Category Archives: Joy

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May 9, 2017

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Attitudes & Behavior, Faith & Hope, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Fruit of the Spirit, Joy, Love & Works, Money & Wealth, Nature, Peace of God, Salvation: A New You, Spiritual Gifts, Today: Make it Count

NURSERY LOGS

nursery log - corkscrew swamp
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments! His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. [Psalm 112:1-3 (ESV)]

When walking in the swamp, I often see what are known as “nursery logs.” After a tree dies, its roots eventually decay and it falls to the ground, leaving an opening in the forest’s canopy for sunlight to reach down to the forest floor. The dead tree’s raised trunk becomes a nursery for new plant life as seeds fall on it and take root. Its bark holds moisture, providing young plants with water, and the decaying wood provides them with decades of rich organic nutrients. Starting with moss and ferns, vegetation grows and flourishes in the patch of light left by the tree’s demise. These nursery logs become gardens of new life and can contain five times more living matter than they did when alive! Eventually, a new tree will take root in the remains of the old one and the cycle of life continues for another generation. Supposedly, it will take about the same number of years for a tree to decompose as it took to live. Considering that trees can live several hundred years, one dead tree can leave quite a legacy.

I thought of those nursery logs today while reading an obituary in our local paper. Like the trees, this man may be dead but, most definitely, he is neither gone or forgotten. Here are just a few of the loving words written about him:

He touched the lives of everyone he came in contact with…after talking to him for two minutes he would immediately become your friend…would do anything to help someone in need…always had a positive attitude and was ready to listen if you needed to talk…a great man who was loved by all his family and friends and will be missed dearly…he would say love unconditionally, don’t hold grudges, and never walk away mad… tomorrow isn’t promised so make the best of today so you have no regrets…know you are right with God…remember [him] as the man who always made the most of life and always had a smile on his face.

I never met this man and consider it my loss that I didn’t. I have no idea the size of his financial holdings but, based on his career as a fishing guide, I suspect he was not a wealthy man. He was, however, an incredibly rich one! Whether or not he left his family with any money, his bequest of love, faith and joy, as seen in a life well lived, makes them more than rich.

While it is our belief in Jesus that gives us eternal life in our heavenly home, like the nursery logs in the forest, even dead, we can still persist. Once we’ve fallen to the forest floor, we continue to nourish life if the lives we touched while living were touched with faith, love, generosity, compassion and joy. Unlike the cypress trees, we may only be blessed with seventy to eighty years but, if wisely lived, think how that legacy can grow as each life we touched touches another. As did this man, we can leave a patch of sunlight when we fall, our example can provide a base for young seedlings, and the memory of us can bring nourishment to hungry souls.

Our death is not an end if we can live on in our children and the younger generation. For they are us, our bodies are only wilted leaves on the tree of life. [Albert Einstein]

Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things. [1 Peter:12-15 (ESV)]

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May 3, 2017

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, Fear & Doubt, God's Plan, God's Promises, Joy, Patience & Perseverance, Trusting God, Worry

THE DESIGNATED WORRIER

Dear friend, guard Clear Thinking and Common Sense with your life; don’t for a minute lose sight of them. They’ll keep your soul alive and well, they’ll keep you fit and attractive. You’ll travel safely, you’ll neither tire nor trip. You’ll take afternoon naps without a worry, you’ll enjoy a good night’s sleep. No need to panic over alarms or surprises, or predictions that doomsday’s just around the corner, Because God will be right there with you; he’ll keep you safe and sound. [Proverbs 3:21-26 (MSG)]

upland gorillaI have a friend who worries. Her husband says that even when she has nothing about which to worry, she worries about whatever next could go wrong long before it possibly can. He added that having a “designated worrier” has made his life much easier—while she worries, he can relax and enjoy himself! His comment made me remember a trip we took to the Cayman Islands nearly forty years ago. We were accompanied by a worrying friend.

The morning of our departure, we awoke to several feet of unexpected snow. Although we’d allowed more than enough time to arrive at the airport in normal conditions, traffic was at a snail’s pace that morning. Our friend Josh would look from his watch to the speedometer and then announce by how many minutes we’d miss our plane’s departure. “At seven miles per hour, we’re precisely twenty-two-and-a-half minutes late!” he’d declare, only to modify his prediction when the traffic sped up or slowed down. Once at O’Hare, we discovered the weather had delayed our plane’s take-off and we had just a few minutes to get to the gate. As we checked luggage and ran through the airport, Josh continued to analyze by how many minutes we’d miss our flight. Fortunately, our plane was still at the gate and we managed to board. Josh then calculated how late we’d be for our next connection. When we arrived in Miami, however, our plane, also having been delayed by weather, was still at the gate and we again boarded in the nick of time. That’s when Josh started fretting about our luggage. He was sure it was never loaded in Chicago and, even if it was, it couldn’t have been transferred to the second plane before our speedy departure. Along with clothing, we’d packed a cooler of frozen steaks and Josh was certain that the meat, if it ever arrived, would be thawed and spoiled. This was back in the days long before TSA, airport security and luggage screening and planes occasionally were being hijacked to Cuba. Not satisfied with worrying about connections and luggage, Josh, apprehensive that we’d end up hijacked and in Cuba (without our luggage), began to nervously scrutinize every man as he boarded the plane.

