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Hiking with a Limp – Part 2

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In our previous Wisdom Note, we looked at the story of Jacob when he wrestled with God and his name was changed to Israel. Although God’s original call to start a new nation was to Jacob’s grandfather Abraham, with Jacob, who is now Israel, the new nation started to take shape. This wrestling match left Jacob with a limp that he would be inflicted with the remainder of his life as a reminder of being set apart to prepare for and build this new nation.

As we head out to explore new trails today, we realize that it will be very difficult to take this strenuous hike with a permanent limp or other disability, so we will have to be prepared for the journey. Preparation can come in many forms, but for our this trek, let us take our rehabilitation instructions from Hebrews 12:1-3 & 12-13.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.”

“So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.”

In this passage, we see that in order to learn and adapt to our limps in life, we need training and discipline. This does not mean that we will completely recover from our limps or be without pain, but it does mean that we will learn to live with both and still live the rich and satisfying life that Jesus promised us.

So, let’s hike on our new trails for today.

Trail #2 – Are you prepared?

Our culture does little to prepare and equip us for hard things. We live in a culture designed to maximize our comfort and pleasure, celebrate these vanities, and distract us from what is real and lasting. If we take a look at what we’re sold by the media, we should expect life to be as easy as possible – filled with things that entertain and delight us and that ensure we live hassle-free lives.

From this perspective, pain is something to be avoided or ignored as much as possible. In reality, however, this is not how people actually live. We may be cushioned from the impact of suffering and pain for long periods in our lives, but inevitably we are forced to come face-to-face with the harsh and often crushing realities of real and unavoidable heartbreak. God may not allow us to become too comfortable. He knows that many of us will turn from Him if we become too comfortable, which isn’t good for us. Martin Luther, the 16th-century Protestant reformer, encourages us that going through “trials and temptations can be a blessing when they undermine our pride and our reliance upon ourselves and teach us to put our trust in God’s mercy and goodness.”

So, where do we go to learn how to wrestle with life’s challenges well? How do we equip ourselves to face and deal with life’s pain and suffering in a way that enables us to retain our sense of dignity and our faith in God where eventually we can emerge from the valley of the shadow of death in good shape? How do we prepare ourselves to be able to do this when our hearts, minds, spirits, and bodies are crushed under the weight of pain and suffering that can sweep into our lives without warning? We look for a place of hope and truth ahead of time.

Trail #3 – Build well.

We need a preemptive strategy. When you visit ancient towns and cities, particularly in Europe or the Middle East, you often see large fortified city walls protectively surrounding the area. These were an essential piece of fortification and safety for these cities and their people during times when they were under siege.

What we often fail to consider is that these walls were built during times of peace, when life was good. We need to build well when life is good. This is the time to invest in our key relationships – with God and others.

This is the time to dig deeply into prayer, worship, and scripture. It’s here that we find examples, from Jesus and his disciples and others in scripture, of suffering and wrestling in ways that bring hope and life and are firmly anchored in the goodness of God. When life is good, that’s the time to cultivate life-giving habits that will help sustain us when we are stretched. We must anchor ourselves in truly believing that God is good and that He loves us.

Then, when we are in the thick of things and life is just plain tough, there are a few things that can help us.

Trail #4 – Remember it’s only for a season.

God knows we need constant reminders of His goodness and involvement in our lives, so He has given us many in scripture and in the way He has orchestrated the rhythms of nature and history.

I have found Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 incredibly encouraging in which we’re told all things in this life have a season. They don’t last forever. There is “A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance,” (v. 4).

Nature reminds us of this truth also. We would not experience the bursting of life in spring without the seemingly lifeless winter season. No matter how long a season of suffering can feel, or indeed is, the season will pass.

So far we have explored the trails of perspective, planning, building, and seasons. On our next hike, we will explore the trails of choice, togetherness, and qualification and continue our trek with a limp.

Hiking with a Limp – Part 1

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I had never had a broken bone, nor had any other significant issues with my body, but that all changed last year when I fell from a ladder while cutting a limb out of a tree with a chainsaw. Unfortunately, I landed on a cement walkway on my left hip, fracturing the femur bone below the hip socket. I was fortunate that the accident with a chainsaw was not significantly worse, and that those who were helping me were not injured either.

