let it go

My Clean Start: Seizing the Moment of Inspiration

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Today, I started the great purge.  No, not the purge of paper clutter in my home – that will come later this week.  (No, really – I’m serious.  It has to…my hubby said so!).  I had to build up my endurance.  So I hit the web and found some good resources from a “paper organization” search and used that to motivation to propel me to start from where I was – at my desk at work.

Yes, sad to admit, I have retained files from my previous position (completely and utterly unrelated to what I do now) that are over three years old and were untouched since I moved into this cube.  Out they went as I felt the wind of exhilaration rush through my hair.  Or not.  I didn’t think I’d have the courage to slip them through the slit of the locked recycling bin, into the one-way slot abyss, never to return to my fingertips…but away they went.  I was surprised that it got easier as I went along, guided by the question grounded in reality, “What’s the worst possible thing that could happen if I threw this away?”  Since I couldn’t manufacture a reasonable-sounding cataclysmic or apocalyptic consequence, I parted with much of my desk paper today.  That was a baby step in the big scheme of my paper cosmos – yet, a significant step in the right direction.

Now to overcome my anxiety and attack one room at home – the office – this weekend.  God even sent a co-worker to encourage me to dig and discover the root of why I’m apprehensive to get rid of stuff I don’t need or that’s not adding joy to my life. (Duh – it’s because I figure I just might need it!  But I’ve gotta let go of that ridiculous thinking).  Halfway joking, she said, “I might have to pop in over at your house to help you keep the momentum!”  You know, I believe she just might do it.  Preparation is priceless…

“Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.”

(Matthew 24:44)

© Copyright 2010 by Kayren J. Cathcart

The Bill of Lading: Putting Down Burdens That Weren’t Mine to Begin With

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So I called the “Calgon – take me away!” hotline today, slightly dismayed to find out the line was busy…imagine that!  Here I am clamoring and clawing in desperation for someone to stop the dizzying, frenetic pace of the merry-go-round of a schedule I feel stuck on, only to realize in a flash of clarity that I am the person who can make it stop.  That’s a rather empowering realization.

Once again, I got caught up in a cycle of madness, only to return to the footstool of Jesus – bedraggled, worn, and spent – asking Him to restore me.  I could just imagine His eyes twinkling as He gently admonished, “Since you’ve finished trying to do My job, are you ready to try it My way now?”

Maturity has taught me that I don’t have to be near a breakdown to have these creatively inspired, introspective, pensively poetic moments…but you’ve gotta admit, it makes for good reading!  🙂

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

(Matthew 11:28)

© Copyright 2010 by Kayren J. Cathcart

Buildup and Residue

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I was so very warm, cozy, and super comfy in the bed when I muttered to myself, “Must – pass – test.”  See, staying in the bed either when summoned by inspiration to write or when nudged by the Holy Spirit to pray were two areas I’d seriously slacked in.  However, that is not a testimony of excellence…so here I am.  I’ve got to get rid of that residue from the way I “used to” do business.

While getting my hair fixed recently, I saw for myself the impact of product buildup.  The lady in the chair next to me was afflicted by hairspray residue causing a mass of fine flakes that I thought looked like dandruff.  Yes, it looked really bad on the black cape that draped her shoulders.  As the stylist educated her (while I eavesdropped), I began to wonder what it looks like on the inside when we let things build up without getting rid of them over time.  If we don’t wash the junk away regularly, it will accumulate.  So it is with our hearts.  If we allow negative thoughts – or just “plain ol’ sin” in general – to build up, eventually we’re going to explode. 

Real-life examples of residue include oil particulates left in a pan you just washed; egg fragments stuck on a spatula that just ran through the dishwasher; malice, unforgiveness, hurt, bitterness, anger, and anything left over from the old fleshly life (attitudes included).  Gasoline commercials warn that buildup on a car’s engine will slow its performance and impede its peak operating effectiveness.  Why wouldn’t it be so with our hearts?  It is.

“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.

Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”

(James 4:8)

© Copyright 2010 by Kayren J. Cathcart

Loss or Gain?

