A Kindred Heart

There’s a man at our church whose light shines so brightly somtimes I am blinded by it. If someone needs a ride to the doctor, he drives them. If someone needs comforting, he’s by their side no matter what time of the day or night it is. If someone is in the hospital, he visits.  He attends church regurlarly but he never criticizes those who don’t. He isn’t a wealthy man but he is always willing to share whatever he has. He’s soft spoken and unassuming and if you saw him in a crowd you probably wouldn’t give him a second glance because he prefers to blend in rather than to draw attention to himself.

The very fact that he is so focused on the needs of others is only one of the reasons his light shines so brightly, the main reason is he is focused on Christ.  His love for others is reflected by Christ’s love for us. By walking as closely as he can to Jesus, he reflects a heavenly light.

I look at him and wonder how bright my own light shines. Do I have a tiny glow the size of a lightening bug? Are there days when maybe I shine as brightly as a small flashlight? I don’t know how bright my light is but I do know how I can make it glow brighter, by following closer to Jesus and reflecting the heavenly light.

If Jesus walked into your home and sat down on your living room couch with you to watch television, what would he learn about you? Maybe He would learn that we are careless about what we allow in our homes.

These days you can’t turn on the television without being subjected to what my mother called “dirty words.”  When I was growing up four letter words were still taboo in the media. Boy have things changed. Over a period of fifty years we’ve gone from thinking it wasn’t okay to have foul language on television to allowing it to air during prime time viewing hours. We’ve gone from thinking we shouldn’t show men and women alone in a bedroom together on television, to shows that leave very little if anything to the imagination. Freedom of speech has given media executives permission to promote sinful lifestyles. If the founders of our great nation were alive today and turned on a television I have no doubt but that they would be horrified by what they would see and hear. 

If I was forced to choose one invention that was responsible for corrupting our nation and destroying our families I wouldn’t hesitate. I would choose the television. The fact that many people watch it for hours every day and are constantly bombarded with foul language, promiscuity, and sinful lifestyles has done more to promote evil than movies, magazines and the yes, even the Internet. Not every home has access to the Internet and it’s still a relatively new mode of communication, but almost every home has a television and in a lot of homes it’s never turned off or monitored.

Television is a thief…it steals our children’s childhood. It introduces thoughts, ideas and concepts way before children are mature enough to understand that things that appear fun and harmless on television are actually things that can ruin lives.

Even commercials carry dangerous messages. My boys love sports and watch a lot of games on television so they are exposed to countless beer advertisements. I make a point to tell them every chance I get about how deceptive these ads are. Beer advertisements never show pictures of car crashes caused by drunk drivers or show interviews with alcoholics who are yellowed from diseased livers. 

The next time you turn on your television take a moment to really think about whatever it is your family is watching.  If there’s something on television that Jesus wouldn’t watch, maybe you shouldn’t watch it either.

Remember the game you played as a child where someone whispered a sentence into someone’s ear, and they repeated it to the next person, and they pass it on. By the time it reached the end of the line it was never the same as the original sentence.  You would think we would have learned something from that game but adults still repeat gossip and by the time it’s been told several times, it often no longer resembles the truth.

A friend of mine recently went through one of the most devastating experiences of her life.  Her husband left her and their children for a younger woman (who was also married).  Mary (not her real name) and the children have had their lives turned upside down.  I have prayed for her and cried with her. After several really rough months she is slowly putting her life back together.

Imagine my surprise when a friend asked me if I knew that Mary had left her husband and children for another man.  I quickly told her that was not the way things happened. “Well, that’s what I heard,” she said.

And I’m sure it was what she “heard”, but what we hear isn’t always the truth.  That’s why we shouldn’t gossip and why we should never repeat something unless we know without a doubt that it is the truth.

If you have read this blog before you might think that the word “diligently” is one of my student’s vocabulary words, but it isn’t. Tonight at Bible study we were reading in Hebrew chapter 11, verse 6 which says,

Twice this week I’ve been reminded of just how many children come from broken homes.  I told you about the first incident in the blog “Astounding”.  The second incident occured when we were discussing the word “deprived.”  After we defined it as meaning “doing without” one young girl raised her hand to tell me her sentence using the word.  “I am deprived of my father.” The hurt in her voice was impossible to ignore.

Being deprived of a mother or a father is a sad thing. I wish I had a magic potion or some fairy dust I could sprinkle on a child’s aching heart. In a perfect world parents were meant to stay together “until death we do part.” But of course we know this world is far from perfect.

Our heavenly father never deserts us. We may turn from him, but he’s always there for us. He loves us always and he loves us so much that he sent his only son to die for our sins. Through Jesus we can know God and he is and always will be the perfect father. 

