COURAGE UP CLOSE

 

Wait on the Lord: be of good courage,
and He shall strengthen thine heart:
wait, I say, on the Lord.
Psalm 27:14

Courage: the ability to do something that frightens one; strength in the face of pain or grief.

Have you, like me, met courage personified in the lives of so many who have had to face the most difficult of circumstances of life? I can't even count those I have watched...some up close...some at a distance, who had to walk what seems like too many difficult and rocky paths. 

When I think of courage, I think of our men and women in blue who every day get in their squad cars in cities and towns all over our country just to keep you and me safe. I also think of the courage of those family members who kiss those men and women goodbye as they leave for their shifts to their assigned “beats.” I often think the same of our firefighters who often have to go into dangerous situations to save lives. It's not that hard for me to look at these brave people as being more than courageous.

I think the same of our military personnel stationed all over the world, many of whom are in dangerous countries where life is threatened on a minute by minute basis. They seem to take it all in stride...(”It's our job.”) They too have said farewell to friends and family, not knowing when and if they will return again or in what condition. Courage?...I would say so.

We all know, however, courage isn't just for those who work and live in harm's way. I have friends who are caregivers. For some, their loved ones have Alzheimers or dementia of some sort. Many of these folks have to have constant care, often the kind of care one would give to a small child. I have had friends who have Down's Syndrome children or children born handicapped in some way. These are children who often grow up into adulthood physically, but still needing the special attention and care one might give a child. I've seen men who have come back from military service, who have had to have artificial limbs because of war injuries. There are those who live in constant pain from arthritis or painful bone conditions. I can't forget those with cancer who bravely and yes, courageously fight a fight for life through many kinds of treatment that hurt, cause discomfort and even affect ones physical appearance. With courage and hope, they fight by living life one day at a time.

In life, there are times when some smaller things take huge courage. I think of dad's who sit in the passenger seat of a car while his teenager begins to learn the art of driving. It takes great courage for many folks to go into a dentist's office even for a checkup. Riding a Ferris wheel takes courage for some and that would include me and don't even talk to me about zip lines.

When we first moved to Austin Texas after having resided in the Dallas, Texas area, I went to lunch with a new friend. As we were preparing to pay our checks, I noticed a display against the wall behind the cashier that was loaded down with coffee/soup mugs of every sort and size. One caught my eye right away. It had western-type colors with a very handsome face on it....yep, it was the Duke himself, John Wayne. He's been a favorite of mine for more years than I care to count. His westerns were and still are about the only ones without curse words except for a word that mentions where the Devil lives. Couldn't pass up that mug so purchased it. I still have it and hate the thought of ever breaking it.

One of the things I love about that mug is what is written on the inside that encourages me every time I see it. I usually use this mug for hot soup, so when holding the handle with my right hand and taking a sip, there on the inside/side is a quote from good ole John, and it's pretty good theology. He said, “Courage is being afraid and saddling up anyway.” I love that. I think I've written it in the front of a couple of my Bibles. When we're nervous, fearful or panic stricken, we don't feel like “saddling up” and moving forward. However, that's what courage does.

The other day, I sat in a doctor's waiting room feeling on the fearful side. I smiled as I recalled that wise statement. I knew even though I didn't feel like it, I had to saddle up. Then when taken to an injection room, I was reminded of Psalm 27 for many reasons, but especially thinking of waiting on Jesus and taking courage from Him.

Could there ever have been anyone more courageous than Jesus as He bore His own cross to Golgotha's hill where He willingly died for you and me. I don't deserve a drop of blood He shed for me so surely I can gain courage from the most courageous One who ever lived. So dear friend, whatever your situation or the battle you face, be of good courage and saddle up anyway.

Thank You Jesus for dying for us and completing that with victory over death. Because of your loving courage, we too can face the fiercest of storms or the quietest of concerns. We love You and thank You for being who You are in our lives. In Your precious name....Amen

FINISHING WELL

The memory of the righteous
is blessed, but the name of
the wicked will rot.
Proverbs 10:7

In preparing for Sunday's lessons for my ladies, I was reading in Proverbs where I needed to read for an extra dose of wisdom. Reading in Psalms boosts my joy so I try to read in it daily just as I do Proverbs. I left my usual reading schedule and found myself in chapter 10 of Proverbs. There wasn't anything unusual about that except that in the margin of that chapter there is a list...a long list. That list consists the first names of ladies who have beat me to the door of Heaven. Ladies listed there are ladies I would also consider who had been righteous in their own influence and personal lives.

