“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1Corinthians 13 (NIV)
Browsing through a greeting card rack at a local store, I saw this message posted at the end of the rack: “Put love on your list.”
My first reaction was: Are we so busy that we have to remember to love? Must we put it on our to-do-list to make room for it in our lives?
In our fast-paced “me-first” society, I guess we do. But shouldn’t love be something that comes naturally, without thinking, just doing?
My mother, who is now deceased, was an example. I never remember, as I was growing up, hearing the words, “I love you, Carol,” from her lips.
I don’t doubt my mother’s love. I never did, even if I was over 40-years-old before I heard those words that I longed to hear from her. She showed her love in other ways. She was a stay-at-home mom. She had a warm meal on the table every evening. Eating out was considered a luxury in the 60s or maybe our society was slower-paced and we had more time to sit down at the dinner table for a home-cooked meal.
My mother, also a seamstress, made all of the clothes for my sister and me. Her talents produced dresses that only love could buy.
Mother’s love was also evident in the teaching of responsibility. My mother posted a chore list on the refrigerator every Saturday morning. Until our chores were done, my sister and I couldn’t go out to play. Did we appreciate the lesson she was teaching us at the time? Probably not.
After my sister and I left home, our mother’s love was expressed in new ways: the sharing of recipes, making quilts for grandchildren, preparing large holiday meals for our growing families, and making jelly from wild plums and blackberries that we picked.
When my mother’s health began to fail several years ago, her ways of expressing love were no longer possible. The hands that had sewn dresses for my sister and I were gnarled with arthritis. The strong back that had allowed her to stand in the kitchen for hours to prepare a holiday meal or make jelly became bent with osteoporosis.
Eventually, she required round-the-clock care and went to live in a nursing home. I received a call early one morning about two months after she was admitted. The nurse on duty suggested that the family be called.
As I sat by my mother’s bedside and watched her breathing become more labored, I stroked her hair and said, “I love you, mama.”
She was not conscious but as the hours passed, peacefulness appeared on her face; the 79 years that were evident in the lines on her face disappeared. When she drew her last breath, I saw nothing but the young mother who loved her daughters.
Is love on your to-do list? Ask God to show you who needs your love the most today.
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And That Has Made All the Difference
”Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation
I grew up attending a small church that was only a block from where my sister and I grew up. We walked to Sunday school each week.
Eventually I drifted away from the church. And though I have always believed in God, I didn’t know Him.
We can attend church every time the doors are open. We can listen to the sermon, sing hymns of praise, participate in church activities and still walk out the door without knowing the Lord personally.
About six years ago, I realized that something was missing in my life. I didn’t know what it was. I just felt this gnawing emptiness inside that nothing could ease.
Shopping for clothes, shoes, purses and jewelry gave me a temporary high. Staying busy to occupy every waking moment didn’t fill that hole. Escaping through reading one fiction book after another provided no relief. Working harder to earn more money couldn’t fill me up. Neither could the various dating relationships I had.
Nothing could fill that void in my heart except a personal relationship with my savior. He continued to patiently knock at the door until I opened it and let Him in. And that has made all the difference.
God’s patience with me has helped me to be more patient with those around me. His acceptance of me—faults and all—has made me less critical of others. His willingness to forgive me has led me to forgive those who have hurt me. By His grace, I am a new person.
I sometimes refer to myself as the “old Carol” and the “new Carol” when talking about the change in me. Those who know me best have seen the transformation.
Another word for transformation is adaptation. The definition of adaptation “is the acquisition of modifications in an organism that enable it to adjust to life in a new environment.”
I have willingly allowed the Lord to transform me so that I can adjust to life in a new environment—an environment of love and acceptance because He first loved and accepted the person I was and who I have become through a personal relationship with Him.
I am still working—with His help—on becoming the woman He created me to be. I am a work-in-progress like the pieces of a puzzle that must patiently be fitted together to form a picture.
Many people have the pre-conceived idea that when you accept the Lord into your life, all of your troubles will magically disappear. Actually, my disappointments, my heartaches and serious illnesses increased—but so did my faith.
When I began to feel unfulfilled and empty, I think Jesus was knocking louder. His knock was more urgent. He was preparing me for what was to come.
I’m so thankful that He kept knocking—so blessed that He didn’t give up on me.
Do you hear Him knocking at your door? Open it. Let Him in.
