You Guilty Dog!

By Dawn Wilson –

A funny YouTube video, “Which is the Guilty Dog?”, is a priceless example of the guilt response. The video features three adorable dogs responding to the question, “Who did this mess?”

The first time the question is asked, Guilty Dog’s companions turn their heads and look at him. They have no trouble ratting him out! “He’s the guilty one, Mom. Just look at him!”

Guilty Dog squints his eyes.

Then the lady in the video addresses each dog individually. “Cody, did you make this mess? Murphy, did you make this mess? Maggie, did you make this mess?”

Guilty Dog cringes.

“Somebody made it,” the lady says. “Who made it? Who made this mess?”

Overwhelmed, Guilty Dog cowers and leaves the room in shame.

How like humans when we face the sinful messes in our lives. We cringe and want to hide.

I saw that response in my young sons. Adults learn to disguise their guilt – to cover up. But children … not so much. I remember one son, standing before me with chocolate fudge frosting over his top lip. I asked, “Did you eat a cupcake?”

“No, Mom,” he said. I stared him down, stifling a chuckle, until he confessed.

My husband’s family tells a story, passed down as part of their family heritage. Bob and his three siblings faced tough interrogation:

Mom Wilson asked, “Who stole the orange slices?” No one confessed. They blamed each other – even little Jimmy who could barely walk! No one will admit to the “crime” this side of heaven.

As a teenager, I tried to cast blame on others – “Look what he did, God. He’s worse than me!” My sin-hiding skills improved and I thought myself quite righteous.

Yet scriptures I’d heard or memorized haunted me, especially, “All have sinned” and “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 3:23; 6:23 NIV). I recalled that sin brings separation from God (Isaiah 59:2), self-righteousness equals filth in God’s sight (Isaiah 64:6) and good works will never please God (Ephesians 2:9).

I was so proud. I would find a better way to hide sin and be a “good girl.” But God’s Spirit kept bringing sinful attitudes and actions to mind. And Satan piled on too, not knowing he played into God’s plan to redeem me. “You are scum,” the enemy said. “You’re worthless!”

At age 21, while serving as a singer in a revival ministry, I heard the evangelist read these words: “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (Matthew 7:23 NIV). Another version says, “lawbreakers,” and I argued with God. “I’m not a lawbreaker. I’ve never had one traffic ticket; I just speed a little,” I said. “I never cheated on a test. Well, almost never. And I love everyone … except her.”

One Tuesday as I sang “Do You Know My Jesus?” in a Christian high school, I couldn’t shake those words, “I never knew you.” I knew a lot about God, but I didn’t know Him in a personal relationship. I was trying to save myself, but I desperately needed a Savior to change my heart.

I left the microphone in the middle of the song and wept my way to the prayer room—a turning point in my life. God began a work of transformation. Now, when the enemy comes to accuse me, I point to my Savior and say, “Take it up with Jesus. He took my sin and guilt.”

Sweet freedom. This Guilty Dog is righteous and justified in Christ (Romans 3:19-26).

Icebergs

By Charlotte Riegel –

I was experiencing a particularly difficult time with a family member. He had gone off the rails several years earlier and I was increasingly moved to pray for this prodigal. It was very difficult to watch him make such a mess of his life. He knew it was in a mess but somehow his eyes were blind to see it was his poor life choices that were at the root of all his ills. Poor financial management left him in a heap of debt. Poor interpersonal skills often were the cause of yet another lost job complicating his need to live independently of his parents. Poor nutritional habits affected his ability to cope.

The Christian teachings he received into his teen years were chucked when the ‘big Santa god’ did not give him what he selfishly asked for. So much talent being wasted. So much unnecessary pain for him and those nearest him.

And he lived under my roof.

I saw a lot more than I wanted to. ‘Out of sight, out of mind’ seemed like a nice option yet I could never bring myself to ‘kick him out’ although some had suggested it. I suffered in silence and prayed, a lot.

One day while walking the streets of my neighborhood in mental anguish, praying for him yet not being quite sure how to pray, I heard God say to me, “Iceberg”.

“What? Iceberg? What’s that about, Lord?” I asked.

“When you look at him you see the tip of the iceberg. I’m at work with all that lies below the surface that you cannot see. Do you trust Me?” came the calm yet hard-hitting response.

After some moments to ponder I replied, “Yes, Lord, I trust You.”

In the following year the iceberg began melting and signs of God’s handiwork became increasingly visible. With each challenge I now quickly acknowledge my trust in God’s activity in the life of this loved one and remember ‘iceberg’. My burden has been lightened by taking my eyes off the tip of it and focusing on the work of the Son.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for Your incredible love for the wanderers, always working to bring home the lost sheep of Your flock even when we see no evidence of Your work in their lives. I desire to increasingly trust You to accomplish Your plans in the lives of my loved ones.

“I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for” (Jeremiah 29:11 GNT).

Unbridled Joy in Community

By Diane Mayfield –

I am filled with joy today, filled to overflowing.

I asked God what to write about this month. I presented Him with several options, such as sitting in the hospital waiting room with my dear friend and sister in Christ while her forty-two-year-old daughter underwent breast cancer surgery.

Other options flooded my thoughts as I talked with God. I could write about my girls’ trip to the beach. Six Christ followers talking, laughing, praying and crying with each other over a four day trip. We were brought together by our love for movies and the Savior—not in that order I hope.

