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Archive for the ‘God’s Faithfulness’ Category

A Shocking Experience

Posted in Devotional, Encouragement, Faith, God's Faithfulness, God's Goodness, God's Provision, Inspirational, Miracles, Spiritual Strength, Testimony on August 1, 2011| 2 Comments »

Some time ago, I promised to share more of my own personal encounters with the miraculous. This one is truly shocking –literally.

Four-thirty in the morning was just too early for me to wake up and get dressed, except for shoes, then drive my step-father to the commuter lot, but I had no choice. I needed the car that day and that was the only way I could get it. Along the way, flashes of lightning tore through the early morning sky to announce a coming storm. Although my plan had been to drive back home, dive into bed and pick up my dream where I left off, my step-father decreed something more important.

“You need to go home and wake up your mom and your brother, and ask them to help you take down the antennae before the storm hits.”

I only half obeyed. Suffice it to say that I was sure I could do the task myself. Besides, waking anyone else up that early was never a good idea, trust me. By the time I stood ready to dismount the antennae, it had already started to drizzle; there was about one-quarter inch of water standing on the deck. The cool water felt good on my bare feet, but I knew that going back to sleep was out of the question because the slow, but steady raindrops had already slapped me more awake than I wanted to be. That’s okay, I thought, because I love a nice storm and I’ll be awake to enjoy this one. Little did I know that I was about to experience a miracle; one that I would never forget.

The antennae was taller than I was, and just a bit heavy, but I could have capably managed a quick dismount had it not been for the sudden gust of wind that thrust the top-heavy apparatus right onto the power lines. My body went instantly rigid as the electricity flowed right through my body. My mind screamed, “Get it off!” but my body could not physically respond. Aside from the violent muscular jerking, I was paralyzed, unable to let go.

Have you have ever seen one of those cartoons where something disastrous happens in super slow motion? That’s what the whole trauma seemed like. The ball of energy, which started at the power line, worked its ways through both me and the antennae and entered the coax cable. Connected to the other end of the cable was my step-father’s prized Ham radio. The energy ball wrapped itself around the cable and headed straight for it.

The radio was the size of a large microwave and I just knew that it would blow-up. It did!

Everything probably happened rather quickly, but it sure didn’t seem like it. To this day, I remember having enough time to mentally cry out, “He’s gonna kill me! He’s gonna to kill me!”

I didn’t think I had been able to make any audible sound, but at some point I screamed loud enough to wake my family and bring the neighbors running. It was a bit late; the radio had already blown and I was glued to the deck, still unable to move. Oddly, though, once my mother opened the sliding glass door and stepped outside, the antennae came off the power line. I am still quite certain that it lifted itself, without any effort from me.

Once inside the house, I did receive a scolding. “You could’ve been killed!” she shrieked. The whole incident was so surreal that I hadn’t yet thought about the fact that I should have been electrocuted (I later learned that my disaster knocked out the town’s electricity for four city blocks). My only fear up to that point was the repercussions that I would face from an angry, temperamental step-father who treasured his radio equipment.

I was so overcome with worry that I stayed home that day and fretted. The clock, like the energy ball, seemed to creep towards its intended target in slow motion; it was one of the longest days of my life.

At the appointed time, I retrieved my step-father from the lot and explained what had happened. “You were right, I should have listened to you and woke up mom and brother, but…” My body went rigid again as I tensed, waiting for the verbal slaughter.

Instead, to my utter surprise, he cried. That was the second shock I received that day. When I was growing up, breaking a dish was practically a capital offense, but for this grave blunder no punishment was given. He only had compassion and understanding.

Dear reader, I want you to understand that at the time all of this happened, I did not know God. Yet, He still chose to look upon me with compassion and spared my life. It would be many years more before I would accept Jesus Christ as my Savior and thank Him for that merciful act, but He always looked-out for me anyway.

I hope you are blessed by this true testimony of God’s miraculous intervention. If you are in relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, I praise God. But if you are not, I want to you to know that He loves you no matter what, and He is looking out for you whether you realize it or not.

Perhaps it doesn’t seem that way to you. If not, it might be because you are trying to do everything in your own strength; thinking you can get through without help. But that doesn’t generally work. Without God, the winds of adversity will surely blow your way and wreak havoc until something finally blows-up.

