PART 2 - HOW TO BIBLICALLY COPE WITH FUTURE ANXIETIES

In last week's blog, I wrote about how my work situation has given me a lot of anxiety lately and some ideas on how we can practice trusting God during stressful situations. But then the rest of the week happened-more stress, uncertainty, and anxiety. I spent time praying and meditating on verses that talk about trusting God but was still feeling very anxious about my life's circumstances. I went to bed that night feeling uncertain and unsure of God. 

There are times in life when Christians do all the right things but still feel very wrong. There are times when we cry out to God and read his word but life still doesn't go the way we think it should. We get upset that God doesn't act the way we think he is supposed to act. We know we should trust in him no matter what happens, but still find it difficult to get past the way we feel. 

HOW TO BIBLICALLY COPE WITH FUTURE ANXIETIES

In two weeks I'm graduating from a year long school the Navy sent me to. I'm excited to be finished but still have no idea what my next job will be. For several complicated and uninteresting reasons, I may not know what my next assignment is for several more weeks. I have also been trying to sell my house and a boat before I have to move. As you might imagine, I have been worried and stressed about these issues and what might come next...even though there isn't anything I can do to change my circumstances.

ARE YOU LIVING OUT YOUR FAITH THE WRONG WAY?

Ever since I was a kid I have had the idea that if I want to be the best kind of Christian, I have to be a pastor, missionary, or evangelist. And if I am not one of those, I at least need to do the kinds of things they do as often as I can in order to practice my faith the way God wants.

I talk to a lot of Christians who feel this way. For whatever reason, we think doing "spiritual" works makes us good Christians. We realize that we can't earn our salvation through works; it is by God's grace alone and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that we have the hope of salvation and eternal life. Yet, we still feel we need to be spiritual in order to please God. We envision carrying our Bibles around all the time and talking to everyone we meet about Jesus. We probably will not actually do those things but still think that if we did we would be better Christians.

DOES GOD WANT YOU TO LEAVE YOUR JOB AND DO SOMETHING ELSE?

Several years ago I got really worried about "God's will for my life." I was (and still am) in the Navy and had to make some career decisions that would either set me up to get out of the Navy or help me continue to progress in my career. I agonized over this for a whole year, spent lots of hours praying, read books about it, and generally did everything I could to try to figure out what God wanted me to do. But I didn't hear anything. God had gone quiet...or at least, I couldn't hear him.

IS IT BETTER TO MAKE A SMALL COMPROMISE IN YOUR FAITH OR GET FIRED?

Last week I heard about a US Marine who was court-martialed for hanging a scripture verse on her computer monitor. When her supervisor told her to take the verse down, Lance Corporal Sterling refused. She was convicted and given a bad conduct discharge. Her case went before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Services last week. There are a lot of strong opinions on all sides of this case. But opinions aside, it got me thinking about the idea of standing up for my constitutional rights versus giving in to the desires of those around me (be they an authority, peer, or otherwise). I wondered what I would do if I were faced with the decision to compromise my faith in order to obey an authority.  

WHY BEING A "GOOD" CHRISTIAN MIGHT BE DANGEROUS

I couldn't believe they wouldn't let me go. My High School church youth group was going on a missions trip to Mexico and my parents said it was too dangerous. There were reports in the news of child abductions, gang violence, and other general bad stuff that parents guard against. But I still found it difficult to understand why they wouldn't allow me to go on a "Church Missions Trip." While that was a long time ago, I have never forgotten it. Before I go on, please know that I recognize that my parents had a responsibility to keep me safe and were authorities that God had placed in my life. That being said, I think they unintentionally taught me the wrong lesson. They valued my safety above all else.

DO YOU TRUST GOD ENOUGH TO LIVE LIKE IT?

