Month: August 2018

It Is A Big Deal

Posted on by Paula
It is a big deal! The scarf my friend made for me is like a big hug that makes me feel special and loved.
It is a big deal! The scarf my friend made for me is like a big hug that makes me feel special and loved.

“Oh, but it is a big deal!” I replied. I had recently found out that my friend was moving out of state. A few days later, she handed me a gift bag while volunteering with me at church. “This is your Christmas gift from me. You can open it now or you can wait until Christmas.” Though it was only August, I chose to open it while my friend was still here.

Inside was a colorful, handmade scarf. “It’s beautiful! You’re going to make me cry! Thank you so much!” I exclaimed.

“It’s no big deal,” she replied.

“Oh, but it is a big deal!” I responded as she walked away.

What my friend didn’t know is that I didn’t feel well that morning but had made myself leave the house. She had no idea of the struggles I had before walking out the door. She had no clue that I really love when someone gives me a scarf or blanket.

When I wrap myself up in a scarf or blanket I’ve been given, I think of the person who gave it to me and I feel like I am wrapped up in a big hug from them. It makes me feel special, it makes me feel loved, and it is a big deal to me.

It’s also a big deal to me that someone took the time to choose the perfect colors and to crochet so many stitches…for me! This particular scarf is made of many different colors, meaning my friend purchased multiple skeins of yarn. Then she used one color for many, many stitches before switching colors several more times to create a beautiful and colorful pattern.

It’s not a big deal? Maybe crocheting is easy for my friend, but I am unable to crochet (except for the one giant granny square I made into a blanket but no longer remember how). Maybe my friend enjoys crocheting and passing the time creating scarves and blankets. Still, she used that time for me.

There is no doubt in my mind that this scarf was created with love. The gift was an act of kindness. I didn’t do anything to deserve it; I was totally surprised, and it is a big deal to me.

We do not always know the impact that our seemingly small acts of kindness may truly have on the recipient, but God has a way of working through His people to bless others. When we help someone with a flat tire, explain how to work an algebraic equation, take someone a meal, make a gift, send a card, listen over the phone… it may seem like a small offering to us. It may even seem to us like, “It’s no big deal,” but sometimes for the recipient, “It is a big deal.”

We can never be totally aware of everything that is happening in a person’s life. We may not know all of their struggles. But God knows, and God can take our seemingly small offerings to show others they are loved. Sometimes, He even uses those offerings as a way to show someone that He hears them, He sees them and He loves them.

So, keep extending kindness. Reach out a helping hand. Continue letting God pour His love through you. Somebody needs to know you care. Somebody needs to know He cares. And to somebody, “It is a big deal.”

When Things Are Out of Control, Look Up

Posted on by Paula

I texted my son, Joshua, and daughter-in-law, Abby, to let them know we were on our way. Joshua called right away. He said that Abby’s grandma who left an hour before us, was stuck on the exit ramp. Apparently, there was a big air show that weekend, and traffic was crazy.

There are really only two possible routes to my son’s apartment. I asked if we should take the alternate route, but he told me he was actually stuck in traffic on that end of town as well. His GPS estimated that it would take him 29 minutes to travel just 1.6 miles to his apartment.

An hour later, we reached our exit. Traffic on the long ramp was backed up all the way back to the interstate. The vehicles on the highway at the end of the ramp were at a standstill.

I jokingly texted Joshua and Abby, “Please tell me that Debbie made it to your apartment.” I was shocked and a bit panicked when they replied that she hadn’t. She was still stuck in traffic.

I was doomed. The apartment was less than two miles away from the exit ramp, but Debbie still hadn’t reached it after an hour. Why had I drunk so much coffee, and why didn’t I ask to stop to use the bathroom before nearing Terre Haute?!

After about 10 minutes of sitting in the same spot, a vehicle from behind passed by us and drove off-road to get back onto the interstate. Others followed shortly after. I suggested to my husband, Sam, that we should do the same, but he replied that it was illegal and dangerous. I knew he was right, but I was desperate.

While waiting, we could see the planes in the distance. Sam was impressed with the loop de loops. The only thing that would impress me at that moment was if my reference point, the big blue and white RV on the highway, would move. I watched it for at least 20 minutes before it even moved a foot.

