Hope and Encouragement
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Being a Person of Influence
Mess here. Work to do there. Correspondence to deal with. Meals to prepare. People that need care. The list goes on and on… Juggling all we need to do in life is usually lots for our brains. Sometimes it is hard to think about being a Christian influence in the midst of it all. How does God want us to live our day to day lives with eternal purpose in mind? When we wonder what direction our Christian life should take, it is good to look at Biblical examples. As we observe the lives of the early Christians, we have many ideas for caring for our own spiritual well-being and…
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What Am I Doing Here?
During my long morning commute, I have lots of time to think and ponder. Sometimes that is a good thing as I process what is going on in my life or use it as prayer time. Other times I find it to be quite frustrating as I try to make sense of what God is doing in my life. At times I wonder why God has placed me in this particular school at this particular time. When I drive through bad weather, I often ask the Lord, “Why are You making me do this? There are schools closer to home. Why do You need me here? Why must I travel…
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A Woman of Merit
She is called the Wise Woman of Abel-Beth-Maacah. This unnamed woman lived in Israel at the time of King David. Her home was the historic city of Abel-Beth-Maacah. She goes without a name in Scripture but she proves herself to be a great person of merit. At this point in history, a man called Sheba was leading a rebellion against King David. When he fled from David, Sheba ended up in the city of Abel-Beth-Maacah. The commander of David’s army, Joab, came to the city in search of Sheba. Joab was ready to lead a full out attack on the city just to capture Sheba. The wise woman shows great…
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Looking Up, Looking Forward
As my family comes out on the other side of some strenuous months it is nice to finally feel like I can breathe. With the many things that have happened I have been in a space that I haven’t been in for a very long time. I realize that I have been seeing myself as a person in trauma. While that was true, it is not now. Yet I find myself slipping into that thinking more than I would like. Sometimes it takes an outsider to give us perspective. I went for a haircut a few days ago and my hairdresser takes a real interest in me and in my…
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Decisions Big and Small
Have you ever been in a pit of indecisiveness? I use the word “pit” as not being able to make a firm decision can really cause us to be in a hole from which we have difficulty digging ourselves out. In our lifetimes we make many decisions. Some of these are life impacting like choice of mate or career. Other decisions are minor, like which party to attend or what clothes to wear. Yet every decision we make has an impact on our overall well-being and quality of life. I definitely have some times in life where a particular decision I need to make causes me immense consternation. I can…
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Absolutely Delighted
With major stresses in recent weeks, the word “delight” is not one I would use to describe my feelings or actions. It has been quite easy to dwell inwardly – focused on all that is going wrong. It is a trap that our adversary uses to bring us down and get us to lose hope. The word delight brings about pictures such as pleasure, happiness, and joy. When we delight in something or someone we should be in our happy place. At certain times in our lives, however, delight does not come easy. When the bills mount up or a marriage falls apart, when a loved one receives a bad…
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Prayer is a Powerful Tool
Throughout the Biblical narrative we see many examples of God using people from all kinds of places and backgrounds to fulfill His purposes. One such person is Eliezer of Damascus. He was a servant in Abraham’s household. Abraham trusted this faithful steward a great deal. In fact, he valued him to such an extent that he sent Eliezer to Nahor, entrusting him to find Isaac a suitable wife amongst the family’s relatives. This was an involved and challenging task for Eliezer. Yet, as a faithful and obedient servant, he knew he must find a way to carry out Abraham’s wishes. The choice he made would have a significant impact on…
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Which Way is Up?
As I walk down my school hallway, I give thanks to God that I am here. After missing multiple days of teaching due to both family and my own medical issues in recent weeks, I am back at work. I am tired and the stress is not gone. Many things are not yet resolved. I ponder how I will have an effective day when my energies are tapped and worry wants to creep into the crevices in my spirit. I cannot manage these downturns in life without my Heavenly Father’s care. I seriously have no strength of my own to cope with all that life has thrown my way recently.…
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Her Heart Lives On
At this time, I am dealing with my mother’s increasing dementia. We are no longer able to have back and forth conversations. She rarely speaks anymore. As I process all that goes with her illness, I am drawn back into thinking about my mother that was and what she has meant to me. One particular area that strikes me is my mother believing that she really didn’t have much impact in this world. She led a quiet life – focused on her children and grandchildren mostly. She cared for others in her quiet way. My mother raised us with the knowledge of Jesus’ saving grace. Mom made many sacrifices so…
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Something Beautiful
My heart is breaking. As I sit in the depths of the night and watch my dear daughter suffer, my whole being is wracked with a mixture of fear, sadness, and uncertainty. As the hours trickle by and we still have no definitive answer as to the cause of my daughter’s intense pain, I cry and I pray. All I can do is lay my hurts and those of my daughter at the foot of the only One who can get us through this. In the wee hours of the morning the answer comes – a life-threatening condition, but with solid treatment options. We are grateful for a plan but…
