B Is for Blessed!

A Few More Lessons From a Spider…

I’ve learned a thing or two from spiders over the years. My favorite spider is Charlotte from the E. B. White classic Charlotte’s Web. These days the increase of spiders in my yard hint that fair time will soon be upon us.

Even as a kid, one of the best things I liked about Charlotte was she was smart. She used her “web design” to save Wilbur. Most of us would be a lot smarter if we actively sought wisdom. I suspect the book of Proverbs is there to provide us the wisdom that would indeed “bless us” if we would take initiative enough to heed it.

Speaking of initiative, Charlotte took the initiative to help Wilbur. I don’t recall Wilbur asking her for help in the story. Charlotte didn’t simply think oh, that’s too bad when she heard of his plight. She actually did something.

How many times do we hear of a need and take time to think about what we can do to change a situation for the better? And then actually follow through and do it? Too often, we convince ourselves not to heed the prodding of the Spirit and rationalize our complacency. We probably can’t change the entire world but we can possibly make a world of difference to at least one person.

My latest lesson comes from my own backyard.

Patience.

The spiders in my yard have done all they can to help themselves by spinning huge webs. They aren’t moving much these days. Now, they simply wait for meals to come to them. Spiders wait with an expectancy that what they need will eventually find them. How many of us are as confident in our faith that God will supply our needs after we have done all we can?

I am praying for wisdom these days. I am striving to be selfless and available. I am gradually learning patience. If God can speak through a donkey, surely, we can learn a thing or two from a spider…

There are four things which are little on the earth,
But they are exceedingly wise:
The ants are a people not strong,
Yet they prepare their food in the summer;
The rock badgers are a feeble folk,
Yet they make their homes in the crags;
The locusts have no king,
Yet they all advance in ranks;
The spider skillfully grasps with its hands,
And it is in kings’ palaces. Proverbs 30:24-28 NKJV

Beauty for Ashes…

Isaiah 61 is probably one of the most comforting chapters in the Bible. The very first verse begins with good news preaching “good tidings to the poor,” speaks to “heal the broken-hearted,” and proclaims “liberty to the captives.”

Most of us need “comfort” at one time or another. We suffer wounds along our way. We lose people and mourn. Things we hold dear can be reduced to nothing.

Fear, doubt, and even daily life can sometimes pull us under yet thankfully we don’t have to stay under or bound by any of our losses. Isaiah teaches us not to wallow in our sorrows but instead be willing to exchange what we have for what our God is willing to give us.

Peace.

Joy.

Beauty.

I recall learning how the ashes caused by forest fires fertilize the ground to allow new growth. The “fires” in our lives have this same potential. How amazing that the remnants of what was can become the foundation for what can be.

If you are wounded, don’t give up. Instead, give yourself over to God. He can take you and your remnants and produce something new!

Isaiah preached of what was to come, our God is available to us now.

A Healer.

A Redeemer.

Receiving God’s beauty requires that we give up what we have, even that which is painfully familiar, so that we may receive His promises.

What are you holding on to?

“To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified,”
Isaiah 61:3 NKJV

Don’t Be Deceived…

I was recently reminded to be a bit more mindful and not merely act on what I “think” I see.

Our enemies aren’t always obvious. They rarely arrive with a pitchfork and horns.

Some are flatterers, even endearing. Many are manipulative and masters of illusion, leading us to make assumptions that can cause us great harm.

Upon closer inspection, I realized the “bee” in the photograph was hardly a bee. Instead it is a wasp, to which I am highly allergic. There are no less than six Epi-pens stashed around my home!

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
1 Peter 5:8 NKJV

It is impossible to resist our adversary if we can’t recognize him.

And then there are times we are so eager to receive what we want, we refuse to acknowledge the pitfalls that lie ahead.

The serpent deceived Eve because she desired something she could not have.

Jacob was deceived into marrying Leah instead of Rachel. Had he known the youngest could not marry before the firstborn, I think Jacob would have negotiated a better deal than fourteen years of servitude!

When in doubt, check it out.

Ask questions.

Investigate.

Pray!

I’ve slowly learned to listen to God when my gut is screaming “Danger!”

Every good deal is not a good deal.

Some “situations” that fuel anxiety are often distractions to keep us from fulfilling our purpose.

Don’t be deceived into thinking God doesn’t love you.

He does.

Don’t be deceived into thinking setbacks last forever.

They don’t.

Don’t be deceived by rhetoric that is contrary to God.

All lies.

Wise choices often precede a blessing. Ask God for wisdom and don’t be deceived…

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
James 1:5 NKJV

Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
James 1:16-17 NKJV

True Independence…

Freedom for black and white or red and blue
No increase for me at the expense of you

That faith not fear would rule this land
That justice could rule with an even hand

Would those who fought for the red, white and blue
Be honored and cherished for all they went through

We choose to stand tall and fight for what’s true
As some fuel a hate that would tear US in two

We, the people, yearn for an answered call
One nation, under God; liberty and justice for all

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness—”

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:28 NKJV

High Hopes!

