This Day

Lamentations 3:19-24 The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!

Have you noticed that when we have suffered severe loss that our day of tragedy seemed like a normal day for everyone else. On the day we are fired, learned our mother had cancer, discovered our spouse was unfaithful, or held the hand of a friend as she died—on that very day other people went about their business as usual. My best friend has died! we silently scream. How can you go to work, eat out, and catch a movie as if nothing has changed? Don’t you care?

Worse, our disastrous day seemed normal for God as well. The sun shone, clouds rolled by, night fell, and stars appeared. Doesn’t God care either?

The book of Lamentations captured Jeremiah’s anguished cry for the suffering of his people. Life was bad. Jerusalem had been destroyed and its citizens carried off to Babylon. Those left behind had resorted to cannibalism. Jeremiah laments that his suffering “is bitter beyond words,” but he grasps a glimmer of hope when he remembers that “the faithful love of the Lord never ends” and “His mercies begin afresh each morning” (3:19-23).

Actually, the Lord’s mercies don’t merely begin each morning, they are each morning. Psalm 104 praises God for faithfully tending His diverse creation. The routine events of nature—are all directed by God’s powerful hand. “When You give them Your breath, life is created, and You renew the face of the earth” (v.30).

I had an exchange student from Norway, Majken, who told me that when she was grieving the death of her brother she was comforted by words she heard me say, “No matter how dark or bad it seems, the sun will still come up in the morning.” The clockwork consistency of nature on your worst day is a reminder that God cares. Take it as a sign that God loves you. He’s not debilitated by His grief for you, but is preserving your life until the morning when His mercies will begin afresh.

This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it! (Psalm 118:24)

Lord, I thank You for this new day and watching over us in the night. It is through Your mercy and grace we are blessed with this day. Help us to remember circumstances are temporary but You are everlasting and greater than anything that comes against us today. You are our strength and our provider. It is in Your name, Jesus, we pray. Amen

Seen vs. Unseen

2 Corinthians 4:16-18  Therefore we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,  as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

I love this scripture. It is full of hope and God’s promise. We all have times of affliction, be it physical issues, emotional pain, spiritual struggles, mental anguish or any number of things that weigh heavy on us. I think the ‘outer self’ it references is not just our physical bodies but the whole of us that is in this world; our life in general as we grow up in today’s mentalities and pressures to be successful, gain more material possessions and fit in with all that is contemporary and ‘in style’.

This scripture is also poignant to me as I continue to deal with physical issues. Chronic pain can do a number on your head, let me tell you. It is the promise of God that this is a temporary condition I endure in this time on earth and of the new ‘body’ I will spend eternity in as I praise Him that keeps me going on, especially painful days. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison…who wouldn’t be encouraged and comforted by that? I am but a clay vessel to serve Him as He leads me and Though our(my) outer self is wasting away, our(my) inner self is being renewed day by day.

Jesus turned large clay pots of water into large clay pots of fine wine at the wedding feast. It was not the clay pots which were of value but what was in them. Same with us, our clay vessels are on loan to us from God above and we should take care of them but He cares far more about what is inside us. We judge the outer beauty or condition of the outer self of others, as well as ourselves. Many a beautiful clay pot holds stagnant water or vinegar, rendering it useless regardless of its outer beauty. It is our spirit being renewed day by day which is of real value and service to the Lord, preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.

For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. We can’t see ‘hope’ but we can see what it produces in the life of a Believer. The car you drive or the house you live in isn’t going to matter one fig in eternity. We worry about the silliest things sometimes. Having the ‘right’ name on the label of your clothes won’t open the gates of Heaven any wider. Standing before God on our judgment day isn’t going to go any smoother if your car is new and sitting in the garage of a house over which you killed yourself to pay the mortgage. These are the ‘seen’ and transient things. These are the clay pot trappings living in the world make so much noise over, yet none of them will make the journey into eternity with us regardless of where we spend it. Heaven or hell makes no difference to the material ‘seen’ things in which people put so much stock. 

If I’ve learned anything it is joy, peace and contentment are not byproducts of worldly living but are measured out by the trust and faith and hope in the Lord. I can’t see them but I know them by their works in my life.

What I Learned the Hard Way

There have been many times in my life when I didn't know how I could make it through the day without losing my mind. Sometimes I felt my mind went on a mini-vacation and left me behind in the wake of chaos and devastation. Breathing was something I had to remind myself to do! I'm not joking, I literally would find myself holding my breath without realizing it. Other times, I hyper-ventilated in anxiety. I could see no way out of the situation of that time.

