Tag: faith

Posted in communication, fear, friends, Grace, life, loving others, Scripture

Turn Off the Mike

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “If anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, his religion is useless, and he deceives himself.” James 1:26

It wasn’t what it seemed.  The life of a pastor is, well, interesting.  In fact, the life of the pastor’s family is interesting.  For forty-two years you could say that we live in a glass house and that would be so true.  I remember when we lived in a parsonage (that’s a house provided by the church) and we had a wood burning stove.  It was difficult to control the heat so often we would leave the front door open to allow some cooler air in.  There was a sweet (and she really was) older lady who attended our church and she was very concerned that we had our door open.  She would call saying, “Judy, do you know that your front door is open?”  Of course we did, but she felt it was her civil and religious duty to make sure we were stewards of our electricity.

When we moved to Cobden, Illinois our girls were very young…five and four.  Back in those days during worship, the pastor had a big chair where he was to sit on the stage.  I don’t know if we did it that way to make the pastor seem important or so everyone could stare at him. It was just the way we did it.  Now here is what was interesting.  While I was sitting on the stage looking at everyone and everyone was looking at me, Judy was playing the piano.  Many pastors are blessed with musically talented wives and I certainly was one of them.  Now don’t miss this.  I am on the stage and Judy was at the piano. Who do you suppose was watching the girls?  Well, that would be no one.  And you know, girls will be girls.

Like so many siblings, the girls loved to pick at one another.  It was always nothing serious…just enough to make mom and dad nervous.  Well, that Sunday was one of those days.  They were being little girls and poking and pinching each other. They were giggling enough to cause a bit of disturbance and to catch their mother’s eye.  Judy gave them “the look”.  Now every married man knows about “the look”.  Personally, I would rather stare down a cobra than face “the look”.  The problem was, while Judy was looking…they were not.  They were busy poking and pinching.  You might wonder what I was doing.  I was sitting on the stage trying to ignore the two little girls on the first or second row.  I was pretty good at it, too.  However, there was no ignoring the lady at the piano.

When they didn’t get the message, Judy made sure I did.  I don’t know if it was “the look” or smoke signals coming from behind the piano, but I got the message loud and clear.  Handle it.  As much as I didn’t like sitting on the stage on the throne, I preferred that to handling the girls in public.  I rose from the throne and walked straight to the girls.  I took them by the hand and as casually as possible led them out the side door of the sanctuary.  Now there is one thing that every pastor has to remember whether he is going to the restroom or taking his kids out to have a come to Jesus meeting.  Turn your microphone off. I didn’t.

As the door closes behind us, Becca, our oldest, and in her sweetest five year old voice says, “Daddy, please don’t hit us.”  Now, pause, because I know in this world the idea of hitting a child conjures up all kind of bad things.  If there was any hitting it was only going to be a gentle swat on the bottom.  Period.  I knew that and the girls knew that.  Thanks to my not turning my microphone off—everyone in the sanctuary knew it too.  You can probably imagine that sweet little voice coming over the speakers.  There were no tears between the three of us but there were plenty of tears in the sanctuary.  No, they weren’t grieving for those precious little girls—they were fine.  They were tears from laughing so hard.  We walked back into the sanctuary and every person was either rolling on the floor or trying to stay in their seat.  It was a Hallmark moment.

Yup…we live in a glass house for sure.  Even worse, I still had to stand up and preach later in the service. Amazingly, somehow, we made it through.  It is things like that which make our relationship with the families we serve so special.  I deeply appreciated that through the years.   Anyone who knows the Taylor tribe knows that we are unapologetically human.  If you are looking for a perfect, plastic pastor family…well, you won’t find it with us. I’ve often said that people can handle Christians who make mistakes…they get that.  What they can’t handle is when we act like we are perfect and better than they are. Truth is we are neither.

James, the half-brother of Jesus, said if anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, his religion is useless and he deceives himself. Well, spoken, James.  In fact, we could probably put several actions in place of controlling our tongue and come to the same conclusion.  I am always so grateful that God can handle our imperfections. He never regrets inviting us into His family but He does desire for us to be honest and real…and so does everyone else.  Go ahead, take off the mask and just be you.  You can rest assured that His unconditional love will still be there…even when you leave your microphone on.  And, if you do, don’t worry, He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne 

Posted in Family, forgiveness, Grace, heaven, love, Scripture

Returning Your Borrowed Faith

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” Ephesians 2:8-9

Sometimes borrowing is just easier than owning. Sometimes. A long while back I heard something that was both comical and true. Someone said, “It is better to have a friend with a truck than to go and buy a truck.” Once again, rather comical and at least partially true. Here’s part two.  “It is better to have a friend with a pool than to own one.” Let’s be honest, if you own a pool all the upkeep and maintenance becomes your responsibility. All the bills for all the chemicals are all yours. It’s pricy.