My prayer for you today, dear reader, is for you to know that God is with you through every storm. He is merciful and compassionate, and He is a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1) because He cares for you very much.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life…. Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? (Matthew 6:25,26).

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North is the Front of the Car

Posted in Devotional, Encouragement, Endurance, Faith, God's Faithfulness, God's Provision, Guidance, Inspirational, Preparedness, Religion, Spiritual Strength on July 14, 2011| 3 Comments »

Because I am a D.C.D (directionally challenged driver), I often jest that “North is the front of the car.” This means, of course, that I prefer that people direct me to turn left or right instead of north, south, east or west. This may seem odd to some of you but I grew up in Nowhere, U.S.A. There, our idea of a traffic jam was two cars stuck behind a slow-moving tractor. When my family did finally move to the big city, (population 4,000) we didn’t even have stop lights, let alone the nonsensical stuff like one-way streets –which, for the record, are not at all safe for D.C.D’s!

You would think that I, of all people, would have a GPS in my vehicle, but oddly I don’t. One of those gadgets would probably make me crazy anyway; I don’t think I’d like to hear some faceless voice assuring me that she is “recalculating” every time I miss a turn. I did try a dash-mounted compass once, but that only messed me up more –trust me, it’s possible.

Fortunately for me, God blessed me with a help-mate. He frequently prevents me from ending up in Timbuktku —which is in Africa I think— by making me a very detailed, step-by-step map every time I drive someplace new. Normally, I can’t find a lit candle in the dark, but I can follow my beloved’s instructions easily, even if north is the front of the car.

After I married, my husband and I did not just move to the city, we moved to another world (population far too many). To this country hick, everything was foreign and uncomfortable. But I can gladly say that after all these years I finally feel somewhat confident that I can find my way around the place. However, if it were up to me, I would rename this city “Road Construction Ahead.” We wouldn’t even have to spend money on new signs; there are plenty that have those very words on them everywhere you look. And you know what that means; detours. Yep, that’s just what a D.C.D needs.

Then there are the streets that are located in at least three different parts of the city, those nasty one-ways, traffic circles, and worst of all; rude drivers who don’t let you get over into the turn lane until it’s too late, forcing you to miss your turn. Recalculating.

Life can be like that too. We pretty much know where we are heading, but sometimes we simply get confused and don’t know which way to turn, or we get hit with unexpected detours. At times like that, we need a very detailed roadmap. Fortunately for us, God provided us with one —it’s called the Holy Bible. He loved us enough to give us step-by-step directions to help us travel through this life so that we can arrive at our destination (eternity) safe and sound.

Additionally, God knew that some of us would be a little directionally challenged so he gave us a Helper. Jesus promised:

…the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. (John 14:26 NKJV)

Dear reader, if you feel lost or frustrated in your life, I would like to encourage you get to know this helper by spending time reading the Bible. Its directions are clear and easy to follow. If you look on a map, north is ‘up.’ Scripture says to look up, for your redemption is near (Luke 21:28). In the vehicle of life, Jesus is north. That being the case, I am proud to say that north is the front of my car, and I plan to keep it that way.

“Sink the Bible to the bottom of the sea, and man’s obligation to God would be unchanged. He would have the same path to tread, only his lamp and his guide would be gone; he would have the same voyage to make, only his compass and chart would be overboard.”
~ Henry Ward Beecher

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Yonder!

Posted in Devotional, Encouragement, Faith, God's Faithfulness, God's Provision, Inspirational, New Jerusalem, Preparedness, Victory on July 8, 2011| 3 Comments »

photo credit: TOTAL Wallpapers


Children used to stuff their pockets full of pawpaw fruit “way up yonder in the pawpaw patch.” Grandma’s used to plant their gardens over yonder, while grandpas went fishing down yonder at the creek –or crick, depending on which part of the country they lived in. And the Air Force used to fly their planes into the wild blue yonder.

What about you, have you ever gone yonder? Jesus did (if you read the KJV). He told His disciples: “Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder” (Matthew 26:36). Abraham also went yonder; he went there to worship God (Genesis 22:5 KJV). I figure if these two went yonder, I don’t have a problem going there either.

You see, yonder used to refer to a place. And you usually went up, down or over to get there. These days, however, words tend to have entirely different meanings –especially for teenagers. Apparently, yonder is one of those words that somehow morphed into teen lingo -at least by my daughter. She has chosen yonder to be her newest fun phrase. By throwing “yonder” into any sentence randomly, the word can now mean absolutely anything.

