One of the sweetest sounds in the world is the voice of a child.
My 2 year old granddaughter is increasing her vocabulary, but still has long dissertations that have no word that even remotely sounds familiar. Today she has been singing “It’s a Small, Small World” at the top of her lungs. She doesn’t sing all of the words, but enough that she stays on track and I know what she is singing. We always sing when I am rocking her at bedtime.
Tonight, we sang our songs and then she started singing “Happy Birthday” to every member of both families. Then she was counting, and then she started talking in words that I couldn’t understand. My mind began to wander to the events of the day in Washington D. C. and our nation. I was thinking about the distress of the two sides that have formed in our country. I began to hear familiar words from my granddaughter singing “red, yellow, black, white….. precious in His sight, Jesus loves the children of … world…for the Bible tells me so.” How precious are the words of a child. She is listening. I pray that these words will always be in her heart and on her lips.
There is a part of me that worries about the children of today. What kind of world are we leaving to them? How will they survive. I recently saw a Facebook post about how God could have pulled Joseph out of the pit his brothers had put him in, but then he wouldn’t have ended up in Egypt to save his family from the famine. God could have kept Esther out of the king’s palace, but then she wouldn’t have been able to go to the king to save her people. God could change what is going on in our nation, but He is teaching us as He calls forth His faithful. I hope I am here to see the fulfillment of what He will do with His faithful in the years to come. We, like those in the Bible, do not always see the fulfillment of the covenant, but God is always faithful. He always keeps his promises. Praise the Lord.
Dear Heavenly Father,
I give you my children and grandchildren to protect and to use for your glory. Help us to train them up in the way that they should go so that when they are old, they will not depart from it. May they grow in wisdom, stature, and in favor with you, Lord and with those around them.
We’ve all heard the saying, Stick and Stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. Well, I think it’s safe to say, that’s not at all true. Words hurt deeply. We’ve all been there. Gotten heated and said something in haste we wish we could take back. Or in true social media fashion, we take to the keyboard and let out our frustrations and unleash them on the platform of our choice. Or on occasion we’ve even taken a passive-aggressive approach and said something in “jest” ever to be certain to throw in the, “I’m just kidding” phrase. Let’s all be honest and raise our hands here. Lately though, in true Psalm 139:23-24 fashion, God has had me searching my soul regarding my speech. God’s word has so much to say about this topic.
Psalm 19:14 says, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.” Man, that one truly convicts me. If I were standing in the presence of the King of my heart, would I still speak the same or would I take a moment and word it so as not to offend the King? If I would do that for Jesus, shouldn’t I do that for my friends and family or even a stranger?
Proverbs 12:18 – “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Our tongues have a lot of power, and that is confirmed in Proverbs 18:21, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” When I read these verses, I almost want to weep. When I reflect on my days as a young mom, I remember the times I lashed out at my babies because I was stressed and at my breaking point. I often apologized later and told them that Mommy said some mean things that she shouldn’t have said, but the words were out there. I prayed that God would speak truth to their hearts and help me to do the same. That he would be the healing balm to mend their spirits.
Now when I mention all the above instances, I know the word tells us that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. So if you are someone who has struggled with the same things as me, don’t let yourself live in guilt over it. I think the Lord would have us confess it, forget it, and drive on. I know I try not to obsess about the past but instead give it to God and try to be better going forward. I also don’t want to make anyone feel as though they have messed up so much that it’s just hopeless. God can make all things new. Even relationships that could have been damaged because of our words. I would encourage you today though, if God brings someone to mind that you may have hurt or offended, go to them and make it right. God will bless your obedience in that. I do think that God desires all of us to examine ourselves and our speech and ask him to set burning coals on our tongues at times because we are a people of unclean lips. (Isaiah6:5)
Sticks and Stones may break our bones and words can truly hurt others. Let’s start fresh today and let our words be like honey, not like a thrashing sword that wounds.
Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.” Acts 10:4
As I flipped the pages of the gold dotted pages I noted how pretty this shiny spring Bible study book is. It is mostly black with a pop of gold. Faith and Fire are melded together and this study is pretty, but to my sometimes struggling self it is hard. I’ve noted questions I have, written plenty in the margins, and find myself repeatedly having to take a break, walk away and ponder for a hot minute, or ten
I’d written this statement, “Elijah means ‘Yahweh is God,’ what are people saying about you in your absence?” as one I’d been pondering.
I think about this a lot and in the days of late I’ve really been pondering it.
I was at work and doing just that when I heard a conversation. I tried not to listen and made an attempt to walk away. A little feeling of panic welled up within me, I don’t like to hear people talk about other people. I feel responsible if I’m hearing it and do nothing. I looked around for a way of escape, afraid I would hear something I shouldn’t. I was trapped. I had a time-sensitive task before me. I wondered if I could shove cotton balls in my ears. I looked side to side, no cotton balls. Nothing with which to dull my sense of hearing. My panic was escalating and was manifested in irrationality. I’d have to sit, quickly finish the task, and hope I didn’t hear anything I would be responsible for.
“You know her. Annie. Annie Persons.” I continued with my calculations, head bent. I thought to myself. Nope. I don’t.
“Yeah I do but I hadn’t seen her in a while.”
“Well you know Annie Persons is old, she kinda real old. You remember? She used to just stand in a corner over there or somewhere and pray. She’d be praying all the time. “
The conversation turned from the Annie Persons person but I was stuck, struck really. There are many ways one can be remembered in life. Epitaphs as numerous as the souls to whom they are attached, but here I’d just heard an epitaph like I’d never heard. An epitaph that I ain’t even gonna lie, I was a little jealous of.
The conversation turned from the Annie Persons person but I was stuck, struck really. There are many ways one can be remembered in life. Epitaphs as numerous as the souls to whom they are attached, but here I’d just heard an epitaph like I’d never heard. An epitaph that I ain’t even gonna lie, I was a little jealous of.
She stands and prays. “She’d be praying all the time.” I didn’t know Annie Persons from Adam’s House-cat but I knew this about her, she prayed. And evidently she prayed without ceasing. She was truly known for her prayer life. The shiny spring Bible study book question, came back to me,
“What are people saying about you in your absence?”
Truth is I figure they’re talking about how I look or what I make, maybe my circumstances or my family. Most likely they’re talking about what I wear or if I’ve got it all together or not, the state of my housekeeping, the state of my finances, if I’m funny or not so much. I figure they’re saying I’m alright, nice, or I serve or write or I’m married to a weatherman, but I can guarantee you I’ve never once thought they were talking about my prayer life. Based on my choices and behavior one would think folks spend an infinite amount of time studying my outward appearance, where I am gonna each lunch, or the study habits of my offspring. I have neglected to remember and to behave in such a way that serves as a reminder that I am called to be set apart and in essence marked by that very thing, a life of prayer.
Here I was overhearing a conversation about a person marked by prayer and it had never crossed my mind that in my absence that is what I want to be known for. It was those slight pangs of jealousy that made me realize that.
I was glad that there were no cotton balls to be found and that in the end my proximity and preoccupations forced me to sit and to listen, to overhear what was being said in the absence of another and to reevaluate exactly what it is I want people to remember and to talk about in my absence.
Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Ephesians 6:18
“But you, [woman] of God,… pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called… so that [you] may take hold of the life that is truly life. 1 Timothy 6:11-12, 19
This year of living has been hard for many. It has seemed like a year of stalling or treading water, waiting for life to begin again after COVID. But Ladies, this Is our life. We only get one shot at it. Psalm 139:16 reminds us, “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
If we feel life is lacking something, if we are depressed and despondent, let’s rethink what life is all about. Life is not about work, ballgames, decorating the house, being known, or a thousand other insignificant things we focus on each day. This is life – that we may know Jesus. And to know Him we each must take that first step.
