“You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

28 09 2009

We’ve heard this story many times throughout our years. I relate to it..over and over again. Jesus had just, I mean minutes before, fed the five thousand with the five loaves and fishes. The disciples had witnessed the miracle right before their eyes. It wasn’t the first time they’d seen him do miracles, and it wouldn’t be the last, but human nature being what it is..it wasn’t enough. Jesus told them to get into the boat and go to the other side of the lake. I can imagine they were more than happy to get on that boat. It had been a long day managing and feeding the crowds. A little respite while they traveled to the other side was surely welcomed. If it were me, I’d be thinking, “Cool. He’s watching out for us by giving us a break from the crowds and allowing us some rest. What an awesome God.”

And yet….Jesus had sent them into the boat knowing they were headed right into a storm. Within moments the disciples went from an exhilarating day with Jesus straight into a storm. I’m certain, this was not expected and likely not appreciated. The Bible doesn’t say, but I can imagine that some of them were angry that when they were doing exactly what Jesus was asking of them, He still sent them into a storm. It would seem natural to think that God should always save us from such discomfort and seemingly needless fear and stress. But, as this story proves, Jesus had the situation under control.

Scripture says that “Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake”. He walked through the wind and rough waters, out to meet them. Apparently they couldn’t recognize Jesus because they thought He was a ghost. Peter asked Him to prove Himself by telling him to come walk on the water with Him. Jesus says “Come”. Peter jumped out of the boat and started walking toward Him. He’s doing it. He’s walking on water and then it happened. Peter took his focus off of Jesus and saw his circumstances. The wind, the raging waters, and his obvious vulnerability gripped Peter with fear and he began to sink. How often and how quickly do we do this same thing? Take our focus off of Jesus and begin sinking in our circumstances?

You have to give Peter credit for jumping out of the boat and walking as far as He did. He didn’t argue. He didn’t look at his circumstances first. He focused on Jesus. The trust he had learned to have for Him, caused him to immediately act. So, Peter had made progress in his spiritual growth. Although we all have a “spirit man” within us. That “spirit man” has to be fed, trained, developed, and strengthened. Peter was in the ultimate learning environment. He was there, with Jesus every day. Yet, he too had to go through the continuing process of training or exercising his “spirit man”. The “spirit man” was quick to jump out of the boat and follow Jesus. But, the natural man quickly rose up and took over. The result; a temporary setback for Peter. Temporary because as soon as Peter started to sink, he shouted to Jesus, “Save me!”, and He did. Jesus reached out and saved him. But then came the question that must have penetrated deep into Peter’s heart. “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

In spite of all we know and have seen, we still doubt. I’d like to say that after all the years I have served the Lord, that I no longer become fearful of my circumstances and allow myself to sink in them. God has proven Himself to me over and over again and yet. I can say that I am stronger than I used to be, but not as strong as I hope to become. It’s a process of growing and exercising faith. As we learn to focus on Jesus throughout each day, the circumstances won’t knock us down as often or as quickly. Our “spirit man” becomes stronger. But when we do get knocked down and we will, the sooner we recognize our doubting and turn to Jesus and say, “Save me.”, the sooner we will experience His calm. Sometimes God will calms the storm and other times He calms us. But regardless, He will come. He will reach out. He will meet us at our need if we but ask.

Matthew 14:22-34


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Categories : Seeds

Seeds of life fighting to bring a harvest

29 05 2009

This time of year we see life springing up all around us. Trees have recloaked their skeletal frame with fresh, green, lacy beauty. Bushes pruned back last winter, have sprouted new branches to replace those lost to pruning. Flowers long ago died off into the ground are reappearing through the ground to make their spring debut. If you look close enough, you’ll even find nuts that dropped off their life source last year have found a way to sprout into the beginnings of a soon to be new seedling.

I especially love to see the blossoms burst forth on fruit trees, knowing that they signal yummy fruit yet to come. The cycle is something we are all familiar with. A seed is planted, it grows, and it yields whatever harvest comes from that seed. Or that is how it’s supposed to happen. But nature can throw some unexpected calamities into the mix and those seeds, seedlings, young plant, etc will be challenged to overcome it. It may be a late freeze that suddenly kills off the tender shoots already growing. It could be a fire, flooding, strong winds, etc. All kinds of events can occur in the life of this young seed trying to reach a time of harvest. It can be a fight to sustain the life of that seed through these challenges. Left on its own, it may not survive. But, when that seedling has a gardener that sees the plight and comes to the rescue, the odds improve greatly. The gardener can do for that seedling what it can’t do for itself to protect it and provide the components needed to allow it to survive and thrive.