We arrived at our destination, a little later than planned, with our luggage and without international incident. Unfortunately, Josh was a wreck and needed at least a day to chill out and “decompress” before he start enjoying his vacation. On the other hand, since he’d been our designated worrier, we’d slept on the flights and were ready to roll. He’d done the worrying while we enjoyed the ride!

While we can joke about having a designated worrier, what that anxiety does to the worrier is no laughing matter. Studies show that even slight distress and worry are linked to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke and can cut several years off one’s life expectancy. Simply put, the more disheartened and anxious we are, the sooner we’ll die. Moreover, even if we don’t die early, when we’re fretful, discouraged or worried, it’s highly unlikely we’ll truly enjoy the time with which we are blessed!

There was absolutely nothing that worrying could accomplish throughout our travel scenario—it couldn’t stop the snow, plow the roads, speed up traffic, hold the plane, load or transfer the baggage or even stop a hijacker. It was all in God’s hands—as is everything. While it’s nice to have a designated worrier to do our worrying, worry (whether ours or some else’s) is an insult to God. It means we don’t trust Him, we doubt His reliability and effectiveness, and we mistakenly believe that we, rather than He, are the ones in control.

It’s inevitable that our days will meet with mistakes, failures, oversights, barriers, disappointments, inconveniences, and complications. Jesus pretty much promised that. Nevertheless, He also promised that we’d never be alone as we faced each day. Rather than being the designated worrier, perhaps we could try being the designated prayer warrior!

Worry and faith are mutually exclusive. [Karol Ladd, from “The Power of a Positive Mom”]

Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. [Philippians 4:6-7 (MSG)]

P.S. Fortunately, Josh has changed through the years. He doesn’t worry about anything and prays about everything; he’s gone from designated worrier to pray warrior! Praise God!

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March 28, 2017

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Attitudes & Behavior, Church & Worship, Forgiveness, Joy, Nature, Obedience, Peace of God, Salvation: A New You, Sorrow, Grief & Regrets, Today: Make it Count

SET FREE

great southern white butterfly - collared dove - giant swallowtail
Get rid of all bitterness, passion, and anger. No more shouting or insults, no more hateful feelings of any sort. Instead, be kind and tender-hearted to one another, and forgive one another, as God has forgiven you through Christ. [Ephesians 4:31-32 (GNT)]

It’s the hardest thing to give away And the last thing on your mind today. It always goes to those that don’t deserve. It’s the opposite of how you feel When the pain they caused is just too real. It takes everything you have just to say the word…Forgiveness, Forgiveness …

Show me how to love the unlovable. Show me how to reach the unreachable. Help me now to do the impossible. Forgiveness. I want to finally set it free, So show me how to see what Your mercy sees. Help me now to give what You gave to me – Forgiveness, Forgiveness. [“Forgiveness” by Matthew West]

Those words by Matthew West were the final words of Sunday’s opening prayer. “I want to finally set it free,” echoed in my mind as I looked up to see several butterflies fluttering throughout the park in what appeared to be a dance of freedom and joy. The previous day the local hospice had their annual butterfly release and several of their releases had remained in the park for Sunday’s worship. That event was the organization’s way both to raise funds and to offer an opportunity for people to channel their grief and loss. Following the remembrance ceremony in which loved ones’ names were read, the butterflies were set free. As they flitted off through the trees, these flowers with wings served to remind those attending of the beauty and fragility of life.

Once home from church, I listened to West’s song and, while looking up the lyrics, learned the story behind it. One of twelve songs on his Into the Light album, it was inspired by a letter he received from a woman whose daughter had died at the hands of a drunk driver. The letter told of her journey from hatred and bitterness to forgiveness. Realizing that her anger toward the young man who caused the accident kept her as imprisoned as was he, she chose forgiveness and even reached out to her daughter’s killer. As she shared with him that her God commanded forgiveness, he found his own faith in Christ. While still in custody and wearing shackles, he appeared with this mother as they gave drunk driving awareness presentations. Free from her own prison of rage and animosity, this mother even appeared before the judge to ask him to reduce the young man’s sentence. Truly, she had “finally set it free.”

