I experienced a sweet moment this week from an unexpected place — standing in the doorway to my mother’s bedroom. She had to look for something; I followed her, then stood waiting in the doorway. As I waited I put my hands on the inside of the door frame. That’s when it happened — a sweet, unexpected moment of remembrance.
Years ago, when my parents had moved to the house, the living room and dining room were arranged as an open plan. Desiring to close off the dining room to make another bedroom, my father closed in the wall and put in a door. On either side of the door he made a column of glass shelves. My mother displays her assortment of curios from around the world on these shelves.
I had watched my father build this doorway. I remember how he measured and cut the wood. With special tools, he etched designs in the columns to match on both sides. When he was finished, it was a beauty to behold.
Over the years, I’ve passed through this doorway many times. Sometimes I have thought of how it was made and of who made it, but not very often. Then, this week, when my own hands felt the wood, traced the carved designs with my fingertips, and touched the glass shelves, the memory of it all came flooding in. In my mind’s eye, I could see my father working. I could see the joy he took in his own labors — his labors of love to make his wife a doorway to be proud of, and to enjoy for a long time.
As I stood contemplating and remembering, my thoughts took on a new direction; I thought of my Heavenly Father and His creation — His labor of love for you and me to enjoy for a long time. Over the years I have been aware of the sun rising, the moon appearing at night, patterns of stars strewn across black, velvet sky, autumn leaves that crunch beneath my feet, summer winds kissing my cheeks with warmth. I am aware of cattle in fields, the excitement of horses running wild and free, roosters announcing the arrival of a new day — a day to enjoy more of Father’s creation — but how often do I think about who made this day for me to enjoy?
As David wrote in Psalm 8:3-9, my own heart fills with wonder, “When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers — the moon ad stars you set in place— what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority — the flocks and the herds, and all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents. O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!”
In the busyness of our days, let us take time to enjoy all that God made for us. Oh, how He loves what He has created — Oh, how He loves you and me.
For the past several weeks I have joined in the prayers for a child who is very ill. His family members are distraught in heart and weary in body. Doctors can’t find a cause; each day is filled with unanswered questions. Some of the family are devout Christians; naturally, they pray for healing for this little one they love so much. So far — nothing.
How difficult to watch someone you love, hurting so much, and you are helpless to make a difference. You pray, even beg God, to please, please do something. In writing this blog, I wish I had a definitive answer to life’s dilemmas. I do not. I can only share what I do when I ,too, have to watch those I love suffer in great pain and difficult situations.
For me, it’s a matter of willing myself to choose on what I think about. The mind is powerful. Our arch enemy, Satan, would have us to think on negative things. Our enemy always directs our minds to false thoughts of God failing us, which leads to feelings of hopelessness and despair.
The Bible instructs us to, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” Proverbs 4:23 What a statement! “It determines the course of our lives?” God knows that if our arch enemy wins by leading us away from God through negative thoughts planted in our minds, then, of course, we turn from God. That can have terrible and sad consequences on the course of our lives. We will miss great joy and peace and wisdom from God when we turn from Him.
Even so, it’s difficult and painful to press on when someone we love, and pray everyday for, still suffers. I encourage you to remember: God created a perfect world — mankind messed it up. Therefore, when we hurt due to mankind’s own foolishness that put a curse on the world, God feels our pain. The Bible says that Jesus came to feel everything as a human feels. He understands tears. He knows our pain. He understands fully what living in a fallen world has done to us. He yearns to rescue, and to give abundant life right here on earth, in the midst of all the pain.
We must, therefore, “guard our hearts above all else.” We must choose to say, “Father, I don’t understand why you are allowing this, but I choose to trust that you love, that your ways are perfect, that you are indeed working, in ways unknown to me, to bring this to a good end.” We must cry out, as a boy’s father did in Mark 9:24, “I believe; help my unbelief!” Being honest with God is the best thing to do. Tell Him you don’t understand. Tell Him you are weak. Tell Him you are sinking in a sea of despair — then cling to Him with all your heart, like a drowning man clings to the rim of a boat.
