Thursday, October 31, 2013

Headed Home
By Brita Crouse

“I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33 (NIV)

Confession: I have an irrational fear of frogs. Something traumatic with these animals must have happened to me in my childhood to evoke the reaction I have as an adult whenever I see one. Fear cripples me, anxiety overwhelms me, and irrationality makes me do things I normally wouldn’t do to escape the glassy-eyed gaze of one of those lumpy creatures. I know it is ludicrous to be afraid of something so harmless, but I can’t help it... frogs scare me!

I live off of a winding country road that runs parallel to a wide river. On this road, there is an abundance of wildlife, which is great for hunters and fishermen, but unfortunate for me. Whenever there is humidity or rain, the amphibians migrate toward the river, and to reach their destination, they have to cross the road I take to get home.

Driving on this road in these conditions, for me, is like going through the gauntlet. Frogs hop wildly in armies, trying to avoid my car, while I, with a white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel, do a terrible job of trying to dodge them. But, this is what I have to do if I want to get home.

While this experience is harrowing for me, it makes for a good life lesson. We are all traveling on this winding road of life, headed toward a final destination. Sometimes challenges or fears will jump out at us and we can either dodge them or “run them over.” Dodging our fears won’t make them disappear; they will just keep jumping in our path.  

If we face life’s challenges head on, we are promised we will not be doing it alone. Jesus doesn’t guarantee an easy life for those who follow Him, but He does guarantee to be with us always, even when we find ourselves paralyzed by our fears.

After driving down a road full of one of my greatest fears, I always feel a huge sense of accomplishment and relief once I finally make it home. As Christians, I think we will also feel these things once we make it to our eternal home in Heaven.

While we are on earth, many fears will jump at us, but if we “run over our fears,” trusting that Jesus is always with us, we will have a much easier time traveling down the winding path of life as we head Home.

GOING DEEPER:
1.  What fears do you need to “run over?”
2.  This week make 2 Timothy 4:7 your prayer.

FURTHER READING:

Brita recently graduated from Taylor University with a degree in Psychology, and is currently a helper for Oakwood’s Quest 56 and the Just Among Moms weekly childcare team.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Yup...Still Hard
By Lexi Ellis

“The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.
    What can mere mortals do to me?”

Recently, I came across a devo I wrote two years ago. I wrote it after God clearly closed a door for a friend and we were in the midst of waiting for a “window,” for Him to reveal His plan. I wrestled with a reality that sometimes we simply don’t “get” what God is doing. The timing doesn’t make sense, the answer isn’t clear, the unknown is scary. I concluded we know He will reveal a window in His timing and our job is to trust.

As I read the words I wrote, I realized something: trusting God in the midst of an unknown hasn’t become any easier. It’s not something I’ve mastered. It’s not something I think I’m better at now compared to then. While the specifics of the circumstances are different, there’s still really hard stuff that I or those I love go through. So two years later, I see this devo I once wrote on trust and I’m left thinking I’m not so great at that trust part. My response is, “Yup…still hard.”

I think that’s the point though. Trust is something that’s never supposed to be mastered or ever “checked off the list.” If it is, it’s a compliant relationship. In our wedding vows, my husband and I promised to continually work on our marriage. Why would I then ever expect there would be less work and investing that’s needed in my relationship with God? In the same way, I pray my husband and I never “check our marriage off the list” as something that doesn’t need active investment; my relationship with God should never include hoping that I have this trust and dependence thing figured out.

Trust is still hard…I don’t see it ever becoming “easy.” Despite knowing that it will still be hard, the reality is we are not alone. In a world of scary unknown - - though the specifics and circumstances differ from time to time - - there is a greater reality that His faithfulness is great! Fully trusting on God? Yup…still hard. And I think it’s a good thing it is.

GOING DEEPER:
1.  Take time to reflect: what’s your “trust level”?
2.  What do you need to do to continually be trusting in His faithfulness despite a hard circumstance? 

FURTHER READING:

Lexi is married to Andrew, serves with Oakwood’s Children’s Ministries, teaches at Lake Country Christian Academy and is the Fresh Start Coordinator.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Grieving
By Peggy Kleckner

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Mourn:  to feel or express sorrow for (something regrettable); to grieve for (someone dead) [1]

My heart is in a place of deep grieving. It is a remembered place: a place of pain, heartache, anger, unanswered and unasked questions. It is like being on a ship in the middle of the ocean on a dark and starless night with no hope for navigation. It is a place of deep waiting. Waiting for dawn, waiting for answers or directions, or instructions…waiting for Him.

It is a remembered place for me because I have run from it before. I couldn’t or wouldn’t endure it, so I buried it and ran back to life. This time, I must wait.

It is the cry of my heart to know Jesus. To know someone is to know his or her pain and share in it. Best friends don’t run when life gets ugly, they come alongside and walk with you in it.

