Grandchildren, Practice and Expect Honesty

With My VERY Best Friend on Earth

"HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY"
When I was in early elementary school a little over sixty years ago, I had a couple of teachers who used to say that often, especially when it appeared that someone in the class was lying about something.

God has a lot to say about honesty, too. Here from Psalm 24 is a great encouragement to live an honest and upright life: "Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who ...may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior."

Jesus said, "I am the . . . TRUTH." And we are told in the Bible that God wants to make us in the image of His Son. He wants us to be more and more like Jesus -- and one of the ways others can see that is when we cherish the truth and live honestly.

Grandchildren, be careful who you pick for your very best friends and companions. Just remember that if a person lies FOR you, they will as readily lie TO you or ABOUT you. Dishonesty is a poor foundation for friendship, business relationships, marriage, or any kind of partnership that you can imagine. Think how hard it would be to do a science project with a lab partner who cannot be trusted with the data! Think of how difficult it would be to have a liar manage your sports team. Imagine being married and having a liar helping to raise your children!

Consider this seriously. It is not a little thing. YOU cannot solve this kind of problem in another person. Only a person who submits to God and the authority of the Bible can be changed from a liar to a truth bearer. Please don't forget that.

** This picture of your grandfather and me was taken at a family reunion in 2011.  In August of 2012, we hope to celebrate our 49th wedding anniversary. And we will unless Jesus takes one or both of us to Heaven before then. Sometimes people say, "how did you stay together this long?" And I think that is an honest question because many people give up on their marriages -- sometimes they have to leave because of abuse or danger or unfaithfulness. But many times, they leave because they are just tired of the responsibility or they claim they don't love each other anymore. And I think it is honest, because about 1/2 of people getting married are divorcing each other. That is very sad, indeed.

1. The first reason that we have enjoyed many years together is because of Jesus. He is our Lord and Savior and He helps us to keep our promises to each other and to the Lord.  2. The second reason we have enjoyed a long marriage is because we trust each other. Sure, we get mad at each other sometimes. But I can tell you one thing that has never been a problem to me: your grandfather has never lied to me. He has never cheated on me. He always wants the best for me -- and I am not talking about expensive things. I am talking about a life of peace and love. And I am talking about a life of TRUST.

I will tell you one thing for sure because I have seen it many times in the lives of other people, especially people who are planning to be married. They really can see character flaws in each other -- things like lying, rebellion, cheating, stealing. And you know what they do? They tell themselves that they will be able to help that person and they will change after marriage. But that is rare. Someone who wants to marry you will behave WAY better when you are dating than after you are married. Many, many times people have said to us, "He [or she] never behaved that way before, but shortly after we were married, this or that began to happen."

If you see the "red flags" or something just doesn't seem to be right characterwise pay attention! If they laugh at things that are not funny, they might be cruel after marriage. If they are untruthful to you or your parents now, it will only get worse. Don't make decisions with just your heart! Your HEAD is more important than you think.

We All Have Gifts and Talents

"Don't Stop Believing" by Heidi Jacobsen

Grandaughter Heidi is participating in a drawing challenge for 2012. Every day she and at least one friend are producing a drawing. And, wow! They are doing such a great job.

Her work makes me think of the fact that every, single individual is good at something! Obviously, she has at least one talent and that is pencil drawing. Some of her work is cute and whimsical. And some of it just blows me away! This is one of the "blows me away" drawings from Heidi.

I like it because it is drawn very well, but I also like it because it sends an important message. It is so important for adults to share their faith with the children. That means praying with them, sharing life experiences with them, setting a good example before them, and telling them about the Gospel.

Your grandfather prayed for all of his children and all of you before you were even born. I did, too, but I don't think I prayed as faithfully as he did. I learned from that the very fact that even now, even when you are a child it is a good thing to pray for the husband or wife God will send to you. And it is a good thing to pray for your children and grandchildren. They will be your main mission! When God sends them into your life, He is depending on you to tell them the truth from the Bible -- tell them about Jesus!

Now I will change the subject. If you would like to write a story about YOUR talent or send me a picture (photo or drawing) that I can have in this blog for your siblings and cousins to enjoy, please do it! That would be very special for all of us.

Love you!

I Was Such A Silly Goose!

Grammie Ruth really made me mad. Now 50-some years later, perhaps even 60, I have no idea why I was so angy. Suffice it to say that this girl had "had it". Running away was necessary, but it was a little frightening, too. One thing was certain. When she discovered that her daughter was gone, my mother was going to learn her lesson. I was sure that Grammie was going to be VERY sorry and I was going to be equally happy about it.

