Being a Princess

A friend of mine shared this video with all her facebook friends - I in turn shared it with mine. The video is of Gianna Jessen, who is an abortion survivor. It's 16 minutes long - but please take the time to watch it before you read the rest of this blog entry.

I wanted you to see the whole thing, and I believe that it's important that we speak out against abortion. I can't really add anything to her prolife message - so I'm not going to try. But I encourage you to become more involved in protecting life. If you know someone considering an abortion - pray for them. Be bold and TALK to them with love and concern. Participate in the Right to Life march in January. Write to your elected representatives. Do what you can - and most importantly, pray that this holocaust ends.

Gianna said something in her speech that really jumped out at me. "I am a Princess." She's right. She is a Princess. So am I and so are you (or a prince if you happen to be a boy). We are royalty - children of the King of Kings. But, what does that mean?

C. S. Lewis had one of the best descriptions of what it means to be royalty that I've ever read - or at least what it should mean. In "The Horse and His Boy" (part of the Chronicles of Narnia), the boy discovers that although he was raised by a fisherman, he was really a prince and will one day be the king. His father, who he was finally reunited with, tells him, "For this is what it means to be a king: to be first in every desperate attack and last in every desperate retreat, and when there's hunger in the land (as must be now and then in bad years) to wear finer clothes and laugh louder over a scantier meal than any man in your land."

Notice that Lewis doesn't say that the king will get more to eat - but that he will laugh louder. This isn't a comment on redistributing wealth, it's a comment on being joyful in all things. We are royalty, children of the King. But we will go through bad times, if we greet those times with a servant's heart then those who don't believe in the King will see the joy that we have.

Gianna admits that she has Cerebral Palsy - but she calls it a gift. She is a Princess who is laughing over a scantier meal. She is allowing her weakness to bring glory to the King. Does that mean that she's never sad or never, ever has a pity party for herself. Well, I don't know her so I can't say for sure, but she is human and so she probably has days here and there where that is her frame of mind - HOWEVER, she is able to turn her focus back to the blessings that she enjoys.

I take care of my mom, who has Alzheimer's. There are some days that I'm so frustrated and discouraged that I give in and have a pity party. In the middle of that, I pray and God reminds me that I am HIS - I'm a Princess. And the Kingdom of Heaven is just around the corner.

May we all learn to use our weaknesses to bring glory to Him.

In All Things Give Thanks!

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Last Friday, I had one of those days that made it impossible to be joyful. Mama was in a mood and refused to drink anything most of the day. (Have you ever had someone throw a glass of chocolate milk at you with the intent to hurt you???) I finally got her hydrated enough about two hours before she went to bed and as a result, her thought process and mood improved. So we ended the day on a good note. The deep joy that I have because of the assurance of my salvation was still there, but as the saying goes, "If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." It was a very BAD DAY!!

In the middle of this bad day, I had gone to my room and logged onto FaceBook hoping that one of my friends who I knew would pray for me would be logged on too. I couldn't call anyone, because if I actually had to speak and tell anyone what was going on, I knew I'd start crying. My friend Julia was online and I typed her a brief cry for help. She quickly promised that she'd start praying for me right then. I had been praying before then, but it was good to have someone agree with me in prayer.

Saturday, I got up with a little bit of dread remembering how bad the day before had been. So I prayed that Saturday would be better and thanked God for helping me make it through Friday and also for the very bad day ending on a good note. Mama was in a good mood when I went in to wake her up. When it was evident that she had to have a shower, her mood went south. We started the day with a wrestling match (getting clean is not up for negotiation!). But, the last thing I did after she was clean was to wash and rub her feet and her mood improved. In fact, we spent the rest of the morning laughing and talking. Then we had to go to the store.

God sent us so many little blessings on Saturday! First, Mama was in a good mood - and that isn't a little blessing - it's a BIG one! Next, we had to get a nail pulled out of one of our tires - and they didn't charge us for it but asked that when we needed work done, we come back and see them (you better believe I will!). Then, while we were at the store, we ran into a someone I used to work with - she was very attentive to Mama and it was really good to see her. After that, Mama & I went back to the car and as I was trying to convince her to get out of the store's wheelchair, someone stopped and asked if we needed any help. We didn't need the help, but it really meant a lot that they stopped and asked. I guess the man who offered his help thought the wheelchair was going to need to be loaded in the car, because he came back and offered to help again and asked if the wheelchair was ours. I told him, "no, it belongs to the store." Just then, another person who had just walked by, turned around and said, "I'll wheel that back to the store for you." That was so nice!

None of those blessings were major and some people might not even notice them. But I did. I said a prayer of thanks for each of those people and their kindness. Later, when Mama and I had our prayer time before bed, I thanked God again and asked Him to bless those people also.

