Looking Back, Looking Ahead

So, perhaps you are evaluating the year past, looking back reflectively, or looking forward wondering if 2019 will bring change or the same-old same-old.  If you are like me, you are hoping and anticipating some positive things ahead, things you have prayed about for years, looked forward to. The wait lengthens to see plans and purposes come to fruition, yet you trust a Sovereign God to work and move in His perfect time.  The transition has begun, but there seem to be some pauses on the path.

It’s easy to get impatient in the pauses, to begin fretting when things don’t seem to be moving along. Or maybe 2018 brought drastic changes and you’ve not even begun to deal with them yet in all the many emotions and challenges. We experienced that as well.  Life can change on a dime as the saying goes. And then even the dime disappears.

I am encouraged today as I go the Scripture; it quiets my heart as it always does.  As I move into a new year, eager to possess all that waits me, yet considering all the uncertainties, I am promised that the Lord God cares for all of it and He is already there.  

“But the land that you are going over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water by the rain from heaven, a land that the Lord your God cares for. The eyes of the Lord your God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.” Deuteronomy 11:11-12

As the children of Israel stood on the threshold of entering into their long promised home, they were reminded that this was a land God cared for. It was His, gifted to them.  He nourished it with rains from heaven and kept a watchful eye over it always, “from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.” Replace that word “land” with the words “new year”, and consider the parallel.  A land of opportunity and possibilities lay before the children of Israel. A year of opportunity and possibilities lies before us. God had personally and directly led them to where they were at this point in their lives.  So it is with us, He has brought us through the years, leading, guiding, providing. The New Year will no doubt be full of hills and valleys as well...ups and downs inevitable in this life. But grab hold of the amazing assurance of God’s care for your future.  From the beginning of the year to the end, our faithful God has His eyes on us and whatever will take place in this year. We don’t know, can’t know what this next year will bring, but it is comforting to be able to rest with confidence in the fact that Jesus knows. We don’t face it alone.  And it will be good because God is good and does only good for His own. Move with me into the new year with hope, faith, joy, and a peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7) because God’s got this.

“Pray, hope, don’t worry!” ---Saint Padre Pio.

Happy New Year!

Keeping Hope Alive

“In everything [even the storms, italics mine] you are enriched by Him.”  I Corinthians 1:5

Are you weary tender heart?

Be glad of pain.

In sorrow sweetest virtues grow, as flowers in rain.

God watches, and you will have sun,

When clouds their perfect work have done.  

___Lucy Larcom, Streams in the Desert

Nearly a year ago now the clouds began to descend.  There had been a few squalls, but nothing like this.  The dark, destructive storm cloud spread over us and relentlessly rained down the unexpected and undesired.  For the past ten months or so now there has been one hardship, one difficulty, one blow after another.  It has tried its best to beat us down in its destructive wake.  But even the rumblings and thunderings have been a comfort; even the fierce winds are soothing; even the sharp lightnings have spoken peace to our hearts...because we are sheltered.  We are safe in the care of our God.  That assurance has not lessened the impact of the sudden and unexpected set of circumstances we found ourselves in, and not due to any choice of our own.  But then things often happen that are beyond our control, especially as it relates to the choices of others that directly affect us, and that sting is an especially nasty one.

I remember talking on occasion with my Dad (I call him Diddy) when something would happen...an engine would blow in a car, someone lost a job, someone has cancer and he would calmly say, “Sug (pronounced shug, short for sugar!), it’s just one of those things.”  He wasn’t being nonchalant or unfeeling.  He was just saying in few words that life happens.  There are some things that just come with living this life and we’re better off to embrace it for what it is and trust God through it rather than resist it or resent it or try to control it in someway.  

That dark cloud?  We lost over half our income in a very unexpected, cutthroat manner.  Just like that, ten years callously thrown in our face. But oh we have seen the hand of God at work in it all, protecting, providing, guiding, sustaining, directing.  Just like Joseph of old in the Scripture we can say, “You meant it for evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20).  And there has been a lot of good, glimmers of His light in the dark cloud, reassuring us of His presence.  One of those is the fact that my mother-in-law is still with us.  Since December we have been to doctor’s, specialists visits, tests, hospital ER’s, only to have an ulcer finally perforate leaving her septic.  A four-week hospital stay, another four-week nursing home stay followed.  She’s 82.  I could not leave her alone in a hospital, traumatized over an hour away.  Roger came practically every day.  She is home now, but still having therapy 2-3 times a week.  Daily care for her and oversight of her medications, continued doctor’s visits is ongoing.  

