Vol. 16 No. 12 | March 25, 2013

Have you noticed that much of life is made of events or happenings or opportunities or things that might fall into a classification of a very little thing, but not really? You may have another way of describing them, but you know the kinds of things I am referring to.

On the negative side it may be that hangnail that, no matter how hard you try, you cannot clip. It’s a little thing, but not really.

It may be that person at work who gets on your nerves. You come into the office what a great attitude and within minutes after a short interaction your day is ruined. It’s a little thing, but not really.

It may be that conversation that you seem to have over and over again with your boss or your spouse or your children. You have had the same conversation a hundred times. Nothing ever changes. You talk about changes, but nothing ever does. It’s a little thing, but not really.

Maybe it is that sound in your car. It is a rattle. Or it is a squeak. You cannot pinpoint where it is coming from. Everything else is quiet and smooth, except for that noise. It’s a little thing, but not really.

It could be that bump on the side of your face. Not a big bump. It turns an odd shade of red. It is a little tender. Finally you go to the doctor and he says, “We better have it checked out.” It appears to be a little thing, but maybe it’s not really.

It may be that cough that just will not go away. You have taken some over-the-counter cough medicine. That helps for a few minutes but it starts up again when you lay down. You call the nurse and she say, “You better come in. It sounds like a little thing. But maybe it’s not.”

Maybe it is that thing that your husband does, or does not do, that hurts you, or disappoints you, or makes you question whether or not he really loves you. He says he does. But if he does would he not take your feelings into consideration? Why does he keep doing that? Why is he not listening to me? You try to ignore it. Everything else seems to be going well. Do I really want to stir things up? It’s such a little thing, but maybe not.

On the positive side there are many little things that can make a profound difference in how you approach the day.

The person in the drive-thru at Starbucks pays for your coffee. It’s a little thing, but not really.

The person coming through your checkout line compliments you on your nice smile. It’s a little thing, but not really.

$2.26 provides a meal at the Nashville Rescue Mission. It’s a little thing, but not really.

You stand before an audience and say, “I do.” These are two little words that change lives forever. It’s a little thing, but not really.

The note you received in the mail from the friend you have not seen in a long time. It’s a little thing, but not really.

You led a prayer at church. You could not remember what you were trying to say and had a long awkward pause. You stumbled all over yourself. And you felt like you did a horrible job. But one of the older men came to you and said, “You did a great job! Thank you for your prayer.” It’s a little thing, but not really.

You walked into the new church for the first time. You are all alone in a new city and in a new church. A young couple saw and came toward you, introduced themselves, and asked if you would like sit with them. They introduced you to several members, invited you to their class, and took you home for lunch. It’s a little thing, but not really.

Jesus talked about offering a cup of cold water in His name. He told stories of stopping to help a stranger. He rebuked His disciples when they tried to stop little children when they ran to Him. They seem like little things, but not really.

The challenge: be the person who does the things that make life more positive; don’t be the person who does the little things that can turn a day wrong. Do that thing that we would call a little thing, but not really.

Tom

© Copyright 2013 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.

Vol. 16 No. 11 | March 18, 2013

We were driving home from a nice meal and evening with some dear friends. We had driven about ten minutes when I began to realize I was thirsty. I wished I had a drink of water. We drove a little further and I thought about how much I wanted a drink of water. We drove a little further and I began to feel almost parched and had thoughts of stopping for something to drink. Then, I realized I had almost half of a bottle of water sitting right beside me in the drink holder. I had forgotten that I had not finished it on the way up. With two or three gulps the water was gone and my thirst was quenched.

I felt so foolish. I longed for water. I wished for water. I wanted a drink. I was really thirsty. The water I wanted was right there beside me. All I had to do was to reach for it, drink it, and get refreshed.

My failure to remember that I had the solution to my thirst right beside me is not so different from how we ignore and forget about the life giving water our Lord makes available to us.

To the Samaritan woman of John 4 Jesus said, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” Eventually she asked for it and received it.

To the curious followers seeking a savior in John 7 Jesus offered, “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

To the young disciples in Matthew 5 Jesus promised, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
 for they will be filled.”

We have a tendency to spend a significant amount of time wishing we had what God has promised we can have. We expend an awful lot of energy longing for and dreaming about what God has already given us. We waste too many opportunities to be blessed and refreshed and revived and restored by ignoring the Spirit of the living God who is always with us and already in us.

Why? Why do we miss the life giving living water of the Spirit of God? Why do we not reach out to the Comforter who has come to dwell within us?

We forget. We get caught up in living life our way. We become comfortable with the status quo. We settle for good enough.

We ignore. We know there is a better way. We understand that the source of refreshment is ours for the taking, but we prefer to pretend that we are lacking.

We choose. We choose to go it alone. We choose to do without. We choose to not use what God has made available.

Are you thirsty? There is water. Are you hungry? There is food. Are you weary? There is rest. Reach for it. Open the bottle. Drink. Be refreshed.

Tom

© Copyright 2013 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.

Vol. 16 No. 10 | March 11, 2013

As I write I am sitting on our deck on a beautiful spring morning. The air has a warmth and freshness that we have not felt in months. The sky is a beautiful blue with a few thin white clouds scattered around. The grass is beginning to turn green. It is early enough in the spring that the mowers and blowers are not yet running. So the only sounds I hear are the birds singing, the blowing sounds of jets flying overhead, the faint sound of automobiles passing on a nearby street, and an occasional muffled conversation between neighbors as we begin to emerge from winter caves. It is a very nice morning.

