Author Archives: Susan Shimkovitz © 2010 - 2021

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About Susan Shimkovitz © 2010 - 2021

Susan Shimkovitz is a 1992 graduate of Central Bible College in Springfield, Mo. Although her degree is in deaf ministry, she also shares her passion for God through her writing. Whether she is delivering a message of hope through the eyes of a fictional or historical character, writing plays and skits for churches, or blogging, her message is always the same: God is great and His love knows no bounds.

Running On Empty

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I’m beginning to think my least favorite letter in the alphabet is E, but that’s only because I’ve seen it a bit too much lately. There I was, driving one of my kids to work in a vehicle that was parked in the driveway, emptied of gas by her sibling, yet again.

Oh, the frustrations of being a single car family –our second vehicle recently bit the dust– and oh the frustrations of realizing half-way where you need to be that you probably don’t have enough gas to get there. Fortunately, we weren’t going too far, and there was a gas station across the road from my daughter’s workplace.   Even though this was not my station of choice, I was able to drift there on fumes,  put a few dollars worth of gas in the tank. then drive to the preferred gas station and fill ‘er up. Does this sound familiar to anyone?

Truthfully, there are times, when my spiritual tank is on empty, that I only have time to pray briefly, putting just enough fuel in the tank to get me by until I can “fill ‘er up”– more often than I care to admit. At times like that I have to remind myself that Paul’s instruction to the Thessalonians to pray without ceasing, in  Greek, means to pray without intermission. Paul wasn’t speaking of super-lengthy prayers, nor was he speaking of praying every minute of every day; he was merely encouraging his brethren to pray frequently, never letting long gaps develop in their prayer life.

What about you, dear reader, do you ever feel like you are running on empty, and cannot find enough time to pray as long as you would like, for whatever reason? What we all need to remember is that it’s not so much the quantity of time spent in prayer that matters; it is the quality. Let us, therefore, make every minute count!

“Quit Yer Caterwauling”

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“Quit yer caterwaulin,” they used to say. As a youngster, I somewhat resented the sounds of children at play being likened to a bunch of screeching, quarrelsome cats. But now that I’m getting up in age, I can certainly sympathize with some of the older folks just wanting some peace and quiet.

I often feel that way when it comes to all of the clamor this world dishes out; unwanted phone calls from telemarketers hocking their wares, billboards screaming their messages to every passerby, soap box soldiers, and television commercials –many quite inappropriate, all vying for our attention, time and money. And the clangor goes on and on.

Admittedly, this world’s enticements and coaxing often seem to me to be little more than the raucous din of caterwauling. During those times, I am so very thankful for the privilege of being able to shut the world out and slip away for some quiet time with my precious LORD. As the Psalmist wrote:

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust (91:1,2).

As for today, the morning has just begun, yet I feel a stirring, a deep-down longing, for that heavenly quiet time. I cannot, therefore, think of a better time to silently tell the world, “Quit yer caterwaulin!” then slip off for some alone time with He who is worthy of all the time and attention we can give.

Dear reader, may you also find time today, and every day, to abide under the shadow of the Almighty and bask in His sweet presence. There, in the secret place, you will find peace and rest for your weary soul, and refuge from the bombardments of this world should you need it.

Blessings….

My Reality Check Bounced

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“My reality check bounced,” lamented one frustrated soul. Who amongst us has not experienced that sentiment on occasion? I remember too well the first time my bank of faith was severely overdrawn: I stood angry, throwing a tantrum,  a new-born believer accusing God, as though that were really possible, invisible fists waving, tears streaming.

You promised thus and such, I reminded Him. Yet every time I take a few steps toward you, I complained further, you kick the ladder out from underneath me.

Dear reader, if you know me personally, or read my blogs regularly, you might think this sounds nothing like me, and you would be correct. But this event happened many years ago when I was still wearing spiritual diapers, immature, not realizing that it was time to take baby steps into those trials that would serve to increase my faith and build character.

