Talked Into It

By Cynthia Ruchti –

“Whoa! That is…that’s a unique color combination.”

I stood in my friend’s kitchen, trying to stave off the nausea induced by the wild, highly unappetizing faux painting technique on what she called the “accent” wall.

“You don’t like it?” she asked, eyebrows tented.

I used a trick I learned when my kindergartners brought home creative but unrecognizable artwork. “Tell me the story behind this.”

My friend burst into tears. “There’s no story! It’s a disaster! I hate it!”

“We agree then.”

“It’s not just me? It really is horrible?”

“You needed to ask? Jen, those garish colors just aren’t you at all! Who talked you into this?”

She paused for a moment. “The kitchen designer. Not only did she talk me into the circus-tent-in-a-tornado technique, but it cost me more than the glass-tile backsplash!”

Sympathy oozed out of me.

I’d been talked into a few bad ideas before, things I’d regretted a lot more than an accent wall that could be painted over. “Hon, what made you say yes to this? Didn’t the designer show you a sample first?”

“Oh, I saw a sample. Didn’t like it. But I thought I was the wrong one, the uptight one, the person with no taste. So I caved.”

“Love to talk to you more about this, Jen, but could we discuss it in the living room where I’m less likely to lose my lunch?”

Throughout time, God’s people have often been talked into things they knew were dumb ideas, or even spiritually dangerous ideas. No doubt they, like my friend, felt intimidated by the apparent—and false—wisdom or intelligence or good sense of the person insisting, “This is perfect for you. You need to try this—everybody’s doing it. Okay, you can hang onto that faith idea if you insist, but at least don’t let yourself go overboard.”

Regret doesn’t come from listening to God, but from listening to others who talk us into things that go against the wisdom of God.

PRAYER: Father God, I don’t want You to have to ask, “Who talked you into the pursuit of this nonsense?”(Isaiah 57:11—The Message). By Your Spirit, keep my head on straight and my ears tuned only to You.

BIBLE VERSE: “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure, then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere” James 3:17 NIV.

Spoiled Fruit

By Cynthia Ruchti –

My daughter cracks me up. Her sense of humor, like her two brothers’, has grown more acute and cute in her adult life. She has a wonderful way of viewing life’s difficult moments—especially as they relate to parenting—with an eye for the humor in the situation.

A couple of weeks ago, on a Saturday afternoon that already had too many “time outs” and too few naps, daughter Amy showed up for worship team practice with her mommy-self dragging on the ground behind her.

Before practice began, the worship leader asked if anyone had a prayer need. Amy’s hand shot up. Well, as quickly as a hand can shoot when it’s exhausted.

“Yes, Amy? A prayer concern?”

“I’m having a little trouble with the Fruit of the Spirit.”

“Which one?”

“All of them. Except meekness.”

Her comment sent a wave of laughter around the room, blessing other worshipers who came to practice lacking in one or more of the Fruits of the Spirit.

She knew she didn’t need fewer children, or another read-through of a Dr. Dobson classic. Even if her circumstances…and the attitudes of her precious children…didn’t change, her true need was for a stronger complement of Fruit. Fresh Fruit.

How many days do I search for an answer I think I need—a solution I believe I ought to be able to find—when what I really need is a trip to the Divine Produce Department?

PRAYER: Lord God, I’m in awe of the way You can use the simplest, shortest little quip to sting my heart and jump-start it back into proper rhythm—Yours. Thanks for the sweet reminder that all I ever need more of is You.

BIBLE VERSE: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV).

Excess

By Cynthia Ruchti –

“Whatever you don’t need, just leave it here.” That’s what I told him.

My husband was leaving for a fishing trip early in the morning. He knew better than to wake me, just so we could have one more kiss.

Leaving before dawn meant he had to go to bed the night before way earlier than my night-owl self could imagine. With my husband contentedly snoozing and dreaming of smallmouth bass and walleyes, I closed up the house for the night and made him the lunch I knew he’d need for the trip. But how large a lunch? Did he plan to stop on the way? How long was it going to take him to get to his destination? I should have asked before he fell asleep.

To make sure he had enough, I made him an abundant sack lunch and left a note. In addition to, “I love you. Have a great time,” the note also said, “Oh, the lunch? Whatever you don’t need, just leave here.”

When I got up the next morning, I saw the note with his own scribbled “Thanks! Love you, too!” added to the bottom. Several of the elements of the lunch I’d prepared rested in the fridge, waiting for someone else to need them.

