The Seed of Hope

...a terrible thing to waste.

In the early 1970’s there was an ad campaign sponsored by the United Negro College Fund and the Ad Council that featured the slogan “A Mind is a Terrible Thing To Waste.” The campaign was initiated to draw attention to the UNCF, whose primary purpose was keeping tuition rates low and ensuring that a college education was available to every young black American who dreamed of attending college.

I wonder if UNCF envisioned, when it kicked off its campaign in 1972, that its slogan would withstand the test of time and become a part of the American vernacular. I can’t tell you how many times through the years I’ve heard the slogan used, not only in the realm of college educations, but also in referring to drug usage, and quite often, in a joking manner when referring to an individual’s mental state.

During my college years, alcohol was my favorite choice of substance abuse.  Throughout my twenties, I turned to marijuana. Then there was that period in my thirties when cocaine became the center of my world…

Sadly enough, during each of those periods in my life, I would laughingly tell anyone within earshot that “A mind is a terrible thing to waste” as I got drunk, or high, or ramped-up on coke. The possible long-term consequences of what I was doing paled in comparison to the immediate escape from reality that I was getting at the moment. And from where I was looking, anywhere other than where I was at the moment was a better place for me to be.

That was then…

It’s amazing as to what a change in lifestyle can do to your perspective in life.

About five weeks ago I woke one morning to find three small bumps just above my beltline on the right side of my torso. Suspecting that they were spider or some type of insect bites, I began treating them with an ointment for exactly that.

A few days later, the three bumps had now multiplied to seven or eight. Deciding that I’d been exposed to poison ivy, oak, or sumac while pruning some shrubs at our lake house the previous week, I found an ointment that I’d used last summer after being exposed to the latter of the three, and generously applied it to the infected area.

Several days later, whatever it was that I had wasn’t getting any better. In fact, it was getting worse. It had spread to the right side of my hip, and it was starting to itch; a lot. It was Saturday night, and I’d already made the decision to call my primary care physician on Monday morning. My wife Jackie and I were leaving for a much anticipated and long overdue vacation the following Friday, and I wanted this “I-don’t-know-what-it-is-but-it’s-driving-me-crazy” under control before we left.

I was able to get an appointment with my doctor on Tuesday afternoon, June 22nd. He hooked me up with a steroid shot to curb the itching and halt the progress of this still undefined rash that was getting the best of me. He also gave me an ointment that he was sure “would do the trick.” After I’d informed him that we were leaving for the Northwestern U.S. and Canada on Friday, he also provided me with a steroid dose-pack for just in case.

Today…

Today is Wednesday, July 13, 2011. It’s been three weeks and a day since I was in my doctor’s office before leaving for vacation.

The rash that I had made the trip with us, and was with me every day that we were in Oregon, Washington, and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In fact, it made the trip back home with us. As soon as we got back, I went for yet another visit to the doctor’s office, where I received yet another steroid shot, another dose pack, and another ointment to try. He also referred me to a local dermatologist to try to pinpoint exactly what it is that I have. Yet another type of ointment and an antihistamine was prescribed to ease the itching, and to cure the rash.

Another week later, and this stuff is still hanging around with me. It has now spread across my body, from hipbone to hipbone. It’s on both of my forearms, and has nestled into the small of my back. To say that I’ve been miserable would be a bit of an understatement.

Connected?

So at this point are you wondering what an ad slogan could have in common with a rash, or vice versa? What does a wasted mind have to do with an itch?

Well, it turns out that the antihistamine that I was given to relieve the itch is also often prescribed as a sedative, as an anti-anxiety medication, and as a treatment for motion sickness.

The bottom line is that the medicine has knocked me for a loop! The feeling of escape that I’ve spent hundreds, even thousands of dollars on in previous years, has been my constant companion for the last eight days. I’ve been disconnected, lethargic, and unable to comprehend even the simplest of written words. To coin a phrase that’s well known in many circles, I’m wasted.

I’ll say again that it’s amazing how a change in lifestyle shifts your perspective on things.

