Category: Comfort

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Numbers

What’s in a number?

I like numbers. No newsflash there. After all, I teach math. Numbers give me a greater understanding of so much.

Concerning Numbers

Thinking back 28+ years to the months leading up to my daughter’s birth, I remember meeting with the head neonatologist at Allegheny General to discuss her case in depth. It was all so overwhelming. All the medical terminology flew right over my head, but a few things stuck. Namely, the numbers!! I understood that much at least. Our baby girl had a 10% chance of surviving, unless she was born in the right place at the right time. I can assure you that we, along with our doctors, did everything in our power to make sure she WAS born in the right place at the right time, increasing her odds of survival to 50/50. Sometimes those numbers don’t tell the story that we want to hear, but, nonetheless, they do tell a story.

The Battle Continues

After months of battling a MRSA infection, I find myself searching for a number again. Please feel free to read my most recent blog posts if you need to catch up on that news.

Multiple infectious disease doctors have told me that once the infection reaches the bone/hardware, it is really hard to eliminate. They are all in agreement on that. If it does return, the doctors say that they will have to open my neck up yet again and remove the hardware. You can imagine how appealing that is after having had 3 cervical spine surgeries in 4 months.

The Million Dollar Question

My question—how hard is REALLY hard? Give me a number so I can better understand what I am up against! When I posed that question at my most recent infectious disease appointment, my doctor could not (or would not) give me a number. She only replied, “I don’t know.” So, I am left wondering. Are the numbers in my favor? If not, how badly are the odds stacked against me?

Achieving (Im)balance

While I have been left pondering this question, the Holy Spirit led me to a passage in the Bible about numbers to give me some much-needed perspective. For the complete story, check out Judges Chapter 7. I am going to limit my deeper dive here to the numbers. In this chapter, Gideon is leading an army of Israelites into battle against the Midianites.

The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’  Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.

Judges 7:2-3 (NIV)

Calculating

If you do the math, that means Gideon’s army started with 32,000 men and was quickly reduced to 10,000. That is nearly a 70% decrease! Why? Because God did not want the Israelites to take credit for their victory.

However, God was not yet finished…

But the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”

Judges 7:4 (NIV)

Outnumbered

Minus all the details, God pared Gideon’s army down to 300 men. For perspective, there were 135,000 men in the Midianite army. Whoa—talk about outnumbered! There is no way the Israelites can pull this off, right? That was God’s whole point. When they defeated the Midianites, God wanted them to be certain of why they were victorious. It was because He was fighting the battle for (and with) them! Ultimately, the battle was God’s. And you know…

With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”

Matthew 19:26 (KJV)

Instead of searching for a number to which I can cling, I would be better served by clinging to the all-powerful God of the universe. At the end of the day, the number is not very important. If you are in a battle where the numbers are not in your favor, remember this story about Gideon and find comfort in this truth.

If God is for us, who can be against us?

Romans 8:31 (NIV)

 

 

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More Important

As always, I wait on God to supply the material for my blog posts. That, and the time to write. Sometimes I just have to reprioritize all that is vying for my attention and move that which is more important to the top of the list. Thus, this new post.

Helping a Friend in Need

I have been reading and discussing a great book, “Faith, Doubt, and God’s Mysterious Timing,” with a friend over the last several months. It is written by Laurie Polich Short. Within each chapter, she generally uses three stories from the Bible to drive her point home. In a chapter titled, “When in Doubt, Look at Jesus,” Laurie used the story of four friends going to great lengths to help their paralytic friend. I think great lengths might be an understatement. They dug through the roof where Jesus was teaching and lowered their paralyzed friend on a mat to get him to Jesus. That’s how badly they wanted healing for their friend. Imagine their surprise when Jesus’ response was “Son, your sins are forgiven.” I have a feeling they looked at one another with a puzzled look. “Huh?”

A Greater Need

Jesus, of course, was using this as another teaching moment. You see, there were teachers of the law in attendance, and He knew that they were silently accusing Him of blasphemy. Jesus wanted them to know that He, the Son of Man, had the authority to forgive sins on earth. Jesus also knew that it was more important that the man’s sins be forgiven than his ability to walk be restored. So, even though the latter was the intention of his friends, Jesus addressed what was more important first—the forgiveness of sins.

Physical Healing

Once Jesus made his point, he addressed the paralytic again:

“I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Mark 2:11-12 NIV

Wait–what?

I got a surprise, much like the paralytic’s friends, recently. I, too, went looking for one thing and found another. A headache that won’t quit has had my attention for nearly 3 months now. In my quest to solve that problem, another one has been uncovered that is apparently more important. It isn’t life-threatening, but it IS life-altering. This new discovery has rocked my world, but, at the end of the day, I need to look at it as a blessing. Jesus ALWAYS knows what is more important. So, I pay attention, and rearrange my ducks yet again.

