It's Friday ... but Sunday's Coming!

Yesterday was my favorite day in the church's calendar year — Maundy Thursday. We set aside this day to remember what happened the day before Jesus died. We remember the humility and vulnerability of Jesus wrapping a towel around His waist and stooping down to wash His disciples' feet. We remember the command He gave us on the night He was betrayed — to love one another. 

I've often wondered ... did any of them get up and offer to wash His feet? Probably not. They were likely too stunned to think of that.

With clean, fresh feet, the disciples then enjoyed one last meal with their Rabbi, though they didn't comprehend the depth of what was taking place. In the Last Supper, Jesus shared with His disciples a heavenly secret they'd not grasp until later, after His resurrection. Jesus would leave behind a way to abide in each of them (and us!) in the mystery of the Eucharist.

After these moving acts of grace that were so packed with meaning, Jesus went to Gethsemane to engage the forces of evil in an unequaled spiritual battle. Through agonizing prayers, Jesus gave up His will entirely to His Father, reminding us that the victory against temptation begins in the mind and heart and is fueled by prayerful surrender to God. 

Yes, Jesus would go to the Cross for you and me. Why? Jesus deemed us worthy! 

The perfect, blameless One would give up His life for broken, imperfect, sinning you and me.

The spotless Lamb of God would fall so that this fallen race could rise.

Nothing in all of life reveals our exceeding worth as human beings like the fact that Jesus Christ, the Son of God and God Himself, would choose to give His life for each of us. 

This certainty fills me with the desire to give my life for Him, becoming a living sacrifice like Him.

This knowledge makes me want to live a life worthy of Christ's great sacrifice.

And, thankfully, the Spirit that comes to live within me as I receive Christ's sacrifice on my behalf enables me to live a life worthy of His sacrifice. As John 14:18 assures us, He did not leave us as orphans, but He left His Spirit to empower us to live for Him.

I can only imagine what it must have been like for Jesus' disciples to suddenly see Him hanging on the Cross He freely chose. This short video brings it home and points to the Hope of Easter. Before you go watch it, ponder this great truth with me:

Jesus thinks you're worthy of His death. 

How does this change you?

Worthy!
Dr Mari

For if, by the trespass of the one man (Adam), death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! 

Romans 5:16-18

 

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 

2 Corinthians 5:20-21

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him.

Philippians 3:7-9 

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:9-14 

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.  

Romans 12:1-3

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house.

1 Peter 2:4-5

For more Lent reflections, read What's So Good About Good Friday?

Inspiration for Today: The Importance of Yielding

"We cannot be filled with the Spirit until we are prepared to yield ourselves to be led by the Lord Jesus — to forsake and sacrifice everything for this pearl of great price." 

(Andrew Murray)

Yield. There's an unloved word. It means to relinquish. To give up, as to superior power or authority. To surrender.

Any volunteers?

Counter-intuitive and difficult as it is, yielding our wants and desires is a path to life — the abundant life Christ offers.

As we yield, we give up our right to forge our own path. We step aside to let Another lead. And as we surrender the illusion of control over our lives and destinies, we discover a freedom previously not even accessible to the self-centered, self-actualizing existence.

Yielding involves forsaking and sacrifice — no doubt about it. But the pearl of great price is more than worth it!

Yield!
Dr Mari

Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy.”

1 Peter 1:13-16

A Stone of Hope: Reflections on Freedom

I had the blessing of spending this fourth of July at our nation's capital. While there, we visited the memorial to Martin Luther King, Jr and found it deeply inspiring. Walking through the lighted path that leads to the statue of MLK was like stepping into history itself. Two fountain walls on either side reminded me of the Reverend's timeless words, "We shall not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream." His words of wisdom fill the walls surrounding the striking monument that stands tall in the center with a reminder that from the "mountain of despair" can emerge a "stone of hope."

As I continue to reflect on the meaning of freedom and how we can become its ambassadors, I share King's dream that one day "every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain ... made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight ... the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together."

