Honor

 

Pick and choose.  When I was a kid, pick and choose meant everything from the type of candy at the penny candy counter to which apple I wanted.  As I became older, it began to mean things such as friends, jobs, battles, etc.  Certainly long gone are the days that pick and choose meant bubble gum over a lollipop.  I long for those days.  Decisions seemed easier - but then again, I was seven.  As we age, the challenges that are before us and the decisions we make seem to increase in intensity.

Age tends to put different perspectives in front of us.  What and who used to be important in our lives may not present itself with the same importance.  As I grow older, I find myself and others that I talk with, stating, "If they don't like the way I am - that's fine.  I don't need to spend time or energy with them," or "Their drama is just too much for me", etc.  You know the old adage, I'll spend my energy with the people that make me happy.

I've been a firm believer in that last statement.  Then I read this verse and it challenged me to think differently.  Be devoted to others in love, honor others above me.  I try to do that - with the people I want to spend my time and energy on.  Yet, that's not what Paul is asking from us.  It's certainly not what Jesus wants from us.  

Loving others, honoring others - it's not about who "I" choose to enter my path, but who God has chosen to enter my path.  Yes, that means that I should consider that with ALL people that God puts in front of me, not just the people I want to spend my time and energy on.  So who am I actually supposed to honor above me?

• I should honor everyone from the person who gets my coffee in the morning to the person taking my dinner order.
• I should honor the difficult person who continually argues with me along with the person who "gets me" and my opinion.
• I should honor the mama in front of me at the grocery store trying to calm her babies to the elderly person walking slowly throughout the store while I'm racing around the aisles.

Jesus doesn't ask us to honor just those that we "want" to have in our lives, but asks us to honor ALL that come into our lives.  I certainly have a bit of work to do in that area.  You?  I try very hard to show love, devotion and honor to those closest to me - family and friends.  Yet, we are supposed to be like Jesus as much as we can and he certainly showed honor to all those around him - even the non-believers.  How much it must take for God to honor us?  We are sinners.  Every day we commit sins that are against the way He wants us to live our lives.  Yet, He loves and honors us - so much that He gave Jesus to wipe our sins away.  

It's time for a new way of looking at ALL people around us.  They may not be in our "inner circle" of family and friends, but they are to be honored and loved.  One gesture, one smile, one prayer; all those actions can lead to the life Jesus has asked us to live.  Of all times in our history, now is the time to stand up and honor each and every person we meet - with respect and love - just as our Savior has done for us.

Dearest Jesus, help me to be more like you.  Help me to set aside "my thinking" and grow to be more like you.  My I love, honor and respect all those in my path and may my actions reflect those thoughts.  Amen!

Sincere Love

Evil can mean many things for each of us.  Google defines it as profoundly immoral or wicked.  What is immoral or wicked may be drastically different for each of us.  Our life situation, our surrounding environment, the people we encounter - all of those things and more can determine what we find as evil.  It could be an addiction - to food, to drugs, to alcohol.  It could be people who treat others with a lack of respect or value.  It could be slander and gossip.  Unfortunately, our lives can introduce us to evil every day - we live in a world of sin.  What a way to start a blog post!

Evil can be dark and full of despair.  Our world can seem like that.  Our lives can seem like that.  The situations of 2020 can reveal a dark place, one that is filled with disease, hatred, and evil.  In walks the one that conquers evil.  God always amazes me!  He takes what is wrong and makes it right.  He takes the ordinary and makes it extra ordinary.  He takes the simple and makes it profound.  He takes words written on a page and touches our hearts.  I often find myself asking why - why does He do all of this for us?  Yes, the answer is because He loves us, but not as we love on Earth.  He loves us with a love that is unconditional and sincere.

Romans 12:9-21 was our reading for worship last week.  These words seemed to drive deeper  into my heart each time I read them.  The heading for that section is "Love in Action"!  We typically turn to 1st Corinthians 13 - love is patient, love is kind, for a love chapter.  I believe this has become my new "go to" love chapter.  Here Paul writes and describes how we need to act, when we talk about love.  We need to do it with a level of sincerity - turning back and hating what is evil, clinging to what is good.

To love with sincerity is not easy.  To be sincere means feeling and acting with no deceit, dishonesty or hypocrisy.  We may feel this is how we love, yet if we are truthful, we may not always love that way.  I'm sure we all short of loving sincerely.  When someone hurts us or disappoints me, words may come out of our mouths or we may act in a way that doesn't portray love.  Once again, it is because we find ourselves in a sinful world and we are part of that.  How do we turn ourselves to love on an entirely different level?

