Thanksgiving When Life Is Hard

         As I look at today’s date, I recall that last year on this day, my husband and I were in the Emergency Room.  That night they sent him by Emergency Ambulance to another hospital because he was in heart failure.  It was the beginning of a long ten days, followed by a year of challenges and often a difficult, painful journey.

GOD'S THUMB PRINT

Reflecting on my year, I know God has been with me. I can see his thumb print on my life those years before Charles passed.  He guided us to a church that would have a profound impact on my healing process.  He provided family and friends who would help sustain and support me through harrowing days of waiting, and then navigating life and standing on my own.  

This journey has provided me with the ability to do things alone I never thought possible. I’ve grown in my faith and purpose in God’s plan, even though I still am not sure, just what that is!  But above all, this journey has allowed my Charles to be at the feet of Jesus.

GOD'S PRESENCE IN PAIN

I’ve heard it said “that gratitude doesn’t deny pain— it acknowledges God’s presence in it”.  Some days it’s hard to be thankful because I don’t like where I am emotionally, and even physically in the sense of being a widow. Still I know God works through the pain and helps me grow in endurance and faith.

TRIALS COME TO EVERYONE

I’m certainly not alone in my circumstance.  There are others who face even greater trials than mine.  Recently with Hurricane Melissa going through Jamaica and other nearby islands, the devastation is real and profound.  I can’t imagine losing so much (and perhaps so many) at one time. 

How long will it take to recover?  There are some who may not.  Still we can know that God is good and will heal those who trust in him; even as the pain remains long and deep.

GOD CAN USE EVERY PROBLEM

Problems are all around us; medical issues, financial destruction, relational, job loss and more!  And there are children who face cancer or other diseases which tear at the heart of parents.  No parent wants to see their child suffer.  

I recall a situation where a young man had serious heart issues.  The mother told her son she wished she had the power to make him well, or at least do something that would create positive changes.  

 

       His response surprised her.  “I don’t,” he said.  “That’s not God’s design.  God is Sovereign.  There is a purpose behind everything that happens.  God is in control and I will trust Him.  If He wants to heal me, he will.   If not, then I will deal, and wait to see what God wants me to do with my life, and serve Him, even as I wait.”

BUT WHY?

As humans, even believers, we try to give the fight to God, even while asking, 'why my child'?  But then, why any child?  Why anyone?  Why do we have deal with sickness, pain, sadness, violence, brokenness, poverty, hunger, death or anything that is ugly?  No one wants to endure pain and suffering.  

            We live in a fallen world.  We can’t always “fix” what is wrong,  but we do have choices.  We choose how we respond to situations.  Will we choose to be angry, place blame, ask why, and allow our lives to be filled with bitterness?  Or will we choose to respond with thankfulness — not for the pain—but the ability to get through it?   The young man with heart disease is a great example of a strong faith who believes he was put on this earth for a reason and rather than foster ugliness in his heart,  projects joy, acceptance, and a positive attitude.  Isn’t this what Jesus asks us to do?  

WHEN WE CAN'T DO IT ON OUR OWN

  It isn’t easy to be strong, exude faith and confidence when life seems to be upside down and inside out.  We are a people who want things to go right, smoothly, comfortable and perhaps even easy.  But is this where we grow?  In a life with no trials, do we end up believing we no longer need God; we can do it on our own?      

WE ARE NEVER ALONE

  

            God promises to always be with us.  It doesn’t mean we won’t face trials and have problems, sometimes really big ones!  And we won’t always understand the 'why', but we don’t have to.   God is Sovereign and knows the beginning from the end.  Our job isn’t “to know…. "  It’s to trust and lean on a God who loves us so much, He sent Jesus.  When we lean on Him, we can experience comfort and peace which passes all understanding, and this leads us to a heart filled with thanksgiving--even when life is hard.

Photo Credit: Thanksgiving  

Satan's Playground

       

      Looking down the street I see large, mock spider webs, skeletons, witches, all kinds of other spooky, or silly decorations intermingled with carved pumpkins, with funny or scary faces.  It’s Halloween.  It’s a time of lighthearted fun, of dress up in a variety of different costumes with kids ready to go from house to house hollering ‘trick or treat’ in order to accumulate as much candy as possible!

