Over the years we’ve some pretty interesting experiences with Home Owners Associations. A year after we were first married, Donna and I moved into a little house in a neighborhood in Mabelvale, Arkansas. This neighborhood had its own sewage treatment plant, so all of the owners had to pay monthly dues to the HOA for maintenance and upkeep so the plant would keep running. The alternative to it not running would have been quite literally a big mess. I’ve got some crazy stories about that “stinking” plant, but I’ll spare you the details.

Here’s what makes HOA’s very interesting. Nobody really has the time or wants to do the work that needs to be done, especially a sewage treatment plant, and usually the ones that are willing to do the work should probably not be doing it in the first place. But, without them, things wouldn’t get done at all. It’s usually a pretty intense love\hate relationship. But I’m learning that how God can even work through how I respond to my HOA Board. Let me explain.

We have an HOA in our neighborhood in Forney, Texas too. There isn’t a sewage treatment plant thankfully, but we do pay bi-annual dues for upkeep to the neighborhood and to make sure everyone “abides by the rules.” All these rules are listed in a document we were given when we closed on our home that I honestly never read. We were so excited to be moving into our new home it just wasn’t important! Funny how it becomes important when you get notices about those small details listed in that paperwork. When warnings arrive in your mailbox about fence slats missing, where you store your trash cans, missed payments & fees, and basketball goals being stored in the proper place things change. How I responded is what is important.

Honestly, as I write this and think about my experiences with HOA’s over the years, my mind can easily go down the wrong path. I can get angry and let loose with a negative verbal barrage describing my feelings about the events we’ve gone through over the years. That would be how I feel, and feelings should never impact the final decisions we make. Instead, as my wife Donna has said to me so eloquently over the years, “if you’ll just think and choose the small things that need to be done, even when you don’t like it, you will end up being blessed and being a blessing to others as you simply obey what needs to be done.” This morning was one of those moments.

Our portable basketball cannot be left in our cul-de-sac or on the sidewalk. Those are the rules. It has to be in the driveway, where in my opinion it looks much more unattractive and the concrete isn’t flat (sorry, had to express just a bit of my frustration), so that requires that you move it back and forth. We had about 15 kids playing basketball this past weekend, so I left the goal in the cul-de-sac overnight. This morning I knew I needed to move it back to “its spot”, but when I began to move it the wheel bracket broke off. It wasn’t going anywhere. What I felt like doing was curse the HOA and look for some type of device to destroy the basketball goal completely! That’s what I felt, but what I chose, for once, was to remember the advice of my wife, determine the size bolts that I needed to fix the wheels, and do the small thing that needed to be done.

I went to Lowes, found the bolts, came home, installed them, and then the most amazing thing happened. The basketball goal rolled like it hasn’t rolled in forever. Why? Because the goal was actually missing a bolt, and when I made that minor adjustment to it, which took all of 5 minutes, it rolled easily up the drive to the spot where it is required to be by our beloved HOA. You know what? It felt good to just do the right thing.

Pride & Denial are very dangerous components in our lives. I could justify many things about my relationship with our HOA over the years. I could logically explain why payments were missed, how unjust the late fees have been, and how the rules of the neighborhood seem simply ridiculous. You might even agree with me and have some horror stories of your own. But when I choose to deny my role and mistakes in the situation, my pride ultimately takes over and the result is a much bigger mess than I had to experience in the first place. When I work so hard to justify myself and my actions, I only cause more problems for my family and those around me. If I simply choose to assess the situation, go to Lowes and get a couple of bolts for $1.87, and do the right thing, things end up much better for everyone involved. That’s where I am today. I’m learning, I emphasize “learning,” to value honesty and simply doing the right thing more than avoiding the truth.

There is a very interesting story in the Bible. In I Samuel 15, King Saul is confronted by the prophet Samuel about his disobedience. God had told Saul to get rid of everything in a battle that he would win. No one and nothing was to be left, but instead of doing as he was told, he ignored the Lord’s instructions. He allowed the King of the land he had conquered to live and kept much of the livestock. When Samuel confronted him, Saul began to make excuses and tried to justify his actions. Pride and Denial crept in quickly. Saul said, “I carried out the mission he gave me. I brought back King Agag, but I destroyed everyone else. Then my troops brought in the best of the sheep, goats, cattle, and plunder to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” (I Samuel 15:21)

After King Saul made this statement, Samuel said something so powerful back to Saul. It really applies to what we are talking about today, and it is something that God has been trying to show me personally through His Word, my wife, and people that cared about me over the years. Samuel says, “What is more pleasing to the Lord:  your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols. So because you have rejected the command of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.” (I Samuel 15:22-23)

Wow! Those verses are so powerful & challenging! When I try to justify my actions, manipulate situations and people with my words to avoid the truth, and live in rebellion, it’s as sinful as witchcraft! Samuel makes it clear. Obedience and Submission are better than anything “I” can offer, sacrifice, or DO. The result of Saul’s choices was that God rejected Him as King and Saul ended up dying on a battlefield a paranoid and desperate man. It didn’t have to be that way.  