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But He’s My Son
“Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.” Psalm
When the phone rang, I wasn’t prepared for bad news. My oldest son had been seriously hurt in an accident. Life Flight was transporting him to an emergency room.
As I raced to the hospital, my cell phone became a lifeline to my friends. My request was simple: “Please pray for my son.”
My heart ached but my eyes were dry until the family was allowed to see him. Tubes inserted into his body snaked from machines that beeped and blinked. Needles poked into his pallid flesh, contrasting with the paler sheets that covered his lifeless body. Blood was everywhere. I choked back sobs for this grown man, my son, the father of my grandchildren.
What would happen to his children, his wife if…I didn’t want to think about it? I wanted him whole and healed. Repeatedly, I prayed, “Lord, don’t let him suffer. Don’t let him die.”
While watching the machines that were helping my son to breathe, I recalled his childhood injuries that oftentimes had forced a quick run to the doctor or emergency room for stitches or a cast. He was only three when he sustained his first broken bone.
This time was different. I could not kiss the wounds and reassure him that everything would be okay. I was not the all-powerful mother who could fix it with a band-aid. But my God could, if He would. My son’s life was in His hands. My silent prayers kept vigil over my unconscious son. Minutes seemed like hours. Hours seemed like days.
As I paced through the hospital corridors seeking solace in movement instead of stillness, I paused to read the comforting words on a framed piece of artwork: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1
The words of the psalm penetrated my heart and served as a message from God. My anxiety faded. I felt God’s touch. I knew He was near, reassuring me that His love was sufficient for me. Filled with peace, I continued my prayer-filled walk through the halls and back to my son’s bedside.
When my son finally awoke and responded to questions with a nod or a shake of his head, gratitude forced tears down my cheeks. “Thank you, God. Thank you.” Those two simple words did not seem adequate to express my gratefulness to a loving Father who spared my son—a man who is almost as old as God’s son when He died for us.
I have often wondered how God could sacrifice His son for my sins. Without question, I could easily give up my life for my son’s, but how could I ever sacrifice my son? I couldn’t.
However, a loving Father did. He gave up His Son for me. A loving Father offered up His Son for mine. A loving Father parted with His Son for you.
His Son paid the price so that we might live forever. “Thank you, God. Thank you.”
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Treasure the Unexpected
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”
Matthew
As I sit quietly, I listen to the soft snores of my 81-year-old father. The stillness is punctuated by the sounds of the early morning hospital routine.
I use the time to read my Bible. Along with other members of my church, I am studying the parables of Jesus. This week’s lesson is from Matthew 13:44-46.
In both parables, Jesus’ message is the same. It is, however, the Bible study insight into Matthew 13:44 that had led to my early morning reflections. Using the term, “serendipity,” the author illustrates the parable for the reader’s deeper understanding.
According to the dictionary, serendipity is the gift of finding valuable things unexpectedly. In Matthew
As I write, I am experiencing a valuable gift in an unexpected place—the hospital room where my father may be spending his final days. The night before his surgery was an opportunity for us to share laughter as he told stories about his youth, his years in WW II and other adventures during this journey called life. Some stories I have heard; other tales are revealed as Dad realizes his time is near.
In his lifetime, my father has experienced things that I will never know. Growing up during the Depression years, he was the youngest of four boys. Although times were tough, his hard-working parents always managed to provide for their sons.
I recall a serendipitous moment six years ago when my father and I were sharing a meal at a restaurant. I could see tears forming, ready to spill, when he said, “Carol, you remind me so much of my mother.”
It is those moments that I will always treasure. As my father’s breathing becomes more labored, each word that he manages to speak is like gold to my ears. Even while in pain, his humor is a reminder to me that good things can be found in unexpected situations.
In the future, I will be able to recall these precious moments. Mixed with tears will be laughter as I share with others the joy I have found and the lessons I have learned in a hospital.
Another day is dawning. As I reread my Bible study, I contemplate more of the author’s insight into the parable of unexpected treasures. To experience serendipity, one must be open and alive to the moment and responsive to what life is offering now.
I don’t want to let my father go. Neither do his other loved ones. When the time comes, he will leave behind many people who were touched by his life.
When we turn aside and look closer, we can find God’s kingdom—even in a hospital room where a loved one is dying.