If I asked you to describe an event in your life that was “astounding” what would you describe?  Maybe you would tell me about your wedding day or the birth of a child.  Maybe you would tell me about someone who’d been very ill and suddenly was restored to good health.

We think of milestones or big events in our lives as “astounding” but sometimes even simple things are life altering. This morning I was working with a group of students in my classroom on vocabulary words.  The word “astounding” was on our list. After we discussed what the word meant I asked the students to tell me about an event in their lives and include the word in a sentence.  One young gentleman looked at me and said sincerely, “My father came to visit me yesterday and it was astounding.” 

His words put a lump in my throat and a an ache in my heart. I couldn’t help but wonder if his father had any idea how much his visit meant to his son.

Every day we are given opportunities to reach out to others. What may seem like an insignificant thing to us may be “astounding” to someone else. Why not give your plans for tomorrow some thought?  Is there someone you know who could use a phone call, an email, a hug or a visit?

The Bible says God notices something as simple as giving someone a cup of cold water in his name. Don’t forget—simple things can be astounding!

   About a week ago we went to the beach for a few days.  I’ve always thought that except for not having an ocean, Kentucky is a wonderful place to live.  We have lots of beautiful lakes, but no ocean.  There’s something about walking on a sandy beach and watching the sun set that is not only relaxing; it’s awe inspiring.  To think that God could create something so vast and so beautiful is simply amazing.

  I love the fact that the ocean is constantly changing.  The first few days we were there the waves were large and the water was filled with jelly-fish. Then it calmed and changed to a clear blue green color that was smooth as glass. We saw dolphins in the distance and watched sailboats with brightly colored sails.

  It also amazes me that as I stand on the shore and view the ocean I know that there is a whole world beneath the water that I can’t see; an under-water universe filled with fish and sea-life. What an awesome God we have that he could create something as spectacular as an ocean!

Tonight we read the Bible story about Jesus calming the stormy sea. I’ve read the story hundreds of times but it occured to me tonight that I have a lot in common with the disciples. They had seen Jesus perform miracles and yet when the boat they were in started rocking they feared for their lives.  I do the same thing. I know Jesus and have seen God’s hand working in my life but when my boat rocks-I still am afraid.

Why? Because I’m human and because even though I know Jesus has the power to save me, it’s hard for me to leave my fate in his hands- I still want to be in control of the boat. Just like the disciples I need to strengthen my faith.

Matthew 8:23-27

23 Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. 24 Suddenly, a terrible storm came up, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went to him and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” 26 And Jesus answered, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he stood up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly all was calm. 27 The disciples just sat there in awe. “Who is this?” they asked themselves. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”

Is Jesus in your boat? I hope so. I can’t imagine staying afloat without him! 

Every day that we live is a page in the book which is the story of our life.  My story is not that different from from a lot of womens.  I’ve had good days and bad. I’ve experienced success and failure.  I’ve known joys and sadness. But whatever comes my way I am so blessed because I’m not alone. When tough times come I have Jesus right beside me. He knows my struggles and he understands my weaknesses.

Looking back at my life thus far it is so easy to see the hand of God.  Many times I’ve prayed for something and the answer was “no” or “not yet” and while I may not understand, I know he knows best.

During my teen years when I struggled to make my faith my own, I stumbled and fell frequently. He was always there to pick me up.  When difficulties occured in my life, I could feel his presence and the comfort and peace that only comes from him.

When something wonderful happens to us it’s natural to want to share it with others. The most wonderful thing in my life is being a Christian and I wanted to share that with you. I believe the Bible is God’s holy and inspired word. I believe that Jesus is God’s only son and that he came to this earth, lived, died and rose again. I believe he is coming again.

When he does come I want to go with him to a place where there are no tears or worries, no sorrow and sadness. I want to go to a place where no one has ever heard of cancer or heart disease. A place where evil doesn’t exist.

Heaven is more wonderful than we can imagine. Heaven is where I want “my story” to end.

How about you?

1. It’s one thing to talk about faith and another to live it.  Being with my mother during the last year of her life taught me how to trust God completely.

2. There are many kind and wonderful doctors and nurses. The best ones are those who have compassion and kindness. They take time to go the extra mile and it really means a lot to the patients and to the families.

3. When one family member has cancer it affects ALL family members. Lean on one another and take breaks when you can.

4. Prayer can get you through the toughest of days (and nights).

5. Saying goodbye to someone you love is incredibly hard but when that someone is a Christian it’s not really goodbye, it’s more like “see you on the other side.”

6. There is no substitute for memories. I had so many good years and good times with my mother and I am so very grateful to God for them.

My mother was a wonderful christian lady and when she died the whole community mourned with us. I loved my mother with all my heart and know that we will be together again one day in heaven. How do I know? Because I serve a risen Savior who promised he’s coming again to take those who love and obey him to heaven. Won’t it be wonderful there?