Month: September 2024

One of the things that remains clearly in my memories of Zach was at the very beginning of his cancer treatments. He was in a wheelchair. His left leg had already been amputated. He had endured several rounds of really strong chemotherapy. He looked at me with frustration and said “I just want to go back to the way it was.”

I think that is a sentiment a lot of us share. At the same time I find many of us including myself tend to be quite fickle. We get bored with the everyday. We hunger for change even if it comes in the form of a weather change. Anything would be better than what we are currently experiencing. Zach’s diagnosis is a reminder of how important the mundane is. When something tragic strikes, we often do want to go back to what it was like before that happened. A good lesson to remember is to give God praise in all things. To give Him the glory and thank Him for each day to glorify Him in what we say and what we do. That will help us with the mundane and the strength to get through those really dark periods.

My son Zach would have celebrated this coming Saturday as his 30th birthday. My sweet family is coming to celebrate his life and remembrance. We decided to serve his favorite foods. I am looking forward to hearing stories that I have forgotten in the 12 1/2 years that he has been in God’s presence.

One of the things that strikes me is how time has changed my perspective so much. After Zach’s death, I struggled with God and whether I believed He truly existed. Afterall, we believed that God could heal Zach and Zach seemed to have a lot of faith. We stood on the scriptures that so many “faith preachers” stand on. It did not make a difference. We cannot control God. What kind of God would He be if we could? My son Michael once told me and I wanted to end with this. He said it in response to this question I put to him. Do you think God is real? He answered, “mom that’s your head talking. You need to listen to your heart because your heart knows the truth.” I did not doubt or question after that because he was right.

In America we recently had a Presidential debate. It appears it may be the only Presidential debate as both sides are dug in and wanting as moderators those that favor their side. Sadly fair journalism seems to be a thing of the past and that has always been the case. It is amazing also how part of the electorate can be persuaded by one side just based on a few vague terms if pollig is correct. Whether one side can out perform the other side speaking should not be a criteria for winning an election. Actions should always speak louder than words.

In my opinion the only source of words that should be respected are those written in the Holy Scripture. Actions back up the words in every example. God did everything He said He would do and still continues to this day. Jesus did what God sent Him to do and His Words express the importance of that. Now it is up to us. Do we follow the culture because they speak words we thing are more fair than God’s or do we trust in Him alone? We truly are not worthy of all Jesus did for us. Please be one of those who trust in God’s Word backed up by His actions. Trust your eternity in His hands.

One of the things that is always consistent throughout humanity is our desire to rule over ourselves. It got Israel into trouble into it’s early years and it has been repeated throughout history regarding all nations. What I am describing is our unwillingness to submit to the one true God. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

We often look into our lives and our culture and wonder what is wrong. It is very simple. On this day back in 2001, a tragedy struck this country. Many wondered how it could happen. Tragedy occurs on this side of eternity constantly. Our focus should not be on this side. Our focus should be on serving the One who created the world and looking forward to the joy that is to come once our days are finished on this side. To trust in God in all that occurs. To submit to His authority readily. He is our greatest hope and for those who do not believe him, their greatest fear.

This morning I read one of the parables that Jesus told regarding the unjust judge. He had no fear of God nor respect for man but decided to exact revenge on behalf of a widow so she wouldn’t keep pestering him. That is me paraphrasing scripture. Jesus’ point was how much more our Father in heaven will do for us because He is just.

Often I think in our society we will believe God exist if He does our bidding. We believe we know what is best for ourselves such as that one person we have been eyeing for quite some time or that job we feel we deserve much less new clothing, car, house, cruise etc. When we don’t get one of these possessions, we moan in our spirit and decide that God cannot be real. Real faith is trusting that God is real and wants the very best for us when we do not get what we desire. Real faith sees us through cancer diagnosis, other health issues, the death of a child or the death of someone else we have loved deeply. Do not let your faith be shallow. Grow in it. Learn who God is through His word. Be courageous.

Throughout History many have thought we are getting close to the time Jesus returns. There have been so many instances in History where people literally sold their possessions and waited on a mountain for the Lord’s return. Now that is confidence!

In today’s world many anticipate Jesus’ return. They cannot imagine that this world can last much longer. These articles and predictions often lead to fear for many others. One thing we can be confident of is that the world will at one point end because the Bible says so and that we have no idea when that will happen. The Bible makes that clear also. We are supposed to live each day as if it were our last. We are witnessing a lot but we are not to walk in fear. Walk in confidence when you are God’s beloved. It is may not smooth. Will probably not be easy. However you were created for such a time as this to give God the glory in how you react to the world. Be strong. Be confident. Be courageous.

Scripture records the blessing of children. It tells us that “the fruit of the womb is He reward.” That is so true and unfortunately it is something most of us as parents don’t truly recognize until we have our first grandchild. Today I have the privilege of watching my youngest granddaughter in the morning time. Her name is Ava. She has the specific challenge of dealing with autism. She is a nonverbal level 2. We all adore her. Challenges with this condition are true. There is no getting around that. The joy of seeing the incremental steps of improvement not appreciated with our grandchildren are truly rewarding.

In a lot of ways all of us are born with a condition – a sin condition. We tend to believe that we are 100% in charge of our destiny. In fact we truly desire it to be that way because no one can do for us what we can do for ourselves. In reality we need to realize the opposite. We can do nothing without God. It is exciting to see the incremental steps of realizing that in our own lives and those of the people we love. God is the perfect parent. He is loving and compassionate. He waits for a season in His good timing. However His timing is limited based on Romans 1 and at some point of His choosing, we are turned over and our future is set – fire and brimstone for eternity. If you are not familiar with the Bible, please read it. Read it and desire to get to know the God of the Bible, the true and only God. Look for those incremental steps of growing. Eternity is what matters the most always.