moving4ward7

Shortsighted

If you grew up in church, then you probably have heard more than once the story of Esau, who for a single meal gave up his birthright. We don’t think much about birthrights here in the United States, as we believe every man, and woman for that matter, has an equal opportunity to be and live as they wish. There are no special blessings to be given just because you are the oldest. Parents tend to divide their property equally in their wills. It was very different when Esau gave up the right of blessing for a momentary filling of his stomach. I mean to be fair, we’ve all been there; so hungry we vow we would eat anything. We grab the candy bars by the check out to snack on or pull through the fast food restaurants to satisfy an immediate need for food, rather than going home and spending an hour preparing a meal. Or maybe that’s just me.

But have you ever taken the easy way or the fastest way to solve a problem because you believe it will satisfy your emotions and avoid conflict? I admit I have. Have you ever listened to bad advice and followed it without much thought, only to regret it later, like Esau selling his birthright? I have and let me share an example.

About 14 years ago, one of my uncles stopped by our house. He lived in another state, so it was really nice that during his trip to visit his sister, my mom, he stopped by for a meal. I hadn’t grown up around this uncle and my mom had only a few years before this visit, found him and was reunited with him. My mom and her two siblings had been separated as small children when they were taken away from their mom. I was very happy and excited to see him. One of military assignments had brought us to a state close to where he and his family lived and we were able to meet him for the first time and visit a few times before we moved back home. I had looked forward to his visit to our new home.

But, unfortunately my happiness turned to sadness, grief and anger after he left our house. He thought it would be best to relay gossip that he heard about me. He spared no detail and informed me that they were talking about me and the choice I made to forego college to get married. Now, he never did say who the “they” were, for he had visited my parents, my brother and his wife and my aunt, my dad’s sister. All of which lived on the same street. I didn’t even want to know who said what, although I had suspected my Aunt since she had never married and was a college professor. I was angry and hurt. I had never wanted to go to college right after high school and I also was very proud of my husband and our children. I had enjoyed being a stay at home mom while my husband served his country. My husband and I had lived an adventurous life the military had provided us. When we chose to move back to our hometown, we never expected our family to feel this way about us.

I was hurt and in my own shortsightedness decided that I could not host the big holiday meal for the entire family that year. I just couldn’t believe my own family saw my life as a failure, and wished I hadn’t gotten married and had children.

What I didn’t realize until later was that my uncle was trying to cause trouble. Eventually we had to set boundaries for him in order to protect our family. He would share inappropriate material over our social media feeds, and was himself estranged from his own grown children. But, I realized too late that I had believed his tea when he spilled it, instead of ignoring it. Over time I spoke with my mom, but she brushed me off. Ten years later as I was about to earn my master’s degree I spoke to my Aunt and she was very excited and proud of me, and it made me realize that it probably wasn’t her. My Mom never saw me earn my master’s degree but watched me as I studied for my bachelor’s degree before she died in 2014. I learned that what my uncle had said was probably not true. My parents and my Aunt were very much happy with our children and proud of my college accomplishments that I pursued later in life. I only wish that I had not listened to my Uncle, who turned out to be untrustworthy. I had lost a few years of an open, happy relationship with my Aunt and endured years of suspicion and hurt that I didn’t need to experience.

Over the years since then, I try to be more careful about what I believe when people tell me about others. I know how much misleading words can hurt. Spreading rumors might seem worthwhile, as believing the rumors can be, but remember to ask questions about the tea spiller. Are they trustworthy? Are they angry at the person they are spreading the rumors about? Are they looking for attention? Are they trying to harm you or make you feel devalued? Are they trying to create turmoil in your relationships? Its best not to react right away and consider what you know about the person that is being gossiped about. Its best to not believe the first thing you hear. You might just ruin a relationship. If you are the one someone else is gossiping about it can be difficult to clear your name and reputation. People tend to believe what they choose to believe and that is not your responsibility, Be true to who you know you are. Set boundaries if necessary to protect yourself. Allow God to be your vindicator and try to live at peace with all men as the Apostle Paul advises. God Bless Nancy

