GodandMe2theMax

Grabbing God on the Go...

"Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." 
Matthew 11:28

 

Julie Moss.  Not exactly a household name.  Probably most reading this blog have no idea who she is, so let me share her story.  I remember watching ABC sports in 1982 as they showed Julie’s story.  She was participating in the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii.  This triathlon consists first of a 2.4 mile swim, an 11.2 mile bike ride, and if that isn’t enough, it culminates with a 26.2 mile run – a full marathon.  Julie was in the final leg of the marathon, and she was in the lead.  But a few hundred yards from the finish line, Julie’s legs and body gave out.  No longer could she run to cross the finish line.  In fact, she didn’t even have the strength to walk to it.  Now with just yards from the finish line, the 2^nd place competitor Kathleen McCartney overtook Julie Moss for the lead and went on to win.  But Julie didn’t quit even though her body was shutting down.  Each forward step resulted in her falling to the ground, yet Julie was determined to finish.  On hands and knees, Julie moss crawled to the finish line.  The images are forever written in my mind. 

Why is Julie Moss important today?  Well, in our ABF class this morning, we were talking about the times in our life when God wants us to “be still.”  My husband Frank is our teacher, and he mentioned in passing how our lives are so busy, it’s like we’re a marathon runner.  What happens when they need to be hydrated?  Do they stop and take a break, or do they keep going?  No, they don’t stop, at least never  by choice. As they pass someone along the sidelines of the race, they get handed a Gatorade or a bottle of water.  They drink it or even pour it on themselves, throw the remains on the ground behind them, and they keep running.  They keep going, and they don’t stop. 

Then Frank stopped and said, “How many times do we approach God like that?  How many times do we grab God on the go?”  I started to visualize that concept.  In truth, it’s a profound thought, and he told me later that he had just thought of it ‘on the fly.’  (He’s pretty incredible, that husband of mine!)  Think about it.  How many times do we guzzle God down, as quickly as we can, try to get some spiritual replenishment (at least enough to help us last until the next water pick-up)? How many times do we try to fit Him into our life’s marathon instead of taking time on the sidelines to replenish?

 I sat there with my mind whirling on this subject the rest of the morning in class and honestly, it consumed my thoughts throughout the church service.  My husband had just described my life’s race for the last few weeks and until today, what it would have looked like for about the next month.  I’ve been guilty of “grabbing God on the go”.  Now, some might argue that at least I’m taking time to grab Him, and I would agree with that argument.  Some is always better than none.  But in my heart of hearts, I know I’ve not been taking enough time on the sidelines to be replenished. 

What exactly does "replenish” mean, anyway?  It means "to fill something that had previously been emptied.  Did you get that?  To FILL what had been EMPTIED.  Replenish does not mean to take a few gulps of water so you don’t suffer from dehydration along the way.  It doesn’t mean to add $2 worth of gas to your gas tank when you’re already on empty with the warning light on.  No, that won’t get you very far, especially with the cost of gas these days!  To be filled, I have to be emptied.  Emptied of myself.  My pride.  My agenda.  My busy-ness.  Emptied so that God can replenish and fill me up so much that I can’t be filled “no more!”

This morning, God convicted me that I’ve not been allowing Him to replenish me.  I’ve been running on empty, trying to get by with just a buck of gas in my tank each day.  But that’s not His plan.  He wants me to sit down, shut up, and stop moving long enough for Him to replenish me. He wants me to just find rest in Him. He wants me to take a break from this marathon of life and drink me up some God-Gatorade.  (Yes, I know, that’s not very good use of the English language; just consider it used for the sake of emphasis!)

Now, you know me.  I’m not a runner.  I run to the kitchen.  I run to the bathroom.  I might even run up the stairs to catch the ringing phone, but that’s where my running usually stops.  However, on a regular basis, my schedule runs me, and as of late, it’s been running me completely ragged.  The funny thing is that I really believe God is using me in ways that I never dreamed possible, just by me being available to Him.  But the problem is that as Christians, we can get involved too much in ‘doing and serving’ that we neglect our own relationship with the Lord.  What good am I to the body of Christ if I'm not spiritually healthy myself?

As I was checking to make sure my facts were correct for this blog, I found out that Julie Moss had never even trained for that Ironman Triathlon.  She was a college student who participated in the event as part of her research for her exercise physiology thesis.  Certainly, Julie Moss is an inspirational story, one of great determination and perseverance.  Yet, I can’t help but wonder if she had actually trained and conditioned herself, maybe even if she would have just taken some time to stop along that 26.2 mile run to replenish, maybe just maybe, things would be different.  Perhaps she would be remembered for winning that triathlon instead of crawling across the finish line on hands and knees. 

I don't know about you, but when the finish line is in sight, I don’t want to be crawling on hands and knees to make it.  Like Kathleen McCartney, the winner of that Ironman Triathlon, I want to make the right moves along the race to run to the finish line, not just make it there crawling.  For that to be true, the “grabbing God on the go” must end.  No more guzzling Him down while I'm running my race, leaving the scraps on the ground behind me.  I've been running on fumes, and I'm so thankful God chose to use a little unplanned comment to drive home a big life lesson for me today on being replenished with some God-Gatorade.

 

Renew me, Lord, as I run this race.
Break through me, Lord, occupy each space.
Remind me, Lord, to take time to rest.
Replete me, Lord, so I’m at my best.

 

PS - A short video of Julie’s Ironman completion can be found at this link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbWsQMabczM

 

 

--- Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

 

Perspective Lenses of Praise...