We’ve also been able to see a family business come to fruition during this time.  My son has been praying for some time and sensed the time was right to take the plunge and take oversight of Top Knot Coffee and Artisan Shop.  It’s alpaca themed, an expansion of the farm (that some might think we would have lost by now, and we’re very aware of that very real possibility as the storm continues; but so far God has chosen otherwise and we are grateful and humbled).  But even in all the excitement and the demands of getting the shop up and going, Dan and Steph lost their 7th child.  Yet another completely unexpected heartbreak.  Asher Lee was birthed stillborn April 24th.  We have grieved and cried, and seen God give great grace and comfort to keep us moving forward even in the heartbreak.  

Ever tried to wait out a storm only to feel like it’s never going to end?  Well, not done yet!  On the farm there has been one equipment failure after another with limited to no funds for repairs, leaving my husband heavy with the weight of seeing our beautiful farm somewhat a mess.  But even in this, the raw beauty shines through.  Yes, there are parts that are not neatly landscaped.  The flower beds are a bit overgrown, but the animals are healthy, the pastures are green, and a garden is growing.  

Financially our resources have dwindled, especially with the start up of the Coffee shop...but it IS started, and with no debt.  Dan left a stable income to be the proprietor, and why not?  Three incomes down?  All the more opportunity for God to show Himself very real, and very involved in our lives.  If we fail, it won’t be because we didn’t try or because God is not faithful.  It will be because His plans for us involve something different that He has not chosen to show us...just yet!  One of the key thoughts for us in all of this that has helped us keep our eyes on Christ and off of ourselves (pity parties are such a waste!) is, that this is not about us.  It really isn’t.  We’re involved, yes.  We’re staying in His Word, praying, attempting to honor Christ in our situation and we know He will care for us.  This is about what He chooses for us at any given time, and believe me, I am constantly throwing myself at His feet and leaning hard on His promises, allowing His great grace to wash over me.  If not , the flesh takes over way too often and the emotions get all out of control….and God is limited.  

We’re not sure where it’s all going, where we will end up, how it will all turn out.  What we do know is that the storm will end.  We belong to Christ and we can trust Him.  That’s not a flippant acceptance of something I can’t change, or a “Christian cliche or platitude” (I hate those).  That is a reality that changes me and keeps me tender, and allows God to continue to work.  It releases the power of Christ to accomplish His plan and purpose in my storm.  And let me say this….this is “my storm”.  I do not get involved in the business of comparing storms.  Oh there are so many hurting people out there.  I can see people reeling from the devastation a dark storm cloud has left.  People I love, and even people I don’t know, dealing with death and loss, crushed relationships, poverty, sickness, and the babies...the babies I have prayed for lately that are suffering from complications at birth; the parents making heart-wrenching decisions.  But I trust them to Christ also.  I offer compassion, not judgment.  Help, not those useless platitudes, which means sometimes, nothing is the best thing to say. Just pray and be available.  They don’t even have to know you are doing it!  

When the storms come, and they will, lean hard on Jesus.  He is faithful.  He is strong.  He is sweet and ever so tender as a loving forever friend is.  He’s not necessarily keeping all the bad from happening--no, a friend can’t do that.  But He is close, breathing His precious promises into my soul, keeping hope alive.  

God watches, and you will see the sun!  

Some Bible passages that I have held onto lately:  

“Let us your servants, see you work again; let our children see your glory. And may the Lord our God show us His approval and make our efforts successful.  Yes, make our efforts successful!”  Psalm 90: 16-17

“And now Lord, I am your servant; do as you have promised concerning me and my family.  May it be a promise that will last forever. And may your name be established and honored forever.”  I Chronicles 17: 23-24

“We put our hope in the Lord.  He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name.  Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone.”  Psalm 33: 20-22

A Wounded Heart

Psalm 109:22  “For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.”

