Another Four Letter Word
August 7, 2019 by Rosemary Flaaten
Filed under Daily Devotions, Personal Growth
By Rosemary Flaaten –
Four letter words have a reputation for being foul, slang, or crude. The vocabulary we choose reflects our values. Popular usage can change the conventional meaning of a word. There is a four letter word which, by definition, simply means “being actively and attentively engaged in work or a pastime.” By definition, “busy” is not a bad word.
I was recently contacted with a last-minute request to speak at a conference. The organizer admitted that she hesitated to call me because she felt she would be bothering me because I was so busy. I realized that I portray my life as busy. I have bought into the frantic pace of our society that equates busyness with worth, and stillness with laziness. Heaven forbid if I am caught being still.
Godliness reflects the opposite. Jesus beckons us to come away with Him and to learn His unforced rhythms of life. Studying the way that Jesus, with a limited time frame, interacted and lived out His mission, we would be hard-pressed to find Him looking busy or responding that He was too busy to meet the needs of the people around Him. His value did not come from being busy.
“Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10 NIV). As treasured children of the Most High God our value does not come from what we do. Rather, it is our connectedness to God which spawns our values and propels our actions. Time alone with God does not diminish our capacity for accomplishments. Rather, it fuels it. Martin Luther is noted as saying that he had so much work to do that he needed to spend the first three hours in his day in prayer. When our hearts are stilled we are recharged, making our work more effective, which also results in less busyness.
I am choosing to make my vocabulary match my values and for that reason I resolve to not give credence to a word that insidiously shapes my actions. I am eradicating from my vocabulary the four letter word – BUSY. In doing so I am charting a course of Christ-like stillness of spirit within activity.
PRAYER: O Lord, show me how to be still.
Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message) “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
The Choice of Truth
July 17, 2019 by Rosemary Flaaten
Filed under Daily Devotions, Personal Growth
By Rosemary Flaaten –
As I read and reread the evaluation, these questions ran rampant through my mind: How could I not have met their expectations? How could they think so poorly of me? Am I really this bad?
This questioning quickly turned to derogatory interpretations: I guess this proves that I really am a failure. I knew I wasn’t cut out for this job and these comments prove it. I’m pathetic. Anger, resentment and self-disgust caused each negative comment to swell in intensity, making me feel smaller and less competent.
All too often, I choose to pick the negative out of an evaluation or a conversation and then feed it so that it expands into a much larger and darker issue than what was originally intended. I allow my mind to take me down the path of negativity and resistance. At these times, I am moving away from God and how He could use this to make me more like Him if only I didn’t turn away.
The Psalmist declares “I have chosen the way of truth” (Psalm 119:29 NIV). This advises me that following God’s way is choosing a route which leads away from negativity and falsehood. Instead, it follows a process characterized by examining the facts to create an honest assessment of the situation and myself, thus keeping me from being drawn into excess negativity.
When I choose the corridor of truth, I will no longer be blinded by coddled hurt, unable to see any truth that might be wrapped in their evaluation. Rather, by looking for any nuggets of truth, I will seize the potential for growth.
What path will you choose the next time you receive an evaluation that seemed unfair or where you felt misunderstood? Will you choose the pathway of negativity or will you choose to allow God to show you the truth in the statements and use it to fuel growth?
QUOTE: “True genius resides in the capacity of evaluation of uncertain, hazardous, and conflicting information.” — Winston Churchill
“Keep me from deceitful ways, be gracious to me through your law. I have chosen the way of truth, I have sent me heart on your laws” (Psalm 119:29-30 NIV).
Blow Torch Anger
July 6, 2019 by Rosemary Flaaten
Filed under Daily Devotions, Personal Growth
By Rosemary Flaaten –
The flash from the blow torch came at lightening speed. Singeing the table, it turned the weathered grey to charcoal black. There was no denying the permanent scar left by the flash of intense fire.
Does your anger ever strike out like a blow torch?
All too often little injustices and irritants pile on top of each other throughout my day. The ledger in my mental accounting system seems to be added to in rapid succession. One more frustration is tallied and then it happens—the flash of anger. Once my blow torch of anger flares, there is no retraction. The person on the receiving end will not be unscathed.
Ephesians 4:26 does not instruct us to avoid anger. Rather, we are told to not sin in our anger. Blow-torch flashes of anger are sinful. They singe people’s character. They raze people’s worth. They force relational chasms. They do irreparable damage.
The Psalmist provides us with a different approach to anger. “Complain if you must, but don’t lash out. Keep your mouth shut, and let your heart do the talking. Build your case before God and wait for his verdict” (Psalm 4:4-4 TM).
Consider having a pad of sticky notes in your pocket. Every time one of your coworkers, friends or family members does something that causes you to feel indignant or hurt, write out your complaint on the sticky note. The act of chronicling your complaint will become a physical transaction that symbolizes removing the anger from your heart and mind.
