October 26, 2018

Some People Stir Up Trouble

Rescue me, LORD, from evildoers; protect me from the violent, who devise evil plans in their hearts and stir up war every day.

– Psalm 140:1-2

She was not a gossip. Oh, no. Not her. She merely listened to everything she could possibly hear, whether she was part of the conversation or not, then went running to the pastor to tattle.

I know. But there really is no other way to put it. When we were kids, we called people like that tattle tails. Unfortunately, she never outgrew it.

This was not a case of mentioning to the pastor that so-and-so was about to have surgery and maybe a call was appropriate. Her commentary was on anything from those who opposed the new carpet color to someone allegedly having an affair.

Unfortunately, this pastor encouraged her behavior by listening. It was gossip that sometimes had no factual foundation. Who she was passing the information on to was irrelevant. Gossip is gossip and her gossip was designed to stir up trouble.

Another woman does the same thing at her job. She is known as the “spy.” She runs back to the bosses with any tales of inadequate work or attitudes that should be adjusted. She does it with a sugary smile but her words are designed to bring trouble.

She’s also quick to take credit for anything good that happens. She doesn’t bother to mention her team. She doesn’t extend credit to anyone else. It’s all about her until something goes wrong. Then she’ll find someone else to take the fall for her mistake.

Some people just thrive on drama. They love to stir up trouble. They enjoy turning one person against another. It’s as though they get a power rush from seeing it all unfold.

I wonder sometimes if insecurities fuel their behavior. Maybe. But other times I think people like this are just mean. They don’t seem to care who they hurt.

I wish I had a grand plan to put a stop to this behavior. I don’t. Because people who don’t see anything wrong with their words or actions aren’t going to change just because you or I think they should.

I do believe that we should take everything to God first. Take your hurt to Him. Take your frustration to Him. Take your tears to Him. And trust Him to work it all out.

Also, be sure to pray for the person who is harming you or others. Ask God to open your heart to that person so that you can forgive and let it go. Be kind even when you know it’s wise not to trust. Don’t allow their behavior to lead you into sin.

April 24, 2018

A Little Girl and a Town

“Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.” – Psalm 91:14-15

Yesterday our small town turned out in light blue. Students and teachers, store clerks and office workers. It was all about a seven-year-old girl and her fight to stay alive.

This sweet girl had a tumor removed, a “lesion”, from her brain. How can a child, a second-grade beauty queen, be okay one minute and then rushed to Children’s Hospital in another? What are parents to do when faced with the very real possibility of burying their child? How do they conquer their fear and remain strong for their little girl?

There are moments when you realize how fragile life is. There are times when you realize that you really aren’t in control. There are tears when you realize all those heartbreaking verses in the Bible were intended to bring you comfort. Hope, that fragile thing that rests on faith, comes on the bended knees of desperation.

A community rallied to lift up one of its own. The light blue symbolized those who prayed that God would heal, that God would gift comfort and strength, for this uncertain journey. Because tomorrow really isn’t promised no matter how determined we might be.

Many people hugged their babies a little closer these last few days. Grandparents counted their blessings and savored moments with their grandchildren. This little girl was a stark reminder that we never know what the day will bring. Devastation is just a moment away.

We see the faith in God, the trust that He will turn it all to good even as He heals. One photo stuck out in my mind: that of two little girls deep in prayer. Best friends since they met at six-weeks-old. One determined child praying for another, teaching us that in our most desperate moments we cry out to the God who provides miracles and healing and comfort and strength.

The surgery was a success. The doctors think they’ve removed it all. It could take six days to get the test results back. But for now all is well. She is alive and fighting back. A community breathed a sigh of relief. God is good.

God is always good. Even if the surgery outcome had been bad, God is still good. Even if God one day chooses to heal this little girl by taking her home, He is still good. We miss that sometimes as we shout out our halleluiahs. We forget about the times God said no.

My thoughts go to a young man who only lived to be 20. He was diagnosed with cancer shortly after high school graduation. The fight was long and hard. He almost made it. Almost. His absence created a hole in the hearts of those who knew and loved him. Faith is a promise of seeing him again but it doesn’t take away the heartbreak of burying a child who never really had a chance to be a man.

We wrap our hearts around this little girl and her family. We pray without ceasing. We are grateful for every small step toward recovery. We rest in His grace and mercy. We are held by His strength, on the prayers of all those who have united as one.

Prayer is a powerful thing. It’s really too bad that it takes something so awful to bring us to our knees before the throne of God, a place we should have been all along.

