GALATIANS 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could simply run away? It seemed to be the answer when I was five years old and again when I was six, seven and eight. The thought occurred to me when I was in my teen years too, but I had no source of income and no place to run. When I became a mother, it seemed to be a daily thought, but never acted upon, because I’d finally become a responsible adult Or had I?
The thought of running away is still somewhere in the back of my head, but because I’m now an old lady I should be thinking more in terms of my last days here on earth. Instead, those two little words, “run away,” seem to be luring me into its web of deception once more.
This year has been a nightmare to many. In most cases, we can’t wait until it’s over. It started with an ongoing impeachment trial. Then in February the COVID19 virus reared its ugly head. Isolation, toilet paper and hand sanitizer became the words of the day. Graduations were cancelled. Students were put on an extended spring break along with teachers. Families got to know each other on a close quarters basis.
Summer was filled with “peaceful protests,” which turned into violence and looting. Again the ugliness of the world reared its ugly head and the voice of justice was drowned out by the words of hatred and deceit. Travel plans were placed on hold or forgotten completely, but somehow we survived. When the sunflower fields and corn mazes filled Facebook pages, and the colorful handiwork of God filled nature with a stunning canvas, hope sprang again as kids went back to school, although in a much different fashion.
October has turned into another badgering session placed upon a candidate for the SCOTUS – another means of campaigning for both political parties. In three weeks an election will occur, which undoubtedly will be contested into the next year or two or ten. Who knows, we may wind up living in a whole new world.
My opinions are mine alone and I expect I’ll get some flack from them, but honestly this has been a year to make us want to run away and hide. The ball drop in Times Square on December 31, 2020 will be virtual. There will be no crowds to control – only pre-recorded fireworks and confetti, ushering in a new year, but there will be no crowds. The suicide rate will rise and mental health is at an all time low. Depression is commonplace these days. It’s enough for one to long for the end of the world and Christ’s return.
Instead of running away, let’s run to the only One who never changes – the One who has already laid the blueprint for our lives – the One who knows what’s best for each of us. God will always be there. He will never run away from us, so let’s make a mad dash towards Him.
I haven’t got a clue who the people are in this old photograph, but they look like part of the same genealogy – the family tree filled with all kinds of nuts. My own family was much like this and I recall getting together with them for reunions in the summer time. We didn’t know most of the people in attendance, but we were assured they were long lost relatives from one of our parent’s side of the family.
One thing for sure in those days is that everyone dressed up for a picnic or family gathering of any kind. They knew there would be a photograph snapped during the course of the event and they wanted to look their best. Just rounding up all those various sized children was a task in itself and then to have them sit still long enough to have a semi-professional take a photo that would show off all the good elements of each of the members.
We’d dine on potato salad, fried chicken, homemade ice cream and deviled eggs – not to mention tasty homemade pies and cakes. Everything sat in the warmth of the July sun until every last lick was eaten. Today those tasty morsels would be like certain death and the evidence of food poisoning would be apparent the next day. Maybe in those days the same was true, but we went on living anyway.
Getting together with family was pretty easy too. Most everyone lived close by and the need to search for the long lost relative, didn’t take long. Today, families are spread all over the map and it’s not nearly as easy to get together. I kind of miss those times, especially as I grow closer to the end of my days.
There was my mom’s aunt, who once got stuck in our recliner and her ample size created special challenges for my thin husband.
There were the cousins we never really got to know except for that one day a year. There were second and third cousins too. Farm families were often larger than city ones, so relatives we didn’t even know were on hand. These same people were on hand for every wedding and funeral to occur throughout the year, often serving more of that poisoned potato salad.
We had sack races, played horse shoes, contests of all kinds, usually designed to bring out the competitive spirit and pit cousin against cousin. The end of the day would consist of a huge bonfire and stories of old being spun as the crackle of burning logs filled the air.
There always seems to be one black sheep of the family – whose name would certainly come up at least once. Whatever happened to old what’s his name? Last I heard, he was in prison for stealing chickens
There was the yodeling cousin, her sibling who could click the roof of his mouth with his tongue and another cousin strummed on a wash board. This was done for the entertainment of the elders. I’d often direct some kind of skit as well. This was one thing my cousins dreaded, but it turned into a career for me.