“Next time you’re found, with your chin on the ground
There’s a lot to be learned, so look around
Just what makes that little old ant
Think he’ll move that rubber tree plant
Anyone knows an ant, can’t
Move a rubber tree plant”

My hopes haven’t always been high.

I’ve always been a “realist” even as I prayed to God for the miracles I sought. It is only in the past four or five years that I realized I wasn’t setting my “hopes” even remotely high enough.

As I began to see how God was using my son Lan to not only show me what He could do and would do for me, God also taught me to get my hopes up!

One small victory after another made me realize that I didn’t have to have the weight of the world on my shoulders. I somehow managed to let God be God and relax a little and truly trust God for the things I prayed for.

It has been my general experience that God responds to my level of expectation. The things I dare hope and dream for He brings (slowly) to fruition if I hope hard enough and trust that He can and He will.

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:1-5 NKJV

Hope does not disappoint.

I would rather hope for the best and be proven wrong than wallow in misery faithless.

Yes, there are things I will never understand. Yet, I cannot allow life’s disappointments to rob me of God’s peace when I choose to trust in Him.

Lan is asserting his independence more and more. He has “high hopes” for his future. If I tell him something’s not going to happen he just gives me “the look” learned from big brother that basically says I hear you but I’m not listening to a thing you say.

And that’s not always a bad thing.

I believe my past failures to hope as high as God would have me to do stem from listening to people instead of listening to God. If we are so tuned in to the multitude of “nos” coming from the choir, we will never hear God’s whispered “yes.”

Lan has confidence I never had at his age, partly because he had to work extremely hard to meet his goals. He learned far sooner than I ever did to tune out the “no.”

I’m grateful to have come to a point where I can persevere and hope for God’s best fully aware that His best isn’t always what I want.

Hope does not disappoint.

“But he’s got high hopes, he’s got high hopes
He’s got high apple pie, in the sky hopes
So any time you’re gettin’ low
‘Stead of lettin’ go
Just remember that ant
Oops there goes another rubber tree plant”

**Songwriters: J. VAN HEUSEN, S. CAHN High Hopes lyrics © BARTON MUSIC CORPORATION

A Prayer for Black Lives

Susan Irene Fox

and the System that Kills Them

Family and Friends of Philando Castille
©New York Times

Once again an officer has been acquitted of murdering an unarmed black human being, Philando Castille, during a routine traffic stop. Mr. Castille, a beloved school cafeteria worker, informed the officer he had a registered weapon in his car. The officer shot Mr. Castille five times while Castille was still inside his car and his 4-year-old daughter was in the back seat. The weapon was not within Mr Castillo’s reach. I weep with Mr. Castille’s friends and family.

Last month, another officer was acquitting for the same thing. While another unarmed black man, Terence Crutcher, walked slowly to his car with his arms above his head, four officers had guns on Mr. Crutcher; he was shot in the back by one of those officers.

How much longer are we to accept this standard of killing…

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Bend Don’t Break!

Everyone is guaranteed some form of hardship, storms, distress/duress that ultimately forges us into the people God would have us to become. Though not pleasurable experiences, our problems are necessary for our progression from one stage in life to another. The way we deal with these experiences determines how we will come out of them. Some people seem to make it through, scraped up a bit but they come out in one piece. Others, instead, succumb to situations and trials never to come out of them and instead become overcome or swallowed by circumstances. So what is the difference between making it through and remaining stuck in a particular situation?

The answer is simple. Bend don’t break.

We all have the best laid plans. However, the plans for our life and God’s plans are not necessarily one and the same. Our expectations don’t always transform into our experiences. Delays and disappointments are inevitable. The people who make it through hardships aren’t broken by life’s surprises. Instead, they learn to bend.

Twigs snap. Quick and sudden stress causes them to break into pieces. People can also snap. It is when experiences become so extreme, circumstances are crazy and expectations unmet that we “lose it” and do things we would not do if we were in our “right mind.”

The propensity to bend means that we can weather a storm. We can withstand the course of whatever life throws our way. It may be uncomfortable, hard and even painful but bending means we won’t become broken by disappointment. Our attitude determines our outcome when we choose to bend a little.

Sometimes we have to change our habits. At others, we have to change our minds. And then there are situations where we have to choose to give a little, possibly giving up our own expectations or desires, in order to push forward and even keep peace along our journey. Being inflexible in our relationships and even our own preconceived ideas only limits us and sets us up to potentially “snap” under pressure. We should always be willing to bend to some extent by choosing to learn, mature, and submit to God.

Hardening our hearts and an unwillingness to listen to the counsel of others can leave us rigid, frail and easily broken. Refusing to compromise can leave us frustrated and at odds with ever-changing circumstances. Flexibility doesn’t dictate that we conform to the world. Flexibility allows us to move with God instead of remaining stuck where we are.

If you want peace of mind, be willing to change it when Divinely directed. If you wish to prosper, set goals but change them when God dictates. We can’t truly prosper out of God’s will. What worked yesterday won’t necessarily work today. Don’t stay bound to the same ideas or experiences when God is trying to stretch your faith and do a new thing!

