Tiger, Turtle or Trust?

By Cindy Martin –

The winds of adversity blow at us from many directions: sometimes it’s the howling sting of poor choices; sometimes it is the gale force winds of unfounded persecution and sometimes it’s just the steady breeze of the fallen world in which we live. Regardless of where they come from, they all have a bite to them.

Two common responses to pain include reacting like a tiger where we lash out and fight back or retreating like a turtle into the perceived safety of our shell in an attempt to shelter ourselves from the outside world.

While there are definitely times to speak up and times to be quiet, I believe the underlying response God desires is that of trust. Trust in God’s complete understanding of the situation and His overwhelming desire to meet us in the midst of the struggle so that He can carry us through to victory. Isaiah 30:15 tells us “in quietness and trust is your strength” (NIV). Often times this is perceived as a weak and almost lazy response to the trials in our lives. I beg to differ. It is hard work to bow your knee before God and ask Him to have His way in the midst of the seeming chaos; to align your will with His and to have the grace and faith to wait until He in His sovereignty intervenes.

As this process unfolds, God knows we often need shielding from the storm and He reminds us in Psalm 3:3, that He is a shield about us; our glory and the Lifter of our heads. We can take further instruction from the prophet Daniel who was falsely accused and maliciously conspired against. He did not pick up a placard to protest the actions of his perpetrators; he didn’t even go to the king to plead his case or try to explain the deviousness of those plotting his death. Instead he faithfully and quietly continued to obey what God had asked him to do – to pray. God honored His faith and delivered him. To be sure, he was thrown to the lions, but what the enemy intended for evil, God intended for good. The backdrop of his situation provided an amazing opportunity to put God’s magnificent power on display.

Personally, I take comfort in the fact that no matter how fierce the winds may get, when Jesus says, “Peace! Be still!” (Mark 4:39 RSV), they have no choice. They must obey!

Prayer: “Lord Jesus, thank You that You anchor us in the storm and that the winds of adversity are silenced by the sound of Your voice.”

Baby It’s Cold Outside

By Cindy Martin –

“Baby, it’s cold outside” – the words to the oft sung Christmas tune are an apt description of much of North America this winter. Record setting low temperatures and unprecedented snowfalls combined with freezing rain and frigid wind chills have produced intense memories that are not likely to be soon forgotten. More so than any other year, my family and I have repeatedly thanked God for a warm home, cozy blankets and a faithful snow plow operator that keeps the drifting snow at bay along our driveway.

More than once, I have sat in the humid cocoon of steamy water my soaker tub offers and listened to the wind howl as snow blew in sheets up against the window. As the wind’s force became increasingly fierce, I would find myself reclining deeper into the nurturing comfort provided by the steaming bubbles of balmy bliss. Only inches away from me – just on the other side of the wall – winter’s fury was wreaking havoc on the landscape, but encased in the warm embrace of the water, I felt safe and secure. And surprisingly, somehow my soul felt nourished by the care my body was receiving. While I wasn’t oblivious to my vulnerabilities, they seemed to melt away in the sultry heat of the room.

Albeit flawed, I wonder if that’s the North American version of what the psalmist had in mind when he wrote “He will shelter you with His wings” (Psalm 91:4 NLT).

Disappointment, disillusionment and distraction are wreaking havoc on our souls. God’s truth has been abandoned for “whatever works for you”. People don’t keep their promises, relationships fall apart, physical bodies fall apart, people we love die, people we love hurt us deeply while they’re still living. Political and economic upheaval is no longer breaking news – it’s a common occurrence, affecting the full gamut of society from powerless to powerful. In the midst of the storm… in the midst of your storm, hear the words of the psalmist:

“Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty…
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety… He will shelter you with His wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Do not be afraid… Do not dread… The LORD says… ‘I will protect those who trust in My name. When they call on Me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble’”(Psalm 91:1-15 NLT).

Soak in these truths… let them cascade over your spirit and nourish your soul.

Prayer: “Lord Jesus; thank You for the truth of Your Word. May it penetrate the storms of our lives and anchor our souls.”

Grace to Embrace

By Cindy Martin –

Gifts have been opened, food has been consumed, diets have been started, mistletoe has dried up, and New Year’s resolutions have been promised and some already broken. Kinda’ sounds like a Charlie Brown Christmas review, doesn’t it?

The start of a new year can bring both anticipation and dread. Some folks can hardly wait to see what amazing adventures are waiting to be had in the coming months while others live in a paralyzing web of “what ifs”.

I suspect most of us live somewhere in between fear and exhilaration; simply asking God to give us grace to embrace whatever He has for us in 2014. What if that grace to embrace actually included embracing someone new in your life?

