Birthday Blessings

 On the morning of my 79th birthday, I paused in front of my refrigerator door to look lovingly at a photo of my sweet mother. 

I thought about how she must have suffered on this day all those many years ago when she was giving birth to her first child. I assume she felt indescribable joy in the midst of the agony that day, as I did years later when giving birth to each of my two precious daughters.

I also thought about how Jesus endured great agony on the cross in order to make spiritual life available to me centuries upon centuries later. 

I thought about how my mother always cared tenderly and faithfully for me as long as she was physically able to do so. 

Jesus is still tenderly and faithfully caring for me.

My mother departed this life during my 63rd year of life. 

But Jesus, who has been with me since before I was born and all the days since, is now sitting at the right hand of God the Father, making intercession* for me, advocating for me, providing all that I need.

How blessed I am to have had a loving mother who endured suffering while bringing life to me. How even more blessed I am to have a Savior who suffered to bring spiritual life to me. How blessed I am to have had both to love me unconditionally and to rejoice over me. 

Reflecting on that prompts me to pause to give thanks for them and for ALL I’ve been given and am being given, including another year of life. May my life honor them and bless others.

*Hebrews 12:2; Romans 8:34

Call Upon the Lord

 One recent day my daily Bible reading took me to Psalm 18, a psalm David wrote centuries ago after God had miraculously delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, including King Saul. David began his song of praise with a vow to love the Lord God and to trust God to preserve his life. After describing a time (one of many!) when he was in great distress, David summarized the solution: He cried out to God for help. God rescued him.

After reading David’s story of his desperate situation and dramatic rescue, I did what David did. I cried out to God--not for myself but on behalf of a person clinging to life in a distant hospital.

Oh, Father! The pangs of death surround [NAME]. Normally, he would cry out to You for help. But since he may not be conscious enough to do that, I'm crying out for him--and his family. If he is aware of how ill he is, comfort him. Enable him to feel Your love and Your presence. Relieve his pain. Heal his diseased body.

I call upon You for I believe, as David did, that You do hear and respond to the cries of Your children. For years, You have been [NAME’S] strength, his rock, his fortress, his deliverer. Even if he can’t beg You to help him during this crisis, continue to be his shield, his hope, his stronghold. 

O LORD GOD, if it pleases You, deal speedily with all the “enemies” that are attacking his body. But if Your divine plan is to call him home, help those of us who love [NAME] to accept Your decision and to realize that even a homegoing is a way of relieving suffering, just not the one we're longing for at this time.

No matter how You choose to rescue [NAME], may all who are praying for him continue to trust You and to continue to say:

From Sympathy to Empathy

“Pain has taught me empathy,” a friend said.

“It will definitely do that,” I replied.

That brief exchange brought to mind this old saying:  “Never criticize a man until you’ve walked a mile in his moccasins.” After reflecting on it, I paraphrased it this way: "Never dismiss or make light of another person's pain until you've suffered as he has."

We can never be in another person’s situation, of course, but once we’ve been in a similar one we understand far better what they’re going through and why they feel and act the way they do. 

For example, my friend, who is suffering from back pain, had no prior personal experience with excruciating and unrelenting pain. Being a caring and compassionate person, he'd felt sympathy for those who suffered from back pain. But now that he’s experiencing not only excruciating pain but also the desperation to find relief from it, he feels empathy for anyone who's suffering.

The more empathy we have for others, the greater will be our desire to help them. If we’ve been in a similar situation, we know how much receiving comfort meant to us. And since we want fellow sufferers to be comforted, too, we gladly tell them about who or what helped us in our time of need.

Remarkable Preservations

“I'm cancer free!” a friend said to me in an e-mail.

“I'm so thankful…,” I replied. “And I’m going to write this good news down in my 1,000 Gifts journal—NOW!”

Note: My friend knew which journal I was talking about because I’d given her one just like mine. As she uses it to list the "gifts" God abundantly provides day by day, she, too, is experiencing big changes in attitude and outlook. (We started listing our gifts a couple of months ago when we began to read Ann Voskamp’s inspiring book, One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are.) 

My friend’s wonderful news was #587 on my list.  Next on the list (#588) was a mention of the delicious dinner my husband and I had had with our two oldest grandsons (ages 16 and 13) at The Island Cow Restaurant on Sanibel Island, Florida. At first glance, that entry seemed far less significant than #587. However, my thankfulness for #588 increased all the more as, later that same evening, I heard about a grandmother who, along with other family members, was waiting at a hospital to find out if her twelve-year-old granddaughter would survive a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.       

