Don't Blame, Be Happy

Posted on April 6, 2010 by Steve Foster

13When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. 16Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. 17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

James presents two main thoughts in this passage:

1. Don’t blame God (or anyone else) for your problems. God allows difficulties into our lives but He never entices us toward sin in the midst of these difficulties. Using a football analogy, God puts us into the game against a tough defense not to harm us but to make us a better player. And we shouldn’t blame Him when we choose to audible, ignore our teammates, and run the play in our own way.

Let’s face it. We are good at blaming God or others for our problems. It has been our modus operandi since Genesis 3 when Adam blamed God and Eve (the woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate) for his own sinful choice. Proverbs 19:3 puts it this way, A man’s own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the LORD.

Our biggest problem is our own sinful heart. We have a “pull” toward sin, a lust in our hearts, and when the opportunity for sin presents itself we have a tendency to go along for the ride…the whole time blaming God for making us that way or blaming others for not helping us out enough. That doesn’t mean that others won’t hurt us or sin against us but, even in these cases, we have a choice in the way we respond. Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers.

2. Do thank God for His good gifts in life. Every good and perfect gift is from above… Despite our sinful will and choices, God continues to shower us with blessings. Every day is a gift from Him. Every breath is a gift from His hand. Sometimes we just need to stop and thank Him for all of His blessings in our life…actually let me rephrase that…every moment of every day we need to stop and thank Him for all His blessings. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

Blaming God or others leads to bitterness, misery, and self-deception. Thanking God or others leads to joy, humility, and greater perception.

Lord, may I reflect Your goodness by my attitude today. I thank You for another day, for life, for freedom, for daily provision, for my family, for my wife, for my children, for my health, for good friends, for the body of Christ, for forgiveness, for grace, for prayer, for the opportunity to reflect Your light to others today.

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Crazy Joy

Posted on April 5, 2010 by Steve Foster

2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. (James 1:2-3)

James starts right off with a major shock to the system. When you go through difficulties in life, consider it pure joy. Not a little bit of joy or half-hearted joy…but pure joy. Whoa. That’s downright crazy.

Why should we look positively upon trials of various kinds? Because we know that God is using the trial to strengthen our faith.

Only the eyes of faith can look at difficulties with joy. You have to really trust God…and know He has a good plan for you…to continue praising Him in the storm.

This passage was a challenge to me this morning. I don’t even consider my trials that major but I am stressed…and a little worried…and a good bit overwhelmed. These difficulties do not seem like joy to me. I would much rather be past them. I long for calmer waters. But God spoke this morning and said, “Be content where you are right now. And learn from Me. Trust Me. I can use this time in your life for My purpose and for your good.”

Verses 5-6 also hit me. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

What do we need in difficult times? Wisdom. Knowing what to do (and what not to do) and knowing when to do it (and when not to do anything). And God promises to provide that wisdom generously…just at the time we need it…if we don’t doubt and second guess ourselves all the time.

That is hard for me. I second guess a lot. Doubting comes naturally. I can identity with Thomas.

But in Christ we can have confidence…confidence that every trial has a purpose and confidence that in the midst of every trial God can give us the wisdom to navigate through it. We are overcomers in Christ Jesus. We have His Spirit. We have His Word. We have His wisdom generously provided. We just need to trust Him…walk each day in faith…and rejoice!

Lord, fill me with Your joy today. Give me wisdom for each step. Increase my faith.

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Trans-tension

Posted on March 19, 2010 by Steve Foster

I have invented a new word to describe this period of my life…trans-tension.

A little over two weeks ago I accepted a new pastoral position at a church in Baton Rouge. I am heading back to an area I am familiar with, having served in New Orleans for seven years in the 90’s.

Though I am excited about the new opportunities in Baton Rouge, I am finding out more and more how difficult it is to leave New Jersey…not the high taxes, congestion, and the snow but the people and the relationships. We have been here for almost twelve years now. Our kids have grown up here. Our roots have grown deep.

Right now I am sort of in a limbo. Between two places. I am still tied to life in New Jersey, selling the house, finishing up tasks, transitioning responsibilities…but I also now tied to a new life in Baton Rouge, buying a new house, making new relationships, preparing for new responsibilities.

Trans-tension. Being pulled across two places at the same time.

There is a level of stress in all of life’s transitions. The stress scale lists the impact of each of these transitions on our life. #1 is the death of a spouse (100 points). Moving to a new location, selling/buying a house, and taking on a new job add up to 75 points collectively.

Of course, no one can truly measure the impact of a specific event on your individual life. But the point is clear. With any transition comes tension. You are stretched. You are pulled. You are knocked out of your routine. You are forced to adjust…and to grow.

The Christian life is a trans-tension. We are citizens of heaven but also residents of earth. We are seated with Christ in the heavenlies but also seated next to someone snoring on the bus. We are called to live in two worlds at the same time. Stretched across two places. With our feet planted in the present but our eyes focused on the future.

It is not an easy balance.

But if we allow ourselves to be stretched…and learn to rest in God’s hands in the process…then we will discover what it means to grow.

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Sweet Release

Posted on March 6, 2010 by Steve Foster

Physical therapy has officially ended. Friday was my last day. I have graduated, moved the physical therapy tassel, and received my degree…or at least a large co-pay bill…on my way out the door. I have been released.