Weird as that may be, it is kind of catchy. Everyone at my house is now throwing the word yonder around just to catch people off guard. For instance, if I ask “Do you want tacos for dinner?” I might get “Yonder” for an answer. If someone remarks that a movie wasn’t all that good, another might reply with a disappointed, yet affirmative “yonder.” That single word might even, by obvious interpretation, mean “Ugh, it’s hot out today.”

I’ve been thinking about “up yonder” a lot lately because this same daughter has left the nest and moved there. Of course, I miss her tremendously, but at the same time I am very happy for her. Surrounded by family (and lakes) allows her a chance to start over in a place that will bring her great joy and opportunity. I almost envy her ability to leave this city and go live someplace scenic, surrounded by loved ones. I’ve often dreamed of my entire family doing that (see my “But God said, No!” blog), but alas we are still here in the flatlands.

It won’t always be that way, though. I’m not sure just when any of us will make the move, but we definitely plan on relocating to an eternal place of rest that is far more beautiful than our minds can ever comprehend. And there, everyone will love each other!

Let me tell you about yonder:

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away…

And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son (Revelation 21: 1-7).

My future home, up yonder, as described in Scripture is also a place of peace and safety: The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them (Isaiah 11:6).

I can hardly wait to move up yonder. Like Abraham, I am going there to worship God- forever and ever. What about you? Are you prepared to go up yonder to live with The King of Glory for all eternity? If not, what are you waiting for? Just invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior and you will have taken the first step toward an incredible and indescribable eternity up yonder.

Oh, and if we ever meet in person and I have that far-away, dreamy look in my eyes, ask me if I’m thinking of that place. I might just answer, YONDER!

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Declaration of Dependence

Posted in Declaration of Independence, Devotional, Encouragement, Faith, God's Faithfulness, God's Goodness, God's Provision, Inspirational on July 4, 2011| 1 Comment »

A wise friend of mine recently said “Every country has a 4th of July. We should not celebrate the 4th, we must celebrate Independence Day! God Bless America.” 

I agree with Jackie. The Declaration of Independence may have been signed by our founding fathers, but it was sealed with the blood of the many patriots who sacrificed their lives in order to secure our freedom. Since that Declaration, countless men and women have devoted their lives, and in many instances lost them, in order that the United States of America may continue to be  free. It would be nothing less than shameful to diminish the selfless accomplishments of these patriots by reducing Independence Day to little more than cookouts and fireworks.

Having said that, I would like to propose that, during the course of our Independence Day celebrations, we all take time to boldly proclaim our “Declaration of Dependence”  as well. While it is true that our nation currently enjoys independence from other countries, we will by no means remain free from the tyranny of our adversaries unless we remain wholly dependent upon God! After all, as wonderful as this country is, we can do nothing in our own strength.

Speaking of Independence Day, consider this well-known quote from the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

These thoughts aren’t original. Let’s reflect briefly upon what the Bible has to say about them.

All men are created equal

There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (3:28 NIV).

-They are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are:

Life

I (Jesus) am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly (John 10:10).

Liberty

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit… (Romans 8:1)                                                                                                                  (We) shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God (verse 21)

 

And the pursuit of happiness

   Whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he …happy is that people, whose God is the LORD (Psalms 16:20 & 144:15).

 

Like you, I am quite thankful for all of the men and women, past and present, which have defended this great nation and gifted us with these wonderful freedoms.  In the natural, however, they can be very fleeting –here today, gone tomorrow. Conversely, with God, they are everlasting. Words cannot even express how grateful I am that our Messiah, Jesus Christ, gave His own life in order that we could have even greater life, liberty and happiness –and that for all eternity!

Dear reader, I trust you will have a wonderful and blessed Independence Day, filled with lots of food, fireworks and fellowship.  But most of all, I hope you take some time to publicly thank God for the many freedoms He has granted, and that you will both acknowledge and  proclaim our “Declaration of Dependence” upon Him.

God bless…

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“Not Yet”

Posted in Devotional, God's Faithfulness, God's Provision, Healing on March 29, 2011| Leave a Comment »

On a personal note:

This time last week I was preparing to meet my Maker. Let me be honest and share something personal with you. When I went for my yearly mammogram a few weeks ago, I had that inward ‘knowing’ that it would not come back normal. It didn’t. But that was the least of my concerns.

