The goal for me this year is to keep my eyes on Jesus throughout each day no matter what the circumstances are which occur in the day. At this point in time, if I didn’t have it written on the top of my prayer list, I’d completely lose sight of it. I had no idea how much my eyes are on the circumstances of the day only. As I journal each morning I am able to recall the circumstances of the day before and talk to God about it. God, instead, is helping me see how I wrap myself into the issues of the day without seeking where God is in it. In counseling moments I have nudges which I act upon and know they come from God. Outside of these sessions I am needing to hear God at the moment rather than the day after.

Man says we are to listen for understanding. This is a common standard for meetings in today’s world. Ask clarifying questions follows in line with the listening for understanding. I find myself listening but I am a novice at having my spirit hear God’s Spirit while I am listening to man. It is the next day in my journaling that I presently hear God’s Spirit respond to the day before. God is wanting me to grow in my hearing Him during the day. This seems to be my assignment for the present in learning to keep my eyes on Jesus within the day.

It is always good when we can bring Jesus into the events of a day. What I am becoming very aware of is the need to do this at the time rather than the reflection time the following morning. Listening to man keeping my emotions in check while I listen to God in my spirit is this assignment. I’ve always said I’m not good at doing two things at the same time, but I think this is different. I’m asking God to help me along this path of learning.

Yesterday was one of those unusual days where everything I wanted to get done got done and then much more was also accomplished. All I could do was say, Thank You God.

The most touching part of the day came about after I’d talked with my niece about her mom’s service which will be next month. Her mom is my sis who passed shortly after thanksgiving. I will be conducting the service so she and I were talking about what she’d like to include. A request which caught me off guard was for me to sing a song which I would want to sing for my sis. I’ve never needed to do something like this so I said I’d have to give this some thought and pray about it. Well, in the afternoon I googled “songs for sisters”. Eventually I found a song by Steve & Annie Chapman entitled: Brother and Sister song. It was exactly what I’d want to sing for my sis. The added beauty is that my wife Kathy will sing the portion of the song that is for the sister to sing. We will sing the song as a duet.

I’m continually amazed at the intimate, detailed interest God has in our lives. He cares so much more than we realize if we only give Him the chance to show it. How precious our Heavenly Father is!

Proverbs 12:28 says in part, “Abundant life is discovered by walking in righteousness….” I had to stop and reread this a couple of times and then highlight it in my Bible. Abundant is the first of the words which stood out to me. As I’ve gotten to the age I am now I’ve adjusted what abundant means to me. As a young husband it was all about having enough income to support my wife and start a family. Teaching is not an occupation considered to be abundant in income. As I’ve entered into the “retirement years” abundant has changed a good deal. The income side is there, but “meaningful” and “purposeful” are now drivers. I wanted these to be my drivers when I was young, but having a sufficient income always interfered it seems.

The latter part of verse says that abundant life is discovered by walking in righteousness. As a young man I focused on abundant life through income and hoping I was teaching as God would want and doing what I should at church for Him. I recognize so much more clearly that righteousness is found by surrender of self and walking in faith. Income will be there, meaningfulness and purposefulness will be completed if I am surrendered to God and following His Spirit’s nudges throughout each and every day.

Is Christ seen through me? That’s my question and obedience is the response I want to give Him.

Yesterday morning held a counseling moment I was needing to surrender over and over. It was a situation where we were dealing with a victim and the abuser in the same room. My flesh kept wanting to worry about this session, yet my spirit knew it was the right thing to do. I had my prayer warrior praying knowing this and the time of the session. As I got to our room I prayed over it asking God’s Holy Spirit to not only be present, but inviting Him to take control.

As the hour ended the young man thanked his dad for coming. We prayed and I too thanked the dad for coming and for his honest listening and responding for clarity. I then invited him to give his son and me some time for us. He then left. The son was pleased with the outcome of the meeting, but somewhat numb about believing it to be as true as it sounded. God’s Light had shone brilliantly in the session and man had responded to it. When the son left his smile was bigger than I’d ever seen.

It is amazing to see and experience God Working. What a privilege I have!

As today begins I have asked Jesus to shed Light on the confusion in my mind regarding relying on His Strength in the midst of one’s battle? I keep counseling with ones (latest was last night) who “want to please Jesus” but they continually step quickly back into their old habits. In a couple of cases, they are young and “want to please Jesus but don’t want to quit a new habit” or behavior. As I asked Jesus what He wanted me to know for today I was given this insight:

ASK:

1st–Do you know Jesus Christ as God Almighty who gave you choice?

2nd–Do you know the Power of asking Jesus and turning to Him as your choice rather than turning to the temptation?

3rd–Are you willing to accept the consequences of Jesus being your Power Source?

As I journaled these I couldn’t help but see their application to me first of all. I have lived a long time knowing these but–believing them and putting them into my daily living? No, I am still working on them in some cases. However, one’s response to these questions become the foundation of believing and then trusting as one steps into each day. A good start for me today.