If only I had internalized Psalm 9:10 before my world fell apart, Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you, I may have behaved less like a spoiled child and fought the good fight. In those early days, however, I didn’t know how to hang on to my faith in a Job-like situation and so I grumbled and wailed.

Have you ever been there, friend? Are you there now? Perhaps you are presently going through a battle and feel, as I did those many years ago, that God has deserted you in your time of need. If so may I say, in love, that your reality check has bounced. GOD has said He will never leave us nor forsake us. And we know that He will cause all things, even our trials and sufferings, to work for our good. (Romans 8:28).

And you can take that to the bank!

Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid (of them): for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee (Deuteronomy 31:6).

The Lord replied, “My precious child, precious child,
I love you and I would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering
when you saw only one set of footprints…
It was then that I carried you.

Footprints in the Sand — Leona Lewis (click here to listen)

Twitterpated

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During date night last night, I told my husband that I was still utterly “twitterpated.” You may recall that expression from the 1942 animated movie “Bambi.” In this Disney classic, Friend Owl explains to his little entourage of furry friends that, “…nearly everybody gets twitterpated in the springtime.” That is to say, everyone falls hopelessly, head-over-heels in love.

Regardless when it happens, love is an incredibly wonderful, bewildering thing. When I married my soul mate, I loved him with all my heart. Now, twenty-two years later, I love him even more than I did then; and I have no doubt whatsoever that as time passes, I will love him a great deal more.

Truly, the heart’s capacity for love is ever-expanding!

And it is the “bond of perfection.”

Put on therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and perseverance; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any; even as Christ forgave you, so you also do.  Above all these things, walk in love, which is the bond of perfection (Colossians 3:12-14).

The first time I  heard a pastor ask, “Are you in love with Jesus?” I just about fell over! It was obvious to me that this man was “twitterpated,” but I could not possibly consider my love for Jesus in that way –at least not in those early days of my faith. Yes, I loved Jesus Christ with my whole heart when I accepted Him as my personal LORD and Savior, but I really wasn’t comfortable saying that I was “in love” with the LORD back then. Over the years, however, the love that I had for Him grew in depth and understanding until I, too, was utterly twitterpated, and comfortable admitting so.

Additionally, I find that the more I love my LORD, Jesus Christ, the more I love people. And the more I love people, the more my capacity to love people expands.

Dear reader, it may be difficult for you to feel the same way. I understand the kinds of hurts that can cause us to cringe at the very thought of opening our hearts enough to love others. If so, I encourage you to start by letting Jesus love people through you. In time, you will find that you have begun to  love people, genuinely and sincerely. Again I say, the heart’s capacity for love is ever-expanding!

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is Love (1Corinthians 13:13).

Walking Upon Impossibilities

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These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world. John 16:33

Greetings in the name of our precious LORD.

I don’t know about you, but my get-up-and-go seems to have gotten up and gone, and for the last few weeks I haven’t been able to find it. Pesky little medical conditions tend to do that to a person, but I am not the least bit discouraged. For now, I am resting my body, and more importantly, I am resting in the promises of my precious LORD. I do plan to dust my keyboard off very soon, but for today, I want to share one of my  older “Rays of Light” blogs that I feel quite applicable to my situation. Hopefully, it will bless you as well, as you face life’s challenges.

Walking Upon Impossibilities

“Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements, and impossibilities: It is this that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak.” Thomas Carlyle, Scottish Historian.

Sitting in a crowded waiting room this past week, I watched a very young girl make her way slowly across the room. Tears pooled in my eyes at the thought that this crippled child would have to use crutches for the rest of her life. But she wasn’t the least bit sad. From the sweet, careless smile which lit her innocent face, it was quite obvious that she didn’t give her legs a second thought.

I was reminded of William Pitt the Elder, a British Politician, who was an extremely influential figure during the French Revolution. What Pitt lacked in physical strength, he more than made up for in determination. The concept of limitation was a foreign one to him.

