To All The Haters of Mother’s Day

      Mother’s Day can be a source of pain for many.  I’ve always loved Mother’s Day because I have been blessed with a beautiful mother and best friend.  I thank God for her everyday.  But this Mother’s Day I have become keenly aware of people who dread this very day because their mothers are no longer with them or because their mothers were not exactly loving and supportive.  Let me say that I cannot begin to feel their pain.  However, as I was praying for a family this morning who lost their dear mother this Spring, I was brought back to the title of this blog, “Finding the Joy”.  Finding the joy in life is easy when things are going well.  We can see the smiles on our childrens’ faces,  the beauty in a rainbow, and the melody of a well orchestrated concerto.  It is when things are not going as we had hoped or planned that our sources of joy seem to disappear.  In truth, they are still out there, but in our sadness we stop looking for them.  James 1:2 says that “when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.”  Does this verse mean that God wants us to put a smile on our face and “fake it ‘til we make it?”  Not really.  What it does mean is that with every sadness there is an opportunity to find some joy.  If you are missing a loved one today, spend the day remembering and cherishing the moments you had with that loved one while she was here.  Thankfulness is tremendous medicine for depression! 

     On this Mother’s Day I would like to leave you with a thought that blessed me this morning in church.  This thought came from a song that the choir sang called “Orphans of God” by Joel Lindsey and Twila LeBar.  I remember a dear friend confiding in me that after her mother and father had both passed she felt like an orphan.  Maybe you feel like that today.  If there is no other source of joy for you today, find your joy in this… “There are no ophans of God!”  He never leaves his children alone.

Who here among us has not been broken?

Who here among us is without guilt or pain?

So oft abandoned by our transgressions,

If such a thing as grace exists, then grace was made for lives like this.

There are no strangers,  There are no outcasts,

There are no orphans of God.

So many fallen , but hallelujah,

There are no orphans of God.

Come ye unwanted and find affection.

Come all ye weary, come and lay down your head.

Come ye unworthy, you are my brother.

If such a thing as grace exists, then grace was made for lives like this!

There are no strangers,  There are no outcasts,

There are no orphans of God.

So many fallen , but hallelujah,

There are no orphans of God.

Excuses, Excuses

I have a confession to make.  I may be the queen of excuses. 

-         The laundry didn’t get done because my son made a mess playing with Playdough.

-         Supper didn’t get made because there was a huge line at the grocery store.

-         There’s no money in the account because the blender broke and gas prices went up again.

-         My Bible sat unopened today because a certain someone called with a problem.

Do you notice a pattern here?  Specifically, there is an absence of one little pronoun, “I”.  It's really not so surprising.  That’s the thing about excuses,  they always place the blame somewhere else.  They are another way of saying, “It’s not my fault.”  But is it?  The answer lies in the reason behind the excuse.

According to The World English Dictionary an excuse is made “in defense of some fault or as a reason for not fulfilling an obligation.”  Can that reason be factual?  Yes.  Can it be avoidable?  Sometimes.  And for that reason, an excuse is not always a bad thing.  For example, missing school or work because of an illness is unavoidable and certainly not considered wrong.  However, being late to school or work because you didn’t set your alarm clock is avoidable and frowned upon.  In the end, I’d rather not be known as one who is always making excuses especially when I know that there is a God above who sees my motives and knows when I’m simply making poor choices.  Case in point, excuse number 4 above.  How hard is it to sit down and read my Bible for ten minutes without answering the phone?  Even if there is an emergency, I bet that I could find another ten minutes somewhere in my day to give to God.  Similarly, excuse number two could have been completely avoided if I had left the house an hour earlier. 

It seems that excuses most often come into play when I don’t want to own up to my own failure.  It’s really just a form of justification.  I know I’m not alone in this.  In fact, check out this story in Luke chapter 10.  A religious man encounters Jesus.  When Jesus affirms that the man ought to love God with his whole heart and love his neighbor as he loves himself, the man “wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, ‘And, who is my neighbor?’”  Jesus wisely discerns that this man wants to excuse his lack of love for certain people and tells him the story of the good Samaritan.  Jesus knew that Jews hated Samaritans and he made this particular Jew admit that the Samaritan was his "neighbor".  What a perfect story to show this “religious” man that God would not accept his justification. 

Likewise, He is not going to accept mine. 

Proverbs 16:2
"People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives."

Proverbs 21:2
"People may be right in their own eyes,but the Lord examines their heart."

Bin Laden Is Dead

I had mixed emotions about the news that is plastered all over the internet this morning.  Then I read a very well thought out blog on the matter.
This woman put words to my thoughts, so the best I can do is lead you to her post.

http://deeperstory.com/on-enemies/

This IS a day of VICTORY.
It is also a day of prayer for the many who have been lead astray.

Reflections On The Royal Wedding

Millions of people attended the Royal Wedding of William and Kate this week.  Some witnessed it in person, some via the television or internet.  I must say that I was one who chose to watch the recaps and get a good night sleep.  Still, it was fun to see the young couple celebrate an obviously joyous occasion.  My thoughts quickly drifted away from England though as I envisioned another celebration.  This celebration will be one where all of heaven will be in attendance and my Father God will be hosting the shindig.  William and Kate's wedding suddenly pales in comparison.

It doesn't seem by accident that I read Luke 14 this weekend... "The Story of the Great Feast".  Jesus is enjoying a meal with some Pharisees and one proclaims, "What a privilege it would be to have a share in the Kingdom of God!" (verse 15)  I totally agree!  What a privilege it is to be invited into God's house and to be received as royalty, as a child of the King!  Just imagine it.  It is our own Cinderella story.  The King chooses a commoner like me and clothes me in royal robes.  Then He rejoices over me as a bridegroom does his new bride.  What a day that will be!


