Besides Still Waters

God is in the rushing - and still - waters.

I sat in the Viestenz-Smith park near Loveland, Colorado, on a narrow stretch of land between two waters. On one side was the rushing Big Thompson River. On the other, a calm pool. The water all came from the same source - travelling from high in the Rocky Mountains - but the experience was different.

Both were beautiful, one in its glassy serenity, the other in its rough fluidity. One showed little variety in color except the shadows from surrounding trees and faint outlines of deeply-bedded rocks. The other was peppered with colors, from the jutting rocks to the foaming water created by them. Many stones and pebbles shone from the river bed. The water glistened in hues of green and brown, reflecting the surrounding environment.

We often seek peace and serenity, but I noticed, even in its beauty, I couldn't see as deeply into the calm pool. The edges of the water were littered with vines and moss-covered rocks, and the rocks climbing the edges of land were soaking in algae.

The moving water was clearer. I saw no stagnancy. Rapids are powerful and more difficult to walk through, but the rapids swept away impurities and smoothed the jagged edges of rocks. Foaming waters indicate a change under the water - rocks or change in depth - and serve as a warning. Moving water is diverse, creating contrast between quickly and slowly flowing water.

Do you prefer calm or rushing waters in your life? Why?

I want to make a difference for Jesus. I want to ride the rapids, conquering challenges and fears in God's name. I want to fully rely on God so that my life reflects his power.

As I round the next bend down the mountainside, will I ask for peace and serenity...or boldness, presence and provision? What about you?

This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him. Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory. Ephesians 3:11-13 (NASB)

Weight-Training

Weight rooms stink. There’s something about that stale, sweaty man smell I just don’t like. And yet, in order to develop our muscles, we have to actually work out. Sometimes, most of the time, our workout conditions are less than pleasant. Here are several benefits of weight training:

As you build muscles, your metabolism increases, which regulates your food intake.
Weight training increases your energy level.
Weight training helps you stay healthy, including your blood pressure, heart rate, cholesterol level and more.
Weight training helps strengthen your muscles and bones, which also improves your posture.
Weight training can improve balance and coordination.

How can you apply some of these same principles to potential benefits of spiritual weight training?

Do you know that Bible verse that says, “God will never give you more than you can bear?”

It doesn’t exist.

Surprised? 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. (NLT)

The weight we feel (in this case, temptation) isn’t about what God gives us! It’s about what God provides for us as we deal with the burden! It’s about our response to the weight, not the weight itself. We get so focused on the weight itself. We weaken under it and wonder why God would give us such a heavy burden. We rationalize we must be able to handle it, since God gave it to us. And yet Scripture doesn’t say God gave it to us. Even God gets misquoted!

Why is it so important to distinguish whether God actually gives us the weight or he gives us a way to deal with the weight? Think about weight training. When you begin weight training, you don’t begin with the heaviest weight you can lift. It’s more important to lift a weight you’re comfortable with, a weight that is working your muscles but that you can lift repeatedly. Ten repetitions of a ten pound weight are better for your muscles than one lift of a 100-pound weight. Even Olympic weight lifters don’t train under their maximum weights. They train for their maximum weights. In order to get strong, you have to condition your muscles to gradually develop strength.

As we assume God doesn’t give us more than we can bear, we can become complacent and not train. After all, if God won’t give us more than we can bear, he knows whether or not we’ve been training, so he wouldn't push our limits, right? But remember...God doesn’t give us the weight. He gives us the capability of the dealing with the weight, and he gives us instructions to be disciplined in our spiritual training. The reality of what we can bear with training and what we bear without training can be drastically different. I might have the potential to lift 200 pounds, but if I’m not lifting smaller weights on a regular basis, 200 pounds is going to seem overwhelming to me very quickly. It might never be easy for me to bear the weight, but I can make it a little easier…or a little harder by whether or not I regularly work out.

How are you training your spiritual muscles?

Dark Chocolate

I think my taste buds are dying. Seriously. Why else would I now prefer dark chocolate to milk chocolate? (By the way, whomever decided to put dark chocolate on my favorite candy bar, Reese's, deserves a bonus!) In my opinion, bitter has become better. And it's not a decision I've made because dark chocolate is healthier than milk chocolate. I prefer dark and will (usually) pass up chocolate if no dark chocolate is available.

I makes me consider other perspectives that have changed as I've aged:

• My strengths can become weaknesses when misused.


• Healthy confrontation is essential for most resolutions.


• I don't deserve respect. I earn it.

What has changed for you?

Dark chocolate may be bitter, but it's also decadent. I wouldn't want to go back and relearn the lessons I've already learned. I'm too busy learning new lessons! The bitter experiences of life have added richness of it. I can't separate the two, because without the bitterness, without the trials of life, the richness wouldn't exist. The two are intertwined just as the experiences of my life blend together to mold me.

Bitterness on its own is less than palatable. But mix it with smooth and creamy, and you have a treat to be savored and appreciated.

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. - Romans 5:3-4 (NLT)