Silly Goose

The problem is, when you don't have any money the thought of feeding and clothing yourself and getting a bath is pretty overwhelming. So you have to calm down and look at all the options. You have to make a plan that will work! The other thing is that I wanted to see people scurrying around looking for me. But they would never find me. I was a very clever kid. It was obvious to me that long time would go by before I returned home and the day of repentance for my Mom would be a delicious one for me. Oh, the thought of revenge was so sweet.

With such a great outcome in mind, I began to look around and to scheme. We had a barn with a nice supply of baled hay. Because feeding and watering our cows was in my area of expertise, I was proficient at climbing to the top of that hay, It was a straight climb upward with only the bale twine and some cross beams to help boost me up. It was something I could do very quickly without thinking about it. But MOM was never required to do barn chores when she was growing up. She would never be able to do climb up there. Aha! With my own ingenuity, I had discovered a great hiding place. It was a great place to hide and a place from which I could see the whole yard covertly.

Yes. I would hide in the hay. Maybe forever. I climbed up to prepare my retreat. All it took was carefully rearranging some hay bales. This formed a cavity in the center where anyone could hide, keep warm, and live undetected. The plan was to take some food from the cupboard, a jug of water, a blanket, and a book. I planned to stay up there while it was day. Late at night I would climb down, go to the bathroom, wash up, and replenish my supplies. It was going to be so much fun to see everyone scurrying around and trying to figure it all out. The police would probably be called and all of the relatives. Maybe they would put my picture in the weekly paper. Oh, what a grand idea to run away and still be a spectator of all the excitement!

After verifying that I had done everything on my mental check list, I went out for a walk in the back field and came back to the barn behind the line of bushes that marked the border between our property and Ben Murphy's. This was GREAT. I made it to the barn undetected and scaled the heights to my retreat.

I settled in with my blanket, but the hay was rather "scratchy" on my skin. After awhile I began to itch. I wondered how long since I ran away. Why didn't I have my little alarm clock with me? I peeked over the bales and the yard was empty. Nobody was running around calling my name. I was thirsty, so drank some of my water and ate my peanut butter sandwich. Time was creeping along. It was still daylight and I was tired of my book.

A neighbor walked into our yard and went in the house. She came to see Mom almost every day. Still, nobody was looking for me. It must have been at least fifteen or twenty minutes. Why didn't anyone know I was missing? Mom probably didn't even know I was mad at her!

OK. I began to think that running away is no fun. It became obvious that nobody cared anyway. So what was the point? I grabbed my pillow and blanket, threw my sandwich bag in the trash, and went home. What a disappointing welcome. Nobody even asked me where I had been.

PS: I asked Gramp if he ever ran away and he thinks he didn't. Or maybe his adventure was as uneventful as mine and it has just gone into his hard drive somewhere.

Here is my advice: don't ever run away. It can be too dangerous if you don't have a retreat in your own back yard. Just call us and we will come and help you work out your differences. Home is way better than the hay mow after all. Your bed isn't an itchy place and you get hot food and ice cream.

What a silly goose I was!

We Are Depending on YOU!

Joshua Buza

We really ARE depending on you, our grandchildren. You are the ones who will go and bring a new generation. You are the ones who will carry our family history. And most of all, we are depending on YOU to stand firm in the faith that we have tried to teach and demonstrate to you. 

You guys will be fathers to our great grandchildren. You ladies will be mothers to them. And lying before you is a great responsibility to love and teach those that God sends to bless your home.

We pray, too, that you will devote your lives thoroughly to Christ and His gospel. We pray that others will see Jesus in you and that they will trust in Him as their Lord and Savior.

Timothy Harmon

The Bible says that if we live for the Lord Jesus there are people who are not going to like it. This world system does not want the Lord God in it and has no desire to acknowledge Him in any way. Christians are very often not respected and are hated for the sake of the Lord they love. Don't cave in -- don't deny the Lord in order to be more comfortable in this world. This is not your home. Heaven is! Don't forget you are a citizen of Heaven.
 

Kyle Harmon

Just as this verse on Kyle's picture says, it is a GOOD thing to live the way God asks us to live. If we live a clean and holy life, there are people who may not like it. But there are rewards to having a clean conscience. And there are rewards to being able to go to bed and know you haven't broken laws or that you have not made enemies. But more than that, GOD has offered a forever home to those who love Him! I look forward to it.

