Stripping It Away

This weekend was a special weekend in New Hampshire.  I believe it was the first weekend of this summer, where we had dry weather for BOTH days of the weekend.  For many folks, that meant time at the lake or the beach.  Others enjoyed a beautiful dinner outside with family and friends.  For some folks it could have meant a great hike in the woods.  For hubby and me?  We stripped and sanded our deck!  Nothing screams summer more than THAT activity.

As Juan pushed and pulled the sander across the planks of wood, I watched the old stain being removed and the beautiful wood that we used to put the deck together come shining through.  Plank by plank, the deck became softer, and the true wood was beaming.  After a few hours, we had accomplished the task that we had been waiting to tackle for so long.  Of course, the second task of re-staining/painting the deck will soon be upon us.  Yet, for now, there is a sense of accomplishment.

As the sander went back and forth, stripping off the old stain covering, it gently reminded me of how our dear Lord strips us!  There are many ways that he does this for us:

·         Stripping off OUR plan.  When our ways do not align with God’s ways, He always is able to strip us from the things we should not be doing – finding ways to nudge or (or sometimes drag us) to His will.  Remember the time when you thought YOUR plan was better than God’s?  Then your plan fell through?  He is stripping us of our own intentions to follow His intentions.

·         Stripping off OUR ego.  Our God believes in humility!  You need to look no further than his own son, Jesus, to see how humility can be lived in our lives.  When we get ‘too big for our britches,’ God finds a way to remind us to live a life of humility.  We encounter someone who needs our help or our time.  We are not ‘too good’ to help anyone in need.  The story of the Good Samaritan is a perfect picture of how we can live our lives and our God can strip our ego to live a life of humility.

·         Stripping off OUR sin.  When the weight of sin and wrongdoing covers us, Jesus comes in to strip us of all that ugliness and helps to let our light shine through.  Just as the sander stripped the old stain off and the beauty of the wood came through, such is the case with us sinners.  When we go to Jesus with our sinful ways, He quickly reminds us of the great sacrifice He made on our behalf, stripping all sin away from us, so that we can have a relationship with Him in eternity.

The stripping of us can be healthy, and always is needed.  When you believe things are being taken away from you or that your plans are being stripped away from you, remember that Jesus died on the cross to strip us of our sins – letting our light and beauty shine through.  It is time to strip the filthy garments and put on the robes of righteousness.

Heavenly Father, thank you for stripping us of things that are not good for us, especially stripping away our sin.  Your love will clothe us with all that we need – including eternal life!  Give us the simple faith to believe!  Amen.

 

Troubled Peace

 

Life is Hard! I’m sure each of you are saying, “You got that one right!” Life is hard. It is filled with challenges and difficulties. It is filled with trials and despair. It doesn’t take long for us to look at lives around us, or even at our own lives, to see troubled situations. In my line of work, Human Resources, we hear about people’s lives and the trouble they are facing. It could be health issues, financial woes, relationship strains, or worse. It takes its toll to hear what happens with folks. Then you turn on the news and you hear more despair – people hurting each other, little disagreements leading to violence and war. My heart breaks at the end of each day. Peace seems to be replaced with distress.

I know in my own life, when times of challenge and despair would arise, the peace that I deeply cherish would wane. I would sit in the church pew and beg God to give me peace, to rest my heart from hurting and my mind from worrying. I would pray for answers to questions on how this could happen and why would these situations continue. I would cry myself to sleep in agony of these things.

God was very deliberate in letting Christians know that just because we believe in Him and eternity, it did not mean our lives would be filled with roses and rainbows. In fact, in James 1: 2-4, He states, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” It is hard to see joy during trials. It is difficult to have peace amongst agony. So how do we get through each day? How can we let the worry go and gain rest?

It all rests in the hands of our Lord! A belief in Jesus, knowing that he brings us grace and mercy, knowing that this world is temporary and that our heavenly place awaits, knowing that He has overcome anything that this world can throw at us, gives us that peace! My soul and body can only rest when I am at peace. I have come to realize that this world cannot give me the peace I need to react to the things of the world. No massage, no yoga, no drug, no alcohol, and no food can bring me the peace my soul and mind needs. The only way I can receive the gift of peace in times of trouble is by covering myself with Jesus. I read His word, I listen to Christian music, and I sit in a church pew and ask for forgiveness – for lack of trusting Him to execute His plan, not mine. When I do that, peace overflows and as the great hymn says, “It is well, it is well with my soul”!

Friends, life is hard! It can bring despair. Yet rest in the assurance that there is One greater than any challenge we may face. Put your life into God’s hands. Resolve yourself to Him. Feel the peace wash over you, knowing He is in control. Our tribulations may not magically disappear, but our ability to trust in the One that can help you through those tribulations will bring the peace necessary to see the next day! Peace to you!

Dearest Jesus, thank you for giving to us the gift of peace. Help us to be reminded during difficult times that you are there for us, wanting to hold us and guide us, ready to give us the peace we need to see the next day. Amen!

Birthday Wisdom

 

Birthdays have always been a big part of our family experience.  When the children were smaller, they would come home from school to balloons, their favorite meal for dinner and, of course, the cake!  We believe in celebrating them – whether we can all be together or not.  Today we do our best to ensure each family member knows we are glad they are here for another year. 

When I was a child, birthdays were an important thing in my family as well.  Mom always prepared a great meal and a great cake!  As I grew older, birthdays became bittersweet.  On my 30^th birthday, I miscarried with my second child.  Birthdays took on a different meaning then – a gentle reminder of loss.  When I was diagnosed with cancer at the age of thirty-six, I wondered how many more birthdays I would have.  When I divorced, I contemplated how many birthdays would be ahead of me that would find me alone. 

Through the challenges of those birthdays, I was also able to gain perspective.  I knew then, as I do now, that our Dear Lord had plans that I did not know.  His wisdom will always be far greater than mine!  I have been blessed that He has provided me opportunities to take a glimpse into His wisdom.  He provided me with the love of family and friends to guide me through the tough birthdays.  He gifted me my husband, the love of my life, who has and continues, to make my birthday a special event.  He provided me wisdom to ensure health and healing, both body and soul, so that my years could continue! 

Our Lord’s wisdom comes in many ways.  Certainly, reading the scripture gives us insight and wisdom to help guide our lives.  How do we gain that wisdom?  By reading that scripture, digesting it, and living by it.  He also gives us pastors and friends in Christ to provide understanding.  And He provides birthdays to help us realize that through His wisdom, we can live another year.  As the years move on, we can become melancholy about birthdays.  Let us be reminded that they should be celebrated with joy and thanksgiving in all the blessings that God has provided.

As I celebrate a milestone birthday this year, I reflect upon all my other birthdays – the ones that have been incredibly joyous and the ones that have been challenging.  They ALL have brought wisdom and have taught me lessons that I continue to take with me into the next year.  For my family and friends who have guided me and helped me through all my birthdays, I am truly blessed!  You have brought me joy, peace, and love – thank you.

Heavenly Father, thank you for providing us wisdom to celebrate our birthday each year.  May we seek ways to bring wisdom into our lives along with thanking you for all the blessings you bestow upon us.  In your name we pray.  Amen!