Tears welled up in my eyes, my heart began to pound in my chest.  I could hardly swallow.  I would not cry again, so I fought to hold back the tears and tried to quiet my mind.  It seemed the hurt followed me everywhere.  I was at my happy place, the beach!  It was early morning.  I had my coffee in hand, my Bible in my lap and I was watching the sun brighten up the morning out over the ocean.  It had only been a little over a week since I had the joy and great privilege to experience one of the happiest times in my life. Roger and I had just celebrated our 35^th wedding anniversary by renewing our vows; our four sons and their families (16 grandchildren in all now!) with us for a whole week, my parents and brothers and their families, Roger’s mom and one of his brothers and a nephew, close friends in the area, and some of our church family all with us to share in the joy…it was an amazing week.  Still, the hurt found me. And it had been nearly three months. 

After taking a moment to pray and write down what I was feeling in my journal, I turned back to the Scripture to try to finish my morning devotional time.  I have often strongly encouraged others to be intentional and consistent with this alone time with the Savior, because I know what it has meant to me.  It only makes sense after all.  Keeping any relationship strong means spending time together, getting to know each other better, growing together, communicating with each other.  Because this was now a “habit”, albeit a good one, in my life now, this time with Jesus was my stay.  I also knew that because I had learned over the years that God is faithful to keep His promises, faithful to be true to His Word, to His character, He would meet me now as in other painful times past, and His healing would come. 

The challenge was for me to be faithful to continue to seek Him out, be in His Word so He could use it to comfort and teach and strengthen. Stay connected to His people rather than withdraw.  Listen to music that proclaims His truth, fosters praise in my soul and lifts my spirit when I don’t feel like singing.  It is not always easy when you are hurting.  For me even breathing was too much effort some days or so it seemed.  But God….did you hear that?!  But God! (and boy am I glad there is a “but God!”)  But God is strong.  But God is always there.  But God is faithful; I can depend on Him to carry me through, strengthen me in my weakness, dry my tears with His Words of comfort, send a shoulder for me to cry on, hugs just when I need them.  When I am in His Word on a regular basis He uses it to say just the right thing at the right time to speak peace to my wounded heart, just like He did today.  It is one of the ways I know it is Him that is speaking, I didn’t just pick and choose favorite or familiar passages, although I do that too after my “routine”, if you want to call it that, Bible reading because just reading His Word brings calm and hope. 

Oh, the ache of a wounded heart.  It happens.  We are rejected; we are used, taken advantage of.  We love and extend ourselves only to have it thrown back in our face like it meant nothing.  Then there is the heartbreak, the burden of knowing that someone you love has made wrong choices and will have to live with those choices.  Even if they don’t ever want to make things right with you again, what about God? What will it take to bring them back to God? This was not just hurt feelings.   Sin is involved.  Roger and I were just hurt in the process.  How did they allow themselves to inflict such hurt and still claim to be following the God of the Bible?  He doesn’t treat people that way.  Well, that is God’s concern, especially if they truly belong to Him.  I have to leave it with Him!

Keep reading, Ang.  How does Psalm 109 speak to my wounded heart?  It directs my heart, and my emotions…since that is really the problem, how I am feeling right now…back to Him in two ways:

1) Pray; I’ve already done that.  Yes, but I must keep praying, keep giving it back to God when the hurt creeps over me.  And the anger,. Yes anger.  That’s just part of the “hurt” territory, anger at having been treated so wrongly and so carelessly.  Psalm 109 is one long prayer. 

                “God, don’t close your ear to my prayer!  Wicked people are telling lies about me.  They are saying things that are not true.  People are saying hateful things about me.  People are attacking me for no reason.  I loved them, but they hate me.  So, now I am praying to you, God.  I did good things to those people but they are doing bad things to me.  I loved them, but they hated me.”  (verses 1-5 ERV)

The prayer continues, and I must say, as I read I begin to think, “Wow, maybe what happened to me is not so bad.  I know the psalmist is speaking out of hurt, and that is so easy to do.  But I really don’t want bad things to happen to them because of what they did to me.  I just want God to heal my wounded heart.  My prayer begins to change to one for them as well as what I’m asking God to do for me.    Reading His Word and praying begins to change me. 