Caleb DuBois

Of course, Caleb, you are not one of the grandsons. But you've been almost like one! And you have been friends with these three guys. Now you are far away and we aren't sure when we might see you again. But we know this: we might easily be next door neighbors in our Father's house! Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us. I cannot imagine how wonderful it will be. We depend on you, too, to carry the Good News to others all of your life.

Children are Welcomed and Cherished in Our Family

Robert, Michele, and "Gunner"

Grampie and I love to watch your parents spending time with you. We like to see the fun times -- like when you get a new puppy or some other pet that you can enjoy. Caring for a pet gives you a lot of fun and it also teaches you to be responsible. That is because you have to feed and care for your pets when they need it, not just when you feel like it.

Stephen and David

Little children learn so much from Moms and Dads who are not too busy for them.  And life is SO busy. We do have work to do and many responsibilities as parents. But taking just a little time to make memories is time well spent. When our children were little, we read the Bible and prayed together at night. And from time to time we took the tent or went to a motel for an overnighter or a week. Fun memories!

Valerie and Gunnar

One thing I did more with Valerie than any of the other children was to hold her in my lap and read to her from the time she was only a few weeks old.  Some of her early words were the names of people depicted in a Bible story book. These Mommy and Daughter moments probably contributed to her lifelong love of books. She, in turn reads to her children. Here Gunnar holds a book while his mom reads from another.

Timothy and Kyle with Lucy

I have always loved this picture. Lucy was such a sweet beagle, loyal to her boys! And the boys loved her. Do you wonder if Kyle is just trying to be patient as he waits for a Lucy "kiss"?
This picture was taken in the apartment at our Marshfield house. Those were good days having grandchildren next door. We got spoiled! The Bible verse here reminds us that greater than all of our earthly family and friends is Jesus, Himself. He will never, ever leave us not forsake us. What a promise!

Bethany and Matthew

This picture is so sweet, isn't it? Actually, Matthew was looking at the light over our dining table. Apparently he was amazed at it for some reason! To me it was the perfect picture to remind us that all of God's nature and His other gifts are amazing. We look at the sky, the trees, the ocean, the birds, the flowers -- we look at all the wonders He made and we can, indeed, see what an awesome GOD He is!

Your Parents Are Not Your Enemies

Marcia and Amber

You know, it is tough to grow up. It really is. And it is so tough to listen. You don't remember, but the fact is this: it didn't take you long to find out that you did not like the big "N" word. And it didn't take you long to learn how to protest very loudly if Mom or Dad looked you in the eye and said, "NO". Even as a baby, you were beginning to question the wisdom of your parents. (How dare they say "no"?)

Kevin and Hope

That was just the beginning! Another thing that you didn't know is that you were questioning the wisdom of someone way bigger and way more intelligent than Dad and Mom. You were questioning the wisdom of God, himself. For it is GOD who planned the family as a place to be safe, a place to learn, a place to grow, and a place to prepare for your own family someday.

Jeannie and Samuel

I just want you to hear right now that there is NOBODY in all the world who knows you as well as your Mom and Dad. And there is NOBODY who cares as much about your health, your safety, your happiness, your success, and your spiritual life as your parents. They pray for you, they cry over you, they hope for you, they advise you. Grandchildren: please listen to them!

Jonathan and Robert

Your parents welcomed you into their home and cared for you in the best way they could. They gave up a LOT of what they might have just selfishly had for themselves in order to take care of you and to bring you joy. Right now, it is not possible to know how much LOVE has been poured out for you. But one day, when you have children of your own, you will know it. You will have in your care someone who means more to you than life itself. Oh, parents say YES as often as they can. They want to give to you. They want your childhood to be as delightful as possible. But more than that, they want you to grow and mature and be a blessing to others all of your life. They want you to make good choices about school, a job, a spouse. They have seen a lot of life and their wisdom is a treasure stored up to share with you. Take advantage of the gift of Mom and Dad and learn from them. They are GIFTS of GOD to you -- just as YOU are gifts of God to them. Treasures, dear grandchildren!

Tidbits of Advice



Cousin Kaysen DeMerchant



You were not a surprise to God! He knew you before He even made the world. Before you were growing inside of your Mom, God knew what you would look like. He knew your name. He knew everything about you.  So be a thankful person! Thank Him for giving life to you. Look for ways to live a life that is pleasing to Him. It's the only way to really LIVE.