I can’t stand being “wasted.” I don’t want to be knocked for a loop, and I don’t want to escape from anything, especially reality. At this very moment, I’m fighting the urge to itch because I wanted to have enough clarity to write this post. In fact, as soon as I’m done, it’s back on the drugs.

The things that are most important to me in life have taken a hit, not because of this interminable rash, but the treatment for it. I roll out of bed in the mornings in such a drunken stupor that I can’t get focused during my personal time of worship and prayer. When Jackie joins me for coffee and reading the day’s passages in the One Year Bible, I have trouble reading them, much less attempting to discern what they mean. Several e-mails generated and received through The Seed of Hope have gone unanswered because I don’t have the clarity to compose a response. A huge opportunity to be a part of a team at Highlands College that’s writing a Daily Devotional is on the verge of falling by the wayside because of my inability to concentrate on a given passage from Scripture. Even my time with Jackie has suffered. Aside from going to church and eating, I spent this past weekend sleeping on the couch, and I confided to Jackie that I felt as if I’d lost two days. Come to think of, I feel as though I’ve lost the last week.

Why am I sharing this with you?

Good question. And I’m not really sure that I know the answer.  

Perhaps it’s because my attention has been drawn to something that I’ve taken for granted: my mind.

I’ve taken for granted the ability to read, write, and comprehend. I’ve taken for granted the ability to think, and to reason. I’ve taken for granted the ability to pray and meditate. I’ve taken for granted the times that I get to spend with Jackie. I’ve taken for granted the ability to be in control of my faculties.

Look, this rash, or whatever it is, will pass. And with it will the need for me to be on this medicine. I believe that it was part of God’s plan for me to go through this, not only to change my perspective towards my abilities, but to be more considerate of those with special needs who will never have the capabilities of doing what I get to do every day.

A mind is a terrible thing to waste. I’m very grateful for the one that God has given me, and I’ll never again take it, or the gifts that come with it, for granted.

...between possible and probable.

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”  Matthew 19:26

The first order of the day is to offer you an apology. In last week’s post (Calling you out!) I feel like I came out swinging. The tone that I used was a bit harsh, and hopefully you’ve frequented this site enough to know that harshness isn’t quite my style.

What I had to say was, quite honestly, born out of frustration…  

Notice that Jesus didn’t say a “few things”, or “several things”, or “many things”. Jesus didn’t put any limitations on his Father or His abilities. Imagine him looking   at you in the eyes and without the slightest notion of doubt, saying “Look, our Father can do anything! Anything! Don’t you get it? There’s nothing that he can’t do. Nothing.”

Why do we have such a hard time wrapping our minds around what Jesus told us? Why can we so easily accept his teachings on life, love, giving, forgiveness, and salvation, yet not accept the fact that his Father, who is our Father, can do all things?

Before I continue, and as I’ve done so many times before, I’m going to remind you that any “verbal darts” you feel that are being thrown at you are those that I’ve plucked from my own flesh at some point along the path of life. What I share isn’t meant to call you out or down in any way, but simply to tell you what changing my perspective on God did for me.

Possible

Here’s the thing in a nutshell. In the last couple of years I’ve had conversations with so many God-loving, Spirit-filled, walking-with-Jesus-everyday people whose faith knows no bounds in every aspect other than the fact that all things are possible with God.

Quite often, it’s that very barrier to God’s greatness that prevents us from having the relationship with Him that we can, and perhaps of more importance, that keeps us from being bold enough to ask for the seemingly impossible.

Look, I’m asking you to believe in a BIG GOD, who is capable of big things. What I’m asking requires a leap of faith, because our very complex yet very simple minds have a hard time fathoming the reality that nothing is too big for Him.

That being said, how can we possibly approach God with our petitions with the mindset that He can’t answer them anyway? It’s as if we’re saying, “Okay God. I’m giving this to You because I have no other place to turn. I’ve done everything that I can. Please take this illness (or relationship, or financial situation, or whatever it is that you’re facing) and see what You can do with it.”

Really?