Saturday was WONDERFUL! I believe that it was due in large part to giving thanks for the good part of the bad day and praying continually. I also believe that it was a good day because I was more in tune with the blessings that God gives. They aren't always big. But they are blessings just the same. And I challenge you with two things: First, look for the blessings in your everyday life. Second, look for the opportunity to be a blessing to someone else - even something as simple as helping someone out by taking a cart or a wheelchair back to the store for them. It might not seem like much, but those small blessings mean a lot.

The Reunion

"Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way where I am going."

Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?"

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." John 14:1-6

I recently went to my 30 year High School reunion. Because of my circumstances with my Mom, I wasn't able to attend as much of it as I would have liked, but I was glad that I got to go to part of it. It was interesting to see how much people had changed and how little they had changed.

I saw one friend that I had lost touch with shortly after graduation and just recently reconnected with over Facebook (I'm finding more people that I had NO idea how to get in touch with - I'm now keeping up with my cousin, who I hadn't had contact with in over 30 years - Facebook is wonderful!) . My friend and I had chatted a few times over FB and I was so happy when she said that things had worked out for them to be able to come to the class reunion. We saw each other and hugged and squealed. We weren't the only ones - you could hear squeals of joy & delight coming from all over the room. So many people being reunited after so many years. I saw another friend that I had not seen since we graduated, we hugged...and squealed. And then we had time to say about six sentences to each other and we both got pulled in other directions. I wish I had been able to spend more time with her.

My reunion made me a little homesick. Oh, not for my youth or school days or the town where I grew up (I'm back in the town where I grew up because my ministry for now is taking care of my Mom), but I got homesick for Heaven. Think about what a wonderful reunion that is going to be!

When we get to Heaven, we'll be with all those who have gone before us who love Jesus and accepted Him as their personal Savior. I feel sure that there will be a lot of hugging...and squealing...and laughter. But best of all we will be in the presence of our Savior, of our God. Oh, what a wonderful reunion that will be!!!

Look Up!

John 14

We live in interesting and troubling times. If you watch the news at all, you've probably had a few nightmares. The disciples lived in interesting and troubling times too. Yet before Jesus was crucified, He told his disciples, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." (John 14:1-4 NIV)

I love those words. No matter how bad things get - if we have accepted Jesus as our Savior, then we know where we are going. He's preparing a place for us and He's coming back to get us and take us home with Him. (One of my favorite message t-shirts was a picture of a note pinned to the cross - the note said, "Gone to see Dad. We're fixing a place for you. Be back soon to pick you up.")

With the world in the shape that it is now and the things that seem to be coming, it would be really easy to throw up our hands and say, "I can't take it any more." However, that isn't what Jesus wants us to do. "Let not your heart be troubled" were His instructions.

So how do you do that?? Well, I read a lot of Christian fiction (and no, that isn't how you deal with it). I'm sure many of you have read the Left Behind series. I read them and really enjoyed them. For those who haven't read them - they are based on Revelation with the point of view that everything in Revelation is yet to happen (or is starting to happen now). I've also read The Last Disciple, which is also based on Revelation but with the point of view that some of what is in Revelation happened in the first century. There is a section in this book where the Apostle John is sitting in a garden waiting for the main character to show up. John is sitting there looking up to the sky with a look on his face that says that he expects Jesus to return at any moment just like he saw Him leave. When I read that, I started thinking that we need to look up more often. Do you truly believe that Jesus is coming back? Are you living your life like you expect Him to return any moment now? Do you occasionally look up to the sky to see if you can see His arrival? Are you letting the love and hope that comes only from Jesus flow through you?

Don't ignore the bad things - but don't forget to concentrate on the good. He is preparing a place for us!

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Phil. 4:8&9.

Don't forget to look up!

Don't Despair

I told you two weeks that I had been thinking a lot about Judas over the past couple of years. I started to write about that last week, but halfway through, I got writer's block. Sunday, I discovered why. My friend JJ was giving the communion meditation and mentioned some things that should be included in this post. Isn't it wonderful how God works? Here I was frustrated because I couldn't think of exactly how to say the things that God had laid on my heart and all the while it was just His way of saying, "hold on there, I've got you covered - just wait." (He does that, but too often we don't recognize it for what it is.)

Anyway, I'm truly fascinated by the story of Judas because we are all like him in some respect. As humans, we like to assign levels or degrees to sin - telling a lie isn't as bad as murder. However, in God's eyes, sin is sin. Telling a lie is as bad as murder. If you are guilty of one part of the Law, you are guilty of the whole Law. ("For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." - James 2:10.) That said, the EARTHLY consequences for those sins are different - and should be because some sins affect others more.

Judas betrayed Jesus. But don't forget that Peter betrayed Jesus also. Judas betrayed Him by turning him over to the Chief Priest and Temple Guard. Peter betrayed Him by denying that he knew Him. Later, Paul betrayed Jesus by going after the church and putting many of the believers to death (or at the very least hunting them down, turning them over and giving his approval while he watched them being stoned to death). All three of these men were very sorry for what they had done. So what's the difference between them?

