God of the Sparrow 🌱 By Kathy Manis Findley

Life’s journey can be a treacherous one. There is no easy walk to the places we want to go. There is no way to make the journey easier. It is what it is, filled with both happiness and heartache. As so many have said, tomorrow is uncertain, yesterday is gone, all we have is today.

The following words of Bishop Steven Charleston bring life’s journey into perspective.
Today is the acceptable year of your hope, today is the gift of grace given to you. It is now, here, in this moment that you will discover what you have sought for so long. Heaven does not arise in distant realms far removed from your reality: its doorway stands before you. These hours are poured into your hands like a treasure, they will not come again. Embrace the peace that passes between your dawn and the sunset waiting patiently on the horizon. Make this day count. Make it sing. Make it be the dream you first found in night’s companion hours.

Bishop Charleston is right that today is the gift of grace given to us. He is right to advise us to embrace the moment we have before us. He is right when he says “make this day count; make it sing.”

What will you do today to make this day count? What kind of melody will you hear when your day begins to sing?

I pray that you will accept this present day as a gift of grace from a loving God, poured into your hands like treasure. May peace pass between your dawn and your sunset, bringing you fresh hope for the journey.

These days, I find beauty in everything. It is as if my eyes have been opened and I see things more clearly. Simple things attract my eye and take on fresh, new meaning. I think this is the result of coming so close to death.

One very ordinary place I have found beauty is in a common dandelion. It is a thing so graceful in the wind, and yet when the wind blows hard, the dandelion loses itself, scattering into hundreds of tiny feather-like seeds.

The real miracle is that each seed holds the possibility of taking root and being reborn all over again.

I am not embarrassed that I have come to revere and appreciate such a seemingly insignificant part of nature. In the past, I have blown dozens of dandelions without a single thought. Today, I cannot even see one without marveling at where it’s seeds might go.

June Stover says that “Dandelions, like all things in nature are beautiful when you take the time to pay attention to them.” She is so right. The dandelion is yet another miraculous creation of our creative God. Perhaps God put dandelions on the earth so that thousands of children can blow them and make wishes. Perhaps they are here to remind us to have a sense of wonder in where the wind might take us.

I don’t really know a dandelion’s eternal purpose, but now I do know it’s beauty and gracefulness in the breeze. I might just make a wish the next time I see one. And I hope that my wishes will be light on the wind and plant themselves everywhere, reborn as dreams on the wind.

Thank you, God, for dandelions.

Even when we’re surrounded by a harsh and heartbreaking world and our own challenges both within and without, we reach for the roots of our faith. And we find just enough faith to pick ourselves up and move forward. So many times we find ourselves struggling to grasp for hope. Against all odds we journey ahead as expressed in Bishop Steven Charleston’s reflection below. We face the tragic silence before us with hope enough to share our song of faith. It’s melody is found in our acts of compassion and works of justice.

You were born to believe. Even if there have been times when you tried to let go of faith, accepting doubts or disappointments as reason to suspend your dreams, you never were able to release that last spark of light within you. It is you. You were born to believe. Against the odds, despite the culture, through the hard work of hope, you have not only kept the faith but given it away. You sing the silence to song. You trust the love around you. You make justice grow. You were born to do this. It is your birthright. It is your calling. It is the part of time entrusted to your care.

– Bishop Steven Charleston

I have found this to be truth. I have, on occasion, sung silence to song, breaking my silent world into one filled with joyful singing to God. It is the way of faith. It is the soul’s melody of praise. And it is a grace-gift for those whose hope has become small. So when times get rough for me, I’ll be singing silence to song.

Each season has its own graces . . . the strong sunlight of summer, the scorching temperatures, the pesky Georgia gnats. In the winter, the breezes are brisk and the sun doesn’t bring its warmth on many days. The spring is new and fresh, with a slight chill in the air, along with the sunlight and showers that bring new buds and young bird families.

But the autumn is chock full of grace . . . cool breezes, leaves changing to brilliant colors, skies clear and blue like the poem says . . . “October’s bright blue weather.”

We’re not to the leaf-changing time yet, but the summer gnats are gone from my face, eyes and ears.

