Saturday Spiritual Uplift - Out of our Control

Out of our Control 

For the first time in my life I was driving a brand new car. We had leased a minivan, cherry red, one of my favorite colors, and I was returning from errands while my mom watched the kids for me. I waited to turn left on a four-lane road with no left turn lane. 

A minivan, driving the opposite direction crossed the line, careening toward me. My first thought was wondering if he thought he could turn left into the house on the right side of the street. Where did he think he was going? Barely having time to breathe a prayer for help, I held tight to the steering wheel, watching as the driver ploughed into the front end of my car, crushing the front bumper and the hood. The airbag inflated, then popped, skinning my arm. Other than that minor injury and the stress being hit head on caused, I walked away unscathed. God had protected me during an accident I hadn’t caused and couldn’t prevent.

I’m sharing this story, because so many God fearing parents today, myself included, have been watching some of their children take a path away from God. Some of these young people are making choices, which may cause irrevocable damage to their lives, others will live through the consequences that could have been avoided, but still be hurt by them. For many of us, it’s like watching a car wreck waiting to happen. We can do nothing in our own power to change it. We can cling to the Lord and pray, we can encourage each other with His word and wait on Him, while finding what we can be thankful for.

That day long ago, when I walked away from that demolished car, God woke me up to how fragile my life was. Yet he protected me through it and my children had been safe at home. The car had been stationary, so there was probably less damage due to a lesser impact than if I'd been moving.

Though we can’t always see it, the Lord is working and He is waiting, with even a deeper love for our children, for them to come back. He is with you as you wait on the road with the ring and the robe and the hug, for your prodigal to return.

In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”

 To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.

“A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. 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, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’

“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’

 “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ (Luke 15:10-24, NLT)

Saturday Spiritual Uplift - Staying Close

Staying Close

As I started reading Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young, all over again on January 1rst, I was struck by her candid sharing in her Introduction. She spoke of times when she felt Christ’s presence. This gave me a sense of longing. Somehow in the busyness of the holiday season and changing my routine, I found it harder to spend time alone with the Lord and really listen each day.

"Kittens spooning" from Wikimedia Commons
by Eli Duke

When my oldest son, Matthew, was an infant, he greeted me with smiles and jabbering first thing in the morning. When he was big enough to stand by the railing of the crib, he would reach his arms out to me. I would pick him up and change his diaper. Then we would settle down, so he could nurse, happily content. The nearness and warmth of my chubby baby and the fact that I could quench his hunger and give him a sense of security, made me happy.

I suspect that maternal instinct in me may be what makes me say, “Aww,” at the sight of a photograph of puppies or kittens snuggled up with one another, or with their mamas. Perhaps the positive experience I had with my own mother, knowing I could go to her when I needed a hug, makes me feel that way. Or maybe it's just the universal need humans have for love and acceptance.

When I was going through a difficult family time years ago, with no answers in sight, I would picture myself like a little child, sitting on Jesus’ lap and being held. That thought gave me the sense of security I needed at the time. And now, when I read my Bible and talk to Him, I ask the Lord to speak to me through his word and I wait for that clear sense of His direction. But it’s not always easy. Often it’s so difficult to quiet my heart and not jump ahead and worry about the day’s upcoming tasks. Yet Jesus is always there, waiting for me to return, whether I deserve it or not. Unlike a human parent, He is never too tired to nourish us with His word or hold us close and He wants to share His love and wisdom to light the way for us.

By Károly Brocky (1807-1855)
[Public domain], via
Wikimedia Commons
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t’s a New Year and time for me to start sitting quietly with the Lord each day, whether for 15 minutes or an hour, it’s the best way to be refreshed and carry on with the tasks He’s given me.

He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. (Psalm 91:4, NLT)

Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. (Luke 18:16, NLT)

My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. (I John 2:1, NLT)