Whatever You're Facing

Refreshing Water

I am awed by the way various writers convey similar messages on any given morning during the hour or more I spend praying and reading the Bible, devotional books, and hymnals before I began to write a blog post.

Even though the Bible and the other books were written by various authors in various centuries, the “message of the day” is basically the same! And, even more astonishing, each one relates to what I am experiencing at that time. How is this possible? I wonder. How do they know how to write so specifically to my need on any given morning? How do ministers and hymn writers do the same kind of thing?????

According to John Gill, the famous Puritan pastor, here’s how the process works: The doctrines (teachings) a godly person absorbs and fills his heart with and which his mouth utters are like pure, purifying, and refreshing water. And the wellspring of wisdom within such a person is like a flowing brook, like a spring of spiritual wisdom and knowledge within him. From there “it flows freely and constantly; communicating itself liberally unto others, and ministering grace to the hearers [and readers!], for their edification [instruction, enlightenment, guidance]” Gill’s Exposition of the Entire  Bible.

I am indescribably grateful for such godly people who freely share truths they’ve gleaned. And I long to be one of them.

The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters;

the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.

Proverbs 18:4, ESV

The Innermost Part

I’d photographed a small pot of tulips every other day or so for more than a week. 

I’d snapped picture after picture of them when they were tightly encased buds and when they were in full bloom. 

Those stages were a delight to my eyes, but I didn’t like the looks of the dying blooms. So…one day I thought, I’m going to throw them away. They’re way past their prime. 

I carried the pot from the sunroom/office to a counter near an outside door, intending to take the pot to the trash on my next trip outside. But when I took a closer look at their centers, I thought, Oooooh, they’re still beautiful.

Indeed, that part of them—the innermost part—had changed very little, though the petals were showing multiple signs of dying—curling, drying, shriveling, discoloring, drooping….

Upon realizing there was a “lesson” to be learned from the dying blooms, I returned the pot to the sunroom for more photographs. As I did so, I thought, What’s going on with these tulips is true of human life, too. In our youth and even middle age, we are beautiful and admired. But as the dying process takes increasingly heavy tolls on us, little remains of the vibrant person we once were—except for the innermost part! That stays alive and beautiful far longer than the more “showy” parts of us.

Therefore, Dear Reader, despite what’s happening on the outside of us, may we say, as did Horatio G. Spafford (1873), “It is well with my soul,” with that innermost part of us. Even when our physical strength wanes and our outward beauty diminishes, may we say, as did David in Psalm 57:7, ESV:

My heart is steadfast, O God,

my heart is steadfast!

I will sing and make melody!

Embrace the Challenges; Receive the Blessings

The day before I was to give my first speech at the January 22^nd meeting of the local chapter of Toastmasters, I was a bundle of nerves. In fact, I was telling myself and others I’d never sign up to give another one.

I’m not sure why I was so nervous. I’d written my speech months ago. I knew my subject well. (Since this first speech was an “ice breaker,” I was supposed to talk about myself.) I had prepared a visual aid. I knew and liked everyone in the group, and I felt confident they’d be “cheering” for me.

The morning I was to give the speech, I woke up early and followed my normal routine. I spent the first hour or so reading the Bible and several devotional books. As always, I came across words that seemed written especially for me. In Sarah Young’s wonderful book, Jesus Calling, I read: “Anything that tends to make you anxious is a growth opportunity. Instead of running away from these challenges, embrace them, eager to gain the blessings I [Jesus] have hidden in the difficulties” (reading for January 22).

Embrace my fears???? Run toward—rather than away from—this challenge (as well as others)? Could I really do that?

As I struggled with that idea, I recalled these words spoken by Moses as the Israelites were preparing to enter the land God had promised them many years before: “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them [the current residents in that land], for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you” Deuteronomy 31:6, ESV.

As I reflected on that promise, I realized God would be with me, as He was with them, though my challenges with that 4-6 minute speech were minuscule in comparison to theirs. He would enable me to succeed. Consequently, my faith in Him would increase all the more, as would my gratitude for His help! Furthermore, only He knew what other blessings were hidden in the challenge.

Note: Much to my surprise (and great relief), I was calm when I gave my speech. That had to be a "God thing," because I had been "falling apart" the day before and the morning of the speech!

