Confidence in the Cowboys?

I don’t remember when my loyalty to the Dallas Cowboys started. I would guess I was about 11, when I realized there was a football team that shared my love for horses. The Dallas Cowboys. Fast forward ten years or so, having graduated from college in Ohio, I moved to Dallas. Was it my love for the Cowboys or the great job that drew me to Dallas? You decide.

So when the Packer-Cowboy game happened last Sunday, I had full confidence that my Cowboys would win. Even when the Cowboys were behind 21-3, I knew they would come back, which they did. They just didn’t come back and win. Bummer.

Where do I place my confidence? Where do you place your confidence? Your kids and their performance? Your career? Your degrees? Being in shape? Being accepted and approved by others? Your reputation? Your relationships? Your accomplishments? A football team?

When we place our confidence in the inevitable uncertainties in life, we will eventually be disappointed. My natural bent is to place my confidence in other people or things. Yet, I have been profoundly disappointed when I do that. I have found, over the years, that there is One who will never fail me or let me down. God is my confidence. He is worthy of my trust. In fact, He will never come up short or ever let me down. Why? Because He is God and can be trusted.

Feeling weak and inadequate can actually draw us to rely on God. It’s during these difficult times, we realize our need! That’s not a bad thing. I’m reminded in Jeremiah 17:7 that “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.”  Where do you place your hope? What would it look like to trust God in every area of your life? You will be blessed as you make God your trust.

“For you have been my hope, O Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth. From birth, I have relied on you.”  Psalm 71:5-6

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

Walking With A Limp

I walk with a limp. I don’t like it, but it’s reality, for now.  It’s all a part of healing from a broken ankle. Walking with a limp is awkward and even painful, at times. I try so hard to hide my limp, but I just can’t. For now, I walk with a limp.

Do you walk with a limp? It may not a physical limp, but an emotional limp. Those things that have crushed or broken your spirit. You know, things that have happened in life that have left a scar. We all have them. We work hard to protect our image and hide them from the general public. They’re there just the same.

In “Leading With a Limp: Turning Your Struggles Into Strengths,” Dan B. Allender describes what makes flawed leaders successful. “They’re the type of leaders who are not preoccupied with protecting their image, they are undaunted by chaos and complexity, they are ready to risk failure in moving an organization from what it is to what should be.  God choses leaders who aren’t deceived by the myths of power and control, but who realize that God’s power is found in brokenness.”

Most of us don’t associate weakness with strong leaders, do we? Let’s take Martin Luther King, Jr. Do you think he was weak? We celebrate him today because he was a great leader, a strong leader. I thought for a moment about the times that King must have lingered in God’s presence, praying and seeking His face. I have a feeling there were plenty of times he felt very weak as a leader! King recognized his need before God and pleaded for His strength.

Consider this verse from the Apostle Paul: “To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses…in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12

I think Martin Luther King had this verse memorized! He saw that his suffering had a greater purpose. He didn’t hide his limp! Leadership was painfully hard. Yet, he saw that in his weakness, he was strong.

Thank you, God, for the life and message of Martin Luther King! A limping leader is a person God can use to accomplish amazing things.

“Use me, God. Show me how to take who I am, who I want to be, and what I can do, and use it for a purpose greater than myself.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

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

When You Can't See A Thing

I knew it was going to be a cold morning, but not this cold.  This is San Antonio, for goodness sakes! I had forever forgotten the cold weather drills I had learned from living in the Midwest. With drizzle coming down hard on my windshield, I decided to try the wipers. What was I thinking? The defroster couldn’t work fast enough! Thankful to find the next street, I pull off to give my defroster a chance to work. It didn’t take but a few moments and I was off on my merry way.

That moment seems to be frozen in time. I. Couldn't. See. A. Thing.

Have you experienced a time in your life when you couldn’t see one thing? For me, it was singleness. I was single a long time before I met my husband. I questioned God. It wasn’t easy to wait so long, while so many women around me were married with children. But, I never stopped believing that God had His best for me. My husband, Ben, is worth the wait! However, there were times when I didn’t see or understand what God was doing.