We can’t chose our family members. They’re a part of who we are. We all come from the same DNA so there is a natural bond. There are a few we’d much rather not be related to, but keeping connected is sadly a lost tradition. I can’t wait for that final reunion in heaven. I’m sure I won’t recognize any of them.
A refreshing thunderstorm rolled through last evening’s sky, taking with it many of the colorful leaves that adorned our trees. It revealed the skeletal remains and let the beautiful rays of sun pour through this morning. How glorious is the hand of God.
Give thanks to the Lord for His creation, In His hands all things came into existence, The trees perfectly designed and crafted to bring shade, comfort, and shelter, The seas in all their majesty, blown into place by His breath, Abundant with life, food for our stomachs and beauty to behold, The sky is filled with the voice and color of His paintbrush, A glimmering sunset, a rainbow of promise, clouds to gather the tears of man, The secret places are His also, He formed great mountains from formless clay, He carved the crevices from steely granite, penciled in the lines, Washed the canvas with water, tweaked, punched, chiseled, He created every living thing, Formed from nothing into intricately executed works of art, Giving the first man a likeness of Himself, And the first woman taken from the ribs of the man, To forever be a part of him, God is the Creator of all things, Let us praise Him and thank Him for His wondrous gifts, And remind us that He created us to be the caretakers of His creation.
We read about the dysfunctionality of the American family every day. Yet we’re exposed to “perfect” families by the score when we see Facebook or Instagram posts. It would seem that most people in this country have the ideal life. We see them traveling together, creating things, eating sumptuous meals, living the good life. It starts to make us feel that something is lacking in our own family.
When I was a kid, I felt my family was totally dysfunctional. I compared everything to what my friends had. They lived in nice homes with a mom that wore an apron and put fantastic meals on the table each day. They had family vacations that boggled my mind. They seemed so happy to be together. They were superfunctional. I think I just created a new word.
As I looked up the definition for the word dysfunctional this morning, I found the following synonyms:
Nobody wants to admit that about their families, nor about their life in general. However, as a I started my own family and joined my life to a person with his own background, we seemed to be creating yet another dysfunctional family. Unfortunately, we all have skeletons in the closet. We all have secrets that we would never want another human being to know about.
When our children were young, we decided to set up a time for Bible study with them. We determined to do so after supper, when we had a captive audience. As for me and my childhood, that would have been the least perfect time. My dad worked the night shift and even though mom insisted on dinner together each evening, he wasn’t at his best. Our times around the dinner table were often a series of arguments, chastisement, lectures and discomfort. I didn’t want that for my own children. So we set time aside each evening to work our way through the Bible starting with the Book of Genesis.
Our children were old enough to read and comprehend what they read, but this method proved to be a real struggle. After all the thees and thous along with biographies that spanned hundreds of years, we lost our captive audience. I can’t imagine how young families find time today for Bible study.
Over my own life. I realize that once you get beyond all those difficult names and relationships, there’s really a lot of meat to digest. The stories of dysfunctional families jump off the pages, and I believe God inspired those words so we could learn how to deal with situations like greed, jealousy, hate, heritage, legacies, loving each other, showing compassion – all the things that are pertinent to every family out there. In the words of that first book alone, there are stories of murder, incest, deception, stealing a birthright, selling a brother into slavery, adultery, sodomy, over indulgence. Stories that have also inspired best selling novels over time.
When you think about it, if we’re left to our own devices, we often fall into bad habits. We turn away from God and try to go it alone. We think we know better than our own heavenly Father. Having Him as the head of the family is a good start for establishing functionality. He is our Creator and knows everything about us. When we place our focus on Him and His plan for us, we have a far better chance of leading a fairly normal life.
What’s on your worry list today? Are you anxious about the future? Do you fear you won’t have enough money to make the house payment? Are you fearful of a positive COVID19 diagnosis? Are you up in arms about the coming election? Do you think we are headed for the end of the world?
We seem to have our share of things to be stressed out about these days. In these difficult times, we could certainly throw up our arms in despair or we could put all our concerns into one giant worry box and burn it up. On the other hand, there is One who can handle the entire load of worries and fears of this age.
