How blessed is he who
considers the helpless; the Lord will deliver him in a day of trouble. The Lord will protect him and keep him alive,
and he shall be called blessed upon the earth; and do not give him over to the
desire of his enemies. The Lord will
sustain him upon his sickbed; in his illness, You restore him to health. Psalm 41:1-3
Last week I stayed at the Holiday Inn at Cleveland Clinic while
I was seeing doctors and having tests done. (You
can read more about that in last week’s post here.) While I have stayed in
many hotels with varying levels of service, I’ve not been in one like this
before and I really didn’t notice how different it was for at least a day. As I was sitting at dinner in the café on the
second evening, I noticed that the din which typically surrounds the restaurant
and bar areas was missing. In fact, it
was rather quiet. I also noticed that
there were more families taking the time to thank God for their food. It then occurred to me that the vast
majority, if not all, of the patrons were either ill, caregivers or some
combination of the two. As I sat there
taking this in, I further realized that the staff was different as well as they
were more engaged that I’m used to. With
this realization came an awareness, an opportunity and a blessing.
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Then the word of the Lord came to Zechariah
saying, “Thus has the Lord of hosts said, ‘Dispense true justice and practice
kindness and compassion each to his brother; and do not oppress the widow or
the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts
against one another.’ But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn
shoulder and stopped their ears from hearing. They made their hearts like flint so that they
could not hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His
Spirit through the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from the Lord of
hosts. Zechariah 7:8-12
If there is anything that my parents taught me, it was to
have a servant’s heart. I don’t recall
them ever doing it through instruction, but they certainly did it through
example. As a child I remember my mother
making lunches for drunks who came to the parsonage from the bar down the
street looking for a handout. Never did
she speak a disparaging word against them.
I remember one long night when a man came to our door drunk and my dad
spent the entire evening getting him sober.
In the coming weeks he and his family began attending church. In high school and college, I had the
opportunity to work with my mother in a small country hospital. As a nurse she had great compassion for her
patients and, if needed, advocated for them.
At that same hospital I also had opportunities to see my parents work in
tandem as Mom was meeting patients’ physical needs while Dad, as a chaplain, was
addressing their spiritual needs. Both
served in various ways without the need to be praised as their charity was an
outpouring of their faith.
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In the moral sphere, every act of justice or charity involves putting ourselves in the other person’s place and thus transcending our own competitive particularity.
To know wisdom and
instruction, to discern the sayings of understanding, to receive instruction in
wise behavior, righteousness, justice and equity; to give prudence to the
naive, to the youth knowledge and discretion, a wise man will hear and increase
in learning, and a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel, to
understand a proverb and a figure, the words of the wise and their
riddles. The fear of the Lord is the
beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:2-7
Well the New Year has begun and as I discussed in the last post of December (“Joy Mixed with Sorrow”), the year is already shaping up with a mix of ups and downs. God has blessed me with new opportunities to serve Him, traveling mercies, daily provisions that meet spiritual and physical needs as well as celebrations with family. However, we have already had some stressful situations as well as being concerned with significant challenges facing family and friends. One concern is that we must decide what to do with our dog who has outbursts that prevent us from trusting her to be good-natured (if interested, see “Animal Instincts and Obedience School”) and present concerns for liability. I really love this dog, but she snarls and snaps for no apparent reason. Further, in the back of my mind is an upcoming visit to a new doctor. There is the hope that after 28 years of significant illness there might be an answer which helps manage my health issues more effectively. However, past history suggests that it is likely another vain attempt. The mantra that I apply to difficult situations and uncertainties is “God remains on His throne and is in control”. I don’t say that lightly as it reminds me of both where hope lies and that my experiences have ramifications beyond my finite ability to understand. As helpful as that is, I also need to work on how I react to the ups and downs of life. So as I progress through the year, my goal is to focus on four things: a soft heart, discernment, joy and gratitude.
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God’s grace is not given to make us feel better, but to glorify Him… Good feelings may come, or they may not, but that is not the issue. The issue is whether or not we honor God by the way we respond to our circumstances.
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval.” Hebrews 11:1-2
Over the course of my life, I’ve encountered a wide variety of individuals. Most of these events are buried in the recesses of my mind as they had little noticeable impact. The encounters that I do remember are the ones that were: repetitive, damaging, unexpected, uplifting, or loving as they left a significant mark on my life. At the top of the list of memorable encounters are my encounters with God. Encounters with the Lord come in a wide variety and are perfectly tailored to the people involved as well as the need. They may be direct encounters as Noah, Abraham or Moses experienced; through His messengers as was the case with Mary and Joseph; through a grand event as Paul’s conversion or the more subtle work of the Holy Spirit. No matter what form our encounter takes, we can be certain of one thing: we will never be the same afterward for we will either trust the character of God and draw closer to Him or we will reject Him in disbelief and pull away.
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If you look up into His face and say, “Yes, Lord, whatever it costs,” at that moment He’ll flood your Life with His presence and power.
So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Colossians 3:12-14
Within the past couple of weeks there have been quite a few conversations to make plans for Thanksgiving. While the menu hasn’t varied too much from year to year, the people with whom we share the meal have varied greatly. Naturally, the core group has always been our immediate family. However, many years have regularly included extended family, friends and acquaintances. As I consider those with whom I have celebrated this holiday, I am reminded that I am most thankful for the people that God has chosen to weave in and out of my life. Their roles, the length of time in my life and the affection for them has varied greatly, but they have all had a purpose. As the saying reminds us, some people are a blessing while others are a lesson.
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“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.” Ephesians 1:18-19
We have a pair of binoculars stored in our closet that belonged to my parents. I remember looking at them as a child and learning how to use them. Employed correctly, they provide clarity; however, used improperly they distort making matters worse than if they had not been used at all. The same principal applies in our lives when we fail to look at things from God’s perspective. This is true with respect to both our circumstances and our interactions with others. It is a matter of hope and faith.
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“Evil plans are an abomination to the Lord, but pleasant words are pure.” Proverbs 15:26
I recently spent a couple of weeks with my mother-in-law. As she likes to listen to the news a lot, I heard just about every broadcast regarding the Judge Kavanaugh hearings. Our culture seems to have lost the concept that people are innocent until proven guilty. As I listened, to the newscasts, I was struck by the fact that I was listening to them in Danvers, Massachusetts. For those who are unaware or need a refresher, Danvers was originally Salem Village. In the late 1600’s the town held witch trials that resulted in the death of 25 people…19 were hung and another six died in custody. (One of the victims was Rebecca Nurse whose house is shown above. See also Britannica.com) The trials started due to the behaviors of some girls that could not be explained medically and were, therefore, assumed to be satanic. Lack of information, bad assumptions, and false accusations led to a tragic end. The words of the girls and others involved led to the abominable deaths of innocent parties. Contrary to the poem many of us learned in grade school, words have the power to harm and destroy; they also have the power to heal and encourage. That’s why our use of words is so important.
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