When we don’t see answers to our problems quickly, we can easily become confused and doubt God. We may even doubt His existence for that matter. It may be these pains in life that keep us at a distance from God! As I look back on my life, I know that God was molding and making me into the woman He wanted ME to be. I never gave up on God, even though I couldn’t see what He was doing.

Sometimes, we don’t see the whole picture. We want answers, but there are no answers. However, there were significant times in my singleness, where God would whisper encouragements to my spirit “I have a purpose in what I am doing in You and in time, you will see. Trust me.”  I now look back on my life and see the beautiful tapestry that He’s been weaving. It was worth the wait.

Trust Him, my friend. He’s so faithful, even when you don't see what's going on.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways submit to Him, and He will make our paths straight.”Proverbs 3:5-6

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

Is Real Change Possible?

It's a new year! I don't want to be the same person I am today by December 31, 2017.  So that means I have 364 more days to make changes. That's a long time. But things happen. Life gets busy. And all at once, the will wanes. And I go back to my old ways and habits. 

Resolutions are just hard to keep, aren't they?

Maybe you, like me, dream of being a better version of yourself. I want to grow. I want to be different. But, how does true transformation happen?

I've never been great at setting New Year's Resolutions. Even though I love to think about the changes I want to make in my life, resolutions are hard for me. It's so easy for me to write them down, create a file, and then, somehow, I lose the file!

However, what I have found to work is setting goals in partnership with God. I use the simple categories: Mind, Body and Spirit. What changes do I want to make in my mind? What changes do I want to make with my body? What changes do I want to make in my spirit?

I know that as I partner with God on my specific goals, it is HE that helps keep me motivated. It is HE that gives me guidance. It is HE that gently and kindly molds my character flaws more into His likeness. It is HE that keeps me from discouragement. And somehow, change does happen as I partner with God. I'm not off the hook. I have hard work to do, but I trust that God will walk closely with me, every step of the way.

Let me give you an example: As I set my goal of restoring my ankle that was broken to full strength in 2017, I need God to help me BIG time. I can easily get discouraged at the very slow rate of healing and need God to give me patience. I need God to keep me disciplined to do my simple, boring exercises. I need God to give me hope in improving, even if small increments.

Formulas don't work for me. Neither does behavior modification. Change comes as I develop the habit of being and communing with God Himself. It's personal. It's a relationship. It's doing life with God, knowing He is the best partner I could ever have. 

Happy New Year!

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

A Christmas Selfie

I wanted to take a Christmas selfie over the weekend. Not one for Facebook, but a real Christmas selfie. The one that showed the real me, inside and out. The good, the bad and the ugly. So, I went to a full-length mirror in our house. I didn’t want others to see the real selfie. Not even I wanted to look at myself and see the real selfie. It’s easier to hide that kind of thing.

Staring at the mirror, I saw the real me. Graying roots that continue to reveal the age I want to so desperately hide. Wrinkles that I can’t hide. A swollen ankle that is relearning how to walk. But, as I allowed myself to gaze beyond the surface self, I met up with my heart. A heart that longs to be real with my God and to others.

As I allowed my heart to speak, all sorts of feelings emerged. I realized that I, like most of us, carry challenges, pains, hurts and regrets in life. I came to grips with the reality of the weight of my sin that always seems to be very present. My eyes were open to my sins of impatience in myself and others. Why does shame and regret still rear its ugly head? Why does my insecurities still demonstrate their presence? This Christmas selfie is the real deal.

What would your Christmas selfie reveal? Isn't it just easier to hide these things from God and others? Or is it?

