CafeSharon

“The man who forms the habit of beginning without finishing has simply formed the habit of failure.”  Streams in the Desert    It has often been said that hardest step in completing anything is the first one.  But I am not so sure about that!  There are many edifices (Monsour Hospital in Jeannette) that began with great fervor.  But somewhere along the way, the “excitement” of the finished project is lost.  The “fun” in the work is no longer there.  This happens often on short-term missions trips.  Everyone is enthusiastic and motivated until the first case of “Montezuma’s revenge” hits.  Then the rest of the time is set “just enduring”. 

This journey called “life” is sometimes a struggle.   I am praying today that I will complete what God has set before me; that I will continue even when the excitement is not what it used to be!  Because the prize is in the finishing!

I never completed my college education.  I have less than one year to go…but I quit before I received the prize.  I have regrets about that.  But it has made me realize the need to finish what I begin.  I don’t want to be a quitter.  I want to be a finisher.  I want to finish well!  How about you?

My grandmother, Lydia, had a sister named Maud.  Everyone should have an Aunt Maud.  Aunt Maud lived in this huge, old house on a hill.  Her driveway frequently was ruddy from the rain water washing it out.  The aroma of her house, I will never forget.  It was a distinct smell of freshly made bread.  She was quite a woman.  She could cook, bake, and sew.  We all had at least one pair of her infamous “one size fits all” pajamas!  I loved Aunt Maud.

One recipe that Aunt Maud passed down to my mother and on to me was oatmeal cake.  Now, you may think that sounds kind of boring, unexciting, dull.  But it was full of flavor!  It is not hard to make, and it is OOOHHH, so GOOD!  The topping has three ingredients:  brown sugar, nuts, and butter.  That’s it.  The topping makes the cake!  But you MUST use real butter.  To substitute margarine is an insult to the cake and Aunt Maud.  The butter with its smooth, slightly salty taste enhances the flavors of the entire cake.  To use margarine would be a crime.  It serves the same purpose, BUT IT IS NOT THE SAME!

In Deuteronomy 13, God speaks to us to keep true to Him.  Even if someone speaks something that sounds good, that looks good; if it is not true to God and His Word, get away from it!  In Old Testament times, they were actually instructed to stone the false prophet!  Why?  Because God knew the dangers of allowing just a little bit of false teaching in a person’s life.  Adding margarine instead of butter ruins the entire oatmeal cake.  God, help me to stay true to You and Your Word today.

Now, I think I’ll go bake an oatmeal cake.  For some reason, I’m hungry for it today!

I am reading Facing Your Giants by Max Lucado.  I love his writing style and insight into Old Testament stories.  One that intrigues me is the story of Uzzah.  Uzzah was a priest during David’s time.  When David decides to bring the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem, Uzzah and his brother, Ahio, are put in charge of the transport.  The ark is loaded onto a cart drawn by oxen.  As the cart lunges forward, the ark begins to teeter.  Uzzah reaches to steady it.  He is immediately struck down by God, dead!  Why would God kill Uzzah as he was doing a godly thing?  That just doesn’t seem fair!  But the truth of the matter is that Uzzah tried to take a shortcut.  He was aware of God’s requirements that the ark was to be carried by priests using two acacia wooden poles.  God was very specific concerning the Ark of the Covenant.  It was something that was sacred.  And God never allows us to take shortcuts with the sacred.  Uzzah would have known the requirements for transporting the ark.  But he chose to take a shortcut.   

In my own life, there have been so many times when I felt that I deserved a shortcut.  After all, I am doing God’s work.  And I have had some “challenges” with which to deal.  So, as long as I “get the ark to Jerusalem”, does it matter what shortcuts I take?  YES, it does!  In a very insignificant example:  There have been numerous times lately that I have felt that I “deserve” to have an apricot danish, some ice cream, french fries, etc.  You get the idea.  My body has gone through some trauma, so it is okay to eat these things.  But the reality is:  If you eat all that fat, you gain all that fat!   

God has called me and YOU to very specific tasks.  You can’t sidestep them.  You can’t take shortcuts.  You MUST follow His instructions (His Word).  To do otherwise is to nullify His will.

The past few months I have had a hard time concentrating on doing the “task at hand”.  I have referred to my many lists and tried (in vain) to complete every task each day.  My husband (the best husband in the world) has been my daily encouragement by praising those things that I have completed.  But I have found myself doing the “unimportant” things just so I could scratch them from my list.  I jump from one thing to another and get very little accomplished.  I am majoring on the wrong things!  It is as if I have “spiritual ADHD”!  Yesterday I came to realize that my main focus in life is not what I have been working towards.  My purpose, my focus is to reach others for Jesus Christ!  It isn’t to have two wonderful kids; it isn’t to beat cancer; it isn’t even to plan a great event.  It is to reach others for Christ!  This past Sunday, a wonderful lady in my Sunday School class prayed a simple, but profound prayer.  It went something like this:  “God, when Satan can’t make us bad, he makes us busy.  Keep us from that.”  Philippians 3:13b-14 says, “…Forgetting what is behind (my “tasks for today) and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal (reaching others for Christ) for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”