Favorite Books Edition 4

Check out my book blog here for a list of favorite devotional books and descriptions.  Feel free to list some of your favorite devos in the comment section.  

Exploiting Weaknesses

I have decided that 2014 is a good year to begin to exploit my weaknesses.  I have spent too many years exploiting my strengths.  Years ago, I attended a leadership conference.  One of the speakers discussed how a person should focus the bulk of their efforts on improving their strong areas rather than trying to improve their weak areas.  Using a scale of 1-10, he explained that it would be better to focus on an 8 area rather than a 3.  If a person exerts effort on an area with a 3, the best they can hope to improve is probably to a 6.  If a person instead focused on an 8, that person could very likely achieve a 10 in that area and be a master of that area.  The advice seemed to make sense so I focused on bettering myself in my strong areas and tried to invite others into my life with contrasting strengths to complement my weaknesses.

There is much wisdom in this approach to be sure.  One downside is that unbalanced strengths can become weaknesses.  Another downside is that I allowed my weaknesses to cripple me.  I neglected those places and let a wild wilderness grow up in those areas.  If something wasn’t my forte I quickly excused myself convincing myself that I’m simply not gifted in that area so I don’t have to do it.  I also realized that I began to attach labels to myself and let those labels become lords over my life.  I think it is helpful to become self-aware of weaknesses, strengths, personality, struggles, baggage, etc. but I also think the self-awareness thing is taken too far in our culture.  Consider labels and how they are used to excuse negative behaviors:

“I’m an introvert.  I shouldn’t have to talk to strangers.  It’s okay to avoid crowded and unfamiliar situations”

“I’m an extrovert.  I don’t ever need to spend time alone.”

“I’m fat.  I don’t have to eat healthy.  Fat is who I am.”

“I’m poor.  I can’t give to others.”

“I’m a woman.  I have no value outside of being a wife and mother.”

“I’m a man.  I thrive in conquests of sports and video games.  I don’t need self-control, it’s how I’m made.”

“I’m slow.  It’s ok if I am always late.”

“I’m a dreamer.  I shouldn’t have to think about reality.”

“I’m a realist.  I can’t take risks.”

“I’m a go-getter.  I shouldn’t ever tackle a task slowly.”

“I’m a meticulous planner.  I shouldn’t ever be spontaneous.”

   

You get the picture.  We let our labels dictate our behaviors causing us to allow negative tendencies to rule the day.  I recently read a post by John Piper about Exploiting Weaknesses and it got me to thinking.   In the article, he referenced 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 where Paul discussed his thorn in the flesh.  Piper said that Paul mentioned four purposes for his weaknesses:

1. “To keep me from becoming conceited” (vs 7)

2. “Christ’s power is made perfect in weakness” (vs 9)

3. “So that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (vs 9)

4. “When I am weak, then I am strong” (vs 10)

Piper then gave an example from his own life.  He is an incredibly slow reader and complained about this weakness for 20 years as he tried to improve this area with classes and techniques.  Then he decided to stop complaining and accept and exploit the weakness instead.  He decided that if he could only read a few things because of his slowness then he would read deeply in a few good books (namely the Bible) and gain as much richness as he could.  He went on to say, “If I had angrily resented God all these years - I would not have exploited this weakness.  I would have wasted it.  Give attention to identify and exploit your weaknesses.  God has not given them to you in vain.  Identify them.  Accept them.  Exploit them.  Magnify the power of Christ with them.  Don’t waste your weaknesses.”

A week or so after reading this post, I came across this quote:

“I am seeing more and more that we begin to learn what it is to walk by faith when we learn to spread out all that is against us: all our physical weakness, loss of mental power, spiritual inability - all that is against us inwardly and outwardly - as sails to the wind and expect them to be vehicles for the power of Christ to rest upon us.  It is so simple and self-evident - but so long in the learning!” -Lilias Trotter

So in 2014 I have decided to figure out how to exploit my weaknesses for my humility and for the glory of God.  I’m not really sure what I’m doing here but I don’t want to be crippled by weaknesses and fears anymore.  I decided to put it into practice last week.  I  despise new and unknown experiences.  I had a driving shift for the local language school to pickup 2 students from the airport and drive them back to the local university.  I have never did an airport pickup for strangers (strangers are also a source of newness and anxiety) who may not be able to speak English.  I anxiously anticipated the airport pickup all week and briefly contemplated finding an excuse to get out of the shift.  Then I decided to exploit and embrace my weakness and face the challenge.  It was an exhausting adventure to be sure, filled with frustration.  I actually never met up with one of the two students which was unsettling.  I later found out he was picked up by a friend.  The main lesson I learned is that new things are unpredictable but life is unpredictable.  In spite of this, I survived.  After delayed flights and a missing student, I was filled with joy when I made contact with a grinning student who had recognized his name on my sign.  I would have missed out on that joy had I been a pansy and chose not to embrace my weakness.  