Value Added

What is it that you value? Your home? Your family? Your work? Your bank account? Your self? The list is probably limitless and varies from person to person. It can be strange to think of valuing our selves, but why not? We certainly aren’t value less. God has created mankind in his image. The Imago Dei. in the image of God. We are beautiful and capable and wonderfully made. We are not just a bunch of cells that dragged ourselves out of a pool of brackish water to rise to the creative humans we are today. We create, we think, we protect, we rationalize, we cry, we get angry, we feel sad, we feel overwhelming joy, we see beauty, we sing and make music. We write plays and produce films. We write songs and symphonies. We paint and we draw. We build houses and cities. All because we are made in the image of a creative and holy God, who displays emotions, love us deeply, and protects and provides. He created the sunsets, stars, mountains and flowers. And He loves all mankind deeply, beyond what we are able to perceive. He gives us grace and mercy when we don’t deserve it. He asks us to love Him and love our fellow man.

We miss so much when we don’t value others. When we don’t see others as made in the image of God. In fact, we often devalue others. We define the unborn children as mere cells and tissues. We label those with handicaps as having a less life, a less quality of life, and we often choose to judge our quality of life, or a normative life as the standard for quality of life. We believe the lies that older people are past their usefulness and aren’t worth saving when they get sick or injured. We value even less those with mental and intellectual disabilities, and in some places choose to abort babies that might have such a disability in utero. We see people as products of the flesh, of an animal nature, but we are not animals. We have the gift of self-realization and awareness, that animals do not posses. We have the ability to communicate with God and reflect Him.

Sometimes, when we aren’t feeling very valuable, we try to add value to ourselves. Maybe through a promotion at work, a new car, a larger home, a title, a college degree, a marriage, a relationship, a bigger bank account, or changing our physical appearance. But, in reality, we don’t need any of these add- ons, we are already valued and loved by God. We are not just “enough” we are more than just “enough” we are God’s beloved. – God Bless You, Nancy

GOTCHA

Have you every been trying to catch a bothersome fly? You know, the kind that flies away as soon as you try to swat it away? It keeps returning, buzzing around your head and landing on you. It’s persistence, while commendable, is annoying. Maybe, eventually, you will be able to swat it, catch it or maybe it will decide that you are just not worth bothering anymore and leave.

I’ve noticed that recently my thoughts have acted as those annoying flies. I try to swat them out of my way. I keep busy, distract myself, or try to think about something else. But, they can be as persistent as those flies. The thoughts that annoy me the most, are my anxious thoughts or my negative thoughts. They are persistent.

The good thoughts seem to flutter by as if a butterfly, flitting along, stopping on a flower in front of me, bringing me a moment to joy, and then, they’re off.I really wish there were more butterfly moments that fly moments. I’ve realized that there can be, but I just need to change my perspective. If I dwell on my anxiety, it keeps pestering me, but when I stop and look for the good thoughts they are there too. They are just quieter. Less demanding. I have to stop my busyness and distractions- like my smart phone and laptop to wait for them to land in my mind like a butterfly. It sounds like a good idea, being quiet and pausing. Taking a deep breath, setting my phone down, closing my laptop, removing my earbuds. But it is really a battlefield and I am a soldier. The apostle Paul put it into perspective:

The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We tear down arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5)

He also wrote:

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.(Romans 12:2)

Paul got it. This world is at war. Our thoughts are our enemy at times, and are persistent, unless we know how to fight them. First, we must recognize they are not good thoughts from God, but thoughts from the enemy,the devil, who tries to destroy our faith walk. He likes to discourage us, confuse, and rob us of our peace- the peace that Jesus gave us. The world’s pattern is always stressed, anxious, worried and fretful. But, we can take these thoughts and capture them, according to Paul. I know we would like to think that life back in Paul’s day, was less stressful. There were no passwords to remember, no social media rants, no crazy economic issues, no traffic and bad drivers.