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I never connected to Philippians 3 like this before.  Who wants to say that their past accomplishments and accolades no longer count and are worth diddly-squat?  It’s not human nature to acknowledge that I have no righteousness of my own, but I must win Christ and be found in Him.  I certainly breezed past those “fellowship of His sufferings” and “being made conformable unto His death” parts.  Death sounded mighty final – because IT IS.  Death – not sexy, not glamorous, but unavoidable, certain, and inescapable.  The portal through which I must pass to gain His life – life eternal.

My pastor recently told us to allow God to “blow some things up in us,” things that have been entrenched and deep-seated.  Detonation’s after-effects are destruction.  Who wants to go rummaging and rambling through rubble attempting to salvage the past?  In that respect, I suppose it’s just easier to start over again.  This level of self-disclosure is getting painfully more uncomfortable.  It was already beyond my control, but now everything is open season.  Why?  Because God will get the return on His investment.  If He put me here in the earth and gave me a specific assignment, I’d better get to getting’.  Hear that?  It’s the sound of the rubber meeting the road.

The suffering of the multitudes impacted by the Haitian earthquake has been prominently displayed in the news – and rightfully so.  Hopefully, it has provoked us to intense gratitude for what we already have…so much.  My prayer is that His perfect will be made manifest even in the midst of what seems to be a desolate and overwhelming situation.  He comes through in extraordinary times like this, you know!

“But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.”

(Philippians 3:7)

© Copyright 2010 by Kayren J. Cathcart

Razed Before Being Raised

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What a timely title in light of our prayers for the people impacted by the Haiti earthquake.  Selah.

Completely torn down.  That’s what I’ve come face to face with regarding my past, and it’s a bit bizarre.  When you think your past was okay, or really cool, then you get a breaking news update that you’ve gotta let it go, it can be unsettling.  Perhaps that’s why I hadn’t written much in the new year to post – because I could see change a-comin’ but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.  Throwing “but I used to…” out of one’s vocabulary can be disconcerting – nevertheless, it’s needful.  Something on a recent makeover and personal transformation show really resonated with me, “You have to let go of who you were to embrace who you’re becoming.”  Not so “deep” when referring to fashion sense or a style philosophy, but at that moment, it was profound for me.

Another culminating “Twilight Zone” moment occurred this weekend when my children were playing VHS tapes of me from high school…1993 to be exact.  As my maiden name flashed up on the screen during an interview about a scholarship I’d won, my children asked, “Who is that?!”  Yes dear ones, who is that, indeed. 

So this year unfolds with yet another set of opportunities to emerge as that new creature in Christ.  Old things are passed away.  So what’s next?  I’m not quite sure.  But I do know that when spiritual demolition is complete, the new building that rises from below ground level is more impressive, more updated, and more sturdy than what formerly occupied the space.  In this I take comfort.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

(II Corinthians 5:17)

© Copyright 2010 by Kayren J. Cathcart

Demolition Cometh: Make Room for Progress

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Have you ever noticed how unattentive you really are?  This week, I got a good reminder. 

There used to be a Subway restaurant across the street from the train station I wait at twice a day, five times a week.  I didn’t realize the Subway had moved or otherwise gone out of business until two days ago when I became painfully aware that a significant portion of the strip mall was missing, occupied instead by a wrecking machine.  “Wow,” I thought to myself.  “When did all of this happen?!  I pass this site twice a day and had no clue it was gonna be knocked down.”  Perhaps the land would be deemed more valuable without the structure currently standing on it, but it was a decision that had been made previously by the “powers that be;” I’m sure they had to obtain permits and permissions, and finally, I was witnessing the execution of a plan.  And it was going quickly.  It seemed so…destructive.  And final.  But I suppose that’s what’s necessary before progress takes place.  Out with the old and in with the new…

What negative habits and restrictive thought patterns need to get torn down from your 2009 mindset before you leap into 2010?  Don’t try to do “historic preservation” on something that would be better off demolished.  After all, progress cometh…if you allow it.  Let God do a new thing in you – starting today.  Start right now.

© Copyright 2009 by Kayren J. Cathcart

 “And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old.”

(Luke 5:36)

Keep it Moving: Purge!

