Count Your Blessings…365 days a year

Leave a Comment / November 25, 2010

Thanksgiving is an awesome holiday, isn’t it?   A time to focus on all the blessings we have been given.   We take the time to thank God for the many blessings of family, friends, church family, and all of the many material blessings…food, shelter, clothing, and all of the extras we never even asked for that we have been so graciously given.   And then how about all of the immaterial things?  The peace, the joy, the love we so often take for granted?  If each of us takes the time to ponder for a few minutes, we realize just how many blessings we have received, even amidst difficult times and incredibly hard trials.  Reminds me of an old hymn–

  1. When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
    When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
    Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
    And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done. 

    • Refrain:
      Count your blessings, name them one by one,
      Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
      Count your blessings, name them one by one,
      *Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.
      [*And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.]
  2. Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
    Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
    Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
    And you will keep singing as the days go by.
  3. When you look at others with their lands and gold,
    Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
    Count your many blessings—wealth can never buy
    Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.
  4. So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
    Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
    Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
    Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

May we do this every day of the year…not just on Thanksgiving day! :)  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

A Tale of Perspective

Leave a Comment / November 22, 2010

Two little girls grew up in the same home.  They had the same parents who loved them both dearly.   They had the same house.   The same grandparents.  They went to the same church.  And they had the same backyard.   In fact, they were so close that they did almost everything together.

But when they grew up, life took them different directions.  One daughter was stricken at a young age with breast cancer and survived to tell the story after a long battle.  The same one cared for her invalid mother-in-law for 8 years in her home.  She had also had a child who had been born with a serious heart defect.  And to make matters worse, her husband had been jobless at the time and they had no health insurance.

The other daughter had a life that almost seemed bereft of trials.  She had married a very rich man who loved her.  She had 3 healthy, beautiful children who got straight A’s, played soccer, and took music lessons.  She never worried about what she was going to feed her family or how they would pay their bills.

One of these daughters was very content and happy with her life.  One was not.  One praised the Lord with a thankful heart.  And one did not.  Which do you think was which?

By the circumstances, you would think that the one with the wonderful life would be the content one, right?  But…you would be wrong.  It was the daughter whose life was full of trials who had the grateful heart.  The other daughter took for granted so many of the blessings God had given to her and focused on the things that went wrong in her life.

Sometimes, we have a difficult time seeing the blessings that surround us…that surround each and every one of us.  Yes, we all have trials but we also all have blessings.

I will always remember a family that I met while in Ukraine.  We were privileged to share a meal with them and we talked with them through an interpreter.  Here was a family who lived in one of those cookie cutter Soviet apartment buildings.  They had a small kitchen and a tiny bathroom with a water supply for only a few hours each day, and another room that functioned as bedroom, nursery, dining room, and living room.  There might have been one other bedroom.  Five people lived in that little rundown apartment.  And yet this family just radiated with the joy of the Lord.  They were blessed and they knew it.  They had enough food to share with their brothers and sisters in the Lord and they had a place to sleep at night.  They had each other and they had a wonderful church family.

I couldn’t help but contrast it to my life here in America.  Not only was I grateful for what I had but I also realized the spirit of discontent that I hear from so many people (sometimes from myself!) so often here in this very materially blessed land.

You see, joy and contentment do not come from what we have.  Joy and contentment are the fruit of a grateful heart.  We all say this as truth…but are our lives showing we believe it?  As Thanksgiving approaches, I hope I do not take any of my many blessings for granted.  But instead truly realize the many blessings that God has given me…and thank Him often for those blessings!

The unthankful heart… discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings!  ~Henry Ward Beecher

Are All Religions the Same?

Leave a Comment / June 29, 2018

There was once a young man. We will call him Jack. Jack had a job. He needed to deliver a letter to the old man who lived at the top of the mountain. No one had ever climbed the mountain before. He wasn’t even sure the old man was there. Years before the old man had started to climb the mountain and that was the last anybody had heard of him.

Jack decided the easiest way to reach the top of this mountain would be to fly there. So he talked to Hampton, the only man who owned a helicopter for miles around. It was a beautiful day when Jack and Hampton climbed into the big whirlybird and took off for the far away mountain. But the strangest thing happened. As they neared the mountain, it was covered in clouds. Not just any clouds, either. These were thick, gray clouds. Clouds that covered the top of the mountain like an opaque blanket. Hampton was puzzled. It was a beautiful day. This didn’t make sense. We will return on another day, he said. The clouds can’t remain forever. So they returned the next day. And the next. They continued to try for two weeks. No matter what the weather was when they left, the clouds would always be covering the mountain when they flew over it. Jack decided that flying was not going to work.

