Joy in the Journey

Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13 The other day I read an account of a woman who struggled with forgiveness. One day while volunteering at church she saw a woman sobbing in the back row. By the author's words the woman had “badly mistreated” her. Still she felt compelled to reach out. She did and found that her enemy had a good reason to be heartbroken. She found forgiveness in her heart and the two became friends. That's so nice. Doesn't it sound just like a thing God would do? Sure it does. I believe, however that God often does things a bit differently. Through the last few years I've had opportunities to reach out to people who have been less than kind to me. I've been called upon by people who have treated me as less than but suddenly when they need help or prayer, find that I have value after all. I've reacted differently in each situation. At times, I have willingly responded to what I see as God's call on my life. Other ti...

  “ You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Matthew 25:43-44 Over the past couple of months I've made a new friend at work. This is an odd friendship as it is not with a co-worker but with a child. She's a fifth grade student at my school who I met while doing my student dismissal duty. At first glance we may not seem the most likely of friends, an older woman and a young girl and then it gets odder. The older woman in the scenario, me, tends to be pretty straight forward about what she believes, that Jesus Christ is Lord and I wear cross earrings or pendants fairly often. The young girl also wears a symbol of what she believes, on her head, covering her head. Got the visual now? Our friendship started one day when she asked me if I like football and if so, what team? I'm a Redskins fan and she is a Bengals fan. Better represented, I'm...

  So do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 Do not be afraid, or depending on the translation of your Bible, fear not. Those words are said to be in the Bible 365 times. Stop for a second and let the significance of that sink into your soul. 365 times we are told not to be afraid, to fear not. 365. That's one time for each day of every year. Regardless of the circumstance, the story surrounding the words, just consider the significance of the number of times they are used, 365. So what day is the fearful one? On which day of the year should we be afraid? None. Not one day, because like every moment of our lives, every hair on our heads, Abba has it covered. Jesus came to save us from the power of fear and death. There is nothing we will face that isn't already known to our Father in heaven, our loving Abba, who day by day loves and care...