Mix things up

One of the cool things about the newer cell phones now is the voice notes feature.  You are able to record small notes to your phone such as a reminder, create a ringtone of your kids talking, grocery list, etc.  Recently I started recording small notes to send to my wife through text message.  It is a modern day note on the pillow/on the mirror.  My wife keeps her phone on her nightstand, so in the morning as she gets up I have been sending a voice note to let her know I was thinking about her, that I loved her, and how great of a wife and mom she has been and will continue to be.  It isn’t anything extremely new, but I can tell you my wife loves it.  She is a stay at home mom that is watching over all 3 of our kids, and the few seconds she gets of encouragement makes her day a little brighter.

So when was the last time you found creative ways to let your spouse know that you love them?  Or when was the last time you told your parents or a close friend how important they are to you?

Get creative, and think of ways to praise the people that influence you the most.  Just remember too that sometimes the simple notes are just as spectacular as extravagant gifts!

Multiple Personalities

Why is it that people will become more cautious of their actions and words when they are at a certain location or around certain people?  I had this happen to me recently while at work.  A friend of mine was talking to me, and his whole demeanor changed once he found out I was a pastor.  It even went to the extent that he felt guilty for slipping in a cuss word into the conversation, and apologized as soon as he said it.  Lets face it, there are probably things that all of us would or wouldn’t do in front of certain family members and friends.  Whether it is out of guilt, respect, or whatever the reason, we change aspects of our lives to reflect the people and atmosphere we are around.  If we have to change who we are and what we say around certain people, maybe it is time to evaluate your purpose and reasoning in changing your actions.  Why can’t you be the same person at home, at work, at church, around your friends, around your family?  Are there things in your life that cause guilt, shame, or regret when you do them around certain people?  Maybe it is time to evaluate your life, see what you need to work on, and become the same person no matter who we are around.  I know there are things that I need to work on in my life.  How about you?

You Can’t See Me

One Summer in college I worked as a counselor at Kids Across America which is an affiliation with Kamp Kanakuk.  Before the campers arrived we had all the staff come to clean up the campus, plus they wanted us to get to know the other counselors.  Towards the end of work week, all the guys were taken out to a cave that the majority of Kamp Kanakuk used.  As we entered the cave there was a huge auditorium.  As we continued to walk deeper into the darkness, the walls started to close in, until we reached a point called “the box”.  It literally was a man made small door that covered the opening.  It was used to lock out unauthorized guests from entering the cave.  I remember it was pretty tight quarters trying to maneuver through “the box”.  Some of the guys had to literally go through one shoulder at a time.  Once we all were in, which was about 30 of us, the leaders took us to the cathedral.  It was a massive collection of stalagmites and stalactites.  I thought that was an awesome experience in itself, but the leaders had more in mind.  They collected all of our flashlights, gave us 3 matches, and 3 candles.  After that, the leaders left us there in the dark.  The rule was we had to wait until we couldn’t see the leaders light anymore.  Then we had to talk, resolve any conflict, then we could make the hike back through the cave alone.  It was an amazing once the leaders flashlights were out of sight.  I knew there were another 30 or so people standing right next to me.  I could hear them, but I couldn’t see them at all.  I could wave my hand right in front of my face, and the only reason I knew it was happening was because I was the one waving.  Well, we had our pow wow in the secluded darkness.  A lot of people vented about some of the conflict that had occurred while in camp, and then we started our adventure back.  Our first two matches broke while trying to light it on somebody’s zipper.  Thankfully the last match lit properly and we used one of the candles to light one of the other candles.  We decided to save the last candle just in case we needed it for later.  Even though we were only about 5-10 minutes inside the cave, trying to get all of us out was going to be interesting.  There were a lot of alternative routes, and if we got lost we would need the extra candle.  Oh, and don’t think we didn’t get lost a few times!  We ended up using the last candle before it was said and done, but we all survived without having any casualties.  Aside from being caked in a lot of cold wet mud, we were pretty good.

There are a lot of times where we try to hide certain areas of our life from everybody else.  We can hide them in our “caves”, and no one may ever see them.  Even though others can’t see your secret, you still know it is there.  More importantly, God still knows it is there.  It isn’t going away.  It is just going to sit there and stew until you confess, get rid of, and bring things into the light.

So what is in your cave?  Is it an addiction, racism, resentment, jealousy?   What about insecurity or  self-esteem?

Until you realize you are lost, you can never be found.