Let The Words Of My Mouth

Ephesians 4:29 -- "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear."

 

...In Whatever

I John 3:20 -- "In whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart, and knows all things."

 

Persistent in Prayer

Romans 12:12 -- "Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer."

image: legacydad.com

Fewer things can be as dismal as a hospital room with no windows. Even if the only window in the room opens up to the interstate, it's still a view of the daylight and the vehicles travelling to and fro - moving about [probably way too fast] their daily goings on. What is it about being able to see beyond our pain or illness that's so encouraging?

Eons ago in a big city hospital two men were admitted at about the same time with a terrible case of the flew. Due to a large outbreak the two were forced to share a room. One of the men - Joe - was in pretty bad shape. So weak was he, that he was resigned to lay on his back day after day, and night after very long night while his condition improved. But the other man - Bob - had the strength to roll over to his sides and even sit up a bit while his body healed. As luck would have it, Bob's bed was by the only window amid the bleached white paint and scratched tile floors. Joe's view consisted of the ceiling and the long tubes of fluorescent white light that flickered from time to time.

Poor Joe.

But every single day after a nurse brought the men their noon meal the two men would pray together. Then Bob would prop himself up on weak arms and arrange his starched pillows so that he could take a peek outside. To Joe's delight, Bob would regale him with colorful and vibrant details about the kids playing in the park below - or the flowers that popped out on the cherry trees. One day, after a brief shower, Bob described a group of pre-teens trying to splash one another by jumping in the steaming puddles that gathered near the dips in the sidewalk. These playful and delightful details were the highlight in each man's day. Bob and Joe would laugh at the dog that sprayed water all over his owner when he shook out his long coat of fur. They would wonder together at the young woman and toddler that arrived at the hospital every day at the same time. The window was a gift to Bob and Joe. It gave them hope.

After the days turned into weeks, Bob's condition finally afforded him a discharge and after praying over him, Bob hugged his bedridden friend and wished him a fond farewell.

As a sad silence fell over the empty bed next to Joe, he pressed his call button and asked his nurse if she could move his bed over by the window. It would at least provide a break from staring at the ceiling - even if he couldn't raise all the way up to see outside.

When the wheels on his bed finally came to a stop, Joe struggled with everything he had and pushed himself up just enough that he could peer out ever so slightly. But what view greeted him left him speechless and confused. Just on the other side of the window there sprawled a large red brick wall.

Before the nurse could make it all the way out the door Joe said to her "I don't understand. Bob described so many wonderful things. How could he have seen anything with this wall in the way?"

The nurse turned around with a knowing smile on her face. "Joe," She said softly. "Bob couldn't have seen anything, anyway. He was blind."

Bob and Joe shared the flu, true - but they also shared hope, patience, and persistence. The two men rejoiced in the hope that an imaginary view provided as they patiently waited out each long day in a dull hospital room. In companionship the two men fought their illness and persistently prayed with one another.

Pray without ceasing. Always. Our greatest defense AND our greatest victory is sturdy, steadfast prayer. 'Tis no small thing when someone tells you they'll pray for you. In fact, that's the greatest help a person can give to another.

Paul had it right in Romans. Rejoice in hope, he said. When the chips are down - so to speak - and things are NOT quickly set to rights, cling to the glimmers of sweet hope that are gifted to you - even if you can't see the end of the struggle. In Paul's other letters he reminded us to be content in every situation. Sometimes it's difficult to find contentment when you're smack in the middle of a deep heart-ache. It was so difficult for Bob and Joe that Bob created a hope for both of them. At times, we have to look closely and carefully to find the thing called hope. Rejoice when it is afforded. It is precious.

I thank you, Holy Father for every hope we have in You.

 

Penny For Your Thoughts

Psalm 139:17 -- "How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God."

image: withart.visitphilly.com

Four blank, unblinking stares met us from across the living room floor as Steven and I stood in the kitchen, leaning on the counter - awaiting some kind of response to the unexpected news we'd just shared with our parents.

Um ... anything? Joy? Terror? .... no? Nothing?

Just crickets. I mean, literally - I could hear the crickets outside.

Well, I for one wasn't TOO surprised.

Two months into our marriage I started feeling a little strange. I almost knew right off the bat what it was - a woman can kind of tell these things. So, on a pit stop at the Kroger near my parents' home in South Carolina, I quickly picked up a pregnancy test - on kind of whim. The pink and white box was just sitting there - staring at me - in the checkout lane. [yes - it was actually on the thing I call the "impulse shelf" - right there next to the moving rubber belt and all the gum - in the checkout lane.]

Bingo. Pink line on the test strip. Baby Tyler was on his way.

