Christmas Fears Which Led to Christmas Blessings

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4).

Over the past few months I have been living with the fear of possible shoulder surgery. In thinking about my fears, I realized that some key people in the Biblical Christmas story faced fear.

When Gabriel appeared to Zechariah, foretelling the birth of John Baptist, and to Mary announcing her pregnancy, they were tempted to fear (Luke 1:13, 30).  Joseph feared taking Mary as his wife (Matthew 1:20). The shepherds were told not to fear when angels appeared proclaiming Jesus’ birth (Luke 2:10).

Although Zechariah questioned the angel’s announcement, Mary replaced fear with faith and rejoicing in God.  Joseph replaced fear with obedience in marrying Mary. The shepherds replaced fear with worship at the manger.

These fears ultimately led to blessings.  The birth of John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus.  Mary and Joseph parented God’s Son.  The shepherds were the first to see the newborn Messiah. 

Some of our greatest blessings may begin with fear.  We fear pain and suffering, but they draw us to God like nothing else can.  We fear the unknown, but God’s mighty hand is working everything out for our good.  We fear loss of abilities and activities, but God replaces them with greater faith and dependence on Him, and perhaps even new areas of ministry and service.

I recently received word that I don’t need surgery.  My fear has been replaced with thanks and praise, but I hope I would have responded with trust and faith if given a different diagnosis.

Whatever fears may plague us this Christmas season, if we face them with faith, obedience, and worship, God will bring blessings, even if it is in ways we cannot see this side of heaven.

Prayer:  Dear Lord, You know how easily I am tempted to fear, especially regarding my health concerns.  May my fears be replaced with increased faith, obedience, and worship this Christmas season, and thank you for the blessings You bring into my life. Amen.

 

 

Magnifying the Lord Instead of Our Problems

“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoices in God my Savior” (Luke 1:46, 47 RSV).

I want to enjoy special holidays and events as much as possible, but health problems can make that challenging.

Each year as the holidays approach, I am torn between what I want to do and what I can realistically do.  I want to go to special programs in the community and church but have trouble sitting or standing for very long.  I want to share food with friends and family but know that many foods will give me migraines and sleeplessness.  I want to enjoy decorating and shopping but know my back pain will be worse because of it.  I want to have company but know that the preparation and cleanup are exhausting.  It becomes easy to magnify my problems. 

Mary may not have had chronic health problems, but she certainly had the major cultural problem of being an unwed mother.  Although that scenario is no longer taboo in our society, she could have been stoned for it.  She was faced with a very challenging and uncertain future.  Yet her ultimate response to her situation was not fear or complaint, but praise.  Her soul magnified God.  When something is magnified, it is enlarged beyond bounds. Rather than enlarging the negative aspects of her situation, her spirit rose up in praise and rejoicing to God, trusting in God’s plan and humbled by His work in her life.

I would like to follow Mary’s example.  This holiday season, when tempted to enlarge my pains and discouragements, I hope to focus instead on the gift of Jesus and His presence, power, and provision in my life each day.  Those things are worth magnifying, during the holidays and for all eternity.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, give me a heart attitude like Mary’s - one that accepts Your plans for my life, even when they are not of my choosing or understanding.  And as I magnify You, I will receive far greater blessings and joy than any earthly holiday or tradition could provide.  Amen.

A Thanksgiving Banquet We Can All Serve

“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone”
(Colossians 4:6).

“Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks”

 (Matthew 12:34).

Two of the things I associate most with Thanksgiving are thanks and food. In my NIV worship Bible there is a prayer based on Colossians 4:6 which I think is very appropriate for the Thanksgiving season.

“O Lord, may my heart overflow with worship.  May my conversation be a feast of life:  May Christ be the bread and Your Spirit the wine, may praise be the fruit and grace the salt, may love be the table and wisdom the candle.  May I always be prepared to feed anyone who hungers for the hope that I have in Christ.”

This is a beautiful word picture of a meal we can offer to others, whether we are healthy or not.  It doesn’t require physical labor, but it may require labors of love, sacrifice, and self-discipline.  There is no monetary cost, but we may pay with patience, forgiveness, and acceptance of others.

The beauty of these elements surpasses any earthly holiday decorations, and they are appropriate for any season of the year. The food causes no allergies and is safe for any health condition – in fact it will strengthen the bodies and souls of those who serve it and those who receive it.

We can serve this meal from a banquet table or a bedside one.  If we are alone this holiday, we can send care packages of this feast to any location through notes, phone calls, and emails.  It is very well-preserved and can travel anywhere.

There are no shortages of these elements, and they are always accessible, provided we go to the right Supplier.

This Thanksgiving, may the thanks in our hearts overflow through our mouths, and may we find ways to offer this feast of blessing to others.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, regardless of how I am feeling or what my circumstances are this Thanksgiving, let my words be a feast of thanks to You and a testimony of Your presence in my life to others.

God’s Goodness and Mercy Pursue Us Each Day

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;” (Psalm 23:6 KJV).

We are all familiar with the 23^rd Psalm, but I usually focus more on other verses of the chapter.  When I read this verse recently, I questioned whether I really believed it for my life, so I did some research.

Some commentaries said the verse literally means nothing but God’s goodness and mercy shall pursue us through every change and in every situation until our lives end.  What are goodness and mercy?  God’s goodness is the way He displays His attributes to us through His love, salvation, forgiveness, kindness, etc. His mercy is His compassion for us and not giving us what we deserve. 

