Moving On

The year my grandfather died I was a young mother  and my family members traveled to be with and help my grandmother a few  more times than usual.
  
Grandma was grieving the loss of her "sweetheart" as she would tell me, and it seemed to me she was doing well.  She was still accomplishing everyday things, she would find joy in life, she would speak fondly of her beloved, and she was happy. 

 As this time wore on "everyone" seemed to wonder when my grandma would "move on."   Her health was slipping at 85 and when family would stop over in the late afternoon she would be "in the dark", sitting in "his chair", and wearing "his sweater".

At that time I wondered what was wrong with these things.  Why were they pushing her to "move on" when in reality she was? 

That time is now long ago, I have grieved the loss of many people I have held dear, and I have experienced great tragedies.  I often remember the moments with my grandma in her grief.  Her example has been huge to me as I have grieved. 

How can anyone really understand what each of us have dealt with and have overcome in our lives and to what degree these things have affected us.   Love, compassion, and mercy should be the our banner of our heart's desire because we have Jesus as our own Savior who is our example of these attributes and so much more.

Moving On, by Eliza at Recovering Grace, is a good example for all of us to hear and heed.  We will have just a tiny "window" into what pain, control, and manipulation can do to a person and some of the "whys" of the time it takes to recover.

This world is not our home.  Evil runs rampant ever so much more every day now.  So many, many are "wounded" by all sorts of things, not just by the grief of losing a loved one.  Let us be handmaidens for the LORD full of compassions as we come along others who are "moving on" but need mercies and kindnesses because of Jesus.

Stifling our Children

Wonderful, thought-provoking column at Renew America, by Lisa Fabrizio, to open your eyes if you haven't realized why and what has been happening over these last decades to America and the world in general.

In Stifling our Children, Fabrizio writes,

...Today, girls are raised to be men and men are, well, they're just confused. The deadly combination of feminism, socialism and political correctness have robbed two generations of Americans – aptly named Generation X, and Y; the unknown quantities – of their proper identities according to the Natural Law. Day after day give evidence that the tender mercies of liberals have left millions of people dazed and confused and our moral fiber in tatters.

In the old days, [ and she is speaking of the 60's! ] the family unit was sacrosanct. A man was the king of his castle and that castle was to be defended against any and all who would dare to breach it; by force, if necessary. This very concept was the basis of the founding of our country. Today, a man's property belongs to the communal tax-base, and his children are little more than wards of the state...

This is a must read as we live for LORD until He returns.

Isaiah 5:20-23
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;
Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
And clever in their own sight!
Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine
And valiant men in mixing strong drink,
Who justify the wicked for a bribe,
And take away the rights of the ones who are in the right!

LORD, give us wisdom to live boldly for You in this world which is not our home!  And mercy, LORD, for us, but also in us so we may be as Your light for those snared in the darkness.


 

In the Shadow of Your wings I will sing for joy!

O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly;
My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You,
In a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory.

Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips will praise You.

So I will bless You as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.

My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.

When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches,
For You have been my help,
And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.

My soul clings to You;
Your right hand upholds me.

But those who seek my life to destroy it,
Will go into the depths of the earth.
They will be delivered over to the power of the sword;
They will be a prey for foxes.

But the king will rejoice in God;
Everyone who swears by Him will glory,
For the mouths of those who speak lies will be stopped.

Psalm 63

*

Photo by Chris & Tom Vorgert

You are worth much more than they.

...do not be worried about your life, 

as to what you will eat or what you will drink; 

nor for your body, as to what you will put on. 

Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 

Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, 

nor reap nor gather into barns, 

and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. 

Are you not worth much more than they? 

And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 

And why are you worried about clothing? 

Observe how the lilies of the field grow; 

they do not toil nor do they spin, 

yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory 

clothed himself like one of these. 

But if God so clothes the grass of the field, 

which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, 

will He not much more clothe you? 

You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, 

‘What will we eat?’ or ‘

What will we drink?’ or 

‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 

For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; 

for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, 

and all these things will be added to you.

So do not worry about tomorrow; 

for tomorrow will care for itself. 

Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:25-34

Sometimes I just want to close my eyes #2

Referring to my last post with I Refuse lyrics by Josh Wilson:

Sometimes I am too tired mentally and physically.  Too tired of standing up and doing what I know what God wants me to do. 

I am tired of seemingly being the only one who is noticing false teachers, wrong thinking, bad behavior, or just the simple act of giving encouragements to others.  All of these efforts take lots of time,  and sometimes money.  And I do become tired.  So sometimes I do keep quiet, and I do pretend that everything is a-okay --  when I know deep in my heart it is really not okay at all.