I have been in a lot of traffic jams, but never have I been stuck in this bad of a mess. After about a half an hour, we made it to the highway below where traffic continued to move slower than a snail’s pace.

At this point, we both needed to use the restroom. We were finally passing restaurants and gas stations, but we didn’t pull off the highway for fear of not being able to get back on.

Meanwhile, the planes flew in close and swooped down over our van at times. Sam was delighted about the “FREE SHOW,” but I was getting pretty cranky about being stuck on the road.

Every so often, he would get so excited that he would slap my arm. “Did you see that?! That was an F-22!” he exclaimed. He was a very happy camper despite being stuck in traffic with a full bladder.

My focus was on not on the brilliant air show; my focus was on not wetting my pants. Every sudden outburst from my overly enthusiastic husband did nothing for me but break my focus. I was not amused.

An hour and a half after exiting the interstate, we finally traveled those last 2 miles. Looking back, I thought about the situation. There was nothing we could have done to change our situation. It was out of our control. Yet I sat in my seat, irritated and freaking out because I needed to use the bathroom, while my husband, despite his discomfort, was happily distracted as he enjoyed watching the planes soar through the sky.

Now this predicament that my husband and I were in was really not that bad. I have been in much worse situations and am sure that I will be in worse ones again.

So, I ask myself, when the real trials and tribulations occur, how do I react? Do I get anxious about the “what ifs”? Do I dwell on my pain and discomfort? Do I get irritable with the people around me? Do I focus on the problem? Or……. Do I look up?

Focusing on my problem when the situation is out of my control does no good whatsoever. However, when I shift my eyes to God, I see how good He is despite my current plight. When I focus on God, I find inner peace no matter how much pain I must endure. When I look up, I am reminded that this life here on earth is temporary and so short compared to eternity. Looking up gives me hope that someday, I will reach my final destination and find relief from every trouble imaginable.

Preparing for This Moment

Posted on by Paula

I had been preparing for this moment over the past year, but especially over the past couple of months. I didn’t want to cry. Another son’s wedding date was drawing near, and I had been getting a bit emotional.

I always get excited for my kids as they gain their independence. I love hearing about their exciting plans, and by the grace of God, every single one of them has turned out to be a wonderful individual who I am proud of. So, I’m not quite sure why I get weepy as my kids leave home. I don’t want them to live at home forever, but for some reason I still get sad when they move out.

I am happy that Joshua has found a sweet and godly woman who loves him as much as he loves her. I am proud of the loving, caring and godly man that he has become. He has made wise and responsible decisions and has proven himself ready to take care of himself and his new wife. So, these teary-eyed moments that I was experiencing just didn’t seem to make sense.

My husband and I had done our part to the best of our ability. We had taught him to take care of himself. We had instructed him in what is right and wrong. We had encouraged him to follow his heart’s desire and to use the gifts and passions that God gave him. We had advised him to seek God first and let God take care of the rest. As parents, there was nothing left for us to do except to pray and entrust him to God.

Those of us who raised Joshua and Abby stole a moment before the ceremony to take them aside one at a time and pray over each of them. We released them to Him and to each other. They were never really ours to keep anyway. God had simply put arranged for us to be the ones to love them, to care for them, to teach them what it means to follow Him and to prepare them for this day and the days to come. We shed a few tears as we prayed and then pulled ourselves together.

After praying, we left our children and waited at the back of a crowded room. This was it. The time had come. The music began playing. The grandparents wiped their tears and were ushered to their places. It was our turn to enter. My lips started to quiver, but I was determined not to cry during the ceremony. I especially didn’t want to cry during the mother and son dance.

Joshua walked me to my seat, hugged me, embraced his dad and left us so that he could stand before God and begin a new life with Abby. I watched his face as he waited for his bride to walk down the staircase. His eyes still sparkled like they did the day he was born. For a brief moment, I saw that little boy in his striped engineer hat and red bandana. Wasn’t it just yesterday that I saw him standing at his train table connecting all the boxcars to the engines and maneuvering them around their wooden track? How did the years fly by so fast?

I quickly brought my mind back to the present and saw him as the man he is. I saw his excitement and the overwhelming emotion on his face as his bride appeared and walked toward him. Abby’s grandma gave her away, and Abby joined hands with Joshua. They exchanged their vows and committed to love each other through whatever the future holds as long as they live. They gave each other rings to symbolize their never-ending love for each other. They assembled a unity cross symbolizing the two of them becoming one in the body of Christ. They kissed, and they happily exited the room as Mr. and Mrs. Joshua and Abigail McCammon.

