Transitions – October 2010

October 1, 2010 in Transitions of the Month | Leave a comment

PET REMEMBRANCES

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights with whom is no variableness neither shadow of turning. James 1:17

To live with a pet is to live with family.  These creatures grow on us and grow into the framework that is our family.  Great Danes, gold fish, kittens, snakes, horses, canaries, and hermit crabs are named and engrafted into hearts and memories.  Therefore, when a pet dies, sorrow follows.  A member of the family has died.

Some people who experience the loss of a pet may be surprised at how such a loss grips them.  After all, one may reason, it was not a person.  However, the kind of relationship shared with pets is often unique and indelible.  Pets give their love and affection in an unconditional and consistent manner.  When that is gone, there is a large void to fill.  Until a pet dies, people may not realize how much a pet’s presence meant as a source of affection and acceptance; affection and acceptance given and received.

When we love someone or something, we give.  The absence of a pet to care for and to give ourselves to is part of the pain of grief.  When grief comes as a result of pet sorrow, it is a season of emotional, physical, and mental challenges.  Routine activities, special events, and daily responsibilities are bland and perhaps arduous to manage.  During times of grief, energy wanes and enthusiasm fades.  Even activities preferred and pleasurable can lose their appeal.  For a time.  This is normal in a grief experience but it feels and seems abnormal.

Pet remembrances have a respectable place in our lives because these creatures make their mark on us.  Therefore, expressions of sympathy, memorial services, cards, crying, humor, and story telling are essential components in a season of pet loss.  These are compassionate and purposeful expressions of grief and expressions of gratitude for the gift of a pet that held a special place in one’s life.

James 1:17 informs us that every gift is from above.  Scripture’s beautiful truth and reminder to us that all gifts are from God is a timely one to read when living with loss.  All we have loved at one time or another is a gift from God. However short or long in duration, the opportunity to exchange love and time with a special person or a special pet is something God grants.  In memory, this exchange remains blessed by Him.  With the Holy Spirit’s comforting presence, the ache of loss can gradually be softened into the magic of memory; memory to savor and to share forever.

Father of giving, thank You, for the gift of pets.  In the Bible, You gave to Adam the joy and the responsibility of naming the animals.  In Your grace, You grant to us the joy of befriending some of Your creatures along with ways to share love and life with them.  When they are gone, You know how much it hurts.  Lord, as You have blessed with love, bless with comfort to soothe the spirits and minds of those who grieve their pets.  Give to others sensitivity with which to comfort those who grieve and seek ways to foster meaningful pet remembrances.  In Thee, Lord Jesus, our dearest friend, Amen.

The Gift of Encouragement: Week of September 26, 2010

September 26, 2010 in Devotion of the Week | Leave a comment

Even.  Even though.  Even if.  Even when.  This is the way of God.  Anything that we see that may limit is His opportunity to reveal Himself and show His faithfulness.  Faith is more about belief in His belief in us than the other way around.  Life’s challenges and sorrows are prime opportunities for believers to see His faithfulness displayed.

Whatever your evens may be this week, remember that even though things look one way, to God they look another.  Because of His vision and His trustworthy love, there is a way through and a way out.  He promised.

Father God, Your faithfulness is unmatched.  Even though we carry a certain portion of faith in our hearts, it does not compare to Your faith, which carries us.  Be near this week to help us sense Your presence and follow Your lead.  In Jesus, Amen.

The Gift of Encouragement: Week of September 19, 2010

September 19, 2010 in Devotion of the Week | Leave a comment

Discoveries.  We often make the most insightful discoveries about ourselves when our spirits are sorrowful.  While clarity may not come until a season of challenge has passed, the Holy Spirit has a way of bringing to our remembrance that which is most useful from that particular season. Whatever sorrows are endured, they have the potential to embellish personal character even though the means to them can seem overwhelming in the process.

God’s ways are not our ways.  Still God’s ways of love, kindness, and grace serve His children so each can become refined into the personal designs as He created.  Jesus’ death on the cross did not look like a way of great victory nor could it be seen as a triumphant act of love.  However, it was.  Love poured out of that ugly human ending.  That same love lives and acts today to accompany your spirit and mine in times of sadness and transitions.  He extends the peace that surpasses all understanding.  This is the way of our utterly loving and refining God.  May His love and peace fill your spirit.

Father of Purpose, Your heart knows how difficult it is for Your children  to live through loss and sadness.  You knew this would be so You sent Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  Thank You, Father.  May Your own  receive a touch of renewal today to carry on.   May Your love envelop those in need of its shelter and its assurance. You have made it such that Your people are never alone.  Thank You for Your powerful and precious presence.
In Christ, Amen.

