Counting Joy

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

~James 1:2-4

Life is full of unavoidable trials. People are going to let us down, break our hearts, and disappoint us. Some events in life are going to make us doubt and question what we are doing and why. We don’t have control over what other people do, and we can’t always be in control of events that occur in our lives, but how we deal with situations is within our control.

Counting the trials of life as joy seems to be a contradiction, but when we read the above verse in context, it isn’t the trial but the result of the trial that we count as joy. Trials test us, our faith, and our character. The result of the trials in life is that it makes us stronger, increases our faith, and draws us closer to God. Even circumstances that feel as if they will break us serve a higher purpose. Withstanding trials doesn’t mean we can’t cry, feel anger, depression, or doubt while going through them.

Some people think that being a Christian means never wavering or expressing any of the emotions that come naturally but Christ expressed all those emotions in His life. He was angry with the money changers (Matthew 21:12); He was moved to compassion (Luke 7:12-15); He showed great love (John 13:23); His heart was broken when Judas betrayed Him (Mark 14:10-72); He was abandoned (Matthew 26:56); He experienced doubt on His way to the Cross (Matthew 26:39); He felt agony when being whipped and beaten, and suffered physical and mental pain while on the Cross; and He gave up hope when God turned away from the sin laid upon Him (John 19). Yet, through everything He suffered, Jesus did not sin (1 Peter 2:22), and instead of hating those who had tortured and hurt Him, He asked God to forgive them (Luke 23:34).

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:2-4).”

Steadfastness “literally means fixed in place but is chiefly used figuratively to indicate undeviating constancy or resolution, as in steadfast faith.” We can be steadfast in our faith no matter what we are going through in life because of all the things Jesus went through for our salvation.

“Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).”

Read Esther 1-5

©2018 Marie McGaha

Lift Your Eyes

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord you God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

~Isaiah 43:1-3 

There are times in life when we are tired, worn out, and drained. Sometimes, we need to take a step back and recharge. I find being alone with God is the best way to do that. I turn on my favorite worship music, I dance and sing and praise God. I read the Bible and I pray. I watch videos of my favorite teachings from Rabbi Schneider and Pastor Irvin Baxter. Not always in that order. I am a visual person and an interactive person. I like being able to express myself in whatever way fills my heart and soul with the peace that can only come from a holy Lord. Worshipping Jesus Christ for who He is and what He’s done in my life gives me the peace that surpasses all understanding. No matter what goes on in life, I know I can count on Him.

“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?  My help comes from the Lord, who made Heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore (Psalm 121).”

God’s promises never change. They are the same today as they were yesterday, and they’ll be the same tomorrow as they are today. No matter what happens in life, or how we feel, or how tired we get, the Lord is still on our side. He is still our advocate in a world that tries to tear us down. He is our peace when the oceans rage and the volcanoes flow into the sea. He is our comfort when the earth shakes, and the wind spins out of control. He is always with us no matter what is going on in life, or even when life is smooth as glass. Our only job is to accept His great love and love Him in return. Jesus Christ showed His great love for us when He died on the Cross (John 15:13); we show ours in our worship, prayer and Bible study.

“By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before Him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and He knows everything (1 John 3:19-20).”

Read Nehemiah 7-9

©2018 Marie McGaha

Crash & Burn

“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,  that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”

~Philippians 3:7-11

Yesterday came down crashing and burning. I failed totally and I’m disappointed in myself and my conduct. Not so much because I feel I was in the wrong but because I have higher expectations of myself when faced with difficult situations. I expect to rise above. I expect to take the high road. I expect to be a better person and treat others better than they treat me. I expect to be able to keep my mouth shut and bridle my tongue. I expect to be able to live and let live no matter what happens or how I actually feel in any given situation. I expect to have much thicker skin. I expect to handle life like water off a duck’s back. I don’t always succeed.

Part of the problem was that I have been busting my hump to show myself approved in this new town, new church, new people, new everything where I haven’t felt at home since I got here a year ago. I want people to like me but I’m an outsider here and no matter what I’ve done to be included and make friends, it hasn’t happened that way. Hitting the one-year mark and seeing that I’m a complete failure hit me hard. Yes, my expectations are pretty high but only for myself. I don’t expect so much out of others because life has shown me that it won’t happen. People will do the stupid, selfish, self-serving thing every time—including me. So, I didn’t sleep much last night. I kept rehashing everything over again and again and again…

Today, I’ve realized that I spent the past year trying to please man instead of working to please God. While I thought I was doing what God wanted, I came to realize, I was trying to impress people. I was trying to make people like me by doing as much as I could and by showing everyone how diligent I am in every aspect of my life. When it came to it, I was really trying to impress just one man, actually, and I failed.

“Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ (Colossians 3:22-24).”