Sunday morning, as the remaining butterflies danced in the air, our pastor continued his message series on forgiveness. Where once I saw butterflies only as a message of rebirth and resurrection, I began to see them as reminders of how we must release the darkness, resentment, and bitterness that can grow malignantly in our hearts. As the sermon concluded, I noticed that another one of God’s creatures, a dove, had joined the butterflies in their frolic. Perhaps this symbol of peace was just enjoying some leftover crumbs dropped from the previous day’s event. Nevertheless, its presence reminded me that releasing our hurts and anger will bring us peace. Holding on to our injuries keeps us trapped in the darkest of dungeons with no chance of parole or amnesty. Forgiveness is the key that opens the cell door and brings us into God’s light, love and peace.

Most of us will never reach out in forgiveness the way that mother did and I’m not sure God expects us to. Nevertheless, He does expect us to forgive and forgiveness isn’t easy. Chances are the people we need to forgive don’t even deserve it. Deserving, however, has nothing to do with it since we certainly don’t deserve God’s forgiveness for all of our failings. Forgiveness is something we desperately need both to receive and to give. As the butterflies remind us of the beauty and fragility of life, they can also remind us that life is too beautiful and fragile to waste a single moment in anger or resentment. As we release our hurts and offer forgiveness, it’s not the perpetrator who is set free—it is us! And with that beautiful freedom will come God’s peace.

Be tolerant with one another and forgive one another whenever any of you has a complaint against someone else. You must forgive one another just as the Lord has forgiven you. And to all these qualities add love, which binds all things together in perfect unity. The peace that Christ gives is to guide you in the decisions you make; for it is to this peace that God has called you together in the one body. [Colossians 3:13-15 (GNT)]

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March 22, 2017

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Attitudes & Behavior, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Fruit of the Spirit, God's Grace & Love, Joy, Love & Works, Money & Wealth, Salvation: A New You, Sharing Our Faith, Today: Make it Count

DOING FOR OTHERS

Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! [Luke 6:31 (MSG)]

Great Blue HeronYears ago I took a short class in genealogy research. One of the first things told to us was that we were obligated to share any information we discovered with the rest of the genealogy community. Genealogy research depends on the results of other people’s searches of sources like birth and death records, cemeteries, census results and newspapers. We simply owe it to those who led us to our findings to share our knowledge with those who follow in our footsteps. I thought of that class as I wrote yesterday’s devotion about offering thanks.

A few years ago I wouldn’t have been any use at all to those people we helped at the swamp. I knew next to nothing about any of the birds in southwest Florida or where to find them. I’m still a rookie birder and most of my avian knowledge is limited to the shore and wading birds. Nevertheless, thanks to the people who generously shared their knowledge with me—who so willingly pointed out birds, identified species, answered my questions, and explained their behavior—I can now help others who are even less knowledgeable than am I. As for that off-the beaten-track conservation area, the only reason we knew about it is that someone kindly shared his knowledge of it with us.

Both the genealogy information and bird lore I’ve received were given to me gratis. There was no quid pro quo—I gave nothing (but my thanks) in exchange for what was given me. It was shared out of kindness with no expectation of repayment—a little like God’s grace. We can never pay the deeper debt we owe to God for all of His goodness. Any attempt to repay Him is a contradiction of grace because grace wouldn’t be grace if it could be repaid. Just because it can’t be repaid, however, doesn’t mean it can’t be spread around. The Golden Rule tells us to do to others as we would have done to us and then I think of Jesus washing the disciple’s feet. He humbled himself to serve them and told the disciples that they must do for others what He had done for them. We must do for others that which has been freely done for us. Whether it is the giving of knowledge, service, skill, assistance, forgiveness or love, the good things that have been done for us are not ours to keep—they are ours to share. When doors are opened for us (both literally and figuratively), we are obligated to open doors for others.

Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. … In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you. [Matthew 5:14,48 (MSG)]

Then he said, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You address me as ‘Teacher’ and ‘Master,’ and rightly so. That is what I am. So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other’s feet. I’ve laid down a pattern for you. What I’ve done, you do.”  [John 13:12-14 (MSG)]

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March 21, 2017

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Attitudes & Behavior, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Fruit of the Spirit, Joy, Love & Works, Nature, Sharing Our Faith, Thanks & Praise

SAYING “THANK YOU”

Give thanks in all circumstances [1 Thessalonians 5:18 (ESV)]

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefit. [Psalm 103:2 (ESV)]

little blue heron (juv) - roseate spoonbill - black crowned night heronWe should thank God in all things and we’re blessed by God when we do. An attitude of gratitude invites His presence into our lives and focuses our attention on Him rather than our circumstances. It leaves no room for complaint, transforms anxiety into peace, strengthens our witness, and reminds us who is the giver of all gifts. An attitude of gratitude, however, does something more. It not only opens the door for continued blessings from God but from people as well. Good things happen to us when we have a thankful heart.

