Battered Sails

After an intense period of work a few months back, I had been looking forward to taking some time off. I knew I needed to think about my future and plans in conjunction with changes around me that would affect my career and living situation, but I also looked forward to sinking my teeth into a personal project that I had been excited about for months but had been too busy to devote much time to. I felt passionate about this project and hoped it would be a starting point toward realizing some of my dreams and goals.

I don’t know what triggered what came next. Perhaps I had overdone physically and strained my already fragile state of health, but I suddenly became very ill. Crippling exhaustion was the dominant problem. The fatigue I suffered from was so deep and overwhelming that on a bad day the kind of decisions I faced were things like, “Do I wash my laundry today, or do I wash my hair?” I simply didn’t have the energy to do both, let alone anything more.

On top of the exhaustion, other strange symptoms presented themselves: nerve pains, muscle pains and spasms, digestive problems, an inability to concentrate on work for more than a few minutes at a time. As the weeks turned into a month and then two, I found myself at an all-time low.

Worry nagged me constantly. What if I never get better? What if I remain weak and infirm for the rest of my life? How will I be able to support and care for myself and my daughter as a single mom in poor health? I felt like Mother Teresa must have when she said, “I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish that He didn’t trust me so much.” My daily prayer became, “Please just help me through this, Lord. Make it stop. Help me survive!”

Things came to a head during a heated exchange with my 14-year-old daughter. “You’ve believed in God for all these years,” she said, “but it doesn’t seem like He’s taking care of you. You’ve been praying and asking God to heal you, but He hasn’t. You’re still sick and you’re still struggling!”

I realized that her words, difficult as they were to hear, were actually a vocalization of some of the same issues that I was battling with. Why wasn’t God helping when I asked?

I’ve often equated faith with being able to take adverse circumstances calmly. The problem with that for me has been that when things weren’t going well, I didn’t always take them calmly. And it showed. I took that to mean that I didn’t have much faith.

It was when I read the poem “I Will Not Doubt” that it clicked: Faith is not a feeling. I can have faith even if I am “weeping because my sails are battered,” “grieving because of my losses,” or “writhing beneath my crosses.” In fact, that’s when I need faith the most, and that’s when I can’t afford to lose my grip on it. Having faith doesn’t mean I have to appear to have everything together. It’s an inner belief and confidence in spite of not having it together. It’s knowing and clinging to the fact that God loves and will care for me, regardless of circumstances, disappointments and battered sails, losses and crosses; regardless of how I feel.

My health is improving, and I’m thankful for that, but I still don’t have everything figured out. Every day I have to make conscious decisions to shift my focus and my thought processes from fear to trust in God, from doubt to belief in His love and unfailing care, and to stand on His promise, “I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

—

Galatians 5:1 ESV / For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Acts 2:38 ESV / And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV / No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

I Can’t Stand Her!

There are some people that we like more than others; and let’s face it, some people like us more than other people do.

When I worked as a nurse in the emergency room of a hospital in Reykjavik, Iceland, I was quite self-assured and felt I could deal with pretty much any situation. I liked the action, the adrenaline rush, and always volunteered for the toughest cases.

We used to get some of the same patients over and over again—alcoholics, drug abusers, derelicts. I was young and I didn’t mind them. Some of them were actually nice, funny, lonely guys who simply needed a warm bed and were genuinely sorry for making a mess of their lives. They would usually be on their best behavior if they were treated with care.

One night shift, the paramedics brought in a drunk man who was fighting hard and didn’t want to be treated. He was seriously ill, though, with water in his lungs. He had not been taking his diuretics for heart failure, and his lung oxygen saturation was low. He was shouting, and the paramedics were arguing with him and telling him to calm down.

“I’ll take him,” I told the other nurse on duty.

I got the tray with all the standard equipment and went into the trauma room where he and the two paramedics were. When the man saw me, he gave me a terrible look and started cursing at me. I froze and then said I’d forgotten something and would be right back. My heart was pounding as I closed the door behind me, and I realized that I was really scared. That man looked like he was crazy, and he could hurt me! He looked strong and was younger than most of the patients that came to the ER in his condition. What to do?

