Finding Rest (Even in a Storm)

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I have known rest and I have known storms. I prefer rest – especially at this season of my life. I prefer quiet, peaceful waters that allow “my boat” to just coast along. Sure, my boat may encounter a an underwater boulder or two, but that boulder is just an easy bump that didn’t take me off course. But, when the winds and the waves come – I really want to dock my boat and head in to a haven of rest.

We were a family that camped out at lakes – a lot – in tents, in cabins, and at one time, we even had a 30-ft Winnebago. When our children were barely walking – we’d be in the great outdoors. We loved waking up in the mornings to that yummy smell of bacon cooking on an open fire or even indoors when we were staying at the lake. I'm smelling it now! We loved the sounds of birds chirping and seeing fish jumping on the waters. But, it seemed we were attractors of tornadoes. I can’t begin to tell you how many times that we had to quickly pull in all of our camping equipment because the winds starting blowing harder and harder, and the clouds got darker and darker. We became quite familiar with the potential for a tornado being on its way. We were adventurers and we’d just pull up stakes, find a place of safety, until the storm passed over.

Jesus and His disciples spent a lot of time at and on the lake/river/sea, too. And, they also encountered a lot of storms: Matthew 8:23-27 says "Then He got into the boat and His disciples followed Him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke Him, saying, 'Lord, save us! We're going to drown!' He replied, 'You of little faith, why are you so afraid?' Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, 'What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey Him!"

In verse 25, the disciples screamed, "Lord, save us!" and they revealed the identity of Jesus in their lives. This wasn’t the first time they’d seen Him calm the storms on the waters AND the storms in people’s lives. They had seen Him as the Lord and Master over storms and even in their unbelief. Their words revealed they believed in Jesus as Lord, but their worry exposed their lack of trust in Him. It's a situation we can probably all relate to. It's easy to say things like "God is in control" while silently drowning in doubt and despair.

Perhaps you have encountered some storms in your life. You may have even taken a step of faith and expected it to result in things getting easier, not harder. But God doesn't always lead us beside still waters. Instead, He guarantees His presence through whatever storms we may face. Trusting Jesus as the Lord of our life is something we can do in a single moment, but living it out and learning to trust daily is a process. While we may not know what our future holds, today we can rest in the fact that we are known by the One who holds it. As we continue to conquer each storm, we become more and more aware that it is Jesus on board our boat that gives us the confidence and assurance to brave the storm and embrace the peace.

It’s Not Over Till I Win

Out of some pretty tough circumstances, my daughter wrote and recorded a song entitled "It's Not Over Till I Win". The chorus of the song goes like this: "I'm not givin' up. I'm not givin' in. I've got to keep believing. It's not over till I win! I'm not givin' up! I'm not givin' in. I've gotta keep on pressing on. Cause it's not over till I win." It was also the theme of her ministry events. Challenges didn't stop her. She simply pulled herself up by the bootstraps and declared "It's not over till I win!" I was cleaning out my closet yesterday and I found the t-shirt we wore that embraced the message. It resonated with me because I was thinking about a strong young woman and her mom who I follow daily on FB; both of whom have been dealt some tough hands, but watching them navigate through the maze of daily obstacles, has been both an inspiration and the model for which I choose to live my life. I believe Morgan's "never quit" attitude is the "It's Not Over Till I Win" attitude.

Precious 25-year-old Morgan Watson had a relapse in June of leukemia that was almost debilitating from 2009 to 2015, but after 6 years of treatment and non-stop battling the disease, she was declared in remission in 2015. We can only imagine the heartbreak, disappointment and the potential discouragement that could have been hers, and her family. But from June to today, their journey has been quite to the contrary. Oh yes, there have been insurmountable challenges and setbacks, but I have watched Morgan and her mom, Salina Watson, be bright lights in the darkness. They have had so many reasons to throw in the towel and quit, but instead, they have celebrated life in such remarkable ways. They are the encouragers to us as they give positive quotes and messages to inspire us to be better, to think better, to live our lives better. This is an example of one of Salina’s posts:

“As I sat looking through my pictures this evening, I came across the one below. I took it last week while Morgan was still in the hospital, prior to her having a lumbar puncture, and having chemo administered into her spine. At first glance, you wouldn’t know that she had been given news of a relapse 2 weeks prior and that she would be having a procedure minutes later. Why? Because her attitude and facial expression were not a typical response that one would expect from someone on the same path. You see, the truth is, we do not always have a choice in our circumstances, but we do get to choose how we will respond to it. Inevitably, our response will determine our outcome. Our world can be falling apart, yet we can choose to take the high road and embrace it with a smile, knowing that we are better for it. Morgan understands this and sets a perfect example for each one of us on any given day. My hope is that by sharing this, you too will begin to see challenges a little differently, and find a way to embrace them with a 😊.”
Maybe, today, you feel like you have every reason in the world to quit. Don’t!! Just look around at those who have so much more reason than you do to quit -- but they don't. They soar, and people who soar, are those who refuse to sit back, sigh and wish things would change. They neither complain about their lot in life nor passively dream of some distant ship coming in. Rather, they just refuse to be quitters; they won't allow life's circumstances to push them down and hold them under. They push through and pull up. QUIT is just not in their vocabulary!

And what was that I heard people say about quitting? "I can't because ........" REALLY? I'd say we have every reason in the world to pursue our dreams, our goals, and our visions -- we have too many blessings, have been given way too much, and BEST OF ALL, we have a Heavenly Father, WHO with "All things are possible!" We can! So let's just DO IT! "It's Not Over Till You Win!"

Disengage that EJECT Button!

Pilots push the EJECT button when their planes are about to crash, and to save their lives -- they have no other choice. They MUST take action…FAST! But, what about those of us who are birthing a dream and it’s just too difficult to keep pushing. Or toughing it out in the middle of a project or venture that seems quitting is the obvious thing to do. Or we have given our all to accomplish some task or goal, and the going gets just too tough. All of the negative voices and circumstances, seem to indicate…. QUIT -- give up the fight – you can’t take this any more.

Yesterday, I heard Father Bryan Brooks expound on his recent trip to Spain where he walked the Way of St. James (a 200+ mile pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela -- the burial place of St James) – a journey he had prepared and trained for, prayed earnestly about for a very long time, and undertook as a celebration of his 20-years as a priest, to pray for us, and as penance because he knows he could be a better priest (some would argue about that as we’ve only seen the remarkable, devoted and tremendously dedicated man of God that he is). Nevertheless this was his goal and mission. He shared how many times, over the 200+ miles of walking in a matter of 18 days, he was faced with the notion of quitting, when, physically, it didn’t seem he could take another step, when the rainy weather impeded his progress, but no time greater than only one hour into his journey after he arrived in Spain. He was pickpocketed on the subway – his credit card, ATM card, his identification, and his money was stolen. He had every reason to push the EJECT button to take him back to the comfort of his home and church family. But, he wouldn’t accept defeat. He continued his journey through to completion.

I can understand the part of wanting to EJECT from situations, circumstances, dreams, goals and ventures. Taking the path of less resistance is so much easier. But why choose the easy way out, instead of knowing the thrill of conquest and victory? Why do Olympians train for years, for “one moment in time”? Why do leaders have to make tough decisions every day when it would be so easy to throw in the towel – to press the EJECT button? Vince Lombardi said it perfectly “Winners never quit; quitters never win!” Perhaps this is a message we all needed to hear today – the message that says, “Dig a little deeper; walk a little further; climb a little higher; push a little harder -- you AND God have got this! . Now let's all DISENGAGE the EJECT button!

Life = Risk

"If you've never failed.....you've never lived!" I'll never forget "the big one" that my husband and I "bet the farm" on. It was our BIG RISK -- we were going to become wealthy because of our investment in the drilling of an oil well. My husband and our young son, Ryan, stayed at the oil well -- all day and all night, watching and praying, for us to "strike it rich"! But that time -- it was not to be -- it was a DRY well. Disappointed? Yes! Was it a huge risk? Yes! Did it stop us? No! We never quit on taking risks, and I sincerely believe that is one of the reasons why our family has met with so much success. Plenty of failures along the way -- but it never stopped us from trying again.

Have you failed at something you so wanted to win at? Did others scorn you for taking a risk.....and, indeed, it was a loser? Have you wished you could step out in faith and become adventurous, but you kept hearing voices that said, "Give up!" "Throw in the towel!" "It's too risky!" "You could lose everything!" "Play it safe!" Well, we are in good company! Please watch this short, 1 minute video about some GREATS who became GREAT because they didn't listen to THOSE voices. I think you'll have a renewed sense of "I will not quit! I'm not giving up! I am unstoppable and I will win!