Tag: Jesus

Band-Aid Repairs

forgiveness, Jesus, emotional wound,When we packed for our vacation my husband put a new tube of toothpaste in his toiletries bag. After checking into our hotel and unpacking we realized that the tube had been punctured. I cleaned the mess in his bag while he did a quick repair on the tube by putting a band-aid on it.

Looking at the toothpaste tube I found it amusing to see the words repair and protect on the tube that had a band-aid wrapped around it. We don’t know how long this temporary measure will last but it serves the purpose for now.

Later I pondered the deeper meaning in this. There have been situation in my life where an emotional wound has been caused. Repairing it properly is more than I want to deal with at the time, so I apply a temporary fix. This band-aid approach seems to work. It’s quick, easy and I don’t have to examine the wound.

What I have failed to realize is that these wounds fester not properly cleaned fester under the surface and flare up at unexpected moments. When someone has hurt me I have a choice. I can turn my back on them, thus using the band-aid solution, or I can choose forgiveness.

Forgiveness is the tougher choice but the only one that will enable me to be whole and healthy again. This is not a quick fix but something I man need to do over and over until the process is complete.

It is also a biblical principle. Jesus tells us to repeatedly forgive. He set the example and is the one that can guide me through this process.

Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven! Matthew 18:21-22 NLT

From the Vineyard

Jesus, inspiration, lesson, assisting
picture from rgbstock.com
Someone who had been visiting Europe told a story about the wine in a particular country. It seems that they made very good white wine but the red wine was terrible. The red grapes that could be grown there were not suitable for wine making.

In order to get good grapes for the white wine, both red and green grapes had to be planted. They were in alternating rows; one row of red, the next of green and so on. The red grapes were discarded afterwards, but something about having them grow next to the green grapes made the green ones better.

It was interesting to think of half of the crop being unusable. It was only planted to make the other half better.

My husband and I talked about this and about how it could also relate to our lives. Sometimes our sole purpose is to assist someone else in achieving their potential. That means I can still add value even though I didn’t think I was doing anything outstanding on my own.

To me, the lesson of this story is that it’s not all about me. Sometimes I need to put myself aside and focus on helping others become the best that they can be.
This must be what Jesus meant in the Bible when he said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” I need to adhere to this and trust that when the time is right he will send someone to come alongside me to assist me in reaching my full potential.

Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matthew 22:37-39 NLT

Nativity Sets

hand carved, love, familyWe have two nativity sets in our home. One is very traditional. The children in the family have enjoyed this set for years and played with the pieces, talking to and rearranging them.

The second one is far more precious to me. It’s wooden and hand carved. My brother loving made this for my mother many years ago. It always held a place of honour in her home. Even when she was aging and no longer had the enthusiasm to put up any Christmas decorations, this set was always displayed.

To me, this nativity set is priceless. It isn’t traditional because Mary and Joseph are standing together and Mary is cradling baby Jesus in her arms. To me this is much more personal than looking at the baby in a manger. Mary is holding Jesus close to her heart.

Thinking of Mary holding Jesus close to her heart in the hand carved set, I relate this to God holding each of us close to his heart. He isn’t just sitting back watching us. Instead he is tenderly holding us, guiding us and showing his love by his very presence in our lives.

When I look at the nativity sets in my home, I am reminded anew of the miracles of love that Christmas represents. One is the miracle of family and the love shared between them. The other is the great love of God which enables us to fully experience all of the other gifts he blesses us with every day.

Not only on Christmas but every day, let us give God our honour and praise as we remember the love that came down from heaven to reach out to us.

God loved the world this way: He gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not dies but will have eternal life. John 3:16 GWT

In The Stable

birth, Jesus, greatest giftThe ox and donkey were bedded down in the stable for the night. Suddenly the door opened, letting in a gust of cold night air. “I wonder what’s going on,” said the ox. “It’s past feeding time and no one ever comes in here at night.”

The donkey replied, “I see another donkey. It looks like we have to share our quarters tonight.”