He will lift you up. He will hold you. He promises to pour in His peace in the midst of the storm. The waves are rough, but He is there. Never turn your thoughts from that truth. Remember, He said, “I will never leave you.” Hebrews 13:5
Continue on in those thoughts. Let them seep into the wounds of your heart. Never turn away. Stay focused on the One who knows your pain; on the One who is holding all your tears in His own bottle.
All the stores are decorated for Christmas. Lighted trees, inside and out, wreaths hung on the doors, arrangements of brightly colored boxes, carols playing, the salvation army ringing bells, Santa listening to excited requests of children — such happy displays of this joyful season — or is it? For some, yes, of course. Excitement fills their hearts; but for others, Christmas can be a sad and lonely event.
Is there anything we can do to help? Oh, yes! God gives us a wonderful reminder of what we can do to reach out to hurting people: Look at the following in I John 4: 9-11:
“God showed how much He loved us by sending His only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear Friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.”
Christmas is a lovely season to remind ourselves, and others, of the greatest gift ever given. Do you know that gift? If not, Father God holds it out to you today. You only have to receive it. Open your heart and say, “Yes, Father, I want that gift of forgiveness available through your Son, Jesus; I want that abundant life You have for me, today on earth, and for eternity in heaven. Yes, thank you, Father.” Did you know that, when you receive God’s gift, that He comes to reside right inside you? He does that by His Holy Spirit. He takes up residence to be your peace in the storms of life, your joy in times of sadness, your courage when you’re feeling weak, your wisdom when you don’t know what to do. God takes up residence to guide you through all your days.
It’s a wonderful gift. Have you received it? If so, have you shared with someone else how, they, too, can receive it? Christmas is a lovely season for giving gifts, and sharing the gift of God’s love is the most wonderful and happy gift of all.
Merry Christmas to you all, with much love.
I love driving through the countryside of southeast Alabama. It’s a land of gentle, rolling hills, and vast fields — this time of year either white with cotton, or being home to cattle grazing. Rivers run through the land, and fish-filled lakes and ponds are numerous.
It was a particular lake that caught my attention this week. The weather forecast on the radio warned of possible, icy rains, winds, and a drop in temperature below freezing. The very sound of it all made me want to get home quick, make some hot chocolate, and watch the weather from the cozy warmth of my mother’s home where I am enjoying the holidays with her.
I noticed a small lake in the distance. A dock went out across the water about thirty feet. At the end of the dock there was a boathouse. As I drove by, glancing at the lake and the dock, I could see that a boat was secured in the boathouse. Good, I thought to myself, no boat needs to be out on the water in this weather. It was at that precise moment that Psalm 46:1 popped into my mind:
“God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.”
As we go through life, we’re like boats sailing on the sea of life. Sometimes the weather permits smooth sailing but at other times we need to put our boat in shelter; we need protection in rough water. We need a covering. It’s clear what we need to do, so why do we fail to put our boat in safety?
What do we do when stresses of life rock our boat? Do we simply stare at the darkening skies, speculating with dread at what the storm will bring? Do we cling with all our might to the sides of the boat, fearful, lest we fall overboard? Sadly, we must all answer, that at times, yes, we ignore the boathouse that is staring us in the face, and we go it alone. We’re exhausted in our stress, but stubbornly, we hang on in our own strength, which only adds to our already weary mind and body.
Our life’s guidebook, God’s own Word, clearly tells us that He is our refuge; He is our strength. The very moment that stresses of life cause our boat to roll and pitch with uncertainty, weariness, and dread — that’s the moment we need to row toward the boathouse. Almighty God Himself is our shelter in any storm. He is our strength in all weather.
We don’t have to rock back and forth, wondering if we will drown — we have a boathouse. Jesus reminded his disciples of this when he said to them in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Jesus loves being your boathouse. Won’t you let Him shelter you in the storm?
