Yesterday, in order to get where I wanted to go, I had to cross a bridge. I had come this way before and knew what a “white knuckle” experience it could be. Both the bridge and the winds were high. I held my breath, put my foot to the pedal, and forged ahead . . . carefully. I felt the steering wheel bounce in my hand; heard the whizzing sound as I moved within inches of the concrete wall, a wall that only reached to the handle of my car door and seemed to climb straight up to the sky; then saw the dizzying view of the rough waters below; and finally sighed with relief as I reached the apex and began my descent to safety. 

It’s a good metaphor. How often have we had to pass through a difficult situation or circumstance in order to get where we wanted to go? And it was a “white knuckle” experience, too; one that was scary and dangerous because it could cost us something. Yet, when we persevered, pressed our foot to that pedal, we eventually reached the apex of our problem and found our selves returning to secure ground. I could name some in my own life: the loss of loved ones, the loss of a job and home. Perhaps you could name others such as the loss of a marriage to divorce or the loss of a child to drugs.

If you’re like me, you’re not fond of bridges; preferring a smooth, flat road instead, a road that is safe and predictable. But sooner or later we’re all faced with a bridge, and in order to get where we want to go, in order to get to the other side, we must cross it. The good news is not that there will never be bridges in our lives, but that we don’t have to cross them alone. We have One who can help us, who can place His hands over ours to steady the wheel.  And whether the bridge is short or long, like all bridges, it does have an apex where the problem peaks and eventually leads to some conclusion, though not always the happy ones we envision. But even here, we have One who is able to comfort and sustain us through it all.

At present, it seems so many people are crossing bridges they’ve never had to cross before. If you’re one of them you already understand that no one can make that journey for you. But be of good cheer. You don’t have to go it alone. You have One that will make it with you, for “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1

Until next time,

Sylvia

I’ve never seen a time when so many people are so burdened. And it’s understandable for men and women are trying to keep a roof over their heads and food on their tables and care for their children while everything around them seems to be falling apart. They are losing their house, their job, their kids to the world and drugs, their marriages. They are in so much debt they can’t make ends meet. And many in governments world-wide seem to be acting unwisely and making decisions based on securing their own futures rather than those of their nation’s. Nothing seems to make sense anymore. All the so called “tired-and-true” methods are no longer working. How does one cope with the enormity of such problems? How can one carry such loads?

It’s simple, really. We turn to Jesus!  Didn’t He say in Matthew 11:29 “Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and you shall find rest unto your souls.” And 1 Peter 5:6-7 says, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you.”  Not only is Jesus able to carry our burdens, He wants to.

Like anyone who has lived a respectable number of years I’ve experienced burdens of my own: my husband did lose a job, we had to give up a home and change our lifestyle, there have been deaths in our family and serious illnesses, so I understand about burdens and don’t make light of them. I know expressions like “buck up” or “keep a stiff upper lip” or “time will heal all wounds” aren’t really helpful. Even a friend’s sympathy and hand-holding, while offering a measure of comfort, won’t really do anything to improve the situation.

Burdens are hard and stressful and take more than words and sympathy to handle. But one thing that works; one thing I’ve learned over and over again from experience is that no matter how difficult, no matter how heart wrenching the burden, God’s grace is truly sufficient. If we turn to Jesus He will supply our needs, He will carry that burden.  And when we think we can’t go any further, He’ll even carry us. He is the great I AM, the Alpha and Omega, and everything in between. Which simply means, He is all we could ever want or need. And while He carries our burden, He’ll give us the courage, wisdom and strength to see it through with Him. And that’s not all. He’ll even give us joy and peace in the midst of it. And that’s saying a lot in a world that has so little joy and peace even in the best of times. In the end, He truly makes us an over comer—a far better option that being left to our own devises where, more often than not, we’re prone to sink into confusion, self-pity and depression.

Be assured, Jesus is willing and able to be our burden bearer. The question is, will we let Him?

Until next week,

Sylvia

Beware of this valley.  It’s dangerous.  The name itself, Gerar, means to drag off roughly.  What happened here?  In Genesis 26:12-22 Isaac, Abraham’s son, has been mightily blessed by God and has “became very great,” so great in fact that the Philistines who lived in the area were envious and their envy drove them to stop up all of Isaac’s wells. And everyone knows how vital water is, especially in the Middle East.  Eventually, the local king got into the act and, in the interest of peace, asked Isaac to leave, thus Isaac was symbolically “dragged off roughly”, to the valley of Gerar.  But even here his troubles didn’t end because the new wells his herdsmen dug were contested by the herdsmen of Gerar.  After a cycle of digging wells then giving them up to the protesters, Isaac finally dug a well that he was allowed to keep.

So why do I think this is a dangerous valley?  Because it’s a valley that can easily breed resentment.  Imagine you are happy, “on top of the world,” and living in peaceful union with God, blessed mightily by Him, when all of a sudden, because of the sins or selfishness or carelessness or malevolence of others you are forced to go to a place you don’t want to go; forced to endure hardship, suffering, heartache, humiliation, all because of something someone else did. It could be a spouse who did not handle the finances wisely and now you are facing bankruptcy, or a spouse who has violated the marriage with an adulterous affair, or a business that has been mismanage and now you are out of a job, or a rebellious child who has run away from home and turned your world upside down.  It could be any one of a dozen things but the result is the same.  You find yourself where you don’t want to be, “dragged” there by someone else. And because you believe it’s not your fault, bitterness can sprout like a weed. 

Verse 19 of Genesis 26 tells us that in the midst of this valley, Isaac’s servants found a “well of springing water (KJV).” The Amplified calls it a “well of living (spring) water.” Jesus tells us in John 4:10 that He will give “living water” to whoever asks, the only kind of water capable of quenching spiritual thirst.  Gerar is a tough valley to be sure, but oh, what a deep and marvelous well God has for us there if only we ask!  It doesn’t have to be a place of bitterness.  It can be a place where circumstances make us more open to the Lord, as well as a place of deep refreshing.  As usual, the choice is ours.

