"STARTING OVER"

"As for us, we have this large crowd of witnesses around us. So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way, & of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, & let us run with determination the race that lies before us."

"Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end. He did not give up because of the cross! On the contrary, because of the joy that was waiting for Him, He thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, & He is now seated at the right side of God's throne."

"Think of what he went thru; how he put up with so much hatred from sinners! So do not let yourselves become discouraged & give up."

Well, how do you start over? To start over, you have to know where you are. To get somewhere else, it's necessary to know where you're presently standing. That's true regardless of your destination. If you are going to Florida, you must know from where you are starting. When you are in one of those big shopping malls, when you enter the door, they have a directory to tell you where the store is that you are going to. The first thing you will notice on the map is a big red star with the words, "You are here" next to it. To find the store using the map, you must first recognize where you are.

This is true in life also. Very, very seldom does anybody "Just Happen" to end up on the right road. The process involved in redirecting our lives is often painful, slow, & even confusing. Occasionally it seems unbearable.

Take Jonah. (Nobody else wanted to) He was prejudiced, bigoted, stubborn, openly rebellious, & spiritually insensitive. Other prophets ran to the Lord. He ran from Him. Others declared the promises of God with fervent zeal. Not Jonah. He was about as motivated as a 600 pound grizzly in mid-January.

Somewhere down the line the prophet got his inner directions cross-wired. He wound up, of all places, on a ship in the Mediterranean Sea bound for a place named Tarshish. That was due west. God had told him Nineveh. That was due east. But Jonah never got to Tarshish, as you may remember. Thru a traumatic chain of events, Jonah began to get his head together in the digestive tract of a gigantic fish.

What a place to start over! Slopping around in the seaweed & juices inside that monster, fishing for a match to find his way out, Jonah took a long, honest look at his short, dishonest life. For the first time in a long time, the prophet brushed up on his prayer life. He yelled for mercy. He recited Psalms. He promised the Lord that he would keep his vow & get back on target. Only one creature on earth felt sicker than Jonah---the fish, in whose belly Jonah bellowed. Up came the prophet, who hit the road running ---toward Niveveh.

One of the most encouraging things about New Years, New Weeks, & New Days is the word "NEW". Webster reveals its meaning: "refreshed, different from one of the same that has existed previously..unfamiliar." Best of all, it's a place to start over. Refresh yourself. Change directions. Begin anew.

But that requires knowing where you are. It requires taking time to honestly admit your present condition.

It means facing the music, standing alone inside the fish & coming to terms with those things that need attention, fishing in the seaweed for a match. Before you find your way out, you must determine where you are. Exactly. Once that is accomplished, you're ready to start over.

Just as there are few atheists in foxholes, so there are few rebels in fish stomachs. Perhaps you can identify rather easily with Jonah. This hasn't been your all-time -spiritual -high-plateau year, right?

You've dodged & ducked, squirmed & squeaked your way thru one Tarshish trip after another. But no more. You're tired. Exhausted says it better. Swallowed alive by your circumstances says it best. You feel oppressed, guilty, over -used, & underdeveloped. You're not that old....but you've run a long way. Few moons, but many miles. A subtle whisper in your ear says, "You're thru. Finished. Burned out. Used up. You've been replaced--forgotten."

That's a lie! A carefully-timed deception by the enemy of your soul. Look at what the prophet Joel writes to all the Jonahs who may be here this morning. God is speaking:

"I will make up to you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten..." (Joel 2:25a)

If God can take a disobedient prophet, turn him around, & set him on fire spiritually, He can do the same with YOU. He is a Specialist at making something useful & beautiful out of something broken & confused.

Where are you? Start there. Openly & freely declare your need to the One who cares deeply. Don't hide a thing. Show God all those locust bites. He's ready to heal every one.. ..if you're ready to run toward that Nineveh called tomorrow.

In Mark 6:30 we read that when the 12 returned from a busy time of public ministry, they gave their reports & told Jesus all they had done & taught. I think it is extremely significant that our Lord did not push them right back into action or hurry them on to another assignment. Matter of fact, we never read that He "rushed" anywhere. Not on your life!

"He said to them, 'Come away by yourselves to a lonely place and rest a while'. (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.) And they went away in the boat to a lonely place by themselves. [Mark 6:31-32]

To start over you need to have renewal & restoration & they are not luxuries; they are essentials. Being alone & resting for a while is not selfish; it is Christlike. Taking your day off each week or rewarding yourself with a relaxing, refreshing vacation is not carnal; it's spiritual. There is absolutely nothing enviable or spiritual about a coronary or a nervous breakdown, nor is an ultrabusy schedule necessarily the mark of a productive life. I often remind myself of the ancient Greek motto, "You will break the bow if you keep it always bent."

Well...how's it going in your life? Let's take a brief appraisal. Pause long enough to review & reflect. Try to be honest as you answer these questions. They may hurt a little.

..Is my pace this year really that different from last year?

..Am I enjoying most of my activities or just enduring them?

..Have I deliberately taken time on several occasions this year for personal restoration?

..Are my meals choked down or do I take sufficient time to taste & enjoy my food?

..Do I give myself permission to relax, to have leisure, to be quiet?

..Would other people think I am working too many hours and/or living under too much stress? Am I occasionally boring & often preoccupied?

..Am I staying physically fit? Do I consider my body important enough to maintain a nourishing diet, to give it regular exercise, to get enough sleep, to shed those excess pounds?

..How is my sense of humor?

..Is God being glorified by the schedule I keep..or
is He getting the leftovers of my energy?