“I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.”  Psalm 104:33

“Praise the LORD. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!  Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises!” Psalm 47:1,6

 

On the way to church on Sunday, I heard an old Amy Grant song, “Sing Your Praise to the Lord.”  It’s probably been years since I heard that song, and even longer since I actually focused on the content and meaning of the song. To be honest, the introduction and instrumentals in the song are so cool, that my brain has always been drawn to the music instead of paying attention to the words.  When I heard the intro, I opened the window a little on a cool Texas morning, cranked up the volume, and tried my best to sing with Amy.  With each breath, each attempt to spit out a line of words that I’d not thought of for years, the meaning behind them came to life, perhaps for the first time.

Sing your praise to the Lord, Come on everybody,
Stand up and sing...one more Hallelujah,
Give your praise to the Lord, I can never tell you,
Just how much good...that it's Gonna do ya
Just to sing...anew...The song your heart first learned to sing when He
First gave His life...to you...The life goes on and so must the song…

Singing praise to the Lord isn’t just for Sunday, you know.  Our praises should be constant, not a set time to “praise” but a state of being.  Yet, what happens when I begin to focus on my own life’s problems?  Immediately, I stop praising.  The focus is on ‘me” instead of God.  It’s misdirected.

I love the line “life goes on and so must the song…”  How true! Nearly everyone can identify something we are going through right now that is causing pain or emotional anguish.  I sure can, and it doesn’t take even half a second to identify it, either.  That’s how close to the surface it is.  For you, maybe it’s the loss of a job or even being stuck in a job that consumes you.  Maybe you feel like your family is falling apart.  Maybe you’re a student who is overwhelmed with your workload.  It could be financial burdens, health issues, a wayward child…  Yes, we all have something.  But God doesn’t promise us a life without problems; that’s not what being a Christian is all about.  He does promises us that He will be here for us, and He promises abundant life in Him.  IN HIM.  Not in ME.  The only way to have that is to stop the self- focus and direct it toward Him.  “So life goes on, and so must the song.”

You gotta sing...again...The song born in your soul when you
First gave your heart...to Him...Sing His praises, once more
Sing your praise to the Lord, Come on everybody,
Stand up and sing...one more Hallelujah,
Give your praise to the Lord, I can never tell you,
Just how much good...that it's Gonna do ya

Think about the joy you had in your heart when you invited Jesus to take control.  As a small child, I remember kneeling down one Sunday afternoon with my mom in my bedroom.  She explained to me what the Bible says about becoming a Christian. As best I knew how, I prayed and asked Jesus to forgive me of my sins and take control of my life.  Sure, I wasn’t a drug dealer or alcoholic, but I was a sinner just the same.  If you were a child like me when you made that decision, maybe you can’t exactly relate to this song and describe the joy you felt.  But I can sure describe the joy I have today because of that decision so many years ago.  He has spared my life from so many bad decisions because I made the choice at a young age to give Him control.  As I sang these words, I was reminded of the countless blessings God has given to me because I belong to Him.  No matter what, I gotta keep singing; keep praising.  “I can never tell you, just how much good that it’s gonna do ya!”

Just to sing...aloud...The song that someone is dying to hear
Down in the madd'ning crowd...As you once were before your heard the song,
You gotta let them know...The truth is a life to shine upon the way,
So maybe they...can go...Sing His praises, once more
Sing your praise to the Lord, Come on everybody,
Stand up and sing...one more Hallelujah,
Give your praise to the Lord, I can never tell you,
Just how much good...that it's Gonna do ya

How many missed opportunities have I had because my focus has been on me and my problems?  I don’t think I want to know the answer to that. Would you?  How many people around us are dying to hear about Jesus?  OK, in today’s western society, it’s not like they are knocking on the door begging us all the time.  But the truth is that people are searching for life’s answers, and it’s up to us to point them to the truth.  A lot of people know about God -- even believe in Him.  But so many have a misconception of Him and what the Bible says about becoming one of His children.  Just because they believe doesn't mean they're a Christian.  The Bible says in James 2:19 "even the demons believe!"  We must be vocal.  We must tell them the truth that it's only by putting your faith in Christ and Christ alone for salvation, repenting of sin, and giving Him control that is TRUTH.  We must sing aloud!  We must let them know “truth is a life to shine upon the way!”

Just to let the name of the Lord...Be praised, both for now, and evermore,
Praise Him all ye servants, Give Your praise to the Lord, Come on everybody,
Stand up and sing...one more Hallelujah,
Give your praise to the Lord, I can never tell you,
Just how much good...that it's Gonna do ya
Just to sing, sing sing...
Come on, sing, sing, sing...
I can hear you now, sing, sing, sing...

I learned a long time ago that when the path of life is blurry and you can’t quite see the way, all I need to do is put on my “Perspective Lenses.” Once I see myself and my problems with God’s perspective lenses, things start to become clear.  I may think my problems are ginormous.  (Yes, that’s a real word by the way, added to the dictionary in 2007!)  But my perspective lenses tell me otherwise.  They bring truth to focus.  They tell me that God has a plan.  It’s my choice to put this song into action each moment of the day.

So are you with me?  Are you going to praise Him in the good and the bad?  Are you going to praise Him “now and evermore?”  Are you going to stand with me and sing “one more hallelujah!”?  “I could never tell ya, how much good that it’s gonna do ya.  Just to sing, sing, sing…Come on sing, sing, sing…I can hear you now, sing, sing, sing!”

 

-- Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com