But, they had problems too. Shipwrecks, beheadings, political turmoil, arrests, religious persecutions, famine, racism, political oppression by a world dominating force- the Roman Empire, taxes, pollution, diseases, just to name a few from the Book of Acts. They did not live in a butterfly world either. So, Paul instructed others to not let the thoughts keep pestering them. The believers had authority over them. They did not have to live hopeless, but could be proactive. When everyone else was complaining and caught up in anxiety, Paul said to fight back. That doesn’t sound like a very passive action to take, but by calming ourselves, pausing, breathing, putting away technology’s distraction, we are fighting back the negative, persistent thoughts.

A respected pastor who recently passed, Charles Stanley, used to say “fight every battle on your knees” I like that. Prayer is battle against the enemy. God fight for us and with us. Next time, you are overwhelmed with the persistent anxious and negative thoughts, stop and capture those thoughts before they have full run of your mind and say, “gotcha” God bless, Nancy

What You See Vs. What You Get

They say you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover. I do not know who “they” are but I believe they are right. I have been slowly learning this age old adage in practical ways. I really like it when God shows me lessons from the everyday routine of life. He can take the ordinary and teach me something extraordinary. That is, something that I need to learn. He exposes my own selfish motives and misunderstandings. And my shortcomings in judging by what I see versus what is reality.

Recently, here in the United States, we celebrated Mother’s Day. My adult children gave me a beautiful floral arrangement. It was delivered a few days before Mother’s Day and to be truthful I was expecting it, as they give me flowers every year. But it still amazed me how nice it was. There were pink roses and white hydrangea blooms. There were ferns and wild flowers. And then some weird looking green pods. I noticed them because among all the beautiful blooms and filler fern leaves, they just didn’t fit. I do a small amount of gardening myself and I am familiar with flowers, but these weird green pods didn’t look like any flower I had seen before. I began to wonder why the florists had added them to the bouquet.

As the roses began to fade and the edges of their petals turned brown, I noticed something about the green pods; they changed color too. They were beginning to fade from deep green to a softer, paler green color. A few days later, as I removed faded rose blooms, the pods began to change shape and form a point on one end. A couple more days went by and I was awarded a spectacular view of this once green pod opening into a white lily bloom. I had wondered before if this was a lily, but it was so tightly closed, it made me doubt what it was. I also was confused as to why the florist wouldn’t have just added lilies in bloom for the arrangement. But, what I could not see before, finally revealed itself. This beautiful bloom had been there all along, but I failed to see it. I only remarked about the beautiful pink roses. But, now as the roses have faded by and turned into an unsightly brown, I have a new fresh white lily bloom to admire. I now see what the florist was doing. This beautiful bouquet, a gift in celebration for a single day, will now continue to give me joy for longer than the roses have.

Another lesson learned that what I see in people is not always what is going on in them on the inside. People might look ordinary, yet as I get to know them, they reveal an amazing personality and ability. We tend to judge others by appearances, and fail to see their beauty. The beauty that God knows is there all along. We are all His amazing workmanship. Let us try to see others as God sees them. And be patient with others. Maybe they are just waiting to bloom. -God Bless, Nancy

Re-framing the Shot

So, a little known fact about me is that I work part time as a wedding videographer. My position is a second shooter to the lead videographer. It is a newly acquired skill that I am still learning. One of the characteristics of filming a wedding is the adaptability to change. Schedules rarely stick with their preplanned time line. All the vendors know this and try to accommodate the wedding party. It is their day after all. We just have to adjust to the situation and changes to create the most enjoyable moments for the couples and their guests.

For photographers and videographers, we all know that we must work in all conditions to get the perfect shot. Whether it is a small chapel with barely enough room to navigate the side aisles or in the blazing sun, freezing cold, or downpours. There is only one opportunity to capture an important day in the lives of the clients. It has to be right.

One step I take with every wedding is stopping to frame the shot. While I use a moving video and photographers take still pictures, the concept is the same; the people and objects must be in a certain part of the frame to look right. In video production the screen actually displays “thirds”, lines which help to keep the objects in the right part of the frame. For ceremonies, cameras are placed on tripods and set up and framed before the couple walks down the aisle.We double check everything as we wait for the groom first and then the bride to walk down the aisle. And then the music begins and we start rolling the video.