Together. Something about that word stirs my soul. It brings me back to an experience we had in New York City just a few days before arriving in DC.

Not far from Columbia University, we found a pizza shop with slices as large as bed sheets. As we sat down to eat, a man walked in, headed straight for the trash and stuck his hand in it to find lunch. Stunned, I watched him pull out pieces of half-eaten crust and bread sticks and throw them in his bag. Holding back tears, I shared some of our pizza and watched him walk out, still gripping his bag of scraps. He thanked us and, head down, found a spot on the crowded sidewalk for a makeshift table.

I never saw his eyes.

Clearly, some rough places in this man's life have not been made plain, and crooked places remain crooked. The reality of his life is a challenge for me to step out of my comfortable world and remember to meet the needs of the hungry in body, soul, and spirit. For too many, King's dream remains a distant reality. Yet, there is hope for them as long as somebody sees their need and cares enough to do something to meet it.

Truly, no one is free until we're all free. The reality of unmet basic needs like food, shelter, and dignity is a call for all of us to act, to do something, to do our part. By the mountain of our neighbor's despair, we can stand tall as stones and ambassadors of hope.

How can we do it today?

Spread hope!
Dr Mari

"The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." (Galatians 5:6)

"If you can't feed a hundred people, feed just one." (Mother Teresa)

What's So Good About Good Friday?

One of my most vivid childhood memories involves Good Friday. In the beautiful island of Puerto Rico, Good Friday was always a quiet, reflective day. Everything stopped. Stores were predictably closed--from gas stations to grocery stores. Even the malls closed their doors! Everyone stayed home out of reverence for Christ.

Why is such reverence due a man who lived two thousand years ago? And what is so good about Good Friday?

The Gospel according to John ends with these words, "Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written" (John 21:25). This is how I feel as I ponder these questions. What I've learned about Christ over the years leaves me thirsty for more and, yet, fully satisfied. It is a precious paradox!

I have a few thoughts today about the One who's changed my life and heart and continues to transform my mind.

Born of a virgin in a lowly place, though a King. (He melts our pride with humility.)
Born into darkness yet called the Light of the world. (He can see right through the thick darkness of sin.)
Despised and rejected yet full of mercy, forgiveness, and grace. (He knows every human emotion and meets every need.)
His goodness and love were repaid on a lonely Cross--willingly chosen. (He knows all about sacrifice.)
Killed like a criminal yet called the Prince of Peace. (His sword is Truth and pierces every lie.)
Even from the Cross, He spoke forgiveness unto His accusers. (He is the definition of Grace.)
Also from the Cross, feeling forsaken, He trusted His Father and gave up His spirit. (His courage and faith can become ours.)
Risen on the third day, He lives on ... and spurs us on to higher living. (His plans for us are great.)
Not leaving us as orphans, He promises the Holy Spirit will fill us (if, having repented, we ask) and guide us into all truth. (His wisdom can become ours.)
Through the Spirit, He lives in us. (He supplies the power needed to live for Him.)
Because He lives, we can have eternal life. (We get to be with the author of life, love, and every good thing forever!)

The prophet Isaiah spoke about Jesus' sacrifice hundreds of years before Jesus walked the earth. About this awaited Messiah, the Christ, he said,

He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, 

nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him.

He was despised and rejected by mankind,

a man of suffering, and familiar with pain....

Surely He took up our pain and bore our suffering....

But He was pierced for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on Him,
and by His wounds we are healed.
(Isaiah 53:2-5)

By His wounds, we are healed. This is exceedingly good news! It means there is hope for us. There is hope for sinful man. For you and me. 

If Jesus died for the forgiveness of our sins, the price has been paid in full. His death and resurrection have set us free. We've been given a second chance. This isn't just a good Friday. This day should be called Breathtaking Friday. Astonishing Friday. Life-changing, mountain-moving, evil-defeating, satan-squashing, death-conquering Friday!