Of all the seasons, autumn has for me the most pleasant graces.

It’s the beginning of football season, after all, and that can’t be a bad thing.

Autumn brings another phenomenon . . . a living room.covered up with fake leaves, grapevine, pumpkins, florist wire, glue guns and lots of stuff. And from that mess emerges brilliant wreaths, table arrangements and all manner of home decor.

My sister-in-law’s house where we are currently crafting is a disaster area. Even her dog, Crosby, gets into the creative corridor, eating every grapevine piece he can find, as well as the artificial berries that inadvertently fall to the floor.

Yes, Autumn has its fair share of seasonal graces. Preparing our homes to celebrate the fall is one of those graces. Last year at this time, I was not healthy enough to enjoy this season. I am so grateful to God that this year I feel like being knee-deep in fake leaves and pumpkins. We must never forget to be grateful for the small things in life.

“When it rains, look for rainbows. When it’s dark, look for stars.”

What a wonderfully positive quote! We definitely focus on the things that aren’t so pleasant most of the time. We dwell on the troubles life throws our way, and refuse to see the silver linings in the storm clouds. We see obstacles as negative barriers that halt our journey because we cannot easily get around them.

We sometimes detest rain, even though we need it. And we sometimes dread the darkness, even though it helps us see the stars better.

It’s all about our outlook on life. It can be pessimistic or it can be filled with optimism. I don’t know about you, but I plan to look for rainbows and stars more.

Have you ever watched an eagle as it was flying? The sight is breathtaking, one of those life events that are not to be missed. Watching the span of those wings gliding through the air is quite an experience.

Yesterday I had a very different kind of experience, breathtaking in its own way, I made a discovery. I should have known it all along, but denial can be a great protector. Anyway, what I learned I saw on a graph, made simple so that even I could understand it. The discovery? There is a researched survival rate for persons on dialysis. To be exact, I saw one-year and three-year stats. The discovery was disconcerting.

Now, the reality is this: we all have survival rates, we just live as if we don’t. Though three years doesn’t seem long enough for me, I know that it’s possible not to even survive the day . . . for any of us. And although I am aware that the mortality study I saw simply uses one year and three-year markers to quantify the study, it reminded me that I am certainly not immortal, that my time on earth is finite, and that I need to learn to live life with a sense of enthusiasm and spontaneity.

Two contemporary examples illuminate this discussion.

The first is “The Bucket List’, a 2007 comedy-drama film starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman which follows two terminally ill men on a road trip with a wish list of things to do before they “kick the bucket.”

The second is an uplifting song written by Craig Wiseman and Tim Nichols, and recorded by Tim McGraw, “Live Like You Were Dying.” The songwriters had the inevitable discussion about people who learned that they were dying and how they responded: “Wow, it’s time to get busy,” as opposed to, “I’m going to go lay down in my bed and freak out.”

The lyrics of the song give some suggestions for full-on, “make-the-most-of-life” living, like skydiving, climbing rocky mountains, and riding a bull for 2.7 seconds. If you know me at all, you know that there’s no way I’ll be doing any of those things in the years I have left. But the song includes some things I will do: watch an eagle as it soars, give forgiveness I’ve been denying, love deeper, speak sweeter. Some of the lyrics . . .

I went sky divin’,
I went rocky mountain climbin’,
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull name Fumanchu.
And I loved deeper,
And I spoke sweeter,
And I watched an eagle as it was flyin’.
And he said someday I hope you get the chance,
To live like you were dyin’.
The truth is that all of us should live as if we are dying, bucket lists in hand, forgiveness in our hearts, on the way to the fishing hole!

The song is available on YouTube at this link:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TNWg5DlWVa8&autoplay=1

Some days are just meant for the soul to sing praises to a mighty God. Regardless of what life holds, the soul can sing. This act of praise makes all the difference in my life. Certainly, I can sing with my lips, but when my soul is able to sing, I am fully aware of the greatness of God.The Psalmist expresses it in this way: “My lips will sing with joy when I make music to praise you! My soul, which you have redeemed, sings praises to you!”  – Psalm 71:23 (Paraphrased)

When the soul sings, the melody inside a person is transformative, making all things new, both in sunshine and in shadow. I cannot help but think of the wonderful hymn of faith “How Great Thou Art,” published as a poem in 1891. Carl Gustaf Boberg was a Swedish pastor and editor. Mr. Boberg was taking a walk when a thunderstorm suddenly appeared and a severe wind began to blow. After the storm, Mr. Boberg looked out over the clear bay and heard a church bell in the distance. It was then that the words to “How Great Thou Art” began to form in his heart.