I snuck in next to Steven and my little brother while they were doing something on the computer in the office. Making eye contact with my better - no, my BEST half - I nodded my head. I couldn't stop smile/tearing up. It's not that we were PLANNING on Tater right off the bat. But we weren't exactly NOT trying for him, either. To be honest - due some health stuff going on - I didn't think Tyler COULD happen at that point.

So the two of us made our way into the kitchen while our four parents were chilling out in the living room. When we asked for their attention and announced that they were going to be grandparents again - it became so quiet you could hear the proverbial pin drop.

Man - I sure wish we could tell what they were thinking right about then.

After a pause so pregnant that I was sure it was going to deliver twins [pun intended] they finally all kind of mumbled congratulations at the same time. Then there were the questions. Then there were congratulations again.

All in all - a really good memory. But what I wouldn't give to be privy to the things whirling around in all four brains during those long silent moments after the announcement. Tyler is 17 and I STILL don't know what our parents were pondering.

Sure - I can remember the words they spoke after the big reveal. But I can't help but wonder what it was they were actually thinking.

We are so very privileged as a people - that we have God's living Word available to us at any moment. I think back to the time of Paul and Peter and Moses and Noah - and often wonder HOW they managed day to day without the Bible as we have it - ever at the ready at our fingertips.

But there are moments when I want to know what God thinks. How weighty are His ponderings, to me.

Right now - in a world spinning ever faster out of control and away from God - what does God think about it all? About the politics? About the economy? About the Church? ... About the music to which we listen? About the things we do in our spare time? About the commercialism of the holiday season?

My Awesome Creator - fill me with Your Holy Spirit - that I may please you. How very weighty are your thoughts to me, O God. Create in me a pure heart and a clean spirit that I may make them happy ones. 

Made In The Shade

Psalm 62:5 -- "Yes, my soul, find rest in God; "

image: contidisanbonifacio.com

Letting the screen door slam behind me I stepped into the cool of the old yellow house. A high African sun outside made for a slow adjustment to the dimness of cool shadow in the kitchen where I stood frozen, as my eyes strained to refocus. Blinking several times, I almost melted into a sitting position onto the cool floor. There was no air conditioning, no ceiling fan - in fact, there was no electricity - but the contrast between the heat of high noon in South Africa and the shady escape into the tidy little house was down right heavenly.

It was rest. It was confort. It was renewal.

The top of my head would finally stop emanating heat like a miniature radiator and goose bumps would break out on my arms in the change of temperature. The sweat that had dripped from my hair to my face would evaporate and my sundress would dry out - cooling me down even more. AND I could finally take my rubber wellingtons off. Mom made us wear them when we were outside in order to protect our little tootsies from snakes - but I can tell you - those things did not breathe at all. The very first thing I did when I was called inside was kick them off and let my poor little feet get some air.

Outside was adventure: mud pies, honey bees swarming as they sought out new digs with more space, baboons raiding the clinic, and the big 'ole Tom/African bobcat that took swipes at my sister and me. But when we were called inside - it was like flipping a switch. It was quiet. It was cool. It was peaceful. We knew we could find rest there. We knew we could take a break when we walked through the door.

We have such busy lives, you and I. Especially now that we're in the throws of the holiday season and Thanksgiving is just a few short weeks away. Then there will be the crazy of Christmas and New Year ... it can easily make a person's head spin.

But - we CAN find quiet. We CAN find rest. God is ever faithful and ALWAYS our stronghold. Deuteronomy 33:27 says "The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms."

Sturdy refuge in everlasting arms.

So -- yes, my soul. Find rest. Find rest in God - for all my hope is in Him.

Step through the door and into the comfort of God's eternal refuge and find rest. The crazy will still be there - right where you left it - when you've had a bit of a break in the arms of our wonderful God.

A Break In The Clouds

Isaiah 51:11 -- "So the ransomed of the Lord will return and come with joyful shouting to Zion, and everlasting joy will be on their heads. They will obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sadness will flee away."

image: dianaleghmatthews.com

The dust kicked up by his sandals slowly dissipated into the breeze until it could no longer be seen. A heaviness settled deep into his father's heart - it became nearly too much for one person to carry. As a long day closed on a heart-breaking chapter in one family's life, the darkness that followed seemed to have no end. It was easy to wonder if the sun would ever rise again.

It must have been amazingly difficult for the father of the prodigal son to let his baby boy walk out the front door. What if he never came home again? What if something were to happen to him while he was out there sewing his wild oats?