I had been having headaches for a few weeks, but a few days after the mammogram, it turned into a constant, agonizing pain towards the middle of my head, right side. Even a pain killer would not alleviate its intensity. I wasn’t too concerned at first. But the headache got worse –and my lymph nodes swelled on the right side. I thought about seeing my physician but the weekend was fast approaching and it is difficult to be seen then. Plus, I wanted to have the second, diagnostic mammogram done before I saw him, so I waited. That proved to be an unwise decision.

Even so, I was at total peace. I wasn’t sure if the suspect mammogram had anything to do with the pain issue, but either way I knew something was seriously wrong. I’ve been through some really difficult health challenges before, but I had never experienced anything like this. I absolutely know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God heals (I have experienced His miraculous healing many times) and I usually stand in faith believing for it. This time, however, I had that same inner ‘knowing’ that I was going to go through something very difficult and there would be a purpose in it.

It occurred to me that IF I had breast cancer and IF that was related to the splitting head pain and swollen lymph nodes, it would probably mean that I would be going home to be with my Lord rather quickly. I prayed, “Lord that is entirely up to you –whatever you desire. My children are almost grown and I am ready to go home whenever you are ready for me.” It’s not that I wanted to leave my family, but I wasn’t afraid to either.

The day before my diagnostic mammogram/sonogram (Sunday), I laid on the couch making a mental note of the things I needed to wrap-up just in case. Let me stress again, I was completely at peace. Even the thought of a mastectomy didn’t bother me. And I knew that even if God called me home (and I honestly believed He might), He would certainly take care of my family. This is what comes of knowing that your relationship with Jesus Christ is right and your future with Him is secure. However, as I was thinking about all the things that I needed to hurriedly finish, the voice of the Lord spoke very clearly to me. He simply said, “Not Yet.” That’s all — just a quiet, reassuring, “Not Yet.”

Okay, so it wasn’t my time to go, yet my symptoms were getting worse. Bright and early Monday morning I called for an emergency appointment. The pain was still severe, and I had developed several more symptoms. These included, but were not limited to, blurred vision and nausea. My whole body hurt and by this point it even hurt to touch my skin.

I couldn’t even drive myself to the doctor. Normally it would have been easy to find someone to help out, but on that particular morning I couldn’t. I thought, I’ll just have to drive myself, but then I heard the Lord speak with stern rebuke, “Absolutely not! You cannot drive!” So, I called my husband away from his work to come get me. He wasn’t close to home and he was in the middle of an important job, but he was able to get me to my appointment on time. I know the Lord was looking out for me.

Long story short: I do NOT have breast cancer and the other issue I was having, while rather severe, was completely treatable. Between the potent medication and the prayer offered on my behalf, I felt like a new person within twenty-four hours of seeing my physician and continued to improve daily. It only took three or four days to feel normal again.

This is all very personal, so why am I sharing all of this with you? There are at least three thoughts I want to offer today which I truly pray brings hope and/or comfort to someone.

1) God does speak to His children. Whether He speaks to our hearts, or through His word, He will instruct us in regards to our individual lives if we take time to listen. And, in knowing that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose (Romans 8:28), we can face every challenge with absolute peace and full assurance that God is in control so we don’t have to be.

2) There is an appointed time for a person to die. —To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die… (Ecclesiastes 3:1 -2a). If it is not our time to go, we won’t. Therefore, we don’t need to worry when we face rather serious illness or disease if we put our trust in God because He IS in control.

3) Even if it is our time to pass from this world into eternity, we can face death with perfect peace, knowing that we needn’t worry or fear so long as our relationship is right with the Lord Jesus Christ. You (O Lord) will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You (Isaiah 26:3 NKJV) –even unto death

In closing, let me say that I did go through a very difficult and painful ordeal. But true to His word, God used the situation to accomplish something important. For the sake of another’s privacy, I won’t share the details, but suffice it to say that the Lord God used my situation for that person’s benefit. I don’t believe that God puts sickness and disease on His children –He is too loving of a Father for that – but I wholeheartedly believe that He finds opportunity to prove His love through every circumstance of life. Furthermore, every trial you face is just another opportunity for you to see that love.