You see, borrowing is one of the great things about having great neighbors and friends. I can’t tell you how many times a someone has bailed me out by loaning me this tool or that. And there have been plenty of times when I was able to return the favor and help a friend or neighbor out. But there is one thing that we have to own. There is one thing that we have to decide about and then own and that one thing is–our faith.

You see, when we are kids we kinda coast along on our parents or grandparents faith and that works pretty good for a while. But at some point along the journey, we have to own our own faith. I’m sure the age varies and I’m sure it is different for each person but each of us have to reach a point when we own our faith and we realize we can no longer get by on borrowed faith.

Someone said, and it is true, that God has no grandchildren. If we are going to be in relationship with Him and if we are planning on making it to heaven, it will have to be based on a personal faith in His Son Jesus Christ. It is truly amazing and amazingly true that God welcomes anyone and everyone into His family. There are no barriers or restrictions. The one caveat is that we have to come to that point where we own our faith–where we decide that Jesus is Who He said He is and that He did what He said He could do.

So what do you say, is it time for you to return your borrowed faith to your parents or maybe your grandparents? Are you ready to believe not because your parents do but because you do? Are you ready to put it all on the line and declare your faith in Jesus–not as a historical superman but as the Savior of the world–your Savior? If you are, you will find that God is waiting to welcome you.

You know there is something to be said about owning that tool–there is a certain joy and satisfaction in being the owner. That is definitely true when it comes to faith. To have the confident assurance that Jesus is yours and you are His is one amazing feeling. So go ahead, return your borrowed faith and accept His offer of your very own. Afraid He isn’t willing? No way–nothing gives Him more pleasure than to see one of his creations become one of His kids–by faith.  Don’t worry–He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, friends, life, loving others, school days, Scripture

Possession and Perception

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “How sweet Your Word is to my taste—sweeter than honey in my mouth.” Psalm 119:103

Well, I guess it is only partly so.  All my life I have picked up things that were said and passed along. As I grew a little older, I discovered that some of them are true and some just aren’t.  A friend in our office had a stye in her eye that was really bothering her.  She made an appointment with the doctor but before she went, I asked her, quite sincerely, “Did you rub the stye with a gold ring?”  Well, she looked at me like a calf at a new gate (that’s one of those sayings) and said, “What?”

Well, I tried to explain to her that all my life this was something I heard.  In fact, I can clearly remember my Momma taking my Daddy’s wedding band (which I now own) and rubbing my eye with it.  What I don’t remember is if anything happened. And that’s not all. I was a full-grown adult before I found out how much time I wasted growing up by waiting 30 minutes after I ate before going back into the water to swim. It was just a fact that if you did you were probably going to drown.  Turns out—ain’t so. How about that?

A saying that I have heard all of life is, “possession is nine-tenths of the law.”  I’m not even sure what that means but I think it means that if your neighbor borrows your pitchfork and doesn’t return it for a long while and then you go back and try to retrieve it, somehow it magically becomes his. Come to think of it, I still have my friends pitchfork from my days in Cobden.  Oh, and I think there is a shovel out there in the garage too. Maybe there is some truth there after all.

Well, a takeoff from that saying is this saying—and it is true.  It goes something like this, “Perception is nine-tenths of the message.” In other words, how a person perceives what you say is just as important as what you say.  Think about it—and I think you will agree.  If you say something and the person thinks you said something totally different it can be hurtful and confusing.  It is also true when we try to describe something and just aren’t clear. We say it one way…and they hear another. It reminds me of the story of three blind men who tried to describe an elephant.  They each grabbed a different part of the elephant, and each had a totally different perspective.

A while back, I was teaching and was talking about how we describe the Bible.  So often we portray it was a Book of just no, no, and no again.  Well, there are plenty of no’s in the Bible but there is also plenty of times when God says yes! The main message of the Bible isn’t rules and regulations but God’s grace and redemption.  From the beginning to the end, the message is the same: God loves us, and God wants to redeem us. He extends grace to all that are willing to turn from their sin and believe.