After standing for a few seconds in the med room, pretending to be fetching something, I asked God to show me what it was about that man that He loved. It was the first time that I had prayed that prayer.

I had learned while training horses when I was younger that the sooner you get back on a horse after it has thrown you off, the more the horse will believe that you are not afraid. I took a deep breath and went straight back to the ER.

Walking into the room, I reached out to shake his hand, introduced myself with a smile, and started explaining what I was about to do. “I need to insert an IV now.” I tapped on the veins of the back of his hand, and set up the IV, saying all the usual “You will feel a sting,” and so on, as if he had never had this done before. The patient was calm, so after a minute or so, I told the paramedics I’d be fine on my own and they left.

As I was taking the man’s pulse, he suddenly asked, “Why aren’t you afraid of me?”

I just smiled and said, “I’m sorry. Should I be?”

“No, of course not,” he quickly replied. “It’s just that … well, most nurses are.”

He spent the night in the trauma room, where I gave him all the meds, fluids, and salts that he needed according to his blood tests, and it turned out to be a simple enough case.

When the morning shift arrived, I saw the department manager talking to the security guards, angrily asking them why they weren’t watching this patient’s room. Then she spotted me and asked, “Were you in there with the doors closed and no guard?”

It turned out this man had been red flagged as a dangerous patient after attacking nurses in the heart ward upstairs with a knife. Somehow that report hadn’t been entered into the computer system. I told them that he was fine and obviously not acting dangerous at the moment.

The next night I heard that the man had left after a couple of hours, seemingly back to his usual angry, threatening self, sad to say. Everyone else, it seemed, was glad to see him go.

What has all of this got to do with the title of my story?

Well, since that experience I have used that prayer quite often when I find myself unable to hide what I feel about people. It seems to draw out the best in both them and me. I used to pray, “Help me tolerate So-and-so,” but that just made them bearable. Now, when I’m tempted to think I can’t stand someone, I pray, “Show me what You love about them,” and it works so much better.

Today I am a department manager in a nursing home, and I need to treat all the staff and patients equally and lovingly. I naturally get along better with some of them, but Jesus loves them all and knows what’s special about each of them. When I ask Him to help me see that, He brings it out in the open.

—

2 Timothy 4:1-2 ESV / I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

2 John 1:10-11 ESV / If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.

1 Corinthians 5:11 ESV / But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.

Why Is God Taking So Long?

Question: I’ve been looking for a new job, but so far without success. If I have prayed and am doing my part, why isn’t God helping me?

Answer: The way God works in our lives and the way He chooses to do things is often past our comprehension. It’s mysterious, it’s humbling, and it usually takes faith and patience. His purposes and timetable are often different from ours.

When things are rough, when you feel that they’re not turning out the way you had hoped, when you feel your prayers aren’t being answered, when the trials of life seem too much to bear, when the battle seems too long, when your faith is under attack, when you’re feeling weary and aren’t sure if you can endure much longer, you can climb up onto the foundation that God has provided for your faith—the many promises and encouraging words contained in His Word—and rest in that safe haven.

One such promise is that “you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours”—but God doesn’t promise that it will be yours instantly. His timetable is not always the same as ours. There are times when He does bring instant answers to prayer, but there are also many times when He allows time for our faith to mature and develop, like fine wine. Patience is the mark of a vintage faith, one that is deep and rich and full-bodied.

Throughout history God has tested and tried people’s faith through not granting immediate answers to their prayers. The Israelites waited thousands of years for the Messiah to come, and doubtless they often prayed and pleaded with God to send Him, but God waited until His timing was exactly right.

Patience is not an easy virtue to cultivate. In fact, it goes entirely against the way the world today operates, which is all about getting quick results. We can experience instant miracles and answers to prayer when God knows that’s what’s best, but sometimes He may want us to experience the tests, trials, and challenges of life that arise when His answers don’t come immediately.

Faith isn’t manifested only in our ability to receive immediate, miraculous answers to prayer; it is also manifested in endurance, longsuffering, and the patience to hold on even when we don’t see immediate results from our prayers. So “let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

—

Hebrews 10:36 ESV / For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.

