Chosen

By Cheri Cowell –

I often heard my mother-in-law recall the tragic day they lost all they owned in a house fire. It happened right after Christmas and the children had just received new bikes. Of all the things in the house, they chose to try to save the bikes but were unable to do so. Over the years, however, it was not the bikes she missed, it was the little things. Photos were at the top of the list of things she wished they had saved. Though these things were forever lost, it was her family she cherished the most.

Recently, after watching news coverage of people returning to find what nature left behind after fires, floods, and tornados, I was reminded how blessed I am. Yes, I am blessed to be in a home surrounded by the things I cherish, but more importantly, I am blessed because of my relationships. I am blessed by my family and many wonderful friends. And even more than all of that, I am blessed because regardless what disaster may strike, I have been chosen, and so have you.

What are our spiritual blessings?

Eternal life, freedom in Christ, forgiveness, unconditional love, and the right to be called sons and daughters of God and a brother or sister of Christ, are a few. We didn’t receive these blessings because we live in the right neighborhood, were born into the right family, or follow the rules of faith. We received them because in God’s grace, He chose us. He chose us to walk blameless regardless of how much we deserve to be blamed; and to be holy, even as He is holy–not because we are, but because He is.

How blessed we are no matter what disaster we may encounter.

PRAYER: Thank You, God for Your richest of blessings, including my life in Christ. Thank You for choosing me and help me remember my spiritual blessings when at times it seems all earthly blessings are burning, washing, or blowing away.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight” (Ephesians 1:3-4 NIV).

Comparison or Celebration

By Rosemary Flaaten –

Two dogs sat beside each other. The older, wiser canine’s paw rested comfortingly on the head of the younger, who looked up with sad and despondent puppy eyes. With feeling and care, the older dog said, “You’re not fat. You’re just a little Husky!”

This Facebook message made me laugh out loud because its truth resounds with my self-effacing thoughts. I spend way too much time comparing myself to the people around me. If I compare myself to the business woman who sports a designer suit and travels in business class I end up on the short end of the stick feeling inferior which quickly moves into envy. Or if I find someone to whom I feel better than, I start to judge them, often pushing them down further in order to feel a greater sense of superiority. Either way, I am swept up in comparison.

Both envy and judgement are sin.

Do you give any mental air time to comparison?

God keeps bringing me back to these verses of confession: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24NIV). Inviting God to reveal every time I compare myself to others has proven to be incredibly enlightening. I had no idea how much time and space in my thoughts were given to comparison. No wonder I struggle with envy and judgement. This offensive way in me runs rampant.

So how do we allow God to lead us in the way everlasting? Earlier in Psalm 139, the writer offered worship to His maker by saying,”I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14 NIV). Offering thanks to God for who He made you to be, where He has placed you and the opportunities He has given will shift your perspective from comparison to gratitude. Celebrating God’s creative genius in making you just as you are takes the sting out of His creativity displayed in others. We are all unique; all wonderfully made and all deeply loved. Just as we are.

May we take to heart the consolation that we are all created to be “just a little Husky.”

PRAYER: Lord, show me what it means to be content and full of celebration for Your creation, most significantly – me!

“The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out. But I, God, search the heart and examine the mind. I get to the heart of the human. I get to the root of things.
I treat them as they really are, not as they pretend to be” (Jeremiah 17:9-10 The Message).

I Love a Parade

By Cheri Cowell –

I love a parade. I love the excitement that builds as you wait along the parade route for the police car’s sirens signaling the start of the big event. I love the clowns, the floats, the antique cars, the equestrian units, and of course, the bands.

For many people the bands are the highlight of the parade, but for me the highlight has to be the children. There is something magical about a parade to a child. With every passing band, float, or clown a child’s eyes fill with wonder and awe.

That same childlike awe and wonder is what the prophet Isaiah was trying to stir in us as he wrote about Christ’s coming. When you hear these words does your spine tingle and your eyes fill with wonder and awe at the thought of such a spectacle?

