May Your Soul Prosper!

Let’s look at one verse from 3 John from four separate translations and see how they compare.
3 John, verse 2:

NIV Translation:

“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.”

NRSV Translation:

“Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul.”

Amplified Bible:

“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and (that your body) may keep well, even as (I know) your soul keeps well and prospers.”

The Message paraphrase:

“I pray for good fortune in everything you do, and for your good health-that your everyday affairs prosper, as well as your soul!”

In this letter, John is writing to Gaius, a church leader, to commend him for his hospitality and to warn him about not following the lead of Diotrephes who is only concerned with himself.  This verse is used a lot when talking about the Prosperity Gospel that is preached in some circles.  God wants you rich, God wants you to have that Cadillac, they tell you.  Well, hold on a minute!  What is supposed to prosper the most?  If you read the entire verse, what truly matters is that your SOUL prospers!  Things and good health are not guaranteed.  They are hoped for, but what matters most is how well does your soul prosper?

I thought about this as I thought about all of the individuals making resolutions for the New Year.  Many are health related, such as lose 20 pounds or quit smoking or exercise more.  Good ideas that are usually out the window and forgotten by March.  Not because they were not well intentioned but because they were not so convinced that it could be done in the first place.  Things that had happened in the past proved that they just couldn’t do it.  As far as resolutions go, I don’t think I have ever heard someone say “I am going to work on making my soul prosper.”  Maybe we should consider making that kind of resolution.

In the Wesley Study Bible the notes say that 3 John shows that both evil and good can be found within a congregation.  “Gaius…. supports the elders understanding of the Christian Mission by making his resources of home and money available to itinerant Christian ministers.  Diotrephes, on the other hand, serves himself by seeking to undermine the elder’s influence in refusing hospitality to these missionaries and preventing those who want to help from doing so.”  The Message paraphrase says this: “The two most difficult things to get straight in life are love and God.  More often than not, the mess people make of their lives can be traced to failure or stupidity or meanness in one or both of these areas…there are always people around who don’t want to be pinned down to the God Jesus reveals, to the love Jesus reveals.  They want to make up their own idea of God, make up their own style of love.”

If you stop and think about it, it makes a lot of sense that how well you are on the inside “the soul” correlates to how well you are on the outside.  What you carry inside of you will manifest outwardly.  Your idea of God or love will show up in some manner.  So, perhaps we should consider what we are carrying around inwardly first before we make those resolutions for outward change.  Maybe the first place to start is getting rid of some of the inward baggage.  Still angry at someone?  Still nursing an old wound?  Still feeling like the victim?  Still making the excuse that you do certain things because you were damaged or hurt by what (insert name here) did to you twenty years ago?  Whether we like to admit it or not, old baggage from things that happened that we can not change, can and will weigh us down.  Bad things happen, even to good people.  It’s what you do with it that matters!  If it simply is a weight around your neck than it is not doing you or anyone else any good!  It’s time to let it go.  It is time to choose to love yourself like Jesus loves you and it is time to love others in the same way.  No more my style, it’s time to choose Jesus style!

So here’s a suggestion.  Take all of those things, those issues and write them down.  Make a list.  Then take the list and burn it or shred it beyond recognition.  Make sure you can not tape it back together no matter how hard you might try.  Commit to turning it over to God and then commit to letting it go.  Don’t take it back again.  If something comes up in your mind again say to yourself “I already let that go and turned it over to God” and then move on to something else.  I know, it is easier said than done but I also know that it can be done.  

It is much easier to move forward and create new good positive feelings and memories when you let go of  the old negative ones.  It is easier to accept love when you let go of those things that you think make you unlovable.  It is easier to love others when you can learn to love like Jesus loved.  How does your soul prosper?  May it prosper well!

May your everyday affairs prosper as well as your soul prospers in 2012!

Crispy Fried Goodness and that Proverbs 31 Chick

Today's daily Bible reading-Proverbs 31-the one that describes the perfect, virtuous woman and all that she does.  I'm depressed, cause by those standards I would fall under the category of epic fail!

It's not for lack of trying!  I don't know if it is because the weather has been so awful the last couple of days, or the fact that I have been pushing really hard to get things done (which I know better but tend to ignore).  Either way, I am crispy fried yet again and have worked myself into yet another fibro flare.  sigh....