My heart ached for the young girl and her family. I prayed earnestly late into the night that God would help them and bring good out of that tragedy, which He can do, as Paul points out in Romans 8:28.

Although I remained so sad about whatever pain had caused the pre-teen to try to end her life and, thereby, bring such grief to her family and friends, I also realized how truly blessed my husband and I are to have happy and healthy grandsons with whom to enjoy a meal.

The following morning, while I was reading Matthew Henry’s Commentary on 2 Samuel 22:1-51, I had an “ah-ha!” moment as I read these words: “Remarkable preservations should be particularly mentioned in our praises…Those who receive signal mercies from God, ought to give him the glory.” Matthew Henry then pointed out that the very day God delivered David, David sang a song of praise to God, while God’s mercy was still fresh on his mind.

Dear Reader, daily listing God’s mercies, while they’re still fresh on our minds, keeps us reminded of His great goodness to us. Taking note of seemingly simple things like enjoying a meal with loved ones, reminds us of the “remarkable preservations” that He has given to us. For example, apart from His tender mercies, all so undeserved, we would be the ones weeping in a hospital and praying for a life-saving miracle for a loved one.

My precious mother knew the truth of "remarkable preservations," for she often said, “We should thank God for what He’s given us. We should also thank Him for what He has spared us from.”

© 2014 by Johnnie Ann Burgess Gaskill, who welcomes comments.

Farther Along

When someone is going through a difficult situation, it's hard to know what to say to them, isn't it? While we want desperately to encourage them, we don't want to glibly spout words of wisdom, unintentionally implying that if we were in their situation we'd know how to handle our suffering far better than they are handling theirs. 

However, suffering people find it easier to accept wise counsel from someone who has also suffered deeply and, in the process, found wisdom he or she can pass along to others. For example, while William Buel Stevens, who wrote the song Farther Along, was in his late teens, he suffered two great losses. His uncle died suddenly of heart disease at age 48. A couple of years later, the uncle's 17-year-old son died the same way. Perhaps those experiences prompted Stevens to write the song that shows he understands our grief when the death of loved ones leaves our homes so lonely and drear. 

He understands when we wonder why we suffer while others seem to prosper, when we wonder why we're tempted and tested "all the day long," and when we wonder why we must endure great discomforts. Although it's natural to think such thoughts, Stevens shares a lesson he learned: Cheer up! Live in the sunshine of God's love. 

It's a rocky and steep climb
to the top of Mount Washburn
in Yellowstone National Park.
Elevation: over 10,000 feet

I take that to mean: Let God be the light you need for the journey. Let His light push away the darkness and doubt you feel. Walk steadily onward on the path marked out for you. Know full well that farther along you will gain a better perspective about your path. You will understand more and more that God walks that difficult road with you, that God loves you, and that God never leaves you nor forsakes you. Rejoice in His presence with you and His power to sustain you.

To hear Johnny Cash sing Farther Along, click here. 

Take It Good

Today I've thought so much about my sweet mama who died eight years ago on this date (January 9). It's hard to believe she's been gone that long. Sometimes, when the grief is deep and raw, as it has been today, it seems that she died days ago. Sometimes it seems that she's been gone much longer than 8 years.

As brokenhearted as I was to have to let Mama go, I was also thankful that God had called her home, thereby releasing her from the ravages of Alzheimer's. As much as I loved her, I could not wish her to come back--under the circumstances. Although her last years were not easy, Mama remained sweet and gentle, never argumentative or combative or complaining or demanding or asking, "Why me?"

As I remember Mama's last years, I realize that "She took it good," as my mother-in-law used to say. I am so thankful she did. I pray that when I am in difficult circumstances, I will remain sweet and "take it good," like Mama did.

A Gift of Light

I received a Christmas card from a 90-year-old lady I’ve known over 30 years. She’s a tiny little woman with a lot of spunk. For example, even after battling cancer and undergoing the hard-to-endure treatments for it, she didn't let that and the permanent damage they created stop her from doing the things she loved. After the death of her beloved husband, she continued to live in the home they'd shared and to stay as independent as possible.

Her annual Christmas letter this year began with these words: "As we approach Christmas, let us remember how God has blessed us." Then she wrote about happy times and special people who had ministered to her. She also briefly mentioned several situations that surely had caused her much sadness and frustration, yet she did not whine about any of them, not even the malfunction of her computer and the loss of four years of data or her disappointment over having to miss an event she loved to attend. She spoke highly of the assisted living place where she now resides and expressed gratitude for the good care she receives there.