In case you are in need of a reminder too:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV

The Blessing of Community

On a side note, I am touched by the effort put forth by the paralytic’s friends to help him. I have an equally dedicated collection of friends and family who have gone to great lengths to help me as well. That brings me great comfort in the midst of such uncertainty. They are such a blessing to me. I pray that you are also blessed with a wonderful support network on which you can lean in good times and in bad. After all, we were made for community.

 

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Makeup

As you most likely already know, I’m going to be playing the role of “mother-of-the-bride” fairly soon. With this gig comes a lot of pressure! According to my mom, my appearance can only come in 2nd to the bride. Have I mentioned pressure? I knew I would need to step up my game to pull this off, so, earlier this week, I went on a field trip to Ulta for makeup.

Leaving My Comfort Zone

Makeup doesn’t exactly land on my Top 10 list of important things. In fact, it falls closer to the Bottom 10. I wear it, but I’ve never invested much in the way of time or money on it. By the time I was done being made up at Ulta, they had me looking pretty good without making me look like someone I’m not. That’s the goal!

How Much?

Once I had given my permission, the girl who worked on me retrieved the products that she used, put them in a little basket, and sent me on my way to the checkout counter. I didn’t know if I was to pay her for her time and efforts, or if payment indirectly came through the purchase of products. I quickly learned that answer when the cashier told me the cost. (Insert multiple emojis with eyes wide open) I spent more money on makeup in one trip to Ulta than I have in my entire existence! I got the goods, now it’s up to my sister, Jayne, to apply it. I’m not going to bear this pressure all alone!!

Is It Even Necessary?

All this talk of makeup and improving my outward appearance got me thinking. First, I’m so thankful that God loves and accepts me just as I am, blemishes and all. He’s more concerned with my inner beauty anyhow. There is no need to hide behind a mask, makeup or otherwise. He already knows everything about me. And He knows everything about you too. Yet He still loves us beyond our wildest imagination. Perhaps you need reminded of that today. You and I were carefully constructed by the God of the universe.

“So God created human beings in his own likeness. He created them to be like himself. He created them as male and female.”

Genesis 1:27 NIRV

Let that sink in for a moment. We were created by God and in His image. Remember, He doesn’t make mistakes.  David recognized God’s handiwork in Psalm 139:

“You created the deepest parts of my being. You put me together inside my mother’s body. How you made me is amazing and wonderful. I praise you for that. What you have done is wonderful. I know that very well.”

Psalm 139:13-14 NIRV

But then there’s that matter of sin which brings me to my second point. When Eve took a bite of that forbidden fruit, sin entered our world and separated us from God. He, of course, had a solution for that too. His name is Jesus.

Solving the Sin Problem

“For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake.”

1 Peter 1:18-20 NLT

“The blood of Jesus is the covering that allows us to enter into the presence of a perfect and holy God. It was shed on our behalf, and it grants us membership into a divine family and access to God’s presence. It is the most precious treasure, and we should never lose our gratitude toward it.”

~Dr. Paul Chappell

The Perfect Makeup

The shed blood of Jesus covered our sin. I guess you could say it is the ultimate makeup. The Ulta makeup was pricey, but the ultimate makeup—it is priceless! May we never forget who paid the bill for our sin and what it cost Him.

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Alone

As America is locked down to mitigate the spread of the Coronavirus, it has become apparent that Easter will look much different this year. Consequently, churches have been worshiping online for several weeks now as we practice social distancing. Though I have enjoyed attending the worship service in my jammies, I sure do miss the face-to-face interaction with my church family…and the hugs! How about you? Are you feeling isolated these days? Lonely? Afraid? If so, I have good news if you continue reading.

The Cost of Sin

Today is Good Friday, a remembrance of the day Jesus died on a cross to pay the penalty for our sin. Just the other day when I was talking with my cousin about celebrating Easter alone this year, she reminded me that Jesus was alone on the cross.

Separation At Its Worst

Unlike us, it wasn’t the separation from people that broke Jesus’ heart. But rather, it was being separated from His Heavenly Father. God cannot be in the presence of sin for He is holy. When the sins of the whole world—past, present and future, were heaped upon Jesus, God turned His back on His Son and allowed Him to die a criminal’s death on a cross. Jesus, who was without sin, went through all that for you and for me. Why? Because He came to do His Father’s will.

“He appeared as a man. He was humble and obeyed God completely. He did this even though it led to his death. Even worse, he died on a cross!”

Philippians 2:8 NIRV

God’s Redeeming Power at Work

Jesus’ death was part of God’s redemption plan for His people, for Jesus was the final and perfect sacrifice for sin. His blood was shed for you and for me. God loves us so much that He sacrificed His Son to redeem us. And Jesus loves us so much that He gave His very own life for us. He was separated from His Father momentarily so we would never have to be.

Ever Present

As isolated and fearful as you may be right now in the midst of this pandemic, please know that you are NEVER alone. He said so! Fear not, for God is bigger than COVID-19 and He is with you.

“Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Don’t tremble with fear. I am your God. I will make you strong, as I protect you with my arm and give you victories.”

Isaiah 41:10 CEV

Stay tuned for the rest of the story…