Hairy Situations

By Elaine James –

“She was flicking her hair in my face and it bothered me, so I cut it.” This was my five-year-old son’s logical, nonchalant response when asked why he cut off an eight-inch lock of Sarah’s hair at school. What a way to start the school year with my son! I found myself dealing with a hysterical mother, a teacher who discovered the evidence in the classroom garbage and a classmate with long blonde hair who had no idea how her hair got cut off. Who really is to blame in the situation? My husband and I sat my son down at the beginning of the school year and had given him the dos and don’ts of school etiquette. I guess we left out the “don’t cut a girl’s hair when she keeps flicking it into your face and it’s bothering you” part!

Dealing with my son was difficult because he was so sincere and honest about what he had done. The furious mom actually asked me how I planned to discipline my son. I was taught to let the punishment fit the crime. My son’s hair was already very short and so I could not cut it off, but he was guilty and needed punished. We did have a good talk with him, and the teacher separated their attached desks and put him on the other side of the room.

This experience reminds me of the story where Mary takes about a pint of expensive perfume; she pours it on Jesus’ feet and wipes His feet with her hair. Judas finds out and asks, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor?”

“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “You will always have the poor among you but you will not always have Me.” Jesus suggests in this passage to first spend time with Him and then you will know where to use your gifts and money wisely. We can be serving in so many good ways.

Whenever I read this I think of the lesson: good, better, best. We want to give Jesus our best. You would think giving to the poor would be our best. Jesus clearly is teaching the importance of being led by the Spirit.

My son had a “hairy” situation and did not choose wisely but Mary did.

PRAYER:  Lord there is so much in life that I want to do. What do You want me to do with my time? Help me to be strong and learn from You.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29 NIV).

Looking at the Bright Side of Bird Poop

By Elaine James –

“Is that bird poop on your back?” I asked my husband who just came back from fishing.

Without hesitation, he replied, “How did that happen? I thought God had my back.”

Let me back up to that morning and explain.

My family and a couple of friends woke up in our beach house to a sunny clear blue sky and the birds were singing. I blurted out “They are worshiping God.” My heart leaped with the reminder from God’s Word, “Praise the Lord—the birds of the air nest by the waters; they sing among the branches.”

“LOL, Mom! You are so funny,” my daughter responded.

This is a teachable moment. God gives these teachable moments. I am not crazy! I need to say what I’m thinking and not lose the moment.

I explained to everyone that day, that when I think of birds, I think of God saying “Elaine, I’ve got your back.” They began laughing at me at this point.

I continued explaining my point by quoting scripture. “Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds! Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?”

God is telling us not to worry for a second. So when I see a bird it reminds me not to worry, because God has my back.

My hope is that when you hear birds singing you will think about this and remember: “I do not have to worry. I just need to listen to the birds sing and enjoy life. God has my back and He is going with me!”

This lesson reassured my husband that God has his back and he is reminded of this each time he hears the birds sing. Perhaps being pooped on by these birds was simply God sending that message a little stronger and His way of saying “LOL!”

PRAYER:  Lord thank You for having my back today. Thank You for Your love today. Each day I get up help me to remember this message and know that I am loved by the Creator of all things. Forgive me for worry and busyness and leaving You out of my day. I want You to be with me all the way.

“Praise the Lord, everything he has created, everything in all His kingdom. Let all that I am praise the Lord” (Psalm 103:22 NIV).

Stinkin’ Thinkin’

By Robin J. Steinweg –

My name is Robin J. Steinweg, and I am a closet pouter.

It took reading a post on The Barn Door, a blog started by my friend Lisa Lickel, to wake me up and hear the non-music of my complaints.

I’m cold. I’m hot. I’m tired. I’m hungry. That was too much walking. I don’t get enough exercise. Too much noise! Way too much mess. Too busy. I’ve got nothing to do. Is it snowing again? This computer strains my eyes. My closet is stuffed. I’ve got nothing to wear. You wanna hear complaining? I’m just getting warmed up!

So what was it that started this round of whining? I had a week off from teaching. It’s called Spring Break hereabouts, and many of my students had trips scheduled to warm, sunny places (and had the nerve not to invite their music instructor—go figure). So I filled in the gaps with a schedule of tasks I don’t usually have time for. With more work than usual on my list, I began to feel sorry for myself, a response that crept in from a very warm place indeed. Well, to be fair, the devil shouldn’t get so much credit for my attitude, when my own sinful nature has no trouble grumbling all on its own.

How does God stand me at such times? I can hardly stand myself. In the Old Testament, there are accounts of God so frowning on Israel’s bellyaching, He sent poisonous snakes among them.

