A Gem in my Path

Ruth Brown
Still Driving at 96 years old

I spent some time yesterday with a dear friend who is ninety-eight years old. Within the last six months she voluntarily moved to a nursing home, mainly motivated by fear. She doesn’t walk anywhere without her walker anymore, afraid of falling and breaking a hip. The home she’s occupied since she was two years old sits empty. Even before she moved, she wouldn’t stay there at night anymore because she was mortally afraid (her words) to stay by herself. She spent many a night in my guest room over the last four years.

I met Ruth Thompson Brown in the early ‘80s when she was the director for the combined choirs from Gilboa, Gilkey and Thermal City Methodist churches. She was spunky and knew what she wanted and wouldn’t settle for any less. She would have us take a piece of music, study the words for about two minutes and then she’d say, “Okay, put the words down by your side and sing.” And she meant it. She expected the best from us and didn’t want anything to impede the best performance we could produce. Pep talks included the fact that God had given us good minds and there was no reason not to use them. She stretched our thinking and our doing.

She taught seventh and eighth grades for 40+ years, using unconventional methods to  her students along. She’s told me success stories of nonreaders or slow readers she worked with, tailoring a program for each one based on their particular learning style. Most of those children went on to college or to jobs where they became productive citizens who supported their families. I think knowing she cared about them played a big part in their improvement.

Miss Ruth called me Tuesday afternoon and said, “I’m lonely, lonely, lonely. Will you come by when you can?” I had planned to stop by after Bible Study on Wednesday so I told her I’d see her about 2:30 the next day.  When I drove up she was sitting in a rocking chair on the porch of the facility.  I got out and asked if she’d like to go for a ride and get some ice cream. She was as thrilled as a small child would be when presented with that question. I signed her out and off we went like two teenagers on a lark, talking and laughing. It was a beautiful day for a ride.

When we returned and I signed her back in, she asked me if I wanted to know what advice she’d give young people. Of course, I did. “First,” she said, “always be right with the Lord. Always.” She continued with, “Do what you want to do while you’re young. You may get sick or not live to be old and you’ll miss out on a lot of life.” Sage advice, I’d say, from someone who has experienced a huge chunk of life.

Jesus came to give His children life and that more abundantly. Mrs. Ruth Thompson Brown may not have worldly wealth but she has stored up an abundance of riches in the people she has loved along the way. I count myself blessed to be one of those. Who are the gems God has placed in your path? I hope you’ll share them with my readers

Going out with joy today-

Cathy

Jesus said. . .”I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”   John 10:10 ESV

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.     Matthew 6:19-20 ESV

God is up to Something Good!

Rutherford County,
North Carolina

            God is up to something in Rutherford County, North Carolina. He is working in the hearts of women here to cause them to hunger and thirst for His Word. Here’s my evidence:

CommunityBible Study International

            I have taken on a new role this year as a Core Group Leader for CBS. CBS started in this county with a handful of women who met for prayer and Bible Study. They had a fire burning within them to fulfill the CBS Vision: “Making disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ in our communities through caring, in-depth Bible study, available to all.” Their heart’s desire today is the same: to allow women to experience the truth of the scriptures and the caring nature of CBS.

            At the end of May, 2013, one hundred and twenty women completed the study of Revelation begun in September, 2012. That was an amazing, unprecedented number of participants. In six years, it had grown from 47 women to 120!

            All through the summer, as the leaders met for training, the pre-registration report was given. The first report showed that 120 women had registered, then140 women. Leadership prayed they would be able to shepherd all these women and at the same time, we were praising God for each woman He sent our way.

 The study of First John began on September 11^th with 160 women registered and 14 additional ladies showing up to register that day. Every Wednesday since then, we’ve had a few new sheep join the fold. We are currently at 180 plus ladies. God is up to something good!

Sister Chicks for Christ

            Monday I attended the Sister Chicks for Christ Ladies Night Out at our local college. Well known Christian author, Angela Thomas, brought the house down with her exposition on Hebrews 12:1-2. With transparency, vulnerability, humor and tenderness she pointed us to the truth of the scripture and to the feet of Jesus. Many accepted Christ as Lord and Savior. Many re-dedicated themselves to an everyday walk with Jesus. This ministry started as a circle of friends meeting in a living room to pray for women in our county.