James 1:2-4 ESV / Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Romans 5:3-4 ESV / More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,

I Can’t Stand Her!

There are some people that we like more than others; and let’s face it, some people like us more than other people do.

When I worked as a nurse in the emergency room of a hospital in Reykjavik, Iceland, I was quite self-assured and felt I could deal with pretty much any situation. I liked the action, the adrenaline rush, and always volunteered for the toughest cases.

We used to get some of the same patients over and over again—alcoholics, drug abusers, derelicts. I was young and I didn’t mind them. Some of them were actually nice, funny, lonely guys who simply needed a warm bed and were genuinely sorry for making a mess of their lives. They would usually be on their best behavior if they were treated with care.

One night shift, the paramedics brought in a drunk man who was fighting hard and didn’t want to be treated. He was seriously ill, though, with water in his lungs. He had not been taking his diuretics for heart failure, and his lung oxygen saturation was low. He was shouting, and the paramedics were arguing with him and telling him to calm down.

“I’ll take him,” I told the other nurse on duty.

I got the tray with all the standard equipment and went into the trauma room where he and the two paramedics were. When the man saw me, he gave me a terrible look and started cursing at me. I froze and then said I’d forgotten something and would be right back. My heart was pounding as I closed the door behind me, and I realized that I was really scared. That man looked like he was crazy, and he could hurt me! He looked strong and was younger than most of the patients that came to the ER in his condition. What to do?

After standing for a few seconds in the med room, pretending to be fetching something, I asked God to show me what it was about that man that He loved. It was the first time that I had prayed that prayer.

I had learned while training horses when I was younger that the sooner you get back on a horse after it has thrown you off, the more the horse will believe that you are not afraid. I took a deep breath and went straight back to the ER.

Walking into the room, I reached out to shake his hand, introduced myself with a smile, and started explaining what I was about to do. “I need to insert an IV now.” I tapped on the veins of the back of his hand, and set up the IV, saying all the usual “You will feel a sting,” and so on, as if he had never had this done before. The patient was calm, so after a minute or so, I told the paramedics I’d be fine on my own and they left.

As I was taking the man’s pulse, he suddenly asked, “Why aren’t you afraid of me?”

I just smiled and said, “I’m sorry. Should I be?”

“No, of course not,” he quickly replied. “It’s just that … well, most nurses are.”

He spent the night in the trauma room, where I gave him all the meds, fluids, and salts that he needed according to his blood tests, and it turned out to be a simple enough case.

When the morning shift arrived, I saw the department manager talking to the security guards, angrily asking them why they weren’t watching this patient’s room. Then she spotted me and asked, “Were you in there with the doors closed and no guard?”

It turned out this man had been red flagged as a dangerous patient after attacking nurses in the heart ward upstairs with a knife. Somehow that report hadn’t been entered into the computer system. I told them that he was fine and obviously not acting dangerous at the moment.

The next night I heard that the man had left after a couple of hours, seemingly back to his usual angry, threatening self, sad to say. Everyone else, it seemed, was glad to see him go.

What has all of this got to do with the title of my story?

Well, since that experience I have used that prayer quite often when I find myself unable to hide what I feel about people. It seems to draw out the best in both them and me. I used to pray, “Help me tolerate So-and-so,” but that just made them bearable. Now, when I’m tempted to think I can’t stand someone, I pray, “Show me what You love about them,” and it works so much better.

Today I am a department manager in a nursing home, and I need to treat all the staff and patients equally and lovingly. I naturally get along better with some of them, but Jesus loves them all and knows what’s special about each of them. When I ask Him to help me see that, He brings it out in the open.

—

2 Timothy 4:1-2 ESV / I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

2 John 1:10-11 ESV / If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.

1 Corinthians 5:11 ESV / But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.

Longsuffering—the Conciliatory Fruit

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.Against such there is no law.”

“If my brother offends me, how many times shall I forgive him?” someone once asked Jesus, before offering a hopeful guess. “Seven times?”