The Gift of Encouragement: Week of September 12, 2010

September 12, 2010 in Devotion of the Week | Leave a comment

Citizenship for a Christian is not in this life.  It is above.  Yet the here and now does and shall present challenges that seem permanent.  They are not.  Everything changes in life—everything.  Only God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, and The Word of God never change.  The pains and transitions that we experience in this realm as a Christian spirit have a connection to another time and place, all because of a relationship with Jesus. 

Whatever ails, presses, and disturbs one of Christ’s own, is a malady that He shares and suffers as well.  Because one belongs to Jesus, He will walk with and sustain the steps that must be taken even though they are heavy and seemingly endless.  Seasons will pass.  Carry on with the certainly that Jesus accompanies you.  He is there.  He promised He would be.  You are His and He is yours, for this lifetime and for the one that awaits you as one of Heaven’s dear citizens.

Jesus of Companionship, there are times when life gets so difficult that it seems too hard to manage, and it seems as though things will not improve.  Jesus, help those who feel strained by  life’s pain.  You are there to lean on and Your arm does relieve pressure and leads to a better tomorrow.  In Thee, Lord Jesus, Amen.

The Gift of Encouragement: Week of September 5, 2010

September 5, 2010 in Devotion of the Week | Leave a comment

Do you hear Him?  Do you see Him?  The Holy Spirit, that is.  He is with you.  Yes, with you.  Sorrow, uncertainty, confusion, illness, despondency, do not—cannot—stop the Holy Spirit from moving in your life and in mine when we least expect it, when we do not feel it.  When Jesus told His people that He would send a comforter, the Holy Spirit came.  He rests on God’s people today with a force stronger than any tribulation and separation we face in life.

Life is filled with unanswered questions.  Life as a Christian is also filled with an undeniable presence:  The Holy Spirit.  Advance your faith walk today by trusting His presence with you.  Do not rely on your feelings to assure you He is there.   Rely on the promise of Jesus to assure you that you are not alone.  You have a supernatural guide walking beside you and dwelling within you.  Jesus said so, therefore, it is so.

Holy Spirit of wonder, You reside in God’s people as a living promise made to us by Jesus.  Holy Spirit, make clear to each of God’s children that whatever must be faced in our lives, we face them with You.  You are our company and comfort.  You are our guide and hedge.  Thank You for Your anointing and for Your keeping power over our lives.  In the Name above all names, Jesus, Amen.

Transitions – September 2010

September 1, 2010 in Transitions of the Month | Leave a comment

HEROES

He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be His God, and he shall be my son. Revelation 21:7

Heroes.  Do you know any?  Most of us can name public figures of this day and days gone by; people who awe us by what they have done.  But who are your heroes.  The persons who get little or no acclaim, no fanfare yet are shining figures to you.   Did they create something unforgettable for you such as a life, a lesson, a moment.  You know who they are.

A hero is the person you and I know who live with cancer and endure chemotherapy and still have the energy to say How you are feeling?  A hero is the father who has lost his job and whose hope is frail yet finds the courage to play with his children and later cry with his wife yet stay on his knees before God.  A hero is the pastor who carries the sorrows of the flock, the weights of administration, and the uncertainty of a budget but remains faithful to a big God and His Word.

Heroes are our military, those who have died, those who are wounded, those in active duty.  They are the family members of our military who bravely stay the course at home with its loneliness, worry, and sorrow.  We see heroes in the community in our police officers, firefighters, EMT personnel, teachers, civil servants, and a host of community members who do not even realize they are heroes.

Grievers are heroes.  They are heroic because of their display of courage. The feat of endurance is worthy of hero status.  Anyone who has lived through—loved through—grief, knows what it takes to continue.  It is far more than human capacity; it is divine capacity and wonder that carries the day.  Complete reliance on God and surrender to His will makes carrying on possible.

Surrender seems to make courage absent.  In God’s mysterious manner, surrender is action that states faith and courage—courage beyond feelings.  Surrender to the will of God and resting on His promises and His strength is not a question of feeling like it.  It is a matter of living it, and not giving in or giving too much weight to emotional swings that are common and normal in expressing grief.

We acquire the strength we have overcome, said Ralph Waldo Emerson.  Overcoming is a process of living, of surviving.  Albeit an unwanted process, it is a strengthening agent in the life of a Christian, who is promised the reward of God because of applying God’s strength to his or her life to overcome.  Have you applied God’s strength and His faith to your life?  Have you encouraged someone lately to look to God for endurance?  Jesus is our model for endurance.  His earthly life showed us all about continuing, when life hurts, and when there are no clear answers.  Jesus is the answer.  God and Jesus long to hear your questions of concern, sorrow, and weakness.  However limp a prayer, your prayers are heard in the heart of a loving God who is committed to your life today, your future, and your eternal destiny.  Believe that.  This is His promise.

