Month: January 2021

When I was a young girl, I took my first trip on an airplane.  In those days, there were no TSA security lines.  Airports had observation decks outside where you could watch the airplanes come and go even if you weren’t traveling.  And (believe it or not) being on an airplane was such a special occasion that people got dressed up for it.  All in all, flying was an enjoyable part of one’s trip. 

For all those reasons, my first flight was an exciting adventure.  But it was what I saw from my airplane window that left an indelible mark on my memory.  It was a dark and cloudy day when we started our journey.  I remember that only because when our plane ascended above the clouds, the sun was shining brightly!  I was young enough that I had no idea that was going to happen.  It made such an impression that I can still picture it clearly in my mind after all these years.  Not only was the sunlight beautiful, but the clouds stretched out like snow covered hills beneath me.  It looked like I could walk on them, and I pictured myself doing just that.  It was the greatest panorama that I had ever seen.  As I grew up and learned about the weather, I understood what I saw, but that never dampened the excitement of that experience.  

When dark clouds overshadow the skies, and all we’ve ever done was live on the ground below them, we may not know that the sun is shining brightly above them.  We may think that those storm clouds are all that’s there.  But when we are able to soar above them, we can see the brilliant light that was shining all along.  The clouds may have obscured it from our view, but they didn’t diminish it in any way.  From the ground, storm clouds are dark, grey, and foreboding.   But from the sky, they are dazzling white and inviting. 

Over the years that view from my plane window has helped me through many difficult situations.  Why?  Because it was a real-life reminder that no matter how dark and thick the clouds are, the light is still shining. 

Sometimes the clouds of doubt and fear hang drearily over our lives.  If all we know is life below those clouds, our eyes might get so acclimatized to the shadows that we accept them as ‘just the way things are’.  We might not be aware that the glorious light of God’s deliverance is shining just beyond them.  But when (like the pilot who flew me above the clouds) someone shows us God’s light, we begin to learn that we don’t need to be limited by the shadows anymore.  We can rise above those clouds of doubt and fear into the wonderful light of God’s liberty. 

My mind picture helps me, not only because I saw the brightness of the sun, but also the beauty of the clouds.  When we rise above the clouds of doubt and fear into God’s beautiful light, it changes our perspective.  We see that the storm clouds of life are not so threatening, that they are no match for God’s light.  Those clouds no longer need to overshadow our lives.  They can be like hills we cross on our life’s journey – maybe a little hard to climb sometimes, but the view from the top is always spectacular.

God’s light is always shining no matter how dark and dense the clouds are.  No matter how ominous the impending storm looks, God’s light is greater.  So much of life is conditioned by our viewpoint.  Why not set our sights high above the clouds of doubt and fear?  Why not allow the glorious light of God to illuminate our souls?  Why not expect to soar on the beautiful side of the clouds instead of cowering below them?  

With God, all things are possible. 

Note to my readers:  Enjoy your flight!  Thanks for reading. 

Note to my readers:

This week I wanted to do something a little different.  I wrote this story a few years ago for my sons.  I think this slightly modified version will bless you whether you are a father or not because the point of the story is something we all need to hear. 

A father held his newborn son, thanking God with every breath. Through tears of joy, he explored every feature of the tiny face, committing each perfect inch to memory.  He touched the little hands and marveled at the intricate detail of each miniature finger.  He assessed each toe, each leg, each arm, and ear.  And when he was satisfied that all was in order, he kissed the baby tenderly on the cheek.  “I’ve been waiting for you”, he whispered, “It seemed like it took forever, but now you’re here.”  From that moment, the father’s heart would never be the same.  He could scarcely contain the love he felt spilling out from every pore.  He would nurture and protect this fragile package with every ounce of his being.  Never had that father seen anything so wonderfully made.  He could hardly believe that this precious bundle belonged to him.  Over the next few hours, he watched each movement the baby made, ready to respond to the slightest need.  An unconditional bond was formed, and their souls were connected in an inseparable union. 