Soon the animals realized that it was more than another animal they’d be sharing their straw with.

A young couple entered the stable. She was very pregnant. This was confusing to the animals as it looked like the people were settling in for the night.

During the night the woman gave birth to a son, and wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in the manager. The sleepy stable was soon overcome as shepherds appeared to worship the baby. They told the young couple that an angel of the Lord appeared to them telling them that the baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger was the Savior – Christ the Lord.

The Lord of Heaven and Earth had just been born in a lowly stable and the ox and donkey were in awe that they were there to witness the holy birth.

Let us also be in awe at this birth. Jesus wasn’t born in a palace to only reach the powerful and influential people but was born in a lowly stable to relate to everyday people like you and me. For this great gift I am eternally grateful.

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Luke 2:8-12 NLT

Lost Child

Jesus, rescue, inspiration
image from bing.com
I was attending a large function and briefly stepped out of the room with my six-year-old granddaughter. There were over one hundred people in the busy room and she needed space to burn off some excess energy. After playing in the hallway for a few minutes we decided to rejoin her parents inside.

Someone was exiting the room as we approached the door and my granddaughter quickly ducked through ahead of me. At that point, I lost sight of her. My daughter was standing nearby so I headed over to her. Our little one had not been seen.

Soon we were doing a sweep of the room, the corridors by the meeting rooms and the hotel lobby. Unable to locate her, we enlisted more people in the search. After what seemed a long time, but in reality was only about five minutes, her older sister found her in the washroom. She didn’t consider herself lost, so had no worries about heading off on her own. Relief flooded over us as we had her beside us once again.

This incident reminded me of the parables Jesus told about searching for the lost. The point of these stories is that Jesus will drop everything to come and find me when I stray. I may not realize how far I’ve gone or the potential danger I face. When I am intently focusing on other things it is easy to lose sight of what really matters. When I am under his care, I need only call out and he will find me and gently bring me back.

In their distress they cried out to the Lord. He rescued them from their troubles. Psalm 107:6 GWT

Snowsqualls

Storms, Jesus, safety, reliance
image from globalnews.ca
I had heard of squalls before but generally thought of them as sudden winds coming up on the water. They were something boaters had to be wary of.
Our weather report called for a snowsquall. Since this was something I was unfamiliar with, I decided to do a little research.

According to Wikipedia, “A snowsquall is a sudden moderately heavy snow fall with blowing snow and strong gusty surface winds. It is often referred to as a whiteout and is similar to a blizzard but is localized in time in space and snow accumulations may or may not be significant.”

Essentially, what this told me is that we will be hit with sudden winds and blowing snow producing conditions that make it difficult, if not impossible to see what’s in front of us. As if that wasn’t bad enough, we have no idea if it will leave significant accumulations to clean up after.

When I examine this, I can see parallels to my life. There have been times I’ve had the emotional equivalent of a snowsquall. Suddenly I’ve been hit with unexpected gusts that make it difficult to focus on taking the next step forward. I have no idea what the fallout may be. Will I have a huge mess to clean up or will the storm temporarily throw me off-balance but leave me unscathed?

I have learned that the way I handle these squalls has a direct result in how well I come through them. Left to my own devices, I tend to panic. It’s easy to get turned around, confused and end up creating bigger fallout for myself.

When I walk with Jesus, the results are much different. He doesn’t keep me from the storms. Some of them are necessary for my personal growth. By calling out to him, I know that he will calm me and guide me safely through. I will come out not only intact but stronger due to what I’ve gone through. I don’t need to see the outcome, just Jesus by my side to have the reassurance that everything will be alright,

“Your strength will come by settling down in complete dependence on me – the very thing you’ve been unwilling to do.” Isaiah 30:15B The Message

Roof Repairs

Jesus, prepare, inspiration
photo from brigley.com
We were scheduled to have repairs done on the roof of our house. This was the result of a damaging hail storm in our area so the roofing crews were all extremely busy. We had no idea when they would arrive to do the work.

