After Jesus rose from the dead, he appeared to the disciples. And when I say “appeared,” I mean exactly that. “. . . the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’” (1) So he just “appeared.” Voilá! 😮 And they were in shock. They gasped. They jumped back. They grabbed a brother by the arm. Then, “when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.” (2)

At first they were scared, in shock. But after a moment “the disciples were glad.” Glad seems a bit understated, don’t you think? I’d like to picture them hugging one another, crying tears of joy, staring at his scars, speechless at his presence, asking a hundred questions – all while Jesus was laughing and trying to calm them down. I really like that Jesus addresses their initial problem: they were locked in the room “for fear of the Jews.” That’s why Jesus’ first words to them are “Peace be with you.” Translated: “Hey guys! Don’t be afraid. It’s just me!”  Yes, they were definitely glad. But they were also relieved. They breathed a deep sigh. They secretly thought, “I knew he would come back!” But they weren’t quite sure. Until he did. 😏

And as they breathed a sigh of relief, Jesus “breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” (3) These guys were the first to receive the Spirit of God in their hearts. I’d like to think that John leaned over to Peter and said, “Man, I wish Thomas were here!” Yeah, that’s right. Thomas was absent. He missed the whole thing! 😧

Where was he? We don’t know. But shortly thereafter the disciples found him and said, “We have seen the Lord!” But [Thomas] said to them, ‘Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.’” (4)

Unfortunately, he was dubbed right then and there “Doubting Thomas.” But I don’t think that’s really fair. I like Thomas for this. He needed to see this for himself. All of us should respond the same way; that is, listen to the testimony of others who know Jesus and then find out about him for ourselves and make our own decision.

So that’s what Thomas did. “Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’” (5)

Hmm. 🤨 That sounds really familiar. Because it is. This is the same exact scene as the one previously described: doors locked – again.  Jesus “appearing” – again. Jesus saying, “Peace be with you,” – again. The very same scene. Why? I think he did it for Thomas. He recreated the scene just for Thomas. So he wouldn’t feel left out! He even told Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” (6) He knew exactly what Thomas needed to believe. This is Jesus taking care of Thomas. How personal is that? 🙂 What is Thomas’ reaction? “My Lord and my God!” (7) He was glad. 😀

We serve a loving God who knows our needs and who loves to make us glad. I can’t really recall how I felt that first moment when Christ came into my heart. It was so long ago. But I can tell you that his peace still quiets my fearful soul. His presence still makes me glad. 😁

(1) John 20:19     (2) John 20:20    (3) John 20:23    (4) John 20:25    (5) John 20:26    (6) John 20:27   (7) John 20:28

Jesus comforted the disciples with this message: “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” (1) And then he talked about going away to prepare a place for them but promised to come back and take them to this place. Then he said, “And you know the way to where I am going.” (2) And that’s when Thomas spoke up and said (abruptly, I think), “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” (3)

And I want to jump in with Thomas and yell, “Yeah, how can we know the way? I do not know where you are going either, Lord! I am following you, but I don’t know where you are leading me! Why can’t you tell me where you are going? Thank you, Thomas, for asking the question. How can we know the way? Lord, really, tell me where to go, please! Else, how will I know if I am on the right road or even headed the right direction? Give me a hint. I just want to plan properly. That’s all. What is the next step? Is that too much to ask – the next step?” 😠

Yeah, that’s what I would have said. 🤨 Actually, that’s what I did say to God last week. It’s a valid question: How can we know the way? It can be regarding our careers, our relationships, our ministries, our everyday decisions about people and health and money – that about covers everything, I think. It’s a good question. And Jesus gave Thomas an answer. But before we look at that we need to go back and hear what Jesus has already told Thomas; that is, “Let not your hearts be troubled.” Translated: Don’t worry about it. Oh. 🙄 Okay. And . . . “Believe in God; believe also in me.” Translated: Trust me. Oh. 😒 Okay.

But trust is hard. Mostly because it means I am giving up control. And I like being in control. I’m good at being in control. I like making plans and knowing the right direction to take. But Jesus comes along and says, “I got this.” And if we are wise, we will let him take over – our decisions, our ministries, our relationships, our careers. And if we are super wise, we will not worry about his leadership skills, his sense of direction, and the map he is using.