That first step is to allow Him to be Lord of your life. Has there been a moment in your life when you made that choice to ask for forgiveness of your sin and allow Jesus to take control?
Many moral people claim to be Christians when they have not surrendered their whole life and future to God. They believe that because they are a good person, or because they go to church, or because their family was Christian, that they are too. But that is not so. It takes an intentional, personal decision to accept the gift of salvation and let loose of the control we have over our lives.
A sweet friend recently passed away. She was in her 50s and had associated herself with the title of “Christian” her whole life. I had prayed for her diligently since shortly after getting to know her. She brandished the label Christian boldly, but something in my spirit told me to pray that she would be sure she had a relationship with Christ not just a religion. A couple of months before she passed she found herself in the emergency room – alone. Sitting there in the bed in fear, she began to evaluate her life. She recalled a recent sermon her pastor had preached about good helpful people who had never given their heart to Jesus. He had told his congregation that if you couldn’t remember a time in your life, a moment, when you asked Jesus to forgive you of your sin and confessed that you believed in Him as your Lord and Savior, then you were not a child of God. At that moment she realized she had never done that. She cried out to God right there in the ER and confessed Christ as her Lord and was saved.
So I’m asking you now, has there ever been a moment in your life when you confessed and asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior? If your answer is “No” or “I’m not sure” I want to offer you the opportunity today to commit your whole life to God and trust Jesus as your savior.
Here’s all you need to know.
Romans 3:23 – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
We are all sinners. Sin is anything that misses the mark God set for us in His word.
Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
The payment for sin – all sin, no matter how small or large – is death. As a sinner you deserve death – the eternal separation from God.
Ephesians 2:1-9 – “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.”
We were all dead in our sins. We are made alive through Christ by the grace of God not by keeping rules or anything else.
John 3:16-20 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.”
God did not come to condemn you. He came to save you. God loves you and made a way for your sins to be atoned for through Jesus’ sacrificial death. By the grace of God through your faith in Him you can be brought from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light.
Romans 10:9-10 – “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”
Salvation comes through 2 things: 1) belief that Jesus is the only true God who died for your sins, and 2) confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. Believe and confess.
If you would like to know Jesus pray now based on these verses, pray from your heart something like this…
Dear Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner – I miss the mark so many times. Please forgive my sin Lord. I need a savior. I know that sin leads to eternal separation from you, and I deserve that punishment for my sin. But I believe that you sent your son Jesus to take my place, my punishment for sin, all because you love me so much. I want to turn from my sin and doubt, and give my whole life to you and allow you to rule in my heart and mind and body. I give up my rights to you. Jesus you are the one true God and I choose you as my Lord. Thank you for your free grace and forgiveness. Amen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I’m praying for you today! Life won’t suddenly be perfect because of your decision. You may not always feel strong. Answers to prayers may come more slowly than you would like. But, if Jesus is your Lord, you can depend on Him and lay down your will and your worries and trust that He will take care of you. AND… that He has a good plan for your life. Stay in the Word and in prayer daily and your faith will grow stronger each year, and God will reveal Himself to you more with each passing year. Take hold of life that is truly life!
We’ve probably all heard of ink blot tests (Rorshack tests) that psychiatrists use in diagnoses. The way I understand it these inkblots test your perceptions. Doctors show you the sample and then ask, “What do you see?” Psychiatrists aren’t the only ones who ask this question, God frequently asks this as well. However, He asks it not to diagnose us, but to get us to see the world through His eyes.
Years ago my husband’s company went through an improvement campaign as they tend to do once every few years. This campaign focused on having a paradigm shift and being able to see from another’s perspective – a good thing to be able to do. My Sweetie came home with the tag line of the training: “Things are not as they are, but as they are perceived.” There is truth in this statement. We humans tend to see what we want to see. (That is obvious from the recent American political campaigning and election.) We look at the world through our own individual, mental lens which is just as distinct and varied as our individual eye glass prescriptions.
