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| CUPS OF
COFFEE New Year's Resolutions Here I sit, scarred by years yet still pondering the opportunities ahead. There's a brand new year on the horizon and tradition says it's time for New Year's resolutions to be declared. At my age you have to be careful about resolutions. For example, after succumbing to all the Snicker bars we didn't hand out to trick-or-treaters, working my way through various Thanksgiving feasts, and finally enjoying the many treats of Christmas - I have often approached the new year feeling pudgy and burdened with the resolve to get in shape. Running used to be my mode for working the body into a state of fitness. If I accumulated thirty-five jogging miles a week, I could eat anything! But not any more! The knees won't take it. The first time on the track I feel wonderful. But the next four days are spent hobbling on frozen knees - trying to learn to walk again. Then the knees stay gimpy maybe two, three months or more. In this era of my life a new strategy is required entailing such undesirable alternatives as, (1) never getting out of shape, and (2) only one Snicker bar per year. Antiquity requires careful planning and execution. From our little house, nestled on the side of a hill, I find it comfortable enough to sit in my favorite chair, and reach out for a vision of those opportunities that might present themselves in yet another "New Year". But how many times have I been here before, pausing to reflect on the year behind me, looking ahead at the year to come, and oft times feeling frustration from the fumbles of the past - even overwhelmed by the myriad of resolutions that should be made. There are times when the momentum of apparent success has dulled your awareness. You are then most vulnerable to those hazards lurking in the peripheries. It is always depressing to be knocked for a loop by something you didn't see coming - just when you thought things were going so well. Good times can also give you a false sense of "finally being in control". That is a severe handicap to continued success. The Lord certainly loved me enough to allow a few "whammies" to get my attention in such circumstances. Often your mind doesn't stop with just a review of the past year. It keeps scanning until it clicks on to some major blunder. Maybe something that has caused ongoing regret in your life. The pain of it all can make you want to scurry and do something to fix it. If you linger with that memory, real hurt can begin to set in. Sometimes it has been as though I'm at the precipice of a giant crest built up by all my past struggles, and there seems to be no real answers ahead. When you see a big piece of your life rushing by, panic can set in. That's when the danger of rash decisions is the greatest. Rash decisions - boy, their consequences can smart. This aspect of life surely hasn't changed much since the Israelites, a couple years out of Egyptian bondage, sat at the edge of their "promised land" and viewed its opportunities. Many times we, like they, arrive at a place where we must make some change in our lives to take advantage of an opportunity. God endeavored to teach the Israelites. They had experienced the miracles and wonders of his leadership even though many of them were grumbling all the way. They fumbled badly at Mount Sinai, yet God promised to make it easy for them to inhabit the "promised land". Deuteronomy 1:29-31, "…Do not be afraid of them. The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt and in the dessert…before your very eyes…" All they had to do was move into that "promised land" behind the shield of God's power. But they weren't willing to take God's word for what he had promised. They decided to send out spies to look things over. Now, that wasn't such a bad thing to do. It didn't seem to anger God. The spies brought back information that confirmed all the good things God had promised; however, they also reported that there were giant people and heavily fortified cities in the land. Fear suddenly overloaded their skimpy faith. They began to whimper and were ready to retreat into the security and comfort of Egyptian slavery once again. I must confess being plagued with similar tendencies. When the odds seem overwhelming, it would seem so nice to retreat to some former comfort zone. Or when the rigor of diet, exercise or study gets wearing or just plain monotonous - I can get the yen to curl up in my easy chair with a good piece of historical fiction. If it's not the rigors of the routine, it's the distractions - such as Sunday after church at Elmer's. I sit down to a menu thinking I'll order something like a Cobb salad, but in perusing the menu I spot an old favorite "Sugar crusted French toast with syrupy hot apples piled on top" - and I remember how delicious it is. I am most always sorely tempted! Some calculating spirit speaks to my mind, "Oh, you can do extra laps on Monday". Yes - I can easily imagine how those Israelites remembered the comforts of Egypt when the going got tough. I'm sure that God has been disappointed in me many times for just such decisions to allow a lapse in my Christian progress. God didn't get upset with the Israelites over the spying. But when they started whining and turning their back on His promises, God's anger burned. Deuteronomy 1:34, "When the Lord heard what you said, he was angry and solemnly swore: 'Not a man of this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your forefathers'." That apparently got their attention for they expressed great sorrow that they had disappointed God, but then they rushed off to chase that lost opportunity, even after being warned that God would not bless the invasion. Deuteronomy 1:42-43, "But the Lord said to me (Moses), 'Tell them, do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.' So I (Moses) told you, but you would not listen…" The Israelites were soundly defeated. They came whimpering back to God, but he wouldn't hear them now. They drifted off to their conditioning track in the wilderness, doing many, many laps around Mount Seir. Deuteronomy 1:43-45 "…You rebelled against the Lord's command and in your arrogance you marched up into the hill country. The Amorites…came out against you; they chased you like a swarm of bees and beat you down from Seir all the way to Hormah." From experience, it's become clear that giant specters of doubt can effect my decision making process. I have watched with reluctant fear as opportunity scooted out of sight. And then, beset with panic, I've rushed out and vainly chased that lost opportunity. Battered and bruised, it finally occurs to me to commune with the Lord. One can damage their lives and waste years by chasing lost opportunities. The Israelites lost 38 years as they took those many wanderings through the Mount Seir hill country. I've wasted much time. There are "promised lands" which I'll never see. Well it's time to make those resolutions. When you read this you will have already made yours. My resolutions will have to do with conditioning mind, body and spirit. You need an alert mind, a tough body and a close relationship with the Lord to be ready for opportunity. So for me it is healthier food, more exercise, more Bible study, and more time in prayer. Spending more time with God's word and more time in communion with him, will surely allow me to more readily discern God's direction in all that I try to do. With more Godly influenced decisions there will be less wasted time in the wilderness and less suffering from self-inflicted disasters. At my house we sincerely hope that you will have a very wonderful 2002. As I have said before, Cups of Coffee was intended to be a dialog between the writer and the reader. Please let me hear from you. GS 12/26/01 If you would like to drop a note to offer feedback or ask questions, you can contact him at Gene Shrout |