So here’s the answer to Thomas’ question How can we know the way? “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way.’” (4) Translated: You already know the way;  you know me. It’s that simple. And it’s that complicated. But really the answer is to focus on Jesus, spend time with Jesus. And listen to his voice for he will tell you where to go, what to do, and what to say all at the perfect moment that you need this information – and unfortunately, not a moment before! Hence, the trust thing.  😬 

And here’s the promise: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do.” (5) Translated: Trust me. You will do great things!

Oh. Okay. 😁

(1) John 14:1    (2) John 14:4    (3) John 14:5     (4) John 14:6     (5) John 14:12

I am sure someone has a worse story – but I think mine would make the top ten list, if there is such a list. I was single and in my late 20s, that age where people were wondering about me – if I would ever marry, did I want to marry, what was wrong with me? – little things like that. 🧐 I did hope to marry and thought I had found the guy. He was just unaware of it.

William (not his real name) was the lead singer/guitarist of a local Christian band. We became friends. Kinda’. Not close friends but we had things in common. He played in a band; I played in a band. He was a guitar player; I was a guitar player. He wrote songs; I wrote songs; He was athletic; I was athletic. He had blue eyes; I had blue eyes. He loved Jesus; I loved Jesus. He was knock out handsome; I was . . . well . . . I was a little cute. 🙂 I liked him immediately. But everyone liked William because he was so likeable! For the three years we lived in the same building, I watched him date a few different girls but no one steady. I dated a few guys but no one steady. I was such a good friend to him that for those three years, I took William out to eat on his birthday – just the two of us. We were friends. And I was secretly in love with him. I believed one day he would look at me and say, “Deb, I just now realized that you are the woman of my dreams. Let’s get married.” And I would say, “What took you so long?” And it would be the story we would tell our children. 🤗

Then one day, his good friend Barbie (not her real name) asked me if I would like to join Ken (her boyfriend, not his real name) and Dick (not his real name) and his girlfriend Jane (not her real name) and William and go to a jazz concert together.

I was thrilled! I was obviously to be William’s date and I thought to myself “This is it!” I really did . . . I really did think it would be the beginning of a beautiful relationship. 🙁

The night of the concert I took longer than usual picking out my clothes. I needed to be hip and cool and yet casual and classy. After three outfits, I wound up with a blue shirt, blue pin-striped jeans and two skinny belts, one red and one white, to jazz it up. It was the 80s and the style was to wear multiple, colorful skinny belts. I had tried a third blue one but at the last moment decided it was too much. At 7:00, Barbie knocked on my door. She took one look at me, noticed my belts and said, “You couldn’t decide which one to wear?” And she laughed. And I laughed. But inside my gut seized up. Barbie, Miss Perfect, just told me I looked ridiculous. At least that’s what I heard her say.

We walked to the car where Dick sat behind the wheel and Jane was seated next to him. Ken was in the back with William. Barbie sat next to Ken, which meant I would be up front next to Jane. Oh well, I thought. William and I would surely be seated together at the arena. The conversations took off and I soon forgot my awkwardness earlier. Afterall, I was with friends. I had known Dick and Jane and Barbie and Ken for years, although I had never really been anywhere with any of them.

It wasn’t long before we were headed into a neighborhood, and I heard William give Dick directions to someone’s house. As we pulled into a driveway, William got out and said, “I’ll meet you guys there.” And then he turned around and mouthed, “Hopefully.”  And we pulled away and they all laughed.

“What are we doing here?” I asked.

“Oh,” Ken said. “William is going to be riding with Mary (not her real name) and we will meet them there.”

“Who’s Mary?” I asked.

“William’s date,” Barbie said. “At least he thinks it’s a date. This is the first time he has asked her out and he wasn’t quite sure she said yes.”

“How can he not know?” Dick said and they all laughed again.

But I didn’t laugh. I couldn’t breathe. William was bringing Mary. So I was nobody’s date. What was I doing there? I have never felt so stupid.

Until Barbie asked me, “Do you have any of Winston Marsalis’ records?”

“Who?” I said.

“Winston Marsalis. The guy we are going to see tonight,” she said with her eyes bulging.

“Oh,” I managed to whisper. “No.”