A third option was to write about standing with my sister as she goes through the process of ending a twenty-four- year marriage.

One other choice is the joy of planning a wedding shower for a friend I’ve known for thirty-three years. At times she questioned whether she would ever know the joy of her daughter finding a life companion. What an answer to prayer!

Which one of these, Lord, do I write about? Pondering as I often do, I was aware of the feeling of abundant joy and peace in the midst of my quandary. Why? What about all of these options produced such a response?

It’s the joy of Christian community. For years I’ve prayed for a real sense of Christian community, a sense of Christian family. I wanted the real, authentic kind where you are so different, but you love each other anyway. It’s sharing the nitty gritty of daily living life together, not just saying hello or shaking hands on Sunday morning.

What God has given to me now is not because of my children’s activities, though when I was raising my children, I deeply valued those friendships, or my husband’s work or even my work. These are relationships based solely on Jesus. He is the starting point.

What’s so overwhelming is that I never dreamed at this stage of life, an empty nester and grandmother, I’d have the joy of new relationships in Jesus as well as the treasured friendships of years past. I am richly blessed by His gift of this Christian community.

So, whether it’s praying with a small group family enduring a life-altering accident with their grandson or the joy of a much prayed for and highly anticipated wedding, Christian community provides an abundance of joy. It’s a blessing and a privilege to be involved in others’ lives at each turn of the journey.

As I sat in the hospital waiting room at MD Anderson Cancer Center with my dear friend, we ate, we talked, we laughed, we walked and most of all, we just waited. The waiting seemed to last forever. When it was unbearable, we prayed. Then the surgeon came out and said the words we longed to hear. “All went very well. There is no cancer in the lymph nodes.” Then we cried and hugged and rejoiced.

So, today, when I think through all these events, and these are just a few, I am filled with joy. My life is abundant because of the Christian family God has given me. For me it is the richest of blessings

“Thank you, my Lord, for the incomparable gifts of your riches that I experience in this dear Christian family.”

Trusting God for the Details

By Carin LeRoy –

I knew I was going to forget something really important. Several years ago my husband, and son, David, were going on a mission trip to Papua New Guinea. It is in my nature to make lists and pack items carefully. I wanted to remember everything. In a small cosmetic bag, I packed all the office supplies they might need – scissors, mini stapler, tape, etc. In another container I packed the silverware – forks, spoons, knives, can opener and other basics for cooking. Then onto the medical supplies- medicine for pain, allergies, stomach upsets, bug bites and sunburn, and bandages. Then I typed a shopping list for items they would need to buy once they arrived in the country.

I am such a mother. I’ve just got to make sure my family has what it needs.

But the morning my husband left, we decided to change his carry-on suitcase. I ran to get the laptop to see if it would fit. Everything went in smoothly. We zipped up the bags and left for the airport.

After arriving home, I realized I hadn’t packed the power cord to the computer!

Oops.

Now I’m not taking all the blame here, because I do have a hubby with a brain, too. In the suitcase switch, we missed a very important detail.

I strived to remember everything to pack for the trip, but I still forgot something. Thank goodness that God doesn’t forget the details when He orchestrates our lives. I believe He is very interested in all the details—the little ones and the big ones. Sometimes when it seems that He’s missed or forgotten something important, that’s when we must remember He is without fault. Then we trust in the perfect plan He has for us. He can neither make a mistake, forget, nor do anything that contradicts His selfless love for us. I am reminded of Isaiah 55:8 which says, “’For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord” (NIV).

Luckily for me, my son David flew out two days later to follow my husband, so I was able to send the power cord with him.

PRAYER: Thank you, Lord that Your ways are higher than mine and Your understanding is infinite. Keep me mindful of Your power to perfectly orchestrate my life. Give me trust in You each day.

“As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him” (2 Samuel 22:31 NIV).

Invited

By Cheri Cowell –

Twenty-four hour news coverage is wonderful when something big is happening and we need to know what’s going on, but sometimes it can be so intrusive. Such is the case when a tragedy strikes and a camera is shoved in the faces of grieving parents who just discovered their child is never coming home. Or a heartbroken husband who is caught between his anger that his wife’s life was brutally ended and the news reporter’s request for a compassionate response to the search party volunteers. At times like these I want to turn my head, turn off the TV, or change the channel. I feel like we are intruding into someone’s personal and private anguish. I feel that way, too, when I enter the garden where Jesus is praying in Gethsemane. It is almost too painful to watch, too personal a moment to intrude upon, too private a moment for us to be a part of. But we are invited there. We are invited to see all that human suffering and anguish can bear. We are invited in to see and to experience.

Can you imagine yourself there in the garden with Jesus that night? Picture what His demeanor must have been, what His clothes looked like. Was the night air still or was there a breeze? Can you hear the noise of the city in the background? Can you smell the scent of spring in the air? As Jesus prays, is He speaking aloud? Is He angry with God or pleading? Does He sound like He’s talking with someone He knows well, and who knows Him well? Look closely now as Jesus struggles with the decision. Don’t turn away. Look into His eyes. See the pain, and yet feel the love. This is the love He has for you and for me.

“Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. ‘Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation'” (Luke 22:39-46 NIV).

PRAYER:
For the next few days, Lord, help me stay close to You, to watch as this Greatest Story Ever Told unfolds before my eyes. Help me not to turn away. May my prayers be filled less with words and more with emotions as I pour out my awe and gratitude to the One who loves me so.

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