Why wait until there is supposedly no hope? Why give in to the temptation that we will never recover – that doomsday is right around the corner – that we have completely lost control of our own destiny?
When it looks like our world is about to crash in on us – when depression turns into anxiety – when we have no control over our feelings that’s the time to call on the name of the Lord.
Prayer shouldn’t be used only as a last resort. It is our open line of communication with God Himself. We should come to Him to lay our cares upon Him, for He has invited us to do so. He has also given us the ability to do what we can in some cases, but ultimately He is the One who controls the outcome.
Start today. Open your voice to Him. Don’t be afraid. He offers answers that we can’t possibly come up with. He is in charge of every star in the heavens and each drop of moisture that falls from the sky. Go to Him with thankfulness and praise and be bold in asking for solutions. He may not answer right away, but He will answer and it will always be for our good.
“It is high time for me to put an end to your sitting in this place, which you have dishonored by your contempt of all virtue, and defiled by your practice of every vice; ye are a factious crew, and enemies to all good government; ye are a pack of mercenary wretches, and would like Esau sell your country for a mess of pottage, and like Judas betray your God for a few pieces of money.” Oliver Cromwell
The endless summer of 2020 has led to an endless autumn of reruns on the tube. With a lack of viewing choices and all the other rhetoric pouring into the air waves, we have resorted to watching old movies. Sometimes we hit on a good one. I highly recommend the movie “Cromwell,” with Richard Harris playing the part of Cromwell and Alec Guinness as King Charles the first of England. Two stellar stars told us this flick was going to be a winner and we were not disappointed.
I am a firm believer in history repeating itself and how we never seem to learn much from the past. I also love going back in time to see how nations were formed and how God has been involved in the forming of our own country.
The above quote from Oliver Cromwell was given in a speech he made to Parliament upon its dissolution some time after the king had been beheaded and the nation was under the newly formed Commonwealth of England. As with all civil unrest, there comes corruption and mishandling of the transition of power. This was not untrue of the members of that same body. Money and bribes were part of their administration of the law. Those involved in governing the country were easily bought. Isn’t it interesting how this seems to be the modus operandi when power is involved?
When you think about it, the ones who suffer most are the common people – those who provide services, set up small businesses, try to eek out a living. We have learned to rely on our government to figure everything out for us. How very sad that we don’t look back and learn instead of believing we’re being brand new in our thinking. History is a great teacher, yet many of our lessons have been squashed or removed from the records, never to be heard of again.
King Solomon in all his wisdom and knowledge, knew that there was nothing new under the sun. What has happened will happen again. We cannot change it nor erase it, but we should learn from the past mistakes.
Ecclesiastes 1: 9-11 “What has been is what will be and what has been done is what will be done and there is nothing new under the sun. Is there a thing of which it is said, “See, this is new”? It has been already in the ages before us. There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after.”
Melodrama is the genre that’s completely black and white. Good is good and evil is evil. There’s no question about who are the good guys and the bad. I used to perform in a melodrama theatre. There was the typical villain and heroine. There was the hero and the message was always the same. Good triumphs over evil. We always ended our shows with a song called “One Gets What One Deserves.”
Today as I think about the words to that song, I wish everything were so simple in our world. Somehow the idea of good and bad has all but vanished. In fact the reverse is often true. Those in positions of power are no exception. Our leaders, our teachers, our pastors, those we place our trust in, are called to a position of accountability. If they have not learned the differences between right and wrong, how can they teach accountability, responsibility, truth?
As concerned parents, diligent Christians and responsible human beings, we must be taught the difference between right and wrong – especially in these difficult times. Sin is a politically incorrect term even in some churches. We’re expected to be tolerant of everything and everyone. But that fact has muddied the waters, so to speak, and fogged our vision.
In melodrama, there is usually a sign holder to prompt the audience participation. For example: “Boo Hiss” when the villain appears. “Oooh Aaah” when the heroine arrives. “Cheer/applaud” for the hero. Very clear explanation of good and bad. Maybe we should employ signs like that from here on in, instead of those we see in the streets today.
