Angels

    Sadness abounds in the world around us. As the earth decays, morality crumbles, and tragedies occur, it is almost more than we sometimes feel we can bear. We fail to recognize the true scope of the glory of God and His power and love. Not only did God send His Son to die for us and His Spirit to dwell within us, He has also surrounded us with angels.
    Angels were the topic of a recent Bible study evening. Perhaps we are sometimes tempted to imagine angels are some sort of myth. Yet the Bible Doctrine and Practice says we can understand from Scripture that there are thousands times thousands and thousands upon thousands of angels. These beings are wonderful, awe-inspiring creations of God. We do not understand all of the work of angels, but we do know that they are interested in man and that God sometimes uses them to care for us. Who among us hasn't thrilled to hear a story where the conclusion of the matter is, "It must have been an angel!"?
    So often we get wrapped up in the negatives. Revelations speaks of the war in Heaven where Satan rose up in pride in an attempt to claim the highest throne for himself. In poetical language, chapter twelve, verse four, says that "his tail drew the third part of the stars of Heaven, and did cast them to the earth."
    Our minds stop on that number, appalled that so many would have been caught in Satan's web and cast out with him. There must have been much sorrow that day. 
    I'm not much one for math, but I can do simple fractions, and a new thought suddenly hit me. If one-third of the Heavenly beings chose darkness, that leaves two-thirds that chose light, exactly double the number of the falling away. 
    With the realization that good outweighs evil two to one, my hope is restored. Why do I fear the evil spirits lurking and tormenting? For we have it in the Bible that they are outnumbered. Good abounds. Joy is possible. Peace is plausible. God did not leave us outnumbered by the foe. It is not an impossibility to survive the darkness in this weary world. We need not fear the sadness, trouble, and turmoil that we see about us.
    God has set angels about His people. Let us thank Him for sending this source of protection, these warriors, already experienced on the battlefield, that likely know more than we do of the sheer cunning of the enemy. In the darkest nights and the worst storms, it is a blessing to imagine God directing His angels to stand guard.
    Although we are still required to step up and do our part, it is a relief and comfort to know that God has promised to leave us never alone. Recognizing the Holy Spirit as our Everlasting Comforter, and God as the greatest power ever to exist, I believe He has sent His angels outnumbering the enemy, as well. It is no accident. May we ever praise His name.

I feel like my understanding of angels is very small, but I was encouraged after our Bible study. Please feel free to correct any misconceptions I have. I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences on angels, too!

Choices

     I first heard this story a couple years ago at a school meeting. The speaker did an outstanding job in his telling, which I can in no way replicate here. I am thankful for the inspiration he was given and his willingness to share. It is not the intention to glorify war in any way.

    Choices. We all have an incredible number of choices to make every day. What we often fail to remember is that our choices are often made by our actions beforehand. Are we preparing ourselves in our daily lives to be ready for the responsibility of choice when it comes? One young man was.

    This event took place on November 26, 1943. It was night near the Gilbert Islands. The United States Navy was preparing for their first-ever attack launched from an aircraft carrier. The planes left the ship one by one, and begin their flight across the ocean. A young commander, Edward (Butch) O'Hare, was leading the formation when they were set upon by several Japanese torpedo bombers. O'Hare never hesitated and did not flee. Instead, he wheeled about and begin a counter-attack which resulted in five of the nine enemy planes being shot down before his own F6F Hellcat spiraled out of the sky, never to be found. O'Hare was the first naval recipient of the Medal of Honor of World War II. When his choice came, he did not hesitate. He was ready.

    Now let's travel back in time to the streets of Chicago. You could make good money there if you had the right connections, and Easy Eddie did. He was a lawyer working under the mob boss Al Capone. But there was a problem. He had a son, a very bright boy with the possibility of a good future. Easy Eddie knew that his son would have great difficulty living up to his potential when people realized to whom he was related. If only his son had a clean name! 

    Eddie recognized that there was a way for his son to get a clean name, but it would not be an easy one. In order for his son to have a chance in life, Eddie would have to make changes himself. He would have to quit the mob. 

    Quitting the mob was not something one did lightly. Eddie knew what happened to men who quit the mob. He had worked with Capone long enough to realize that. But what was worth more? His life, or the future of his son? He wrestled with the decision into the early hours of many nights. Finally, his choice was made. He gathered papers of incriminating evidence and handed them over to the authorities. Today, many people believe that without this important evidence Capone would likely never have been convicted of his many wrong-doings. Two days after Easy Eddie made his decision for the right irreversible, he was dead.

