It was January, 2004. An old extension cord connected to a
space heater. A sudden fire in our downstairs leading to smoke damage
throughout. We would live in a small, older, rented townhouse for 7 months
while our house was gutted down to the studs and rebuilt. Our daughters were 15
and 13 and had to share a room for the first time. Here is a devotion I wrote
in March of that year. God wants to teach us deep lessons.
Consumed. Engulfed. Damaged. These words not
only describe our home after the fire; they describe life after the fire. These
words also describe a life before Christ.
The
inside of our home has been brought down to its basic frame. The smoke seeped
in behind the walls and above the ceilings. Every nook and cranny is now
exposed and will be cleaned, sealed and finally rebuilt and restored.
Jesus wants to see the inside of our hearts down to the basic frame.
Just as we can now begin to imagine our home becoming something new and
transformed, Jesus sees our hearts transformed and imagines what we can be as
children of God. Only He can clean and claim every nook and cranny, expose
every dark and smoky corner to the light and help us to begin anew.
He
will turn our curse into a blessing because He loves us. Lies into love.
Jealousy into joy. Promiscuity into peace. Pity into patience. Gossip into
gentleness. Greed into goodness. Faithlessness into faithfulness. Shame into
self-control. Bitterness into beauty. Anger into adoration. Destruction into
devotion.
Dare
to come out of the smoke and look up into the light. Step around the debris and
step on to smooth ground. Move from the place where you are afraid to breathe
and take a deep cleansing breath. Remove the soot from your eyes and gaze into
His. Disconnect the faulty wiring and connect to the Son. Tear down the damaged
walls and let Him rebuild from the inside out.
It is now 2019. One of the many lessons
learned through that time of loss and rebuilding, came in the realization of
the fragility of life and the recognition of what is truly valuable. All of our
treasured “things” went up in smoke. We do miss some of the sentimental gifts
given or made for us, but all of it, every single “thing” was temporary. Our
lives are eternal. Some of my life verses are found in 2 Corinthians Chapter
4. Here is just a part of those verses.
They will remind you and me of the temporary vs. the eternal.
So we fix our eyes not on what is
seen, but on what is unseen, for what is seen is temporary and what is unseen
is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18
But store up for yourselves
treasures in heaven…Matthew 6:20a
Fix your eyes above today, remembering to
value what Jesus does; love, compassion, kindness and hope. He gives us just
what we need.
Lord,
Thank You for the tough lessons life
can bring. You are above it all. Transform us, lift us up and bring us home.
In Jesus name,
Amen
There was a year. A year filled with life’s greatest blessings
and life’s greatest pain. A year filled with deep grief and boundless joy. A year of roller-coaster emotions. A few months after my engagement to my
wonderful husband, my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 uterine cancer and I was
diagnosed with a debilitating, degenerative eye disease called retinitis
pigmentosa.
It was difficult to
navigate that year with its ups and downs. Great joy, deep sorrow and dread. I gave
my soon-to-be husband, Nip, a choice. He certainly did not have to move forward
with a wife who may become blind in the years to come.
This wonderful,
giving man chose to stay.
That particular
year, more than any other, gave me a deep understanding of the ways in which
God works, although I didn’t recognize most of it until much later.
As mom grew ever weaker in the weeks leading up to the wedding, she insisted we stick to
our plans. She said she would be there with us in spirit and would picture us
taking our vows. Our visit to her hospital bed between the wedding and the
reception was such a bitter-sweet time.
The morning after
our wedding, she died. Such sorrow. Such blessing. Such turmoil.
The tears still
flow as I think about that time. My brand-new husband had a grieving wife. Rather
than our planned honeymoon, we planned a funeral. As I mentioned yesterday, I
was dependent in so many ways on my mom. The loss of her in my life was
astronomical. The grief was deep and long and wide and Nip stood by my side,
day after day, often not quite sure what to do with me. (He’s still not quite
sure.)
As we walk through grief
over the loss of someone so close, God brings us comfort and peace. He offers
hope through others, and through His Word and through His presence. His
promises are steadfast and real.
That year remains a
reminder of the time I ran to God in a real way for the first time. And He met
me, on the road of suffering, and led me out, to higher ground. Believe in Him
and His ways and He will lift you back up, too.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire. He
set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. Psalm 40:2
Father,
These times of deep sorrow teach us so much with You by our
side. We grow in our understanding of the pain of others. You use our
experiences to comfort. Show us who needs You today. Help us to find steady ground once again.