We do as Paul suggests in this chapter - we cling to what is good.  There is only ONE who is good every minute of every day - God!  There is only ONE who can turn evil into good.  There is only ONE that can always show us how to act with love.  When we turn our eyes and intentions to God, the outcomes will always be better.  Our actions become less about us and more about God and His saving grace.  Our actions become more sincere because we can love knowing that God loves us so much He gave His one and only Son for us.  Our actions become filled with the Holy Spirit.

Let's put our love into action!  Let's cling to what is good and right.  Let's turn our back on whatever may be evil in our lives and put forth actions filled with God's love.  We've got this - with the help of God!!

Heavenly Father, we thank you for your unconditional and sincere love.  Help us to turn away from all that is evil and focus our actions on all that is good, loving with sincerity!  May we cling to your love and your word always!  Amen.

Under the Mask

 

Halloween and masquerade parties.  That seemed about the only times when we would don a mask.  Whatever the occasion, we typically would wear a mask in order to be someone else - someone scary, fun, famous.  The whole purpose behind a mask is so we wouldn't show our true selves.  

Fast forward through the last few months of 2020, and we find masks donning our faces almost every time we leave our homes - whether it be school, work, church, shopping, etc.  We now wear masks for a completely different reason, safety.  The goal behind wearing a mask today is so that we don't transmit our germs and we stop others' germs from reaching us.  

What I have come to realize in both situations with masks is that, whether we want to or not, we hide ourselves.  Halloween and masquerade masks covers up our own face and features, taking on the role of the mask character.  We don't see anything but that character.  With the masks that we wear for safety purposes, it is also difficult to see the full person under the mask.  You can't see someone smile or frown.  You can't see someone laugh (although you may hear them).  You can't see someone cringe.  All you see is the mask.  We have no idea what is happening under the mask.  

I find that frustrating as I am a person who loves to watch people's facial expressions.  Many times I am asking myself, "What is happening under that mask?"  What difference does it make?  I want to know if someone is happy or sad.  I'd like to try to help if I can, share a word of encouragement if it can help. Yet, there are other masks we wear.  Maybe we put on a mask of happiness when we are sad, a mask of joy when we are in pain.  For those around us, they see our mask.  Inside we may only feel hurt.   Our masks don't need to be made of cloth, they can be what we show the world.  

There is only one who can fully see us, regardless of what we are covering.  His eyes are everywhere and can fully see us under our masks.  God can see what is happening.  God sees us at all times, and knows our hearts at all times.  Not only can He see under our masks, He can see our hearts, our souls.  He understands when we are in pain, when we are struggling, when life is hard.  Jesus sees the good and the bad, the joy and the pain, and He is there for ALL of it.  Through a Bible verse or a friend, a whisper or a megaphone, Jesus can reach behind our masks and see all we are feeling.

These days there is much pain and hurt.  There is much anticipation and frustration.  There is much anxiety and worry.  Whatever mask you may be wearing, know that Jesus is here for you, to help and guide us past whatever we need to hide to the light of His world.  May He fill your heart and soul with hope and love, ensuring that whatever mask you may be wearing is covering your joy.

Heavenly Father, thank you for seeing under our masks and into our hearts and souls.  Help to heal whatever hurt we may have and bring us to the light of your world.  May your love be given to us freely so that we may give it to others.  Amen!

Waiting

 

This new way of life we are all facing has certainly come with many changes.  I think one of the greatest changes that I have noticed is my ability to just "grab and go" has become more of a "wait, grab, wait, wait" and then "go".  Many of the places we used to go and just run in to grab something quick has turned into a bit more planning - especially with planning our time.

I noticed it first when we were waiting to get into the grocery stores when there were only a certain number of people allowed in the store.  Then I noticed it at the curbside pickup of a local Mexican restaurant on Taco Tuesday.   Follow that with waiting to get into smaller boutique stores while on vacation that only allow five people to the store.  If you were number six, you needed to wait until another person exited the store before you were allowed in.  I think the longest wait I saw was last weekend when many people were doing back-to-school shopping and they were trying to get into sneaker stores.  All this waiting is certainly to assist with the physical distancing that is required, and I very much understand that.  With a little extra planning of time, we can all stay safe.

I thought about what would happen if there was a line to wait in to get into heaven!  What if only so many souls were allowed to enter?  What if there wasn't enough room for me when it was my turn?  I have to say, I pictured myself standing outside of heaven with Jesus saying, "No room for you!"   The thought of that sent shivers down my spine!  Even greater - what if I didn't do enough planning to get into heaven?  What if I didn't do enough good things for Jesus to let me enter heaven?

