Tag Archives: God

Forget It and Keep Running

Posted on by
Reply

The other day I was reading in the book of Philippians where it says, “Forget what is behindfall and strain toward what is ahead….”  As I read that, I stopped and thought about it a while.  Everyone who has spent much time reading God’s word or going to church, has most likely heard that verse a few times either quoted, preached about or had a Bible study on its value in our lives of children of God.

However, when I read it the other day, I thought to myself, every moment right before the one just lived is a moment in the past—even though it may not have even been more than five moments ago.

So, suppose I am trying to do something for a friend, and in the middle of my task I am criticized by someone who thinks they could have done it better, done it right, or whatever.  As soon as they have finished expressing their (perhaps unwanted) opinion, what was said is now in the past.  We shouldn’t go there. We’re to forget about it.  To me, that means forgiveness must happen as soon as possible. However, sometimes the pain that has been inflicted at us isn’t just a prick or thorn, but a massive piece of splintered wood jabbed into our side.  Sometimes the forgiveness must be worked through. (That sure gives new insight to the command of forgiving those who sin against us, seventy times seven.)

The second half of that verse tells us to strain toward what is ahead.  Have you noticed that both parts of this verse are difficult things for us to do in our own strength? Our natural tendency when we get hurt is to shrink back, get revenge, or hold a grudge.  We don’t naturally feel like forgiving.  And in the same sense, after we’ve been hurt, we don’t feel like straining toward anything.  We want to curl up and hide.  Straining is too hard and requires some amount and/or some level of pain.

God never said that this life was going to be easy to live through.  But He did give us a goal to strive for and run to.  A goal that makes the pain and the heartache of this life worth bearing.  It’s the prize that is promised if we will trust that He has—at all times—our best interest in His mind and we should not hesitate in desiring to be faithful in following Him.  It is a prize waiting at the finish line.  It won’t be a four foot trophy of bronze or a stylish, slick and shiny new watch made of silver and gold.  When we cross that finish line, weary and spent, we will be restored and renewed by the intimate presence of our Lord.  And He will be waiting with open arms to welcome us home as He says, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Our part?  Don’t look back.

Forget the past…  Forgive and just keep running, straining ahead to receive your prize as He welcomes you home.

A Reason To Pray

Posted on by
1

single-flower-for-posts1I follow a few other blogs, for one reason or another. One that I began following about a year ago, follows a man by the name of Tom Davis. Besides being an author, he is an advocate (to put it mildly) for orphans around the world, together with the ministry he is an integral part of, known as Hope Chest.

 
Their mission statement – Children’s HopeChest believes that every orphan has the right to know God, experience the blessing of family, and have the opportunity to develop independent living skills.

 
Today’s blog was heart wrenching, to say the least. Each time I read his posts, I am moved to pray. I am moved to go and do something, but always resort to prayer.
I read the title of today’s post: 24 Children Among Hundreds Raped in Congo. It took a few tries before reading it and fortunately wasn’t long.

 
I also read the account of Noah and the flood today.

 

 

Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence.  God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.

Genesis 6:11-12

 

 

This account was written over thousands of years ago, and yet, if rewritten for today would certainly be most accurate in describing the condition of our world. 

 
After reading his post this evening, I couldn’t help but cry. How can we be so wicked, so evil? And we are all capable of such wretchedness. Oh, how we need a Savior!

 
I share this with you for one reason only. When you pray for those in need, will you remember Tom Davis and those like him, whose mission is to protect and to help orphans around this world? And pray that Jesus will come back soon…

 
“There is no neutral ground in the universe. Every square inch of the cosmos, every split second, is claimed by God and counter-claimed by Satan.”      – C.S. Lewis

Blessed Be His Name

Posted on by
Reply
Claire and her mom

Claire and her mom

I have been following a blog, http://ourclaire.wordpress.com/, since its inception this past June.  I am not sure how I stumbled upon it, but it has become very personal to me.  It is about the life of an ordinary family set afloat the path of excruciating circumstances—the near drowning of their three-year-old daughter. Each day I receive an update on Claire’s progress toward a new ‘normal’, one of which no one but God himself knows the definition.  Each day I am driven to my knees and not only pray for this family but express my gratitude and thankfulness that I have not experienced such pain as a mother.

 

I don’t share this to bring sadness to you, my reader, but to cause you to stop and appreciate just how precious is life itself at this very moment. In the next moment your phone may ring, bringing news that will change your life as you now know it. Tomorrow could bring sorrow. In it all and through it all, God is and will always be sovereign, faithful, and just. We may cry out why, but his peace can and will calm the shaken, the fallen, and the hurting.  