Sometimes, we can get so caught up in what others think of us that we forget that we are here to serve Christ in all things, no matter what others think of us. So today is a new day, and I begin again. Today, I go forward in Christ, and put behind me my failings and take a new step toward Heaven. I’ll analyze myself to death of course, and I’ll rehash each word until I have turned it into mush but that’s just me. In the end, no matter what we say or do, there is only one Judge that we must make sure we are right before, and that is Jesus Christ.

“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:14-16).”

Read Nehemiah 4-6

©2018 Marie McGaha

Platitudes

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’”

~Matthew 25:35-40

Recently, I found myself questioning how I responded to the needs of others due to a particular incident. I had talked with someone about the incident and their response was, “I’ll pray for you.” Now, as Christians, that’s a pretty pat answer, and while praying for others is of vital importance, it’s not all we should or could do. I actually wanted a little more in regards to an answer and felt let down that all the other person could offer was “I’ll pray for you.” It sounded like platitudes. 

Jesus was practical in all that He did. While prayer was a part of His life, when it came to others, it wasn’t all He did. In John 4 there is a story about the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus didn’t look at her and say, “I’ll pray for you,” and continue on His way. First, He engaged her in conversation, secondly, He addressed her needs, and third, He revealed Himself to her. In John 6, the crowds had been around Jesus for a long time, it was the Passover and time to eat. Jesus didn’t tell people to go home and grab a bite to eat. First, He addressed their need, second, He provided for that need, and third, He prayed about the need. In John 11, Lazarus was ill, so his sisters sent for Jesus to help him. By the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus had died. First, Jesus acknowledged the need, second, He gave the people around the tomb hope, third, He raised Lazarus from the dead. There are many more instances of how Jesus helped those in need by being practical and addressing the need in whatever way would glorify God and point to Himself as the Savior of the world. The application of what Jesus did for others is a lesson for us in how to address the needs of others: 1) Assess the need 2) Address the need 3) Pray about the need.

Jesus also listened to people and engaged them in conversation. He found out what they needed and found a way to help them that wasn’t gratuitous but instead, was life-changing. We can give money to charities for the poor, donate clothing to an outreach, and say we will pray for someone but how life-changing are those acts? Are we actually helping and pointing someone to the Christ? Or are we just making ourselves feel better? I have been guilty of this very thing. I have given money, donated clothing, and said, “I’ll pray for you.” But what did those things really do, other than make me feel better about myself?

When someone is in need whether physically or emotionally, we have a greater duty than to say, “I’ll pray for you.” We have a duty to our Savior to emulate Him and offer practical solutions for any given situation.

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing (James 1:22-25).”

Read Ezra 8-10

Weekend Reading Nehemiah 1-3

© 2018 Marie McGaha

Loss & Grief

“His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor His pleasure in the legs of a man, but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His steadfast love.”

~Psalm 147:10-11

There are certain times in our lives when we reflect on the events of life that have defined us—some good, some not so good but no matter what they are, they have been the game changers for us. I’ve had a lot of those in my life and I’ve learned to make sense of most of them and then put them away in the “over and done with” file in my mind. On occasion, something will come up that cracks that file open and like rubberneckers at a car wreck, I have to go back and take a look—even when good sense is telling me to slam that drawer shut and walk away. I still have to look and pick at a scab until it bleeds again. Even though I know I’d be better off not rehashing those things, it’s part of the grief process.

We grieve over the things we’ve lost in life even if we don’t realize it, and grief, while it lessens with time, never really stops. It’s an ongoing process that can come up at any time and if we don’t recognize it for what it is, we can experience waves of varied emotions from depression to anger. Learning to deal with grief is a lifelong process but first, we have to recognize it for what it is and accept that we must go through the process in order to walk out the other side. Getting stuck in grief is not a good place to be and has its own consequences that can be terminal and lead to mental disorders, complete breakdowns, and suicide.

Elisabeth Kubler Ross defined the stages of grief as 1) denial 2) anger 3) bargaining 4) depression 5) acceptance. These stages help us put a name to what we are feeling when we experience loss, whether the loss of a loved one, the loss of a job, lifestyle, home, marriage, or anything that was part of who we are and what we believed defined us. There is no timeline for any of the stages, and often we feel more than one at a time. We can also go from one stage to another and then back again. There is no “order” or amount of time that is “normal” for any particular stage of the grieving process.

Sometimes, especially when things seem to be going well and we think we’ve got a handle on our emotions, and we’ve pulled ourselves through the going through, we can suddenly be pulled back into one of the stages of grief. A loss experienced by someone we know, a particular date, a certain place, or even the wafting of a scent on the air can hurtle us back in time to our own place of grief. We can suddenly be back in the grieving process, flooded with emotions we thought we had dealt with. Recognizing what we are feeling and why is important to walking through each emotion and being able to put it back into the “over and done with” file. This can take days or weeks, or even longer but as long as we are processing the feelings and not getting stuck in them, we are on the right track.