The song I spoke of has the following message – “be careful in your dealings and mind the Golden Rule, for if you swindle others, you might be made the fool. With every nasty deed you do, you’ll get two in return. One word should be sufficient, but some folks never learn.” Melodrama is an old-fashioned style of acting, peppered with overacted, broad characters that make us laugh, but the clear right and wrong of the law shouldn’t be. We still need to know that we’re sinners and need salvation.
Without the law, we have no need for a Savior. Without the law, there is no order to our lives. With the law we see how short we fall and how we will get exactly what we deserve in the end. With the Gospel, we are gifted with eternal life and get exactly what we don’t deserve.
There are days when we feel like life isn’t worth getting up for. We’d rather crawl back under the sheets and melt into another dream. What do you do when you feel that way? The world might tell you that you’ve made your own pity party, now get over it, but it’s not that easy.
Take for example A.A. Milne’s character, Eeyore. He spent his life living under a rain cloud and making sure that his tail stayed on. Do you every feel that you have no real purpose in life? Do spend each waking moment feeling sorry for yourself? Has your get up and go, got up and left? Every one of us has experienced feelings like that. You look in the mirror and see a reflection of a big loser. You beat yourself up, because you aren’t as successful as your neighbor. You put yourself down because you aren’t as smart as your classmates. No matter how hard you try, you will always live under the shadow of someone else.
Eeyore once said, while looking at his reflection in the water,
“No better from this side. But nobody minds. Nobody cares. Pathetic, that’s what it is.”
No amount of positive thinking is going to rid him of that feeling, because he’s the one responsible for it. We can try to shake it off or cover it up, but depression is very real. You feel sad, you have no energy, you’re pessimistic, grumpy. You isolate yourself from those who could encourage you. You retreat from daily activities and your work suffers. Soon you can’t get out of bed and the cycle just gets bigger and bigger.
The remedies for this malady are many. You can seek professional help. Medication might work, but often becomes the source of other problems. You can talk to a friend, a counselor, a pastor. You can go to countless therapy sessions, spend thousands of dollars on self-help books, and still find no relief. Some may get to the point where suicide is the only solution. I admit to feeling that way when times were overwhelming, but I knew that taking my own life wasn’t an option.
God has other plans for us. Our lives are a gift from Him. What we do with them depends largely on our relationship with Him. He sees the plight of man. He hears the cries of the broken hearted. His creation is precious to Him. He is our true friend, our defender, our advocate our provider. He loves us so much, that He thought up the perfect plan for our salvation. He carried our cross. He bore our sins. He died so we could live. He rose from death so we could also.
Trust Him to lead you down the path He’s already designed for you. You can be sure it’s a great plan, because He made it. There will be obstacles, but He will lead you through them. Often you will become stronger because of the roadblocks. What a friend we have in Jesus. Trust in Him for your joy.
In this crazy world of ours, we’re often told to take a chance – to throw caution to the wind and follow our instincts. It’s true that every day is a second chance for most of us. We find ourselves asking God for this on a regular basis. Thankfully He hears our prayers and gives us those opportunities to try again, even though there is nothing we can do to win our place of honor in heaven. That’s already been done for us.
Still, we’re faced with taking risks on a daily basis – especially in times of uncertainty. This year could be considered one of the most challenging times in our history. We’ve faced catastrophe on top of catastrophe. We’ve experienced a time in the desert, comparable to those written about in God’s Word. Sometimes it feels like every day brings a new problem to the mix. What are we to do?
I think about those who are suffering with a disease that could take their life – about those who have lost their livelihood – those with uncertain futures – the broken hearted, the anxious and depressed. This time has been like a jail sentence. The Apostle Paul faced his time in prison converting others to Christianity and dictating his final Acts of the Apostles to Luke, who would later write them down for us to read.
Does it have to take a walk in the desert to overcome difficulties? I think of it this way. We need time to evaluate our journey. During times of trouble, we need our space, our isolation, our chance to converse with God. We also must be willing to listen to His voice, when He tells us to rely on Him and not ourselves. We do that by reading the Bible.
