Deceptive Beauty

I worked in my yard last Saturday, trimming bushes and pruning trees. I also pulled some weeds and vines from the ground to create more space for other plants. We have several beautiful flowering plants and trees. I wanted to display their beauty more effectively. As I worked, I remembered that last year I had had my first bout with poison ivy in about forty years and regretted having not chosen to wear a long-sleeved shirt or jacket. The temperature was about 90 degrees Fahrenheit, so I dismissed the thought. I ignored the lessons learned from previous experiences. After I finished my tasks, I changed clothes and went for a three mile walk/run. Despite the heat, I enjoyed the exercise and the scenery I encountered along the way. By the time I finished, I was quite sweaty. After I cleaned up, I dressed so that my wife and I might dine at a favorite Mexican restaurant near our home. To my chagrin, while we were dining, I noticed tell-tale signs of inflammation on my arms. Actually, I noticed the itching first. I had a rather wide-spread rash on my arms and the edge of one eyelid (not the eye, fortunately). Three days later, I've endured quite some discomfort because I ignored my prior experience and did not prepare properly to prune and weed. In gardens, beautiful plants sometimes have exasperatingly effective means of protecting themselves. Failing to watch for them and to prepare for encounters with them can be quite uncomfortable, or perhaps even deadly to some with severe allergies. In life, too, what seems often most attractive is most damaging. We must prepare for our encounters and get to know people, situations, and plants well before we suffer unnecessarily.

Regaining Spiritual Balance

I read an article recently entitled "You Can't Run on Pop Tarts." It was a great article about living a balanced spiritual life. I read it as a fifty-ish person who runs 20 to 30 miles a week, usually fueled by a breakfast of a banana and two Pop Tarts. I watch what I eat more carefully at other meals, having reduced intake of red meat and regulating caloric intake. I replied to the article; this post is an expansion of my response. As we run the race of life, we encounter obstacles that we must resolve. Activities, relationships, and work may slow our pace. We pause to work on these distractions (some of which have inherent positive value) and may have trouble returning the path we want to run. Sometimes work demands our attention. Supervisors want to increase productivity; that may mean that employees work harder or longer. It may also invite ethical challenges - taking a short cut that reduces value but increases the volume produce, stealing a competitors formula to enhance our own product. We wake up one morning and realize that we run the race of life with the goal of getting promoted, getting a raise, or earning a pension. Values have vanished from our metaphorical wardrobe; family, faith, and integrity have diminished roles when we make choices in time use or moral choices. The same dilemmas may emerge in regard to recreational activities and relationships. We have a sense that we have lost our way. How may we regain our spiritual balance? First, we identify the distractions that keep us from living a spiritually healthy life. A biblical passages that urges running with our eyes fixed on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-3) precedes that admonition by telling us to get rid of what holds us back or obscures our focus. A husband may have to cut down the number of hours he spends watching sports on television or playing with friends to improve his marriage. A teenager may have to distance herself from a "friend" who tempts her to compromise her values. Second, we associate regularly with other believers in worship and study activities that will help us improve our focus (Hebrews 10:25). It's hard to run alone; although I frequently run trails alone, the time goes much faster and I run faster when I run with others. The same principle applies to living for Christ. Although time in prayer alone is critical, the affirmation received from worship and fellowship in Christian assemblies helps bolster faithfulness to Christ and to the values contained in his teachings. We become more accountable through such association and so make decisions in a more thoughtful manner. Third, taking in regular amounts of Bible study seasoned with prayer will greatly increase the probability of our crossing the finish line and receiving the prize laid up for us in heaven (2 Timothy 4:1-8). Reading all the Bible systematically will decrease your straying from your path. It will keep you from focusing on a sliver of truth rather than the Christ who empowers. We can't live a spiritually balanced life that is fueled only by televangelists and contemporary Christian music. These "spiritual Pop Tarts" may have some value in pointing us to Jesus and the Bible, but they cannot replace the accountability and affirmation gained by regular attendance at Christian worship assemblies and Bible studies. Regular Bible study and prayer remind us where the boundaries lie and help us to stay on the path to a life that is eternal in quality now as well as in duration.

Keeping the Path Cleared

Several weeks ago, I heard and saw several announcements about a new "prayer trail," a path that had been built through a wooded area near a church building. Several markers, each bearing a quote from a passage in the Psalms, lay along the trail; their presence would prompt prayer-walkers to pause and pray on a topic suggested on the marker under the biblical quote. A grand opening ceremony welcomed people to start using the trail. Yesterday, for the first time, I walked the trail with several friends. We were impressed with the markers; they encouraged prayer and reflection. The serene setting of the woods helped, also. However, no pavement, gravel, or wood chips had been laid on the trail. Sections were a little muddy; one could tell that the trail would be impassable when it rained. My training in military land navigation came in handy in a section where the trail was hard to detect; grass and weeds had grown and now obscured it. Attractive signs periodically reminded us that we were on the right path; unfortunately, we needed the signs. My take: The prayer trail is a good idea, provided that it receives regular use and maintenance. Its state reminds me that any plan needs follow-through to succeed. The prayer trail is like other paths that emerge and then disappear in our lives. We have great ideas, but then having begun, fail to do the maintenance work that our plan needs to succeed. Hopefully, people will continue to trek the trail and they (we?) or others will do the mowing, digging, or paving that the trail needs to remain viable. Meanwhile, I plan to keep on praying. I hope that you will do the same.

Pruning

I pruned trees and bushes in my yard this morning. One tree had two dead limbs and several dead branches. I lopped these off while trying to preserve branches with live leaves. Some bushes and trees had sprouted new branches that threatened to interfere with sidewalk passage or brushed up against windows. Pruning dead branches usually results in a healthier plant. So it is with us in regard to our activities and thoughts. Overcrowding our schedule produces stress and decreases effectiveness. It becomes necessary to remove activities that have outlived their function or that no longer enrich our lives. Cautionary point: one limb had both live and dead branches. I did not cut off the entire limb, but removed the dead branches. Removing the dead branches may make struggling branches healthier. Sometimes, too, difficult or unpleasant activities strengthen us physically and spiritually by causing us to build muscle or to increase moral and spiritual discipline. Engaging in harmful activities or wallowing in negativity endangers our health and our relationships with other people. I anticipate that the plants that I pruned today soon will show signs of increased health and beauty. I pray that I (and you) will have the wisdom to know where to prune in life.