Climbing Upward To Gain A New Perspective

I've been taking time to walk and pray in Southern California, heading up a pathway each day to a hilltop overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  The panoramic view gives me a whole new perspective of where I'm at.  But.  I have to make the effort to get there, which is an upward climb. It's worth the effort.  I'm changed by seeing a greater picture, reminded there's a greater purpose.

I've come to realize we need to stand in the place, where we can see more than our stuff or the people who surround us before we begin the day. Perspective changes our thoughts and behavior, for good and bad, depending on how much we are willing to see.

The thing is . . . we need to focus on life through the perspective of God . . .  rather than through the minutiae of the day. It's worth the effort to move to the place where we can get our eyes off self and see what more God wants us to see. 

Consider.
And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children. (Revelations 21:5-7, NLT)

John, who wrote Revelations, gained a new perspective of the presence and power of Christ in heaven and on earth.  It must have changed the way he thought and acted the rest of his life. When I begin the day with the same perspective, I have complete confidence in Christ who is in me, with no reason to have fear, discouragement, or anxiety.
So.  I need to go to the place found in Revelations:
“Look, I am making everything new!”

• When we develop the perspective that in Christ--the old is gone, the new has come--we see more than what is seen in the moment, enabling us to respond with anticipation rather than dread.  

"It is finished!"

• Regardless of the intensity of the battles we face, it's all finished.  Christ's work on the cross removed the power of each and every battle; this changes how we approach the battles, enabling us to face all things with strength and courage rather than worry and stress.  And, we need to remember some battles are not worth our attention, while others must be dealt with but not stressed over.   

"I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End."

• Life changes when we trust Christ to be the initiator and finisher of the day; however, worry and stress indicate we feel everything rests on us.  

 "To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life."

• If, we want life through Christ, then, He will give it to us freely.  Life in Christ releases us from what holds us bondage, freeing us to live with the purpose, passion, and energy of Life. 

"All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children."

• The battles have been won, the blessings are ours to have in Christ.  

Look again.
Change your perspective by seeing through Christ.
Respond to life with eyes of faith.

Learning to Kickstart the day climbing upward to gain a new perspective,
Kerrie

(written by Kerrie Carlisle Palmer © 2011 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

Beginning the Day

I enjoy walking in new areas, learning more about where I'm at and who is living and working there.  There's always a story. I'm amazed at how perfect strangers willingly give details of their story.  Stand in a coffee shop line for five minutes, ask a routine question about the area, and people will usually tell about their life experience.

Of course, part of the story is gleaned from observing the condition and maintenance of homes, buildings, and land, which does not have as much to do with money as one thinks but, rather, it reveals the inner workings of a family or organization.  Do they avoid what's theirs to do?  Do they wait for a problem and then react to it?  Do they see a bigger picture, looking ahead to potential issues, proactively managing things to prevent problems from taking over their time and attention?  Do they understand where they are at and who's surrounding them?  Do they take time to evaluate themselves?

We each have a different story; at the end of the day, we are responsible for how we manage it.

I'm learning about the value of beginning the day with calmness and clarity; it's a healthy way to approach whatever is ours to manage, it's what Jesus taught us to do, it's a lifetime habit of successful people.  

This means we must schedule an hour before the day actually begins,which, yes, means we need to be proactive and get up an hour early.  Of course, this is a habit that needs to be developed--if we start out by getting up five minutes earlier each day for one week, then get up another five minutes earlier the next week, then, by the end of three months we will have arrived at the goal of having one hour to get ready for the gift of living the day, organizing the day with the guidance of the Spirit of God, putting together specific goals and a mission for the day, preparing for what the day holds, receiving the peace and strength of Christ, realizing life is about who is in us.

When we intentionally begin the day with a calm and clear mind through the Spirit, we are enabled to approach the day proactively rather than reactively, which impacts the outcome of our story.

Consider. 
In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and )was praying there (Mark 1:35, NASB).

Mark records an incredibly busy-fast-paced day in the life of Jesus.  Even so, Jesus got up early the next morning to begin the day in solitude, praying, seeking the Father.  His early morning activity reveals the  vital component to having a calm and clear heart, mind, and soul.  These actions teach us an important concept:  The first of the day is meant to be spent with God, if, we are looking for the best outcome in life.  This is not something to do in order to check off some kind of spiritual to-do list but it's wise to be proactive, becoming calm through the awareness of the presence of Christ, gaining clarity through following the Spirit's directions, focused on living the best life for Him, choosing to be healthy and whole, enjoying the gift of the day, living the best life.

Manage your life proactively.  Know where you're at and who's around you. Own your story. Evaluate how you live.
Begin the day with God.
Learn to develop calmness and clarity through Him.
Live the best life.

Learning to Kickstart the day proactively,
Kerrie

(written by Kerrie Carlisle Palmer © 2011 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

Worship

I flew beside the Sierra Nevada mountain range along California's eastern edge. Though it's summer, the mountains are covered with snow.

The beauty of the mountains can be described by the passengers collective,  "Ah!"  It was a moment of worship.  