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As a beloved administrator in the Academic Skills Center told us as bright-eyed freshmen at the University of Richmond, “Don’t forget your fiber; you’ll need your roughage.”  We giggled, snickered, and chortled during orientation (because – as teenagers – of course we already knew everything, right?).  Yet, after substituting mom’s home-cooking for cafeteria fare and pulling late-night study sessions back-to-back with early morning classes, we became all-too-aware of our need for fiber and roughage to stay balanced and healthy.  Sure, pizza and ice cream (and all the goodies in-between) were fun and quick to eat – but when we needed substance and sustenance, we had to go back to the basics and put in the good stuff – fruits, veggies, protein, complex carbohydrates…you know the drill.

Our arteries long to be cholesterol-free.  Our colons would appreciate a rest from the incessant inflow of processed foods.  Our airways yearn for pure oxygen untainted by pollutants.  It’s no fun to be clogged, stopped up, or constipated – naturally or mentally.  Have you experienced a sluggish mind lately?  Maybe there’s a build-up of negative thoughts, unforgiveness, or bitterness that you just need to let go.  Perhaps inane bits of trivia occupy your valuable cranial space where you could have some real productivity if you cleared the mental clutter.  Whatever’s prohibiting your creativity – banish it from your personal space. 

Identify what is blocking, obstructing, congesting, jamming, choking, plugging, stifling, suffocating, strangling, gagging, or otherwise halting your process and free-flow of life, love, and creativity.  Then do something about it.

And remember: fiber is good!  🙂

 © Copyright 2009 by Kayren J. Cathcart

 “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

(II Corinthians 7:1)

Clear the Clutter to Get Victory in Your Secret Place

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“Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.”

(Proverbs 4:23, Amplified)

How many of us have emotional baggage and mental clutter that gets in the way when we realize our need to press into the presence of God?  Let me be the first one to raise my hand!  Too often, we allow issues, concerns, and circumstances to accumulate and gather steam.  Instead of releasing them to God and allowing the breath of the Holy Spirit to blow them away, we give life to the very things that come to choke the life out of us.  What started as a question has grown into full-blown worry; what began as a gnawing feeling of insecurity has mushroomed into a cloud of doubt; and what was initially apprehension has spun out of control into a tornado of fear.  Before we know it, confusion looms overhead as a daunting force to be reckoned with – and we wonder, “Where did that come from?!”  A foreign substance has infiltrated your secret place, but I have good news: it doesn’t have to stay that way!

Secret means confidential, private, restricted, covert, clandestine, and concealed.  Everyone doesn’t (and shouldn’t) have access to things classified as secret!  The heart is the secret place where God desires to dwell and have habitual fellowship with us.  When we lead a double life or “straddle the fence” (because we’re not honest with God, ourselves, or others), the secret place becomes defiled. 

Inconsistencies between our talk and our walk reveal a need for God’s intervention and a commitment on our part to be transformed by the power of His Word.  The scripture says we must “keep and guard” our hearts – these are action words, not passive terms!   People who exhibit behavior contrary to the Word of God (which they may even profess!) indicate that they have a problem with boundaries, obedience, and God-given authority.  Behind their destructive or addictive habits, they’re screaming out, “I’m hurt!”  They accepted a “substitute fix” – but alas, it doesn’t satisfy the hunger growing in the pit of their souls.  They say they have faith, but they’re terrified deep down on the inside.  They say they love their brothers and sisters, but something bubbles in the pit of their stomach when they see them.  They say they have peace, but they find no rest.  These are the things God wants to address in the secret place – because when you get quiet, you have to face the real you and deal with your issues of trust and intimacy with God. 

You might be thinking, “That’s not me!  But I know somebody else who fits those characteristics!”  However, I encourage you to examine your own secret place closely.

When the spirit of compromise enters your heart, you’ll rationalize, justify, and make excuses – but all that matters is the truth of God’s Word.  To probe a little deeper in this area, ask God to help you identify:

  • What issue do you avoid facing and dealing with?
  • What obstacle appears impossible to overcome?
  • What challenge do you feel inadequate to conquer?
  • What terrifying fear has gripped and paralyzed you?