That’s when we can either validate our work in setting up the cameras, or when we can find that we are in fact not framed right. And we must react and reframe the shot. We can tilt the cameras’ angle either up or down, or pan left or right to make sure we capture the people in the frame.

No matter how well we plan the camera angles, there usually needs to be an adjustment. The framing does not always fall perfectly into place. And then there are the people who stand in front of the cameras. Not on purpose, but without realizing it, they have ruined our view of the bride and groom. Not intentionally, but never the less, we must adjust the camera and reframe the shot.

Recently, I was filming a wedding ceremony outdoors near a rock wall. My camera was all set. Perfect. The music started. The bride was walking down the aisle. I was set to capture the groom’s reaction as he saw his bride for the first time in her wedding dress. Everything was set. And then. A photographer stepped right in front of my camera. I had to reframe the shot and scramble to pick up my tripod and camera and lift it over the rock wall, all the while rolling. It was frustrating to be sure, but thankfully I got the shot. I have never had to carefully lift the gear and move it that much while filming, but it was important to not miss anything. Like I mentioned before, I have to get the shot.

This has reminded me about life. I get all my ducks in a row- that is everything ready and planned out, and there is always something to disrupt my plans. Just like the wedding guests or photographers who unintentionally block my view, in life the same can be true. And there are not do overs.

We find that we have to constantly adapt and change to life. Plans do not flow as expected. We have to deal with others and their schedules. Not everything in life will be the way we would like it to be. We have to step back at times and reframe out perspectives. Sometimes we literally have to take a step back and move from our position- whether actually a physical location, or an opinion, and see a different view.

Other times we must change our thinking. We must stop thinking the negative thoughts and choose to think about the positive. Sometimes we need to change our attitudes from negative to positive to reframe our thinking. Our minds will go in whatever direction we allow them. But we have the ability to stop and pick up thoughts and move them out of the negative. If we want to improve our thinking and attitudes we need to keep them in the frame. And in focus.

If you are finding yourself needing a reframing of your thoughts or attitudes lately; here is a great verse from the apostle Paul: “Finally, brothers and sisters, 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.” (Philippians 4:8, NIV).

If you take each part of the verse and stop to think about something that fits the description, it will change your perspective. I have tried it before and found that it works for me.

What was something true about today? What was something noble- that is something good someone did for you?, What was something that was right? What was something that happened that was good today? Did someone help you? Was it thoughtful and unexpected? Did you notice anything that was so selfless that it amazed you? Is there someone you can give thanks to? Can you thank God that you are alive today?

Think of these as guidelines on your perspective. They will keep your thoughts in frame and from going south. Life happens and we can choose how to react to it by choosing our thoughts. Keep them in the right framing. God Bless, Nancy

Quiet

“Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10- NIV)

I used to hate the quiet. It felt uncomfortable. I needed noise. I remember when I was in school and had homework to complete. Instead of isolating myself from the rest of my family, I would turn on the television and do my homework in front of it, with all my books littered across the living room floor. It helped me to concentrate. Or else I would play some music. The noise helped me be more productive.

I remember visiting my grandparents and how much they actually like the quiet. And the dark. Picture this; my grandparents sitting in silence, not speaking to each other while they stared out the window. As the sun faded and it was about to become too dark in their living room to see, they would finally turn on the lamp. And just like a scene from a movie, the only noise at their house was a grandfather clock and you could hear the slow ticking sound with the occasional chime, marking the hour and half hour. And they seemed to be liking it.

So, fast forward a few decades, and I catch myself sitting in my living room without a sound. No television, no music, no phone, looking out the window. But, not in the dark- I can’t do without the lights! And I am finding that I am starting to like it too just as my grandparents had. Why? Maybe my age? Maybe I’ve had too much noise before? I’ve raised three kids before after all! I’m not sure exactly. But, I do know it does wonders for my mental health. Maybe the older generations knew something they we don’t.