Over and over again I am amazed at what our Savior and Lord–Jesus Christ does. Living for Him and keeping one’s eyes upon Him is an amazing opportunity. As I began journaling this morning I was writing about yesterday and thanking God for His Light and Wisdom which came forth during the sessions of the day. He reminded me that keeping my eyes on His Son Jesus each and everyday is good. However, I will find difficulties in so doing as well as selfishness from myself at times. Be prepared for this. Nonetheless, obedience to this act will always end with amazement and wonder for God’s Handiwork is always AMAZING as well as always WONDERFUL!

The message of yesterday–daily keeping my eyes on Jesus as my barometer for living only grows stronger as I experience the day. Yesterday, as my day with the most counseling sessions, I found myself reminding me to keep my eyes on Jesus as I heard the messages from each individual. It is so easy to slip into the emotions of the problems and respond from that standpoint rather than from the standpoint of Christ Jesus and His Word. The Light of Jesus penetrates all darkness when we use His Word and deliver it with Christ’s compassion.

As I was getting ready to start my devotions I found I had an email from a new counselee. This person is someone I know well along with their spouse. The water runs deep here and I quickly found myself with eyes on the persons. Then, as I began my devotional time, my devotional read, “Help me make friends with the problems in my life.” Instantly I was brought back to my goal of keeping my eyes on Jesus. When I thank God that I have this problem facing me I can thank Him because my trust in Him knows He will use it to His Honor and Glory. I can pass this promise along to my counselees.

In the last paragraph of the devotion, it reads, “I’ve discovered that the best way to make friends with my troubles is to thank God for them. This counterintuitive act opens my mind to the possibility of blessings emerging from the difficulties….”

Today I am keeping my eyes on Jesus along with thanking and trusting Him.

Keeping my eyes only on Jesus is my “goal” for this year. I am grounded in the truth that a new creation is to do just this. Allowing our eyes to drift to man as our barometer for living “a good life” is opposite of living as a new creation. With this said, I find myself needing to separate being with man and keeping my eyes on Jesus from being with man and shifting my eyes to him.

Starting into this counseling program I am encountering so many issues where man is stuck in a behavior/s, a belief/s, lie/s, and so on. It is so easy to shift my eyes from Jesus to them and share their issues. Many of what I hear are not new to me for I have lived through them. However, Jesus is helping me see my need to recognize and sympathize with the counselee, however, confront the lie/s boldly and with kindness.

Some of the behaviors and lies we live with are ones I find hard to discard because one doesn’t want to live without it or one doesn’t know how to live without it. This is where I have lived until I was faced with living as a new creation and seeing the huge difference. I have found myself, in past, excusing “me” for some behaviors because I’m a victim. Well, truth be told, a new creation is no longer a victim, but a victor! This is the grounding we have in being a new creation with our eyes only on Jesus. Learning to live this way each and every day is my goal. Helping others to do the same is my purpose.

Yesterday, late afternoon, I was able to observe a counseling session that enlightened me. The session was with one of the two “guinea pigs” the skilled counselor I have been observing since last June, was having. The technique she was going to use in the session was new to me and it was addressing a traumatic event in the counselee’s life. The counselee is someone I’ve known for years and I’d asked him to be one of the guinea pigs for our new counseling program. He was glad to do so he said.

In the session I was introduced to what’s called a grounding technique. It can be used when one is going into a stressful or unknown event which seems threatening. In my own counseling of past I would be told to go to “my safe place” when I needed to relax. The grounding seemed different. It is a place where you feel confident and assured that all will be just fine. Getting that mindset in place allows one to not go into that panic mode of thinking/reacting.

I was pleased to experience this, not only for my own use with other counselees, but for me personally. My grounding point takes me to Jesus Christ. When I think I’m entering into an event or stressful time, remembering when Jesus was with me in a different time, but nonetheless, stressful and unknown, I can be assured He is with me now. It calms me and I can go knowing He is not only present, but the outcome will be to His Glory and Honor. I want to put this into practice into my daily living.

Yesterday, after we had gotten home from church, my wife asked me if there were a reason I had been so quiet of late? Lots of quick thoughts flashed through my head but none I wanted to step into so I quickly said, “I don’t think so,” and the topic was dropped. However, the remainder of the day kept the question in the forefront of my mind. This morning as I started my journaling I needed to take this question and put substance to my silence. It was almost 50 years ago when a teacher who knew me well told me that she’d learned that when I grew silent I was working through topic/topics which I needed to address, but not ready yet to talk about them. Kathy’s question brought me back to this reality.

There has been a good deal of change in this past year for me personally. God has been growing me to truly believe I am a new creation. With this comes a great deal of reality I’ve written much about. Coupled with all of this has been the change in purpose for daily living. Leaving education and entering counseling has been huge. I know it’s what God has wanted me to do. I’m still just trying to get my footing established and that hasn’t happened yet. I find myself home more of the time and making this time worthwhile is a question. These things and more are not finished being processed so I find myself “quiet” until I’m ready to talk about them. My natural trait is to talk when I think I’ve found the light of day in them.

This morning I’ve been challenged to now talk with Kathy so I can hear her input in these. All of these changes are impacting her as well as me and my silence isn’t helping her process. So with her wake-up question yesterday, I’ll begin a conversation today that will hopefully help both of us as this new year begins. Kathy has always been a good guide when I’m stuck so today will allow us to deal with it.