I have several friends, strong of faith, who are currently enduring difficult physical battles and I see in them the same peace and assurance I experienced –that peace which comes from knowing that God is in control. On the flip side, I have seen several folks who do not know Jesus as Lord, suffer through much anguish and fear through their infirmities.

Let me assure you, God cares about you and He cares about your health. It hurts His heart to see you suffering or hurting no matter who you are. If you don’t know Jesus Christ as Savior, and have never felt His peace, He is just a prayer away. Call out to Him and He will reach down to you.

Postscript: This is my second abnormal mammogram, but I was miraculously healed the first time. You can read about it here:
There’s Nothing There?

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Sinkable? Unthinkable!

Posted in Devotional, God's Faithfulness, God's Provision, Obedience, Servanthood, Titanic on March 24, 2011| 1 Comment »

Is there any greater tragedy than the loss of human life, especially if that loss could have been prevented? Let’s revisit history for a moment.

The magnificent, “unsinkable” Titanic, the world’s largest passenger steamship of its time, quickly sank into the icy waters of the Atlantic on April 15th, 1912 after its encounter with an iceberg. More than fifteen-hundred lives were lost including those of innocent children. The scars of this devastation were only deepened when it was made known that so many of those lives could have been spared.

Several mistakes had been made, all of which contributed to the profusion of death and destruction –any one of which could have been easily corrected. For example, there weren’t enough lifeboats to accommodate all the people on board, and those lifeboats that were employed were not filled to capacity. There has been a lot written about those various mistakes and what could have –should have– been done differently, but I would prefer to focus for a moment on the heroes instead.

We may not be familiar with their names, but there were many people aboard Titanic that gave their lives in order that others might be saved. The men in the engine room, for example, never abandoned their posts; they worked feverishly to keep the ship afloat as long as possible and keep the lights on so others could find their way to safety.

That is a rather good picture of the church. We’ve seen the news. Our world is being ravaged by turmoil, famine, pestilence and war. These devastations are sweeping over every continent like a tsunami, and people are beginning to drown in the despair of it all. It is our duty, therefore, to keep working till Jesus returns (Luke 19:13) and to keep the gospel light burning in order to give direction to those who are perishing.

According to survivor reports, there was a minister aboard the Titanic who gave his life doing exactly that. After placing his daughter in a lifeboat and saying his final goodbye, Reverend John Harper returned to deck helping “Women, children and unsaved into the lifeboats!”

Even in his final moments of life, he continued to do God’s work. Once in the icy waters, Reverend Harper swam from person to person searching for the unsaved so that he might lead them to Jesus. His last words before sinking into the ocean’s depths –he had given his life vest to another—was “Believe on the Name of the Lord Jesus and you will be saved!”

A few years ago, our local science and exploration center hosted a Titanic exhibition. Hollywood may have capitalized on the untimely demise of fifteen-hundred people, but the exhibition humanized it. Until then, it was easy for me to think of the sunken Titanic as just another heart-breaking historical event. But when I placed my hand on the display wall which had been cooled to the temperature of the icy Atlantic waters into which the terrified passengers were plunged, the whole catastrophe became more real to me. I was then able to view the various other displays from an entirely different perspective.

The personal belongings exhibits, for example, were very sobering. The ship’s victims were not just statistics; they were real people. Beyond that, the immeasurable loss of human life seemed all the more grievous when viewing the actual photographs of several passengers. Putting faces to the names of those who died, especially, made everything more relevant.

I thought about the survivors too. How many of these people carried the burden of guilt to their graves? Yes, mistakes were made. But rather than pointing fingers of blame, we should instead learn from those mistakes and not repeat them.

Most of Titanic’s mistakes were made only because it was believed by the vast majority that the Titanic was completely unsinkable. Likewise, many people today think that regardless of isolated global disasters, the world as we know it will never be destroyed. The body of Christ knows better. Scripture foretells what will befall this earth; and we know the destiny of those who do not accept Jesus as their Messiah when it does. These people are, as one old hymn says, “sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore –very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more….”

I ask you again, is there any greater tragedy than the loss of human life, especially if that loss could have been prevented? Absolutely not! To stand-by and let someone perish without trying to save them is unthinkable. I pray that we, the Body of Christ, never become apathetic to the plight of those who are lost.