The next option was taking a mule with a pack. It wouldn’t be easy. But that was really the only other option. He bought himself a good, sturdy mule and started out. He did fine. Until it started raining. It rained and rained. Deep gullies started to form. The mule lost his footing.  He went tumbling down over the cliff. Jack grabbed a branch and hung on for dear life–until slowly he was able to  inch his way forward to safety.

At this point, walking was his only option. He looked down at the cuts and bruises on his body. He was in some pain. But he decided to continue his journey. He did make it about halfway. At that point, wild creatures started appearing. There were venomous snakes. And huge, brown bears. And wild, frightful wolves. He contemplated turning around. But he knew this letter was a matter of life and death. He had to deliver it. He continued.

He thought he was making progress. Until he came to the crevice. A wide, wide crevice that surrounded the entire mountain top. There would be no way to cross it without losing his life. Dejectedly, he turned around.  There must be a way to reach the old man. But he couldn’t figure out what it was. He headed back down the mountain.

When he reached the bottom of the mountain, much to his surprise, the old man was waiting for him. The old man had heard about the letter, knew the one and only way down the mountain, and had come to meet him, so that Jack would be spared the dangerous trip up the mountain.

So what is the purpose of this story? I hear so many cries of “all roads lead to heaven”, “all religions are the same”, “you take your way to God, and I will take mine”. But did you realize that all world religions–except for Christianity–are like Jack trying to climb that mountain? There are things you must do in order to reach God. And yet, nothing we do makes it possible to reach God. We can do all the good in the world and still never reach Him. (Romans 3:23). Anytime you must DO something in order to reach God, it is a false religion. We can’t reach God. But the good news is that He has come to us by sending us His Son to die for our sins (John 3:16). I can’t do anything righteous in His sight (Isaiah 64:6).

You see, Christianity is the only world religion where God came down the mountain to us. Not to receive something from us. But to give something to us. Salvation. A free gift.

But what about all of those rules Christianity has? You see, there is great confusion about the holy lives genuine Christians seek to lead. I John 2:3&4 says “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

A life honoring to God is the proof that we know Him. Not the requirement.

I do not look at my life like I am living a life of rules and regulations. I do not think I am missing out on the “good stuff”. I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for sending His son to take on my sins so that I can stand righteous before God that I surrender my life and my will to His. At least that is the goal of every true believer. We are still human and we do still make lots of mistakes. But we are doing our best to live a life to please God because we love Him. It is the natural outcome of the praise and thanks in our hearts toward the God who has saved us from eternal damnation.

So, all roads do lead to the same place. All roads EXCEPT for Christianity. Christianity is not the same as all other religions. It is entirely different. You can be doing all you know to do to reach God, by doing good deeds, reciting whatever it is your religion requires you to recite, by proselytizing, by praying to the saints, or whatever else your religion “requires”. But God has already made a way. By sending His son to die on a cross and take on the sins of the world. By rising again in glorious splendor to show that there is power over death!

Random Acts of Kindness

Leave a Comment / November 8, 2010

Today I needed to go to Costco.  One of the things on my list was dog food.  Dog food at Costco is contained in huge bags.  It is always difficult for me to get a 50+ lb bag into my rolling cart.  Today I was having an especially difficult time.  I was just trying to slide the thing onto the shelf underneath and it kept getting caught on the one brace (for want of a better word) that crossed the shelf.  Every time I shoved, the cart rolled a little further away from me.  My method was obviously not working!  I was getting pretty frustrated when I heard a man’s voice.  “Wait a minute…I will hold the cart for you.”  An older gentleman took a few minutes out of his day to hold my cart. I finally was able to get that huge, unwieldy bag onto the cart once someone kept it from rolling away.

Later on in the day, I was waiting in a very slow-moving, long line.  The cashier next to me opened up a new line, but told the man behind me that she would take him.  The man kindly told me to go ahead.  He had a lot less in his cart than I did.  When I declined for that reason, he told me that he was not in a hurry.  It was very thoughtful of him.

