INSPIRATIONAL INSIGHTS

     My husband woke up this morning and said I've got to tell you what God showed me while I was sleeping last night.  When he finished, I asked if he'd like me to type it up for him.  God has been giving him things like this lately.  Others should hear them.  As he receives them, I will type them up and post them here as Inspirational Insights.

                                       THE PUZZLE

                                                  by Brian Wooster

     I went into a hobby store looking for something different to do with my life. I stopped at the shelves of puzzles. There were many different pictures and sizes. No two puzzles were alike. Some were too easy, some too hard, some too dark, or had a subject matter that didn’t appeal to me. My eyes lit up. I found the puzzle I wanted to do. It was just right for me; one I thought I would enjoy working on.

     Religion is like that. We live life in this world but get bored with what it has to offer and decide we need something more, something new to do. We drive by a church and think, maybe I’ll try church. But there are so many to choose from. Which church (or religion or denomination, or faith) is right for me? You start by eliminating the ones that don’t appeal to you for whatever reason.Then when you find the right one, your eyes light up. I think I will enjoy this one. Let’s do this one.

     How do you do a puzzle? You start by sorting the pieces, pulling out the edge pieces. Then you build the frame. Then you search through all the pieces, each different colors and different shapes (no two are exactly alike), and find where they fit. Usually, you find pieces that connect into the frame which has clues to what attaches to it. If you know what the picture is supposed to look like, you can look for the pieces to a specific part of it, assemble those and put them approximately where they should go within the frame and then find pieces that connect to them. Every piece fits perfectly where it is supposed to go. If you put it in the wrong place it won’t fit. Before long, the picture starts to take shape and you can tell what it is supposed to be. You begin to work on different areas of the puzzle until it is mostly done and there are only holes here and there. You search for just the right piece to fit each hole until the puzzle is complete. And there is a satisfaction that comes with putting in that last piece and completing the puzzle. I did it! The picture is beautiful, and it was well worth all the time I spent on it.

     Your Christian walk is like that. You start by sorting your life and building the framework which is salvation in Jesus Christ. All these pieces are easy to recognize. They have straight edges. Salvation is the easy part. Once the frame is done, you can leave the puzzle and walk away, do other things, forget the puzzle is there. But the frame is still there. It’s still done. It’s just waiting for you to take an interest in it and come back and work on it again. A lot of people think they only need to do the frame and they are done. There is so much more puzzle to do (Christian life to live). They start by finding pieces that fit into the frame they’ve built. Oh, this little piece of love goes right here. Is that a piece of joy? That goes right there, doesn’t it. Where does this patience go? It didn’t fit here. It must go somewhere else. And little by little you build your Christian walk based upon the picture of Christ.

     The Bible is also like putting together a puzzle. First you have to choose one. There are many different versions, different font sizes, Bible sizes. You have to find the one that is right for you. You may have a desire to read a Bible, but where do you start? You can read a bit here and another bit there and it doesn’t make sense. You can’t see the picture. But as you sort through it, you begin to see that something you read here goes along with something you read there, and a picture starts to form. It starts to make sense. Then it’s like a treasure hunt. You want to read more, learn more, find the next piece and the next until everything falls into place and you see the beautiful picture it portrays.

     Which one are you? Are you the person that starts a puzzle and thinks it's complete after the frame is done? Or don’t want to bother with the rest because it's harder than the frame was? Do you get bored with it and leave it on the table to go do something else? Are you too busy to work on the puzzle? Or do you get excited when you find a piece that fits and seek eagerly to find the next and the next and the next.

     Here’s a challenge: Find a puzzle that appeals to you. Put in the time and effort to work on it. Don’t give up when it gets hard. Feel the satisfaction of putting in that last piece and hearing, “Well done.”

HOMEWORK

                     by Brian Wooster

     As a kid, I hated homework and I almost never studied for tests.  For that reason, I rarely passed them and didn't do well in school.  We Christians need to study too.  Lots of different ideas are being taught as Gospel out there and if we aren't like the Bereans in the Bible who searched out the scriptures daily to see if what they were being taught were so, we won't be prepared when the tests come.  Life is full of tests.  We pass them when we study for them.  We study by reading the Word and knowing it - doing our homework.

DIRT

                            by Brian Wooster

     Our house is full of dirt. We dust, we mop, we sweep, we vacuum, we try to get all that dirt out of our house.  We get it all done and it's sparkling clean.  Everything is sanitary and smells so nice, and ahhh, it feels so good.  But as we go throughout our day, dirt clings to our bodies and shoes and we track it back in. The world is dirty, full of sin, and we can't help but get it on us when we go back into it. And after that long day when we come back home, we open the door and the wind is blowing and dust is flying and it, too, gets in. 

      So, we come inside, tracking dirt, kick off our shoes to go take a shower to get the dirt and odors of the hard day off our body.  We come out squeaky clean and step barefooted onto a goat head that we tracked in from outside - a remnant from our day. Then we start looking around and notice a light layer of dust on the furniture and tracks on the floor of the dirt we brought back in unaware we were bringing it all back into our clean home.