I’m challenged recently from some Joyce Meyers teachings where she mentioned a similar concept. The Bible is full of references to planting seeds and the resulting harvest. As we see all around us in nature, this is the cycle of living things. It is easy to focus on the seed planting and the harvest, but the real challenge is to appreciate the part in the middle…the growing. It’s in the growing where the seed is faced with the biggest risks of survival. Maybe in part because growing is the part that takes the most amount of time. But before a seed can ever reach it’s potential to produce fruit, it must grow. It must be firmly planted in soil that is life-giving. It must have sprouted branches that have stood up to the storms that have come it’s way. It’s branches have to been able to produce not only leaves but have matured enough to grow blossoms that feed other living beings. It has to have grown a strong enough core that other pests and sicknesses that may attack it, cannot destroy it’s life giving ability. The longer it is able to grow and develop these life giving characteristics, the more fruit or harvest it will be able to produce over the years. Any thing here starting to sound familiar?

It’s what happens in the middle that will make or break us in our ability to harvest that which God has promised us or purposed us for. I know we are one being, but I believe God plants many different seeds in us throughout our lifetime. They come in many different forms. Some are promises given to us by God in His Word. Some are in dreams and visions we have had for what we are to put our energies into. Some may be in how we are to affect other lives. Some may be in just getting us through a single day. Some may be in learning to show love more, or to hold our tongue, or to improve our attitude, etc. I would suggest it is everything that God is talking to you about. They are all seeds God is planting in our hearts.

God, our gardener, is tending to us to grow those seeds and bring them to harvest. We are all in various stages of growing these different seeds. Their ability to grow to a point of harvest is solely dependent on our willingness to yield to the Gardener’s direction. Not hearing any direction? Maybe your roots are not seated in the soil of the Word. Feeling some pain? It may be some pruning going on to reshape you. Feeling sick? Maybe there is an unhealthy root the Gardener is seeking to dig out so you can heal. Feeling a bit cold? Could it be you have moved into the forest and out from under the “Son”? Feeling anxiety and fear? Don’t underestimate that pesky “devourer” who is seeking to destroy you and your growth. Feeling weak and hungry? As the Gardener is giving you life through your branches, you should be giving life to others through your blossoms. Fight to grow. Stand tall, spread your branches, give life back and drink in the Son. Waiting for the harvest is the toughest part. But if we don’t grow strong enough to hold up the fruit, it will be of no eternal value.

Time has always seemed to be an enemy when we are waiting for something desired. But, if God promised the harvest, He will provide it. Time is not the enemy. Time is opportunity to grow stronger so that when we do produce the harvest it feeds not only us, but those in our home, our community, and our world. Look back and see the faithfulness of God. Even in the simple things, there is that middle step where growth is revealed before the goal is reached; Mark 4:35-40 Jesus was taking the disciples to the other side of the sea and as promised He got them there. But, in the middle, they freaked out at their circumstances. 40) “And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?” Look back on your life. Remember the times God promised you something and it happened. You reaped the harvest, but surely not before a season of growth occurred in the middle, right?

What seeds are planted in you today? Are you focused on listening to the Gardener for daily instructions on how to grow? Are you giving life to others in preparation of the harvest? Are you recognizing the devourer chewing on you and choosing to shield yourself from him?

Give God the glory by sharing a time where God brought you harvest after a season of growth.

Don’t give up on the harvest. It is coming, if you will keep growing while you are waiting.


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Categories : Seeds

Why do people reject God?

19 05 2009

I find myself thinking about this question often lately, “Why do people reject God?”. Everything I’ve heard over the years sounds something like this; “If God really loved us, He would not let this happen.” “I asked God for _____ and He didn’t come through.” “If God is love, I’m not feeling it.” “If being a Christian looks like them, I don’t want any part of it.”

The question, which carries the weight of eternity, deserves more consideration. It would seem that many of the reasons given have the same thread of rationale woven throughout the arguments. In looking at the circumstances, they have concluded that if they were God they would handle things differently. God has not met their expectations. Proverbs says it like this…”There is a way that seems right to a man”. We consider what we view, what we perceive, what we expect, etc and from that we draw a conclusion. It may be a totally logical solution based on the facts. It may be a totally biased conclusion based on our prejudices. It may be a totally self-protecting conclusion based on missed expectations. Regardless of the conclusion, we come to it because it seems right to us. It makes sense to us at the time.

That thinking says that God should meet our needs as we expect, or we should move onto finding someone or something that we believe will do a better job. The thought is that God should only allow good things to happen to us, or maybe that He should interfere with the laws of nature to prevent natural consequences. Surely if God is not meeting us where we think He should, then we naturally would start to build walls up around our disappointments, pain, frustration, etc. that He is not there for us. Sometimes a seeming unanswered prayer can feel like a personal rejection. We have the idea that love means making our lives easier, giving us what we want or ask for, taking pressure off of us, defending us, meeting our expectation of miracles, etc.

