Lost and Found

      I've just read an email consisting of photos of various kinds of roads captured in different seasons. Some curved through beautiful woodlands, or mountains, or even deserts, while some were straight but ribboned up and down as far as the eye could see; some were flat as pancakes. Some seemed to circle around themselves, while others hugged rocky cliffs. Some were bathed in brilliant sunlight, while others wound through deep and shaded woods. Some were smoothly paved, while others were rough and rocky. Bill and I love watching a TV show about winter roads built on arctic ice that carry trucks bearing thousands of tons of necessities to remote and otherwise inaccessible destinations: in Spring they completely disappear back into the rivers, lakes, or oceans that once froze to form them. 

      Some days I feel completely lost on some unmarked path leading I know not where. There seem to be no markers to guide me or even tell me where I am at any given moment. Sometimes, like those ice roads, the path seems to disappear beneath my feet. Sometimes, without making a decision really, I just keep putting one foot in front of the other on this unfamiliar trek. I feel lost like never before in my life, unsure if I should even keep going. And sometimes I simply stop, hoping the stillness will bring an answer to all the questions I can't even express. 

      And it always does, whether in the form of a visit, text, or phone call from a loved one, an inspirational message seen on Facebook, a sermon, or a song. The Unseen Hand reaches down and lifts me up and sets me on my way!

 "Though the fig tree does not bud

and there is no fruit on the vines,

though the olive crop fails

and the fields produce no food, 

though the flocks disappear from the pen

and there are no herds in the stalls, 

yet I will celebrate in the Lord;

I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!

The Lord is my strength;

He makes my feet like those of a deer

and enables me to walk on mountain heights!"

[Habakkuk 3:17-19 CSB]

"He must increase and I must decrease."

John 3:30

 ✝️

Anticipating Autumn

       

.     Ever since I taught high school French, actually even before that, when I was a high school student, I remember the excitement that began to fill me in late August. It was the anticipation of the start of school-- new books, new clothes, new classrooms, new friends. The world seemed ripe with possibility. Of course, that was way back when school started the day after Labor Day and ended just before Memorial Day! Even now, though, something in me awaits this particular change of seasons with great expectation. I always look forward to more time outdoors, when my nose can enjoy the pungent aroma of ripening persimmons, crisp drying leaves, smoky campfires, and spicy chrysanthemums, and my eyes can feast on the brilliant hues decorating lawn and field and forest. I think it's the hope for something new and exciting-- unknown, yet somehow familiar.

      Oh how I wish I could carry that feeling with me each day, to wake up joyfully anticipating the surprises waiting for me in the coming twenty-four hours. Unfortunately, it's usually easier to expect what I've experienced in the past, and too often I focus on the disappointments instead of the delights. How about you? Perhaps we need to remind ourselves that each new day is a new beginning just like the Fall return to school. Each day brings the possibility of new encounters, with God, nature, or people.

      I just watched an episode of my favorite TV show, Heartland, which happened to take place at the beginning of autumn. Though life's struggles are always a part of the program, this episode ended with all the different storylines looking forward to new beginnings: a horse rescued, a marriage and a home for troubled children being given new new chances, a child starting kindergarten. It was the end of the television season, but what a great ending, because each segment was looking ahead with anticipation of good things to come. It left me smiling, and feeling better than I had for several days.

      And so I'm writing to remind myself that I have the very best reason of all to look to the future with joy. Because of my faith in Messiah Jesus, I know that no matter what each moment here on earth brings, I am assured that one day I'll walk into a perfectly brilliant future filled with the familiar companionship of my loved ones who also believed. Together we'll have endless days to join them and countless new friends who will truly be our brothers and sisters, united for eternity in joyful worship of King Jesus!

“But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,

and he will stand upon the earth at last.

And after my body has decayed,

yet in my body I will see God!

I will see him for myself.

Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. 

I am overwhelmed at the thought!"

(Job 19:25-27 NLT)

"He must increase and I must decrease."

John 3:30

 ✝️

To Be Known and Loved

      Let's be honest with ourselves for a moment, search our souls and confess our very deepest longing. At first you may think of a beach house, a shiny red Mustang convertible, money to travel the world or give away to your favorite charities. I admit it: all these "things" have been on my wish list at one time or another. But if I look deeper and think of what makes my heart truly yearn, I have to admit that throughout my life I have LONGED to be known deeply and loved unconditionally. And conversely, my greatest fear is NOT being known and loved. 