About eleven years ago, the ladies decided to reach out to other women in the community through an annual Ladies Night Out. Twelve women came that first year. Undaunted, the founders prepared for the next year’s night out and prayed for more to attend. About six hundred attended last year. When I went to the box office to buy tickets for our writers group, I asked the attendant how sales were going. She answered, “They are going real well. We’ve had to open up balcony seating and we’ve never had to do that for this event.” We arrived on Monday night to signs saying SOLD OUT. Every one of the twelve hundred seats held a lady ready to worship and learn. From twelve to twelve hundred ladies in eleven years. God is up to something good!

He said, ¹“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” Our job is easy: speak the name of Jesus in our everyday conversations and God will do the work of wooing people to Himself. In another portion of scripture, ²He tells us His word will accomplish the work He sent it to do. If we will use scripture in our prayers and conversations with people, His words will make things happen. It cannot fail. The pressure is off of us so let’s get busy in our neighborhoods and communities.

I’d love to hear what God is up to in your community. Leave a comment so I can praise Him with you.

Going out with joy today, speaking His name-

Cathy

¹John 12:32 (ESV)

²Isaiah 55:11 (ESV)   “so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
                                                          it shall not return to me empty,
                                               but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
                                           and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”

He Said it Was Good

          Several months ago I went to the dentist for my regular six-month appointment. The hygienist cleaned my teeth and raved about the health of my gums. The dentist came in, did his exam, told me to keep up the good work and told me he’d see me in six months.

A lady came in and asked permission to talk to me. A little confused about her role in the office and what she could possibly want to talk about, I agreed to listen. She began, “I see you have several metal fillings. Some are in your smile line and cause your teeth to have a grayish cast. We can change those fillings to white fillings which will whiten up your smile line. When you pay for one, we’ll pay for one.”

          My head was spinning with one thought after the other. I’ve had these fillings since I was a child and they have given me no trouble. Do they really think I’d let them drill them out and replace them with white fillings just to improve my smile line after all these years? I could smell the acrid odor of the drilling as I pictured the scene. My toes wanted to curl in my shoes at the thought of voluntarily coming in to be tortured.

* * *

          My granddaughter, sitting in the backseat as we motored toward town, asked me, “Grandma, did your hair used to be black.” I said it was and asked why she was asking. Her reply, “I was just looking at your eyebrows.” My hair, once a dark, dark brown, turned gray while I was in my thirties. Over the years, I have been asked by more than one person why I don’t dye it. My response has always been, “I think God is doing a pretty good job of it all by Himself

* * *

          At my great granddaughter’s first birthday party I met a young man who introduced himself by saying, “My name is Charley* and I hate brown hair.” It seems this three-year old was born with blonde hair and as he’s gotten older, it has darkened. Some family members and others have commented on this in his presence and he processed it as being a negative thing. Now there is a little boy walking around thinking he is less than he should be because of the color of his hair.

* * *

          Have we become a society which values people based only on their pristine outward appearance?

* * *

          On the day God created you, He took extra care to choose all the parts that make you who you are. When He finished, He stood back and looked at you and said, “Um mmmmmm! She/he is good. This is some of my best work! Perfect, no corrections needed.” What happened between the perfection He saw and society feeding us the line, “your smile is imperfect? Let us fix that for you. Your hair is the wrong color. Let me dye it for you.”

          In 2011, $10 billion was spent on 9,200 plastic surgery procedures in America. Half a billion dollars is spent each year on hair dyeing and hair dyeing products. $40 billion is spent annually on weight loss systems and products. These are just a few of the costs associated with changing our outward appearance to make ourselves more appealing to those around us.

          There are no estimates available for the costs we incur to make ourselves more appealing to God.

Going out with joy today, satisfied to be who I am-

Cathy

*Name changed 

What Do You Smell Like?

         

My thirteen year old granddaughter, Morgan, has a heightened sense of smell. My father did, too. He claimed he could tell what we were having for supper three blocks away from home. Before I started having allergies, my nose used to be sensitive, but not nearly as fine-tuned as either of theirs.