2) Praise; hard to do.  Yes, it is but start.  Just speak His name, even in a quiet whisper.  “Jesus!”  He hears.  The psalmist got to this point.  Consider verse 30: 

                “I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth; yea, I will praise Him among the multitude.”

Casting Crowns sings a song, “Praise You In This Storm”   It is just one of many songs that helped me during this time.  Keep praying, keep praising.  Let Him help you rise above the hurt.  Let Him heal your wounded heart. 

He is healing mine. 

"Praise You In This Storm"

I was sure by now
God You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

[Chorus:]
And I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to you
And you raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can't find You

But as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

[Chorus]

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth

[Chorus x2]

.

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Click here to listen or print

A Child-like Faith

A friend (and co-worker) was sharing with her young son that our grandson Ephraim was going to be able to have his kidney transplant.  They have been faithfully praying for him all this time.  “Oh, thank God!” he exclaimed.  Then, in that precious child-like innocence he asked, “What is that, anyway?”

Lord, I want that kind of faith!   Children don’t have to know or understand; they just believe God.  And isn’t that what He has asked us to do, just trust Him?  Unfortunately, our idea of prayer and faith is often like a trip to visit Santa at the mall.  We have our list.  We’ve been good.  Why wouldn’t He make sure we get what we ask for? 

Scripture tells us that his ways are not ours, His plans are best*.  And even though that may be hard to accept, it’s best if we do.  And that is not just a pat answer.  It’s Truth.  God is so good and patient that even when we struggle with that, He understands and holds us in His hands.  And just like a loving parent with a trusting child, He won’t let go. 

“Lord I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”  Mark 9:24

 *Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Jeremiah 29:11 “I say this because I know what I am planning for you,” says the Lord. I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future.”  (NCV)

Shifting Sands

From being at the Banks (Outer Banks, NC) to battling a blizzard! Whew, things sure can change quickly, can’t they? Just a week or so ago we were enjoying the warm October ocean breezes and mild temps. But at least this year it was not snowing when we arrived home to WV. Well, not for a couple of days at least! It was 70 degrees in fact, on Friday before the storm hit on Monday night, plunging temps, blowing down power and phone lines, and dropping over a foot of snow in our neck of the woods. Superstorm Sandy, Frankenstorm, or whatever else it may have been called, it whipped through just the same. And we got only a taste of the terrible affects many are feeling along the coast and especially further north.

Some changes are like that storm. There are ways to prepare, at least as much as possible. Then you batten down and try to ride it out. Afterwards though, there’s always the cleanup, sometimes devastation. And when storms hit the Banks that I love, it’s never the same afterwards. It’s still beautiful, and there are evidences and even markers of past seascapes, yet the change is obvious. We had to cross a makeshift bridge this trip on Route 12 that I had never crossed before, over the ‘new’ inlet that was created when the last hurricane went through. And while there was a lot that was familiar some is changed forever.

Much of the change has been subtle as year after year shifting sands creep ever closer to the road, the one road on and off the barrier isle. Bulldozers are a regular sight in recent years pushing back the growing mountains of sand, trying to keep the roadway clear. Wild sea oats and grasses grow in patches, and fences jut out along the crest of the dunes to slow the drift, and attempts are made to keep beach erosion at a minimum. Yes, subtle change is continuously taking place, but is very obvious to those of us who only manage to make the occasional trek every year or so. Some businesses have closed, new ones opened. Some have moved location. Some cottages have been washed into the ocean. Some roads and resorts are no longer along the shoreline. There’s still sun and surf to be had and life goes on. But many of the locals feel the pinch and the impact of “changing tides”.

And today, Election Day 2012, it’s all about change in this country isn’t it? Hasn’t that been the mantra of the times for a while now? Sometimes though, I get the feeling that the change we’ve experienced in this country is that devastating kind. Much like when that coastal hurricane hits. You are warned it’s coming, you think you’re prepared for it, you’ve survived them before and they really weren’t all that terrible. Sure some things were different afterwards, but it didn’t disrupt your life to any great degree. Then, years go by and you wake up one morning only to see, as if for the first time, things are nothing like they were. And it’s not good. In fact the change is so detrimental that your whole livelihood is at stake. Everything you know and understand to be your home, well, it doesn’t feel so much like that anymore. The effect of all the change over time is overwhelming to even consider. It’s that “wow, what happened?” kind of feeling.