Small things can brighten our days.  Someone lets you merge when the traffic is especially heavy.   Or perhaps someone gives you a warm smile and a hello when you are having a really bad day.  Or, like my experience today, someone kindly left me go first…instead of rushing to make the line before I could get there.  We need to look for little opportunities to be kind and thoughtful.

So often, I am in such a hurry and so wrapped in my selfish agenda that I forget to look at what’s is going on with others around me.  Maybe there is someone beside me in Wal-mart or at the gas station who needs a smile.  Who needs to feel like someone knows they are alive and cares…even if you never see them again.  Maybe it is a waitress who is having a really bad day.  She needs a smile and respect.   What about your hairdresser?  Your mailman?  Your boss?  All of these people have souls.  God loves them.  They deserve to be treated with kindness.

Jesus was so kind to those He met.  There are so many accounts in the scripture.  The children, the woman at the well, Zaccheus, the blind man.  While, of course, we cannot work miracles, we can spread the love of Jesus.   We can open our eyes, look around, and find ways to be thoughtful and kind each day…thinking of others, instead of ourselves.  Not just on Sundays.  Or when we are on a mission trip.  Or during devotions.

The Bible tells us in Luke 16:10 ” He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.”

Being kind in the small things is just as important in being kind in the big ones.  Let’s shine our light so brightly that no one doubts where our allegiance lies!

The poem that is not really a poem

Leave a Comment / November 4, 2010

There was a time when everything looked clean

My world was timeless

My world was innocent

My world was not reality

And then I grew up and I realized

Life is not a fairytale

Life is not what you see when you are a kid

Life is full of secrets and tragedy and misunderstandings

Is that all?  Wasn’t there more?

And somehow I had to find the joy

In a small child’s giggle

In a teenager’s enthusiasm for life

In a thank you spoken

And I realized life is full of both

The happy moments

The sad moments

The moments on top of the mountain

And the moments in the valley

And through it all I knew

God was there

Always faithful

Even when I couldn’t feel Him

He was there

He is with me now

Because He has promised to never leave me

What signal are you giving?

Leave a Comment / April 29, 2015

stop-light

Imagine coming to a stop light. The light has all three colors glowing steadily. You look at the other lane of traffic trying to determine which light is representing the truth. Should you go? Should you stop? Should you proceed cautiously? Again, you look left and right to discern what the stop light is indicating. But you are really not sure. There is really no way to tell. The stop light is completely void in a case such as this. What if it shows two colors? Again, completely void. Unless the stop light is indicating only one color it is completely ineffectual.

I think sometimes we Christians can be like this. We say one thing but live another. We signal one thing with our words. And another thing with our actions. People look around and try to determine which signal is truth. Unlike the stoplight, they can usually reach a conclusion. The actions are going to speak much louder than the words.  We become ineffective for the cause of Christ. Just like the stop light, we bring confusion. Confusion to the world that needs Christ.

We say that we love others. But our actions indicate that our own agenda is primary. We say we love God. But we entertain ourselves with the things He hates. We say we think it is important to evangelize the world. But we don’t do it. We say that idols are sinful. But how we use our time and resources says otherwise. We say stealing is wrong. But we think nothing of stealing precious time from our boss.

This makes me ponder. Do I give more than one signal? Am I indicating by my words AND my actions that I am a follower of Jesus Christ? Or do my words say one thing and my actions say another?

May I be very careful with my words today. And may I follow up my words with actions. Being sure to say and live the same thing so that only one signal is given when people look at me.

Matthew 23:3

GPS vs. the Map

Leave a Comment / August 10, 2016

map

We were on our way to the beach. Attached to our truck was our 5th wheel camper. My husband decided to go a different way he had heard about from one of his customers–supposedly a more scenic route. We had traveled it twice before but were not really all that familiar with it. We did not have a map along. We had a GPS along. He figured he could figure it out with the little machine that talks.

Wrong.

As we turned off of our much traveled path, I expressed my hesitancy. I was comforted by his assurances that he would definitely be able to figure it out. However, as we traveled along the road, the landmarks became increasingly unfamiliar. We were drawn further and further into major suburbia– not the place you want to be with a 5th wheel attached to your truck!

