Life happens
One of the things we all have to deal with is the unexpected. We have plans—well-laid plans—and life happens! I’m learning that this is one of the “beauties” of living life, and when these things happen, go through it with God and a smile!
I had different plans for the use of much of my time yesterday, but life happened. The torrential downpour my region experienced Sunday afternoon and evening, flooding homes in different areas, came to my house as well. Nothing big; just a puddle gathering on the floor under the window sill and a spongy-feeling streak in the drywall where the rain found its way into my living room through old, cracked caulking outside my window. So after being gone all morning and early afternoon, that needed to be fixed by an excellent contractor/handyman from my church.
Then I started working on a wonderfully insightful, life-changing blog I intended to present to you instead of this one, and RING! A friend needed a ride to the evening prayer meeting. I live north, she lives east, and the meeting is west. NO PROBLEM! I’ll get back after the meeting, I thought, in time to finish the oh, so powerful piece I was working on for the blog and still go to bed early! Anyway, I thoroughly enjoy fellowshipping with this lady, and I was looking forward to our conversation.
We arrived at the meeting on time after a near-miss on the highway with a zooming motorcycle, passing me on the right at top speed as I was veering back into that lane. Fortunately, his machine was LOUD and I heard him scream up to my right just in time. Thank You, Jesus!
When we arrived at the meeting, I heard that another good friend had been in an accident on the way to church. She was OK, but her car was probably totaled. Her cell phone was dead and she couldn’t get out of the wrecked car, but what do you know? The leader of the prayer meeting and his wife happened upon the scene before the police arrived and were a great help to her as the officer pulled up and she called her insurance company. She hitched a ride to church with them and joined us for prayer.
After the meeting, no one was heading her way (south) to take her home, so I volunteered. I was already heading east; why not go south as well? The three of us had wonderful conversation, thanked God for sparing my friend’s life, and prayed for everything to fall into place for her. (She is one of God’s hidden treasures, is out of work right now, is not living in her own place, and has just lost her vehicle. She would love it if some of you would stand with her in prayer as she trusts God to meet her needs—and she is trusting Him, just in case you were wondering.)
Remember when I said that when life happens, we learn to go through it with God and a smile? My friend amazed me with her “silver-lining” outlook as she said, “Hey! At least I don’t have to buy gas for the car—it was close to empty!”
I’ve been West, East, South, and North tonight (I’m writing this late Tuesday for Wednesday). And now I own freshly-caulked windows, all ready for the next big storm. I’ve enjoyed great conversation, was delivered from pulverizing a loud motorcycle and its driver, was privileged to pray for a faithful friend, and am free to put off “saving” the world until tomorrow. And I get to smile at my God who is God and who will evermore remain God. And am I ever glad.
Dorothy
Read MoreFreedom from the dome
Bear with me for a bit as I meander down the river. We’re going to hit the bank a couple of times as we move along, but I believe we’ll arrive safe and sound.
First of all, yesterday morning as I walked up to my church, I greeted a woman who’s been a faithful member for years. I respect her because she’s sensitive to the Holy Spirit and very practical all at the same time. She asked me, “What were you doing this morning before you got here?”
I told her, “Well, I fed some cats, ate breakfast, and scooped some litter pans.”
She pressed in. “Were you worshipping?”
I said, “As a matter of fact, I was singing out a prayer to God on the way here.”
She nodded and said, “I can tell you’ve been in His presence. It’s all over you.”
Well, let’s backtrack. As I was driving to church, some “same old hurts” that have nagged me recently were throttling me again, insisting I rehash how wrong “those people” were. And as I prayed about it, I seemed to be hitting a wall.
Let me tell you what that wall was like. Have you seen the commercials for the new TV show coming soon called “Under the Dome”? I can’t vouch for the program—probably won’t watch it—but what I was experiencing reminded me of constantly running into a clear, thick dome around me, keeping me stuck in rehash-mode. It was time to break that thing down.
So I did what I often do—I started praying to the tune of whatever song bubbled up first. This time it was to the tune of “It’s So Good to Trust in Jesus”, and I sang to forgive, once and for all, “those people”. As I sang, I acknowledged their humanness to God and also acknowledged that they were not Him—couldn’t read my mind or even have any idea how I felt. And I felt compassion rise up in me for them and realized I needed God’s forgiveness just as much as they did, because I had clung to a hurt I had no business clinging to.
And then I arrived at church, parked in the lot, and walked up and greeted that dear woman who said, “You’ve been in the presence of God. It’s all over you.”
A few thoughts:
1. God is the help of our countenance. I imagine He wouldn’t have been able to help my countenance yesterday morning, though, if I hadn’t crashed through the dome that was keeping me under lockdown.
