"Giving Thanks in Trials"

Giving Thanks for Trials

 “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
  knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.” James 1:2-3

I had already picked out the title for my Blog last week and was ready to begin writing.  I woke up that morning and as soon as my feet hit the floor when I let out a loud scream and grabbed the nearest thing to hang on to so I wouldn’t fall to the floor.  Something was terribly wrong with my knee and was the worse pain I had ever experienced. 

I finally got into the doctor a week later went from using a cane to a walker and then a wheelchair.  They couldn’t do much but ordered an MRI for me.  This week on Monday, my husband pushed me into the MRI office where I had to ride the ramp up to get in the tube.  I couldn’t get up on the table because I couldn’t put any weight on my foot without screaming pain.

Finally I was on the table with my knee in a clamp to hold it in place. The machine began its loud rapping and banging. To pass time I began praying and asking the Lord how I could give thanks in the pain and the situation I was in.  I don’t know anyone that actually enjoys having an MRI.  I’ve had several over the years and hate having to go headfirst into the tube. But if I don’t open my eyes while I’m in there I’m okay, but I sure don’t like it. All of a sudden I realized I had much to be thankful for; I didn’t have to go in head first because it was a knee. Next, I was thankful for this machine that could look inside and see what was wrong and for the doctor who would know to fix it.

I still don’t have the results of the MRI, but I’m sure it will be taken care of.  It’s as though God is saying, “Relax, I’ve got this.”  Then on top of that, after a week, the pain is getting less.  I don’t know why, but I am very thankful.

Today was the day I planned to go buy my flowers and veggie plants, but my legs weren’t strong enough walk so far pushing a big cart.  Don’t you love the chorus we sing in church?  “God will make a way where there seems to be no way.”  So God gave me the idea to sit in a wheelchair while my husband pushed me and I pushed the flower cart.  It worked great! There was a way – more reason to praise and thank God.

Philippians 4:6 tells that we should not, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”  It’s alright to ask the Lord for help.  He wants you to trust Him enough to ask and pray. He doesn’t want his children to be anxious; he wants to help you. He only asks that you be thankful. There is no way a person can thank God for all the things he does for you.

“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! [Philippians 4:4] Another way of thanking God is by rejoicing in the Lord. I am so grateful that God looked at me and saw how desperately I needed him. I will always rejoice in a God who loved me enough to die for me.  If you want to be a victorious Christian, there are 3 things to follow in I Thessalonians 5:16-18.

1.      Rejoice always

2.      Pray without ceasing

3.      In everything give thanks

“For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

"Remembering Mothers"

Remembering Mothers

“Your mother was like a vine in your bloodline, Planted by the waters, Fruitful and full of branches.” Ezekiel 19:10

No matter who or what your mother was, you would not be here on this earth today had she not given you birth.  We all have had different childhoods; some good and some bad. Perhaps your mother had passed on or is alive and well today, God has given us a stern command, “Honor your father and your mother.” (Exodus 20:12) They have given you life. I was very blessed to have an amazing mother and this story is what I want to share with you today.

“The Kitchen Table”

For the life of me I don’t know why that little yellow kitchen drew me like a moth to a flame.  It wasn’t just the endless cups of tea or the large soft homemade sugar cookies; it was far more. The kitchen was tiny and compact.  It wasn’t at all convenient; the sink on one wall and the stove on another.  The refrigerator was in the attached ‘back room’.  A very small round table sat in front of the one window which was framed in yellow organdy.  If you were sitting at the table, the back of the chair would touch the sink on one side, while the other chair barely had room to pull it out from the table.

Cozy was the word for this oasis in an otherwise darkened house.  Everything was yellow from the solid wood door that led to the Michigan cellar, to the yellow metal sink unit; even the electric range was harvest gold.  Day or night it seemed as though the sun was shining through the window and splashing the room in sunlight.  A little vase of flowers always adorned the plastic covered table.  If it was not filled with flowers of the season, then tiny red or pink plastic rose buds were used.  A fat green frog holding a lush African violet hung suspended from over the kitchen window.  It was amazing how year around the plant was covered with bright purple blooms; a reminder of the beauty of life.

When people like me dropped in for a visit, no matter where the conversation began, it would always end up in the kitchen.  Around that little table some of the greatest problems in life were solved; world crisis, social ills, marriage problems, personal struggles, as well as deep spiritual truths brought to light.  Presidents were put in the oval office and some taken out.  The government could have improved if they would have listened in on some of the conversations.  Children were among the most important issues discussed; how they needed to be loved, disciplined, taught, and understood.  You could believe that it was possible for anyone to be able to succeed at anything, if they had a mind to do it.  It was here that a quick cure for depression was discovered; ‘just begin thinking about others and then do something for them.'  It worked every time.