Though he rarely delegated duty, he had at some point during the war given a direct command to one of his officials. When the man balked at the impossibility of the task, Pitt reprimanded him by pointing to his crutches and confidently declared: “Sir, I walk upon impossibilities!”

There is no question that all of humanity is currently facing difficulty and hardship. The future holds many uncertainties and without God, I believe, little hope. With God, however, there is much hope because with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).

Whatever you are going through right now, dear reader, remember that we may all lose a few battles, but we will most assuredly win the war. Now is not the time to give in to discouragement; there is too much work to do. It may be difficult, but let us all rise to the challenge.

Marie Currie, French physicist and Nobel Peace Prize winner summarized this well. She said “Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that…. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.”

It is far too easy to allow circumstances to cripple us. And when they do, we can choose to accept them as insurmountable, henceforth hobbling on emotional crutches. Or we can look them squarely in the face and declare, as Mr. Pitt did, “I walk upon impossibilities!” Let me remind you again, with God nothing shall be impossible (Luke 1:37).

Like A Flood

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Sometimes God calms the storm. Sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms His child.

This past weekend, the weather here was horrendous. We were hit with the whole gamut of storm threats, including tornadoes, hail and flooding. In fact the hail stone pictured –or should I say hail boulder- was one of many that pounded this region. There was quite a bit of property loss in our area, but praise the LORD, there were no serious injuries.

I thought of the second half of Isaiah 59:19: When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him. However, the ancient Hebrew texts did not have commas, or paragraphs for that matter, so instead of reading:

When the enemy shall come in like a flood —the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him

the verse could just as easily read

When the enemy shall come in —like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.

What’s the difference? The difference is where you place the emphasis. Dear reader, when you are bombarded with the storms of life, do you focus more on the storm, or on the one who can calm it?

It is only natural to feel completely overwhelmed at times. Undoubtedly, many of the folks here that lost their homes in the tornadoes felt that way. I’m sure they could relate to the words of King David did when he penned the following:

My heart is in anguish within me;
the terrors of death have fallen on me.
Fear and trembling have beset me;
horror has overwhelmed me.
I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
I would hurry to my place of shelter,
far from the tempest and storm.
Psalm 55:4-8 NIV

But David didn’t stop there, allowing his situation to flood him with despair. Instead, he confidently proclaimed, “As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me” (verse 16).

Dear reader, I leave you with these encouraging words from the same Psalm; may they flood you with peace during your roughest storms.

“Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved (verse 22).

Spring Into Action

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“I don’t like to play in the dirt,” a friend recently told me. Obviously, she doesn’t share my enthusiasm for gardening. While I certainly respect her position, I’m a country girl at heart, and take my grandmother’s words seriously that, “A little dirt never hurt anyone.” Now that it’s spring, I get to do a lot of ‘playing’ and I’m quite pleased about that.

In fact, I find the feel of rich, dark soil in my hands to be rather therapeutic. There is just something incredibly wonderful in knowing that vigorous new life will soon spring forth from it, and I will have had a hand in that. What’s more, I never cease to be amazed at the miracle of life –even the life of a tiny new plant.

Whenever I see a teeny seedling that has broken through the ground, I can’t help but marvel at how it assumes a posture of praise -tiny new leaves stretched heavenward towards the light. Then, all the time and effort I previously spent preparing the soil, and tending to the seed, is forgotten in the same way a mother’s labor pains vanish at the very moment she sees her newborn chid’s face.

I can’t help but think that our Heavenly Father feels much the same way each time a soul climbs out of this world’s dirt and reaches for His light. Dear reader, our Heavenly Father does not need us to help tend His garden, yet He has given us the privilege of doing so until He gathers His harvest. God’s children all have a hand in planting the Gospel seed, and watering it, until vigorous life springs forth (I Corinthians 3:5-9).