But soon enough I realize that I was wrong, absolutely wrong.  It is probably the next day when I am refreshed with sleep or feeling better in general.  I remember who I am in Christ, and I don't want to live like I don't care!

God uses me, my personality, my abilities, my memories, my wealth of my past, my exuberance of love for Him.  He can take my brokenness, my weaknesses, who I am which makes me - me, and He can use me to reach another person.

What joy it is to live for God and know He is working through me with all of this glorifying His name!   I know I will fail again and again, but with each time He will be teaching me to become more like Himself.  And this is just what I desire most.

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 
who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able
to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort
with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 
For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance,
so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. 
But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation;
or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort,
which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings
which we also suffer;  and our hope for you is firmly grounded,
knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings,
so also you are sharers of our comfort.
2 Corinthians 1:3-7

Sometimes I just want to close my eyes

I Refuse

Sometimes I, I just want to close my eyes

And act like everyone's alright

When I know they're not

This world needs God, but it's easier to stand and watch

I could pray a prayer and just move on

Like nothing's wrong

But I Refuse

I don't want to live like I don't care

I don't want to say another empty prayer

Oh, I refuse to sit around and wait for someone else

To do what God has called me to do myself

I could choose not to move

But I refuse

I can hear the least of these, crying out so desperately

And I know we are the hands and feet of You, oh God

So if You say move, it's time for me to follow through

And do what I was made to do

And show them who You are

I refuse to stand and watch the weary and lost cry out for help

I refuse to turn my back and try and act like all is well

I refuse to stay unchanged, to wait another day to die to myself

I refuse to make one more excuse

Josh Wilson

Spring!

Little Robin Redbreast

Sat upon a rail;

Niddle noble went his head,

Widdle waggle went his tail.

Our pain turned into victory!

I thought this statement from my friend Cherry* was profound:

"Satan uses bitterness to make us feel helpless/hopeless.

God uses our pain to turn to victory; if we allow Him."

Ladies, we can easily let our helplessness and our hopelessness overwhelm us.  

If we continually remember that God is our Salvation, then we can let go and give Him our overwhelming hopelessness and helplessness.  

He can then show us His victory in us even when our circumstances do not change.  

He is our strength. 

He is our comfort.

He is our safety.

Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid;
For the Lord God is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.
Therefore you will joyously draw water
From the springs of salvation.
Isaiah 12:2-3

* Thank you to Cherry

He intercedes for us

    
        

For we know that the whole creation groans and 

suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 

And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the 

first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan 

within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption 

as sons, the redemption of our body. 

For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is 

seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already 

sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, 

with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.   

In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; 

for we do not know how to pray as we should, 

but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings 

too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts 

knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because 

He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

And we know that God causes all things to work together 

for good to those who love God, to those who are called 

according to His purpose.

Romans 8:22-28

The Merciful Wisdom of Jesus

Solomon and Jesus

Long ago, a young king of Israel wrote, 

“Blessed are those who find wisdom,....she is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.” 

Proverbs 3:13-15

The Wisdom of Solomon:  To this day, we still tell the story of how God appeared to him in a dream and offered him the desires of his heart (1 Kings 3:5-15).

Instead of asking for personal wealth, a long life, or the death of his enemies, Solomon admitted that he felt like a little child who was not up to the challenge of leading the nation entrusted to him.  So he asked for an understanding heart to be a good ruler and judge.  God responded by assuring the king that he would get his request and far more.  Then Solomon woke up and realized that he had been dreaming (3:15).

Wisdom for justice’s sake:  The dream came true.  As evidence, the Bible introduces us to two troubled persons who asked Solomon to settle a dispute (3:16-28).  

The Bible tells us they were harlots with a maternity issue.  Both had recently given birth.  In the middle of the night, one of their babies died.  The distraught mother switched infants as the other mother slept.  Now both were claiming the living baby.  Neither could provide a witness to support their story or credibility.

So what would a wise king do?  After listening to both sides, Solomon called for a sword.  His decision was to divide the baby.

One woman responded with a plea for the child’s life.  She offered to give up her claim for the sake of the baby.  The other woman agreed with the king saying it would be better to give the baby to neither rather than either.

