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Footprint

14 Tuesday May 2019

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Henry Wadsworth Longfellow used the phrase “Footprints on the sands of time” in one of his poems to describe the mark that great individuals leave on history. You may say that you are not a great individual, but I would argue that we all have an opportunity to be great in some way and to someone. With that thought in mind, I want us to consider a very important question. What impression is your footprint leaving behind?

The word footprint can be used many ways.

  1. In detective work, a footprint can be evidence that is left behind to show what happened in the past.
  2. In archaeology, footprints have been found preserved in fossils that document prehistoric life.
  3. In the Tech world, we have a digital footprint that we usually unintentionally leave behind that often opens us up to identity threats
  4. Today we hear much about our Ecological or Carbon footprint in understanding how our earthly resources will last
  5. The one I am most familiar with is a corporate or business footprint

I completed my college degree and spent the majority of my career in Health Care Management, so this was a common focus for me. From a business footprint perspective, I want to share a quote from an article in the Wall Street Journal entitled “A Strategic Guide to Adjusting Your Corporate Footprint”.

“Assessing the enterprise footprint and executing the recommended realignments are not small endeavors. Footprint optimization can be costly and time consuming. But companies able to do so are realizing short-term financial benefits and are likely better positioning themselves for long-term success.” 1

Why did I share this? Because every single one of us are leaving behind a footprint, if at the end of this blog you realize that you want to change your footprint, the good news is, you still can!

This article states that from a business perspective, it can be costly and time consuming but worth it to realize both short term and long term benefits. In our natural and spiritual walk, we too have an opportunity to assess our footprint and determine if realignment is needed.

Our lives and how we live them, all fashion a series of footprints we leave everywhere. Additionally, our spiritual lives also leave an important footprint. Perhaps you don’t feel that you were provided the kind of legacy that you want to pass on, or you feel like you are currently failing in some area, but the good news is today is a new day and the changes you make today can positively impact everything that comes after this. If you didn’t have good footprints left for you to follow, don’t let that become an excuse. Let your footprints be the ones that change the course for all future generations that follow you!

I want to consider four of the important actions we can take to assure that we are leaving behind the optimal footprint God desires us to leave.

  1. We should live a life of godly character and conduct.

Basically, think about the example that you are setting.

Proverbs 13:22 NLT

Good people leave an inheritance to their grandchildren, but the sinner’s wealth passes to the godly.

This text deals with leaving an inheritance to our children, which is a good thing, but if all you leave your kids is a MATERIAL inheritance without leaving them a SPIRITUAL legacy, they will be impoverished, no matter how large the inheritance.

Proverbs 22:1 NLT

Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold.

We live in an age of moral decline, where it seems like character hardly counts anymore. Sadly, this general lack of character and proper behavior has crept into Christianity. The character and behavior of Christ-followers is often hardly distinguishable from that of unbelievers today.

2 Peter 1:5-9 NLT

Make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. 8 The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.

Our character and conduct should be so exemplary that we shine as lights in a dark world. As a Christ-follower, we should be different and we should act different than those who don’t know the Lord as their Savior.

Our speech should reflect that, our work ethic, and even our fiscal responsibility should be above reproach. We are a King’s kid and we should act accordingly!

1 Peter 2:9 NASU

But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light

  1. Love extravagantly!

The second important actions we can take to assure that we are leaving behind the optimal footprint is to love extravagantly. Jesus defined this kind of love as being willing to lay down your life for others (John 15:9-10; 12-13).

Jesus displayed the ultimate love when He laid down his life for us.  For most, we will never be in a situation where we will be required to lay down our life for our family, but if faced with the choice most would do it without hesitation. Extravagant love takes this kind of love and expands it across the sea of humanity.   It requires our hearts to love others as we love our immediate family, even the unlovable and our worst enemies. Look how Jesus describes it in this passage.

Matthew 5:43-44 NKJV

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you’”

This kind of extravagant love requires God’s love to flow through us. We have to ask for help from the Lord to love this way, but it is this kind of love that will provide an optimal footprint. In the last verse of the famous “Love chapter” found in 1 Corinthians 13, we learn that three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.  I particularly like the way the Message Bible translates that verse.

1 Corinthians 13:13 Message Bible

But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

  1. Model Commitment

The third important action is to model commitment. Commitment is dedication to a particular organization, cause, or belief, and a willingness to get involved. People who are committed to an organization or effort truly believe that it is important, and they show up, follow through, and stick with it. With commitment, comes greater momentum to get the job done.

It seems that commitment is not as important to most people as it once was. This is especially true for the younger generation.  We seem to struggle with commitment because we live in a time that has so many choices. The fear of making the wrong choice puts people in analysis paralysis and they end up not committing to any choice.