Tips for Setting and Keeping Goals

My good friend Brooke asked me to write a post to “inspire the world” to make resolutions for each month.  As it is the new year and it’s time for me to make some new goals, I decided I would indeed write a post with tips that have helped me set goals and keep them.  

Helpful Point #1 - Greater Affections

A favorite quote of mine by Thomas Chalmers says, “We lose our addiction to lesser affections by being captivated by a greater affection.”  I love this quote because if I want to see a change in my life, I first have to come to see that the new thing is worth the sacrifice of the old.  This is definitely true in goal setting/keeping.  

Helpful Point #2 - Dream a Little

Make a list of all the things you wish were different about your life or changes you would like to make.  I have some categories below to use for brainstorming.  At the bottom I have a more detailed list of what goals in these categories might look like.  

-Physical Health

-Mental Health 

-Spiritual Health

-Social Health 
-Time Management/Evaluation

-Organizational Health 

-Things that stir your affection for Jesus

-Things that hinder your affection for Jesus

Helpful Point #3 - 100 Days

I read a blog post a while back and was challenged to think of how I wanted my life to be different in 100 days.  The post suggested working toward a goal in three different areas such as an art project, a new habit, and a health goal.  Anyone can do something for 3 months and be able to see progress in that amount of time.  If that seems daunting, make a 30 day goal or choose one goal for 100 days.  

Helpful Point #4 - Start small and make attainable goals

As mentioned above, I don’t recommend trying to take on more than 3 goals at a time or trying to do something for the rest of your life.  I might even suggest to choose just one simple thing to make a habit.  

Helpful Point #5 - Don’t expect to do it everyday

I keep ridiculous checklists (as seen in the photo above) but I don’t beat myself up if I fail to work towards my goals for a few days.  Rather I celebrate the days that I get to add checkmarks because it means I’ve succeeded some days.  I also use it as a means of accountability.  When I get to the end of a week and realize that I exercised zero days, it motivates me to rethink my schedule to make exercise a priority

Helpful Point #6 - Resolutions don’t have to be laborious or involve large chunks of time

Resolutions don’t have to involve a huge sacrifice of time or effort.  As mentioned above, a previous resolution of mine was to floss daily.  This goal only took 60 seconds daily.  On another occasion, I resolved to not complain for a month.  One year I chose twelve things I loved (chocolate milk, sunflower seeds, movies, etc.) and decided to give one of the twelve up each month.  

Helpful Point #7 - Find a way to stay accountable

Find a buddy to make a goal with you and cheer with you.  Consider having some consequences if you fail.  One time my roommate and I made a deal that if either one of us failed our three month goal then the goal-breaker had to clean the whole apartment for a month.  We both managed to succeed in that goal.  Another idea is to post your goals in a prominent place to remind you to stay at it.  

I have added a more detailed list of resolution ideas.  Don’t let the list overwhelm you.  It is meant to give some simple and complex resolution ideas.  I suggest choosing 1-3 goals.  Another suggestion is to make a list of 12 things you want to try and do 1 of the 12 each month.  Last year I wrote out a manifesto of things I would like to see in my life.  I saved the document on my computer and tweak it from time to time.  I typically set goals for about 6 weeks at a time and reevaluate at that point by replacing formed habits with new ones to form (from the manifesto) or continuing on with the ones not yet mastered.  Feel free to comment below with tips for keeping resolutions or some past/present resolutions.

Physical Health 

-Make an exercise goal

-Eat more veggies

-Sweets only once a week

-Drink more water

-Start taking vitamins

-Start flossing

-Try a Couch to 5k program

-Take a walk outside daily

-Get more sleep

-Sleep less

Mental Health 

-Schedule in quiet time daily 

-Do a puzzle

-Play a musical instrument daily

-Turn off the TV and read a book

-Learn to play a musical instrument or speak a new language

-Have a mid-day five minute daily stillness appointment.  Set your cell phone alarm to remind you.

-Take deep breaths 

-Work on a craft or do something creative weekly

Spiritual Health

-Daily time in the Word

-Quality time in the Word

-Change up your quiet time, make it a special time 

-Fast regularly

-Practice listening while praying

-Make a set time for extended prayer daily/weekly

-Go for a prayer walk weekly

-Scripture Memory (Go here for tips)

-Spend time daily/weekly with someone with different beliefs than you

-Try to

-Implement a sabbath or rest time in your week 

Social Health

-Have a date with your spouse weekly, monthly

-Schedule a date monthly with your child

-Find someone to mentor

-Find someone to mentor you

-Call a sibling every other week

-Send someone a package or hand written letter monthly

-Find a way to serve someone regularly

-Hug someone daily

-Give a daily compliment

Time Management/Evaluation

-Fast from entertainment, technology, or information
-Fast from busyness for a few weeks, clear your calendar
-Make your day top heavy doing the most dreaded thing first so it doesn’t weigh you down the rest of your day.  
-Map out your week
-Write out your week in 15 minute intervals to see where your time is spent/wasted
-Unplug for certain hours daily
-Tie certain activities to certain times or days

Organization

-Purge your home regularly from accumulated clutter.