“I thought you said you liked jazz,” Barbie said. And then she turned to Ken, and they started laughing, and since then I have never felt more stupid. 😢 Not ever. Since that moment. What was I doing there? How would I survive the night?

We drove to Chrysler Hall and found our seats. Dick sat next to Jane who sat next to Barbie who sat next to Ken who sat next to William who sat next to Mary who sat next to me. The concert lasted ten hours. No, not really. 😏 It just felt like it lasted ten hours. I barely heard the music. I was fighting too hard not to let tears fall down my face, my heart absolutely crushed. 😞

That was the night I gave up William. He would never be my boyfriend. I had never been so wrong about a guy.

Until a few years later when I saw a handsome, dark-haired young man named Mark sitting at a nearby table.  He glanced my way and smiled. Hmm. I thought. Then he stood up—all six foot five inches of him unfolded out of his chair. And I shook my head and said, “No. He’s too tall.”

I was wrong about that guy, too. 😉

“Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways.” (1)

Hmm. 🤨 It certainly sounds like these people “never have enough”(2); they are never satisfied. Why is that? I think it is because they are ignoring the advice given: “Consider your ways.” (3) In other words, think about what you are doing!

Okay. So, let’s think about it. 🧐 What’s so wrong with working and eating and drinking and clothes and money? Absolutely nothing. But if that is all we have, it will never be enough. If that is all we are pursuing, we will never be satisfied. Why? Because all those things perish; the gratification they give is temporary. If you don’t believe me, listen to someone who tried to make it work—Solomon. His observation was this: “All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.” (4) In other words, the world will wear us out as we pursue what it has to offer, and in the end it will not be enough.

Well, this is quite depressing. 🙁 What are we to do?  “Consider your ways.” When Haggai wrote those words, the temple lay in ruins. He was telling the people they needed to be rebuilding the temple instead of spending all their energy building their own houses. It was about priorities.

Perhaps the same is true for us. If all we are doing is chasing after the things the world offers, we will soon find ourselves weary and wanting. So . . . we should build a church? 😐 Well, that’s a good idea but actually it’s a lot more personal for you and me.  Paul reminds those of us who believe, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (5) The question for us is what kind of condition is our temple? If we have neglected it, we should “consider [our] ways.” Think about what we are doing!

What should we be pursuing? Righteousness. What does that mean? Living as God would have us live. Why? Because that is the only life that is satisfying. Our jobs, eating and drinking, the things we buy with the money we make—they are necessary things but not the most important things. Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (6)

“Consider your ways.” And remember another thing Jesus said: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (7) 😀

(1) Haggai 1:5-7     (2) Haggai 1:6    (3) Haggai 1:5    (4) Ecclesiastes 1:8   (5) 1 Corinthians 3:16    (6) Matthew 6:33     (7) Matthew 5:6

Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed . . .” (1)  So . . . the kingdom of heaven is small? 🤔 Most things are small in their beginning stages. But pay attention—Jesus is talking about a seed here. And seeds grow. So let Jesus keep talking, please. 😏 “ . . . a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.” (1) The seed, then, in order to grow, must be placed in the ground, a dark and often damp area. That’s where growth takes place. Hmm. 🤔 Sounds lonely.

But, again, let Jesus speak. 🙄 “It is the smallest of seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree . . .” (2) Who would think something so small could grow so big! That’s encouraging. Things take time to grow, to flourish, to produce fruit. The same is true about our lives and our work. Feeling small, being small – is where we all begin. And loneliness is part of the process, too. 

But let’s go back to Jesus. “. . . so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” (2) The seed eventually becomes a flower and then a bush and then a tree which provides a home for birds. The seeds we plant (i.e. the work we do for God) create community and comfort for others.

So, “the kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed.” (1) I understand the mustard seed but what exactly is this kingdom of heaven? 🤔 It is where humility (us) and exaltedness (God) meet. We will experience it fully and completely when we reach heaven. But in the meantime, we can find this kingdom of heaven in our hearts and in our work.

So here’s the important thing: when we feel small (humbled) we are in the perfect place for God (exaltedness) to meet us. And when he does, his greatness will overwhelm us, lift us up, and carry us to new heights, where we will do great things. 😀 “He will bless those who fear the Lord, both the small and the great.” (3)

It begins when we are small. We are called to do something small because to do something great is to do something small. Greatness always begins with smallness. 🙃 To do something small is to do something great. Remember the mustard seed. 