God knows the real deal about me. He see everything. He is not blind to my sin, my hurts, my insecurities and regrets. He knows every second of my life and loves me with a crazy perfect love. In fact, years ago, He sent the perfect remedy to deal with my sin. He sent Jesus, His One and Only Son, born in a manger. That Baby Boy would deliver me from my sinful self. That Baby Boy would give sight to my spiritual blindness. That Baby Boy would deliver me from my shame and regret. That Baby would calm and carry me through the storms of my life. That Baby Boy would save me. That Baby Boy I would come to worship and serve.  (See “Mary, Did You Know” written by Mark Lowery and Buddy Green) 

Merry Christmas!

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace, there will be no end.” Isaiah 9:6-7

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

A Hurried Christmas

I allowed the craziness of Christmas to capture my calendar this week. Somehow, I didn’t notice that I had some kind of event, meeting or party every night this past week. As the week unfolded, I realized my calendar conundrum. The craziness was all good things. Yet, by the end of the week, I was dreaming of cozying up on the couch with a nice fire, good book and orange spice hot tea.

I would prefer to walk, not run through Christmas season. However, I’m tempted to do just the opposite! Is there a way we can enjoy the Christmas season without frittering away with exhaustion? Does the busyness of the season prevent us from pondering the wonder of that Christmas day?

The story of Christmas contains a paradox we all struggle with. “They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary treasured up all these things in her heart, pondering them often.” Luke 2:16-19

Notice in this passage that the shepherds “hurried off” to the village and found Mary and Joseph. On the other hand, Mary treasured up all these things in her heart, pondering them often. What a contrast! I find it so much easier to hurry off to my next errand or activity, checking them off as I go. It’s harder to set aside time with God. That can seem royally unproductive. Yet, all the while, God waits for me, longing to spend time with me.

What does it look like to treasure and ponder the Christmas story? It’s like taking a steady, long gaze at God and his work in this passage. I think about the shepherds hurrying. I picture the baby Jesus laying in the manger. I wonder what the barn might have been like. I picture Mary and the look on her face when the angel told her she’d be carrying the baby Jesus. As I gaze on God, not my lists and schedules, I’m changed. I’m less anxious. I’m more centered. I’m more grateful.

I dare you to ponder these things in your heart. God would love to meet you there. Pull up a cozy chair, have a cup of hot tea and enjoy time with God. Merry Christmas!

“I’ll ponder all the things you’ve accomplished, and give a long, loving look at your acts.” Psalm 77:12

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain for the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.A H

A Stolen Christmas

This past weekend, I met the Grinch. Well, really, he said I made him the Grinch when I subjected him to yet another year of husband-Christmas-labor. It happens every Black Friday weekend. I need him to do the job: putting Thanksgiving decorations away and bringing out Christmas. This year, while celebrating Thanksgiving, my brother and husband compared their impending fates. In that man way, they compared box counts, sizes, and other sundry Christmas decoration tasks. Ben says he won because he has the least amount of boxes.

Ben's happy with the idea, but can get weary of the process. Picking just the right tree. Transporting the tree. Fixing the lights that don't work. Trips back to the store for new lights. Mounting the lights. Serving cookies and Eggnog at just the right time, I try to get it all done without…."You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch."

Remember, Dr. Seuss' Mr. Grinch? The grouchy, solitary creature green old man who tries to put the kibosh on Whoville's Christmas. Despite his efforts, Whoville still celebrate. Grinch returns everything he stole and is the honored guest for dinner.

Have you lost the joy of Christmas? What has stolen your Christmas spirit?  Are you becoming Grinchy?

Busyness and preparations for Christmas can become a duty. We HAVE to get the decorations up.  We HAVE to attend parties. We HAVE to get the gifts. We HAVE to go Christmas shopping... Somewhere along the way, Mr. Grinch emerges, stealing the wonder of Christmas from our own hearts.

What is threatening to destroy your Christmas? Is busyness keeping you joyless and grouchy? Will unrealistic expectations trap you?  Please, this year, don't let anything or anyone, especially Mr. Grinch, steal your Christmas. Christmas is an amazing glorious time to remember the birth of Christ,

Luke 2:11-14 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"

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