Heroes.  We all know who our standouts are.  Never lose sight of the fact that to someone you are a hero, solely because you are you.  Not perfect, not without missteps but because you have surrendered to the will of God and remain willing to endure.

Lord, you said that all things will be given to those who overcome.  To receive all things means that while we are living this human life, we are to endure all things that come our way.  Those things that we expect and those things that take us by storm.  But You promise to be with us, no matter what.  May Your Spirit of Holiness blanket Your people so that we are warmed by the truth of Your promise, Your presence, and receive courage to continue so we may overcome.  In the faithfulness of Jesus, Amen.

The Gift of Encouragement: August 29, 2010

August 29, 2010 in Devotion of the Week | Leave a comment

The presence of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life must not be underestimated.  The Spirit moves in its own way and timing; in ways humans are unable to see or discern.  This is true in every facet of a Christian’s life, which includes seasons of grief.

When endings come and certain challenges follow, it may seem as though the Spirit of Holiness is gone.  He is not.  He is present to guide, comfort, counsel, and help—just as before. However, grief numbs everything.  It is difficult to feel anything worthwhile.  But the Holy Spirit lives and moves beyond human limits, and links by love that which has purpose and meaning—even in goodbyes.

Lord of Reason, Your purposes are exact.  Come, Holy Spirit, to be with those who are in grief.  Comfort and reside in these needful hearts.  And by Thy might, grant a comfortable assurance that You are near, and that each is being carried by Your love in this season of goodbye to a time of purpose. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

This Week’s Gift of Encouragement

August 22, 2010 in Devotion of the Week | Leave a comment

One may not think of grief as an achievement.  A spiritual achievement, that is.  Yet, grief has all the makings for spiritual growth.  Grief’s ways are painful and arduous and seemingly unending.  But the sorrows we bear hold wisdom and purpose; revelations that shall only come in God’s timing.

 The God of all comfort and purpose sees the struggles we face.  He is with us in them.  As sons and daughters of God, His earthly and eternal purpose for us is to make us more like Jesus.  Sorrow is part of the process.  Sorrow is part of what grows us spiritually.  Through it all, He promised to be with us.  When it hurts, and when you cannot FEEL God, trust that He is still with you.  For He is.

Father of Life, Your promises are real.  Your proof of love is in Jesus.  By the might of Thy Holy Spirit, tenderize hearts this week to know that You are in the midst of any and every tear shed and in every step we take.  All this is asked in Jesus and for His sake, Amen.

This Week’s Gift of Encouragement

August 15, 2010 in Devotion of the Week | Leave a comment

Grief asks questions.   How could this happen?  Why me?  Why?  Who am I now?  How can I carry on?  The heart and mind seek answers but the unpredictability of grief is such that those answers are often long in coming and come during and after an emotional season of adjusting to a significant loss.

Every answer in life comes up to Jesus.  Whatever the questions, He is the answer.  He is there with you to guide you through the painful questions and be your support as answers come.  The Holy Spirit has a way of offering what we are to know and when we are ready to know it.  When grief asks its questions, be assured that Jesus is the answer.  Because of Him you are never alone as you seek answers and discover them.  In the process, He will furnish you will renewed strength and hope.   Trust Him.

Lord Jesus, our limited view is no match for Your perfect eyes.  Be our vision through grief’s stay.  Keep us mindful that every painful question we ask is one You long to answer with the love and presence of Yourself.  In Thy Name, Amen.

This Week’s Gift of Encouragement

August 8, 2010 in Devotion of the Week | Leave a comment

Job.  To think of his name is to think suffering.  Job’s life is an illustration of a man’s faith tried and tested because of multiple losses.  Even though the Lord God gave Satan permission to sift Job as wheat, Job came forth faithful to the God who had given him everything.   Therefore, it is no wonder that Job stands out as a unique figure and a model when we suffer in this age.

Job’s greatness was in his ability to hold on.  Yes, he was weak in every way; he experienced deep pain due to loss of health, loneliness, and grief.  But the one thing Satan was unable to take was Job’s ability to hold on to God.  Job is a reminder that we give up our faith or we hold to it—even if it is by a thread.  When grief and pain are penetrating, remember a thin thread of faith is sufficient to keep one connected to the invisible and  unbreakable bond with God.

Lord, sometimes we suffer pains so deep it seems impossible to go on.  Because of you, going on is possible.  By the might of Thy Holy Spirit, stir in us ample faith for the moment, and bring steady reminders that YOU are holding on to us.  In the clear Name of Jesus, Amen.