I went to the store this week to purchase a few items. While walking down one of the aisles I came across a father and his teenage son. They had taken something from a shelf to look at it. I didn’t pay attention to what they were looking at, and I didn’t hear their conversation, but something happened to make them both burst into laughter. The father’s eyes started to water, he was laughing so hard, and his son was bending over holding his sides. In the distance, another shopper stepped into the aisle and confronted this scene of hilarity. He, too, began to laugh. As I watched, I couldn’t hold back either, and joined in the laughter. Behind me, two women were coming down the aisle, when they, also, observed the laughter of us all and began to chuckle. Soon, we were all overcome with the infectious laughter. It was quite a scene.
After some moments, we all regained our composure, murmured words to the effect of how good it is to laugh, and then we all parted ways, still smiling, to continue our own, separate shopping journeys. I could feel my face smiling as I purchased my item and walked back with it to the car. I was still smiling as I drove home. Instinctively I said, “Thank you, Father, for creating laughter.”
I have continued to think upon laughter and God’s creation of it for us. Did you know that medical studies have been done and it has been scientifically proven that laughing everyday accomplishes the following: boosts the immune system, reduces the level of stress hormones, aids in heart circulation, exercises the diaphragm, lightens the mood which helps to give clearer perspectives, and causes emotional release which eases tense feelings. What wonderful, medical benefits for both our physical and emotional well being.
Of course, this is really no surprise. God’s Word tells us in Proverbs 17:22, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.”
I also love the verses found in Psalm 139:13-14, “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous — how well I know it.”
It was our wonderful Father who created laughter. Can’t you imagine how Jesus must have laughed with His disciples? What teasing must have taken place; what hilarious fishing stories they must have told. It’s not merely a good thing to laugh — it’s a godly thing to do. It’s a God-given characteristic. It helps us through difficult moments. It adds joy to our days and eases our stress.
I have a friend who tells me that she laughs every day whether something funny happens or not. She just throws her head back and starts to laugh. She says she infects herself. The forced laughter soon turns to the real thing. What a hoot!
So, in this age of keeping fit and emotionally balanced — go ahead and use what Father has given you — laugh! Enjoy! It’s Father’s happy gift to you.
I arrived back in Alabama this week at the home of my mother. It didn’t feel that cold the day I arrived, but the day after, cold, gusty winds appeared and temperatures plummeted. I walked outside, and was happy to get back in as quickly as possible, when biting blasts of icy wind knifed it’s way to my bones.
It was comforting to be inside our house of warmth, but there was a concern for another family member — our partially blind cat, Kitty. There she was, up on her wooden perch, in the screened porch which is her home. The wind was rattling the screen door and making hissing noises through nearby tree branches. Poor Kitty was unable to move. Her eyes were large with fright. Only her head would jerk in the direction of winds that she heard, but could not understand, why it was there.
My mother and I were unsuccessful in coaxing her down from her perch and into the safety of her fleece-lined kennel below. We came back inside, both of us fretting over our frightened, little cat.
I was contemplating the situation when my mother left the room. I thought nothing of it until she didn’t return for quite some time. I went to the living room and peeked out the window. There was my mother bending toward Kitty. I could hear her crooning softly, “I love you Kitty. Will you let me help you? Come to me, Kitty.” On and on went her words of love to her little cat. My eyes were transfixed upon this touching scene. There was my mother, speaking and singing words of love; there was Kitty, staring intently, cautiously putting out a paw to touch the figure before her. Is it really the one who takes care of me? Her cat stare of fear seemed to turn contemplative. Is it the one who feeds me? Will she truly help me? Can I really trust her?
As I continued to watch this scene play out before me, I could not help but think that, too often in life, you and I are just like frightened Kitty. We can give testimony of how our heavenly Father has helped us in times past. We can share how, during such times of help, we cannot envision that we would ever fear again. Then, unexpected winds of change gust our way. It rattles our door of security. We’re suddenly frozen to our spot, unable to move, questioning — is Father really helping me?