Matthew Sykes and Grammie Ruth

It is so sad that we live in an angry world. There is fighting and war everywhere. The TV shows are violent, games are violent, there are bullies in the school. People are selfish and they very often do not care what happens to others. But God wants us to stop thinking about those things. He wants us to think about Him and think about His love for us. He wants us to think about being kind and loving to others.  God has promised that we will be contented and peaceful we have our focus on Him. Ask Him to help you keep your thoughts right.

Samuel and Robert Buza at Cary Lake

One thing Grampie and I have found is it is a lot more fun to get along than to be arguing and fighting. When one of us is grouchy, the other one is sad. But when we try to be kind to each other and help each other out, it is a happy home! And even if one of us is wrong, we have learned to forgive each other. We should be that way with other people, too. What is the sense of being mad? Most of the time it is because we are selfish and want our own way. God says to get along!

Our Front Walk in Glenburn

I love the walk that Uncle Jonathan helped build in front of our house. It is especially nice in the spring time so we aren't sinking in the mud! But in the summer we have flowers growing there. We have several colors of Day Lillies and some other flowers. Some come up every year and others we find at the various stores and just plant them there to enjoy all summer long. It is good to have things pretty on the outside of our home. It makes people feel welcome. But it is better to have things nice on the inside where we live. It isn't fun to have someone over for a lunch or to watch a movie if it is all messy inside. Having things cleaned up and looking nice makes us happy and relaxed and it just gives us a lot of joy. But what about our lives? We can dress up and fix our hair and look really nice. But if we are grouchy inside or if we are thinking mean things about people, we need to be cleaned up! The Bible says that people look at us on the outside, but GOD looks at the heart. So we need to repent and confess our sin and God will clean us up from all the wrong and make us nice inside, too. That is the most important.

More From Our Family Gallery

Kelsey at Port Jervis, NY

Gramp and I can tell you for certain that the happiest moments of our lives are when we are paying attention to the LORD and obeying what we know He has for us. Living within God's will is not complicated or mysterious. We believe it is a matter of paying attention to the Bible, trusting the Lord, and praying over everything. We believe the Lord will give us opportunities to serve Him and He will give us peace about His will and His way.

Hope and Rachel Scrapbooking at Our House

People do not have to wait until they are grown up to follow Jesus. God has given children an amazing ability to have faith in Him. That is, they trust the Lord and believe what He says. They don't need a lot of explanations of where, why, and how. They take God at His word and trust that what He says is true. God wants all of us to be that way, from the youngest to the oldest. He wants all of us to trust that He knows best. After all, God has given each one of us life. He knows us far better than we know ourselves.

Heather Pours Drinks For Her Sisters at Delavan

One way to do the will of God is to simply help others. Even a child can do that.  Just serving a little sibling as Heather is doing in this picture prepares a person to do more acts of service as they grow up. We believe Heather has a heart of a servant. Her opportunity to help the handicapped did not begin recently. It grew over a lifetime of being faithful to help others around her. And that is something everyone can do.

Kristen Prepares Breakfast at Home

Serving others cheerfully is one thing we will do as we grow to be more and more like Jesus. We know from reading the Bible that He came to this earth to serve. In the New Testament we read about Him healing the sick, feeding the hungry, raising the dead, and teaching the truth. The main thing He did was come to this earth to die on the cross for sinners.

Jesus did not look forward to the suffering part, but he willingly gave Himself to be sacrified on the cross in order to satisfy the debt that we owe to God for our sin. The penalty was death and He paid it -- he paid it ALL because He loves us. Read John 3:16 and be reminded of how wonderful the love of Jesus is to US.

How Excited Are We?

Recently I watched an incredible video -- it brought me to tears and it crushed my heart as I realized very acutely that we take some of our richest treasures for granted. We all do that and it is a tragedy.

The video was about a tribe of people from Papua, Indonesia. This tribal group had never been able to read the Bible for themselves because it had never been translated into their language. But the wondrous day had come and all of the village was gathered about an air strip where New Testaments would finally be delivered to them. Villagers were dancing and displaying feathers and other finery. Excitement mounted as the plane approached, landed, and taxied to a halt. Two men sedately approached the plane and received the cases of God's Word in their language. An elder offered a prayer of thanksgiving. What an amazing scene! The entire village celebrated!

