Lord Make us Courageous

This past Saturday my side of the family met for a reunion in the small town both my parents grew up in, Thornton Texas population 300. It always amazes me that this small community has a Homecoming every year without fail. They have done this since my earliest memory and probably way before that. This Homecoming also gives our family an opportunity to see one another because even first cousins and generations after them don’t always make a point of getting together.

As I visited with so many extended family members, I was struck by the number. One of my first cousins has 7 children, currently 27 grandchildren and currently 19 great grandchildreen and counting. They are only 72. They started young. What a blessing! So many children and all so well behaved. Scripture records that children are a heritage of the Lord and that the fruit of the womb is His reward. The children that we have are a blessing from our creator not a curse as the world would project. So much in this world is opposed to God’s Word. If you are blessed with children, grandchildren and possibly great grandchildren, love them. Appreciate them and understand that they are a blessing. You have been honored. Treasure that. We serve a loving God and what a blessing to walk in His favor.

I’m not sure about any of you, but I find as I get older that many things frustrate me. Technology not working really frustrates me. That is particularly sad to me considering that I grew up without it and could rely on myself for anything. Now I am just about as bad as any young person who constantly has their nose in their phone. I worry that I am turning into the female version of the grumpy old man logo that is often read on mats outside of a front door.

Frustration is part of the human condition. It is nice to know in my mind that one day that particular trait will no longer be a defining measure of one aspect of who I am. One day I will take my last breath on this side and my next in the presence of my savior. That is such a beautiful thought. In His presence there is no sin or fallen human condition. There are no tears, no pain, no suffering for all things have passed away. If you find yourself this day facing some negative aspect of the human condition, hold on. Look to the one true God, the One that created you. Trust Him in all things. Repent of sins in your life and trust Him with your eternal salvation. He has been my rock, my fortress and my sustainer. I pray that He will be the same for yo

This past weekend my dryer stopped heating. My husband told me to pick up a new one on Monday. Unfortunately for him, the one I wanted was a Speed Queen so it would match my washer. Speed Queen’s are quite expensive. Not happy with the decision I made because of the expense, my husband proclaimed that if it lasted 20 years it would probably outlast both of us! When I thought of that, I realized how true that might very well be considering our current ages now and my own cancer diagnosis from 9 years ago.

Scripture records that this life is a mist, a vapor. Most of us have heard this in one form or another and never really gave it much thought. It is true. My life seems to have flown by. In reflection, I wonder often how much have I done for the kingdom of God? How much of my life has reflected His glory both private and in public? Those are really sobbering questions for me. I think of how much He has done for me. What have I done for Him? So often we are so caught up in the cares of this world that we forget of the glory of the world to come. We miss what we were ever created for. Please do not do that. Meditate on God and His goodness, His character and who He says He is. Choose to serve Him regardless of your circumstances. Choose to love and trust Him in all things. Choose to proclaim that good news to everyone you know.

What would you say is the greatest gift? Would you tell me your spouse? Your children? Your grandchildren ( I will admit that I am partial to this last one). Your health? A long life or a combination of the last two? It is always fascinating to me how much we focus on the things of this world or this life. Recently someone my husband and I know was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. This person was a church goer their entire life and they have been blessed with a pretty long life. Their response was surprising to me as they could not understand how such a diagnosis could happen to them. They felt like they had served faithfully and yet they received this diagnosis.

The above I think is what happens when we focus too much on this world and not enough on our heavenly destination. Perhaps we do not really believe all that the Bible has written. Perhaps we are not actually at the narrow gate but are on the broad path. The attitude above should give us pause to rethink what we actually believe. Paul wrote that to live is much but to die is gain. That does not sound like someone clinging to this world but someone who firmly understands the joy and peace of being in the Lord’s presence. If you live in fear of death, the only true remedy is to trust what the scripture records. Do not deviate. Believe, trust and cling to the Lord with both hands. He is loving and kind and there truly is something so much better than this world to come.

The last few days I have found myself watching videos of people with advanced cancer diagnosis. I suppose I am drawn to this for multiple reasons. I am especially interested in watching testimonies of those with the same type of cancer I was diagnosed with and also the type my son Zach died from. As I watched the ones of the type I had, I am amazed at how gracious the Lord was to me. Some of them detail recurrences happening often and all the different types of treatment options they went through. This really showed me just how blessed I was.

The toughest to watch were the children diagnosed with Ewings, the type of cancer Zach had. There was one case where the individual was still alive 5 years later. That was so sweet and very encouraging that the medical community is making tremendous headway. There was another of a young child who did not. None of us are guaranteed a long life in this world. None of us are promised that we will never face adversity or experience pain. Through Christ we are promised that we will not be going through it alone. I personally could not have walked any of my experiences without Christ. He has been and will always be my rock, my fortress, and the only source of strength that powers me from day to day. What about you?