So, the next time you are trying to paint a word picture of something, keep in mind the importance of perception.  And the next time you are telling your friend about the Bible and what the Bible says, remember, perception is important.  Need a little help? No problem.  The God who inspired it and led men to write it…well, He’s got that. Bro. Dewayne

Posted in communication, life, priorities, Scripture

Not Visiting–But Moving In

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Let the Word of Christ dwell richly among you.” Colossians 3:16a

I once read a story about a seminary professor who was studying in the Holy Land and met a man who claimed to have memorized the entire Old Testament in Hebrew. Knowing that would be quite a feat, the professor asked the man if he could give a demonstration. The man agreed, and the two met at the man’s home.

The professor took out his Hebrew Old Testament and the man asked, “Where shall we begin?” The professor loved the Psalms, so he suggested “Psalm 1.”  And beginning with Psalm 1, the man began to recite from memory while the professor followed along. For two hours, the man continued without a single mistake. Needless to say, the professor sat very impressed.

Well, when the demonstration was over, the professor discovered something about the man that shocked him. He wasn’t a Jew nor a Christian and in fact was an atheist. He knew the Scriptures better than many Jews and most Christians and yet they had done nothing to change his life. The reason why? He simply didn’t believe them.

What a tragedy…to know the most precious truth in the world so thoroughly and not allow it to touch you.  But I wonder if that tragedy hits closer to home than we want to admit?  How many of us listen week after week as teacher after teacher shares from the Word of God and yet fail to allow it to change our lives?  You see, it really isn’t enough just to be present and hear…we need to hear with the intent to allow it to change us.

In Jonah 3 we read that the king of Nineveh heard the message of God that Jonah preached. It so impacted his life that he led the citizens of that city to repent and turn from their sin.  And that impact changed God’s mind about their impending doom.  Remember it isn’t enough to hear…we need to hear with the intent to apply and change. Paul said it this way, “Let the Word of Christ dwell richly among you.” That simply means we don’t need to allow the Word of God to pay our lives a visit…we need to allow it to move in.  I know sometimes truth can make us just a little uncomfortable but don’t worry.  The God who wrote it and gave it to us is the God who wants us to know, “I’ve got this.”  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in communication, Family, life, marriage, prayer, Scripture

Smart Pants

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?” Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. John 6:67-68

“I’m sorry.  I’m having trouble understanding you right now.”  Now if you are married that is something you just might hear occasionally.  My wife Judy and I have been married for 49 years and it has been a great adventure.  They say after you have been with someone for so long you start completing each other’s sentences and can almost read their mind.  I think that is true.  But every once in a while…well…I miss it or she misses it and we look at each other like a “calf at a new gate.”  That means like a young calf who has never gone through a particular gate and says, “I’m not sure I like this or understand this.”  Calf.At.A.New.Gate.

Well, the other woman who lives in our house is named Alexa.  Actually, we have several of them and we can tell her what to do and she does it.  We have several items in our home that are wirelessly controlled.  For example, our thermostat can be controlled from anywhere we can get an internet signal.  I can tell Alexa, “Alexa set upstairs thermostat to 80” and she does it.  Boom.  I also have some of the lights in our home that have a “thingy” that will allow me to control them with Alexa.  I just say, “Alexa, turn on the lights” and all the lights in the room come on.  That is especially good at night when you are getting into bed, and you don’t want to catch your toes on the corner of something because you can’t see.

A while back we “cut the cord” and started streaming our TV through the internet.  It is definitely cheaper and cleaner…if you follow my drift.  All this is just great until…wait for it…the internet goes down.  That happened recently.  I woke up and groggily walked into my home office and asked Alexa to turn on the lights.  She said, “I’m sorry. I’m having trouble understanding you right now.” That is code for there is no internet.  That also means that I can’t watch the weather or anything else.  Oh, and I also can’t control the thermostat…I have to actually walk over and turn it up or down.  Then you add to that list that you can’t check or send email, can’t check the news, can’t, can’t, can’t—it almost sounds like 2020 all over again. No. No. And No.

The deal with all this cool smart stuff is if the internet connection goes down…things come to a screeching halt and you quickly find yourself wondering if smart is so smart after all.  I know this is true for me and almost eight billion of my closest friends.  We often think we have it all figured out and that we don’t need God directing our lives or telling us this or that.  What we often discover is that without Him…well, we can make a mess pretty quickly.