Okay, the first thing that you should do in every situation is give it to God before you do anything else! Ask God for His healing before you go to the doctor, or for His words before you try to mend that relationship, or for His provision before you face financial ruin. If not, you’ll quite often find that some of Satan’s favorite weapons, such as doubt, fear, frustration, and anger are standing in line in front of you, and the simple act of staying focused on Him will be a challenge.

Secondly, as you give these things to God, recall Jesus’ promise to us in the Book of Matthew:

“Because you are not yet taking God seriously”, said Jesus. “The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain ‘Move!’ and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn’t be able to tackle.” Matthew 17:20-21 The Message

Probable

I’ll go ahead and ask you to bear with me on this for a moment. I’m threshing this one out as I write, not only because of the challenge that I face in explaining it, but because of an excerpt from a comment that I received concerning last week’s post from my long time friend Peggy.

I have been having some problems lately and have given them to God. One of them is for the healing of my body from cancer. I thoroughly believe God has healed me but my oncology reports do not support this. However, with the problems I have had lately I cannot believe there is any way I could feel as good as I do unless healing is going on.

Peggy’s unwavering faith in God during her courageous battle against cancer is a perfect example of what I’m trying to get across to you today. Quite obviously, Peggy has turned to physicians to help rid her body of this deadly disease. It’s also apparent that she believes that God is the ultimate healer, and knows that her complete and possible recovery is not in the hands of her doctors, but in the hands of God.

Refusing to believe what she’s read in the oncology reports, and against all odds, Peggy is looking to God for the seemingly impossible.

This is where it gets tough.

Does Peggy’s firm belief that with God all things are possible mean that it’s also probable? Does it mean that God is, without a doubt, going to heal Peggy because she believes that He can?

Unfortunately, the answer is no.

What Peggy’s faith does do is relieve her mental burden to some degree, to give her hope for tomorrow, and above all else, give God the opportunity to heal His child. But it doesn’t guarantee that He’ll do it.

If it were as easy as that, our faith in God would be something akin to a bubble gum machine. You drop a prayer in the slot, and receive the solution. It wouldn’t say much for the need for faith, would it? And it would say even less for the need for God.

I don’t know why.

I don’t know why sickness, and death, and financial troubles, and broken hearts are in God’s plans for us. I don’t know why desperation has to be a part of it, why we have to reach the bottom before we begin our climb to the top.

I don’t know why God had me wandering through my own personal wilderness for so many years. Perhaps it was His way of showing me that it’s never too late, that there’s always hope, that something as seemingly impossible as changing the very essence of a fifty-four year old man set in his ways posed no challenge for Him at all. Perhaps He knew that I would share the news of it with you.

My wish for you, my hope for you, and my prayer for you is that you’ll come to realize that nothing is too big for God. Nothing. Not even that.

“…with God, all things are possible.”  Matthew 19:26

Calling you out!

A bit of research revealed that calling out, in essence, is the act of pointing an accusatory finger at an individual and saying something bad about them.

In this instance, I have nothing bad to say about you or anyone else. I am pointing a finger in what I’m going to say, and if you feel that it’s pointed at you, then I dare you to do something about it. You read it right: I dare you to do something about it.

You see, I want to do more than simply get your attention, or stir your curiosity, or entice you to read this because I wrote it. This is not about your attention, your curiosity, or my endeavors. This is about you and your journey, and above all else, I want you to get it, because when you do, you’re just not gonna be the same.

What is it that I so desperately want you to get?

It is the rock upon which I stand. It is the basis of my faith in God. It is what allows me to stand firm in the storms, and to walk without fear in my heart when things seem to be at their very worst.

It’s not about whether or not I believe in God, or in the Holy Spirit, or that Jesus is the Risen King, the Savior of the world. To be sure, and just so there’s no room for doubt, I believe in all of the above with all that is in me.

This is about the depth of my belief in God, and I offer you the one verse in the Bible that sums it up best for me:

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26

All things.

Notice that Jesus didn’t say a “few things”, or “several things”, or “many things”. Jesus didn’t put any limitations on his Father or His abilities. Imagine him looking at you in the eyes and without the slightest notion of doubt, saying “Look, our Father can do anything! Anything! Don’t you get it? There’s nothing that he can’t do. Nothing.”

