Do you have a lot facing you this year? I do! 
So far this year, I’ve tried to take comfort in that old riddle , 
“How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” 
And as I have plodded along making tiny bits of progress on my huge tasks, I have been fairly satisfied. 
When a friend asked how I was doing, I said, “I’ve eaten up to one of the elephant’s knees.” 
She laughed. “That’s quite a LOT on an elephant.”

But one morning as I was asking the Lord for guidance in planning my projects for the week, 
it seemed as if He suggested a different picture for my consideration. 
Why not think of this as climbing a mountain?

As I began to think of the differences in those two perspectives, 
I realized how mountain climbing could be a much more helpful analogy for me. 
First of all, I have never really wanted to eat an elephant. 
And when I have heard the old saying quoted, 
I generally think of it in regard to something difficult that I don’t necessarily enjoy doing, yet I know I must do it. 
Many of my plans for this year fall in that category. 
The longer I thought about it, 
the more I realized that the eating an elephant perspective sounds more like being persistent in doing a duty. 
Not always that exciting, is it? 
Besides, when you feel forced to eat something you don’t particularly like, 
even eating one bite can be an unpleasant task, right? 
And, I don’t know about you, but my year’s plan is going to take a LOT of bites.

Then I thought about climbing mountains. 
While I’m really not a mountain climber, 
if I were to climb a mountain, 
it would be an adventure I would take with companions I enjoy. 
While our goal would be to reach the top, 
for me, the benefits along the way would be just as important: 
enjoying nature, deepening friendships as we plod along, resting in beautiful nooks, laughing around campfires, 
and facing challenges we face along the way by combining our skills and resources. 
In my mind, the moments of standing at the top of the mountain enjoying the magnificent view 
and the sense of accomplishment would only be one part of the pleasure. 
Perhaps not the most significant one.

As I look at my year’s tasks from the mountain climbing perspective, I find it produces an entirely different feeling. I’m not focused so intently on how far I have come in reaching my goals. 
For me, as a strongly goal-oriented person, I need to be careful in this area. 
By taking the mountain climbing perspective, 
I focus more on living each moment, 
enjoying my experiences along the way, 
allowing the process to develop my character and enrich my relationships with those with whom I interact.

Maybe you like eating elephants. 
But if you’ve already grown tired of elephant this year, 
perhaps you might enjoy mountain climbing instead.

A nice Psalm to read is Psalm 121. Here are the first two verses:
I lift up my eyes to the hills — where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. 

I love it when people respond to my blog! 
This form entry stirred so many thoughts I couldn’t bear to respond privately.
So with Steve’s permission,
you are being allowed to listen in on my response to his comments on my two previous blogs on anger:  
“when anger takes us by surprise” and “the fire of anger.”
In this blog we’ll deal with his first paragraph.

Here’s Steve.
"Your thoughts about anger were interesting. I see and hear so much injustice that I have gotten into the habit of choosing not to think of some things, because I can't do anything about them. For example, I can get very angry thinking about discarded baby girls in China, but because I feel helpless to do anything about it, I put the thoughts out of my mind. I am a mission director and I am doing all that I can already. But I am not sure that's the right way of dealing with my feelings."

I understand, Steve, that feeling of being overwhelmed by the evil in our world.
But I, too, sense that trying to ignore the anger I feel may not be the best way to deal with it.
In his book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,
Stephen R Covey explains the importance of focusing on our circle of influence rather than our circle of concern.
He recommends avoiding wasting time and emotional energy on things that concern us but are beyond our control.
I agree.
The key is to determine what we can influence. 

While writing devotional and discussion guides for my novels, I have seen some things that may be helpful.
Let’s try it out just for fun.

Suppose I witness a huge injustice that I perceive to be outside my circle of influence.
The pain burns hot in my heart.
What do I do?
I could attempt to forget about it, but it will still be there,
disquieting my heart, a simmering sickness under the surface
causing me to feel helpless, ashamed, frustrated, confused.
What if, instead of stuffing,
I, as one of God’s children,
accepted responsibility for what is within my realm of influence?
Perhaps this sharp pain of anger is God’s way of prompting me to run to Him, my Heavenly Father, crying for help. 
What if that is my responsibility?

What if in the heat of my righteous anger I immediately cry out to God?
That passionate cry will be fueled with an intensity of deep and sincere concern
a bit different than I usually experience in my chosen times to pray.
“Lord, I feel the pain of this injustice that hurts Your heart.
I admit I am helpless to do anything to remedy this terrible situation, but You are not. 
at creation You gave Adam’s race the right to rule earth,
and Jesus taught us to ask that Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
So I am doing my part, the part I can do.
Right now, I appeal to You to intervene in this injustice.
I release this situation into Your almighty hands.
Call in people to do what needs to be done.
If there is a part You want me to do, make it clear to me exactly what it is.
Otherwise, I will rest in You faithfulness to answer this prayer.
I will resist the accuser's harassments as he attempts to rob me of my peace and joy, my confidence in You.
Each time this situation comes to my mind, I will rejoice that You are already at work.”