-Choose a set location for your keys, coat, etc. and make it a habit to put it there

-Resolve to do something as soon as you think of it

-Keep a running to-do list on your phone notepad.  Jot things down when you think of it.  (Our minds only have space for 5-9 items at a time, writing down some of those frees up space in your mind to focus on what is most important.)

Miscellaneous

-Do a random act of kindness daily for strangers

-Do a random an anonymous act of kindness daily/weekly for a friend

-Fast from complaining

-Keep a thankfulness journal (This can be done in the notepad of your smart phone)

-Have a candlelit dinner weekly

-Clean the kitchen by candlelight

-Hang a picture to envision the end goal

-Celebrate small victories - take a thumbs up picture or have a treat

Things that stir my affection for Jesus 

-Lit candles

-Burgess Falls

-Sermons by Matt Chandler or John Piper

-Psalms

-Solitude/Being still

-David Nevue’s music

-Sunsets

-Solid devotionals by the Puritans or George MacDonald

-Slowing down

-Walking and praying

Things that hinder my affection for Jesus

-Busy schedule

-Me-centeredness

-Not keeping my Sabbaths/giving my brain a break

-My to-do list

-Entertainment

-Facebook

-Sleeping in late

Sources I have found helpful:

Body and Brain Habits 

Five Things to do before 8am

Ann Voskamp’s Manifesto

Matt Chandler on Stirred Affections for Jesus

The Poisoned Arrow

“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with *dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.” -Luke 21:34

The words “weighed down with” and “cares of this life” have been a theme in my life lately.  It’s been a weird month and a half.  I’ve been mildly depressed, discontented, and feeling the effects of burnout.  I’ve battled sickness, busyness, and the effects of cold weather.  To top it off, I decided to do a Winter term class (packing an entire semester into 6 weeks) in the midst of holiday busyness and it has caused my brain to be full to the point of exploding.  

I’ve also been wounded in a minor way.  It’s like I was doing battle in the spiritual realm and celebrating victory when a tiny arrow of doubt and insecurity lodged in a chink in my armor.  I pulled the arrow out and was sore for a few days.  I put the medicine of truth on the wound and was better for several days until the whispers of doubt and inadequacy crept back in almost unnoticed.  After a few days of wanting to hibernate and numb myself with entertainment I eventually pinpointed the source again to the wound.  I reapplied truth and was good again for a few days.  It’s been an ongoing battle now for weeks and I’m coming to realize that those deceitful darts of the enemy are laced with poison.  The lies ooze in unnoticed until I’m traveling back down the death roads of sin, doubting the goodness and sovereignty of God and viewing God as my enemy rather than the devil.  Having a congested mind has only worsened the problem by making me slow on the uptake of needed truth.  

When I slow down a bit and focus on the truth, I recognize the lies to be pathetic perpetrators.  I think of the truth in Romans 8:32 that if God didn’t spare His son but gave him for me why would He withhold any other needs?  I think of the song Man of Sorrows:

“Man of Sorrows!”  what a name

For the Son of God, Who came

Ruined sinners to reclaim!

Hallelujah!  What a Savior!     

Bearing shame and scoffing rude,

In my place condemned He stood, 

Sealed my pardon with His blood; 

Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Guilty, vile, and helpless we;

Spotless Lamb of God was He;

“Full atonement!” can it be?

Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Lifted up was He to die,

“It is finished,” was His cry;

Now in heav’n exalted high, 

Hallelujah! what a Savior!

When He comes, our glorious King, 

All His ransomed home to bring

Then anew this song we’ll sing, 

Hallelujah! what a Savior!

He came to reclaim ruined sinners.  He bore my shame, took my condemnation and gained my pardon.  The spotless Lamb gained my full atonement from sins.  After all of that, I get fooled into thinking God has somehow forgotten about me or given up on me or ran out of resources for me?  He has too much value invested in me.  Peter says that I have been redeemed not with something that could be thrown away like silver or gold but rather I have been bought with something that is of greatest value, the perfect and innocent blood of Jesus.  It is finished.  I belong to Him.  I have been adopted as the King’s daughter.  Why would God possibly abandon me after going through all of that?  But alas, this has been the ongoing folly of the last few weeks.  I reverted back to my pre-Jesus days of doubting the goodness and of God.

The ongoing battle has made me long for the days of final restoration and consummation.  The battles in this life and cares of this world have weighed me down and wearied me.  These moments are temporary and I have been thinking more and more of how the gospel doesn’t consist only in God saving us from our sins and letting us live in Heaven for eternity.  The gospel also encompasses a final restoration.  I already see evidences of this in this life.  I see a reversal of past struggles with anger, selfishness and materialism dissipating from my life.  But the promise of the gospel is that my heart, soul, mind, and body will be restored to a form without sin or death or pain or doubt.  I will be made like Him.  Jesus came to make the sad things untrue.  We are participating in the Great Reversal where God will rewind all the bad and take us back to the purity of those Eden days before sin entered.  

I leave you with this video that visually sums it up for me.  Hallelujah!  What a Savior!