The problem came when the GPS did not have the same directions in mind that my husband did. The GPS did not know we had a camper attached and was taking us through areas we did not really want to go; areas in which it was extremely difficult to maneuver with a camper attached to you.

Finally, we stopped and bought a map and tried to figure it out. In the meantime, it started to rain–and not just a few drops. It was a downpour of the most severe kind–the kind of rain that it’s hard enough to get where you need to go when you know where you’re going, much less when you have no idea where you are going! Put a couple of kids in the backseat with their accompanying comments, and you can start to imagine the situation. It was not good. (And we didn’t handle it real well…but we won’t discuss that here!)

We did eventually figure it out. After we had crossed the bridge over the Delaware River into familiar territory, I took a close look at the map to see where we had gone wrong. From that perspective I could see exactly what we had done and what the GPS was thinking.  And, we realized, that at one point, had we listened to the GPS, it would have gotten us out of the mess we were in. But we no longer trusted the little talking machine to guide us.

Sometimes it would be nice to have a map of our lives. From that perspective we could see the roads, rivers, mountains, and curves. We could see that, while we may have taken a detour, we are at least headed in the right direction. But, we don’t have a map, and just like we got stuck in the mire of traffic, rain, and confusion on our way to the beach, so we get stuck in the emotion, sin, and confusion in our own lives. Sometimes we feel like we have no idea where we are going. But God knows. He knows exactly the path in which He will lead us through our lives. He knows the sinful choices we will make and He knows the godly choices we will make. He knows the parents, the kids, the siblings, and the friends we will have before we are even born. He knows the jobs we will hold. He knows the vacations we will take. He knows the tragedies we will experience and He knows the moments of joy we will experience. Nothing is outside the border of God’s map of our lives. He knows what will happen even before it happens.

I don’t know about you, but I find that comforting. Sometimes when I am facing the unknown and my life is full of question marks, it is good to know that nothing is a question mark to God. If we have acknowledged we are sinners and saved by grace alone, if we are living according to His Word and commandments, and truly allowing Him to direct our paths, we can rest assured knowing that He will be there to guide us in every step. His word tells us that there is no place we can go that He won’t be with us. And His forgiveness awaits us when we cave to that familiar sin. What an amazing comfort to those of us who truly love the God who saved us!

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

Romans 8:38  For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 1: 6-8 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.  In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,

The Slippery “Chick Flick” Slope

Leave a Comment / September 29, 2015

romance

I have a weakness for chick flicks. I love romantic, sweet stories with happy endings. This past weekend I watched one. This delightful story was of a young man and woman who were thrown together into circumstances they never would have dreamed and, eventually, they end up together. Of course.

The movie was really pretty good. Except for the language and taking God’s name in vain. And except for the incredibly crude humor. And the gay couple made to look normal. And the illegal drug use. And the the glorification of unmarried sex.

Even as I write this, I am appalled that I sat through it. But I got so caught up in the story. It was such a cute and funny story.

Does a cute and funny story justify all of the immorality that goes on between the cute and funny parts?

More and more, it seems that romantic comedies are filled with things that God hates. Why are our spirits not “vexed” over this?  “Vexed” means troubled or distressed.  2 Peter 2:8 says (Lot’s) righteous soul was vexed by the unlawful deeds of those living in Sodom and Gomorrah. And, yet, we sit and we laugh at sin. We tell our friends about this great movie we saw, never giving even a second thought to the language and actions that offend our Holy God. Language and actions that are not only present in the film, but oftentimes condoned.

I made a mistake. I wasted two of my God-given precious hours watching a movie that was filled with things that my God hates. I filled my mind with language and actions that go directly against what God wants me to be.

Why can’t I just sit and watch if I know that these things are wrong? It is not like I am going to go out and use bad language or do any of them. But maybe the question is why would I WANT to watch something that would offend the God who loved me enough to send His son to die for me? Why wouldn’t I love Him enough to make entertainment choices that are pleasing to Him?

Entertainment choices are difficult. But I do know this– I want to stand before my Lord in Glory and know that I did everything I could possibly do to keep my life pure and holy in this sinful world. And watching that movie did not qualify as pure and holy. Not even a bit.

Here’s to a new week and better choices!