“No, seventy times seven!” was Jesus’ reply. In other words, we should never stop forgiving.
Now that’s love! And Jesus wasn’t just talking about lovingly and patiently forgiving our siblings, spouses, or close friends, but also overbearing bosses and coworkers, wayward subordinates, and cantankerous neighbors—anyone and everyone, in fact. This is so contrary to human nature that such loving patience could only come from God Himself.

Hasn’t God forgiven you “seventy times seven”? Doesn’t that make you want to extend that same love and mercy and forgiveness to others, so they can also come to know Him and experience His forgiveness?

“Love suffers long, and is [still] kind.” “A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition.”
Forgiveness
Many people are afraid to forgive because they feel they must remember the wrong or they will not learn from it. The opposite is true. Through forgiveness, the wrong is released from its emotional stranglehold on us so that we can learn from it. Through the power and intelligence of the heart, the release of forgiveness brings expanded intelligence to work with the situation more effectively.
—David and Bruce McArthur, The Intelligent Heart, 1997

When I forgive, I am not to carry any bullets forward on the journey. I am to empty out all my explosives, all my ammunition of anger and revenge. I am not to “bear any grudge.”
I cannot meet this demand. It is altogether beyond me. I might utter words of forgiveness, but I cannot reveal a clear, bright, blue sky without a touch of storm brewing anywhere.
But the Lord of grace can do it for me. He can change my weather. He can create a new climate. He can “renew a right spirit within me,”6 and in that new atmosphere nothing shall live which seeks to poison and destroy. Grudges shall die and revenge shall give place to goodwill, the strong genial presence which makes its home in the new heart.
—John Henry Jowett (1864–1923)

—

Galatians 5:22-23 ESV / But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Matthew 18:21-22 ESV / Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.

1 Corinthians 13:4 ESV / Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant

Creating Space

I decided “better late than never” and ventured into something new and long overdue: at age 50-plus, I registered for lessons at a local driving school.

To my horror, during just my second class, I was taken to drive in the chaotic Nairobi traffic.
“Try to create space around your vehicle,” was one of the first instructions.

“Easier said than done when no one else seems to do that,” I mumbled nervously as I attempted to weave my way through rush hour traffic. Despite my efforts, I soon found myself sandwiched between overloaded minibuses blaring out rap music, motorcycles snaking between lanes, and a dump truck carrying heaps of garbage that towered over my compact car.

“If you can’t have space on all sides, try to have space on two sides—and if not on two, then on at least one, front or back.”

That sounded like a lesson that could be applied to life in general when problems tower over me.
As a mother of seven and a long-time missionary in Africa, I have experienced a wide spectrum of situations that included some so stressful that they threatened to test me beyond my limits. Whenever things felt like they were getting too much to bear, though, this promise would pop into my mind: “God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”

These strategies have helped me:

Creating space. To be able to cope with demanding situations, I started taking short breaks throughout the day. These times act as buffers during periods when extra grace and energy are needed.

Being honest. I’ve had to learn to be honest with myself and others about my limitations. For example, my three-year-old grandson knows that I have a hard time with noise and respects that by keeping the volume down, which helps us make the most of our times together.

Making time. Our family has always tried to find time to talk things over, as well as to commit difficult issues to God in prayer together.

Accepting help. Letting others help with stressful situations can be a lifesaver. It’s also a chance to forge deeper bonds through shared victories.

Giving it a rest. Applying the “sleep on it” principle puts many controversial topics and unsettling issues to rest. It also gives God time to work things out.

—

1 John 4:18 ESV / There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

2 Corinthians 4:8-9 ESV / We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;

1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV / No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

2017 - Mother's Day Celebration

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Announcement

Corp's Officer on Furlough
Date: 9-15th May 2017

Sunday Holiness Meeting
Date: 14th May 2017
Time: 10:30am
Speaker: Bro Mok Tong Sing.

Real-Life Discipleship - 1st Series
Date: 20th May 2017
Time: 10am - 4pm
Speaker: Bro Low Kar Leong
All are welcome.

Life Happens

Sometimes, at the most unexpected times, we get little revelations that clarify perspective, give insight, and recharge our faith. I got one of those the other day.