What do you think, Steve?
Is this doing my part? 
 
Readers are free to make comments by going to “Comments” to the right of the title.

Until next time, if you experience the heat of righteous anger in your heart, use it to your advantage. 
Allow the fire of anger to fuel your passion as you cry for God's intervention.
David, the Psalmist, was good at that.
 
Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice. Psalm 55:17 NIV


 

How does it feel when a significant part of your life changes?
Your life was all together.
It made sense, at least to some degree.
But NOW?
A huge chunk is gone,
or you have something new to fit in where there’s no room.
The change may be desirable or undesirable,
intended or one you would have done anything to avoid.
In any case, major changes disturb the layout of our lives. 
  
How do we cope? 
 
I used to picture this situation like attempting to replace a missing piece of a jigsaw puzzle. 
But I soon realized the jigsaw perspective isn’t the best.
Can we ever find another piece that fits exactly like the one that went missing,
whether it’s a relationship, position, valued item, or opportunity?
Even if we found a piece the right shape,
wouldn’t it be printed with a different picture?
And if we are given a new piece, how can we ever fit it in? 
 
Yet, that’s what we wish and hunt for, isn’t it?
To get things back to “the way they should be”?
We try to force new relationships into being just like the old.
This puts undue pressure and unrealistic expectations on the new.
That’s how I responded after fire damaged our house.
Others thought I should be happy to have new kitchen cabinets,
but I liked the old-fashioned old ones.
The pain couldn’t be resolved until I said goodbye to what had been
so that I could welcome something else.
Nice.
Very nice.
But not the same. 
 
As long as we insist inwardly on having it "the way it was,"
we face one disappointment after another.
We end up filling our empty space with discouragement,
anger,
disillusionment,
even bitterness.
If we’ve lived very long,
we’ve seen people respond to loss in all those ways,
even if we haven’t ourselves.
And whether we observed or experienced it,
we know it is not a happy life.
 
Perhaps the first step is rejecting the jigsaw theory.
Whether we like it or not,
to heal and regain our balance in life,
we must accept the fact that our lives will never be quite the same.
But we know what happens if we stop there,
stuck in the awareness of our endless loss.
We also need hope 
that as we trust God,
He will enable us to take the next steps,
steps that will move us beyond our pain to a new kind of joy.
But, more about that next week.
 
Until then, you might like to read Psalm 46.
Here are a few of the verses.  
 
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear,
though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 
though its waters roar and foam 
and the mountains quake with their surging. . . .
Be still, and know that I am God;
Psalm 46:1-3 and 10 NIV

For those of you who would like to interact with others on this topic,
please go to the comment tab near the title and join our discussion.
  

Have you ever felt 
as if you’re hemmed in by a part of yourself?
You realize this “something” 
is standing in the way of your growth as a person 
and your freedom to really become who you were meant to be.  
Maybe you've attempted, 
time and again to push it away, 
but it stubbornly refuses to move, 
as if it were firmly stuck in hardened cement. 
  
In the past week, I’ve been working on polishing Joel’s Wife.  
At one point, Jerusha (Joel’s wife) speaks to Hannah, 
her grandmother-in-law, 
“But,” she looked up at Hannah sadly, 
“the fear . . . is still there.  
Do you think there’s hope of it ever going away?”
Hannah smiled.  “There’s always hope.  
But sometimes fears remain until we’re willing to face them head on. 
I don’t think either worrying about it 
or trying to force yourself to stop being afraid will do much good.   
The best thing, I think, 
is to talk honestly to God about your concerns.  
Listen to what He has to say.”
 
Jerusha’s situation seems to fit so many of us. 
It may not be fear.  
It could be lack of self-control.  
Or unforgiveness.  
Or self-centeredness.
But might the solution be the same? 
That solution, Hannah tells Jerusha, 
will not come by worrying about it, 
or even by trying to force ourselves to change
Instead, we must be willing 
to face our problem head on with the help of God. 
 
The Lord is our hope, Hannah says.
He understands our deepest heart, 
the core part of our being that is hidden even to ourselves.  
He understands how we were formed, 
not just physically, but emotionally, and spiritually. 
Maybe you are really tired of being confined by self-obstruction.
You’ve tried to force yourself to be different 
and have found it doesn’t work.
If so, you may want to try Hannah’s suggestion.
“The best thing, I think, is to talk honestly to God about your concerns.  
Listen to what He has to say.”
 
How exactly does this work?
The first key is to require ourselves
to speak the absolute truth as completely as we know it.
The second is to take time to listen for God’s response.
 
A couple days ago,
I began doing this with another issue in my life. 
What about you?
 
