Encouraging words

Keep Moving!

Tue, 9 Mar 2010 09:47:01 -0600

God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. Hebrews 6:10-12 (New International Version)
Just the other day my doctor told me I now have a frozen shoulder. Evidently I have developed adhesions and scar tissue in the shoulder capsule that has been slowly restricting the use of my shoulder. I have been unaware of it as it is my non-dominant shoulder and I don’t use it as often or to the degree of the other one. It’s a pretty simple cause and effect type of thing. The less I use that shoulder, the more disabled it gets. The treatment? Exercise. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But it is harder to get into that exercise routine of 3 times a day than I thought it would be. I have good intentions, but I don’t always follow through.

Sometimes, my spiritual life feels “frozen” too. I am not sure God hears my prayers. It is difficult to pick up my Bible and read or do a Bible study. I may be fervent for a while, but my incentives often slowly slip away and I don’t even realize I have lost my spiritual “muscle” until I find myself feeling isolated, depressed and restless.

I am learning that those feelings are my cues that I need to start “exercising” spiritually again. I need to become diligent in my prayer life. I need to fellowship with other believers, even if it is in a Christian chat room. I need to watch sermons or listen to them. I need to pick up my Bible and read.

How similar our spiritual lives are to our physical lives. Many of the same concepts hold true for us in both realms. I am thinking this morning of the saying I am sure you have all heard a million times. “Use it or lose it.”

I encourage each one of you Beloved readers to remember that in your spiritual life as well as that of your physical one.

Keep moving.

Father God, Thank You for the parallels You show us between our physical selves and our spiritual selves. Help us to be diligent to apply the same principles that hold true to both of them! Amen and Amen. So be it, Lord!

I Will Sing

Mon, 8 Mar 2010 12:29:57 -0600

Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD. Psalm 27:6 (NIV)

I used to think this verse did not really apply to me. I’m a pretty easy-going person. There are some that may not particularly like me, but enemies? Didn’t think so.

I recently realized (through the help of a book study) that I do have enemies. I had just never seen them as such.

Bitterness, Resentment, Self-Pity, Pride, Fear. Whenever I give voice to them in my thoughts, they become my enemies. They “attack” me when I least expect it. I almost don’t realize it when they begin to voice their disgruntled murmurings. Yet, before long, I find myself in agreement with them.

“It’s not fair!” “Why me?” “What next?” And, of course,“Oh, poor me!”

I am so thankful I now realize those “voices” are there. I am learning to recognize them. I also now know how to defeat them! Even when surrounded by those emotions, I can sing (usually along with a CD), I can praise God. To God, they are sacrifices. He knows just how hard it is for me to do this – and yet – yet when I do begin to sing praises – my enemies scatter. It is as if it is simply impossible for them to co-exist with joy and praise.

There is a song by John and Cindy Berndt, “I Will Tell” that so encourages me.

Here are a portion of the words:

“Deliver me, O Lord, out of the hand of the wicked
out of the hand of unrighteous men for you are my hope alone.
In you I put my trust, you’ve upheld me since I was born,
you took me out of my mothers womb and I will sing your praise

For you are my God,
And I’ll sing of your praises
Oh Holy one of Israel my heart will rejoice in You
For you are my God
My soul you’ve redeemed and I’ll speak (sing) of your righteousness for all my days.”

“Lord, give me the power to declare your works for the remainder of my days.”

Father God, Thank you that even with limitations we can praise You – if not for what you allow … for who You are!. Amen and Amen. So be it, Lord.

Nothing Left to Give?

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 14:50:10 -0600

So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:11

Nothing left to give?

Do you ever feel that you have nothing left to give? I received this quote in a devotional and it impacted me so strongly I want to put it on my desktop screen, make it a screen saver and write it on every mirror of my house! (Did you know you can do that with dry erase markers???) Here is the quote:

Give what you have; to someone it may be better than you dare to think. Longfellow

Now, I don’t know about you, but it sure makes me stop and think. What if the things I am deeming valueless are actually vital to someone else?