It had been a long few months financially speaking, and now our vehicle was in the repair shop. As I waited for my husband to call me with the cost estimate, I asked God why this was happening to us now, of all times. “We’re already struggling,” I pleaded. “How can we afford an expensive repair on our vehicle?”

The reply I got was simply, “Sometimes, in life, these things just happen.”
It was not the comforting “I will put an end to this struggle” reassurance I had hoped for, but I didn’t feel that God’s reply was harsh or that He was amused by our predicament. He was simply stating the fact that life is full of challenges, unexpected misfortunes, and disappointment. It happens, and we get through it.

I have always wanted the easy way. I’m quite fine with being rescued before things get too bad. That would be ideal, but it’s not always what God has in mind. He was telling me that there isn’t always going to be a miracle, a magic bullet, or a free pass that allows me to skip the tough parts. It’s not that He can’t do the miracle, if that’s what’s needed, but He’s not a bailout for tough times. What He sometimes chooses to provide is the ability to soldier through—the grace, strength, joy, and stamina to work my way through the disappointments, struggles, and less-than-ideal happenings.

Of course, I can’t just accept everything that happens as “God’s will” and put up no fight, allowing myself and my family to become victims of happenstance. But when God’s message is, “Honey, you have to go through this one,” then I need to quit hoping for a way out and start trusting for a way through.

To be honest, I know that I need these times. I don’t like them, but I need them. These circumstances take my faith from a lovely “shelf” faith to a more practical “street” faith. It’s not as mystical, but a lot more real.

PS: We did have to pay a large repair bill that prolonged our financial struggles. It wasn’t ideal or how we would have preferred things to be, but I’m amazed at what that little word from the Lord did for my perspective on the situation. Just realizing that these things happen and that people get through them helped to vanquish the fear.

—

Romans 12:21 ESV / Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

John 16:33 ESV / I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

James 1:19-20 ESV / Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Long-Tempered

I used to have my own definitions of longsuffering and patience. Longsuffering was putting up with something, and patience was putting up with nothing. The one was expressed in “I wish I didn’t have,” and the other in “I wish I did.” There’s more to both than that, of course, especially longsuffering.

When I looked into the Greek word µακροθυµέω (phonetically, makrothumia), the word translated in some Bible versions as “longsuffering,” I saw that there was another facet. Makro means “long” (no revelation there), and thumia means temper, which was eye-opening. So a more precise translation of makrothumia may be long-tempered, the opposite of short-tempered.

When my brother-in-law returned from a conference a while back, he told me how one of the speakers had said that spontaneously flying off the handle is now referred to as Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED). If sudden short-temperedness is now regarded as a mental disorder, then it makes sense that long-temperedness would be a sign of mental well-being. The speaker went on to say that IED is reaching alarming proportions, and I can say that recent personal experience has provided a little anecdotal evidence to support that position.

Just the other day, my wife and I were walking in town when a well-dressed lady behind us let loose with a string of expletives that would make a rapper blush. She was apparently angry that an older fellow on a bicycle was riding on the sidewalk. I was taken aback by the “sidewalk rage” of this otherwise elegant middle-aged woman.

We live in a beach town, and we can expect the population to swell over the coming summer months. It’s good for the local economy, but it plays havoc with traffic, food prices, and other aspects of our otherwise easygoing town. So around here, at least, we’re coming into the season to practice being long-tempered.

In the book of Colossians, Saint Paul lists some of the qualities that Christians are supposed to cultivate, and—you guessed it—longsuffering is one of them. “Put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another … even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection”—it’s the glue that holds the rest together—“and let the peace of God rule in your hearts.”
What more can be said than that?

—

Galatians 6:9 ESV / And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

Psalm 37:7-9 ESV / Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

Jeremiah 29:11 ESV / For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Plucking Feathers

In my childhood farmyard in Pleasant Hill, New York, we always had an abundance of chickens roaming around looking for worms and bugs, scratching the ground for seeds, and generally living an easygoing, happy life. That’s one reason why, in spite of a modest food budget, I still always buy free-range eggs. I believe that happy chickens create better eggs.