We each have our own world view. We can generalize and call it a Christian world view or a secular world view, but those are broad categories. Getting more specific within a Christian world view you find many differences of opinion in how an individual views life, God, people, and the society around him. But if even Christian world views vary, which one is correct?
I have an answer?
The one that looks to Jesus for all answers and is open to being corrected if we misinterpret.
As I was reading through the Bible last year something caught my attention. Jehovah God frequently asked His earthly prophets that question I mentioned: What do you see?
God understood the human paradigm didn’t always see things clearly or accurately. Of course, He does! He made us! He knows how we see the world only from our own point of view. I think that may be why He asked Isaiah and Amos and Zechariah those questions. And why He asks us, if we listen, What do you see?
Isaiah 55:8 states, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.” As Creator to the universe, God sees our world in total truth and accuracy. Therefore, His thoughts are always correct. He understands and knows all the intricacies of any situation. We, on the other hand, are not always correct; our thoughts and ways are not His. We see things from a skewed perspective through the lens of sin and selfishness. Mentally I’ve always equated it with those “drunk” glasses – you know, the ones that simulate the effects of alcohol impairment with lenses that cause visual distortion. Our perceptions are just that, distorted perceptions, not truth. Scripture tells us this, it says that we don’t see clearly. Hidden away in the love chapter is this verse: “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. ” (1 Corinthians 13:12)
We see in a mirror dimly. … We only know in part. … Do we realize this? In any given situation, humanly we can only see dimly as though looking in a foggy bathroom mirror and we can only know a partial truth. I tend to think I know the answer. (If you don’t believe me ask my husband!) And he thinks the same thing about His answer even when our answers are polar opposites. It’s not possible for us both to be right, but we are both convinced we are. My husband’s favorite line to say about himself is, “Not always right, but never in doubt.” Is that not a true statement about most of us? So if we see dimly, and if we are not right when we think we are, yet we confidently assert ourselves, would it not be best to listen to THE ONE who does know? The One who is right? When His still, small voice asks us “What do you see?” we need to look and listen.
God has so much wisdom and knowledge and understanding to reveal to us, yet we go on our merry, prideful way thinking we know it all. Let’s stop. Let’s look to Jesus for answers. Let us try to see through His eyes. Let us humble ourselves before Him and seek His ways and thoughts. Let us listen when He whispers – What do you see? and then open our spiritual eyes and ask Him to show us truth.
I’m not much of a crime show, podcast, law and order kind of gal.I am fairly sure I might be the exception in that regard though. I do like a documentary and recently I ran across a crime docu-series slash drama-mentary, or two and the same word occurred in both and caught my attention.
One, because I had never heard the word before and I like a new word. I will typically make a note, I have a running list of new words.
Two, because I had no idea what the new word meant and thought I might like to know. Perhaps it would add to my overall understanding of the documentaries I’d been watching.
And three, something told me I’d want to come back to that word and ponder on it a bit.
The word, exculpatory, in the context of the show, was in relation to evidence. Back in the day if I’d’ve wanted to know what that word meant I’d’ve had to wait until I could find myself a World Book Encyclopedia, or an Encyclopedia Britannica. The latter was my least favorite of the two as it seemed antiquated, with yellowed thin pages, fewer illustrations, and it was generally bulkier and heavier. The World Book was sleek and streamlined with gold lettering, a snazzy index, colorful illustrations and photographs. I tended to prefer it’s overall organization. Also, it seemed to weigh just slightly less despite its thick and substantial page quality. Yet now we are living the Age of Information and have volumes more information at the end of our fingertips. So courtesy of my backlit handheld device which incidentally has more computer capabilities than it took to take man to the moon, I set to searching.
