Don't Give Up

  For several years, I worked as an instructional assistant in our local elementary school.  I worked with children who struggled, not because they weren’t capable, but they needed the “one on one” attention a classroom teacher just couldn’t give them.  There was one little girl who taught me a lesson!  

When she was reading, she would get stuck on a word.  With coaxing, she would figure out the word and then she would go back to the beginning of the sentence and begin again.  In this way, she not only learned the word, but strengthened her reading ability over all.  There were days when she would become frustrated, but she didn’t quit!

Keep Trying

Jesus teaches us through a parable in Luke 18 that we should never give up and rather be like that small child who kept trying to read.  She didn’t give up; she would begin again.  When things are not going our way or our prayer requests seem unanswered, we need to go back to the beginning and re-evaluate.  

When we become frustrated we need to let God know.  He wants us to tell him how we feel.  Perhaps it isn’t time, or our motives are off kilter.  But communicating with God is like talking to our best friend.   Isn’t this what best friends are for?  We must never give up!  We need to seek Jesus in prayer.  We should continue to seek his counsel and will; and believe there will be results.  When we do this, not only will we see answers to our prayers, but our relationship with Christ will grow stronger.

This child’s insight, with whom I worked so many years ago, was inadvertently perhaps, doing the right thing – by not giving up.  I’d like to be like her when things get all jumbled up in my mind, and further, into my world.  Giving up just can’t be an option.  There are always answers even if we have to dig way down into ourselves to find them.  Often it takes digging into ‘The Word’ as well as,  spending time on our knees.

Daily Frustrations

Our Christian walk can become frustrating with the demands of life.  We plan and schedule in Bible Study and prayer time, but life has other ideas!  Children get sick, a call comes in, company comes or we don’t feel well.  My nemesis has always been travel.  I get in a ‘good groove’ for several weeks, and then there is a road trip, sometimes lasting only a few days; other times several weeks.  Whatever the time frame, my ‘proposed schedule’ is out the window.  Once the habit (however meager) is started, breaking it, is remarkably easy and it’s harder than ever getting back on track.

I encourage you to consider areas in your life where “giving up” seems to be the best option.  Ask God to give you the courage to keep moving forward, clarity to know where you are heading, perseverance to stand against the obstacles that will certainly arise, and trust in God who goes before you in all things! Be inspired! Don’t give up!  

Photo Credit:  https://stocksnap.io/search/reading

Entertaining Angels

One Sunday, some months ago, while singing during the worship part of the service, I felt an arm go around my waist from the left side.  I was on the end of the row and looked to my left to see who’d come up to me.  There wasn’t a single person next to me in the isle, and no one was walking away.  The feeling was so personal and left me filled with wonder.

As I recall, I had been going through some really tough times when this happened and yet I was stumped, in part, of what had happened.  Had the hand of God literally come down to comfort me?  Or, was it an angel sent by God to remind me of his closeness?

Other times I have felt the presence of someone in my room, even felt the mattress move, enough so, that I looked up.  Once was during the night when my husband was away.  I wasn’t afraid, it just struck me as odd, and it made me wonder if I was losing my mind!  

                                                             Guardian Angels

God does assign us guardian angels; the Bible tells us so.  Angels were created to be his messengers.   It was an angel who spoke to Mary about the child Jesus, she would carry, and again when they made the announcement to the Shepherds, that the Christ was born.  Angels have also been ministers to Believers, like the time when Daniel faced the lions in the Lion’s Den.  And, Nebuchadnezzar recognized them as protectors, as described in Daniel for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

The celestial beings were created to be in God’s service and be obedient.  It’s true, not all angels were content with obedience and led them to be dismissed from heaven.  But for those who chose (or choose) to do the will of God, it’s wonderful to know, even now, they can come to us for comfort, to speak on God’s behalf, protect us, perhaps even when we didn’t know we were in harm’s path and can minister to us when we are need. 

Occults are all around us.  Yet, there are those who don’t believe in the spiritual world.  As Believers, we must believe in the spiritual world, if we believe in Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit, who has come to comfort us.  And yes, part of the heavenly spiritual world does include Angels.  