Change is good, but it has to be the right kind. Some things definitely need to change. The frustration is that more time seems to be spent on the fight about who gets to decide what the right kind of change is than actually seeing any real positive change take place. In the meantime, we’re like drifting dunes, shifting ever so subtly that until it’s “bulldozer time”, it’s hardly noticeable that the change that has taken place is causing massive damage and requiring incredible cleanup.

“Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket , and are counted as the small dust on the scales; To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to Him? To whom then will you liken Me, or to whom shall I be equal? says the Holy one. Lift up your eyes on high…” from Isaiah 40.

I lift up my eyes today to the sovereign, just, and loving Creator God. I pray, I act responsibly as His word directs, seeking to honor Him and impact others with His love and truth; and I trust. I trust Him to engage in the affairs of this world as He sees fit. I trust Him to care for His own as He has promised, no matter the shifting sands.

The Turnip Squeeze

My grandmother used to say, “You can’t squeeze blood out of a turnip.” I know, you’re thinking, “what exactly does that even mean?” Well, even if you don’t know anything about turnips, you’ve probably felt “the squeeze”!


The overwhelming demands that on occasion life has brought my way are not easily forgotten. It seemed as though I would suffocate under the weight of them. Sitting in a chapel service during one of these times, listening to the speaker as he expounded on Jeremiah 18 about the potter and clay, I literally felt as if I were being crushed! I thought I would explode before I got out of that room and alone with God to “unload” on Him! The heaviness was too much, the demands too great; I couldn’t hold up under the weight of them anymore. Yet, there was an overwhelming sense of knowing God was at work. I might be crushed in the process, but I would come out on the other side a more beautiful vessel if I would not resist or become impatient and bitter in the waiting.


Another season brought financial burden, emotional stress, family and ministry demands, personal sickness. I was taking a full college load of classes and working 20 hours a week. (My boys used to tease about my free time…that was between 2 and 5 in the morning! Little did they know how literal that often was!) I was taxed physically, my time, my energies all expended but I had to keep going. On another occasion, housing was an issue. We could not find any! We were living over the kitchen at the church in two rooms they prepared for us; full-service commercial kitchen, our own personal showers (gym shower/locker room), the entire gym for the kids to play in, it was…interesting. We were grateful, and blessed to be invited to use the empty space while we looked for a house, but it was hard and the pressure to find something was ever present. I sat at the top of the stairs with my open Bible one morning, asking God once again to please let this be the day we would find a place to live. Summer was almost over, and while the arrangement had worked for this time it would not work as well once school started (the church had a Christian School that also used the facilities). And how did He answer me? I turned to the devotional for the day, Psalm 90, and verse one loomed large before me: “Thou hast been my dwelling place in all generations.” I laughed out loud at first, then, just began to cry. God was not taunting me, and even though I am convinced He has a sense of humor, this was not an instance of it being displayed. No, it took a moment, but I realized He was directing and encouraging and comforting…He was still at work and I had to hang on in trust until all was made plain.


My mom called that afternoon. She wanted to know if we were open to making a move out of state to Virginia. I told her at this rate, if God opened up a house on the moon for us, we’d go! She had already found one for a more than reasonable price. Roger and I had already sensed during our “church mice” stay that God was changing our plans and redirecting us. And later it was confirmed that He was actually protecting us from some major changes that would take place in the church we had been in that would have impacted us in a great way. Roger was able to go back to school and finish His ministry degree, I was able to be near home with family (parents and grandparents) at a crucial time, and we eventually connected with a missionary pastor that God used to direct us to a pastoral ministry in North Carolina. The former pastor had died and the church needed to heal. When doors had been so tightly closed for so long it was amazing to see how quickly things started to fall in place.


These times have helped us determine that our home would be an open home. He is our dwelling place, not just the structure we reside in. God’s home is that way. Heaven is His home, and He invites us to share it with Him through all eternity. He welcomes us with delight and not only says “what is mine is yours”, but Christ has been preparing a place just for us. This welcome is intentional. We have tried to model that open invitation as He gives opportunity and shows us He is sending people our way.


