Stuck in Saturday

I tell you the truth … you will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.
John 16:20

Penny lay awake, the heartache tonight not much less than a year ago. She hadn’t slept much since Richard had died.
Married only six months, Richard had died when his car skidded on a patch of ice. The vehicle had gone over the guardrail above a deep gorge, rolling several times before coming to rest at the bottom. It had been several hours before he was found, and it had taken several more to remove him from the wreckage; he’d lived for two days before succumbing to his injuries.
Penny was numb, yet her brain never shut down. She rarely went a full ten minutes without it all playing back in her mind: the scene at the trauma center, the two days in ICU, the funeral, and the emptiness. It seemed her life was stuck on replay.
Penny cried out to God for answers, answers that probably wouldn’t relieve the ache or make this any easier.
Family and friends felt she was stuck in her grief. They continued to minister to her in love, praying that her outlook would brighten, bringing this profound grief to an end.

†

Anyone who has lost a loved one or a friend knows the depth of Penny’s heartache. Their absence creates a hole in us that refuses to be refilled; we’ve lost someone so precious that to think otherwise would feel like betrayal.
Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, did what He could to reassure His disciples of His resurrection. But on Good Friday nothing could take away the sting, the shock, or the pain in their chests. And all day Saturday they tried unsuccessfully to console themselves.
Then came Sunday!
The truth is if we live long enough, we will experience Penny’s pain. If we love deeply, we will grieve the same way. But someday our grief will turn to joy. It’s Jesus’ resurrection that keeps us from getting stuck in Saturday.
Death came on Friday, resurrection on Sunday, but there was a very long day in between. It’s okay to grieve. But do it with hope.

Prayer

“Give us strength to walk on in the pain, Lord. Thank You that, because of Jesus, this pain will turn to joy. Amen.”

Point of Impact

All of us who are mature should take such a view of things.
Philippians 3:15

Mark Pendleton was forty-something, slightly built, and showing signs of balding. Yet there was a quiet confidence about him that caused people to take a second look.
Proceeding with his demonstration, Mark shared that as a young man he’d gotten into trouble. Then a friend had introduced him to Jesus, and he began learning about God’s plan for his life.
Through the martial arts, God taught Mark where to direct his attention in matters of importance and how to harness the strength necessary to demolish any obstacles the enemy placed in his way.
“In order to break these blocks,” Mark explained, “I must first establish the correct point of impact, then visualize my punch reaching that point. To be successful, I must focus on the bottom of the stack. I visualize the completed punch having reached a point at which the blocks will have broken.”
The crowd watched as Mark began his mental focus routine. Standing two feet behind the blocks, Mark slowly rotated his fist, driving his arm and shoulders in a downward, slow motion punch to the bottom of the stack. When he was finished with his preparation, Mark stepped up to the blocks, and with a loud “hiya,” he executed one more punch, completely shattering all six blocks!

†

As we mature, we set out to make our mark on society. Many of us succeed, obtaining goal after goal, never looking back.
In contrast, many of us fall short of the success we envisioned, hopelessly lost in failure. For the vast majority of us, it’s because our goals were not set correctly, and our point of impact was unclear. In order to successfully reach our intended goal, we must determine the correct point of impact.
Paul told the Philippians to forget their past failures and press on. We too must forget the past and set new goals.
Wisdom suggests we set attainable goals in order to not become discouraged. Then we must visualize completion of the goal. Most importantly, we must rely on God’s strength and instruction when determining the point of impact.

Prayer

“Lord, guide me along life’s path and help me look for the right point of impact within my realm of influence. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

Don’t Gloat

Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles do not let your heart rejoice.
Proverbs 24:17

