The Tail Wag

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. There is reserved for me in the future the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me, but to all those who have loved His appearing, 2 Timothy 4:7-8, HCSB.

It had been a long day. I had had several appointments, errands, and interruptions, during the day and it was late when I finally trudged through the door. I had an armload of books; grocery bag hanging off both arms, and my keychain was between my teeth so my keys wouldn’t get lost. It didn’t matter. As soon as she heard the key in the door, she came running. Ava, our puppy, slid around the corner on the hardwood floor, her tail wagging a mile a minute. She kept jumping up so I could see how excited she was to see me.

I plopped my load on the kitchen floor and dropped to my knees; instant puppy kisses on my face and the swish of that tail back and forth. She crawled into my lap, wiggled and wriggled until I had pet every inch of her ears, scratched her belly and rubbed her back. The busyness and frustration of the day melted away as I was engulfed by Ava’s greeting. There was no mistaking it—she was thrilled to see me.

Our passage today says, “…those who love His appearing.” I don’t think it harms the passage to compare Ava’s reaction to my homecoming as to how we will act the day Christ returns. It’s been a long time since He’s been here, but we know He loves us, and He has promised to return. I know I do not have a tail, but I know my soul will leap with joy at His presence, and I am sure I will show a boat-load of affection for the One who died to save me, and rose again to make me His.

Sometimes, we are too dignified in our thinking. “I would never act like a silly puppy and wiggle into Jesus’ lap” we think to ourselves, “how ridiculous!” If He lets me, I cannot wait to do just that, and then spend eternity at His feet showing Him my gratitude and love for all He has done! How about you?

Thought-provoker: Are you anticipating Christ’s return, or are you too busy to give it any thought? Take some time today to anticipate His return, and thank Him that He is coming!

Lord, thank You for the promise of Your return. May I be so excited that I will not be able to sit still, but show You my praise and affection! Help me start now, so others will see and become excited too! Amen.

The Computer Crash

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”

Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed, John 20:1&8, NKJV.

It was bound to happen. So many hours, so much data; add emails, contacts, calendars and a virus, and there it went. My computer crashed. I don’t know all the technical terms for what happened, but all I saw was a locked-up screen, and instruction boxes covering the screen before I could get the computer shut down. I was upset. I was frustrated—why would God allow all my work, my contacts, my writings to be locked up inside a metal box with little hope of their return? What was I going to do? There was no way I could remember all of that information.

As I waited for my wonderful, “techy” husband to rebuild my files, I began to calm down. Three days passed, and then the first glimmer of hope. As I sat watching him opening the first few files, I could not help but think of a resurrection. Did I dare to think the files would be restored and life would go on with the information in tact? What would it be like on the other side of this computer meltdown?

I thought of the disciples. Their hopes and dreams—the knowledge they had of Jesus as the Messiah—was shattered in their hearts as He hung on that cross. They left Calvary upset, frustrated, hurting. They were probably asking, “Why, God? How could this have happened? We left everything to know Him; to follow Him and there is no way we can keep on believing now.” And yet, three days later—did they dare to hope? As the women came back from the tomb, declaring crazy ideas of a resurrected Lord, was there a possibility of restoration? Was there truly a life to live on the other side of the sorrow and pain they had just experienced?

Yes—a resounding yes! Because of Jesus, there is hope. There is restoration. There is life after the meltdown—the demise of a marriage; the loss of a loved one; an illness that robs health and strength. There is a loving God who will not leave you in the darkness of sorrow or the depths of despair. He will restore you. He will help you go on—and life will be sweeter on the other side of restoration!

Thought-provoker: In what areas of your life do you need restoration? Do you have hope?

Lord, You are the great Hope-Giver! Thank you for restoration, and thank You for Your resurrection that shows us Your awesome power! Amen.

Local Author Extravaganza on May 26th

Hello, Everyone, on May 26th at 2 p.m., Barnes & Noble Bookstore at The Avenue is having a Local Author Extravaganza—and I’ll be there! Come get a personalized, autographed copy of Devotions from Everyday Things and join us for a great time!!

Heart-Shaped Puddles

For the word of the LORD is right, and all His work is trustworthy. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the LORD’s unfailing love. The heavens were made by the word of the LORD, and all the stars, by the breath of His mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into a heap; He puts the depths into storehouses. Let the whole earth tremble before the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him, Psalm 33:4-8, HCSB.

