John and Kathy Deisher

One Call, One Harvest, 50 Teams

think

What is the Reason?

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Wood fence in the country
Photo by Edan Cohen on Unsplash

“Don’t ever take a fence down until you know the reason it was put up.”

― G. K. Chesterton

I sometimes look at things and think, “Why in the world did someone do THAT?” something, whatever it is. You probably know what I mean. It tends to be something that I would have done differently or even not done at all. The trick is to stop, take a step back, and look at it from the other’s perspective. That means I change the question so that I can begin to see why someone would do it that way. Maybe the reason for doing it that way no longer exists, but at one time it did. Or maybe the reason still does exist but I need to look at it differently. Chesterton’s quote is a great reminder to stop and reflect before making changes just because you don’t see the reason for something.

Pondering

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Read Luke 2:15-20

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Meditate

I like the word “ponder.” It means that you think very deeply about something before you make a decision. It has a very old-fashioned feel to it.

Mary had a “pondering” moment. If everything leading up to the birth of Jesus had not been enough, now a bunch of shepherds shows up. They have a story to tell, of angelic tidings and heavenly choirs.

If this were happening to most of us, we would be taking selfies with them, posting the pictures to Instagram and SnapChat and updating our Facebook stories. We would want to share the moment and get our 15 minutes of fame.

But Mary gathers all these moments into her heart and thinks deeply about them. There will be a time for decisions, but today is not the day.

I cannot tell you how many times I have heard someone say, “This is what God has told me to do” as they grandly announce some big plan. Then a couple of weeks later, you hear them share a different plan God has told them. Then, sometime later, the next grand plan.

What if we took the time to “ponder” these words, these moments with God? What if we thought deeply about what God is saying before making our decision. There is some wisdom to pondering.

Hide the words of God in your heart. Think deeply about them. The time for action will come.

Pray

“Father, teach me to hide your words in my heart so I may think deeply about them. Teach me the patience to ponder and reflect so that my decisions will be made in your time.”

Contemplate

  • Take some quiet time today to ponder on God’s goodness to you. What promises has God given you? Give God thanks for his goodness.
  • Start a journal. Write down daily what God is doing in your life. Use it as a “pondering” tool to hide things God is saying into your heart.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Think Deeply

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Multitasking is the drive to be more than we are, to control more than we do, to extend our power and our effectiveness. Such practice yields a divided self, with full attention given to nothing.” 

— Walter Brueggemann (Sabbath as Resistance)
"Multitasking is the drive to be more than we are, to control more than we do, to extend our power and our effectiveness. Such practice yields a divided self, with full attention given to nothing."

Photo by @plqml | @feliperizo.co on Unsplash

Think deeply.

I can’t remember who said that to me as a student, but it has stuck with me. I have found I need time and quiet to do that, so I get up early to read, to think.

Think deeply.

If I am reading my Bible, I read my Bible. If I am listening to a podcast, I listen to the podcast. If I am reading, I read. If I am thinking, I think.

But mostly, I listen. I listen for the voice of God.

And I think deeply.

In his book Deep Work”, author Cal Newport wrote, “The key to developing a deep work habit is to move beyond good intentions and add routines and rituals to your working life designed to minimize the amount of your limited willpower necessary to transition into and maintain a state of unbroken concentration.”

Slow down. Be present. Put down the phone. Take off the headphones. Pause and focus.

Listen to God.

Think deeply.

Act Your Way

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“The rule for all of us is perfectly simple. Do not waste time bothering whether you ‘love’ your neighbour; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets.”  C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Dr. Ray Brock helped shape me during my Masters program. One of the things he said has stayed with me throughout the last 35 years:

“It is easier to act your way into a new way of thinking than to think your way into a new way of acting.”

C.S. Lewis agrees. The question is not “Do I love this person” but “How do I show love to this person”. The act does not flow out of my thought. My thoughts flow out of my desire to act. 

And this is a good thing.

Because often, I don’t find find myself really wanting to love some people. I want to choose those worthy of my love (whatever that means). But, of course, as a Christ-follower I don’t get to think about those things.

I get to act.

In acting, I find my thinking comes around, and that there are lot of people that I love. 

And that is a really great thing.