Then these wonderful words of Jesus entered my thoughts - He is preparing a place for me.  He not only is planning for me to be there, He is ensuring there is a room ready for me when I get there.  Jesus, our unconditionally loving savior, will welcome me with His arms wide open.  I won't have to wait in line because there will be a place waiting for me, a place that will have my own name on it.  Jesus will take my hand and walk me to heaven.  THAT picture is the one that fills my soul and brings me joy.  There will not be any waiting in heaven, Jesus will open the gates when we get there to bring us home to Him.  The greatest comfort?  As long as I believe that He is my Lord and Savior, He will let me pass through.  There aren't enough "good deeds" I can do to enter.  My sin would be far too great to let me enter.  Yet, Jesus took care of that for me.  He loved me enough to die on the cross so that I can enter heaven with Him.  That will be a glorious day.

Until then, yes, I will wait in lines.  The next time I do, there will be a smile on my face.  For I know that the waiting that I am doing is only here on earth.  In my eternal heavenly home, where there is a place waiting for ME, I will wait no more.  That makes this Jesus girl smile from ear to ear!  Blessings!

Dearest Jesus, thank you for providing a heavenly home where you will welcome me.  By my faith in you and the love you so graciously pour upon me, I will one day enter eternity with you.  Your death on the cross means my wait is over - I will rejoice with you in paradise.  How loved I am!!  Amen.

Restful Sleep

 

Peaceful rest used to elude me.  I would have the greatest intentions of getting "a good night's rest", only to find my mind racing.  The events of the day would run through my mind and I reviewed my actions, my words, what I should have done, and what I should not have done.  After a day filled with busyness, I would have expected my body wanting rest.  Yet, I would find myself counting the minutes and hours as they passed by and I would still be awake.  Just as frustrating were the times I would fall asleep, but would wake up a few hours later.  I would ponder all the problems in my life, my family's and my friends, and try to fix them - all the while trying to get back to sleep.  I have spoken with many folks who find themselves in the same sleepless situation.

At one point in my life,  my inability to release the day's events led to me taking medication so that I could sleep.  When that didn't work, I took more.  All I wanted was to go to sleep and stay asleep.   My quest for a decent night's sleep led me to a night when the amount of medication was very much out of control and my family was worried.  The next day I found myself in the doctor's office, gaining help.  With the assistance of my family doctor, I was prescribed medication that assisted me in going to sleep and staying asleep.  Yet, I didn't want to rely on medicine.  Of course, the answer was always in front of me - God.

There are so many wonderful verses in the Bible that talk about laying our worries and anxiety at Jesus' feet so that they can be taken off of our shoulders.  God is never too big for our problems.  The good news?  God is WAITING for us to come to him.  David knew this.  As we read the Bible, David certainly had his fair share of problems.  He had many enemies that were looking to destroy him.  Some of his problems were certainly created by his own actions (can we relate?).  Yet, he never took his sight off of the one who was there to take his worries away.  David knew his rest would only come in the arms of the Lord.  With all that David had to worry about, he knew his peace could only come with God.  What faith that is!  Brothers and sisters, our rest is the same all these years later - our rest can only come in the arms of the Lord!

I wanted that peace.  I wanted to be able to release my worries and cares to God so that I would rest peacefully.  After five years taking a prescribed drug to sleep, I made the decision to turn to God and ask for his help.  It took some time, and definitely some behavioral changing on my part.  Yet, a few years ago, I found it.  I found the peace that let me put my head on the pillow at night and realize that God had everything in control.  I remember waking up the next morning with praise and thanksgiving for a good night's sleep by relying on God.  

When the thoughts and problems of the day stop us from gaining rest, give it all to Jesus.  Maybe you write down everything you are thinking about and close the book before sleeping.  Maybe you pray and give your worries to God.  Maybe you vision God sitting at your bedside, holding your hand, and helping you release the worries of the day.  Maybe you do all three!  There are still nights where as I rest, sleep can still elude me.  It is those nights that I reflect and talk to my Lord, the one who is waiting for me to chat with him, and give him my worries.  I pray that you will lie down in peace with God, and may he provide you sleep in the safety of His arms.

Dearest Lord, thank you for being the one who is waiting to hear my worries and problems.  You are always available to talk to.  When the problems of the day keep me from restful sleep, may I come to you, God, and lay my worries at your feet.  You ask me to give you my worries, my anxiety, my problems.  Lead me to do this, Lord, so I can gain the restful sleep my body needs.  In your gracious name I pray.  Amen!

