What About Now?

Weekly Word from the Wisdom Walk
Harry Chapin's unforgettable hit song "Cats in the Cradle" chronicles the life of a man from the prime of life as a young father to decades later as a retired grandfather.  One plaintive refrain echoes through the song "We'll get together then ...and we'll have a good time then." What is unsaid speaks even more poignantly because the hearer knows the shadowy time in the future never comes.
We cannot live in the future even when we are certain heaven is our home. Jesus says redeem the time "buy up the tme" use it wisely NOW, because we are in evil times. Are we living, serving, worshipping, reconciling, forgiving, working, witnessing...
Or are we saying to Jesus (and the people we care about) we'll get it together soon, well get together soon, "and we'll have a good time then (?) "
What about the 24 hours in today? How are we spending them?
https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/g/1s05szlz_&hl=en-US&q=harry+chapin+cat%27s+in+the+cradle&kgs=cca43c1bec9ad04e&shndl=0&source=sh/x/kp/osrp&entrypoint=sh/x/kp/osrp

https://www.amazon.ca/MOMENTS-JESUS-Investments-Time-Eternity/dp/197368585X

Your Words Matter

Weekly Word from the Wisdom Walk
Have you ever stop to consider that only God is All-powerful, Ever-present, and All-knowing? This is an attribute he,  in Sovereign wisdom, has retained for himself.
So, where does the devil get the information he uses to harass us? From eavesdropping. We speak defeat, we speak stress, we speak anxiety, and carry our uncertainties like a shield before us. What we speak, imply, and demonstrate, the enemy acts upon.
Its bad enough for the enemy to attack us but it's madness to provide him with the weapons!
Let's guard our words and responses. Speak faith instead of feelings; life instead of hopelessness; and courage even when our knees are knocking. There can be no tug-of-war unless someone is determined not to let go. Let us be that person who will decide God has this and let go ...
You would be surprised how those seemingly simple actions will turn the tide in your favor.
We walk in wisdom. 

Thankful

Weekly Word from the Wisdom Walk
My thoughts turn today to thankfulness.
Like many today, I have my moments when I get sucked into the quagmire of uncertainty brought about by current events. I get down and I see more clouds than sunshine.
Well, today I choose to focus on thankfulness for all the blessings God has given me. The list is long, far longer than the challenges. As the song says:
I've a roof up above me and a hood place to sleep
I've got food on my table and shoes on my feet
You gave me your Love Lord and a fine family
Thank you Lord for your blessings on me."
May I invite you to take a moment just to say thanks? First to God, and quite possibly to someone who has been a source of blessing or inspiration to you.

(Shari

Someone Bigger

For the past several days I have struggled with what to post. And what's more, I think many of you are finding yourself out of words and in an emotional tangle.

David, whatever his reason for penning  these words hundreds of years ago says it best: From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I (Psalm 62:1).

There is a prevaling sensory overload; more is happening than we can process let alone understand. Emotions are raw making even conversations at home guarded or downright difficult. 

What to do?

Run to the only one who has it together. Run to the Rock. Pray for the right words, attitude, and response. Remember if we had loved God with all our being and our neighbor or people as we do ourselves,  we would not be in this pickle. So  though we are in pain and our hearts are grieved, if we do not operate from a place of supernatural love, the situation will continue to get worse.

Pray from your heart,  pray the Scriptures and sometimes just sit in silence and let God speak to your spirit.

I pray for all of us. And I pray God will raise up leaders with the fortitude to make the hard choices and do the unpopular tasks in order to achieve meaningful change. 

Don't Give Up

The heat was more intense than I expected and so took a lot more energy than I wanted to expend. There was nothing to do but adjust my pace and keep walking. That oh-so-hoped-for second wind,  never came so I simply trudged the last two miles. Being tired did not mean quitting was an option. Why? I had to make it home.
Many of us are tired. Tired of COVID-19,  tired of the news, tired of hearing about financial relief that never seems to come. We are tired of politics of the murder of innocent people and justice that seems inextricably linked to "the color of our skin rather than the content of our character." We are tired of sin, of failed relationships, and tired of never quite hitting the mark, no matter how hard we try.
We are tired of glass ceilings, invisible walls, and treadmills to keep us busy going nowhere. But, that is not a reason to quit. Instead, we keep the faith. We continue to believe in a God who made all people significant because of his divine imprint. We will continue to do the good we know, and in so doing make a difference, wherever God happens to place us.  We are not home yet. Don't give up. Run fast, walk slow, or simply trudge, putting one foot in front of the other. But keep going because home is still ahead.

Practicing Tolerance

Weekly Word from the Wisdom Walk today is Tolerance

Tolerance: The ability or willingness to put up with (tolerate) the existence or behavior that one does not necessarily agree with” so says one dictionary. It is a matter of great concern and personal sadness to see the amount of time devoted to giving way to anger either because of a misunderstanding or someone voicing a different idea. Somehow, in this time of major crisis I am having difficulty reconciling this with what is really happening in the world. I hate to be the one harping on this, but people are dying. Hunger, stress, hopelessness leading to suicides, or people being maimed from failed suicide attempts are right before our very eyes. Many are not Christians; and if your worldview is that eternity without Christ carries major consequences, then there is reason for even more sadness.

Spending the time fighting with each other on social media, over a difference of opinion adds to the problems around us. We excoriate, malign, and condemn each other, question each other’s morals and all but send each other to hell over a difference of opinion or poorly expressed thought. How are we portraying Christ when we say to each other, “Don’t stand beside me, because I am more holy than you are?” Christians are called to be light and salt and peacemakers. At the end of the day, if I was right in my view and Christ was dishonored in the way I expressed myself, being right matters nothing. Christ is still dishonored.
People of God, we will not be graded on the strength of our political convictions but on how we represented Christ to a dying world, “so they may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven.”Once again, the anger of man does not uphold or promote the righteousness of God. For the kingdom of God does not come by arguing or strife. Jesus would have us remember blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God. Disagree with dignity, fight with fairness, and correct with Christ like humility lest we become the very thing we claim to despise.

And now, may the peace of God dwell in us richly and keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. The Lord is at hand (Maranatha)!

Accepting Change

Things are not the same anymore and all the old adages are proving true. “Blessed are the flexible; they shall not soon be bent out of shape;” “The only constant is change;” “Those who cannot adapt are doomed to extinction.” All of these are playing out in our everyday human existence and we are at the place where just knowing these sayings are not enough; nodding in agreement is not enough. We are walking them out in our daily lives or are soon to find ourselves putting our actions where our mouths are.

What is the new landscape looking like? Massive changes. Businesses that are open are adapting new practices and survival strategies and employees are taking on new roles and responsibilities. The expectation is not just agreeing to the changes but jumping in cheerfully because of the fact, there is a job. Many even in the face of tremendous loss now given the chance to define their own goals and be their own boss, as discomfort breeds growth. For millions the question of what is my job has taken on an answer similar to the question who is my neighbor, asked by Jesus asked thousands of years ago. It is not so much proximity of fences defining neighbors or hiring descriptions that define what is my job. Rather, it’s what needs to be done and my ability to do it.

How do we respond? With grace and integrity, doing all within us to mirror Christ instead of personal outrage. Now, the rubber truly meets the road because our pride and status may have other ideas. In times like these we truly appreciate the Bible which says, “Do everything without complaining that we may be children of God, blameless and pure.” Today as we leap forward into another series of unknowns, remember God has long encountered all that is ahead of us, and promises victory. As a family member of one of my patients told me last week, “God has given you all that you need to face all challenges you will encounter and defeat it.”  Stay safe and stay grounded in Christ our forever constant.