     Before we can relax, we've got to dust, mop, sweep and vacuum all over again, getting the house clean once more. This is a daily occurrence in our lives.  Christ saved us and made us clean, but as we live in this world, we go among the dirt of sin and get it on us and bring it back with us and it sneaks its way back into our house, making it dirty again.  We need to go to Jesus, who is our dustcloth, our mop, our broom, our vacuum.  He cleans us and our house again and removes the painful goat heads hiding in our carpet. But if we don't, the dirt builds, and builds, and builds, until the roaches come in and your house becomes uninhabitable.

     We call people who obsess about dirt "germophobes".  We see them constantly using sanitizer to protect themselves from dirt. Sometimes people laugh and mock them for doing this or being that way.  We need to be "sin-o-phobes", constantly sanitizing ourselves through repentance and not caring if we are laughed at or mocked for doing so or for being this way.

     We need to clean our houses daily to keep them from becoming uninhabitable. We need to repent of sin daily to keep our souls from becoming uninhabitable for Jesus.

MAINTENANCE

                                                                                     by Brian Wooster 

     We buy a new car.  It's shiny, exciting new. But what happens if we continue to drive this new car every day, but never wash it, change the oil, get a tune-up, or perform routine maintenance?  It gums up, breaks down, no longer runs smoothly and falls apart.  Sometimes it quits working altogether and becomes useless. The car is sputtering.  It could be dirty sparkplugs, a plugged fuel filter, bad gas. When we sense a problem, we see a mechanic or get out our repair manual to diagnose the problem. In the 1970's and 1980's, most men had or used Chilton manuals.  This was a repair manual specific to his car's exact year, make and model that showed every nut, every bolt for every system and gave the exact specifications the car needed to run at its optimum capacity.

     Our Christian walk is like that.  We get saved; we are shiny, excited and new.  But what happens if we continue to live every day, driving our lives without ever washing away the sin that gets on us through repentance, or getting a fresh infusion of oil (the Holy Ghost) or tune-up our walk by changing this habit, or learning the specifications needed to make our walk with the Lord operate at its optimum capacity.  We need to turn to the mechanic, Jesus, and open our Chilton's manual (the Bible). Every problem that causes our walk to sputter, miss, run poorly is diagnosed in this manual and specific steps are given to fix the problem.

     Classic cars are highly valuable.  That's because they are old cars that have been well maintained and often restored.  The mechanic of our soul and our Chilton's manual, the Bible can help keep your walk running efficiently however long it may last.  Don't skip your routine maintenance.  It's the difference between a classic and a clunker.

SABOTAGE

                               by Brian Wooster

     You're setting up a row of dominoes which when toppled will create an elaborate picture and someone walks up and knocks one down, causing them all to fall when you are half-way done.  You are building a house of cards and someone walks by and blows on it, causing it to tumble.  You are up for a promotion and a co-worker also up for the promotion deliberately undermines you in front of the boss causing them to get the promotion instead.  These are all acts of sabotage.  Sabotage is defined as a deliberate act of obstruction to prevent success or to weaken an opponent.  We also self-sabotage.  "No, you're not good enough to do that."  "Nothing ever works out for you, so why try?"  

     Our Spiritual walk is like that.  God calls us to missions, and we know we've been called of Him, but our Pastor or spiritual advisor says, "You won't be effective.  You don't know their language or their culture."  You feel led to teach a Bible study and you are asked what seminary ordained you to teach, what makes you qualified to do this? You are witnessing to an unbeliever and Satan whispers in your ear, are you even sure you're saved?  And we self-sabotage too.  "I don't need to go to church today, I can watch it on TV."  "This paraphrased version of the Bible is easier to understand; I'll buy this one instead."  "I trust my pastor; no need to look up the scriptures myself."  

     While we can't control sabotage in the physical world, we do have a defense against spiritual sabotage.  1 John 4:4 says, "Ye are of God little children and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." If we know we've been called of God to do something, we do not need man's approval or ordination, because we have been ordained by God (Ephesians 2:10).  And what he calls us to do, he enables us to do, even if it is a skill we didn't previously possess. We can prevent self-sabotage too.  We need to trust in the Lord with all our hearts and lean not on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5) and be Bereans (Acts 17:10-12) searching the scriptures to see that the things we read, see, and hear are actually so.

     There is so much sabotage in the world today, because Satan does not want you to succeed in your Christian walk and to get to heaven. Don't aid his efforts.  Trust in the Lord, be a Berean, and let "he that is within you" beat the saboteur.

ARCADE

                                   by Brian Wooster

     When I was young, I would spend time playing in the arcade.  For those of you under 30, an arcade is a big room which holds many different types of video games and other skill games. Two of my favorites were pinball and Pacman.

     In pinball, you'd put the quarter into the machine, and a metal ball popped out.  You'd pull the plunger back, just far enough to give you the amount of boost and speed you needed to propel the ball where you wanted it to go. The flippers on each side of the machine kept the ball in play.  There were little bumpers within the area that you tried to make the ball hit to rack up points.  You could guide the ball toward these bumpers by nudging the machine, moving it just a bit to the right or left.  If you bumped the machine too hard it would TILT, causing the turn to end, the ball to return back into the machine and your score to be frozen until the next ball came out. Pinball takes finesse.

