Conflict: You Can Count On It

I look forward to dinner with my Goddaughter on Friday nights. People who work routine hours Monday through Friday seem to take special pleasure at the end of their week. Listen closely. You might overhear, “Thank God, it’s Friday.”

Before retirement, even on jobs I enjoyed, I looked forward to Friday!

We have a little routine. First comes dinner with light conversation. More serious discussions come after we eat. She usually says she’s ready for a movie when I make my nightly cup of tea.

Whether it’s on DVD or DVR it’s fun to make comments while the movie plays out. We know there will always be a crisis or conflict of some kind.  

Conflict is part of life, real or otherwise. Writers know a story without conflict is boring. Movie producers know there’s no punch in a happy ending if there’s no conflict to overcome.

Even peaceful persons cannot avoid conflict. Do any of these words ring a bell? Struggle, strife, disagreement, differences, or misunderstanding? OK, so you have experienced conflict!

Conflict is tricky. Sometimes conflict is with another person or group of persons, but sometimes your conflict is with yourself.

Conflict can be overcome, but you must look it in the eye and not flinch. It requires honesty. It may also require humility, and/or some clarification of communication, especially if it’s in texts or emails. Sometimes it’s a matter of releasing expectations and allowing a fresh start.

Conflict resolved brings peace; God is on the side of peace. In fact, in the “Be-Attitudes,” Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God” (Matthew 5:9*). The Amplified Bible explains blessed as being happy and spiritually prosperous.

Psalm 120:7* says, “I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.” Romans 12:18* says, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.”  

I hear the call, do you?  “Peace . . . Party of One!”

*All Scriptures are from the New King James Version, Thomas Nelson, Publishers, Nashville, TN, 1982.

 

How to Improve Your Life This Year

Even without formal resolutions, most people hope their life in the new year will be different. If you could see their thoughts, they might hope for different and better.

We can’t help but notice differences in people. You may have heard descriptions like this, or even said them yourself:  1) They’ve got a good handle on life, or 2) They seem to fly off the handle when faced with a challenge.

Over the years, I chose a few mentors. In sharing their approach to life with me, more than one mentioned reading the Book of Proverbs regularly.

One person I admired said his daily Bible reading always included one chapter of Proverbs, no matter what. I followed his example on and off over the years. With thirty-one chapters, it’s easy to match one chapter a day to your calendar.

Wisdom is available in God’s Word. My husband gifted me with Dr. David Jeremiah’s Study Bible* when it first came out. It is filled with a variety of help, including valuable information in the introduction to each book.

I like his contrast between wisdom and foolishness:

       Wisdom is described as the positive outcome (when) knowledge, discernment, and understanding are combined**

·      Foolishness is the result of ignorance, lack of discernment, and limited insight in favor of one’s personal preference or opinion**

The Book of Proverbs promises a payoff if you desire to be wise. The first seven verses of the opening chapter provide reasons to read it. 

Instruction for prudent behavior is mentioned, along with the acquisition of knowledge and discretion, guidance, and a healthy fear, or respect, for the Lord which is deemed the beginning of knowledge.

I want to be wise. How about you? I'm back on my one chapter of Proverbs a day. Feel free to join me.

*The Jeremiah Study Bible, Dr. David Jeremiah, Worthy Publishing, 2013, available where books are sold.

**Proverbs, Introduction, p. 807, P4. 

And Life Goes On . . .

Happy NEW Year! As I’m resetting my perpetual calendar, my thought is the same every year: It looks like another long year ahead, but by God’s grace here we go!

From Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, we have probably been forced out of our everyday routines more than we can remember. Now that it’s over, our daily routines might even look enticing.   

You may remember the cartoons of Old Father Time. He is shown exiting the old year with a long white beard and a tattered look. On the other hand, a smiling happy baby is moving in to take his place for the new year.

No matter who we are, challenges are a part of life. A long time ago I heard someone say, “The problem with life is it’s so daily!” They were bored by their daily routines.

I stopped making New Year's resolutions years ago. No matter how good my intentions were, they fell by the wayside because they weren’t really part of me. The real me is shown as I approach my life day after day. Why not make changes or improvements as I go along?

In this season of my life, God’s word opens my day. I have always read my Bible, sometimes at night, sometimes in the morning, sometimes as I arrived early to work, and took time to read before I went in.

Psalm 119 is filled with meditations on the excellence of God’s word. If you are unfamiliar with it, this psalm is divided into small sections. Reading and meditation go hand-in-hand.

Meditation is just a way to mentally “chew things over,” and then “digest them well” by putting them into action in your life.

Become a treasure seeker. Psalm 119:162 says, “I rejoice at your word as one who finds great treasure.” I find treasures in God’s word daily: hope, love, guidance, peace, comfort, and truth.

Treasures await you there, too.   

  

Christmas Day Is Here

The CHRISTMAS SEASON has come to a close! THE DAY IS HERE!

Often times we do not appreciate the season. We gripe because stores prepare way too early. We sigh and say, “There are just too many expectations” . . .  baking, shopping, programs to attend, decisions to be made like whose family gets who for Christmas dinner, and year-end appeals for many more charities than we can handle, no matter how much we care.

OK. I admit I’ve been The Grinch sometimes, myself. But for some reason this year the season came alive for me. Maybe you enjoyed some of these things, too:

Christmas colors and decorations

Christmas sounds and songs

Christmas programs, live or on TV

Christmas greetings, verbal or written

Christmas goodies, baked or bought

Shopping for gifts to surprise people

The excitement of children

Hearing how people plan to celebrate

This is a special time of year, for other reasons. First of all, God stepped into time and fulfilled the Old Testament promises He made after the fall of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3). Galatians 4:4 (NKJV) says, "When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman."

