Two words for a successful life

I sipped my coffee and listened to an interview about “spirituality” for the new year. The person being interviewed would define that word differently than I would, but she made a great point that prompted my thoughts. Her advice for the new year was not to make a resolution, but to choose a word that would be your focus throughout the coming year.

Jim and I discussed her suggestion as we walked down the beach, later that morning. Was that good advice? Our answer: yes and no.

We all enjoy the idea that there can be “5 easy steps” to something. But, we all know that our spiritual lives don’t really work that way. That said, the idea of a word to use as a focus intrigued me.

So, I decided to choose these two for next year: Hold fast.  

The same mistake

I sat in a beautiful room, overlooking the ocean. The unending waves rolled in, strong and relentless. I watched the storm clouds approach. I’ve always loved the ocean because it reminds me of God. I think of words like immeasurable and everlasting.

But the word that came to my mind that day was unchanging.

When I think about the past ten years, I do not think Christianity has prospered in our country. I think we are making the same mistake God’s people have always made, and I guess probably always will.

The question today is: Are you making that mistake?  

our response

God’s people prosper when they submit to his word. That’s why God made certain to provide people who would be his prophets and teachers. He gave his laws and an entire body of Scripture. God even gave us his Word, in the flesh. God provided everything people would need to walk through this lifetime guided by his holy truth and, one day, live eternally in his kingdom. People have always been given God’s truth.

We can’t control the oceans, and we can’t control God’s truth. We can control our response to his truth with two words: Hold fast.  

A friend shared a powerful message at a retreat this past fall. She simply read these verses as her message to us. Allow God’s Holy Spirit to speak these to you:

  • “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter” (2 Thessalonians 2:15).
  • “Test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
  • “Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:13 NKJV).
  • “He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it” (Titus 1:9).

hold fast

If you were to stand on the beach in Tarsus, Capernaum, or Patmos and stare only at the water, you would see the same thing that Paul, Peter, and John saw thousands of years ago. If you looked upon the water in the Sea of Galilee, you would see what Jesus saw when he walked out to his fear-filled disciples. When God created the waters of this earth, he revealed his everlasting character.  

God is unchanging, yet unpredictable. God is all-powerful, yet gentle. God is constant, yet patient. God is timeless, yet still current. God is immeasurable, yet knowable. And God’s word is his truth.  

If you want to walk with the God of the universe this year, hold fast to his unchanging, powerful word. We cannot eliminate the oceans from our world, and we cannot eliminate truth from God’s word. Is there something in God’s word you have chosen to ignore, rewrite, or adapt to your beliefs?

We cannot change truth. God’s word is like the ocean. It will remain long after our opinions are silenced. God’s truth endures. This year, will you choose to hold fast to the ancient and unchanging message of his truth? Will you hold fast to your God whose message is revealed on each page of the Bible?  

The author of Hebrews was trying to encourage the early Christians to remain steadfast in their faith and wrote these words: “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23).

Hold fast to the eternal truth of God’s word. It’s a biblical focus for 2019—and all the new years to come. Hold fast, knowing Jesus will come again.

The waves continue to roll to the shore. God’s truth will continue as well. He who promised is faithful.

Hold fast to his word and you will be faithful too.

The Big 6-0

Never has a birthday bugged me like this one. By the time you receive this blog post, I will have turned the BIG 6-0. Now, I know some of you are rolling your eyes and saying, “I wish!” But, others are thinking, “I didn’t realize she was that old.” Still, others are saying, “I know! This is a hard birthday!” By the way, I like that response best.

I didn’t enjoy turning fifty, but I figured I might live to be one hundred so I consoled myself with the idea that I had a whole other “second-half” of my life. There is NO chance I will live to be one hundred and twenty. I’m on the downhill side of life and picking up speed! I wasn’t a grandma when I was fifty. Now, I’m a grandma to 3.8 grandchildren. Rachel is due to deliver another boy, the first week of December . . . Pardon me while I grin and say YEAH!!! (Pictures will follow!)

Grandkids are definitely the BEST thing about getting older. The second-best thing is the ability to walk out the door and travel anywhere. So, when Jim asked me what I wanted for my big 6-0, I told him that he needed to book me a few days at Disney World so I can ride every fast, flip-me-upside-down, twirl-me-around ride they have. I choose to turn sixty while I’m riding through the stars of Space Mountain and going from zero to sixty on my FAVORITE ride, the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. (That ride features Aerosmith, a favorite band from my younger years – but that is a whole different blog post.)

Jim and I both have bad backs, which will get a little worse next week. But, I’m packing some Motrin and I’m getting in line. There is hardly anyone who likes Disney better than me. (Well, maybe my friend Sheila Bailey!) I grew up in California, and the name of my street was “Buena Vista.” If you watch an old Disney movie, you will notice it was made at the “Buena Vista Studio.” Yes! My street came to a dead-end at the back entrance of Disneyland, where the studio was. My grandparents lived close by, and we could use binoculars to watch Tinker Bell slide down from the Matterhorn while standing in their driveway. Disney is in my DNA and I wanted to turn sixty with Mickey and Minnie. Come to think of it, they are aging well!

Birthdays that end with a zero seem more significant, but they really aren’t. I’m just one day older than I was the day before. I think one of the biggest differences in life on earth and life eternal is the time factor. Almost everything on earth is measured by time. As King Solomon said, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Solomon goes on to say there is a time to live, a time to die, a time to plant, and a time to harvest. I would add there is a time to ride fast rides and a time to watch the kids ride them. So, I’m headed to Disney now because I’m not sure when that last season kicks in!

Ecclesiastes is not usually on a person’s list of devotional thoughts, but I have always loved that book. There is time for everything on earth, if you do everything when you should take the time to do it. I think Ecclesiastes isn’t about the futility of life; I think Solomon was teaching us about the priorities of life. I think people should live whatever season of life they find themselves in, looking forward to heaven but fully enjoying their moments on earth. If we saw our earthly lives with godly perspective, then things like turning sixty would feel more like standing in line at Space Mountain. The closer we get to the end, the closer we are to the best ride of this life. When we get off the ride, Jesus helps us out of the car and we exit to the gift shop, where everything is absolutely free and stamped “Made in Heaven.”

I think we should try to live healthy lives and spend as long on planet earth as God allows. Each day is the opportunity to live for Jesus and store treasure in heaven, our eternal reward. I’m going to heaven, but I want to bring as many people with me as I can.

That is the way I want to view the rest of my birthdays. If I could take all of you with me to Disney World, for free, I would try to do that! It’s the greatest place I know to have fun! But I can take people to heaven with me, for free! It’s free because Jesus already bought everyone a ticket. How sad if I didn’t make sure everyone got theirs.

I wish all of you a blessed week. I’m unavailable, off the phone, off my computer, and out of touch for the next week. I’m sixty and I’m going to celebrate! (Now, I need to go color my roots. I don’t celebrate everything about getting older!)