Blessed Be the Name of the Lord

We sang the song again at church today.....the one that used to make me cringe. (Sometimes, I admit, I still do cringe a little.) The song is "Blessed Be Your Name" by Matt Redman. The song talks about praising God when things are going well.....and continuing to praise Him when things aren't going so great. I love much of the song. It's got a great tune. I love what many of the words say.....and then.....there are those words that are difficult to sing sometimes....the ones that made me cringe.

In Job 1: 21,22 Job is speaking and he says, "....'Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.' In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong."

Job is speaking right after a time in his life when he lost many things and people. His servants were killed. His animals were lost. His sons and daughters passed away. And yet, Job still says, "Blessed be the name of the Lord." What faith. What a lesson for us.

....what a lesson for me.


Part of the song I'm speaking of says:

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your Name.

When I sang those words, I would think about all the things and people I loved that had been taken away from me. I had been through a rather difficult time in my life and singing those words were really something that was hard for me to do. One Sunday as we were singing it.....and I was cringing inside....God reminded me of something. Yes, He will allow us to lose things and loved ones at times....people die....situations change.....but that day, God reminded me that He also takes away the hurt and the brokenness and the pain we feel. Those things don't last forever.

Yes, there are sometimes very difficult things that we go through in life. We do need to choose to praise God no matter what is going on around us because He is good...He is worthy of praise....He is to be honored even in our brokenness. We don't praise God for the bad things that happen in our world; we praise Him for who He is.

I am to praise God when my world is sunny and everything is going along smoothly and wonderfully.....and I'm also to praise Him when things aren't going as great as I'd like them to be....for He is God. That day at church, He reminded me that He is with me through all of the painful situations I go through. And the pain won't last forever....He will take that away, too.

And for that, I'm very grateful.

"The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord."

The Concert

I went to a concert last night. There were several different singers on stage throughout the evening. Every so often, they moved to the extreme left and right sides of the stage and touched those who had extended their hands toward them. As I watched this going on, I noticed a little girl....she was sitting in a seat lower than most of the others....and she was short....so it was difficult for the singers to reach her. I saw her as she extended her hand and waited. A particular singer passed her by and touched others. I thought, "Oh, that little girl is going to be so disappointed." But she turned to her mother, smiled, and sat down. Several times throughout the show, the girl extended her hand and, from what I saw, was not touched. Finally, near the end of the show, a singer headed over in that direction once more. I prayed, just as I had prayed several times before, that this singer would touch the little girl's hand. The singer walked slowly to that side of the stage....then she stopped, gently squatted down, and reached out and touched the girl's hand. After she was touched, the little girl clenched her hand in a fist as a sign of victory and turned to her mother....I didn't really see what took place after that, because I was saying thanks to God that someone had finally connected with the little girl....someone had seen her and had taken the time to reach out to her.

There are people all around us who are just like the little girl I saw that night at the concert. Oh, they don't extend their hand in a way that says, "Touch me, please." But they're there...in our families, among our friends, in the midst of those we come into contact with at work...and they're even among the people we've never met before that we see at the grocery store, the theatre, or wherever our daily lives may take us. They're there and they are just as hungry for a touch as that little girl was. You have to look for them, though, because like the little girl, they may have a smile on their face, though all the while they are yearning to connect with someone. Maybe they need someone to listen to them...someone to help carry the load of a situation they're going through. Maybe they need a hug or just a smile. Maybe they need some encouragement or someone to help them as they go through the illness of a loved one. Maybe they just need to know that someone cares about them and that they are loved.

Will you be like that singer?.....Will you reach out to someone who is hungry for a touch of some sort in their lives?

Today, really take the time to look at those around you....look in the eyes of those who cross your path....and if you see someone in need, stop and reach out and help them.

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God." 1 John 4:7

Car Wash

My car was dirty!! (I'm not the best at keeping it clean!) Often it needs a good washing. And the inside is sometimes (actually often!) a mess! But today was the day it was going to be washed. Finally, a bath for my car....I wanted it to look SPIFFY!! I had to drive for quite a while before I found a carwash. When I finally found one, I heaved a sigh of relief and pulled into the automatic wash. When I drove out, I was so pleased with how my car looked...until I turned toward the sun. With the light of the sun shining in, I could see that my windows were not completely free of dirt....and I said out loud, "I still need to clean the windows from the inside." It made me think about how many times we try to make the outside look good to "blend in". Our hair is done, we have new clothes and some fashionable shoes, our make-up is just right. And we do look good....on the outside. But how many of us still need our "windows" cleaned from the inside? When we turn toward the Son and His light shines into our lives, it becomes quite clear what needs cleaning inside our hearts and minds. We're able to make ourselves look good on the outside, but only God is capable of making each of us SPIFFY on the inside!!