As I look at this list, there isn't a perfect lady on it. I personally know of the flaws of some of those ladies as I was closer to some than others. Those flaws seem so minor now because I know that at this moment, all flaws are gone and they are enjoying the time of their lives...being in the very presence of Jesus.

I look at the ladies on my list and find they all have one thing in common. From a human and personal standpoint, I consider that they finished this life well. Some left for Heaven after having suffered long periods of illness, many with cancer of some sort. There were for some, accidents causing a quicker life's end than I would have liked. Some died suddenly with various health issues where God spared them a lengthy lingering.

Notice in the verse I have used, the last part of the verse. It addresses the wicked where basically, their name isn't worth putting on any list with the righteous. When folks think of them after their demise, there are few pleasant memories, especially in the spiritual realm. Perhaps their lives were lived for self, wallowing in the things of the world, treating people, whether family or friends, in negative ways. In many cases, such folks maybe didn't know Jesus at all. There are some folks who claim the name of Christ who have also not lived the righteous life that would be God pleasing. None of these folks have finished well, where they have left behind very little in the way of positive influences. As I look at my list, I don't have any of these folks in the margin of my Bible.

It is encouraging as I look at my list remembering my relationship with these ladies. On my list are former Sunday school teachers. Some are ladies I had the privilege of working with through the years in various jobs. I've only had one lady who died while a member of a Sunday school class of mine. I think of her so often and her encouraging ways. Then there are all the friends on my list, down through the years, who blessed my life and added a spiritual dimension to my life that is unbelievable. I know Jesus so much better because of them. Those on my list are of varying ages, some very educated while some may have not made it through high school. The oldest on my list was in her 80's when she went to be with the Lord. Most would be around my age now if they had lived to that point.

The ladies on my list are there because I consider they finished well. I wish their influence could have been extended for a longer period of time, but those things are in God's very capable hands. I think of them more often than I can say. Their names ring so often in my ears, especially when there is an event that brings them to mind. I think of Elaine who died from cancer, but through that, I came to know her mom, Thelma, with whom I had lunch every Wednesday for many months. She and I shared a love for books by R.A.Torrey. Thelma, too, is on my special list. I still miss so many others on that list who all left an imprint on my life. Each lady, I knew personally and loved.

This has all come to my mind because today, I added another name to that list. Unlike the others, I have never met this dear lady in person, but have followed her and her family for several months now. As I write, she went to Heaven yesterday afternoon. Thousands if not more have been following her venture with cancer. We have prayed for her and her family. We've marveled at her loving and attentive husband. We've watched her attention to her 2 year old little girl...teaching her, reading to her and loving on her until all of her strength was gone. Her name is Joey Feek.

She and her husband Rory have warmed our hearts with their songs that tell stories of the sweet things of life. Their last CD, record breaking at this time, was of her favorite hymns. Never having met Joey, I like so many, feel like I knew her. She was in the age range of my two daughters which really made her seem very young to me...”too young for Heaven,” I thought in weaker moments. I've learned, though, in these years of my own life that God does all things well. His purposes are so much higher than we can ever understand. I just know I have learned and benefited from Joey's witness, faith and yes, suffering. Her saga was so public that some might feel was too much. However, that was a part of her ministry in all of this along with Rory by her side every moment. I do believe that this dear young lady at the age of 40 probably packed more of life and love into those years than many manage by the age of 75.

Come what may, I've seen again that I really can do everything through Christ. I've seen this in the lives of all of my “list people.” In His strength, you and I, too, can endure what comes our way and hopefully, like with Joey and others, people will see Jesus in our lives. It is all possible, because of Jesus...who finished best of all.

Thank You Jesus, for the dear people You bring into our lives through whom we are blessed and from whom we learn more about You. Help us to be an influence for You in the lives of others. Thank You for those “just” folks You brought into my life for a time, but who are with You now. In Your precious name....Amen

AFRAID OF HEIGHTS

 

And He(God) said unto Moses,
Come up unto the Lord, thou, and Aaron,
Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of
the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off.
And Moses alone shall come near the Lord:
but they shall not come nigh; neither shall
the people go up with him.
Exodus 24:1,2

Moses had a personal invitation to meet with God who was to be the host of that meeting. God, bottom line, told Moses to come up the mountain to meet with Him. There were some men invited to accompany Moses, but they could go only so far. Moses was told to come the latter part of the way by himself, leaving the group at a predetermined place. Mt Sinai (Horeb) was a much higher mountain than any of our taller mountains here in the national park. Mt. Sinai is measured at 7,497 feet. Think of climbing that hunk of rock, and Moses wasn't a spring chicken either.

