Life

What IS that smell?!

Leave a Comment / December 12, 2011

I noticed it on Thursday.  Something smelled wrong and it was definitely coming from the laundry room.  I knew we had 10 puppies in the garage, just beyond the laundry room door, that did not give off the most pleasant aroma…but this smelled different.  As the day wore on the smell got stronger.   I started washing everything in sight.  I emptied the trash.  I opened up the windows.  I looked behind the washer and dryer.  I looked in the closet.  But I could not figure out what was causing this terrible stench.  As the evening wore on we all commented on it…and then we would forget about it…until we had to go near the laundry room.

However, upon my nose being assailed with an even worse odor–if that was even possible–on Friday morning, I realized that this smell was not going to vanish on its own.  I started to panic a little because we were having a large Christmas gathering at our house that night.  What was I going to do?  I was going to have to solve this mystery…and sooner rather than later.  So I did what I often do in these circumstances: I asked my husband to help me when he came to the house for a few minutes from the office.

Within a matter of minutes he found the culprit.  When we were making room in the freezer for our recently acquired venison, someone had put a bag of chicken on top of the freezer and forgot about it.  Boy, did that thing smell!  It was put there on Wednesday morning and by Friday it smelled like the chicken had actually died right there on the freezer and was laying in the hot sun.  We quickly discarded the offensive chicken and then I went about trying to remove all remnants of that terrible odor from my house.

There seems to be a spiritual parallel here, doesn’t there?  If there is a bad odor surrounding me, then something is causing it.  Let me give a few examples.  If I am angry, there may be a deeper issue of selfishness at work.  If I tend to yell a lot, there may be a deeper issue of  lack of self-control.  If I brag about my accomplishments and boast about my kids, there may be pride in my heart.  If I arrogantly express that no one is going to tell me what to do, then there is probably a root of rebellion at work.  If I entertain myself with the things God hates, then I am lacking discernment.  If I am sweet and kind on Sunday, but not so nice the rest of the week, then I am a hypocrite.

Anger…indulgence…pride…rebellion…a lack of discernment…hypocrisy…they all give off a bad odor.  They are not the fragrance of Christ.  Paul talks a little about this in 2 Corinthians 2:14-16.  He says:

Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. 15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are the aroma of death, leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things? 

If our fragrance is from Christ, then those who are being saved will find our fragrance refreshing and wonderful.  But those whose hearts are hardened will not like our fragrance.  It will irritate them.  We will be the aroma of death.

I think it is pretty clear that not only are we to dig out the roots of sin in our lives that give off a bad odor but we are to conduct ourselves in such a manner that we will give off the fragrance of Christ.  A rather inadequate analogy would be that it is like the difference between being around a person who has just come from digging in a manure pile and a person who has just freshly showered and has applied a sweet-smelling perfume.

This incident has made me think about what sin is in my life…and what aroma I am giving off?  Not only to those who do not know me all that well, but also to those who know me really well…my family.  What about you?  What do you smell like?

 

 

The blessing of a gift

Leave a Comment / December 8, 2011

Around this time of year, the choruses of “I don’t need anything” start to ring out across the nation.   Gift-giving becomes a burden.  Gift cards sell like hotcakes because we just don’t know what else to get that person who has everything.  When so many people are in need across the world, why do we buy anything for each other, anyway?   And, in a lot of ways, I agree with that statement.  But I think we need to take a brief look at a different point of view.

For several years in a row, someone at church gave us a hand-crocheted heart with a card thanking us for our service in the church.  I want to tell you about what that gift meant.   You see, serving in any capacity, whether as a parent, a teacher, a church worker, or an employer is a pretty thankless job.   The fact that someone took the time to write a note and crochet a heart meant a lot.  It meant that what we did mattered.

And what about gift-giving as a way to express our appreciation and love for someone?   We seem to have lost sight of that, as well.   Some of us have stopped giving gifts, period.   And some of us become so overwhelmed with our Christmas to-do list that we  just start buying whatever is convenient or perhaps we just end up stuffing some money or a gift card inside an envelope.  We do this instead of really thinking about the person and what kind of gift they would enjoy most.

I know a couple of people who literally suck all of the joy out of gift-giving.  Do you know anyone like that?  If they are around, they take all of the joy out of giving.  They tend to make you feel guilty for buying gifts, for giving gifts, for receiving gifts.

