Joy in the Journey

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; but I have come that they may have life  and have it to the full.  John 10:10 What’s in it for me? Far from being a Biblical or spiritual perspective, that sentiment is unfortunately a very prominent one. Rather than look at our lives in terms of Jesus’ sacrifice we look at what He can do for us. We forget that relationship with Him is the end and see it as the means to the end. A few years ago I wrote that there was a thief at my door. As Jesus states in John 10:10 that thief came, not to build but to destroy. I felt that presence always around me. It was much worse at night when my dreams would be filled with images that made me uncomfortable. I would wake up exhausted and fearful. Thankfully God was gracious to me and had taught me to seek his face. I did but throughout the day the images would come back or something would occur that proved to me that the thief was hovering, waiting to steal my joy. I went ...

  Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” The other night while playing a game my husband Otto was asked a question. I knew he didn’t know the answer because it was about artificial sweeteners. When we are out in a restaurant he always asks me which one is which. If he missed the question it would be my turn. I sat confident that I would answer the question…until he did. What? He knew it? Sure he did, because recently he’s done a lot of traveling with the accompanying meals in restaurants. Without me there he has to look at the sweeteners and pick the right one. When we travel together I rely on Otto to find our way around the hotel or resort. If he’s with me I pay little attention as to how to get to our room, the lobby, shops, etc. When I travel with anyone else I pay attention. I find my own way. Thinking about that I thought how precious it is that we rely on each other. Otto obviously doesn’t n...

The Lord appeared to us saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving kindness. Jeremiah 31:3 In His perfect love, our Lord has blessed me with a rather unique friend. She’s delightful! She makes me laugh so much and she’s also a huge blessing when the weight of the world is too much. Last year her perspective on a problem saved me a lot of heartache. One thing about her stands out for me. It is the way she expresses herself. When leaving me a message or signing a card, she refers to herself as my “favorite friend.” Though to her this is done tongue in cheek, I love it!  We’ve been friends for several years, not as long as my one lifelong friend but longer than another woman who swiftly became incredibly dear to my heart. When I think of those three I can see my Peter, John, James group and I am so thankful for each of them. What really makes the “favorite friend” expression so precious is that I know she’s joking and I know ...

  Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. 1 Peter 3:4-5 This morning two of my co-workers and I were talking about our nails. Do you do them yourself or have them done? Do you like the white tips or do you like a color? I was odd girl out in both cases. I do my own and I like color. Neither here nor there, it reminded me of a conversation I had with my sister a few months ago at Christmas time. When she called I was putting polish on my nails. She commented that our mom was doing the same thing when she spoke to her. “You, I understand.” She told me. Since my toes live in Florida. “But why is Mom doing it? No one is going to see her toes for months!” A by product of living in Upstate New York. That brought the above Scripture verse to mind. We worry too much about the outside of our bodies. W...

  No one knows the day or the hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son but only the Father.  Matthew 24:36 Years ago I was part of a Bible study where the words, “God's will is right, good and best” were repeated often. I believe that, for the most part and where I don't, because let's be honest, there's always an area of life where we would arrange our own chess pieces, thank you, I want to. I want to one hundred percent believe that God's will is always perfect and best. The other day, He illustrated that for me in a gentle and precious way through one of my very dear friends. I am a background person, behind the curtain not in front, in the kitchen not the hostess, the one who throws the party, not the guest of honor. This is not a mystery to anyone who knows me. It's who I am. Knowing that one of my dear friends decided to surprise me. My friend Bella invited me to lunch the other day. That wasn't unusual. We were on a break...

  Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13 If you are a person who gets prayer requests take a look at the current list of people for whom you are praying. How many of those people have requested prayer because they have cancer? My own list contains far too many. Truly the hardest ones for me are the children. It is horrendous enough to suffer through whatever form that awful disease has taken but with children you add the additional, perhaps more heinous suffering of the poor helpless parents. Just a few weeks ago my granddaughter Faith had a scary episode after having her tonsils removed. Looking at her gray skin and hearing her moan broke my heart but then I looked at my daughter, a young woman who is very stoic. I saw the naked mask of fear where her face should be and suddenly my pain doubled. She couldn't help Faith and I couldn't help her. A few days later I would read that dear young people who I've...