I need to face facts—my gripes are a tacit criticism of the day the Lord has made. And shame on me. It’s time for a radical purging of the Big Stink I’ve been putting up. Time for a week of Spring Cleaning. As Henry Ward Beecher said, “An ungrateful heart uncovers no mercies; but if a thankful heart sweeps through the day, it will find some heavenly blessings in every hour.”

QUOTE: “It is literally true, as the thankless say, that they have nothing to be thankful for. He who sits by the fire, thankless for the fire, is just as if he had no fire. Nothing is possessed save in appreciation, of which thankfulness is the indispensable ingredient. But a thankful heart hath a continual feast.” –W. J. Cameron

“Do everything without complaining or arguing” (Philippians 2:14 NIV).

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

By Elaine James –

Do you remember when you were younger and used to pick a flower and pull the petals off saying “he loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not—?” When you got to the last petal, you either stopped on he loves me or he loves me not. I always loved it of course when I had a boy in mind. Especially Donny Osmond and it landed on “he loves me.”  LOL!

Recently I was in the mood for either a sunny easy breezy walk or a Calgon “take me away” in my, scented bubbly bath. Both would relax me. I opted for the sunny easy breezy peaceful walk. I passed a blossoming tree that smelled so beautiful. I picked a flower and playfully considered plucking each petal saying “he loves me, he loves me not.”

Memories swept over me, how my friend and I took turns with our flower hoping the last petal would stop at “he loves me.” Feeling younger again, I chuckled.

A soft whisper came into my thoughts “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.”

Tears filled my eyes. I don’t have to pluck my flower, He loves me. Those words soothe my soul forever.

When I was young I looked for true love, fulfilled in a person. As I know now, nothing can compare to Jesus’ love. Maybe you are still plucking your flowers and looking for true love. Are you?

Here in Chicago, spring is when you start to feel the warm weather, see the leaves growing back, the green grass fill in, and flowers emerge. May you see heaven and nature singing His glory.

AUTHOR QUOTE:  He loves you!

“The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness’” (Jeremiah 31:3 NIV).

Today’s devotional is by Elaine James, author of the tract JOURNEY, certified personality trainer and graduate of Christian Leaders Authors and Speakers Seminars. She is a prayer ministry counselor, accomplished actress, and certified Christian storyteller. Her dramatic performances have made many aware of their problem with Major Mind Overload, and their need to take every thought captive in obedience to Christ. Elaine is a recycler—nothing God teaches her is wasted. www.elainejames.com

 

The Evolution of the Hunt

By Hally Franz –

Soon it will be time for that perennial tradition known as the Easter egg hunt. There will be hunts in our communities and churches and at family gatherings. The White House will host one too. There will be children clad in their spring finery clutching straw or plastic baskets in a frantic mission to find eggs. Except, there really isn’t much finding involved in it.

If your experience is like mine, you have noticed that the word “hunt” doesn’t seem quite right these days; the event is more like an “Easter egg scatter.” Where it once required keen observation and time to fill one’s basket, today’s hunts are more like speed events. The ratio of eggs to child is about 24 to 1, and eggs are often tossed on the lawn in clumps as opposed to strategically disguised within the landscape. In our family, we give the littlest participants a head start. I plan to challenge that this year. Instead, we should gather the slow kids together and send them out first. However, that may not be the most sensitive approach to the festivities.

Like the fast-paced egg games themselves, the enjoyment of the haul is immediate as well. Historically, the eggs were refrigerated and later cracked, peeled and salt and peppered for enjoyment one at a time. Now, children can dump the plastic, pastel eggs onto the floor, sever the tape with a fingernail, split the egg at the seam, and retrieve the candy in a sugar-filled frenzy. This updated version comes with a mandate that kids must share 10% of the harvest with parents. Some changes are good.

Whether we hide, scatter or toss candy-coated super balls at our children is really not an issue. We know that customs will morph over the years, but they will continue to provide family fun and memories for a lifetime. What is important is that we recognize the one constant behind our Easter celebration, its unchanging nature and eternal truth.

There is no evolution when it comes to the story of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection. God created His Son without sin to live as a man among His children. Jesus came to teach the Word of God, and He was crucified to save us from sin, allowing us to have eternal life. That’s the simplicity and the consistency of the story, no adjustments needed.

PRAYER: Almighty God, thank You for the enduring truth of Christ Jesus. We are saved from sin through His death and resurrection, given eternal life through Him.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4 NIV).

Today’s devotion is by Hally Franz. Hally is a former high school guidance counselor, turned homemaker. Hally sees each day as a new exercise, where routines change and weights vary. Her goal is to maintain all-around fitness for service, while training her children to be competitive, compassionate and Christ-like in the world in which we live.

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