Seeking comfort

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.

– 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

We are comforted because we need a blessing, because we are heartbroken, because God loves us, we are comforted to comfort others.

The God of the Bible is one of compassion, He comforts us when we go through trials.

But it doesn’t stop there. God doesn't bless us with His presence and comfort of His Spirit because we are somehow better than everyone else.

No, He comforts us to equip, empower, and encourage others.

Our troubles give us a vocabulary to help others who are going through the same thing!

We may think that our circumstances make us unable to minister, but the Scripture tells us that the very weight around our neck can become the launching pad for ministry to others.

There is something about comfort that cannot be fully realized until it is shared with someone else.

It is that final step in the healing process of grief, disappointment, hurt, and loss.

Until we share the comfort we have received, until we pass it on to another, our comfort is weak and shallow and limited.

Where others see failure and struggle, God sees the qualifications to be used mightily.

Have a blessed day!

It is well with my soul

Man it has been a rough week for me personally.

As many of you know, my mother has Alzheimer’s disease and this week has been a record setting week for phone calls from the nursing home. 

Think of it as getting calls from the principal’s office about your child misbehaving.

This is a terrible disease.  I can’t imagine what it would be like to go through every minute of every day confused.  It is hard on the family too because in many cases the patient becomes verbally or physically abusive, non-compliant and just difficult to be around.  Everyone tells me that it is not her, it is the disease, but that does not make it any easier for my heart.

As all of you know, my youngest son will be leaving for the Army on Monday morning. Oh goodness. . .  proud mommy, scared mommy, sad mommy. 

I warned him last week that I would probably be crying at least once a day this week. 

I have followed through on that promise.

Most of you also know that I work with a non-profit organization that fosters cats and kittens. We take them in, socialize them and love them, get them “snipped & chipped”, then find homes for them.  I have had 67 foster kittens through my home since I joined the group in September 2014. Yes, it is hard to let them go to their new families after loving on them for weeks, especially the ones that are born at my house or the ones that I bottle fed, but it is a good feeling knowing that I made a difference in their lives. What is harder is when you get one that is sickly and you try everything in your power to save them, but they die anyway.

I held one of my little foster kittens last night for like 5 hours, keeping her warm, trying to get liquids in her, pouring all my love and strength into her.

She crossed the rainbow bridge this morning.  She will get a place of honor among the others I have lost in the back yard. Please don’t tell me it was “just a cat”, because these are my little fur babies.  Each one has a unique personality and I become very attached to them.

FaceBook has this cool thing where you can look back and see what you posted “On This Day” if you posted anything in previous years. . .  it’s kind of cool sometimes.  In 2012, August 19^th was a Sunday, and those were the days when I posted “what I learned in church today” every week.  I posted the lyrics to the song “It Is Well With My Soul”. 

Holy catfish. I needed that today.  Bear with me, I am just going to paste the whole thing here because it is a lesson worth revisiting.

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Horatio G. Spafford was a successful lawyer in the late 1800’s in Chicago. His only son died at the age of four from scarlet fever in 1871, then he lost everything and was ruined financially in the great Chicago fire. In 1873 he decided to take his wife and daughters to Europe, but he was delayed by business and sent his family ahead. While crossing the Atlantic, the ship collided with another and sank in 12 minutes, all four of Spafford's daughters died. His wife Anna survived and sent him the now famous telegram, "Saved alone . . .". Shortly afterwards, as Spafford traveled to meet his grieving wife, he was inspired to write these words as his ship passed near where his daughters had died.
What power do we find, what can we learn from these words? 
*We have all been there. 
Psalm 40:1-3 - I patiently waited, Lord, for you to hear my prayer. You listened and pulled me
from a lonely pit full of mud and mire. You let me stand on a rock with my feet firm,
and you gave me a new song, a song of praise to you. Many will see this, and they will honor and trust you, the Lord God.
We have ALL faced times of difficulty, trial and despair. Financial trials, depression, death, divorce – we are not immune. We are not promised a rose garden every day of our earthly life. What we do know is this: 
*Christ has been there
Jesus has walked this walk. There is neither a place that we have been nor a place that we will go that He was not there, paving the way for us. Jesus cried out on the cross “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”, that is straight out of scripture – Psalms 22:1. 
*He will be there with us
Jesus walks every step of the way with us. 
Psalms 62:8 - Trust God, my friends, and always tell him each one of your concerns. God is our place of safety.
Psalms 46:1-3 - God is our mighty fortress, always ready to help in times of trouble. And so, we won’t be afraid! Let the earth tremble and the mountains tumble into the deepest sea. Let the ocean roar and foam, and its raging waves shake the mountains.
Philippians 4:7 - Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel.
How could we ask for more? So, sit back, give it to God and make sure that all is well with your soul.