(1) Matthew 13:31    (2) Matthew 13:32    (3) Psalm 115:13

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” (1) Just let that sink in a bit. . . . . . children of God. . . . . . . God—the creator of the universe, the Almighty, most powerful being—his children. We have his spirit, will inherit his kingdom, and will live with him eternally. Do I hear a Hallelujah! out there? 😁 I like how John adds this phrase: “and so we are.” It’s as if he, too, was in awe of the statement he just wrote. . . “children of God; and so we are!”

John inserts here that the world does not comprehend this idea of people being children of God because they do not know God. And that is the prerequisite of being his child—knowing God, knowing who his Son is, and wanting that relationship with him. The relationship, by the way, is crucial. Many people believe there is a God, and some people know about God. But it is not the same as being “called children of God. . . . and so we are.”

However, we, too, struggle with this concept because our vision of God is blurred and distorted. “For now we see in a mirror dimly.” (2) Despite God’s spirit living within us, we are not what we should be or could be, and many days we do not act like children of God and do not feel like children of God. Even so, “Beloved, we are God’s children now.” (3) “And so we are.”

But we can count on this: One day, “when he appears we shall be like him.” (3) One day we will be holy, complete, perfect, sinless. Imagine that! Living a truly fulfilled life every day, forever. Why can we not ascertain this completeness now? Why must we wait? As I said, our vision is limited. Our understanding of God is quite imperfect, certainly smaller than the reality of who he is. And our transformation will not take place until we can “see him as he is.”(3)  That’s when “we shall be like him.”

Until then, we just need to concentrate on being his children, calling on our Father for everything because he so so loves us. John implores us to “see what kind of love the Father has given us.”  David got it. He wrote “His steadfast love endures forever.” (4) And he repeated it 26 times in Psalm 136! 🤪

Perhaps we, too, should spend our days repeating this truth to ourselves: “His steadfast love endures forever.”  Then, maybe we can better understand that we are the children of God . . . “and so we are!” 😀

(1) 1 John 3:1     (2) 1 Corinthians 13:12     (3) 1 John 3:2    (4) Psalm 136

“Love does not envy or boast.” (1) I find it interesting that the two verbs are paired together: envy and boast. Both are rooted in the acts of comparing and competing, which sometimes lead to unhealthy results. Paul warns us to “not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” (2)

Hmm. 🤔 It sounds like being conceited (prone to boasting) leads to envy. I would have thought it might be the other way around. I figured first we envy someone, then become one of the envied, and eventually become conceited. But Paul writes that those who are conceited make others angry—and perhaps discontented—which leads to everyone envying one another. Therefore, someone who is envious is already a proud, arrogant, conceited individual who loves to boast. What are these people boasting about? Probably how great their lives are due to how great they are.  

Hmm. 🤔 But if their lives are so great, of what and of whom are they envious? Are they never satisfied? Exactly. They are envious of anything that they cannot obtain. It is a never-ending discontentment. Haman is a perfect example of this. Remember him? He was King Ahasuerus’ right-hand man. He boasted about “the splendor of his riches, the number of his sons, all the promotions with which the king had honored him, and how he advanced him above officials and the servants of the king.” (3) He also boasted about his special relationship with Queen Esther. And yet, he was not content because one guy (Mordecai) was not impressed with Haman—one guy did not envy him. It made him furious.

So . . . at the root of our boasting seems to be an insatiable desire for others to envy us. To envy is to want what others have; to boast is to want others to envy what we have! 🤪 Envy is included in Paul’s list of the works of the flesh, alongside of “sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.” (4)  Yeah. Little “things like these.” 🙄 It’s a serious problem.

Here’s the cycle: We boast about our greatness, which satisfies our need to feel good about ourselves . . . for a little while . . . until we see something that we want . . . and then we become envious . . . and angry . . . and are not content until we have it . . . so we get it . . . and then boast about how great we are, which satisfies our need to feel good about ourselves  . . . for a little while . . . 😏 You get the picture.

