A Child's Trust

As I walked this morning, a little girl I have never met ran down her driveway straight to me. Bursting with excitement, she rattled on with her news. I guess she just had to tell someone.  :-)

Sadly, I couldn't comprehend a word she said, because her enunciation wasn't too clear yet. So I just nodded and smiled and told her what a pretty dress she had on.

As I walked on, I thought of what abandon this child had towards me, a stranger, and I knew God was teaching me another lesson. My God isn't a total stranger to me, but do I run to Him with such freedom and confidence that He will care what I have to say, or do I still hold Him at arm's length? Are there still reservations in my heart that keep me from opening up to Him as completely as a small child?

This child believed I would listen and understand. When I pray to my Father God, do I really trust He will listen and understand, or is there a part of me that still clings to distrust?

This child told her heart, and she probably is not worrying right now whether or not I understood her. I too often worry my conversations with people are misunderstood. I will worry about it for days, hoping I didn't say something that may have been taken up differently than I meant it.

As I reflect on all this, it amazes me that no matter how we word things, God just knows. We can babble incoherently, but He knows exactly what we're saying. We can say the wrong words, but He understands our intention. He even knows and understands every word we reserve in our heart and are afraid to say. He reaches into our deepest thoughts that we can't even put into words - every sigh, every cry, every fear.

May our Heavenly Father give us the trusting heart of a little child to run to Him with our every need, whether it's a heavy trouble weighing upon us or a bubbling excitement to thank Him for all He gives us. He is waiting for us with open arms.

A Father's Love Letter to You

What can you learn from a child's trust?

What keeps you from trusting God as a tender, loving, welcoming Father?

True Friendship

Several years ago I jotted down some quotes about friendship, and I'd like to share some of my favorites with you.  Just sit in silence for a while and soak up the depths of meaning in each one.

What is a real friend?

"A friend loves at all times..." Proverbs 17:17

“A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.” Walter Winchell

“Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget.” G. Randolf

How can I be a true friend?

“Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Walk beside me and be my friend.” Albert Camus

“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” Mother Teresa

 “When you love, you wish to do things for. You wish to sacrifice for. You wish to serve.” Ernest Hemingway

Ultimate Friendship

The quote by Hemingway about sacrifice speaks volumes of what real friendship is, and I can't think of a better example than how Jesus sacrificed His life for us.

Friends on earth will always have flaws and weaknesses and sometimes will even turn their backs on us, but Jesus is a Friend Who always has and always will remain faithful and steadfast.  He knows our deepest secrets, and yet He will never betray us.  He has paid the ultimate sacrifice for us, and He will never, never, never leave us or forsake us.

"What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear..."

Do you have friendship quotes or experiences to share?

What personal experience revealed Jesus as your BEST FRIEND?

Troubles Make Us Stronger

"We've been through a lot together, haven't we, Mom?" a young boy said as he was dying from cancer after losing his father. "But we have grown stronger because of it though."  (Highway to Heaven TV program)

Isn't that true for each of us here on earth?  How would we ever grow in knowledge and strength without troubles? 

While we languish in a valley of darkness, we can't see clearly.  But eventually we come to see the light and wisdom of struggling through it.  We become stronger, don't we?

If God chooses to keep us in the same tough situation, whether it's physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual, He has a special plan for us.

God has not chosen to give me complete physical health yet.  The final diagnosis is sarcoidosis, an auto-immune inflammatory disease that primarily affects the lungs but can affect other organs also.  I also need to get a sleep study done to test for sleep apnea since my oxygen sats want to plunge too often when I'm sleeping.

God has a reason for it all.  I just need to take a day a time and be thankful for every step in the direction of a better quality of life.  Yes, I'm human, and my inner self pouts like a spoiled child that didn't get her way.  I wanted complete healing here and now, but God is still good!  I have so many undeserved blessings.

Not one of us is exempt from trouble on this earth, and many of us have undergone deep and heavy trials, sometimes one after another.  However, no matter how many we go through or how long each one lasts, God remains faithful and we will grow stronger.