Jesus has the last word. His death and resurrection opened the door to Life. Eternal life! 

As we get ready to celebrate Easter, let us thank the Lord for His sacrifice on the Cross. Let us recommit to give our all to the One who gave everything for us. And let us receive His love and grace with open hands and hearts, that we may love others as He loves us--with mercy, with forgiveness, with grace.

He lives!

Dr Mari

Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. (2 Corinthians 7:1)

And God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way. (Ephesians 1:22-23)

For more on the joy of Easter, read He is Risen! So What Does that Mean to You and Me?

70 X 7 - Freedom through Forgiveness

Forgiveness. It's so hard to do, but it's so critical to the one forgiven and to the one who forgives. I'm reading a wonderful book titled Gray Matter by a colleague, Dr David Levy. This neurosurgeon shares the story of his journey through forgiveness - extending it and receiving it - and the healing that followed. He then shares his process of guiding patients on their own path to forgiveness, a choice that facilitates healing and leads to better outcomes - even in brain surgery!

Many of you read my recent post, Second Chances, which is closely tied to today's theme of forgiveness. Jesus died on the cross for the forgiveness of sins, and so we're given countless second chances, as the song says, because of the Cross.

I have another new favorite song; I know you're not surprised! It's called Losing (hear it below). It shares the heart of one who wants to forgive but feels like he's losing in the process. Yet, that feeling couldn't be further from the reality of what takes place when we choose to forgive. When we forgive, although we may have a "right" to hold a grudge, we let go of that right. We let it go! We never excuse the insult or injury, we never deny the pain it's caused, but we choose to let go of the bitterness, resentment, and our desire and "right" to revenge.

Forgiveness is letting go!

When we choose to forgive, we release the one who harmed us, and we release ourselves. We free ourselves when we forgive. Or, to say it more accurately, we let Christ's work on the Cross free us from the prison of resentment and unforgiveness. When we forgive, we extend to others the forgiveness that Jesus extends to us.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free, says Galatians 5:1. To live in freedom, we must forgive. There is no other way for us. If we feel like we're losing when we forgive, the feeling is wrong, it's inaccurate. We're winning. We're winning big! We're winning our souls back.

As the song says, we all have a choice to make. One is love. The other is hate. When we choose to forgive, we are like Christ. We choose love.

Today, I choose to forgive again, and again. Everything. Everyone. You. Me.

Join me. 70 X 7 times. Be free! Let go.

Choose love!
Dr Mari

He Is Risen! So What Does That Mean to You and Me?

These words from Hillsong United's song The Stand summarize the response of a heart touched by God's grace, 

"So what can I say, what can I do, 

but offer this heart, O God, 

completely to You."

When Jesus died on the cross, eternal life was made available to all. His sacrifice was perfect. His self-giving love unmatched. 2 Timothy 1:10 tells us that, on the cross, Jesus "destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." In 1 Corinthians 15:26, the apostle Paul calls death "the last enemy to be destroyed." What Jesus did for you and me on the cross impacts everything. His unequaled sacrifice deserves a response.

As I reflect on the depth of Christ's love,  Paul's prayer to the believers in Ephesus intrigues me,

"I pray that out of His glorious riches 

He may strengthen you with power 

through His Spirit in your inner being, 

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. 

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 

may have power, 

together with all the saints, 

to grasp how wide and long and high and deep 

is the love of Christ, 

and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—

that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

(Ephesians 3:16-19)

According to Paul, we need power to grasp Christ's love for us! Perhaps he means that, if we grasped it fully, it would blow us away. We couldn't take it. If we could assimilate the magnitude of Christ's love, it would surpass every experience we've ever had and all the knowledge an eternity of books could hold.

Christ's love is a river of mercy and grace - precisely what we need most! Because of His sacrifice on that lonely cross two thousand years ago we can live free from the grip of sin and safe from the power of death. Christ's love is stronger than death itself. And His love endures. His love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8). His love never ends (Psalm 106:1).