And so Paul writes, “Love does not envy or boast.” They are cousins, and we need to steer clear of both. But how do we do this? There is only one way. Paul writes, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (5)  Instead, we are to “walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” (6)  What happens when we do that? We will be filled with “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”(7)—little things like that.  😉

By the way, Haman’s story did not end well. He built a gallows for Mordecai to be hanged on and the king hanged Haman on it instead. 😮

It’s best not to envy or boast. 😬

1 Corinthians 13:4 (2) Galatians 5:26  (3) Esther 5:12  (4) Galatians 5:19-21   (5) Galatians 5:24  (6) Galatians 5:16 (7) Galatians 5:22-23

It was the anti-drug campaign in the 80s and First Lady Nancy Reagan led the way. It was considered the elementary solution aimed at teenagers addressing the temptation to experiment with dangerous drugs. It was a great campaign that swept the world. When asked to “do” drugs the answer was simple: Just Say No. Presidents Nixon and Reagan were determined to fight the War On Drugs and spent millions of dollars in the effort. Reagan established mandatory penalties for drug crimes. In 1980, 50,000 people were incarcerated for drug crimes; by 1997 that number was over 400,000. First Lady Reagan toured the country to educate and inspire everyone to fight the “war.” The city of Los Angeles established the first Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program in 1983 which spread throughout the nation and still exists in public schools today. In 1985 between 2-6% of Americans considered drugs a problem. By 1989, that number had increased to 64%.*

It was an extremely successful campaign: Just Say No. It was a great slogan.

It just didn’t work. 😧

The war on drugs continues. As a matter of fact, it is worse than ever. Why is that? Because just saying no is not that simple. The ability to say no does not occur the moment we are tempted. We don’t simply decide I’ll just say no! and then magically are not tempted to do whatever it is we are trying so hard not to do! Signing a pledge card, agreeing not to do something—these are futile until we address the real issue. And what is that? 🤨

Our hearts—specifically, our desires. James wrote about it: “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.” (1) Until our desires are changed, we will not be able to just say no to anything—drugs or alcohol or donuts or any other bad habit! Being able to just say no requires two steps. First, we need to want to change. If we do not want to change, we will not. This is where most people are. They do not want to give up the drugs or the alcohol or the donuts or the (fill in the blank). They would rather enjoy the temporary pleasures and suffer the unhealthy consequences than give (fill in the blank) up. 😮 Oh, they have periods of abstinence—days, weeks, even months—but in the end, they are drawn back into their bad habits because they really do not want to give them up.

But if we really do want to change then we can go to the next step. Second, we must allow God to change our desires. This is not a “one and done” thing; it is a process but one that will free us from the bondage of our problems. Here’s Paul’s message about it: “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.” (2) This transformation is the changing of our desires (what we want) to God’s desires (what God wants). Note that this occurs “one degree” at a time. 😕 As I said, it’s a process.

But this is good news! God can change our desires! 😀 But that’s not even the best part because when this happens, guess what? God will give us whatever we want! 😲 Really! How can this be? Because we will want what God wants! 😁

Our real problem is not saying no to things. Our real problem is not wanting to say no and not believing that God’s desires are more desirable than our desires. But once God does change our desires, we will experience freedom like nothing else. We can be free of all that binds us—our habits, our attitudes, our anger, our fear, our insecurities, and so much more.

It is ironic to discover that Nike’s Just Do It campaign began in 1988 right alongside the Just Say No era. But the same theology applies to Nike and its idealistic fitness. If I were to write about it, I would give it this title: Just Do It (and why we don’t!).  😬

*Just Say No – HISTORY

(1) James 1:2    (2) 2 Corinthians 3:17-18       

We all spend time waiting—in line, in traffic, on hold. Waiting for the cable guy to arrive. Waiting for the doctor to walk in. Waiting for the money we need. Waiting for someone to respond to a text. Waiting for the right mate to come along. Waiting for a prayer to be answered. Waiting for our metaphorical ship to come in! We often find ourselves . . . as Dr. Seuss poetically phrases . . .

“just waiting.

Waiting for a train to go

or a bus to come, or a plane to go

or the mail to come, or the rain to go

or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow

or waiting around for a Yes or No

or waiting for their hair to grow.

Everyone is just waiting.”

Dr. Seuss concludes in his book Oh, the Places You’ll Go, that waiting is “a most useless place.”

