Category Archives: Hope

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)

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).

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

A Little Pick-Me-Up

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As my son and I walked through the parking lot, he stooped to pick up a coin. “Cool; it’s a dime,” he said. “If it had been a penny I wouldn’t have bothered, but a dime – now that’s a different story.”

I guess he doesn’t know that a 1943-D bronze cent was recently sold for $1.7 million, or realize that certain other pennies have been sold for as much as $200,000 in recent years. Then again, I have no room to talk. There have been lots of times that I was too tired, lazy or busy to bother picking up a stray penny.

Aren’t you glad that God doesn’t take the same attitude when he decides to pick someone up after they have fallen? If people were coins, Jesus would consider every dull old penny every bit as valuable as a shiny new gold piece. And, He would search for every lost coin. Consider the parable of the woman who lost a silver coin, then searched diligently to find it.

Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin. In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:8-10 NIV).

I believe there is also rejoicing in heaven every time someone stops to help pick someone up who is lost or fallen because that is a reflection of Jesus’ heart. I pray that I never cease to recognize the value in every human life, and that I always avail myself to be the LORD’s arms extended.

After all, everyone could use a little pick-me-up now and then!

The End of the Matter

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Surely, you’ve heard the story of the young bride that always cut the end off a roast before she put it in the pan to cook? It is said that her husband asked, “Honey, why do you do that?” To which she replied, “I don’t know. My mother always did it that way, so I do it that way.”

This made the young bride curious enough to ask her mother, “Mom, why do you always cut the end of the roast off before you cook it?” Her mother answered in like manner, “I don’t know. My mother always did it that way, so I do it that way.”

By this time, her curiosity had really peaked. “Granny,” she asked the following week, “Why do you always cut the end of the roast off before you cook it?” Smiling sweetly, her grandmother answered, “Well dear, I always bought a big roast to feed a big family, but my roasting pan was too small. I had to cut the ends off the roasts so they would fit in the pan.”

Whoever first told this story was probably trying to make a point about the folly of following others blindly. Scripture speaks to that issue as well when it says if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch (Matthew 15:14). But that is not the point I wish to make.

I would like you to ponder this Scripture instead: But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear (I Peter 3:15).

Dear reader, if someone were to ask you why you believe as you do, are you prepared to open your Bible and answer them through Scripture? And if someone were to ask why you, as a believer, why do you do certain things, are you prepared to answer those questions also? It might not be in your best interest, or theirs, to say, “The church has always done it this way, so that’s how I do it.”

After all, there are many folks out there who are hungry for the truth and they want definitive answers. Telling them, “It has always been done this way,” is a bit like serving a roast with the end cut off – pointlessly lacking.

The Silence of Friends

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“In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”          

 – Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)

For some time, I was quite reluctant to join an online social network.  Although the invites came, I continued to decline them for various reasons including, but not limited to, the fear of privacy invasion.  Then one day, much to my surprise, I felt a stirring in my heart; I felt I should sign-up  and begin to connect with the friends and family that had gradually slipped out of my life. So I joined.

Truthfully, there are at least a dozen things I dislike about  social networks, but I’m not here today to complain about those. Rather, I want to share with you what I most appreciate about them; which is the opportunity to share in the lives of others.

You see, I have discovered that most people join  social networks in order to  have a “voice.”  In today’s world, cold and impersonal, many folks are simply looking for an opportunity to share the details of their lives, and to know someone cares enough to listen.  I find too, that in the non face-to-face environment of the internet, many folks are less reluctant to share with others their triumphs and their tragedies –to freely share their feelings of  sadness, fear and frustration, as well as their joy.

What better opportunity for us to fulfill the biblical precept to Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep (Romans 12:15).

Yes, I am thankful for the opportunity to pray for those in need, or to speak a word of encouragement to those who are down, even if I have never met them in person.  I know there will certainly be times that I will fail my friends. But as often as I am able, I truly desire to let my friends know that I do care about the details of their lives. And I pray that in the end, it will not be my silence that they remember.

Still, Small Voice

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And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him…. but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. (I Kings 19:9,12).

Finally, we have gotten some much needed rain. I’ve been praying for a gully-washer, but the rains that have come have been, for the most part, soft and gentle.

It is often the same way with God. There have been times that I prayed, feeling the need for God’s voice to be as loud and clear as a piercing boom of thunder. I wanted Him to pour down answers until they utterly saturated me, so I could in no way misunderstand what He was speaking to my heart. And yet, the answers sometimes came like more like a soft, refreshing rain –a few drops at a time, not overwhelming. I am reminded of something the Lord spoke to my heart several years ago. He said:

Sometimes I come like the softest rain, when the drops tap ever so lightly against the pane. These are they that please my heart: Those who hear my lightest tap –even in times when the sun is not shining brightly –even in the early morning hours when the world lay fast asleep. Those who will awaken to my lightest tap and say, enter Lord, I welcome you; these are they that please my heart.”

Today feels like one of those days. Precious Lord, let us hear your voice; we welcome you.

The Life-Guard

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Even Christians can feel overwhelmed and downcast at times. I felt that way as I sulked in the far corner of the swimming pool. There was only one other person in the pool and he and the lifeguard were having quite a chat.

“I could drown right here and you wouldn’t even notice,” I thought. Yes I can swim, that wasn’t the point. I was just miffed that the lifeguard was so engrossed in conversation that he wasn’t paying attention to his job. But that was just my bad attitude rearing its ugly head; I knew in my heart that the lifeguard was doing his job even if it didn’t seem so.

This scripture came to mind:

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. ~Psalm 42:11

It occurred to me that my frustrations ran deeper than a seemingly negligent lifeguard. The real issue was that I felt God himself was not paying attention to my needs. But that was just my carnal mind speaking. I KNOW with certainty that the Lord God is watching out for His children at all times regardless of what my tattered emotions say.

Jesus is not just a lifeguard standing by in case we start to sink, He is always there guarding every part of our lives whether we feel His presence or not. And He is never negligent! The Bible says to cast all our cares upon Him for He cares for us. I asked myself again: Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

I was given a fresh reminder that day; though our Heavenly Father guards our lives, we have a responsibility to guard our thoughts. Rather than letting our downcast emotions rule our thoughts, we must bring them into subjection. How? By praising God!