One thing I noticed at an early age was that there is a definite pecking order among chickens. Most chickens are social, humble creatures that mind their own business. But some chickens run around puffing out their chests, lording it over the other chickens … and plucking their tail feathers.

At first, it might seem a humorous quirk. I remember watching certain hens run up behind others and pluck their feathers with such pride. They probably thought they had something up on the other hens. Perhaps the one doing the plucking was making a statement to the other hens that the one she was plucking thought too highly of herself and needed to be cut down to size. Perhaps chickens are less prone to sin with their tongues and more prone to sin with their beaks.

The odd thing, though, was that tail plucking became a bitter challenge. The Golden Rule was playing itself out in reverse; what they were doing to others was being done back to them. The more they plucked others, the more they got plucked by others. In the end, some of our beautiful barnyard chickens looked quite ridiculous.

Chicken owners debate the issue of plucking. They all know it is a problem, but they have few solutions other than to try to separate the pluckers before the problem becomes widespread. A common rationale is to blame it on vitamin deficiencies, as better-fed chickens are less prone to pluck. On our farm, habitual pluckers often ended up in the Sunday stew instead of the henyard.

As an awkward young child, I watched the chickens and learned early that the best defense was not a defense at all. In any social situation, I learned to avoid tail plucking. Unlike more competitive animals in the food chain that believe they must eat or be eaten, I realized that plucking was essentially a self-destructive habit. Better to be in a henyard, surrounded by other hens, than to be in the stewpot.

Jesus said it beautifully in the Sermon on the Mount. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Or as chicken farmers would say, inherit the henyard!

—

Deuteronomy 8:18 ESV / You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

Joshua 1:8 ESV / This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Malachi 3:10 ESV / Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.

Grace to keep on Loving

In one of the most powerful and poetic chapters of the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13, the apostle Paul describes the sort of love Christians are meant to embody: “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”

Longsuffering heads the list, and I think that’s significant because to love freely and consistently in the other ways Paul names requires a readiness to go the distance. We can’t reserve our love for certain situations or special people, and we can’t withdraw it when people disappoint or fail. Longsuffering is both a prerequisite and the bottom line.

How do we find it within ourselves to continue to show love to someone who has hurt us or others? Giving the person the benefit of the doubt can help, and so can remembering that we also hurt others through thoughtlessness, blunders, and unloving choices. But the surest way I know can be found in another translation of this same passage. In the New International Version, the phrase “love thinks no evil” is rendered “love keeps no record of wrongs.” Hurts are real and take time to heal, but when we resist the all-too-human urge to replay them in the courtroom of our mind, when we choose rather to forgive and truly forget, God gives us the love and grace to keep on loving. And everyone wins.

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Ephesians 4:32 ESV / Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Mark 11:25 ESV / And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

1 John 1:9 ESV / If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The Prisoner

The prisoner dictated a letter to some of his dearest friends hundreds of miles away in another country. He told them that he was in chains—most likely chained to his jailer, as that was the custom of the time. Ironically, he had previously been in jail in the city in which his friends lived. On that occasion he had been beaten and imprisoned—illegally, it turned out—in the city’s most secure cell. He was considered an atheist and a rabble-rouser, and was well-known to authorities throughout the empire who were glad to get him off the streets whenever they could.

It hadn’t always been that way. There had been a time when he was dedicated to enforcing the law. He had even been an officially sanctioned vigilante who went about brutally clearing his area of miscreants, men, women, and children alike. That had been a task he relished. But that had been long ago. Now he was on the other side of the fence, and his former colleagues were complicit in his censure and imprisonment.

The apostle Paul knew his life was in the balance. It was either death or freedom for him—it seemed no other options were even being considered. He had been held under a sort of house arrest for awhile, but no longer; and his new jailers, drawn from the ranks of the Praetorian Guard, were particularly tough. In any case, the wheels of Roman justice were turning exceedingly slowly. His dear friends in Philippi were worried about him and had sent money toward his upkeep. Some were old legionaries who knew how the Roman system worked, how tough and often unfair it was. So Paul was writing to reassure them that God had everything under control.