A quick internet search revealed that exculpatory evidence is evidence favorable to the defendant in a criminal trial that exonerates or tends to exonerate the defendant of guilt. It is the opposite of inculpatory evidence, which tends to present guilt.
In the cases that I had watched, in both instances, the exculpatory evidence had been withheld presumably resulting in unmerited incarceration.
As I pondered not on the guilt or innocence of the documentary subject matter, the perhaps wrongly convicted persons languishing in the penal system, my mind meandered to my own guilt.
The guilt of sin, the very thing that separates us from God, condemns me to death. There is nothing I can do to exonerate myself, to declare I am innocent for that would be a lie, an untruth, and would condemn me further. Yet because of my King and the salvation He has provided, He became Exculpatory Evidence on my behalf. He has absolved my sin and annihilated the sentence of death. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, His death on a cross, He has become my sin and I have taken on His righteousness. In the cases I was watching, the Prosecution allegedly withheld the exculpatory evidence, and it struck me how freely Jesus gave of Himself to set this captive free and to exonerate this guilty party of her sin and pending death, evidence of the grace and mercy that are the very definition of Christ Himself and Salvation He offers.
Love is not what our society says it is. Love is not sex. Love is not romance. Love is not just a feeling. Love is not celebrating Valentine’s Day with candlelight or getting flowers or chocolates or gifts.
Love is a person. God is love. And we know that we are His and that we truly know how to love when we can treat those around us with with tender, loving care and offer them our unconditional love and acceptance. Not a love that is earned. Not a love based on keeping accounts. Not a love based on what they deserve. But a love that dies to self to do what is right for those we truly love. Not a love that gives in with weakness when it should hold the bar high. And not a love that has unreasonable expectations, nor one that badgers and degrades either.
We have a lot to learn about love. Let’s go to the source.
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.”
It was a normal day, maybe a bit more strenuous, with hours of heavy house cleaning followed by a hot shower before planning to run errands and prepare supper. Then suddenly there were arcs of light flashing in my eyes, and that normal day became anything but normal.
I immediately started blinking hoping it would go away. But I knew instinctively it wouldn’t. Somewhere in the back of my mind I heard the words “flashes of light before the eyes” and “blood pressure” in the same sentence. Where did I know that from? The thought then made me question, Do I call the eye doctor or my physician? Is this a medical or eye issue?
I sat down to cool off and rest to see if it would go away, but to no avail. So I made the decision to call the eye doctor first. Maybe they could refer me to who I needed to see if it was not them. Trying to look up a number when you’re having eye issues is challenging. I finally got through to my ophthalmologist, and my inquiries to the receptionist were followed by an immediate, “Come on. We’ll work you in.”
After a short drive, several bright lights, and drops in the eye, the verdict came. A possible detached retina which would send me immediately to the retina specialist across town. By the time I got there the flashes of lights had stopped, but lack of a symptom did not mean I hadn’t experienced a problem.
The retina specialist was young, but exceptionally kind and knowledgable. He did more thorough testing as I emotionally held my breath and prayed that this would not end in eye surgery or loss of vision. A good hour after the normal close of business for most medical professionals, my new friend and retina doctor gave me good news and sent me on my way home with instructions to return if I experienced the symptoms again. Much to my relief, it was not a detached retina, but a condition of aging which cause the vitreous fluid of the eye to dry up a bit, shrink, and pull on the retina causing symptoms similar to a detaching retina.
I learned several things that day.
When something weird happens with your eyes, get to a doctor quickly.
Dryness in the eye can be dangerous.
Not all things are what they appear to be. Consult one who is an expert and follow His instructions.
Our vision is very important. We should do whatever is in our power to keep it healthy.
Scripture tells us that spiritual vision is very important as well. Proverbs 29:19 (KJV) says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the law, happy is he.” Spiritual sight is as crucial as physical sight.
When our spiritual vision is not functioning correctly, we see ourselves, other people, and situations in a skewed fashion. What causes an impairment of spiritual vision? Anything that does not line up with God’s Holy Word and the example set by His son, Jesus.
