An Ordinary House

                                                            

It was an ordinary house.  It could use a fresh coat of paint. Not the worst house on the block but not the best either. A house that might never be noticed.

 In the early morning darkness, I walked through my gated community. As I turned a corner, the darkness was illuminated by sparkling white lights. The beauty was coming from a single strand of Christmas lights strewn on the roof of the ordinary house. This was no elaborate Christmas display like the ones featured on the local news. It was merely a simple strand of lights on a very dark street.

Philippians 2:15 describes Christians as living in a dark world “among whom you shine as lights in the world.”

Like the old house, our lives may be ordinary.  We may be battered and bruised and in need of repair. Jesus is asking us to come to Him as we are, with all our flaws and weaknesses. He invites us to sit at His feet and enjoy His Presence.

As we arise and go out into the world, Jesus goes with us. His desire is to shine through us.  Even the smallest glimmer of light shines brightly in a dark world. 

Lord, today may Your Light shine on me and may Your Light shine through me.

A Father’s Love

                                                                

“The best day of my life was when I adopted you from the orphanage.” The little girl ran over and hugged her father as they stood before the Christmas tree.  The Hallmark Christmas movie captured the look of pure love on the faces of both the father and the daughter.

As the movie progressed, the father did everything he could to make the Christmas season special to the little girl. He helped her make a gingerbread house, took her to the town’s tree lighting celebration, and showered her with the perfect gifts on Christmas morning. The little girl knew without a shadow of a doubt that her father loved her deeply. 

The love that our Heavenly Father has for His children far surpasses the love of the father in the Hallmark movie. The greatest expression of His love took place in Bethlehem over 2000 years ago when He sent His son to be born in a manger.

Galatians 4:4-5 states: “When the fullness of time had come, God sent His son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive the adoption as sons.”

 Jesus came to earth in order to take the punishment for our sins. When the penalty was paid, we were forgiven, and the Father adopted us as sons and daughters.

Those of us who have put our faith in Christ are both forgiven and adopted. The love that our Father has for us is exponentially greater that the love of the Hallmark father for the former orphan girl.  

I pray that God would open my eyes to see the depth of His love for me. I pray that He would make me aware of the good gifts He showers on me each day. May I know that He is gazing at me with eyes of pure love. As I catch a glimpse of this all surpassing love, may I have a grateful heart that loves Him in return.

Darkness Turns to Light

 

As I sat in my recliner, the darkness was so intense that I literally could not see my hand in front of my face. My routine was to get up at 5 a.m. and to enjoy a cup of coffee before I showered and began the day.  Suddenly, the electricity in the community went out. Not only did my living room lights go out, but also the outside street lights, and the little lights showing the time on the tv, microwave, and stove. There was not even a hint of light anywhere.  Just pure darkness.

As a good Floridian, I always have a supply of flashlights ready for hurricane season, but not one of them was within reach of my recliner.  I did not feel safe taking even one step away from my chair.  My plan was to remain in my recliner for the next hour or so until the sun rose. As it turned out, within 5 minutes the power was restored.  I got up and began my day.

My brief encounter with total darkness had two results. I promptly moved one of my many flashlights to the table next to the recliner. And from that day forward, I gleaned new meaning from Biblical references to darkness and light.

In John 8:12 Jesus says: “I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

As I write this, I am retired and no longer have to get ready for work each day. However, I continue to rise at 5 a.m. and still enjoy my morning coffee in my comfortable chair.  Now, my routine is to walk in my gated community at 6 a.m.  I get to enjoy the end of night and the beginning of morning.

Every so often during my walk I will turn a corner and see a brilliant full moon in the western sky. I am not scientific and have never looked at the lunar calendar. For that reason, the full moon always comes as a complete surprise. I am struck anew at the beauty and wonder of God’s creation.

As I walked today, the moon was full and magnificent. The sky was cloudy. At times it looked as though the moon had disappeared. That was not true.  Even though I could not see it, the moon was always there.

Sometimes our lives appear dark. Our minds believe the lie that things will never get better, and that life is hopeless. We feel that God is far away. That is a lie.  God is always with us. 

Two thousand years ago God sent His Son into the world.  The Light of the World walked among us.  He promised that those who followed Him would not walk in darkness but would have the light of life. He came to bring us hope.

Cry out to Jesus.   He does not want us to walk in darkness.  His greatest desire is that we walk in His light. All we have to do is ask Him.

No Expiration Date on God’s Promises

 

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

Shopping for yogurt has gotten hard these days. I only like a particular brand and only certain flavors. Once I find the correct yogurt, I hold the container up to the light to find the expiration date. Quite often, the yogurt has already expired or is about to expire.

As Christians, we often meditate on God’s promises. We testify about particular verses that helped us through hard times.

As I write this, COVID has been a part of our lives for 8 months. We are entering the holiday season in which we celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. These holidays will not be the same as they were in previous years. Many of us are weary of  restrictions.  We are experiencing what the media is calling “COVID fatigue “.  

For Christians, it is all too easy to stop clinging to the promises that helped us through the first few months of the pandemic.  Like the psalmist, we cry out “How long, O Lord?”.   It is good to pray prayers of lament to the Lord and to run to Him with our worries and frustrations.

But we also need to return to the promises of God to find strength and encouragement.