The father took his responsibility seriously.  He gently attended to each duty with eager anticipation, trying to make sure that his beloved son wanted for nothing.  Although he knew it was unavoidable, he hated to hear his baby cry.  “If I could, little one, I’d make it so you would never have to shed a tear,” he would often say as he walked the floor with his sleepless son. 

Each passing day, the loving father watched his child grow.  He thanked God for each new accomplishment and bragged to anyone who would listen.  Never had he seen a more perfect child.  He was the smartest infant ever!   As days turned into months, the father rejoiced at the changes he saw in his son: first that he could roll over, then that he could sit up, and all too soon, that he was walking.  Each achievement was met with hardy encouragement from the caring father, and being ever mindful of the learning process, he responded to each failure with comforting reassurance.

Words began a new chapter in both their lives.  For the precocious little boy, a brand new world of learning electrified his young mind.  For the father, it was not only an exercise in patience, but also a constant reminder of the importance of his role as a teacher.   He wanted his son to be smart and wise.  He would teach him to avoid the same mistakes that he had made.  He would instruct his son how to be just and true, to have virtue and praise, to be honest and respected, and to make good decisions.  He would show him the right way of believing and acting. 

Months became years that passed all too quickly.  And each year brought some sort of change to the father and son’s relationship.  Some changes were good, and some were not.  Sometimes it was a battle of wills, and sometimes it was sweet fellowship – and oh how the father loved those times!  He celebrated with his son in all his victories and stood with him through all his losses.  His help was never more than a phone call away.  However, through it all, the kind and loving father never forgot that moment when he first held his newborn son and how all his prayers were answered that day.  Oh, and that bond that was formed?  It could not be broken.

The point of the story is…  GOD IS OUR FATHER.    

Because a newborn baby evokes such a caring response in a parent (in anyone really), I often think that God sees us like one.  He sees us through a Father’s loving eyes, with tender compassion and a yearning desire to provide for us and protect us.  He sees us as innocent, pure, and completely in need of His nurturing love and extraordinary kindness.  And we can be like newborns before Him – depending on Him to fully provide for us and watch over us as we grow.  God is a Father who only wants the best for His sons and daughters.  He showers us with His grace and goodness, and He patiently guides our steps.  He is never more than a prayer away.  God’s love for us never fails and nothing can separate us from it. 

When times are tough, or even when they’re not, we need to remind ourselves how much we are loved by God, our Father.  It is an unconditional constant that we can rely on through any and every situation we face.  God’s love is unchanging, unstoppable, and unending. 

And God loves you!

End Note:  Here’s a challenge for you…  For the next 7 days, every time you look in the mirror, say to yourself, “God loves me.”  Forget about whether you think you deserve it or not, (we don’t, but God loves us anyway), just remind yourself that God loves you.  See what happens to your heart in a week. You may find that you want to continue this practice. 

Love to all.  Thanks for reading!   

It seems that one of life’s favorite games to play with us is ‘hide and seek’.  Life wants to play this game with us often, in different ways with varying degrees of difficulty. 

“Where are my keys?” is one of the most frequent versions of the game that life plays.  Glasses, wallets, pens, or TV remotes are also used in this version.  Life distracts us at just the right moment so that something ends up not in its usual spot and consequently we can’t find it.  Apparently, life thinks it’s funny to hide these things and watch us search high and low for them.  This version is usually played with us at home, work or sometimes in the car and usually has a successful outcome for us – after a modicum of frustration.    

A more complicated version is played with file cabinets, ‘safe’ hiding places, or computer storage.  We put that important document (paper or electronic) in the most logical place in the file, but when we want to retrieve it, it’s not there.  So, the hunt begins.  The degree of difficulty in this version depends on the length of time since life has hidden the document and the size of the area where it could be found.  We typically do find it eventually, but seldom without repeated rifling through many papers or computer files.  And how often does life hide something that we put in a special place for safe keeping? It’s almost like life is trying to keep it safe even from us!  In this version of the game, life seems to be mocking us. 