The Philippians were some of his favorite people, it seems. He wrote tenderly to them, encouragingly, telling them to look on the bright side, it was all good. If this was his time to die, he would go to be with the Lord; and if he was freed, that was good too, because then he could come and see them again. He said he couldn’t make up his mind which was better. He had committed all into God’s hands and had received an inexplicable peace in return. His words are immortal and they resonate with all believers.

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

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Acts 9:1-2 ESV / But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

Philippians 1:13-14 ESV / so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

Philippians 1:22 ESV / If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell.

Keeping God in the Picture

To have peace reign in your heart may seem impossible when your mind is whirling in confusion at the stress of daily life. Yet such peace is promised; Jesus told us, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. … Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

Keeping God in the picture is another way of saying that we should give Him an active role in our daily lives, which we do by acknowledging His presence and power, and by asking for His counsel and help in matters big and small. Daniel, whose story is told in the Old Testament book of that name, had just such a relationship with God, and that paid off when he faced a challenge that makes most of ours pale by comparison.

Daniel had been taken captive in his youth, when the Babylonians conquered Judah, but eventually he rose to a position of power and influence in the Babylonian royal court. Then, when the Medes overthrew the Babylonians, Daniel became a senior administrator during the reign of King Darius.

Politics have always been fraught with rivalry and intrigue, and this period was no different; Daniel’s fellow governors became jealous and plotted against him. They persuaded Darius to decree restrictions on prayer and worship, under penalty of death, but Daniel’s well-known devotion to his God compelled him to ignore the decree. Darius favored Daniel and realized that he had been manipulated, but he could neither change nor ignore his own decree. When Daniel was thrown into a den of hungry lions, it seemed that would be the end of him, but the next morning he emerged from the den unscathed.

Keeping God in the picture enables us to survive life’s tribulations with our faith and peace of heart and mind intact.
Take the way of peace:Praying for the day ahead when you wake; pausing to pray when things get hectic or a decision or problem arises; taking a few minutes for quiet reflection in the evening—these are all ideal times to find peace in God’s presence.

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Colossians 3:15 ESV / And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

Philippians 4:7 ESV / And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

John 14:27 ESV / Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Snail Patrol

Today I went for a walk with the kids in the countryside surrounding the village in which we live, an area consisting of farmland, dirt paths, and small woods. The weather was great, so it was a good opportunity for the kids to get some fresh air and exercise as they ran around looking for the little creatures that are abundant in spring and summer.

It was an enjoyable break for me as well. Out on those country trails there are no computers, no pressing work, no chores, no meetings, no messes to clean up, and none of the myriad of other things that keep us busy most of the day.

Time can seem to stand still while out in nature—at least until the kids excitedly holler, “Ladybug!” or “Spider!” But even such sudden alerts are okay, because just a few minutes of peace is usually all I need to clear my head. When Jesus said that unless you become as little children you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven, maybe He wasn’t just talking about heaven to come, but also about the peace and little bit of heaven we experience in our hearts here and now when we put our cares aside, quiet our minds and spirits, and tune in to His voice speaking to us through creation.

Children seem to do that naturally. They’re not worried about work that needs to get done, or the bills that need to be paid; they’re simply full of energy and excited about life, and happy to have a big guy along to watch out for them and take snapshots of their activities. How much more should we have peace, knowing that we have the ultimate Big Guy looking out for us and, I’m sure, taking snapshots of our lives too.

Out in the Fields with God
The little cares that fretted me,
I lost them yesterday,
Among the fields above the sea,
Among the winds at play;
Among the lowing of the herds,
The rustling of the trees;
Among the singing of the birds,
The humming of the bees.

The foolish fears of what might happen,
I cast them all away
Among the clover-scented grass,
Among the new-mown hay;
Among the husking of the corn,
Where drowsy poppies nod,
Where ill thoughts die and good are born—
Out in the fields with God!
—Elizabeth Barrett Browning

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Psalm 96:11-12 ESV / Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy

Ecclesiastes 3:11 ESV / He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

Isaiah 55:12 ESV / “For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.