She concluded her one-page letter with these words: "I hope you have had a wonderful year and this Christmas is one of your happiest. Thank you for your prayers, love, and friendship. I continue to need your prayers."

I didn't immediately re-fold the letter and replace it inside the beautiful card she'd sent. Instead, I re-read it several times, allowing her words and her example to inspire and instruct me. I realized she was living proof that:

• faith in God can remain and will strengthen us even in the most difficult circumstances
• it's possible to remain thankful to God and others even (and especially!) when we're coping with great losses
• prayers--our own and those of others--help sustain us
• our light can (and should!) shine brightly for others even when we may think it's not.

I'm grateful to have received the gift of another letter from her, a gift that provided light for my journey through life.

...let your light shine before people,

so that they can see your good deeds and

give honor to your Father in heaven.

~Jesus (Matthew 5:16, NET)

When Flesh and Heart Shall Fail

Today, Sunday, March 6, 2016, is the 34^th anniversary of my Daddy’s death. I've thought often about him today and even more so when our congregation sang Amazing Grace. The fifth verse gave me special comfort because I knew Daddy had believed the truth it contains and that he is now experiencing the reality of the words written by John Newton in 1779:

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,

And mortal life shall cease

I shall possess within the veil,

A life of joy and peace.

The Bible verifies the truth of those words. For example, Revelation 21:4, New Living Translation, says:

[God] will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.

Even though I’ll always miss Daddy and feel sad that he has passed from this life, I rejoice in knowing that, by God’s grace, Daddy no longer feels any sadness or suffering—only joy and peace! And I also rejoice in knowing that same grace will bring those blessings to me when my flesh and heart shall fail.

Suffering and Sufficiency

In her excellent book, A Lamp Unto My Feet: The Bible’s Light for Your Daily Walk, author Elisabeth Elliot writes about a question someone asked her shortly after her husband Jim had been murdered by a native tribe in the jungles of Ecuador. The person asked a two-part question: (1) Was Elisabeth’s walk with the Lord close enough so that His love and presence were sufficient at all times—or (2) had she been overwhelmed by grief and sorrow as she dealt with the tragic loss of her beloved Jim.

Elisabeth gave a very wise—and truthful—reply. “My answer is yes to both questions. It is not an either-or matter” (Kindle location 498).

Elisabeth then recalls that the Apostle Paul had asked the Lord three times to remove his “thorn in the flesh.” God declined to do so, saying, “My grace is sufficient for you…” (2 Corinthians 12:9) or, as the J. B. Phillips Translation renders it, “My grace is enough for you: for where there is weakness, my power is shown the more completely.”

Likewise, when the time for Jesus’s crucifixion was imminent, He prayed, “Abba, Father, everything is possible for You. Please take this cup of suffering away from Me. Yet, I want Your will, not mine, to be done” (Mark 14:36). God did not spare His Own Beloved Son from an agonizing death on the cross, since Christ’s sufferings would result in a greater good.

In neither case, Elisabeth says, did God say no because those who cried out to Him were not close enough to Him. She concludes her answer to the question in the first paragraph above with these words: “There was human suffering and divine sufficiency. This is the story of our lives.”

Dear Reader, you and I can rest assured that God’s grace will always be sufficient for whatever we must go through. That has been His message, His promise, to believers throughout the centuries. We find this promise even in the Old Testament, which was written thousands of years ago. For example, God says through the prophet Isaiah, “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you” (Isaiah 43:2).

Does God promise to spare us from suffering? No! But…He does promise to be with us when we go through whatever suffering He allows. And we can draw strength and comfort from that promise and from the knowledge that He is our God and that He loves us and will always sustain us and provide for us. 

Stripped Bare

I love the sight of a tree standing apart from others.  And when I can photograph not only that tree but also its reflection, that's even "more better," to borrow a phrase young children often use.

When I saw the tree* in this photo growing in the wetland at the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge in mid-February, I just had to make a photo of it. Perhaps other passersby didn't give that tree a second glance, but I did.

*There may be another tree in that cluster of trunks. I can't really tell for sure.

I think it's beautiful, even though the winter season has stripped away its greenery, exposing its basic structure and texture. My eyes delight in the many v-shapes formed as the tree grew and extended itself. And the reflection doubles my delight.

As I look at the photo I took of that tree, I think about how life often strips us down to "bare bones." When that happens, we may not feel beautiful any more, but if we allow suffering to make us rather than break us, we will exhibit a beautiful spirit.

That's the kind of beauty 1 Peter 3:3-4, NASB, prescribes for women:

And let not your adornment be merely external--braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.