Then periodically life goes beyond misplacing things to actually losing them.  An earring falls off or a jacket gets left behind.  These scenarios involve seeking, but not always finding.  This version of the game is also played when you move.  Something inevitably gets lost during the process and may never be found.  In this version, life shows a little of its meaner side because of the length and futility of the searching we do.  Although this version of the game may be annoying, it can be winnable. Miracles do happen and things that are lost do get found on occasion. 

Life shows its meanest side by hiding the most important things from us.  Indispensable things like love, peace, companionship, deliverance, or other essential elements may elude us at times.  And our seeking for them can result in much disappointment.  We can’t always prevent life from hiding these things from us, but there are steps we can take to help us find them.

In just about everything we do, there are basic steps which can be mastered and applied to complex situations.  Let’s use the misplaced keys for an example.  Anger clouds our judgement and impatience overshadows our logic.  These two things actually hinder our search.  Either of these attitudes can cause us to ransack our house and affect disorder, which does not help us find our keys.  We must keep them under control.

Furthermore, complacency interferes with our seeking.  The attitude that the keys will find themselves with no effort from us, is an unrealistic expectation.  This may be apparent to us in this illustration, but maybe not so clear with regard to weightier matters.  We cannot just sit and wait for success to come to us.  We must act.

Another thing that never works is quitting.  This might seem obvious but think of the times discouragement has thwarted our progress.  When this happens, we have two options; give up or push through.  The decision made at this point makes all the difference.  When we push through, we have a chance of succeeding.  When we give up, we have no chance.  And if we quit, who knows if our next step would have revealed the location of the missing keys?

So, those are some things that don’t work, but what does?

First of all, whenever we are in seeking mode, we must maintain a positive expectation of finding.  This may not be too hard when looking for our keys because we know that they have to be there somewhere.  But what about seeking love?  Since love is not something we can see with our eyes, we might not be so confident that it is there.  But it is!  The Bible says that God is love.  So, where God is, love is.  Wherever we are seeking, love is there because God is everywhere.  Thus, we can allay that doubt.  The same is true for peace or joy or whatever quality we need in our lives.  The promises of God are true, and we can depend on them and remain steadfast in our quest.

We must also remember to seek patiently.  Life is very skilled at the game of hiding things.  I would go so far as to say that life is an expert hider.  So, if we don’t find what we’re looking for right away, we simply remind ourselves that we are up against a shrewd expert and keep seeking with the expectation of successfully finding our needed answer.  Life may be an expert at hiding things, but with God’s help we can be superlative finders! 

Some other steps to help us in our pursuit of life’s hidden treasures are having an organized strategy, using the right tools for the job, and maintaining relentless determination.  God will help us with all of these.  God guides our steps; prayer the BEST tool for any job; and “if God be for us, who can be against us?”

Whether life has hidden your TV remote or a much needed job, practicing these steps in your search will help you win life’s game of ‘hide and seek’.  Life may be a formidable opponent, but it is no match for you with God on your side!  We can beat life at its own game!! 

Note to my readers:  It’s mid-January 2021 already!  Time flies!  And time also has a way of healing our wounds.  Let’s believe together for a wonderful year ahead.  Thanks for being here! 

Have you ever watched a sporting event?  Better yet, participated in one?  There are life lessons that we can learn from athletic competitions.  Athletes are good examples of discipline and perseverance.   Successful athletes have developed the ability to push the limits of their potential and recover quickly from setbacks.  Any athlete will tell you that it’s all about practice, practice, practice!  And that physical training is intrinsically linked to mental training. 