But they are missing the point.  Gifts aren’t necessarily about what we need.  Gifts are to show love, appreciation, and care.  I think we have this gift-giving thing all mixed up.  We rush around and feel burdened to “buy” a gift, instead of enjoying it.  Gift giving should be a blessing.

Think with me for a moment about your closest family and friends.  Have you expressed your love for them recently?  Think about those who serve you in some capacity…perhaps it is a mailman or a babysitter…a teacher or a crossing guard.  Do they know you appreciate them and what they do for you?  Think with me about your neighbors.  Do these people know you care?  (Do you care??)  Gifts do not have to be elaborate or expensive to make a statement.  They just need to be heartfelt and sincere.

And so it would be correct to say that many of us do not need anything.  But is that really the only thing that matters when it comes to giving gifts?  Perhaps it is time to start putting our hearts and some of our time into thoughtful gift-giving.   Let’s choose to bless someone this holiday season!

 

 

What’s It Like to Be Married to Me?

1 Comment / December 1, 2011

The title of this book caught my eye as I perused Amazon.  I can’t even remember what I was looking for…but it wasn’t a book on marriage.  But that title…it was a sermon in and of itself.  And I found myself really contemplating it.  What is it truly like for my husband to be married to me?  I have spent so many thoughts on what it is like to be married to him that I forgot the other side of the equation.

As I read Colossians 3 this morning, and then the similar passage in Ephesians 5, I realized something.  Oh, it was not a new thought to me, but God brought it to my attention this morning once again.   You want to hear my big insight?  Here it is:  I can only control me.  I can only control my actions, my thoughts, my words, my reactions, my heart, my mind, my body.  I am the only one who can control me and I am incapable of controlling anyone else.  This especially hits home in a marriage.

Whether my husband treats me wonderfully or badly…I still have a responsibility to respond in a way that pleases the Lord.  Whether my husband gets me roses or a vacuum for Valentine’s Day….I still have a responsibility to respond in a way that pleases the Lord.  Whether my husband gives me a back rub or a bag of laundry…I still have a responsibility to respond in a way that pleases the Lord.  You get the idea.

What is it like to be married to me?  I am not sure it is all that it should be.  In fact, I am sure it could be a much better experience for my dear husband.   May I continue to ask that question throughout the rest of my marriage.   It is my hope to be a blessing to my husband.  Sometimes we get so caught up in the busyness of life we forget to love and respect our husbands the way God instructs us in His Word.

And we could actually take a similar question and apply it to almost any of our relationships:

What’s it like to be my child?

What is it like to work with me at the office?

What is it like to be my parent? my sibling? my friend?

What is it like to go to church with me?

What if I was my neighbor?

What if I was on a committee with me?

If we find ourselves in a difficult relationship that is full of hurt and anger or just a stilted, uncomfortable relationship, perhaps this is a good place to start.  Let’s “put the shoe on the other foot”.  Let’s think about how we present ourselves–what kind of tone we use, our body language, our facial expressions. Let’s think for a moment what we may have said, how we may have acted or reacted, the expression or lack of expression that may have been hurtful or unkind.

I think, so often–at least in my life–I spend most of my time thinking about how the other person did something, said something, hurt me, etc.  instead of the reverse question.  Because, after all, it is much easier to think about the faults of others than my own faults.

And so, God continues to use His Word to teach me.   And sometimes He uses wise authors who, even by the title of their book, can speak to me.  I haven’t read the book yet (see link below) but I did buy it.  Because you are never too old to work on your marriage!

http://www.amazon.com/Whats-Like-Married-Dangerous-Questions/dp/1434700569/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1322698701&sr=1-1

Strength Will Rise When I Wait?

1 Comment / November 21, 2011

Are you sure, Lord?  Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord, wait upon the Lord, we will wait upon the Lord.  As we sang this song in church yesterday, I thought about that phrase.  Wait a second…my strength doesn’t “rise” when I am waiting on the Lord.  It usually decreases.  I wonder if that phrase is even biblical?  So right there in church (sorry, Pastor Dan!) I started looking to find the scripture that  backed that phrase up.  As I read a few of the verses that contained the word “wait” I came across several rich passages but most had to do with being comforted by the Lord.  I didn’t read anything about my strength rising.  And then I remembered that verse in Isaiah.  Where was that again?  Chapter 40 or was it 41?  I flipped the pages through Isaiah looking for it.   There it was.  Chapter 40, verse 31:

 But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.

