Faithblooms

As I drove down a six-lane highway in a nearby city, I saw a guy on a bicycle waiting to cross the road. He had all the gear — helmet, biking suit, fancy bike — a serious biker. But there was no crosswalk, which would have made crossing safe.

As he stared at the traffic hurrying by him, looking for a break so he could cross, I noticed something.

Directly above him was a very nice biking/walking “bridge,” complete with a cage around it for safety.

Hmmmm . . . I thought. Here he is, an apparently skilled bicyclist, trying to find his own way across this busy highway when just above him is a safe way to cross.

My next thought was — how often am I guilty of that?

I discipline myself to focus on God consistently by talking to him, reading scripture. But before I know it, I’m going my own way, thinking of what I want to do. It reminds me of a toddler saying to her mom, “I do it myself!”

Do you ever do that? What in your life is comparable to the cyclist fighting traffic on his own when his answer lies just above him?

God wants to lead us. That doesn’t mean we won’t encounter challenges along the way, but he will be with us to guide us if we ask him.

“The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?” (Proverbs 20:24)

“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” (Psalm 119:105)

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” (Proverbs 19:21)

The Lord reminds us, in these scripture verses, that he will be with us and guide us, but he also gives us the choice — every time — to think about our plan.

Or his.

When we lived in Tennessee, I assisted with “children’s church,” which took place during the worship service. We taught the children Bible stories and the importance of having Jesus at the center of their lives.

Easter Sunday was, of course, a very special day. Talking to the children about Jesus’ resurrection was a highlight for me. I’ve always had issues with the Easter Bunny because, for many families, it represents all of Easter. It tends to overshadow the true meaning of Jesus coming back to life and saving us!

As we talked, colored, and made an Easter craft about Jesus, I asked the children how their morning had been. Five-year old Grace was the first to answer. She looked up eagerly from what she was making and said, “The Easter Bun . . . JESUS brought me some new sunglasses this morning!”

I laughed at her enthusiasm and was glad she had caught the point of the lesson and the season.

Jesus.

He so often is put on the back burner, or ignored completely, by our world, even on His own special days. The magnitude of what Jesus has done for us is staggering.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (I Peter 1:3, NIV)

During this Easter season, let us enjoy honoring and serving the gift that is ours every day, not just on Easter!

Last weekend at a women’s retreat, I had the opportunity to go on a canoe trip down the Alafia River in Lithia, Florida. The trip would last an hour and a half or so, “they” said.

I hadn’t been canoeing ever, to speak of, other than tranquil paddling around calm lakes.

This was no calm lake!

The only reason I agreed to go was because my friend, Emily, told me she would guarantee that I wouldn’t fall in. I can swim, so that would be no problem, but the water was cold! So I believed her and went.

For starters, the river was much lower than anticipated. I learned later why that would be an issue.

So while I pictured a tranquil ride down a beautiful river, enjoying the scenery while chatting with Emily, I got only the last two.

Having had lots of canoeing experience, Emily sat in the back so she could provide direction around any obstacles we encountered. And there were plenty.

We would ride along in calm water and suddenly encounter a log hidden under the water and get stuck. Or a massive rock that appeared just below the surface of the water that caused us to come to a sudden stop.

Along the way there were a few points where we (Emily) had to negotiate around large trees in the water with only a few feet available to pass through.

At the most harrowing spot, we had the opportunity to watch another canoe go through first. After seeing Cynthia “limbo” under a very low log, I knew my back couldn’t take that, so I climbed up on a tree and did a koala bear hug while Emily somehow got the canoe through the mire of limbs and brush.

We encountered a few brief rapids, not knowing if there would be rock or a log underneath that we couldn’t see. That was unnerving!

Only one time did I think — Emily is going to have to eat her words because we are about to turn over!

We didn’t.

This trip had spiritual meaning for me because I pictured us going through life on this river. We usually don’t know what’s ahead of us. We can be tripped up by challenges that happen unexpectedly, like health, family issues, finances, or work.

Trees may be in our path, either literally or figuratively, that prevent us from easily going through our path, like our car breaking down on the way to an important meeting or our child getting sick which changes our schedule.

But along the way we have God by our side. He is often quiet on our “ride,” but he often shows us he is there. By not preventing obstacles in our paths, he helps us work through them and learn to trust him.

He teaches, protects, comforts, all while right beside us.

I told Emily she was going to represent God in this post because she was in control! She knew how to negotiate the twists and turns and get us safely through the challenges in our path.

