Holier Than Thou

Rom 3:23:   for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

 I once worked for a lady who seemed to be very nice.  She helped me to learn all the things I needed to know to do my job correctly.  She walked me around the park (I was working for the Parks & Conservation Service at the time) and pointed out things I would need to know.  She laughed with me and seemed to like me OK.   Little did I know…………….

The church I had been attending was being made into a historical landmark.  As such, services would no longer be held there for fear of causing more damage to the already fragile structure.  Each of the attendees were told that they would need to find another church to attend and gave us several suggestions for this.

After trying several, I had not found one that I was comfortable with.  I knew that my boss was a full-time church attendee, so I decided to ask her about her church.  This was a major mistake.

Upon asking her about her church, she asked me why I wanted to know.  I told her I was thinking of attending and seeing if I would like it.  She stopped, looked me up and down, and stated that she did not think I would “fit” in with that church.  She offered me several other churches for consideration and went on about her business.  I stayed where I was for fear of busting into tears.  If you could have witnessed this discussion, you would understand just how deeply this wounded me.

As the years went by, I realized how she was and did not even want to attend the church she did.  She was very judgmental of others, selfish and “without sin”.  In her group of friends, they felt totally superior to most people and only interacted with others when necessary.  I guess being at work I fell into the “necessary” column.

This is not true with just a small number of people……it is very common with all of us.  We all have a certain degree of “holier-than-thou” in us.  Most of us do not take it to extreme and try to squash it when it arises.  If we are to be true to our Savior, we will never, ever feel that way towards any other human being.

All of us have sinned.  All of us have fallen short of the glory of God.  It is something we need to remember at all times and in all places.  What we have to do is remember that God is everywhere and knows when we step over that line.  Life is so much sweeter when we don’t!

 

 

God Hug

Ephesians 6:23

 Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

All of us have our own special likes.  Many people like flowers, mountains, beaches, waterfalls, etc.  I like all of that also.  But my very favorite thing is trees.

I think God really went out of His way to create something special when He created trees.  There are so many different kinds and each has its own special feature.  They are green and flowering in the summer and show off their many colors in autumn. 

When I go into one of my dark times, I look at the trees and they lift me up and remind me that God is in everything, including me.  They often cheer me with these thoughts and get me back on track.  They lift their arms to pray and make me want to join them.

I will never forget one special time when I was depressed.  I had been like that for several days and was getting angry with myself for not getting myself out of the fog that I was in.  On this particular day, I had ridden with my husband to pick up some medicines from the pharmacy.  My MS was acting up that day and  I was not walking well so I stayed in the car while he went into the store.

As I sat there, I thought about all the things that were bothering me.  For some reason (the Holy Spirit nudging me?!), I looked up and over to my right.  The sight I saw took my breath away.

Right there, in front of me, was the most precious little tree.  It was rather small but had beautifully shaped limbs and was spread out in such a wonderful shape.  But, what was really awesome about it was all the beautiful colored leaves that were covering every place possible on that sweet tree.  It was really showing off!

As I looked at that tree, my spirits began to rise and I started to lift out of that dark place in which I had spent the last few days.  The more I admired the tree, the higher my spirits soared.

I know some will think I am crazy, but I felt God’s Arm around my shoulder and heard Him whisper, “I did that just for you”.  Did I hear it out loud or in my head?  I have no clue.  I just know that I heard it.

Was God’s Arm really around my shoulder?  It felt so real that I put my hand on my shoulder to try and touch it.

Do you believe me? It doesn’t matter.  I know a God Hug when I feel one! 

Feeling Safe

Joshua 1:9

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

 

There is no one alive who does not have a fear of something.  There are fears of heights, storms, darkness, loneliness, snakes, spiders and a very long list of other things.  Behind death, the most common cause of fear is a fear of failure.

When the Lord told those words to Joshua, Joshua was getting ready to take on a big responsibility.  Let’s face it:  most of us would not like to have to follow in the footsteps of a famous and beloved person.  Joshua was going to have to take over Moses’ job.  That was some pretty big shoes to have to step into. 

Joshua had been with this group of Israelites for many years and knew that they had a tendency to rebel against their leader and against God Himself.  Many times on their journey Moses had had to reassure them that God would take care of them and look after them.  The children of Israel had turned against Moses and God on several occasions.