But I do not concur. It can be a paralyzing place, a powerless place, but it is only so if we are waiting on others to do what we want them to do—which is always frustrating because no one seems to be on our schedule. What? 🤪 But why would they be?

So, how do we turn this “most useless place” into a useful one? What do we do while we wait? I suggest two things:

David writes “For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress: I shall not be greatly shaken.” (1) While we are waiting for people to come through, for things to happen, we must turn our hearts to God. If we put our trust in people and circumstances, we will be under their control. And here, I agree with Dr. Seuss, that that is a “most useless place.”  We give the people in our lives and the circumstances in which we find ourselves waayy too much power. 🤔 We act as if we cannot make a move until (fill in the blank) happens. How absurd!  But if we turn to God and wait “in silence,” we “shall not be greatly shaken.” David probably struggled with it, too, but he knew where to place his trust: “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.” (2)  Our hope is not that people will come through for us, that things will work out—our hope is based on our faith in God, which is actually “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (3)  Waiting, therefore, should be a time of hope.

The word “wait” has more than one definition. One is to linger, to hang around, to stay in place. Another is to act as a server, a waiter/waitress. If we want our waiting time to be useful, we need to serve—serve the Lord, serve others. Isaiah writes “those who wait for (serve) the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (4)  In serving the Lord, we will not become weary. Ironically, we become stronger. Waiting, therefore, should be a time to help.

The next time you find yourself waiting, think about David and Isaiah (and Dr. Seuss 😏).  Be hopeful. Be helpful. And while you are watching your wait, “Oh, the places you’ll go!”

(1) Psalm 62:1-2   (2) Psalm 62:4   (3) Hebrews 11:1    (4) Isaiah 40:31

Seuss, Dr. Oh, the Places You’ll Go! Random House, 1990.

So, how’s your diet going? 😏 We all (small and large) at some point “watch” our food intake: fewer carbs, less sugar, limited red meat, more veggies, gallons of water, etc. After personal experience with several diets, here is my conclusion: they all work. Yep. They all work—except for the scams, the “magic pills”—watch out for those! 😕 So here is the real question—why did I ever need to try a second diet? If they all work, why did I need another one? And this is the startling answer: My eating habits (which I can change) and my exercise routine (which I can improve) are not the problem. It’s me! I am the problem, not the diet. And I think I am not alone in this quandary.

What’s wrong with us? Well . . . many things, 😏 but my short answer is that we do not commit to anything for very long. It’s an endurance issue. We start strong and then we peter out. Here’s what James has to say on the matter. “Let steadfastness have its full effect” (James 1:4).

We are not very good at being steadfast, which includes being patient, persevering, and enduring to the end. We are quick to quit, give up, and cheat on our diets (and other things); therefore, we rarely experience the “full effect” of the diet (and whatever else “it” is). And then, of course, we blame the diet (or the “thing” we have abandoned) and accept defeat. We settle for less. And feel bad about the whole thing. ☹️

What shall we do? How do we become better at endurance, at seeing something through to the very end? It is not easy. As a matter of fact, endurance is only mastered when things are tough. It always comes in the form of a test. Look at verse 3: “for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” This idea awakens the teacher in me. How should we prepare for the test? Two ways: study and practice. If our “test” is a weight problem, we need to find a good plan, set a goal, and stick to the plan until we reach the goal. When we do that, the result will always be steadfastness—and losing a few pounds! 😁 The same truth can be applied to any situation that requires endurance. Finishing any task is a test of faith—faith in ourselves, faith in the plan, faith in God. How do we have faith? Only with God’s help but rest assured, “he gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength” (Isaiah 40:29). Did you catch that? “To him who has no might”—to that person, he “increases strength.” Have faith that God will make you steadfast.

And here’s the best part: when we pass the test, when steadfastness is produced in us, we will “be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:4). Completing something generates such a feeling of accomplishment! And we will be stronger for the next “thing” that needs our attention. And eventually, we will look forward to the challenges 😮 and “count it all joy, my brothers, when [we] meet trials of various kinds” (James 1:1). 😀

Wow. Just wow.

So, my advice to those of us watching our weight? We don’t need to find a new diet. We just need to allow one to have its full effect.