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1: 9

Comfort

Ever wanted to go back and change things? Press "rewind" and start a day fresh and new? Shout, "Do over!" like we used to do when playing childhood games?

I have. Sigh.

I messed something up. It was my fault. No one to blame but myself.
...And now I'm feeling kinda crummy.....

But the thing I'm thankful for...the thing I know without a doubt....is that God loves me and He's with me....and no matter how much I mess up, He'll always be there for me. THAT gives me comfort....even now, when I should have done things differently....and when I long to go back and do things over again....I can count on God to listen to me as I pour out my hurt, to bind up my wounded heart, and to send me on my way, comforted, and with my hand safely in His.

"...casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." 1 Pet. 5:7

All Things Are Possible

While driving home last night after visiting a friend, I was listening to music and singing....and thinking about something that I've dreamed of and prayed about for several years....wondering about the steps ahead. It's funny how you can sing words to songs and not really think about them or apply them to your life. I have known one of the songs I was listening to for a few years...and have applied it to other situations in my life....but I've sung it a lot in the past couple of months and never once thought about it in relation to what I was thinking about tonight. One of the lines in the song is "....in the power of Your name, all things are possible." And tonight as I was driving, the realization finally came to me that this song also spoke of what I was thinking of. All things are possible....even this....if it's God's will. The thought of that made me smile....a holy revelation that I was slow to "get"....but better late than never! There came a comfort and a freedom in resting in God about this....if He wants it to happen, He is more than capable of bringing it to pass.....and if He doesn't allow it in my life, then I trust Him that there's a reason for that, too, though I may never know what that reason is. God can use all that happens (as well as the things that don't happen) to shape me and mold me into the person He wants me to be and to accomplish His purpose for my life. I will do the things I can do in the development of what I'm praying about.....and then leave the outcome in God's hands.

After all, He knows what I need and what's best for my life.

I trust Him....with open hands before Him....

with it all.

Psalm 117

I sighed and thought, "It's another Psalm 117 night." A "Psalm 117 night" for me is when I only read Psalm 117 because I'm too tired to read anything else in the Bible. It usually means that either my life is incredibly busy or that I haven't managed my time well that day. You see, Psalm 117 is the shortest Psalm in the Bible....so if I'm feeling wiped out, I choose to read that because I can read it quickly and it fulfills my desire to read something from the Bible each day. Of course, reading it quickly and not really thinking about it doesn't really do all that much for my spiritual life. Oh, I feel better that I read something from the Bible, but it doesn't touch my heart as much as it does when I really sit down and give my total attention and some quality time to my reading. (And before I go further, I need to say that Psalm 117 is a great Psalm....it's just that I don't think God intended for me to use that Psalm as a "quick read" before I go to bed just so I can feel like I read something from the Bible that day.) Anyway, that night I read Psalm 117, fell into bed, and because I was craving God, I prayed, "Lord, please feed my soul." Immediately, I realized that He couldn't "feed" my soul when I wasn't "eating"....He couldn't fill me up spiritually if I wasn't reading the Bible. Reading Psalm 117 the way I was doing...quickly and without too much thought ...was like only eating a snack. I was hungry and I needed a meal. I determined in my heart to do better.

I still have "Psalm 117 nights".....honestly, some nights I'm so tired that I don't even read anything from the Bible....though I try really hard not to do that. The Bible says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." (James 4:8) When I read His word, I draw near to Him and He draws near to me....many times, I feel His presence....I have more inner strength to get through my days....I'm more at peace and my heart is filled with joy. And I learn about the person that I consider to be the most important in my life...Jesus.

Yes, I realize God understands when we're tired...He knows we're human. I don't think He's up there in heaven looking down on me angrily on the days I don't read from the Bible at all or when I only read Psalm 117....but I think He does desire to spend time with me....with all of us. One of my pastors used to say, "God has nothing better to do than to spend time with you." I love that! And I want to spend time with Him because I love Him.

And now....if you'll excuse me....

.... it's time to "eat"! : )

The Real Thing

I love genuine people...you know, the ones who are "real". The people who behave the same way with one group as they do with another....who act in private just as they do when they're out in the world among many. I love people who aren't afraid to just be themselves and act silly, laugh about embarrassing things that have happened to them, and openly reach out and love others.

Oh, I know there is a time and a place for acting "dignified" and putting your best foot forward, but even in those situations, genuine people are able to remain "real"....able to retain that sense of being "down-to-earth" and approachable. They don't think of themselves as better than others. They know we're all in this life together and they try to help others and make their burdens lighter.

Yes, I love genuine people.

I pray to be one of 'em.