He, too, croons His words of love over us: “I will never leave you. I hold you with my right hand. I shelter you beneath my wing. I will lead you beside peaceful waters. I will anoint your hurting places with my oil of gladness. Come to me when you’re burdened down and I will give you rest.” On and on go His gentle words of love and comfort.
Perhaps, like Kitty, we sit transfixed in fear, listening to the loving words offering help and comfort, but we question: Will you really help me? Can I truly trust you? Will you lead me to a good place?
At long last, Kitty allowed herself to be coaxed down. Peering inside her little house, she was finally calmed. She snuggled into her fleece. She was ready to sleep peacefully, no matter the winds that continued to roar outside.
Are you in the midst of roaring winds of uncertainty? Are you wanting to trust your Father, yet unable to move towards Him? I encourage you: keep listening to His words of love. Reach out to touch Him. You will find He is there. He has a plan to lead you safely to a good destination. His love is never-ending. It is never-failing. It wraps itself around you, like Kitty’s fleece, giving aid to a peaceful night through any storm.
For the Christian, handling grief has been misunderstood — by other Christians. I have met Christians who somehow manage to brush aside all sorrow with a sweeping declaration that we must rejoice and give thanks in all things. I cautiously suggest that these well-meaning Christians have missed something very real, such as:
Jesus wept over Jerusalem, Christians mourned when Stephen was stoned to death, Peter cried bitter tears at his own sin, Christians cried deeply when they knew they would never see Paul again on this earth. The list goes on, in both the old and new testaments, of followers of God who grieved, cried, and experienced great sorrow in life. Why then, is there such misunderstanding today?
The answer is nothing at all sinister; it’s just fellow Christians, deeply desiring to “rejoice in all things and again I say rejoice” (Philippians 4:4) without fully understanding the whole of the picture. Too often, I have met Christians who actually feel guilty that they feel the emotion of sadness. Somehow, they feel they are not honoring Jesus, are expressing weakness, and are not trusting Father to be their everything. If that applies to any of you reading this, it is my prayer that this blog will be of good help to you.
You see, we are created in God’s own image. It stands to reason then, that our ability to cry was also created by Him. Our tears are actually very precious to our Father. That’s why it says of Him in Psalm 56:8, “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in Your bottle. You have recorded each one in Your book.” The pain, grief, sadness, and sorrow that any of us feels at any time, is precious to our Heavenly Father. He counts them, each one, and He lovingly pours in His own healing comfort to gently ease our pain away. As we realize more and more, that God Almighty, Himself, cares when we hurt, and that He wipes our tears away into His bottle, then healing and peace seeps into those hurting places. When that happens, that is when we say with joy and wonder, “rejoice in all things and again I say rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4). Knowing that our Father loves and cares so deeply is what makes us rejoice. We don’t rejoice in the thing that caused sorrow — we rejoice that no matter the sorrow, our Father cares.
When we realize that, and accept the love and healing that He has for us, we are able to more quickly and easily move away from abject sorrow. Then, we walk in the light of His love. Never deny your grief, but never resign yourself to sorrow all the days of your life. Instead, know that your Father cares. He is holding your tears. He is pouring in His own comfort, and He always has new plans to unfold for you, to bless you and bring you much joy.
I visited a woman this week with terrible eyesight. She wears glasses so thick they resemble the bottoms of coke bottles. These glasses give her some vision but everything she sees is blurry to her eyes. In her physical world, life is distorted.
The same thing happens far too often in our spiritual worlds, too. Perhaps we are joyfully going in a particular direction. We have known Father’s provision and leading. All is well. Joy abounds. Then one day, unexpectedly, a fearful thought enters our mind. Maybe we tell ourselves, “I can’t do that,” or “Why did God lead me here when He knows I’m not able to do what He asks?” or “There are so many others more capable than me; has God brought me to this place just to look foolish?” Negative thoughts can grow quickly from just one moment of fear.
