Joy in the Journey

  Jesus answered, “Don’t you know me Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father?” John 14:9   Reading these words of Scripture just now I felt an ache in my heart. Jesus has walked with these men for three years. He’s been as open as a person can possibly be and shared everything with them. Now he is nearing the end of his time with them and there is an added urgency. Soon he won’t be there in the flesh to direct and guide them. The urgency of Jesus’ words to Philip has always been apparent to me but this morning I read something a little different. I read a little sadness. We all want to be known, to be understood by those closest to us. Hear it that way, “Don’t you know me Philip?” Now put your dear friend’s name in there. “Don’t you know me ________?” Some of the most frustrating moments in my life have come from being misunderstood. When efforts to help or bl...

My Father who has given them to me, is greater than al, no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. John 10:29   Last night I watched a movie which included a relationship between a father and daughter. The daughter loved her father completely. He was her hero and her heart. Eventually she would discover that her hero had feet of clay. He was effusive and charismatic and he loved her to the best of his limited ability but his abilities were tainted and extremely limited. It broke her heart to realize that this giant, this personality, this father was a damaged human being who left pain and catastrophe in his wake. It reminded me in some ways of my own father and of a conversation I had recently with a friend. My father has a big personality. He is charming and endearing when you know him only on the surface. I was reminded of him when my friend Kim was telling me a story about a man her daughter had met at work. He was an older man but still full of life and humor. ...

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day had enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34   This morning I read a message that talked about this verse from God’s perspective. There was an acknowledgement of the fact that while this is His command to us He knows it’s a bit beyond our abilities. That made my day!   During the school year I work in a classroom for children with special needs. Every single day we offer them challenges that, even as we’re planning them, we’re fairly sure they won’t be able to quite get it, at least not right away. It’s an invitation to try, to grow. No one is going to yell at them or discipline them if they conquer it on the first or thirtieth try. What we do is try another approach. We adjust our presentation to aid their success. Here in this verse, God gives a directive. Do. Not. Worry. It’s so important to Him that we have faith and trust in Him, in His will. Here, He is telling us not to wor...

    I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made, your works are wonderful I know that full well. Psalm 139:14   This morning I read a devotional message that spoke to the beauty of nature. As things of that genre often do, the passage made many references to the grandeur and glory of God’s handiwork and how we humans should feel so small in comparison. As I read I was mentally agreeing with it until the idea of how I was created stopped me. We humans are the ones created in God’s image. Don’t get me wrong I am in awe of nature. In fact the first line of the message asked are you a beach or mountain person and I couldn’t choose.   Not terribly long ago I would have emphatically answered beach but recently my husband and I had an amazing vacation in the mountains. Months later, looking at those pictures I can easily feel the wonder of being in such a magnificent place. The world we live in is full of beauty. In fact when we were in th...

  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27   Self-image is a tough one right? Do you think you see yourself clearly? Is this a good day or a poor one? Either way, go to a mirror. Now, take a close look, try to see beyond the obvious. Got it? Great. What did you see? Someone who is energetic and ready to face the world? Someone who can’t wait to extend her hand in greeting and say, “Hello my name is Confidence, nice to meet you.” Or did you see what I hear so often, too fat, too thin, bad hair, dull eyes, stress, a dead end job, no friends, no spouse, and so on. This person will reluctantly or with forced politeness extend her hand and say, “Hello my name is Please Don’t Look Too Close.” Unfortunately for most of us most days are like the latter example. Very few of us start the majority of our days with a positive self-image. Personally I wake up and as has become my habit I speak immediatel...

  Now listen you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”   James 4:13-15   Children are often instructed to watch, listen and learn from those people with more experience. Surely parents are the earliest teachers of any child. Sadly, far too many children learn all the wrong things. The other day I was blessed not only to see the result of great parenting but to be taught a lesson by a five year old. My little friend Adam was quite excited to tell me that he would most likely not see me at church on Sunday. After inquiring about my intentions toward church attendance he said, “I probably won’t be there. We’re going to Orlando this weekend, God willing.” Now, to...