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My SaviorGod, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: “My God, how great Thou art!”

You will enjoy hearing a video of this hymn on YouTube at this link:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?autoplay=1&v=j1hVY7bmqsA

It looks as if today might be an overcast day. I hope that, for you, the sun will spread its rays on your life and that you will be very aware of God’s greatness. Rain or sunlight, whatever comes your way on this day, may your soul sing in awesome wonder of God. When the soul sings, life becomes an act of praise. When the soul sings, your inner being is transformed. You might be thinking, “I can’t sing a note.” But the soul can always sing, and the melody comes from deep within you. You are changed when your soul sings!

God desires to meet us on higher ground, on that plane where we are above the trials of this life. But the reality is, we cannot escape those times that lay us low with concerns and problems.

I have noticed that living life happens a little easier in the daytime. When night comes, my body begins its aching ritual, coupled with regrets from a day that may not have been so productive. The darkness of night can be a time of despondency, when all the cares of life descend on you in the dark. For some people, when the sun goes down, their hope sets with it, and they feel night’s loneliness. And yet, for others, the night brings a refreshing respite from the workings of the day. The world gets quieter and there is finally some time for spiritual contemplation. Those who experiences the stillness of the night in this way are truly blessed.

They feel no fear of the darkness, no sense of being alone, no dread that the night might bring its terrors, no fear that sleep will not come, no belief that the night will be for them a dark night of the soul. Instead, they greet the night sky with hopeful anticipation of quietly being refreshed and re-created. That kind of night is described beautifully by the words of Bishop Steven Charleston.

In the stillness of the night I listen. I listen for the distant sound of quiet voices, all praying in their own way, in their own words, from a need I can recognize, speaking softly in the endless dialects of our human lament, our hope and our ambition, the prayers strung like lanterns against the darkness . . . each honest soul a religion of one, bent but not broken.

If you listen, you can hear it in the night . . .

The truth is that God’s comfort is available to us night and day, whenever our problems overtake us and stop us in our tracks. We need just to be still, to stand before God.

So come stand over here, just a step or two beyond the place you have occupied for so long, where you have worn the earth smooth with your pacing, where you have spent so many hours fighting the problem you cannot seem to solve. Take a break. Catch your breath. Come stand here, where you can catch a freshening breeze and see far into the valley below. Let the distant clouds carry your worry for a while, see how the sun empties the world of shadow. The answer you seek may be just a step beyond, a higher place where the view is clear of all obstructions. (Charleston)

It is my prayer that, in the midst of your pain, God will meet you on higher ground.

You may enjoy hearing the hymn “Higher Ground” at this link:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=F2emsPPCH4c

The dictionary describes “brokenhearted” well, “overwhelmed by grief or disappointment,” and includes several synonyms: heartbroken, grief-stricken, desolate, devastated, despondent, inconsolable, disconsolate, miserable, depressed, melancholy, wretched, sorrowful, forlorn, heavy-hearted, woeful, doleful, downcast, woebegone. Not a good emotional place to be!

“What Becomes of the Brokenhearted” is. a song recorded by Jimmy Ruffin and released in the summer of 1966. The song essentially deals with the struggle to overcome intense sadness. It was written by William Weatherspoon, Paul Riser, and James Dean.

The poignant ballad asks what will become of those whose hearts have been broken.

As I walk this land of broken dreams
I have visions of many things
But happiness is just an illusion
Filled with sadness and confusion

What becomes of the brokenhearted
Who have love that’s now departed
I know I’ve got to find
Some kind of peace of mind
Maybe

Fruits of love grow all around
But for me they come a-tumbling down
Every day heartaches grow a little stronger
I can’t stand this pain much longer
I walk in shadows searching for light
Cold and alone no comfort in sight
Hoping and praying for someone to care
Always moving and going nowhere.