..Am I getting dangerously close to "burnout"?

Tough stuff, huh? Yet what better time than right now to do a little evaluating...&, if necessary, some restructuring of our lives. We can learn a lesson from nature. A period of rest always follows a harvest; the land must be allowed time to renew itself. Constant production without restoration depletes resources &, in fact, diminishes the quality of what is produced.

Super-achievers & workaholics, take heed! If the light on your inner dashboard is flashing red, you are carrying too much, to far, too fast. If you don't pull over, you'll be sorry...& so will all those who love you. If you are courageous enough to get out of that fast lane & make some needed changes. You will show yourself wise. But I should warn you of 3 barriers you will immediately face.

FIRST, false guilt. By saying no to the people to whom you used to say yes, you'll feel twinges of guilt. Ignore it!

SECOND, hostility & misunderstanding from others. Most folks won't understand your new decisions or your slower pace, expecially those who are in the sinking boat you just stepped out of. No problem. Stick by your guns.

THIRD, you'll encounter some personal & painful insights. By not filling every spare moment with another activity, you will begin to see the real you, & you'll not like some of those things you observe, things that once contaminated your busy life. But within a relatively brief period of time, you will turn the corner & be well on the road to a happier, healthier, freer, & more fulfilling life.

Obviously, all this stuff on rest & renewal, taking some time off & relaxing, can be taken to a ridiculous extreme. I'm well aware of that. But for every person who will gravitate to that extreme & rust out, there are thousands more of us who have a much greater battle with burnout. Neither extreme is correct---either way, we're "out."

It is my desire that all of us remain "in". In balance. In our right minds. In good health. In the will of God. And that is where you will end up if you will not fall away from starting over.

No one is going to be equally good at everything he tries, & it is very probable that everyone can find some endeavor in which he will be a dismal failure. Some of us will manage to find more than one such area. The trick, however, is to identify the area or areas where we can succeed--that place where our unique traits & strengths become an asset.

Patrick Henry has been immortalized as a leading orator & statesman during the American Revolution. That is well, because he was sure failing miserably in a lot of other areas. He & his brother had opened a store, but it failed. Despite Patrick's previous apprenticeship in a store, he just couldn't run a store successfully. Next Patrick's father-in-law set him up in farming. Patrick was given 300-acres, a house, & 6 slaves. Even with that start, though, Patrick couldn't make it as a farmer.

Finally, on the advice of friends, Patrick turned to law. He was a natural persuader & a captivating orator. As a lawyer, Patrick was an instant success. Further, he was exactly the voice that was needed to launch the colonies toward a break with England.

It should also be noted, though, that Patrick's persuasive oratory & great zeal were not always an asset---even after he became famous. For his law practice, those traits were an asset; for his part in launching a Revolution, they were invaluable; but for legislative endeavors & other matters requiring cooperation, Patrick always tended toward finding the negatives & championing some cause around them. No one can be equally effective in all roles.

For many years I've been running.

The road behind me rambles over rugged & risky terrain. The road beneath offers more of the same. Every road I've taken, every race I've entered has required a second wind--that afterburner of new hope & fresh determination.

What is it that breathes new energy into our weariness, new vision into our discouragement? For me, it's the feel of a bridge under my stumbling feet. A strong & stable arch to get me thru the wastelands & over the washed out places ...the low tides, the storms, the winds, the wounds, the aftermath of avalanches.

I'm sure the road beyond won't be much different. I'll still need fresh hope. I'll still need a bridge to span the spots I cannot handle alone. The bridge is neither a philosophy nor a dream. The bridge is a Person. Christ Jesus, the Lord. The only One who can stabilize me when everyone & everything fades, fails, & falls.

Do you know Him...I mean really know Him? If so, RUN. Fix your eyes on Him & refuse to give up or turn back. If not, STOP. Give Him your struggles & receive Him by faith. He has all the strength you need to keep you on your road.

For some, Jesus is a good luck charm. The "Rabbit's Foot Redeemer." Pocket-size. Handy. Easily packaged. Easily understood. Easily diagramed. You can put His picture on your wall or you can stick it in your wallet as insurance. You can frame Him. Dangle Him from your rear view mirror or glue Him to your dashboard.

His specialty? Getting you out of a jam. Need a parking place? Rub the Redeemer. Need help on a quiz? Pull out the rabbit's foot. No need to have a relationship with Him. No need to love Him. Just keep Him in your pocket next to your 4-leaf clover.

For many He's an "Aladdin's Lamp Redeemer." New jobs. Pink Cadillacs. New and improved spouses. Your wish is His command. And what's more, He conveniently re-enters the lamp when you don't want Him around.

For others, Jesus is a "Monty Hall Redeemer." "All right Jesus, let's make a deal. For 52 Sundays a year, I'll put on a costume--coat & tie, hat & hose--& I'll endure any sermon You throw at me. In exchange, You give me the grace behind pearly gate number 3."

The Rabbit's Foot Redeemer. The Aladdin's Lamp Redeemer. The Monty Hall Redeemer.

Few demands, no challenges. No need for sacrifice. No need for commitment.

Sightless & Heartless Redeemers. Redeemers without power. That's not the Redeemer of the New Testment. He has POWER! Power to help you start over. Power to smooth out the rough paths with bridges, for He is the Bridge.

"Starting over is not easy, but it is necessary. And before you can start over, you must known where you are. Where are you? Where are you in your spiritual walk. How rough is the road? Do you have "Faith Enough For The Journey"? If not, then look for the BRIDGE, Jesus Christ. Now is the time. Come as we sing the hymn of invitation.






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