Joshua and I had a sweet conversation later as we danced. Although, for a while it was a bit too sweet, and I asked him if he was trying to make me cry. “Do you want me to?” he asked. My eyes welled up, but I fought the tears and simply enjoyed the moment. I listened to his excitement about his plans with his new wife and told him how happy I am for him as well as how proud of him I am.

Our family and friends continued to celebrate with the new couple until they were ready to leave. Then I watched Joshua open the car door for Abby as he had done so many times. This time, however, they did not wave as they pulled away. They were ready for their new life together.

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 3:24).

They were doing exactly what they were supposed to do. They were ready for their new life together. They were happy, and I was happy for them. No need to cry.

How Long, O LORD… Yet I Will Rejoice

Posted on by Paula

“How long, O LORD, must I call for help? But you do not listen. ‘Violence is everywhere!’ I cry, but you do not come to save” (Habakkuk 1:2 NLT).

Habakkuk saw destruction, violence and evil all around. Yet God seemed silent.

God replied to Habakkuk’s complaint, “Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.” He went on to explain that he was raising up the Babylonians to punish the evildoers.

Habakkuk acknowledged that God is Holy and eternal and had faith that God would not destroy all of his people. Yet, he didn’t understand why God would punish his people through a nation, that was in his eyes, even more evil than them.

God again answered Habakkuk, “This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed. Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God” (Habakkuk 2:3-4). He went on to explain that a time of judgment would come for Babylon as well.

Habakkuk responds with a beautiful prayer of praise. He asks for God’s mercy as he waits for what lies ahead. He knows that even though things were going to get worse before they got better, God is in control and that God is his salvation. He ends with these words, “I trembled inside when I heard this; my lips quivered with fear. My legs gave way beneath me, and I shook in terror. I will wait quietly for the coming day when disaster will strike the people who invade us. Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign LORD is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread up on the heights” (Habakkuk 3:16-19 NLT).

Reading Habakkuk’s opening words, “How long, O LORD, must I cry for help, but you do not listen?” and ending words, “Even though… yet I will rejoice in the LORD!” brought such comfort and hope to my heart. I thought about all of the Christians I know personally who are going through suffering and difficulties. They battle cancer, chronic disease and severe health issues that don’t have any answers. They beg God to bring back their wayward children or plead for God to save their marriage. They are exhausted from fighting each day with depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. They agonize as they watch their loved ones who are trapped in addiction slip further and further away. They suffer verbal, physical and sexual abuse. They struggle to pay the bills and put food on the table. They ask God, “How long, O LORD?” They wait for him to save the day, yet sometimes there seems to be no answer. It’s difficult to understand why these people who love the Lord must suffer. It seems unfair. Yet, I see them looking to God through it all, praising him and trusting Him to help them endure to the end… even though.

I think of friend with relatives in Syria. I read her stories about the life-threatening situations the Syrians face and how difficult it is to escape. I receive emails from “Voice of the Martyrs” which tell of Christians around the world being persecuted and killed because of their faith. They ask God, “How long, O LORD?” They wait for him to save the day, yet sometimes there seems to be no answer. It doesn’t seem right in our eyes that God would allow this to happen to those who have decided to follow Jesus. Yet these brothers and sisters in Christ continue to praise God and trust Him to help them endure to the end… even though.

So, I think on this book of Habakkuk and my own prayers asking God, “How long, O LORD?” and I wait for him to save the day. And I pray that I will always continue to have the strength and the faith to be able to say as Habakkuk and my brothers and sisters in Christ, “Even though… yet I will rejoice in the LORD!” For without Him I have no hope, but in Him, I have everything.

What about you? Whatever you face today, are you able to say, “Even though… yet I will rejoice in the LORD”? If you are in going through a difficult season, remember that God loves you, He is with you and that He is in control. Wait patiently. He will save. He may not handle things the way we think He should take care of them, but He sees the big picture and knows what is best. Even his own Son suffered in order to work out God’s perfect plan so that we could be made right with Him and have eternal life if we “believe in Him” (John 3:16) and “live by their faithfulness to God” (Habakkuk 2:4).

How long, O LORD? Yet I will rejoice.