During an interview, one woman spoke of the blessing of being able to read the Bible to her children and her grandchildren. She said that after the adults are all gone, the children will be able to share the Bible with their children as well. What an invaluable inheritance they now have for their families.

How about us? We have many Bibles in our homes. Our parents, grandparents, and great grandparents always had access to the Bible in English. Other forebears speaking different languages (German, French, Spanish, Austrian, etc) were also privileged to have the Bible available to them. Do we cherish the Bible? Are we thankful we have this spiritual bread to nourish our souls? Or do we take this wonderful privilege for granted? People were burned at the stake and imprisoned so that WE could hold this precious book in our hands and read it with our own eyes.

As symbols of this blessing, I have been putting together some Scripture with family pictures as a symbol of the grace of God toward us. Grandchildren and others, we ought to be excited that WE have this Word for daily feasting!

  Keep watching! I will be adding more Scriptures and beautiful pictures of "persons, places, and things."

Would you think about these verses and  meditate on the beauty of the Bible and on the life that God wants to give each one of us. 

Ask the Lord to give you wisdom and understandting so that you can know and

do His will. And thank HIM for the incredible gift of having the Bible in English. And the ability to read and understand it.

Gramp and I will probably not have much in the way of material goods to leave behind when we die and go to Heaven. But we want to leave you something that is way more valuable.   

It is our greatest desire that we will be faithful in teaching you and showing you the wondrous grace of God. We hope you come to the place of trusting the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior and that you will live for Him in the now and in the forever.

The things of this world are just temporary, but the life of Christ is forever -- it is eternal. We know Him, His salvation, His love, and the joy of living in the light of His glory, we wait for Heaven. We pray that our family will all join us there!

Mother -- A Trust and A Calling

What do I say about my mother and motherhood in general. Stories about motherhood range from the sublime to the hilarious.

Our view of motherhood sees it as a TRUST. God entrusts us with his beloved, little creations so they might grow and develop and live out the plan that He has for them. We are to love and nurture and cherish the little ones who are sent into our families. We are to see that they are well fed, educated, and that they develop good character as they prepare to live in this world as adult members of society.

And it is a calling. The Christian mother is to teach and model the wonderful Gospel of the Lord Jesus every day before her children. She is a missionary, a teacher, an evangelist. And her ministry is to prepare children for God's Kingdom. She is to share God's Word and His love and to be an example of the believer to her family.

The mother I have known the longest is my own (imagine that)! My Momma has been one of my best friends as well as an authority in my life. Motherhood started for her, formally, on July 2, 1943 when I was delivered by C section. For 5 1/2 years I was the ONLY child. Being the first child, the first grandchild, the first niece, etc was a privilege. I really got a LOT of attention in those days. And I have some GREAT memories of it.

But, as with everyone else, life was not all sunshine and roses. When I was only 13 and Mom was only 34, she was widowed. Suddenly -- on November 8, 1956 -- we went from a rather comfortable little family on the farm to a struggling family -- struggling with loneliness, fear, and for me it was a struggle watching Mom carry all of the responsibility for a home and four children. It was the struggle of seeing Mom in tears, seeing her tired. I ached for her. (This picture was probably taken of us about six months after Mom was widowed.)

At that point in life, I became more of a companion than a daughter (in my mind). I felt a responsibility to help Mom, to keep her company, to do all I could to soothe the hurt that she was experiencing. It was a hard burden for a young teenager, but I would have had it no other way. It was a matter of honor and a matter of keeping my word to my Dad. Only a few weeks before he died he talked to me on a Sunday afternoon. He told me he had a feeling he wouldn't be around much longer and that when he died it would be very hard on my mother. He said Mom would be hurt enough and that I should be sure to never do anything to hurt her more. And when the accident happened and my Mom was widowed, it was already firmly planted in my heart, "I must do this", "I must not do that", etc. "I cannot hurt Mom."

I thank the Lord for that mandate because I am quite sure my teenaged life could have been different without that promise -- that compelling reason to care for Mom. My regret is that I should have wanted to live my life carefully to please the LORD first and Mom second. But though I was a Christian at the time, my focus was on Mom more than on the Lord. In thinking of it, I realize it was probably a maturity issue and a weak faith -- Mom was the one I could SEE.

I was very thankful when Mom remarried in 1961. It was wonderful for her to have a companion and for my brothers to have a man in their lives. It was so good to see her happy and cared for by a man who was truly a partner in every way. He cared deeply for her children and stepped naturally into the husband and father roles -- something new for him. Grampie Jim is the grandfather that my children knew on my side of the family. And I am very happy for them. He was delightful, always kidding with them and making them feel loved. In 1990, Mom was widowed again. This time we expected it, for Jim was ill with heart and lung diseases. He is SO missed!

