What do you carry with you? What do you keep when life’s events are finished?
What spirit abides with you on your journey and away from it?
The power of abiding belief.
7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.
2 Timothy 1:7 (AMPC)
In 2016 a few excursions from regular life helped to cement in my mind and heart exactly what I believe in and if what I believe stays in my life for the long term.
In the Spring, I got a new job. We did rental move-out cleaning. Training was on an as needed basis. Every day I went to work the work itself was different; the job required different skills, different cleaners, different approaches, different techniques. Even the person we did the cleaning for changed. Would we be cleaning for a homeowner, a Realtor, or one of several different property management companies each with their own set of standards?
Nothing was ever the same except these things. It remained that if people were not messy I would not be working that day. To get clean there must first be a mess. It also remained that I still had only one boss; I must work as if I were reporting directly to the King of the Universe Himself.
22 Servants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not only when their eyes are on you as pleasers of men, but in simplicity of purpose [with all your heart] because of your reverence for the Lord and as a sincere expression of your devotion to Him.
23 Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily (from the soul), as [something done] for the Lord and not for men,
24 Knowing [with all certainty] that it is from the Lord [and not from men] that you will receive the inheritance which is your [real] reward. [The One Whom] you are actually serving [is] the Lord Christ (the Messiah). Colossians 3:22-24 (AMPC)
Who I serve was no longer a matter of whose names were on the paycheck. Who I worked for became — out of necessity — a matter of believing in what God’s role in my life at the time was and a deeply held belief that obedience to His word trumped all other input. These beliefs enabled me to do a good job with a good attitude.
What you carry with you through changing circumstances is very important. It is called an abiding belief. It is a belief that lives in you like protons and electrons live in the surging forces of the Sun.
Last December I experienced abiding belief in a judicial setting. My first time ever to serve God and my community as a juror brought about a lot of pleading with God for wisdom as well as conversations with Him about daily circumstances.
The charge against the defendant: Attempted rape of a child in the first degree. The instruction from the defense: innocent until proven guilty. Instruction from the judge: Pay attention to everyone’s demeanor. My heart’s cry: Please God, don’t let me screw this up!
Prosecuting attorney:
“If at the end of today, tomorrow, next week, two years from now you still think you made the right decision, That is abiding belief. We are asking you to make a decision without all the facts. We are asking you to decide if this man is guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt or if he is innocent. The choice is yours. …”
All sorts of persuasive speeches lobbied for my attention. Yet, this one thing remained; God is the true Judge.
16 Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice there was wickedness, and that in the place of righteousness wickedness was there also.
17 I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time [appointed] for every matter and purpose and for every work. Ecclesiastes 3:16-17 (AMPC)
The defendant was found guilty by a unanimous decision among the jurors. A series of events over time and demeanor of the defendant were the major topics during deliberations. Yes, Months have gone by and I still think we made the right choice. I have abiding belief in that choice.
It was a wonder to watch God’s justice unfold. As I prayed, God brought Scripture to mind. As I prayed more, God’s Word was enacted right in front of me …several times with several Scriptures. When I left that final evening I was so stoked that being in a hurry to prepare Dad’s house for his homecoming didn’t fluster me a bit.
Abiding belief creates joy. Who knew?
From that moment on my abiding belief that God orchestrates circumstances for His glory and purposes has carried itself over to affect my daily life.
These days I live out of my suitcase between two homes as my husband and I try to care the best we can for his aging Dad who is in need of 24/7 supervision. Being ready at a moments notice is a shock to my system. Feeling at home in someone else’s house is a huge change. Keeping my established habits fit the range of problematic. The each thing I keep around me in my own home comes into life’s ring to be challenged for its right to exist. I am now responsible for four bathrooms, two kitchens, five bedrooms, an individual dementia care plan and the care giving associated with it, two grocery and home maintenance shopping lists…. Well, you get the idea. Things that aid organization and anti-inflammatory living are suitcase essentials right along side the hair brush and comfy clothes.
I am learning, among other things, that what I put in that suitcase matters a great deal to me. It matters because I need it in both places and would suffer consequences if it were missing. I have to plan for its maintenance and refill.
What can I live without? What is necessary to have within reach at all times for my emotional and physical well being? Is the attachment I feel towards an item appropriate or way out of whack?
Sometimes I feel selfish about what I carry with me but those feelings really set me back. What I believe about what I carry must be strong enough to last through anything.
Many things have been defeated in the life ring but this one thing remains; Those that care for others must care for themselves. It is right in here as one of the greatest commandments.
28 Then one of the scribes came up and listened to them disputing with one another, and, noticing that Jesus answered them fitly and admirably, he asked Him, Which commandment is first and most important of all [[a]in its nature]?
29 Jesus answered, The first and principal one of all commands is: Hear, O Israel, The Lord our God is one Lord;
30 And you shall love the Lord your God [b]out of and with your whole heart and out of and with all your soul (your [c]life) and out of and with all your mind (with [d]your faculty of thought and your moral understanding) and out of and with all your strength. [e]This is the first and principal commandment.
31 The second is like it and is this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.
32 And the scribe said to Him, Excellently and fitly and admirably answered, Teacher! You have said truly that He is One, and there is no other but Him;
33 And to love Him out of and with all the heart and with all the understanding [with the [f]faculty of quick apprehension and intelligence and keenness of discernment] and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
34 And when Jesus saw that he answered intelligently (discreetly and [g]having his wits about him), He said to him, You are not far from the kingdom of God. And after that no one ventured or dared to ask Him any further question. Mark 12:28-34 (AMPC)
You see, Friend, what you carry with you is very important. It may be in a suitcase as you endeavor to multitask. It may be in your heart guiding your attitude on difficult work days. It may pronounce verdicts after serious considerations. Of the things we all carry, abiding belief – that thought, decision or creed that stays with you no matter where you go or how long you stay – is very, very important.
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