Fathers!

Today, on Father’s Day, it felt important to talk about mine. My dad is a good one. I’ve been blessed my whole life to have a dad who was always there for me, even if he is a glass half-empty kind of guy. Yes, he acknowledges how good God is, but he grew up during the 50s and 60s in the South as a Black man. He carries a lot of that with him everyday and he sees the world through that lens. 

I know he expects the other shoe to drop. It’s unfortunate, but in spite of that, he keeps moving and pushing. Always has. He’s taught me to work hard and treat people the way I want to be treated (Prov 22:6; Matt 7:12). He’s super supportive of me and everything I’ve accomplished in life. He’s a good dad. He loves us and has always worked hard to provide. And even though he’s the best dad I could ever hope for, he’s imperfect. Just like we all are. I realize that I sometimes hold him up on a pedestal and because he’s human he falls. Just like everyone else. I sometimes forget that he is not the standard. God is!

We are all in a fallen state and when we are saved, we in the process of being changed back to the perfect state Adam and Eve were in prior to the fall. God uses everything we go through to bring us back to Him because He was always Father. He always loved us. 

Have you ever thought about how God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit all existed and thrived before anything was created? They were. God was always The Father, Jesus was always The Son, and the Holy Spirit was The Power to move and be and create. They didn’t become because God created us! He was a Father to the only begotten Son for all eternity. So, He is the example of what fatherhood should look like.  

When I think about my dad, I thank God for him. On a smaller scale than Father God, he’s made sacrifices for me and loved me unconditionally. He’s encouraged me and shared wise counsel. I couldn’t ask for a better dad and I wouldn’t trade him for anything (Mal 4:6).  But I’m so glad I have two fathers (Heb 12:9). I’ve been blessed with a heavenly Father who is always present with me and who chose me and He blessed me with a good earthly father (Matt 10:37). I adore them both. I pray that you are so blessed.

On this Father’s Day, I pray that my life makes them both proud to call me daughter. To all the fathers and father-figures out there, I pray that you have an amazing day and you know how important you are to all those around you.

God’s Patience with Us!

Have you ever been frustrated by a child or someone you work with or a family member? I know that I have. I’ve stepped away from some because I didn’t feel like they would ever get it. Sometimes, I needed to because they would have influenced me in the wrong direction and sometimes, I just got tired of what I felt was a waste of my time. I don’t know if I did the right thing in all those situations, and I hope someone was there to step into the gap as God purposed. What I do know is that God’s is way more patient than I am. I have seen it throughout my life. 

There have been many times I would have walked away from me, but God. Like Paul, sometimes when I want to do what’s right, I don’t. But God is still patient and He still loves me. He is a keeper and I can’t wear Him out. He stays – He already said He would never leave nor forsake me…..even when I mess up because I am His (Heb 13:5). Yes, there are consequences, but He is there with me. 

What is going on in your life that you believe God won’t forgive you? What is going on in your life that you know God is not pleased with? What is your something that you are so ashamed of and don’t know where to take it? You can take it to God through Jesus. 

God loves you. He already knows who and what you are. He made you. Nothing catches Him by surprise. He is there where you are, but He requires that you acknowledge who He is. He is Lord, whether you accept Him as that or not. But because he loves you and me so much, He sent His Son that we could be saved (John 3:16). He sent His Son so that we could be in right relationship with Him (John 14:6). All we have to do is accept Jesus as Lord and Savior (Rom 10:9-10). 

We have to acknowledge who He is and who we are. We were born sinners, every one of us. We were born in sin and it looks different on all of us. Because of God’s great patience and grace, He affords us the opportunity to be His. We get to choose. What will you choose – eternal life or eternal death? We can choose to receive His amazing gift or throw it back in His face. What will you choose? 

We All Need Friends

A friend is defined as a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection. I have been blessed with several. Some I met when I was in school or college. Others joined my community through church or a shared love of entertainment. Some I met at work. They all play different roles in my life and sit at different levels, but all of them hold a special place in my heart. 

This past weekend, four good friends, who I’ve grown to love over the past two decades, and I spent the weekend celebrating a birthday. It was a great weekend. While we haven’t been all together in many, many years, we laughed and talked like no time had passed. It was an amazing weekend of fun and laughter and bonding. 

