A Life of Gratitude

One of my favorite Christmas decorations is a nativity scene made in Italy in the 1940's. It belonged to my Great Grandmother, was passed down to my mother many years ago, and has since become part of the collection of decor my family puts out each December.  Knowing how old it is, and the sentimental value it holds, tempts me to make it an "adult hands only" decoration, but years ago I decided to allow my children to be "hands-on" with all of our nativity sets. It's a simple idea but I have always wanted to them to know that Jesus is never off limits to them.  So, with each of my four children, our nativity sets have been played with, and I've often found them in various interesting arrangements. A few days ago, I noticed the sweetest scene my daughter had set up with the figures. All of them, even the camels, cows, and sheep, we're placed in a circle surrounding Jesus. As soon as I saw this display, a thought entered my mind. Especially at Christma...

During Sunday's church service, I found myself kneeling at the altar with tears streaming down my face. As I poured my heart out to God about some difficult situations in my life, I began to feel guilty for begging God for help instead of worshipping Him. I started to scold myself for crying out to God instead of singing His praises, when I heard that sweet, still, small voice say, "Tears are worship, too."  As I've thought about those words, I was reminded of the story Jesus told in Luke 7:37-38. The Passion Translation tells it this way,  " In the neighborhood there was an immoral woman of the streets, known to all to be a prostitute. When she heard that Jesus was at Simeon’s house, she took an exquisite flask made from alabaster, filled  it with the most expensive perfume, went right into the home of the Jewish religious leader, and in front of all the guests, she knelt at the feet of Jesus.  Broken and weeping, she covered his feet with the tears that fell fr...

Several years ago, I was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disorder called Ankylosing Spondylitis. As part of my treatment plan, I receive infusion therapy every six weeks. There have been many times over the years when my insurance has denied paying for the infusion for various reasons. Each time that happens, it causes a lot of issues for me physically including a very serious, painful eye condition that can lead to blindness.  On Thursday I received a letter in the mail from my insurance company saying they were no longer paying for my infusions. Immediate panic set in because my appointment was scheduled for today, Monday. That gave me one business day to figure out how to keep my appointment from being cancelled. One business day is typically not nearly enough time to get insurance to do anything. I began preparing myself for the possibility of not being able to get my infusion and therefore, enduring the painful results of that.  Late Thursday night I decided to stop fret...

This morning, I came downstairs and discovered my English Bulldog had been sick in the night. As a result, he was lying in a huge mess inside his crate. I felt so bad for him! I immediately let him out of the crate, began washing my pup, and cleaning up the mess. It was so bad that I had to take his crate outside and throw his bed away. As I was cleaning, I noticed my almost one-year-old dog cowering in fear. He was ashamed and afraid because of what he had done. I wasn't mad at him, and it broke my heart to watch him cower in fear. He doesn't normally cower because he doesn't have a reason to fear us. In fact, that puppy is perhaps the most loved, spoiled dog in the world! The fear he felt seemed almost instinctual, not something we've instilled.  As I scrubbed the floor and assured my dog that I wasn't angry at him, it occurred to me that we often respond the same way when we find ourselves sitting in a huge mess we've created. Regardless of what caused the si...

Each day before my family begins homeschooling, we spend time reading a family devotional and praying over various things. One morning I requested prayer over an upcoming weekend healing retreat, hosted by Not Forgotten Ministries twice a year. I asked for protection over the volunteers and the participants. I explained that the enemy always tries to distract, deter, and destroy before a retreat. My kids remembered specifically a time when I broke my foot just hours before leaving for  the retreat. We also discussed other attacks of the enemy our family and those who attend the retreat have experienced.   Evan, my twelve-year-old son, volunteered to pray over our retreat. As he prayed, he said, “God, please put Your angels around everyone going to the retreat. We know You don’t put holes in Your angels so with them all around, nothing can get through and nothing can touch anyone coming.” I was so touched by his prayer and his faith.  Adults often pray with a little “g...

