The Mark I Make

                                                                                                                                                                                        

         I was a non-traditional student in college, going after being out of high school about thirty years. When one of the professors learned our family visited South Dakota every summer during the first class, of a 'break the ice -type of meet and greet,' where each student was to share something unique about themselves, we became fast friends.  It turned out my Professor’s mother-in-law lived in the very city we stayed when we were there!  

            As the semester moved on, my Professor shared her mother-in-law had developed cancer.  Of course, she nor her husband, because of work, could go be with her.  Thankfully there was another son who lived closer, so she wasn’t alone.  Still I felt bad for my Professor and her family.  I asked for her mother-in-law’s address and for months, on a weekly- or occasional by-weekly basis, sent this woman I’d never met, a 'thinking of you card'.  It wasn’t anything special, but both my Professor and her mother-in-law seemed grateful.  Since that time, she and I have met and have also developed a unique friendship!

            There is something about getting mail from a mail box.  Many older adults take a while adapting to email—and some don’t use it at all.  Their only correspondence is via ‘snail mail’ as it is affectionately called sometimes, and they love walking to the mail box and see some kind of written note waiting for them.

            In fact, recently a friend just had a birthday, who lost the husband she adored a year ago.  A large group of us got together and inundated her mail box with birthday cards, to remind her we love her.  She was overwhelmed.   Yet don’t we all need that sometimes?

When a person writes often, the recipient can look at the writing on the envelope and immediately know who has written.  We each have a unique style of writing.  Even my professors, in many cases could identify a paper without a name on it by the handwriting and, or, the way the paper was written.

When we read the Psalms, because of the way they are written, most of us know immediately they were written by David, and the Proverbs, because of their unique style, are also readily identifiable. There are other books of the Bible which again, we find this is the case.  But ultimately we know the Bible is God’s handwriting.  He has left his ‘mark’ on the entire world through these words.

There are those who would say the words of the Bible were written by human hands and therefore can’t be Gods.  Any Believer however, knows that the words are God inspired, and they absolutely have His mark!  

As I look at the words I pen, or even the behaviors I project, which I leave in this world on the people around me, ---those I know or even strangers, ---it causes me pause.  What is the ‘mark’ I am making?  Are people seeing God, my Creator, in what I write or how I respond to circumstances?  Am I making a positive difference? 

Our world ---even our country is in a huge battle, in what some might say is between good and evil.  The ultimate conflict may even end in a physical battle of some kind, although I loathe the thought.  Are we as Believers leaving our mark as…. Believers?  Do others know where we stand against the fiery darts of Satan and his minions who threaten to overtake us?

Photo Credit: https://unsplash.com/s/photos/mail 

Mind Blown By God's Word

  

I had the occasion recently to be both angry and hurt by a situation.  All I could do after the occurrence was cry.  After a while, I finally hit my knees and prayed that God would take my anger away.  Following prayer, I reached for my Bible since Colossians 2 came to mind.  I hadn’t a clue what I’d be reading.  After chapter 2 I moved to chapter 3 and I found the following scripture, which jumped out at me: 

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.  Colossians 3:1-3, 8

  Immediately my anger subsided.  It didn’t make things “right” but I was better able to deal with my feelings; and once again I was amazed by the Spirit!  (Note the word 'subsided'---I still had to pray for my human feelings to be God like--and even now there are days when the 'situation' pains me!) 

 

There are those who choose to question everything in God’s Word they do not understand.  I admit, I can’t possibly discern all that is written in the Bible.  But I do have “ah ha” moments of enlightenment.   First I seek it, which we are told to do, and secondly there are times where passages strike me completely different on one day than on another, likely due to a circumstance I have just encountered, because God prepared my heart for it.  

 

God’s Word is given to teach us.  We need to be responsible to read it, and not just from a “literary” perspective.  It is the ultimate ‘guidebook’ yet to the population at large, it’s the last place or resource used for answers.

 

Our scripture encourages us to set our hearts on things above.  God is all powerful.  He goes well beyond any earthly imagination we can create in our minds.  Consider the very first verse of the Bible.  God created heaven and earth.  If a person is unable to believe this as truth, what is the likelihood he will be able to believe anything else?

 

My mind is unable to form visual images of the creation as it was being done (especially in the time frame given), or of Noah getting all the animals in the ark before the flood, the walls of Jericho falling from trumpet blasts, or Jacob climbing a ladder to heaven after wrestling with an angel, yet I know without a single hesitating doubt, these things happened.  I believe because of faith.  God said it, I believe it, and that’s the end of it!

 

When I read His word, relying on the Holy Spirit for discernment, my mind can still be blown by what I’ve read, but my heart accepts it as truth, because God’s Word is infallible and totally trustworthy.  This enables me to believe the prophesies for this age, indicating Jesus’ final return will come to fruition, just as His Word promises.

 

I encourage you to seek enlightenment through the Holy Spirit, as you read God’s Word.  He is able to give discernment, even when your mind is blown!