While there are no remedies for broken hearts in the song lyrics, there are answers in the thirty-fourth Psalm.

The LORD hears His people when they call to Him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed. The righteous person faces many troubles, but the LORD comes to the rescue each time.
– Psalm 34:17-19 New Living Translation (NLT)

There are so many people whose spirits are crushed, who are experiencing all kinds of trouble, who are living life with broken hearts. This scripture in Psalm 34 speaks to them and reminds them of the God who hears their cries of lament.

This Psalm, so full of wisdom, also says that “the righteous person faces many troubles.” Bad things do happen to good people. But the promise that God is close to the brokenhearted brings great comfort.

What becomes of the brokenhearted? God hears their cries for help and rescues those with crushed spirits. If you are facing heartbreak, remember this promise.

Who am I these days? My husband says I’m quiet and don’t say much, a huge change from my former gregarious personality. I know I have changed. Certainly, I have changed physically since the onset of my kidney failure.

I have changed spiritually, becoming far more contemplative and far less “share your religious ideas with everybody who will listen.” You might say that I have transformed from a “preacher” to a monastic. Not that bad of a change if you ask me.

Most of all, I have changed emotionally. This change is witnessed and pointed out by everyone I know. I don’t know what caused the change, and I don’t know how to change it back. I simply know that my once social and opinionated personality is now very quiet and shares very few opinions.

If I had to describe my current state of being, I would call it contemplative and introspective. I do know that the “eyes of my heart have been enlightened” and that definitely required some quieting down for me. I often think of the scripture in Ephesians:

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

Ephesians 1:18 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

If I am learning what is “the hope of God’s calling” and more about “the riches of the glory of His inheritance,” then this quiet phase of my life has been worth it. If my heart is being enlightened, then this change in my personality is for my good. If I am learning who I am, then this time of life is a gift. As I said, I do not understand the reasons for the change. I just know that I am a very different me.

I read a quote today that is somewhat descriptive of what I’ve been sharing in this post. Here it is:

Sometimes the strength within you is not a fiery flame for all to see. It is just a tiny spark that whispers ever so softly, “You got this. Keep going.”

Harriet Tubman was an abolitionist during the Civil War, known as the great emancipator of slaves. She was born into slavery in 1822 in Maryland. She eventually escaped and dedicated her life to freeing other slaves. She did this with her antislavery network which became known as the Underground Railroad. She died on March 10, 1913 at the age of 91.

A wise woman, she had many things to say that are now archived and widely quoted. Here are some things she said that are lessons for our lives.

“I freed a thousand slaves,” Harriet Tubman said. “I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.”

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer.” she said. “Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”

And she said this, “Lord, I’m going to hold steady on to You and You’ve got to see me through.”

For us, a good place to start is in knowing what we are slaves to. Is it a habit? Another person that is not good for us?Are we slaves to depressive thoughts or destructive actions? If we know we are slaves, we can free ourselves from most any enslavement.

Can we really reach the stars and change the world? Harriet Tubman says we can be dreamers, and by dreaming a great dream, we have within us the passion and the patience to see the dream come to pass.

Finally, she speaks of holding steady on to God, knowing that God will see us through.

Three great life lessons from a remarkable woman. I pray that you will know when you are enslaved, that you will dream of reaching the stars and changing the world, and that, through it all, you will hold steady on to God.

When I was a teenager, I remember my times of despair and I remember asking myself the question “Is there no balm in Gilead?” Granted, I was a very religious child. But I sincerely asked that question, which is in the book of Jeremiah. And I remember really longing for an answer from God.

Several years ago I wrote a book entitled, The Survivor’s Voice: Healing the Invisible Wounds of Violence and Abuse. Some people in my family were upset that I would so publicly talk about being abused by my father as a child. But, like every adult survivor of childhood abuse, I had to find my voice and tell my truth. An adult survivor knows that what has the most power to continue to destroy is keeping the secret. When you speak your truth, you are finally on the long journey of healing.