God does that for us. In this increasingly complex and chaotic world, YOU need to know that God is right beside you.

On the back of the shirt I wore were these words:

TRUST JESUS

I had grabbed a past VBS shirt to wear on this excursion without thinking of the words on it. Emily said it helped for her to have those words in front of her the whole trip!

You can, too.

Joshua 1:9 says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Trust Him. He will help you through whatever you are facing.

Several years ago I met a new friend, Karen, at a Bible study. She was very sweet and had a very strong faith. Sadly, I learned that she had cancer and probably didn’t have long to live. But she came to Bible study every week. She was delightful! Her faith was palpable.

At one point during the year, she was gone for a few weeks because she was having a new cancer treatment that caused her to have to stay in the hospital. She was trying to live because her son was about to go to college, and she wanted to be with her husband as they took him for his first semester.

After her grueling treatment, she returned to our group and had a story to tell us. She had gone to a grocery store (this was pre-covid) and met a homeless man outside the store. She bought him some food and befriended him. He was grateful. She called a friend from church to ask him to come meet the man. They prayed with him. He accepted Jesus as his Savior. They gave him information about their church and how to continue learning about his new faith.

As she told us the story, her comment afterward has always stayed with me. She said she would have been shy about talking to someone like that in the past, but she was motivated to tell him about Jesus because she wouldn’t be here very much longer.

She said, “What do I have to lose?”

She also found herself with an opportunity to encourage some friends — a married couple. They were on the verge of divorce. Since she didn’t have anything to lose, she boldly challenged them to stay together and seek Christian counseling. They did.

She wished she had the courage before she was sick to be as bold. To stop and befriend homeless people and tell them the good news of Christ. And to lovingly stand up to friends and acquaintances who were straying from God’s will. We were encouraged to live like she had — to be loving and bold when we could be used by God in that way.

The next Bible study year, we were in different groups, but I saw her periodically in the halls. She had become virtually blind. A friend brought her to Bible study every week and led her where she needed to go.

I lost touch with her after that but heard that she lived another year or so, which amazed everyone, including her doctors. But she knew she had purpose and that God was using her while she was living.

May God help us be bold, not shy, about sharing the hope we have with people who need Him.

What do we have to lose?

“For the spirit God gave us does not make us timid but gives us power, love, and self-discipline. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord . . .” (2 Timothy 1:7)

When we moved to our house twelve years ago, there was a mango tree in the back yard. The previous owners had purchased it and put it in a flower bed next to the pool deck. It grew there, having rooted itself through the flower pot. When we moved in, the tree was firmly rooted with a plastic flower pot around the base!

For a few years, as it grew, it didn’t produce any fruit. I was disappointed and wondered if it would ever produce any. One year, to my delight, a few mangos appeared! I didn’t even know if I liked mangos, but I was so excited to see around eight of them on our tree!

Every year it seemed that the tree produced more fruit to the point that they couldn’t be counted! They were everywhere! But the tree had gotten huge (with no signs of stopping), and it was apparent that the roots were growing toward the pool, which would cause damage to it.

So, after having the situation evaluated by an arborist, I reluctantly agreed to have it cut down. I was so sad about it, but I knew it had to be done. I asked the guys cutting it down to save the mangos if they could. The day it was cut down, I looked into the back yard and there were literally hundreds of mangos covering the ground! I had no idea there were so many!

If there was ever a visual describing “fruitfulness,” this was it!

Biblical “fruit” describes outward actions that result from the inward condition of a person’s heart. Galatians 5:22-23 lists the “fruit” this way:

Love

Joy

Peace

Patience

Kindness

Goodness

Faithfulness

Gentleness

Self-control

Jesus said, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” (John 15:8)

When I think about the hundreds of mangos covering our back yard, it reminds me that I want to be “fruitful” for God’s kingdom.

What kind of “fruit” will you bear?

I’ve been decluttering, which means it’s a new year! I don’t always get motivated to do it, but this year we got lucky.

Do you have a junk drawer in your kitchen? I’ve heard that everybody has one. Ours got cleaned out this week. I don’t know how it gets to the “junk” stage. Right now it’s organized, including little trays and boxes to hopefully keep it that way.

The process of dealing with the drawer reminded me that I need to examine my spiritual “junk drawer.” I hadn’t really thought of the fact that I have one, but decluttering physically led to this realization. For me, it’s thoughts and behaviors that occur repeatedly and need to be brought to my attention so that, with God’s help, I can “declutter” them!

What is in your spiritual “junk drawer?”