In the movie “Bruce Almighty”, Jim Carrey uses comedy to demonstrate this very human perspective. After being given his “godly” title, it doesn’t take long before he has turned the world sideways with all the unforeseen consequences of his decision making. His decisions seemed right to him at the time, but little did he know that when played out, many other factors would enter in and alter the expected outcome. Hasn’t that always been the risk of making decisions? Determining the “best” answer can seem like an impossible task because it can play out so many different ways. The rest of that verse says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief. Proverbs 14:12-13.” To me it says that our thoughts and decisions are often driven by our short-sighted logic and may bring some superficial happiness, but if we allow ourselves that shallow existence the end result will be far less than we expect or desire.

I suspect that everyone, including Christians, struggle with obeying God’s ways due to an unwillingness to be submitted to yet another voice telling us what to do. Isn’t it natural to resist doing what someone else tells you what to do? But, how much easier is it to do so when that person is someone we know and love. When that someone is someone we know loves us and in whose wisdom we have learned to trust, it is easier. To get to that point where we TRUST Him with the everything’s of our life requires a commitment to setting aside what seems right to a man (self). Some may find it easier to walk away.

If people are looking to Christians to validate that God is real, sadly they will be sorely disappointed. Because the root of disbelief, Christians and non-Christians, can be attributed to a lack of willingness to sincerely pursue God. We can only see the nature of God in people to the degree that they have committed themselves to this pursuit. Walking with God takes a sincerity and devotion that surpasses today. It surpasses our circumstances. It surpasses our understanding. It requires digging in and taking one step at a time, learning who God is and what He has to say to us. Today, tomorrow, next week, next month, and every other day, we must let God into our daily thoughts and actions. It’s a journey that continues each day we walk this earth. There is no shortcut to become Christ-like or getting to know God.

Solomon, whom is known for his wisdom made a mess of his life as he applied his resources to tackle life on his own. At the end of all his efforts he came to this conclusion; “All has been heard; the end of the matter is: Fear God [revere and worship Him, knowing that He is] and keep His commandments, for this is the whole of man [the full, original purpose of his creation, the object of God's providence, the root of character, the foundation of all happiness, the adjustment to all inharmonious circumstances and conditions under the sun] and the whole [duty] for every man.” Ecclesiastes 12:13 (Amplified Bible). He’d heard it all, tried it all and realized our lives were purposed by God and for God. Fear God and know that God is. Keep His commandments because this is our purpose. Our walk on this life should not be an objection to God’s providence for us. Yielding to Him will grow character in us. It will be the foundation of our happiness. It will allow us to adjust to the good and bad circumstances found under the sun. This commitment is what makes us whole.

God is calling us all to walk with Him. For some it’s a new walk. For others He is asking for you to dig deeper and pursue holiness daily. Nothing is more important to Him. All of the things we value in life will fade away. This is the one thing that will last for eternity. What are you pursuing?

What is something you have learned that helps you in your daily pursuit of God?


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Categories : Seeds

Dreams, Hopes and Visions

28 02 2009

I love days like today.  The sun is shining.  The sky is a vivid blue.   And, the wind is blowing just enough that our pipe organ-type wind chimes are echoing into the house a melodic tune.  The sun is dancing off the water in our pool and reflecting off our ceiling in the house.  It’s the perfect setting for day dreaming.  It is easy to sit back and get lost in the tune, stare at the ceiling and absorb the warmth of the sun.  Time to dream about what could be.

The thing I love about day dreaming is that there are no rules.  Dreaming can include any subject, setting, circumstances, person, etc;  it’s all available to weave into a magical dream with as much a fairy-tale ending as I desire.  If it’s possible for humans to imagine perfection, then a dream is surely the stage for such whimsy.  It’s a beautiful thing and everything is possible.  Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”.   I concur heartily.  It is in our dreaming we allow our minds to expand beyond the boundaries of our inhibitions to discover new possibilities.

The true magic of a dream is when hope awakens within it.  The spark of realization that this dream is actually possible is the beginning of a path paved with hope.  Webster says that hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.   Hope becomes like a life-giving fuel to our dream.  The fuel of hope ignites the spark and catapults us beyond the dream to feel the adrenalin of expectation.  Expectation that it shouldn’t fade away into the myriad of other thoughts vying for attention within our heads.  This dream should be remembered, nourished, and given back to the Lord for further development.

I would bet that anyone reading this has had this experience many times in their lifetime.  The dream, the adrenalin rush of hope and then….what?  The dream fades, the rush diminishes and the myriad of other thoughts have taken over and stomped out any spark that remained.  What is missing? Although lacking visible evidence of it’s reality, a dream fueled by hope are the essential foundational elements of every new adventure.  They must exist, but their lone existence is not enough to bring the dream to a reality.   I suggest that every dream can only be accomplished when combined with a vision.  The dreamer, accompanied by hope, is the sure recipient of the vision.  We have all seen multitudes of examples of this principal in all cultures, industries and successes of our world.  A person had a dream and with it the vision to bring it to pass.

