So at my work, when you are talking to someone and they are telling you about a situation that requires a whole lot of work and effort to be resolved, usually the conversation will end with:

“But this is my overtime day, so that is not going to happen.”

You feel for them. You get it. They have put in their regular work week and have added some to it. For them to go so far over the top would be ridiculous.

So it was my overtime day. It was set up perfect!

I was on my favorite floor, in one of the best locations (by the breakroom and the restroom). And there was a fan close by cause these are the 100 degree days.  To top all of this off, one of the coolest supervisors was on the floor. It was going to be a chillaxing day.

Super Christian that I am, I was encouraging others. Saying this is going to be a good day. We are going to make it happen. There were high fives, fists bumps, etc.

About 30 minutes into my shift, cool supervisor came by and said, “You trained in (another department)?”

“I don’t want to do that today. This is my overtime day.”

She said “Cool. If they don’t call back, we good.”

I sent up my quick prayer. Fifteen minutes later she showed up and said I had to go.

Crap! This is my overtime day.

Needless to say I go to another department. It started out okay, but not my chillaxing day I had planned.

After lunch that job changed.  It was something ten times harder than anything I had done. I worked harder than I have ever worked. My back called me names that were not polite and would probably make you blush. I sweated so hard I was soaking wet down to my underwear. This was so opposite of what I had planned.

But I learned something new about work and about me.  It was hard. It was fun. It was worth it.

In this world, when we pray for peace and for God’s intervention, that is what we expect.  We expect God to reign peace down on us because we are praying for it, kinda like I expected a chillaxing day. Yet it seems like the harder we pray, the more violence breaks out.

We have visualized a world in our minds that really doesn’t exist. Kinda like my chillaxing day.  In order for us to have peace, everyone has to leave their chillaxing behind and go to work in another department. We are not giving up our comfort zones to meet others where they need us. I don’t believe we are there. We don’t sound like it yet. White people want black people to change. Black people want white people to change. Until we all change I think the violence is only going to get worse. We are heading for very dark days.

Until we are all broken, I don’t believe God will do anything with us. Our hearts are not contrite. We are still lost in darkness. We are still finger pointing and wanting it to be someone else’s fault. We are still mourning in different camps. Some mourn for the officers, some mourn for the victims.  God is waiting for us all to mourn together.

This morning at church, Stephen Rickels reminded us that the way that God thinks and the way that man thinks are different. We often think we know what is best because of how it feels to us. God knows what is best and has a plan in motion to deliver us. It is going to be hard. We are going to sweat. It is going to be worth it because we will all do it together.

When we break sweat together we will know what our God is up to. As long as we stay in our separate camps we are doomed. He warned us about these days. It was not an accident we studied the Book of Revelation last year. We need to believe Him.

Some of us are not going to make it through this violence. Stop living your life like this doesn’t affect you. We have been a nation sheltered from this kind of violence, but we have chosen to be free of God who had politely stepped back and given us over to it. Until then I think we will find we live in a dangerous environment that we help create.

The good news is that this isn’t the end of the story. When Adam and Even sinned and separated themselves from God, He had a plan for reconciliation. You see God loves us more than we can imagine.

His plan was for Jesus to come to earth as a man, live a perfect life and be the sacrifice we needed to reconcile us with Him.

Jesus suffered death on a cross for us. He rose from the dead after three days. He promised that if you believe in Him, you will have everlasting life. You see the devil doesn’t win if you believe in Jesus.

You want to know how to stop the violence, make sure everyone around you believes in Jesus.  Even if they are absent from the body, they are present with Lord. Amen. We win.

Enjoy the pond, even though it might not be yours

I was at the Duck Pond this week and was amused by the sight of the turtles.  You see it is called the Duck Pond. It was designed around the ducks. There were lots of ducks there, but the turtles didn’t care.

The turtles did not have to deal with the current of the Trinity River or the other creatures that live in the river. They enjoyed the amenities of the Duck Pond with their friends. That is what we need to do. If you are a turtle, enjoy swimming in someone else’s pond.  Don’t try to change the name to the Duck & Turtle Pond.  Just enjoy your swim. When it is time to move on, move on.

Even birds have down time from the flock

One thing I noticed about groups of birds is that it is like an endless game of tag. They all fly to one point and before the last one gets down, the first one takes off again. It is kind of like a house with a bunch of kids, they are seldom all still at the same time.

So as long as I have been walking at this place, there is always one bird like this one. It sits in the tall bushes and people watches. Like this bird, we need to get away from our flock and see the world around us for what it is. We need moments to sit in the tall grass, dip our feet in cool water and rest.

Everyday is the opportunity to make a masterpiece

The sun is starting to rise earlier. On one hand I love it because I can actually see the world around me instead of dark blobs. On the other hand, I hate it because traffic is much thicker because other people can see the road too.

As long as the Lord paints pink morning skies, there are opportunities to be had during that day. Each day is an incredible work of art and we have the chance to make it a masterpiece.

Sometimes our enemies can’t be seen

One of the most sinister enemies in the State of Texas is the heat. We all feel we have been around long enough to manage the heat or that it is not that dangerous. But heat will sneak up on you and destroy you. You may feel tired, sleepy or weak. Manage your time in the heat and hydrate.

During the winter and spring months I could walk late in the afternoon. But as summer rears its hot head, I am making plans to walk in the cool of the mornings. Just because you don’t see your enemies, doesn’t mean they are not out there trying to destroy you. Sometimes God holds things back from you to protect you. Just like the heat, respect your enemies.

Sometimes the skies are blue and road ahead is full of obstacles

We are all on the road to somewhere and there are usually things in the way. This week I was encouraged by Muhammad Ali’s life as told by Billy Crystal in his 15 Rounds. Despite all of the obstacles, Ali continued to see himself as the Greatest. You are great too.

We are all going somewhere and your perception of the journey will determine everything about it.  We need to be like the birds. Praising God for his timely provisions with songs. Everything about this life He has designed for you. He is telling you through all of the things around you. You only have to “Be still and know He is God.”