 

I wanted to share a tidbit from today’s post about Claire, written by her daddy, with an excerpt from the beginning post to give you insight what they were facing from the start:

June 2nd entry-

…after a near drowning event on Sunday, May 30th…here’s what we do know about that first hour:

  • Claire didn’t have a pulse for 30 minutes;
  • When the practitioners did get her heart going again, she could not breathe on her own; and
  • Claire’s little body was fighting to stay alive.

 

August 30th entry-

 

…as I write this, the clock stares at me, shocking me with its pronouncement of another day gone by. On the one hand, I want time to slow down so I can catch my breath, and on the other I want it to speed up, hastening Claire’s recovery.

 

I reflect on the first few days when it happened, hoping that as we brought Claire out of hypothermia, we’d take great strides to recovery. We were cautioned that the recovery would take a long time, but we still didn’t grasp the gravity of the situation: little did we know that weeks, months and years of shuffling forward were ahead of us. The slow pace is what is difficult, each day another day without seeing Claire smile, hearing her voice or watching her play. We’ve survived for three months without those things, but we can’t imagine living without them for another day. But we do it anyway, because we hold on to the hope that day will come soon.

 

On some days we see something new. Tiffany had the idea of buying some Baby Orajel as part of oral therapy. Her idea was that when you feel numbness in your mouth, your tongue tends to explore that side of your mouth. Claire’s tongue exercises have been limited. So we tried the Orajel. It worked right away. We watched Claire move her tongue to the right side of her mouth, feeling where we had placed the drop. We all cheered watching her little tongue move. Her curiosity turned to annoyance when the feeling didn’t go away. She didn’t like it. It was a victory nonetheless.

 

 

What spoke to me today was Claire’s ‘therapy’ with the Orajel. While the family watched and waited, eventually they saw Claire move her tongue to one side her mouth and was victory!  How often do we move our tongues around inside our mouth throughout our days only to take it for granted? Brush our teeth, comb our hair, walk to the kitchen, stand up from sitting in a chair? All movements we do each day and never even consider the fact that tomorrow those gifts and evidences of life could be taken away.

 

Could we, like others we may know, stand and sing, “Blessed be the name of the Lord – He gives and takes away, but my heart will choose to say, Lord, blessed by your name?

 

I remember going to a Steven Curtis Chapman concert after his little girl Maria had been tragically killed and through tears, he sang that very song, with new insight.

 

God gives and He takes away. Sometimes He takes away completely and sometimes only partially—like Claire, like a disease or illness, or a child who has turned his/her back on the Lord, or unemployment. The list is endless, but God’s comfort and strength never fails and victory is coming. It may not feel like it today, it may not feel like it tomorrow, but it is coming.  Until that day, I want to be thankful for what this moment brings and if the next, should God choose to take something away, it is because of His mercy and grace, faithfulness and sovereignty that I can choose to say, blessed be His name.

On Growing Up

Posted on by
1

Anne EdwardsSometimes I feel like I’m never going to grow up. People tell me I look younger than I am – they always have. I am not in any way bragging about that comment and, to be sure, I have never really thought about it much, if at all. I look in the mirror and see worn out and tired.

People think I sound young on the phone. I know this for a fact, for on several occasions upon answering a telephone call, I’ve been asked, “Can I speak to your mom?” I politely respond with (what else), “I am the mom.” Trust me. I was there for the birth of my three grown up children. I was there throughout the diaper changes and cleaning spit up. I sat through all the baseball, soccer, basketball, volleyball and football games and helped with the homework. I sat at the weddings and now, have held my first grand baby. The gray hair is real and I think I’ve earned every strand.

Yet again, sometimes I feel like I am never going to grow up. It used to be that I felt it was just others who saw me as immature. Then I started seeing it for myself. While I long to stay young at heart and feel I have a pretty good shot at it, I’m realizing it is a good thing to grow up.

A couple weeks ago, I was helping someone and she had it in her mind that she needed to accomplish each task alone – from caring for her little one, to driving in unfamiliar territory, to finding a new home. The list went on and her stress level became great enough for the both of us. I was getting frustrated, wondering what I was even doing there. Certainly, I was no help. She wouldn’t let me help. Therefore, I did what any grown up, mature middle-aged woman would do – I went outside and cried.

I cried out to God. I feel useless.

Do you suppose we make God feel like that by insisting that we do everything without His help? Does He feel ‘useless’ because we never ask Him for help? It was a thought worth mulling over.

You need to be the grown up.