So here I am with plenty of things to do and no energy to do them.  It's all about balance and I've gotten out of whack again as my body has so physically reminded me!  I feel like I've been hit all over with a sledge hammer!  The cure is to rest but as a mother, that's not always an option as my mind runs through its mental checklist of items.  It's a very long list!

I want to do it all-to be super wife and super mom and super church member, doing good things for everyone.  But I have to remember that God did not ask us to do it all or to do more than we are equipped to do!  He doesn't want or expect crispy fried goodness!  All he expects is that we use our gifts and graces to run the race that he has set before us-at his pace!  My guess is that the Proverbs 31 woman of virtue understood the need for balance and pace.  She didn't try to do everything at once.  She tackled life one thing at a time and she rested when necessary.

Logically I understand this, but it doesn't make me feel any less guilty.  There are people depending on me and when my health gets in the way, it is very very frustrating!  I prefer to be moving and doing not sitting and resting!

Today though, that is pretty much what I will have to do-sit and rest.  The sun has come out and it is shining on a gorgeous fall landscape.  There's a chill in the air but not oppressive.  It's a beautiful day that my Lord has made-now I have time to rejoice and be glad in it!

The Message Paraphrase has this to say in Proverbs 31:

"She always faces tomorrow with a smile."

As for me-I intend to face today with a smile.  I may be exhausted and in pain but I'm alive and surrounded by wonderful family and friends!  I have the goofiest 3 legged dog who makes me laugh.  I have beautiful scenery to look at all around me! I have friends to pray for and songs to sing.  I have the sun shining on me and birds chirping merrily along with the songs of the wind.  I have much to be thankful for today!  I'll take the time to rest and enjoy all of my blessings.  And tomorrow, I'm sure, will be a much better day!  Pace the race, Miss Trudy, pace the race!

I'd Like a Little Cheese to go With my WHINE!

Darling readers, pray for little ole me cause I'm a wretched miserable mess!  Fall, one of the most beautiful glorious times of the year in Missouri is a wretched time for me until a hard frost hits!  Fall allergies-bane of my existence!  I sneeze-my head feels like it's going to explode.  I sniffle, snort and blow my nose-my head feels like it's going to explode.  Even my ears itch!  Allergy meds you say?  Well, that's complicated.  You see, I live in an area where there is an active methamphetamine producing culture, so in order to try and stop the production of meth, the county passed a law whereby you must have a prescription-which means a visit to the doctor-which means I have to have a car and a co-pay.  We're down to one vehicle (mine) and since my husband going to work in order to have money to, oh I don't know, pay the bills is rather important...you get the picture.  Pass the cheese please.  There you have it, my sad little whine.

Oh if only someone could lay hands on me and heal me like Peter did in Acts 3:6 when he healed the crippled man at the gate!

"...I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk."

Miracles, healing, do they exist today in our modern world?  If you watch religious television with the mega tele-evangelists you would have to think yes.  But, I also know some of those "miracles" have been called in to question.  With modern medicine and technological advances things that seemed "miraculous" before seem rather common place now.  We have become somewhat jaded methinks in regards to miracles-we take an awful lot for granted.

What would it be like to experience that wonder and excitement again of being awed by a miracle?  Better yet, what would it be like to count our blessings and be thankful for what we have?  Think about it.  The discovery of Penicillin was huge!  Something that would kill a person before could now suddenly be cured!  The Polio vaccine was miraculous.  Advancements in imaging technology allow doctors to see tumors much earlier than before.  Organ transplants, reconstructive surgery for our veterans, advances in cancer treatment-it wasn't all that long ago that these things were not even possible!  Add to that the doctors who volunteer to go to places that do not have these technologies in order to help others who would not otherwise get help and the fact that they can actually get to these places-that's miraculous!  Can you imagine what Luke would have done if he had these resources at his disposal?  A faithful follower of Christ giving what he had to heal and help those who could least afford it-WOW!  How cool is that to imagine?!

Healing taking place right in front of our eyes-miracles do still happen.  We just need to open our eyes to see them!  What an amazing world we live in!