Words that Pack a Wallop

Many of you blog readers have asked, “Do you ever run out of ideas?” Since God owns GettingThroughThis.com, the answer is, “No.”

God running out of ideas? Ludicrous.

Although the blog words are written on a plastic keyboard, God is the one behind them. I attempt to translate his idea into cyberspace words while he chooses the “so what” moment and Scripture. In other words, he generates three-fourths of each post. I love watching him bring it together, sometimes talking to him out loud. “Oh, you’re right about that, Lord.” Or “Good one!” Or “I never noticed that.”

This blog site began when Linnea, another family writer, urged me to start it. Her blog was up and running (www.KissYourMiracle.com), and she was finding it satisfying to encourage young women.

“Just try it, Mom,” she said. “You’ve always hoped God would use your writing for his purposes, and a blog will put it out there.”

She and Adam set it up, taught me to use it, and joined me in naming it. I remember my first post back in August of 2009. It was after midnight as I tried to summon the courage to push the “publish” button, my index finger shaking over the keyboard. The World Wide Web? Really?

But God and I had talked it over thoroughly, and I couldn’t refuse the opportunity. With one click, www.GettingThroughThis.com was born. A month later Nate and I heard the words “terminal cancer,” and the site was ready to update concerned friends. Later, as grieving began, the blog was a place to sort it all out at the end of each difficult day. Recently it’s been a place to heal and to watch God faithfully keep his promises.

But you, blog reader, are very important to the site and to me. First thing in the morning, you’re on my mind. I’m also bringing you to God in prayer off and on throughout the day, knowing he’s answering with one-on-one attention. In the nearly 5000 comments you’ve left on the site, you’ve also been a blessing to me and every other reader. It’s a world wide relationship.

Recently I’ve been handed a brand new writing opportunity (a book for Discovery House Publishing) that will take much of my time in upcoming months. Since it’s a steep climb for a 65 year old to learn something new, I’ve decided to cut my blogging from 7 days to 4-5 each week and won’t be posting on weekends for a while. This wasn’t an easy decision.

Some have told me they’d rather die than sit in front of a blank computer page each evening to write 500 words. For me it’s pure pleasure, sometimes even worship. My humble little blog bonds me to the Lord in a unique dependency that’s addictive. He and I meet because of my need for him, and the fact that he’s co-written each of 661 posts makes me love him intensely, not just because he’s rescuing me from floundering on my own but because I can’t wait to hear what he has to say each day.

So, the Lord and you and I will continue to meet here most days of the week. Because there are absolutely no words that pack a wallop like his.

“The words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times.” (Psalm 12:6)

 

Last Chance?

The other day I drove past a sad scene. A restaurant that had once been crowded with hungry guests and lively with animated conversation had shut down. Weeds had found their way through sidewalk cracks and around the edges of the building, some reaching above window sills. The neglect was evident.

My guess is the restaurant hadn’t been closed for too long. Abandoned buildings fall into quick disrepair and are a bulky example of “use it or lose it.”

That’s true for human bodies, too. Consider a person who breaks an arm. When the cast is removed after 6 weeks, muscles seem non-existent and the limb looks shrunken, abnormal, non-functional. Without using it, we lose it.

And what about the languages we learn in high school and college? At one point we know 8000 vocabulary words and can speak in simple sentences. Then we abandon the language lab and the vocab cards, and before long, the language slips away, too.

What about people? I think of the strong bonds linking them together and how they quickly become fragile if neglected. Without loving contact between husband and wife, parent and child, friend and friend, the attachment diminishes and gradually the relationship fizzles.

Is this true in the spiritual realm, too? God promised never to leave us, but what if we leave him? Is it possible to lose this critical relationship by not using it? I’m not referring to the debate about whether or not we can lose our salvation but about the ongoing connection we’ve been invited to have with the Lord after he saves our souls. Do we keep it fresh and current? Are we up to date with him?

And the more important question is, if we’re not caring for that relationship, how difficult does it become to regain it? Is it as hard as rebuilding biceps? Or learning vocabulary? Or repairing a marriage?

What if it’s more difficult still? Good questions for us might be, “If Christ returned today, would I be happy with the way our relationship stands? Am I ready for him? Or can I improve my end of things? Without using what he’s given me, am I losing out on what could be a fabulous union?”

A neglected building can be sold, painted, cleaned and landscaped. A new restaurant can move in. Patrons can come. It’s a big job, but each loss can be recouped.

But if Jesus comes tomorrow, we’ll never have another chance to regain what we lost during our time on earth.

“You must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matthew 24:44)

A Perfect Match

I love the beach 365 days a year but especially on a day like today: 75 degrees, a light breeze, whitecaps and blasting sunshine.

While working from an old but comfy beach chair, God brought a distant memory to mind. Mom and I were walking together on the same stretch of sand, looking up at the dunes topped with greenery. It was a day like today except that it was 1955. The sky was then (just like today) a perfect example of “sky-blue.”

Without realizing it, Mom and I were thinking the same thing. “People say blue and green don’t go together,” she said. “But look what happens when God does it.”

If I’d known how to properly use the word “Amen” as a 10 year old, I would have. As it was, Mom planted one of those valuable line-on-line nuggets of wisdom in my young heart, and God’s Spirit caused it to take root. In the years since then, those roots have nourished an important idea:

God can do what people can’t.

It’s easy to apply that logic when mother and child are enjoying the scenery, but does it pertain to the monster-size crises of adulthood?

 

Examples abound:

  • An addict surrenders to a “higher power” and learns his name is Jesus, committing to sobriety and spreading that good news.
  • An abandoned child comes to Christ and grows up to lead a ministry dedicated to rescuing children from abuse.
  • An imprisoned criminal becomes a Christian, and hatred morphs into love.

These are real-life examples of people I know. In each case God combined two “colors” that wouldn’t rationally “go together,” and the results were spectacular:

  • Addiction/sobriety
  • Abandonment/rescue
  • Criminal behavior/loving actions.

So, what about the challenge of widowhood? The trouble-list is long: loneliness, fear, separation, sadness, and unwelcome change. What unlikely “color combinations” might God make available?

As we look at our list, we already know:

  • Loneliness/companionship
  • Fear/safety
  • Separation/togetherness
  • Sadness/joy
  • Change/assistance

The trick is to open ourselves to these out-of-the-ordinary combos, to actively look for them. Before our husbands died, loneliness wasn’t a problem; we had their companionship. If we were afraid, they protected us. We were together, and it was joyful. But now our men are gone and can no longer be these things for us.

And so we look to God. And what we see is his gentle, steady bringing of the things we miss. He provides the positive counter-balance to every negative, meets our needs and brings a “green” to enhance every “blue”.

The alternative is to refuse his help, which leaves us stuck in the misery of loneliness, fear, separation and sadness. That would be like Mom and me walking home from the beach with our eyes on the asphalt.

“My God shall supply all your need…” (Philippians 4:19)