    This is the true story of the decision that gave Edward O'Hare the courage he needed to break up the attack of an enemy squadron. You see, the lawyer that chose to leave the mob? That was Edward's father.

    Let us strive to live our lives in such a way that we will be ready to make decisions for the right when those choices come our way. We cannot know how many people those decisions will impact. Choices in the things we say, in how we react to circumstances, in how we use our time, or choose to reach out to others. 

    Because we cannot predict what situations we will find ourselves in, we cannot plan every response. Nor are we always blessed with time to ponder before making a decision. But we can prepare. We can prepare ourselves by deciding every day to lean upon the everlasting arms of a Father in whom we can trust in any circumstance. In the words of of Joshua, we can prepare every day if we "Choose...this day whom ye will serve;...as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

    If this is the earnest cry of our hearts, there will be grace to overcome. There will be courage to take a stand. There will be guidance to make the right decisions. May we live every day in preparation for the choices which we face.

Hiding Under Boxes

     Some years ago, my family owned and operated a small local store. One of our acquaintances, Lenora, needed a job, so we offered her a position. One day a customer came around a shelf and recognized her. Immediately there was a round of "Hello's!" and "How are you's?" and "So good to see you's!"
    As soon as the customer left the store, Lenora turned to the rest of us. "I cannot stand that woman!" she said. We were surprised. We would never have guessed it while the two of them were conversing!
    A few weeks later Lenora had a chance to prove to us just how much she really disliked the woman. She saw the familiar car pulling up near the storefront. "Quick!" she hissed to her friend, who happened to be by the counter. "Help me hide!" The rest of us watched in amazement as she crouched on the floor and her friend covered her inert form with a pile of clothes and boxes that lay nearby. 
    The customer approached the counter. It was difficult not to look toward the innocuous pile of clothes which was trembling slightly as the woman made her purchases and left the store. 
    Consistency. How honest are you? The Bible advises us to let our communication be, Yea, yea; nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil (Matthew 5:37). Have you ever been caught in the trap of acting like someone's friend to their face and then gossiping behind their back? Do you try to soothe your conscience by hiding under a box emblazoned with the words "Bless her heart?"
    There are other areas. Do I righteously agree that listening to secular music is a bad idea, but then have a private playlist I turn to at the hour of midnight? How about the times I know the right words to say to make myself look good to others, whether it be at a youth function or a staff visit? When we are asked questions we don't wish to dwell on and people get too close to our uncomfortable truths, many of us have a pile of boxes we burrow under in a hurry, excuses that we always turn to no matter how shaky they may be.
    Let your yea be yea, and your nay, nay. How confusing it must be to my students when I let something go one day, but then get onto them the next! My witness surely becomes muddled when I speak about obeying authority, then grumble wrathfully about some law or guideline I don't appreciate. 
    None of us are perfect, but we need to strive to be consistent in and out. What I say to one person needs to line up with what I tell someone else. Actions need to line up with my beliefs. Don't act friendly one day if you plan to hide under a pile of clothes tomorrow. No, you can't go around being rude to people, but you need to work on the root of the problem, not try to tell yourself you're doing the best you can by avoiding the problem.
    It's not easy. It can be embarrassing and vulnerable to remain open and honest, yet striving for consistency will help you keep to the path you wish to travel more than you think. You can't trick yourself into believing you are OK in your Christian life if you refuse to hide under the boxes and instead take an honest look at your discrepancies.
    I want to look clearly at my life and take consistency to heart. I want to learn to be open to the places where my path may lead if I commit whole-heartedly to letting my yea be yea and my nay be nay. Throw out the boxes. Toss the old clothes. Let's stand tall with nothing to hide, knowing that God himself blesses the heart that has the courage to be honest and consistent in all one does.

A Mary in a Martha World

   This experience came to me a couple years ago, and it has been on my mind again as of late, so I thought I would share it with you. Perhaps you will understand being a burden-bearer, too. 

    "Be a Mary in a Martha world."
    The thought came to me out of the blue that I needed to stop being such a Martha. I scoffed at the idea. Me? a Martha? Anyone that knows me recognizes that the thought is absurd. To put it delicately, no one has ever mentioned housekeeping as one of my talents. I'm certainly not one to abandon good conversation in favor of kitchen duties. I'm not one of those wonderful people that rush about the community distributing food and good cheer. 
    But then, stealing in softly as these things are wont to do, came a second thought. "What about your concerns and worries for those around you? Don't you take those upon yourself?"
    It was true. Hadn't I been valiantly struggling to carry with me the many concerns I felt for those I saw struggling about me? Hadn't I struggled under the weight of burdens for my friends who had lost the way? Didn't I worry incessantly about the choices my acquaintances seemed to be making? Yes, yes, and yes. 