But, rather than posting those complaints for review or accumulation, shred them or toss them in the trash. By destroying them, you indicate that you are handing them over to God, trusting Him to deal with that person as He chooses. Allowing God to be the final judge alleviates us from having to play that role. We can trust Him to always pronounce a fair verdict that is wrapped in love.
The warmth of God’s love will always be preferable to the fire of our blow-torch.
PRAYER: Lord, help me to be a purveyor of love and forgiveness rather than an accumulator of anger.
“Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life” (Ephesians 4:26-27 TM).
Unplanned But Part of God’s Plan
June 16, 2019 by Rosemary Flaaten
Filed under Daily Devotions, Personal Growth
God has had a purpose for every moment of my life, and that plan will continue until the moment I die. These holy plans have been evident as a child growing up on a farm on the Canadian prairies, a student at a secular university, a nursing aid and daycare worker, a music teacher, and an ex-pat corporate wife. Being a pastor in a mega church, a writer and a corporate trainer have all been surprises to me but have also been part of God’s plan before the beginning of time. To many my journey may seem like a mismatch of pathways but God’s plans are higher than my vocation; they are my calling.
The path of our lives may start with a bump or two, be full of winding roads and mishaps, and have their share of both mountain tops and deep valleys but through it all we must continue to believe that God has a plan. Our lives our not random or purposeless.
Wherever we find ourselves, we must be attentive to the God-tracks in our history. History is really God’s story and we get the privilege of living His-story in our skin. When we can believe that God has brought us to this place, on this day in history for “such a time as this” (Esther 4:14 NIV), then we will view each unexpected diversion in our path in a different light. Instead of being setbacks, they will be stepping stones on the plan God is unfolding.
May each of us be attentive to the portion of His-story that we are part of this day and commit to living out our potential in His holy plan.
PRAYER: O Lord, give me the faith to catch a fresh glimpse of Your holy plan for me this day.
“Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you. Before you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you” (Jeremiah 1: 5 TM).
Today’s Devotional is by Rosemary Flaaten. Her successful book, A Woman and Her Relationships, and its accompanying DVD small group resource helps women bridge the gap between their spiritual lives and everyday interactions. Her newest book A Woman and Her Workplace delves into 9-5 relationships. A dynamic speaker—Rosemary challenges her audiences to view their workplaces as opportunities to live out Christ’s love. Rosemary lives with her husband and three children in Calgary, Canada.
A Pretentious Promise
June 15, 2019 by Rosemary Flaaten
Filed under Daily Devotions, Personal Growth
By Rosemary Flaaten –
As I prepared for the biggest performance of my career, I prayed that not only would God keep me from making a fool out of myself, but that He would help me do a super job. I remember tagging on the end of that plea a well meaning promise to be more diligent about sharing my faith with my coworkers if He would grant me just this one small favor.
Thankfully, the performance was spectacular. God came through and answered my request. But, as for my part of the deal, I regretfully report that my promise to talk about my faith fizzled before it even started. I procrastinated, produced one excuse after another, and eventually gave way to apathy. My promise was flimsy and selfish, having little to do with gratitude, responsibility or dedication.
Each of us could provide a long list of blessings that come to us from God. Family, jobs, health, friendships, material comforts and freedoms form just the initial items on this list. God has given so abundantly for each of us. His mercies are new every morning and He makes available everything we need to have overflowing lives.
So why is our tendency to take these blessings for granted, offering half-hearted excuses for our ingratitude and selfishness?
Jeremiah gives us a glimpse into this reality when he tells that despite all that God had done for Israel, she did not return to Him with her whole heart. Israel’s devotion was pretentious; a facade.
God doesn’t desire to be part of our life; He wants to be our life. He has no interest in a lukewarm, relationship with us that is more show than reality. He isn’t satisfied to be relegated to Sundays, mid-week Bible studies and early morning devotions. He desires for us to recognize Him as our travelling partner, involved in everything we do in every moment of the day.
Undivided devotion and gratitude usher in a openness to the Spirit of God and creates a space in our lives that would otherwise remained shut off from Him. A wholehearted commitment will vanquish any facade.
PRAYER: Search me O God and illuminate for me where pretence has superseded my devotion.
“In spite of all this (she) did not return to me with all her heart, but only in pretence” (Jeremiah 3:10 NIV).
Today’s Devotional is by Rosemary Flaaten. Her successful book, A Woman and Her Relationships, and its accompanying DVD small group resource helps women bridge the gap between their spiritual lives and everyday interactions. Her newest book A Woman and Her Workplace delves into 9-5 relationships. A dynamic speaker—Rosemary challenges her audiences to view their workplaces as opportunities to live out Christ’s love. Rosemary lives with her husband and three children in Calgary, Canada.