You don’t have to be an athlete to adopt an athletic attitude in your life.  In all of our lives, we face daily competitions in our minds.  It is a competition between positive thoughts and negative ones.  Our competitions aren’t on a stage for all to see, they are within us – in our minds – against our own thoughts.  But when we tackle these challenges like an athlete and the positive thoughts win, that victory is as important to us as any gold medal. 

Athletes repeatedly practice their skills, which takes mental and physical discipline.  We can train our minds to hold on to the positive thoughts and let go of the negative rhetoric by repeatedly choosing to do so.  We discipline ourselves to control our thoughts, so that we can think positively and not allow the negatives of life to overcome us.  With practice and perseverance, we can develop a habit of regularly confessing positives.  Just like athletes, we won’t win every time, but with practice we will learn to handle situations productively by our convictions. 

Our bodies are supposed to obey our minds.  When we discipline our minds, we take control of our bodies.  Bad habits are formed by our bodies not following that plan.  For example, I have a giant sweet tooth.  If my tastebuds had their way, I would have donuts for breakfast, cookies for lunch, cake and ice cream for dinner, and a candy snack in between.  I know that it’s unhealthy to eat that way, so my mind must overrule my sweet tooth’s demands and I must discipline my sweet tooth to listen to reason.  As long I keep the mental and physical in proper order, I can control those cravings.  This takes a deliberate decision, practice, and thinking like an athlete. 

Mental discipline also governs our moods and emotions. Some people think that controlling their emotions means having none.  If you are anything like me, that is not possible.  But there is a fine line between controlling our emotions and our emotions controlling us.  I think this is easy to understand if we think about anger.  We all recognize that anger needs to be contained.  And this is done by utilizing our disciplined thinking to keep that emotion under control.  Other emotions / moods can be handled in this manner as well.  There will be times that we are sad, but we can’t stay sad.  When we are ready, we must decide to put that sadness behind us.  On the other end of the spectrum, we want to be happy.  Happy is not a bad thing.  But we can’t allow happy* to be the deciding factor.  Again, looking at my sweet tooth.  Eating sweets makes me happy.  But the repercussions of allowing that happiness to be in charge are obvious.  When we govern our emotions, we can be happy without happy being in control.  (*point of clarity – “happy” used here is in the context of it being derived from external sources, which can actually drive people to obsession if left unchecked.  This happy is not the same as contentment, joy, or satisfaction that comes from inside us)

Athletic competitions give us good mind pictures to help us in our contests.  For example, I often picture a hurdler when I think about life.  As we are running the race of life there will be hurdles.  But if we maintain our stride, we can get over them.  What about the team who is losing at half-time, but rallies in the second half to win the game?  Isn’t that victory even more victorious?  We also can rally in a situation that seems to be beating us, and win in the end.  And those are such rewarding victories!   Think about ice skaters who fall during their performances.  We admire them because they get up and continue skating.  We can have that same kind of determination to not quit when we fall.  Like those skaters, if we get knocked down, we can and must get ourselves up and try again. 

Think about sports movies.  Several of those are on my favorites list.  Why?  Not because I’m such a great sports fan, but because they depict the underdog succeeding.  The person or team that looks like they don’t stand a chance, WINS against the opposing bully!  And when that happens, we cheer and rejoice.  I’ve been in theaters when the whole audience actually applauded and shouted out loud.  We rejoice at those movies because we identify with those characters.  We know that there are times in life when we are the underdogs.  When it doesn’t look like we have a chance of succeeding against that one particular bully who is opposing us at every turn.  But we can win by our positive conviction, our dedication to prayer, and God’s help!  Then when we get our victory, everyone celebrates just like in the movies. Defeating the bully is a universally satisfying win. 

Like an athlete, through practice, we must discipline our minds and bodies so we can successfully meet the challenges of life.  Athletes compete against other athletes or against assigned obstacles or both.  We compete against negative influences in our minds so we can maintain a positive lifestyle.  Athletes receive trophies, medals, or monetary rewards for their success.  We receive a life well lived.  Sometimes the whole world celebrates an athlete’s victory.  Many times, we are the only ones who know about ours.  However, even though our victories may not bring us recognition or fame, they make a difference in our lives, which can be far reaching.