To walk upright in integrity is priceless – but it is attainable.  Give God unrestricted access to your secret place today – He will bring to light those things that have been hidden in plain sight from you.  He’ll uncover the treasures He placed in you that were tangled with the clutter of negative thoughts and images.  And He’ll cleanse you of those things you tried to hide, but no longer have need of.   May the clear springs of life flow from your heart forevermore…

To get victory in your secret place:

  1. Stop where you are – don’t get in deeper!
  2. Cry out to God earnestly and repent – humble yourself.
  3. Ask for God’s help and direction – listen!
  4. Obey! Begin to walk in the direction He shows you, without hesitation.

© 2009 by Kayren J. Cathcart

Steal Away to Jesus

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Disclaimer: Everything stated in this article is applicable to the author!  How about you?

“Steal away, steal away, steal away to Jesus!
Steal away, steal away home,
I ain’t got long to stay here.”

Lyrical Excerpt from “Steal Away to Jesus”

A Negro Spiritual by James Weldon Johnson and John Rosamond Johnson

Why does it seem so hard for us to pull away from the things we KNOW are keeping us from abiding in true peace?  Why do we allow the all-too-familiar speed bump of the status quo to slow us down on the road to progress and success?  Could it be that we’re unwilling to make a clean break from what we intellectually know, visibly see, and mentally comprehend with our finite minds?  Maybe we subconsciously think, “Well, it’s not that bad, right?”  Is it possible there’s something deep down inside that wants to hold onto that habit, relationship, behavior, attitude, or memory? 

Perhaps you have recently found yourself thinking thoughts similar to these:

  • “Nobody else can organize/coordinate/orchestrate/manage this like I can.”
  •  “There just aren’t enough hours in the day to finish all that I have to accomplish!”
  • “I could delegate this task, but it won’t get done the way I want it to be completed.”

If so, you need to steal away to Jesus – soon.  Why?  Because the process will remind you that you’re not indispensable – only He is.  You are not a wonderful sensation or a marvelous phenomenon – you are a vessel He has selected and chosen for His use.  Only when His glory is manifested can you reflect it to this lost and dying world – and offer the hope of salvation that comes only through Him.  Yet, you are simply a vessel – one that carries the glory of Almighty God.  Always remember that it’s not your glory in the first place.  If you are so busy doing for others that you haven’t been replenished in His presence – beware!  You’ll be dispensing from your own reserves instead of tapping into Him as the endless Source.  And that, my friend, is a recipe for disaster.

Steal away means to “sneak out, slip out, slip away, exit, leave.”  It means to slip away from your regular activities and daily routine to seek His face.  Leave whatever you’re doing and get back to the basics – the core essence of your being.  Exit the madness and swirling torrents of drama threatening to overtake you.  When you spend time in the Lord’s presence, He’ll adjust your perspective and show you what’s really important –His priorities for your life.  It makes things much simpler; you don’t have to figure it out after all – just obey His instructions.  You’ll realize “I ain’t got long to stay here.”  With that focus, you’ll be able to turn your attention to the activities and assignments you were sent to do – instead of allowing extraneous things to accumulate on your plate to the point of overwhelming you.

Years ago, as I enthusiastically described my first “real” job to my Dad (and the ink on my newly-minted college degree was still wet), he took that precise opportunity to burst my little bubble and give me a heaping dose of reality.  With over twenty years of military service and plenty of “real world” life experience under his belt, I consider him to be a pretty trustworthy resource.  He looked me straight in the eyes and said, “If you think you’re indispensable to your job – DIE.  Then see if they don’t fill your seat with someone else to do your job…while the seat is warm.”  His words hurt my feelings a bit (and bruised my ego a lot!), but as time passed, I’ve had to acknowledge how right he was.  It set me on an early path of learning to balance the demands and expectations of others with taking responsibility for cultivating my own quality of life.  I share those sage words with others who need a reality check.

