Reluctant Retiree

I confess that I have been rather irritable lately. Every little thing brings a sharp criticism or outburst of anger. I have hurt others, especially those who are close to me. I am not proud of my attitudes and behaviors lately. I seem to be bringing a dark cloud with me and making sure others are caught up in my gloom.

A local hotel has a sign out front which reads, “Whatever the weather, always bring your own sunshine.” It is a nice sentiment, but not realistic to just be happy all the time, no matter the circumstances.

Jesus had a better plan in mind when He said, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Any light you may generate by trying to have a good attitude is inferior to the light that He can give us. When we allow God to live through us and bear the fruit of good works, then we are living a life that produces good and gives glory to God. Don’t settle for your own meager sunshine, give God the opportunity to let His far greater light of the Son Shine brighten the world around you.

Waiting for the cars in front of you to begin moving after the light turns green, only to miss making it through the light due to their slow movement. Or how about arriving back in the United States after a long flight, only to find long lines at Immigration and Customs. Then there is standing in line at the grocery store while a customer in front of you decides to have an extended casual conversation with the clerk while you are in a hurry. I don’t know about you, but these types of situations raise my red hot impatience level several degrees. I seem to always be in such a hurry that minor delays cause major irritation.

We can’t make ourselves be patient. Just the effort and intestinal fortitude it takes to become patient counteracts the idea of being patient. Let’s face it, we don’t have the inner strength to always be patient with others.

Colossians 1:11 says, “being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.” The power to be patient comes from God. He will supply it to us by His glorious might. We can’t stir it up from our own willpower, but God has a ready supply of power to give us patience.

So the next time you feel your impatience thermometer rising, let go of the struggle and ask God to demonstrate His glorious might by giving you patience.

Peace! An easy slogan to say or put on a bumper sticker, but a very hard thing to achieve. We want peace in our world, but war in some part of the war is a constant threat or reality. We want peace in our workplaces, but infighting occurs daily, it seems. We want peace in our homes, but selfishness rears its ugly head far too often.

Unrest, fear, worry, and anxiety do not come from God. He opposes these negative feelings and overcomes them by the power of His truth and might. II Thessalonians 3:16 says, “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way.”

If we will put aside these negative thoughts and feelings, and trust God to overcome them, then He promises to give us peace. His peace is available to us at all times and in every way. Struggles and problems will come our way, but God Almighty can and will overcome them.

We went to our grandson’s high school football game last night. They were playing a team ranked higher than them. The game started well and our grandson’s team held a lead late in the first quarter. They were playing really well. But, alas, they fell victim to bad habits and old weaknesses. Sadly they lost the game by a large margin.

We all do the same sort of thing. We resolve to do better in a certain area and do really well for a period of time. Then old bad habits or attitudes creep back in and soon we are defeated again.

We don’t need to continue living in the cycle of short-term victory and the mire of defeat. Jesus promised to give us victory over bad habits, attitudes and behavior. God meant for us to live in the victory that He has provided through Jesus Christ. I Corinthians 15:57 says, “But thanks be to God, who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Give your personal struggles with bad attitudes and behaviors to Jesus. Let Him pull you up and out of the miry clay of defeat. Let Him give you victory in the power of His Holy Spirit.

We are overwhelmed with images presented to us every day. Advertising promotes images of the perfect smile, perfect car, perfect appearance, and the perfect life. Of course all of these images have their faults and therefore are not perfect. We are also guilty of presenting false images. We display the image of compassion by a single act of kindness, but our hearts are really cold and hard. We project an image of success and wealth by purchasing a fancy new car, but we will be hard pressed to keep up the payments or will sacrifice on necessities. We all have certain things that we want other people to believe about us but are not entirely true, so we do things to project those images.

Jesus, however, is the real deal. The image that He projects is the image of God, because He is, in fact, God. Colossians 1:15-16 speaking of Jesus says, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things were created through him and for him.” Jesus Christ is God, the creator of all things. His life perfectly reflects God’s life. His love is everlasting. He possesses power to do all things. And He has authority over all things, as Lord of lords and King of kings.

Don’t waste your life projecting images that are not true. Instead, let your life be a reflection of the life of Jesus by His own power.