INNOCENT FUN

I can see the lightheartedness in the children’s faces.  They are excited to hide who they are in elaborate costumes, so others can’t figure out who they are.  The celebrations of fun are innocent enough on the surface, but does it do something —affect in some way, our spiritual life as well?

AS BELIEVERS...WHAT DO WE BELIEVE?

As Believers we are told in the Bible not to be involved with witchcraft, or anything from the ‘underworld’.   This ‘holiday’ began as an ancient pagan practice related to death, the spirits and superstitions.  Are we forgetting that there really is an evil spiritual realm that wants nothing more than to destroy us?  Yet, we’ve turned it into something that claims our attention for weeks ahead of the set ‘Halloween night’ celebration, as decorations fill nearly every store we visit.

There is the choosing of just the right costume, decorations to set out, and prepping for parties, even desserts (or sometimes scary food stuffs) to create, all of which seem harmless enough.  But when you turn the television on, there are advertisements which not only lean into horror, but offer the promise of the ‘best horror movie’ ever produced.  Why would anyone want to see something so violent as what is being offered?  Fear has become an explosive, acceptable form of entertainment!

FLIRTING WITH THE DARK SIDE

Does it not seem possible that ‘flirting with the occult’ in the way of witches and warlocks, spells, demons and dark things, could become a real interest possibility for our young people who get just a taste of this kind of magical power?

Are we not desensitizing those phenomenons like horror, demonic powers, tarot cards,  or other occult behaviors and visuals, which once would have disturbed us?  Are we saying it’s okay to do this one night a year?  

SATAN GETS EXITED

I read once that Satan jumps with glee as we allow our young ones to partake in these activities.  The idea that we’re permitting our children to enter Satan’s domain, if only for a small while, is good enough for him.  This potentially has awakened some amount of interest and possibility later on, when they get just a little older and see a little more, and perhaps then just a little more of the dark side, they’ll be more easily pulled in.  

It’s a subtle tactic that left unchecked can become a huge success story for the devil!  He’s not coming in our world with a pitchfork and horns, even if the dress up is.  He’s coming in as harmless entertainment, a compromise if you will, ‘just for fun’, but he’s getting a toe hold!

LIGHT OVER DARKNESS

God’s Words tells us choose Light over darkness.  Are we guarding our hearts…or are we partaking of darkness?   Are we protecting our children or are we allowing Satan just an ounce of satisfaction as he plants seeds of darkness being okay and normal; and fear — horror— the occult— being a positive part of life?

I know over the years, Halloween has turned darker and darker, as children are told they must not, under any circumstances eat any of the candy offered until it’s been checked by an adult.  Horrible things have happened to children when they ate candy that wasn’t checked first!

BEING MINDFUL

My goal is not to frighten anyone, or be judgmental of those who enjoy this holiday.  I am saying, as Believers we need to be mindful of Halloween and the potential weight it carries. Each family must make up their own mind about Halloween.  

IS THIS SATAN'S PLAYGROUND?

While it can be a lighthearted, fun evening, it can also be a prime spot, a ‘playground’ if you will, for Satan to work his evil among those who aren’t aware of God’s Light, and cause those not strong in their faith to waver, even if just for a little while….  Are we saying that’s okay?

My GPS

 

       People have traveled for centuries!  They had a direction in mind, and knew to follow the sun/moon/stars until they reached their designated destination.  

Mariners, out on the open water, used a device called a sextant, which relied on the stars and the horizon to navigate toward their destination.  (Mine may be a more modern picture!)  This device required observation during the travel time to make sure they remained on course.  Even drifting off several degrees, could cause their progress to be altered way off course!

PAPER MAPS TO NAVIGATE

     When I was a young adult, it was all about the atlas!  My husband and I would journey on trips across the States with our trusty map and knew if we followed the right roads, printed on the many pages of the Atlas, we would eventually get to where we were headed! 

     I admit, I wasn’t a pro at reading a map, and would get confused, even as I followed along about which road to take.  It wasn’t nearly as detailed as our current navigational instruments!