I can relate to Saul. I have made some horrible choices over the years. I have, on many occasions, chosen to live a life of pride and denial instead of choosing to repent of my actions, own my choices, and acknowledge my failures authentically. A simple act of obedience and humility could have made things so different. I could have saved my wife and family from so much unnecessary hurt & pain, avoided careless financial loss, and ushered peace into my home rather than confusion and chaos.

There’s good news today! We don’t have to live that way! We can change! Because of Jesus Christ we can find forgiveness & become the men and women He desires for us to be. We can be different! II Corinthians 5:17 says, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

We can choose to obey God's way above our own. We can make the minor adjustments. We can choose to believe that Jesus truly is “the way, the truth, and the life.” The old life of denial and pride can be gone, and a new life can begin today that will ultimately usher in forgiveness, peace, hope, and the change you desire. It’s NEVER too late.  

On a day when LOVE seems to become the dominant word on everyone's mind, I would like to declare how thankful I am for the source of ALL LOVE. God the Father makes love & life possible EVERY day. God is love & His Son Jesus Christ extended & demonstrated The Father's love, grace, & mercy to us through His life & death on the cross.

Because of Jesus, We are able to receive His love & then in turn also extend that love to others. On this Valentines Day I want to declare that there is not a person on the face of this planet that has demonstrated that love to me more than my wife Donna.

She has been an extension of the love, grace, & mercy of Christ in my life, our family, & so many others.
When I haven't deserved love & second chances I have been given love & second chances, first & always, by my Heavenly Father & then from my amazing wife & soul mate.

Donna's name means "lady" and she demonstrates that meaning in every possible way. Her personality is imaginative, powerful, & intuitive. Her instincts are strong (I'm learning to listen more each day). She has a keen intellect and such a giving heart. She gives & loves freely without thought of what she might receive in return. She listens to her heart & lives life with elegance, grace, & style. She loves deeply & authentically, and her relationships are blessed and we are all amazed as she allows the Holy Spirit to work through her beautiful life everyday.

So thankful today, and everyday, for my Heavenly Father's love and the love of my wife! It's Valentines Day EVERY Day because there has never been a day in my life I haven't been truly loved by my Father, and I have been so blessed to experience His love, extended to me, though my beautiful wife Donna. I am so thankful!

I love you Donna. Thank you for loving me unconditionally when I surely haven't deserved it. Very Grateful. Happy Valentines Day!

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, 13 NLT)

“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love." (John 15:9 NLT)

There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. (John 15:13 NLT)

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8 NLT)

Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.” (John 14:21 NLT)

I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.” (John 17:26 NLT)

I love trash day! You put everything out on the curb you want to get rid of in the morning, and when you come back later in the day it’s gone! The trash service where we live in Texas is awesome! You can pretty much put anything out you want and they’ll haul it right off. TV’s, furniture, bags of junk, & anything else you want to get out of your house. I love it! They are the best Trash-Picker-Uppers on the planet! I especially enjoy watching as they put the trash in the back and bring down the great hydraulic crusher thingy of doom too smash it all together. That's awesome! I’d love to operate that magic handle just one time. I may ask if I can this week!  

I remember a time, when we lived in Mabelvale, Arkansas, that our trash-picker-uppers wouldn’t pick up something I put on the curb. We had bunch of old paint cans that I wanted to get rid of, so I stacked them on the curb. When I got home they were still there. I was so frustrated! The next week, I put them down in the trash can thinking that might take care of it. When I came back that afternoon, there they were, still on the curb. I became aware of something new that day. Apparently paint cans are toxic, flammable, and harmful to the environment, so my trash guys weren’t allowed to pick them up. It was something that I wasn’t aware of, so I had to either find another way to get rid of them or continue in my frustration!  The trash was gone (grace & forgiveness), but the paint cans had to stay until I dealt with them (sanctification.) Pretty cool thought huh?

Check this verse out...