You see, those invisible wounds of abuse never go away. They may transform into scars of the soul, but you will never in this life be completely without them. That is why it is so important for survivors of abuse to open up the place of deep hurt and allow a healing balm to enter.

And what is that healing balm? It is two things: the comfort and understanding of friends and family who know, believe, and understand your truth; and the divine healing that comes from a loving and compassionate God.

The 30th Psalm speaks of that kind of divine healing with these words, “You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,”

Adults who were abused as children must mourn their losses, not just once, but throughout their lives. They mourn the loss of innocence. They mourn the loss of critical family relationships. They mourn the loneliness that comes with keeping a secret for decades. They mourn the spiritual and emotional harm they have suffered. And some will mourn the inability to bear their own children because of so many years of chronic abuse.

The prophet Isaiah speaks of the healing balm that is available for those who mourn:
To grant those who mourn in Zion,
Giving them a garland instead of ashes,
The oil of gladness instead of mourning,
The mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit;
So they may be called oaks of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.
– Isaiah 61:3 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Survivors of child abuse, please remember that “there is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole.”

Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?
– Jeremiah 8:22 King James Version (KJV)

Listen to the words of the hymn “Balm in Gilead” on YouTube:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BN9JALQRMb0&autoplay=1

Isaiah 40:21-26
Have ye not known? Have ye not heard? Hath it not been told you from the beginning? Have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he that sits upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretches out the heavens as a curtain, and spreads them out as a tent to dwell in . . .

Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name, by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing.

There are so many people who live life with heads bowed. They are depressed, downcast, some because of life circumstances and others because they suffer from the mental illness of depression.

Some people believe there is no way out, no better life available to them. So they languish. They sincerely believe that God has forgotten them in their desolation. There is little comfort, and life seems too much trouble to live. One of my favorite hymns is “Come, Ye Disconsolate.” It has a timeless message for those who suffer despondency, that “earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.”

Come, ye disconsolate, where’er ye languish,
Come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel.
Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish;
Earth has no sorrow that heav’n cannot heal.

Joy of the desolate, light of the straying,
Hope of the penitent, fadeless and pure!
Here speaks the Comforter, tenderly saying,
“Earth has no sorrow that heav’n cannot cure.”

Listen to this comforting hymn on YouTube at
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mNqzhfB4y1I&autoplay=1

God knows when you are going through grief. God know when you are disconsolate. God knows your anguished heart When your head is bowed at the mercy seat of God, lift up your eyes.

What a beautiful morning! The weekend rains left all the vegetation bright green. The sunlight is beaming through the clear air. A slight breeze is blowing and the rays of the sun are beaming down through the trees and bringing with them a comforting warmth.

Today could end up being another scorching day of relentless heat, but right now the weather is wonderful. In those kind of mornings, it is so easy to find inspiration, to feel that all is well, and to know that God is ever watching over us. It is important to find this times when all seems right and we can praise God for the beauty of the earth. I think of the wonderful hymn:

For the beauty of the earth; For the glory of the skies, For the love which from our birth over and around us lies: Lord of all, to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.

For the beauty of each hour of the day and of the night, Hill and vale and tree and flower, Sun and moon and stars of light: Lord of all, to thee we raise this our hyen of grateful praise.

For the joy of human love, Brother, sister, parent, child, friends of earth, and friends above, For all gentle thoughts and mild: Lord of all to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.

For each perfect gift of thine to our race so freely given, Graces human and divine, Flowers of earth and buds of heaven: Lord of all to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise,

God appeared out of a whirlwind to a despondent Job.

The story of Job is tear-jerker. Once a happy and wealthy man, Job loses everything he values and cherishes, including his children. As the story moves along, Job is “comforted” by three friends who basically assert that Job has offended God in some way and that his losses are the consequence. Their comfort was not comforting at all.

The friend Bildad goes into a long treatise telling Job he should repent and all will be well. In the midst of his speech, he says to Job that God will fill his mouth with shouts of joy. (Job 8:21)

If only life were that easy and predictable. Job was a righteous man, says the Bible. His enormous misfortune was not his fault, and there was no simple way for him to recover all that he had lost. There was no magic bullet, no divine formula designed to fix everything and get him back on solid footing.