      As I unavoidably met my 75th birthday head-on, not surprisingly I did a lot of soul-searching and thinking over my life's accomplishments and my many shortcomings. Even before the "big day" came, my dear family and friends began showering me with gifts and cards. (See some of them above!)  As I contemplated the array in the days to come, I was amazed to realize that, as much as is humanly possible, I had been surrounded by exactly what I longed for: I was SO blessed to be known and loved by these earthly angels God has put in my life! 

     I never made a "wish list" for my birthday, and if I had, I'm sure I would never have included most of the things pictured above. But you know what? These gifts from the heart were so much BETTER than any list I could have made! Each one made me smile bigger. I kept shaking my head in awe as each package was opened to reveal an understanding of who I am and what I enjoy! But the REAL gift was not anything I unwrapped; it was the love that infused each package and the smiles that accompanied the giving.

      You may be thinking, "But I'm not surrounded by friends and family who love me!" As humans, we all could do better at showing our love for one another by simply listening or "being there" for someone else. And fortunately there's no age limit on that "assignment"! But friends, I have GREAT news, the BEST news, in fact: there is Someone Who is closer to you than a brother or a friend Who loves you more than you can imagine and is ALWAYS listening to the longing of your heart! David expressed it so beautifully in Psalm 139:

Lord, You have searched me and known me.

You know when I sit down and when I stand up;

You understand my thoughts from far away.

You observe my travels and my rest;

You are aware of all my ways.

Before a word is on my tongue,

You know all about it, Lord.

You have encircled me;

You have placed Your hand on me.

This wondrous knowledge is beyond me.

It is lofty; I am unable to reach it....

For it was You Who created my inward parts;

You knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I will praise You

because I have been remarkably and wondrously made.

Your works are wondrous,

and I know this very well.

My bones were not hidden from You

when I was made in secret,

when I was formed in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw me when I was formless;

all my days were written in your book and planned

before a single one of them began.

God, how precious Your thoughts are to me;

how vast their sum is!

If I counted them,

they would outnumber the grains of sand;

when I wake up, I am still with You....

(Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 CSB)

        

      Just imagine it: the God Who loved us enough to give His only Son so we could spend eternity with Him, the very God Who created us with His own hands, knows us even better than we know ourselves! No human being can truly, deeply know another, and our human love falls far short of the perfect standard of God's love. Yet, when questioned by the Pharisees about the most important commandment, Jesus tells us in Matthew 22:37-39 (BSB): 

“ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself."    

      As Max Lucado has put it, "We are never more like God than when we are giving gifts." My friend, it's not about the price of the gift, or how it's wrapped or presented; it's about the heart-motivation behind the giving. Love is indeed the greatest gift of all. It's priceless!

"He must increase and I must decrease."

John 3:30

 ✝️

He Hears

       I stepped into the shower and heard "clunk" right behind me-- not unusual considering the array of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash spread out along the edge of the tub. Eyes closed, as I began to wet my hair I suddenly smelled the sweet aroma of my favorite "happy" body wash. I looked down to see the seldom-used plastic bottle topless and spilling out its precious golden contents, which were running quickly toward the drain. "Noooo!" I cried and the tears came, mingling with the warm water flowing over me. I sobbed as I scooped up what remained in the broken red container, then grabbed my net body scrubber to wipe up what was left on the bottom of the tub. "May as well use what I can, even if I am the only one who will enjoy the glorious fragrance of hyacinth and wisteria!" The sobs came harder as I grew angry with myself for being so silly about spilled soap, while what I was really feeling was frustration over the wasteland I saw as I looked at my life right now-- broken and running down the drain.

      Not long ago I had confessed to my son who is a pastor that my faith was flagging, because I feel so purposeless. He was quick to remind me, "If you're here your purpose remains the same and there IS something you can do. 'What is the chief end of man? Glorify God and enjoy Him forever.'"  [From The Westminster Shorter Catechism; Romans 11:36, 1 Corinthians 10:31, Psalm 73:25-26] Of course, God already knew my frustration, and I haven't hesitated to express it to Him on more than one occasion! Then, engulfed in my favorite fragrance, the Spirit reminded me of my favorite quote from my long-time favorite devotional, Streams in the Desert by Mrs.Charles E. Cowman: "Dear Lord, abide with us that we May draw our perfume fresh from Thee." (emphasis mine) As usual, I've been looking too much inward, depending on my own abilities instead of relying totally on Him!