          Morgan, who lives four hours away from me, sat next to me in our recliner on their last visit home. She leaned toward me and took a big sniff. It kind of repelled me at first, but then she explained she loved my smell. I asked what I smelled like, but got, “I don’t know. You smell like you.”

          Over the years I had heard that animals use their sense of smell to help them survive. My husband raises beef cattle so I focused my research on cows and I found some amazing facts:

·      Cows' highly sensitive noses can smell odors up to six miles away.

·      They use smell to recognize their herd mates, especially their babies, and to recognize humans.

·      Cows can smell fear in the urine of other cows.

·      When hit, slapped, or shouted at, the stressed cow will send a smell warning to other cows to stay away.

·      Milking time should remain calm and consistent, and be lacking in unpleasant odors. It’s true, happy cows do give more milk.

What do I smell like? Here’s what sent my thoughts in this direction this morning. My morning Quiet Time scripture was 2 Corinthians 2:14-17 (NCV):

¹⁴ But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s victory parade. God uses us to spread his knowledge everywhere like a sweet-smelling perfume. ¹⁵ Our offering to God is this: We are the sweet smell of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are being lost. ¹⁶ To those who are lost, we are the smell of death that brings death, but to those who are being saved, we are the smell of life that brings life. So who is able to do this work? ¹⁷ We do not sell the word of God for a profit as many other people do. But in Christ we speak the truth before God, as messengers of God.

              I went to church with a man who always wore a certain brand of after shave. He hugged me one Sunday during greeting time in the service and for the rest of the day, when there was the slightest breeze or hint of moving air, I could smell the scent he left behind.

          This verse makes me wonder what I smell like as I interact with people. Do I wear the sweet smell of abundant life that comes from my relationship with God? When I start my day hugging God, do I carry His scent with me all day for others to experience and desire? 

          What about you? What do you smell like? 

Going out with joy today-

Cathy

Rules, Rules, Rules - Part Two

Moses with the Ten Commandments

My last post was about the Ten Commandments and how some people are put off by the negatives of the “Thou shall not” wording. This post, let's explore that thinking by examining the freedom that is ours when we follow the commandments.

Exodus 20, The Ten Commandments (NKJV)

 And God spoke all these words, saying: ² “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. ³ “You shall have no other gods before Me.

⁴ “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; ⁵ you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, ⁶ but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

            Putting these two commandments first on the list addresses the issues that most perturbed God at the time of the wilderness journey. God had delivered the people and was meeting their every need, and yet, at every opportunity, they found or created objects to claim their attention. Even while Moses was on the mountain receiving the Commandments from God, the travelers were in the valley below melting their gold jewelry and worshipping the image of the calf they formed out of the gold.

            Positive #1 – I am free to place my full attention on God, my Guide, my Deliverer, and my Provider. I am free to receive God’s love and mercy and I am free from the threat of God’s curse on future generations of my family.

⁷ “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

            The Hebrew word for vain translates as emptiness, vanity, falsehood. God’s name itself is holy. Any unholy use of His name comes with consequences.

            Positive #2 – I am free to call on God by any name that honors who He is. Within that broad range, I am free to be creative in my relationship with Him.       

⁸ “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

            This commandment gives us a glimpse into God’s thought process as He created the human body. If God rested after His labors, and we are created in His image, then we need rest.

            Positive #3 – I am free to cease my labor one day a week without guilt because God designed my body to need rest.

¹² “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

This commandment is already stated positively and is the only one that comes with a promise.

¹³ “You shall not murder.

            Life is not ours to give or take. We overstep our bounds when we take this work of God into our hands.

            Positive #4 – I am free to support life by all means available to me. The Bible tells us the power of life and death is in the tongue. I am free to speak life to the people around me. I am free to share the good news of the abundant life Jesus came to give us.

¹⁴ “You shall not commit adultery.

            When we turn aside from our marriage partner to find sexual fulfillment with another or turn away from The God of Israel to idolatrous worship, we commit adultery.

Cathy and Larry 03/08/69

            Positive #5 – I am free to love God with my whole being - mind, body, soul, and strength. I am free to pour out my love and support to the one God gave me as a life mate.