I understand that I’m blessed and fortunate to have many friends who I can connect with at any number of times and in any number of cities around the US. I know not everyone has that. And within any friendship, it’s important to know who you can trust and how close to get to them (Prov. 18:24). Some people claim to be a friend but would turn on you at the earliest opportunity. Others would give their last. 

What kind of friends do you have? Are they encouraging and supportive? Would they give you whatever they have to help you along the way? Would they put your needs above their own?  What have they shown you? Trust it – not what they say but what they do. People can say anything, but what do they do? Are they selfish and always trying to one up you and others? Are they always taking and never giving? Are they one who shares everything they have? Are they generous with their time and money, even if they have little of it? Once you evaluate your friendships and identify where they line up, you can make better decisions about how you relate to them. 

I hope you can identify some really strong friendships, as we all need someone we can count on to be there. That leads us right to Jesus. He is someone we can always count on. He calls us friend, those of us who accept Him as savior. He gave His life for us (John 15:13). You can’t get more dependable than that. Not matter how good our earthly friends are, they can never exceed His love and care for us. Yes, we need earthly friends, but we need Jesus more. 

God is Faithful!

I must say that moving is not for the faith of heart. But God is Faithful. I think you’re aware, I’ve been in a move for the past few months. God has blessed me with amazing friends, some of whom have traveled to see and help me along the way. He’s also given me confidence and assurance that I heard from Him in making this move. He’s given me peace while not everything has happened in the way I wanted it to happen. He’s provided for me even when I was frustrated about purchases or unpacking or waiting for something to arrive. He’s also closed some doors and opened some windows for my good. 

Case in point, I’ve been waiting for a refrigerator for the past three weeks or so. I made a purchase and waited for the refrigerator to arrive with high anticipation. The delivery driver and helper arrived and the brand-new refrigerator had a foot long dent in the back that looked like a crease. Needless to say, I didn’t take delivery. Within a week, another refrigerator was delivered. This one had a dent across one whole side, again, I didn’t take delivery. The last time took the cake…..the delivery driver couldn’t find my house. I was so frustrated and after so many chances, I finally cancelled the order – the third time was the charm for me. 

What I didn’t realize was that God was already working it out for my good and that He would get the glory (Rom 8:28). He reminded me that He is God and He has what’s best for me. I went online to a local furniture store and ordered a new refrigerator extremely similar to the refrigerator I had purchased originally. Not only were they able to deliver within a few days, but I saved a significant amount off the original refrigerator. That savings will take care of some other needs. 

Had the original refrigerator worked, I never would have recognized God as my source in this situation. I was reminded that God works in all parts of my life. Not just the ones where I specifically ask for Him to intervene. He has a plan for me (Jer 29:10-11). It is for my good. The things that matter to me, matter to Him. But He has a plan and a purpose. He is faithful to take care of His own (Heb 13:5-6). He promised to provide for us and to never leave us (Phil 4:19). Sometimes we forget, but He never does. He’s faithful to do what He said (1 Cor 1:9).

Friends Love!

Friendship is an immeasurable gift that we give to each other. When it’s done right, it’s a true depiction of what love should look like. Real friends love….and they love hard (Prov 17:17). They put each other’s needs ahead of their own. If they know Jesus, they pray for each other and provide for each other. They are there when everyone else has gone home making sure the other is okay. They sacrifice for each other. (Prov 18:24)

Recently, I had two friends on different occasions come to visit me in my new city. Both of them, even though they were traveling spent time with me preparing my new home so I would be closer to fully living in the house. They didn’t have to do that. They could have come to visit and just hung out in the city. However, they put my needs ahead of their desire to sightsee or spend time being entertained. That is what real friendship looks like. It looks like identifying a need for someone close and working to meet it. 

I’ve been blessed with amazing friends and I don’t mean acquaintances. Friends are not just the ones I laugh and joke with. They are not just the ones I share a meal with. They are the ones who know the deeper parts of me and they show up. The thing about friendship is that it’s a two-way street. You can’t expect someone else to do all the giving and you never provide anything to the relationship. That is called taking advantage of someone’s generosity.

