Get Back Up!

This past weekend, I participated in a horse show with my horse, Daisy, in Dripping Springs. It was just three months ago that I had a nasty accident there. My long spurs got caught in my tack box as I was rolling it to the barn. The only place I could go was straight down, ending up with 2 broken elbows and a broken wrist.

It felt good to be back in the show pen! I still need help throwing a saddle on and getting off my horse, as my elbow and wrist aren’t ready for that. But, for the most part, I’m healing quite well.

I knew that the only thing I could do was take rehab seriously and aim to get back in the show pen. It was harder, for sure. I didn’t like to ask for help, but I did. The staff at the barn were more than happy to help. It’s just hard to be needy.

Even when we don’t know what to do, we never have to give up. In times of trouble, we need to cling to the fact that God is with us and will help us! When we are knocked down (literally), we can get back up again.

2 Corinthians 4:8-9 says, “We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we don’t know what to do, we never give up. In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again.”

Examine this verse in more detail. 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 presents a vivid picture of a faith that is resilient and enduring in the face of adversity. If we know Jesus, we have a different mindset about our struggles. Our struggles are real, for sure, but they don’t define us. Instead, our struggles can become vessels of God’s power. He can use our struggles for good. We may experience setbacks and temporary defeats, but God can give us His power, care, and victory.

How do you need to get back up again? Sometimes, it’s incredibly challenging to cope with setbacks or issues that persist. Cling to the reality that our God is with us and loves us deeply. He is eager to be found by you and to fulfill the cries of your heart with Himself.

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.

Listening Well

Are you a good listener? Check out some of the questions that might help you evaluate your listening skills:

1. Do you often find yourself interrupting others?
2. Do you tend to focus on your thoughts while someone else is speaking?
3. Do you make eye contact with the speaker and pay attention to their body language?
4. Do you seek to understand the speaker’s feelings and perspective?
5. Do you try to listen without judgment or criticism?
6. Do you form your response while the other person is speaking?
7. How often do you interrupt when you have something to say in a conversation?
8. After someone tells you a story, how often do you follow up with your own story?

We are constantly distracted in the fast-paced world we live in. Between checking our phones and other interruptions, we often fail to listen when others are speaking.

It’s easy to respond to a listening quiz without truly changing our listening habits. Listening is about loving. It’s about cultivating a heart that is open and receptive to God’s voice and the needs of others. This kind of listening reflects the character of Jesus.

James 1:19-20 says, “Know this, my beloved brothers: Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires.”

What would it look like to be attentive and receptive to the words and perspectives of others?  How would being “slow to speak” change your communication? (thinking carefully before speaking) Are you easily provoked or quick to lash out in anger? God’s righteousness is characterized by patience, compassion, and humility. It seems that genuine righteousness comes from actively pursuing God and responding to others with grace rather than anger.

When we discipline ourselves to listen more than we talk, we can learn so much! There is wisdom gained by listening, observing, encouraging, and not rushing to judgment. It doesn't hurt to practice this!

I’m not sure how you judge yourself as a listener. For me, I know for sure that I can become a much better listener! Being quick to listen opens the door to better communication because it demonstrates love.  May God help us grow to be excellent, loving listeners!

“Listening is a gift of spiritual significance that you can learn to give to others.  When you listen, you give one a sense of importance, hope, and love that he or she may not receive any other way. Through listening, we nurture and validate the feelings one has, especially when he or she experiences difficulties in life.”  H. Norman Wright

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.

A Life Without Lack

What comes to mind when you see the words “The Lord is my shepherd?” Many adults remember memorizing this Psalm when they were little. I’ve heard it said that if Psalm 23 were a song, it would be number one on the charts. Dallas Willard writes, “These words are a sentiment carved on tombstones more often than a reality written in our lives.”

Psalm 23:1 says, “The LORD is my shepherd; I lack nothing.” What does this mean?

It is tragic that many people go through life without coming under God’s direction and can testify, “The Lord IS my shepherd.”  What would it look like to be like David, the writer of the Psalm, and say with confidence, “The Lord IS my shepherd?”

Psalm 23 describes the life that is available to anyone who will allow God to be their Shepherd. When we know that the Lord is our Shepherd, we come to realize we’re in the care of someone else. We’re not the ones in charge. We are aware and enjoying the abundance and provisions of God even when circumstances don’t go our way. Dallas Willard writes, “A life without lack is a life in which one is completely satisfied and sustained, no matter what happens. No matter what happens! How do we gain a deeper understanding?

First and foremost, we must have an accurate view of God and who He is.
Phillip Keller writes, “Our view of Him is often too small, too cramped, too provincial, too human.” Have you considered that your view of God may be too small? If we don’t understand God’s true character, we will never gain the confidence to believe He is completely sufficient to provide all we need.

How does one lack nothing? Well, first, let’s understand that there is absolutely nothing that God lacks. When we understand this, we can grasp a little more that the Lord is our Shepherd because He has everything we need!

With God as our Shepherd, we can live without any kind of fear.  Consider that sheep do not rest much because of the anxiety of attack. But the shepherd’s presence with the sheep can help them not only live without fear but lie down in green pastures. Your Shepherd cares for you. Your Shepherd has your back. Your shepherd guides you. Your Shepherd will never let you go. Your Shepherd loves you completely.

I don’t know about you, but there are so many times when I feel insufficient and weak. I lack in so many areas of my life!  However, when I live like the Lord is my Shepherd, I get what it means to say “I lack nothing” even when there are things I lack!

Dallas Willard  writes, “The life without lack is simply a matter of having one’s mind fully and constantly fixed upon God as he is, confident that He will provide everything that we need.”  (page 48, Life Without Lack, Dallas Willard) Oh, may we experience this type of life!

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.