Delighted

By Cheri Cowell –

There are times I really miss my Dad. It has been many years since he went to heaven, and yet there are times it seems like last year. Usually those are the times I really need my Dad to do what only a father can do for his child; I need my Dad to tell me how proud he is of me. I need him to beam from ear to ear at what I have accomplished. I need him to say that no matter what others may think, he believes that I have no competition.

If you are a father, this is the gift you give your children. Scripture calls this “delight,” and if you think about it, who does not want to be ‘delighted’ in? Our earthly father’s relationship is supposed to be a small taste of what our relationship with our heavenly Father is to be like.

I hope your father delighted in you, as mine did in me. If you did not have that kind of relationship, I know it is harder for you to understand how much your heavenly Father adores, cherishes, and delights in you. He is proud of you; beams from ear to ear when He thinks of you, and believes that you have no competition.

In the scripture below, Paul’s prayer for us is that we deeply know the reality of God’s transforming love that surpasses knowledge. How can we come to understand such love? Through our earthly relationships. It is only through loving and being loved that we learn God’s love is real. And only then can we be truly filled with Him.

PRAYER I thank You, Lord, for my earthly father, regardless of how imperfect that love was, and for the relationships through which You show me Your love today. Help me more fully understand the depth of Your love and to experience what it means to be delighted in. Help me show this kind of love to my children and those You put in my path this week.

“My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:14–19 MSG).

Wandering No More

By Hally Franz –

The surgery is planned for July 8^th. My daughter was recently diagnosed with strabismus, which is not to be confused with amblyopia. Until a month ago, I hadn’t heard of either one of these vision malfunctions. Rosaline has one eye that wanders (strabismus), but it is not necessarily a lazy eye (amblyopia). Her pediatric ophthalmologist assures us that her eye muscles can be aligned by the planned surgery, improving her vision and appearance.

Actually, I’ve never noticed much issue with the appearance of my daughter’s eyes. She’s Guatemalan-born with almond-shaped eyes framing ebony marbles. The doctor says the ailment would be considerably more noticeable on a Caucasian child, but her facial structure hides it somewhat. Still, it seems I should have been more aware of this; after all, I am her mother.

Rosaline’s doctor held a glass cube to my eye to demonstrate how she currently sees; it seemed like a foggy mess. This procedure is supposed to enable her to see dimension, because currently she has no depth perception. She relies primarily on her left eye, often while her right eye seems to do its own thing. Once the muscles are aligned, she will use both eyes in unison.

I’ve been thinking about how this will impact Roz. She’s fast and agile, though I wonder what athletic abilities may emerge after she can see more thoroughly. She’s been a fair student, but I have to believe that reading must be more difficult now than it soon will be. I am excited for her to discover what she’s been missing.

Often we don’t know what others are experiencing, spiritually speaking. A look into one’s eyes doesn’t always reveal what’s happening in the heart and soul. On the other hand, isn’t it amazing what happens to God’s children once they have experienced the saving grace of Jesus, accepted Him as their savior and been baptized?

When believers see through the lens of faith, life has more meaning, we see things more clearly, and we more fully realize our gifts and talents. Rather than wandering through life, there is purpose. I’m grateful for a doctor who can help my girl see better. I’m grateful for opportunities to reveal Him to those that don’t currently see. How exciting to help others see what they’ve been missing!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, grant me wisdom to recognize when others need to hear about You, courage to share Your message, and inspired words that those not seeing need to hear.

“They said to Him, ‘Lord, that our eyes may be opened.’ So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him” (Matthew 20: 33 – 34 NKJV).

Learning to Trust

By Jennifer Slattery –

Must we always dredge through the depths before reaching the summit? Think back over your faith walk. When have you felt closest to God? When have you been most assured of His power? When traipsing along a sun-lit journey or plummeting into His strong hands?

I believe faith comes not from an abundance of blessings, but instead, from deep needs met by Provider God.  Although I often wish I could skirt through life with impenetrable faith, surrounded by all I need and desire, it is through times of trial and times of want that I have learned most to lean on God. Sadly, it is often through times of difficulty that my lack of faith is most clearly revealed. But perhaps what surprises me most is the frequency with which I jump back on the fear bandwagon. Somehow when a new trial hits, amnesia sweeps my brain, and all those times God showed up in the past vanish from my thoughts. As if somehow this new event or tragedy overshadows the promises of God or somehow changes His divine, unchanging nature.

Had I been among the miraculously delivered Israelites wandering through the desert of sin in Exodus 16, I fear I would have been the first to complain. I wonder what it must have felt like, waking up each morning, not knowing where you would go, how long you would travel, or where you would lay your head each night.

I imagine the most difficult day of all came when God asked them to leave the oasis of Elim, with its stately palms and twelve springs. What fear must have gripped their hearts as they knelt in the shade of a tree to fill their water vases, staring across the sun-baked earth before them, the elusive Promised Land beyond their view?  As a mother, I wonder how it felt to gather up your children as they played among the lush vegetation, dipping their toes in the water, wondering where the next spring might lie.