I have been married for almost 38 years but I will confess that the “little things” often aggravate me beyond comprehension. Psychology refers to these little things as triggers. We all have them. Often things can not be going well for us on a particular day and one of these triggers will release a flood of emotions that results in words of explosion that results in regret. Have you ever been there? There is probably not a spouse or parent who can honestly say they have never been triggered or appropriately blame their spouse or kids for their outbursts.

In many ways I think people often respond the same way to God or what is written in His Holy book. There is a rebellion within all of us. Scripture records that we become fools. We often know many of those but think little of ourselves being one. Do not be a fool. Read scripture. Trust in what is recorded in it. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. I have a second cousin who is the same age as I am and is now facing a stage 4 cancer diagnosis of her own. When I spoke with her, I was amazed at the amount of trust she had in God. At this point she is not afraid. God is our strength. He is the One who gives us courage. Trust God with all you are facing.

On the morning that Zach left this world in 2012, I posted that he had indeed gone into eternity. I also added the following – it is well with my soul. At that moment in time, it was well with my soul. I felt a peace surround me. The rollercoaster of pain would begin a few hours later and last for a few years. God in His love and patience waited for me. He allowed me to grieve in my opinion longer than I should have. He waited for me. That is true love. He allowed me to grow in knowledge of His existence and that His promises are true. There is something so much better still to come.

My question for you this morning is – is everything well with your soul? Do you have peace? Do you feel comforted? If you are in a major health crisis or are going through grief, is all well with your soul? There is only One who can heal. One who can bring you that peace that surpasses all understanding. There is only One who loves you so much He gave His only son for you. If you do not know Him, He is waiting for you. Don’t put that decision off too long. The result of that could lead to an eternity of separation and thats a kind way of writing it. This world is for the courageous. Find that courage in Christ.

For many in America this is a dark day. Politics through media gives all of us an ongoing diluge of world and local events. For those who support the former president, it is a depressing time. Each of us need to remember that this world is full of sin. Man is driven by his/her fleshly wants with no regard to God. If you are a child of God, you know that justice is coming. Vengance is mine thus saith the Lord “I will repay.”

We need to also remember that justice is coming for each of us too unless we trust Christ with our lives. We follow Him, we believe Him and we love Him. Pray for our nation and mean it. Pray for those who are on the broad path and mean it. Trust God. He is working all things to His purpose

For the past 12 years, I have often spoken of the pain of letting go of a child from this world. In all honesty it is something that never quite leaves you. This morning I want to reflect more on the beauty of trusting Christ in the ashes. The 12 year anniversary of Zach’s departure from this world is tomorrow. In our lives we have happy dates we remember like our wedding day and the dates of the birth of our children. Then there are those sad days like the anniversary of what I am writing. For many years I focused on looking forward to heaven so I could see Zach again. That is not a bad hope however it is very much an imcomplete one.

I have grown quite a bit in these past years and I am so grateful that the Lord has allowed me to live long enough to come into understanding that the best thing about heaven is He and He alone. Our lives are temporary, a vapor. It is difficult to conceive of such a God that would love us so much that He would give His only son so we could spend eternity with Him. That knowledge is what fuels my soul. That is what drives me. That is what brings me to joy, to imagine being in the presence of Almighty God who created the world and everything within it. Who always was and always will be. Who is justified because He has no sin. Who loves and is also holy. If you are going through something that feels really challenging in your life, know that God is real. He is on the throne and He knows your condition. Trust in Him. Call on Him. Ask Him. To God is the glory in all things!

Memorial Day. A day designated to honor fallen soldiers who kept our freedoms for generations to come. I understand the military aspect of this special holiday in a personal way as do thousands of others. My 18 year old nephew was killed in Iraq in 2005 in June. His body was laid to rest on what would have been his 19th birthday. In addition to the memory of Christopher, Memorial Day touches me because of the memories stirred up from Zach.

On Memorial Day of 2011, we frantically took Zach to the ER at MD Anderson because he couldn’t breath. His cancer diagnosis had already been confirmed by this point. He crashed during this visit and spent a week at Hermann Hospital before being transferred back to MDA. They began chemo treatments at Hermann and he slowly came back to us. Our last Memorial Day spent with him was a year later in 2012. We did not completely realize it at the time but at this point we were just a couple of days out before we would see him no more on this side of eternity.

I cannot stress enough the importance of salvation and trusting in the gift that each of us has the opportunity to unwrap in Christ. God has offered us a way out though we are undeserving and He is holy and merciful. Take His gift. Submit to God. Trust Christ. Repent if you are living in a way that is displeasing to God and understand that there is something so much better still to come!