¹⁵ “You shall not steal.

            Positive #6 – I am free to use my energy to work and earn a wage so that I can purchase what I need. I am free to use what I accumulate to bless others.

¹⁶ “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

            Positive #7 – I am free and encouraged to always tell the truth. The truth will make me free (John 8:32 KJV). Truth is a powerful ally.

¹⁷ “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

Positive #8 – I am free to be satisfied with the things that belong to me and free to be happy for my neighbor’s accumulation of worldly possessions.

The commandments God gave His people were not meant to bind us, but to give us freedom. Have you appropriated His freedoms for your life?

Going out with joy and freedom today-

Cathy

Rules, Rules, Rules - Part One

              A few years ago as the congregation entered the church service, we were handed a test on the Ten Commandments. Most of us would have received a failing grade if we’d been in a classroom. Anticipating these results, our Pastor asked us to concentrate on learning the Ten Commandments over the next month. We all made a much higher grade on the next test.

              Prior to God giving Moses the commandments on Mt. Sinai, the people lived under 613 Levitical Laws covering everything from personal relationships, health and worship. The people were overwhelmed by the number of rules they had to remember, let alone live by. God narrowed the list from 613 laws to just ten. The condensed list gave the Israelites a breath of relief even though all of the previous laws were rolled into those ten..

The Ten Commandments are both vertical and horizontal.

 

The first four are vertical, detailing our relationship with God.
 (Exodus 20)

            ² “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. ³ “You shall have no other gods before Me.

⁴ “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; ⁵ you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, ⁶ but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

⁷ “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

⁸ “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

The last six are horizontal, helping us live peacefully with our neighbors.

¹² “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.”

¹³ “You shall not murder.”

¹⁴ “You shall not commit adultery.”

¹⁵ “You shall not steal.”

¹⁶ “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

¹⁷ “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

Many people are put off by the “You shall not” language in the commandments. In God’s dealings with His people, He found them to need specific instructions about what they could and could not do. He could not assume they would take His teachings and know innately what was required.

              By the time Jesus came along, the people and their understanding had changed somewhat. When Jesus was being tested by the religious leaders to name the most important commandment, He felt he could narrow even the ten down to just two: 1) Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and 2) love your neighbor as yourself. (Luke 10:27)

              The result is the same, whether you have 613, 10 or 2 laws to live by to please God. It calls for a desire to love God and love your neighbors. It calls for actions that demonstrate that desire in our everyday life.

              Are you one of those who gets turned off when told you can’t do this or that? Join me next week as I turn the negatives into positives. I think it will give you a new way to look at the commandments God gifted us with.

Going out with joy today-

Cathy

Perfection

     

Hello, my name is Cathy and I am a perfectionist. I have been plagued with being a perfectionist as far back as I can remember. Although I’ve mellowed in recent years, if there had been a Twelve-Step Program for perfectionists when I was younger, it would have been helpful.

Perfection: the quality of something that is as good or suitable as it can possibly be, or to strive for perfection as a goal.

When you are a perfectionist you:

Take on Extra Work – Delegation is a Biblical principle that began while the Israelites were wandering in the desert. I failed to appropriate this blessing because the evil gremlin on my shoulder shouted at me, “No one can do it like you can. Do it yourself so you’ll know it’s done right.” Here is how this manifested itself in my home:

              When my children were young I decided it was time for them to learn how to do some of the cleaning. I made a chart with step-by-step instructions on cleaning the bathroom. I took the two of them and the chart into the bathroom and demonstrated the ease of doing it the right way, a.k.a. “my way.” The next week, I sent them in to do it themselves. I nearly went berserk when they disregarded my chart and careful instructions and did the steps out of order and didn’t use my proven methods. I fussed at them until they started to cry. That’s when the wake-up call came from God asking me, “Is it important the cleaning gets done your way or that it gets done and they learn a life skill?” I had to apologize to both of them and repent to God for my behavior.

Take on Troubled Interpersonal Relationships – It’s odd how your best asset can also be your worst deficit. I held high expectations for myself but I expected the same thing from others. I was continually disappointed when they didn’t produce to my standards. I did great work, but, at the same time, I alienated people. When they offered to help on a project and I declined, they felt I didn’t have confidence in their work. Hurt feelings often ensued.

