Five Ways to Find Security

By Janet Perez Eckles –

I frowned. “SCUBA diving?”

“C’mon, it’ll be lots of fun,” our friend said.

“Crazy idea,” I said, “especially for a blind person.”

But our friend, a certified diver, gave details of the depth of the ocean. The gear used, training involved and the levels of oxygen needed.

“Too much stuff!” I said. “I’d rather relax in the sun, listening to a book on CD.”

Later, I reflected on the incredible depth of the ocean. But even its deep waters have their limit.

What a contrast to the depth of God’s love that has no limit. And with no end, we can navigate with only the desire of our hearts.

But the problem is that as we swim in the hectic and hurried style of life, we forget. Dealing with my blindness, I myself sometimes forget the dimension of His love. The profound compassion and His unending faithfulness toward those of us who splash in the waters of adversity.

And while on that journey, here are some questions to check our level of security:

• If we truly understood how deep His love is for us, would we fear anything?
• If we knew the profound level of His faithfulness, would we fret over details?
• If we had a true understanding of His mercy, would we still feel condemned when we’ve sinned?
• If our minds could comprehend His power to sustain us, would we tremble at the unknown?
• And if we understood who we are In Christ, would we succumb to self-pity?

When we’re in the sea that roars with heartache, or face the waves of burdens that keep coming, let’s plunge into His Word and ponder on the beauty of the journey, breathing in the freshness of His grace.

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging” (Psalm 46:1-3).

Father, thank you for allowing me to navigate not in the darkness of pain, but in the light and freshness of your promises. Help me to remember to wear the equipment of trust for my soul, and the tank of faith for my heart as I set off in the journey. In Jesus name.

Rich

By Heather Arbuckle –

We hear a lot of talk about wealth these days. Who has it? Who wants it? Who squanders it? It doesn’t take more than a few moments of current events before someone is screaming about it. And while the world may not know it, I feel I must proclaim…

I’m Rich.

Not according to my bank account.
Not because of my social standing.
Not due to the neighborhood in which I dwell.
Not because of my car, my clothes, or anything I now possess.
In all the areas of wealth measured in society, my standing is quite ordinary.

But I will say it again…I am rich.

I am rich in love…
I have been married to my college sweetheart for over 18 years, and I still adore him. While time has changed us both, I still get butterflies when my honey walks through the door each night.

I am rich in laughter…
Three rambunctious and comical children fill the rooms of my home with games, giggling, jokes, and fun. There is never a day that we don’t laugh together. NEVER.

I am rich in friendship…
My circle is small and strong. A handful of sensational, Godly women stand as my hedge when the world around me gets crazy. They accept me for who I am today, and encourage me to grow into who God created me to be. With love and support, these women fill my life with a sense of belonging.

I am rich in family…
Though I reside hundred of miles away from nearly all of my extended family, I have found they are never more than a phone call or text message away. Whether in celebration and triumph or grief and fear, my family is never far from my heart.

And most of all, I am rich in faith…
I have a relationship with my Heavenly Father that I treasure above all others in my life. He is my Hiding Place, my Redeemer, My Savior, my Comforter, my Rock, and my Friend. Over the years, I have learned to walk with Him through all of life’s adventures. He quiets my fears, hears my prayers, speaks into my circumstances, and brings light into my darkness.

We are warned in Ecclesiastes, “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income” (Ecclesiastes 5:10). In short, wealth will never be enough to satisfy our need for riches. To the contrary, true riches are not measured in dollar signs, real estate deals, or social justice. Indeed, real treasure is stored in the deepest places of the heart.

I look around my simple life which consists of fiscal responsibility and a very tight budget and my heart swells with gratitude for all that God has lavished on me in this life. Once more,  I am reminded of this simple truth that “a faithful person will be richly blessed” (Proverbs 28:20).

I am rich.

The Other Side

By Lori Freeland –

My eighth grader slumps at the kitchen table, his mouth curving down into his frustration frown, as I leaf through his unfinished homework.

Tears fill his eyes. “Dad didn’t help me while you were gone. He played Wii every night.”

Heat rises from my chest, up my neck. Settles into my face. My, “What?” comes out a strangled half cry-half scream as I lunge for my cell. Before my hand touches the phone, a small voice breaks through my fury.

Wait.

Wait?

Wait an hour.

Are You crazy, Lord? An hour will douse the flame of my anger. In an hour, I will forget all the nasty, witty accusations forming in my head.

Have you considered the other side?

There’s another side?

His side.

Hmm. I ponder that. Just a little. Because right now, my side screams at me to run off on a tirade of what did not get accomplished this last week while I was on my girl’s only cruise. The cruise my friend, Gwyn, dubbed our chickation.

I don’t want to remember that he encouraged me to go. Crying and carrying on about how I feel punished for taking this time for myself seems a better idea. I want to throw the unfinished homework at my husband when he comes through the door while I yell about the unopened emails pertaining to the week’s activities. Like the basketball team photos my daughter missed.