 FOLLOWING MY GPS

Today we have the GPS, which is very specific about where to turn, how many lights you have to go through and even which lane to drive in!  Years back when a GPS was first coming out, it was a device you had to purchase.  While they were reasonably accurate, sometimes they would take you places a vehicle should never go; like the wrong way on a one way street, down tiny alleys, not meant for cars, or even tell you to turn where there were no roads! 

Over the years the GPS has graduated to a more readily available system already programed on our iPhones!  Now we simply type in the specific address and it gives you options to choose from, for ease or desirability of the ‘scenic route’ or many other options via the filters available!

ALWAYS GETS ME BACK

      Not only do we have pictures on our GPS, it will even talk to us, making sure we don’t miss a turn or exit.   Yet, it’s so easy to ignore the directions the GPS gives, if we decide we’d rather go another direction.  
      The thought process is easy enough:  It’ll get me right back to where I need to be if I take another route.  And while that may be true, in theory, when we make innumerable turns, getting back to where we wanted to be can be difficult, given how many times we chose to go off course.

That’s not unlike our lives.  Every day offers choices to make.  We choose our work ethics, our honesty, how we prioritize our needs over wants, how we respond to those who differ in opinion, and so many other core values.  

SO MANY OPTIONS

        Sometimes we ignore the voice inside our hearts (or brain) which tells us the right way, and choose to disregard our 'internal GPS' directions, or we simply don’t trust it.  We're certain if we take another road, the destination will turn out just fine!

It’s also true we encounter detours and delays along the way.  Again, the GPS on our iPhone has the ability via satellite, to detect these and can take us an alternate way and still get us back on course.  

         In life, these unexpected interruptions can slow down our spiritual growth as we seek to find where we are and what we want to do, while all the while dealing with disappointment and discouragement!

LOST SIGNAL

Sometimes, we are driving in a place where there seems to be no signal.  Our GPS can go off grid, while it waits patiently for the signal to return.  Meanwhile we move forward and expect that soon we’ll be confidently back on track!  

The point is, we have a very handy and trusty navigational device--our GPS to help us traverse over miles and miles of beautiful country.  It gets updated regularly, almost, seemingly instantaneously, as needed!

        In life we can be simply lost, off track, filled with confusion and reaching for something,  and haven’t a clue how to move in any direction.

GOD'S WORD: THE BEST GPS

As Christians we have a handy and trusty navigational device for our lives, that however, needs no updates.  We are given the Bible, a Living document which can answer all life’s questions and give clear direction, if we search for the truth!  Scripture gives us what we need, is always correctly guiding, and is always faithful.

It will teach and instruct, give comfort, is ready to redirect when we miss a turn, keeps us anchored, strengthens, and shapes our hearts!  It can warn us when we are going down a wrong path, yet never abandons us.  God’s Word, when we choose it, is totally, the ultimate GPS for life!

Photo Credit: Sextant

Photo Credit: GPS 

Photo Credit: Traveling with a map 

Photo Credit: Off Grid 

Photo Credit: Choosing the right way

Photo Credit: Bible as the best GPS 

God's Protection

      My friend shares the story about a time when he and his wife were away from their small farm and arrived back to their home after dark.  Knowing they had an expectant cow in the pasture, went to check on her.  They discovered she had delivered her little calf before they arrived out in the field.  

PROTECTED!

What was significant was how their llamas and livestock guardian dog were protecting her and her new born.  Even as they moved the momma and calf to the barn for safety, the llamas and dog came along to make sure everything was done properly!

The protection the llamas and dog gave the cow and calf are an interesting parallel to how God watches over us. Sometimes it is due to a physical peril, but also emotional and even spiritual protection!

SATAN IS ON THE PROWL

Satan and his minions are all around us, creating havoc in so many different ways.  He whispers to us about our fears of the unknown, so that we become afraid to even move forward.  His tactics leave us feeling vulnerable, exposed and unprotected; and even turns the heat up on loneliness!  

His spiritual attacks create doubt, temptations and even discouragement to the point of giving up, as he tries to convince us we are in this current trial alone.  He presses the buttons of ‘I need an answer now’, so we become impatient and struggle to trust God’s timing.  And in all these ways cause us to forget God’s promises!

