health – Thinking Faith Cafe

Removing Spiritual Clutter – Part 1

Chuck — Tue, 04 Sep 2018 12:30:52 +0000

It’s been two months since we moved into our new home. While many things are in their proper place, plenty of boxes remain unpacked, and many of our belongings still need a space. Our home is functional, but we are still working around the clutter of boxes and displaced things. Every day brings improvement, however, we will be glad to be completely settled.

Clutter is expected at times, yet it is challenging to our senses and our functionality. Many people claim that it is a sign of creativity and boosts the creative spirit. I do not know how true that idea is, but practically, clutter is a distraction that inhibits our effectiveness. Time spent hunting through the mess to find what we need is wasted. Homeless items can be significant obstacles, and numerous studies reveal that our clutter is a cause for anxiety.

Spiritual clutter is no less significant and distracting. When our spirits are messy, we wrestle to find deep, inner peace. We were not designed to function with such spiritual distractions and we can find difficulty maintaining our sense of centeredness and we impede our growth in faith. As we allow spiritual clutter to accumulate, we invite further difficulties into our faith journey, we lose momentum in spiritual development, and we can easily become discouraged. We need to take time to clean our the clutter in order to have a more dynamic relationship with God.

So, what is this spiritual clutter and how do we get rid of it? While there is no way to create a comprehensive list, there are some common culprits and the methods used to address them reveal ways to deal with other areas as they arise.

Sin – Sin is not a popular word in our modern vocabulary. It sounds condemning, and we prefer to avoid discussing it. Jesus, however, thought it was significant and worthy of our attention. Sin inhibits our relationship with God. When we choose actions that strain our relationship with God, we create unnecessary obstacles to our faith walk, and we hamper our spiritual life. Thankfully, God does not want us to live in our brokenness, but provides us with a way out through the gift of Jesus Christ. Sin does not have to have authority over us. The Bible tells us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’ (1 John 1:9) The solution is as simple as honestly confessing our sin and receiving God’s forgiveness in Jesus.

Self-condemnation – Too often we replay the tapes in our minds that tell us we are not enough. We rehearse our failures and reflect on the voices that speak poorly about us. Sometimes, we are our own worst enemies. We accept the lies that we are unlovable, too flawed, even rejected by God, but that is not how God sees us. We are created in the image of God and made perfect through Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” We are deeply loved and desired by God. We may not be perfect, but we are on the path to perfection, and we are worthy because God says so.

Guilt – It is easy to believe that our past failures prevent us from experiencing God’s goodness. The good news is that God does not consult our past to determine our future. Rather, God declares our future in spite of our past. It is never about our ability to measure up. It is always about abiding in Christ and being found in him. Our past is just that, past. Here, in the present, we are new creatures in Christ. The old is gone. The new is come. Carrying our faults and failures is too great of a weight for our shoulders. We cast those things on Christ and walk in the freedom he gives us.

Spiritual Busyness – “If only I was doing more,” we tell ourselves, “then I would be the right kind of Christian.” It is certainly good to challenge ourselves to grow, and to be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit, but it is not good to judge ourselves by what others do, or by an expectation God did not set for us. Perfect Sunday attendance, participation in every church event, and religious activity are not the litmus test of our faith, neither is how much of the Bible we read or memorize, how long we pray, or how many devotionals we read. We can fill our schedules with a myriad of religious activities and grow no closer to God, while making ourselves less available to what God is actually calling us to do. We need to be wise in the stewardship of our time, dedicating enough to have the resources to grow and serve, while leaving room for our relationship with Jesus. We do not need to prove our faith, we need to live it.

Imagine what would happen in our lives if we removed these, and other, obstacles so the fruit of the Spirit could grow freely in us. Imagine what would happen in the world around us. We were meant to experience the wonder and blessing of a life with Christ, a life filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) Not only is this possible, it is God’s perfect design for our lives.

So, as we embrace this new day, let’s remove the spiritual clutter to make room for the Spirit’s presence. Together, we can let go of the things that choke the life out of our faith, and we can take hold of the blessings God has for us. As the clutter clears, we will find greater freedom, greater clarity, and a greater life. Cleaning is never easy, but when we are done, it is worth it. So, let’s take the first steps today.

