Hope and Encouragement
-
Like a Tree
During these colder winter months, I find it restorative to peruse seed catalogues and check out gardening sites and books. For me it is a time of hope as I envision the seeds being planted and growing into fruitful produce. Later, in spring, the budding fruit trees signal the hope of delectable fruit to come. Gardening is a hopeful endeavour, trusting that there will be fruit at the end of the journey. In God’s Word, growing plants are used often to help describe the Christian life. From the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in Genesis to the Tree of Life in Revelation, Scripture directs our paths with words…
-
The Gift of Peace
As I pack away my Christmas tree and finger the ornaments lovingly made or given by my children in the past, my heart longs for them. Spending Christmas apart from family is one of the most challenging experiences I have faced recently. Our government edict to limit our interactions to our own household at this time is needful to deal with the pandemic, but it hurts. Memories flood my spirit as I work on the tree. I ponder the days when my home was filled with children laughing and bouncing around with their boundless energy. Days of board games and doing puzzles, moments of glee playing together in the…
-
Christmas is Cancelled – Or Is It?
When the word came down last week from the government officials in our province that all indoor and outdoor gatherings are prohibited until January it was a tough blow. Any hope of having some kind of Christmas celebration dissipated and sadness set in. No festive dinners. No Christmas carol singing in church. No family gatherings. No trips to see loved ones. At times like these it is extremely easy to have negative thoughts settle in and take root. Like dandelion seeds blowing in the wind and creating new weeds everywhere, these negative images permeate lots of what we do and think if we let them. I challenge you, my readers,…
-
Giving
I’m in the middle of watching a Christmas movie where a struggling photographer wins a contest. Rather than use the substantial prize money for himself even though he needs it badly, he decides instead to play a Secret Santa role and help out a number of needy people in his community. He demonstrates great empathy for people and becomes aware of many whose needs are even greater than his own. He starts a trend. Soon multiple people are paying for purchases of others and helping those in need. His giving attitude is infectious. He shows that the best gifts are those where you don’t expect anything back. The rewards he…
-
Family Tree
In this Advent season I am working through the Gospel of Matthew. My purpose is to take a journey through Jesus’ earthly story and to truly appreciate the sacrifice He made to come to earth, live among us, and sacrifice Himself for us. Matthew begins with the genealogy of Jesus. It makes sense that Matthew opens his book this way as his main purpose in writing is to show the Jews how Jesus fulfills Messianic prophecy. Part of that explanation is showing that Jesus is in the lineage of King David. Jesus’ family tree reveals some interesting points. Although it was uncommon for women to be included in such…
-
Sufficient Grace
The bad news comes. There is pain. There is sorrow. There are moments of why me? Why now? But the void is filled. Our all-knowing God knows I would face this situation this day. He knows I need His words of hope and they are there. I open up my computer to read my morning devotion and this Scripture confronts me: “But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. “(2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV) The writer of this Scripture, the apostle Paul, is to many…
-
Works In Progress
It is painful to watch. Each moment is laborious, fraught with much effort and concentration. My young student valiantly attempts to read the text before her, but it is a struggle. My heart breaks for her. She is already in grade three but cannot read well. Every ounce of my being wants to assist her. It would be easy for me to just read the words for her so she can continue on in the story. She gets the meaning much faster when I read as opposed to her word by word version where she loses the gist of the story before she finishes the sentence. I fight the…
-
Praying in the Storm
The snow swirls around as a storm engulfs our area. Visibility wanes and mobility suffers. Paths that were easy to walk yesterday are now impassable. Going outdoors involves multiple layers of clothing and lots of shovelling. The weather outside goes along with my mood. The challenging circumstances of life right now engage me in a constant battle of trying to move forward in this blizzard that is my life. How do I take steps ahead on what seems to be an impenetrable road? My prayers focus on the topic of imploring the Lord to change my circumstances. Over and over I beg God to fix what is wrong or remove…
-
It Makes No Sense
I really wonder if anything else can be thrown into this week. I have been hammered with an onslaught of circumstances that threaten to encompass me. All of them have been things totally out of my control. There is nothing I can do to ease them or make them go away. I do not like feeling powerless. I do not like feeling overwhelmed. In these pandemic days, I really don’t need any additional stress. Part of me is angry. Why me? This is not the first time the school I am working for is closing down. Why do I have to deal with the very real chance that I…
-
Pulled in Different Directions
They scamper about my yard, carefree and lively. These twin fawns have been a source of considerable joy, and a few chuckles, as I observe their antics. For the most part, these young deer stick close to their mother, looking for food and watching for predators. What has been interesting to watch is what happens when something startles this young deer family. The doe knows immediately to take shelter in the trees to keep her family safe. Multiple times this season I have watched her take off quickly with one of her fawns following close behind her. But one of the twins is a rascal. For whatever reason, it…
