Strength too Small

Proverbs 24:10 (NLT) If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small.

This particular verse has always baffled me a little bit. At first it seems like sort of a statement that is made to taunt you. It doesn't give you a warm and fuzzy feeling that’s for sure. At its core wisdom is practical skill for living. It is taking tried and true knowledge and applying it to real life. 

We are all going to encounter pressure at some point in our life. It could be financial, spiritual, physical, or emotional pressure. Other words Bible translators use for the word 'pressure' in this verse are: adversity, trouble, and crises. We don’t always know when we are going to encounter adversity or find ourselves in a crisis, but I can guarantee that in this life they will find us. 

I have found a couple of nuggets of wisdom hidden within this verse.

1) The Boy Scout Motto is “Be Prepared”. Preparation is usually not glamorous or fun, but it is needed when when facing adversity. Strength is not built in one day. Physical strength is built with hard work, commitment, and resistance. This same principle can be tied to many other aspects of our life. Maybe it’s building an emergency fund for a financial rainy day. It could be shedding some extra pounds at the gym before you have a health issue. Maybe it’s finding daily time in the Bible to know the promises of God to cling to when in trial. By nature I am not the most disciplined person, but as I get older I have learned that living a lifestyle of strength gathering provides for stable living. I remember years ago when I was going through a rough time as a new manager my boss gave me a nugget of wisdom. He said that as I grew the things that are hard for me now will be nothing for me to handle in the future. He also said that in the future there would be bigger trials to overcome. He was right....Strength builds upon strength.  

2) This verse also shows us that adversity or pressure is a true test of what is really inside of us. In my early twenties when I lived in Texas I was apart of a large and dynamic college ministry. I lived with Christian guys and basically my life revolved around this ministry and my walk with Christ. When I took my first career job in Portland, Oregon all the structure I had around me was gone and I was tested by trial. That trial came from loneliness, disillusionment, and temptation. I did not pass the test. I found out that without the external structure around me my faith was not as strong as I thought. Actually, those years of failure and trial have now led to a faith in God that has deep roots. Not that He has changed at all, but my level of trust in Him has grown. If you read 1 Peter you will learn that your faith will be tested but it is to prove it to be true gold. Some adversity is meant to make you stronger and sort of the gunk in your life. 

God does not desire for you to fail under pressure. He desires you to grow to be strong and healthy just like any good Father would. I don't love adversity, but I know that my heavenly Father is my strength and my strength builder.

It time to bulk up...you know whats coming. 

Intentional Passion

Have you ever had a time in your life when you felt like a you were surfing a wave of momentum that made you feel you were just along for the ride? Or, maybe in speaking of your spiritual life you would say you were experiencing a spiritual "mountain top" time in your life. It seems that during these times life is much more focused and clear. Maybe you get motivated to start getting healthy and you get some small victories under your belt and you are excited that change has finally arrived. I love those times....when you are rolling along and the tide is going your way.

And then..... Life Happens. The day in and day out grind of life life slowly takes your momentum away. Maybe you go through a time when work is stressing you out, the kids aren't behaving, and the car needs expensive repairs...and all of this this happens at once. 

You try and push through and muster up the will power to keep your recent victories and goals in focus but you start to lose vision. Man...I really want to be a passionate guy but it seems like in those times real passion looks a lot like perseverance and consistency. You see, I am an emotional guy and I can get deeply moved by various things. When I watch movies like Braveheart some of those scenes connect with deep places in my heart. But...emotion does not always mean passion. Let me explain. 

You know...one of the phrases that my Mom and Dad always told me growing up was that "marriage is hard work". I so appreciate that nugget of truth. When I got married I knew that we would have to work at our marriage in order to have a healthy relationship. We would need to live with intention in our relationship in order to make it thrive. I was not surprised when the emotion was not there and it was time to roll up our sleeves and work to really Love each other. Emotions come and go. I think that real Passion...is the Passion that will persevere in trial with determined consistency. 

Do you realize that the Latin root of the word Passion is pati which means 'suffer'? We can all sprint for a while....but the reality is that we are in a marathon called life. We can all fall in love but maintaining that passion comes with daily intentional choices. That is true to relationships, work, dreams, creativity, and whole variety of things. 

And this is why I am writing this blog post....during this last year I lost my passion for writing and communicating. I didn't feel I had anything to say. I felt a lot of negative emotions and I did not have the desire to even start typing. But then I remembered that true Passion is not an emotion. It is an intentional consistent persevering action. 

So here you go....this is my Passion. I may not be feeling it right now, but I did it.