While we wait our strength will be renewed.  Our strength will rise…grow stronger…as we wait.  And I thought about some of the situations in my life where waiting is my only option.   And I knew that waiting usually depleted my strength.  It didn’t make it grow stronger.  And then I had to ask myself this question:  if scripture tells me that waiting will make me grow stronger, why was I growing weaker?

As I pondered this question, I realized the answer: I grow weaker when I am waiting if I am relying on my own strength.  I am small and finite and things look impossible to me.  But God is big and infinite and all-knowing. All things are possible with God.  He is our hope…our strong deliverer, just like the song goes on to say.  In fact, as I took the time to read through the lyrics (see below) after I got home, I realized that the entire song was based on that verse in Isaiah.

But there wasn’t anything in that verse to indicate that waiting would be easy…or fun.  In my world, I am “happier” if I can do something to solve a problem and many of my conversations with the Lord have gone something like this: “Lord, please just show me the path to take, and then I’ll do it, Lord. Please show me how I can solve the problem and I promise I will work hard to do that.”    But guess what?  If we solve the problem, then we get the glory.  It is only when I acknowledge that I can’t possibly solve this problem and, in prayer and with faith and patience, submit the impossible to my Heavenly Father that I can get a glimpse of His glory.

Some of us wait and wait and wait.  We have wayward children…or broken relationships…or a situation at work…or an illness…and they are seemingly unending.  And we grow discouraged.  And we grow weaker.  Waiting is not for the faint of heart.  Waiting is hard.   But after we have done all we can do…after we have given 110% to solve a problem…or read every good book there is to read about God’s will…and there is still a question mark hanging over our heads…then, instead of throwing our hands up in the air, we need to turn it over to the Lord.  And as we wait, trusting in a God who is so much bigger than us, our strength will be renewed, not because of anything we will do…but because He will give us strength.

Everlasting God

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord

Our God, You reign forever
Our hope, our Strong Deliverer
You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
You do not faint
You won’t grow weary

You’re the defender of the weak
You comfort those in need
You lift us up on wings like eagles
You won’t grow weary

O, to be Like a Crossing Guard

Leave a Comment / November 12, 2024

Each morning I pass by a busy intersection near our local middle school.  And every morning, I see the same lady faithfully directing traffic and protecting children. She stands with confidence and is dressed appropriately for the conditions, whether there is sunshine, rain, wind, or the dangerous fog.  She is observant and always on her guard because any lapse of judgment would put the children she protects in great peril.  And, given it is middle school children she directs, I can imagine that the “thank yous” are few and far between. She has also probably put up with a couple of obscene gestures and angry drivers, as well.  But she keeps doing her job. Because she is dedicated to that job and takes it seriously.

There are a few lessons we Christians can learn from crossing guards–

1. We, too, should know what our job is and do it with confidence. God’s Word tells us the “job” description of a true believer in Jesus Christ. We should know what that is according to scripture and then go about it with confidence. There is such an emphasis on tolerance in this culture, that many of us, while being and looking like true believers in our hearts and homes, are not so confident out in the middle of the intersection. Fearfully, we “kind of” tell those who don’t know Christ to slow down and consider their eternity, but we are afraid to offend anyone by saying “Stop! Do you know where you are spending eternity?”

2. We should stand strong in all types of weather. It is hard to do our job when tough times come. And tough times are not just the big stuff, like job change, death, or divorce. Sometimes tough times can be a long week of being unable to sleep at night. Or they may come with a child who is simply downright difficult. For some, it is related to children leaving the home or perhaps intrusive in-laws. We all have different weather conditions we face. But I think it is safe to say, we all experience different types of weather. Just like the crossing guard shows up and does her job, no matter what the weather, so we, too, should be standing strong with Jesus, no matter what the weather.