The vision is the “how to” plan required to achieve the dream and to build the visible evidence of it’s reality.  Simply, the lack of “how to” is what ends most dreams.  I am not referring to the mere knowledge of “how to”, but more importantly the ability to see the guidelines and boundaries of success.   A clear vision of what ideals and in what measure must be combined to attain success, must be the convictions of the person leading the charge.   There will be many along the path to accomplishing the vision that will detract from it’s success if not for the unwavering direction of the visionary.   It takes time and energy and a commitment to pursue the wisdom needed to develop the vision to reach success.  There is no short cut to a successful dream.  Even lottery winners who don’t commit to pursuing wisdom, have found their supposed windfall a fleeting dream.

Wisdom comes in multiple forms.  Scripture tells us in James 1:5: (NIV)  If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.  As a believer, we know that surely as God is the giver of wisdom, He also the giver of visions.  The first step in pursuing any dream comes in bringing it to God for His counsel.   If it is of God,  the stepping stones on your path to our dream’s reality begin to take direction.  Inviting the wisdom and counsel of others, researching, working hard, plus other God-directed components will all serve to breathe life into the dream.  Sharing the dream, instilling the vision, passing it along to those involved, empowers everyone involved to common goals of success.

I’ve often pondered the scripture, “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.”, Proverbs 29:18.  Another translation says “If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves;  But when they attend to what He reveals, they are most blessed.”.  I have seen the truth of this scripture in so many different scenarios. If people can’t see what the company is doing (if they don’t see or understand the vision) they stumble all over themselves.  I’ve worked for companies that way under-estimate the costly significance of not sharing the vision with employees.  If people can’t see what the pastor/church is doing, they stumble all over themselves.  We’ve all seen the sad reality of this and in this case, people literally will perish because the church never reaches it’s potential in ministering to souls for Christ.  Scripture warns us that where there is no vision, the consequences are devastating. I’d suggest that this is a profound truth no matter what or who we are talking about.  If you proceed without a vision, the dream cannot be sustained.  Failure is certain.

Joseph Addison says, “Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.”  I’ve seen many a folk fall into a mundane existance that no longer dreams.   As we go this week to Oregon, a place we have dreams and hopes of moving back to, we covet your prayers.  We have a vision for what we are to do there and are looking to God to bring confirmation.   For you, I pray that you will awaken within your heart a new desire to seek God’s clarity in whatever vision you are walking out.  And, if you are not currently walking out a vision, I pray you will have sweet dreams on your journey to find one.



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Categories : Seeds

“This happened so the power of God could be seen in him”

22 02 2009

Last week my husband again had surgery.  How is it that we have gone from never being sick to this crazy year we have had?  If you saw my husband you would not believe he had anything wrong with him.  Although we are not totally out of the woods yet, he continues to bounce back from everything thrown at him.  When we ponder the bigger questions as to why, I am reminded of what Jesus said on the subject. “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him” (John 9:3 NLT).  God has a greater purpose in our sufferings.

My husband will tell you that early last year, God awoken within him a sense of urgency to spend more time in the Word.  He heard God calling him to a deeper walk with Him.   We had no idea what the year would bring, of course. But we can say that being obedient to that call better equipped us both for the journey ahead.   God knew He was going to allow us to be faced with a level of adversity we had never yet experienced.  And come it has, from many different directions.  The choices have been to resent the disruption to our comfortable life we had before, or to trust in God’s nature and the plan He ordained for our life before we were even born.  We know that He is drawing us to a deeper intimacy with Him. Who God is in His power, His authority over us, and in His love for us is where we place our trust, not in our circumstances.

As I have stated before, we have seen the hand of God all along the way.  The doctor Evelyn referred us to was the right man.  For reasons I won’t go into here, God confirmed to us that this was the surgeon needed at this time.  The hospital stay was no exception either.  Since none of our family were able to be here, God sent others to minister to us.  Evelyn, was there to meet us before the surgery again.  What a blessing she continues to be for us.  After the surgery, I looked up and there she was again.  She gives the best hugs and God knew I needed one again.  As an additional “gift” from God, we ended up in the same room we were in last November for 2 weeks.  Not only is it a great room, 40″ flat screen TV, refrigerator, hideabed, recliner and all, but our favorite nurse was on the night shift both nights we were there.  Knowing she was there, allowed me the peace of mind to not have to stay overnight at the hospital.  I was able to go home at night and not worry about a thing, because she is so attentive and compassionate.  We knew this was a gift, because that room is reserved for neuro patients, which we weren’t this time.  And we were appreciative of the people from the church that dropped by to visit and pray with us.  It is humbling to have folks you don’t really know take the time to come minister to us.  We were grateful.  We were out in two days instead of the expected three and all has gone well in his healing.  God is in the details of our circumstances, not just the big picture.  I never cease to be amazed at that.