It may sound odd to people to know that someone would move to the mountains who has always been fearful of heights. Well, that someone is me. My first exposure to mountains was when I was around 5-6 years old. Living in Southern Illinois, and close to Tennessee, it was no problem for my Mother to decide to go check out the new Smoky Mountain National Park. The main road through the park was nothing more than gravel at that time. A part near Newfound Gap had been paved for the convenience of President Roosevelt's going to the park to make a speech of dedication. My Mother had never driven on mountain roads with only gravel. There were no guardrails or yellow stripe on the gravel (duh). If a driver hit their brakes to make a sudden stop, she could slide to no telling where. My grandmother sucked wind around every curve. Her fear only heightened my own as I looked down those steep mountain slopes through my back seat car window.

Despite the fear, I found myself loving the mountains. Eventually the roads were paved with guardrails placed in the more dangerous locations along the two lane road. I must say that even today when we drive across those same mountains, I still tend to scoot my body away from the car door as much as I can as if that would make any difference if falling down a mountain side. Today, when Brian and I hike, I never walk near the slope edge of the trail...I stick to the inside of the trail. If I get too close to the edge, I, like my grandmother of years ago, begin to suck air as if I'm facing a very bad fall.

Spiritually speaking, there are many Bible verses that have to do with heights. Scripture is full of mountains from which we can glean spiritual truths. Just as I may not appreciate the height of our mountains as I should, there are times we can be fearful of climbing to some heights spiritually. However, Scripture encourages you and me to always be moving upward for Christ.

In Matthew 5:1, after a lengthy time of ministry, Jesus went up into a mountain. His disciples followed Him there where He taught them. We refer to this teaching as the Sermon on the Mount. I think of it as being their seminary training...Ministry 101, so to speak. I can't tell you the times I've driven into the mountains with my Bible where the Holy Spirit has taught me and spurred me on to greater spiritual growth.

Paul made good use of the word “heights”. He first spoke of reaching the heights of love in Romans 8:37-39. I have a deep love for Romans chapter 8. This whole chapter is so rich in the things of God including a growth process that is encouraged. For instance, just in verse 39, I see when it comes to God's love, nothing can part me from it. Paul says: “Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us form the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

So why don't we climb and stretch? I think some of that has to do with fear, fear of the unknown, of falling or even of failure. We read about Moses' trek up that mountain where he was going to meet with God. As we casually read of that incident, do we ever consider how
Moses felt. I hesitate to use the word “fear” but how would you and I feel...a personal meeting with God. He had some friends with hin for awhile, but he could go only so far with them. We can read in our Bibles about the whole thing and see that it all turned out for good, but Moses had no clue what was about to happen. He walked that steep, mountain trail by faith alone.

If we are going to climb spiritual heights for God, there are some things to remember, such as:

* Our quest must be for God and Him alone and not for showing off for others. With Him in our sights, we will reap benefits, but it can't be of our own doing.

* Remember that it is going to take some determination and effort on our part. We may not have to climb a literal mountain like Moses did, but we all have our mountains that are challenges for us perhaps on a daily basis.

* We can go only so far with others while the rest of the trek must be alone and in God's strength. God doesn't invite us to come if He isn't going to make it possible in His strength to get where He is.

* As we learn and grow, a goal of ours should always be to take the high ground. Hurt feelings, arguing, challenging others, going on the offensive for things that don't really matter...all of those things can mean trouble, and will be things that pull us backward, away from the heights.

* We need not fear the spiritual heights...Jesus is there biding us to “come higher”. He awaits our arrival.

Father, I want to go higher with You. Thank You that Jesus anticipates my arrival and will walk the rest of the way of my journey with me. Help me to not fear the heights, but to embrace them. I'm stretching upward in Your strength. In Jesus' precious name....Amen

FLY, FLY, FLY

He giveth power to the faint;
and to them who have no might
He increaseth strength.
Isaiah 40:29

I have always had an interest in butterflies since being in elementary school. That interest was always encouraged in my own mind because my Mother for some reason appreciated butterflies. She just loved them for some reason. We brought her here to the Smoky Mountains on vacation with us on a couple of occasions. I recall one visit when we were touring and stopped at the Ogle cabin near Gatlinburg. Off to the end of the porch was a very damp area on the ground. Swarming all over that damp area were more newly hatched baby butterflies than we could count. They were all an iridescent light blue with black trim. They were gorgeous. My Mother and I stood there as long as we could just watching them fluttering, at times on top of each other...it was more of a delight than I can explain.