Regardless of your physical residence, if the Lord is your dwelling place, you’re where you need to be. He has a way of opening and closing doors, directing and protecting, providing and guiding that is sometimes hard to grasp until you experience it.

We have, and He is!

the Chalk Drawing

As the chalk artist put the final touches on his drawing, I sat there in the pew struggling to even see it through the tears. It was beautiful, but it made me so angry. It showed Moses there on the top of Mount Pisgah looking out over ‘the Promised Land’. God was giving Moses an opportunity to see it, but he would not go in. In his face was the look of deep longing, but at the same time, acceptance and a depth of understanding and contentment. Had the artist really captured that, or was that just what I was seeing?

That was over 30 years ago, but I remember so vividly the strong emotion, the questions that filled me as I went over the story in my mind. What a struggle raged in me; and it would have to be settled before leaving the church that evening. Somehow I knew this was not just about Moses. This was about where I was going in my relationship with God from that point forward. Would I be able to trust Him to do right? At the time, what He chose for Moses just didn’t seem quite fair to me. Yes, Moses had made some mistakes; he had sinned. But he had been forgiven, right? God used him in tremendous ways as a great leader. He had done so much, put up with so much. I didn’t understand it all then, but I did know that faith involved trusting even when I didn’t understand. But that would mean I wouldn’t be in control anymore. God would have to be.

Things have always been so black and white for me; cut and dried, yes or no, all or nothing, no middle of the road. So if I took this step I knew there was no turning back regardless of where it took me. And deep down that’s what I wanted, something genuine, something bigger than me, something with meaning and purpose, but at what cost? Jesus was trying to show me that my relationship with Him could be more than just knowing I was going to heaven when I died. It could be more than just knowing the Bible stories, more than just being “a pretty good person”. But I would have to learn what it meant to really trust Him and trust His ways. I went forward that night to affirm my decision and left that evening knowing my life had taken a significant turn. I was able to surrender my anger, my disbelief at how God had chosen to deal with Moses. I was able to tell Him I wanted to trust, but I would need His help.

A lot of years have passed. I’m grateful for the lessons learned, the love and hunger the Lord gave me for His Word, the wise and mentoring women He has allowed me to know and be impacted by. And every time I have trusted Him, with everything from life-changing decisions to my daily routine and everything in between…He has proven I can trust Him more. I can trust Him for guidance. I can trust Him with relationships. I can trust Him when life’s events just don’t make any sense to me. I can trust Him with all the inconsistencies and unfairness. I can trust Him with the choices and philosophies and behaviors of others that I cannot control or change. And I must confess this is my greatest challenge. I’m the one that sees things cut and dried, black and white, remember? So things are either right or they are wrong. Sometimes the frustration and irritation, the disappointment and disillusionment, is a major battle, because it often appears that gray is the choice of color for so many. I must continually rely on the Lord for His patience, understanding, and resolve when mine is slipping away. Am I the only one that just wants to “shake some sense” into people every once in a while??? But that’s not my job. My job is not to set right all the wrongs. My job is not to champion all the causes. My job is not to make others simply do the right thing (simply??). That’s God’s job, and I must let Him do His job. My responsibility, my great blessing, is to trust, yielding to Him with a willing acceptance.

“Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25) Yes, but at times it seems as though it won’t be in my lifetime! And that may be so, but that is His business. In my passion , when I resort to the ways of the ‘Sons of Thunder’ and just want to ‘call fire down from heaven’, I am quickly humbled with God’s patient care of me and find myself asking Jesus for His holy sweetness (I am quite aware I will not melt in a downpour!).

The chalk artist left a drawing with the host pastor that night, who later became my father-in-law. When packing for a move to another ministry, Dad decided to give the drawing to me. Unrolling the canvas, I should not have been surprised to find it was ‘my Moses’ picture! God has such a sense of humor. Seeing it this time however, stirred no anger, only a warm acceptance and gratitude. The drawing is long gone, lost in the many moves and turns my life has taken. The message etched on my heart that night remains. I don’t always understand His ways, but I don’t doubt His love. It is strong and forever. I am confident He will always do what is right and what is best. He has proven it over and over again.

I can trust Him.