Drummer Boy

Sometimes I feel like the little drummer boy....the one who has no gift to bring. I don't sing (well, yes, I do sing....a LOT....but nobody would be lining up to hear ME sing! LOL!!), and I don't play the clarinet anymore (not a large market for a clarinet-playing adult unless you're REALLY good and in an orchestra or something....and, yeah, I'm definitely not that good!). I'm too old to twirl baton (but I do twirl my pencil at times...and the handle of the handbasket at the grocery store every once in a while!). I can't do stand-up comedy (though I can make my friends laugh on occasion). I don't speak in a lecture series. I don't act on stage (though I can fake people out pretty well when I'm joking around about something). I can't really sew or cook...though I can sew on a button when needed and I use a microwave as well as the next person!....yeah...not really anything to give it sometimes seems. The little drummer boy....he and I....we're two peas in a pod. I know there are things I do to help others...things I do that make a difference in the world....but a gift? Something to give back to God? Sometimes it seems the only thing I have to give are words. I don't write eloquently, though I wish I did....there are so many people who do. But in God's hands....He can multiply what I do give...the things I do write...little and lacking though it all is. He can multiply it like the fish and the loaves....if He chooses....maybe let it feed hungry hearts just as the fish and loaves fed hungry people. I pray He does that. I pray He somehow uses the words I write to touch the hearts of others.

And maybe....maybe Jesus would even smile at me and at what I've written....just like He smiled at the little drummer boy and his drum in the song so many of us have sung.


At least I hope He does....

Cause words are what I bring.
It's the gift I lay before the King.


Pa rum pum pum pum.

Sunsets

There's nothing like a great sunset!! Sometimes I drive west just to see the colors of the sunset swirled around in the sky. Purples, reds, blues....so many colors painting beauty in the sky. And I'm thankful that God has made the world so lovely for us to see.

One day I was thinking about sunsets...and one thing I noticed about them is that often the most beautiful ones are made when there are clouds in the sky. If there are no clouds, the sunset is pretty but not nearly as rich and colorful as when there are some clouds for the sun to shine its light through. And so it is with our lives....no one goes through life without any "clouds" overhead.....so often, when our lives have been clouded with trials and hurts, heartaches and difficulties, those are the times that the grace and mercy of God are most evident in our lives. The Son shining down on us....causing all things to work together for good....even the clouds in our lives....swirling events and people, days and years all together and making something beautiful out of it all in ways that I will never understand ....just as He swirls together the colors of a magnificent sunset.

But we have to look for it...we have to take the time to look back at our lives to see the way that God has brought us through the difficulties we've faced...He is faithful...He has worked things out in the past....we have to trust Him to do the same in the future.

We're all so busy. We often miss looking at sunsets. And we often miss looking at the way that God has worked in our lives....the way that He has worked things out for good. Take time now to look....today watch the sun as it sinks low on the horizon....and as you see the beauty of the sun shining through the clouds in a peaceful sunset, remember that the Son is able to shine through the clouds in your life and somehow make something beautiful as well.

Yes, God will work all things together for good.

You can count on it....

....cause He said He would.

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." Rom. 8:28

Still Waters

A few months ago, I was so busy that I almost felt like I was drowning....(not drowning at that moment, but almost, and it wasn't even the busiest time of the year for me.)....so much to do....stuff going on, etc....then later that week at church, the pastor spoke about Peter when he was walking on the water...he talked about situations when you feel like you're drowning. It was exactly what I needed to hear. I hadn't been to the beach for awhile so after church I went there to do some paperwork and to write. As I stood looking at the ocean, I thought it was kind of funny that I finally made it to the beach with all that water in front of me when just a few days before I had felt kind of like I was drowning. Then the ocean became quiet....no waves....calm water....and it made me think of the part in Psalm 23 where it says, "He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul." That's exactly what God did for me that day....he restored my soul. But then doubt began to creep in and I wondered, "What if I go to work tomorrow and I start feeling like I'm drowning again?".....I remembered (well, I think God had me remember) the part in Matthew that says, "Don't worry about tomorrow. Each day has enough trouble of its own." I knew that things would get hectic again and there would be times in the future when I felt like I was drowning, but that day God helped me be ready for the week ahead and reminded me to just take one day at a time. It's something I need to be reminded of constantly....you, too?

If you're busy and things are hectic...you have so much to do you think you'll never get finished....remember that God loves you. He cares about everything that happens to you and about how you feel.. Spend some time with Him and let Him restore your soul.

He will be with you always and He will help you through everything you're going through....one day at a time.

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matt. 6:34

Friendship

I have a dear friend that I met at work. Our rooms were right beside one another....she was in Room X and I was in Room Y. We could often be found in one another's rooms talking and laughing. We joked about tearing out part of the wall and putting a door between our rooms. Over the years, we had some room changes....ended up being completely across campus from each other. Then we changed schools...and though we were both at the same school, our rooms were not next door to one another.

