Le No Man's Land

No Man’s Land is a place where no man could claim. The phrase was widely used during the First World War. Each army had its own way of saying it. The French English term, ‘le no man’s land’ while the Germans used, ‘Niemandsland’.

It was a place that separated the front lines between opposing armies. This was a place where agreements between armies were made in special occasion to seize fighting. The occasions varied… From picking up the dead and wounded to observing the first day of spring, it all happened in No man’s Land.

Many have characterized No Man’s Land as possibly the loneliest place on earth. It was a place where many may see you, but can’t help you. A place where you are surrounded by hopelessness.

One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. –Proverbs 18:24

Loneliness appears to be everywhere. It isn’t a rare feeling in our society. Being in a crowd can make one aware of how lonely they really are. Friends who are there for us make a huge difference. They care about us. They offer help. And they are willing to step in during the good times and the bad. It is better to have a few good friends with those characteristics then one thousand Facebook friends who ‘like your posts and pictures.

What about you? What if you stop trying to find a friend and seek to become one? There may be people in your life right now that need your friendship.

Not what I meant

The year was 1888 and a man by the name of William Gray was asking to use someone’s phone to contact a doctor for his very ill wife. That someone refused to let William use the phone. But eventually William found someone who would finally let him use one. Eventually his wife recovered but the experience left William thinking because he didn’t want this to ever happen again. The light bulb ignited: what about a public phone?

By 1891 William Gray created the Gray Telephone Pay Station Company and began installing phones across America. Within 100 years his company had accumulated over 20 patents related to phones and had more than 2 million pay phones installed all over the United States.

 Communication is important. Today most people have a cell phone in their pocket. We have never been so ‘connected’ before.  Today we can’t imagine not having a phone in our pocket everywhere we go. We feel like we’ve forgotten something just as important as our clothes if we leave the house without our cell phone.

A wicked messenger falls into trouble, but a trustworthy envoy brings healing. Proverbs. 13:17

The author of this verse was a king named Solomon from (970-930 B.C.). They had messengers in his time. If the messenger was not trustworthy, it could lead to bloodshed. Communication was just as important back in his time as it was in Williams’s time and as it continues to be today.

Receiving the right message is vital. Operating under incorrect information can ruin relationships. But receiving the correct message that was intended by the sender doesn’t just depend on the reception. It also depends on whether we are using the right words to get our point across and also whether we are taking the message the right way.

-For the husband or wife, does your spouse know and feel that you love her/him by what you are communicating in word and action? Are there some things that you are communicating unintentionally?  

-For the parents, does your kid(s) know that you always have there best interests in mind in everything you do? Are there some things that you are communicating unintentionally?  

-For the leader, do you know all of the messages you are sending to your organization? How many of those messages are intentional and how many are unintentional?

The Lamp

Have you ever felt overwhelmed? Like you’re to do list is so long that you don’t know what to do next? Your problem isn’t a new one. Sometimes we feel like we are in quick sand. The more we move, the more the sand pulls us further into a rut of things to do.

I’ve felt that way before. Where anxiety surrounds you like a group of elementary school bullies and exhaustion pulls you down like a formidable sea current until you feel like you’re alone in the middle of the ocean with no flotation device.

Consider Psalm 119:105: Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Sometimes there are points in our lives that because of the harsh weather, we can’t see into the distance. Our long range vision is compromised. There are no binoculars or advanced gadgets available to help us see into the distance. All we have is God’s word in the form of a lamp that is providing light toward our next step.

This requires you to trust God with your future. Just pay attention to His lamp, to His word. So that at least you know the next step to take. And let go of trying to figure out what will happen in the future. You can only take a step in the present anyway.

If you’ve made terrible steps to the wrong direction, don’t feel bad. We’ve all been there…. I like what Thomas Edison said, “I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.”

Ask yourself: If I consider God’s word, what next step should I take?

Words for Thought

How important are the words you say? How meaningful are the words that people say to you? As I think about it more and more I start to notice that words are incredibly impactful. Think about it… Your first words (whatever they were); were celebrated by your mother and or father. Words were used to teach you discipline when your room was a mess and your parents told you to clean it. Words were used to encourage you through school. Words were used to congratulate you when you graduated. And it is words that are printed on your Diploma or Degree. You might have used words to start a relationship with someone. You used words to communicate to someone that you love them. Without the words ‘I do’ you can’t complete the ceremony in a wedding. Those are all great examples of how words are used in good ways, but what about when words are destructive? Have you paid much attention to whether your words are of a positive or negative impact? Words can cause unpredictable reactions regardless of your intention.

James 3:5 says, “ So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things. Consider how large a forest a small fire ignites. ”

It seems that whatever the circumstances are, words of an unfavorable content do damage. Maybe it’s a boss at work, or a spouse at home. Perhaps it is a friend or a colleague. Some of us have been abused and mistreated by just words. Some of us can think of a moment when someone said something to us or about us that completely changed everything.

It’s not the bad things that are said to you that make you who you are. It’s what you accept and how you react to what is said to you that make you who you are. And many times it’s not just what is said to us that distracts us but what we say to ourselves.

What if you let go of the negative things that people have said about you and cast down the negative things that you have said to yourself?

Not happy with your progress in life?

What are your dreams? What are your goals? Have you forgotten about them? Are you frustrated because you feel you should be more far along in your vision for your life than you are now? Welcome to the world. Things often don’t go the way we want them to. And that’s OK. We are in a journey that comes with its own surprises. Like Frodo Baggins leaving the comforts of the Shire, the journey will be life changing and exciting, but also painful and challenging.

Where we want to take huge leaps forward, only steps can be made. Frodo Baggins was taller than most hobbits measuring at 3 ft. 6in. But he was much shorter than everyone else. Where a son of Adam took 1 step, Frodo had to take multiple. But yet he made the journey and finished well. Many times it's not how fast you get there, but how well you arrive.

What if we are to just focus on our next step rather than our next mile? I would encourage you to open the book of Psalms in the Bible and read chapter 119. The psalmist writes in verse 105, “Your word is like a lamp for my feet and a light for my paths”.

The path and each step matters… Think about what path you're on. Consider what your next step will be.

Change

I recently looked up the definition for the word ’change’ in Merriam-Webster.com I loved the definitions:

                   To become different

                   To make (someone or something) different

                   To become something else

Step into the time machine and go back 10 years. Think about what you liked. Think about what you thought about at that time. Where you lived and what job you had. Think about whom you were with. What you used to eat and how you spent your time. Think about what you knew and what you didn’t know.

Have you changed?

Are you different today? Have you changed for the better or for the worse? I know that for me thinking back 10 years means thinking back through so many mistakes I made. It might be the same for you. Have you already told yourself, “If only I knew back then what I know now”?

Be Transformed

I like what a guy named Paul wrote, “Do not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Here’s the bottom line: we don’t know the future. If I did, I’d probably not make the horrible decisions I made back then. I’d also win the lottery several times. But I don’t. What I am grateful for is that God knows the future. He knows where I am now. And if I follow him and yield my flawed proclivities to make them obedient to what God’s will for me is; I may make decisions that might be weird to others but acceptable to God.

Do you find yourself making the wrong decision often? Ask yourself this question before making decisions:

Considering my past mistakes, my present circumstances and what God has in mind for my future… what decision should I make now concerning __________________________.