Even though my heart is full of pain and sorrow today, it is well with my soul.

Thank you God.

Have a blessed weekend. 

Letting Go

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.

Deuteronomy 7:9

This is the last weekend that I will have my youngest son at home until Christmas. (see the tears?)

Letting go of adult children is a struggle for all parents.

Biblically, we know that God takes the role of the parent very seriously.

Parents are to raise children in the “training and instruction of the Lord,” not frustrating or exasperating them (Ephesians 6:4). We are to “train a child in the way he should go” (Proverbs 22:6), giving him good gifts (Matthew 7:11), loving and disciplining him for his sake (Proverbs 13:24), and providing for his needs (1 Timothy 5:8).

At the heart of the difficulty of letting go of our children is a certain amount of fear - the world is a scary place, and the numerous stories of terrible things happening increase our fears.

Perhaps nothing on earth is more testing of our faith than the time when our children begin to sever the bonds that have held them close to us.

Letting go of children doesn’t mean simply turning them loose in the world to fend for themselves.

It means turning them over to our heavenly Father who loves them more than we ever could, and who guides and guards them according to His perfect will.

The reality is that they are His children; they belong to Him, not to us - He has loaned them to us for a while and given us instruction on how to care for them, but eventually, we have to give them back to Him and trust that He will love them and nurture their spirits in the same way we have nurtured them physically.

So what is the parents’ role as children become adults?

Certainly we never ‘let go’ of them in the sense of abandoning them.

We are still their parents and always will be.

Just because we no longer nurture and guard them physically, we are still concerned for their welfare.

Most importantly, we pray for them.

We encourage them in their walk with God, offering advice when asked, offer help if it is needed and accept their decision to receive it or reject it.

When parents finally do let go of adult children, they often find a stronger, deeper, and more fulfilling relationship than they ever could have imagined.
Now if I could just convince myself that all the above is really true, maybe I could let go with fewer tears.

Have a blessed day!

Got a light?

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

—John 8:12

Song reference!!!

Light of the World, You stepped down into darkness
Open my eyes, Let me see
Beauty that made This heart adore You
Hope of a life Spent with You

Here I am to worship, Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that You're my God
You're altogether lovely, Altogether worthy
Altogether wonderful to me

We can stumbling around in the dark or we can be overjoyed to find a flashlight to guide us from meeting  any unexpected "critters" in the world.

Our joy, however, is far greater at finding Jesus, who illuminates our hearts on our darkest nights, illuminates our future with His coming glory, illuminates our path with His words of truth, and illuminates our hope with the dawning of each new day.

Find His light in your world – you will be pleased how it overcomes the darkness.

Have a blessed day!

Passing judgment

When they kept on questioning him, He straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her [the woman caught in adultery]."

—John 8:7

These days we sure find it easy to identify the sin of others.

We are quick to judge others and share our opinions with the world, regardless of if we are right or wrong.

Stop it!

God wants to remind us of how important it is to take a rigorously honest inventory of our own faithfulness.

He wants us to deal with our own sin before we evaluate anyone else.

Kind of a “clean up your own backyard” type thing . .  .

Have a blessed day! 

Cherish each moment

For this world in its present form is passing away.

—1 Corinthians 7:31

“To everything there is a season.”

“You reap what you sow.”

“You can’t take it with you.”

“Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.”

There are so many verse and sayings that revolve around stuff and time . . .

Notice that this theme is often repeated in the New Testament and from the lips of Jesus.

Shouldn’t that be a reminder that we shouldn't spend our lives working for what is temporary?

Cherish every single moment.

Have a blessed day!

What have you scattered?

Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.

—Acts 8:4

School is back in session for some – for others it will be starting in the next few days.

So many emotions!  The parents who are happy that they don’t have to hear “I’m bored!”, the kids grumbling that they have to go to bed early, do homework and all those terrible things, the parents who are sending their kids off to college or the military.

We all know what we teach our kids at home, but what happens when we are not with them?

Over the summer, many of us had campfires and cookouts.

Have you ever watched the flames when a gentle breeze hits? 

The sparks fly upward and ride upon the wind, spreading the flame far and wide.

When we raise our children knowing God, when they are out of our site, we hope that they become the spark.

These sparks are used by God to spread the message wherever they go.

Each believer is a spark driven on the Divine Wind of God's empowering Spirit.

Have a blessed day!