Unexpected Joy...

 Psalm 30:5 (NLT)

Weeping may last through the night,

but joy comes in the morning.

How can I possess unhindered joy?  Is that truly possible?  I read about great men and women of faith, both in the Bible and beyond, who were able to praise God even in the midst of great trials.  I pour over the Scripture, finding reference after reference to our having joy in the Lord, but what does this mean and how do I truly take hold of this joy?

I ventured out of the safety of my house into public for the first time in six weeks this Tuesday.  I had to get some routine blood work done, and was required to go to a lab.  After I had finished, I sat in the car, removing my mask and gloves and wiping everything down in sanitizer and disinfecting wipes, and could feel a sense of fear creeping over me.  I pulled out of the parking lot and was waiting at a traffic light to turn onto the main roadway, when I happened to look up at the electronic marquee for the plaza.  From time to time I have seen Bible verses displayed there, and today I again saw one.

Exodus 14:14 (NIV) 

The Lord will fight for you; 

you need only to be still.

I can't fight my battles on my own, I'll always be defeated.  And in the same way, I can't "manufacture" joy on my own.  He fights for me.  He leads me.  He stands in the gap for me, interceding on my behalf, giving me a joy that surpasses understanding and supersedes how I am feeling in the day to day.

If I am searching for joy, for hope, for strength and hoping to find these here on earth, I will be sorely disappointed.  If there is any lack of joy in my life right now, it's my own fault!  God gives to me freely, everything I need to have joy, but I often choose to look the other way.  My own agenda trumps out everything else and it blinds me.

Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Walking through my own yard the other day, I could sense the Lord telling me to "just be still."  He brought to my attention some of the brilliant-colored tulips that are still blooming...the final glory of spring on display.  These are the tulips my brother gave to me, years ago, before he passed away, and their annual appearance is like a precious gift to me.  

God brings unexpected joy into our lives.  He gives us reason to be joyful, even when we don't feel  it or when it seems to be the most unlikely timing.  He gives joy that is far more than just a fleeting emotion.  I pray that today, you will encounter His unexpected joy, and that you will allow Him to speak to your heart.  He offers us this joy as a free gift, but first, we have to let go of our control, believe in Him and in His promises, and accept it.

John 15:9-11 (ESV)

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

Night Vision...

I happened to catch a few minutes of a cartoon that Eva was watching the other day.  Two birds were talking about flying at night.  One of the birds, an owl, could see well.  The other bird, a puffin, could not.

What a terrifying feeling it is to be in total darkness.  How disorienting it is when you can't see your own hand in front of your face.  How debilitating it is to feel trapped, helpless, unable to move in any direction!

Don't we find ourselves in this place sometimes in our lives?  Caught up in darkness, unable to make progress in any direction.  Something unexpected happens in our lives and it renders us incapable of any action.

I think of this feeling, and then of the many references in Scripture to Christ being "The Light", and I remember all the times He has lifted me out of my pit of despair and hopelessness and allowed me to see again.  While we are living on this imperfect Earth, it is to be expected that we will experience trials and difficulties.  Our vision and ability to see beyond the here and now is certainly clouded by our feeble human minds and our selfish human nature.

This morning, under the warm and cloud-free sky, the girls brought the four little swallowtail butterflies they have been keeping alive for days outside for the first time.  In the house, the butterflies barely even attempted to fly. We thought that perhaps one would be able to, but were not sure.  But as their little wings soaked up the sunlight, they all, one by one, took flight, flying high into the sky.  It was a glorious moment...the girls were just beaming to see them doing exactly what they were created to do.

Isn't that exactly the kind of freedom we
are given when we ask Jesus into our hearts?  Up until that moment, we are blinded by the sin and darkness of this world, unable to live truly free.

I looked around me everywhere today and I saw so much evidence of His love for me.

God, as long as I am living and breathing on this Earth, give me night vision.  Help me to see You clearly through the darkness that is sin.  Light up my life and my heart so that I might live, freely and unencumbered by the heaviness that threatens to weigh me down.  Take my cares and burdens and give me eyes to see only You and Your glorious Light.  Guide me and help me each step of the way.  I thank YOU for bringing Light and Hope to even my darkest days.  In Jesus Precious Name, Amen!

Give Me Eyes To See...