Take on Criticism – My mother, a perfectionist herself, told me many times, “I don’t know why you always do things the hard way” meaning I didn’t do them her way. In school, I was called St. John (my maiden name) because I always did all my assignments on-time, did more than was expected, and ruined the class grading curve. Other times when I was called out for excellent results on a project, I’d see someone in the room roll their eyes or say to the person next to them, “This really gets old. Who does she think she is?”

              Being a perfectionist takes a toll on a person. Thankfully, Jesus, my wonderful counselor, helped me adopt a new personal mantra a couple years ago – “Be gentle with yourself.” It has done wonders for me. I’ve shared it with people I encounter who are being hard on themselves and they are helped.

I hope when you find yourself stressed, you will take the advice Jesus gave me, and “Be gentle with yourself.”

 

Going out with joy and gentleness today-

Cathy

Isaiah 9:6  Unto us a child is born and the government (order) will be upon His shoulders.

He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Answer

Sixty-One days have passed since I began the 2013 Bible Reading Challenge. The challenge is to read through the whole Bible in ninety days beginning on June 1^st and ending on August 31^st. The Bible I am using is special to me because I received it at a Billy Graham Crusade in Charlotte, NC, in 1996. It is called, “The Answer to Happiness, Health and Fulfillment in Life” and is written in the easy-to-read New Century Version. I’ve used it so much the cover is tattered and torn and held together with clear tape. Sections of the book have come out and are held in place now with super glue, fingernail glue and other glues I had on hand at the time of need.

            I am 2/3s of the way to my goal with 405 pages left to read from Ezekiel 26 through the end of Revelation. I have to admit it hasn’t been smooth sailing this time. I have struggled to keep up and, at one point; I was eight days behind schedule. I did the challenge once before, in 2008. Since then I have retired from public work. It should be easier now than it was then, but that isn’t proving to be true. I heard a woman say, “Now that I am retired, I don’t know how I had time to work.” Maybe that is part of my dilemma. Or maybe the devil is working overtime to keep me from reading the Word. If it’s you, ole devil, you might as well give up. I am determined to finish on schedule and filled with the answers God has for me.

            At the pace you have to read during the challenge, you don’t have time for in-depth study but God is still showing me valuable nuggets along the way. In 2008, I felt the Lord wanted me to concentrate on the phrase “do not be afraid” and on places. I came away with every reference to fear marked in red in my Bible and a list of Bible towns and their names today. I reference both frequently.

            This time, He has me noting the use of stones as altars and places of remembrance for another project I am involved in. He has also brought to my mind memories of life situations and how those could be used as material for devotions. I have notes on five of those so far.

            I am always amazed at the number of second chances God gives His people in Old Testament scripture. As I read I see it vividly, second chance upon second chance ready and available for use like a crop of berries hanging full and low, ready for the picking. Still, the people reject His gracious offer to be in covenant with Him. They continue to do what is evil in His sight and then wonder at the severity of their punishment. His greatest desire is for them, and us, to be His people so He can be our God. Now that IS “The Answer” to all the world’s questions!

Going out with joy today -

Cathy

"No"

“No” is an anointed word!

This phrase changed my life several years ago. I had nearly worn myself out at church. Every time a job came open and no one volunteered, I’d take it. After all, I couldn’t let the Lord’s work go undone, could I? I was spending as much time at church as I was at home, often letting my housework go undone.

An amazing thing happened just in time to rescue me. The church got a new minister, Rev. Wade Ogle. In his first sermon he said, “If you are doing a job in the church just because no one else will do it, stop. Just because you can do a job, and do it well, doesn’t mean you are one who is supposed to be doing it.”

I sat there, my mind reeling, my world morphing into a new reality. He can’t be serious, can he? After my mind had simmered on his message, I went to talk to him. He confirmed his take on

this subject. I told him I wanted to resign as choir director. Without flinching, he said okay. I physically felt the load lift. I had been directing the choir for twenty years and it had become a chore instead of a blessing. I knew a little about music but was by no means a trained director. I had taken the job because no one else would. A notice was in the next Sunday’s bulletin announcing my retirement and asking for a volunteer to step up. And someone did!