Pride. “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:3-5 ESV) These verses instruct us to have the mind of Christ, a mind of humility.
Selfishness & Judgment. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:3-5 NIV) Let’s spend less time pointing fingers at others and deal with our own sinful, selfish hearts first.
Lack of the Spirit of wisdom/enlightenment. “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might.” (Ephesians 1:16-19 ESV) If we lack spiritual wisdom, how do we get it? – First, as Paul demonstrated here, we ask God for it, for ourselves and for others that we pray for. – Second, we seek to know God, the source of all wisdom. Job 12:13 ESV says “With God are wisdom and might; he has counsel and understanding.” – And finally, we stand in a healthy awe and fear of God. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding.” (Psalm 11:10 ESV)
Sin. Any sin. Sin separates us from God and obscures our spiritual vision.
So when you find your spiritual vision flashing and failing on you, remember these things.
Get to the Great Physician quickly!
Realize that your spiritual dryness can damage your ability to see with God’s eyes. Make your relationship with Him a priority. A vibrant, healthy relationship.
Things aren’t always what they appear to us to be. Stay in God’s Word daily for wisdom. Follow His instructions from His Word.
Do whatever is in your power to keep your spiritual vision healthy. Repent. Pray. Memorize the Word. Journal. Study the Word. Gather with believers. Apply God’s Word. Teach. Disciple. Learn. Obey.
No detached retinas or eye diseases for us. Let us seek clear spiritual vision. Blindness is dangerous spiritually, but impaired vision that we become satisfied living with can be just as dangerous. “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped.” (Isaiah 35:5 ESV) Let us seek spiritual eyes to see and ears to hear.
The parking lot to the barbecue joint was crammed full of work trucks and sedans with triple A stickers on them. A law enforcement vehicle or two dotted the premises. I made note of those indicators at midday.
Those are the hallmarks of a good food purveyor’s parking lot. Working men, law enforcers, and the elder generation always know where to find the good food and always seem to know just where to get a good midday meal.
Ours was the only minivan in the lot and my skeptical teenagers were protesting that this place was looking “all sketchy and stuff.” I laughed at their inaccurate assessments. I started to remain silent and let the old as Moses BBQ place stuck somewhere in the past speak for itself, but I didn’t.
“Y’all have no idea! I used to eat here every week when I was a kid, and if it’s half as good as I remember it, y’all are gonna be asking me to come back here in no time!”
They remained skeptical as we crossed the threshold and made our way into the place.
The aroma of barbecue smoked meat met us like a warm, old friend and engulfed us like a warm welcoming hug. I looked around, just as I had remembered it. The decor was dated, the menu unchanged and basic at best, a TV or two silently flashing sports in one corner and news in the other. A buzz of chatter filled the place peppered with the sound of cleavers clop, clop, clopping on a chopping board turning pork roasts into chopped culinary meat mixed with magic. My mouth watered at the sensation of it all. Every sense bombarded and intertwined with one another making me think for a minute I could see the smells and taste the sounds.
We made our way to the table where we were greeted by a boisterous server. She passed out copy paper menus, told us she was happy we were there, asked for our drink orders, and introduced herself all in a matter of seconds.
“I’m Tilly. That’s T-I double L-Y. Tilly.”
Tilly had a party of twenty who each called her by name as they shouted and said their goodbyes as she was taking our orders. I thought for sure she’d lost track of our water to tea ratios in the midst of that, but knew I was wrong when she said, “That’s two teas and three H-two-ohs comin’ up!” She never missed a beat.
Tilly made her way around the room delivering food items and filling drinks. She handed out extra napkins with the proficiency of a Vegas Card Dealer. She said “My Pleasure” when she’d been thanked, and she joked with an obvious regular who commented on her good as always service. Laughter rolled out as she said he best put his tip money where his mouth is. He laughed in response and assured her he had indeed. He waved as he left and said, “See ya next time Tilly!”