My heart knows that His Word is true and that He will not abandon me to my pain, but rather will meet me in it. God’s Word says that Jesus is a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). My Savior knows this remembered place well. He will meet me here and I will know His heart more by walking this path with Him.

I will not run. I will wait in this desolate place. This place where questions and words have died away, emotions have been spent and I am bowed down in worship. Clearly and surely recognizing that I am but dust. All pretenses have been stripped from me. Self has been poured out and I am waiting. I am beginning to understand that both the Father and the Son endured this painful place in order to make the way home for me. In my grieving, I find them and our hearts draw nearer.

I have heard it said and found it to be true that our most intimate meetings with Jesus are not on the Mount of Transfiguration; they are on Mount Calvary. It is there His heart is revealed and I am comforted by His love poured out for me.

To refuse to grieve is to refuse to know His heart. I choose to grieve, for I am finding that it is not a place of desolation, but of fullness. It is a place that reveals the fullness of His love.

GOING DEEPER:
1.  Have you ever buried your pain, rather than endure the season of grieving?
2.  Is there someone near to you that needs you to walk with them through their season of grief?

FURTHER READING:

[1] Webster’s New World Dictionary

Peggy is a wife and mother of four adult children - - two sons and two stepsons, and is an active encourager at Oakwood Church in Delafield.

Monday, October 28, 2013

Secret Sins
Jeannine Sawall

“He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”

Walking along the beach, I was enjoying the morning sun, a slight breeze and the conversation of my walking partner when we suddenly noticed several dark splotches in the water. The “splotches” turned out to be a small type of stingray called a skate. The skates also seemed to be enjoying a morning at the beach. Every once in awhile, one of them would break away from the group they were swimming with, catch a wave and body surf into shore. It was fun to share the morning with them.

As my friend and I moved away from these creatures, she asked me if I still planned on taking a paddle board lesson later that week. I told her it was still in the plans. She expressed her hesitation after seeing the skates. She asked, “You still want to take a lesson even after seeing all those creatures in the water?” I told her that whether I saw the creatures that morning or not, they were still in the water. I wasn’t going to let those skates come between me and my lesson.

As we continued walking, it came to me that oftentimes as Christians, we consider sins we can plainly see (promiscuity, addiction, murder, adultery…the list could go on) as serious sins. They are obvious to anyone and, therefore, more ungodly. However, just because others can’t openly see our sins, doesn’t mean they aren’t there, lurking below the surface, coming between us and the Lord.

The Bible teaches that any sin - - obvious in-your-face sins and those concealed from anyone’s sight - - carry the same guilt. All sin is serious and interferes with our relationship with the Lord. It doesn’t matter if it’s hatred or murder, lustful thoughts or adultery, a white lie or stealing; sin is sin whether kept hidden or acted on openly. Just because no one else may see it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

The fact is that the ocean is full of sea creatures. It would be easy to live in a world where I can pretend if I don’t see them, they don’t exist. However, it’s impossible to live that kind of Christian life. There is no secret sin because God sees below the surface. Nothing is hidden from Him. Thankfully, believers are given the promise that God forgives any sin we acknowledge to Him. When we keep our relationship honest with God, He’ll take us deeper than we expected, and we won’t worry about getting in the water with Him.

GOING DEEPER:
1.  What sins are you keeping hidden?
2.  What stops you from going deeper with God?

FURTHER READING:

Jeannine is a wife and mother of four active boys. She works in property management and actively walks along those experiencing grief.

Friday, October 25, 2013

The “Birthday Blah’s”
By Carolyn Hulliberger

“Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens,
Your faithfulness to the skies.”
Psalm 36:5 (NIV)

I woke up with a serious case of the “Birthday Blah’s.” Ladies, you know what I’m talking about. On that morning, I looked in the mirror and a list of questions went through my head…should I just give up and quit dying my hair…could I get to the gym one more day a week…every life “would’ve/could’ve/should’ve” took up residence in my thoughts. My prayers felt flat. I was one comment short of a good crying jag. Inadequacy and insecurity ruled over me, making me a mental mess. Until the phone call came that would rock my world...

While I was neck-deep in the “blah’s,” my dad was having a stroke. I rushed to his bedside at the emergency room where the nurses and doctors were doing their work. The nurse asked Dad a series of questions. Do you know where you are? How did you get here? Do you have pain? Dad slowly searched for responses as best he could until she asked, “What day is it today?”

“It’s my daughter’s birthday.”

In the midst of a major medical crisis, where his brain was fuzzy and slow to respond, where “Monday” or “October 11” would have been acceptable, my Daddy REMEMBERED. And every nurse, doctor and therapist who saw Dad that day and asked him what day it was, got the same answer.

“It’s my daughter’s birthday.”

So if my earthly dad can remember this detail of my life and show me the depths of his love in the midst of his own suffering, how much more does my Heavenly Father know all the details about me and show me the depths of His Love!