3.  We should be dressed appropriately. Ephesians 6: 10-20 gives a vivid description of the armor of a Christian. Paul describes how we should be covered from our heads to our toes. And, yet, so many of us are missing a piece of armor. Perhaps it is Truth that is to be girded around our waist, or maybe the Breastplate of Righteousness. It could even be the Shield of Faith. But no matter what it is, when we are missing our armor, we become very vulnerable to our enemy. Any chink in our armor becomes a target, where we can be attacked and destroyed. We need to make sure we have on the whole armor of God, as Paul teaches us in this passage.

4.  Apathy puts our children in peril. If the crossing guard was not paying close attention to what she was doing, the children would be in great danger. If she stood on the corner lazily smoking a cigarette, the intersection would become a difficult and very hazardous place for the children she has pledged to protect. Why is it any less important for us as we guard the hearts and minds of our children (and also for the baby Christians that are watching us)? We can never let our guards down. We can never stop striving to discern, protect, and make decisions that please the Lord both within our family lives and in our public spheres. There is no time this is tested more than when you have teenagers. Oh, the many times I have been tempted to throw my hands up in the air and shout, “I am tired! Do what you want! I don’t care!” At those moments, it is my husband who tells me, “we have to care! We cannot grow tired!” How thankful I am for his perseverance. It is critical to have this perseverance when raising children. To not have it is to put their souls in great danger. We need to parent with a purpose. We are responsible for these children God has entrusted to us. We can never grow apathetic or lazy in this duty! But this perseverance and purpose can’t disappear when our children are grown, it has to continue on as we strive to set a godly example for all those who come after us.

5.  We can’t care too much about what people think of us. As most of us have already learned, there is very little thanks that comes for standing what is right. More often, we are attacked. But if we are standing on God and what His Word says, then we can stand with courage and confidence. What would happen if that crossing guard walked dejectedly out of the intersection every time an angry driver made an obscene gesture? And, yet, so many of us walk dejectedly away when we are criticized or someone disagrees with us. While we are to be at peace with all men to the best of our ability (Romans 12:18), we are never instructed to compromise. So, while we need to go about standing for truth with love and grace, it is important that we stand. Not saying anything when God’s Word is being compromised is sinful. We can never afford to back down when Truth is attacked. May we stand strong even when the heat of the fire starts to burn us!

As Christians, we have been called to be salt and light. God gives us everything we need to know in His Word. May we be like that crossing guard, standing in all types of weather, dressed appropriately, and always persevering. May we give little heed to those who criticize us unjustly. And may we hear “well done, good and faithful servant,” when we meet God face to face.


The faith of a child

Leave a Comment / November 10, 2011

When I was around 9 years old, we had a miniature dachshund named Romeo that I loved dearly.  I don’t really think he loved me that terribly much.  But he was very patient with me, as I played with him, dressed him up, and basically tortured him.   If any dog, no matter what size, dared to cross our property line, he would run towards it, ferociously barking, and then back away and let our Labrador do the real work of keeping us safe.

For some reason I don’t remember, my parents decided it wasn’t going to work to keep him and they needed to find him a good home somewhere else.

I was heartbroken.  He left and we all moved on.  But I prayed that he would return.  I was 9.  I didn’t know that God “doesn’t care” about such things.  And so I prayed.

And then came that day, a few months later, when the phone rang.  It was the family who had taken him.  He was a great dog but some circumstance in their life prevented them from keeping him.  They wondered–do we want him back?  They wanted to check with us before they found him a different home.

As my mom and dad discussed this at the dinner table, they pondered what they should do.  About that time, I piped up in my childish voice, “I have been praying that he would come back!”

At that point what choice did they have?–as my mom laughingly points out when she retells the story.  And so, Romeo came back to live with us.

But I think we all learned a lesson that day, even my parents.   I had been innocently “casting all my care upon Him” (I Peter 5:7) and He was building the faith of a little child and her family by the unlikely and amazing return of a dog to its previous owners.  And when I think back upon that, even all of these years later, I view that event as a building block in the ever-increasing faith and trust in my loving Heavenly Father that has continued to develop over the years.

Do not ever think that God doesn’t care about the little stuff.  Oh, we don’t always get what we want and, often, those seemingly unimportant prayers will go unanswered.  But every now and then God will give us an answer so clear and so specific that we realize that it could have only been by His intervention and, once again, we are reminded that He knows all and He truly does care.

