The past can teach us, nurture us, but it cannot sustain us. The essence of life is change and we must move ever forward or the soul will wither and die. S. Kearsley
The Past Tense
Unless I am some sort of an actuarial miracle, I have more days in my past than in my future. If you have lived past your mid-50’s, that is also true for you.
For a teacher whose vocation is motivated by a love of his subject there is nothing more gratifying than to know that he has inspired others to follow in his footsteps. Dedicated coaches develop great players, brilliant scientists shape the minds of those who will define the future and eloquent professors produce great poets and writers.
Where I live, it is an almost season. The days are almost summery, the flowers in the garden are almost blooming, it is almost time for neighborly visits on the porch and almost time to take a walk without grabbing a jacket on the way out.
The school bus for elementary children didn’t stop to pick me up. I ran as fast as I could behind it, trying desperately to catch up. Nothing came out of my mouth. My arms were flailing in hopes of getting the bus driver’s attention. The worst thing? I didn’t have any clothes on! Fortunately, it was only a terrible dream. One that replayed into adulthood.
Hmmm. . . What should I wear today? So many choices. Those in prison don’t have clothing or pampering choices. The Israelites, held captive when exiled to Babylon, endured physical bondage as well as oppression by others’ sin and Satan’s tactics. The standard attire was sackcloth and ashes—symbolizing mourning or agony.
Most of us haven’t been physically imprisoned, but countless may be bound by the heavy chains of mental illness, unhealthy relationships, religious rules, addictions, emotional abuse, fear, and oppression. I have experienced a dark captivity with no hope for freedom.
Binding up of the brokenhearted looks differently for different situations. Jesus knows what is needed and when.
The “hope of the gospel” is my purpose—my one thing. God is faithful to remind me of this when I question my life and forget who and whose I am. What about you?
The God we worship, the God of Scripture, is a lot of things: wise, powerful, omniscient, omnipotent, loving, forgiving... And on any day, most of us a need a God who possesses these qualities and more.
On the seventh day, God, in a sense, stood back to look over Creation and pronounced it “done.” He rested from His work because there was nothing more to do. And, Creation “rested” also because it was at peace and in perfect balance within itself. Then God blessed it—“sent it forth for abundance and enrichment” and hallowed it—“set it aside for a sacred purpose.”
“Well, what did He say? What did He say your name was? Tell me, tell me, tell me!”
“He said my name would be ‘elephant’.”
What is the image of God? Because God is Spirit, we know that it is not a physical likeness. Because He created both male and female with this image, it is not confined to a gender likeness.
Like a cute little fuzzy sheep… I can wander too.
I struggle with distraction… Do you?
There are so many things pulling for my attention.
We were hiking in the middle of a mountain forest and our path suddenly… ended.
What do you do?
Do you go backward?
A test revealed I could have… cancer.
Then… there was a time of waiting.
This time of waiting… of not knowing… is the hardest part.
Was my life about to change? Or not?
How do you look at life?
Do you see the tree or the forest… the detail or the big picture?
Don’t miss this big picture…
When you don’t know what to pray… because there are no words… what do you do?
I have learned…
Use God’s message to help you. That will be like a sword that God’s Spirit puts in your hand (Ephesians 6:17b Easy).
Songwriter, Kris Kristofferson, wrote a song after he attended a church service with a friend.
The lyrics he wrote tell the story of his life-changing experience.
King Xerxes’ love for Esther and eventual trust in her advice uncovered the evil plot of the destruction planned by his chief advisor, Hamon, which led to the honor and promotion of Esther’s father, Mordecai.