So what can I say to that? And what can I do? I can give Him this thankful heart - completely, surrendering all to the One who is trustworthy and good.

When I open my heart to Christ's river of mercy and grace - by the Spirit - His enduring love pours in like a flood. When I say yes, He moves in. Even death could not hold Him and, since He now lives in me, that means death cannot hold me. That means sin has lost its grip on me. That means I have a new life.

Indeed, when I say yes to Him, I am born again!

Jesus is risen! With Him and because of Him, we can rise and walk out of every grave unto new life. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Because of what He has done, I am a new creation! Alive. Made new. Loved.

And so are you.

He is Risen, that we may have life! Hallelujah!

May we all have a blessed and meaningful Easter celebrating our Savior and our Lord!
Dr Mari

For more Holy Week reflections, read What's So Good About Good Friday?

Song (I Am New) and the Hopeful Truth Behind It

As I listened to Jason Gray's song I Am New today, I noticed how thoroughly Scriptural the lyrics are. He speaks of being made new, no longer who he was and not even who he thought he should be. "I am new!" he proclaims. Forgiven, beloved, hidden in Christ. Made in the image of the Giver of Life. And, in Him, righteous and holy. Reborn and remade. Accepted and worthy. New!

Enjoy the song and the Scriptures behind it that give it meaning and fill us with hope.

New!
Dr Mari

Forgiven: "Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you." (Acts 13:38)

"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace." (Ephesians 1:7)

Beloved: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." (John 13:34)

"Whoever has My commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves Me. He who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I too will love him and show Myself to him.” (John 14:21)

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

Hidden in Christ: "For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." (Colossians 3:3)

Made in the image of the Giver of Life: "...for in the image of God has God made man." (Genesis 9:6b)

Righteous: "For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the One man the many will be made righteous." (Romans 5:19)

"You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness." (Romans 6:18)

"God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21)

"He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed." (1 Peter 2:24)

Holy: "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own." (1 Corinthians 6:19)

"For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight." (Ephesians 1:4)

Reborn & remade: "In reply Jesus declared, 'I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.'" (John 3:3)

"For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God." (1 Peter 1:23)

Accepted: "God, who knows the heart, showed that He accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as He did to us." (Acts 15:8)

Worthy: "Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." (Luke 12:7)

"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received." (Ephesians 4:1)

"They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with Him will be His called, chosen and faithful followers." (Revelation 17:14)

More Ways to Unload Your Life (Part III)

Many of you enjoyed Overloaded Lives are Powerless Lives and Unloaded Lives are Powerful and asked for more. As we approach what to many of us is the busiest time of the year, why not resolve to have it be different this time around? We can manage our time proactively starting now. We can enjoy a true Advent - the time of preparation leading up to Christmas - by setting aside time to ready our hearts and nurture our spirits along the way. As you consider these steps we can all take to unload our lives, I invite you to put them into practice now to avoid another frazzled, hectic month that will leave you exhausted - just in time for Christmas!

So here are some more choices we can make to help us recover the precious gift of time. They are from Dr Richard Swenson's book, Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives.