But at this point in time, Moses had just died and the people were mourning and wondering what to do next.  Joshua was going to have to show them that he could carry on where Moses had left off.  It was a daunting task.

Because God had chosen Joshua to fill the vacancy that Moses had left behind, he knew that He would have to reassure Joshua in every way possible.   God told Joshua that he should not fear anything because He would be with him at all times.  It gave Joshua the comfort and strength that he needed to fulfill the job that God had given him.

I have spent the better part of my life in fear of something.  Storms, loneliness, failure and many other fears kept me from enjoying life for so many years.  I am so glad that God gives all of us this promise.  We need not fear anything for He is with us!

“Father God help us to remember that there is no situation that we can find ourselves in that You are not right there with us.  Help us to know this and never be afraid of anything we have to go through.  In Jesus’ name we ask this, amen. “

 

Peace With My Mother

2 Corinthians 1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort

 

My mother was buried yesterday.  Like most who lose a parent, I was brokenhearted and sad.  But, unlike most, I was surprised at how much her death hurt me. 

My mother and I never liked each other.  For some reason, there was always conflict between us.  Although we loved each other in our own way, we were never close. 

Over the years I became closer to God and tried my best to think of her with love instead of dread.  When I would try to get close to her, she would take advantage of my “weakness” and turn it around to hurt me.  I learned to stay away from her and try to love her at a distance.

 This past year she was in an assisted living home.  As she learned to accept this new life, she realized that she depended on my husband and myself to furnish her needs.  She was no longer “in charge” and gradually became more loving and less demanding.  Our relationship began to improve. 

Last Friday was our visiting day.  She lay on her bed and I held her head and hand.  We talked some and she seemed to be fairly peaceful with me.  She had been given an oxygen tank and I had to keep putting the tube in place at her nose.  She wanted to move it a lot, but seemed OK with me putting it back.  It was a good visit. 

The next day we were called early in the morning and told that she had been rushed to the hospital.  As we watched her being hooked up to all kinds of things, my only prayer was that God would take her quickly because it was so hard to watch her suffer. 

Being the merciful God that He is, she died that night. 

This is a roundabout way of saying that when she died, instead of being relieved to be rid of her, I was relieved that she was not suffering.  Mother and I had allowed God to ease our tension with each other and finally become Mother and Daughter.  It took a long time, but the times with her became precious instead of forced. 

I am so thankful that I can say that my heart aches for her.  I am so thankful that I do not have regrets that we never learned to love each other.  I am so thankful that God did not give up on us and let us have these moments. 

Thank You Father for your patience with all of us to bring us to the place we need to be.  Praise Your Holy Name.

Down In The Valley

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.  He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;  For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;  You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.   Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

 

Most of us have passed through the valley that King David talks about many times.  Often we have walked through it with no one to keep us safe or guide us.  Sometimes we have even fallen down and wallowed in the mire for a while.  We only do this because, unlike King David, we try to do things on our own instead of asking God to help us.

There is an old English tale of a boy and his father clearing a path through the woods.  The boy is twelve years old and thinks of himself as totally grown up.  As the boy and his father are clearing a path, the boy steps over too far and begins to sink in an area of quicksand.  He glances at his father, who is busy cutting down small bushes, and decides that he can pull himself out of the mess he is in and not bother his father.  Unfortunately, the more he struggles to pull himself free, the deeper he sinks.  Although the father is only a few feet away, the boy is too proud to ask for his help.  As the boy’s face begins to sink under the muck, he yells his father’s name.  The father quickly turns and pulls the boy to safety.

This story always reminds me of the 23^rd Psalm.  If we would only let God lead us and care for us, we would save ourselves from so many problems and downfalls that we suffer through.  That big issue called pride causes us to go through things that could easily be avoided.

I guess most of us are raised to be brave, want to get ahead, be the best and have the power.  Instead, we should want to be like sheep following the Shepherd.  Sounds too nerdy and passive for most of us.  It sure would save us a lot of problems if we would "follow" instead of "lead"!

“Father we thank you for helping us even when we try to do things on our own and get ourselves into big messes.  We thank You for not letting us sink into the mud, but for reaching down and pulling us out.  We pray that we will learn to always ask you to be with us, guide us and help us through life.  We ask this in Jesus’s name, Amen.”