Another reason for lack of commitment is we have trust issues. In order to trust people we have to connect with people and open ourselves up to love people. We live in an age where most are only connected with their phones and pretend to be connected with people on social media.

The problem with commitment is it requires reciprocity. That means mutual exchange or giving as much as you are receiving.  Too often, we fail at commitment because we are only interesting in receiving and not giving.  For example, I am committed to God and that makes me want to give Him praise, I want to give Him my life, my time, my talent, and my obedience. I am committed to my husband.  I strive to give in that relationship as much as I expect to receive. I am committed to my job. I don’t just show up expecting to receive a pay check when I don’t commit to perform my job. I am committed to my children, to my grandchildren, to my family and friends, and I am committed to my church! I don’t just show up when I feel like it and I try not to show up expecting to receive more than I am willing to give!

Paul describes commitment as keeping your eye on the prize and pressing toward the goal, look at how that passage reads in the Message Bible.

Philippians 3:13-16 Message Bible

13b By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward — to Jesus. 14 I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back. 15 So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision — you’ll see it yet! 16 Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it.

Commitment leads me to the last action I want to discuss in aligning our footprint.

  1. Contend for the Supernatural

Contend is a strong word and it means to strive or to fight even against difficulties.  We need to contend or fight for the faith or the spiritual legacy that we must leave behind.

Jude 3-4 NKJV

3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jude is specifically warning to contend against distorted or deceitful teaching in this passage. I think the verbiage here “certain men have crept in unnoticed” is interesting, because that is exactly what happens when we don’t contend for the supernatural, things creep in unnoticed that take priority over the things we should be contending for!

At the beginning of this year, the Lord told me to contend for the unprecedented. The things which eye has not seen, ear has not heard, and our minds have not imagined. There is such a temptation presented to us to just settle, to accept the status quo, but if we will do what Jude tells us to do and build ourselves up in our faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keeping ourselves in the love of God, we will be empowered to CONTEND FOR THE SUPERNATURAL (Jude 20-21). It will provide the spiritual footprint we want to leave behind!

There are some spiritual things we cannot afford to stop contending for!

    • We need to contend for the lost souls all around us to be saved
    • We need to contend for revival and for a move of God to sweep this world
    • We need to contend for the unprecedented

THERE IS TOO MUCH AT STAKE FOR US TO SETTLE!

I want to close by asking you a thought provoking question. If you are on Social Media of any kind, I want to challenge you to scroll through your timeline and ask yourself, “What does your Social Media footprint look like?”

Long after we depart earth, messages, actions, and images will be left behind for future generations to see. If this social media footprint of yours was the only information the world had about you, ask yourself,

    • Is the footprint represented accurate?
    • What does it say about you?
    • Is it the footprint you want to leave behind?
    • Is it the way you want to be remembered?

While I think we could all learn a lot about our priorities by reviewing our social media posts, more importantly I want you to think about your personal and spiritual footprint. Is it the footprint you want to leave behind? If the Lord tarries, what will your children, grandchildren and even great grandchildren tell about you? What stories will those who know you as a friend or coworker, or fellow church member or neighbor say about you? This question is important not only because we are concerned about what people will think and say when we are gone, but more because we are still here and have an opportunity to make adjustments if they are needed.

    • We have an opportunity to inspire, encourage, and motive others to live godly lives.
    • We have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and for the Kingdom of God,
    • Our decision can please our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ so we will one day hear him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant”!

I ask you one more time to consider this important question. What impression is your footprint leaving behind?

 

References:

  1. wsj.com 5/6/19 (Wall Street Journal April 9, 2012)

 

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Enduring Love

29 Tuesday Jan 2019

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As we approach the month of February, a month known for being a time for expressions of love, ask yourself what you are personally conveying to those around you. True love “Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:7).

My heart hurts from the lack of enduring love that I am witnessing all around me. Never in my adult life have I observed the level of division and hate that I see before me in so many forms. As Christ followers, I believe we are to express something greater. I am not talking about a compromising faith, but I am referencing a love that can endure differences of opinions. I believe we can stand firmly on the promises and instructions provided for us in the Word of God and continue to express love to those who disagree with our stance.

I believe this starts within ourselves, for what is in us will eventually come out. I always like to pose this question, if you are in imminent danger, with only a few seconds to respond, what is the first thing that comes out of your mouth? I would argue that your response is an indicator of what is inside of you. When impurities are heated up, they tend to rise to the surface. I learned this watching my husband make fishing lures. He melts lead to pour into molds during this process. As the metal gets hotter, the impurities rise to the top for him to scoop off.

There are moments in our lives where things are heated up. Perhaps it is a difficult situation that you are walking through, a challenging relational issue, or even a political or ethical stance that is challenged. Regardless of the cause, what comes out when under pressure is an indicator of what is inside. If you take inventory and do not like what is coming out, there is a better way. The Bible tells us, “Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). He can help us to love in unlovable times and in the most challenging of situations. He teaches us unconditional love.