And so we thank Him for those obvious answers to prayer and realize that He is working, as only He knows how, even when we do not get the answer we want.  And we continue to trust and to cast our cares upon Him.  How thankful I am that He has shown me how much he cares, not only in my own life, but in the lives of others; not only about the important issues of life, but sometimes about the insignificant “stuff”.  If we have put our faith and trust in the God of the Bible and the message within its pages, then we serve a Living God! Praise be to Him.

What hunting, running, and following God have in common

4 Comments / November 7, 2011

The air was cold and it was still dark as my son stepped outside with his bow. It was around 5am and he was headed to a special location he had picked in the woods to wait for the elusive 8-point buck we had seen frequently over the past few weeks. It was a Saturday morning and he could have slept in. But instead he had given up his sleep and his time (and I would even add his comfort…brrr!) to indulge in this pastime we call hunting. He also sacrificed quite a bit of his money to buy the items necessary for this hobby. I am glad he enjoys it and I am rooting for him to find that buck and fill my freezer. But I find it interesting that the time and money he spends on this hobby does not feel like a sacrifice to him because he wants to do it.

You see others who love the sport of running. I mean love it…not merely like it. Have you seen those people? They run in all kinds of weather. They are covered from head to toe on the cold, rainy mornings and wearing expensive, “moisture wicking” shorts and tanks on those hot, humid days. Maybe you are one of them. Many runners sacrifice their time, comfort, and money for this sport. Running is a great sport for fitness, but it takes sacrifice.

There are any number of pastimes, hobbies, and passions that we gladly sacrifice for, aren’t there? We all have favorite activities for which it is a pleasure to sacrifice our time, money, and even our comfort. And, if in the proper balance, these things are wonderful blessings to us. I thank the Lord that most of us have available hours and dollars to participate in these activities. In the not so distant past, people did not have the luxury of extra hours or extra dollars. We are truly blessed!

But I wonder–why are we so unwilling to make the same sacrifices for God?

Do our fellow church members only see our faces at the weekly worship service? Do we always have something else to do when there is something going on at church? Maybe we have even gotten out of the habit of going to church at all. But we need to remember that church was designed to help us to grow and deepen our walk with God.

And many of us say that we don’t have time for prayer and Bible study, and yet, like the hunter or the runner, we could get up early in the morning to do these things. We could carve time out of somewhere to do this…if we really wanted to.

We now have Saturday evening services in many churches because people don’t want to get up on Sunday mornings or perhaps they have some other activity scheduled for that day. Of course, a Saturday evening service isn’t wrong, in and of itself. I realize some people need to work on Sunday and that Saturday evening services are a real blessing to them. I just wonder about the pattern I see to keep pushing God to a more and more convenient time, without a willingness to make a sacrifice for Him.

You see, we find the time, and often the money, to do the things we want to do. We sacrifice our sleep and our comfort for the pastimes and activities that are important to us. Most of us (myself included) do not bring the same willingness and desire to our relationship with God, as we do to our hobbies and favorite activities. Why is that? Why aren’t we as passionate about God as we are about running or hunting or our favorite sports teams? I don’t know the answer to that.

But I do know that the more time you spend with God, the more passionate you become about being with Him. The more you make Him a priority in your life, the more you actually enjoy your time with Him. The more you contemplate how He would respond or what He would do in a given situation, the more natural it becomes to think on Him.

I know that when that alarm goes off at 5am, my son does not want to get out of his warm bed. But he does it because the (possible) payoff is worth it to him. When the runner dons the appropriate clothing and heads out into the elements, he believes the payoff is worth the sacrifice. And often they don’t feel like getting up and going out into the cold, but they do it anyway.

May we bring the same willingness to sacrifice and dedication to our relationship with God. Doing what we should do, no matter what we feel like, realizing that the payoff will be great!

Counting to Ten

Leave a Comment / November 3, 2011

Last Friday night Macy, our Chocolate Labrador Retriever,  had puppies.  This was a brand new experience for her and for our family.  We really had no clue what we were doing.   Neither did she.  She went into labor around 10:30pm at night and I think all of us were on edge.  After reading that they stay in the beginning stage of labor for six to eighteen hours, we decided to go to bed.  Around midnight, my husband went to check on her.