We have had a lot to panic about this last 8 months.  But, the power of God has held us steady.  We know He is our provider, our healer, and our salvation.  What else is there?  We have found much needed rest in these last months in spite of our circumstances.  For that we are also grateful.  We know of many more families that are experiencing a season of adversity right now also.  Please know,  “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him” (John 9:3 NLT).  God has a greater purpose in our sufferings. He is there to bring the ministering angels to surround you and His power to heal your circumstances.  Draw near and He will draw near to you.


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Categories : Seeds

You can’t plant seeds today, if you are still living in yesterday.

9 02 2009

I heard a statement today at church that gave me pause.  “You can’t plant seeds today, if you are still living in yesterday.”  What a profoundly true statement.  We all have memories of the yesterday’s of our lives.  There are many different types of memories that all combine to make us who we are, what we think, how we act, what we value, how we love, etc.   In those memories are events we cherish, such as the day we married, or the day our children were born, the day we came to know Christ, the day we graduated, etc. and many other such milestones of our lives.  Each of these are the cornerstones upon which are lives are then built.  Precious moments, indeed, and are the types of memories that likely gave us reasons to keep moving forward and planting healthy seeds in our lives and in the lives of those around us.  These are not the memories that keep us living in yesterday.

Living in yesterday means that we continue to allow something painful from our past to steal a measure of life from us today.  This experience could be something- we did, someone did to us, that happened to us, we saw, a great loss, etc.  Whatever they are, they are the sorrows of life that hold us hostage and continue to grip our hearts.  These memories have altered us and stolen life-giving seeds from us.   These types of events have happened to all of us.  We all have our stories to tell.  But, the question is, how long will we continue to allow them to dominate the landscape of our life?  For us to be truly happy, we have to become a whole, life-giving person.  Scripture calls this being “holy”.  We are called to holiness.

God’s plan for us is to grow to a place where we know Him, trust Him and lean on Him for and in everything (Prov 3:5-6).  As believers, the events of our lives all work to transform us to holiness, to be God-like in what we do, how we act, the type of seeds we plant, etc.  Doesn’t it make more sense for us to cooperate with the process than to allow the circumstances of it to weigh us down and make us non-participants in what God is wanting to do in our life?  We all have stories to tell of events in our lives that caused us pain, but they don’t have to define who we are and how we live today.  God is able to take those events, heal the pain of them and blend them into the garden of our life as fuel for growth, instead of poison.  We just have to invite Him into those memories and let Jesus heal them.  One by one, as the Holy Spirit reminds us of those events, if we will give them up, Jesus will make us whole and allow us to let go of yesterday, live in today, and be excited about our tomorrows.

1 Peter 1:13-16  (MSG) So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.”   It is our choices that make us who we are. We can always choose to do what’s right.  Be holy!  Plant seeds today, by letting go of yesterday.


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Categories : Seeds

Through It All

2 02 2009

A mother never likes to see their child hurting, no matter how old that child is.  Today is one of those days for me.  My daughter (www.charyssehesse.com), who is way too far from me, is hurting and there is no way for me to wrap my arms around her and comfort her.  It rips my heart out to not be there for her.  I could argue with God all day long about why we are still in Texas.  But, I know that arguing with Him about that is a waste of my time and is really an insult to the relationship I have with Him.

At Christmas, we pulled out a jigsaw puzzle for the family to work on.  It was a picture of an oil painting.  If you’ve ever done one, you will know that they are harder than those that are photographs.  Because it is made from brush strokes, the shading or the color can change when you least expect it.  I warned everyone not to get their minds set on the colors of the piece they are looking for, but to stay focused more on the shape of the pieces.  In spite of my warning, there were multiple complaints that surely there must be some missing pieces. It comes to mind how similar our lives are to this puzzle.

My life, your life, Charysse’s life, are all a unique work of art being painted by the Master.  The Master knows the image He is painting because He conceived of it before it began and promises He will complete it.  From our perspective, the complete picture is unknown to us.  When you are putting together a puzzle, isn’t it great when you get on a roll and a bunch of pieces fall into place?  As in life, those are mountain top experiences when you can see the pieces of your life falling into place and making sense.  It’s so satisfying because you can see the bigger picture, you can see how these pieces fit.  I’ve had times like that in my life and boy does it feel good. But, does anyone live there all the time?  I don’t think so.  As in puzzles, you can stare at the pieces or circumstances of your life and still not see how they fit.   Why are these pieces here?  Or, you may even think that surely these pieces don’t belong to your puzzle because you can’t connect them.   The Bible reminds us that  (I Cor 13:12)  “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known”.  Events, circumstances, people, sickness, etc, and all things good and bad are all going to be a part of our lives.  If they are in your life, they fit.  They are meant to become a part of the painting of our life.