    How much better if I could only have taken them to the feet of Jesus! Instead of letting those things overwhelm me, I needed to learn that there was a blessing in letting them go, resting securely in my trust in Jesus, and listening to His heartbeat.

    I've concluded there are many ways of being a Martha. Jesus stands by speaking to us in tender tones, begging us to lay aside our doubts and fears, the burdens He never meant for our shoulders to bear. He longs for us to come close to Him where we can rest our sorrows at His feet and feel the presence of His peace. 

    In the world around us we see teeming millions of Marthas, struggling beneath the weight of many burdens. The cares and trials that come, the heartaches that many believe will never ease, are also familiar to the child of God. Yet we have a solace in taking our cares to Jesus and leaving them there. Come sit with me at His feet. Let us each strive to choose the better part and learn to be a Mary in a Martha world.

Southern Rainstorm

     We were on the way home from a wedding and it was dusk. The rain started with a few large drops on the windshield. Suddenly a deluge hit us. We were trying to listen to an evening service being streamed out, but the noise of the rain muffled the speaker's voice. The traffic slowed to a crawl. Vehicles put on their flashers. Some pulled onto the shoulder and stopped. I strained my eyes, unable to make out the lines separating the three lanes of traffic I was travelling with. As my windshield wipers worked at high speed, I struggled to tell if the vehicles ahead were moving or stopped. If you've ever driven in a southern storm, you can probably identify.
    "Oh, God!" I pled, "I really wanted to hear this speaker, and I can't even drive in this! Please make this rain stop!"
    Within a minute or two, the torrent eased up. Soon it was just a smattering of drops. Later I found out my sister, who was travelling with me, had been praying also.
    Although dark clouds continued to billow across the sky and lightening and thunder flashed and crashed, there were no more downpours for the rest of our seven or eight hours worth of driving.
    Coincidence? I think not. I no longer remember what the speaker said that evening, but I do remembered the love of a God that cares enough to halt a storm. It continues  to amaze me how faithfully God answers prayer. Why do we wait to call on Him? Why do we doubt?
   Sometimes I think our lack of faith is based partly in our lack of  understanding how great His love for us really is. Don't doubt Him. His promise is for everyone. Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. (Jeremiah 33:3) I want to grow in understanding the power of prayer and in fully trusting the faithfulness of my Father. 
    As we face the coming days, let us share with each other our fears and our pain. Let us pray for one another and pray together for those we love. Our God is a God of miracles, of great and mighty things. Let us never doubt the wonders that He is able to perform.

His Love

     I have been amazed at God's love for His children again and again. He obviously watches over us from on high and truly wants the best for us. He cares so much that He gives us things we in no way can ever deserve.
    This last Christmas the Sewing Circle offered to sew dresses for the teachers in preparation for the annual Christmas activities. I was delighted, for Christmas is one of the busiest, most stressful times in a teacher's life. However, when was I to find a spare hour to cut out dresses? I wasn't even sure I had any suitable fabric.
    As I pawed through the stash on my shelf, a bag caught my eye where I sometimes store sewing supplies. I took it from the shelf and opened it, supposing I would find patterns and scissors inside. I could hardly believe what I found! Inside, neatly folded, were the pieces to a dress I had cut out over the summer, ran out of time to sew, and promptly forgotten about once the school year started. It was even in Christmas-y colors! A feeling of overwhelming love swept over me. My heart whispered a thank you to God for this testimony of His love for His child.
    Another day filled with its own stresses is also held precious in my heart. The few short days of the week in no way seemed long enough to afford the time I needed to prepare for a business trip to a different state. Only a few days before my departure, I received a message from the gentleman making arrangements. Due to circumstances, would I be able to push the trip to a later date? My heart was filled with wonder and my eyes with tears as I recognized God's intervention on my behalf. The thankfulness that welled up in my heart was compounded because of the unworthiness I felt.
    You see, it was only the night before I had failed my Savior. I had completely disregarded His prompting and taken my own way in a certain matter. I had been struggling, seeking to draw nearer Him, begging for Him to accept me as a prodigal child, and now He had killed the fatted calf. I was overwhelmed with feasting on His love. 
    There are skeptics who say God does not work in their lives like that. Maybe He cares, but He certainly doesn't show it so clearly! Search for the moments. I am certain you will find them, those unexpected blessings you are tempted to call luck and the way things worked out that left you feeling relieved. Those are the places where God's hand is being displayed in your life, too.
    Sometimes you and I are afraid to accept the true scope of God's love. If I really believe He loves me so much that He will supply me with a dress already cut out or a change of travel dates, I must also believe He cares about the little things in my life I would like to hide from Him. I must believe that it is His grace that covers my failings and not my perfection. In many ways, I find that in accepting His love, there is also a calling to give even more of myself to Him.
    Sometimes we are afraid to see the depth of God's love because we are afraid of the depths to which His love will lead us. Do not fear! The blessing of letting Him in, of accepting His love and tearing down the walls you have built, will lead you into a place of freedom you may not even be aware exists. Don't hesitate. Open your heart. His arms are waiting.