I know a gal who is almost completely disabled due to constant pain. Yet she has vast stores of knowledge about cats and shares that information on a cat information discussion board. Sometimes she has just the right words for someone looking for information about their pet.

I have another friend who simply makes it a point to smile and say hello to everyone she meets at the doctor’s office. (I don’t know about you, but I often find people avoid looking into my eyes when I am in my wheelchair and it can feel pretty lonely being ignored.)

There is always SOMETHING we can give. Prayers, support, love, caring as best we can. We never know how important that small deed can be to someone else. Perhaps we will never know.

Chronic challenges can make you feel useless, helpless, and purposeless. Let us not give in to those feelings and give what we have …. As best we can … and leave the outcome to God.

Father God, Thank you that there is always SOMETHING we can give – even if it is just a whispered prayer for someone who may have no one else praying for them. And Father? Thank You for those who have whispered prayers for me. Amen and Amen. So Be It.

Chance Encounters?

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 10:02:58 -0600

Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing. I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage you.
(Ephesians 6:21-22, NIV)

God clearly knows we are going to need encouragement. If it is important enough for him to include it in His word, it’s something He knows we are gonna need.

When do we need encouragement? When we are discouraged, obviously. That tells me that God knows we will face discouraging times as well. And He provides for those times.

Sometimes, it is up to us to seek out encouragement. I think God expects us to be in His word, praying, listening, and drowning out the other voices that call to us that allow doubts to arise.

Sometimes, though, we are so far down that we are unable to make those efforts. What does God do? Chastise us? Berate us? Heap guilt upon us? More likely, He may send us a Tychicus in one form or another.

While dealing with chronic challenges or life events that cause pain, we can feel very alone. We long for another human being to recognize and understand our difficulties.

Who better knows what a difficulty is like than someone who has been there. I’d encourage you to find a small group of people, or even one person who can encourage you that you can encourage at the same time.

If you don’t have a group at your church, or elsewhere in your community - look online. There are chatrooms, discussion boards, email discussion lists - many places that might have the human connection you are looking for.

God has given us many provisions for dealing with our problems. Seek Him first, yet don’t overlook the fact that He may be sending a Tychius to you. And don’t overlook the fact that you may be Tychius to a fellow traveler down this road we call life.

Father God, Thank you that you know best what we need and that you can provide help and comfort in a myriad of ways. Bring each person the encouragement they need today, Lord. And help us to encourage each other, remembering we might be a Tychius to a fellow traveler without knowing it. Amen and Amen. So be it, Lord!

One Day

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 10:26:55 -0600

Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand." (John 13:7, NIV)

What a lovely moment in Scripture! When Jesus begins to wash His disciples feet. Peter is quick to protest. Jesus responds with “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

Now, I don’t know about you, but I have a strong need to understand things. I like to have the “how and why” questions answered. The past few years seem to have no answers for me, though. I question my doctor, “Why am I not responding the way you thought I would?” “Are you sure this new med will work?” “Will I ever be able to work again?”

He has no answers for me. He can say, “We will try this and see what happens.” Yet, he does not know. He can make an educated guess – but that is all it is – a guess.

As a mom and g’mom raising kids, there have been times when I knew they could not understand the reasons for some of my decisions. Sometimes my response has been, “You will understand when you are older,” knowing they were not truly able to understand given their limited life experiences. They might guess at the reason why, but that is all it usually is – a guess.

Sometimes, understanding only comes with time.

I view God that way. He knows why and how my puzzle of a life is the way it is, but for whatever reason, I am not ready to know those why’s and how’s. Yet the promise remains “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

What a blessing to have a Savior who DOES know. He knows exactly where I am at, what I am going through, and why. And no, I may not understand now – but there is the assurance that one day – I will understand.

When Jesus makes that comforting statement to Peter, I believe He is also reassuring us One day, He promises, we will understand.

Father God, I pray that today we can immerse ourselves in the comfort of your promises that one day, we will understand the things we have been longing to understand. Grant us hope. Grant us endurance. Grant us the ability to continue to look to you during the times that so deeply try us, when we cry out “Lord! I don’t understand!” knowing that one day all our questions will be answered in full. Amen and Amen. So be it, Lord!