I love this poem, I first read as a teen.  It is a perspective I hardily embrace.

God hath not promised skies always blue, flower -strewn pathways all our lives through. God hath not promised sun without rain,  joy without sorrow, peace without pain. But God hath promised strength for the day, rest for the labor, light for the way.  Grace for the trials, help from above, unfailing sympathy, undying love.

We all know it is true. We are not going to escape tough times, just because we trust in God.  The Bible says in Romans 8:29-30 (MSG); “God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. … After God made that decision of what his children should be like, he followed it up by calling people by name. After he called them by name, he set them on a solid basis with himself. And then, after getting them established, he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun.”  There it is.  He knows us.  He has called us by name.  And, He promises to take every puzzle piece in our life and work it into a beautiful and positive part of our life’s picture.  He promises to be with us to the end, completing what He has begun.  God’s plan for us is to make us Christ-like.  First and foremost, His intent is to transform us into His likeness.  So, we ask again, how this piece fits into our life’s picture?  We may not know until we see Him face to face, but we can be assured, that everyday we walk with Him, His intention is to be with us in every step of the way, making us the person whom He means us to be.  As we become Christ-like, we become an extension of Himself here on this earth to do His good work.

II Cor 1:3-6  3″Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 6If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.”  Scripture is telling us that just as Christ suffered, we too will suffer in this life.  When we do, we learn how to comfort others going through the same type of thing.  It seems to all point to the same thing.  We are here to represent God to our world.  Not to serve ourselves. Not to be comfortable. We are here to learn to truly trust God. This means to trust that what has come into our life, is not there to destroy us.  Every day, it’s a choice, to give God back the circumstances of our life that just don’t seem to fit.   That is how the  picture of our life becomes the beautiful masterpiece, the Master planned.

“Through it all!  Through it all, I’ve learned to trust in Jesus. I’ve learned to trust in God. I’ve learned to depend up on His word.”  His word is the only way I know to keep my perspective and trust where it needs to be when life’s troubles are overwhelming me.  This is what I pray for you, my daughter.  Know that God knows you.  He knows everything about you.  And He will give you the strength you need for today.  Don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow, He will then give you the strength you need for that day.  He is guiding you.  All your days have been ordained before you were born.  He is there for you and with you, always.

Psalm 139:1-18 (NIV)

1 O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.

2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.

4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.

5 You hem me in—behind and before;  you have laid your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

7 Where can I go from your Spirit?  Where can I flee from your presence?

8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,  if I settle on the far side of the sea,

10 even there your hand will guide me,  your right hand will hold me fast.

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,”

12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.  When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16 your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!

18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.


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Categories : Seeds

The Healer of Wounded Hearts

26 01 2009

As is true in everyone’s life, I’ve seen and felt a lot of heartache over the years.  It would seem that heartache is a fact of life that is an inescapable part of living in this world.  Along my journey, I have seen how differently people have reacted to the heartache’s of their lives.  As I have observed those people over the years, I can see how those heartaches from their past has greatly influenced their lives going forward.  Some have dramatic stories to tell that will just rip your heart out and others tell tales of pain that are difficult to understand or relate to.  What God has been showing me of late, does not focus on their painful stories, but of the bondage that results. For many, it is a lifelong bondage from wounds that influences and colors who they have become and the quality of life they are leading.

There are wounds of all types and dimensions in this world.  People of abuse, neglect, drug addiction, divorce, rapes, etc certainly have been inflicted with wounds, as well as the lives of the innocents pulled into their circumstances.  Watching the “24″ movie the other day, was a tragically disturbing reminder of how cruel and inhumane life can be for innocent children and families in other countries of our world.  We cannot even relate to such a life and it is shocking to be reminded that it is unjustly common for children to be exploited in such violent ways.  Their reality is incomprehensible to us.  What we do relate to are the circumstances and experiences of our own lives.  As a bystander it is sometimes easy to see how the child who was raised in a strict home is now raising their children with an unreasonable lack of boundaries. Or how the person raised with an alcoholic or drug addicted parent is now following in their same shoes. Or, how a child of an absent or emotionally distant father still vies for that father’s approval or acknowledgment.   But I realize more and more that it does not take events of this magnitude to have created life changing destructive behaviors within us.  Proverbs 4:23 tells us that our hearts are the wellspring of life;  “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life”.  It is my observation that regardless of how big or small the events of our lives, it is the attack on our hearts that have influenced who we have become.   A wounded heart, is a heart that wounds.  A healthy heart, is a heart that gives life.