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When God Blesses Your Socks Off
“O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.” Psalm 84:12 (NIV)
As I was driving across town recently, I began to praise God for all of the many blessings in my life: my family and friends, my church family, my health, my finances, my beautiful home, my dog, and my vehicle. My 2001 Honda Passport is just about broken in as I am nearing 100,000 miles. I thanked the Lord that my reliable automobile had been running smoothly.
Things changed in the next 30 minutes when I left an office building and tried to start my vehicle. The battery was dead. After calling a friend to give me a jump with his battery cables, I told him about my praises to God. I said, “God does have a sense of humor, doesn’t he?”
My friend laughed and said, “Yes, because after I told you I would help you, I realized I was in my son’s car and I didn’t know until I got here whether or not he had any jumper cables in the trunk.” Thankfully, there were two and we only needed one to get my car back on the road.
When I arrived home and pulled my vehicle in the garage, I turned the engine off. I then attempted to restart my car to see what would happen. I’m glad I did because the battery was dead again. Later that evening, my son arrived to help me push the vehicle outside to charge it again. Nothing happened. As we drove to an auto parts store to get a new battery, my son said, “Mom, it might not be the battery. It could be an electrical problem.”
I knew that an electrical problem would be expensive—definitely more expensive than a new battery. I started praying, “God, please let it be the battery. Please let it be the battery.”
As the store employee tested my battery, I continued to pray. When he announced that the battery was 100 percent dead, I said, “Thank you Jesus!” I just didn’t realize, until the man looked at me quizzically, that I had said it aloud. I told him: “I’d rather fork over $100 for a new battery than be faced with an expensive repair bill on the electrical system.”
Before I placed my trust in the Lord, I would have been worried about the money I had to fork over for a new battery. Thankfully, I could afford the $100, plus tax, and I’m sure that if the alternative was an expensive repair bill, God would have provided. He always does.
I have a girlfriend who has been through a nasty divorce, the loss of a dear friend, and a serious car accident that left her with physical and mental challenges. However, she never complains. She is always upbeat because she knows that God provides for her needs and more.
As my friend says, “God always just blesses my socks off.”
Although I have never heard that expression before, I have to agree with my friend. Now where are my socks?
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Imagine
walking down the dusty road on that first Easter afternoon from
When the risen Christ “came up and walked along with them,” the two didn’t recognize Him. Upon their arrival in Emmaus, He “took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.” Then, their eyes were opened and the fire of God’s love was ignited in their hearts.
If I had been there that afternoon, how would I have responded? Would I have been so consumed by my own grief I could not have seen through my tears to recognize the risen Savior?
I
once had a person make this observation about me: “You don’t cry much, do you?”
Without thinking, I responded, “No.”
I never thought much about that question, or my response, until several things in my life led me to my knees in prayer. I prided myself on being strong. I didn’t want others to see my weaknesses, especially the tears. I have since learned that tears are healing.
In early May 2009, I participated in The Walk to Emmaus, a spiritual renewal program designed to strengthen local churches through the development of Christian disciples and leaders. The program emphasizes Jesus as our model of servanthood.
During the 72-hour experience, we were wrapped in agape love, spent time in meditation and prayer, shared special times of worship and celebrated Holy Communion daily. For many, like me, it was a time of healing and growth.
As pilgrims on our “walk,” we were on a journey to rediscover Christ’s presence in our lives. I not only gained a fresh awareness of God’s transforming grace but I left my walk with a deeper understanding of God’s purpose for my life. While on my “walk,” I formed new friendships that will help foster my faith and support my ongoing spiritual maturity.
Leaving the spiritual retreat at the end of the 72 hours was hard for me. Like others, I had been on the mountaintop of God’s love. However, when we walked out the doors of the church, we were fueled with the Holy Spirit so we could share that love with a hurting world.
Before
I experienced a deeper spiritual connection on the “walk,” I was hurting. Like
the disciples on the road to Emmaus, I was absorbed in my own sadness connected
with what I thought I wanted in my life. I couldn’t see that God’s perfect plan
was my spiritual growth so that I could be better equipped to serve Him and
bear witness to the Good News. My self-centeredness was getting in the way of
God’s using me for His purposes.
At
Sunday’s closing, I stood to share my testimony about my Emmaus experience.
With tears freely flowing down my face, I confessed, “I am radically in love
with my Savior.”