Please make comments for others to read 
by clicking the word COMMENT to the right the title.  
You might also like to go back to read comments on other articles 
since they may have been posted after you last visited this blog.


  


 

“I really liked your book,” an unknown woman said behind me 
as I dried my hands in the ladies’ room.
“I can’t pick just two things to practice from your speech,”
said an attendee as I walked out of the conference room, “It was all so good!”
"I'll never forget you as long as I live!” said a young man,
“You said things I really needed to hear.”
 
These are a few of the “treasures” I brought home a few weeks ago
from the CMTA Impact Convention in Pasadena. 
Then after my last blog, I also received comments. 
Some, you can see in the April 26 post.  
Others, here below, are from email responses.
A hard-working city servant was truly "at the end of her rope”
 when the blog came and encouraged her.
Another person has applied insights from the stress workshop
and has found peace in a very stressful situation.
Then a barren woman who read Hannah’s
Promise almost a year ago 
recounted how that story healed her pain--
and now she is five and a half months pregnant!
Appreciative words.   (Can you see me smile?)
Exactly what I need to motivate me to put in long hours alone 
to produce the next novel and the first devotional study guide.
 
Appreciative words are true treasure for a novelist, a speaker— 
and for anyone else.
Appreciation refreshes the heart like cool water in a desert. 
How long has it been since someone expressed appreciation for you?
How did it affect you?
Did you let it sink in so that it could feed the roots of your soul?
I hope so.
 
How long has it been since you expressed appreciation to another?
Do you make it a habit of letting people know you noted their kindness, 
that you value their efforts to make your life more pleasant?
Many times we don’t take the time to think
about how much the contributions of others enhance our  lives.
But what if we did?
Would being more thankful add joy to our own lives?
Might gratitude make us more pleasant to be around?
 
And if we took time to express our appreciation, 
how would it benefit those whom we encourage?  
Could our words be the dew that puts sparkle back into their eyes, 
the shower that lifts drooping shoulders?
 
Let’s do the world a favor,
ourselves as well.
Just for today, let’s liberally voice our joy at others’ kindnesses to us.
Let’s note how it affect us, how it affects that person, how it affects our environment.

Then, sometime when we have a quiet moment today— 
driving, dressing, walking, bathing, or preparing a meal--
let’s think back to someone whose kindness made a lasting impression on  us.
What would happen 
if we found a way to express our appreciation to them— 
or to those close to them, if they are no longer with us?
Could drawing attention to their contribution reactive its power to bless? 
Most of all, let’s habitually thank God for those who encourage us
for all those He uses to lift our spirits from day to  day.
 
P.S.  And don’t forget—Sunday is Mother’s Day!  (At least in the USA)

“Yes, I have!” you say?
Well, good for you!
That’s where we become willing to make hard choices, 
where we finally decide  
to do something to change our situation.
 
Another word for this place is crisis, 
the place where a turn must be made, 
for better 
or for worse. 
 
“But wait!” you say,
“I certainly don’t need something worse!”
Great! 
At this point we become willing to listen.
 
Three times in scripture we're told, 
"God opposes the proud 
but gives grace to the humble.” 1
What does it mean to be humble?
It means that we are well aware of our limitations.
We realize that we are not God
and that we desperately need Him.
Our panic breaks down the barriers of pride and self-sufficiency
so that we cry out for help, 
hollering like a desperate child.
 
In mid-April I taught two workshops at the CMTA Convention in Pasadena:
Secrets to Thriving in a Stressful World
and Strategy for Saving Our Society.
The classes’ engagement and affirming responses encouraged me, 
but attention and agreement will not be enough to change their lives--
either by helping them deal more effectively with stress 
or by increasing their impact on society.  
  
Which attendees will benefit deeply from what they heard?
The ones who have truly reached the end of their rope,
the ones who say, 
“I’ve had enough!  
I’m going to do whatever it takes 
to improve my life 
(or my society)!
 
What about you?
If you still believe you can do it yourself,
God will let you do it your way.
But what if you’re ready to cry out to God?
If so, you can be sure God will give you grace, 
both the desire and the ability to do His will.
With God’s grace at work in you,
He’ll guide you in the way that will set you free
to be the person He meant you to be. 
The Lord will give you strength to follow His plan, 
enabling  you to take one step at a time
toward living your life to the full.2

 
If you would like to see what this kind of desperation looks  like,
you might like to read my novels--
Hannah’s Promise and Transformed in Bethany.
In these books many readers have found timeless treasures, 
insights that shine wisdom into their own life situations.
 
Feel free to make comments on this blog for public reading 
by pressing COMMENT near the title of this article 
or, to make a personal comment, 
go to the CONTACT tab at the top of the blog page. 

1   Proverbs 3:34, 1 Peter 5:5  and James 4:6
2   John 10:10