It isn’t always easy to be still. I want to keep busy. To keep distracted. So I don’t have to stop and overthink. To overthink and attempt to solve all my problems. This overthinking and solving becomes consuming at times and adds to my anxiety and stress. Sound familiar to you too?

The more I think the more I get stressed and worried. If only I could be quiet and not over think so much. Awe…. I get what my grandparents were doing…..shutting out the world’s noise……and being still. Stopping to enjoy the moment in silence. To stare out the window and view God’s creation and admire it. Maybe to reflect on days past, but not to be so busy they couldn’t stop and turn off the noise.

The verse above is from the Book of Psalms- one of my favorite book of the Bible. I researched the verse a bit further and found that in some versions, the verse reads “Stop fighting and know that I am God” (Christian Standard Bible) Interesting.Verse nine from the passage speaks about God’s destruction of weapons of war and of causing wars to cease. And then verse ten tells the audience to stop fighting. Verse eleven explains that God is with His people.

Did you notice it too? God ends the war and destroys the weapons and then instructs the reader to stop fighting, or be still and know that He is God. He is with His people. God had stopped the war, but the readers needed to be reminded to stop fighting. To be still. Isn’t it just like us to keep fighting in our minds, even though the war is ended? God’s got this, but we seem to forget that fact. No matter how much we keep warring in our minds- ie anxiety and worry, God is God and He knows our fighting with our own thoughts won’t change anything. That might be a stretch in interpretation of the verse, but God’s commanding the reader to be still and stop fighting seems to fit. Be quiet. Shut out the noise. Shut down the anxiety. Just let our minds be quiet. So we can reflect on God and His goodness. To stare out the window and see His creation. To see the goodness in what He has done for our enjoyment.

When we quiet ourselves, something else happens; we can listen for His voice. The still, small voice of God, guiding and directing us. Helping us. Don’t let the noise and busyness drown Him out. – God Bless – Nancy

Carrying A Burden

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light– Jesus from the Gospel of Matthew 11:30, NIV

Sometimes I try to carry too much at one time. This usually happens when I am either loading or unloading clothes from the washer or dryer. Or as I grab all the empty food bags or half empty fast food drink containers. Most of the time it works out. But, then there are times when I leave a trail of clothes on the laundry room floor or spill my half full drink as I juggle the bags, packages and my purse. I usually either drop the empty bag full of used food wrappers or I spill my drink. My phone is usually in my hand also, so the sacrifice of a dropped bag is a much better choice than dropping my cell phone. But, why is it always the clean sock that fall from the laundry basket?

I realize that I needed to take more trips from the car and grab fewer clothes. But, in my hurry and overconfidence I had tried to carry it all at one time. I realize that I tend to do the same with all my stresses as well.

I want to carry it all and figure out how to solve each and every problem, or perceived problem I encounter. I say perceived because if there isn’t a problem, I can sometimes find one because I tend to overthink everything. And I also tend to solve others problems- even if they too do not realize they have a problem. Any one else do the same?

I need reminders daily that I do not have to carry everything by myself. I do not have to solve each and every problem or stressful situation. And more importantly, I do not have to believe that they must be solved quickly. I have to be reminded to turn them over to Jesus and ask for His help. I need Him. I am not designed to go it alone, carrying it all.

I remember hearing a sermon once about taking Jesus’ yoke upon us. It might sound like a burden, but in reality it is Jesus who bears the burden and we are just attached to the yoke alongside Him to be guided by Him. Only one side of the yoke needs to do the pulling. If we try to pull it our way we will struggle. If we let Jesus lead, He will take the burden.