For some strange reason, we think we’re supposed to be “super saints” who do it all – 24/7.  Not so!  Even our supreme example, Jesus, took time away from the crowds, noise, and hustle and bustle of everyday life.  In Matthew 15, he took several opportunities after serving others to “get away from it all” and retreat into the presence of His Father.  Depending on where you stand today and the boundaries you’ve set (and honor) for yourself, “flying under the radar” or “going off the grid” may seem like an action-movie fantasy or a harsh, drastic decision.  However, sometimes it’s absolutely necessary.  Often, we tell folks too much of our personal business, grant them unlimited access to our innermost thoughts, and expect answers, solutions, and validation they cannot provide.  The intimacy we’re searching for in people must first be secured in our relationship with Christ.  So don’t delay…steal away to Jesus!

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart,

and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

(Matthew 11:28-30, NIV)

 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion?  Come to me.

Get away with me and you’ll recover your life.  I’ll show you how to take a real rest.  Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it.  Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.  I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.  Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

(Matthew 11:28-30, The Message)

© Copyright 2009 by Kayren J. Cathcart

Is Fear Clouding Your Judgment?

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“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”

(I John 4:18, NKJV)

Have you ever felt too fearful to do something you believe God has called you to do?  At those times, you have to believe God’s Word because He is Truth, and He is not a man that He should lie.  Fear is the opposite of faith.  Faith empowers, emboldens, and thrusts ahead into divine destiny.  On the other hand, fear keeps you locked up as a prisoner in your own mind and a slave to your delusions.

Fear is defined as “a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.”  Synonyms include apprehension, terror, fright, panic, horror, alarm, and dread.  These words certainly evoke images of torment!  Nevertheless, when we nurture our relationship with God on a daily, consistent basis, we’ll walk in love and not fear; obedience, and not rebellion.

As we revisit the story of Moses sending the spies to Canaan (the Promised Land) in Numbers 13 and14, we see the children of Israel faced with a dilemma.  They had to choose to step outside the comfort zone of familiarity to possess God’s promise (laid out and waiting for them) or continue to wander in the wilderness without the provision God had already made.  Fear caused the majority of them to focus on the challenges they were well-equipped to overcome instead of standing on the victorious end result God had decreed.  Their perception was definitely skewed. In their insecurity, they saw themselves as inferior to the people God commanded them to conquer!  They even projected that their enemies saw them as they saw themselves – as grasshoppers (Numbers 13:33).

In Numbers 14:11, God’s anger was provoked by the people’s lack of faith as they were overcome with FEAR – in spite of His promise!  How disheartening it must have been for the Creator, with His perfect plan and divine will laid out, to hear His creation murmuring about how they couldn’t receive what was already set apart for them because of their own insecurity.  As if God weren’t big enough to fight for them!  As if He hadn’t already gone before them to prepare the way and make provision!

Yet, how many of us offer the same lame excuses today?  What “land of milk and honey” have you nearly forfeited out of fear?  Have you seen yourself – and subsequently influenced others to see you – as a tiny bug that can be squashed in one step?  Rise up!  God has empowered you with His authority to face your fears. You are empowered for the purpose of destroying, vanquishing, conquering, and overcoming them – not wallowing in them, nursing them, or catering to them!  If you’re paralyzed by fear or walking in disobedience (going in the wrong direction), your judgment is probably pretty shaky.  We’ve all been there – whether we care to admit it or not.

So where are you today?  Is fear clouding your judgment?  If so, consider these progressive action steps that will help you confront and conquer fear:

  1. Look at it – identify the real issue (don’t keep sweeping it under the rug)
  2. Deal with it – get support and help from the brethren
  3. Be delivered from it – let it go!
  4. Help deliver others (minister deliverance) – walk in freedom and spiritual liberty

Know that “God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (II Timothy 1:7).  When you take that first step, you’ll see the cloud of fear melt away as the light of God’s truth shines into your situation.  Why believe a lie? 

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth” (III John 1:4).  Press forward to receive all God has in store for YOU.  Trust HIM – He is faithful to His Word and keeps His promises.  Remember:  When God is on your side, HE fights for you and victory is assured, guaranteed, and certain.  That alone should dispel any nagging fear hanging around!  Now get moving in the direction God has instructed…

© Copyright 2008 by Kayren J. Cathcart