Many of us will celebrate Memorial Day today with a cookout, picnic or parade. Kids are excited because it marks the end of school. Adults are excited because it usually means a day off work. But many have lost sight of what Memorial Day actually means. Originally called Decoration Day, it is a day to honor and remember those who have died in our nation’s service. It is a day to celebrate those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.
Many have family members who have served or are currently serving in our armed forces. I’m sure there are many stories that could be told to honor them.
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Have you thought about God’s promises lately?
I mean, really thought about them?
We read the Bible and listen to sermons at church—and both are full of the promises of God—but how often do we internalize these promises and make them our own? How often do we truly believe them?
And, if we did, what kind of impact would that have on our lives?
Take this promise, for example:
“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future.” –Jeremiah 29:11
If we believe that promise and have faith, all the uncertainties we might be facing right now, and any anxieties about our future, can be dissolved.
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It was 5:30 in the morning and I was up early, knowing that Round Two of The Moves was just ahead. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee downstairs lured me and I moved to sit in the quiet, still dark living room to enjoy a couple of cups before beginning what would prove to be a long day.
My morning prayers had been whispered earlier, in the stillness of my bedroom, as I awoke with, both, a sense of delightful anticipation and a sad pang of…well, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
That was the day, almost two years ago, that Jorge moved to his own College Town four hours away, and truly left our home looking dreadfully close to an…Empty Nest.
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It’s our answer!
I know, at first glance it sounds a little strange. I felt the same way when I heard it at church the other day, but oh, the wisdom in this seemingly “wrong” statement.
Think about it…sin is how we deal with our problems. We think getting angry at our children is the answer to helping them behave. We think spending hours on the internet will combat our loneliness. Or that buying those new pair of shoes or purse will fill that empty spot inside of us. Gluttony, greed, wrath, lust. They’re all ways people deal with other issues.
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“…It is more blessed to give than to receive.” –Acts 20:35
Last weekend, my family and I participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure with my mother-in-law, a breast cancer survivor. It was an incredibly inspiring and emotional morning. There’s something amazing about seeing so many people give of their time and resources for others.
And in the midst of thousands of people coming together to make a difference that day, there was one person who did one little thing that made a really big impact.
In previous years, my mother-in-law (and all survivors who participate in the Race for the Cure) received a medal at the finish line.
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I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what I’m teaching my sons. What kind of legacy am I leaving them? Yes, I’m a scrapbooker, so this is generally something I think about often, but I don’t actually mean “legacy” in that way.
I mean in the way that they view life, God, people, themselves. It weighs on my heart because I’m a very imperfect human with more faults than I care to admit. I fail my sons so often in this area.
I rest on the fact that God knew what He was doing when He blessed us with these 6 amazing young men, but that doesn’t mean that I feel like I’m fully capable all the time.
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The other day, I was in a waiting room, sitting next to a man who was dozing off. But, the interesting thing was, other than his deeper-than-normal breathing and his closed eyes, you’d never know it. Even as he slept, he sat straight as a board, feet flat on the floor, hands folded on his lap.
He didn’t snore.
His head didn’t droop.
He didn’t slouch.
He looked ready and alert, even in his dozing.
And it got me thinking…
That’s how God is.
Sometimes, He may seem “asleep” in our lives. We may pray for something and get no answer.
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“Wait a minute…” Darlene, the inspiration and heart of the place, paused and looked at me. “You write, don’t you?”
I nodded, too overcome with emotion to do much more than mutter that, yes, I did indeed write.
She pointed to the large, cracked pottery vase she cradled in her arms and then motioned to the many more on the shelf behind her. “There’s a story here somewhere, don’t you think?”
Oh yes.
If she only knew…
Just minutes before, we’d come upstairs to discuss the details of my new volunteer duties at Coventry, a place for mentally handicapped young adults to come and learn a skill.
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