A small business could give up during a time like this, or it could take a chance and even risk everything to further the growth of the company. A church could easily fall by the wayside and never recover, because of the lack of fellowship and community. However the growth can be established in new ways with the use of technology and other means. A nation can survive through a pandemic, if they place their trust in the true God. This doesn’t mean we blindly walk into dangerous and difficult situations. It does mean that we’re turning our challenges into greater opportunities if we remain quiet and trust God to see us through.
What gives us reason to take a chance? We know, by faith, that God never changes. He is consistent. He loves us. He is active in our lives. We can place our trust in Him alone.
Today doesn’t have to be a loss for any of us. We have opportunities ahead that are boundless. All we need to do is trust in the Lord.
For most of us, we don’t think there is anything worth writing about in our own story. However, God has created each of us with a uniqueness that can’t be denied. Each story is important. Each life has merit and purpose. Every journey can help another to get through theirs.
Jesus used stories throughout His ministry. They were called parables – an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. Our stories aren’t filled with divine wisdom, but there may be something we can share that will serve as an example for someone else. When you’ve reached your final years of life, you have a bounty of experience and knowledge to pass on. Unfortunately, our society doesn’t always revere or respect its elderly population. Maybe we just don’t have the time to sit down and listen for a while. Maybe we should make time.
When we share our story with others, the truth of it will resonate with them. Either that or we will bore them to tears. I’ve discovered in my time of blogging, that some of my most difficult decisions – my struggles – my failures and successes seem to hold the most interest. People truly will connect with you, if you can show them something from your life that has a lesson attached to it.
As I work with a group of other writers to create a series of episodes designed for people entering their golden years, I’m astounded to hear all the amazing stories. Some of them are heartbreaking while others make us laugh until we cry. Some of them never make it beyond the editing stage. Maybe these stories are a sort of therapy for us to get through this dreadful virus, but even if that’s all that comes from it, it’s something good. As with any collaboration, the stories mushroom as they remind us of similar events. And the beat goes on.
Our own personal history may seem run of the mill to us, but to one who is experiencing a similar situation, it can be a wellspring. Don’t be afraid to share your story. It may make a heap of difference to someone today.
When we lived in the city, there were countless container cars, sitting idly in the rail yards. In fact, when not in use, they’d be stacked in piles of four or more, to await being pulled into use again. It was kind of like looking at a huge city of vacant apartment buildings. Or were they?
Some folks are buying used container cars and repurposing them into places to live. I imagine them to be inhabited at times by the homeless, wayfarer, the hobo, the runaway. Imagine how it feels to live tucked away in a steel box just to stay warm for the night. Imagine what goes through the mind as you hear spray paint cans and disruptive voices surrounding you as you try to sleep.
Think of the possibilities. One or more of these inhabitants is running away from something. The average Joe wouldn’t think of doing this, but those without ties, without responsibility, without money or food wouldn’t think twice about it. When you’re running away – trying to hide – in a bad state emotionally, financially or spiritually – you need more than a cardboard box to survive.
There was a time in my life when the thought of living this way, was almost an actuality. Our world had caved in and there was nothing left. We’d lost our home, vehicles, bank accounts, income and all our retirement savings and investments. During those dark years, we imagined living in the streets or riding the rails, or whatever homeless people do. We were ready though. Our lives of putting our faith in God’s direction is what kept us afloat.
As we left bankruptcy court with only a few dollars in our pocket, we knew that God had a plan for us. He provided an “angel” who sold us a house on a land contract, so we didn’t have to go through a credit report to achieve home ownership. We also had a number of good friends who prayed for us and provided encouragement.
My long time as a volunteer drama coach led to a job teaching acting to children – working with a children’s theater and eventually starting my own children’s theater company. My husband began wood sculpting for many other “angels” and that led to the start of his fine arts business.
There are times when we feel hopeless and helpless. Those are usually the moments we turn to God. When things are going well, we tend to coast and take our blessings for granted. I believe that these tests are all part of God’s greater plan for us. Trusting in His unchanging love and His beautiful blueprint for our lives will allow us to get through the tough times – but don’t forget to praise Him when things are going well for you, as well as during times of trouble.