Who are you?  A person who wounds or a person who gives life?  Is it possible to be both?  It is my personal experience that if you start pushing on the wounds of my heart, my initial reaction will be to defend and protect myself.  That is never pretty.  But it is very revealing, if I am willing to look honestly at myself.  “What is that?  Why did it hurt so much?  What do I need to do to bring healing to that part of my heart? God show me what that is about.”  If you are unwilling to be honest with yourself about these things, the wound can continue to fester and will lead to more destruction and possibly even an early death.  Oh maybe not a physical death, and I say maybe, because certainly we have all heard of those who have died due to heartache.  But, certainly it can lead to further destruction in relationships and in the measures of a successful, abundant life; happiness, ability to give ourselves to others, ability to serve others, ability to walk in the light, etc.  Do you know people who are no longer engaged or active participants in life?  Might it be their hearts are wounded and the damage has stolen from them their abundant life?

Jesus says He came to give us life and life more abundantly.  I would say that His ability to heal our hearts wounds is a part of this promise of abundant life.  It doesn’t take a  heart surgeon to tell us that if we have unresolved heart damage, we will not be leading our fullest life.  Certainly we will not be having an abundant life.  Whether we have chosen to run a faster paced life to avoid the pain, or we have shutdown to avoid further pain, anything less than a surgery to correct the damage will have the same result.

God has allowed circumstances, people, events, etc to come into my life over the years.  I have been blessed in so many ways by so many people and situations.  But, then there are those other things.  What do to with those?  “Why me?” comes to mind, but really I think “Why not me?”.  We live in a sinful world and a world of natural consequences.  God has never promised to protect us from any bad thing that results in being in this world.  He promises to draw us near to Him and work things out for our good. He promises to be there and to walk us through whatever does come our way.  I spoke to a friend today who told of being raped at the innocent age of 18.  How does a young woman get over that? That is a direct hit to the heart of a young woman.  As she told me,  she does not get over it. She has gotten “through” it.  Andre Crouch eloquently penned what should be the story of each Christian.  “Through it all, I’ve learned to trust in Jesus.  I’ve learned to trust in God. I’ve learned to depend upon His Word.”  Walking “through” requires us to act.  We must be willing to put one foot in front of the other and walk.  It’s a conscious effort to move on.  It’s a deliberate choice to call the doctor, so to speak.  To tell Him all about our problem, our symptoms, what we are feeling, what makes it hurt, etc. and ask Him to bring His healing powers to that place in our heart. And then to trust Him that He will work it out for our good, if we let it go and keep moving forward.  Reading the word is the best way I know of not dwelling on pain, but instead being reminded of whom we serve and how willing and able He is to get us through it with a healthy, life giving heart.  After all, He was there when we went through the event that caused that pain. He knows what He intended to accomplish through it. It is us who get hung up there and never let Him finish the work in us.

Look around and you will see so vividly, as I have of late, how many of us are living below the promise we have of an abundant life.  A lack of balance is a sure sign there is a wounded heart beating behind the masks of workaholics, exercise fanatics, sports fanatics, over-eaters, under-eaters, self-obsessions, substance abusers, abusers of any kind, arrogance, spend-aholics, etc.   Our sense of self-preservation has made us wonderfully creative in how we mask our wounds, so even we don’t have to see them.  But, that is not the life God has intended for us.  We are selling ourselves short, if we are unwilling to be honest about the condition of our own hearts.  In fact, we are selling short all of those we come in contact with, because we are unable to fully fulfill what God had planned for us because we are too distracted and busy harboring this wounded heart.  I am guilty.  I know I am.  And this day, I choose to open my heart and let God do surgery on it.  I want this year to be the year of new dreams…His dreams for my future.  I don’t want to hold back on what is possible.  I want His abundant life for me and mine…and for you.


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Categories : Seeds

Peace of God promise

5 01 2009

Philippians 4:8_) Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9_) Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Ahhh..the next verse in Philippians.  How did God know I needed to hear this?  It’s been a long and strange year for us.   Amazingly good things have happened and yet amazingly bad things have also come our way.  Hmm…see, there it is.  “Bad things”?  If I believe what I have been writing about to date, then “bad things” should not be in my vocabulary, right?  This is where my flesh runs right smack into what I know of what and who God is in my life.   There are days when I want to be upset with the seeming injustices of my life’s events.  Surely no one would judge me too harshly if they were facing the challenges we are and have been this year.  But then…I am quickly reminded of how miserable I can make myself if I dare give in to focusing on these things or wondering why.   I’ve been there and done that sadly, too many times in my life.

It would appear that I may not be the only one who has, because this scripture addresses that very thing.  Paul is telling us when we are thinking and pondering things, that we should focus on the positive things in our lives.  He says to focus on what is true.  This says to me that I should be honest in my thinking.  Be willing to look at the truth, the facts, not what I want to believe is true.  I have a choice when I let my mind start pondering, to let my imagination run and make assumptions, read between the lines, or force my expectation into a situation.  Or, I can heed Paul’s instructions to focus on what is true.