You have been invited to this feast too.  Have you accepted His invitation?  Are you rejoicing today that you are a child of the King?


Revelation 19:9
"Then the angel said to me, 'Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!' "

Isaiah 61:10
"I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels."

Isaiah 62:5
As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.

 1 John 3:1
"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!"

Backwards Philosophy

Some people are just plain irritating! 

I had a comment on a posting that I placed on Facebook a short time ago and I just wanted to lash out and call the person who wrote it a “jerk!”  He insulted me after all.  He had it coming to him, right?  My next thought was to remove that person from my “friend” list.  I didn’t need to be bothered by him anymore.  Just then I heard a little voice telling me that I needed to calm down.  How like God to speak in a still small voice.  Then He reminded me of a familiar passage in Luke chapter 6.  It teaches some interesting concepts like:

Love your enemies.

Do good to those who hate you.  (Pray for their happiness.)

Lend without expecting repayment.

Give to anyone who asks.

When things are taken from you, don’t try to get them back.

These are NOT my natural tendencies!  It seems so backwards.  What person in their right mind would follow these instructions?  And why?  Christ said that there would be rewards for us in heaven if we do these things.  I am thinking that no reward seems worth all that trouble.  BUT, there is a greater motivation to follow His advice.  Christ alludes to it in the passage mentioned above.  He essentially says that loving the lovable is easy.  Everyone does that.  But loving the unlovable is a ‘God–thing’.  When we pray for those who hurt us (and not vengeful prayers mind you) then we reflect the character of God.  We identify ourselves as God’s children.  We represent our Father who loved us when we were unlovable (Romans 5:8).  We represent our Savior who prayed for those who put Him on the cross (Luke 23:34).  Is that enough motivation to “turn the other cheek” and give away the things we worked hard to posses?  If not, consider this.  When we implement “backwards philosophy” people will wonder why.  They may even ask questions.  Those questions provide the perfect opportunity to point them to our Savior.  What greater reward can there be than seeing someone in heaven and knowing that you played a part in helping them get there?  Now THAT sounds like a worthy cause! 

So next time someone irritates you, listen for that little voice and consider applying a little “backwards philosophy”.

(P.S.  If you are wondering about that facebook "friend",  he is still on my list - on probation!)

Easter -Part 2 Here's the Joy!

     Surely you didn't think I would leave Jesus on the cross all weekend!  The most wonderful truth we get to celebrate on Easter is that Jesus did not stay dead.  He is ALIVE!  He rose from the dead to prove that He has victory over death.  Our God raised His Son to life again, and He has the power to raise us from death to life as well. 

     If you are burdened over your sin today, God wants you to lay that burden down.  Just leave it at the cross.   Christ died to bring you forgiveness and freedom, and He rose to give you hope and new life!  If you ask God to take away your sin and you believe that Jesus' death is enough to cover it all, then you are redeemed, set free!  So don't walk around defeated today.  Live with the confidence that you are a child of the King!

          
           "If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart
           that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."  (Romans 10:9)

            "...because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the
            dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself."
           (II Corintians 4:14)

           "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great
            mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the
            resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead..."  (I Peter 1:3)
          
           "And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living
           in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your 
           mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you."  (Romans 8:11)

       I cannot end without singing another song today.  I pray that you will all experience the joy and hope of Christ's resurrection this weekiend.  HE'S ALIVE!

(The end of this song is the best part.  Wait for it!)

An Easter Thought - Betrayal

       What comes to mind when you hear the word “betrayal?”  Since it’s so close to Easter, you may have thought of Judas.  I’m thinking of another betrayal, though, that happened that very same night.  Jesus is in the garden, soldiers come to arrest Him, and what do the other eleven disciples do?  They run.  Peter tries to act brave, but he still disappears into the bushes leaving Christ alone, totally abandoned. 

      Betrayal comes in many shapes and forms.  Dictionary.com defines “betray” as: “to disappoint the hopes or expectations of; be disloyal to; desert.”  A synonym for “betray” is  “abandonment.”   In reality all the disciples were guilty of betrayal and I have been, too.  I have abandoned Jesus at times and I'm sure you can relate.  Picture it, a crowded room full of people who don’t believe as I do.  Someone says something that I know is contrary to God’s Word and I am silent.  I don’t want to “make waves.”  I don’t want to be the one everyone points at and whispers about.  I don’t want people to dislike me or make fun of me.  Satan would like me to believe that my saying something would not make any difference.  And the fact is that confrontation has never been my thing, so am I not “betraying” Jesus at this point?  I’m certainly disappointing Him and, in a way, “abandoning” Him.  I’ve never thought of myself as a betrayer, but I cannot deny the facts.  I don’t like that thought.  “Betrayal” is such a harsh word, one that I have reserved for only the worst of sinners.   Now I am thinking that it’s not so uncommon after all.  Consider a few more scenarios:

A high school student is ashamed to admit that she isn’t going to the dance because she has something going on at church.

A public school teacher is afraid to tell students that he believes in God and creation. 

A friend convinces another that it’s okay to not tell the “whole truth.”

A spouse or a neighbor doesn’t want to broach the subject of religion.

A cousin, sibling, or grandparent attends a family Easter gathering, colors eggs, hides baskets, and eats a big meal without ever acknowledging the real reason for the holiday.

      In essence, we betray Jesus every time we deny or disappoint Him. 

Ouch!  I think it’s time we stop pointing the finger at others and put our own name right up there with those whom we have judged to be ‘far worse.’  This Easter I’m going to remember that I put Christ on that cross and I’m going to celebrate God’s ultimate act of love and forgiveness that He made for me.

How are you going to celebrate Easter?