April 2, 2018

Who Do You Turn To?

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. – Psalm 46:1

When something bad happens, who is the first one you turn to? When your world is shattered, who is the one who helps you pick up the pieces?

Friends and family can be wonderful in bad and uncertain times. But no one is better at handling trouble than God. He alone is equipped to guide us and rescue us from the evil that can sometimes surround us.

We have to ask for His help. Unlike many people in our lives, God doesn’t generally insert Himself into our troubles without an invitation. Instead, He waits patiently until we reach the point when we need Him so desperately that we cry out in pain and frustration. Then He’s right there.

Bad times generally turn people completely toward God or completely away from Him. We may pretend otherwise but our hearts tell a different story. There’s been many a person who went through the motions of church while harboring a deep anger at God for what He did or didn’t do for them or their loved one.

A dear friend became a widower long before he expected. In fact, he’d always believed he’d be the first to go home. He was years older than his wife. She was in good health and getting closer to retirement. They had plans for travel and spoiling the grandchildren and just growing old together.

ALS is an awful disease, robbing the body of its function while allowing the mind to see and know everything. His grief surrounds him even as he pushes forward. He has joined a new church, the one his son and grandchildren have long attended. He is a volunteer and attends almost every function at the church. He is learning and growing in Christ in a way he never expected. There’s nothing quite like death to make you realize skating through life with a lightweight faith just doesn’t work anymore.

Another friend has turned away from God. His splintered family has ripped his heart apart. Only God could possibly untangle the lies and change the circumstances of his situation. But God allowed it to happen and he is just too angry to cry out for help.

He has pulled away from church and faith. He numbs his sorrow drinking in clubs and filling his off hours with friends who do the same. His wife prays for him, for revival in his hardened heart. Will he ever turn back to the shallow faith he once claimed? Will he ever reach out to the only One who can heal and restore?

Life is full of hardship, of brokenness and lies. People we trusted will betray us in the worst ways. Illness comes even when you do everything right. Jobs are lost. Accidents happen. Life can sometimes be so hard.

God has all the answers. No. He won’t stop the bad from happening. This is a fallen world after all. But He does promise to be our refuge, our strength, our guiding light when trouble comes. We can count on His love when everyone around us seems distant and untrustworthy.

Which path do you choose? Do you choose to draw closer to God when trouble hits or do you choose to pull away?

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Give God Credit for His Help

Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be dismayed. Therefore, I have set my face like a stone, determined to do his will. And I know that I will triumph. -- Isaiah 50:7

What did you give credit to God for today? You did give God credit for something, didn’t you? Because it’s impossible to have anything good happen, anything wonderful, anything amazing, without God.

It always amazes me that God is the first one many people blame when something bad happens or when they don’t receive what they want. But God is the last one who gets credit when good things happen.

How can that be? God is the creator of everything good. And, well, we sinners are the author of all the bad when we follow Satan instead of God. It isn’t fair to blame God for the bad. It isn’t right. But it happens all the time.

I am so thankful that God watches over me. It doesn’t mean that bad things don’t happen. Those things happen to all of us. But God is with me, protecting and strengthening me no matter the circumstances.

I try to always give God credit. Of course, not everyone believes. A week or so ago I drove a new vehicle from Jacksonville to my home. It’s about a five hour drive. The next morning the vehicle wouldn’t crank. The mechanics were baffled. It wasn’t the battery and the computer tests were going weird on them. They finally located the problem -- and were amazed that I made it home. I shouldn’t have, they told me. The vehicle should have left me stranded on the road.

I assured them that God had looked after me. One of the men just shook his head. I told him I was serious. I always ask God to take care of me and He did. To me, it was simple. I don’t know that I convinced that dear man, but maybe I planted a seed. Either way, I KNOW God is the reason I made it safely home.

Last year a dear friend was diagnosed with a horrible disease. She immediately asked for prayers and started treatment. It has been a rocky road but God has strengthened her and carried her when she was too tired and too scared to walk. She’s in remission now and praises God and all those who prayed for her.

Don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. She isn’t cured. She’ll take medicine for the rest of her life. She’ll continue to suffer from fatigue and other side effects from the disease. But she’s alive and doing great. Brilliant light in the storm.

God cares for those who love Him and seek to do His will. So give Him credit for the good in your life. And turn to Him in the bad. Blessings flow no matter what we face -- so long as we keep our eyes focused on our Creator.