There's times we walk through the day missing the awesome creative work of God.  But. We're created to notice the work of God, the signature of His presence, and to be in awe of what's before us, a pink and blue sunrise and an orange-red sunset, a cool summer breeze and gale force winds, spring rain and winter snow, a waterfall in a rock's cleft and the rushing waters of a river,  all of creation.  When we stop and notice, we're refreshed, even if it's only for a moment in time.

The thing is . . . we are changed when we realize the Creator of this universe is not only at work in this big world but in the smallest details of our life . . . because that is who He is.   

There's a place in each day, regardless of how busy and challenging it all is, that we need to breathe, to settle down, to release the stuff, to notice God's work, to become still, to be aware of His presence, and to worship.   This means we need to intentionally connect with God, surrendering all to Him, trusting He is at work, bringing all things together for good in His creative, majestic, mysterious way.

When we intentionally go to the deepest places of our soul, we will find something more in the day, we will see he presence and power of God with eyes of faith.  When we see God, we understand there's nothing and no one in comparison.  All we want to do is worship Him.   Worship renews and strengthens who we are, enabling us to see the power of the Giver of Life. Our  day-to-day living changes when we've stopped and worshipped.

Consider: 

The heavens proclaim the glory of God.

      The skies display his craftsmanship.

 Day after day they continue to speak;

      night after night they make him known.

 They speak without a sound or word;

      their voice is never heard.

 Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,

      and their words to all the world. (Psalm 19:1-4, NLT).

Worship.

• Stop. 
• Breathe. 
• Settle down. 
• Release the stuff.
• Notice the work of God. 
• Become still. 
• Be aware of His presence.
• Worship Him. 

Learning to Kickstart the day worshipping,
Kerrie

(written by Kerrie Carlisle Palmer © 2011 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

The Declaration of Blessing

The monitor had been quiet for several minutes. So.  I thought two-year-old Madelyn was asleep in her room.  But.  When I sneezed in the room next door, her voice came over the monitor, "Bless you Nana!"
"Thank you Madelyn.  Time to go to sleep."
She responded, "Okay, bless you!"

It made me laugh and still makes me smile. I love to hear her voice and words of love.
It makes me wonder about God's response when we say it to Him,  "Bless you, God!"
It makes me think how God loves to be blessed.

The space between heaven and earth disappears when we bless God--when we care more about Him in the moment then ourselves, when we love Him with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength, when we voice our love.  

Consider: 
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
         And all that is within me, bless His holy name!  (Psalm 103:1, NKJV). 

Psalm 103 opens with the declaration to bless God and finishes with a list of reasons why anybody and everybody wants to bless Him.  It's worth reading the whole passage.  The passage is underlined in our Grandma Roleder's Bible.  I have always thought it was underlined as a declaration of what she intended her life would be about, despite the many hardships she encountered--losing her home and family members to the Communist regime, leaving her homeland, suffering the death of a child, learning to live in a country with a different language and culture than her own--intentionally refusing to give in to the difficulties, blessing God with her life.    

The underlined words of her declaration have impacted me, knowing I, too, have the same choice to make:  I will bless God.

There's always something to bless God for in the day.  Always.  And, there are endless possibilities in the day when we live to bless God, knowing and believing God is enough.  Blessing God is personal, something no one can do for us, changing the dynamics of our life, shifting our perspective beyond our personal space and time we live in.  The thing is . . . intentionally blessing God opens us to living beyond ourselves, taking us to a new depth in our relationship with Him, giving us eyes to see we are invited to something bigger than ourselves . . . life in Christ.

Make a declaration to bless God with your life, regardless of the stuff you are facing.
Bless the Lord with all that is within you.
Bless His holy name!

Learning to Kickstart the day declaring I will bless God with all that is within me,
Kerrie

(written by Kerrie Carlisle Palmer © 2011 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

What's Needed And Matters

My friend told me he was exhausted from constantly getting ready to do another task before he has completed the one he is working on, feeling behind before he starts the next thing, overwhelmed with it all.  I understand.  Been there, done that way too often.  It's a struggle in today's world to keep balanced, living at a healthy pace.  No one is exempt from being stressed.  There's too many times, I've made the mistake of doing too much.  I'm convinced being too busy will do nothing but make us too tired and eventually ineffective at the very thing we are meant to do. We are called to do specific things, to live an active and participative life; however, nothing is accomplished by frenzied activity.

I'm learning there's a different way to approach life, which creates an anticipation for the next thing  rather than exhaustion.

The thing is . . . there's momentum and energy when we're thinking and getting ready for the next thing . . . if, we're doing only what is ours to do, if, we've said no when we need to say no, if, we've simplified our task list to the important things, if, we live free from the burden of doing too much by spending time with God first. 

Consider. 

But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

  “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”  (Luke 10: 40-42, NIV).  