Any one of us can be a great athlete in the competition in our minds.  Through practice, we can train our minds to expand our possibilities and overcome our adversities.  Whatever our challenge is, we can be champions when we have determination, prayer, and God’s help.  We can think like an athlete with discipline and perseverance, and we can stand in the winner’s circle on the podium of our positive conviction. 

Note to my readers:  I don’t want to sound like a broken record, (I wonder if young people will get that reference??) but again I thank you for continuing to read my writings.  I certainly hope that they are blessing you, uplifting you, and giving you a fresh perspective.  You are the best!! 

As far back as I can remember, New Year’s Day has been celebrated as a new start.  The new year would hold promise that everything would be better.  The new year would open vistas of new possibilities to explore and new opportunities for change.  In this current climate, we certainly hope all that is true for 2021.  But we also know that there is no fairy-tale remedy that occurs just because we turn a page on the calendar. 

The nature of the human body is to heal itself.  Any doctor would attest to that.  It is the way we were designed.  Medical practices are basically intended to work with that fact.  So also, is the nature of life.  It is designed to recover from calamities.  Think of how trees grow again after a forest fire.  Even without man’s help, nature’s determination is to restore itself.  All kinds of hurts in life can get better with proper care and time – a broken heart, a financial wound, a crippling blow.  We can recover from many conditions by working with this innate principle of healing and having the right treatment plan. 

There is no ‘one size fits all’ treatment regimen that will cure all that ails us.  But there are keys we can utilize to facilitate a successful outcome of whatever our ailment is.  Believing and patience are two of those keys.

Believing is not wishing.  We cannot sit on our laurels and do nothing and expect results.  For example, if we want to lose weight or get in shape, we can’t sit on the couch all day and wish for it to happen.  We all know that won’t work.  And we all know what it takes to make that goal happen.   What about other conditions?  Do we wish for a solution or do we believe?  The primary difference between the two is action.  Wishing is thinking that a solution will somehow magically come and fix things; believing is pursuing the solution until you get it.      

To believe is a verb.  A verb denotes action.  Believing action produces results.  If I said to you, “make a peace sign with your fingers”, and you did it, that is a result of believing. You believed the words I said, and you believed that you could do it, so you did it.  It’s that simple.  Notice that I said, ‘simple’.  It is always simple, but it’s not always easy.  The difficulty in believing comes from the opposing evidence we receive or perceive.  If your arm were paralyzed, that evidence would make it much harder to believe to make a peace sign, however, not impossible.  Or if you were told all your life that you couldn’t make a peace sign, that perception would interfere with your believing results as well.

Believing is a principle that works.  But we must understand that believing can be either positive or negative, (negative believing is fear).  Both produce their respective results, so we must be careful to keep our believing positive and not allow fear to have a place in our lives.  Maintaining a positive believing attitude will bring positive solutions to our problems.  But those solutions may not be instantaneous.  What then?  This is when patience is needed. 

Patience is basically not giving up on our believing.  When faced with an obstacle, often initially we are confident that we can overcome it.  But when our attempts start to fail, our confidence wanes.  Patience enables us to keep trying.  Patience tells us not to quit.  Patience tells us that we can succeed.  Patience allows us to have peace in the midst of adversity.

So, if you are hoping that the new year will bring great change and deliverance in your life, go for it!  Not just because it’s a new year, but because you have positive believing that you will succeed.  You understand that the nature of life is to restore itself.  And you can patiently carry on until you receive your victory.  Life is full of new beginnings, grab yours now.

Oh, and one more thing… don’t forget to say thanks for your success.

Note to my readers:  Here’s to a prosperous and blessed 2021!  Thank you for continuing with me on my journey.