Like Reverend Harper, we must be diligently about the Father’s business until the very end. The world learned of the Reverend’s unfailing devotion from the testimony of a Titanic survivor. He was floating atop debris when the Reverend swam up to him and asked if he was saved. Not only did the young man reply ‘no,’ he refused the offer of salvation. Reverend Harper then removed his life vest and gave it to the young man. “Then you need this more than I,” he said, and swam to the next person.

Shortly before he sank to his watery grave, the reverend swam back to this young man and offered him one last chance to receive Jesus Christ as his Savior. Deeply touched by Reverend Harper’s act of compassion, the young man softened his heart and accepted Jesus. Of the fifteen-hundred people that went into the icy water, only six were rescued; he was one of them.

I can only imagine how that man must’ve felt the first time he heard the words to the aforementioned hymn, “….But the master of the sea heard my despairing cry, from the waters lifted me, now safe am I. Love lifted me… When nothing else could help, love lifted me.”

I wonder, is it possible that after such a miraculous rescue the man’s faith was sinkable? Unthinkable!

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Sour Lemonade

Posted in Contentment, Devotional, Endurance, God's Faithfulness, God's Provision on March 10, 2011| 2 Comments »

photo credit: Joell Ortiz

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!” Hats off to the clever optimist that first coined that phrase, but I think he forgot something. If you don’t put any sugar in that lemonade it is going to be unbearably sour –what’s the benefit in that? And as we all know, life seldom hands you lemons and sugar at the same time.

Take Tuesday morning for example. I woke up with all those flu-like symptoms that lets you know life will be on hold for the next twenty-four hours or so; no getting out of bed. Then the first call came. “Mom, I’m sick and I have a fever. You need to come get me.”

A short time later my husband called. “Are you sitting down?” he asked. (Don’t you just love phone calls that start like that?) After he told me the reason for his call I felt even sicker. “The car’s ready to be picked up” he said, “but it’s going to cost more than we thought. The bill is one-thousand dollars.” Who would’ve guessed that the car would’ve cracked its head gasket at the same time we were having fifteen-hundred dollars worth of repairs done on the van. Oh well, the car would have to be picked up later, I thought as I crawled back into bed.

My son and I both spent most of the day in one of those deep, illness-induced sleeps so I didn’t have much time to think about all those sour lemons, not that I really wanted to anyway. After several hours I moved out to the couch awaiting my husband’s return. I figured he would want to discuss the household needs for that evening if nothing else, but he didn’t. He simply cared for me then gingerly kissed my forehead. Feeling quite loved at that moment, I drifted off to sleep knowing that he would take care of everything.

Then, a few hours later, I awakened to the sounds of my beloved in the kitchen making dinner. And this was after picking up the car, chauffeuring kids and running a few errands. I figured he would be stressed at best and probably even moody and irritable. But there he was joyfully humming. I strained to hear the tune. Yes, he was definitely humming Be Thou My Vision.

This beautiful Irish hymn was written in the eighth century and later versified in 1905 by Eleanor Hull. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with this touching song, the words are as follows:

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

His humming was comforting so I put on some music and lay immersed in the lyrics of beautiful hymns. Some of them, like Be Thou My Vision, focused on God himself, others focused on His Word. My body wasn’t healed that very moment but I felt greatly strengthened because:

Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones. (Proverbs 16:24)

Scripture also says: How sweet are your words (Lord) to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth (Psalm 119:103)

This explains why my husband was joyful and at peace even in the midst of sickness and financial burden. We had been given some pretty sour lemons that day, but he knew that our heavenly Father loved us and that He would take care of everything –and that my friend, is sweet!

Bryan had chosen to turn our lemons into lemonade. That is to say, he made the decision to ensure the expensive repairs were all made so that his family would have safe, dependable vehicles to drive. Then he sweetened that lemonade by focusing his thoughts on the Lord –allowing Him to be his best thought by day or by night. And I’m sure, my husband rested in God’s comforting promise to supply all our needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

What about you? Has your lemonade been sour lately? Remember, if you drink sour lemonade –you’ll wear a sour expression. Just a little food drink for thought.