“What did I tell you about taking pleasure in other people’s misfortune?” Steve posed the question to his daughter, Karla. “Phil works hard providing for his family. And now that he’s lost his job, they’ll have a rough go of it.”
“I don’t care how rough they have it!” Karla said vehemently. “He’s a jerk, Daddy. I can’t believe you’re taking his side after what he did to Sheila,” she spat.
“Listen, Karla, I don’t approve of your attitude or how he treated Sheila when he broke up with her. She’s my little girl just like you, and it hurt when that happened. But that was fifteen years ago. You need to forgive him and let God work it out,” he advised. “It’s just as wrong for you to gloat over him losing his job as it was for him to cheat on Sheila. It bothers me to see you taking pleasure in his family’s suffering.”
“I’m sorry, Daddy. But he’s still a jerk!” was all she would say.
“You know, Karla, sometimes I wonder what you’re thinking. I’m your father, not your judge. But you profess to have a heart of forgiveness, yet when someone you dislike encounters problems, you find it amusing. That’s not how God wants us to respond. And remember, what goes around comes around.”
“I’ll take my chances,” she said and left the room.

†

It’s tempting and natural to take pleasure in the misfortune of our enemy. It’s also wrong. We are to love our enemies and do good to those who hate us. A true test of forgiveness is not in forgiving someone with whom we have a good relationship, but rather, when it is someone we dislike.
It’s easy to find satisfaction when someone we dislike has fallen on hard times. That’s why God instructs us not to gloat when it happens. He asks us to have a spirit of forgiveness and leave retribution, if any is required, to Him.

Prayer

“Help me forgive my enemies, Lord. Teach me to put the past behind me and look to bring healing to their lives instead of rejoicing in their pain. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

Take Time to Laugh

A time to laugh …
Ecclesiastes 3:4

Lindsay walked through the front door and did a double take. Jack never leaves the house looking like this, she thought; there were dirty dishes on the kitchen counter, the stove, and in the sink. Two comforters lay haphazardly on the living room carpet, and dirty clothes littered the laundry room floor. She’d only been gone for one day! This was completely uncharacteristic of Jack. He’s got some explaining to do, she thought.
Setting aside her briefcase and hanging her coat on the wall peg, she set out to find her husband.
As she headed down the hall toward the toy room, she caught muffled laughter. Curious, she silently made her way to the room and stood outside the closed door, listening. Beth! She smiled as she recognized her youngest daughter’s squeal.
“Stop, Daddy! Quit tickling me!” Then Jenny’s laugh joined the mix, followed by Jack’s gruff voice. “The tickling continues until you both surrender!”
“We surrender! We surrender!” they said in unison.
As Lindsay listened, her heart began to melt. It thawed completely when Jenny said, “Thanks for playing with us today, Daddy! This has been the bestest day ever!” “Yeah, Daddy, the bestest!” Beth agreed.
All the irritation vanished in light of the truth: some things are more important than a spotless home.

†

There truly is a time for every season and activity. Housework is important; but so is laughter! Our children are only young once, and many opportunities to teach them the importance of spending time doing the right thing at the right time vanish with their youth.
When teachable moments present themselves, we must seize the opportunity to teach and instruct and not allow the moment to slip away because we were too busy being busy.
Being too rigid will find us standing on the wrong side of many issues. Not only will it bring dissention among the ranks, but our children and their children will ultimately pay the price. Lighten up and laugh a little. The work will still be there when the laughter fades.

Prayer

“Lord, keep me from being too busy when it’s time to laugh. Reset the attitude of my heart so I will recognize what time it is. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

Daddy’s Charge

So now I charge you in the sight of all Israel and of the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God: Be careful to follow all the commands of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land and pass it on as an inheritance to your descendants forever.
1 Chronicles 28:8

As they circled the dance floor, he held her close. His little girl had grown too fast. He felt so blessed, so proud of who she had become. He was feeling the separation that comes when our children come of age. Beautiful beyond words, she smiled a tear-filled smile, Daddy’s girl all the way! The dance ended too soon. Roles had changed in less than an hour. He had gone from provider and protector to sometimes advisor and prayerful encourager—advisor only when solicited.
He thought back to the ceremony when he’d charged his new son, “Today, I present to you my daughter. I charge you with the nurturing love of a mother and the fearless protection of a father. May you be strong when necessary and gentle in times of tears. And may God bless this union.”
Back in the present, he thought, Funny how life screams by at light-speed when it involves our children. He caught his wife’s knowing smile over the crowd. He was pretty sure she was saying, “Now you know how my dad felt.” He had a new perspective.