My fascination with them began in an elementary school classroom. Our teacher brought three paper cups, each containing a cocoon. It was to be strictly for observation. She cautioned us to never touch the cocoons even if we saw them moving a little. She explained that inside each one was a beautiful baby butterfly. Sure enough, we began to see the cocoons slowly move a little; then one end opened up. We couldn't clearly see what was there, but it seemed almost overnight, a struggling little butterfly was twisting and turning to get it's body out of that dull, gray, ugly cocoon.

Our teacher said it would soon be time open a window in our classroom (yes there were such things back then) and sit those cups on the window ledge for soon the butterflies would be ready to fly. They did just that. I think we got to see only one of them take off. She then explained that with our help, those butterflies couldn't have flown away. She explained that in the struggle to come out of the cocoon, certain fluids were being released into the tiny veins of the butterfly wings that strengthened those wings so they could fly. Without that struggle, newly hatched butterflies could only sit, flop around helplessly and die probably by birds that would swoop down and fly away with them for food.

It's interesting to watch mature butterflies on a very warm, sunny day. As they land on flowers, they seem to sit and fold up their wings for that moment. Their wings are thin and delicate. That folding is a protective action by the butterfly to protect those wings from the heat. They will often do the same out in the open when there is rain. What a wonder those little creatures are. I'm amazed at all of the touches of beauty God created for our delight.

For some folks, salvation is a struggle. They twist, bend, rationalize, try to make sense of things but when they yield to that birth process, it's such a sweet thing. However as strong as a new Christian may feel, they are very vulnerable. Satan waits to sweep down to discourage and even destroy that new freedom and joy. He can't steal that new salvation, but he sure can do all to cause the person to question their decision. It's so important in those beginning days for that babe in Christ to begin to feel strength in the wings of their new life. Spiritual exercise of any kind that is Scriptural is vital to the survival of the new Christian. Her salvation cannot be lost but the every day life of it can be damaged.

What about those of us who are more mature “butterflies.” We may have come out of the old life, the old cocoons years ago. We stretched our wings through God's strength, provision and protection. The best of butterfly creatures know if their lives are to be extended, they have to take measures to survive. Not only are they in danger from circumstances of weather, but they may have to be constantly on guard of those dreaded butterfly nets folks use to capture them. Any intelligent butterfly must know that when caught in a net, it's life expectancy is being brought into serious question.

As more mature Christians, we face the danger of feeling super confident thinking we can face anything in this life with little help. Especially in the good times, we seem to feel we have the world on a string. When the hard times come, the wind goes out of our balloons and we feel we are flopping around like one of those floppy, immature butterflies. Take note that the new butterfly had to go through tremendous tension and struggle to even live. We too will and must struggle at times. If we keep those struggles in perspective, we will, in the end, be strengthened and will have grown in beneficial ways.

Last evening, our ladies Bible study met for it's last session for this winter season. Everything about my love for butterflies came mind. I made little favors (some know them as foldies) with a saying and a lifelike butterfly attached. I always hope a Bible study will be helpful, a learning process, but my main desire is that it be a springboard to greater spiritual development...a growth process on a very personal level. Those spiritual wings will need consistent strengthening through one's relationship with Jesus. Feeding is necessary, not nectar from flowers as a real butterfly, but through feeding on God's word. Those wings mean survival for a real butterfly so they do their best to protect them from various weather conditions. We too must be cautious in taking measures to protect our “wings”, our spiritual well being. We have to avoid the nets of the world that would want to capture us and take away from us the joy of the Lord if they can. We must have the fresh air of prayer. Prayer is our line that keeps us connected

So after all is said and done, what was the last thing I left my ladies with last night and would my desire for you as well....simple:

FLY, DEAR ONE...FLY!

Thank you, dear Father, for the wonders of nature you have provided for us and the lessons we can learn for it all. Help us, Father, to soar for You through the power of the Holy Spirit. Give us strength to avoid those nets Satan would cast our way to do us damage. Thank You for Who You are in our lives, for loving us and for the privilege of soaring for You. In Jesus' precious name....Amen