• Sabotage Your Fuse Box. The author shares, "Our family enjoys Wisconsin winters where a two-foot snowfall is a thrill, not a torment. When the world is snowed in, cars can't move, businesses can't open, and schools can't convene. A spirit of holiday reigns. Part of the reason for this is the unexpected gift of time margin." Make today a "snow day" and decide to enjoy the gift of time! Can you even remember what it is you love to do when you suddenly have a free day? Do it now! And build it into your schedule more often.
• Get Less Done But Do the Right Things. Some people lead such hectic lives that even hearing about their day is stressful. How they can continue to live with such daily chaos is beyond me! Even "good things" can become too much if they fill up our days to such an extent that we are no longer kind to ourselves or to others. "'For many people,' says pastor and author Rick Warren, 'the barrier to spiritual growth is not lack of commitment, but overcommitment to the wrong things.'" Remember, when you say yes to something, you have just said no to something else. Are your answers consistently in agreement with your values and goals? 
• Enjoy Anticipation, Relish the Memories. Is your schedule ever so busy that there's little time to anticipate a wonderful event, enjoy it when it arrives or reminisce about it afterwards because you've already moved on to the next thing? Consider saying no to a few invitations next month so you can fully enjoy the ones to which you say yes! Do you feel obligated to go? Perhaps this question can help you as you discern when to say no.
• Don't Rush Wisdom. Take your time when making decisions. "If life's pace pushes you, push back. Take as much time and prayer as you need for (clarity) to develop. And wait for your decision to be affirmed by peace."
• For Type A's Only. Dr Swenson shares this advice from Dr Meyer Friedman, who first described the type A personality. "Practice smiling. Purposely speak more slowly, stop in the middle of some sentences, hesitate for three seconds, then continue. Purposely say 'I'm wrong' at least twice today, even if you're not sure you're wrong. Listen to at least two persons today without interrupting even once... Seek out the longest line at the bank." Although the old me could be the poster child for the type A personality (and still, at times!), I have learned to receive such previously frustrating annoyances as long lines in the supermarket as gifts - opportunities to breathe, to pray, to rest. "In repentance and rest is your salvation," says the Lord in Isaiah 30:15, "in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it." These are sobering words if we haven't learned to desire inner quiet more than we want whatever it is we want right now. To those of us pursuing the abundant life each day, the need to wait for some things becomes a gift. Outer chaos in our lives often reflects or leads to inner chaos. Having to wait builds patient endurance and is often a path to greater wisdom and love. 
• Create Buffer Zones. Wouldn't it be nice if we all learned to create buffer zones around our daily lives? Whether at work or running errands, we can set aside even five minutes an hour to rest our minds and nurture our spirits. A song on iTunes. An inspiring poem. Enjoying photos of our children and spouse. Closing our eyes in prayer or reading a psalm or two. These short but powerful infusions of hope and joy in the middle of a busy day can make all the difference.
• Plan for Free Time. "Christ's teaching, His healing, His serving, and His loving were usually spontaneous. The person standing in front of Him was the opportunity He accepted. If He chose spontaneous living, isn't that a signal to us? Overloaded schedules are not the way to walk In His Steps." An inflexible, over-scheduled day lacks buffer zones and leaves little room for the Holy Spirit to move. If your day is packed, move some items to another day or delete them altogether.
• Be Available. "God... exalts faithfulness over productivity." Do we? Have we scheduled ourselves so full that we are unavailable to God? Can our agenda be interrupted to serve God and His people in need?

As we approach Advent and the celebration of Christ's birth, let us resolve to prepare our hearts, making room for God to use us like never before, giving Him our time and choosing to glorify Him in all we do.

Be free!
Dr Mari

* Photo by James Randkley, Stone/Getty Images. 

Visit Overloaded Lives are Powerless Lives for Part I and Unloaded Lives are Powerful for Part II of this series based on Dr Richard Swenson's book, Margin.

 

Dr Mari's Health & Hope Corner - November 2011

Visit Hope Matters for this month's Health & Hope Corner: Life is for Living! In this short post, I share the transformation that took place in my heart when I learned to grieve the losses of life. I experienced and now understand the words of Jesus from Matthew 5:4,

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

We can trust the pain in our hearts to God's river of mercy.

We can trust the pain in our hearts to God's river of mercy and love. There, it is transformed, and we are free once more to live!

Be free!
Dr Mari

Overloaded Lives are Powerless Lives: It's Time for a Change! (Part I)

This month I've been reading a book titled Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives. Written by Dr Richard Swenson, it addresses the many ways that modern progress has robbed us of our reserves and has contributed to a culture that drives us to hurried, frazzled living. Whereas much good has come out of the technological age, we are living  chronically overloaded lives as individuals and as a society. The author shares various manifestations of this overload syndrome; see if they sound familiar.

