Be Yourself by Paula Friedrichsen

I love to cook. I have always loved to cook, even as a child. My mother tells about forcing my older sisters to endure my many unique culinary creations—not allowing them to complain in my presence. She would give them “the look” as I came proudly to the dinner table with a curious dessert consisting of green Jell-o mixed with raisins, sunflower seeds, and grapes. And because of that look they picked at it with nary an unkind word.

Thankfully I think my cooking skills have improved over the years. And because my mother allowed me to express myself in the kitchen, early in life I developed the joy of putting foods together in interesting ways. Maybe that’s why my favorite analogies are food analogies… so here goes:

It’s a cold winter’s evening and you’re on your way home from a long and hectic day at work. It’s dark outside and the rain is falling fast and furious. The wind is icy, cutting like a knife, but finally, after fighting the elements, you arrive home safely. You shake out your coat, slip off your boots and trudge up the stairs to see what’s for dinner. You can smell something, but it’s still unidentifiable and you’re just pleased to warm yourself in front of the fire.

“Dinner’s ready!” And boy, are you hungry! “We’re having stew tonight.” Your mouth waters in anticipation. And there, set in front of you is something he’s calling “Tabasco Stew”. That’s right, a stew where the main ingredient is Tabasco sauce. You tentatively drag your spoon through it hoping for a chunk of meat or maybe a potato or two, but no, this “stew” appears to be mainly just Tabasco sauce.

While my story may seem a little ridiculous, the point I’m making is this; beef and vegetable stew with a couple of drops of Tabasco sauce is absolutely delicious—but a stew made up almost entirely of Tabasco sauce would be awful! And in the same way life is made up of many different personalities and when they are combined they create something beautiful. But if they were all copies of each other, our lives wouldn’t have a pleasant flavor. God never intended that we should suppress our true personality in order to conform to other people. Each and every person that God created has his or her own characteristics and abilities, that when combined with others, sends forth a wonderful aroma to our heavenly Father.

As I’ve grown older I find one of my greatest desires is to be more authentic. Nothing put-on, nothing fake… just the transparent, authentic, and genuine person God made me to be. Don’t you agree that there’s nothing worse than a phony? It’s distasteful, right? Not only is it distasteful, but it makes the person who’s pretending to be something they’re not seem needy, pathetic, and desperate. But on the other side of the coin, there is nothing more attractive than someone who is confident enough to be who God made them to be. No apologies, no insecurities, no excuses.... Just an honest representation of who they really are.

“He who has no opinion of his own, but depends on the opinions of others is a slave. To only dream of the person you are supposed to be is to waste the person you are.” (Frederic Klopstock)

“Nobody is so disappointed and so unhappy as the person who longs all of his life to be somebody other than who he really is. Most of our challenges in life come from not knowing ourselves and ignoring our best, real virtues.” (John Mason)

“The easiest thing to be in the world is you. The most difficult thing to be is what other people want you to be. Don’t let them put you in that position.” (Leo Buscaglia)

If you can relate to this and it’s a familiar struggle in your life, ask God for the freedom to start being who you really are… the person with your own particular laugh; your corny sense of humor; your less-than-perfect body shape; your intelligence level; your facial features; your height; your weight; the way you cry so easily—or not at all; your exuberance; your shyness; your loudness; your quietness; your seriousness. Whatever it is that God made you to be, you will honor Him by not hiding your true self, and by being fully “you.” The only thing you will ever be good at is being yourself.

Paula Friedrichsen is a member of Church on the Mountain, a vibrant community of believers in Crowley Lake. We meet at 9:30 Sunday mornings. Call for more information: 935-4272 or www.ChurchOnTheMountain.org

Ruts by Tom Hovsepian

My brother-in-law, Tig, told me a story about his recent elk hunting trip in Colorado. His hunting party was driving down a mountain dirt road when it began to rain. They continued traveling as the dirt turned to mud, and found that they had gotten stuck in the ruts of those that had gone ahead of them. At that point they had no choice but to go forward. No turning left or right because the ruts had become way too deep. He said they needed something to just pick them up and set them on flat, dry ground, enabling them to travel where they wished.