We’ve often heard that the holidays are a very lonely time and indeed they can be without close connections with family or friends to share the season with. But I would suggest that without meaningful connections in our lives, life can be extremely lonely all year long. Jesus teaches and models throughout the pages of Scripture that we were designed to live in community. He celebrated, wept, worked, rested and pursued His life’s mission in the context of other people. While He did spend precious time alone with His Father, the bulk of His time was spent “doing life” with people; simply showing them how to live life the way God designed.

In John 15:15 Jesus tells us, “I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you” (NIV).

I would suggest that the fulfillment that so many of us are seeking in our lives can be experienced as we follow the model Christ set out for us. Is there someone in your circle of influence or acquaintance that God is calling you to come alongside and include in both the memorable and mundane moments of your life?

Perhaps there’s someone for whom you could share the wisdom of experience you’ve had in life and in God’s Word that would propel them forward in their own faith journey. Such relationships may not always be convenient and might even get messy at times but God promises that His “grace is sufficient” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV).

To know that you have been used by Almighty God to facilitate transformation in someone else’s life is not only an amazing privilege, it is a sure path to a life of contentment, gratitude and joy. Why settle for anything less?

Prayer: “Lord Jesus, show me who by Your power and grace, You are asking me to come alongside and embrace.”

Scented Candles

By Cindy Martin –

My teenage daughter loves scented candles. Glorious aromas waft out of her bedroom, her bathroom and our family room downstairs. More recently she has been “lending” them to me upstairs so that we can enjoy fabulous fragrances all throughout the house. Some of the candles are 3 wick candles and some of them are single wick; some have spring-time and summer scents while others infuse the room with spicy autumn and winter aromas.

This past weekend we were visiting with someone in our upstairs living room and I noticed our daughter had lit a large candle and set it on the counter. It was a dreary day outside and while the clouds choked out the sun, the soft warm glow of the 3 wick candle enveloped the room and made it feel like we were inside a giant snow globe.

My mother also loves scented candles but rarely lights one due to fire hazard concerns. Care and responsibility around candles is something I talk with my daughter about often but as I reflected on my mother and daughter’s love for candles, I was struck by their opposing responses. One motivated by sheer delight and the other snuffed out by fear. Carried to excess, both responses are dangerous, and extremes rarely serve us well. We can be guilty of either extreme when it comes to the way we reflect Christ.

As many of us head home during the holiday season to feasts of fragrances around the dinner table, I believe God would have us bring home the “pleasing aroma of Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:15 NIV). However, emanating Christ’s character and grace can often be the hardest around family members. Rather than extremes, God offers a better way, “But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere”(2 Corinthians 2:14 NIV).

As believers, the aroma of Christ is God’s gift to us. Gifts are meant for giving – don’t leave this one tucked away in a suitcase of insecurity or obscured in the valley of frenetic activity.
Instead, “let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16 NIV).

Prayer: Lord Jesus, allow Your sweet aroma to permeate my soul so that the fragrance of Your Spirit draws others closer to You.

Quote: “There is nothing more beautiful than the light of a Candle and the Aroma of its Heart.”
Stanley Victor Paskavich

Organic Truth

By Cindy Martin –

We live in an age where our focus has shifted to eating organic food to protect us from the harmful effects of GMO (genetically modified organisms) as well as toxic chemicals found in pesticides, growth hormones and food additives. It’s all about eating food in its purest form so that we can maximize its nutritional value in order to experience optimal physical health and healing.

As I pondered this trend in our thinking, I couldn’t help but think of the correlation to the effect God’s Word has on our lives. Organic by its very definition refers to something living. Hebrews 4:12 tells us that “the word of God is alive and powerful” (NLT). Psalm 119:9 tells us that the way to stay pure is to follow God’s Word.

The anticipated result of eating organic is that we’d live stronger, healthier lives and experience healing in parts of our body that require it. Psalm 119:50 reminds us, “This is my comfort in my affliction, That Your word has revived me” (NASB).

I am of the opinion that the transforming power of scripture has been greatly overlooked and underestimated in our culture. Our fast-food drive-thru approach to scripture reading and/or memorization has left us spiritually anemic and empty of things of lasting value much like fast food leaves our bodies devoid of any lasting nutritional value.

Trying to “do life” without the direction, truth and power of scripture is indeed like trying to eat burgers and fries hoping they won’t have any effect on our heart or our health.

A regular steady diet of God’s Word is absolutely essential to having a healthy spiritual heart. When we’re faced with temptation or difficulty, which is inevitable (“Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows” John 16:33 NLT), we need to follow the example Christ set for us. During His temptation in the desert, His immediate response to every antic of the enemy was “It is written…It is also written…It is written” (Matthew 4:4-10 NIV).

Christ knew the irrefutable power of God’s Word and leaned on its strength when His own was being tested. Friend, in all the moments of our lives, we need the truth, correction, comfort and guidance that God offers us in His Word.

“Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 MSG).

Prayer: Lord, thank You for the power of Your Word. Create an appetite in my spirit for its transforming work in my life.

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