• Activity overload, which "takes away the pleasure of anticipation and the delight of reminiscence." 
• Change overload, with frequent moves, new jobs, new schools, new... everything, constantly!
• Choice overload: Just go to the supermarket or, better yet, visit one of the Superstores.
• Commitment overload: Have we learned to discern our commitments and feel good about saying "No" when we must?
• Debt overload. 
• Decision overload.
• Expectation overload. 
• Fatigue overload: In my practice of family medicine, at least half of the patients that come in with a chronic problem complain of fatigue. Most of them sleep less than 6 hours per night, drink too much coffee and consume alcohol in excess, all of which contribute to fatigue.
• Hurry overload.
• Information overload: "We are buried by data on a daily basis." 
• Media overload: In North America, the average TV set is turned on 55 hours a week!
• Noise overload: "True quiet is extremely rare."
• Possession overload: "Having first imprisoned us with debt, possessions then take over our houses and occupy our time... Everything I own owns me. Why would I want more?"
• Technology overload: "The average person must learn to operate 20,000 pieces of equipment."
• Traffic overload: "We now have more cars per family than drivers per family."
• Work overload: "Work is God-ordained. Work overload, however, was not part of the original plan. Yet every morning millions of Americans head drudgingly to an exhausting work schedule that leaves them stressed and worn out. The earlier predictions of shorter work-weeks and higher incomes have backfired. Instead we often find total family work schedules exceeding eighty hours a week - yet another family 'over-working and under-relating.'"

Such is life in our modern, advanced, developed world. The author relates meeting a man in Mali, West Africa, who said, "You Americans have all the watches; we have all the time."

Does any of this resonate with you today? If so, consider ways to help yourself on a daily basis beginning right now. You can redirect your life by making new choices and moving in the direction of greater sanity and true living. Overload syndrome is pervasive, but there's so much that we can do about it! The book speaks of the concept of "margin" as the opposite of overload. Margin builds our reserves, increasing the space between us and our limits. Margin = power - load. We can increase our power for abundant living by doing more of those things that increase our well-being, and we can decrease the load we carry through careful choices, too. This will bring back a margin of sanity, energy, peace, and contentment to our daily lives that will make all the difference.

One last thought. Are we measuring our progress by the world's definition of success, ours or God's? "What if... we were to begin measuring our progress not by our wealth but by our virtue; not by our education but by our humility; and not by our power but by our meekness?" What if?

Be free!
Dr Mari

For part II of this series, read Unloaded Lives are Powerful: Restoring a Margin of Sanity. For more on why the choices we make matter, read I Am Not My Own.

 Above excerpts are from Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives by Richard Swenson, MD.

*Photo by Manuel Díaz Photography. All Rights Reserved. *

Living in the Moment

In this fast-paced modern world, it is so important to make time for silence. While on vacation to the Northeast this week I've been blessed with many opportunities for quiet contemplation. As so often happens when we visit my in-laws, I discovered a gem in one of the bookshelves, The Music of Silence: Entering the Sacred Space of Monastic Experience, by David Steindl-Rast, O.S.B. Here is an excerpt from this small but insightful book, the companion to the CD entitled Chant:

"We are so geared to what is useful that we forget the meaningful, what gives our life joy and depth and value." (p.14)

"Saturated with information but often bereft of meaning, we feel caught in a never-ending swirl of duties and demands, things to finish, things to put right. Yet as we dart anxiously from one activity to the next, we sense that there is more to life than our worldly agendas." (p.5)

Can you, like me, relate to these simple but profound statements? If so, make time today for a bit of silence and take advantage of the gift of the present moment. As I do that now, I am filled with thankfulness for life, for health, for children, for hand-made ice cream and grape tomatoes, for a bird's nest discovered on a walk, for family, and for the ability to know and experience God and His goodness.