Until next week,

Sylvia

Here’s a great story in Matthew 14: 24-32.  It was the fourth watch of the night, sometime between three and six in the morning. A boatload of apostles, under Jesus’ instruction to “go to the other side” many hours earlier, have made it only halfway because the wind kicked up and the waves have been tossing their boat around like a toy, impeding their progress. The Sea of Galilee was like that.  Calm one minute, treacherous the next. All of a sudden the apostles spot a man walking on the water.  “A ghost!” they cry in fear, for what else could it be?

But it’s Jesus’ familiar voice that rings back, “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.”  And it’s Peter who responds by asking Jesus to tell him to come walk on the water, too. When Jesus does, Peter gets out of the boat, and what do you know!  He really does walk on water, that is until he takes his eyes off Jesus and once again notices the boisterous winds and tossing sea, and then he starts sinking. 

What a lesson!  In this tempest tossed-world, with storms all around us to impede our progress, we don’t have to drown in our circumstances.  We can actually walk on these troubled waters, but only if we keep our eyes on Jesus.  The minute we take our eyes off Him and put them on our troubles, we’ll start sinking. There’s no doubt in my mind that had Peter kept his focus on Jesus he would have walked all the way across the sea to the other side.   Instead, Jesus had to pull the drenched Peter out of the water and into the boat. And I’m sure Peter’s heart broke a little when Jesus admonished him with, “O thou of little faith, wherefore didst though doubt?”

Most of us want to do what Jesus has instructed us to do.  But as the world becomes more unstable, and circumstances more trying, it’s easy to allow fear to enter. And when it does we have two choices: Do we keep our eyes on Jesus and allow Him to take us through? Or do we concentrate on our circumstances and allow them to overwhelm us?  I think we’re going to have many opportunities in the days and weeks and months ahead to answer that for ourselves.

Until next week,

Sylvia

I could write a book on this attribute.  Years ago, when my husband lost his job, it plunged us into financial hardship. At the beginning of this downturn, my husband and I made the decision that no matter what, we would be faithful in our tithes.  We were no strangers to tithing.  We had been tithing for years, but were often careless.  If we were short one week, we just put God off.  This time we promised ourselves we won’t do that.

But would we keep the promise? We had a son in college and a daughter who was getting married. Things were certain to get tight. On the other hand, surely this downturn would only be temporary.  My husband had great credentials and vast experience in his field. In no time, someone would snap him up.

He sent out one resume after another, even in response to jobs that were below his former position as Chief Financial Officer. But it seemed as if the resumes were falling into a black hole because no one ever contacted him.

This made change necessary. First, we sold our boat, then the house. We became renters and lived in a condo. Our lifestyle downsized, too.  Finally, through a friend, my husband landed a part-time consulting job. I had also gone back to work. But it was a full year before he was offered a permanent job that came with title, benefits, the works.  A full year of waiting on God; a full year of keeping our promise to Him concerning our tithe; a full year of fighting the temptation to wallow in discouragement.

But as we look back on it, we both agree it was one of our best years, for it was a year that we truly drew closer to God; a year where we got to know Him in a new and deeper way. Even to this day, when my husband and I talk about it, we marvel how, through it all, God met our needs, how He provided enough to keep our son in college; how He enabled us to give our daughter a nice wedding; and even to live in a lovely condo.

Since then, God has more than restored everything.  He has, in fact, given us a double portion.  Is God provider?  Well, to me, that’s an obvious “yes.”

Until next week,

Sylvia

Thanksgiving has made most of us take inventory of all the things we have to be grateful for: freedom, family, friends, a roof over our heads, clothes, food, health, a job. The list is endless.  God has been good to us. We are a blessed nation.  And most of us God lovers are greatly blessed individually, as well. But what would happen if we lost some of these blessings?  Would we still be grateful?  Still have an attitude of gratitude? Still believe God loved us?

“Americans don’t know how to do poor.” That’s what one Peruvian woman said who grew up in an 8x10 dirt floor shack with ten others. I think for the most part she’s right. I spent some of Thanksgiving listening to people who have traveled to places where entire populations had little freedom, clothing, food, shelter, or health. We take so much for granted.  And we American Christians often take God for granted, too.  We equate prosperity with our reward from God.  Some even believe it’s their due.  We’ve come to think like the world thinks. If we perform well, do all the “right” things, then God will bless us. But what if the blessings don’t continue to come? Or are removed altogether?  Does that mean God no longer favors us? 

It’s true that often God’s judgment for sin comes in the form of hardship, depravation, suffering.  It’s not true that hardship, depravation and suffering always mean God’s judgment or disfavor. After all, since the Bible says it rains on the just and unjust alike, the reverse is true: drought (or a down-turn economy) can affect both the just and unjust. Sometimes God allows hard times to come our way even when we’re doing everything “right”. Why?  Because He loves us.  Because He wants to forge our character, to sandpaper those rough edges of ours, to train us, to bring us into a deeper place with Him. Think back.  Wasn’t it during those difficult times that you learned the most?  Grew the most as a person?

Some of us are facing tough times now. Many others will probably face them before too long.  A portion of these problems might be self inflicted. If they are we can learn from them as well. But others are inflicted upon us.  No matter what the case, we can learn and grow. And if we have an attitude of gratitude, if we trust God to see us through, we can end up on the other side better than when we began. 

As we near the end of a difficult 2009 and look forward to an uncertain 2010, let us keep our eyes on God, the One who is our refuge and strength in times of trouble.

Until next week,

Sylvia