What dark valleys have you gone through?

How have they made you stronger?



Life is Full of Surprises

Life is full of surprises. We never know what is around the corner, do we?

Only seconds after I posted last week, I received a phone call from my husband's workplace. "Your husband has been in an accident."

My breathing froze as my heart thundered to my head. I pictured a mangled body and a smashed up truck until the man burst out, "But don't worry. He is ok except for his arm."

Whew! My husband took a tumble from the back of his truck trailer and ended up with a badly broken arm that required surgery and a plate. Though bad, we thank God it wasn't worse.

Next week we plan to travel to a pulmonary specialist for some appointments to get a second opinion concerning my chronic lung condition.

Life is overwhelming right now, but we will make it. God remains faithful and He will carry us through whatever comes our way.

Praising God in the Darkness

“The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.’”  Job 1:21b NIV


When we give our hearts to God, Satan stamps with rage.  He never wants us to trust God and His purposes, let alone praise Him in the midst of devastating circumstances.

Satan stripped Job’s life to the marrow of the bone.  His possessions and livelihood down the drain.  Every one of his precious children, seven sons and three daughters, swept from this life with a whirlwind and a collapsed roof. 

Bowing down in his grief, Job tore his robe and shaved his head.  It hurt, oh so much.  But what did he do?  He acknowledged all he had was in God’s hands to give and to take.  He even went a step further and said, “May the name of the Lord be praised.”  

Job was further tested, and he lost his health.  Some of his friends arrogantly told him he must have some hidden sins that God is punishing him for.  But sitting in the ashes with painful sores, he cried, “I know my Redeemer lives.” 

Because our Redeemer lives, Satan was forced to retreat.  Because our Redeemer lives, Satan will never have the final victory with us either.  Because our Redeemer lives, we can learn to praise God even in the darkness.

© 2011 - Trudy Den Hoed

What losses have you experienced?

What was your lowest point of darkness?

What gave you hope?

 

 

Spring Follows Winter

“If we had no winter,

the spring would not be so pleasant:

if we did not sometimes taste of adversity,

prosperity would not be so welcome.”

~Anne Bradstreet~

Winter here in the Midwest has overstayed its welcome.  Temperatures well below 0 and snow, snow, snow.  Spirits are sagging.  Will spring ever come?

 

I anticipate the sighting of a robin like an eager child hankering to open a long-awaited gift.  Can I open it NOW?

I yearn for the promising new growth that reminds me that something can look dead and barren, but it's not.  Below the surface, their roots are reaching down to a more solid footing, preparing strength for the spring and summer storms.

Spring and all the new life it brings is appreciated more after winter, especially when the winters have devastated our lives.

How about the seasons in our lives?  Would we be truly grateful for prosperity in our hearts and lives if we never knew what adversity is?  I know I wouldn't.

Yes, I do grumble about this long winter in nature.  Yes, I do grumble about all the winters in my life when there didn't seem to be any sign of life left.  Where are You, God? 

The winters in our lives can be brutal and debilitating, but they are necessary to deepen and strengthen our roots in Christ Jesus.  Through Him, spring and revival will come, all the more refreshing and renewing after a barren winter.  That's a promise.  God's plans for us are for good, not for evil.  The clouds may cover the sun, but the sun is still there.  We may not always "feel" God is with us, but He is.  Faithful and true, He will never, never, never leave us or forsake us.

What is your favorite season?  Why?

Stepping Stones

One of my favorite places I visited as a child was Island Park in a small town in NW Iowa.  I especially enjoyed the challenge of crossing the river on stepping stones at the bottom of a waterfall.  At that time two or three missing steps left wide gaps of uncertainty.  As I sat on a step and reached my bare toes underneath the water, I could still feel the missing step's slimy, slippery foundation.  Some days I didn't dare to proceed, depending on the rushing of the water.  Some days I braved stepping on the gaps to continue crossing with a shout of exhilaration if I reached the other side.