Here is my wise pastor’s advice:

PRAY, asking God for direction before you say “yes.” If you are in a job and aren’t sure if you should be there, pray. If you don’t get overwhelming confirmation, give a notice and resign.

MATCH your skills and gifts to the available slots to be filled. The position you accept should be a breeze for you if you use the gifts and talents the Lord has blessed you with. If it feels like work or is a burden to you, resign or say “No” when the Nominating Committee asks you if you will keep the job for another year.

RECRUIT an assistant if your church doesn’t provide one in the nominating process. Everyone needs a break now and then, or gets sick, or has a family emergency. For those twenty years I directed the choir, I didn’t have an assistant. It becomes too much for one person to handle and burnout happens to the best of us.

BLESS the person who should be in the position by not stealing their blessing. It takes some people longer to pray and process before they step forward. If you jump in prematurely, even though God hasn’t ordained you for the job, you will steal the “right” person’s blessing. Take time to pray and give the other person time to pray.

Our church’s Nominating Committee has begun the process for 2014. I hope these suggestions will help you when you are approached by a committee member. First and foremost, pray before answering.

Going out with joy today to serve the Lord-

Cathy

Everyday

I am on vacation this week visiting family in Charleston, SC. I asked my friend, Dick Kendrick, to guest post in my absence. I hope you enjoy his offering. See you next week

 

Several years ago my wife gave me a little plaque that reads “Everyday is a gift from God.” I kept it in my office at work and it was the first thing I saw when I walked in.  Now it sits in the window above my desk in the Potting Shed. Many were the times when I’ve read those words and thought, “Yeah, everyday but this one.”

Not all days feel like a gift; some feel like the proverbial lump of coal.

My grandmother was a dedicated Presbyterian and an avid fisherman. She never missed being in church on Sunday unless she was away fishing. She raised six children, separated fresh milk with a hand cranked milk separator, canned vegetables from her garden, put up homemade jams and jellies, cooked three meals a day on a wood-fired stove, and weighed about a hundred pounds. She lived life by the philosophy that happiness was relative and had nothing to do with the circumstances in which she found herself. It came from within. A bad day was just a good day in disguise.  She died in her rocking chair with her Bible open on her lap. I think she had figured out what made the difference between a bad day and a good day.

We all have them -- days that are difficult to recognize as “gifts from God.”

The challenge is to see what’s not so obvious, to learn to see our days as God intended them to be.  The truth is not always evident.

Robert Hasting in his essay The Station makes this point. “The true joy of life is the trip.  It isn’t the burdens of today that drive men mad. It’s the regrets over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves that rob us of today.”

A bad day is just part of the journey on the way to the station. The truth is that even the worst day passes and we get a fresh one the next morning.

When you have been given a bad day, or a series of bad days, it sometimes helps to sort through the facts by listing them so you can see more clearly the truth. Here’s a pattern that might be of help:

1. Define what it is that’s making it a “bad day.”
2. Determine the source. (God will not be the source, I assure you.)
3. Identify the various ways you can turn it into a “good day” and what that would take on your part.
4. If you can effect change, even if it requires seeking assistance, do so.  If it’s not changeable, don’t waste your energy beating a dead horse.
5. Instead, look for the good, however small, and put your energy into that.

You see, it is actually true. “Every day is a gift from God.” It’s just that sometimes we need to hunt for that gift a little harder than at other times.

My grandmother used to say, “Don’t keep plowing the same furrow if it’s running crooked.”  I’ll let you figure that one out for yourself.

If you know the story of Elijah the prophet you will remember how he watched his only source of water dwindle then dry up. That would probably qualify as a “bad day” for most of us. Streams In The Desert makes this point relating to Elijah’s situation: “Unbelief looks at God through circumstances….but faith puts God between itself and its circumstances.”

Every day is a gift from God, even the difficult ones.

Dick

About C. R. Kendrick

Gardener, writer and fly fisherman with a love of good coffee and my wife's cooking. Mentor, student of the Bible and master to a great black lab named Bud. Follower of Duke, Indiana and UNC basketball as well as a Tampa Rays fan. Retired.