On Mother's Day, 2011 my siblings and I were with Mom -- it was her 67th Mother's Day! That is a long time to be a mother, isn't it?

That was a great day for all of us! We have many reasons to be thankful. Most of all because Mom realizes that her role in life has been a trust and a calling. She has done her best to honor the Lord, to live a godly life before us, to reach us with the Gospel of Christ, to love us and care for us. I tell Mom that she is truly a survivor. She survived the great depression; she survived the separation when my Dad was drafted into the military during World War II; she survived the illnesses that plagued her when we were young (mostly phlebitis recurring in her legs); she survived the death of our father; she survived raising FOUR children; she survived Jim's illness, being widowed a second time, and living alone for many years, now. 

She is brave. She never gives up. She serves the Lord faithfully. She loves the Word of God. She is a champion mother and grandmother. She is a prayer warrior. I'd like to take just one of those things and do it well!

Sometimes What Seems Right Is Wrong

We have friends and loved ones in several states and communities who are in "hurting" relationships -- some within families, some within Churches. I have been doing a lot of thinking and have been in prayer about that. Some are choosing to stay with abusive situations -- others cut and run.

We realize that sometimes it is necessary to just leave a situation because it is abusive and dangerous. But with Christians that should only ...be done as a last resort. Our marriages are seen as analogous to the relationship between Christ and the Church. Our Churches are seen as a living organism, a Body! We must take this seriously and always, "as much as lies in you, live at peace with all. . ."

If you are in that kind of stress and conflict, you might be interested in our story -- the story from when we were young and foolish (now we say we are old and foolish, but I do hope that our experience helps SOMEbody in SOME way. I pray that is the case.

Years ago, when we were in our thirties, we left our Church. There was an issue going on that we just couldn't agree on. And, as with so many differences, it became a hurtful, devisive thing. And WE obsessed about it. In our heart of hearts we felt that it would be better for the Church AND for us if we just parted company. We felt that staying with the attitude we had would do more harm than good. So we left.

But we were wrong. The LEAVING was hurtful. It was like a divorce. . . or even worse than that. It was like a death but we never had a proper funeral. People were thinking: JESUS is still here; the WORD is still preached; WHY do they feel they cannot worship with us? There was so much grief -- for them and for us. We didn't know how they were feeling until years later when we went back and we never did tell them how we were feeling because by then it was no longer relevant. We were just glad to be home.

We still do not know who was right about the issue, but the issue is gone -- it was a temporary problem. But the issue is -- and was -- beside the point. The real point is that we were tempted and manipulated with a circumstance that caused pain and division that should never have occurred. I am just glad that God is gracious and that He is able to heal and forgive.

If you are ever in similar circumstances, I want you to know we love you and we continually pray that God will give you comfort and peace. We are also praying that "God will make a way where there seems to be no way. . . " . Take a look at Proverbs 3:5-6. We need GOD'S wisdom, not our own. I can think of no better advice!

When Troubles Come

OUR DIFFICULT DAYS: Grandchildren, there will always be times of sickness, trouble, grief, and stress in our lives. We cannot escape them. They are inevitable as we live in this broken world. All nature groans for the day that Jesus cleans up this world and restores everything that humankind and the devil have "messed up".

 

Someone said something recently -- or I read it somewhere -- that when we pray for difficulties to go away, we may be asking GOD to take away the very things that He is using in our lives to make us more like Jesus. So today I am asking the Lord to help me embrace the challenges of today and the coming days. I'm asking Him to give me a godly attitude as we see in James chapter... one:

"Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way."

We ought to ask ourselves some questions: What is it that we want most? Do we want our own way and lives of ease and comfort? Or do we want to be the people that God has created us to be? Do we want to escape from the grief of this life (which is only temporary anyway)? Or do we want to be used of God to show His grace to others?

There is a lot of soul searching going on here in my heart -- and I am thinking of a song called "To Be Used Of God". Here is the refrain:

“To be used of God, to sing, to speak, to pray
To be used of God, to show someone the way
I long so much to feel the touch of His consuming fire
To be used of God is my desire.” ~Audrey Mieir

 

** This picture is of Samuel and Robert Buza, just "chilling" at a family reunion