 Oh the thrill of 1,000 tiny pieces, all dumped out on the table, just waiting to be assembled!  With the many long days and weeks of quarantine, we have done more than our fair share of puzzles lately!  It's easy to get frustrated when working on a complex puzzle.  You know it's going to turn out well at the end, but getting all those pieces to go together properly...well that's a different story!

God, give me eyes to see the finished picture.  You have an eternal perspective, an understanding of how this story all plays out.  When I don't have the faith to trust in Your plan, walk with me, guide me, give me fresh insight and increased dependence on You.

Right now, as I'm looking around me, I see a jumbled up mess.  I wonder how it will all turn out. 

Trusting in Me doesn't mean you'll always see the big picture...

Oh God, how often I forget this!  Forgive me for always wanting an explanation, an answer...  Help me just to trust!

Eva was struggling to get her hat and gloves on tonight.  No matter how many times she tried to pull each glove on to her little hands, she'd end up with two fingers in the same hole.  She was getting more and more upset, and I called to her..."Let me help you."

All she ever had to do was ask for help.  And don't we all do the exact same thing?  We get so wrapped up in our problems...in trying to figure things out on our own, that we forget to ask God for help. And He wants to help us!

Give me eyes to see, dear God, how I am never alone.  You know my struggles, my problems, my weaknesses.  You dealt with the exact same things when you were here walking the earth.  Give me eyes to see and  a strong enough faith to trust You even when things don't make sense, when I'm losing strength and hope. 

My Children Are So Frustrating...

My Thoughts at the end of a long day....

These days are endlessly long...and no matter what I do, it never  seems to be enough to satisfy my children.  If I make them five things for dinner, three of them are asking for something different.  If I play with them for an hour, they want me to play for two.  If I read them 20 books, they want 10 more.  There are moments that they play nicely together for a time, but then they are bickering and fighting about the silliest things.  And it makes me so sad.  I just want them to get along...to see that there are so many more important things going on around them.  I want them to love each other.  I give them so much, every single day, from the minute I wake up to the minute I fall exhausted into bed, but so often it still feels like it hasn't been enough.  Instead of noticing all that I am doing for them, how much I love them, all the ways I care for them, they tend to ignore it all and just focus on the things they aren't getting or aren't happy with.  My children are so frustrating sometimes.  If only they could see things from a different perspective.


God's Thoughts at the end of a long day...

With every passing day, I long for my children to cry out to Me for help.  But the days are passing by one after another and often they don't even give Me a second thought.  No matter what I do, it never seems to be enough to satisfy my children.  If I send five blessings their way, they overlook them and start asking for something different.  If I draw near to them and surround them with My peace and rest, they still want more.  If I bring verses to mind to encourage them or a song on the radio to lift their spirits, they forget all about it after a very short time.  There are times that they get along, don't bicker over their different points of view, but then they go back to fighting about the silliest things.  And it makes Me very sad.  I created them for so much more than this!  I just want them to get along...to see that there are so many more important things going on around them.  I want them to LOVE each other.  And I want them to have a relationship with Me.  I give them so much, every single day, from the minute they wake up to the minute they fall exhausted into bed at night.  And even all through the night, I am with them.  But so often, it is still not enough for them to really crave a deep relationship with Me.  Instead of noticing all that I am doing for them, how much I love them, all the ways I care for them, they tend to ignore it all and just focus on the things they aren't getting or aren't happy with.  My children are so heart-breakingly frustrating sometimes.  If only they could see things from a heavenly perspective.

* * * * * * 

I've been watching my girls care for our poor little too-early butterfly all week.  He was never able to fly and the weather has been so cold, he would have died outside anyway.  Each day, several times a day, they pick a few dandelions from the yard and drizzle them in some homemade nectar which he slurps up through his proboscis.  It is so very sad, because I know his days are numbered.  His wings grow more tattered every day.  His life will soon come to an end without ever experiencing the exhilaration of flying through the sky or landing on flowers to collect his own meals.  He was created to be so much more than this...

And I've watched my daughters, so lovingly care for him.  They want him to be as well-fed and well cared for as they can possibly manage in this less-than-ideal situation.  It reminds me so much of how God is watching over us, as we live out our lives in this sin-broken world.  He has created us for so much more than what we see in the here and now.  He never intended us to live in bodies that get sick and die.  He never intended us to be at war with each other constantly.  And in spite of our sometimes inhospitable surroundings, we can still flourish under His loving care and attention.  And we still have a hope of spending our eternity with Him in Heaven one day. 