2. I am an epistle—a letter—read by others. Even though folks can’t read my mind—only God has that ability or right—they can read my prevailing mood and spirit. They can read if I am weighed down or if I’m free from care. They may not know what the weights are or how I came to be free, but they can read me like a meteorologist can read a barometer. And they can read you, too.
3. It’s time for you to deal a breaking blow to the dome of rehashed hurts that has been holding you captive. Next time “those people” start dominating your thoughts with all the wrongs they’ve done to you, aggressively forgive them. Acknowledge their humanness and—since they aren’t God—their inability to read your mind, and release them once and for all. Pray it, sing it, shout it, whisper it, cry it. Do whatever you have to do to crash through that thing. And as you do it, don’t forget to ask for forgiveness for yourself for setting up camp under that dome—the dome of rehashed hurts.
May you find help for your countenance and freedom from the dome!
Dorothy
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Antidote to Spiritual Staleness
I’ve had some wild dreams, most of which were the result of a colorful imagination or unusual culinary concoctions right before bed.
However, at the end of December, 2004, I had a vivid three-part dream I’d like to share. It came during a time of disappointment in myself due to spiritual staleness in my life.
Part One: I was dead (but very aware), lying on my back on a cold slab in a dark, eerie room. Across the room from me, three or so demons hopped and danced about, paying no attention to me because I was dead. Although the room was creepy and I was terribly uncomfortable, I realized I was unafraid and very safe, knowing that the demons could not touch me because I was dead. I felt a strong connection to Christ and said to myself, “Well, anyways, I’ll rise up again!”
Part Two: As I was looking out my back door, I noticed a cave off to the right. A large bear emerged, and I thought, “I didn’t know there were bears in these parts.”
Then I saw a huge Galapagos tortoise walking through the yard from the left side, and I worried that the bear would devour him. However, the bear paid no attention to the turtle. Strolling to join the Galapagos was another one—a female (I could tell by her long eyelashes. Stop laughing—it was a dream!) and the two of them walked through my yard slowly but surely, without a care in the world.
Part Three: I looked out the same door again and saw a filthy white and red tabby cat named Rowe. I knew the bear would get him, so despite the fact that my resident cats would throw hissy fits, I let him in.
I noticed problems with Rowe’s mouth right away. He had blackish blisters on his lips, and his lower right incisor was missing. I opened his mouth and saw that he had a blackish tumor the size of half a grape on the back of his tongue. My thought was to get him veterinary attention as soon as possible.
Upon awakening I realized that God was giving me insight into the staleness of my spiritual walk and was revealing steps to recapture the fire.
First, He showed me to reckon myself as dead. Dead people don’t get offended. Dead people (in Christ) cannot be touched by the enemy. “Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11); “For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).
Secondly, He directed me to put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6). The Galapagos tortoises could saunter without a care in the presence of a prowling bear because of their shell-armor. I, too, could gain confidence and move without fear in the purposes of God if I was clothed in the armor He provided.
And third was the mouth. The cat in my dream was diseased in his mouth. God revealed to me that to live effectively involved maintaining a healthy mouth. I had grown lazy with my words, complaining, backbiting, and spewing bitter words without restraint. I had pity on the sick dream cat; I needed to be equally as diligent to obtain spiritual medicine for my own mouth.
So take it from an unusual dream: Reckon yourself as dead in Christ, put on the full armor of God, and acquire spiritual medicine to heal your mouth of diseased words! These are surefire antidotes to spiritual staleness.
Read MoreObservation of kindness
I just finished working with my church’s vacation Bible school this week. Now, I’m not in the state of Texas, but my church may as well be! Almost everything it does is BIG, especially this summer outreach to kids. My job was to help direct traffic as parents dropped off their children, aiding as kids hopped out of vehicles, and directing them to “walkers”–individuals from age fifteen to eighty–who walked them to the crosswalk and then to their stations.
As I participated in this massive movement of munchkins, I was very aware of the friendliness of the volunteers serving all around me. Kind words, gentle humor, and great encouragement filled the atmosphere as hundreds–no, literally thousands–of kids said goodbye to their parents and hello to the fun-filled environment awaiting them.
And I observed parents in their cars, vans, SUVs, pick up trucks, and jeeps respond to the thoughtful smiles, waves, and well-wishes just as much as their children. I watched, in more than one case, as tension seemed to drain away from a frazzled mom when a volunteer acknowledged her with a smile and a parting word of encouragement.
And I thought, “This is how we are to operate everyday.”
- Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person. Colossians 4:5-6
- Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Philippians 4:5
Despite the chaos swirling in the world, we can walk in confidence that our God is on the throne. And we can also know for a fact that He longs to show forth His love and stability through us as we engage more and more consistently in everyday random acts of kindness.
Dorothy
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