Month: May 2017

“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7
I performed my first wedding two days ago. I still can’t believe that I can now add marrying someone to my resume.  Wonderful friends who honored me when they asked me to join them together in Holy Matrimony.
It was a beautiful ceremony.  The sun was shining.  It overlooked the James River.  There was a beach and an arbor. Everyone’s hearts were full of love.
I was nervous.  As I walked to my place to begin the ceremony, I had a simple prayer.  “Help me Lord.  Help me honor You. Help me honor them.”
He surely did.  As I opened my mouth to speak, I was amazed at the words that left my mouth. They sounded sure and confident.   They sounded like I had done this a million times.  I even ad libbed a joke.  It all felt so surreal.  I wasn’t sure if it was even me.
It wasn’t me. It was all God.
He honored that prayer in such a wonderful way.  I’m still reeling in amazement.  Grateful for how He showed up for me.  Thankful for the honor of being able to bless two dear friends in such a special way!
I cast my anxiety onto Him and He showed me how much He cared, not only for me, but for them as well.
That’s how easy it is to cast your anxieties onto Him.  A simple plea for help.  He’s just waiting to show us how much He cares.
This Memorial Day I can’t help but think of all the prayers our military men and women have lifted to Him.  I am so humbled by the sacrifices they make every day for someone like me.
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”  John 15:13
There are men and women who are doing that for me today.   There are men and women who have sacrificed their lives so that I could live in a land of freedom.
I spent this weekend free.  In addition to performing my first wedding, I played cornhole and golf.  I camped with my friends and family.  I cooked out and even went to the batting cage.  All because men and women who don’t even know me are willing to sacrifice their lives for me.
I am humbled by your sacrifice.  I am thankful for your commitment.  Words cannot express the deep gratitude that I have for your service.  I can never repay you for giving me such a gift.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you!  My prayer for you is this, the Psalm of Protection:
Psalm 91
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”

 

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10
I posted on Facebook about my gas tank.  My literal gas tank in the Prius that I drive.  I so rarely need gas in it that I inevitably drive it until the gas light comes on and it’s running on fumes.  I’ve never done this with any other car, yet since I’ve started driving a Prius, I am constantly letting it get to low.
I made a joke about how I need to put a reminder on my calendar to fill my tank so this wouldn’t happen. It occurred to me in the moments after posting it that we do the same thing with God.  We let our tanks get too low.  We forget to fill them up and then we find ourselves running on fumes.  The only problem is, we don’t have a warning light that tells us to get to the fuel pump.
Or do we and we just ignore them, like I ignore my fuel meter in my car?
Could the warning light in our lives be the irritation we feel with the people around us?  The tiredness we feel?  The lack of hope?  These things creep into our lives and we just accept them as status quo.  Yet that isn’t how God wants us to live our lives.  Jesus came so we can have life and have it to the fullest.
I am convinced that is why we need to make time with God a priority.  It needs to be on our calendar and we need to make it happen.  I believe it should be daily.  In one 24 hour period, your tank can hit empty.  We need to be refueling daily.
Why else would so many devotionals be called “Daily Bread”?
“Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.”  Exodus 16:4
This verse comes from Exodus, when Moses is leading the Israelites out of Egypt and slavery.  God is very specific that they are only to gather enough for that day.  The only exception is Saturday, when they gather enough for two days because of the Sabbath.
It’s interesting, the people don’t listen.  They take too much at first.  By the next morning, the extra is full of worms and inedible.  God said only take enough for that day.
Aren’t we the same as the Israelites?  Don’t we want to fuel up in church on Sunday and expect that to keep our tank full for the entire week?
That’s not enough.  We need more than that if we want to keep our tank full.  We need to “top off” daily.
For me, it’s first thing in the morning.  That’s my time to open my Bible and read.  It’s my time to thank God for what He has done and what He is doing.  It’s my time to dedicate my life to Him once again.  Turn it all over and pray He can make something of my humble efforts.
For you it might be at lunch.  It could be in the car on the drive to work as you listen to the Bible or a podcast.  It could be in the evening or right before bed.
It doesn’t matter what time of the day it happens, it just matters that it happens.  If we want to live life to the fullest, we can only do that by staying connected to the fuel.  Finding ways to re-fuel daily is the key.  Whether through reading God’s word, listening to worship music or a podcast, or spending time with another Christ follower.  One thing is certain, once a week on Sunday is not enough to keep your tank full.
Check your gas tank, is it time to head to the gas station?

