My Year Listening to God

photo by dawnsy58

I awoke to the sounds of a cardinal chirpin' in the trees outside my window. His piercing calls poked at me, to get out of bed. I arose and went to read the portion set out for my in my plan.

In my readings today, I reviewed the curse on Adam after his disobedience. Painful toil--that was his lot until his death. That is my lot until my death. That is your lot until your death. Pretty challenging, but realistic (from a biblical worldview).

I find it challenging to engage work everyday. I know people complain about work. As I go from place to place, I've asked tellers, cashiers, and laborers how work is going. I've heard great laments to a resignation that work gets me a paycheck that I get to blow.

I was at the checkout at Walmart today and the cashier greeted me (I checked that she did on the survey as I scanned my credit card). She is looking forward to working third shift. I worked third shift at a driveshaft plant for Dana Corp. I worked hard, but I did not want third shift. My goal and everyone else's was to land on first shift. Yet here is a woman wanting, begging, looking forward to third shift. I guess the painful toil of labor has even deluded the Walmart worker. She warmly exit greeted me and Melissa, my wife. Then we went home.

I am struck by the strenuous nature of work. I have on my shelf a book to read by Larry Winget, It's called work for a reason! I hope to get more insight into what he means and possibly learn how people deal with the toilsome labors of everyday life and strive to be successful. The working man or woman needs only to blame ol' Adam for falling from a painless workfree existence, all because of his sinful actions.

Since then, work has always been hard. Work has shaped me, chiseled me, wrung me out, flogged me, burnt me, scewerd me, deflated me, beat me, and left me for dead. When I've put my back into work, I've truly labored hard. I have Adam to blame for work being hard. So as I take a few days off this week. I don't look forward to getting back to work. I know that it's going to be hard. Why did you do this to me, Adam?

My Year Listening to God

On my forty-third year of life I intend to read through the Bible this year. I believe the Bible is the words of God. According to II Timothy 3:16, "All Scripture is God-breathed," i.e. spoken or breathed out and recorded for me and anyone to read the very words of God--His revelation to humankind. Thus I intend to read the whole Bible, "listening" to the words of God throughout my forty-third year of life on this earth.

In my readings I will share what thoughts are prompted. Today I marvel at how God works in people's lives. I consider Joseph who made a decision to quietly divorce his betrothed bride-to-be to avoid a public spectacle. But God spoke into his life and redirected that decision to marry a pregnant maiden in spite of the public scandal.

Joseph chose to follow God's direction in spite of his logical conclusion or the proper and accustomed mores in his culture. He obeyed God even in the midst of an apparent scandalous circumstance--a betrothed fiancee was now pregnant; pregnant not by him, but by the Holy Spirit. He obeyed God's way.

Joseph was a fully devoted follower of God. My! how I fall short. I wonder if I'd be willing to do what God wanted even when following God meant it went against the grain of my own thinking and conclusions, and even when the culture would affirm my actions as proper.

When God reveals his truth to me, then I enter the arena like Joseph. I become a gladiator to do battle with what God prompts or to slay the promptings within my own heart for the alliance with the new truth of God, prompted from the Bible. Or do I draw the sword against the culture in which I live to defiantly and passionately align myself to God's truth. I wonder whom I engage in battle. The choice of engagement is mine. I wonder who you'd engage. Let me know what you think--I hope to add to this post as I pause to muse over this conflict throughout my day, the first day of my forty-third year.

Engaged in battle, Daron

How do you give hope

Photo by riot jane

Another ministry we have in our community here in Wooster is Sowing Hope. Please find a link to the newsletter. I find it so rewarding to facilitate people who make it their passion to sow hope in the lives of people who are under-resourced in our community. I wonder if you have had an experience in sowing hope for someone else in your community. Tell me about it.