While the rehabilitation and healing was faster than most people experience, I am reminded nearly every moment of the day and most nights that my femur bone still has a rod from my hip to my knee and also two very large screws. There is pain, and at times a limp, that helps to remind me of the accident, but more importantly how God protected me from a much more serious outcome. Although after two years I may choose to have the inserts removed, I suspect that the pain, and possible limp, may remain for many years.

In this Wisdom Note, we will consider what it means to trek through life with a limp.
All of us go through trials and tribulations in life that can leave us with a limp that affects us throughout our lives. This can be a very humbling and refining process for us. From a figurative standpoint, ask yourself, “What has caused me to limp, and what have I learned from it?” Has this situation changed who you are? For me I will never combine a ladder and chainsaw in the same environment again.

There is a saying that we should “Never trust a leader who doesn’t walk with a limp.” This saying comes from the story of the start of the nation of Israel and is recorded in the Bible in the book of Genesis Chapter 32 verses 22-32 where Jacob, the grandson of Abraham and son of Isaac, wrestled with God. This is the story:

“During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two servant wives, and his eleven sons and crossed the Jabbok River with them. After taking them to the other side, he sent over all his possessions. This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break. When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket. Then the man said, ‘Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!’ But Jacob said, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’ ‘What is your name?’ the man asked. He replied, ‘Jacob.’ ‘Your name will no longer be Jacob,’ the man told him. ‘From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.’ ‘Please tell me your name,’ Jacob said. ‘Why do you want to know my name?’ the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there. Jacob named the place Peniel (which means ‘face of God’), for he said, ‘I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.’ The sun was rising as Jacob left Peniel, and he was limping because of the injury to his hip. (Even today the people of Israel don’t eat the tendon near the hip socket because of what happened that night when the man strained the tendon of Jacob’s hip.)”

At the end of Jacob’s all-night struggle, God touched the socket of Jacob’s hip and damaged it so that from that time forward Jacob always walked with a limp. This encounter with God changed him in other ways too. He got a new name and moved into a new phase of his life. He was now fit to lead a new nation that exists to this very day.

There is a remarkable quality that can come from the lives of people after they have wrestled with God or life’s issues, and the resulting limp is a sign to themselves and to others that God has humbled them.

We have some pithy little statements that we throw about, like “When life sends you lemons, make lemonade.” It makes tough times sound so easy, but life isn’t always so simple. Lightweight phrases do little to recognize the challenges we wrestle with.

I was on the wrestling team in high school, so I understand firsthand how strenuous and difficult physical wrestling can be. It requires a lot of discipline to develop skill and agility, sacrifice to burn off fat, and determination to promote muscle growth, strength, and focus, which is required to become refined enough to be victorious.

Paula and I have also had to wrestle with life’s issues in the form of business loss, financial downturns, the death of loved ones who were very close to us, moving for work, a granddaughter with leukemia, and my broken femur bone that we would have never chosen ourselves. All of these experiences and others have been a refining fire in our lives to burn off that which is impure so that the fine gold could become evident, and we realize that there may be other times of such trials in our future.

All of us experience seasons of wrestling, testing, discipline, and sifting, such as is described in the book of Hebrews 12:1-13. We may wrestle with health issues, financial stress, depression, relational difficulties, brokenness, failure, loss, grief, and desert-type seasons in our lives and spiritual journey. If we don’t anticipate and expect it, we will be surprised and confused when it comes. For the next few days, we will travel on some key trails as we prepare ourselves for these seasons of life.

We begin with the first trail.

Trail #1 – Perspective is everything.

Our perspective of the place of sickness, pain, and challenges in our lives probably needs some thought. We are well served if we take some time to develop healthy theology around pain and the hard things in the life of a Christ follower. As John Wimber frequently said, “If our theology doesn’t work in real life, then we need to rethink our theology.”

When we experience difficult seasons, it doesn’t mean God isn’t present or has stopped loving us. It doesn’t necessarily mean we lack faith or have brought this upon ourselves through doing something wrong. Following Jesus doesn’t exclude us from encountering pain and challenges in our lives. In fact, we are told in scripture to expect it.

A robust theology equips us with the knowledge and expectation that when pain comes, God walks with us through it.

These difficult realities are part of living in the now and not fully experiencing His kingdom. They are also a reminder of God’s commitment to us as His children so that we grow up into Him. Our perspective is important because it affects how we respond to hard things.