It sounds simple to do, but when left to ourselves we tend to default to carrying the yoke alone. We don’t want to admit we need help. We all need reminders that Jesus promises help and sent the Holy Spirit to guide us and help us even when we are so over burdened that we do not know what to pray. May this be a reminder to you today, to give your burdens to Jesus. Let Him direct and pull the weight. There is no need to figure it all out yourself.- God Bless, Nancy

Guardians of the Synapses

Overwhelmed. Exhausted. Anxious. Fearful. Pushed past the breaking point. Done. I’ve heard others recite these words, and also myself. There is a sense of uneasiness that seems to have arisen since we have all made it through the worldwide pandemic. It has felt as if the world has turned upside down and hasn’t righted itself yet. Many people I hear from are feeling very anxious. It is as if we are waiting for the next “bad” thing to happen, whether a disease, recession, war, or another type of violent act.

This anxious feeling has not spared people of faith. Mental health issues affect those without faith and those with faith. The only difference is that help can come from both the church and from professional mental health workers. Mental health is not a secular issue with secular solutions. It is a human issue that God understands and offers help for.

This isn’t to make light of anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues, but rather to realize God actually cares about these issues. The Bible speaks about anxiety, fear, worry, and the healing and peace that comes from following God’s ways. It speaks of taking hold of every thought. It speaks of shifting our focus from ourselves to God. And of practicing meditation on God’s word, bringing our requests to God, leaving them with Him, and offering thanksgiving.

Here’s an example;

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” (Philippians 4:6, NLT) The result is this:

“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.” (Philippians 4:7, NLT)

And Jesus said, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:34, NIV)

Solomon in his wisdom made this observation in the Book of Proverbs, “Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.” Proverbs 12:25, NIV)

These verses are just a few of the ways the Bible speaks about anxiety. And this isn’t to make light of anxiety, but to point to a God who understands and cares about us, His creation.

God has given us wonderful bodies that can do amazing things. We have emotions and feelings. We have minds that have powerful abilities to control body functions in milliseconds that we are not even aware of consciously. Our brain is amazing and has been shown to grow and change with new research into neuroplasticity. We have truly been fearfully and wonderfully made. Our thoughts can overwhelm us and bring about neuro and physiologic responses. Some responses mimic heart attacks and are so convincing it sends many to the ER.

Our thoughts are wonderfully executed blends of chemicals, neurons, dendrites and synapses. This is according to my brief research from Google. I’m not a brain expert, but just someone who wonders how it all works. And it all is amazing. And powerful.

The good news is that we don’t have to go it alone whenever we feel overwhelmed and our synapses are all firing randomly. We can find a peace from God. We have this amazing ability to stop and breathe to get ourselves and our minds back down from the over firing of neurons.

Studies have shown that prayer and meditation can lower our heart rates and blood pressure. Reciting Bible verses that bring God’s peace and hope can help us to shift our focus off of the fears and toward God. Stopping our thoughts from wandering toward the negative can be done by stopping and making a list of our blessings. A gratitude list can do wonders for our attitudes. It is hard to complain when you are thanking God for all He has done so far. This attitude of thankfulness reminds us of all the times God has come through for us, or has gotten us through the tough times before and we stop looking at the storm around us and fix our gaze on Him.

We can not stop the stress of the world from affecting us, but we can limit its affect on our minds and bodies, by guarding our thoughts and shifting them to God when they start to go south, into a place of overwhelm and worry. -God Bless You – Nancy

Who Are You?

Sometimes I ask myself this question when I find myself at some sort of impasse. I want my circumstances to change or maybe for others to change so I can proceed. So I can move forward. This soul searching often times yields some interesting answers. My mind drifts into the what ifs. And considers what I might do if I were only smarter, richer, happier, friendlier, or more content. If only I were someone else, then maybe I could handle life better and move through this impasse. But I am me.

I let my mind wander further and imagine what I would have done differently when I put myself into a movie I am watching or a book I am reading. It is easier to feel smarter then. We can anticipate the ending of the story line and shake our heads at the miscalculations of the characters. It makes us feel smarter and confident that we would handle the problem or antagonist better than the hero. We seem to be able to handle other people’s problems better than we handle our own.

We believe that we would know what to do until we are faced with a problem personally. Then it is different. We are not sure what to do so we make the best decision with the information we have. Sometimes we will succeed and at other times we will only make things worse.