On difficult days, I am sometimes tempted to doubt these blessings because the pain and the problems are still there.  But so is He. During excruciatingly painful days or severe bouts of depression, God either brings relief or sustains me through them. When I have difficult decisions to make, God gives me wisdom and direction.  When I blame God or accuse Him of not loving me or caring about my struggles, He forgives, convicts, and loves me.  When I feel I can’t go on, His goodness and mercy give me perseverance to endure.

As I reflect on my life, I truly can see that God’s goodness and mercy have faithfully chased after me and been poured out on me over and over again.  God’s character does not change, so I have the assurance that He will continue to pursue me each day with these gifts.  And when this life of pain is over, it will only be the beginning of seeing His goodness and mercy in whole new ways, as I dwell with Him forever.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, forgive me for the times when I have doubted your goodness and mercy in my life.  Open my eyes to them each day, and give me faith to believe that You will continue to give them through whatever challenges I have yet to face.  Amen.

God's Waterfalls

“He makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains”
 (Psalm 104:10).

This past summer we moved to a mountainous area of western North Carolina sometimes called the land of waterfalls because there are so many of them here. 

My husband has hiked to a number of them already.  Some are high and impressive, with volumes of water pouring over the edges. Some flow gradually with two or three drop-offs at various increments.  And some are small and unimpressive, with only trickles of water.  

These waterfalls remind me of answers to my prayers.  I want God to answer me with voluminous falls, pouring down what I think I think I need in great amounts.  And sometimes He does, such as giving me supernatural strength to get through this major move or a difficult bout of pain.  Sometimes His answers come gradually, such as when medical issues or other problems are resolved in increments.  And then there are times when His answers seem unimpressive – if noticeable at all – such as when I pray for pain relief or help that doesn’t seem to come.

All waterfalls, whether spectacular to me or not, are works of God.  The same is true for His answers to prayer.  When He answers with a trickle, He is still there.  The falls that trickle now have been filled with rushing water before and will be again.  God’s waters of love and support are still flowing powerfully even when He only displays a small portion of them.

I will continue to be surrounded by mountains of difficulties in this life, but God’s waterfalls will continue to flow over me through them.  So let me notice the quiet presence of the small ones, relish the power of the magnificent ones, and appreciate the miracle of them all. 

Prayer:  O Lord, I want You to answer my prayer requests in spectacular, powerful ways, but You don’t always choose to do that.  Help me trust in Your presence and power even when I don’t see any answers, knowing that Your source of life-giving water will never fail.  Amen.

Dealing with Defectiveness

“For the creation was subjected to frustration. . . in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.  We ourselves. . . groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” (Romans 8: 20,21,23).

A few months ago my husband retired and we moved to a new state to be closer to our daughters.  We found a house we liked and believed it was the right choice, but it needed much more work than we anticipated.  We have spent weeks renovating and repairing. We had to buy many new things, which I normally enjoy doing, but the defectiveness of countless items robbed me of that enjoyment.  I spent hours returning and re-ordering things.  I finally had to learn to live with some defects.

Defects aren’t limited to my possessions – they are in me.  I have a defective back and muscles that limit my walking, sitting, and exercising.  Pain and age are affecting my physical appearance.  My deteriorating memory can’t recall names of people in our new church and neighborhood or directions to new locations.  My eye problems limit my reading and computer work to minutes rather than hours.  And for now, I can’t exchange this defective body for a new one.

I long to be liberated from the defects of this fallen world and one day I will be.  For now I can choose to be frustrated by them or to accept them and make the most of what God has given me. 

Defectiveness is a constant reminder that this present world is not all there is.  The defect-free body and world I yearn for will come in God’s perfect timing.  In the meantime, I need to remember that my spiritual perfection is what matters most to God.  Having a godly outlook and striving to be Christ-like in my thoughts and actions should be my primary focus, and keeping a thankful and balanced attitude about the defects here is one of the tools God is using to achieve just that.

Prayer:  O Lord, when I am tempted to dwell too much on the imperfections of this world and body, remind me that these imperfections will not last forever.  Whether these defects are simply inconvenient or whether they are life-altering,  use them to grow me in patience, endurance, and hope.  Amen.

 

Redefining Wellness

 ^“When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, ‘Do you want to get well?’ ”

(John 5:6).

We hear a lot in the media today about wellness. What exactly is wellness?  Most definitions include the idea of being healthy in body and mind as a result of deliberate effort. 

Wellness.com defines wellness as “an active process of becoming aware and making choices toward a more successful existence.  Process means that improvement is always possible; being aware is to be continuously seeking how to improve; choices mean selecting the options which are in our best interest; success includes one’s collection of life accomplishments.”

This is a worldly definition, and as Christians we need to know and believe that the most important wellness is spiritual wellness, yielding our lives and hearts to God whatever our bodily condition.  Based on that truth, I think we can apply the wellness.com definition to our lives from a Biblical perspective.

Process - although our health issues may not change, improvement in attitude and perspective is possible because we are new creations (II Corinthians 5:17).  Aware - we become aware of how to improve by studying Scripture and following it (Psalm 19:7-11).  When we are faced with health choices, the Lord will direct us wisely (Psalm 32:8).  Success – a successful life is one which lives life for God’s glory in any condition, healthy or well (Matthew 25:21).

In a recent sermon, our pastor said, “Kingdom plans and goals are being accomplished even in illness.  To really be well is to know Jesus, and true wellness is to experience kingdom purpose in every aspect of life”.  Yes, we would like to be well physically.  But knowing and living for Jesus brings a wellness that will last forever. 

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, thank you that I can serve You whether I am physically well or not.  Show me how to do this in my particular circumstances.  Help me be wise in pursuing any physical wellness You desire for me, but help me seek the wellness of my soul above all else.  Amen.