Give us eyes to see, oh God, how much love you pour out on us, day after day.  Help us to focus on all that we have, not on the things we think we still need.  Help us never to forget all that You have done and continue to do for us.  You have given everything for us.  I thank You for reminding me of this today.  Help me not forget it.

Where Did You See God Today?

Where did you see God today?
In the colors of the sunrise...
In the songs of the birds...
In the new spring flowers and leaves bursting forth on the trees...

Did you see Him through the kind words or actions of a neighbor or friend?

Did you see Him through the eyes of a child?

And if you didn't see Him at all today, where might you have missed Him, because He was there...

Yesterday, our family ventured out for a hike in the woods.  We enjoyed the fresh air, the signs of spring all around us, and we were treated to a special surprise when we arrived back at home.  One of our swallowtail butterflies that had been in a jar in our garage and had been locked up in a chrysalis since last summer had hatched.  Seeing that beautiful butterfly was like witnessing a miracle.  To think that it could live for all that time and emerge now, in absolute perfection and beauty, was just astonishing. 

Don't we all-too-often fail to recognize the ways that God works and is working in our lives.  Don't we fail to see that sometimes we must wait, for a long time, before we see the evidence of His plan and His working? 


May we each have patience to wait.
May we each have wisdom and trust when we don't understand what is happening around us.
May He give us eyes to see Him, and to know that He is there even when we can't.

Dear God, we thank you for this new day.  We thank you for the miracles You are working around us, both great and small, every single day.  Please give us eyes to see You.  Give us faith, to believe, even when we don't understand the things that are happening around us.  And give us patience to wait on You, on Your perfect timing and plan, and to know that You are always working for our good.  Help us to see you today.  Amen.

Our Burden-Bearer

I've been enjoying many hours of light- hearted fun with the kids while we are locked down during the pandemic.  We've been playing cards and board games, reading books together, watching old home movies, doing puzzles, making many crafts, coloring the entire driveway in chalk, blowing homemade bubbles, going for family walks almost every day, and baking way too much!  But in spite of the continued busy days, there is a great heaviness always hanging in the background.  The knowledge that these days are very different...very uncertain and even sometimes frightening...is never far from our thoughts.

We are all facing a new and never-before-experienced "burden"...that of sickness, of isolation, of financial instability, of all our regular routines stripped away.   And in the midst of all of this new and added stress, the heavy burden of our fallen nature, our helplessness to make things better, our loss of control, remains....but this weekend we celebrate Easter....

I could not think of a more appropriate time to be reflecting on the sacrifice that Jesus made for us, and on His resurrection from the dead.  Indeed many of us are hoping for the day that we will experience, the world over, a sort of "resurrection" from this newly imposed imprisonment in our homes.  There is a pressing burden...our hearts are heavy...we feel alone....

Let us reflect on the words of Isaiah, remembering what Christ has already done for us.


Isaiah 53:4-6
Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.  But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He is our Burden-Bearer.  He has taken EVERYTHING...ALL of our sins, ALL of our shame, every misstep...all on His own shoulders.  I can tread lightly, live freely, and have hope eternal because of Him!  It reminds me so much of what we are experiencing right now with this pandemic.  I live my life with constant reminders of sin always around me, and yet I am free.  We live right now with constant reminders of the virus all around us, and yet even in our isolation, we can still draw near to God and know that He is with us.  We are NOT alone, and He is at the ready to carry every one of our burdens for us.  

I read a beautiful prayer from the book "Piercing Heaven" tonight.  The prayer is entitled, 'Casting My Burdens on Jesus' and I want to share a few excerpts:

Yes, blessed Jesus, I would cast all upon you: sins, 
sorrows, trials, and temptations.  You are the Almighty 
Burden-bearer of your people, for the Lord Jehovah has 
laid on you the iniquity of us all.

And as you bear all our sins, so you carry all our sorrows.  
And do you not bear every one of your redeemed?  Do
you not bear all our troubles, temptations, trials, and difficulties?
The government is upon your shoulder.  
The care of the church is all with you.