The reality is that tragedy hovers over this righteous man and changes his good life into a nightmare. Job loses everything — children, property and wealth, good name and even his health.

Job desperately tries to solve the mystery behind his suffering. He struggles, looking for clues. Job prays expectantly. God will surely speedily intervene in his life — heal him of his disease and explain to him what in the world is going on. But nothing happens. The horribly painful disease reduces Job’s strength. He grows weaker and weaker. He becomes more confused.

Job’s language sometimes borders on the irrational and incoherent. At times he appears almost delirious. Job appeals to God to act before it is too late. At times he even challenges God. Please help me, he cries. Come to me quickly. “I will soon lie down in the dust,” Job cries out, “you will search for me, but I will be no more” (Job 7:21).

Job can only assume God is persecuting him, hiding from him. He lashes out at God in pain and anguish. “If I have sinned, what have I done to you, O watcher of men? Why have you made me your target?” Job complains (Job 7:20).

Job’s terrible discouragement, his lashing out at God is not caused because he has lost his faith in God. In fact, Job hangs on to his belief in God through it all. Job knows that somewhere in the universe God must be alive. “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him,” Job cries out in despairing belief (Job 13:15). Still trusting in God, Job insists, “I know that my Redeemer lives” (Job 19:25).

Job’s story is for those of us who have experienced grave losses, yet are willing to work with God who has the power to restore us to joy. The story is not for those of us who lose our faith. It is for those who hang on to faith in spite of every trouble. The story is for those of us who trust God enough to present our complaints and our frustration honestly.

Job had the courage to question God and God answered Job out of the whirlwind.
(Job 38:1),

Job became convinced of God’s infinite wisdom. Job learned that there was a purpose for his suffering — God’s purpose — and that was enough for him. The mighty voice of God thundering out of the whirlwind puts everything into perspective for Job. It says: God is alive; God is here; God cares; God is capable.

if you find yourself in a place of grief and loss, trust God enough to question what has happened. Perhaps a whirlwind will appear for you.

Those who live at the ends of the earth
stand in awe of your wonders.
From where the sun rises to where it sets,
you inspire shouts of joy.

– Psalm 65:8 New Living Translation (NLT)

What can inspire shouts of joy in us? Especially when things in our lives have gone awry, can our faith still inspire us to joy? The scripture says that we stand in awe of God’s wonders. Perhaps that is what creates joy in us even through hard times.

When I am feeling that all is lost, which does happen occasionally, I know that I can find solace in the deep green hue of a leaf, in the gentle breeze, in the dew of early morning, in the solitude of the setting sun.

For these wonders of God, I am most grateful. The next time I have faltering faith and shrinking joy, I may well find myself where the sun sets. There I can be re-created and renewed.

Whenever I am downcast and impatient about all the things that have gone wrong, my cousin says to me “Be joyful!” What great advice that is!

My first response is to ask myself how I can possibly be joyful in the midst of troublesome circumstances. My second thought is to remember that being happy because something negative has come upon me is not the same as being joyful. In fact, being filled with joy is a part of our spiritual response, not merely a physical and emotional response to something happy in life.

The Bible speaks of being joyful in the midst of various trials.

My brothers and sisters, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
– James 1:2-4 New King James Version (NKJV)

We should not be surprised when we experience trials. It’s just a part of life. Bad things really do happen to good people. Our faith is what sustains us through those trials, and we can, indeed, find ourselves being joyful.

When I was very ill after my kidneys failed, I learned that I would be on daily dialysis. That news brought me great fear and an intense despondency. It was during that time that my cousin spoke to me in a phone conversation. “Be joyful!” she said. And instantly I knew she was right.

My friends, do not be surprised at the terrible trouble which now comes to test you. Do not think that something strange is happening to you. But be happy that you are sharing in Christ’s sufferings so that you will be happy and full of joy when Christ comes again in glory. 
– 1 Peter 4:12-13 (NCV).