In the New Testament, Paul addressed the Corinthian church, which had become full of envy, strife, and divisions. He told them that these behaviors were evidence that they were living like mere unchanged individuals. They were not living the “Greater” life they could be demonstrating as Christ followers. In fact, he even tells them that he couldn’t share all that God had for them because of their childish state. He said he had to feed them milk instead of solid food! He challenged them to realize that each of them were co-workers, who should labor together with and for God. He told them that they were God’s field and God’s building! (See 1 Corinthians 3)

Paul’s instructions to the New Testament churches are applicable to the “Church of God” or all believers. We should be not only the field, which God cultivates, but also the house, which God builds; a house in which He intends to dwell! When we take inventory, if we find that we are full of strife and division, we can learn from these instructions that there is a better way.

Later in this same book of the Bible, Paul describes enduring love.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NLT

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Could we as believers strive to develop this kind of love for others? Could we instill and demonstrate this kind of love for our children, grandchildren, and all we touch? Could we imagine a world without bullying, without hate for those who look, believe, or act differently than we do? I am not suggesting that we should not have strong convictions about the clear instructions that are provided for us in the Word of God. However, we should equally have strong conviction to love those who believe differently, even while opposing what they believe in.

Jesus demonstrated the greatest love when He laid down His life for us. He did not come to bully and spew hate at those who didn’t believe as He did. He loved in such a selfless way that He endured unbelievable torment for ALL. My passionate plea is that if we call ourselves His follower, we could demonstrate His love during a time of great strife and division in our country. I am praying and asking God to invade our lives in such a way that His love is shown in and through us.

Compelled by Compassion

04 Saturday Nov 2017

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This post is dedicated to a dear friend of mine, Peggy Parks, who was one of the most compassionate individuals I was blessed to know.  Rest in Peace Peggy and enjoy the beauty of heaven!

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Have you ever felt compelled by compassion?  I hope that we all could respond positively to that question, but I had an opportunity a short time ago to experience this on a different level.

Recently I shared a blog post called “Restore” where I described a difficult personal journey.  It seems many have experienced similar circumstances and could relate closely to this teaching.  I was invited to share that lesson at our annual Women’s Retreat for the Southern Missouri District of the Assemblies of God.

Every year there are specific mission’s projects that the women’s department sponsors.  The theme for this is “Compelled by Compassion”.  I sat there in that mission’s service listening to this year’s focus projects, and my heart was so full of compassion unlike I had ever experienced before.

In the afternoon, before it was time for me to share my “Restore” message, I was asked to assist during a prayer service where we prayed for women who had specific needs.  As I listened to each one share with me what they needed prayer for, my heart was so sensitive to their pain.  As I began my lesson, I realized I was in an unusual state after these activities.  I was trying to get through my introduction, feeling very emotional, and I happened to turn where I could see over my shoulder the Mission Theme Banner that said those words, “Compelled by Compassion”.  In that moment, I had a realization that this was exactly what I was experiencing!  I was being compelled by compassion on an unfamiliar level!

Why was that?  I could think of many reasons.  In my previous state, I was so overwhelmed that there was no room in my mind to be as sensitive to others.  In some situations, I was feeling enough pain myself, that I wanted to block out the pain of others.  I also think in my situation, I was running at such breakneck speed that I was doing two or three things at once and never stopping to be “In the moment” that I was currently experiencing.

Some of these responses are simply habits and choices that we can make a decision to change, but some can only be changed when we allow the Lord to do a work in our own heart and restore our soul.  I began to realize that since experiencing my own “Restore” journey that I my heart had changed, I was sensing things that I was overlooking before, I was feeling compassion on a different level, and I actually had a totally different perspective on aspects of life that I was previously oblivious to.

As Christians, I believe that we should be different.  The challenge is that often we are living life so broken that there isn’t any capacity left to show love and compassion for others.  Often our lives are so busy that there is no margin left in our lives to express love and compassion.  Lastly, as hard as it is to hear, there are times we are just simply too self-absorbed in thinking about our own needs and desires to open our hearts to show love and compassion to others.

I have to be honest, I still fail at times in these areas, but I am so much more aware of the pain, suffering, and needs of others than I was before this journey.  I realize that I can’t be everything for everybody, but if all of us could be compelled by compassion and love, follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, how much differently would this world be?

Philippians 2:1-5 NLT

Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

Compassion is defined as, “Sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it.”1  Jesus was the ultimate example of compassion.  Look at a few examples.

Matthew 14:14 NLT

Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

Mark 1:40-41 NLT

A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. “If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,” he said. Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!”