Dad fully recovered due to a series of miracles that still leave me in awe. And once again, my birthday has come around. This year, instead of the “Birthday Blah’s,” I will rejoice and celebrate the anniversary of a day that could have irreparably changed my family. I will pray the end of the paraphrase of Psalm 30:

"You did it: you changed wild lament
   into whirling dance;
You ripped off my black mourning band
   and decked me with wildflowers.
I’m about to burst with song;
   I can’t keep quiet about you.
God, my God,
   I can’t thank you enough." (The Message)

GOING DEEPER:
1. Do you feel separated from God’s love or care? Read Romans 8:35-39. There is nothing that can separate you from Him.
2. Who else in your life needs to be reminded of this fact today?

FURTHER READING:
Psalm 139

Along with caring for her husband and two children, Carolyn works part-time, serves in Student Ministries with junior high girls, and is the treasurer for Women’s Ministries.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Be Still
By Peggy Kleckner

“The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Still: without sound; silent; not moving; tranquil, calm (Webster’s New World Dictionary)

What battle is raging in your life at present? In the lives of those around you? What fear is tapping incessantly on your shoulder or nipping at your heels? What chaos is threatening to overwhelm you?  What concern dogs your every moment?

How do we be “still” in the midst?

While the words of Exodus 14 were spoken by Moses to the Israelites, I believe there is a beautiful principle for us, as well. This verse says that the LORD will fight for us, and it also gives us our instruction, “be still.” Why are we so willing to try and do the LORD’s part but fail to practice our part?

We, as believers, seem to be willing to do, to go, to take up, to take on, but we are not very willing to be still. Stillness feels unproductive. Keyword in that sentence: feels.

I think God would be pleased to see us lay down our doing and come before Him in stillness. He would delight to have us step away from our doing, to lay aside our pleading and to get quiet, to get comfortable, in His presence. Certainly lay before Him our concerns, but then just be still with Him. Give Him the gift of our time and our presence and accept the same from Him. Time set aside to let Him search our heart and for us to search His.

There is a time for doing, but not until after we have become still before Him. Stillness denotes trust. We aren’t still when we don’t feel safe. We must learn to feel safe in Him. It is to Him that we surrender our all, not to our enemy. It is to Him that we bring our time and our efforts. It is Him that we seek for counsel, protection, direction, fellowship, love. He is the answer that we seek.

To be still in the midst of our present chaos is to have practiced being still in the midst of all of our other days. We must be like a batter who can hit when the crowd is booing or cheering, because he has practiced when no one was watching.

Practice: to do or engage in frequently; make a habit of, to do repeatedly so as to become proficient

May we each spend time practicing our part: stillness, so as to better trust Him to do His part: fight for us.

GOING DEEPER:
1   Will you come and sit before Him long enough to become still?
2.  Can you let go of your painful circumstance and trust that He will fight for you?

FURTHER READING:

Peggy is a wife and mother of four adult children - - two sons and two stepsons, and is an active encourager at Oakwood Church in Delafield.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

A Good Antidote
By Susan Klein

“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”

As I look back over my fifty-some years of life, I have to wonder how much of that time was spent worrying about things I couldn’t control. How many days, weeks even, did I lose to worry? (I believe the converse of the above verse to also be true.) And the thing is, none of my worrying changed the outcome of any of those situations. In God’s sovereignty, He allowed the rain to fall and the sun to shine. The outcome was in His divine control, and my fretting did not change a thing. The only things worry did change were my peace of mind and my health.

So why do we do it? Why do we spend so much of our time fretting about matters small and large that are going to happen, or not happen, regardless? I used to think it was a major design flaw. God must have given us a faulty wire somewhere along the way. After all, He created us with a vast and detailed emotional network, so He must have made a mistake. But, wisdom eventually knocked on my faulty thinking and showed me that worry is a choice, not an emotion. Granted, some people are more prone to worry or even have anxiety disorders, but they will be the first to tell you that they have to make a conscious choice to “not worry.”

God has equipped us with the ability to choose, and we must choose trust over worry. Jesus tells us in the Gospels that we will  have trials in this life. He also exhorts us to not worry about things we need because our heavenly Father knows what we need before we do. He will not leave us high and dry! He may not give us our desired outcome, but He will give us what we need to sustain us in each and every situation. Perhaps if we could truly fathom His outrageous love, mercy and grace, we’d choose to worry a whole lot less. Maybe that’s the antidote: wonder, not worry. Learn more about God, His character, and His attributes so we can choose to be secure in Him. Besides, the time we spend with Him is time we won’t spend worrying.

In the words of Corrie Ten Boom, “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows. It empties today of its strength.”

GOING DEEPER:
What types of situations trip your worry trigger?
Try increasing your time spent in God’s Word and in prayer, getting better acquainted with Him.

FURTHER READING:

Susan enjoys teaching Bible studies, writing, and mentoring. She and her husband Mark enjoy opening their home to those in need.