Course Correction

I always feel the same way this time of the year just before school starts up again.  As summer nears the end I am painfully aware of how unraveled my life has become.  Any semblance of schedule and order in my life has gone completely out the window.  I sleep in because I can which sets me back time-wise, then I don't get as much work done as I should. I skip exercising because we are busy doing fun things and I eat bad things when we do fun things. My house is messier because we're on the go a lot and the list goes on.  We definitely have fun in the summer!  We go on vacation, hit the beach and the theme parks. But all of those good things can be distractions to every day life.  And pretty much every summer I end up off course!  

This can happen so easily in any area of life...home, school, work, ministry.

I know that just in the past three years since FTGI began we have experienced the need for some course correction as an organization.  At times we’ve gotten distracted and started down a road that has taken us off the main path.  It’s important to realize that not all distractions are bad in and of themselves.   Sometimes we are taken off course without realizing it because the distraction appears to be a “good” thing.  We have learned the hard way that good things can take your focus off the main thing. (And that’s not usually a good thing!) 

But remember - it’s NEVER too late to correct your course. I came across this definition of course correction as related to a spacecraft and I loved it!

Course Correction

When a spacecraft gets off of its trajectory, or path through space, it must be put back on the right path. The location of the spacecraft is determined and its course vector (the speed and direction of its flight) is calculated. This is compared with the path it should be on. A new vector is computed that will put it back on course. The ship's attitude thrusters aim the ship and the main thruster pushes it along the path.

Isn’t that great? The right attitude thruster will aim your “ship” in the right direction.  Don’t beat yourself up because you've gotten off course. Give yourself a little pep talk and let that attitude thrust you back in the right direction. Chuck Swindoll writes in his book Strengthening Your Grip, "Attitude is that ‘single string’ that keeps me going or cripples my progress. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope. When my attitudes are right, there’s no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me."

Once your attitude has got you aiming in the right direction it’s time to revisit what your “main thing” is.  This is certainly not a new concept and sounds too simple but it is so true.  We need to work hard to “keep the main thing the main thing.”  Protecting your main thruster, whatever that is, will push you along the right path and cause you to soar higher than you ever imagined!!  

And for those of you have gotten so off course that you feel like you don't even know where you're going - do not despair.  God has got it all mapped out.  He will direct your paths.  Remember that His word is a lamp to your feet and a light to your path. (Psalm 119:105) And if you stop long enough to listen God promises that:

Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, "This is the way you should go," whether to the right or to the left.

Isaiah 30:21 (NLT)

Gardening 101

For 26 years Danny and I have had an unspoken deal.  The inside of the house is my responsibility for the most part and the outside is his.  So the general upkeep of the yard, care of the pool (when we had one), taking out of the garbage...all his.  The great part of the deal is that he has always helped me inside with the general upkeep of the inside household stuff too.  I, however, have never really helped him outside except to follow him around talking at him while he gardened or cleaned the pool.  He loves that ;) He has tried to get me to help but it's never worked.

But recently something changed.  I was outside on my porch and I noticed a bunch of weeds in my garden and without really thinking about it I went down and started pulling them out.  I was getting so much satisfaction from seeing it all cleaned up that before I knew it I was out there for over a hour.  

While I was out there Danny brought me a glass of iced tea. A few minutes later he brought me out some gardening gloves and cute little shovel to help with the tough weeds.  The next thing I know he had brought the ipod outside and he was playing music for me - all my favorites. After he brought out a kneeling pad so I wouldn't hurt my knees I realized why he was being so attentive!  Poor guy...he's waiting 26 years for this! He told me he wanted to encourage this behavior!!

Anyway, a strange thing happened after that day.  Every time I walk up my walkway now I notice the state of my garden.   It's like a light went on.  One day recently I noticed a vast difference between two of the same plants that I have on either side of my walkway.   One of them was noticeably thriving while the other paled in comparison. When I looked closely at the leaves of the struggling plant I saw that there were holes all over them.  I went inside to "google" the possible causes of these holes and discovered that most likely caterpillars were eating them.  What I read jumped out at me. 

The article stated that while this particular plant is under attack it will stop flowering. 

I realized immediately that the reason the plant looked so pale in comparison to the other one is that the flowers had closed up and no new flowers had sprouted.

As soon as I read that I recognized a parallel to my own life. When I am under attack whether it be flesh and blood or the enemy of my mind and soul - I stop flowering.  Creativity shuts down.  I want to withdraw and hide.  My confidence is ebbed away at and I begin to wilt.  It doesn't usually happen overnight either.  My plant did not get invaded overnight.  One caterpillar crawled up and began chewing away...one self-deprecating thought enters my mind and starts to eat away at my confidence. Then another caterpillar came and joined in...I begin comparing myself to someone else that I think has it all together.  Before I even had a chance to notice there was a caterpillar feast going on in my front yard...  Before I know it I am being bombarded by thoughts of inadequacy and self-doubt.  Something has to be done - it's called pesticide!!

As soon as I was onto the caterpillar caper I pulled out the arsenal.  I sprayed the plant and within minutes the caterpillars were curling up and dropping off!  What amazed me was that within just a few days I noticed a huge difference in the appearance of the plant and I was thrilled to see little flowers sprouting all over it again.  All it took was me realizing that the attack was underway and then pulling out what I needed to put an end to it.

You may be under attack by flesh and blood in which case I don't recommend dousing them with pesticide (although that may sound like a good idea to you right now.) Or your attack may be in your mind and spirit but either way you must remember this - our battle is not against flesh and blood.  Your adversary (the stinkin' devil) works very hard to stop you from flowering.  It's his full time job. You and only you must be diligent about tending the garden of your mind and heart.  And by the way as soon as I got rid of the caterpillars a few weeks later I noticed these little teensy tiny bugs on the leaves - all over the same plant! But I am ON IT.  I am more determined than ever to keep this pretty plant flowering!

2 Corinthians 2: 3-5
It is true that we live in the world, but we do not fight from worldly motives. The weapons we use in our fight are not the world's weapons but God's powerful weapons, which we use to destroy strongholds. We destroy false arguments; we pull down every proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God; we take every thought captive and make it obey Christ.

That's your pesticide. I want to encourage you to be an attentive gardener of your mind. Be on alert for those destructive thoughts that creep in and take them captive. Pull out the arsenal when you need to and blast them!!

I want to see you flourishing ~ hearty and healthy ~ bursting with flowers!!!