Mark 6:34 NLT

Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

Luke 7:12-15 NLT

A funeral procession was coming out as he approached the village gate. The young man who had died was a widow’s only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” he said. Then he walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. “Young man,” he said, “I tell you, get up.” Then the dead boy sat up and began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his mother.

All of these are examples of times Jesus had a, “Sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it”!1  There are many more examples of times He was moved with compassion during His ministry, but I want to show you an example of what I call ultimate compassion.  We see this example when He was dying on the cross.  Not only did He love you and me enough to bare all those stripes for our healing, and pay the supreme price of His death for our salvation, but also while He was enduring unbelievable agony and suffering, He saw those in pain around Him.

Jesus had compassion on the thief who was dying on one side of Him during His own crucifixion.  He told him, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

We also read that while He was on the cross He had compassion for His mother.

John 19:25-27 NLT

Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home.

During His own agony, He was making sure His mother was going to be cared for when He was gone.  What an example for us to follow.  The Word tells us in Luke 6:36 NLT, “You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate”.

Too often, we feel that if we are suffering, we get a pass on showing love and compassion to others, but I believe Jesus shows us a different example.

If you are like me, you are likely thinking it is a tall order.  The good news is that the Christ in us enables us to love and express compassion this way.  Perhaps you are familiar with 1 Corinthians 13, often known as the “Love Chapter”.

1 Corinthians 13:1-7 NLT

If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or  rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

I often say that in my own humanness, I cannot love the way this passage defines love, but the Christ in me can!  If we will open ourselves to God and let Him do the work in our own hearts, we can have the capacity to love this way with His help.

I believe we are living in a time where showing Christ’s love and compassion is more critical than ever before; not only to our fellow believers, but also to a lost and dying world.  The world we live in is dark and it is getting darker!

Think about it a different way.  How many of you like the dark?  I like it to be dark if I want to look at the stars or if I want to sleep.  Darkness often does different things to different people.

Some may like the dark, because it provides cover or protection.  For example, deer season is upon us and my husband likes to be in his stand when it is still dark in the morning or until it is dark at night.  The darkness provides him cover so the deer don’t see him, and the deer are braver to move out in the open when it is dark.

For some darkness brings fear.  Fear can lead to panic.  Sometimes fear leads to people turning inward or to self-preservation mode.

Sometimes darkness leads to hopelessness, weariness, or depression.  I remember when I first started working in the home medical industry, someone called wanting to know if we could provide a SAD lamp.  I had never heard of such a thing and immediately misunderstood the request.  I thought they meant “sad” as an emotion, but SAD is actually an abbreviation for Seasonal Affective Disorder, which can often be treated by artificial light.  Light therapy is thought to affect brain chemicals linked to mood and sleep, easing SAD symptoms.

At times darkness can compel us.  If you have a power outage in the evening when there is no outside light, you are compelled to do something about it.  You will find either some candles, a flashlight, or some source of artificial light.

Why did I give these examples?  Because I want us to think about how we are allowing the darkness of the world we live in to affect us, specifically how is it affecting our ability to show love and compassion?

Are we using the darkness as a cover?  Do we have an attitude that because the world is getting darker and darker our efforts don’t make a difference or no one will notice or expect me to express compassion?

Are we allowing the darkness to bring fear that is causing us to turn inward and be in self-preservation mode?  Are we only worrying about our own needs and ourselves?

Are we allowing the darkness to bring sadness, hopelessness, or weariness?  Do we have the mentality that we have carried the torch long enough and we are tired, it is someone else’s turn?

On the other hand, are we allowing the darkness to compel us to do something?  Are we looking for ways to let our light shine in a way that demonstrates the love and compassion of Christ through us?

Jesus said, “….I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12 NKJV

Another familiar passage found in Matthew 5:14-16 NKJV reads like this:

14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

In closing, I want to share a story that Jesus shared, one that is familiar to most about the Good Samaritan.

Luke 10:30-37 NLT

Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’ “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”

Jesus said, “Go, and do the same”!  I believe He is counting on us as His children to be His feet and hands extended, to show love and compassion to those around us.

I have a few questions for you to consider.  Are you still so broken yourself that you have no capacity to show compassion on others?  If that is the case, He wants to restore your soul!

Are you in a place where you have no margin left in your life?  I realize there are times when we have many priorities and many things to do, but if you hear yourself constantly saying, “I don’t have time!” Maybe you need to get alone with God and ask Him to show you where you need to make some changes.  If we are honest with ourselves, we really have time for the things that are important to us.

Lastly, ask yourself the hardest question….am I too self-absorbed?  Am I so concerned with my own needs and desires that I have no room to think about others?  Am I willing to sacrifice some of my time and energy, or even my finances to show compassion and love to others?

These are important questions for us to consider.  I believe God is asking us to live our lives compelled by compassion!

 

  1. “Compassion” Merriam-Webster.com