At this point, Solomon said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him;  she is the mother.” (3:27)

So we are told, “All Israel heard of the judgement which the king had rendered; and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.” (3:28)

But what begins well does not always end well.  As great as Solomon’s wisdom was (1 Kings 3:12; 4:29-34), what started with a dream ended like a nightmare. Late in life, he went so far as to build altars to the gods of his pagan wives on the hills overlooking Jerusalem (11:1-13).  Although he had been given wisdom to offer justice to others, he ended up needing mercy for himself.

The Wisdom of Jesus:  One of the first things the Bible tells us about Jesus is that, as a young man, He grew “in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” (Luke 2:52)

Later, however, the Teacher from Nazareth was sharply criticized by religious leaders who didn’t buy His brand of wisdom.  In response, Jesus likened His critics to children sitting in the market place playing a game that sounds similar to one children still play. (7:31-32)

In the modern game of Simon Says, whatever “Simon says,” you’re supposed to do.  If you get caught doing something that Simon doesn’t say to do , you’re out of the game.

Jesus however, was not playing a game.  He wouldn’t do what the Pharisees wanted Him to do.  Instead, He suggested that His wisdom would be seen in its results.  In a thought-provoking proverb, He said, “wisdom is justified by all her children.” (7:35)

What kind of wisdom was Jesus talking about?  Who were her children?  The gospel writer doesn’t leave us wondering for long.

Wisdom for mercy’s sake:  According to Luke, a religious Pharisee by the name of Simon invited Jesus home for a meal.  Later, as they sat at the man’s table, an unnamed woman who had heard that Jesus was there, invited herself in.  All Luke tells us about her identity is that she was “a sinner.”

Overwhelmed with emotion, this woman went to her knees at Jesus’ feet, washed His feet with her tears, dried them with her hair, and then poured expensive perfume on them.

Meanwhile, according to Luke, the Pharisee was thinking to himself that if Jesus were a prophet, He wouldn’t allow Himself to be touched by such a woman.  Knowing the man’s heart, Jesus told His host a story about a creditor who mercifully forgave two debtors.  One of them had owed far more than the other.

With this much of the story told, Jesus asked Simon which of the two debtors would have a greater love for the one who showed mercy to both of them.  The Pharisee saw where Jesus was going.  Those who are forgiven much, love much; while those who have been forgiven little, love little. (7:47)

In these few words, Jesus foreshadowed the scope of His wisdom. He would go on to win our hearts not merely by His justice but with His mercy.  On the very hills that Solomon built altars to false gods, Jesus would offer Himself as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Father in heaven, we will be eternally grateful that You did not leave us with merely a wisdom of justice.  Like Solomon, we desperately needed the merciful wisdom of Your Son.

By Mart DeHaan, April 2013, Been Thinking About

Do you have a trail of tears?

The Trail of Tears

A very severe and tragic event in US history was the forced relocation of thousands of Native Americans in the early 19th century.  Native American tribes, who had struck treaties with and fought alongside the burgeoning white population, were driven out of their ancestral lands.  In the winter of 1838, thousands of Cherokee were forced to embark on a brutal 1,000-mile march westward known as The Trail of Tears.  This injustice resulted in the deaths of thousands of people, many of whom had little or no clothing, shoes, or supplies for such a journey.

The world continues to be filled with injustice, pain, and heartache.  And many today may feel as if they are leaving a trail of tears --- tears that go unnoticed and grief that is not comforted.  

But our Lord sees our tears and comforts our weary hearts.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.

He also declares the hope of a future time not marked by the stains of sin or injustice.  In that day and in that place, 

“God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.  There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away”.  

Revelation 21:4

The God who offers freedom from tears in the future is the only One who can fully comfort our tears now.

----Bill Crowder

Loving Father, thank You that our hurts and pains matter to You.  Thank You for the promise of a n eternity without tears and a life forever with You. Amen.

When God permits trials, He also provides comfort.

From Wednesday, December 12, 2012, Our Daily Bread

Shout to the North

Men of faith, rise up and sing

Of the great and glorious King

You are strong when you feel weak,

In your broken-ness, complete.


Shout to the north and the south.

Sing to the east and the west.

Jesus is Saviour to all,

Lord of heaven and earth.


Rise up women of the truth

Stand and sing to broken hearts

Who can know the healing power

Of our glorious King of love? 


We've been through fire,

we've been through rain.

We've been refined by the pow'r of His name

We've fallen deeper in love with You.



You've burned the truth on our lips.

Rise up church with broken wings;

Fill this place with songs again

Of our God who reigns on high.

By His grace again we'll fly.

By Martin Smith