     Our Christian walk is like that.  It is not supposed to be only about us, but we are to invest in the lives of others.  We are to encourage their walk and give them the boost and speed they need to obtain their goals for Christ.  Church and the Bible are the flippers on the side of the machine that keeps their ball in play.  We can share these to guide others to hit the "bumpers" to make their walk with Christ count the most it can.  If we see another getting off course, we can nudge their machine with warnings and encouragement, but if we push too hard, we can shut them down altogether.  Relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ take finesse.

     Pacman is another game of skill.  In it, you control the little Pacman along a maze, gobbling up dots which add up points, all the while trying to avoid the ghosts that are trying to trap and eat him. If your Pacman gets to and eats one of the big dots in the corners, the ghosts go from chasing you, to you chasing them. 

     This, too, is an analogy for our Christian walk. Instead of us controlling the Pacman, we need to allow Jesus to control us through the maze of life, gobbling up knowledge of Him and His Word as we go.  The enemy of our souls is trying to catch and devour us.  But if we get to the big dot (the knowledge that he who is in us is greater than he who is in the world), the tables turn, and we have the power to put the enemy to flight.

     Who would have thought one could learn so much from a day spent in an arcade!

BALLOONS

                                     By Brian Wooster

     Something happened this weekend that I didn't understand.  I found myself wrestling within myself over something as simple and joyful as balloons.  My wife's nephew passed away six years ago and she and her brother (the nephew's dad), the nephew's sister, my wife's mom all gathered at mom's house to write "Happy Birthday" and other messages on balloons to release into the air in his remembrance.  Such a beautiful sentiment.  

     I had never met my wife's nephew.  I came on the scene a year after his passing.  My wife said I could stay home if I wanted to, but I wanted to be with the family to show my support. We went over and my wife's brother handed her a balloon and a marker.  The others were already working on theirs.  They offered me one and I declined.  My wife explained that I never met her nephew, and it would feel forced or fake writing heartfelt sentiments to a stranger. But there was more to it than that.  More than I could explain or understand.  I just knew that I couldn't do it.  It was alright, maybe even good for them to do, but somehow very wrong for me.  And I hated myself for it.  Why was I feeling this way?  I could see how meaningful and special this was for my brother-in-law, and I didn't want to add to his grief or put a damper on his remembrance in any way.  I offered to take pictures and video the release.  At least I could do something.

     The Lord spoke to me that night while I slept.  He reminded me of the time I was involved with the SCA doing medieval reenactments.  We would make a Viking boat and write messages to deceased loved ones and float it in the water and burn it as they did Viking burials in that day. The Lord showed me this was a pagan activity and that He'd delivered me from it as I've grown closer to Him.  This is why I no longer attend Renaissance Festivals.  In my spirit, releasing the balloons felt like sending the Viking boat to Valhalla.  I know it's not the same thing, but it felt wrong to me, and that's why I struggled with it.

     I discussed all this with my wife in the morning.  She said that each person's walk with the Lord is unique and individual.  There are things that are fine for other people and other Christians that are wrong for her.  She has made a vow to the Lord not to let one drop of liquor or alcohol touch her lips.  It's fine for others to toast a wedding with a glass of champagne, but she can't.  It would be a grave sin for her, as releasing the balloons would have been for me.  Now I understood.  I can drink champagne; she can release balloons.

     I hope my brother-in-law reads this and understands that I meant no disrespect to him or his son and that there was something greater at work in me.  God will use whatever it takes to mold us into the image of his son. It's often something different for each person - something meaningful to them.  Even something as simple and joyous as balloons.

CHAOS

                                  By Brian Wooster

     What causes anxiety, stress, distraction and feeling flustered?  Chaos.  It's noise, too much happening at once, lack of peace, lack of structure.  Genesis 1:1-3 says, "In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the earth, and the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep.  And the Spirit of God hovered over the waters."  "Without form" means, without structure - chaos.  Chaos has been there from the very beginning.  But if you keep reading in this chapter, you see that God comes in immediately creating order from the chaos.  He separates the waters above from those beneath and creates sky, land and brings light.  He creates borders, structure. And verse three says the Spirit of God (which the Bible calls the Spirit of Peace, often represented by a dove, the symbol of peace) hovered over that chaos.

     I have seen those, like my autistic grandson, brought into a church service and even if the music is loud (which is usually disturbing and distressing) and there is a lot going on around him, is calm and at peace.  This is because of the structure of the service.  God is there bringing order to chaos, and the spirit of peace is present bringing calm. God inhabits our praises and if two or three are gathered together in His name, He is in the midst, the Bible tells us.  The best cure for anxiety, stress, distraction and feeling flustered is to be in church, in prayer, in the Word, listening to worship music.

     Chaos has been with us since the very beginning.  God was there too, bringing structure and order and His peace rose above it.  He continues to do so today.  We just need to enter into it.