A couple of years ago, my friend changed schools again....I didn't. We were on the same road...miles apart. I said the road was just a long hallway between us. (Smile.) Then, because of certain circumstances I, too, decided to change schools. I prayed and God seemed to be leading me to the same school she was at....I prayed some more and He answered my prayers in ways that confirmed to me that this was a change I should make and that was the place I should go. So....I changed schools.

And I have to say, God does care about friendships and dreams...light-hearted joking that expresses honest feelings. It is many years later (trust me on the MANY years...I'm old enough that I don't want to say!) from the time we first met and taught side by side in Rooms X and Y. We've taught in several different rooms at several different schools. And now?

Now, we're at the same school....teaching right next door to one another.

She is in Room X and I'm in Room Y.

....And there's a door in between!

Isn't God good?!!

Never Know

Several years ago, I walked into the house and said quietly to my roommate, "I think I just saw someone get killed." The news reports later confirmed what I thought I had seen.

I was driving home after checking on a house for a friend who was out of town. I was driving safely in the flow of traffic, but I felt impressed by God to slow down...so I did. The wind was blowing and suddenly I could see dirt flying across the freeway ahead of me. Then...it was surreal....an electronic message sign on the freeway started falling over, as if in slow motion, right onto the lanes of the freeway....blown over by the wind. I prayed for the people ahead of me...that everyone would be able to get out of the way. I thought everyone had cleared the sign and I got over in the next lane to go around it. As I was changing lanes, a car drove right in front of me and I slowed down so as not to hit it. The car kept going slowly across all the lanes of the freeway and then stopped at the side of the road as if someone had intended for it to be parked there. I pulled in front of the car, jumped out, and headed back to see if the person was ok...but a gentleman who had pulled in behind the car got there before I did. He looked into the driver's side window, and then looked at me with a pained expression on his face, put his hands up in a way that told me not to come any closer, and shook his head. I'm a pretty determined person, at times, and I don't always do what others think I should do, but something in his face made me stop where I was. The man and I exchanged a few words and then I got back in my car and drove away. There was nothing I could do and I didn't want to hinder the emergency vehicles that would soon be there.

I drove home in shock. The line between life and death has always been somewhat difficult for me to comprehend. One second someone's alive, the next they aren't.

If I hadn't slowed down earlier when I felt impressed to, would I have been under that sign at the time it fell? And the car of the man who died in the accident....it looked like it was being driven across the lanes and intentionally parked at the side of the freeway...did God make sure it happened that way so others weren't injured by a car that had no driver?

I don't know the answer to those questions...but I do know that we don't know when our last day on earth will be. That man didn't know that his life would come to an end that day. He got into his car and headed out for his destination just as we all do.

Maybe you happened upon my blog on the internet while surfing....maybe you're one of my friends and you clicked on my blog intentionally.....no matter who you are...however you came to be reading this...God loves you very much! He wants you to know Him. If you haven't checked out the Bible, please do that. Ask God to make Himself real to you and He will.

He made Himself real to me.

Anticipation

I'm excited! I get to spend the 4th of July with my friends in a small town! I know that probably sounds strange, but I grew up in a small town....we had the whole 4th of July celebration thing going on with little booths and book sales...good food....fireworks at the end of the day. We kind of have that where I live now, but it's not the same as the feeling you get when you're in a small town. So I'm happy. It will be a little bit like being home for the 4th. And my friends....they make me feel so loved! (as do all my friends) I talked to ____ on the phone yesterday morning....we talked about my flying up to see them. I have to be back at a certain time and the inexpensive flights aren't always the most convenient so it makes things a little tricky trying to figure out flight times and times that are convenient for them to pick me up and drop me off at the airport.....and then there is the question of which airport would be the best to fly into. Last night, I was gone...I came home to two messages from her on my answering machine...."Let us know when you're coming!" "We'll pick you up; it doesn't matter what time." "Just tell us when and where." I could hear her husband in the background say, "Any airport." (Smile.) God has given me such great friends! So I booked my flights and I'm excited to see my friends and celebrate the 4th....in a small town like home!

The Airport

Her eyes looked tired but kind. She walked with a limp and leaned awkwardly over to speak to the person checking bags. She was in uniform. I looked at her with empathy and in awe that one so young and innocent could have lived through and seen the atrocities of war. I watched her as she walked toward me and when she was beside me, our eyes met. She gave a slight smile and I returned one. I hesitated a second, not wanting to bother her, but then I had to say, "Thank you for serving." She smiled slightly as she had done before and gave a little nod. Then she limped on.

....and my eyes filled with tears at the encounter.