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Relative Truth

Posted in Condemnation, Devotional, Forgiveness, God's Faithfulness, Judgement on March 7, 2011| Leave a Comment »

photo credit: Forbes.com

Have you ever had one of those relatives whose very name made you cringe? Mine was a particular aunt. She always came to visit for a week or so without her family, but boy did I know all about my cousin Kathy even though I had never seen her in person.

Auntie dearest always sang Kathy’s praises
Ad nauseam, and they went something like this:

“Kathy is prettier than you! Kathy is smarter than you! Kathy is the closest thing to an angel this side of heaven.”

Then one day it happened; I finally got to see Kathy.

Laughing out loud would have been rude so I restrained myself and laughed silently. This was Kathy? This was the princess whose beauty could hardly be surpassed? Well, I guess love really is blind.

Kathy wasn’t overly intelligent either. Nor was she more creative, better at cooking, nor anything else I had ever heard about her. In fact, the only attribute in which Kathy seemed to be superior was ego.

After all those years of resenting my “perfect” cousin, I found myself feeling rather sorry for her. She might even have been likeable if she were not so self-centered. To her detriment, she had been conditioned to believe that the world revolved around her and should bow down to her. If Kathy had any natural beauty, I couldn’t see it through her ugly self-exalting (and mother-exalting) vanity.

A great many years have passed since I stepped out of Kathy’s shadow into the light of reality, but I have encountered others very much like her and her mother along the way. I pay them no heed and I certainly don’t allow myself to feel inferior to them no matter how superior they present themselves.

You and I need never compare ourselves to others because our heavenly Father doesn’t. There is no question we are all terribly flawed and markedly lacking, but we are children of the King (of Kings) and as such will one day be perfected.

Furthermore, each of us is special and unique. We are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light
(I Peter 2:9).

Though we are never to be puffed up in pride because of our heavenly status, we can certainly walk confidently in it. After all, our heavenly Father doesn’t care how brilliant our minds are. He cares only that we love him with our whole heart, soul and mind. And, He is not concerned about our physical appearance. When he looks at us sees only our heart (I Samuel 16:7). God is not even concerned about our ability –He is only interested in our AVAILability.

Satan, on the other hand, forever lost his heavenly status because of his puffed-up, self-exalted pride. No wonder he takes his fierce wrath out on God’s children. This deceiver also has a song that he sings Ad nauseam. Its lyrics go something like this:

“You’re not good enough. You’re not spiritual enough. God can’t use you! Did God really say that?”

If that weren’t enough, Satan wants us to live in the shadow of his child, whose name is condemnation. But the reality is that there is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (Romans 8:1).

We might have to tolerate some unbearable relatives now and then, but we never have to tolerate the lies of the accuser of the brethren. And that’s the truth!

postscript: Satan is the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10) and he is the father of all lies. (John 8:44) In fact, Satan is not really his name, it is his title. In the original Hebrew he is called hasatan, which means the (ha) deceiver (satan).

~ p.s.s. Kathy is not my cousin’s real name. Furthermore, these events took place more than thirty years ago while we were still quite young. We haven’t seen each other since, but I assume that “Kathy” is now a very down-to-earth person and I hope to see her again some day.

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“I Talk!”

Posted in Devotional, Encouragement, Faith, God's Faithfulness, Servanthood on January 15, 2011| Leave a Comment »

My husband and I were once exiting a restaurant with our four small children in tow when we realized one of them had wandered off. After a quick scan of the crowded dining room, we spotted her at the table of an elderly couple. She and the woman were chatting away like two old school chums.

Back then our little golden-haired beauty was a real people-person whom didn’t know a stranger. She had walked right up to the couple’s table and began to entertain them with her natural charm.

Just as our small clan reached the table, I heard miss sunshine say, “Watch what I can do!” In an instant she turned and did the splits right there in the aisle. My heart skipped a few beats because one of the wait staff was walking towards her lugging a huge tray of hot food. Fortunately, her daddy was able to scoop her up in the nick of time, to the amusement and giggles of all.

It was quite obvious that our little girl had brightened the day for that motherly old woman. Turning her gaze towards my baby boy, she sweetly asked, “What do you do, you cute little thing?”

Without hesitation he replied, “I can count to ten in Spanish. Uno, dos, tres……”

“Splendid!” she chirped. “And what about you?” she then asked my oldest.

“I can count to ten in French. Un, deux, trois…”

My oldest daughter, anticipating her turn to impress the friendly couple, was already thinking. “What do I do?” she responded, as though asking herself the question. After a brief pause, her pensive look melted into a toothy grin.