I was recently reminded of a critical lesson I learned my first year at in college at the Naval Academy. Pretty much everyone who goes to an Academy finds it academically demanding, but it was even harder for me. I studied every waking moment for months; I saw tutors, went to study sessions, spent hours getting extra instruction from my teachers, and was still failing several of my classes. I didn't take the time to work out, hang out with friends, watch movies, or read more than a verse or two from the Bible. It was looking like I wasn't going to make it and I thought the only chance I had was to spend every available second studying.

DO YOU EFFECTIVELY LOVE AND INFLUENCE THE PEOPLE YOU WORK WITH?

I want to do more than just show up to work and collect a pay check. I want to be more than the status quo. I want the people around me to be more effective, feel more encouraged and happy, and ultimately be drawn closer to God as a result of my having been there. As such, I'm always trying to find better ways to connect with and influence the people I work and spend time with. Several weeks ago, I heard something that made me think about it from a different perspective. Instead of considering how I could best influence those around me, I thought "who are the people that have influenced me the most and why?" Perhaps I could identify what those people did or said that made such a difference for me and use it to try to make a difference in the lives of others.

HOW DO YOU SPIRITUALLY PREPARE FOR A NEW CHAPTER IN LIFE?

Earlier this week someone asked me about what I do to prepare spiritually for a deployment. I think he was looking for a profound answer or some three step program. But as I thought about how to answer his question I realized that my response was more of a "back to basics" kind of idea. It isn't anything complex or deep but it is vital for a Christian's everyday life and for anyone going on deployment or any other kind of life adjustment.

COULD YOUR DIET BE A WAY TO MINISTER AT WORK? MINE WAS

Recently I have felt like God has been challenging me to be a better servant leader but am not always sure how to actually be one. I have one person who works under me as my assistant. This week I had one opportunity to serve her in a unique way. I found out that she was trying to get into "clean eating," something I have been doing for years. I sent her a couple recipes and encouraged her in her efforts. While this didn't really relate to our job, it was one small way to improve our relationship and gave me a chance to serve her in a way that was meaningful to her.

HOW TO THINK BEYOND THE DAY TO DAY

For the past seven months I have spent the bulk of my spare time working on a house rehab project. As of now, I have spent almost 60k on repairs, made 71 trips to the project site, spent countless hours of my own time, and have hired lots of people to help with various tasks. It has been a big job and I have been pushing really hard to get it finished. Some days it has consumed me; it can be really exciting or really stressful, depending on what is going on.

4 WAYS TO RIGHTALIGN YOUR "WAY TOO CRAZY" LIFE

My wife and I are busy. We have 3 little kids at home (5, 2, and 3 months), we move coast to coast at least once every 18 months (7 moves in 8 years of marriage), my work hours are not typical (active duty US Navy), my wife is an avid runner (marathons, triathlons, trail runs, etc), and we like people (church, Navy, neighbors, etc). As a result of all that, we tell ourselves almost nightly that something has to give.  But what is that something?  

WHY WHAT YOU SAY MATTERS MORE THAN YOU THINK

Many of my regrets in life have not been what I didn't say, but what I did say (this is especially true within my marriage). I work on a ship offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. The expression "cuss like a sailor" is pretty accurate; sailors tend to say a lot of bad things. I have often been guilty of not being encouraging, uplifting, or edifying in my speech towards and around others.

ARE YOU MAKING THE WRONG LIFE CHOICES?

For the past several weeks I have been scrambling to put together an application package to transfer to a different career field in the Navy. I have spent hours on the phone to discuss different options, get career advice, and ask for letters of recommendation. Sometimes I feel very excited about the opportunities I'm applying for. But I have also woken up in the middle of the night thinking about all the worries and concerns that come with potentially moving to an entirely different career field. I have been wondering if I'm doing the right thing. There are so many different options and I don't know how to ensure that the one I am choosing is the right one; if it is the direction God is leading me in or not; if there is a better choice; if I should wait longer or do it now.

WHY YOU SHOULDN'T ARGUE WITH 12 YEAR OLDS

Earlier this week I hired a couple of high schoolers and their 12 year old brother to help me clean and paint part of the house I'm rehabbing. They did a great job and we made some good progress toward finishing the house so I can put it on the market.