In Jesus name,
Amen
The baby boomers of South Minneapolis had it made. I think back to
the years growing up and just feel incredibly blessed. There were kids in
almost every house. We played outside from sunrise to sunset all summer long,
knew each other’s parents, had neighborhood parks where we played kickball or
skated throughout the winter months. I love that so many of us are still
connected and can share our common memories.
My first real
experience with the darkness and confusion life can bring, was when my dad died
of a heart attack in his sleep when I was 14. He had suffered from heart
disease for years. Back then, in the 1950’s and 1960’s, there were no stents or
by-pass surgeries to be found. He continued to smoke his pack of cigarettes
each day and it was frightening every time he had another chest pain.
His pain was called “angina.” He had
nitroglycerin tablets and an oxygen tank at the ready. It wasn’t often, but the
times he suffered another attack are still etched in my mind all of these
decades later. He remained funny and silly and loving, a fast driver, stubborn,
a good-looking man, my hero, my daddy.
The death was
shocking. Maybe you have been there. That moment of diagnosis, the accident,
the break in relationship. That moment when you know life will never be the
same. My poor mom didn’t drive, had never dealt with the checkbook, nor did she
have any knowledge of the business my dad owned, a floor sanding and laying
company. She would often tell me, I was the one thing that kept her going
through those first years without him.
We became dependent
upon one another. My mom always, always put me first. What a blessing to have a
strong, compassionate and sacrificial mom. Everything I have put into my
children I learned from her. When my dad died, my greatest prayer became,
“Please, please, please God, don’t let her die.”
It was my greatest
fear. After all, if one parent could disappear, why not the other? That year of
his death began a road of anxiety and panic attacks that would plague me for
years to come off and on. But God was working.
The blessings are
numerous thinking back on that time. An aunt who brought me such comfort with
her strong arms and words. My best friend, Shelly, who would just be there, no
matter what. A good friend of mine from kindergarten who lost his mom to cancer
around the same time. We felt like fish out of water. Not many of our friends
had lost a parent. Our shared loss brought us closer.
I still miss my dad
after fifty years. How about you? A death seems like an end. But for my dad, it
was just the beginning of no more pain, no more suffering, just pure joy. And I
anticipate the day I will see him and my mom again.
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There
will be no more death, or mourning, or crying or pain, for the former things
have passed away. Revelation 21:4
Father,
In the depts of grief we don’t understand. Jesus felt our pain
in the Garden of Gethsemane, as He grieved all that was to come. And He took
our pain upon Himself on the cross. Comfort those who mourn.
In Jesus name,
Amen
Have you ever pleaded with God? The words are often deep and
painful. Sometimes just, “please, please, please,” is all we can muster. I have
prayed these words numerous times through the decades. After my dad died when I
was 14. When my mom was dying of cancer
right before my wedding. When my husband suffered a stroke. And when I was
diagnosed with a debilitating eye disease. The house fire that took most of our
family treasures. You have your stories, too.
Sometimes God does
not answer us in our preferred timing and within our most desperate desires. When
we ask Him to heal and there is no healing, when we pray for anxiety or
depression to be lifted and we continue to suffer, when we ask for a miracle
and there is none.
Trusting God
through all of our experiences, including our deepest losses takes time and
experience. God uses our pain to work miracles in the lives of others. He uses
suffering to build us up in compassion and humility. He uses suffering to draw
us closer and closer to Him. God knows
we live in a fallen world. He lived among us, upon the earth.
“I have told you these things, so that, in Me, you
may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have
overcome the world. John 16:33
The only true and
lasting peace within our souls is found in Jesus. He offers us this true peace
and calm, whatever the circumstances. In His words above, He reminds us, we will
have trouble. Not maybe or just some of us
will have trouble. We know this to be true.
Through our times
of sorrow and trouble, He is there with us. How has He used your times of
suffering? With Him, all things are possible.
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is
impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26
Looking for a way
through? Holding out for answers from the depths? Look no further than Jesus.
He will be your constant companion. He will sit beside you as your tears fall.
He will lift you up after a time in the darkness. He is our Savior. Let your
soul find peace.
Lord,
How often we don’t understand our circumstances. We cry out to
You. Comfort us. Teach us. Guide us. Give us humility and compassion as we make
our way through.
In Jesus name,
Amen
Keep looking up this week. The perfect earth God designed is a
fallen one temporarily. As we see the earth and man continue to deteriorate, do
not be surprised or dismayed. God foretold all of what is happening around us,
all of it. Yes, we can do all we can to take care of this earth.