What we write off as life being crazy and messy is what life becomes without faith and believing. I’m not sure I can imagine what life would be like if we decide we don’t need God anymore, but I am sure I don’t want to find out. Oh, we can get by without religion…no problem there…but God…I don’t think so.

Well, it turned out the internet was down all that day and the next.  Rumor was someone hit a pole somewhere and knocked out one of the main lines.  I learned that day that all that smart stuff wasn’t worth anything without the thing that made it smart.  And in the process of learning that, I was reminded that when we think we are really smart and that we have it all figured out…well, we are not much without the One who made us.  Take Him out of the equation and things can grind to a halt pretty quickly. As I waited to for the internet to come back online, I think I heard a whisper from the Whisperer.  He seemed to be saying, “Don’t worry. I’ve got this.” Bro. Dewayne

Posted in communication, Family, gratitude, life, school days, Scripture, thankful

The Wonder of Music

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods. The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the Lord made the heavens!” Psalm 96:5

You might say that I am a music nut.  I love music.  Ok, to be honest there is some music I like better than others, but by and large—most music is great.  I discovered something recently that I find to be quite a mystery.  I have satellite radio in my car and because of that I have access to a large selection of music.  I have several buttons preset so I can easily access my favorites.  Number one is modern or contemporary Christian.  Number two is smooth jazz—oh, I like that one. Then come the decades of my youth—sixties and seventies.  And then comes the mystery—the fifties.  Let me explain.

For some reason I find that I enjoy that station…a lot.  But more surprising, I know almost every song that is played.  I think that kinda odd.  My parents certainly didn’t listen to much of the radio, my older brothers and sisters were mostly grown by the time I came along last and the sisters next to me were sixties gals.  So where did it come from and how?  I don’t have a clue.  All I know for certain is that I like what I hear.

They say that variety is the spice of life, and I must agree and that might explain my love for most music.  When it comes to worship (the music we do that talks about God) I have two favorite instruments and guess what?   They don’t go together either.  First, I love drums.  I can’t play the drums. I have no rhythm—in fact I struggle to clap to the beat but all of that doesn’t change my love to both watch and hear them being played. Now in direct contrast to that is the violin.  There is something sweet, almost precious, about the sound of a violin. Its melodic sound can quickly sweep me away in worship.

So how is it that I can like such a variety of music and two instruments that are such opposites? I think the answer is simply at the center of it all is my love for music.  That seems to top everything else. So, you are just as likely to see me patting my foot to southern gospel as you are to a piece of the classics.  I think this love for the central thing might help us in our God stuff. You see, if we keep the focus on Him, all the stuff on the sidelines doesn’t matter nearly as much. It’s nice to know that no matter where I worship…I can worship because it isn’t the music that owns me…He does.

So, I hope music is a big part of your life.  And more importantly…I hope the God who created it is too.  As you journey in life, learn to appreciate the Creator and the rest will fall into place. The reason is simple.  As His book puts it, “Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods.” There you go.  I guess we shouldn’t be surprised no matter what, He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne

Posted in communication, Family, life, marriage, money, priorities, Scripture, thankful

Shredding Checks–Checks Our Faith

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7

There must have been a zillion of them. While my wife Judy and I are not hoarders we do have a tendency to hang onto things.  We are kinda sentimental so things like birthday and anniversary cards tend to hang around. While that may be sweet and sticky it still doesn’t explain the fact that we have a lot of old records–lots of old records. Now for a point of clarification. I’m not talking about the kind made from vinyl that you play on a turntable or phonograph.  No, I am talking about the kind you put in boxes and filing cabinets and then forget about.

So, for the past 30 years, we would put different Taylor records in boxes and put them away on a shelf. And then it happened. On a whim, we decided it was time to do something about our mega record mess. Since all of the records were beyond the statute of limitations (in other words we were not required by law, our relatives or anyone else to keep them) we decided to buy a shredder and start shredding.  So for the last several days I would spend a couple or three hours feeding these thousands of documents to the hungry little shredder.

As I was feeding this paper monster a zillion old checks, I couldn’t help but pay attention to what some of them said.  There was a time when paper checks were the thing and the bank actually sent the cancelled checks back to you. And as I shredded them, I realized they were a snapshot of our lives together. The earliest ones were dated back to the mid-nineties and the latest were about 2014…I think. There were literally hundreds of them–all amounts and written out to all kinds of people and organizations. You name it and it was there…groceries, stuff, more groceries and more stuff. There were lots for insurance, lots for medical needs and more for insurance and more for medical needs. On and on and on it went.

