Category: Hope

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Messy Roads

Winter can be messy, not to mention cold. I was heading up the mountain to Somerset a few weeks ago and got behind a coal truck. The road was dirty and slightly wet from the salt and melting snow. The combination made the car’s windshield wiper fluid my MVF—-Most Valuable Friend. There was just enough mess on my windshield that I needed to use the wipers occasionally. Unfortunately, the wipers made the mess even worse. Have you been there? Since being able to see the road comes in handy while driving, I needed that wiper fluid desperately.

Life gets messy too, doesn’t it? As Pastor Chris frequently reminds us at Charter Oak Church, “everybody’s dealing with something.” In the middle of our mess we sometimes take charge, turn on the windshield wipers, and make an even bigger mess. As I was driving up the mountain that day, it occurred to me that the wiper fluid is symbolic of Jesus in the lives of His children. He’s our MVF and more! When we confess Him as Lord and Savior of our lives, He cleans us up.

“he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.”                                     Titus 3:5 NLT

But He doesn’t stop there.

Without the wiper fluid that day, I would have been hard-pressed to stay on the road. At times I could barely see through the mess on my windshield. When the “somethings” in our lives cloud the path, Jesus stands ready, willing, and able to show us the way.

“The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.”                                       Psalms 32:8 NLT

There’s a little more to the story.

I had windshield wiper fluid that day, but without my pressing the button to activate the pump and wipers, it would have done me no good. Similarly, we play a role in activating Jesus in our lives. We must seek Him and His guidance. Care to join me?

“Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow.”                                                                                                    Psalms 25:4 NLT

 

 

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A Work In Progress

Last week I celebrated the 6th anniversary of my elbow surgery. Seems like a silly thing to celebrate, huh? Well, in my case, there’s cause for celebration. Much progress has been made since May 19, 2011. You see, things didn’t quite go as planned. The tendon had completely torn from the bone so proceeding with surgery was the only sensible option at that point. It was the aftermath that was completely unexpected.  For some unknown reason, every joint up and down my right arm, including my fingers, essentially “froze” and there was very limited mobility as a result. There is no need to bore you with all the details. I will just say that my life for the first four years following surgery consisted of countless doctor appointments, various types of therapy, and pills of every description, all with the goal of restoring my range of motion and managing the pain. For the last two years of the six, I am pleased to say that the doctor appointments and pills have been minimal and the therapy mainly consists of getting in the pool to keep things moving. To the eye, my physical issues go undetected by most at this point.

I won’t soon forget May 19th (for a few reasons actually—one of my sisters has a birthday that day). That date causes me to stop and reflect on where I was, where I am now and all the progress that has been made in between those two points. As I do that, there is a verse that really speaks to me. I remember learning it in a small group study somewhere along the way. The verse is tucked into the story of God making a covenant promise to David through the prophet Nathan that secured David’s, as well as his family’s, place on the throne. This is David’s response:

Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and prayed, “Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?”        

2 Samuel 7:18 NLT

I don’t know why my surgery had a bad outcome, but I do know this—it is only by the grace of God that I have come THIS far. He has seen me through each step along the way, supplying everything I need just when I need it. My journey back from elbow surgery is much like my spiritual journey—-I’m not where I want to be, but I’m not where I was either. I believe we refer to that as progress! As long as I have breath, He’s not done with me yet. I am a work in progress with the goal being to look more like Jesus each day.

So what’s your story? I know I’m not alone. We’ve all stumbled upon roadblocks along life’s path at one point or another. They come in all shapes and sizes. What circumstances have you feeling defeated today? Don’t give up! He will make a way where there is no way. I share with you the words of Paul:

“And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:19 NLT

It’s true for me and it’s true for you too. Someday you’ll look in the rearview mirror just as I tend to do on May 19th and you will be equally amazed that He has brought you THIS far!

 

 

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All About the Word

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Earlier this semester I was teaching my students how to solve and graph the solution of compound inequalities and found myself repeatedly saying, “It’s all about the word.” I’ll spare you the math lesson and just tell you that a compound inequality is two simple inequalities joined by the word and or the word or. That word happens to have a huge impact on the solution set.

As I was teaching this lesson and heard myself repeating that same sentence over and over, I heard His still small voice whisper, “That’s right, Polly, it IS all about the word—MY word.” Just as AND or OR has a dramatic effect on the solution set of a compound inequality, God’s word has that same potential in our lives.

“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”                                                                                                        

Hebrews 4:12 NLT

When we get into God’s word, His word gets into us. It is potent enough to stir our souls and bring about change in our lives. Through His word, we can learn who we are as well as who and what we are not as it cuts to the very core of our being. As His word works in us, we’ll be faced with decisions:

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.”  

James 1:22-25 NIV

Have you noticed that doing the right thing is often also the hard thing? We can simply listen to God’s word or we can act on what we hear and apply it to our lives. The latter requires far greater effort, but the payout is worth it. The result of applying His word to our lives—we look more like Jesus! Isn’t that the goal?

I’m suddenly reminded of something else I’ve been known to say to my students regarding their effort—you get out of it what you put into it. Ugh…looks like I’d better take my own advice!