      Last week my new sister-friend Rose, who is a woman of great faith, shared an amazing story of answered prayer. I have her permission to pass on this anecdote to you, and I hope you'll investigate further what she is undertaking for God's glory at her website (www.thedelsa.com). At the very least, please support her and The Delsa with your prayers, and financially if you can and feel led. In a text she wrote:

 

      "FedEx just pulled up to my home and they were unloading a box. I thought my son had ordered something and he's gone so I went out to meet them because my drive is so steep. When I took the box from her I looked down and realized it was a gift someone has donated for The Delsa! I have a charity list on Amazon smile… And someone had purchased one of the larger items. It's actually a Rototiller! I had a dream two nights ago that I was actually working in the gardens and was hoping I would be able to this weekend. Then I was walking around the yard this morning looking at everything and thinking how badly I really needed a Rototiller and was thinking of asking my neighbor if he had one I could borrow. I had also told God yesterday that I really needed a sign of encouragement from him. I hate when I say those things to him… But I was really needing it. And low and behold… I'm just overwhelmed with how much he loves us...he is so mindful... tears of joy are overflowing..."

Rose's unexpected delivery!

      My friend, He ALWAYS hears our cries, even if we cannot utter the words, and sometimes He shows up in unexpected ways, like a broken perfume bottle or a surprise delivery.

"This is the confidence we have before Him: if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us."  (1 John 5:14 CSB)

"He must increase and I must decrease."

John 3:30 ✝️

Let Go!

     

         (Designbloom.com image)

     You already know I love the ocean, and there are times I've been there and not even wet my toes. Just to watch it and listen to it, while breathing in its healing air, is a wonderful gift. But to fully experience its power and majesty, you have to let go of all that anchors you to the ground, fall back, feet up, arms splayed ("cruciform," as Ann Voskamp would say!), and trust it to hold you afloat. It defies logic, really, that mere water and salt could hold up a body of 100, 200, 300 pounds of flesh and bones, not to mention those monstrous steel vessels full of people sailing to exotic locales or cargo supplying the world's cravings. 

       I've been suspended beneath the waves in SCUBA gear, and the wonders below the sea's surface are indeed marvelous to behold. But the fact is, it was not freeing like  letting go to be carried on top of the waves. Instead, it was a matter of being weighed down, not just with the burden of tank, vest, mask & fins, but also weights. These had to be carefully adjusted to achieve the perfect balance between sinking to the bottom and floating to the top, until I hung suspended with the fish above the corals and sea fans. The sensation is often compared to the weightlessness of space, IF, that is, perfect equilibrium is achieved. 

      I confess, though, that I always preferred the freedom of floating atop the waves, trusting the buoyancy of the water to hold me completely relaxed in its embrace. Could it be the encumbrance of man-made equipment reminded me of all my human efforts at keeping my life in balance? A heavy burden, indeed, to think saving my life depends on my own efforts!

      I remember as a child, when my parents were teaching me to trust the water, they would keep telling me, "Relax, my arms are right under you, but the water will hold you if you just completely relax." Then I imagine lying on top of the water with God's arms underneath, fully letting go and trusting Him, and I suddenly see Jesus on the cross, completely surrendered to His Father's will. It was only at that moment that He came into His full power, the power over life and death. 

      Everyone knows a drowning man struggling to stay above the surface is actually fighting his rescuer as well as the buoyancy of the water. Perhaps I've been trying to keep myself afloat, or suspended between the surface and the ocean floor. All the while I've weighed myself down with unnecessary burdens, burdens that were  keeping me from floating on waves of trust in the full sunlight of my Creator Who knows me and loves me better than I know or love myself. Perhaps, as the old chorus says, I need to "Let go and let God have His wonderful way." 

     "Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken." (Psalm 55:22 BSB)

      

      "Commit your way to Yahweh, and trust in Him, and He does it."  (Psalm 37:5, The Scriptures. Emphasis mine.)

"He must increase and I must decrease."

John 3:30 ✝️

      

Hummingbird Wings

 

               Photo: wallpapercave.com

      Today a tiny hummingbird's appearance out my window lifted me right up out of my "chair of prayer" (which more often than I like to admit becomes a chair of self-pity). You see, I had been contemplating my bird feeder, recently emptied by audacious squirrels, thinking it was time to exchange it for the hummingbird feeder. But I had not acted on the urging, until I saw that hummingbird pause there and then move on. I exclaimed, "You remembered!" then popped out of my chair to head to the kitchen to make nectar, then outside to resurrect and clean cobwebs off the glass feeder. 