Okay, now that voice was clear enough. I was listening, but I just had one question. How?

It was clear that how wasn’t sitting there whining about me feeling useless. I thought about it and realized being ‘grown up’ meant confronting the other person in a loving way and expressing how I felt without crying about it.

Wow. That was weird. I don’t do confrontations for the most part. That’s not my style. Nevertheless, the picture of me confronting this individual in a loving way was overwhelming and extremely clear.

As we headed out for our day, the opportunity immediately and quite naturally came up when the other person expressed how they felt panicked by driving in a strange city. I used that open door to tell her how she did not have to do all this ‘stuff’ by herself and that my sole purpose in accompanying her on this journey was to help her with whatever she needed. To make a long story short, I drove most of the rest of the trip, I changed a few dirty diapers and, I gave my opinion about potential living quarters. It was good. It was unfamiliar territory, but it was very good.

The air was clear, there were no hard feelings, and I even believe our relationship grew deeper. It felt right to be grown up, at least for that day.

My husband and I took a walk a few days ago and I could not help but notice how the evergreen trees have new growth on the tips of their branches. To drive right by, it is hardly noticeable. However, if you are walking, most likely you will notice. It is a beautiful green color that is set apart from the older growth; you only notice it once a year, and then it blends in with the rest of the tree.

Growing up is like that. I often don’t feel grown up. However, every once in a while, God puts a situation in my life where I have been given the opportunity to stand back and see the new growth. It may only be a tiny bit, but I can see that I am growing. For there, on the tip of my character, I see a new color – the color of growth.

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in me will be faithful to complete until the day of Christ’s return. Philippians 1:6

It is my prayer that when He does come, I will have green tips all over my branches, even if I can’t see them.

Strength Is Made In The Waiting

Posted on by
1

basket-roses-straight-sharp

He reigns forever

He is our hope, our strong deliverer

He is the everlasting God

He does not faint, nor grow weary

Strength will rise when we wait upon the Lord…

He is the defender of the weak

He comforts those in need

He lifts us up on wings like eagles

He is our hope, our strong deliverer

Strength will rise when we wait upon the Lord…[1]

I am sitting here listening to Chris Tomlin. What a great worship leader. How God is using this man to write some of today’s greatest worship songs.

I think the things I love most about his songs are they are so God-focused. Often we sing ‘worship’ songs filled with too many ‘I’s. They are more about what we feel like rather than who God is. They tend to cause us to look inward instead of upward. Personally, I prefer to look upward. The view is better.

I was listening to ‘Everlasting God’. What a song of hope. So often, we feel so weak, so discouraged. At least I can feel that way at times. Situations that you can’t do anything about. Circumstances you can’t alter. People you can’t change. Yet, in our weakness, He remains the God of forever – who was, who still is, and who is yet to come.

The God that stood with David before Goliath. The God that stood with Noah before a mocking world. The God that stood with Stephen as he was stoned. The God that stood with Joshua as he walked the walls of Jericho. The God of forevers and the everlasting.

Strength will rise when we wait upon the Lord.

David’s strength came when He waited… and sought five stones. Noah’s strength came while waiting… and working. Stephen’s strength came while waiting… and remaining faithful. Joshua’s strength came as he waited… and walked. They all became strong in the waiting… and waiting requires trust.

It is in trusting that we rest. Trusting means letting go and letting God. Holding on means refusing to take our hands off whatever it is we refuse to cease control of and let God work through. As long as we hold on, God holds back.

His answer. His solution. His healing. His blessing.

Can we even begin to comprehend the mercies, the blessings, the unfailing love He desires to give – if we will just let go? Holding on says that we are strong enough to work through the situation at hand. It says we don’t need God. Ouch.

Letting go says… I am weak. And yet, it is in that place that God chooses to work – not in our self-proclaimed strength.

Have you ever worked alongside of someone who thought they had it all under control – didn’t need your help? Sometimes we’ve said to ourselves, “Fine then…,” stood back, and watched them fall. We can get to be cocky when we think we are strong.

It says:

He is the defender of the weak

He comforts those in need

He lifts us up on wings like eagles

He is our hope, our strong deliverer

Strength will rise when we wait upon the Lord…

God cannot defend someone who thinks they are strong. Why? They think they don’t need Him.

God cannot comfort someone who thinks they are not needy. Why? They think they’ve got it all together all on their own.

God cannot lift up someone on wings like eagles who is already flying high in their own pride.

Oh how I want Him to be my only hope, my only strong deliverer. Just Him. Even if it means waiting. After all, it is in the waiting I am made strong in Him.