Second, faithful people like Mary and Joseph believed in the coming of the Messiah (God’s Son) and, though surprised to be chosen, were willing participants in God’s plan of deliverance (Luke 1-2).

The third reason may be the most important of all. Christmas is a season of giving because God set the example. John 3:16 (NKJV) says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” 

Yes, I know the season is filled with Santa Claus, but as britannica.com explains, this gift-giving persona began with St. Nicholas, a Greek bishop known for his generosity and kindness to the poor.  

So, I think our challenge is this: How can we carry the goodwill of Christmas with us and share it throughout the coming year?”

 

How to Say Merry Christmas

The Christmas Season is here once again. I have always enjoyed sending and receiving Christmas greetings, but they seem extra special this year.

Not only is it fun to open my mailbox and find cards inside, but it’s also fun to sit down and read them. It causes me to indulge in some fond memories of the senders.

I was curious about Christmas cards. I googled for information and chose www.whychristmas.com 

In 1843, a British postal worker, Sir Henry Cole, and an artist friend, John Horsley, designed a Christmas card with three panels. The outer two panels showed people caring for the poor, and the center panel showed a family having a large Christmas dinner. The cost back then? 8 cents! This was a limited edition, perhaps 1,000 or less.

Their card even came with an advertising slogan: “Just published, a Christmas Congratulations Card, or picture emblematical of old English festivity to perpetuate kind recollections between dear friends.”   

We are way beyond postage of 8 cents these days! Maybe that’s one reason Christmas cards seem more and more special.

I like the variety of ways God sent out His Christmas message. First, His Son's promised birth was written in the Old Testament. Then, in the New Testament, the prophecies about Jesus were fulfilled.

Angels were also used to get God’s Christmas message down to earth. A single angel, Gabriel, was sent to Mary and Joseph, and the shepherds heard a heavenly host. Once they checked out the angelic message for themselves, they in turn became messengers of Christmas.

God’s message also appeared in the heavens. Wise men, who studied the sky for signs and wonders, committed themselves to faithfully follow its direction.

We also have a variety of ways to send our Christmas message. Cards, text messages, emails, and phone calls are all meaningful connections. Even if you haven’t sent any greetings for years, reach out to someone now. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

  

Christmas Is

Christmas is coming . . . like it or not. Greetings can be heard around the world: “Merry Christmas. . . Feliz Navidad. . . Joyeux Noel. . . Mele Kali-ki-maka. . . Frohliche Weihnachten.” Take your pick.

Christmas is what you make it. Greetings are nice but actions matter. Some people focus totally on family, while others focus on charities. Some move into the season with a spiritual focus. Others dread the season and react like Scrooge or The Grinch.

Christmas is a day AND a season. Holidays add spice to what could otherwise be 365 humdrum days in a year. All holidays have a commercial season leading up to the designated day. Think of Valentine’s Day, Halloween, or Easter. But Christmas, while having a commercial impact, also produces acts of kindness by individuals, groups, and communities for weeks before the day arrives.

Christmas is a season of hope. Who can explain this phenomenon? Children hope they’ll find gifts in their stockings or under the tree. But with age comes a deeper understanding of Christmas. God set the pattern of giving when He gave to the world His only Son (John 3:16). And in Jesus we find hope for life now and beyond the grave (Romans 5:1-2).

Christmas is what you make it. People can sing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” all season long, but words and wishes don’t make it so. The only way to have a “merry, cheerful, jolly, good-spirited Christmas” is to make a personal decision. Whether you are rich or poor, young or old, positive or negative . . . Christmas is personal and will be to you only what you decide to make it.

So . . . MERRY CHRISTMAS (words only) . . . ACTIONS (are up to you)! 

Unexpected Blessing #4

I have a Goddaughter who lives out of state. She’s a project person, so her visits are always productive.

She said, “I’m coming over. We’ll clean out your attic storage area.” The problem was this attic did not have pull-down steps. I knew I was not a ladder person, but until it was over, I didn’t know she wasn’t either.

On the same weekend, another out-of-state friend said she would be in town and would like to visit. I asked her to come in the morning since my Goddaughter was arriving that afternoon.

My friend arrived with her daughter, whom I had not seen since she was quite young. I also enjoyed meeting the daughter's mother-in-law.   

While catching up on news, I shared about my breast cancer surgery, then I moved on to the purpose of my Goddaughter’s visit. “I’m not sure how much I can help,” I said, “My oncologist told me not to lift more than six pounds with my left arm.”  

My friend’s daughter spoke right up. “I could help.”

What a lovely surprise. “Really? That would be so great! I’ll be in touch after my Goddaughter arrives.”

But there was another unexpected blessing. When she drove up the next morning, her college-age son and his girlfriend got out of the car. She introduced them and said, “They’re willing to help, too.” 

We developed a plan. Her son crawled up into the attic, she stood on the ladder and his girlfriend and my Goddaughter received the boxes and restacked them while I supervised.

My 10x12 attic space was cleared out in about two hours.

I had originally planned to sort through boxes later. But my Goddaughter, whom I laughingly call the Energizer Bunny, looked at the stacks of boxes and said, “We could sort these now.”

I said, “Fine. Let’s do it!” What a relief . . . another time-consuming job done in a few hours.

I am still grateful for this unexpected blessing: Four helpful caring people who acted on the advice in Philippians 4:2: Don’t just look out for your own needs, but also consider the needs of others.