Month: June 2018

How Do You Respond to Fear?

Posted on by Paula
Mocha has trust issues.
My Sister’s Dog, Mocha

How do you respond to fear? My sister’s family was recently on vacation and left their pets and plants under my care. I have done this for several years, but their rescue dog, Mocha still has trust issues.

This year, she was doing really well. She didn’t bark at me when I pulled up. She would even approach me to lick my hand and sometimes allow me to pet her. However, three or four days into my sister’s vacation, something changed. I’m not sure if she was frightened by my husband who tagged along that evening or if it was the storm moving in, but something scared Mocha, and she broke through the underground fence system. She crossed the boundary lines that were set to protect her and ran away from the one who could help her. Either she didn’t see me past her fears to know that I, her caregiver, was there or if she just didn’t trust me enough to help her.

I called for her over and over and rattled her food bucket. Then I drove around and searched for her until dark, but she couldn’t be coaxed back. I’m not sure if she was too scared to come out of hiding, too far gone to hear my voice, or too afraid of being shocked by the fence or punished by her caregiver if she returned. I hoped she wouldn’t get hit by a car or that she wouldn’t wander so far away that she couldn’t find her way back. Yet, she wouldn’t respond to me; I finally left her to do as she pleased even though I knew it wasn’t what was best for her.

Mocha ran toward me, glad to see me.
Mocha Returns!

I came back to search for her the next day and was thankful to see her sitting on the front steps when I returned. When she saw me pull into the drive, she excitedly ran to greet me. She followed me everywhere and even ate out of my hand. Once again, I gave her food and water and assured her of my love. She was trusting me again, and I was glad.

Mocha trusted me enough to eat out of my hand.
Mocha Trusts

What happens to you when the storm is moving in or when something frightens you? God is there to take care of you through it all. Can you see him beyond your fears? Can you trust him?

When you’re tired of running and hiding, surrender to the One who knows best. If you’ve gone too far to hear His voice, turn around and listen. If you’re fearful that anger and discipline await you, remember the love the Father showed when the prodigal son returned to ask forgiveness (Luke 15:11-32).

When you find yourself in a scary situation, remember the words God spoke in Isaiah 43 to assure his people that he would walk through their trials with them. When the storm rages, and you fear you won’t make it through, remember how Jesus calmed the wind and sea (Mark 4:29-35). When life gets difficult, and things aren’t going your way, remember that God is in control that if you have committed your life to Christ, nothing can separate you from his love—not even death (Romans 8:31-39)!

If you are in Christ, trust that God will be with you no matter what life throws your way. Keep your eyes on Jesus and trust “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). Be confident that no matter what you must endure, Jesus will always be with you and will one day take you home to live with him forever in a place where there will be no more pain or tears (Revelation 21).

If you have never made the decision to trust Jesus with your life, I urge you to repent. God wants none to perish but all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9) and have eternal life with him. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your heart. You can trust God, your creator, your caregiver, the one who is in control; but you must surrender to his will and follow his son. Stop running. Stop hiding. Turn from doing things your way and make the decision to follow him. He will always be there to guide you, and his boundaries will keep you safe.

Putting the Broken Pieces Together Again

Posted on by Paula
I found my gnome shattered into pieces.

My dad insisted on putting the broken pieces together again. The broken gnome was just a $1.00 flea market find; it wasn’t a big deal at all. Yet my dad insisted on taking it home to fix.

About a month ago, as company was leaving, I noticed that one of my gnomes was shattered and lying on my top step. The whole incident actually prompted my May 14th blog post titled, “He Knows Your Need Before You Ask.”

Honestly, I thought the broken gnome was beyond repair. So, I was genuinely surprised when my dad recently returned it to me in really great shape. It does have a few noticeable “scars” and it will never be quite the same. However, it is good enough to join my new gnome outside in my little flower bed.

My repaired gnome has “scars,” but it is good enough to stand guard with my new gnome outside in my little flower bed.

I still can’t believe that my dad was able to put the pieces together again. When I look at the repaired gnome, I picture my dad patiently and lovingly restoring the happy little garden statue and am reminded of the way my heavenly father patiently and lovingly restores my broken life.