Ava and I were out for a walk. It had been a particularly difficult week for our family. Emotional decisions were made, friends had suffered the tragic loss of a pet, and the rain had been relentless. Finally, a break in the weather meant Ava and I could head outdoors for our morning walk.

As we walked, I noticed my mood start to change. Whispered prayers to comfort our friends and to lift our children’s spirits began to help my own heart to seek hope. Ava and I dodged puddles as we moved down the block, and as I looked ahead down the road, I noticed them. Heart-shaped rain puddles. There were three of them in a row. I smiled as I thought, “How like you, Father, to send three little reminders on the path I am walking at this moment to remind me that I am truly loved, truly treasured, and remembered, even during this time of emotional weariness.” God placed three puddles, three heart-shaped puddles in my path to remind me of His faithful love for me and my family. I turned my attention from my thoughts, and listened. I heard the birds in the trees and felt the gentle breeze. I saw flowers opening new blossoms toward the sky after the rain, and I saw rays of sunshine peeking through the clouds.

So many times God’s love is right under our noses, or right in the midst of difficult circumstances, and when we take time to notice, it lifts our spirits and gives us hope. I would have missed the heart-shaped puddles if I had not taken a moment to look up, look ahead, and see what God had put in my path. And, if I had missed the puddles, I probably would not have noticed the other blessings around me in nature. Spiritually, we need to be on the lookout for unexpected reminders of His faithful love to us, and let them bring a smile to our souls in spite of the circumstances around us. Let one blessing lead to another, and thank Him for each one—even heart-shaped puddles!

Thought-provoker: Are you in need of a moment to stop and take in all the wonderful reminders of God’s faithful love? Take the time—your soul needs it!

Lord, thank You for Your unfailing love! Thank You for the reminders You send us daily to see Your love and hope in the midst of any circumstances. You are so good! Amen.

The Ashes and the Chimney

According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire, I Corinthians 3:10-15, NKJV.

I saw the aftermath—a controlled burn of a run-down, abandoned house just a few miles away from our home. The land had been purchased by a church, and they offered the house’s demolition to the fire company for training purposes. And what a lesson it turned out to be!

Everything—from the staircase to the front porch, went up in flames. It burned, and smoked, and then collapsed. Everything, except the stone chimney. Though charred on the outside, it still stood firm. Even though the fire had raged against it, it remained tall, straight and strong.

Observing the scene, I thought about fire’s destructiveness. It devastated the structure, furnishings, and materials of that abandoned house. But, the chimney stood. The chimney was now the only reminder of where that house once stood. Its stones were still securely stacked on one another, and its mortar was still intact.

As I looked at that chimney, my own life flooded my thoughts. What part of my life would stand the test of life’s fiery trials? What part of me would still be strong and erect—a testimony of God’s construction-work in my heart? I desired for there to be a solid reminder for others to see when all the furnishings and materials of my life are stripped away. In that moment, the Lord spoke to my heart, “Whatever you have done for the least of these, you’ve done it unto Me,” (Matthew 25:40). It is not the fiery trials and tribulations others will see when our lives are said and done—the fire was long gone when I viewed the scene. The fire was necessary to strip away the rickety structure and the worn-out façade. But the only thing that remained was that steadfast, stone chimney. When all is stripped away, only what we have done for Christ will be significant.

Thought-provoker: Am I building lasting, precious moments in this life that glorify God and honor Him, or am I more concerned about the appearance of my life?

Lord, please build strong stones of faith, character, and good works so my life will be a reminder of Your glory and goodness no matter what trials I will face, for they are the tools that reveal what really matter. Amen.

Witch’s Thistle

And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe.  Then they said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck Him with their hands. Pilate then went out again, and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him.” John 19:2-4, New King James Version.

It is no secret that I enjoy gardening.  Getting my hands dirty and watching the seeds turn into seedlings, and then grow into full plants that produce fruits and vegetables, is a very rewarding process. 