“I TALK!” she proudly answered.

Periodically, a friend will say to me, “I really want to do something special for the Lord, but I don’t have any special talents or gifting.” First, let me say that I believe everyone has some type of spiritual endowment with which to bless others, even if it is not easily recognizable.

Second, and this is very important, everyone has the ability to share their faith. You may not be the outgoing, social type but that’s okay. Even an introvert can find occasion to talk to others about the Lord.

This may be very surprising to those who know me personally, but I used to have great difficulty talking to anyone. However, it eventually occurred to me that I could better serve my Lord and Master if I were a bit more sociable (okay, maybe a lot more). I prayed about the situation and asked for help in taking steps towards this goal.

Slowly, but surely, the Lord not only enabled me to talk to others, but to enjoy doing so. Now, by the Grace of God, I too am a people-person who does not know a stranger. I engage others in conversation every chance I get and look for opportunities to speak an encouraging word into their lives, especially those who do not know Jesus Christ as their Savior.

If you, dear reader, are uncertain as to what your spiritual endowment is, pray about it until you know then serve with confidence. Each of us have a different job to do, but every laborer is valuable and every job important. Finally, remember, Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men (Colossians 3:23 NIV).

Above all, let us all continue to share the Gospel with others. Jesus said if we don’t praise Him, the rocks will cry out. I’m sure the same is true about sharing our faith. No matter what, the Lord will find someone who is willing to speak out on His behalf. Will you be the one to say, “I TALK?”

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Cloudy With a Chance of Meteors

Posted in Devotional, Encouragement, Endurance, Faith, God's Faithfulness on December 17, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Photo Credit: Getty Image via CNN

This year’s Geminid meteor shower was hailed as the best of 2010 and I missed it. I was more than willing to bundle up like an Eskimo and head to the observatory to watch the show, but it was just too cloudy. What a shame! Sky gazers in other parts of the country reported seeing as many as one-hundred-twenty meteors an hour during this peak time; it must have been spectacular.

Even so, I can certainly understand why most people have little interest in staying up half the night to watch a bunch of meteors streak through the cold December sky. Truth be known, now that I am older I find it harder to stay awake for these things myself. Still, it would’ve been cool to watch the shower because I have always been fascinated with every aspect of creation from the microscopic to the cosmic.

I was one of those nerdy kids who could sit for hours and marvel at plain, ordinary rocks or admire the uniqueness of a single tree. In that respect I haven’t changed much. The difference is that when I look at the various things in the world around me now, I marvel more at the Creator than His creation.

God is awesome and all of nature declares His glory, especially in the heavens. Psalm 19:1 states: The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies proclaim his craftsmanship.

I believe that God created the universe in such a way that we would see these meteor showers as a reminder of how awesome His creation really is. The Geminid shower lasts for days and lights up the sky with fireballs which can be seen from almost anywhere on Earth. And, according to Nasa astronomer Bill Cooke, the Geminid showers “defy explanation.”

God does lots of things on a grand scale that defies explanation. It is His desire that, when we see these things, we turn our thoughts to Him.

The morning after I missed the meteor showers’ peak I was somewhat disappointed that I missed the ‘shower’ and there would only be a trickle of meteors over the next few days. For some reason, probably because of the term shower, I found myself thinking about a passage in the book of Ezekiel that describes a time when the Lord will bless His people with abundant peace and provision. He promises that there shall be showers of blessing (Ezekiel 34:26).

I couldn’t help but think about the many blessings that God is pouring upon the earth even now. Sadly, though, too many people fail to recognize some of them because their ‘vision’ is clouded by the storms of life. We may not be living in the fullness (showers) of God’s blessing just yet, but his blessings continue to rain down on upon us whether we see them or not; and His mercies are new every morning.

I know that the world is very dark now and people are hurting, but like the Puritans, let us pray, “…let me find Thy light in my darkness.” Your circumstances might not change immediately, but God is more than capable of moving those clouds so that you can see His glory rip through your darkness with more ferocity than those fiery meteors which pierce the night sky.

It may be too late to look up and see the meteor shower, but it is never too late to look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh (Luke 21:28b).

Credit: Wally Pacholka / AstroPics.com / TWAN.

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