Like the gnome, I too am a broken piece of work. I have fallen on multiple occasions, and there have been times when I felt like the broken pieces could never be repaired. But I have a Daddy in heaven who knows exactly how to put me back together again.

Sure, I too have noticeable scars, and due to certain experiences that I have been through, I will never be quite the same. However, when my Daddy works on me, he strengthens me where I am weak. He replaces the hurt with comfort and peace. He reminds me of who I am in Christ and that my purpose is in him.

God doesn’t promise us a trouble-free life. As long as we are in this world, we will face trials and temptation. There is a great spiritual battle around us, and our adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8), but greater is the One living inside of me than he who is living in the world (1 John 4:4).

When we keep our eyes on Jesus, he leads us through our struggles and brings us through to victory. Yet when we lose our focus and fall, we need only look up to a God who is waiting to scoop us up into his hands and restore what is broken. Like my earthly dad who can fix my broken gnome so it can stand guard again in my flower bed, my heavenly Father patiently and lovingly restores me so that I can be used again for his glory.

As for the scars that remind me of my fall, they also remind me of God’s love, forgiveness, mercy, grace and restoration. They remind me of where I’ve been, and as I move forward, God gives me opportunities to share the meaning of those scars with my brothers and sisters who fall into Satan’s trap as well. Yes, I have an amazing daddy here on earth, and I have an even more amazing Daddy in heaven who is able to put my broken pieces back together again.

A Life That is Simple Yet Full

Posted on by Paula

We stopped at a flea market in a little town somewhere near the Ohio river several years ago, and I was pleased to find a familiar framed print of an elderly gentleman bowing his head over a tiny meal. The portrait wasn’t in great shape, but I had to bring it home.  The woman who was selling it excitedly called it “The Thinker” as she told me that her asking price was one dollar. I had loved this picture since I was a child and was shocked (and a bit sad) that the woman couldn’t see that the man in the painting was praying rather than thinking. Though she knew the painting was special, she didn’t quite appreciate it the same way I did.

When I was a little girl, the man in the painting reminded me of my great grandpa. Not only did Great Grandpa’s character seem to fit that of the man in the painting. He actually looked like him…from my memory anyhow. I was pretty small when I visited him, so I may not remember things exactly as they were. However, what I do recall is that great grandpa lived in a humble little farm house way out in the country. I remember a bible along with a magnifying glass for Great Grandpa’s old eyes, a tiny Christmas tree (which may have been out year-round), a kitchen sink with a handle to pump water and a table where he and his guests would play dominoes. Mostly I remember that Great Grandpa was kind, and his house felt full of love when family gathered to visit. From my observation, he was a man whose life was simple yet full.

This work of art is still special to me today, maybe even more special in that as I am growing older, I can now see my aging father as the man in the picture. As I stare into the face of the man in the painting, I see a godly man who is at peace. He is giving thanks to God and is content with what he has. He has surely known hard work, difficulties and struggles. Yet, he has lived a happy life, a life that is simple yet full.

After bringing my flea market treasure home, I later researched and found that “Grace” was originally a photograph taken by Eric Enstrom but later painted in oils by his daughter Rhoda Nyberg. “Back in the year of 1918, a bearded, saintly, old man, with foot-scrapers to sell, called on Eric Enstrom at his photography studio in the tiny mining town of Bovey, Minnesota,” explains the writer on gracebyenstrom.com. For the photograph, Enstrom arranged a table with bread, a knife, a bowl of gruel, spectacles, and a family book (which I believe to be a bible) and asked the peddler, Charles Wilden, to pose by bowing his head in prayer. Eric said, “I wanted to take a picture that would show people that even though they had to do without many things because of the war they still had much to be thankful for.”

Enstrom’s photograph and his daughter’s oil paintings became so popular that by 1945 he sold the copyrights to Augsburg Publishing House because he couldn’t keep up with the demand. Prints can be ordered from the Grace by Enstrom website, but I like my old, weathered copy just fine.