Paul also tells us to focus on what is noble.  Webster says that to be noble means “to have or show high moral principles or ideals.” All we have to do is read the news on any given day and we’ll see how “un”noble our world has become.  Our examples are leaders, government officials, CEO’s, elected officials, even church leaders, etc who are being indicted on a regular basis due to their lack of high moral principles or ideals.  We have living examples of why this characteristic is so devastating not to just those guilty of such lack, but often to many who are directly or indirectly involved with them.  Some may call this value system old fashioned, in a day when “gray” rules and black and white is mocked.  But, Paul is telling us that if we want the peace of God in our lives must reflect high moral principles or ideals such as honesty and integrity.

Think on things that are pure.  “Wholesome or untainted by immorality” is what Webster tells us that “pure” means.   Anyone reading this is surely already aware of the battle we are all faced with to avoid the barrage of immorality being put before us through the media.  Paul warns that giving way to this exposure and focusing on such things will rob us of our promise of God’s peace.  Guarding our hearts and minds from such things requires a conscious effort.  Proverbs 4:23 reminds us how important this is;  “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life”.

Whatever is lovely- “Exquisitely beautiful”, think on these things.  I love that.  Exquisitely beautiful would at first seem to be a visual exercise.  But how often do you let your mind wander and visualize things you have enjoyed seeing or dreamed about seeing.  Paul is reminding us to let our minds go to those dreams or those places that fed our souls with joy.  Feeding the soul with exquisitely beautiful memories, view of nature, watching the faces of those we love, etc are all lovely in my book.

Whatever is admirable means whatever is “deserving of respect and approval”.  And, “If anything is excellent or praiseworthy_think about such things”.  We’ve all met people whom, no matter what you try to do to change the conversation, choose to dwell on negative subject matter.   When we allow ourselves to dwell in these mindsets, we rob ourselves of our peace because we choose to remember what we perceive as the “bad things” of our lives.  The cure is a choice and a conscious decision to bring my thoughts under control and remember to filter everything I am thinking or want to speak through who I know God to be.   Things that are praiseworthy are considered things that are “deserving of approval and admiration”.   It brings me full circle back to what scripture tells me about the God I serve.  He is deserving of my approval and admiration because He has proven to me He is trustworthy.  Regardless of the facts of my circumstances, the fact I can always count on is that God is in control and will continue to work it all out for my good.  My job is to dwell on that and focus on praising him and thanking Him.  We are not victim’s. We are His children and He promises He is mindful of us and is working out our circumstances.

Paul says to put these things into practice and are promised the “God of peace will be with you.”  For us, I’ve coined the year 2009, the year of new dreams.   New job, new house, new state, and old friends are what we are looking for in 2009.  New dreams are only going to bring peace, when bathed in prayer, thanksgiving and submission to God’s timing and His direction.  I commit myself to focusing on things true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable.  How about you?


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Categories : Seeds

In Everything Give Thanks

12 12 2008

I have been putting together a family photo collection to have books made for my husband’s family.  In digging through the memorabilia, I found my mother-in-law’s testimony recounting the events of her husband’s untimely death.  In it she tells of the events leading up to and through those days.  What was especially interesting to me, in reading it this time, was at the end of her story.  She was listening to a pastor teach on “What is God’s will according to the scripture”.   In her words, she wrote

“He quoted many scriptures, which we all looked up that specifically say “This is God’s will”, but one of them made such an impact on me that I remember it to this day.  It is I Thessalonians 5:18, “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”  There was no mistake about it.  The Holy Spirit was instructing me to give thanks to God for taking my husband.  I had a struggle there and I was painfully aware that I could choose not to very easily.  But, before I left the meeting that night, I had made a commitment to God that I really desired to do His will, but I wanted it to be real and not some phony emotional thing.  The thought kept coming to me that all I had to do was to make a simple start and God would honor my offering.  And right then, a scripture that Noble often quoted, (because he leaned so heavily on it), came to me… “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure”. Phillipians 2:13.  It was awkward at first to say “Thank you Lord for everything… even for taking my husband”.  But, the more I  offered my sacrifice of praise to Him, the more He poured into me. “

Her story is yet another confirmation of how significantly God considers our willingness to thank Him for our circumstances.   Her willingness to do so, in spite of the obvious pain and difficulty of her loss, allowed God to help her release her disappointments, missed expectations and sorrows and begin to move toward a new path God was preparing her for.  I see again how beautifully God uses the act of thanking Him, as a release of our wills, our plans or our expectations to open our hearts to accept His bigger plans for us.  It is a conscious decision to submit to the one whom I say I trust and believe has a plan for us.  Being thankful is easy when the things of life are all going the way I am comfortable with.   But when a storm blows in and I am in uncharted territory, so to speak, how thankful am I then?  That is the true measure of our faith.

In everything give thanks….I challenge you to try it and then share your experience here with others to be encouraged by.



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Categories : Seeds

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