You can listen to ‘Everlasting God’ here (and be blessed!):

Everlasting God

[1] Adapted from the song, “Everlasting God” by Chris Tomlin.

Does God Make Deals?

Posted on by
2

yellow finchA few weeks ago I was able to visit my daughter in Southern California. In the course of my stay, she showed me a contract one her boys, seven years old, had written between the two of them. It read:

Nathaniel’s Deal

Tamara,

Nathaniel will like to make deal with you- if he go to school he gets large chips and soda.

It was signed,

Nathaniel and Tamara

Some of the things my daughter has to deal with at this home for abused kids is beyond belief. But every once in a while, she comes across a cute situation that makes it worthwhile, like a contract made by a seven year old.

We do the same things with God, but I wonder if they’re ‘cute’ to Him. We get in a bind, go through a tough time, and in hopes of getting out of our ‘tight’ spot, we cut a deal with God. We say things like, “I’ll do this if you will do that” or “I promise I’ll do this, if you don’t do that.”

If God doesn’t come through the way we’ve outlined in our deal, we feel we’re not doing things right, God doesn’t like us, or maybe we even missed the miraculous moment.

God isn’t like that. God is a God of mercy and grace. He does things out of love, for our good and not to frustrate us.

Sometimes, God just wants us to use our brains. That is, after all, why He gave us common sense. Sometimes, decisions are easy enough, if we use that common sense, but we don’t like the options so we seek a better way – or what we think is a better way, according to our desires anyhow.

For the last year, I’ve wanted to attend a writer’s conference that is coming up. For my birthday, I ended up with almost enough, but because my husband has been unemployed for over a year and I am on disability, I believed that the best use for good stewardship was to pay off some of my medical bills. So I did. But first, I cut a deal with God.

I told Him that I’d do the right thing – I wanted to – but if at all possible, could He provide a way to go and if not – that would be okay.

What makes it be okay when you want something so bad but if you don’t get it – it really is okay? Because we have a sovereign God that can do anything. If it’s His will for us to be somewhere at a certain time, He’ll get us there. However, if it’s His will for us to stay put, then we will do as He leads and not try to manipulate the situation to suit our needs wants. And we know that whatever we allow Him to do, it is for our good and it is His best for us, just as He promised in His word.

So, come what may, I am content and at peace for whatever He chooses. Until then, I think I’ll join Nathaniel and have a large chips and a soda.

Five Fabulous Facts for January 22, 2010

Posted on by
2

Rose close up 2Physically, we are all getting a day closer to our end.

Emotionally, we cower at the thought.

Mentally there are days we cannot deal with it.

Often frantically, we strive to find a way to overcome.

Spiritually, if we hope and have trusted in a God who loves us and saved us, the above can cease to be important yet remain real.

Thank you Jesus, for your saving grace which has overcome our deepest fears, our greatest needs, and our longing for more, for in You and You alone, we have everything we’ll ever need. Teach us to trust You in and for all things.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am…”  – - John 14:1-3

Make Yourself Amazing

Posted on by
2

Peone close up AWESOME

I’ve not seen this promise before. No one has ever attempted, so blatantly anyhow, to inform us of the impossible. But ladies ~ it’s finally come ~ the opportunity of a lifetime. The opportunity to be… AMAZING!

Let me explain. Two years ago I discovered (by an ad posted in the sidebar at Facebook) that I could actually buy a brain. You just can’t get a brain any easier than that now, can you? And now, as luck would have it, I can, by another promise posted in the sidebar at Facebook, ‘make myself amazing’, if I ‘Beat the New Year’s Rush Now!’. And, if I happen to beat the rush? I will have made ‘2010 simply amazing’.

What is this magical and mystical thing they’re promising? If I hurry and take the 600 dollars offered through this ad and put it toward this simply amazing thing, I can have my breast enlarged (not two – just one) and be… simply amazing.

Amazing… this procedure promises that I’ll be amazing. In other words, remarkable. Wonderful. Marvelous. Mind-blowing. Without this procedure, I will just be – me and I don’t ever recall blowing anyone’s mind or known as ‘marvelous’.

Certainly is tempting, isn’t it? Alter your appearance and become an amazing creature overnight with the ability to be a mind-blowing phenomenon (Just because I had one breast enlarged – not two. Don’t forget that.).

My point? (There really is a serious side to this.)

I’m already amazing!