                                                Entertaining Angels

There’s a song that has the line, “angels among us.”  This is also a true statement and can come in the form of actual people we can see. Hebrews 13:2 even cautions us to be hospitable to strangers because we may be entertaining ‘angels unaware.’  The thought that on any given day I could be ‘entertaining an angel’ is a little intimidating.

I know we should always be kind and be at our best, yet am I?  Do I present the Lord when things are going badly?  It’s humbling to know God looks out for us in all sorts of ways.  And it’s comforting to know, regardless of what I’m going through—even if it’s causing me to be afraid or upset, God has an angel ready, in whatever form it comes, to minister to my needs.

Photo Credit: https://depositphotos.com/stock-photos/angel.html 

Fierce Loyalty

       To be actively involved in sports one must be competitive, determined, disciplined, energetic, grounded, focused and in good physical shape!  If any of these qualities is missing, the likelihood of winning is diminished by degrees. 

Sports traditions across the nation indicate the value and determination to be “winners” through the legacies built and left behind, over the last many decades!  Every college has definitive traditions that sets them apart from other colleges.  There are colors, a “fight song;” mascot; nickname and even forums uniquely designed for students. These are time honored traditions that work as the glue to unify everyone who attends the university they are attending.

It seems colleges, and sometimes high schools, are a place where fierce loyalty is displayed.  Crowds fill the stadium at games to cheer on their team. They are often dressed in the school colors, have painted faces, carry banners and wave flags during the entire game.   They fill the stadium or grandstands regardless of weather.  If the team is playing they are going to show up and cheer their team on.  There are even groups who deliberately sit together in order to enhance 'strength in numbers'.  They are unified as a 'body' fighting for the same goal: their team needs to win!  There is no greater honor (except maybe graduation) than to have your team make the championships and then become the best in their division!  

It makes me wonder if we are dedicated, as Believers, to running the race God has given us in life, as readily as we run a race to win (or cheer on) a sports event that only lasts a fleeting moment?  Do we commit to wearing the 'colors', knowing the 'rule book', gathering to support each other, sing songs of 'great spirit' or believe in the symbols that represent who we believe in?  

 I admit, as I watch a football game or a NASCAR race on TV for three hours or more, I absolutely enjoy cheering on the particular team of my choice.  It doesn’t always match the team my husband wants to win and if other relatives are here, it isn’t uncommon for each of us to have our own favorite.  But we can be 'fiercely loyal' to the team or driver of our choice!

I’d like to say I spend the same amount of time each day studying God’s Word or other Christian material, as I do watching sports.  Understand, I very, very rarely sit in front of the TV and do nothing.  I am usually doing something constructive, but still the TV has my attention.  When I sit down to God’s Word daily, it’s usually in 5-15 minute segments.  I read first thing in the morning, spend some time in the late afternoon or early evening in a study, and then before bed, I read the Bible (currently going through the book of Psalms).  Does that equal the three hours I spend in front of the TV? It’s something I need to re-evaluate and consider.  What is most important?  Where are my priorities? 

I encourage you to also consider the time you allot for spending time with God.  What (or who) holds your fiercest loyalty?  Does something else trump the time you spend with the Lord daily?  What is more important; your other “races” in life, or the race you are running for the Lord? 

Photo Credit:  https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/different-people-participating-cross-country_20283247.htm#page=3&query=running 

Fulfilling My Destiny

         God has a way of getting our attention.  When we recognize Him as Lord and Savior, our plans change as our lives take on new meaning and direction.  I remember in ninth grade thinking I’d like to become a teacher.  But then I realized that would require college, and since we had no money, college would likely not be an option.  It never occurred to me that I might have been able to attend on a scholarship!  I’m not certain I even knew what a scholarship was.  As it was, I was the first in my family to even graduate from high school!

As my high school years continued, I altered from teaching to a business track.  Working in an office could be accomplished by doing well in classes, and while a business degree would have raised my starting pay, I figured high school with good grades would be enough.