So, if you find yourself short on people who will go the extra mile for you and are true friends, consider whether you are being a true friend or not. And the flip side of that is if you have people who manipulate and use you, you should reevaluate those relationships and make sure they are ones you should hold on to. Life (in the earth) is too short to be distracted.

Don't Waste Time

This weekend I spent time with my parents and with other family members. Since I live several hundred miles away from them, I don't get to do that often. It was a wonderful time to love and laughter - one I'm so glad I didn't miss. We often take for granted that we will have time later for important things, so we work like crazy to obtain stuff. And how much of that stuff do we really need? 

Must we have a high-end car when a more modest one will get us from point A to point B? Do we have to purchase the most expensive shoes because everyone else is doing it? Who are we trying to impress? Do they really care? What does any of that say about who we are? Our character? Does seeing someone with a lot of stuff make them a better person or more important? It doesn't. It just means they have more stuff. Don't get me wrong. It is right that we work and that we do our best (Ecc 9:10). There is nothing wrong with having some comforts in life. They should just have their place. They should not prevent us from being in a position to help and love others. 

And what are we missing out on while we're obtaining all the stuff? Family time and vacations? Birthdays? Holidays? Just plain fun? And that's okay, until tragedy strikes and it will strike all of us. Recently, I had six friends lose loved ones, several of them were unexpected. I can only imagine how they all wish for more time with those they loved. I am determined to live in the here and now and consider that my life is like a vapor - here now and possibly gone tomorrow (Jam 4:14-16). There are no guarantees when it comes to time (Psa 39:4-5). Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today. 

I've often said I don't live to work, but I work to live. My work is not who I am, it is one of the things I do. Life on earth is exceptionally short (out of all eternity, we get up to 80-90 years at best). I want to live every part of my life. I don't want to leave any part of it wasted. I want to travel while I'm young and well enough to enjoy it and learn from the people and cultures I contact. I want to try new things and develop new skills along the way. I want to give God my best and that goes way beyond my comfort (Eph 5:15-17). 

I don't know your story or what your plans are for the future, but I recommend you not put off the important things. You don't know how much time you have and you don't know how much time those around you have. Don't squander it. You will only regret it. 

We Need Each Other

I think I mentioned that I was moving several weeks ago. So, I’ve done it. I finally have a residence in my new city and we’re in the home stretch. Waiting on my household goods to be delivered so I can settle in and just be. It feels like a long time coming and while I’ve been planning and pulling things together, I didn’t realize how much I needed another person with me to give me the encouragement to get some additional things done. 

A good friend of mine came to visit this weekend and she encouraged me to complete some projects that would have to be done, but I would have been doing them by myself later. That would have been so much more difficult. And I realized one more way the bible relates to the things going on in our lives. 

God said it’s not good that man should be alone and made him a partner (Gen 2:18-24). Now, I’m not trying to marry or say it’s the same, but the principle is true. It is not good for man or woman to be alone. We are made to be part of a community, part of the body of Christ. We need each other (Gal 6:2). My friends have skills that I don’t and they complement the skills God gave me. We were never meant to walk this journey alone or to live out this life by ourselves. 

Yes, people are messy and they will bring you pain, but each of us does the same thing.  We are messy and bring others pain.  As we mature in Christ, we see past the pain to our progress and the help the other person may need. That’s what relationship is all about. Loving others as we love ourselves (Matt 22:34-40). Can you imagine how painful it must be to the Father when we reject Him? Or how painful it is to Jesus when we thumb our nose as His gift of eternal life after all He sacrificed to give it to us? Yet, God loves us and He is faithful to forgive us when we confess our sins to Him even though we cheat on Him doing things we know are inappropriate and wrong. 

So, if God can forgive our rejection, can we not put hurt feelings aside and forgive others? Can’t we look past ourselves and see others? (Phil 2:3-4) Are we in self-denial that we can’t see we’re not perfect either? We need each other. We need others to hold us accountable. We need others to celebrate with us. We need others to share in our sorrow. We need others to encourage us when we’re down (1 Thes 5:11). We just need each other. Don’t miss out on the full life you can have by trying to hide from frustrations and pain or to prevent others from knowing the real us. Those things make you grow. Live life to its fullest and surround yourself with people who enhance your life. It’s worth it.