I am grateful that I can tell you that there were regular checks made out to our local church and a couple of other ministries. I don’t tell you that to brag–after all they weren’t the biggest checks in the pile–but they were regular and each one wasn’t a “have too” check like our electric bill. No, each one was written voluntarily and was a love note to our Dearest Daddy. Each one was given in love and each one represented our faith in Him.  They became a testimony to the faithfulness of our Father. Some of those checks were written in times of abundance but some were written when things were pretty lean. But no matter the circumstances–our Dearest Daddy was always faithful. He never failed–no not once.

So how about you? Have you, in a practical way, discovered the faithfulness of God? Does a glance at your calendar or your bank statement tell a tale of faith? I hope so because trusting God is one of life’s greatest adventures. Check this out! Maybe today is the day when you discover the wonder of knowing that no matter what–He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in fear, friends, gratitude, life, prayer, priorities, Scripture, sovereignty of God, spiritual battles

What Shall We Do?

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4

These days in too many ways are monsters—perhaps a cookie monster.  Crazy changes seem to take so many of the things that were precious to us and just consume them.  One minute they were there and the next…they were gone.  Like Cookie Monster, change crunches and munches its way through our lives declaring, “Me like cookies.”

We have struggled, pushed and pulled as time marched on but let’s not lose sight of what we learned.  We learned things about ourselves, and things about God.  We have stopped just reading about faith or listening to preachers tell us about it and we were given opportunities to taste it, to experience it.  Keep in mind that kind of learning happens in situations that we can’t handle.  It starts in the darkness but it is then that we get to see the dawn coming.  We get to see what he saw.

The man woke up early…just as dark was turning to dawn.  He quietly stirred so as not to disturb his master, Elisha.  It was then that he heard them.  “Them” were masses of horses and warriors lining the surrounding hills. It wasn’t going to be a good day.

For too many days we awoke to a world filled with the unfamiliar. It seemed the sounds of warriors and horses were louder and closer than the day before as politics and headlines stopped being something that was just happening on the national news. Slowly it inched its way nearer, first, in nearby counties and then even closer. Perhaps you felt the fear creeping into the pit of your stomach…again…and again.  You asked, “What can I do?”  Now the question is “How did we do?”

Our friend shakes his master out of a deep sleep.  The Word of God records it like this in 2 Kings 6:15 “When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh, my lord, what shall we do?” the servant asked. What.Shall.We.Do.

Did you ask that question in 2020? Last year? Recently? This morning?  Well, welcome to normal.  The best part is there is a great answer coming.  Elisha, in 2 Kings 6:16, says “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

“Calm down, friend” Elisha said because the odds are on our side.  Well, the servant did the math and it looked like a zillion to two.  Hmmm.  So, do you find yourself doing the math and no matter how you rewrite the equation it doesn’t look good? Well – get ready because something is about to change.  In verse 17 the Word says, “And Elisha prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes so he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

And boom, just like that everything changed.  When he could see clearly it was clear that the odds were in their favor and the fear eased and the panic fled and well, it was gonna be a better day. 1 John 4:4 puts it this way, “You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

That was true then and it is true now.  Yes, we had enough stuff in recent days and years to cause the strongest knees to knock.  The enemy was and is great, but our God was and is greater. Yes, the carnage scars the landscape but the virus, the division, the economic and emotional disruption was and is no match for our God. He is bigger…by a lot.  Ask God to open your eyes so you can see what the odds really were and are–and feel the fear ease and the panic flee.  After all, “He’s got this.”  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in communication, fear, life, Scripture, travel

Driver Assist

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

Judy and I have a new car! Well, actually it isn’t a new car but it is new to us and it is new enough to have some really cool gadgets. If you are a regular Grits reader then you might know that I am a gadget person. The amazing part of  all of this is the fact that my wife Judy, who is not a gadget person, is pretty fond of this car too. For her, a car has always been a way to get from one place to another. But it seems that she sees this one just a little different.

Today I want to tell you about one of the gadgets. Oh, and for the record, I wouldn’t be surprised if there are a few more stories about a few more gadgets coming in the future. So, one of the things this car has is something called driver assist and it is really not one thing but a collection of things that work together to help the driver drive. Believe it or not, this car can almost drive itself. When I turn on the driver assist feature, using all kinds of technology, it will keep the car in the correct lane…effectively steering itself. Now one of the rules is that I do have to keep my hand on the wheel just so it will know that I am still there.