So will I not cast all my care upon you?  Will I worry about
many things, while Jesus says, "Cast your burden upon the
Lord, and he will sustain you"?

Lord give me grace to let loose all things, and to leave
all things with you.  Lord, bear me up when I am falling,
support me when weak, uphold me against all my enemies,
carry me safe through a life of grace here.  And finally,
bring me home to your glory, to behold you, and dwell
with you forever, amen.  

~Robert Hawker

Finding Rest

I was preparing this talk for a MOPS group for months, but was never able to give it due to the pandemic.  I hope that by recording it, others will be encouraged who otherwise would not have heard it.  Feel free to share!



Blessings!

Shelley

Shouting Our Praises!

We let the kids watch a short video about Palm Sunday this morning.  This wasn't our typical Palm Sunday celebration by any stretch of the imagination.  Never could we have conceived being in a global lock down due to a pandemic.  After watching the video, I did a short story with the kids about Job.  We read about how he was inflicted with so many tremendously difficult circumstances, and yet after he was left broken and without his precious family or any of his possessions , he was still praising God.  I challenged the kids to think about how we can praise God, even in our difficulties and asked them to think about things throughout out day that we still have to be thankful for. 

As Jesus was riding the donkey into Jerusalem that morning, throngs of people gathered, shouting "Hosanna!"  "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"

We are SO blessed....  As we spent time together today in the beautiful, warm sunshine, I couldn't help but think of ... "Hosanna!" 

God, I shout out my PRAISES to You, even in this great storm.  Even on my hardest days, You bless me beyond measure.  Shouldn't I start every day with this kind of praise?  Shouldn't I acknowledge first, all that I have, before I start fixating on what I do not?

Perhaps God is allowing all of us to go through a time like this to give us a different perspective on things.  Oh that we would not squander the opportunity we have, now more than ever, to re-prioritize, to refocus, to consider His significance in our lives...

A dear friend shared with me some verses from Psalm 27 yesterday...and I want to share them here with you...

Psalm 27 (KJV)

vs. 1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

vs. 4-5 One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

vs. 7-8 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me. When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.

vs. 13-14 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.

Always Faithful...

I happened to see a flag flying today that caught my eye. It was the flag of the Marine Corps and as it flapped proudly in the wind I could read the words, "Semper Fi"....Always Faithful.  To a Marine, this signifies a faithfulness to their Corps, their Country and to fellow Marines.  And as I looked at the world around me, I thought about how perfectly this phrase also describes God...

Always faithful...

Psalm 113:2-3 (NIV)

Let the name of the Lord be praised,
both now and forevermore.
From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
the name of the Lord is to be praised.

I see the beauty of spring unveiling everywhere now...leaves, flowers, green grass.  The balance and predictability of this phenomenon, all occurring in a time where NOTHING seems predictable or sure anymore, is just breathtaking.  Nature has not stopped moving forward, one day at a time, just as it was designed so perfectly to do, because we are caught up in a global pandemic.

Always faithful...

Every day, just as it has from the day it was first created, the sun rises in the east and makes its way across the sky to its setting place in the west.  Do I ever doubt this?  Will I question as I fall asleep tonight whether the sun will rise again tomorrow morning?  

Isaiah 45:5-6 (NIV)
I am the LORD, and there is no other;
there is no God but Me. I will equip you for battle,
though you have not known Me, so that all may know,
from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting,
that there is none but Me; I am the LORD, and there is no other.

Always faithful...

Psalms 119:90 Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast.

Nothing in this scenario of global disease and panic has changed God's faithfulness to me.  He is the same through all of this.  In His promises I can always trust, now and forevermore.

Always faithful...

Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope

without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

Don't ever doubt.  Keep your eyes focused on Him first and foremost.  He works most in our stubborn and calloused hearts when we are tested.  And He is surely allowing us to be tested now.  So let us not waste this time when so many of our comforts have been stripped away.  Let us cry out to Him Who is faithful...

Always faithful...

Psalm 36:5-9

Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your justice like the ocean depths.
You care for people and animals alike, O Lord.
How precious is your unfailing love, O God!
All humanity finds shelter
in the shadow of your wings.
You feed them from the abundance of your own house,
letting them drink from your river of delights.
For you are the fountain of life,
the light by which we see.