When he found her she had already had one puppy.  Have you ever seen a dog look bewildered?  The wet, slimy little guy was lying on the floor all alone crying and Macy was huddled in a corner, staring at him and looking completely bewildered.    But, after birthing the 11th puppy, she was getting the hang of things.

Sadly, we lost the smallest puppy early in the morning.  She was only half the size of the others.  We did all we could, but she was just too weak.  And so we were left with ten squirming, furry bodies to care for for the next eight weeks.

This began the “count”.  We all find ourselves counting.  Are all ten accounted for?  Are all ten breathing?  Are all ten growing properly?  It is quite natural now to walk in there and count to ten.   Sometimes we are short one and we find it under a blanket or pushed to a corner, behind Macy.   But, as she gets used to being a mom, we worry a little less each time we check on them.   As she grows into being a “mom”, she is becoming wiser.   But we will keep counting.

Can you see where I am going with this?  2 Corinthians 13:5 tells us to examine ourselves, to see whether we are in the faith.   Just like we count to ten every time we go in that room that holds the puppies, so we should constantly be “counting to ten” in regards to our walk with God.  There are a few checkpoints we can examine that will act like a barometer for the health of our spiritual life.  Things such as:

–Are we studying God’s Word?  Be careful here not to replace Bible Study with a 5 minute devotional written by a man or woman.  While these can be good and challenging, don’t let them replace study of God’s Word.

–Are we praying?  Do we have a regular time in prayer with God?  And do we spend time praising Him and praying for others, or are our prayers focused mostly on ourselves?

–What does my heart desire when it comes to shopping, entertainment, or how I spend my time?  Do I desire things that would line up with His Word…with what pleases Him?

–Am I loving others?  Am I thinking outside my own selfish world, to see (and meet) the needs of hurting people around me?

This is a short list.  Many things could be added.  In fact, perhaps each of our lists looks differently, as we all struggle with different things. Perhaps some of  us would add things like:  Have I had outbursts of selfish anger?  Or have I lied this week?

As we grow more mature in Christ, our list will change.  We may overcome the lying, but perhaps will realize that we have a problem with submitting to our husband.  We will grow wiser and not as susceptible to false teaching and temptation.  But we need to always be examining our lives in light of the Bible.  We can never stop being vigilant in our walk with God.

In the event we do find a puppy who isn’t growing at a good rate, we take the necessary steps to ensure it is getting enough to eat.  We need to do the same thing for our souls.  We need to make sure it is getting the healthy “food”–the bread of life– so that we can continue to spiritually grow properly.   All is not lost when we find a puppy who is not growing.  Adjustments just need to made.   But you do not know a puppy is not growing unless you are counting…weighing…paying attention.  We need to do the same in light of our walk with God.

Just like we are constantly counting to ten to make sure all of the puppies are alive and well and growing, so we all need to be checking to make sure our souls are alive and well and growing.

The little girl on the beach

Leave a Comment / May 24, 2015

sand-beach-560855_1280

The little girl on the beach was investing all of her childish energy into making obscure shapes in the sand and digging holes to find the tiny sand crabs and the water beneath the surface.  It was the perfect pastime on this hot summer day. After awhile,  she realized that she hadn’t seen a familiar face for awhile. She looked up towards the mosaic of colorful towels, beach umbrellas, and bathing-suit clad crowds all along the beach. Her little heart started to pound.

Where was mommy? Her heart pounded harder.

Where was daddy?  She started to scan from left to right, growing alarmed.

As she stared at the horizon full of strangers, full-blown panic set in and she started to race down the beach as fast as her short legs could carry her. She had no idea where she was going. She just knew she was lost and she had to find someone to help her. Her safe, comfortable world had suddenly grown dark and frightening.

Meanwhile, her parents looked up to notice that their little girl wasn’t where she had been just a split second before. They started to panic as they searched in vain for her blonde head. The beach was especially full that day and the nightmare of a lost child—their lost child—started to become real.

Getting ready to head over to the lifeguard, the father gave one final searching glance that just happened to be in the right direction. He saw a little girl in a navy bathing suit running down the beach as fast as her chubby legs could carry her. It was his little girl. And she was running in the opposite direction.

Before he could even give it a thought he was tearing down the beach after her. His young, strong body was fast—but this tiny 6-year old was making it hard to catch her. The adrenalin flowing through her little body made her much quicker than normal.