Several things occur to me as I read this story in the book of Luke [chapter 15:11-32]: Dad didn't argue and beg regarding the decision made by his youngest son - at least, we're not told that he did. Dad ALLOWED his son to make his own mistakes. He LET his boy walk away from the safety and comfort of family. AND - we never really see Dad's pain.  But we know it was there because of the rejoicing that came with the return of his child. I mean, THAT was the whole point of the tale - that something lost was found.

Even more than that - we aren't privy to the amount of gut-wrenching, heart throbbing pleading that just had to have come from Dad's lips every single time he prayed to God. There HAD to be some pretty intense meditation going on during all the days that Dad's youngest son was away.

But the BIGGEST thing that sticks out when I read this story? Life continued in spite of baby boy breaking Dad's heart and throwing the household into chaos. Dad didn't neglect his duties [that we know of] and he remained responsible to the daily running of his house and caring for his land/live stock. We know THIS because of what his oldest son says when baby boy comes home. Much work continued even in the middle of what must have felt like a crisis. We are never promised that long lost son WOULD come home. We only find that out at the end of the tale. And yet - Dad never once expresses anger at God. He doesn't question God's faithfulness, His goodness, His power, or His plan - even though there were probably many opportunities for him to do so.

In other words - Dad accepted his responsibilities and allowed baby boy to be responsible for his own actions.

That's a pretty tough thing for a parent to do -- LET GO. It's tough on so many levels. First, it's hard for us to remove the training wheels and allow our children to fall. Second, it's a tough thing to refrain from taking the blame when something goes wrong. We want to claim the pain when the child falls off the bike - even though we aren't the ones peddling.

The story of the prodigal son in the book of Luke has a happy ending. We see that Dad's sorrow is completely erased and that the sun did, indeed rise again on a beautiful and bright new day. The one things we DON'T see -- is how long Dad had to wait out the storm. We don't really know how many days turned into months or how many months turned into years. We DO see the passing of time.

We DO see joy granted to a family that experienced much grief.

And THAT my brothers and sisters - is the hope to which we must cling.

We are not promised that the race will be easy, pain free, or even fun. But we ARE promised there is a finish line. We ARE promised hope and encouragement along the way. How many times does Paul elude to staying the course? To remaining focussed on the goal ahead and NOT on how long and winding be the road?

Talk about tough. Sometimes I want to whine about the dust on the road - and the jagged gravel - and the incline that makes my leg muscles burn. I WANT to grumble about the pain and the unfairness of it all.

But THAT is not for what duty I am called. And it's NOT what prodigal Dad did.

No - we know beyond any doubt that our sorrow and sadness will flee away. We are promised joy. We are promised gladness. And we are promised it everlasting!

Thank you, thank you Dear Savior for your unbreakable Word. Thank you for my future joy.

Proximity Alert!

Ecclesiastes 12:1 -- "Honor and enjoy your Creator while you're still young, before the years take their toll and your vigor wanes, before your vision dims and the world blurs and the winter years keep you close to the fire." [MSG]

image: pinterest.com

Testing the shadows cast by my Bird of Paradise flowers I took in a deep, deep breath - the air was different. The sky was clear and the shadows cast by the sun were lighter and not very sharp. I could tell - just by the casting of sunlight - that fall was in the air. The seasons had somehow changed, already. It made me smile a bit.

In my head I could picture carved pumpkins, hay stacked in decorative bales with funny scarecrows sticking out of them, and leaves piled up on the ground under our oak tree. I could smell cinnamon, and pine bark when I closed my eyes - and I knew that the Christmas tree guy would be setting up down at the corner near the biscuit place, soon.

All of this - because our spinning little planet is pulling a little bit farther from the sun right about now. The days get shorter, the breeze is cooler, and daylight is soft. I love it! I love the "fall" weather down here in Florida.

Proximity is EVERYTHING. Our place in orbit is key to the changing seasons, the weather, and the hours of daylight we'll receive in a 24 hour period. And while I absolutely love snow and early fall cold snaps - it wouldn't do to get TOO far off course in orbit. We'd freeze to death. Vegetation would die. Vibrant species would become extinct when pieces of the food chain snap and disappear.

But this - relatively tiny variation in the length of our planetary orbit allows a natural ebb and flow to maintain a life and growth cycle on this great blue marble of ours. Some frost now and then and leaves turning brown allow us to appreciate the warmth and lush greenery of summer.

Proximity to THE Son is EVERYTHING, too. When we draw away from him or allow ourselves to be pulled in the wrong direction - things can die. Little bits of us can wither up and turn brown and if we stay too far away for too long - well, horrible things can happen.

Ecclesiastes reminds us to honor, enjoy, praise, and serve our Lord now - while we still can. We must put our faith to feet before our feet can no longer take us places. Don't miss out on the wonderful opportunities God has given you today - because they might not be around tomorrow.