†

Responsibility brings with it promise. In this text’s pronouncement, Israel, if they followed God’s commands, would inherit the land set aside for them for all generations.
We are to not only follow God’s commands, but to faithfully instruct our offspring. They are to be nurtured, able to leave us, moving into the next season of their lives. We are charged with calling them to accountability.
As with the father in this story, we are to charge those who inherit the care of those entrusted to us. We are not to do this with ambiguity. We are to actively speak truth of responsibility to the next generation.

Prayer

“You charge us this day, to follow Your commands, Lord. Teach us to be faithful in response to that responsibility as we follow Your leading. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

Evil’s House

If a man pays back evil for good, evil will never leave his house.
Proverbs 17:13

Flynn said good-bye to his last guest and closed the door. “Wow! What a night,” he said, smiling at his wife, Leslie. The grim look on her face alerted him to something amiss. “What is it?” he asked.
“Someone has taken the cookie jar fund,” came her somber reply. “As I began washing the dessert dishes, I noticed the lid on the jar was a little crooked. So out of curiosity I lifted the lid. The money is gone. I know it was there right before the dinner because I dropped in some change from my purse right after I got home from the grocery store.” Then she added, “I didn’t want to say anything while the guests were here because I didn’t want to offend the innocent parties. What should we do?”
After a moment of thought, Flynn said, “I don’t know that we should do anything, honey. To find out who took it would require asking each person if he or she knew anything about the missing money. We would be putting everyone’s integrity in question, and I’m not sure I’m willing to do that. I’m thinking that whoever took it will have to deal with his guilty conscience and that God will convict him of his evil actions. Let’s just let God handle it,” Flynn suggested. “We can replace what’s missing so the kids don’t suffer for someone else’s poor choices and leave it at that.”

†

To repay someone’s generosity by stealing from him is to ensure evil a place in our heart and house. Evil acts, regardless of the act, give Satan a foothold he will exploit in an effort to turn it into a stronghold.
If the person remains unrepentant, evil will eventually become a fortress seeping into every part of his life. It will ultimately bring total destruction to the entire household, leaving no one unaffected.
Solomon says that the one who commits evil will never be free from it. The only way to escape evil’s house and Satan’s grip is to bring our actions before the Lord in repentance. Then follow His leading.

Prayer

“Keep evil from my doorstep and my heart, Lord. Amen.”

Clear Conscience

But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.
1 Peter 3:14

They called him a whistle blower. As they agency’s head accountant, Wes had called for an investigation into alleged improprieties. Everyone felt he had betrayed the agency. They didn’t know what Wes knew. He had discovered that three of the top executives had embezzled 2.3 million dollars in company retirement funds.
He’d figured it out while doing an in-depth cross-check of the last two years’ books. Someone had cooked the books to show bogus market exchanges after the year-to-date expenditures had been signed off on.
Someone had slanted the books to make it appear the firm had spent millions on a new office building in the downtown district and that each employee was a contributing shareholder.
He’d uncovered a trail where thousands of dollars at a time had been siphoned from the money market investments without anyone’s knowledge. Wes ran across the discrepancies by checking deposit dates against phony real estate entries.
When the two-month external investigation proved Wes had been right, the whistleblower label was replaced with pats on the back and a huge debt of thanks. Wes had done what was right. In his mind, he couldn’t have done otherwise.

†

Sometimes doing the right thing requires taking some abuse. But that should never be the deciding factor in how we proceed. To look the other way when things are not as they should be is to forfeit character, honesty, and integrity.
Wes could have chosen to ignore his discovery. He could have simply resigned his position and gone to another agency. He was aware that by implicating those in authority he was taking a chance on having his character dragged through the mud. After all, he’d only been with the company a little over a year, and it was his word against theirs. For a while, it had been a very lonely stand.
It is better to suffer a while for what is right than live with a troubled heart. There is no substitute for a clear conscience.

Prayer

“I want to be a person of great integrity, Lord. Help me to put what’s right ahead of my comfort no matter the circumstances. In Jesus’ Name, amen. “