There were times when small things became important, such as discussing a new recipe, what herbal tea was the best for arthritis and for helping you sleep; what would get stains out; how to mend a rip in your favorite jacket; how to bake sugar cookies so they would stay soft, how to water your plants and which window was best for them.

Concern for others was a big topic at the little round table.  How important it became to drop a card or note in the mail to comfort the ill, the lonely and the elderly.  You could envision a little old lady sitting in a rocker waiting eagerly for the mail; hoping desperately that someone cared.  You could suddenly see into a hospital room where sadness invaded every corner and then see a face light up when the card arrived.  Then too, you might see that unpainted house on the next street with the unkempt yard and a bunch of dirty-looking, uncared for children playing there.  You would realize that if someone dropped by with a basket of cookies and some yard sale Golden Books (almost like new), maybe a little used toy car, or an older doll in a new dress, it would bring a bit of joy and hope in an otherwise hopeless situation.  A bouquet of flowers from the garden standing in a fruit jar transformed a dingy dark room into a cozy haven of a forgotten nursing home resident.

Speaking of flowers, how many times flower books were spread out on the table and gone over from cover to cover.  I learned never-to-be-forgotten lessons on growing flowers; the importance of where you planted them, which colors were old-time favorites; how day lilies could be eaten, or that rose petals were delicious when added to certain foods.  It made sense to have a friendship garden that held only those bulbs and plants that were given to you from another’s garden.  Flowers were not grown just for your own enjoyment, but to decorate an old soldier’s grave on Memorial Day, to cheer up the sick, for placing in the church sanctuary and for a birthday.  The list went on and on.

If that little kitchen table could talk, it would tell of family history that traced from the far country of Scotland to Nova Scotia; on to Canada, New York and finally to Michigan.  It would tell about dark-eyed Indian maidens and French fur traders.  It would tell about homesteads, hunger, harsh winters, lost loves and family reunions.

Many slivers were removed from little fingers and band aids applied at the little table.  Of course the real healing came from the hugs and kissed administered along with the practice of medicine.

Countless widows sat there and shared their loneliness and grief; their fear of the future, the sorrow of the neglect of their grown children.  They almost never failed to leave there with spirits lifted and hope renewed with a cup of tea, a sugar cookie and a sympathetic listener who gave words of hope.

The scriptures that were studied and read at the table were endless.  Never a day went by without a least the reading of devotions.  The table was bathed in prayers.  How many children’s lives were spared, souls saved from destruction, lives changed, disaster averted, due to the prayers sent heavenward from there.  Perhaps someday we will know.

I have a small picture of that table in the little yellow kitchen.  The tears always come to my eyes and a deep longing floods my soul to once again sit at that little table.  How I long to hear again the soft, gentle voice and see the sweet smile as I walk through the door.  I look at the picture once more, knowing it really isn’t the table that I miss; it’s the one sitting there.  It’s my Mother.

"A Fishy Story for Parents"

“A Fishy Story for Parents” 

“Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.”  1 John 5:21 (NLT)

Parents, please take the time to read this story because it can be a great help to those of you who are raising children of all ages. And have your children who are old enough to understand it, also read it.

Once upon a time in the coastal waters of a country called Australia, was an amazing place called “The Great Barrier Reef”.  The reef was made up of many beautiful colors of coral.  Within the walls of the reef lived all different kinds of fish.  The fish that lived in these waters loved their home as it offered a safe and desirable place to live.            

One day a new couple moved into the neighborhood within the Great Barrier Reef.  Fred and Fanny were so happy to find such a wonderful, friendly place to live.  They planned on having a family someday and this neighborhood was well known for its great schools of fish.  Fred was a very hard worker and Fanny a wonderful homemaker.  They seemed to be the ideal couple.

Eventually Fred and Fanny had three children.  Their children were beautiful and talented.  They had the same problems all the fish families encountered.  There never seemed to be enough of everything to go around even though Fred worked very hard.  They felt cramped with three children, in their tiny home under the coral reef and dreamed of owning a larger, grander place someday. 

Their life as a whole was almost perfect except for one big worry.  As their children began to grow, they were very curious about what lay outside the Great Barrier Reef.  Fred and Fanny carefully explained all the dangers outside the reef and were satisfied that their children now understood, so they went on about their busyness.