We really are no different than the characters in the movies we watch or books we read. As a viewer we can fast forward, or as a reader skip to the end of the book. But, in life we simply cannot.

This question plagued me further this week as I considered Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. Both of which fall on the days leading up to the writing of this post. It made me stop and consider whether I would be in the crowd on Palm Sunday or with the group, only a few days later, when Jesus was condemned to die by crucifixion.

It would be too easy to say, “Of course I would have recognized Jesus as Messiah, the long awaited Yeshua, riding on a donkey into Jerusalem. I would be waving my palm branch and yelling Hosanna!” Maybe I would have had I been there. It is what the Jews expected. A triumphal entrance of their king, the one to sit on the throne of David. The years of oppression would be ended ad they would be free. Or as they thought it would be. They hadn’t anticipated a crucifixion and a resurrection as a way to salvation, not only for the Jews, but also the Gentiles.

A few days later, as we know, the crowd’s chant turn to “Crucify him” and “Give us the other prisoner, the murderer, as a gift for Passover.” We know this because we have watched the countless portrayals of Easter, and read the end of the story in the Bible.

But if we are honest, how many times is it much easier to praise and raise our hands when we see Jesus working in our lives as a triumphal King. We celebrate and praise. We post on social media for our answered prayers. And rightly we should. But, isn’t also like us to get frustrated when prayers go unanswered? Do we praise then? Or if we are honest we really have no answers, only more questions. Who are we then?

People who celebrate and praise and yell Hosanna and then turn into the angry mob a few days later? We try to convince ourselves that we would never be like that. But, in a way in our own times and own circumstances we might be exactly like the people who lived a long time before we arrived on planet earth. Human nature hasn’t changed.

Who are we then? People that God loved, both Jew and Gentile, from every background and ethnicity. People who He was willing to save. People who He knew would continue to make mistakes and mess up, but whom He would send His very son to die for. People who might praise, and also get frustrated. People who impatiently wait for His return. Who are we? His beloved. And that is enough.

Still Counting

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds– James 1:2, NIV

So, maybe if you are like me, there are a few Bible verses that I know and have memorized, but which give the most difficulty to follow. Like the one above from the Book of James. I first memorized the verse as “Count it all joy” I like the word consider better. But still. I really struggle to consider any type of trial as a reason for joy. James tells us why we should as he continues in verse 3; “because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.…” Okay. I get it. Our modern version of the verse might read, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. That part I understand. We go through trials and struggles and we get stronger. But counting it s joy is my struggle.

Another version of James 1 reads”My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials.”( NKJ) It always seems as if we are falling into trials. It is not something we desire, it just happens. And the word fall describes how I feel sometimes; like I am losing my footing; my security and falling into misery and a stress out state. It is difficult to feel joy when you are completely stressed out and anxious.

Struggles hit us all. Trials, as James writes. He knew then as we know now- human nature and its struggles hasn’t changed much- life is full of trials, struggles, and difficulties. We all could come up with a fairly long list of the stuff we have had to deal with in our lives. We surely can count those. But joy? I need to be deliberate about that one. Can I really count them and place them under the heading of “joy”?

But, what James was getting at is the opportunity that these struggles give us to draw closer to God. We are probably more drawn to prayer when we have problems we want help with. We get overwhelmed and cry out to God. As we call out to Him, we are placing more of our trust and faith in Him. We realize our struggles are more than we can bear on our own. When life is going well for us, we forget how much of that is not our own doing, but the grace of God. But, trials and struggles can be God’s grace as well if it draws us closer to Him. He desires this close relationship with us and wants to grow us into the people He created us to be; stronger when we are leaning on Him and fully focused on Him, and not on ourselves.

Trials and struggles will come and go in this life, and over the years I can look back and realize that during the most difficult times in my life are the times when I spent more time reading the Bible and praying and letting God grow and stretch my faith. We cannot escape the difficulties of this life, there is no way to avoid them. So for now I will keep trying to count them as joy, even when I don’t understand the joy yet. -God Bless You- Nancy