"He wants us, like children, to keep an unreserved faith in Him, simply because He is God." [Pg 95] One of my greatest joys is spending time with my grandchildren. Unless you're a grandparent it's hard to explain how that relationship can become so special. Grandbabies just have the ability to turn your heart into mush ~ instantly. They bring back memories of the little one you nurtured so long ago. That's where grandbabies come in. Once a week our littlest grandchildren spend time with me and we have a movie night. Our choice that night was the movie, The Crippled Lamb. It's an animated feature created from a story by Max Lucado about a lamb who was born with a crippled leg. The lamb's deformity left him angry at God. He couldn't understand why God would let him be an object of scorn and teasing? Did God care about his suffering? As we watched I wondered: were our little ones able to process the story well enough to see the truth the crippled lamb had not yet seen? Did they believe Jesus was still good? Or did the movie leave them wondering why people have to suffer? After all, God could fix anything, right? At some point in life, if you haven't experienced it yet, you too will wonder why God allows suffering. It’s a question most Christians eventually ask. Sometime I will tell you about MY questions and the shouting-at I gave the Lord months after my mom died. But for now it's enough to say that everybody, every one of us, at some point, wonders WHY? As the movie came to a conclusion and we see a purpose in the lambs defect, my precious little one (the one I call Sweetness) spoke. She sat forward and looked at me and said, "I love Jesus." She was seeing God with compassionate eyes. She saw good in God even though the lamb did suffer. I questioned my old heart. Has it become dull? What's my point? Children get it right. They don't get confused by all the stuff adults throw into the mix when considering life. They get it right. They know we live. They know we suffer sometimes. And they know that God always, ALWAYS, loves them no matter what happens in their life. I need to work on renewing my heart ~ growing it into a fresh heart that lives by 'little-one faith.' How 'bout you?
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My husband and I have a unique experience this Thanksgiving. It's our first empty-nester holiday. Completely and solemnly ~ it's just us... The holidays can be such a blessing. But they can also be challenging when we're without one, some, or all our family. But, the blanks that are so big when a presence is missing we can readily fill-in with our heart. For example, I can imagine our son's smile even though his face cannot be seen in this picture. If you are like me missing a loved one this holiday, due to loss, or distance, circumstances (or perhaps even conflict) I offer this prayer for us. Our inspiration is 1 Corinthians 13.12 "For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known." Father, Lover of our life and Giver of hope, give us all we need this day for the sadness separation can bring. Give us the knowledge that all things here do not come with complete understanding and that in these days there is sorrow, there is strife, there is even missing. Yet, today as we remember all we are grateful for, may the memory of those who have gone ahead, or who are separated by time and distance, be more than just a dim image in our heart. May they be the inspiration, the evidence of your love and your constancy. On this, our day to be most thankful, I remember You Lord and all You have given me, including those precious souls I so dearly love. Whether near or far Lord, I still love them, and I still own the memories they have left in my heart. No matter how dim those images might seem right now, one day all will be BRIGHT, one day we will all be together again. Thank you, Father, thank you for loving me and for giving me those I can love. Amen. "I knew that when the breath of God had dripped off of me, I was not going back. I sensed in my gut that it wasn't an encounter that would shape my life: it was the encounter with God that would define my life." [Pg 84] We've entered the second half of our book, Anything. In this section we have an intimate view of a heart living full-out for God. Jenni's life, and everything in it, is focused on Him. She's a remarkable example, but how does that example look in our life? When you think of a life of submission what do you envision? Should EVERYTHING you do revolve around Christian service? Do you think it's possible to have a normal life with work, household chores, children, volunteering, sports, etc. and yet live full-out for God? What counts in our life when trying to be that ultimate testimony for Christ? In Matthew 5:14-16 we read Christ's words, "You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven." This passage is about character. Who you are in Christ. It's the truth that living for Christ in even the smallest and most ordinary ways, through all patterns of life ~ gives honor and glory to God. His testimony being visible in our life is a real form of disciple-making. When we represent God's principles people see how God's truth functions in real and tangible ways. Our actions, so much more than our words, testify to His love, our desire to honor Him, and HIS TRANSFORMATIVE POWER in the human heart. Christ said, '...so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.' It is this life, a life where all the tiny corners are FILLED with God's love and ways that glorifies God. That condition in our heart produces a desire to give all. So when the offer comes to submit, perhaps turning away from our own dreams, we can answer a resounding, "You bet!" "I want to get to heaven out of breath, having willingly done anything that you--God of the universe--ask . . . anything." [Pg 78] It doesn't seem possible that events which precipitated my mother's Alzheimer's diagnosis happened nearly 13 years ago. It seems like yesterday, but of course, it wasn't. As I mentioned last week, there are moments we tuck away which seem immune from the ravages of time. They remain vivid, as we experienced them, in all their glory ~ or agony. Thirteen years ago I had begun Bible college and had re-entered the work force to pay for that schooling. Our youngest son was doing well in school and my husband liked his job. It was a time when our family couldn't have wanted more, then the call came. In the days and weeks following that call the preparations to take on my mom's care ramped up. Work on her small home on our property was at full speed. And even though surrounding events had some order and path, the more time I spent with my mom the larger her deficits seemed. I finally made the difficult decision to quit my job. Although it would make Bible college impossible, I couldn't deny that she was unable to function well, but I believed that God would keep his promises ~ even though none of it looked possible anymore. Months later, when what was still ahead of me appeared larger than anything I could do, I walked around what would become mom's house. I prayed, I cried, I tried to understand. I had quit my job. I was dropping out of Bible college at the break. And my mom, she was dying of a terrible disease that I couldn't stop. My mind felt numb, my feet like weights. I looked down trying to will them to move, but they were frozen. Then on the sod under my feet, I saw an image of a road and the white centerline. Without a word, without questions, I understood I was in the center of God's plan. I knew that I was doing what pleased Him even though it had cost my dreams. Did my mom die? Yes. Did I have to quit Bible College. Yes. Did I learn lessons about life and death that are irreplaceable? Absolutely. So, it has been 13 years already. But those years have been filled with healing, growth, bible college, seminary, writing, prayer ~ and hope. I had said yes when it was really tough, but His will was the best thing I could have chosen. Have you made a difficult decision that put you in the middle of God's road? Have you given up something precious to do what you believed He wanted you to do? What did you learn from that sacrifice? ~ Andi "Not that long ago, I was eight years old." [Pg 63] Eight-years-old was a long time ago for me. But I have some special memories from that era that seem timeless in my heart. Do you have childhood memories that never seem to age? They are as real today as the day you tucked them away? Do you pull them out occasionally to give a look or re-live a feeling? If you do, then you are experiencing treasuring. Treasuring happens when we give a memory a special space in our heart. We honor it. We learn from it and may even let it shape our life. That treasure becomes precious not only for the memory it represents, but also because it becomes a tool God uses to help us grow. Here's an example from my life of how God uses that treasure. A recent medical concern brought me under the prayer covering of some ladies from our church. My concerns were so large, so scary, I just wasn't sure how to let God have it ~ and it showed. But when they gathered around me, when I was saturated with their passionate cries to God, calls for Him to release His power and grace ~ then the glory of God overtook me. He was visible in that moment, walking among us, touching us all. I have tucked that moment away because that experience of His power and presence will, in the years to come, remind me of God's power and love. That is what treasuring is all about. Is Christ our greatest treasure? Have you experienced an event so special, or difficult, that it became a treasure? Has God used that treasuring to change your life? ~ Andi |
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