My legacy doesn’t matter. It isn’t important that I be remembered. It’s important that when I stand before the Lord, he says, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’ I want to finish strong.” James Dobson
“Words – so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them.” Nathaniel Hawthorne
If anything good is ever to come from the COVID19 pandemic of 2020, it will soon be lost to hurtful words, accusations, shaming, hatred and anger.
I can’t imagine that anything else could possibly happen this year that would shock us or fill us with fear, hopelessness or helplessness. Every day there is something new to be added to the already smoldering pot, and still we’re stunned, disbelieving and confused. There is no order in this chaos of 2020. The only hope for us as a nation is to turn our prayers to God – the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Instead we seem bent on depending on the father of lies for our very opinions and tenets.
We are hopelessly devoid of compassion when we wish death upon a sitting president. We are inhumanly arrogant to pass judgment on the wearing of masks or not. We follow protocols for social distancing, yet we cannot live without our sporting events. We take chances every day when we step outside our doors and into a world full of germs, hatred, political upheaval, protests, violence and fear. Would we be better off to stay isolated? Would we not then be subject to emotional distress, anxiety, possibility of other diseases? We see the greatest among us, become victims of this disease and yet the first thought is to act like vultures waiting to descend.
My heart is aching right now because of the state of this country. What have we learned from this six month sentence? Has our incarceration taught us nothing? Instead of beating each other into the ground and finding fault with whatever is being said, we should be uniting as a country. Instead of lifting each other up with words of encouragement and hope, we seem intent on destroying everyone who doesn’t agree with us.
We once were a country of young patriots, willing to shed blood for our freedom from a tyrannical monarchy – to become self-sufficient, without the intervention of governing factors. Somewhere between the founding of America, we’ve lost sight of that fact. We’ve become more and more reliant on our government. It has become nothing more than what the founders sought to remedy – a citizenship, being led by career politicians who often have their own interests at heart.
I believe that there is a reason for what’s happening right now. I believe so, because I have faith that God has ordained the future as well as the here and now. His plans are always good. He does not lie. His promises are always kept. Still we tend to try and figure things out for ourselves or listen to the words of those who might easily lead us down the wrong path. We are not sheep. We are not puppets. We are God’s creation and He has given us the ability to think, to reason and to come up with solutions, but without Him as our only leader, we are bound to fail.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5
You are the founder of all nations. You know the needs and hear the prayers of your people. We come to you today as citizens of the United States and ask you to heal our land as well as our President and the First Lady. This horrible disease has come to both of them. Many thousands of others have also suffered because of it. Only you have the power to eliminate COVID19 from the planet. You also have control of every breath we take.
As schools are opening and business returns as usual, we see an uptick and realize that we must take this pandemic seriously. Give our scientists the knowledge to control and fix this problem, but even more so, give all of us the ability to come together as a united country instead of one filled with division and anger.
Let the people know that no one is immune. Help us realize that you are in control of all that happens to us. Unite us so that we can survive whatever is in store for us.
Please, dear God, heal our land. In the name of your precious Son, Jesus, we pray. Amen!
As I reach the end of my years, I find I have a lot of good information stored up in this old decrepit mind of mine. If I don't write it all down, it may vanish and no one will have the advantage of my thoughts. This is why this blog exists. I love the Lord, Jesus with all my heart and soul. I know I'm undeserving of all He's done for me, but I also know that His love is beyond my comprehension.
I've always wanted to write. I never kept diaries, but tucked my thoughts in my head for future reference. I use them now in creating stories, plays, poetry and my blog.
I continue to learn every day. I believe the compilation of our time spent with God will have huge affect on the way we live. I know I'm a sinner and I need a Savior. I have One through Jesus, Christ.
My book, "Stages - a memoir," is about the seven stages of life from the perspective of a woman. It addresses all the things girls and women go through in life as they travel it with Jesus, and it is available on Amazon.com.
Life is a patchwork of moments — laughter, solitude, everyday joys, and quiet aches. Through scribbled stories, I explore travels both far and inward, from sunrise over unfamiliar streets to the comfort of home. This is life as I see it, captured in ink and memory. Stick around; let's wander together.
God's amazing grace removes walls and replaces those barriers with Jesus, freedom from sin's consequences, freedom to forgive, and freedom to love unconditionally.
atimetoshare.me 
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