There is one more sound that piques my interest. At first I could not locate it. It is not a loud noise, but a distinct one. I have heard it before. I remember it from late last fall when I was recouping from an illness and spent quite a lot of time on this deck. What was that sound? Then, I located it. It is a small bird perched on a branch next to a window of our neighbor’s house.

The bird apparently sees his (I do not know if it is a he or a she, so assume it is a he since most would say a female would not make this mistake) reflection in the window and is confused about whether it is real. He sits on the branch, looks at the window and then tries to fly through it. Since I do not speak or think bird I do not know what he is thinking. Does he think it is open space with another branch to land on? Does he think, “That is one beautiful chick and I want to meet her?” (Let’s not get into gender identification issues here. Remember I am speculating.) Does he think, “Hey dude, let’s be friends”? Obviously I do not know what this little bird is thinking.

What I do know is that this little bird is confused and is wearing himself out trying to get through this window or get to the bird he sees in the reflection. For several minutes he beats his beak and body against the window, then he flies away. Maybe he goes to a mentor bird and asks for advice. Then, he returns to once again to battle the image in the window.

The bird reminds me of me. There are times when what I see in the reflection is not what really is. There are times when I beat myself up about what I see when I look in the mirror and there are times when I think much too highly of myself.

Sometimes when I see my reflection in the mirror I see a man who seems to have his act together. At first glance that guy in the mirror seems to be a pretty good guy. He loves God. He loves his wife and children. He has always worked hard to provide for his family. He loves his church family and does his best to serve the Lord with his gifts and tries to use his blessings to encourage other people. But, when I look closer I realize that he is a sinner, and that because of his sin he has fallen far short of the glory of God (Romans 3:22-24). I realize that he is dead in his sins (Ephesians 2:1-3; Colossians 2:12-14). And I realize he is a slave to sin (John 8:33-35).

Sometimes when I see my reflection in the mirror I see a man who seems to have nothing together. All I can see is the sins the man has committed. All I can see is his guilt. All I can see is his shame. He is a sinner. He is guilty. He is ashamed. But, when I look closer I realize that he has been rescued from his sin (Romans 5:6-8). I realize that he has been blessed through forgiveness (Psalm 32:1-3). I realize that he has gained redemption through the forgiveness of his sins (Ephesians 1:6-8). I realize that because of Jesus his sins have been forgiven (1 John 2:11-13).

The bird has left his perch. At least temporarily he seems to have learned the truth about the image reflected in the window. This man has also gained a better understanding of who he is: He is a sinner who deserves to be punished, but he has been forgiven and redeemed by the blood of Jesus shed on the cross. For now I realize that I am nothing without God. For now I am grateful to be loved by the living God.

Tom

© Copyright 2013 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.

Vol. 16 No. 09 | March 4, 2013

The week leading up to and including my 60th birthday was filled with sharing memories, eating my favorite foods, receiving cards, gifts, and messages from friends and family, and some times of deep reflection on where I have been and where I am going. The time has been well spent and the good wishes have been appreciated. (By the way, it was March 1 for those who need to know and forgot to send a gift. It is not too late. I am still accepting.)

One question that has been asked numerous times is: “Well, how does it feel to be 60?” My typical answer has been: “A lot like 59.” Physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually in reality it is no different. And yet it is. Six decades. Sounds like a long time, seems like a long time, yet it also seems very brief. As one Facebook friend stated, “It seems like I just wished you a happy birthday.”

Part of the reason this birthday seems different is that in my mind 60 years implies some level of wisdom. From my perspective I have always looked at men and women who were 60 and above with at least some degree of respect. My reasoning being if they have lived this long they surely have learned something, so I can learn something from them. Obviously that is not always true. Some appear to have lived their sixty-plus years and managed to bypass the accumulation of wisdom.

So, as the day approached and passed I continued to look for that wisdom that I could pass along to those coming behind me (and maybe even some of those who are ahead of me), that would make their journey easier and more enjoyable.

The insight came during a commercial break of a recorded program of the one called the greatest golfer of all time, and is narrated by another of golf’s greatest. You can see the commercial by going to this link: Swing Your Swing.

Swing your swing. That is it. Arnold Palmer and Dick’s Sporting Goods said it well.

Swing your swing. Live your life. Live the life you have been given. Not the life you wish you had. Or the life you think you should live. Live the life you have been given. Use your talents. Do what you were created to do.

Long before the commercial, the company, golf and any of the great golfers, God used his servant Paul to live the message of being who you were created to be, then offer these instructions on how to function well within the body:

But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.(1 Corinthians 12:18, NIV)Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. (1 Corinthians 12:27, NIV)

So, my bit of wisdom to you is this: Swing your swing. Be you. God created you to be you. Learn from other people. Glean from the experience and wisdom of those who have gone before you. But be you.

If you are a teacher, teach the way you teach. If you are a singer, sing with your voice and your music. If you are an athlete, play your game your way. If you are a preacher, preach the message God is giving you and share the message the way God has equipped you to share it.

Although God has placed, and will place, very gifted and talented people in your life and along your path do not try to be them. Some of those you respected may even try to push you into their mold, or shape you into someone they admire and respect. Resist the pressure. Swing your swing. Play your way. Live your life. Use your talents. Develop your gifts. Follow God your way. Swing your swing.

Tom

© Copyright 2013 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.