Being Vulnerable About Videos

    My heart faints within as I write this post. I am afraid the parents of children I have taught will imagine I am pointing fingers, but I assure you that is not the case. I suppose some of my peers will think I am being legalistic and pious. That is certainly far from fact. Perhaps others will be horrified by what you read here, shocked that a teacher would do something like this. My intent is only to share what God has lain on my heart and what He has had for me to see.

    We had a service one Wednesday evening not long ago on "Cell Phone Use: Establishing Healthy Boundaries." The moderators encouraged everyone to bring real-life experiences, victories as well as how-not-to-do's. "Be vulnerable," they said.
    I was unable to attend, and it's doubtful I would have actually spoken up much if I had been there, but there was an experience that came to rest with sudden clarity on my heart. You all have faced struggles the same as I have, so I am going to do the unthinkable and be very open here where far more people have access to my failures than would have at a simple church service. 
    As time and technology have progressed in a mad rush and we all struggle to stay abreast, there has been an alarming pattern that has emerged. I've heard other teachers mention it, too. Our students come to school day after day with stories they want to share. There is nothing wrong with stories! I love to hear them tell about the important things in their lives. But the stories, more and more often, have a common denominator. Students mention videos they have seen. Sometimes they say they saw it on their dad's phone, or a sibling showed it to them. Perhaps it was a cousin or someone that works for their dad. Occasionally they even admit to sneaking around behind their parents' backs. "It was so funny!" they"ll say. "Did you see that one?" Thankfully, I usually hadn't.
    We teachers, some time in the past, began to become uncomfortable with so much talk about videos, knowing the historic stand our church has taken on television. "What should we do?" we asked the schoolboard. We finally received direction to have them write sentences to take home and get signed by the parents if they spoke too much about things they had watched. It was a very good plan.
    But somehow I just couldn't do it. Not because I was too soft. Oh, no. It was because I, too, was guilty. I didn't talk about watching videos at school, but watch them I certainly did. I comforted myself because they weren't bad videos. Besides, some of them were even educational. Yet I knew, deep inside that I was just making excuses for myself. I couldn't punish my students. I couldn't send sentences home that might be a reproof to their parents. I couldn't make them stop talking about watching videos without condemning myself.
    Slowly, with prayer and searching, I began to gain victories. They were not victories won overnight, neither were they won without some defeats, but with God's help, I found more conviction and grace to overcome. At last I found myself in a place where I could get onto my students with a free conscience because I was living what I preached. No longer did I try to tell them that "We don't watch videos," then go home and find the most fascinating documentary I could. 
    Is my victory perfect? No, of course not, but God is still working on me and I desire ever to stay open to His work. 
    Teachers, parents, youth, fellow Christians, we've got to live what we say we believe. If we are to have any hope of meeting our friends, our children, the prodigals we love in Heaven, we must find the power through Christ to witness to them not only with our words but with our lives.
    It's not just videos. There are many attributes we want those around us to possess. Sometimes we find ourselves shying away from pointing someone to the right path because we know our words don't line up with our actions. Sometimes it frustrates us that we can't get through to our children on a certain issue, when what we really should be looking at is dealing with ourselves first. Has anyone had trouble with a child that loses things because he or she is messy? What about self-denial? Perhaps a few of you understand what it's like to hear critical comments coming from the lips of someone you love and realizing they learned it from you.
    Don't wait until it is too late to make changes! Today we have forgiveness. We have hope. It is painful to admit the failures we see in ourselves. Uprooting old habits isn't any fun, but we can no longer afford to stay neutral and let things slide. The time is over for fun and games, for passing fancies. This is Heaven and Hell. The Bible says, "I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life."
    That is my desire. To grasp my decision firmly, to take up the cross with gladness, and carry forever in my heart a longing to please God until the day He calls me Home.