The last thing I needed was well-meaning albeit untimely advice and platitudes from friends that had not walked in my shoes. Out of love and concern for me and mine, they hopped on the emotional roller coaster with me. "All for one and one for all" sort of thing. It felt good to know there were those that were ready to take up arms with me...the blind leading the blind.

I made many rash decisions that led to many rash actions that created more chaos and devastation. Perpetual heartache...

The words below would have been consoling and beneficial, had I known them. May your heart be open to hearing them with spiritual ears and may the peace that passes all understanding be your cloak against the hard times.


What has a grip on your heart? Think about the things that trouble you. Perhaps you’re dealing with financial need, relational stress, difficult circumstances, or lingering illness. What are we supposed to do with all the challenging situations we face? Jesus’ words can seem like a pat answer to our very real dilemma because saying, “Do not let your heart be troubled” doesn’t change our feelings.
However, a more accurate interpretation is, “Be troubled no longer.” Jesus isn’t saying that we are to deny our feelings and put on a happy face, but rather that we’re not to let anxiety conquer us. Yes, we will experience trials, but through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can endure struggles with the peace of Christ.
But how do we move from overwhelming distress to undisturbed tranquility? Begin by focusing immediately on the Lord, not on the circumstance, trusting Him to help you through it. Read the Scriptures so you can understand His perspective on the problem and search out His promises. Then believe God and do whatever He says, because you can never have His peace without obedience. And lastly, present your troubles to the Lord in prayer, not just with requests for their removal, but with thanks for His strength to endure them.
The next time you feel a rush of fear or anxiety, remember Jesus’ remedy: “Believe Me!” (vv. 1, 11). If you trust that He loves you and has a good purpose for allowing that difficulty in your life, you can thank Him no matter what you feel or what the outcome may be. Faith always ushers in His peace.

The Gift That Keeps on Giving

Ah, December 1^st….we are entering a month full of activity, celebrations and emotional remembrances. Off the top of my head, I think of our three granddaughters - Elizabeth, Rylie, and Madielynn, our son - Joshua, and two friends all celebrating birthdays this month. It's also the birthday month of my daddy and paternal grandfather, both long gone. Our son and daughter-in-love – Kevin & Teddi - celebrate an anniversary. We journey off on a mission trip. The calendar is filling with activities. The highlight for Christian believers is the birthday celebration of Jesus!

Along the way…life happens. Babies are born, loved ones die, bills still need to be paid, employers expect you to show up, dinners cooked, laundry washed, vehicles filled with fuel and the long list of everyday life activities marches on. The highlight for Christian believers is the birthday celebration of Jesus!

There is an air of magical excitement when you drive down residential streets looking at houses covered in lights. Sitting in a dark room lit only by a decorated Christmas tree is special, too. Many a memory have I mulled around in my head doing just that. Stores play Christmas music, decorations fill aisle after aisle, and people act a little bit nicer to one another. The highlight for Christian believers is the birthday celebration of Jesus!

Among the pretty packages and expectations of children are the people walking around without the glint of excitement the season brings. They think of the next meal, a warm place to sleep, money to keep the electricity on in the house they hope to hang on to a little longer, a job, the loss of the American Dream and many other issues that cloud their thoughts and hopes. Sometimes they forget the highlight for Christian believers is the birthday celebration of Jesus.

On a dark night over two thousand years ago, a young woman birthed Christmas in a cold stall. She bore the gift of Hope, conceived by the Holy Spirit, and the ultimate gift to humankind by a loving Father. There were no bright colored lights, no carols filling the air, no peppermint sticks, or jolly men in red suits. Yet, the most beautiful gift ever given was wrapped in pieces of cloth and lay in a trough animals ate their dinner from earlier than evening. An ordinary night when an extraordinary event provided the reason for the season upon us. The highlight for Christian believers is the birthday celebration of Jesus.

Hope was born that night. Hope still burns bright. God gave us a reason for hope, we need to share that reason with those that do not know it exists or feel it in their hearts. It's not just the homeless or the struggling that need this gift. Those with expensive fancy packages tied in pretty ribbons might be as seriously in need. You can't drown out a hopeless heart by singing carols louder. The best gift we can give this year is to share our gift of hope with everyone we see. You never know who needs it. When you share your gift of hope it doesn't diminish, it multiplies! The highlight for Christian believers is the birthday celebration of Jesus!