Remember, the other side.

I have spent the better part of my life as half of a whole, married to the same man, for twenty years. Throughout our many conflicts, the other side lurks. Just waiting for my attention. I don’t like to listen. In the center of my frustration and anger, looking at the other side means letting go of my own hurt and resentment.

Take my chickation. I don’t want to remember my husband taking our children to a movie on Monday just to hang out with them on his day off. I don’t want to admit he forgot the basketball game and team pictures because he cleaned the house as a welcome home present. For me. I don’t want to think about how he changed the sheets on our bed on Friday, in honor of my clean sheet fetish, and slept on the couch to keep them fresh for my return on Saturday. Or that he made a special trip to Central Market to concoct a fabulous dinner while I unpacked.

I want to keep my anger. And if I think about how he not only paid for my weeklong chickation, but also encouraged me to have a good time while he took on all my jobs for the week in addition to his own, I can’t keep my anger.

During my wedding, I recited Corinthians 13:4-5. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”

Hmmm. Is not easily angered.

The other side. His side. I allow myself to think about the good and release the bad. I don’t even need to wait the hour. Suddenly, I don’t feel like making that phone call. I think I’ll wait until he gets home, wrap my arms around him, and whisper thank you in his ear instead.

Help My Unbelief

By Janet Morris Grimes-

I know myself well. So much so that it bothers me at times. I am well aware of my weaknesses. I spend more time with my flaws than I’d like to. And some days, I’d give anything to just snap my fingers and be rid of them forever.

Maybe you have felt this way.

But I have learned this much. My imperfections are magnified with each day I spend focusing on them. Anxieties, insecurities, guilt, regrets. The more power I hand over to these things, they more they take over my life.

I wonder what would happen if I got over my shortcomings and embraced the more abundant life God intended for me. I wonder if the reason I feel so alone is because God created me to be unique, and I will never be fulfilled until I am fully following His, and only His, plan for my life. I wonder what would happen if I took such massive leaps of faith that I have no choice but to let God carry me the rest of the way. I wonder if all along, He was just waiting for me to leap. I wonder if the only weapon Satan has left to use against me is myself.

Yes, I wonder.

What if I did the opposite of what comes naturally to me, each and every day? What if I got out of the way, recognizing that the less there is of me, the more of Him others can see? What if God is able to use these weaknesses to touch the lives of others? What if my weaknesses only serve as a spotlight to God’s strengths?

What if, by not believing in myself, I am actually saying to God that I don’t think He can do it? Can He really use me, in spite of myself?

There is a story in Mark Chapter 9 about a man who brought his demon-possessed son to see Jesus. He begs Jesus, in verse 22, “If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

If he can? Jesus challenges in verse 23, “If…? Everything is possible for those who believe.”

The heartbroken father answers in a painfully honest way, a way in which most of us can relate.

“I do believe. Help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24).

That is my prayer for each of us, that God will recognize our unbelief and strengthen us. We do believe. We want to. We hate the doubts, the regrets, the times we forgot to leap. Help our unbelief, and use us to touch a broken world.

Bumper Bowling

By Susan Dollyhigh –

Bumper Bowling is like a bumper life. I watched as my granddaughter, Katelyn, rolled the pink bowling ball around in the carousel until her five-year-old fingers found the holes to slide into. She picked up the six-pound ball and in a wobbly run made her way to the foul line where she came to an abrupt stop. Swinging her small upper body around to the right, she brought the ball up with both hands and heaved it down the bowling lane. Thump. Thump. Thump. The ball dribbled out of control before making contact with the lane where it swirled from the right gutter to the left gutter and once more to the right before reaching the pins and slowly knocking over all ten. With a celebratory jump, Katelyn smiled, “Yes, a strike.” Katelyn was Bumper Bowling, a game for children, which meant her ball was protected from falling into the gutters by pads positioned on each side of the bowling lane.

Marital problems, health issues and financial concerns had left me feeling like a bowling ball dropped and thumped from one crisis to the next before swirling out of control, rolling into the gutter and landing in a pit. Faced with so many difficult decisions, I didn’t know what to pray for, so I prayed as David did in Psalm 25:4, “Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths.” If I could get out of the pit and onto the Lord’s path, I would find the hope and peace promised in God’s Word. Remembering Katelyn’s Bumper Bowling, I asked the Lord to place bumpers so I couldn’t veer from His path. “Lord,” I prayed, “I want to go Bumper Bowling.”

Susan Shelton Dollyhigh is a freelance writer, columnist and speaker. Susan is a contributing author in Spirit and Heart: A Devotional Journey, Faith and Finances: In God We Trust and The Ultimate Christian Living. Susan’s articles and devotionals have appeared in Connection Magazine, Exemplify Magazine, Mustard Seed Ministry, P31 Woman, The Upper Room and The Secret Place. She is also a contributing online writer for ChristianDevotions.us and InternetCafeDevotions.com.

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