Time for Peace

It was time.  Time for a change of scenery.  The past few months have had its share of disappointments, frustrations, sadness and plain exhaustion.  I am certain many of you are feeling the same way.  With all the discourse in our world today, it is hard to find a moment of peace.  I know I was missing that from my life.  Therefore, it was time.Juan and I set out to have a weekend to find peace.  We had tried to do this at home, and although we are grateful for our home, we knew we needed to leave it for a weekend.  This way, we wouldn't be pulled to find chores to do or get knee deep into work.  Where to go?  We were limited to New England, so we decided to go to the mountains and to the ocean.  Fortunate for us New Englanders, that is fairly easy for us to do.  We set our sights to Jackson, New Hampshire.  We checked in and decided to walk to the falls.  It was there, sitting on the rocks in the picture, that we knew we had found what we were looking for.  Peace.  As we sat there, thanking God for all He provides, we had realized that what we needed was peace.  We needed to put the world of today aside, just for a few days, and be re-energized by God's beauty.  As always, He didn't let us down.It was time for peace - the type of peace that only God can provide.  It is the peace that regenerates our souls.  It is the peace that fills our hearts.  It is the peace that brings hope.  The world today needs hope.  Hope moves our thoughts from despair to joy, from the past to the future.  We can try to find hope in people, places and things.  Yet, the only One who can bring us true hope is the one who overcame the world.  He brought the hope of salvation and brings us hope each day.Find a place where you can have time for peace.  Maybe it is different scenery.  Maybe it is your backyard.  Maybe it is thr mountains, the beach, or a lounge chair.  Wherever you can find some time for peace, sink into God's word and know that the world of today can be given to God.  May we ask for His help to bring hope to our lives - hope that brings peace.Heavenly Father, thank you for bringing peace to our lives, just when we need it.  Only you, God, know what we need!  We are in need of peace and hope dear Lord.  Guide us to ways where we can find this peace - peace for our souls and hope for our hearts.  Amen!!

 

Healing Disappointment

It was a special day, a great day of celebration (at least in MY mind).  The day should have been filled with love and joy, yet it ended in heartache.  I put my feet on the ground in the morning with a smile on my face and the day ended with tears in my eyes.  I was living with disappointment.  I’m not talking about disappointment like it rained on the picnic, or I spilled coffee on my dress.  It was the type of disappointment that leaves a hole in your heart.

As we struggle with those types of disappointments, they can last much longer than a day.  They can last weeks, months, years or a lifetime.  I find that as I navigate a large disappointment, it can impact much more than that moment – it moves into how I look at situations and even relationships.  My disappointment can manifest itself into negative comments, lack of patience, and high emotions.  Have you ever been in such a place?    Has you heart felt that type of disappointment?  I was there, but my larger problem was, how was I going to move on?  My spirit was crushed and pain filled my soul.

We can all live our lives trying to find the cure for disappointment.  Some may find it in shopping or eating.  Others may find it in drinking or medication.   To be honest, my first reaction was to complain about it, to myself!  I spent hours thinking and re-thinking of how all of this disappointment came to fruition.   How were my expectations so far off?  Why wasn’t it getting better?  I knew where I needed to go – I needed to find my restoration in Jesus.  Nothing on this Earth can help me in these areas of my life. 

One would think that Jesus would be my FIRST step towards recovery.  Yet, I continue to struggle in that area.  I believe that “I” can fix things.  “I” can remove the hurt.  “I” can make it better.  When the days and weeks passed and the hurt was still there, I realized what I was missing.  I was leaving Jesus out of my disappointment.  Our verse from today clearly shares how HE is the one that is close to me, that can save me.  He is the one that can fix things, remove the hurt, and make it better. 

I pivoted.  I took my focus off of me and turned my heart towards Jesus.  I prayed, I asked for guidance, and I talked to him instead of talking to me.  I prayed in the lonely moments.  I prayed in the moments of exasperation.  Only as Jesus can do, He began the healing.  He began showing me, guiding me and loving me.  Jesus had entered my heart and the tide had turned.  Is the disappointment gone?  No, it’s not.  Yet, the way “I” deal with the disappointment has changed.  The new perspective that God gave me has replaced the sorrow.  The whole in my heart has been filled with the love of Jesus.  Is it perfect?  No.  But it’s a start – a start I’m willing to take – with Jesus.

Dearest Jesus, thank you for always being there for me – even when my first thought is not you.  Disappointment can drain our hearts and souls.  Let us remember to turn to you and let your guidance and love surround us during these times.  Fixing takes time.  Your love and support will be with us for as long as it takes.  Amen!