I am not perfect, I would never consider myself amazing whatsoever, but God thinks I am the apple of His eye. Isn’t that amazing? Zechariah 2:8 says, “for he that touches you touches the apple of His eye.” Now, that is mind-blowing. I don’t have to do anything ~ change my hair color, my eye color, my shoe size, or my breast size. He thinks I am amazing just the way I am. That is incredible. Think about it…

God knew me long ago – knew me before I took my first breath. If that’s true, then he knew what I would look like now and yet, He didn’t say, “Oops – I goofed. Better send that one to the MYA (Make Yourself Amazing company).

For some reason I got the bluish green eyes and my daughter in-law got brown. I got the puppy nose and my friend who thinks it’s the cutest nose ever got a pointy one. Does that make one of us amazing and others in need of some MYA Therapy? I hardly think so.

God made us –each one – just the way we needed to be and if by some chance, someone does see something amazing about us, it won’t be because of anything we’ve done. And, while MYA and Sons offers amazing promises, the only change that’s going to happen with the kind of promise they’re making will be on the outside. The sad thing is – God’s not looking at the breast job or the tummy tuck or the ‘six packs’. He’s got His eyes focused on the heart. Man focuses his eyes on the outside.

So, if you’re thinking about calling the MYA and Affiliates, think again and ask yourself why. You’re already amazing if you’re a child of the King.

Simply amazing.

~Sherri

Being A Martha

Posted on by
Reply

roses-in-jars-uneditedOnce upon a time, there were two sisters. One sister was always busy mopping or dusting, fixing lunch for those that would drop by and secretly envying her sister, who instead of helping with the chores, chose to squander her time hanging around the guests and making sure they were comfortable.

Sound familiar?

That’s the story of Mary and Martha, the two sisters who serve Jesus. One serves him by making sure dinner isn’t burned and the other serves him by doting on Him. Which does he prefer? You got it. He likes to be doted on. After all, He is God. However, Martha had a hard time understanding that and thought that what she had to do was more important than what Mary was doing (paying attention to her Lord). Martha was making pie crust while Mary was giving Jesus a foot massage with her hair and some rather expensive oil. She spared no expense and he enjoyed every minute of it, even telling Martha that Mary had chosen the most important thing to do.

Poor Martha. In her own way she’s trying to do the right thing and serve a delicious meal, in a spotless house, surrounded by a group of men who could care less. They preferred having their feet rubbed. So she gives up and throws in the kitchen towel and goes and sits out on the couch and watches Mary. She’s really into this perfume and toes thing. The bottom strands of her hair are oily where she used them to rub Jesus’ feet. This – this thing Mary was doing for Jesus – this was more important than a fresh potato salad and a perfectly cooked steak?

She watched. She watched the look on Mary’s face. She watched the look on Jesus’ face. She watched the faces of the disciples who had come with Jesus.

Mary was intent. You could see, without her having to say a word, that she loved this man called Jesus with a deep love. As Martha watched, it was easy to see that Jesus almost as if Mary knew him better. How could that be? She hadn’t spent any more time with Him than Martha had. Or had she? When he’d drop by, Martha made snacks in the kitchen while Mary chose to sit at her beloved’s feet and listen to his stories.

Martha watched Jesus’ face. It was almost as if she could see the burdens he carried, melt away with each tender touch. There was something about the human touch and it’s healing effects that not even apple pie could fix.

The longer she sat there, Martha began to understand. What she did was important and needful, but not every time Jesus came to visit. Every once in a while he asked for some iced tea. She would get it. Sometimes he’d ask for a sandwich and she’d make it. He knew all he had to do was ask and she’d gladly do it. Maybe that’s what she needed to do – wait for Him to ask and until he did, she’d spend some of that spare time doing something a little more important - like rubbing her master’s feet and seeing him smile as He looked into her eyes saying, “Well done.”

The Silence of God

Posted on by
Reply

There is an aching in my heart –
a numb feeling resides
as I wonder what is next

I cry out, I plea
only to be met
with the silence of God

Is there anything darker,
anything louder
than this?

On His knees
alone in the garden,
Jesus wept
under this very torment.

Alone and unattended is He
as His father remains voiceless
while He begs for pardon.

Silent and still
is the crisp air that surrounds me.
I ache but am not cold.
His silence warms me.

Noise disintegrates into the background
His still, quiet presence whispers grace,
without words
like a helpless friend who can do nothing
but sit and wait alongside of grief.

The silence permeates the space
and shouts of His presence -
holding me, singing over me, like a mother to her child.

In the darkness,
when I fear the light will never shine
I close my eyes, and am held,
comforted and loved
without words.

The silence of God –
proving understanding and compassion,
bleeding mercy and grace
showing me that I do not ache alone.