Fixing Our Gaze

For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

 (II Corinthians 4:17-18, NLT)

Does your gaze need fixing? Mine often does.

Sometimes life seems to be all mapped out and I’m comfortable with where things are. When my sons were little, they might have been underfoot quite a bit, especially with home schooling, but I knew where they were. I knew what the lesson plan was for the day and sometimes before four o’clock in the afternoon, what we were actually having for dinner. While there were days not enough seemed to get done, we had a routine of sorts. Yet life was never boring. We had plenty of  “interruptions." My parents needed care and we had to move them a few times. My husband, Jack, fell off the roof and broke many bones, landing in a wheel chair for six months. Later, Jack’s parents needed help. And in between there were the soccer games, art and music lessons, church activities, etc. Dogged by a lack of energy to begin with, I struggled to catch my breath and keep some semblance of order each day.

“Interruptions” can also take place in the lack of activity. As things seemed to be moving along in my career, I recently had a job with the right hours and the right distance from home . . . and then I was laid off. I had also felt plugged into a small spiritual community a couple of years ago, which was a great support to me, but I had to let go of when I returned to school and then again when I was working. Friends and family move away; we lose people we love. Life can change in a month or a moment. Suddenly we’re in the desert, when we least expect it—parched and alone.

Whether I was struggling to have enough energy to care for others, beyond the usual demands or being asked to sit still in the quiet, I am at a crossroads where the Lord asks, “Will you trust me for the answers?” Either I am leaning on Him for strength or wisdom—or both. I can choose to see such interruptions to my plans as mountains to climb in my own strength or I can see them as momentary troubles to help me focus on Christ and His will for my life. I can learn compassion and patience or give myself sleepless nights filled with worry.

The Lord allows for our best-laid plans to not always turn out for a reason. Our faith is
tested to help it grow. How we react and live through our troubles can give God glory when we do things right. We have an eternal hope in the unseen realm. Earthly troubles last for a short time compared to the eternity we will live with God in His glory. I don’t know just exactly what that will entail. Jack used to tell the kids when they were little that he was sure there would be ice cream in heaven. As much as I like ice cream, I have a feeling it’s going to be even better than that.

Lord, please help me to have the right heart attitude and to do a better job of waiting on You for guidance for the days ahead. Amen.

Saturday Spiritual Uplift - Faith, Not Fear

Faith, Not Fear

He renews my strength.
 He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.

Even when I walk
through the darkest valley, 
I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff
 protect and comfort me.

(NLT Psalm 23:3-4)

Remember when you were a child and you couldn’t sleep, because someone had told you a scary story or you had watched a frightening movie?  Or perhaps you have a little one in your house who wants you to repeatedly check for the monster under the bed or open the closet door to prove no horrible creature lurks there, waiting to jump out and devour them.

When I was a little girl, we had a Saturday afternoon program in the Detroit area, which played mostly old black and white horror movies—mild by today’s standards, but enough to fuel the imagination. I was probably nine or ten when I was allowed to start watching them. Back then vampires were villains that sucked the life out of you, leaving you doomed to the same evil form. 

To make matters worse, my upstairs bedroom had the door leading to the dust porch. What a convenient place for a ghoul to sneak in, despite Mom locking both the sturdy storm and inside doors. I was convinced that something would vaporize through the cracks around the frame! And I was sure, werewolves, or whatever else might lurk in the dark were athletic enough to climb up onto the porch and break the door down. I hid under the covers, so I couldn’t see shadows in the darkened room around me or anything that might think moved. I clung to my cross necklace or a rosary to protect myself, yet those were just symbols I held onto. 

How much greater is the real power of the One who overcame the cross and rose from the dead. Jesus Christ is here with us through each of life’s difficulties. As the shepherd would use the rod to protect the sheep from their predators or the staff’s crooked end to pull a sheep out of harm’s way, He is with His sheep today. One word from Him can fell our enemies. We can’t see what happens in the spiritual realm, but He is there.

We meet “darkest valleys” throughout our lives. Times when illness plagues us or returns when least expected, husbands or wives fall short of their wedding vows, friends hurt us deeply, someone we love is injured or dies. The car accident, house fire, job loss, deep disappointment and stress . . . on and on, life seems at times filled with these dark valley moments.

Jesus is always there with us, even when we can’t feel His presence. We need to turn our eyes toward Him and follow Him through the valley until we emerge out of it, whether here on earth or in His heavenly presence. These are times we can look back and often better see how the Lord worked in our lives.

While I can look back and smile at the thought of myself cowering under the blankets, because of imaginary monsters, I can have joy in the amazing things He has done in the past and will surely continue to do in the future. We can move forward with great confidence, knowing that the Good Shepherd watches over and protects us through whatever dark valley we face.