I see past the faded colors, the warped canvas board and the scuffed-up frame and remember what is important. God has blessed me so richly. Yet sometimes I take those blessings for granted and complain about what is broken, worn out or lacking. When I begin to get self-centered, I am always convicted. I stop making my mental list of what I do not have and start counting my blessings, realizing that God has blessed me with so much more than I need or deserve.

Not only has God blessed me with plenty to eat, a house with hot and cold running water, a dependable vehicle, a loving family and way too many physical blessings here on earth to count, he has also sacrificed his only Son, Jesus, to take away my sin and give me eternal life in him. With God, we can be content to live a simple life and still live life to the full in Jesus. As long as I have Jesus, I need only food to sustain my body and his Word to sustain my soul. I can live a life that is simple yet full.

A Message From Grandma

Posted on by Paula

I was carrying a tub of sugar packets down the church hallway when my mind took me back fifteen years. As I walked toward the kitchen to refill the almost empty tub, I could hear my grandma’s voice, “I’ve got to go get the sugar.”

It was December of 2003, and I was Christmas caroling with my church. One of the places we visited was the Alzheimer’s wing of the nursing home where my grandma was.

While we were singing, I saw a nurse walking toward me with Grandma. The nurse didn’t know that I was a relative, and Grandma hadn’t recognized anyone for a very long time.

She told me she loved to hear me sing. Then she looked up, right into my eyes and said, “I want you to do what God tells you to do.”

“I will, Grandma,” I replied.

I can still see her face as she stared so intently into my eyes and spoke again, “I want you to do what he says.”

Again, I replied, “I will Grandma.”

Then she said, “You know I love you. Don’t you?”

“Yes, Grandma. I love you too,” I answered. I kissed her forehead.

Then she walked away saying, “Now I’ve got to go get the sugar.” And then she was gone.

This encounter with Grandma happened just after I had been invited to travel to Panama with Samaritan’s Purse to distribute shoe box gifts for Operation Christmas Child. I wasn’t sure at first if I would accept. It was a very tough decision, and I was scared about a lot of different things.

I was a stay at home mom of four children ranging from 3-12 years old. I wasn’t sure anyone would be able to transport the older kids to school or to babysit the younger ones while my husband worked. My mother-in-law was very sick. Furthermore, I was scared of flying and had said that I would not ever fly unless God asked me to (I just didn’t expect him to ask). I didn’t know how we’d come up with the money or how my husband would feel about it. I also had some health issues that sometimes made it difficult to travel…. Would God take care of me if I went on the trip? Would God take care of my family while I was away? Dare I even leave them?

I knew that this was a calling from God (another great story for another day). I had accepted this rare opportunity, but I was still anxious about all the details. This was a huge leap of faith at the time, and I had a lot of fears.

However, I had grown up admiring my grandma more than anyone. I had never heard her speak an unkind word, and she was probably the closest example of Jesus that I had ever known. So, for these words to come from her at an unexpected time when she didn’t even remember me… It was like God speaking to me through her. It was like God confirming to me that I needed to simply do what he asked and that he would take care of the rest, which in fact, he did (but again, that is another great story for another day).

Grandma went to be with Jesus just 2 months later, and I went on my trip before she died. I still find it incredible that even though my grandma’s mind had deteriorated to the point that she didn’t know her family, doing God’s will and encouraging others to do the same remained important to her.

For some reason, I always thought that when she walked away from me to “go get the sugar,” she was “taking care of the people” in the little country church she had attended years before. And here I was, doing the same at my church.

As I filled my tub with sugar packets, I remembered Grandma. I thought about how much she loved me, how much she loved everyone and how she loved Jesus even more. She served with love and was used by God until he called her home.

As I get older, my mind forgets so much, but I hope that as I continue to grow old, I will become more like Grandma. Lord, let me always love and serve those around me and most of all, let me always love and serve you. May I never forget your love for me. May I never forget you. May I always be your willing vessel and continue to love and to serve until the day you call me home. Mold me to be like Grandma. Mold me to be like Jesus.