Try harder

Today was kind of a rough day. I started out at work, getting my annual flu shot. Now, I'm not sure whether there's really any effect of how you feel that day; I never had really noticed anything before. But I've heard they can make you feel a little yucky.

Then I went to the doctor for a 9:30 appointment. No big deal - just making sure my prescriptions are up to date, going over test results, and the like. Blood pressure was good, previous blood work was fine. But to get ready for my next follow-up, I did have to go to the lab to update the blood work. They filled somewhere between 6 and 8 tubes - I wasn't counting, but they took some blood, no doubt about it.

So when I got back to work after lunch, I noticed something right away: I was getting a little short with people. Patience was not overflowing, as I could feel annoyance bubbling to the surface. I think being low on blood and having the remaining life fluid gunned up with a vaccine may have been getting to me. So, on to the point...

I was in a meeting with two of our other actuaries, going over some data and how we might organize it to minimize manual work. Impatience bubbled up, and the numbers on the screen were just running together. I wasn't picking up what they were putting down.

At that point, I sent up a short, silent prayer. (When you're lacking patience, "it's what you do.") I simply asked the Lord to send me a little patience and power from his Spirit. And then I felt it in my spirit - an answer from the Lord, as clear as if it were audible.

"Try harder."

And it hit me. I was letting my impatience stand in the way of my effort to really follow what I was being shown. So, with renewed energy, I started asking more questions. Specific questions. And before I knew it, three things happened: I understood what I was looking at, I provided helpful feedback, and...I felt patience starting to take over my psyche.

Now, folks, as believers we have the power of the Resurrection at our disposal. It can be released through prayer and dependence on God. But he wants us to take a step of faith. After all, Moses was instructed to move forward before the Red Sea was parted. In my case - in this case - it was simply taking a closer, slower look at the data. Actually putting forth an effort. And so I did.

And that, friends, was the highlight of the day. When we feel God working through us for his glory, it makes it all worthwhile.

I wonder how that will happen tomorrow.

What's your name? - Part 1

When I was in 7th grade, I got a new name. I never really took to it, because it was always spoken with a splash of mockery and derision. That name was "Mayonnaise."

It doesn't look much like my last name, Manis, but when you pronounce it it's pretty close. A bully who shall remain (ironically, given the topic of this post) nameless started using it. Before long, my football coaches picked up on it and were yelling it at me at practice after practice. No, I never liked it.

Names are powerful things, more powerful than we realize. I got to thinking about this during a message from our teaching pastor Sunday morning, where he was talking about how Jesus gave his disciple Simon a new name, Peter. More on that in Part 2 (to be posted tomorrow). But in the wake of that talk, I thought about how often we see the power of the name. For example,

• In Romeo and Juliet, the names of the two young lovers' families - Montague and Capulet - drive a wedge between them that they could never overcome. From the balcony Juliet tried to deny it ("What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet" - Act II, Scene II), but by the end of the play, we saw that there was indeed a lot in a name.
• While not universal, it's customary in our society for women to take the name of their husband when they get married. This has rich symbolism, because if two are going to become one, having a common name says so to the world.
• In Ethiopia (at least the part I visited), a child's last name is the name of his father. So, if I lived there, instead of Donnie Manis, my name would be Donnie TJ. The name identifies one very strongly with the father.
• In a recent episode of Revolution, the former President of a vast empire called the Monroe Republic finds his 25-year-old son in a forgotten hole-of-a-town, and reveals that he is his father. The son is not impressed until he reveals his name - Sebastian Monroe. Because of the name, which was well known, the son's whole attitude was changed instantly.
• When Moses encountered the burning bush and God was calling him to lead his people out of slavery, Moses insisted on being given a name. The name he received, YHWH, was basically the same as the Hebrew for "I am." The most powerful name ever given.

Throughout history, in popular culture, in just about every society,  the name has extraordinary significance. Your name is who you are. It matters. And that's why some name changes in the Bible tell us a lot about what God was doing in the lives of his people. People like Abram. Jacob. Simon. Daniel. Saul.

And Jesus.

Coming tomorrow: Name changes through history - why?