I am not back to normal by any stretch of the imagination but my therapist believes that I can continue my recovery on my own now. The mobility of my ankle has increased substantially and I can walk without too much of a hitch.

It was ironic that on my last day of therapy a new guy came in on crutches, a walking boot on his right foot, and sat on the bed next to me. I asked him what happened. “Achilles rupture” was the reply.

For eight weeks I have been the only Achilles rupture patient. I have felt sort of lonely. While everyone else was rehabbing shoulders, backs, and knees, I was the only one learning to walk again on a repaired Achilles. It would have been nice to have some company. As it turns out, I at least served as a vision of hope for someone else. The therapist made a point to show him my progress as a source of encouragement. She asked me to walk back and forth across the room to show how well I could walk. For a moment, I thought I was on the runway of some fashion show. It wasn’t a long moment, for those who might be concerned.

Later, as I walked on the treadmill, I watched as the therapist started doing the initial evaluation on the guy. I watched as he tried to flex his foot. His toes were shaking. It was obvious he was straining hard. But the foot simply wasn’t moving. I remembered my own frustration trying to do the same thing just eight weeks ago. I have come a long way.

If I served as an encouragement to him, then he also served as a good reminder to myself. Sometimes I get discouraged with my progress. I can walk but I am not walking totally normal and I can’t go long distances. And the swelling around my Achilles is still very noticeable. It’s funny how easily you can forget your progress, and your blessings, and find yourself only focusing on your present hindrances. I needed the reminder to be thankful.

So now I am on my own. Each day I have to keep walking and stretching my Achilles. In May, I will be able to return to a more active running, jumping, playing lifestyle. Just in time for the summer.

Someone asked me recently, “So what was the biggest lesson you have learned through this injury?”

The answer came to me pretty quickly. “I have learned that God can take you down in a second.”

I am not saying that God snapped my Achilles. He certainly allowed it…and certainly could have used it as a way of accomplishing His purposes…many of which I may never know until eternity. (This website is one fruit of the injury and my prayer is that it is an encouragement and blessing to someone out there.)

But in my mind the Achilles injury reminded me once again that I am not as strong as I think I am. If I am ever tempted to glory in myself, to become prideful, to start thinking that I have it all together, then I know that God can bring me down in a heartbeat. It doesn’t take much. One snapped tendon is enough to drop me to my knees. And one touch of Jacob’s hip was enough to make him limp the rest of his life.

There is a universal principle repeated throughout Scripture—God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (Proverbs 3:34, James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5).

It is that simple. Exalt yourself and God will find ways to humble you. Humble yourself and God will find ways to lift you up.

The scar on my Achilles will forever remind me that God has made me weak and mortal so that I have to depend on Him for strength and life.

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Glimpses of Normalcy

Posted on February 10, 2010 by Steve Foster

I have been walking in normal shoes for a week now. At times I forget that anything is wrong with my Achilles.  I have glimpses of normalcy. But then I make a certain move and feel a quick tightness in my calf that reminds me that I still have a long way to go.

Physical therapy has ramped up. Now my sessions include more exercises (squats, small calf raises, etc.) and six minutes on a Biodex Gait Trainer.

The Gait Trainer is pretty cool. It is a treadmill with a large computer screen. The therapist enters my age and the length of my legs and then starts the treadmill. The computer screen then monitors my steps, showing me a box where my foot should land each time. It sort of reminds me of Dance Dance Revolution…but without the music…and without the dancing. As I walk, the computer screen essentially yells at me… “Step Longer”… “Left Go Longer”… “Both Go Longer”… and every once in awhile to keep me from getting discouraged… “Good Job!”

The first day on the Gait Trainer the tightness in my left calf hurt when I tried to keep up. The therapist coached me to keep making longer strides but I politely protested, “I thought I was supposed to avoid pain when I stretched my Achilles.” The therapist indicated that that day had passed. Uh oh…

I finished the six minutes with only two or three “Good Job” steps. I suggested to the therapist that if they designed the Trainer to give out a high score and spit out some game tickets at the end then it might make for better motivation. Sort of like Chuck E. Cheese. After collecting enough tickets, I could go up to the front desk and get a stuffed animal or a plastic ball or some multi-colored wrist bands. I don’t think she took my suggestion too seriously.

My repaired Achilles next to my normal Achilles

My repaired Achilles next to my normal Achilles

The next day on the Gait Trainer I did better. My walking is definitely improving…especially after the Achilles is loosened up with heat, massage, and exercises. Unfortunately during the day it tightens up more and my walking becomes a little more stilted.

I still look at my left foot and wonder if it will ever look normal. The area around my Achilles is swollen and it just plain feels weird. I don’t know if it is scar tissue, swelling, a thicker Achilles, or a combination of all three.

I also notice that I can flex my right foot and tighten my calf muscle but I still can’t do that with my left. The flex creates more tightness in my Achilles than in my calf. I am not sure when that will change.

But life is slowly returning to normal. I am getting around better. I am more stable when I stand. And I am even able to help my wife with cleaning up the kitchen and with shoveling a little snow…and even for that I am thankful.

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

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