I Peter 1:13-16  Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

The House Auction

1 Comment / July 17, 2015

picket-fence-with-flowers

Many years ago, there was a young couple who lived in a tiny apartment. They wanted so very much to own their own home. Their family was growing and they were running out of room. Not to mention the obnoxious neighbor who lived above them, making their existence there less than ideal.  One day, someone told them about an adorable little house that was going to be up for auction. The young couple drove by the house and grew excited at the prospect of home ownership. The day came for the auction.  The couple waited nervously while a lifetime’s worth of trinkets and furniture were sold. Finally, it was time. Time to put the house up for auction. The bidding started. Oh, no! There was someone very serious about buying the house bidding against them.  The price went up…up…it was getting close to their limit. Now it was beyond their limit. They knew their budget. They knew they could not afford to pay more than their limit. They had to back out. Oh, the disappointment! The young wife honestly thought this was the house for them. She walked away from the cute little house in the woods with her head down and tears in her eyes. She knew there would be other houses but she had fallen in love with this one.

Well, a few months passed. The young couple found another house. It was a little rancher in a nice neighborhood. The man who owned it had inherited it from his mother. He did not need the money. The young couple was able to borrow directly from him instead of going through a bank. They settled into their house and spent the next 9 years of their life there.

One day, a few years after the house auction, the young husband was having a conversation with a friend. This friend knew the people that had bought the house at the auction. He went on to share of the many problems this couple was having with the house. They had had to pour thousands of dollars into the house for some major, unforeseen issues.

And that is when the young wife learned an invaluable lesson. God knows best. There is a reason for why He answers “yes” and a reason for why He answers “no”. There is even a reason for why He answers “wait”. Sometimes we are the one who buys the lemon of a house and, even then, God has a plan for our lives.

By now, I am sure you figured out that my husband and I are the ones who lived out the story of the house auction. Sometimes God show us His reasons He has allowed (or, in this case, not allowed) a particular trial or blessing. But, more often than not, we do not know the reasons. That is what walking by faith is all about. We know that God loves us. Our job is to seek Him with all of our hearts. He will take care of the rest (Matthew 6:33-34). So much easier to write than to live.

Humility = Flexibility

Leave a Comment / October 15, 2010

Elisabeth Elliot and her brother-in-law were having a discussion about what the most valuable quality is for a missionary.  One thought it was humility and one thought it was flexibility.  As they discussed further, they came to the conclusion that it really all comes down to the same thing.

“A missionary must be humble enough to be flexible.  Nowadays young candidates are often so highly trained they feel overqualified for the jobs that need to be done.  Most mission stations are in need of people who are willing to do anything that needs doing.  It is fine to offer oneself for service, but the form of service must not be too narrowly defined.  It is to minister to, not to be ministered to, that we are sent.” Discipline, The Glad Surrender p. 88-89

But, you say, I am NOT a missionary, nor will I ever be a missionary.  Let’s think for a moment.  Don’t we ALL feel overqualified for some of the tasks we have to do sometimes?   How have we defined the service we offer our families?  Our churches?  Our friends?  Do we have a narrow definition of what we are willing to do for them?   Yes, I will meet you for coffee, but no, I will not have you and your family over for dinner.  Yes, I will sing up front in the worship service, but I will not serve in the kitchen.   Yes, I will cook your meals and do your laundry, but don’t ask me to _______________…you fill in the blank.  Most of us have placed boundaries on how much we are willing to serve.  Don’t ask me to do that menial task.  We have our rights, too…our life to live.  Don’t ask me to re-do my schedule for you.  Who do you think you are, anyway?  And yet…

We see Jesus’s example of being a humble servant.  Matthew 14:13-14 says “When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities. 14 And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.”

We all know how that feels, don’t we?    We are just sitting down with a nice cup of coffee and then a child yells for our help…or the phone rings…or our spouses want to talk…or the dog throws up.  It is in those moments that the rubber meets the road and we find of what stuff we are made.  We see that Jesus “had compassion for them”.

I wish I could say that I am moved by “compassion”.  More often I am moved by Leslie’s desires.  Yep, my own selfish agenda.  So when something gets in the way of my nice little agenda, I am not moved with compassion, I am moved with anger and frustration.

In those occasional moments when we can glimpse eternity and make the right choice of serving others selflessly…it is in that moment that we realize one of the greatest gifts in serving Jesus…the joy of serving others.  If we can respond correctly and have the right heart attitude, we are truly blessed by doing even the most menial tasks.

Scroll to Top