What is very difficult to deal with are the weeds.  You see, we had the regular ground-cover type weeds, you pull them out and they keep coming back, but they were not the problem.  A pair of gloves and a few minutes each morning, and those types of weeds were manageable.  Witch’s thistle was the problem.  Witch’s thistle is a stalk-like plant that grows taller than the vegetable plants, saps much-needed nutrition from the ground, and grows nothing but thorns.  Large, pointed, nasty thorns—up and down the entire stalk of the plant. No gloves were thick enough to protect my fingers from those thorns.  I tried using a hoe so I would not have to touch them—the stalks slipped through the rungs of the hoe and those weeds stood in defiance of all I tried to rid them from my garden.

My fingers bled from those thorns.  The thorns caused inflammation and tenderness in every spot they gouged me.  And, I was not intentionally trying to touch those thorns! The thorns Jesus endured for my salvation were pierced into his scalp and head! I have a hard time with the translation of the word “put” in our passage.  The Bible is inerrant, and those soldiers did put that crown of thorns on His head—but “put” is such a generic word.  These were Roman soldiers, titans of cruelty, who were mocking Him.  They “put” that crown on with strength, viciousness and intent to harm.  Oh, what Jesus bore for my sin—for your sin! This was just the beginning of His torture as He took on the sins of the world to provide Redemption for all of those who choose to believe He is the Son of God and accept His payment for theirs.  He endured beatings, mocking, and yes, the death on the cross! There are no words that adequately express what He suffered, and there are no words that should adequately express our gratitude.  We should thank Him with every day of life, and it still will not be enough!

The next time I have to pull out Witch’s Thistle, as my finger bleeds, I want Jesus to remind me of the blood He shed for me and thank Him that my thorns are in my garden, and not in my heart!

Thought-provoker: Please take time this Resurrection Sunday to thank Him, again and again, for all He did for you, and if you have not surrendered to His love—do it today!

Lord, how can I say thanks for the things you have done for me? Things so undeserved, yet you gave to prove Your love for me.  The voices of a million angels, could not express my gratitude.  All that I am, and ever hope to be, I owe it all to Thee! (To God be the Glory, A. Crouch). 

Burnt Marshmallows

Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body, I Corinthians 6:18-20, ESV.

I love camping. Our pop-up camper gives the feel of being outdoors, with the benefits of a real mattress and running water. The slower pace, the nature trails, and the beautiful sunsets are all part of the camping experience. But one of the best parts of camping happens after the sun goes down. The wood gets stacked, the kindling is lit, and before long, there is a big, roaring fire. Some long poles, and puffy, white marshmallows, and voila! Dessert by firelight!

Now, some campers think I’m crazy, but I protect my marshmallows. I either roast them a distance from the flame, or I use tinfoil. Yes, tinfoil. I wrap the side of the marshmallow that faces the fire with tinfoil, because I cannot stand the taste of a burnt marshmallow. I love the toasted flavor, but the marshmallow cannot turn black, or worse, catch on fire.

Relationships are the same way. The fire represents passion, or physical intimacy. The marshmallow represents the relationship, and the distance or tinfoil represent healthy boundaries. If the relationship is exposed to too much passion, it is destroyed and devoured—burnt up with the wrong kind of fire. But, when a relationship is protected from passion in the beginning, when the right kinds of boundaries are set for passion, time alone, and physical intimacy, the relationship toasts to perfection—friendship, romance, thoughtfulness, selflessness and sacrifice are allowed to develop in healthy ways that will sustain a great relationship over a lifetime.

You know what else is interesting about that fire? When you wait long enough, the embers sustain heat without flame, so you can stick a marshmallow in close, and it still won’t burn. That’s marriage. When the relationship is honoring to God, when you follow His plan and commit to one spouse for a lifetime, He allows the passion and physical intimacy to be an integral part of the sustaining heat, but it blesses the relationship instead of devouring it. God is so awesome! Protect your relationships like marshmallows, and enjoy God’s perfect recipe for a sweet, lifelong love!

Thought-provoker; Are you too close to passion’s fire in a relationship in your life? Get back! Ask God, today, to show you the safe boundaries you need to keep your life from being burned by the wrong kinds of passions, and then be willing to obey Him in this area of your life!

Lord, keep my relationships pleasing and honoring in Your sight. Where I have not been pleasing, I ask Your forgiveness and today, I commit to living in honor of You in all areas of my life. Make my boundaries safe, healthy and whole. Amen.