In studying this passage, it is interesting to note the darkness and gloominess of chapter 59 that gives way to the Light in chapter 60. In this chapter Isaiah calls on the people of Israel to “look up” from their sad situations and “see” the Light piercing the darkness. What a great image for those of us in the midst of our own “sad situation.” This implies that even though the Light is currently filling the earth some of us could actually miss it if our eyes are cast downward.

Where are your eyes focused today? Are they focused down on all that is wrong, or up where God’s light pierces the darkness?

PRAYER: Lord, God, how I long for Your return. Excitedly I await the trumpet sounds signaling Your entry, and ask that in the meantime You help me to keep my eyes lifted up away from everyday struggles and toward You and Your kingdom. I wait for the beginning of the Grand Parade.

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you” (Isaiah 60:1-2 NIV).

Seeing Beyond Sight

By Peter Lundell –

How can you see better after going blind?

Janet Perez Eckles has. She’s one of the most cheerful and enthusiastic people I’ve ever met. I got to know her at a writer’s conference, and afterward I waited with her at the airport until her husband came. Were they ever in love! She’s a constant inspiration.

At age 31 Janet lost her eyesight to Retinitis Pigmentosa, a hereditary disease that deteriorates the retina.

“I used to be a run-of-the-mill chica,” she says. “After going blind, I’ve gained insight about life, depth as a person, and I’m living with purpose.”

She’s obviously not glad she went blind, but through her faith in Christ, she has learned to see life better now than she did when she had physical sight. She naturally went through a period of despair and struggle. But she didn’t stay there. She knew she had to make a decision about how she would live. This is her key: “I’m able to find joy in the darkness.”

Where Janet lacks physical sight, she’s learned to discern unseen things more than most of us who see. She puts it this way, “I’ve learned to see beyond eyesight. God showed me that my blindness is a tool in his hands to show me how to help others see the best in life.”

She writes books and travels nationally and internationally as an inspirational speaker—alone with her cane. And she doesn’t seem to have time or interest to think about her handicap, because she’s so concerned about other people.

We all make choices about what we see and believe. Those choices determine everything else in our lives. What choices have you made—or could you make—to take a bad thing and grow something good?

PRAYER: Lord, take me beyond complaining about the bad things in my life. Whatever my personality may be, and I may not be like Janet, but I can turn to you and rise up and choose to see troubles differently. Open my eyes to do that. Lead me to take what is bad and from it grow something good, something wonderful.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28 NIV).

The Goodness of Where We Are

By Jarrod Spencer –

What is a better time to celebrate than the present? When you start to add up all the blessings you have, you tend to appreciate life more and more.

The past has already happened, so to bring it to the future is only carrying unneeded baggage. This is usually easier said than done, especially when you are emotionally attached to some of the past baggage. I have negative memories of my childhood that I can remember pretty vividly. I have found that those memories may come with me, but how it affects my future depends on me. I can decide if it will permeate into other areas of my life, or I can try to release it and go on with life.

This has been a struggle at times, but it helps to leave the baggage in the past and move on with the future so I can also appreciate the present. Gigi Galluzzo has a quote that is poignant to the idea of appreciating the present. She says, “Life is indeed grander than ever, when we take the time to understand every bit of the goodness that exists right where we are.”

Have you ever been in search of something, then discover that it was literally right in front of you? I have, and it kind of made me feel like a foot at that moment.

That is similar to how we should react when we are caught looking backward and forward and not appreciating the present. Time is something you cannot take back. It is here for the moment but then it is gone. Moments add up to minutes which add up to hours. Hours add up to be days which add up to be weeks. Weeks add up to months which add up to years. To drift from one to the next can create losses in life.

I lost a friend recently to a fatal motorcycle crash. With no warning, he and his wife did not have the opportunity to share any final words together. They didn’t know that hours after they said ‘goodbye’ he would be gone.

May we all learn to appreciate the present as we never know how much future you will have in this world.

PRAYER: May I always appreciate the present, even in times I am in my valleys. Help me to see the good things, even when times are rough. You are the great Creator.

“Lord, I love the house where you live, the place where your glory dwells” (Psalm 26:8 NIV).

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