Everyone knew her name. Everyone seemed to remember her name.
T-I-double L-Y
Tilly.
Tea-Eye-Double-Elle-why
Tilly.
As we left and I was recalling her name immediately, the skeptical teenagers had thanked us for bringing them there for lunch. It was amazing and I actually had been right. They were already asking when we’d be back. As I pondered her name I was reminded of one of my favorites.
But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior, I have called you by name. Isaiah 43:1-3
There is something poetic and beautiful about being called by name, and to think, if one server who introduces herself in a memorable way is remembered as special, how much more must I be precious to the God of the Universe who remembers and calls me, and you by name.
My younger brother lives in Wisconsin. He recently sent me pictures of his snow shoveling efforts – a clean sidewalk after almost 3 feet of snow! His photos showed banks of snow lining clear paths which would only stay clear for a short time since forecasters were predicting another 6 inches or more in the next 24 hours. Here in the sunny South, that sounds like fiction to us, but it is part of everyday life in winter for him and his neighbors.
I love snow. I would love hanging out with my brother right now for about a week to just enjoy walking and playing in the snow with him. The light amounts we get here in Alabama never quite satisfy me. My snowmen always have leaves and twigs mixed in. That happens when you’re working with a couple of inches rather than a couple of feet. I’m sure I would burn out on the fun of snow if I lived for a winter in Wisconsin. Think of the hours of shoveling and the cold, hard work every day. That does not sound fun. So I’ll content myself with living in Alabama and longing for the random snow day where everything closes down when we get 2 inches.
As you can see, I’ve been thinking about snow a lot lately, and of course, I saw a couple spiritual applications from my brother’s snow event.
First, the purity and brilliant whiteness of his new-fallen snow pictures really is astounding. Every picture looks clean and crisp and fresh, whether it’s snow covering the dead, unraked winter leaves, the dirty streets, or his trash can! Scripture tells us that the forgiveness we have in Christ is like that, it can make the filthiest clean. Isaiah 1:18 states, ““Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool.” We see our past sin, our mistakes, our baggage. With the nudging of the enemy of our souls, we judge ourselves to be unforgivable. We internally, if not aloud, tell ourselves that we are too bad and no one could ever forgive us. But that is simply not true. Romans 5:6 says, “Christ died for the ungodly.” And Mark 2:17 reminds us of Jesus words, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” God’s grace is for each of us no matter how horrible or dirty we feel. He came for you! To redeem you and cleanse you from sin and make you as pure as snow.
The second thought that came to me is that just like snow, the “stuff” of life tends to pile up on us if we aren’t vigilant. That is why it is so crucial for me to stay in the Word and prayer each morning. It’s a cleaning out of the cobwebs of my heart. All those little, and big, irritations, fears, worries, concerns, sins, hurts, and anger pile up like snow from a blizzard in the front yard of my mind. The enemy uses them to distract me from focusing on God’s purposes for me that day and to keep me bound up in sin and useless to the Lord because I am preoccupied with the cares of life. Just as Matthew 13:32 describes – “The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful,” – I too can get caught up in worries and thoughts from the deceiver and become a fruitless vine. If I’m not going to the Father daily to confess sin and air out my inner closets, I find myself snowed in and alone, overwhelmed by life and at the end of my own strength. More snow falls into our life each day – whether personal sins or wounds from others or simply difficult life situations, so we must be vigilant to go to the Father every day and let Him help us shovel the sidewalks of our minds before the next snowstorm arrives.
So, wherever you live, be it tropical jungle or frozen tundra or anywhere in between, get alone with your Father. Listen to His Word. Express your heart to Him in prayer. Allow Him to clean out the piles and drifts and cobwebs so that you may be a useful tool in His hand today. And no matter what condemnation the enemy throws at you, remember Isaiah 1:18 – “They shall be as white as snow.”
Priceless 