Finally, brethren, let us not neglect to pray. If we are to see a harvest for God’s kindgom, this is the most important part of our labor. To quote Rudyard Kipling, “Adam was a gardener, and God, who made him, sees that half of all gardening is done upon the knees.”

Healing Honeycomb

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There’s been a lot of buzz lately about bees because they are mysteriously disappearing en masse. How tragic!

As you know, bees are necessary to pollinate food crops. And they produce sweet honey, which is exceptionally healthful to the body, as is the honeycomb it is stored in. In fact, the diverse medicinal properties of both have been utilized for thousands of years. Bees wax is also medicinal.  In fact, burning pure bees-wax candles helps clean toxins out of the air. The  list of its other beneficial uses is nearly as long as that of honey.

Because the bees are disappearing at a rather frightening rate, scientists are trying to breed super bees and manufacture artificial honey and honey-related products. The problem is, artificially created products are usually more detrimental than beneficial. For instance, artificial honey is nothing more than sugar, water and citric acid (invert sugar), which can create health issues and artificial bees-wax contains chemicals, which are toxic to the human body.

I am reminded of Proverbs 16:24, which states: Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones. I have personally experienced much encouragement and emotional healing from the pleasant words of others. However, I have also experienced the sting of pleasant, but insincere flatteries -like artificial honey- which made me feel good for that moment, but in the long run proved to be of no real value. I very much desire, therefore, that my own words be pure, sincere and healing to others.

“…. the difference is that instead of dirt and poison, we have rather chosen to fill our hives with honey and wax, thus furnishing mankind with the two noblest of things, which are sweetness and light.” ~Johnathon Swift

The Key to Peace

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It wasn’t until the toilet was flushing that I realized my car keys had fallen in. Normally, something like that would have really frustrated me, but I managed to laugh at my mishap instead. Then again, I knew that I could call my husband, and he would bring a spare set; which he did.

I hated to inconvenience him after a long day’s work, but at the same time, I was quite thankful to have someone watching out for me –someone to come to my rescue when I need it. Actually, this is not the first time my husband has had to bring me keys –although, flushing them down the toilet was a first.

Later, the LORD brought the following Scripture to my mind, and reminded me of some very important keys: I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven (Matthew 16:19).

Simply put, God has given kingdom authority to those in His family. Are you in His family? If so, you have been given everything you need to live a victorious life.

True, you may run into some obstacles along the way. You may even encounter circumstances that will overwhelm you to the point you lose sight of the right kingdom key to unlock the answer. When this happens, dear reader, you need only call upon the LORD. He is always watching out for His children and He will always come to your rescue.

Although He may rescue you in a dynamic, miraculous way; chances are He will hand you a spare key instead, and let you go about your business. Why? Like any good parent, your Heavenly Father uses every situation to your advantage –to help you learn and mature. Knowing this, you need never feel frustrated when things don’t go your way. You simply need to trust the LORD –that is the key to peace.

The Arbitrary Song of the Wind Chime

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photo: windandweather.com

Although quite windy, the weather was absolutely gorgeous. I had several errands to run that day, but they would just have to wait a little longer. Nothing seemed as important, at that moment, than stopping to enjoy the arbitrary song of the wind chime.

The tune varied from gust to gust, but each was distinctly beautiful. I couldn’t help but think: Sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth.¹ My heart swelled with joy as I breathed-in the fresh spring air and watched the trees dance to the song of the wind chime.

Then another pearl from God’s word came to mind: For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.²

It is true; we are living in very disturbing times. However, Scripture says: let all those that put their trust in thee [O LORD] rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield. ³

I don’t know about you, but that makes me want to sing for joy. My voice may not beautiful, and sometimes my songs are nothing more than spontaneous words of praise, but that which is not perfect can be beautiful too, like the arbitrary song of a wind chime.

¹Psalm 96:1
²Isaiah 55:12
³Psalm 5:11,12