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Good Soul Food

Chuck — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 15:38:00 +0000

“Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.” – Isaiah 55:2

I’ve read Isaiah 55 numerous times and even reflected on the blessings God gives to those who seek him. Earlier this week, however, as I read through this passage once again, I was struck by the latter part of verse 2, “eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.”

Many people in our culture are waking up to the need to assess the quality of their food. People are asking where their food comes from, how it is handled, and how nutritious it is. There is greater awareness of the value of eating foods that are harvested and prepared locally, not only for freshness, but for a more intimate knowledge of the source of the food.

These concerns come for good reason. For a long time, we ingested food with little concern for its origins. We were busy taking fuel into our bodies that would become a part of who we are with no thought of where it comes from or what the effects of that food might be for our health down the road. With greater education and awareness, we are discovering better ways to healthy living and are maturing in our ability to make more healthy choices in our diet.

Interestingly, a similar struggle exists in our spiritual diet. All too often, we spend our lives living on meager portions of spiritual food, or on what is often little more than junk food. We give up spiritual currency to buy what will never truly satisfy, making us weaker than we were when we started. We ingest what looks like nourishment for our spirits without considering much of its source or its impact on our future, and find ourselves hungry and wanting in the end.

One simple, but illustrative example is the classic quote, “God helps those who help themselves.” I cannot tell you how many times I’ve heard this said, and declared with the conviction that accompanies the word of God. The only problem is, it is not the word of God. It is instead, the words of Benjamin Franklin. While I am sure Mr. Franklin had good intentions in expressing this thought, the biblical witness suggests something completely different. If you read enough scripture, you quickly discover that the heart of the message is that God helps those who cannot help themselves. Instead of God expecting us to make the effort to be a little better, God invites us to allow his grace to transform us into new creatures, far better than we could ever become on our own. This is just one of many examples of ideas we receive as truth that may not be truth at all.

Isaiah makes the way to a healthier spiritual life easy to grasp, “eat what is good.” If we will exercise some discernment in what we take into our spirits, we will see a greater health, strength, and depth come forth as the result. If we will consider the source of our spiritual food and be willing to avoid spiritual junk food, even if it is popular, we will be able to delight in the rich fare that only God provides.

Our bodies and our spirits may be weak and out of shape because of previous choices, but the good news is that small changes in the right direction have an impact right away and can lead us down a path to greater health more quickly than we think. Today is a good day to begin; a good day to test all things and hold fast to what is true, and to taste and see that the Lord is good. May today be the day we choose to eat what is good and celebrate the good health that follows.

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Thanks for Your Patience

Chuck — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 16:31:00 +0000

I want to thank all of my subscribers and readers for their patience. I could list a number of things that have consumed my time, but the deeper reality is that I have been wrestling with inspiration, not merely the inspiration to sit at the computer and write, but the inspiration to have something of substance to say.

The past two weeks, I was forced to stop, rest and reflect due to a significant infection in my leg from a black fly bite. It was not what I wanted, but it turns out, it was exactly what I needed. I spent a significant amount of time on the sofa with my leg up. It was painful to walk, and my family had a number of things happening in their lives, so I was there alone with God. In that quiet time, I could hear the still, small voice renewing me and speaking new life to my spirit.

A friend of mine often says, “remember, God never wastes a hurt.” He is not suggesting that God causes hurts, but that God is the one with the power to redeem even the hurtful places of our lives. In our pain, our challenges and our frustrations, God can make a way that leads us through and brings us out stronger that we were.

In the book of James, we are reminded to, “consider it pure joy brothers and sisters, when you face trials of many kinds.” Sometimes it is difficult to find the joy in those trials, but it we believe God to be who he claims to be and if our faith is placed in God and his ability to work in our lives, then we can find peace in our chaos and joy in our struggles.

Two days ago, while riding in the car with my wife, I told her, “I would never wish to be sick or in pain, but I am so thankful for this experience. I am so glad it happened because it changed my life.” The truth is, I would count what God did during this time as one of the top three or four spiritual experiences I’ve had in my life.

So, with my cup running over and my inspiration bursting forth… I am back. Thanks for waiting. I look forward to the journey together.

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