "Yes" or "No". Many times in my life, I have made excuses for why I didn't want to go do this thing or that thing. When I read these scriptures and thought about all the 'excuses' that I have given for doing or not doing something, I realized that I was not being truthful about my real intentions. However, I have found that once I do what I promised, I usually receive a blessing from that event or person that I was with. Think about your answers to people..be truthful and give them a yes or no. Once you do make a commitment to them, do it. You will find that you will be blessed in keeping your commitment and may even be blessed by the event you decided to attend!

"Life is short..."

"Life is short - stay awake for it"...the saying from Caribou, my favorite coffee establishment, comes to mind as I am reflecting on the Memorial service that my husband and I attended this morning of an older gentleman from my church. He was 68 years old and had suffered with Parkinson's Disease the last 17 years of his life. He was a man of faith and even while being in the nursing home these past few years, he was joyful and at peace. He loved to laugh, tease and joke around with people. He always made me laugh years ago when I was working at our church as the youth director.



Three things came to mind as I pondered this morning's event:

1) This 'older' man is the same age as my dad. This could very well be my dad we are mourning and I should enjoy the years that he is still on this earth. This is harder to do when you live about 5 hours apart and see each other a couple times a year and when your personalities are similar, it becomes a challenge to have a conversation without arguing about really stupid stuff. I need to be more intentional about having positive conversations when we are around each other. We need to enjoy the time we have left with those we love.

2) As I age, I need to be thankful and content with what I do have and enjoy life. I am always on the go and task oriented about all the things that I need to get done that I don't take time to stop and laugh. I had read in my Bible study this week (by Beth Moore) about taking 'Sabbath Moments'. The concept was not necessarily to rest on Sundays (which is needed as well) but to take moments in time to rest, enjoy, and relax. A couple weeks ago, my family went sledding with some friends. Even though I didn't sled (been injured too many times with a bad back), I enjoyed being the photographer and laughing over the spills and wipeouts and rejoicing when the kids had a LONG sled run. It was a good time to be thankful for my friends and family and enjoying life.

3) Mortality sneaks up on us and we never know when it is our time to leave this earth. The question I have is; are you ready? Do you know without a shadow of doubt where you will be when you die? If you are unsure and don't have peace like this older gentleman did, even in the midst of a debilitating disease, check out www.needhim.org or call them at 888-NeedHim. They will show you how you can peace and ever-lasting life through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

"Life is short...stay awake for it" and enjoy the days you have left...you never know when it is your time.

Are you 100% sure?

Last week, my kids had friends visiting from Chicago. They were kids who all worked at Village Creek Bible Camp in Lansing, Iowa, with them. I had a conversation with one of the guys that made me think about something a friend had said to me years ago (back when I was working at camp...back in 'ought 85...man, am I old!). My friend Janet and I were talking about the guy that I was dating at the time (not Dave) and whether I thought he was 'the one'. I told her that we had dated for the past two years and talked about marriage but I wasn't totally sure. She asked me, "Are you 100% sure that this the person you want to spend the rest of your life with?" Wow, what a question! I looked at her and said, "Hmm...I am only 98% sure". To which she replied, "I am sorry to say, Cindy, he is not the guy". I am so glad I listened to her advice since I married Dave instead and have been 'happily married' for the past 22 years! It makes me think...how can we be totally sure about our mate choice? To all my single friends, I don't want to say the pat answer: you just know. I remember being in that position (many years ago!) and thinking, but how do you know? I don't get it! Here are my thoughts: have your prayed about your relationship with this person? do you think about this person all the time? are you willing to overlook his/her faults? do you feel like you are incomplete when this person is not around? do you see yourself with this person many years from now? are you 100% sure? If you can say 'yes' to all these questions, then the guy or gal you are dating is the ONE!