It is important, whether it’s you or someone you know, who is experiencing grief, to know how to help. 1) Acknowledge the reason for your emotions 2) Talk to someone or be an active listener—advice is not always necessary or welcome but having someone really listen can be one of the greatest helps 3) Don’t isolate—being alone in your own mind can be a dangerous place to hang out. Being present for someone else can be all they need as well. 4) Understand that grieving can be a long process and there is no time limit on emotions, yours or someone else’s. 5) Understand that grief emotions can come up at any time. There is no correlation between the amount of time since the loss occurred and the current emotions.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).”

 Read Ezra 5-7

 ©2018 Marie McGaha

Where's The Rewind Button?

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” 

~Romans 12:9-10

There is no respect left in this world. When I was a kid, we were taught to respect ourselves, others, especially our elders, and those who were less fortunate than us. We didn’t talk back to our parents, at least not without getting our mouths slapped, we behaved in school, and we didn’t make fun of people who were different either in dress, culture, or because of disabilities. I raised my kids to be respectful of others and to keep their thoughts to themselves. No matter if they liked what someone wore, said or did, they were taught that just because you disagree with someone, doesn’t mean you have to call them names or make them feel stupid. Not so in today’s world.

I feel like I’ve stepped through the looking glass into a parody of the world I grew up in, even the world my kids grew up in. The world my grandchildren are growing up in is so foreign to me that I’m not sure how to navigate it. And I certainly don’t like it. We are all in this thing called life together. We have the same basic needs, wants and desires. We have the same hopes, dreams, and fears. Yet, to me, it seems as if everything is just a little off kilter, like its all tipped sideways and I don’t know how to set it upright, or if it’s even possible to be set upright.

Jesus Christ taught us to love one another, to respect each other, and to show that love and respect openly by honoring one another in all that we say and do. He taught us to care for the poor, weak, and less fortunate, and to be generous to those in need. He taught that a kind word goes a lot farther than a harsh one, and that love covers a multitude of sin (1 Peter 4:8).

Philippians 2:4

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Ephesians 4:32

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

John 13:34-35

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

1 John 3:17-18

But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

Proverbs 21:13 

Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered.

1 Timothy 5:8

But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Galatians 6:9-10

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Matthew 25:40

And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Proverbs 28:27

Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.

I want to hit the rewind button and go back to a simpler time when the world made sense but when I look backwards, I see how the world was headed toward the way it is today all along. There is no going back, all we can do is govern ourselves, our mouths, our actions, and look to the Lord for guidance and comfort and pray for the day He returns to set it all right again.

Read Ezra 1-4

Barking Dogs

^“Repay no one evil for evil but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”

~Romans 12:17-18

When I moved to Idaho to help my daughter with her children, I lived with her family and later, got a house near them. I have never liked living in town and it’s been an adjustment having moved from our little farm on 400 acres. My dogs like it even less than I do. They have been able to run, go swimming, and hunt rabbits and deer all their lives. Now, they are inside most of the time and when they go out, it’s to a tiny yard. They aren’t used to the noise, the cars, the kids screaming as they ride their bikes, or other dogs barking in the distance. Frankly, neither am I.

Yesterday, however, was the topper—someone called the cops because my dogs were barking while I was gone, and the Chief of Police came out to chat. I’m sure he had better things to do than talk to me about barking dogs but at least he was nice. Of course, he didn’t tell me who called but I have an idea. Everything in me wants to go knock on a door and ask but I’m an adult, and it wasn’t really a big deal in the light of day. What bothers me most is that they could have waited until I was home and came to talk to me. That’s how we handle things back home.

“Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled (Hebrews 12:14-15).”

It’s not easy to live with humans, especially when we are forced to live in such close proximity that we can hear everything they do. We know when they go to work, when they get home, what time they cook dinner, and everything else that goes on. Humans are noisy, messy, busybodies that can’t walk to the mailbox without checking out other houses on the way. Trying to live peaceably among other people is something we have yet to achieve, but it is something we are instructed to do. I have had to exercise a lot of patience since moving to Idaho. The things I’m not used to, like people, traffic, lawnmowers and weed eaters running from morning to night, make me want to run back home. Instead, I have adopted a practice of telling myself, “Practice patience, practice patience, practice patience,” as many times as necessary until I’m either calm or start laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation. Because we all know that hot tempers cause arguments, but patience brings peace (Proverbs 15:18).

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.  And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another (Galatians 5:22-26).”

Read 2 Chronicles 31-36

©2018 Marie McGaha