Sounding Forth

Note: I hope to start using this blog as more of a journal than I have been. I rarely have the time to fully develop my thoughts into well-ordered compositions, and yet, I don't want nudges from the Lord or specials moments from my days to slip away. If you are one of my blog's followers and find that this new format doesn't fit your needs, please feel free to change your status. I promise I won't be hurt if you withdraw as a follower!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gooseberry Falls State Park, Minnesota

This morning as I was reading 1 Thessalonians, I was struck by Paul's praise of the church in the ancient city of Thessalonica: "For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you" (1 Thes. 1:8).

I want those words to be able to be proclaimed about my life. I want my life to resound with the "word of the Lord."

As I teach my children to write, I'm urging them to use strong, descriptive words. Paul's phrase, "has sounded forth" certainly fits this category. The phrase implies acting with purpose, living with purpose, speaking with purpose. Somehow the phrase reminds me of a waterfall. As the water charges over the cliff, no one nearby can miss the roar or the resulting mist that rises from the foam at the base. The Thessalonians had encountered Christ. They knew the unutterably good news of his death on their behalf. Their sins had been swept away by His sacrifice, and now they can't help but sound forth the news of their changed lives to those they encounter.

Paul goes on to say in the same verse, "in every place your faith toward God has gone forth".  Again, I want those very words to describe my life. I want a robust "faith toward God" that sets me apart in an age of cynicism in which people look to self-help manuals for life's answers.

O Lord,
Please move in my heart that Your word might sound forth from my lips. You are worthy of proclamation. Please increase my faith until it flows forth from me like a roaring waterfall, to Your praise and glory.

Look Back...and Remember

"Return to your rest, O my soul,

For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you."

(Psalm 116:7)

Look back. Look back...and remember. Look back and remember God's care, His protection, His provision. "Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yes, our God is compassionate." (Psalm 116:5) He who has cared so lovingly for you in the past will not abandon you now. He who has never betrayed you will not forsake you now.

He who was willing to send His own beloved son to die a horrific death after unspeakable torture that you might be saved, will He not continue to give His wise and loving attention to the minutest details of your life?

So, look back. Look back...and remember. Then, look forward with trust, hope and, in faith, rest in your great Creator and Maker.

An Absurd Response

Lately I have found myself correcting my children with irritation when one of them gets angry with another. Since the thesaurus lists irritation as a synonym for anger, this would mean that I am living just what the following proverb prohibits:

"Do not answer a fool according to his folly,

Or you will also be like him." (Proverbs 26:4)

When one of my children is frustrated or exasperated (also synonyms for anger), they don't need the same from me. They need to see that there is another way to respond to being wronged--God's way. They need to be corrected by me with gentleness, self-control, humility and meekness.

The Bible articulates what we all know deep down to be true: "Wrath is fierce and anger is a flood" (Proverbs 27:4a). Anger destroys whatever is in its path. Look closely at the butterfly above if you haven't already. This poor creature that I caught on film (so to speak in the digital age) was managing to float from flower to flower but in a torn, wounded condition. I don't want to be a mom who shreds her children's souls with anger. In addition, the Bible teaches that "...the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God" (James 1:20). My angry response to their anger is NOT going to help my children become Christlike. Since that is the ultimate goal of my parenting, I must think before I speak and be like my Saviour, rather than imitating the child who just demonstrated anger.