We see this happening throughout the story of mankind. Look at the Hebrew people when God led them out of their Egyptian captivity. God provided for them day and night, guiding them to the land He promised would be their home. What joyful anticipation they must have experienced; but then, a group of twelve men were sent to reconnaissance the land. Two men came back reporting that there were some challenges to face, but they had God on their side so, “let’s go get our land!” However, the other ten came back shaking in their sandals. “There are giants in that land! Hundreds! They make us look like grasshoppers! We can’t take the land!” (Numbers 13:25-33)
The entire nation was infected with the fear of that report. They were suddenly blinded to the promise from God that He, Himself, would lead them to take the land as their own. Their spiritual vision was blurred by fear. This distortion of vision made them afraid to move — they were paralyzed against doing as God told them to do. Therefore, because of their fear, they never entered the land promised to them. Forty years had to pass before another generation was given that privilege.
Fear comes to us all. It’s a favorite tactic of Satan to keep us from doing what God says, and then to keep us from receiving God’s blessings that come from obedience to Him. What then, can we do? After all, we can’t help what we feel. If fearful thoughts come — they just come, right?
The answer is found in the freedom of choice that God gives to each of us. When fearful thoughts arrive, uninvited on our doorstep, it’s what we do with those thoughts that make all the difference. Simply put, don’t open the door. Don’t entertain the fearful thoughts. Instead, we can follow the advice of David in Psalm 34:4, “I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.” There it is; the wonderful and powerful answer. When fear knocks on the door — turn immediately to God. Call out to Him. Take hold of His promises. Fear has to leave.
Is there something in your life making you afraid today? Have you spiritually lost focus because of the paralyzing power of fear? Then, with God’s help, refocus. Choose to look into His promises. Hold them close and then — walk on with Jesus leading the way. He’s bigger than any giant in the land where God may lead you.
Disappointment is as much a part of anyone’s life as is laughter, tears, success, and failure. We all experience such feelings. Even so, knowing that others have been through what we may be experiencing at any given moment, does not necessarily comfort us at the time.
Disappointment is a hungry emotion. It yearns to feed itself on resentment, anger, jealousy, and loathing. The strange thing is: as much as any one of us hates being disappointed, we are the very ones who feed it, helping it to grow bigger and stronger, festering into total “down in the pits” syndrome, and possible depression.
What can we do when we become disappointed with a friendship that didn’t last, or a spouse that was unfaithful, or a church that split over difference of opinion? What can we do when we become disappointed over a failed business venture, or a plan that turned totally upside down? What can we do when we are disappointed with loneliness that won’t subside?
Furthermore, what can we do when we become disappointed with God? Have you ever felt like you really knew what God wanted you to do in life — but it never happened? Have you felt you were certain about God leading you in a particular direction — but it was a road that led to nowhere? Have you asked “in Jesus’ name” for something in particular to happen — but it never took place?
Yes, these situations and feelings come to us all. What in the world can we do? Well, first of all, let’s quit asking that question, because “the world” can’t help us. There is nothing “in the world” that can give us any amount of joy that compares to what our Father can give to us. The question, to begin to lead us out of disappointment, must always be — What, with God’s help, can we do?
When we ask what the world can do, we naturally begin looking to worldly remedies and philosophies; but, when we ask, what can Father do to help us, we begin to look in the right direction. We begin to look at God who never makes a mistake. We look into the heart of loving Father, who longs to comfort and hold us close. Even if the disappointment is with Him, over something we just don’t understand, looking to Him, into His love and truth, opens our own heart to receive His healing pouring into our brokenness.
When we feed our minds with God’s truth, and let His love seep into our wounded hearts, it’s a guaranteed remedy to restore our joy. Feeding disappointment will never restore anything positive. Apostle Paul understood this very well when he encouraged the church with these words found in Philippians 4:8, “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
It is only as we feed our minds with the positive things of God, rather than the pessimistic thoughts that come with disappointment, that we find a way out of those doldrums that come to us all.
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