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The Lord Has Kept Me
Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her. (Genesis 16:1-2) “The Lord has kept me…..” As Sarah grew impatient with God’s timing and began to doubt His promises she made the choice to act from a heart of accusation rather than one of faith. She added the word “from” and could only see what she didn’t have rather than the promises that she did. What a difference a word, in this case a mindset, can make. Is there something that you have…
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Taking Matter Into Your Own Hands
In the story of Sarah and her husband Abraham we read about the many times that they took matters into their own hands rather than relying on God’s protection and promise. God had directed Abraham to leave his homeland to a place that He would show him and gave him the following promise: “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you;I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse;and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12: 2-3 To Abraham’s credit he went, but when a famine came he took…
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Changing Seasons
Today as I was looking out my window taking in the scenery I was reminded that’s it time for change. The leaves on the trees are the most incredible colors, the air is crisp and cool as the fog on the mountain tops hints of the rain and snow to come. The changes that are taking place in nature are completely out of my control and will happen no matter how badly I long to keep warmer weather present. But I also sense that seasons in my life are changing. I feel the call of God to not just hunker down for the winter, but in this season of the…
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How God Sees You
In the last few months I have noticed changes in my appearance every time I look in the mirror. More fine lines are finding their way around my eyes and lips. My mind is telling me that I’m getting older while my heart wants to look as youthful as possible. Our aging appearance has a way of making us feel that we have out grown our usefulness or that we are no longer capable of making a difference and being of service to God. Sarah was past the years of child bearing and did not believe that God’s promise of a son could be fulfilled with her. When the angels…
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Being Brave
I recently was on a business trip to Universal Studios in Florida and was blessed in many ways by my sister being able to travel with me. Part of my job was to experience the Theme Parks so that I would better understand all that they had to offer and could then guide my clients to make the choices that would best fit their travel needs. I had decided that I would ride every ride my sister wanted to because she has never been to a theme park before and I didn’t want to hold her back from all the possible experiences just because I was fearful of roller coasters.…
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Waiting
Sarah and Elizabeth were both women in the Bible who waited a long time for God’s promises to be fulfilled. How they spent their time waiting had a long lasting effect not only on them, but the world. Both women were waiting for the same thing, a child. One took matters into her own hands and the other patiently waited for God’s will. I can relate to both responses. I want to hurry along the promise, but the truth is, the waiting is what prepares me to receive it. It’s in the waiting that I learn to trust God especially when I don’t see progress, results, healing or relief. During…
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Meet: Sarah & Elizabeth
For the month of October we will discover some the many lessons that can be learned from studying the lives of Sarah and Elizabeth. Overview – God Keeps His Promises Sarah and Elizabeth were both women in the bible who waited a long time for God’s promises to be fulfilled. How they spent their time waiting had long lasting effects not only on them, but the world. Sarah was married to Abraham and was told that she would have a son. In the waiting she began to doubt that the promised child would come through her and took matters into her own hands. Giving her maid to her husband to…
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Hear the Echo
I was privileged to hear a beautiful story of God’s love at a recent Grief Share meeting. We had been discussing the “why” question and the guilt and anger that can come with the loss of a loved one. One sweet lady shared her personal experience and it touched my heart. Several years ago her family was on a canoeing adventure that turned into tragedy when her son-in-law drowned. Later they discovered that the rental company knew the canoe was damaged but still rented the faulty equipment. Sometime later they were hiking in the mountains and came upon an incredible vista among the cliffs with a panoramic view. She had…
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To Be Loved
This last week has been such a deep reminder of God’s love especially in suffering. It’s easy to feel anything but loved when we are hurting, broken and lost. But it’s in those moments that God’s love is revealed in the most unique and compassionate ways. Sometimes we might not even feel His presence, but He is there, always close to the broken hearted. Sometimes we might see our circumstances as a punishment, but He disciplines those He loves. Sometimes we can’t hear Him through all the chaos, but He is there in the stillness, whispering words of love and encouragement. When we take a moment to look at our…
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On This Hand….On That Hand
This life will hand out all types of circumstances and situations that will play an important part in our refining. You’ve often heard the saying, “On this hand you have….. and on the other hand you have……..” it’s a reminder that we always have the choice of how we will respond to our life issues. In writing this I was thinking of Joni Eareckson Tada, who at the age of 17 became a quadriplegic after a tragic diving accident. It’s hard to imagine that kind of suffering, but her trials were only beginning. She’s faced a lifetime of disability, cancer diagnoses, chronic pain, and more. She had a choice to…