“So soldiers cut the lifeboat and let it drift away.” Acts 27:32
The other day while I was studying I read the story of Paul’s shipwreck.  It’s a good read, Acts 27: 27-42.  This verse jumped out at me, I’ve been thinking about it for days.  The sailors are freaking out, so they put out the lifeboats “just in case”.  Paul tells them if they jump ship they will surely die.  They trust him and they cut the lifeboats and let them drift away.
The first thought that entered my head was, “What is my lifeboat that I need to cut away?”.  It just struck me that what Paul was asking them to do was to cut their ties to what the world would have them do and trust God.  I started thinking about all the “lifeboats” we have.  Things, people, places we cling to because we think they will keep us safe.  We think they will protect us.  But they won’t, they can’t.  Only God can do that.
Today is Mother’s Day.  I think for the majority of us, our Mom’s were or are our first lifeboat.  They picked us up when we fell down.  They kissed our boo-boos and told us everything was ok.  When our heart was broken for the first time, they held us as we cried.  When we accomplished anything, from taking our first step to graduating, they were and are our biggest cheerleaders.
My Mom was my hardest lifeboat to cut.  It’s not a cutting from your life, but it’s realizing she can’t protect you from the storms of life.  No matter how hard she wants too.  I think our storms are harder for her to bear than her own storms.  Watching your child suffer has to be the hardest thing a person can endure.
When I was in second grade I found a poem in my Mom’s Bible.  It had been read at her brother’s funeral. She had written on it that she wanted it read at her funeral.  It made me so sick to my stomache that day I missed school.  The thought of life without my Mom was unbearable.  I could live without a lot of things, but I couldn’t imagine living without her.
I was incredibly blessed.  My Mom and I had a very close relationship.  By the end of her life, she was more than my Mom. She was and always will be my best friend.  It has been three years since she passed.  I feel closer to her now than ever.
God helped me cut the lifeboat that was my Mom, but in true God fashion.  When I cut the rope, I didn’t lose her, I found her.
It was March 6, 2010 when we found out my Mom had Pancreatic Cancer.  She had a blockage in her colon and they were able to remove it.  The cancer had grown down into her colon instead of up through her body, which is what pancreatic cancer typically does.  She was 7% of the people that could have it surgically removed.  That gave us another 4 and 1/2 years with her.
During that time God transitioned my life.  I was 41 years old when that happened and had never been married.  On Oct. 21 of that year he brought my husband into my life.  My Mom was able to watch our relationship grow.  She was there the day we were married.  He was there the day she died.  God gave me a new lifeboat when He took away the old.  Or that is what I thought, until I started thinking about this verse.
The truth is God is all I need.  The people He gives us in life, they’re not lifeboats, they’re blessings.  It isn’t fair to put that much pressure on one person, even your Mom.  God gives us people to help us in life.  He gives us things that make life easier.  He creates places where we feel safe.  All of those are gifts from God, to be treasured.
It was because of God in my life I could accept my Mom was dieing.  It was because of God in my life, instead of fearing the future without her I enjoyed the days I had with her.  One of my most precious memories of my Mom is holding her hand as she went to meet Jesus.  I still see the smile on her face as she slipped away.  I didn’t cut a lifeboat, I let my friend enjoy heaven.
One of the things I know my Mom is most proud of me for is reading the poem at her funeral.  The same one I found in her Bible when I was in second grade.  The same one that made me realize she would one day die.  The same one that made me appreciate how great she was.
Now, when I think of my Mom I smile.  She is evident in every part of my life.  I hear her words come from my lips daily.  I watch her actions play out in my life.  I love my husband because she taught me how.  More than anything, I have a rich and full life because she introduced me to Jesus.  She set the example with her actions, not her words.  St. Francis of Assisi quoted, “Preach the Gospel always and when necessary use words.”  My Mom did that incredibly well, he would be proud.
I always say, if I can be half the woman she was, I’ll be doing alright.  Well Mom, you taught me how to do that by leaving me with your favorite Psalm.  A fitting way to end this post dedicated to her:

Psalm 121

1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord watches over you—
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

” Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:4
I’ve just started the study, “Looking for Lovely” by Anne F. Downs.  In today’s homework she asks this question: “How different would your life be if you made a commitment to persevere-to not quit?”
My answer, I’d be 25 pounds lighter!!!!
Seriously, that is one area that I constantly struggle.  It made me think, we all have areas where we are constantly trying to persevere.  Every day I talk to friends or family who are all “persevering” through something.
Perseverance can be defined as a steady persistence in adhering to a course of action, a belief, or a purpose; steadfastness.
Here’s the catch, in order to be persevering, that means in some way, shape or form you are suffering.  After all, when you’re having fun it’s easy to keep going.  It’s when things are tough that we want to give up.  It’s not so easy to be steadfast when you’re in pain.
Yet according to James 1:4, it is letting perseverance finish its work in us that makes us mature and complete, lacking nothing.
Perseverance takes work!
Perseverance is exhausting on so many levels, both mentally and physically.  It can leave you bone tired or emotionally spent.  There are days when it would be so easy to quit, then there are days when you feel like you could conquer the world.
What is it that makes people keep persevering?  What stops them from giving up? Why do I constantly get on the band wagon every time I fall off?
Is it because suffering leads to perseverance, perseverance leads to character and character leads to hope?  That is what Romans 5:3-5 says, that at the end of the road is hope.
Hope is why we keep persevering.   It is hoping that today will be different, that this time will be different.  It is hope that is the light at the end of the tunnel.
A single strand of hope is a very powerful thing.  It can move mountains, cross oceans, save lives.  Hope is the anchor to persevering, without it there is no reason to keep going.  Hope is what keeps us on course.  It is the belief that there is something better.  Hope is what gives us purpose.  Hope keeps us steadfast.
“…Hope is the anchor to the soul…”. Hebrews 6:19