I know there is plenty in mine. I have discovered that journaling my thoughts gives me something concrete to look at that reminds me of areas I need to work on. It helps to see these challenges in writing and find scriptures that address them. If I don’t write them down, it’s easy to ignore them! Before I know it, my spiritual self needs decluttering again.

For example, I sometimes find myself thinking negatively. A verse that addresses this is Philippians 4:8 — “. . . whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praise-worthy, think about such things.”

Another example is that I have a tendency to be judgmental in my mind, even before I know the whole story! Here is a verse about it — “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:1-2)

God can help us improve the challenging parts of our lives. He has even given us scriptures that remind us how powerful he is and that he can help us be more aligned with his spirit and purpose for our lives.

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up. Do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:18-19)

We have a fresh start in a new year with God helping us begin with a clean slate and decluttered junk drawer.

Let him do a new thing in you!

In my young adult years, I worked in a mall during the Christmas season. Besides all of the typical Christmas fare — trees, ornaments, and snowmen, there were mangers, angels, and stars — all the things we think of when we consider the true meaning of Christmas.

That’s where I met Desha, a co-worker. I immediately saw the irony of a Buddhist working in a Christmas store! She was a very sweet young woman, and I enjoyed working with her.

One day she and I were unloading a new box of merchandise, and one of the items was a creche with all the typical pieces of a manger scene. I decided to use this opportunity to see what she knew about Jesus.

As she put the baby Jesus in the middle, in the tiny trough, I asked if she knew who that was. She hesitated and said, “Joseph?” I enjoyed the opportunity to explain to her the various pieces of the scene and the true meaning of Christmas.

I have always hoped that in the midst of the season Desha remembers her encounter with Jesus in the manger.

“While they were there (Bethlehem), the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger . . .” (Luke 2:7)

During the Christmas season, we often see little decorative villages that depict a quaint, small-town scene of Christmastime. Recently, I was in a home that had one. It was a beautiful little town with snow covered houses decorated for Christmas. In the middle of the “town” was a large creche with Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus inside. It was huge compared to the tiny village!

It helped me see that the focus of the little village was Jesus and His birth. You couldn’t look at the village without seeing the manger scene.

I know that many of us strive to live with Christ at the center of our lives. So during this Christmas season, may we remember that, as Christians, Jesus is the biggest part of our lives!

Do you remember being in school and hearing the teacher say, “Leave a margin on both sides of the paper!” That’s a concrete way to picture “margins.” Space. It makes writing assignments look neater, and there is room for the teacher to make notes when grading it.

What would a paper look like with no margins? Can you see it? A page full of words, side-to-side. A jumble.

What would your life look like with no margins? In this world, and especially during the holiday season, where “busy-ness” is often commended, we may have little to no room for anything extra.

Will you or I be available if God silently taps us on the shoulder to see a stranger and offer help? Or a neighbor wants to chat a few minutes when they see us going to our car to run errands?

What do life margins look like?

Maybe it looks like being able to walk slowly to and from your car in your driveway or a parking lot. Or not always talking on your phone when driving with kids in your backseat. What about taking time to help someone load groceries in their car and returning the cart for them.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)

Being available for whatever God might send you and me during the upcoming days can bring unexpected joy to us as we go about our daily schedules.

What kind of margins will you build into your day today?

I drive by a large, stately building now and then. It has always caught my eye because it is so striking and important-looking. I’ve thought it would be an interesting place to visit.

One day I was in the neighborhood and looked ahead to see the beautiful building. But there was something different about it. I realized that the sides of the building were metal. Like a warehouse. What I saw were plain outside walls that looked as if a strong wind might could blow them down!

So from the front I got one impression, and from the side a completely different one. I felt tricked!

Are we sometimes like that? We can easily portray one aspect of ourselves that people see. But could there be another side that may be unattractive and even unreliable?

After getting over my disappointment about the building, I decided that maybe the people who owned it couldn’t afford to make the whole thing beautiful and stately. Their money would only go so far, so they used it on the front, probably thinking that was the most important part.

But which part of the building would be important if a storm with a strong wind came along? To survive it, all the sides of it would have to be reinforced, and not just with metal.

As Christians, we need to be “reinforced” so we will represent Christ all the time! God wants us to be seen as all-around, genuine people who are striving to follow Christ all the time.

What do you “present” when people see you? What if someone saw you when you weren’t expecting them? What “side” of you might they encounter?

The amazing thing is that God, our loving Father, is always available to us and will help us if we ask Him. He promises that.

“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us . . . ” (2 Corinthians 5:20, NIV)