Last week our van was stolen in the middle of the day, right in front of a busy bowling alley parking lot. As we realized our van was missing and dealt with all that followed, I experienced an array of feelings. I was angry, frustrated, and worried, but still had a very real feeling of peace and assurance that everything would be ok. Just a couple nights later the police called, telling me to come pick up our van. They said they "caught the thug who stole it" and that he was currently in holding. When I went to pick the van up, the officers said that without a doubt, this man would be going to prison. Not only did he commit grand larceny by stealing our van, but he also used our van to haul a plethora of other items he had stolen out of other cars and homes throughout 5 or 6 counties. They actually found our van while he was actively burglarizing another vehicle. As I drove home that night, I realized, I was literally taking back what the enemy had stolen! Then, it occurred t...

Have you ever felt distant from God? If so, you're not alone. I've experienced that feeling and over the past few weeks, several of my friends have expressed feeling that distance as well. Even David, a man after God's own heart, felt distant from the Lord at times. He actually expressed feeling far from God many times, one is recorded in Psalm 71:12 (NIV) which says, " Do not be far   from me, my God;  come quickly, God, to help   me." But David also writes in Psalm 16:8 (NLT), " I know the   Lord   is always with me.  I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me."  So, if David knows that God is always with him, why does he also often feel distant from Him? In David's life and in ours, feeling as though God is far away, could result from many things. Sometimes distance occurs when we're distracted, feeling overwhelmed by life, going through difficult times, not spending time in the Word or in prayer, isolating ourselves from like-minded peop...

While visiting Mount Vernon a few years ago, I was awestruck as I walked through the museum, observing how George Washington's life played out. One statue was engrained into my mind as I read the plaque alongside it. It told of a battle on July 9, 1755, during the French and Indian War. Colonel George Washington was only twenty-three years old but was an officer, riding on horseback, delivering orders to the troops. Out of eighty-six officers, Washington was the only one not shot down.  In a letter to his brother following the battle, George Washington wrote, "By the all-powerful dispensations of Providence, I have been protected beyond all human probability or expectation; for I had four bullets through my coat and two horses shot under me, yet I escaped unhurt, although death was leveling my companions on every side of me!" At his young age Washington had no idea what his future held but this battle confirmed God's call on his life. As we look back on history, we ca...

 A few months ago, my family attended a worship night at a local church. Throughout the evening the children were encouraged to draw pictures of what they believed God was showing them. Then the children laid all of their drawings at the altar. It was a really beautiful sight. My six-year-old daughter drew a picture of a heart and around it she wrote, "I am a child for God!" She wrote this entirely unprompted, by herself. I think she intended to write, "child of God," but as soon as I saw it, the word "for" really spoke to me.  We often hear that we are children of God, but how often do we think about being a child FOR Him? Without realizing it, I believe my daughter wrote the answer to a question so many people are continually asking themselves. That question is, "What is the purpose of my life?"  The purpose of life is pondered by everyone from time to time. We often receive deceptive and confusing answers to that question, though. The world wa...

I know so many people going through difficult situations currently, ranging from relationship struggles to financial issues, health concerns to abuse. Regardless of the circumstances, it's just plain hard for so many people right now. As someone who easily empathizes with others, I often desire to rescue them from the situations they face. I just want to help in some way, to lessen the burden they carry. In this season, many of my friends are facing circumstances that seem impossible to be rescued from. I've found myself crying out to God, wanting to help but not knowing how, and feeling frustrated by it all.  As I was praying this morning, my mind was filled with a memory of something that caught my attention a few weeks ago. As I was working in our yard, replanting a few Hostas that haven't been thriving like they used to, I saw something incredible. I dug up one of the plants, clearing away the leaves and debris that surrounded the roots, and saw that one of the shoots h...

During the post-abortion Bible studies I lead, we often talk about the story of the prodigal son found in Luke 15. I always ask the ladies how they can relate to this story. Last night, as we discussed this passage, one of the participants shared that she recently had the type of eye-opening moment mentioned in verse seventeen. It was a moment that caused her to truly see her need for a Savior, that she referred to as her "pig-slop moment." "He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you." Luke 15:11-32 (NLT) Many believers can relate to her statement because we...