The apostle Paul prayed 3 times that God would remove the thorn in his flesh. God chose not to remove the thorn.  Instead, he said to Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”  

For those of us who have been praying for COVID to end, God is choosing to delay the answer to that prayer.  Instead, He says to us as He said to Paul “My grace is sufficient for you.”  God has not removed the pandemic at this time.  Instead, He gives us a wonderful promise.  He promises to give us His grace as we walk through this season of life. He promises to take our weaknesses and to replace them with His strength.

Let’s begin each day asking the Lord to pour His grace on us and to give us His strength. Let’s pray that He would give us thankful hearts to celebrate Thanksgiving, that He would give us a  new sense wonder at the Majestic baby born on Christmas Day, and that He would give us new hope as we watch a New Year begin.

Let us cling to His promises each day of the holiday season.  For His promises have no expiration date.  We can count on them each and every day.

When the Mountains Fall into the Sea

 

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, even though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.” Psalm 46:1-2

Dings, beeps, rings,  news announcements.  There are so many ways to communicate news these days.  Did you ever have a week in which bad news seemed to be coming at you non stop?  I had a week like that  recently.  I turned off my cell phone to take a break, and my land line started ringing.  I decided to watch tv as an escape and a breaking news report interrupted my favorite show. 

There are seasons in life.  If you live long enough, you realize that there are times of pure joy.  There are also times when big things and small things all seem to go wrong.

Psalm 46 uses the illustration of the mountains being carried into the midst of the sea. The psalmist states that even if that happens “we will not fear.”   How can anyone not fear if the mountains are falling into the sea?  The little word “therefore” gives us the answer.   We do not have to fear or worry or despair for one reason only.  “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

When things all seem to be going wrong, and life is changing faster than we can process it, there is one unchanging truth.  God is our Rock. He will not change. He is strong and mighty. He loves us more than we can imagine.  He wants us to run to Him.  He wants to be our refuge when the storms of life rage.  He wants to give us His strength.    When there is trouble, He is “very present” and wants to help.

Life is hard and we don’t always know what the future holds. But we know that God will always be there waiting for us. All we have to do is run to Him. In the shelter of His Presence we are safe and secure. And that is a promise we can count on. 

The power of a thank you

                                                        

“It’s not fair!  Why can’t we stop for ice cream?  We never get to do anything fun.” I heard those words as I was driving a van with another teacher in the front seat and 12 unhappy middle school students in the back.

I promptly reminded the students that they had just spent the day at the Baltimore Aquarium. I  proceeded to give a lecture on how they should be grateful that the other teacher and I had driven 2 hours to Baltimore so that they could enjoy the Aquarium. My lecture was successful in stopping the demand for ice cream.  Instead, the students sulked in silence for the remaining 20 minutes of the ride home. Although I was not folding my arms and scowling, inwardly I was feeling weary and discouraged. It had been a long day and a lot of work had gone into planning the field trip.

When we pulled into the school parking lot, the students got out of the van and ran off to greet their waiting parents. One boy remained behind.  He walked over to me and said, “Thank you, Miss Furlong, for taking us to the Baltimore Aquarium.  It really was a fun day.” My heart melted as I told him that he was welcome and how happy I was that we could do this.

It was amazing how hearing the words “thank you” changed my whole perspective on the day.  It had been a lot of work.  Yes, it is true that our good works should be done to please God.  And it is true that the field trip was part of my job. But, even so, it felt good to hear a heartfelt thank you from one of my students.  I drove home feeling light hearted. Yes, it had been a good day.

How often we neglect to take the time to thank the people in our lives. The mailman who always rings the door bell instead of leaving a package on the door step. The waitress who is extra attentive and cheerful. The friend who is always there to listen.  The list can go on. 

During the month of November let’s make a conscious effort to notice the many kindnesses of the people who surround us.  And let’s take the extra step of telling them how much we appreciate them. A word of heartfelt thanks can make someone’s day.

Thanksgiving 2020

                                                                      Thanksgiving 2020

“In all things give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” I Thess.5:18

Thanksgiving 2020 will be unlike any other in our lifetime . For seniors or those with preexisting conditions, the Thanksgiving meal may be eaten alone this year. For those who will be sharing Thanksgiving dinner with family, there may empty seats at the table with zoom meetings scheduled to wish grandma or grandpa a happy Thanksgiving.

Even in 2020 the Lord commands us to give thanks. And when we pause to think about it, we all have things to be grateful for.

During this unprecedented season, I want to challenge each of us during the month of November to write down each day what we are thankful for.  If many things pop into your mind right now, I would challenge you to write down 5 items per day.  If that seems too hard, aim for 3.  And if this is a time in your life where the world seems unusually bleak (and we have all been there) then I challenge you to write down 1 thing per day.

If you woke up in a comfortable bed with a roof over your head, give thanks.  If you have food in the refrigerator, that is a reason for thanksgiving.  If you can see or hear or taste or smell, write it on your list. After making a list, pause and say a prayer of thanksgiving to our God who is the giver of all good things.

When the month of November comes to an end, look back on your list and thank God again for His blessings. Many times the act of purposeful gratitude can have an impact on your life. If that happens to you, be sure to tell someone about it.

We may not be celebrating Thanksgiving in our usual way this year. But we can still participate in the real meaning of the day as we thank our God for His many blessings.