Peace & Presence

As soon as I placed my foot on the edge of the porch, I knew I was in trouble.

As I fell through the air over the steps, I remember thinking, Oh, no! I’m going to fall! I hit the sidewalk face-first with a hard thud.

I was at my older neighbor’s house. For many years, a ramp had been leading from her porch because she walked with a walker. But she had gone to live in a nursing home a short time before, and the ramp had been removed. I remembered that too late.

Later, in the emergency room, I was diagnosed with a hematoma—bleeding on the brain—a concussion, and minor seizures. For two days, I hovered near death as my family hovered near me.

This was a new experience for me. With my bruised and swollen face, I looked as though I had been in a fight and lost all rounds. After being in the hospital for eight days, I was transferred to a rehab closer to home. Simple therapy was begun immediately, and I pushed myself to do whatever the therapists suggested.

Occasionally, I despaired of being able to walk again without assistance. But through the encouragement of the therapists and my family, I persisted.

Finally, after thirty-three days, the going-home day came. Rehab had held days of challenge, but I overcame them with the Lord’s help.

Romans 8:28 is one of my favorite Bible verses. I began claiming that verse as a promise of God’s faithfulness when I went through another trial many years before.

After being a patient myself, I now have more compassion and understanding of the frustrations and helplessness patients sometimes experience.

Your heartaches and challenges may differ from mine, but the Lord walks with you through your valley just as he walked with me through mine. He will use every despairing moment to draw you nearer to Him and work for your good.

Make it a point to let God meet your needs when you are in the valley.

(Photo courtesy of pixabay and StockSnap.)

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At one point, Martin Luther did a lot of whining and complaining. One day, his wife, Kate, came downstairs dressed in all black as if she were going to a funeral.

“Oh, who is dead?” Luther asked.

“Why, have you not heard that God is dead? Kate asked.

Luther looked puzzled.

She continued, “My husband, Martin Luther, would never be in such a state of mind if he had a living God in whom to trust.”

Luther laughed heartily and said, “Kate, thou art a wise woman. Take off thy black.”

What is in our hearts generally comes out of our mouths. If we conclude that God is not faithful to His Word, we will see a difference in how we think, speak, and act. Our view of God determines the type of Christian we will be. If we allow false ideas or thoughts about God to remain in our minds, they will always end up in our hearts. And the evidence that they are there is in our words.

So, what is the solution? The Bible says we destroy arguments and arrogance raised against God by taking every thought captive to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5 NASB). The antidote for falsehoods is the truth. The Word of God is the truth. We accept what only agrees with God’s words and reject all that doesn’t. No, we can’t control every thought that enters our minds, but we do oversee what stays there. 

Billy Graham once said, “You can’t always avoid a bird landing on your head, but if it starts to build a nest, you have a problem.”

When complaints and grumbling dominate your conversations, ask the Lord what lie of unbelief you have embraced. Don’t be a constant grumbler like the children of Israel.

(Photo courtesy of pixabay and sweetlouise.)

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The smiling bride-to-be held a dress bag and a sign that read, “I said yes to the dress.” She had shopped and tried on wedding dresses until she found the perfect one—the dress of her dreams. Like so many others on social media, her picture proclaimed to the world that she had said yes to the best.

Jesus taught and lived the importance of saying yes to the best, and He was not referring to clothing or a social event. He lived the perfect life, shared God’s perfect love, and offered his perfect salvation. Yet many misunderstood. They wanted Jesus to meet their less-than-the-best expectations.  

While in Capernaum, Jesus taught in the synagogue, cast out demons, and healed the sick. When He withdrew to pray the following morning, Simon and others searched for him. Although they expected Jesus to continue His ministry there, Jesus announced His plan to move on. He came not for one group of people but for all. Others needed to hear His message and have an opportunity to give their lives to Him. 

As Jesus’ followers, we cannot say yes to every opportunity. Time, financial, and travel restraints hold us back from many. When unsure where and how to serve in the best way, we do well to follow Jesus’ example: draw away for prayer and seek God’s plan.

Daily, we choose between our agendas or God’s perfect plan that leads to eternal joy. God offers the best. Don’t settle for less.

Will you follow God’s perfect guidance to always say yes to the best?

(Photo courtesy of pixabay and pexels.)

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Attending an orchestra concert with my parents, I basked in the lovely music emanating from the stringed instruments.

As I enjoyed the wonderful performance, I noted the orchestra members. Everyone looked different. Individual orchestra members displayed differing ethnicities, hair colors, builds, heights, and shapes. Each member also harbored differing personalities, histories, families, likes, and dislikes. Yet a shared love of music bound each one. And together, they created a harmonious masterpiece that delighted all who heard its beautiful melody.

The orchestra reminded me of the body of Christ. While each of us possesses different gifts, interests, struggles, and triumphs, a shared love for Christ and a similar identity bind us as His beloved children. We are also united in our shared mission of spreading the love and hope of Jesus to the world.

We live in a world filled with division, strife, and disagreement, and the church is not immune. The apostle Paul spoke to such division in the body of Christ in his letter to church members in Corinth. The need for unity in the body of Christ is just as crucial today as it was then.

When disagreements or differing opinions attempt to divide us, let us remember that Christ binds us. Remaining united through our shared love, identity, and mission, we create a beautiful melody: the song of Christ’s mercy, hope, and love.

Think of how you can help Christ’s body show a beautiful melody.

(Photo courtesy of pixabay and jools_sh.)

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A bright yellow pig can cause a lot of dissension, especially when it’s in your house.

After my husband and I married, I decorated our bedroom in shades of blue. I placed a bouquet of baby’s breath and azure blue silk flowers on the dresser. Then, I set blue-hued vases on either side of the bouquet. It was an eye-pleasing arrangement—until the yellow ceramic pig claimed squatter’s rights next to one of the vases.

My husband brought the yellow pig when we married. It was the type of piggy bank someone might win at a carnival—bright yellow and cheaply made. It definitely was not what I considered a pleasing accent to my flower arrangement.

I sneaked the pig out of sight, but my husband soon returned it to the original site. We continued to move the pig until I realized the futility of it. Now, the pig sits undisturbed in his corner.

Often, we must be willing to compromise, to separate the important from the trivial. It is senseless to allow unimportant things to create snags in communication. We must consider the desires of others and sometimes place them before our own.

Many churches have split because members on both sides were unwilling to communicate and consider the other side’s viewpoint. Many marriages have ended because the husband or wife refused to compromise. And many families are ripped apart because parents thought only of themselves.

The results may have been different for the churches and marriages if those involved had tried to live in peace, even if they had to run after it to catch and hold it.

When I did my share of running after peace, the clashing of a bright yellow pig and blue vases became less important than peace in my marriage.

Allow God’s peace to enter any problematic relationships you are in.

(Photo courtesy of pixabay and StillWorksimagery.)

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