Will we see these seasons as a reminder of God’s lordship and loving activity in our lives that can lead us to greater intimacy with Him, or will we see it as evidence of His absence and lack of love, which leads to bitterness, fear, and isolation from Him and others?

CS Lewis reminds us that, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

Pain and suffering can help us put things in perspective, value what is truly valuable, and be transformative tools in God’s hands.

We have barely scratched the surface of our trek that we embarked on this week, but that is the end of this trail.

10 Principles to Make Wise Decisions – Part 3

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In this Wisdom Note, we will continue our series about making wise decisions. As humans, most of us are resistant and hesitant to change as we are comfortable with the habits that we have formed over our lifetimes. Habits can be both good and bad. One good habit that we want to foster in our lives is that of making wise decisions.

As with any skill in life, making wise decisions comes with practice and experience. C.S. Lewis said it well when he said, “Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance.”

Since it is our desire to make wise decisions in all that we do, our 10 waypoints on this wisdom trail will help us to choose wisdom instead of folly in our decision-making. So, let’s continue this week and finish our wise decision-making trail with waypoints 7 through 10. Because of my faith walk, I will base our discussions of decision-making on Biblical principles.

7. Have I Honestly Considered the Warning Signs?

When we desire to make a particular decision, we tend to highlight the benefits and minimize the potential bad outcomes. Making wise decisions requires that we are honest with our advisors and ourselves. Take into consideration all the good advice that you have solicited. If those advisors have your best interest at heart, then their advice must be considered.

Proverbs 10:17, “People who accept discipline are on the pathway to life, but those who ignore correction will go astray.”

Proverbs 16:25, “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.”

Proverbs 27:6, “Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.”

Points to consider:

  • Don’t think you are the “exception” to the rule. There are certain principles in life that are true for all persons. If a decision is not wise for someone else, be very cautious in thinking that it is okay for you. (self-delusion)
  • Remember that God’s way is the best way. If there are warning signs, then no amount of justification will make the decision right. It is one thing to take a chance and quite another to be stupid. Sometimes that is a fine line.

8. Have I Considered the Possible Outcomes for My Course of Action?

When making decisions, especially major ones, it is best to make a list of all possible outcomes from this decision. Write them down, with potential benefits on one side and potential negatives on the other. Don’t forget to take in lost opportunities that will result in a “side effect” of this decision. For instance, if the decision involves a monetary purchase, you need to consider what other items you will not be able to purchase because of this decision. No decision is made in a vacuum. If you are saying yes to one choice, by default you are saying no to something else.

Proverbs 14:1, “A wise woman builds her home, but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands.”

Proverbs 14:15, “Only simpletons believe everything they’re told! The prudent carefully consider their steps.”

Proverbs 27:12, “A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.”

Points to consider:

  • Take into consideration all information that will be impacted by this decision. Don’t rationalize your desires.
  • Assess the potential risks. There are negative potential outcomes for every decision made. “Yes” to this decision means “no” to another.
  • Have a contingency plan. If everything just went wrong based on the decision made, what are your plans that will allow you to survive?

9. Could This Decision Jeopardize My Integrity or Hinder My Witness for the Lord?

Never make a decision that has the potential to hurt your reputation, hinder your integrity, or destroy your character. There is nothing in life that is worth obtaining if it will tarnish who you are as a person, especially as a person of faith.

Proverbs 25:26, “If the godly give in to the wicked, it’s like polluting a fountain or muddying a spring.”

Proverbs 10:9, “People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will be exposed.”

Proverbs 20:7, “The godly walk with integrity; blessed are their children who follow them.”

Proverbs 22:1, “Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold.”

Points to consider:

  • As with most principles of life, when it comes to making wise decisions, you need to remain balanced without going to extremes in your decision-making.
  • Make sure you do not make any decisions that would soil your reputation. Would you want this decision published on the front page of the newspaper or social media post?
  • Don’t keep a record of wrongs committed by others, it will have a negative impact on the wise decisions that you need to make.

10. Is There A Better Option That Would Allow Me to Make A Greater Impact for God’s Kingdom?

As mentioned at waypoint #8, for every decision or choice we say yes to, we are saying no to something else. Ask yourself, “Is this decision that I am making the best choice or option for me at this season in life?” A decision that may not be wise today, could be wise 20 years from now. For every decision, always ask “Is this the best and wisest decision that I can make for today considering this season of life?”

