Thanksgiving....

It is not always easy to feel thankful.  The journey of a human through life is not only joyful, it is also filled with dark times and hard places.  Things don't work out, trials are endured, tragedy strikes.  We all have those moments where we are overwhelmed by something we must face, and it feels lonely and negative.

It is hard to summon up the gratitude at those times.  We wouldn't be human if there weren't resentment, fear, anger, hopelessness, or plain old fashioned unhappiness when things don't go the way we hope.

The matter of prayer...

Have you ever been surprised when God has answered your prayers?  Have you ever felt shocked that God has listened and acted upon your request?  I think everyone has felt that jolt as they realized things have worked out, even though they didn't actually expect it to.  Underlying that amazement, however, is the revelation that we lacked faith in the first place that God would hear us and honor our request.

By definition, Christians are flawed sinners, in need of redemption and grace.  While we strive to follow our Savior's example, we constantly fail, and find ourselves in need of grace.  Nowhere is this more true than in the matter of prayer.

Of course, too often we treat prayer time as a laundry list for Santa God.  Give me this....  I need.... Please make....

Yield for the Spirit

Sometimes people think I am a pushover because I don't fight everything that comes along.  I think people often believe that I just give way thoughtlessly, because I don't want to deal with a situation, or I am afraid to take a stand for myself.

But there are many times when I have made a calculated choice to disengage, even if the reasons aren't immediately obvious to those outside my own head.  I learned a long time ago that I can calmly evaluate the total cost of action versus inaction and decide that, on balance, it isn't worth it to act, because my emotional and mental well being are more important than money, or even the principal of the thing.

Senses for the Journey

God is not physically present in the way our family or friends are, and that can be a stumbling block to faith.  He cannot be seen, touched, heard or felt in person, and believing in something not tangibly present can be an obstacle to someone who is struggling.  But I was thinking last night about the ways in which we do, in fact, use our senses to interact with him, and just as importantly, how he uses our senses to interact with us.  Faith is not a one way street, it is a relationship, an interaction, a correspondence with our God, and it goes in both directions, if we open our senses to him.

Black Saturday

Black Friday is a legendary day in American consciousness.  It is the rare person who doesn't have a reaction upon hearing the words, and virtually everyone knows what it means.  Whether you love it or hate it, most people have strong feelings about it, and it evokes some kind of a reaction.  But it is, after all, only another shopping day, not a day which changes the course of humankind forever.  It is important economically, on both a micro and macro scale, for shoppers and the economy, but eternity is not altered because of the events of the day.

Black Saturday, on the other hand, is barely acknowledged, even in the households of the faithful Christians who mourn on Good Friday and celebrate Easter.  How many of us really stop to consider the battle being waged while the body of our Savior lay cold in the grave?  Because that is where the real Promise of the Resurrection begins.  Jesus wasn't just resting in the grave, waiting for the Big Reveal on Easter Sunday.

Bitter portion....

Grief is an overwhelming emotion.  For any person who is experiencing deep grief, it overtakes everything, the pain so searing it makes it physically hard to breathe.  The thought of the world going on while you are experiencing this crushing blow, this total shift in your universe, is almost incomprehensible.

God knows all.  God has our lives planned from the first moment until the last breath is drawn.  He knows what we will think and do and experience, and it is all according to his divine plan.

Restore to me the joy....

Joy is not a given in this life.  We all seek it.  We all want it for ourselves and for those we love.  But there is not a guarantee, even if we follow our Savior's very footsteps.  There is a lot to be unhappy about, if we want to be.  It is easy to get caught up in the negatives that inundate us from every corner in this world, and to focus on what is wrong in our lives.

Family ties....

If I could give one piece of advice to any engaged couple, it would be to look at the extended family of your intended, and see how they treat each other.  It will tell you a lot about your future spouse, as well inform your decisions about holidays and special occasions for years to come.

The thin rail of grace...

I have been thinking about this a bit, and have decided being a Christian is like walking a narrow, rough road on the edge of a cliff with only a thin rail between you and the endless chasm.  It can be scary, especially when you stumble and fall, but as long as you stay behind the rail, you will journey safely to your own destination on the path.

Calling you....

It seems that lately we have become a culture of negativity.  No matter what is suggested, someone will rush to point out why it won't work, how it cannot happen, what the problems will be.  The criticism and negative feedback from the world at large are often so overwhelming, we fail to even begin, much less finish, what we originally felt excited to accomplish.

This Can't Do attitude is not what God wants from us.  The hatred and separation of the world is not part of God's plan, but rather the vision of Satan when he was tempting Jesus.  Thwarting God's will and degrading our soul remains his vision today.

Warrior of God...

When we traveled through Amsterdam a couple of years ago,  there were two things I particularly wanted to do.  I wanted to visit The Annex, where Anne Frank hid from the Nazi's for two years during WWII, and I wanted to see the The Hiding Place, where Corrie Ten Boom and her family hid Jews from the Nazi's while working with the Dutch underground.  They are, in a way, two sides of the same story, and I wanted to experience both to better understand each of them.

Rejoice, pray and give thanks... even when you don't feel like it....

This morning I am home sick with the stomach flu.  I don't feel like rejoicing.  I am having a hard time being thankful.  I am disgusted, and I want to be well.  Rumor has it I am even a little on the crabby side about the whole thing.  But for today, I haven't any choice, and I am stuck with things as they are - too much time, no energy to do.

What a difference a day makes...

A single day, 24 hours, is, in the overall scheme of things, not very long.  And yet, that same 24 hours can make all the difference in the world when you are waiting for something to happen.  If you are waiting for a loved one in an intensive care unit, it can be the difference between life and death.  When you are waiting on a job interview, it is the difference between employment or another day of sending out resumes.  It can be the difference between being pregnant and being a mother, or perhaps an animal being in a shelter or having a forever home.  Change causes fear, and fear causes worry.  Even positive changes can cause uncertainty, and negative events can cast a pall over our whole life.