"[Now] before the Passover Feast began, Jesus knew (was fully aware) that the time had come for Him to leave this world and return to the Father. And as He had loved those who were His own in the world, He loved them to the last and to the highest degree." (John 13:1 Amp)

As Jesus was hanging out with His Disciples before the Passover feast began, the Bible says that Jesus "KNEW (was fully aware) that the time had come for Him to leave this world and return to the Father." He KNEW it! He was SURE of it! He was completely AWARE of it. He had arrived at a precise place, at a precise moment, to fulfill a precise call upon His life, and He was ready to accomplish God's perfect will for His life. What was the result? Fully aware of God’s will, He loved all mankind “to the highest degree” and freely offered His life, by choice, resulting in salvation & forgiveness for everyone that would simply believe in Him. That’s why Jesus was able to declare in that same conversation, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

When we think about the idea of being “fully aware” of God’s will for our lives it seems impossible at times doesn’t it? I am learning, on this walk of faith Donna and I have been called to travel, that uncertainty doesn’t always have to be so uncertain.  We have the same ability to KNOW and be FULLY AWARE of God’s will & purpose for our lives just like Jesus. Jesus told His disciples in John 14:12, “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.” Meditate on that verse for a while in the context it was spoken. It is absolutely amazing what is available to those who will believe! We can KNOW and be AWARE too, because when Jesus went to the Father He sent His presence, the Holy Spirit, to all of us that would believe.

If I’m honest, I’ve put paint cans on the curb in my life over and over again. Instead of "Knowing" and being "Fully Aware," I often have struggled with confusion & doubt when I didn’t have to. I have a hard time simply buying things at a store. Why? Because I'm concerned that I am buying the wrong thing, at the wrong place, and that there is something out there that is a better deal or better quality. Why do I struggle? I'm not aware and sure of what I need to know before I enter the situation.

Whether it is a store, family issue, temptation, struggle, job change, tough decision, or circumstance, whenever I enter that moment with fear & doubt, not KNOWING and FULLY AWARE of God's direction and purpose for my life, it will always create confusion. Not just for me, but for my wife, my children, and those that I am supposed to be leading around me. That mindset, when we don't make adjustments, can even lead us into a lifestyle of unawareness. We become stuck & even comfortable with that type of thinking. When we choose to only be aware of who or what is around us rather than WHO is IN us, we will sadly find more peace and comfort ability with not knowing. The paint cans remain on the curb, and we refuse to understand why they are still there.

If you go on to read the words of Jesus in John chapters 14-17, you will see how Jesus never intended for His Disciples, or us, to live life unaware and directionless. It was the exact opposite! His Words reassure and instruct all of His struggling, confused, and doubting disciples to realize they CAN be aware and know His will for their lives. Jesus was completely aware and obedient to the Father, and that was going to make things much different for all of us from that point forward. It would now be possible for all of us to have the Father's presence IN us, and to KNOW and be AWARE just like Jesus was that Passover evening.

 The problem comes when we keep trying over and over again to handle things on our own. You see, It was obvious there was a reason the trash company wasn’t going to pick up the paint cans. It then became my responsibility to seek the answer as to why they wouldn’t, and what my options were to dispose of them properly. My trash-picker-uppers obviously knew it wasn’t what was best, and so I had to seek alternatives.  Jesus said in Matthew 6:32-33, “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

God told His people in Jeremiah 29:12-13, “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

When we seek the Lord daily by reading His Word & praying, the Spirit of God, inside of us, will begin to reveal the will of the Father to us daily. That’s how Jesus KNEW and was FULLY AWARE while here on the earth. He was in continual communion and communication with His Father. He was always led by the Spirit of God, and responded to every situation according to the will of the Father and not His own.  He never entered a situation with an agenda based on what HE wanted, but rather in complete obedience and surrender to the will of His Father. That’s why on Passover night the Bible says that He KNEW and was FULLY AWARE. He was about to offer up His life through a painful & excruciating death, and He was willingly to do it because it was God’s will. That is what mattered most to Jesus.

When we quit stacking up the paint cans week after week, and start living as Jesus did we can know too. It most often will not look like we think it should look either. Remember, “His ways are higher than our ways.  His thoughts are higher than our thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9) But when we step into God’s will for our life, by faith, He will always be faithful to guide, provide, and help get  rid of the trash in our lives so we can become more like Him. Sometimes there are paint cans left of the curb. It’s those times when He desires for us to seek Him more diligently. The result will be the fulfillment of His will in our lives as He faithfully fulfills the promise He made to all of us before eternity began.

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10)