As her daddy finally overtook her, she stopped. She looked into his face and she knew that she was safe.   That familiar face changed everything. She grabbed her daddy’s neck and hung on for dear life. So very thankful and relieved he had found her, her daddy carried her back to safety.

That little girl was me. I don’t really remember all of the details, so some of them are from my imagination. However, I do still remember the fear and panic that was in my heart as I looked up and couldn’t see my family. I remember running. I vaguely remember the safety of being in my daddy’s arms. My parents tell me the story of how frightened they were when they couldn’t see me. I do know that after that incident I was deathly afraid of getting lost for at least 20 years. I was in my mid-20s before I realized that I was smart enough to find my way home if I got lost.

As this memory came to my mind a few days ago, it started me thinking about how sometimes we get scared in life and we just start running, searching for safety. We find ourselves in the midst of an unforeseen and uncomfortable trial and when we realize that we are in trouble, we start running like our lives depend on it.

Only we run away from God.

We run towards what looks like the exit door, only to find out it is not an escape from our trial at all but a fake exit door or maybe even a trap. Fake exit doors and traps take all kinds of shapes. They can look like a chocolate cupcake. Or a player-laden green field with lines on it. Maybe it is in the shape of a red Mustang GT or a nice boat. They can look like a thick best-seller or virtual military men on your TV screen. It may be in the shape of a wine glass or a small, white ball. It could be a court room or a corporate conference room. Whatever it looks like in your life, one thing is certain: There will be no escape there. Nor eternal peace or fulfillment will result from going the wrong direction.

But if you are one of God’s children, saved by His grace alone, God will catch up to you. He loves you and nowhere you can run can take you so far away that He can’t find you and catch you and bring you back to His fold. Just like my daddy did what he could do to protect me, so our Heavenly Father protects us. Even though, in ignorance, I ran a different direction than where my daddy was standing, he found me. Our heavenly Father will find us, too–if we are His.

This reminds me of Romans 8:38-39:

 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 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.

If we are His, then nothing can separate us from His love and care for us. We may get lost for a little while but He will find us. Great is His faithfulness!

May we find our safety and peace in God alone and not waste precious time running the wrong direction.

saturating your soul

Leave a Comment / October 27, 2011

What am I feeding my soul?   That is a question I found myself pondering, as I read the story of a missionary who was captured by guerillas.  His captors covered his head and placed him in a stone box.  They tied his hands to his belt and his feet about a foot off the ground to a tree.  There he lay for hours and hours.  As he lay there, he quoted memorized scripture.  He sang hymns.  He tried to show love to his captors, instead of hate.

And I found myself feeling ashamed.  Would I even know enough memorized scripture word-for-word to make it effective if I was without my Bible?  Probably not.  Sure, I know the general message of a lot of verses and can quote a few of those verses by heart.  And I certainly know where lots of things are found in scripture.  But to quote an entire passage?   I have never worked that hard at memorizing scripture.

He sang hymns.  Maybe now, for you,  it would be worship songs.   Again, we know the songs.  But do we listen to them enough to sing them without the aid of a worship leader or a band?  If Sunday morning is the only time we hear them, then the answer to that is probably not.

Would I be able to love my enemies instead of curse them?  If I am filling my head with movies and books and music and video games that promote revenge and the very common theme of “getting even”, then I would probably struggle with this immensely.

You see, I think many of us spend so many hours of our days listening to secular music and watching the news or talk shows, that it ends up being way out of proportion to the beneficial things we fill our minds with.  I believe we are so attached to our cell phones, our ipods, our tablets, and our laptops, that the time we dedicate to them becomes time wasted, instead of a good use of time.

I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, saying that secular music, the news, or our gadgets are evil.  They are not.  They can be great blessings.  My question would be what kind of priority do they have in our lives?   On what do we spend spend most of the precious hours we have been given?  With what are we filling our minds that will help us to understand God’s Word better and grow us in the grace and knowledge of our Lord?

Are we saturating our souls with the things that will stymie, or even hinder, our spiritual growth?  Or do we spend our time filling it with things that will augment and strengthen our walk with God?  That is a good question for all of us to ponder.

2 Peter 3:17-18 17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

Joshua 1:8  This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

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