Fred had become quite respected in the coral community and his work was very demanding.  Fanny helped out by watching some of the little fishes whose parents both worked.  She found it was difficult to watch so many little fishes still do all the things her own family required of her.  If her chores didn’t get done, Fanny just closed her eyes a little and then she didn’t even see the unfinished things.  When Fred came home from work, he was too tired to even notice.

Soon the two older fish children discovered that some of the other fishes were swimming out to the edge of the Great Barrier Reef.  It seemed very exciting to them and they wanted to join the other fish who were so daring.

The boy fish began talking about what he would do if he left home and traveled beyond the reef.  “It’s must be so wonderful on the other side that almost no one who goes there ever comes back.”

“Yes,” said another fish, “I heard of one who went and came back, but he would never talk about what he saw.  He always looks so sad that I’m sure he misses the wonderful things he saw and did.”

“When I get old enough,” said Fred and Fanny’s son, “I am going to swim far past the coral reef where no one can tell me what to do.”  With that, he swam as fast as he could to the very edge of the Great Barrier Reef.  Of course he swam back home and went into his room.

“How are you doing, son?” asked Fred when he arrived home that evening.

“Okay, Dad,” answered the boy fish who had become quiet and withdrawn lately. 

“Great,” said Fred, “well, I’ve got a lot to do, so we’ll talk later.”

The older girl fish came in, “Hi, Dad. Bye, Dad.  I’m meeting some of my fish friends down by the corals.”  Away she went.

Fred thought briefly about his two children and asked Fanny if she was sure everything was okay with them.  She told him she thought so, but was too busy to know and besides that they were old enough to take care of themselves.  Then she closed her eyes a little bit and tried to remember what she had been doing before Fred interrupted her.  Fred shook his head and closed his eyes a little more, then and went on about his busyness. 

One day, a friend went up to Fred.  “Hey, Fred, I know it’s none of my business, but one of my kids said they saw your kid swimming in and out of the holes at the edge of the reef.  He said there were rumors that your kid had actually swum right up to the edge.  Just thought you’d like to know about it.”

“Oh, yeah,” answered Fred, “it’s just a bunch of gossip; my kid wouldn’t do that.” Then he closed his eyes a little bit more.

That afternoon while Fanny was entertaining all the little fishes, a neighbor stopped in for a bit of algae.  During their conversation, the neighbor mentioned she had seen Fanny’s daughter with a bunch of fish friends.  “She was not behaving very well, Fanny. Can’t you see how she looks?  Why no decent fish in the coral would let their tail grow so long.  It’s.. It’s so suggestive.  Don’t you know the other fish are talking about her?  I saw her myself slithering up to one of those bug-eyed Orange Ruffy out near the edge of the reef.” 

Fanny became irate.  “How dare you say that about my daughter?  I want you to know she isn’t like that at all and she would never go near the Great Barrier Reef.  As for her tail, all the popular fish have them.” Then Fanny turned away and closed her eyes a little bit more.

“Well, well,” said Fanny’s neighbor, “I can see that you won’t believe anything anyone tells you.  I’m really sorry about that, because the reason I told you is not to spread gossip, but so you could keep your daughter out of trouble. There are a lot of fish who care what happens to her.  I’ll be leaving now.  Good bye!”

Soon fish from all over the reef were talking about Fred and Fanny’s fish children.  They were spending all their time on the edge of the reef, but Fred and Fanny wouldn’t listen, nor could they see what was happening to their family.  Soon, even their youngest fish girl became curious about those who were swimming on the edge of the reef.  She listened so much to her brother and sister fish that she began having thoughts of doing the same  things they did.

At last Fred and Fanny had closed their eyes to so much, they became totally blind.  Now this is exactly what their children hoped would happen.  With both of their fish parent’s blind, they could do anything they felt like doing, so everyday they swam closer and closer to the channel that led to the other side of the reef.  They began hanging out with the worst inhabitants of the reef – the dreadful jellyfish!   Whoever hung with them would soon get entangled in their poisonous tentacles.

The fish children were becoming more daring as the days went by.  They pulled things right in front of their parents and got away with it, because Fred and Fanny were both blind.

Who knew the dangers and pitfalls awaiting those on the other side of the reef?  Only one that left had ever come back and what happened was so dreadful he could never speak of it again.  If anyone ever mentioned the other side of the reef, his fins turned pale and his scales shook so hard they began to fall off. 

One time he got up enough courage to talk to Fred and told him to keep an eye on his young fish children, because if they ever went beyond the reef, and made it back, they would never be the same.  Then he turned and slowly swam away, looking very sad, indeed.

The End