We were at our favorite swamp/bird sanctuary and perched just below us was a juvenile little blue heron. With his white feathers, he’s easily mistaken for just another egret. A man joined us on the platform and started to set up his tripod. We directed him to the little heron posing so perfectly and he thanked us for pointing it out. We chatted a bit and I spotted a beautiful roseate spoonbill. We tried to point out the pink and white bird and then he told us of his color blindness and that reds appear a brownish yellow. For him, the reddish bird so obvious to us blended right in with the foliage around it. We patiently guided his eye to the right spot and he thanked us for our patience. We helped him spot several other birds hiding in the trees and then found him another spoonie that was lurking in the shadows nearby. Each time we found him a bird, he expressed his appreciation.

Later that morning, we saw him in the parking lot as he stowed his equipment. When he thanked us again, I asked if he’d ever visited another (less well-known) conservation area that offers great photo ops. Unfamiliar with it, I started to give directions when my husband offered to guide him to the right road. Again thanking us, he asked if we’d wait while he made a return trip to the visitor center for a much needed rest stop. Five minutes later, we were leading him out of the parking lot. We paused at the turnoff and, as we waved him on, he called out one more thank you. When we drove off, my husband said he’d made the offer to become a guide for one simple reason—the man had thanked us earlier that morning!

The following day, a woman asked the species of a bird she saw. After identifying the limpkin, I guided her eyes to the dull brown juvenile night heron resting on a branch. After thanking me, she confided that she’d never seen an adult night heron and hoped to see one before departing. I continued down the boardwalk to the next lake where I spotted a beautiful night heron. Realizing how easily she might miss the sighting, I returned to her and offered to take her to the posing bird. It probably took about ten minutes of my time, but I did it because she’d been so appreciative earlier that morning.

According to 2014 study published in Emotion (a journal of the American Psychological Association), gratitude is far more than good manners. It makes you friendlier, more likeable, and opens the door to relationships. In fact, thanking a new acquaintance makes them more likely to seek an ongoing relationship. We didn’t exchange emails or phone numbers with those people, but we made temporary friends and brightened each other’s day. Friends are made by being friendly, encouraging, and by remembering to say “thanks.” Acknowledging other people’s contributions can, indeed, lead to new opportunities (even if they’re just great photo ops!)

Showing gratitude is one of the simplest yet most powerful things humans can do for each other. [Randy Pausch]

Now may the Lord show steadfast love and faithfulness to you. And I will do good to you because you have done this thing. [2 Samuel 2:6 (ESV)]

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January 17, 2017

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, God's Plan, God's Promises, Joy, Sorrow, Grief & Regrets, Thanks & Praise, Today: Make it Count, Trusting God, Wisdom & Guidance

WINTER

Steamboat Ski Area
Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. [Psalm 139:16 (NIV)]

By living in Florida, we’ve escaped the polar vortex and winter’s ice and snow. Regardless of where we live, however, there’s no escaping the winter of our lives. When we roll out of bed with assorted aches, need our cheater specs to read the paper, become intimate friends with ibuprofen, know the day of the week from our pill boxes, and nervously compare our ages with those on the obituary page, it becomes painfully obvious that, while able to flee from winter’s frigid weather, there’s no dodging the winter season of life.

In spite of a few complaints, I’m reasonably content with my winter. I’d never want to give up the confidence, wisdom, peace and perspective that come in this end season of life. Nevertheless, I’m sorry to say farewell to the vitality, enthusiasm and freshness of spring; the beauty, growth and intensity of summer; and the productivity, abundance, and fulfillment of autumn. As rewarding as it is to see my children and grands develop and mature, it saddens me to see the toll those same years have taken on other people I know and love. Winter has been downright cruel to many of them. Sadly, some of those I loved didn’t even make it to this season of appreciated blessings. They never had the opportunity to sit quietly and read to a grand or grow old with the one they loved. There are gaps in my heart where they lived and my memories of them will never quite fill those holes. Nevertheless, I feel blessed to have made it this far.

We thank you, God, for the seasons of life. Help us recognize the beauty and joy of each one. Give us the wisdom and serenity to accept that time passes, changes take place, seasons are unpredictable, heartbreak happens, health is precarious, and farewells are unavoidable. Reconcile us to the transformations that occur in each of life’s seasons. May we always remember that, while everything has a season, there is no one season in which we’ll have everything.

Summer ends, and autumn comes, and he who would have it otherwise would have high tide always and a full moon every night. [Hal Borland]

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance. [Ecclesiastes 3:1-4 (NIV)]

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