Proverbs 11:30, “The seeds of good deeds become a tree of life; a wise person wins friends.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1, “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.”

Points to consider:

  • Ask yourself, “What story could God be writing?”
  • Don’t assume that just because something is hard that it is not God’s will.
  • Understand how God has uniquely gifted and resourced you.

We have explored the 10 waypoints that will help you to make wise decisions every day for every situation that you encounter. Next week we will learn the advantages of walking with a limp. Based on my experience this past year, I will have some practical advice.

10 Principles to Make Wise Decisions – Part 2

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In this Wisdom Note, we will continue our series about making wise decisions. As with any skill in life, making wise decisions comes with practice and experience. Many times that experience is gained by making unwise decisions. The fact is that if we learn from this experience, then we will make increasingly wise decisions in all areas of life. If you agree that God is the author of wisdom, then decisions which are made in the light of God’s word are stable and show wisdom.

Since it our desire to make wise decisions in all that we do, our 10 waypoints on this wisdom trail will help us to choose wisdom instead of folly in our decision-making. It is time for us to break camp now as we continue on our trail of making wise decisions. On this trek, we begin with waypoint 3 of 10, so let’s get started. Because of my faith walk, I will base our discussions of decision-making on Biblical principles.

3. Is There a Time Pressure Forcing Me To Make An Impulsive Decision?

Unless it is absolutely unavoidable do not make a decision if someone is pressuring you with a deadline or scarcity. Scarcity and time pressure schemes are two of the most effective and dangerous methods that are used to try and force us into making decisions. Rarely are either a good reason to make a decision. In order to make a wise decision ask yourself, “Would I make this decision now if there was neither the scarcity or limited time pressure?” If the answer is “no,” then do not fall prey to these tactics.

Proverbs 19:2, “Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes.”

Proverbs 21:5, “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.”

Points to consider if there is time or scarcity pressures put on you to make a decision:

  • Never fall prey to the “once in a lifetime” deals and the lure of instant gratification. There will always be other opportunities to make the same decision if it is a decision that you need to make.
  • Don’t let the fear of missing out drive your decision. You will only miss out if you make a decision that is wrong
  • When in doubt, choose not to decide at this time, which is a decision itself.

4. What Possible Motives Are Driving My Decision?

When you are faced with a decision to make and want to make a wise decision, analyze what the motives are that are driving you to make the decision. Be brutally honest with yourself. We all are masters at self-delusion and rationalizing the decisions that we desire to make. To make wise decisions, you must be honest about your motives for that decision.

Proverbs 16:2, “People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives.”

Proverbs 20:9, “Who can say, ‘I have cleansed my heart; I am pure and free from sin’?”

Points to consider in order to make wise decisions:

  • Acknowledge that you have “blind spots.”
  • Honestly assess your motives, both good and bad.
  • Give others permission to speak into your life.

5. How Should Past Experiences Inform My Decision?

The best predictor of future decisions are the decisions that you have made in the past. Take an honest assessment of your past decisions and ask yourself. “Were they wise? Were the outcomes successful? Will I be pleased with making the same types of decisions this time?”

Proverbs 26:11, “As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness.”

Proverbs 17:10, “A single rebuke does more for a person of understanding than a hundred lashes on the back of a fool.”

Questions to consider in order to make wise decisions:

  • What are the patterns of behavior or “triggers” on previous decisions that I have made?
  • How does my family background and training affect how I make decisions?
  • Have I learned from previous decision-making mistakes?

6. What Is The Collective Counsel Of My Community?

Since all of us are prone to self-delusion and rationalization of any decisions that we make, it is wise to seek counsel from those who have shown wisdom and have experience in the particular area that you need to make a decision. This may be different people for different decisions that you need to make. Be sure to seek out those that are wiser and may disagree with you and gain their insight. Be careful of receiving advice from friends or close associates that may not have wisdom in a particular area. As an example, if you have a crucial financial decision to make, seek out a wise and successful person that has a proven track record. Do not seek advice from someone that lives paycheck to paycheck.

Proverbs 11:14, “Without wise leadership, a nation falls; there is safety in having many advisers.”

Proverbs 18:1 “Unfriendly people care only about themselves; they lash out at common sense.”