The Bible says it best: “the various trials in your life . . . count it all joy, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. And let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

I love this quote: “You can fly, but that cocoon has to go.” Obviously, the quote is referring to caterpillars and butterflies, but more specifically, it’s referring to our lives that can sometimes make us feel like we are stuck in a cocoon.

I have found myself in many stages of a butterfly’s life, sometimes feeling like a sluggish caterpillar struggling my way through life. At other times, I have worked hard to escape from life by building a virtual cocoon around myself, isolated from whatever trouble was going on in my life. And, once in a while, I have felt the exhilaration of breaking through the cocoon and forming beautiful wings that took me to higher places and better times.

There are some lessons to be learned from the butterfly’s life cycle. First of all, it can feel like a risk to leave the swaddling warmth of a cocoon. Our cocoon becomes our status quo, the place of our deadening security. It may feel a bit cramped in the cocoon, but it is the place we know. As confining as it may be, breaking free from it is like breaking into an unknown world. And that feels like such a risk sometimes.

A second lesson is that’ although the cocoon has its restrictions, it can be frightening to consider the implications of flying. While it is true that we can see much clearer from the heights of flight, there’s no cocoon to come back to if we get tired or if it’s just too scary.

The third lesson is that it is the risk that makes us hesitate, knowing that if we take flight, we can’t return to the more comfortable security of the cocoon. Once your dream has taken flight, the status quo can no longer hold you.

Like the butterfly, we have only two choices: to take the risk of flying or to eventually die inside the cocoon.

Life dreams do not happen inside cocoons. Each of us has dreams, large ones and small ones. If we do not pursue those dreams once in a while, life feels empty and purposeless. Dreaming the dreams is what gives us hope.

The risk of flight is a necessary thing for any of us who want to realize a dream. Dream your life dreams and take flight to see them come to pass. Sure, it may be easier and less risky to refuse to dream at all, but life might not be worth living.

Perhaps Erin Hansen says it best:

“What if I fall?”
Oh but my darling, what if you fly?

“Holding you in the light” is a promise I read on Facebook today. It was a statement of deep concern for another. I do not even know the person who posted it. But I was moved by it, and thought of the many times in my life when someone was holding me in the light.

Being held in the light means several things in my mind. It means holding someone in God’s healing light. It means holding someone in God’s light of warmth and comfort. It means helping someone who is walking in darkness find the way with God lighting their pathway.

Experiencing darkness can be disconcerting and frightening. God’s light can make it bearable.

“The Gate of the Year” is the popular name given to a poem by Minnie Louise Haskins. I often think of the words of that poem and gain courage from it.

“. . . Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”

“Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”

So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night. And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.

So heart be still:
What need our little life
Our human life to know,
If God hath comprehension?

God knows. His will
Is best. The stretch of years
Which wind ahead, so dim
To our imperfect vision,
Are clear to God. Our fears
Are premature; In Him,
All time hath full provision.

Then rest: until
God moves to lift the veil
From our impatient eyes,
When, as the sweeter features
Of Life’s stern face we hail,
Fair beyond all surmise
God’s thought around His creatures
Our mind shall fill.

In every circumstance that troubles you, in every dark place in which you find yourself, may someone near hold you in the light.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.   – Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

We’re always making plans, being the plan-making people that we are. Planning makes us feel that we are in control of our lives. The problem is that plans do fail.

That happens often to all of us . . . Plan A falls apart and we move on to Plan B. We stick with the plan as long as we possibly can, always hoping that all will go according to plan. But much of the time our “best-laid plans” fall apart and we are left floundering.

The solution? Don’t make any plans at all is one solution, but we are unlikely to forget plan-making altogether. We desperately want to be the makers of our own destiny.

A better solution is to continue to plan for the best, always holding on to hope, and then prepare our souls for the worst.

That may sound difficult to do. But the key to it is hope, a hope that helps us hang in there when things fall apart.

Plans will most assuredly fall apart for us from time to time. Our plans will fail sometimes. What we expected to happen blows up right before us, and suddenly we feel out of control and wondering what to try next.

It helps to know that God is ever aware of the plans we’ve made, that God has lovingly made plans for us, and that God’s plans for us are to prosper us, not to harm us.

Most important of all is that God has plans to give us a future and a hope that never fails.