INTO THE FIERY FURNACE

I love the story of Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego.  I can’t imagine how much strength it took for the three of them to allow themselves to be thrown into the fiery furnace because they refused to bow down to the king.  They even said (paraphrase) they may die or they may be protected by the God they served, and either way it would be fine.  What a witness!  And they came out of that fire without even smelling like smoke, and not an inkling of singe anywhere!

There are many things we, as humans, try to do on our own.  But we are incapable.  We don’t have super powers and we can’t see the future.  Neither do we   have the ability to work out stuff for other people the way we think things should be and often our minds don’t even have the capacity to work things out the way we want for ourselves!

WE CAN'T DO IT OURSELVES

Even when we realize something can’t happen by us storming in frustration, worry and brainstorming, we often just over stress and make ourselves and everyone around us miserable.  We become afraid, make bad choices, get angry, and shift blame.  We forget we have an alternative!

When unexpected challenges pour down on us, the best thing we can do is take it to a God who can! God’s protection can hold us steady when things seem murky and the the waves are battering us.  He is greater than any enemy we could ever encounter; greater than the fiery furnace; the lion’s den filled with lions, the wind and waves, even death!

REMEMBER GOD'S PROMISES

God promises to never leave us or forsake us; and his timing is always perfect!  It’s hard to be patient and allow God to work things out—even when we know it’ll be for our good.  We live in a ‘now’ culture, but that’s not God! 

When we remember —and believe in faith—that God is always with us, regardless of what we are going through, we can believe His strength will pull us through.  He will provide the calm, peace and reassurance we need, if we allow ourselves to ‘Be still and know that HE is an all powerful God’!

Photo Credit: Newborn Calf/?pagi=8

Unexpected Moments of Joy

  My friend tells the story of how after a week of dreary cool weather, she was finally able to get out and take a walk.  The variety of colors which she stumbled onto during her walk startled her.  What had been weeks of dark, drabness was the ‘prettiest blooms’ she’d ever seen in that area!  

Along with the vibrant colors was the deep green grass and the splashing of turtles and fish in the small pond she was walking near.  This landscape was not planned or purposely prepared, but was manifested in the imagination of God’s handiwork!   This thought process accentuated the already overwhelming feeling of joy my friend experienced.

ENJOYING THE DETOUR

I admit, one of my favorite things is having to take a detour while traveling or even on a regular trip to the grocery store.  We get so accustomed to what we see while driving by, we rarely notice the landscape.  But when we are venturing into a place we’ve not been before, we tend to take notice and it isn’t unusual to be totally wowed, by our new surroundings!

Our lives are sometimes predictable and that brings a level of ‘autopilot’.  We function in the framework of our daily routines and that often brings with it our ‘daily worries’.  This mindset can steal the joy out of any day!  It’s good when we are forced to ‘stop’, breathe and take in the ordinary moments, that are often little glimmers of hope, a notice of blessings and certainly a feeling of joy!

STEALING OUR JOY

Other times we focus only on the ‘big stuff.’  We are desperately trying to make ends meet, or working on a promotion, fighting a health concern, or devastated over a relationship crumble.  Because of this, the little moments or small packages of joy, like a pure moment of peace, a kind word, even a new opportunity are all missed.  We can’t see it for the clouds wrapped around us.

We need to recognize our day may be filled with a spiritual pothole, or bumpy and muddy roads.  The drama, muck and mire of our world can be overwhelming and make our world a very negative place.  When we are in this darkness, the color that comes with the light, is dimmed because our hearts are not accepting the nudging from Christ.  He doesn’t want us to remain in this place.  His desire is that we look to him for his Light that will wake up our senses to what is beautiful regardless of the negativity and darkness we are walking through.

SEE THE BEAUTY AROUND US

As we accept God’s goodness which allows us to see the beauty and experience unexpected moments of joy, it’s also necessary that we be the giver of small surprises.  A smile from a stranger, giggle from a child, a note from a friend or the peace that comes from conversation with our Lord are often sprinkled in our day.  When we miss these gentle surprises we’ve missed great blessings.  What’s more is when we don’t share these with others we’re missing opportunities to share Jesus. 

Photo Credit:  Joy