Light in the Darkness

After a dear friend highly recommended Sara Young’s devotional book, Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence, I downloaded it for my Kindle. What a treasure it is!!! As soon as I finish my daily Bible reading, I read the day’s devotional. Reading each one is as exciting (and easy!) as finding precious gems scattered on the ground, just waiting for me to notice them and be uplifted by them.

The author writes what she senses Jesus saying to her, hence the title Jesus Calling. As I read the words in the Feb. 11^th devotional, I gave thanks for the confirmation of something quite similar He had said to me the night I’d looked out the window of our room on the ninth-floor of a hotel in Savannah and immediately noticed the brightly lit steeple of a nearby church. Nearly all the other buildings were concealed in darkness, which made the lighted steeple stand out all the more. 

The picture I’d felt compelled to take, though it was 1:00 in the morning, isn't any good--from a technical perspective--since I took it in low light and through the thick glass of the window while I hand held the camera. Plus, I couldn’t change my vantage point much at all. All those factors, when combined, produced a very poor picture. Even so, it’s a favorite of mine because I love how that lighted structure contrasts so sharply (and beautifully) with the surrounding darkness.

Thus, I immediately thought of that photo as I read these words in Jesus Calling: “My Peace is like a shaft of golden light shining on you continuously….See times of darkness as opportunities for My light to shine in transcendent splendor.”

Note: The following morning, I photographed the same steeple. I could see more details. I produced a more technically correct photo. But gone was the striking contrast the light had made while surrounded by darkness. So, I was thankful I had taken the time to make the photograph in the middle of the night. I will use it to remind me that God uses even our dark times as opportunities to showcase His splendor, causing others to notice the incredible difference He makes in the lives of those He indwells.

For once you were full of darkness,

but now you have light from the Lord.

So live as people of light! 

~Ephesians 5:8, NLT

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.  

He Holds My Hand!

Each time, I’m in situations where someone needs a steadying hand, the person invariably reaches for my hand, even though I can better steady her and keep her from falling if she’d let me hold onto her. But since hand-holding makes her feel more secure (than it actually is), we hold hands until we reach a place where she feels at ease.

My husband holds our youngest grandson's hand. I took the photo
and applied the special effects.

Whenever young children feel insecure or frightened, they instinctively reach for the hand of a loving, adult. There’s just something very reassuring when we place our hand inside a hand that’s stronger and more capable of protecting us. 

Lovers hold hands, too, relishing the feelings created by the warmth of closeness and other pleasant emotions.

Knowing how special hand-holding is, I like to read the many verses in the Bible that remind me that God is holding my hand, that He most certainly can be trusted to love me and protect me, just as He did those to whom the original assurance was made. One of my “go-to” verses is Isaiah 41:13 (ESV). I turn there often and “listen” to God say to me:

For I, the LORD your God,

Hold your right hand;

It is I who say to you, “Fear not,

I am the one who helps you.”

Wow! Hand-holding doesn't ever get any better than 

that, does it, Dear Reader? May we realize this: It's impossible to hold hands without being near one another!!!

Every Step Counts!

Around the middle of January 2015, I received an e-mail from the good folks at Fitbit® informing me that I had walked 696 miles in 2014. In doing so, I’d taken over 1.5 million steps (1,696,496, to be exact). I was shocked I’d walked that much!

But then I read the note near the bottom of the e-mail, which said, in essence, “Every single step you took during your very busy days added up to something big, something really big!”  You know, that’s very true. Most days, I do some intentional walking, like in my neighborhood. But the many steps I’ve taken while running errands or going on photo shoots or doing household chores or volunteering at the local hospital, etc. have brought me closer to my goal.

What is my goal? To walk from my home in Georgia to a small town in Nevada where a dear friend lives. I embarked upon this “virtual” journey in October 2013.  I reached Oklahoma City at the end of Jan. 2015 and am heading to Amarillo, which is 1139 miles from where I live. That’s still a looooong way from Wellington, Nevada, but I’ll eventually get there, step by step, mile by mile.

As I reflected on that, I realized anew that nearly every goal we set is achieved in small increments. For example, losing weight, learning how to do something, etc. As the Bible says, “For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little” (Isaiah 28:10, ESV).

Step. Step. Step. Every one counts!!!