Photo credit: free pictures of Bibles

The Theater of Life

            

          The question was asked, “If you could change one thing you are doing (or aren’t doing) right now, that if done on a regular basis, would make a positive change in your personal relationships, what would it be?” 

            I had to think about that a while and realized I wasn’t doing nearly enough to communicate with my loved ones, or others, that I cared about them.  While not trying to be too dramatic, this really is an awful thing.  Our time on Earth is so small, and another breath is not promised.  It’s important, therefore, to make this a priority!

 

            The truth is, when I recognize the different roles I play in the “theater of life,” I see I probably behave somewhat differently in each one.  I am a wife, mother, grandmother, writer, student, friend, cousin, niece, aunt and probably others!  And each of these roles dictate a certain amount of responsibility that helps form the relationship.  

 

            Relationships take time, and there is no one way that works for everyone.  But that said, there are certain facts and information relevant to every situation.  The first ingredient to remember in building a strong and solid relationship is trust.  How we handle that trust, can determine whether, or not, the relationship will grow or fade.   Some material I was reading suggested paralleling trust in relationships, to a bank account.   

 

            Every day we have opportunities to make deposits in the "relationship account," like following through on a commitment, being kind, encouraging, honest or helpful.  Conversely we also have opportunities to make withdrawals in the form of sarcastic remarks, missing set appointment times, inattentiveness, gossip and a whole lot more insensitive behaviors.  But when we have made consistent “deposits” in a relationship, the occasional unintended “withdrawal” will probably not permanently damage the relationship.  However, consistent “withdrawals” in a relationship will cause the relationship to thin, unravel and eventually completely deteriorate.  

 

            It seems to me our world has produced a society where duplicity, shady behavior, lack of integrity, respect and traditional values is accepted more often than all that is good!  This is sad because cynicism begets cynicism.  Generation after generation becomes more and more skeptical about those he works with, his family and acquaintances.  Life is filled with distrust, sarcasm and disdain about what is truth, valuable, or meaningful.   

 

            Our relationships are what sustains us from day to day and “event to event” regardless if good or bad.  This relationship challenge includes the one we have with our God.  Relationships don’t just “happen.”  They are nurtured, cherished, developed and supported, allowing for those involved, space to grow, fall, develop, mature and ultimately “fly” as we become the person we are to be.  

 

Yet I have heard it said that sometimes we have friends for a “season.”  I don’t disagree with this statement.  Often, these relationships, however short in a space of time, can make an indelible mark on a person’s life.

 

            I encourage you to consider all the roles you have in the interactions with people you are around every day, week or year.   What could you do, and set as a priority, to cultivate your relationships?

 

        Enjoy your week!  I hope you see relationships bloom all around you!

 

At The Cross Road

           There are several places along the routes my husband and I take when we travel that includes areas where there is a “round about.”  Call it silly, but I completely enjoy those small spaces which require we slow down and think about what we are doing.  There are so many options and it’s necessary to yield to oncoming traffic.  I was delighted when in a small town near us, a new “round about” was put in to moderate traffic, without adding another traffic light.  

 

            My husband isn’t as big a fan as I, of the new traffic pattern.  He isn’t crazy about traffic lights, but “round abouts” aren’t his favorite things either.  There is something about a cross roads. There are three options; left, right, or straight ahead.  You must either stop for a “stop sign” or for a traffic light.  Out West there are a lot more “four way stop signs,” than in the East which seems to regulate traffic quite adequately.  But then, there is a lot less traffic there than in the East, and that helps!  

 

Each person, in the case of 'four way stops', must wait his turn before proceeding.  But if there is the person who comes to the stop sign and doesn’t recognize the “order” of things, it can cause all kinds of issues.  He can’t seem to decide when “it’s his turn!”  This creates several cars attempting to go at once, since the natural rotation is broken.  Once a commitment is made, it can cause an accident if everyone isn’t paying attention.   

 

The cross at Calvary is another place where decisions are made and commitments created.  When Jesus sacrificed his life on the cross, it was for everyone’s sins.  He made the choice, and was committed to being the perfect sacrifice.  He told those present, who He was, refusing to “sit on the fence;” facing his suffering, head on.

 

When we kneel at the cross, it is a crossroad, not a “round about.”  We are making a choice to answer His call.  We are required to face our challenges, but we are never alone.  Each decision we face, we can know there is guidance from the Holy Spirit.  

 

Attempting to remain “neutral” and not make a decision, is really a decision.  It’s not accepting Christ as the Savior he is.  Our culture today encourages everyone to be tolerant of all beliefs and even of those who have “no belief.”  “Tolerance” is a gray area.  God calls us to be kind and even loving to those who do not believe in Him as the God of the universe.  Yet, to turn our backs on Him to “believe” in something else, places us at a cross road, as well.

 

Jesus was willing to give his life for mine, and yours.  If you are at a cross road in deciding what or who to believe in, then I encourage you to remember what Jesus said when he was being questioned before going to the cross.  He is the Christ.

Picture:  Israel--Garden of Gethsemane