We came home one day to find stacks of shingles. A few days later there were men on the roof working. Another day a crew showed up to start replacing gutters and downspouts. We had no idea from day to day if anyone would be there or what area they would be working on.

One morning I heard a loud noise as I stepped out of the shower and realized the roofing crew had returned. I knew that the skylight in our en suite was an area still needing repairs so quickly moved into another room.

If I had known when workmen were going to arrive it would have been easier to plan my schedule accordingly.

This made me think of the parable Jesus told of the thief in the night. The meaning behind this was that we don’t know when our final day on earth will be. We need to prepare in advance so we will be ready when Jesus comes for us. I have done this by asking him to forgive my sins and take control of my life. Now I don’t need to be concerned about when he will arrive as I know I am prepared to spend eternity with him.

Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. Matthew 24:42-44 (NIV)

Sundogs

God, Jesus, shine, beauty, inspirationA friend and I were traveling in northern Alberta. It was just after 8 am and a very chilly -19°C. She was driving and I was enjoying the beauty of the snow-covered landscape under a clear blue sky. As we rounded a bend, I witnessed something I’d never seen before. I said to my friend, “Look at the sky. It looks like a rainbow that is going straight up and down.” She told me it was a sundog. She had seen them before but never as vibrant as this one.

It seemed to come down from the sky, stretch across the frozen fields and reach right out to us. It was phenomenal to observe it cast its coloured hues across the trees and buildings we passed. There was nowhere to pull over to take a photo, so we etched this image into our memories as we thanked God for providing this visual gift for us.

Later I researched sundogs and found that they are a member of a large family of halos, created by light interacting with ice crystals in the atmosphere. I saw several pictures of them online, but none as breathtakingly beautiful as the one we had seen.

If God can create such splendor by shining the light of the sun through icy skies, I wonder what he can do in my life. When I allow the light of his son, Jesus, to shine into my cold life, there is no telling what beauty he can produce. My life becomes bright and reflects his glory. This can create a radiance that can not only be seen by others, but will point them back to him. When I live my life in a way to reflect the light and love of Jesus, I too, will shine like a sundog in the frozen atmosphere.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 (NIV)

Transformation

transformation, Jesus, inspirationMy son enjoys bringing flowers to his wife. One bouquet contained something unexpected that kept the whole family enthralled. Attached to one of the stems was a chrysalis or cocoon.

My granddaughters were fascinated to have this nature lesson right in their house. The first day it was a clear sac with a smooth green caterpillar inside. On the following day, this sac held a black shriveled version of the caterpillar. The transformation had begun and the excitement was mounting.

Day by day they checked to see what was happening. The cocoon remained clear enough that the contents could be seen. No change was visible in the shriveled black creature inside. The transformation was happening deep within and not where human eyes could see.

This reminded me of a transformation that occurred in my life. The Lord took my good life and changed it into something so much better. This was also done on the inside, where no eye could see. My heart became more loving. I became more accepting. As the changes occurred, I was able to give more and more of my life to Jesus. He has taken my willing heart and is transforming it into something that can be used for his glory. The metamorphosis is not yet complete. I am excited to see what he has in store for me next.

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV

Remembering

Jesus, inspiration, thank youTomorrow is November 11th, Remembrance Day. This is a day set aside to honour the brave men and women who serve in the military. They deserve so much more than one day of our thanks. A minute of silence to remember them is not enough.

These men and women put their lives on the line for us. This is done out of love for our country and for mankind. They know the risks when they sign up. As we have learned recently, the casualties can be on home soil as well as foreign.
Many of us would risk our lives for a loved one. Few would do this for people they do not know. This is done to give us the freedoms that we so often take for granted.

These brave men and women show a love and dedication that was modeled over 2,000 years ago by Jesus. He also came to serve and gave his life for us. There is no greater love than to sacrifice oneself for another.

Thank you.

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 NIV

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