This is a great conversation with Jesus. I love the fact that Martha wants Jesus to give her value by seeing how much more she does than her sister.  Seriously, it's a conversation any of us could be in-- we are rewarded in our culture for the amount of work we do--work long and hard enough and we will get a plaque or at least a certificate for our effort.   Jesus made it clear--life is about being in a relationship with Him.  Martha had been distracted and worried about many things, missing out on being with Jesus. These words of Jesus resonate with me, "But few things are needed--or indeed one."

Jesus was not saying,  "Don't do anything." But.  Jesus was saying to do life through Him, to be aware of His presence, to put Him first and foremost, to make our doing about Him.  Whether it's from confusion or a lack of understanding, we often act as if spending time in worship, prayer, fasting, or mediation is a mandatory rule or an obligation rather than as the way to live the best life each day.   In the end,  setting aside time to purposefully put our focus on God changes how we view life, allowing us to see how minute the stuff actually is in comparison to Him.

So. When we spend time with Jesus, we advert being immersed in our stuff, worried about many things; spending time with Him is not about doing one more thing, but about living the best life, actively engaged with Jesus rather than the stuff.

What's so important that we are willing to do it without Him?  When we live in the reality of His presence, we are enabled to simplify, to do what's needed and matters.  

• Do what's needed and matters. 
• Spend time first with God before you begin doing the tasks of the day.  Enjoy His presence.
• Let go of what's not yours to do. 
• Do only what you know God has given you to do today.
• Thank God for the work of the day. 

Learning to Kickstart the day by doing only what's needed,
Kerrie

(written by Kerrie Carlisle Palmer © 2011 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

Do Something!

Yesterday was a day of meetings purposefully planned for strategizing how to get work done in the most efficient way.  There's a moment when I've been in one too many meetings and feel compelled to do something besides talk about we need to do.  I take my own responsibility for planning my share of meetings.  But.  Seriously, Americans can meet like no one else.  I'm not saying we should quit meeting, I believe in the value of planning and preparing; however, I'm saying we need to rethink the way we use time, quit talking about everything that needs to be done, and do something.  It works the same for lists.  I've always been the kind of person who found more enjoyment from checking off the list than making it; spending time making lists makes no sense, if, we are not going to keep track of what is and is not done.

My point is this, nothing is going to happen until we do something.  I wonder how much we miss when we settle into a routine of getting through the day,  "talking" about life without "doing" whatever God has planned for the day.  

Consider.

 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. (John 5:9-10, NIV)

I've wrote about this section of scripture before.  It speaks to me about actively participating in the plan God has for us, doing what Jesus says to do.  These words are from a conversation between Jesus and a man, who had been paralyzed for decades, stuck on a mat beside healing waters, watching others dip into the water, experiencing healing. The man sat back and waited for help as if he did not have any responsibility in his own life to actively seek a way to get into the water.  Jesus told him to do something:  "Get up!  Pick up your mat and walk."

The thing is . . . life in Christ is not about being rescued . . . but about being redeemed, made new, actively participating in life, doing what God says to do, experiencing the gift of the day. 

Sometimes we get lost in the stuff of life, distancing ourselves from God, missing what has been planned because we do not trust what God has said to do:

• Stop.  
• Breathe. 
• Reconnect with God.
• Step into the plan God has for you today . . . participating in life, experiencing the gift of the day.
• Get up--take action. 
• Pick up your mat--do something!
• Walk--follow Christ, strengthened and empowered to do all things He has for you to do. 

Learning to Kickstart the day doing something--actively participating in life,
Kerrie

(written by Kerrie Carlisle Palmer © 2011 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

It's Useless

There's big things to worry about, there's small things to worry about, there's always something and someone to worry about; however, worry never adds value to life. It's been made clear to me, on more than one occasion, most of the things I worry about never occur.  The things which do come to pass are out of my control anyway. And, regardless of how hard and difficult the stuff of life becomes, I have learned God is present, will never walk away, and will make all things new.  In other words, I have always made it through the very circumstance I worried about.  The only thing worry ever accomplished was to waste my time and energy.

The thing is . . . when we allow worry to dominate . . . our awareness of God decreases while our anxiety increases. 

Consider. 

Jesus said: Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?  (Matthew 6:27, NIV)

Worry is useless and adds nothing to our life.  Period.  On some level, worry becomes a self-indulgent action based on fear.  Worry is a force to be reckoned with it.  It's worry which makes us feel most miserable in the tough and even not-so-tough situations.  Refusing to worry changes how we manage a situation, which in the end changes the outcome.

How do we get rid of worry?

Worry becomes a life pattern which needs to be changed in order to live a healthy and full life.  Jesus emphatically said not to worry, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matthew 6:33, NIV).  So.  We change the response of worry by turning to God, seeking Him through the things which bring us closer to His thoughts and ways,  praying, and studying His word.

Take Jesus' words to heart.  Don't worry.  Worry is useless. Seek God.

• Refuse to worry, it's useless. 
• Seek God and His righteousness. 
• Pray. 
• Study His Word. 

Learning to Kickstart the day refusing to worry, remembering it's useless,
Kerrie

(written by Kerrie Carlisle Palmer © 2011 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)