Hmm. Made me think. I wonder if that isn’t a message the Lord communicates to His children. “I’ve prepared more than enough for you, given more than enough. Whatever you don’t need, just leave here for someone else.”

I think the Lord also says, “You’re carrying a load of things that aren’t helping. They’re weighing you down and making the trip more cumbersome than it has to be. If you don’t need them—and trust Me, you don’t—leave them here. With Me”

Who would argue? “But, Lord, I need that worry, that anxiety, that stress. I need that remorse, this extra bag of guilt for things You’ve already forgiven. Don’t I?”

A popular praise song reminds us that none of us has time for the upkeep of maintaining or hauling around cares and regrets that the Lord has already covered with His Love.

PRAYER: Father God, it’s the weight of a deadline that’s creating unnecessary baggage today. Thinking about it is making it worse than it actually is. I don’t need to haul that around when I’m trying to be nimble. Lord, help me leave it with You. And tomorrow’s care? I’ll need Your help with that, too.

“Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for You” (1 Peter 5:7 KJV).

 

Identity Theft

By Cynthia Ruchti –

It happened on an ordinary afternoon. I made a small purchase at a local specialty store and paid for it with a credit card. Or rather, I tried.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but the charge wouldn’t go through.”

“What do you mean? We can’t have reached our limit. We never have more than a small amount charged to our credit card, and we pay it off completely every month, on time.”

“Sorry. The machine says your card is denied.”

I had other means to pay that day, so I did. When I got home, I called the credit card company.

“Yes,” the customer service rep said, “there’s been suspicious activity on your card. We shut it down. Weren’t you notified?”

Suspicious activity? Someone was using our account number?

“It happens far too frequently,” the customer service rep explained. “We’ll get everything straightened out eventually, but it may take several monthly bills to work through which charges are legitimately yours and which were made fraudulently.”

I understood why people say they feel as if they’ve been violated when someone steals their identity. It was an affront on all counts—financially, a time waste, a headache producer, and what seemed a never ending pattern of confusion as it took many months to sort it all out.

The thieves caused so much grief unrelated to the money. As grateful as we were for a cooperative card company with which to work, I still mourned the time drain and inconvenience.

Identity theft happens every day. And sometimes we hand it over to the thieves.

We forget that we are daughters and sons of the King of kings, and act like paupers instead. We fail to show our “I belong to Him” cards when loneliness threatens. We cower as if we have no power bestowed on us from the Conqueror. We wander in confusion, as if it’s impossible to know where we stand with Christ, even though He’s told us we are His “workmanship,” His handiwork (Ephesians 2:10).

Is that how we act? Or do we allow voices other than the voice of God to steal the identity of who we really are in Him? It’s a mess when that happens…a violation against us. And it can cripple someone not just for a few months of paperwork-straightening, but a lifetime of unnecessary and unwarranted shame and regret.

PRAYER: Lord, help me implement Your plan to guard against spiritual identity theft. Make me wise to what weakens my defenses.

“The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:16 – 17 NIV).

Distracted

By Cynthia Ruchti –

The conversation—the mom’s side of it—might have started like this:

“All buckled up, kids? Good. Hannah, stop poking your sister. You did, too. I saw you. Jenna, just because she poked you does not give you the right to take her juice box. Hannah, don’t just grab it back. Ask for it nicely or it’ll…spill. Here’s a paper towel. Two. Three. Get it quick before it stains. Now, you two, settle down. We have a long trip ahead of us. No, we are not there yet. Why don’t you read the books Grandma gave you? There, that’s nice. I don’t know what that page says, Jenna. I’m driving. No, I don’t know what that page says either. Driving. Oh, look! A cow! Let’s count cows. No, you may not get out of your car seats so you can see better. Because I love you, that’s why. And because it’s the law. How about let’s sing. Good. No, no, please, no, not that one! Please pick a different— The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round, the— What colors, Hannah? What? Oh, red and blue lights. Yes, they are pretty, aren’t they? Mommy’s just going to pull the car to the side of the road and see what the nice policeman wants. And you two are not going to sing while he— Oh, Jenna! Get your finger out of your nose. Hello, officer. License and registration? Sure. Spare juice box. Spare bottle of Advil. Spare diaper. What’s the problem, officer? Distracted driving? Impossible. I wasn’t texting!”

How distracted do I let myself become on issues that really matter, like safe driving? Relationships? My relationship with the Lord?

How many times do I let the mundane interfere with the profound?

PRAYER: Lord, I need You to help me not be driven to distraction, but driven to my knees, fully focused on You. I want You to have my full attention. Anything else spells danger.

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2 NIV).

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