Beauty, whether seen in trees or in people, is said to be in the eyes of the beholder. Thus, we do well to remember that God sees us very differently than we and/or others see us. For example, when God sent Samuel to anoint a king for Israel, Samuel thought he had found the right man when he saw Eliab, one of the sons of Jesse. But the LORD said to Samuel:

Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7, NASB).

God sees us, stripped bare of outer trappings. He sees us as we truly are. Oh, may He delight in what He sees, and may our essence reflect Him who dwells within us.

Not My Will But Yours

And Jesus withdrew from His disciples about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup of suffering from Me. Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours be done."

~Jesus, Luke 22:41-42

Oh, to Be Near Him and Like Him

       
For many years, I’ve celebrated St. Patrick’s Day by wearing green; yet, I’ve known little about him. To remedy that, I searched the web for information about him.

According to information found on http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/446636/Saint-Patrick, Saint Patrick was a 5th-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. He is the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland, credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland.

He was born, not in Ireland, but in Britain to a Romanized family. At age 16, he was torn by Irish raiders from the villa of his father and carried into slavery in Ireland. During the six bleak years he spent as a herdsman, he turned with fervor to his faith.

After hearing in a dream that the ship on which he was to escape was ready, he ran away from his master and returned to Britain. However, before he was finally reunited with his family, he nearly starved and was confined for a brief time.

Sometime later, after reading a letter delivered to him, he sensed “a certain company of Irish beseeching him to walk once more among them.” 

Although he was deeply moved by their appeal, he, for a long time, hesitated to respond to the call, due to the shortcomings of his education.

But once he did return to Ireland, he became completely confident in the Lord, journeying far and wide, baptizing and confirming with untiring zeal.

At least on one occasion, he, like the Apostle Paul, was placed in chains. Like Paul, he remained humble and constantly thanked God for having chosen him to help multitudes turn from a life of sin to a life of holiness and faith in God.

Many legends surround Saint Patrick, including the legend of the shamrock (or three-leaf clover), which he used to explain the concept of the Holy Trinity (three persons in one God: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, blessed Three in One).

Much can be learned about Saint Patrick by reading the words that were on his breastplate, words near and dear to his physical heart as well as his spiritual heart: 

  

Christ be with me

Christ before me

Christ behind me

Christ in me

Christ beneath me

Christ above me

Christ on my right

Christ on my left

Christ where I lie

Christ where I sit

Christ where I arise

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me

Christ in every eye that sees me

Christ in every ear that hears me

Salvation is of the Lord.

Dear Reader, may you and I desire, as Saint Patrick did, for Christ to be that close to us, to be keenly aware of His presence, and, thereby, to be enabled to live in such a way that everyone who sees us and hears us, senses Him.

As we age, my friends and I often wish we had the strength and the opportunities to do what we used to do. Thus, I found comfort in the Feb. 18^th devotional in Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. (Note: Each devotional is what she sensed Jesus was saying to her, thus the words Me and I refer to Jesus.) In this particular writing, He urges her (and, by implication, you and me) to realize our “down” time (or our “slowing down” time) is an opportunity to become more aware of His presence with us, to get to know Him better, to learn to serve Him in simple ways, to notice how He’s working in every circumstance, and to remember this:

“Some of the greatest works in My kingdom have been done from sickbeds and prison cells.”

May we learn the same lesson the Apostle Paul did. As you may recall, he begged God three times to remove his “thorn in the flesh.” (No one knows for sure what the thorn was, but we can assume it was something painful.) Although God said no, He reassured Paul with these words: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9, ESV).

That powerful insight dramatically changed Paul’s view of his situation. He said, “[In light of that assurance], I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10, ESV).

Dear Reader, God’s strength is available to us in our weaknesses, in every painful situation, in all our ups and downs, and in all our limitations. Let’s learn to turn to Him, to depend on His strength rather than our own, and to ask Him to show us creative ways we can continue to serve Him—whatever our situation.  

The God Who Sees Us

I really enjoy Bible stories for they tell great truths about God and how He loves us. One of my favorites is that of Hagar, a slave girl who was running away from home. As she sat by a spring in the wilderness, the angel of the LORD found her, called her by name, and asked, “Where have you come from and where are you going?” (See Genesis 16:8.)

When she quickly acknowledged she was running away from her mistress, he instructed her to go back home. He also told Hagar to name her unborn son Ishmael, which means “God hears,” since the LORD had indeed listened to Hagar’s affliction. She replied, “You are a God who sees me!” Awed that He had seen her and that she had seen Him, she obediently returned home.

