R-E-S-P-E-C-T

by Bruce Brady

Lately I’ve witnessed a lot of people behaving as if they were entitled to special treatment. They display this perceived entitlement by treating others as inferior people and talking down to them. It amazes me that many of us have come to believe the best way to get respect from others is to demand it. Yet, our human nature causes us to resent and even lash out at those who demand anything from us. So how can we justify mistreating others to get what we want?

In Matthew 5:7, Jesus says, “God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” There is no mention of God rewarding those who insist on having things their way.  We’re foolish if we expect others to love us when we our actions display disrespect and contempt for them. God very clearly teaches that to get what we want; we must first give others the love and respect they want.

Our call is not to half-heartedly follow Christ in order to obtain our selfish desires, it’s to truly serve others as a way of demonstrating our total commitment to living the life Jesus lays out for us. We are to display the merciful love of Christ toward everyone. It’s okay to hate poor behavior and misguided beliefs, but we must love all people as Jesus does. Rather than condemn, He lovingly corrects our sinful actions, and instructs us to interact with others in this same manner.

Throughout our day, we will encounter people who are behaving poorly. When we do, let’s remember that God loves them as much as He loves us and respond with love and kindness. Doing so will not only disarm them; it will also please our Father.

Amazingly, the self-help gurus tell us the key to success and the best way to get what we want is to help others get what they want. I wonder where they got that idea?

Frantic is Fantastic!

Today I'm highlighting a man, husband, father and author who is following his calling. Mike is a cancer survivor who helps others as a Physical Therapist. When he's not working, he and his wife, Jen, are busy loving and raising four beautiful daughters. So, he has little time to devote to writing. Yet, he is obedient to his calling and does his writing very early in the morning to ensure he doesn't neglect his family.

This is to say, if you claim there's too many other things to do or you don't have time to pursue your calling, the truth is you just aren't prioritizing your calling, or you're stalling due to fear. I spent a fair amount of time with Mike at last year's Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference and I can state with great certainty, he is just human. So, if he can do it, you and I can do it. The following is my brief review of his latest book:

All the clichés fit this one; page-turner, edge-of-your-seat suspense, action/adventure thriller. But the real gem of this book is relationships. Yes, the characters and their relationships are endearing and believable. But you don’t just read this story, you live it. I couldn’t and didn’t put this book down. This is Mr. Dellosso’s best work yet.

Marny is a simple guy with a simple life until the beauty of a sad, mysterious girl draws him into an adventure that will change his life, and yours, forever. Mike Dellosso’s masterfully crafted story touches all the emotions. And it shows the true power of faith. If you’ve ever doubted that even the most hopeless situation can end well, you need to read this book.

Frantic is due to release early February.

When He Calls, He Provides.

Today is the first day of rehearsal for my church’s Easter Pageant. I didn’t think it would happen. I didn’t think so because I couldn’t see it happening. Just last Thursday, I held a meeting for all cast members and only 8 people showed up; I expected about 20. The other 20 or so parts hadn’t been cast yet. Not for a lack of trying but because our Pageant takes place during Spring Break for our schools. Between the fear of public speaking and Spring Break plans, my casting efforts were met with stiff resistance. I struggled for 3 weeks just to get the 20 cast members I thought I had and our church has between 4,000 and 5,000 members. So you understand my frustration.

Now, another week has gone by and I have all the characters cast with extras I may have to write into the script because I don’t want to discourage anyone. The Music Minister and a couple of members who teach Bible Study classes worked their networks and the additional parts were filled in 4 days. All I did was follow up with a phone call and informational e-mail afterward. It was a wonderful thing to witness.

Most importantly, I was taught another lesson by my loving Father. He reminded me that when He calls us to do something for Him, He provides all our needs. I recalled all the times in His Word when He tells us to keep our focus on Him and He will take care of the rest. In Proverbs 3: 5-6 He tells us that when we don’t rely on our own understanding but think about Him in every situation, He will show us the way to go and what to do. The problem is that it is not natural for us to give control to someone else. Our very nature wants to be in charge of our life. But when we do give Him control, it always works out better than we can do on our own, and in perfect timing. Remember, God is our Father and He wants bless us with good things. So, if we’ll give Him our concerns, hopes and plans, He will show us the best way to handle them.

Listening Isn’t Easy!

God tells us to trust Him and He will take care of all our needs, He will protect us from those who would hurt us and He will surround us with people who care about us. So why do we have such a tough time listening?

One reason we find listening hard is because we each have a constant internal dialogue that keeps us distracted, even when we are most focused. It is difficult to turn it off, accomplish complete internal silence and then wait, quietly, for His voice. I know that whenever I try to shut off my internal dialogue, I never completely succeed. The closest I have ever come is reaching the point where my only thoughts are, “I must be quiet.” Of course, that is still internal dialogue. Thankfully, God is able to get my attention long enough to convey His message to me. He is able to do this because He is God and because my heart wants to hear from Him, even though I can’t quiet my thoughts.

Another reason we can’t hear Him is because of our selfishness. Sometimes we just know that if we let God speak, He will tell us to stop what we are doing, or that we can’t have what we want. This is not what we want to hear. Being born with a naturally sinful nature ensures it will take deliberate effort on our part to turn from our own desires and seek His way for ourselves. To reach this point is far more difficult than turning off our inner voice, and far more important. Quieting the voice in our head is just a matter of cutting through the noise, but turning from our own selfish ways and desires takes a deliberate choice that goes against our natural inclination. However, we must accomplish both if we truly want to hear from God, and we must accomplish both all day, every day.

The good news is that God wants to give His best to us. He wants us to succeed beyond our wildest dreams. He wants to bless us in ways we don’t even know we want. He wants us to have great, loving relationships with Him and everyone. He wants us to have earthly and heavenly rewards that will make us better people and give us great joy. He wants to take care of us like nobody else will or can. All we have to do is try to quiet our inner voice, yield our will to His and listen for His calling.

Is He Calling You?

When I was first approached about joining Reality Writing, I immediately received a prod from the Holy Spirit. I knew God wanted me to become a part of this exciting venture. I was called! I knew I was called because I have been called before and I’m still doing most of what He called me to do today. In fact, the only things I’m not still doing are those things that were “temporary assignments.”

But how did I know I was called? I knew because I was given a peace about the callings, even though I wasn’t comfortable with any of them. You see, I'm uncomfortable teaching His Word to children and adults, or speaking to a large congregation, or sharing the Gospel with strangers. Yet I do all these things because of His call. And my often fragile ego fears being criticized for my writing. However, I have learned that when He calls, it is best to respond in the affirmative because to do otherwise assures I will be uneasy until I do say yes. In fact, I can’t think of anything more uncomfortable than ignoring God’s call.

Is God calling you? Do you know His voice when you hear it? Are you even listening? My personal experience tells me that He is calling us all the time. But He does so with a quiet voice. So, if you are not hearing Him, it may be there’s too much noise in your life. Learning to hear Him starts by removing yourself from external distractions and quieting your constant inner dialogue. Then study His Word while expecting Him to speak to you. In time, you’ll learn to discern His voice in all situations. Then you too can hear and follow your callings.

So I invite you to join me in my most recent calling, my “Reality Writing” journey of self discovery and public service. And if you too are hearing the call to write or serve, remember there is no reason why you cannot say yes to God. For I am a grandfather of five with very little income, formal training that consist of only one creative writing class over 30 years ago, and limited writing experience that has been almost exclusively business letters and marketing pieces. Despite my lack of experience and training, I thank God for His call and choose to rely on Him to give me the words that will launch and sustain my writing career. This is truly a journey of faith.

"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 your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6)