Listen when God speaks and then obey accordingly. God has challenged me do things I never would have imagined yet I can definitely say I’much better for it! I’ve been blessed when I chose to follow God instead of my own (sometimes crazy) inclinations.

Bend or Break?

The choice is ours to make!

Dear Lilka, (June 6, 2017)

Susan Irene Fox

“’Even in our sleep pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart until in our own despair against our will comes wisdom from the awful grace of God.’ What we need in the United States is not division, what we need in the United States is not hatred, what we need in the United States is not violence, but is love and wisdom and compassion toward one another a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country.” Robert F. Kennedy, Indianapolis, Indiana, eulogy for Martin Luther King Jr.

I thought of you today as I grappled with memories of 1968.

Today is the 49^th anniversary of the passing of Bobby Kennedy. He, along with Martin Luther King, Jr., understood change better than almost anyone. The last two years of his life were a personal transformation; he knew the tiniest thing done could ripple…

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Be Persistent!

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, Hebrews 12:1 NIV

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. Luke 18:1 NIV

Persistence is something we must each embrace if we are going to obtain the very best God has for us. Each of us is called to finish our race. There will be trials and obstacles, distractions and pitfalls but we must push through if we are ever to reach the prize that awaits us at the end.

Persistence often separates those who could from those who would.

You don’t always have to be the most “qualified.” Sometimes all it takes to get ahead is showing up and having faith enough to step forward, no matter how small the step.

I admit that isn’t always easy.

Some obstacles will look insurmountable. Many people will call you “unrealistic.” Still, we must muster up our faith and continue to walk toward our goals even when they seem impossible.

Like a marathon runner, we have to run through the pain. Sometimes we walk and then there are times all we can do is crawl. Our cheerleaders won’t always stay the course. It is up to each one of us to endure our race full of expectation and determination even as doubt and fear loom on the sidelines.

No pain, no gain?

Oftentimes true.

Life sometimes hurts. There are disappointments. Failures and fatigue come with climbing uphill.

But keep climbing anyway!

Hebrews 12:2 instructs us to fix our eyes on Jesus and consider what He endured so that we do not grow weary and lose heart.

“For the joy set before him, He endured.”

We are called to do the same.

We must be willing to give up our fears, choose God over pleasing people and dare to dream for what defies “logical” expectations. I’ve learned what God wants for me is usually far better than anything I envision for myself. God’s best requires endurance. The tests of patience and pain push us from one stage to the next. When we persist, we choose faith over fear.

Persist in pursuing what God has placed in your heart to the point that people think you are nuts! Bystanders thought Noah, Gideon, Moses and even the Disciples were crazy for daring to do what God called them to do. Yet, in the end, their reward was great!

Persist and pursue God’s best for YOU!

“As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” James 5:11 NIV

***This post is dedicated to my son Landon, class of 2017, ever persistent in reaching his goals. We are VERY proud of you!

The Winds of Change, Again…

Last year this time was a bit chaotic in my household. I wrote about the winds of change as my oldest son prepared to graduate high school and we joyfully prepared for his move out of state. I’d accepted a promotion; my husband started a new job and we were excited about what the future would hold.

We never imagined exactly one year later our next graduation celebration for would be haunted by grief. My mother’s absence at this milestone is painful. I have no doubt she will see her grandchild graduate, yet I miss her just the same.

And, once again there is change in my employment status.

By the time you read this, I will be “officially” retired. I turned in my keys to the pharmacy with no regrets yet grateful for the opportunity to practice pharmacy for twenty-five years. I’ll miss my pharmacy phamily and my favorite customers, but it is time.

It is time for me to nurture the talents God blessed me with. It is time for me to step out in faith and stretch myself. Sometimes we pray for change but when it comes we stand bewildered and confused!

God often answers my prayers in the most unexpected ways, ways that are far higher than my understanding. Yet, I trust that God knows what is best for me and when I’m mature enough to actually receive the answers I’ve prayed for.

The child I never imagined leaving home for college despite prayers too many to count is actually leaving home for college!

Full Sail ahead for him!

He has changed drastically this year alone, fought his way through the trials of autism and matured in ways we couldn’t foresee only a few years ago. It will be quite the change when August arrives and our nest is empty!

Perhaps, the only constant in life is change.

Some changes we bring on ourselves. Others blindside us without warning.

We can never fully anticipate the future but we can be assured Who holds it.

I haven’t always embraced change in my life but maybe now that I’m a bit older, I hope I’m wiser as well.

Whatever changes loom on your horizon, I pray you trust God to see you to and get you through them.

Even the best of times don’t last forever. Still, we can cherish the good, learn from the bad and hopefully our experiences leave us changed for the better.

Whatever my journey, I hope to stay the course until His winds change it once more…

The wind blows to the south
and turns to the north;
round and round it goes,
ever returning on its course. Ecclesiastes 5:6 NIV