Judas gave into despair. He was very sorry for what he did. He even tried to undo it. He went to the priests and confessed that he had sinned by turning over an innocent Man. He returned the money. (Which the priests didn't want because is was blood money.) Then he hung himself. In the "Anne of Green Gables" movie that starred Colleen Dewhurst and Megan Follows, Anne says that she is in the "depths of despair" after she dyes her hair and it turns out green. Marilla tells her not to talk like that because "to despair is to turn your back on God." That's a pretty good definition for true despair. Judas could have gone to Mary and the disciples to tell them he was sorry and he realized how great his sin was. He could have asked for their forgiveness. If he had waited, then he would have witnessed the resurrection and could have asked Jesus to forgive him. Can you imagine what kind of witness he would have been? But, that was not the path that he chose. He chose to give in to despair and end his life - cancelling any chance for redemption.

Peter ran away when he realized that he had denied Jesus. And we don't know what he did immediately after that. But we do know that at some point after the crucifixion that he sought out the other disciples because they were all together when they heard about the resurrection. More than likely, they had gathered to comfort each other and mourn together. I have no doubt that they talked about Peter denying that he knew Him - I'm sure they talked over everything that happened on that night. I'm also sure that Peter talked about how sorry he was for denying Christ. We don't have a record of those conversations, but we do have a record of a conversation Jesus had with Peter a little later - it ends with "feed my sheep." Peter did not give in to despair, but repented and went on to live the rest of his life to bring glory to God. He delivered his first sermon on Pentecost and about 3,000 people accepted Jesus as their Savior.

Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus after His ascension to Heaven. Paul was on his way to persecute more Christians. Jesus met him in a blinding light asked him why he was persecuting Him. Paul immediately stopped persecuting the Church but continued to seek them out - but now it was to learn from them. He repented and went on to travel to other countries to preach and teach that Christ not only died for our sins, but He conquered death so that through Him we can also conquer death. All we have to do is accept the sacrifice He made for us and follow Him.

So we have all betrayed Jesus in one way or another - how are you going to respond to that? Don't despair, there is forgiveness and in that is true hope.

Washing Feet

John 13: 1 - 5

For the past few years, the passage of scripture where Jesus washes His disciples' feet has been brought to my attention over and over.

For most of my life, I've looked at the foot washing passage as Jesus demonstrating that we are to have a servant's heart - and I still think that is a fair interpretation of that scripture. However, lately, I've been looking at it a little differently. I take care of my mother, who has Alzheimer's. Several times a week, I get down on the floor and wash her feet. If she is in a particularly bad mood, it will put her in a good mood (it's only failed me once). Because of this chore, I've started looking at this section of scripture in a new light.

First of all, when you are washing someone's feet, you are down on the floor and you can't really move very quickly. My mother gets violent sometimes (Alzheimer's is a horrible disease) and while washing & massaging her feet will calm her down - it takes a little while. She's hit me on the top of the head and she's kicked me. So, foot washing can be dangerous. You are making yourself vulnerable. When we serve someone, we are making ourselves vulnerable to them. They may not physically hurt us (although, they may), but they may take advantage of us. They may resent us for being nice - after all, scripture also tells us that we are to treat our enemies with kindness, it's like heaping coals on their heads (okay, so coal heaping isn't supposed to be our motivation for being kind, but it is sometimes a result of it).

Second, washing someone's feet isn't particularly pleasant even when they are happy and appreciative that you are doing it. The floor gets hard pretty fast! It never fails that my face will start itching and I can't scratch it because, well, I have feet all over my hands. I have arthritis and getting up off the floor isn't exactly easy either. In fact, I have this recurring nightmare that Mama and I are going to be found dead in the bathroom - she'll be sitting in the chair we have in there and I'll be laying on the floor because I couldn't get back up and no one found us before we starved to death. I know it's silly, because I know that the people at church would notice that we weren't there and besides, I always have my cell phone in my pocket just in case I really do need help getting up off the floor.

But back to that passage of scripture that talks about Jesus washing the disciples' feet. The first time that I really stopped to consider it was during a sermon given by my minister and friend, Doug. In an almost throw away line in his sermon, Doug mentioned that Jesus washed the feet of Judas, knowing perfectly well that Judas was going to betray Him later that night. That got me thinking....

If Jesus could still treat Judas with love like that, shouldn't we be able to do a better job of being kind to our enemies (and don't say you don't have enemies - if you are a Christian, then you've got them whether you realize it or not). In fact, Jesus would have forgiven Judas, if he had repented. Judas was sorry for what he had done and tried to undo it - but that isn't the same as repenting (that's a subject for another day). Instead of repenting, Judas gave into despair when he couldn't undo the damage he had done and he hung himself. (Ponder that and we'll talk about it next week.)