A few days ago, as I sat on the lawn enjoying my mother-in-law's breathtaking garden and reading this little book, my nine year-old hopped onto my blanket. Sensing a conversation coming, I marked the page and set the book down. He grinned big as he dropped his LEGO mini-figures and, out of nowhere, asked what my favorite "creature" is. Though he initially agreed with my choice of a butterfly, he explained why he prefers the puffin. With great excitement, he shared its various attributes, the best being the puffin's ability to "torpedo backwards." As he mimicked its swift movements, I smiled, for I was perfectly in the moment, enjoying my son's joy and making it my own.

Life is made up of moments like this one, but so often we miss them. We're busy, we have stuff to do, items to check off our lists, deadlines to meet. And speaking of deadlines, did you ever notice the word dead in deadlines? (p.5) Perhaps if we spent more time reaching out for our lifelines and becoming lifelines for each other rather than frantically living to meet deadlines... perhaps we'd experience more joy. It's just a thought.

Yes! Life is made up of moments, and each brings the opportunity for us to live it fully! Let us live every one. For each is a wonderful gift.

Thankful for life!
Dr Mari

Baggage-free Flying (Part II - Transformation Series)

It is day twelve of our butterfly watch. For several days we've observed these creatures in their pupal stage, where they hang upside down in perfect stillness as they wait to become butterflies. Sadly, only two of them ended up hanging. During the transfer to their habitat, three of the chrysalids fell. Yes, I dropped them, and felt pretty bad about it for days.

Two chrysalids house hopeful butterflies.

So we wondered, will they all make it?
Will the fallen ones survive?

It turns out they all have. They're alive and well, sipping sugar water and fluttering by as we contemplate their transformed bodies. Only one of them seems to have a problem. As the butterfly emerged from its chrysalid, part of its interim home adhered to one of its wings, which curled up on itself. The doctor in me wanted to intervene right away, but I decided to wait and see whether its own wing pumping motion would make it detach. It didn't.

So I thought, How sad. Butterflies aren't meant to hop like bunnies. They are meant to soar, to fly! They are symbols of freedom, after all. Imagine flying with a curled up wing and a permanent knapsack on your back.

As I searched for my tweezers, I thought of how some people are walking through life with all kinds of baggage on their backs. Must be tough to make progress when you're the one holding yourself back.

I found my forceps and grabbed on to my unsuspecting patient's chrysalid. As the butterfly took off, most of its old home broke off, and I noticed she did fly. She flew! I was ecstatic to see that her wings work, though I still wonder how she'll do when we let her go.

The whole experience lends itself to some great reflections. How many of us, though equipped with wings, are hopping around like bunnies or, worse, still crawling the ground like caterpillars? Do we want to fly but refuse to remove the heavy loads weighing down our wings? Are there some who have tried to help us but we've refused to receive their help, perhaps out of pride or even fearing the very freedom we long for? What could we become if we let them help us drop our load?

And have we sat long enough - gaining wisdom through trials - allowing our wings to dry before we take off again? Or do we move from one thing to the next without any time devoted to reflection and learning from past mistakes?

One of my favorite Bible verses comes from Galatians 5:1, where Paul exclaims, It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Later on, Paul explains the purpose of our freedom, You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. (Galatians 5:13)

We have not been given wings to sit around, to crawl the ground, to wait for someone else to do what we've been called to do. We have been given wings that we may soar to new heights, trusting that the One who put us here and cares for us through each transformation of life will remain with us at every new place to which we're called. And when we travel there, we have one purpose. 

We've been set free to love.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.

Our freedom comes with boundaries, and with a purpose. So let us be free.

Free to live abundantly. Free to serve. To give and to receive. To love.

Be free!
Dr Mari

* See Be Still and Know for Part I of this series, Hope Flies Despite Broken Wings! for Part III, and A Favorite Christmas Gift ... Insects! for Part IV. *