Before I became a Christian, I was raised in a home full of prejudices of every kind against those who were of a different nationality, race, social status, and even church denominations!
Anyone who was different in any way from my family was to be judged as somehow unacceptable. As an adult, I continued to see this same warped way of viewing those who might be different in any way. Neighbors who looked down on other neighbors, family members refusing to accept other family members, nations hating other nations, etc.
When I became a Christian and invited Jesus Christ to come and dwell within me through the Holy Spirit, something truly unique and miraculous happened.
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Kindness is powerful. The past decade has been a challenging one for me. However, I have experienced the goodness of God through the kindness of his people.
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Ninety-five days till Christmas, the newscaster said. Inwardly I groaned. Unlike Hobby Lobby, which starts Christmas after the Fourth of July, it's hard for me to get motivated when Halloween (sorry, the Autumn Festival) has yet to arrive. Working in a large church has rearranged my priorities for holidays. Start early, or suffer the consequences.
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Why do couples leave the ministry? Of the many rumors that swirl around a pastor’s resignation, we don’t often consider the hardship that ministry places on the pastor’s wife and on their marriage. Women married to pastors are often living in a fishbowl—facing unique challenges.
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We might as well admit it; ministry requires time and hard work. Random items stack up under our desks, in cupboards, and drawers. Computer files seemingly grow while we're asleep. Emails go unanswered for far too long. How long has it been since someone cleaned the church kitchen?
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Yesterday I unexpectedly found myself by a lone bench on an empty oceanfront. A boat was just off the shore, solitary but securely anchored in the sea. I ached with the unexpected beauty, the symbolic solitude of the boat. I felt like this boat. Alone, aching, but securely anchored. As I stood there, I thought about the last two months and how a crisis can set off a whole new cycle of grief and loss.
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My strong-willed daughter turned two and I braced myself, expecting increasing challenges in her behavior. However, Zoe sailed through that year with a lively curiosity and mostly content demeanor. That wasn’t so bad, I reflected to my husband as her birthday approached. What’s the big deal with the ‘terrible twos’? Then she turned three.
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I sat in the break room after the going away party the staff threw in my honor before I moved to my new home in the Central Valley, reading my bon-voyage cards and having another cupcake. Debbie, from the billing department, came in to chat. She said, “You are so bubbly. Where does your joy come from?”
It was a perfect time to share where my joy comes from, but the craziest words came out of my mouth! I said something like, “I’m just lucky, I guess! It must be in my genes. My mother is pretty upbeat!” What was THAT?
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Long ago, a friend explained to me that a negative situation needs to have a skeleton to make sense. No, my friend wasn't talking about the skeleton in my closet. He meant that people will grab onto whatever information is available, whether true or false, to make sense of something they don't understand.
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One evening I was quietly considering the news concerning Covid-19 when a still small voice asked, "Are you ready to die in two weeks?" I was startled and puzzled by the question and checked off some crucial things in my life:
I am a follower of Jesus Christ, who died a sacrificial death to redeem me from my sins. He was crucified, resurrected on the third day, revealed himself to over 500, ascended into Heaven and now sits at the right hand of God. Through faith in Christ, Heaven is my destination when this life ceases.
I have a will, a trust, and a long list of who gets what.
We filed our taxes.
When the kids clean out the garage, they will often say, "What was Mother thinking when she bought this?" That is the summer task that I may or may not get to finish.
So, yes, I guess I'm ready to die if the Lord calls me.
Considering that I am "of the age" not to survive this new scourge hitting the world, it is a good question for the Holy Spirit to ask. How about you? Are you ready to die in two weeks? What does your list cover?
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