This morning I was comparing my life to taking small steps of faith.  It's kind of like crossing those stepping stones.  Step by step, ever filled with challenge, often fearful.  Not always knowing when I step in the gap if I will slip and slide into the rushing water, yet trusting that my Rock Christ Jesus is steady enough to get me to the next step or strong enough to lift me from the waves if I slip.

Sometimes a flood drowns out Island Park and obliterates all traces of any steps at all.  Likewise in the devastating and overwhelming times in my life, I didn't have the slightest idea where the next step was, and I was too afraid to venture forward.  But many times I had to take the risk and step out anyway, blindly hoping it was the right one.

Stepping stones of faith.  Step by step I reach my toes ahead to the next one.  Sometimes I falter, and sometimes I rejoice, but one day I will reach the other side of the river of life.  One day I will forever raise my arms in praise.  Dancing.  Singing.  Shouting "Victory in Jesus!"

^{Isaiah 35:3-4}
Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, He will come with vengeance; with divine retribution He will come to save you.”

Shelter for the Sparrow and Shelter for You and Me

I snapped these pictures through the window of my office.  Brrrr!  Baths on a cold day?  I wish I had that downy underlay on my skin to help me survive the cold of the winter.

The second picture is one I took today.  The water in that birdbath was frozen this morning.  As you can see, it has warmed up enough to thaw out, but it's still only in the 40s.  Believe it or not, there was a sparrow that still ventured taking a bath in it.  He didn't stay in long, however, and his friends weren't too keen on joining him.   

I have often heard these little creatures called "dumb, ugly birds," but just look at them.  Notice their fine markings and the fluffy, protective layer they build up under their feathers.  God equips each one for the cold winter ahead.  Not one is forgotten. 

As it gets colder the sparrows find shelter between the evergreen branches or under plants that are not yet cut off.  As I watched them yesterday morning, a Psalm came to mind:

"Beneath Thy care the sparrow finds place for peaceful rest,

To keep her young in safety, the swallow finds a nest,

Then LORD, my King Almighty, Thy love will shelter me,

Beneath Thy holy altar, my dwelling place shall be."

The same Almighty God Who shelters such a little creature will surely shelter me from all the bitter, cold onslaughts of sin.  The same God Who gives the sparrow a protective layer will give me the Shield of faith to fend off the wiles of Satan.

Reader, that same God Who cares for every creature, no matter what they look like or what they can or cannot do, cares for you, too.  I pray that today you will find refuge in the safety of His love.

Lord, Save Me!

Matthew 14

One of my favorite Bible passages is when Jesus walked on water to the disciples in the boat and Peter said, "Lord, if it's You, tell me to come to You on the water." 

Jesus said, "Come."  Peter did walk on the water until he lost sight of Jesus.  When he looked around and saw the boisterous waves swirling around him, he began to sink.

"Lord, save me!"  Peter cried as the sea threatened to swallow him and fear and desperation choked him. 

Did Jesus let him drown?  No, Jesus immediately reached out His hand and caught Peter.  Amazing love and faithfulness!

I can almost imagine the sorrow in Jesus' eyes as He said, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?"

I, too, am of such little faith.  As I look back on my life, there were so many times when wave after wave crashed over me and the undercurrent of doubt and despair sucked me under.  There were even times when I wanted to just give up.  Not even God cared, I thought.  I once was so near to swallowing a full bottle of aspirin.  Several times I was sorely tempted to drive my car off a cliff. 

It's a miracle that I didn't take my life.  Relief from my troubles and despair didn't always come immediately, but in hindsight I see how God's grace did spare me again and again.

Jesus is available 24/7 to lend a helping hand.  It was my focus that was off.  I concentrated on the storm raging within me instead of looking to Jesus and His power to save.

Reader, if you are in despair for some reason or another, take heart.  There is nothing too impossible for God.  I pray that Jesus will again and again open our eyes to His hand reaching out and our ears to His invitation, "Come to Me, my precious child.  I will be with you no matter how dark the valley.  I will never leave you or forsake you."