      I began contemplating how those delicate wings were actually so powerful. Specially constructed to enable them to hover, fly backwards, forward, sideways, and even do back flips to gather nectar among flowers, the amazing creature had also lifted my 125 pounds of dead weight without even touching me or knowing it had done so! 

      I wonder how often we touch someone, totally unbeknownst to ourselves. Is it for better or for worse? Could a smile in a grocery line or a happy tune hummed in a parking lot remind someone that they are loved and maybe things aren't so bad as they seem? Could a frown or a grumble spread discontent instead of joy? 

      That hummingbird was oblivious to me-- he was just going about his work. I think of people who lift me up just by going about their work for God's earthly kingdom. I don't tell them usually, so they're probably not aware, how much they inspire me daily. They all have challenges-- who doesn't? Just like the hummingbird, who must wait for me to fill the feeder, who each year patiently and determinedly travels miles as he migrates to and from Central or South America each Fall and Spring. I've only just learned that hummingbirds can't actually walk on those spindly legs-- they can only perch and scoot along the ground or a branch! Who knew these tiny marvels have a handicap just like we all do?

      For this overcoming spirit, hummingbirds have an inordinately large heart. Ah, who can be surprised by that really? Isn't it the heart, the courage of certain people that makes them overcomers in spite of obstacles great or small? Just the thought of it makes me smile this glorious Spring day! 

      "Haven't I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."  [Joshua 1:9 CSB]

 

      "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint." [Isaiah 40:31 KJV] 

"He must increase, and I must decrease."

✝️

Gethsemane

   

Garden of Gethsemane

      I sat and wept beneath the gnarled branches of an ancient olive tree in this garden where Jesus spent His last hours. I shed tears for my sins and the world's rejection of Him; He sweat His blood, a foretaste of the blood He would shed in a few hours to cover the sins of all mankind for all time. I said "I'm sorry"; He said "Not my will, but Thine." I looked at the stones beneath my sandals and wondered, "Did Your foot touch these very stones, my dear Savior?" He looked down on me and said, "I did this for you, my child."

      This peaceful garden, on a hillside overlooking the Holy City of Jerusalem, appropriately bears a name indicative of suffering. Gethsemane is a combination of two Hebrew words meaning "olive press." In order for the olives to bring forth their precious oil they must first be crushed, and then pressed beneath a heavy stone slab, forcing the oil to drain into a collection vat. What's left behind is a formless pulp, useful only as fuel for a fire. 

"Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned."  (John 15:6 NIV)

      Extreme pressure creates the golden oil, used not only for cooking and eating (nourishment), but also for making fuel for lamps (light), the anointing oil used by priests (healing), and even for soap and skincare (purification). But pressure is painful. I try to imagine the pressure Messiah Jesus felt as he bore the weight of all the world's sin, past and future, and I cannot. It was painful enough to make Him sweat drops of blood. Yet it was God's plan from the beginning: to come Himself, because there would be no other Perfect Lamb. 

      

      In his instructions for the first Passover, God through Moses directed,"Your lamb must be an unblemished year-old male, and you may take it from the sheep or the goats."  (Exodus 12:5 BSB) And so when John the Baptizer first laid eyes on Jesus alongside the River Jordan, he aptly declared, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"  (John 1:29 NKJV) Little did John know of the troubles that would follow for this Perfect Lamb before His mission could be accomplished.

      Do you feel crushed by pain and suffering-- your own or that in the world around us? Take heart, fellow pilgrim. Let the Solid Rock of Jesus Christ keep you strong yet submissive under the crushing weight of this fallen world. Let the pressure you experience bring forth nourishment, light, healing, and purification. Let's not give in to the pain of the process so as to be thrown with the pulp into the fire and burned up. With Paul, let us victoriously declare: 

"We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are

 perplexed, but not driven to despair." (2 Corinthians 4:8 NLT)

     I wonder, when I am pressed on every side, is it the oil of the Holy Spirit which pours out of me giving forth nourishment, light, healing, and cleansing?

"As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in your commands." 

 (Psalm 119:143 NLT)

      PRAY WITH ME: Every pain I have is nothing, compared to yours, Lord. Every sorrow I have is nothing in light of yours. Forgive me, Lord, for taking Your sacrifice for granted. Give me grace to endure the "momentary light affliction" of this earthly life. In Jesus' name and for Your glory, Amen.

 "He must increase, but I must decrease"  (John 3:30)

♱