Why do we have such a hard time wrapping our minds around what Jesus told us? Why can we so easily accept his teachings on life, love, giving, forgiveness, and salvation, yet not accept the fact that his Father, who is our Father, can do all things?

Okay, you know that I wouldn’t have posed those questions to you if I didn’t have an answer for them. Actually, I have a few answers, and I’ll be honest in telling you that while they may not be the answers, they’re what God put on my heart.

·         The word Father. It’s not so much the word as it is the thought process and confusion that goes with it. As children, we look to our earthly fathers as being our heroes. They can do no wrong. In our eyes, minds, and hearts, they “hung the moon.” Unfortunately, at some point all of us come to realize that our earthly fathers, even the very best of them, aren’t perfect. As mortal men, they come equipped with limitations and flaws. When we’re hit with the reality, I believe that a smart part of us dies inside, along with a sliver of hope that comes with it.

Our heavenly Father, on the other hand is perfection. He has no flaws, no weaknesses, and no shortcomings. He’s always with us, even when we don’t feel his presence. His forgiveness knows no bounds, and His love is everlasting.

·         Satan doesn’t want you to believe that with God all things are possible. You see, the absolute belief that God can do anything filling our minds and hearts leaves no room for fear, doubt, and worry, just a few of the weapons that Satan has in his arsenal to use against us.

·         Our hearts. We’re afraid of putting too much faith in God and then being disappointed if things don’t work out the way that we want them to.  Throughout our lives, we’ve been let down because of the unmet expectations that we put in others, and we’ve felt the hurt that accompanied the resulting disappointments. In our minds, because He is God, we feel that the disappointment would be too great to bear. And curiously enough, we believe that He is our last bastion of hope.

·         Our minds. Because of our own limitations, weaknesses, fears, and frailties, we have a hard time freeing our minds enough to believe that anyone, even God, has none. NONE. He doesn’t.

With God, all things are possible.  

That’s not just from Scripture. It’s from my heart, and there is no doubt in my mind that it’s absolutely true. NONE.

So how do we get you there, if you’re not?

May I offer you a couple of suggestions?

The first is an affirmation, which is a brief verbal statement about an experience that we’re trying to have, or a goal that we’re trying to reach. When we say an affirmation, and especially when we say it out loud, it works its way into our subconscious and becomes reality. Why out loud? For some reason, when we actually hear words of affirmation come out of our mouths, we’re more prone to believe them. And the more we say them, the more we believe them.

Would you be willing to try this? If you haven’t figured it out, I’ve already given you the affirmation.

With God, all things are possible.

Every day, for the next several weeks, I’d like for you to repeat this affirmation as often as possible. Say it out loud, and say it like you mean it. If you’re at work or in a public place and can’t say it out loud, shout it out in your mind. I want you to own it. Make it a part of you, an extension of who you are.

Here’s the thing. In the beginning, it doesn’t matter if you really believe it or not. I mean, if you’ve never believed that with God all things are possible, you’re surely not gonna believe it just because you’ve said it a couple of times. It takes time, and it takes patience, and it takes you loosening up your mind enough to entertain the notion that it’s true. It’ll come, and when it does, your walk is gonna get so much easier. You see, believing that God can do anything gives birth to hope in every situation. 

Oh, and there’s one other thing that I’m going to recommend that you do each morning: PRAY.

I’d like to offer this prayer to you. It’s an outpouring of my heart. If you’ll say this prayer, or perhaps one using your own thoughts each day, I believe that God will stir in you like never before. What’s most important is that you ask to believe.

Lord God, I humbly stand before You in prayer. I need to believe that with You all things are possible, and I need Your help to do it. I ask, Father, that You remove any bandages from my eyes that prevent me from seeing you as You truly are. I pray that You give me the courage to completely open my heart to You, allowing me to love You and to receive Your love in a way that I’ve never done before. I ask, Father God, that You open my mind to believe that there is nothing too big for You; no illness, no challenge, no problem, and no dream.

I ask this is Jesus’ name. Amen.