But God foretold
the weather patterns that would take place, the violence that would increase,
the wars and earthquakes, the tumult of the seas and the storms. He knows the
end from the beginning and He longs for a relationship with you and with me.
Christians will
continue to be looked down upon, or judged in connection to others that speak
in the name of Christ and do not really know Him. Jesus transforms. His Word is
truth. The new heaven and the new earth will be ours one day. He is real and He
is light.
Let Him be your
guide through these tumultuous days. He allows us to continue to appreciate all
He has given us through it all. He remains steadfast and faithful. His grace is
sufficient for this day and for every day.
As we age, our hope
only grows deeper. We are getting closer to seeing Him face to face. If you
don’t know Him, please, please give Him a chance. Don’t be swayed by anyone
else. Just Him. Read His word. Ask Him to meet you right where you are. I guarantee
He will show up and fill your life with light.
The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among
us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from
the Father full of grace and truth. John 1:14
Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the
knowledge of God and Jesus, our Lord. 2 Peter 1:2
I know Him and He
is real. He changes the deepest, darkest parts of us and grows us in His
eternal light, the light of life. (John 8:12) There is nothing more glorious,
more real, more astounding than His gift. His gift to us is pure grace. His
sacrifice took everything dark away, and He offers a clean slate to anyone who
believes.
Let it be you.
Jesus,
Open more hearts to You. Help us to continue to plant seeds of
faith wherever we go, knowing You will grow them at just the right time. I pray
for each person reading this to feel Your power and strength right now, to
finally surrender their lives to the only One who can save us. Jesus Christ.
Amen
Just as we have deepened our realization that our God is a God
of order and detail, in His plan for the seasons and days of our lives, we
witness His creativity and unfathomable design. His miraculous and marvelous
ways are beyond our human imaginings.
God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways. He does
great things beyond our understanding. Job 37:5
For You are great and do marvelous deeds. You
alone are God. Psalm 86:10
The colors of each
tree, the numerous designs, fragrances and the varied height of each flower, the
fruits and the vegetables that grow above and below the ground, the zebra, the
giraffe, the koala bear, the panda. The swan and the eagle, the pelican and the
duck, the lizard and the armadillo. The list could go on page after page after
page. Think deeper. The stripe of the zebra and the tiger. The mane of the
lion, the minute design of the ant to the magnitude of the elephant and
rhinoceros. Stop and picture more of creation right now.
Can you possibly
imagine all of the above and those you have imagined in your mind with no
Creator? Impossible! Everything has an intricate and impossibly imaginative
design. There is no way any of this happened by chance. As we take in all that
He has given us now and the heavenly home He promises us in the future, we can
sink to our knees in grateful praise.
God is good, all
the time. His purposes will stand.
I make known the end from the beginning, from
ancient times what is still to come. I say, “My purpose will stand and I will
do all that I please.” Isaiah 46:10
God’s purpose will
remain. Enjoy His creation today. Thank Him for the sunrise and the sunset.
Praise Him for the birds and the color of the sky, for the heart beating
within, for the beauty of our children and the gifts He gives.
Jesus,
We praise You for all we take for granted each day, for the
gracious gift of life, for the earth and the seasons, for our days and nights.
Thank You, Lord.
Amen
God called the light “day” and the darkness He
called “night.” And there was evening and there was morning-the first day.
Genesis 1:5
God
defines the seasons as He defines each and every day, from each second, to each
minute, to each hour, to each sunrise and sunset. How marvelous to realize He
holds the stars and the moon and the sun and the earth aloft each day, bringing
us the dawn and the dusk to begin and end our days.
There is a saying,
“The darkest hour is just before the dawn.” This proverb, along with the rising
sun, brings hope, reminding us that the slightest light, the least flicker or
glow in our darkest hour offers a new beginning.
Trust in God. Just
as each season of life has its rain and sunshine, each day offers a fresh
start. Dawn leads into daylight, dusk into night. Our God is a God of order and
detail. Think of all He put in motion with creation. How each and every atom
and molecule work in tandem in our own bodies, in the seasons, in each and
every second of each day.
We can place our
trust in Him. The sun will rise today and tomorrow. The sun will set. The
minutes and seconds of each hour will move along, just as they did yesterday.
Rest in His constant hope for tomorrow.
Lord,
We thank You for the hope of tomorrow. Your light will shine
upon us through our days and seasons of life. We are Yours.
Amen