Heavenly Father, help us to remember you are with us always and to have the faith to continually trust in You. Amen.

Saturday Spiritual Uplift - Heating Things Up

Heating Things Up – A Real Beauty Treatment

Cut ruby, image in public domain via Wikimedia Commons

I have fun designing and making jewelry. I even took a metal smithing class a few years ago. Mainly, I enjoy creating bracelets and necklaces with beads right now, but on a whim I decided to look for a gemstone website to browse for fun. I love looking at the sparkly jewels, cut from the rock they were imbedded in, given precise faceting and polished to a reflective shine. Beautiful! God made these lovely gems and man used his God-given talents to bring out their brilliance.

Garnets are one of my favorite gemstones, which is a good thing, since it’s my birthstone. I’m amazed at how many different colors there are, from purplish to green! My husband gave me a lovely rhodalite garnet ring for my 30^th birthday, ahem, mumble years ago. The stone is a deep red color infused with shades of violet. It almost looks like a ruby.

Since I like red stones I also enjoyed looking at rubies on one of the websites I was browsing and learned something new. Did you know that all but the finest stones are usually heat treated to bring out their color? When a decent quality ruby is heated nearly to the melting point, a new crystalline structure is formed that brings out a deeper red. The lesser quality rubies have many little fractures, which are filled with dyed leaded glass to improve their appearance and lessen the flaws to the naked eye.

Heat treated rubies. Photo via Wikimedia Commons [cc] by
Mauro Cateb

The fracture filling technique sounds a lot easier on the ruby if you ask me, but you don’t get the same brilliance that the heating technique brings out. The Lord, however, is interested in making us more like His Son, Jesus right down to the insides of our hearts. He doesn’t want to perform a little slap and dab cosmetic fix on the outside, just so we look good. This is why the trials He allows in our lives put so much pressure on us. While we are already new creatures in Christ if we are His children, we still need the heat kept on us to help purge the impurities from these fleshly minds and hearts we still wrestle with. Our thought patterns need to be changed and we need to direct our hearts more toward Him.

I must confess that I find it difficult to be thankful for trials, yet I know I need to keep my eyes on Jesus, who has a reason for allowing or putting me through difficulties. As believers, it isn’t always easy to have an eternal perspective in a finite world, but I’m slowly learning. I guess the question for me is: Would I rather be like the ruby of lesser quality, fracture filled and looking good to others? Or would I prefer to be more like the ruby with a deeper, truer color, reflecting the beauty of Christ to others from the inside out? 

Lord, teach us to see trials as you do, as means of purifying our faith and making us more like You. Help us to trust You through the difficult times. In Jesus’ name we ask these things, amen.

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

(James 1:2-4, NLT)

These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

(1 Peter 1:7, NLT)

Information on rubies found at www.gemselect.com. 

SATURDAY'S SPIRITUAL UPLIFT

True Colors Revealed

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven . . . a time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 3-4)

Autumn is an interesting time of year. It’s a time of transition. Students and teachers are returning to their classrooms. Farmers and gardeners are harvesting the last of their crops. Homeowners are preparing their houses before the cold of winter descends. However, the hallmark of autumn, in regions where four distinct seasons occur, is the way deciduous trees burst into flames of color. Orange, yellow, golden and red leaves paint the horizon with their brilliant displays.

Did you know those hues are hidden underneath the green all spring and summer? Sunlight causes the leaves to produce chlorophyll, which helps to produce food for the trees and gives the leaves their green pigment. As the days grow shorter and there’s less sun, the amount of chlorophyll in the leaves reduces. As the green recedes, the vibrant pigments of the yellow to red spectrum appear.

While we rejoice when spring comes, bringing its verdant splendor, we can’t deny how autumn trees at their peak colors can cause us to catch our breath with its brief glory. I wonder, when I am under the strain of trials, like leaves losing their chlorophyll in the fall, is beauty revealed in my character? Will the Lord find in me a vibrant faith and trust in Him? Am I willing to offer a sacrifice of praise in the difficult times and thank Him in all things?

Honestly, He doesn’t always find that. Sometimes I feel more like the brown, crumpled and dried up leaf, clinging to the branch, because all I can do is hold onto Jesus and cry out to Him for help, tell Him how I'm hurting. My prayer is that as I pour out my heart to Him, even in times of sorrow and disappointment, Jesus will use these trials to help me change and grow, that I might shine for Him like a beautiful autumn leaf, dancing in the wind, while I’m still in this world.

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. (James 1:2-4 NLT)

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(Above image of leaves from Wikimedia Commons by Symphony 999)