Proverbs 18:2 “Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions.”

Points to consider:

  • Restrict those that you seek advice from to individuals that have proven successful in that area of life.
  • Don’t try to convince that person of what you desire to do. Seek open insight.
  • Provide all the information that is needed to this person, so that they can provide you with honest and candid feedback.

Consider these first six waypoints in your decision-making process in order to make wise decisions. Next we will continue on the trail as we explore the final 4 principles for making wise decisions.

10 Principles to Make Wise Decisions – Part 1

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In this Wisdom Note, we will begin a new series about making wise decisions. Every day each of us is faced with numerous choices, which require us to make decisions. Our objective in producing Wisdom-Trek is not just to help you make decisions, but to teach you to make wise decisions, and even more so to make legacy-creating decisions.

Wisdom is an attribute that we should all strive for in our lives. As mentioned before, I personally rely on the Bible, which I consider to be God’s Word, as my basis and foundation for wisdom.

Gaining wisdom is not unlike establishing other good habits in our lives, whether those habits are eating properly, staying physically fit, or learning some new skill. We perfect those habits by properly practicing them each day. In the same manner, the more that we make wise decisions, the wiser we become, and the easier it is to make wise decisions in the future.

“Making wise decisions can become a habit in your life.”

While the Bible, other literature, and information we study do not address every decision that we will face each day specifically, there are principles in the Bible and elsewhere that help us to foster a wise decision-making matrix within our lives. The question that we are all faced with is what should we do when the Bible doesn’t seem to speak directly to the situations we face and the decisions we need to make?

In our next couple of Wisdom Notes, we will stop by 10 waypoints that will help us to make wise decisions when there are not clear commands, guidelines, or direction. Because of my faith walk, I will base our discussions of decision-making on Biblical principles. If you happen to have a different basis for your value system, these points will still apply to your decision-making process.

Our first waypoint question is:

1. What are the principles that should form my decision-making matrix?

We first need to understand where wisdom ultimately comes from. Although there are many wise individuals from whom we can glean practical sage advice, when you look for the basis of this wisdom, it is rooted in the Bible. God has blessed certain individuals with the gift of presenting this wisdom in ways that help us to understand it better. Based on this premise, we acknowledge and understand that God is the ultimate source of that wisdom as is described in these verses.

Proverbs 2:6, “For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”

Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

Now that we understand where true wisdom comes from, we need to determine some basic guidelines for making decisions. What is the eventual purpose of any decision that we need to make? Many decisions that we make may have multiple purposes, and we need to determine what they are. The final conclusion of all decisions that we make, whether they are large or small, should be to bring glory to God.

1 Corinthians 10:31, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

When making decisions on business partners, financial partners, or a marriage partner, we need to be very careful who we associate with, especially if the partner(s) will exercise some control over our decision-making process. All partnering on life’s trek should only be done only with those individuals that share our same values and beliefs, otherwise, there is potential for conflict that impacts our values, beliefs, and, ultimately, our integrity.

2 Corinthians 6:14, “Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness?”

Proverbs 22:7, “Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is a servant to the lender.”

When making decisions, the outcomes should always be honorable and right. Do not make decisions that are contrary to your values.

Philippians 4:8, “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

The preliminary questions that you need to ask as you are forming your decision-making matrix are:

  • Does the Bible have a clear direction on this, or does it conform to the guidelines listed above?
  • Who do I consider wise and knowledgeable that can help me better understand what God’s Word says about this decision?
  • Am I making a decision that is contrary to what wise counsel has recommended?

2. Do I have all the facts about the decision that I am making?

When you need to make a decision and you have processed the first step, then make sure that you have all the facts needed to make a wise decision. I realize that you could become too anal and never make a decision due to paralysis by analysis, but you should not be too hasty to decide until you have all the facts needed.

Proverbs 18:13, “Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish.”

Proverbs 18:17, “The first to speak in court sounds right — until the cross-examination begins.”

Questions to consider when determining if you have all the facts:

  • Have I asked enough of the appropriate questions for this decision?
  • Have I fallen prey to “wishful thinking” or let my emotions get the best of me?
  • Have I remembered that there are two sides to every story and considered all possibilities?

Consider these first two waypoints in your decision-making process in order to make wise decisions. We will continue on the trail as we explore the 10 principles for making wise decisions in our next note.