So it works like this. You turn it on and a way you go. Following the curves in the road, the steering wheel turns accordingly. I have to admit it works really quite well. The only problem is…I don’t trust it. I find myself constantly fighting against the driver assist to make sure I am in control. That usually results in my growing weary turning the steering wheel this way or that. I want to be in control…period.

At the bottom of this “give and take battle” between me and the technology is a lack of trust. I am sure I know more and can do a better job driving. And until I learn to at least begin to trust it—I might as well not even have the gadget. Well, one day, as I was driving and fighting, it occurred to me that this battle between me and car was not a whole lot different that me and God and my life. Too often I find myself pulling one way while He is pulling another. And the crazy part is that He has never given one reason for me to doubt Him. He has never made a mistake, He has never caused me to crash and He has never let me down. So why do I, do we, resist Him so?

The bottom line is just like with the car we want to be in control. I guess it is a human nature thing but we need to remember that when we became Jesus follows He gave us a new nature.   So what is it in your life that you are wrestling with God about? What is it that you just can’t surrender too Him? Let me suggest that the both of you have a “heart to heart.” I believe, I know you will come to the same conclusion that I did—God can unconditionally and completely be trusted. You will find you that you don’t need Him to assist you—you only need to give Him the wheel completely. So, be brave, take your hands off the wheel, and trust Him. Oh, and don’t worry. You can rest assured that, “He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne 

Posted in life, priorities, Scripture, spring, thankful, travel, wisdom

Tulip Bulbs

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.” Hebrews 12:1b

 It was one of the craziest things I have seen.  In my spare time or when I need to check out, I like to watch television…but not like you might think.  You see, a long time ago I kinda checked out on network television.  It finally got crazy enough that I decided I just didn’t need it.  I know there are some good shows out there but for me the craziness overshadowed them.  For years now, my viewing habits centered around house stuff, nature stuff, travel stuff, history stuff, and stuff stuff or how this works or that works.

Anyway, I was watching a travel show and this episode was on Holland.  On this show, they would fly all over the country and talk about what you were seeing. If you know anything about Holland you know they are famous for wooden shoes, windmills, canals and, wait for it, tulips.  So, they were flying over a tulip farm.  Imagine, if you can, this massive field of every color of tulip imaginable. It was truly beautiful.  I’m thinking how all the flowers will end up in the flower markets around Europe and how much joy they will bring to the people who bought them or received them.

And, then, it happened.  Are you ready? Probably not. The angle of the camera changes some and it shows a tractor, and it is not harvesting the flowers—it is cutting them down. Say what? Yup…if I’m lying, I’m dying.  The massive clipper thing was laying waste to zillions and zillions of flowers. And, in case you’re wondering, no one was coming along and picking them up.  They were laid—not to rest but to waste. What in the world is going on?  Well, here is deal.

This farm wasn’t in the flower business…it was in the bulb business.  In other words, they were not selling flowers, they were selling the bulbs that produced the flowers.  Their logic was simple—and even scientific.  The flowers would drain the bulb of nutrients and they discovered that if they cut the flowers, the bulbs would benefit directly. Bigger and healthier bulbs meant a better price and for them…a bigger profit. While I still don’t understand why they couldn’t find a way to save the flowers, I think I understand why they did what they did.  But what a waste.

The big truth here is really big.  How can this apply to our life journeys, our Jesus journey?  Well, the answer is this.  When we are willing to lay aside the good for something better, or the better for the best, it suddenly makes sense.  We all have things in our lives that may not be bad but the question to ask is, “Are they the best?” And remember—best is always better than better.

The author of Hebrews, which sounds like it belongs in the Old Testament instead of the New says, in Hebrews 12:1, “Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.” In other words, whatever causes us to not run our life race effectively, needs to be discarded—no matter how much it is liked—no matter how attractive it might be.  We may need to cut the optional to enhance or save the essential.  Worth it? Always.

Now when I first saw them cutting the flowers, it just seemed so illogical, and we might feel the same way when we are starting to choosing best over better but remember this.  God knows what is best, He desires the best for us, and He will help us choose the best if we will but ask.  It’s just another of those times when He’s waiting to let you know, “I’ve got this.” Bro. Dewayne