Those plans changed again when I met the man who would become my husband.  Instead of going to work, I got married, and had children.  Even so, I had always been a ‘writer of something!’  I was a journal keeper and kept diaries even for my little ones (Only the first three. After that, time was such a precious commodity, the next two didn’t fare so well!) so they could see a glimpse of what their childhood was like. 

                                                                     SURPRISE!

Imagine my surprise when my last child was born, that I decided to begin writing ‘for real'!  I’ve tried to decide what my starting point was; and there are moments in the files of my memory, that give me a clue it wasn’t as sudden an idea, as it seems.

God laid the groundwork for my life before I was even born.  I had choices, however, and possibly (maybe even probably) I took the ‘scenic route’ to get to where God wanted me.  As I cast glances back over my life, especially when I was younger, I wonder if I could have begun writing sooner, rather than later—in my mid thirties.  Yet, it’s because of my life’s experiences I am able to write with heart.  That’s not to suggest writers shouldn’t begin early.  But sometimes there are those of us who don’t recognize God’s tugging toward his ‘blueprints’ right away.  

                                                              GOD'S DIVINE PLAN

I read an article recently about reaching for the destiny God has designed for us.  God absolutely has a plan.  Not only must we recognize it and then choose it, we also must understand that his plan is not for us alone.  While writing seems like a very solitary and sometimes private journey, the words put on paper aren’t just for me.  They are for everyone who reads them and then listens to what God wants them to know.  Even though the words are the same for every reader, the meaning can be quite different.

This isn’t just true of writing.  It’s true for every destiny of ministry God gives us.  We are placed here for a purpose; a purpose only we can fulfill.  God gives us the wisdom to touch people’s lives, even if only for a moment—and sometimes even when we aren’t aware.

I encourage you, to recognize the road God is calling you toward –and follow.  It may well be out of your comfort zone, and the last thing you expected.  Trust him to use that calling to be the witness he wants you to be.  You will be blessing others, just as he will bless you.

Freedom And Responsibility

      A person I know recently took a position that took years of training to acquire.  Oddly enough, despite the educational training this person has, she has great difficulty arriving to work on time, and creates issues for those around her when she does arrive.  As a professional that had the freedom to accept the position, comes the responsibility to see the task through to the best of her ability.  Sadly, it seems she falls well short.

When Jesus took the responsibility of our sins on the cross, he knew the huge sacrifice would be his very own life. He knew he would be facing a cruel mob, lies about who he was, a beating that defies human defining, a cruel cross that included nails in his hands and feet, and a crown of thorns.  More, he even knew God would turn his back. because even He could not bear to see what The Son was enduring.  Jesus didn’t have to take on such responsibility, he chose to be the Sacrificial Lamb for the sins of the world and gave it everything he had.

As humans, we have the freedom to accept Christ as our Savior.  With that freedom comes responsibility.  Our responsibility is to share the good news with others.  Additionally, comes the responsibility to read and study the Bible so we can grow in our walk with Him, and gain knowledge so we can respond ‘Biblically’ to questions others give us. We are also, to have prayer time so we are in ‘communion’ with the Father enabling us to mature in our faith.  It also includes helping others when we can, as well as, using our gifts and talents for his service.

Just as the little child grows in stages to reach adulthood, we grow in Christ to become solid Christians that have a deep love for our Lord. We first learn to crawl before we walk, jump or ride bike.  As teenagers, we extend ‘our world’ a little farther beyond our comfortable parent living area and even more as older teens.

As young adults, we venture into a world our parents are no longer a part of: college and lives of our own.  At that point, we are responsible for our own decisions based on the knowledge we’ve gleaned until then.  We have grown to a point where we can use the knowledge we’ve learned properly, and functionally.

Christian grown is no different.  We learn in the company of other Christians, searching The Word and in prayer.  We grow to be able to serve others in a Christ-like mind, and produce rich fruit worthy of the Kingdom.

We will never be able to match the love of Jesus when he freely went to the cross and took the responsibility of our sins for ever and ever.  But we do have the freedom to choose him, and then accept the responsibility to be as righteous as we can be.

#FreedomInChrist  #responsibilities  #ChristianGrowth  #WalkBeforeWeRun   #SacrificialLamb  

Photo Credit: free pictures of the cross