A couple of weeks ago I listened to the testimony of a man named Sy Rogers. He tried the “being good” routine... he was an Eagle Scout, went to church, played sports, and joined the military, all in an effort to find something that eluded him…. maleness. You see, Sy was struggling with his sexual identity. Finally resigning himself to what he thought was his fate, Sy decided to proceed with a sex change operation. In preparation he lived for two years as a woman until someone came and lifted him out of the rut of his female identity.

One night in his room, Sy met God. The encounter transformed him and all that the Lord asked of him was to “walk with Me.” No list of rules, or dos and don’ts…. simply “walk with Me”, and the rest fell into place. Sy was so overcome with God’s acceptance that he gladly joined up and was gloriously set free! That was 31 years ago and Sy travels the world telling people of the transforming power of encountering God.

Bill Johnson, Pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, CA, says divine encounters are the stuff that brings about transformation in our lives (a lifting out of the ruts, so to speak). Simply knowing about something will always be trumped by experiencing it for ourselves.

In the book of Romans we read that “it’s the goodness of God that brings us to repentance (change).” Charles Finney said it was like “liquid love” being poured over him. He was stuck in the rut of being a mean, feisty lawyer and it was God’s goodness that transformed him into one of the greatest revivalists of the 19^th century.

King David showed us that encounters with God were a necessary part of his life when he wrote “like a deer pants for the water brooks so my soul pants for You, O Lord. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” (Ps.42:1-2) Encounters with the living God were the foundation of David’s vital and vibrant relationship with Him. Because he was accepted and loved he knew he could change. And as we encounter how much the Lord loves us, we like David, will gladly begin to be lifted up out of the ruts of our lives, living holy and free before our God. Why? Because love changes things, and picks us up and sets us on level ground.

Tom Hovsepian is a former pastor of Church on the Mountain, a vibrant community of believers in Crowley Lake. We meet at 9:30a.m. Sunday mornings. Call for more information: 935-4272 or www.ChurchOnTheMountain.org

Play the Hand You're Dealt by Paula Friedrichsen

Play the hand your dealt. I'm sure we've all heard that phrase before. I believe it's a saying taken from card playing, meaning just play the cards you've got in your hand instead of always waiting for the better hand. Sometimes we wait for true happiness, productivity, and fulfillment to come after…. After we get that perfect job; After we find that perfect mate; After we have those perfect little babies; After we get in shape. But we are only promised today. “This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24)

Last January I got the flu. Once I recovered I still had to regain my strength and this took awhile. One morning as I sat on the couch feeling like a wet dish rag (no energy, no spunk and no desire to enjoy the day) I asked God to “just help me get through the day.” Well, He showed me something that really changed my perspective on things. He showed me that each day was like a beautiful garden. It had a pretty fence around it and a gate by which to enter. The garden had gorgeous flowers to look at and enjoy. It had experiences and pleasure and closeness with my creator and closeness with my family. And then He showed me that I had the choice everyday whether I would enter into the garden and enjoy each fragrance and each touch of beauty, or if I would just stand right inside the gate waiting for the day to end. Each day God gives us is a gift not a burden! Each day is to be enjoyed not endured.

The crux of this is a relationship with God. He is the one who gives us eyes to see all the beauty in our lives. He is the one that will comfort us in our troubles and sorrows. He is the one that promises better things for our future and then enables us to live fully today. He has given me many promises through the years, some of which have already come about. But even while I look forward to the things God has said He will do in my life, I fully embrace my life now. Today it is snowing softly. Today I am enjoying the warmth and comfort of my home. Today I will hug my daughter and my husband. Today I will experience the joy of knowing Jesus. Today!!

So I encourage you (and myself also) to play the hand we’ve been dealt. No more excuses. Live fully! Be tenacious in your pursuit of a deeper walk with God. Seek out opportunities to be a blessing to others. Don't wait until you have it all together, just take what you do have and get busy.

Paula Friedrichsen is a member of Church on the Mountain, a vibrant community of believers in Crowley Lake. We meet at 9:30 Sunday mornings. Call for more information: 935-4272 or www.ChurchOnTheMountain.org