It was at that moment, venturing out from the oasis and entering into the Wilderness of Sin, that God tested their faith. And for a while, they passed…until their feet grew heavy and the sun blazed high with still no provisions in sight. As they continued forward, dust clinging to their tunics, their children lagging beside them, nibbling fears took hold. How would they eat when not even the smallest rodent scurried before them? And where could they possibly find water when the earth below them cracked from lack of moisture?

With every step, the oasis with its cool water and lush trees grew smaller and smaller behind them. With each step their hearts cried out for mercy while their eyes searched the barren landscape for signs of aid.

Then, just when their fear reached panic level, God intervened, not by leading them to another lush oasis, but instead, by raining provisions down from heaven. Each day the Israelites were told to gather only what they needed. Each day, God asked them to let go of their safety net, to trust fully in Him. And each day, a few fearful Israelites hoarded more than necessary, only to find it full of maggots the next morning. With each fermented mound, God showed them again and again that He alone would meet their needs.

What about us? Are we frantically weaving safety nets in case God doesn’t pull through? Will it take a desert wasteland for us to learn to trust God to be who He says He is and to do what He says He will do?

First Love

By Heather Allen-

I remember holding my Bible at about age ten planning to read through the entire New Testament.  But I was stuck on Matthew chapter one.  The birds were chirping, and the sun beaming, as sounds of other children playing wafted through my window.  I heard the occasional speedboat and tried to focus on the pages in front of me. It was Sunday naptime, so my options were read my Bible or take a nap.  Now I read through genealogies with keen interest because I have learned that even what appears to be only factual in nature actually contains scriptural gems. For example the genealogy found at the beginning of Matthew is beautiful. There are women of all backgrounds and reputations related to Jesus, even prostitutes. But back then I was pretty absorbed with the fact that I was probably the only kid stuck in a stuffy room rather than outside swimming.

What really stands out to me about that memory is what I prayed that day. I grew up going to church so it was common for me to hear things like, “Pray and wait for the Lord to show you,” or “What do you feel is the Lord’s will?” Everybody talked about the Lord’s will back then, they were two of the spiritual buzzwords at church.

And I wondered how these and so many other questions were answered. How was I to hear from the Lord? So I prayed and told Him I really wanted to know the answers to some very important questions I had. And I wanted to know if He might help me understand the Bible to.

And time went on and I figured that since I had not really heard anything very clearly I would just kind of do my own thing. I was a Christian so I sort of guessed that my thing must automatically be His thing.

One very beautiful thing occurred in my life at about the same time. I began memorizing scripture. I did this to earn badges for my Awana vest and for the candy bars my teacher would give out. But I knew, even then, that I wanted to remember as many verses as I could.

Today I am thankful for all the memorization because those words learned many years ago, are still used by the Holy Spirit to correct me.  I will be going about my day, irritated with someone and 1 John 4:7 will come to mind, “Beloved, let us love one another” (KJV).

It is a bit uncomfortable for a few minutes while I swallow down my pride. But then another reinforcing Scripture flows,”Love is patient, love is kind” (1 Corinthians 13:4 NIV).

Along this hilly journey I have learned to hear my Shepherd’s voice. When my children have the same complaints, “I asked God, but I have not heard,” I encourage them to fill their time reading Scripture. To make it their hobby to know God’s Word. I gather them close re-telling how His Word has sustained me during some dark times. I too have a journal filled with questions I would love Him to answer. But more important than having every why solved, is learning to ask, wait and enjoy those moments. He is amazing enough to spend your whole life pursuing. The pursuit of God is a worthy one. One, I tell my kids, will never be in vain.

A Father’s Day Gift to My Kids

By Art Fulks –

This is a really weird year for our family. This year, our oldest daughter’s birthday is on Mother’s Day. Our youngest son’s birthday falls on Father’s Day. So who decides where we go to dinner? This dilemma caused me to consider their gifts. Our daughter wants clothes and our son wants a new guitar. But what could I give them as a dad that would really last?

This week, I spent a considerable amount time thinking about it and realized how fleeting and perishable my gifts usually are. Then I read a bit from Peter and Paul. They really loved their spiritual children. And their writings gave me two potential gifts to give my kids this Father’s Day.

How about hope and holiness?

You probably had the same reaction that I did when these ideas crossed my mind. But after a bit of contemplation, I realized that there are no more valuable, lasting gifts that I could give them than the message of hope found in Christ and a model of holiness founded in the truth of God’s Word.

In this fatalist culture in which we (and they) live, they need to be consistently reminded of the incredible, Living Hope who is Jesus Christ. His gracious gift of salvation and grace even during the most difficult of circumstances will never fail them. It provides a perspective that allows them to see through the deepest, darkest days of their journey.

The holiness part was a bit harder to deal with considering they know how imperfect I am. However, the challenge is not striving for perfection, but for consistency. The founder of Methodism, John Wesley, stated that through Christ we have the ability to experience “moment by moment non-transgression of the known will of God.” Could I give my kids the gift of a consistent life pursuing full surrender in worship of my Heavenly Father?

I realized giving my children these gifts would require sacrifice of my will and desires on a daily basis. But just as much, it would require the courage to say with the Apostle Paul, “Imitate me.” It sure is a scary gift to give, but there is nothing more valuable!

“I exhort you therefore, be imitators of me” (1 Corinthians 4:16 NASB).

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