"Immediately the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench! And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out, “The Lord—he is God! Yes, the Lord is God!” 1 Kings 18:36-39 (NLT) After three years of drought and famine (that Elijiah had warned King Ahab of), God instructed Elijiah to return to the king and tell him that rain would soon come. During his conversation with King Ahab, Elijiah challenged the king to a dual of sorts, between God and the gods that King Ahab and Jezebel had been encouraging the people to worship. Imagine being Elijah, stepping forward, setting yourself apart from crowds Ba'al worshippers and half-hearted God-followers, and calling upon God to send fire from heaven to burn up a sacrifice that was drenched in water. He had instructed the Ba'al worshippers and then observed them shout, dance, sing, cut themselve...

"The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him." 2 Chronicles 16:9 (NLT) Have you ever considered all the things people plan for in life? We create budgets and lists to help us keep track of our ever-busy lives. We consult financial planners to help us plan and prepare for the future. We go to the doctor to help us stay healthy and proactively prevent illnesses. We put a lot of effort into planning events like weddings and birthday parties. Some people hire travel agents to plan every detail of their vacations. Many try numerous diets, pay for gym memberships, plan out all their meals, and even hire personal trainers and dieticians to get or stay thin. Parents plan and prepare countless activities for their children and some begin saving money for their child's college education before he or she is even born. We research, plan, and spend years being equipped for careers. We plan and strive to be successful...

My kids enjoy watching a well-known You Tuber who has a generous heart and often helps people around the world. In one of his videos, he helped 100 blind people see again.  The surgeon he partnered with said half of all the blindness in the world could be cured with a ten-minute surgery. Isn’t that sad? In just ten minutes, half of the people dealing with blindness could see clearly. Financial concerns or lack of access to this type of surgery is what prevents so many people from seeing. When I heard that statistic, I immediately thought of the millions of people in our world who are spiritually blind. Within just minutes, those who have been blinded by worldly things could have their eyes opened and they would be able to see clearly. So, what prevents so many people from being healed of spiritu al blindness? 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 says that these people have been blinded by Satan and they do not believe in Jesus. Without belief in Jesus, they are unable to see and understand the ...

"You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” 1 Kings 17:4 (ESV) In 1 Kings chapter 17, we are introduced to Elijah, an unlikely prophet of God. It's here that we witness normal guy from the hills of Gilead standing in front of King Ahab, boldly declaring that there would be no dew or rain for several years. Can you imagine the faith it would take to tell an infamously evil king that there would be no rain for years? Elijah's faith was strong, and his obedience is inspiring.  After speaking with the king, God tells Elijah to go into hiding beside a brook called, Cherith. He tells Elijah that he will drink from the brook and eat food brought by ravens. This promise is an interesting one because brooks typically only have water when the rain comes. During a drought, most brooks dry up. So, where would the water come from? And ravens delivering food; that sounds outlandish! Ravens are scavengers, always searching for food and even fighti...

 " Abraham planted a tamarisk tree  in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the  Lord ,  the Eternal God." Genesis 21:33 I came across this verse this morning and it caught my attention because I love when the Bible gives specific details. The writer could have just said Abraham planted a tree, but instead we're told the exact type of tree he planted. So, I had to learn more about this tree.   A tamarisk tree  is known to thrive in very harsh environments, but it remains steadfast. It is a large tree, often reaching 20 feet tall with branches that are widespread. It provides shade that is much cooler than other trees, and since it is an evergreen, its protection isn't dependent on the season. During Biblical times the leaves and bark of this type of tree were often used for medicinal purposes.  Its leaves also collect moisture in the air during the night, so when the sun beats down on the tree during the day, the droplets evapor...

Yesterday, my oldest son began talking about Thomas from the Bible. He said, "Everyone refers to him as doubting Thomas. I bet he's up there like, 'come on guys, is that really what is remembered about me.'" "One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.” John 20:24-25 My son's comment made me think more about Thomas and I feel sort of bad for the reputation he has received because of his doubt. The more I ponder it, the more I wonder if Thomas was just the honest one. I can't imagine that everyone else just believed without any doubts. His friends were telling him they had seen Jesus, even though everyone knew he was dead and in a tomb. They believed because they had seen Jesus with their own eyes. It's als...