But I also got the opportunity to "re-learn" a lesson that I thought I already knew. The 12 year old said something that I didn't think was correct and when I tried to inform him of how and why he was wrong, he simply stated that I was the one who was wrong and that he was right. I wish I could say that I let it go at that and moved on, but I kept trying to win the argument. How I got sucked into this "yes it is...no it isn't" argument with a 12 year old is beyond me.  

HAVE YOU SCHEDULED YOUR APPOINTMENT WITH GOD?

For most of my career, I had anything but a predictable work schedule. I might work day shift one day, night shift the next, and then back to day shift. Sometimes I would wake up long before the sun came up. Other days I would still be awake from the night before when the new day dawned. For too long I let my work schedule and the lack of a routine be an excuse that explained my inability to consistently spend dedicated time with God and His Word each day. "If I just had a predictable routine," I would say to myself, "THEN, I would carve out some time for God and be consistent in the Word."

SHOULD I BE WORRIED ABOUT MY POSSIBLE CAREER FAILURE?

Last week I spoke with my job placement officer about my career progression and potential for future advancement. He told me that the numbers are not looking good for me to be selected for my next career milestone (Department Head) when the board meets in April. Until then, I'm taking a hard look at all my options and trying to figure out what to do. 

WHAT WILL YOUR LIFE'S STORY LOOK LIKE?

I've recently been reading a couple of books (Chronicles and Kings) in the Bible that give a short life summery on each of the ancient kings of Israel and Judah. The authors say how old they were when they became king, how long they reigned, and if they "did what was right in the eyes of the Lord" or "did evil in the eyes of the Lord." The write-ups go on to give a varying degree of details from each of their lives.

The passages never judge the kings' reign on their work ethic, job performance, or effectiveness in defeating enemies. Rather, these kings are judged almost exclusively on if they followed God or followed their own desires and embraced idols. All of these kings were Jews and most practiced some degree of the Jewish religion. But only a few were deemed to have lived their lives in such a way that earned them the distinction of having done what was right in the eyes of the Lord.

HOW TO LOVE PEOPLE BY NOT HAVING ALL THE ANSWERS

I've been reading a John Maxwell book about leadership and asking questions. One of the take-aways from the book is that people generally enjoy being asked about their opinions rather than having someone else's ideas forced upon them. It reminded me of times when people in authority over me have taken the time to ask me what I thought about certain things-it actually made me appreciate and respect them more, rather than the other way around.

HOW YOUR STORY CAN MOTIVATE AND ENCOURAGE OTHERS

Last week one of my Christian co-workerstold me about how God had been working in his life at work. He had a discussion about what Christmas means to him with one of the people in his class (a muslim international exchange student). The man went on to ask him to share one story from the Bible. My friend shared a short story from the New Testiment. After that, the muslim man asked my friend to share one Bible story with him every day. Since then, my friend has faithfully shared a story with him daily. The muslim man went on to get a Bible in Arabic so he could read for himself. He has not become a Christian yet but it is clear that God is working in his life. I was excited and encouraged to hear his story and thanked him for sharing it.

HAVE YOU FOUND YOUR CALLING IN LIFE?

I have always wanted to have a job that I feel is my calling. Something I'm passionate about, that adds value to the lives of others and gives me a sense of fulfillment. I have spoken with a lot of people who talk about wanting to find something similar; we all want the perfect job-one that is our calling, that is God's will for our lives. The problem is, many of us don't have the perfect job and will likely never find it. 

THIS SIMPLE NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION COULD TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE

I have never made New Year's resolutions. But this year was a little different. Over the Christmas break, I read a book that really inspired me to adjust how I think and act (I guess that is kind of like a resolution). It asked a simple question that helped me realize how much I was letting "fear" influence some of my decisions and actions. I realized that I often let silly little fears of rejection, failure, or ridicule keep me from doing things as simple as initiating a religious conversation with someone or even asking another Christian to pray for me about something.