Several years later, when the situation there became intolerable, Hagar and her son were sent away into the wilderness. When the skin [canteen] of water they’d been given ran out, Hagar placed the boy in the shade of a bush and then went a short distance away because she couldn’t bear to watch her son die.

               

As she wailed and wept, the angel of God called to her from heaven and said, “What troubles you, Hagar?”

Before she could answer, the angel said, “Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation” (Genesis 21:17, ESV).

The story continues with these words: “Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin [canteen] with water and gave the boy a drink. And God was with the boy, and he grew up…” (Genesis 21:19ff).

Dear Reader, may Hagar’s story remind you and me that God sees us, God cares for us, and God helps us. When we cry out to Him, He hears us. He will speak. He will supply what we need most. Let’s turn to Him today. Let’s listen to what He will say. Let’s trust Him to deal graciously with us, as He did with Hagar (and many others!).

This Is My Doing!

When I read the Feb. 1^st devotional in Streams in the Desert, I had a hard time wrapping my mind around the truth found in the Scripture reading for the day: “This is my doing” (I Kings 12:24). In my heart of hearts, I knew what God had said was true, absolutely true. Yet, I questioned it.

In an effort to “prove” my case, I began to recall various verses that say, in essence, God loves His children and blesses them in innumerable ways. For example: Jeremiah 29:11, ESV: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

But as I struggled to understand (and accept!) the truth, I also recalled verses that tell how God is with us as we go through difficulties. For instance, many centuries ago, God made this promise to His children: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. ²When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. ³For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” (Isaiah 43:1b-3a, ESV, emphasis added).

I began to understand that God does allow certain things to come our way, things that, from our perspective, seem unfair or unloving. Yet, He has a purpose in each difficulty, in each pathway of pain, even if we can’t understand what it is or why He has allowed it.  

Dear Reader, as you and I look at each painful situation, at each stressful circumstance, at each long delay, at whatever strikes fear in our hearts, at…, may we learn to accept the fact that each one is from God and that He is using it and is causing all things (the difficulties as well as the delights) to work together for our good and His glory. (See Romans 8:28.) May we cling to this truth: “Whether He spare or share, He will be there.”

Spring Will Come!

If I were to describe today, I could echo what Charles Dickens said years ago: “It [is] one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold; when the summer is in the light, and winter in the shade.”

The sun is shinning warmly enough (63 degrees, according to the thermometer), yet the brisk wind is bone-chilling. If I stand in a sheltered area, I don’t need a jacket; but if I walk out in an open space (such as my driveway), I need a coat, scarf, and gloves.

But soon it will be spring, for sure. The daffodils are finally blooming, albeit later this year than usual, and are dancing in the breeze. The ready-to-burst-open buds on the forsythia and other shrubs and trees will soon show off their colors.

Since spring has been delayed a bit this year, folks are saying this will be one of the most beautiful springs we’ve had in a long while. Rather than spring coming “here a little, there a little,” it will arrive all at once. Won’t that be delightful?

This winter has seemed to drag on and on, hasn’t it? Even folks here in the south have grown tired of it and are longing for spring. We are so ready to go outside and dig in the dirt. We long for sunshine’s warmth on our backs as we play and work outside. We’re eager to feel warm breezes blowing through our hair as we walk through neighborhoods ablaze with color.

Perhaps we love spring so much because, as Virgil A. Kraft said, “Spring shows what God can do with a drab and dirty world.”

In addition to beauty and comfort, spring brings hope—hope that God can and will make something beautiful of our lives and of the lives of others, hope that He will make something beautiful out of the ugliness that’s all too often seen and experienced in our world, hope that He will….

We know that no winter, no matter how long it lasts or how bitter it is, will last forever. Spring will follow, even if winter delays its arrival for a longer than usual time. Knowing that spring will come, one of these days, renews our hope that God will make all things beautiful in His time.

Consider, for example, the prophet, Jeremiah. He experienced a terrible winter of the soul, brought on by severe afflictions and frustrations that seemed to never end. After mentioning many of the things that caused his pain, he said, "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 unfailing love of the LORD never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day. I say to myself, ‘The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!’” (Lamentations 3:19-24).

Having said that, Jeremiah then added, “The LORD is wonderfully good to those who wait for him and seek him. So, it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the LORD” (v. 25-26).

Waiting during a long winter is so hard. But that waiting is made easier when we have hope that God will change things for the better, which He surely will. The coming of spring reminds us once again of that great truth.

©2010 by Johnnie Ann Burgess Gaskill. Scriptures quoted are from the New Living Translation.