Ballistic Vests And Protection

Guard your heart above all else,
    for it determines the course of your life.

Proverbs 4:23 

 

Have you ever thought about how much gear our First Responders have to carry and wear?  If amazes me that they can even move with all that stuff.  But each item has an important purpose and that purpose is to provide protection to the First Responder.  I'm going to be completely honest, I am glad First Responders have all that gear to keep them safe, because when THEY are safe I am going to be safe.

 

Now here's something that I, as a Chaplain, have dealt with many times in the past and probably will continue to deal with until Jesus returns...with all the First Responders see, experience, face, and endure it shouldn't be any wonder why it is easy for them to become jaded and calloused.  It's as if they have replaced their heart with a cast iron box that nothing can penetrate.  And that makes family life difficult.

 

So how can we help prevent having a cast iron heart?  By protecting it!  "GUARD YOUR HEART ABOVE ALL ELSE!" Can't get much clearer than that.  Guard your heart so that you can remember that "thou art human."  And here's the fun part, those of us who are not First Responders can help with the heart guarding by being grateful and encouraging.  Thank a First Responder.  Perhaps, if you feel generous, purchase their meal.  Help your children to share their gratitude as well.  I have to smile every time I see the posts on Facebook of Richland County's "High-Five Fridays" where the Deputies go to the schools and high-five the children as they come in.  

 

It isn't difficult to be an encourager, it just takes a little thought and time.  Remember, we are to do to others as we want done to us.  Encourage to be encouraged.  Share gratitude to be shown gratitude. 

What's That You Say?

Let everything you say be good

and helpful, so that your words

will be an encouragement

to those who hear them.

Ephesians 4:29

We talk too much about meaningless stuff, don't we?  And we get upset about pointless issues?  Our brains are so full of useless information that it's amazing that we can think at all anymore.

What is the longest word that, when written forward or backward, remains the same?  REDIVIDER

What is the only bird that can fly backwards? HUMMINGBIRD

You see your nose all the time, but your brain chooses to ignore it.

We like games like Trivial Pursuit and other games that contain pointless information.  Let me ask you something, when was the last time you sat down with a friend or a family member and had a deep and encouraging conversation?  When was the last time you took the time to genuinely encourage others?  

Deep discussions tend to make us uncomfortable.  It's rather like having your boss come to your office to "discuss a few things."  But they don't have to be uncomfortable.  Being honest and encouraging doesn't have to be a difficult conversation.  It only takes being brave enough to be honest...with yourself, with the person you are talking with, and with God.  Prayer is also a deep conversation with God, which is why so many don't want to pray.  We like being superficial and insincere.  But God knows us!  He knows everything about us!  Why try to hide from Him that which He already knows?  Take time this week and have a deep conversation!  

And I Am Still Breathing...

Taste and see that the Lord is good.
    Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!

Psalm 34:8 

The year was 2005, I had been experiencing some rather odd sensations in that my left arm would tingle when I exerted myself.  I ignored it figuring it was nothing more than a minor annoyance.  My bride and I moved into the house in which we reside now and during the moving process, the tingling turned to pain every so often.  Once we had everything in place, we decided to start walking, partly for exercise and together time but also so we could get to know our neighborhood. It was during one of these walks that my left arm stopped tingling and simply went numb.

Coincidentally, I had my annual physical the following week.  I described my symptoms to my doctor, who decided that further investigation was needed so he put me on a treadmill for this thing called a "stress test."  Let me tell you, the stress I was enduring at work during this time did NOT need testing, it was real and it was horrible.  Each day, I forced myself to go to work and could not wait to get home.  Sleep was elusive and I became grouchy (ok, grouchier) and then there were the digestive issues that came with the stress.

It was during the stress test that I heard the doctor say, "Hmmm. You're not going home." And I was driven to the hospital for a heart cath.  Now, laying on the skinny metal table with dye being injected into my arteries, two things I struggled with: 1) Not falling off that REALLY skinny table and 2) Hearing the Cardiologist viewing the monitors say, "Hmmmm."   Jump to the night before quadruple bypass surgery (at age 45), and when I was in my room in the dark praying, I honestly did not expect to come out of surgery at all.  But it was in that silence that I felt a calm come over me like I had not felt in a LONG time and I knew, whatever happened, God had everything under control.

Even when we are enduring the worst times of our lives, God reminds us that He's already brought us through every single one we've endured before.  You'd think we'd learn to rely on Him after all that, but we still struggle with that, yet God is still there to remind us that He has everything under control!

The Burden Trap

I took my troubles to the Lord;
    I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer.

Psalm 120:1 

 

I learn a lot from watching  Animal Planet and the other educational channels.  One of the things I learned was the method used by some tribes in the Amazon to capture monkeys.  They take a gourd and make a hole in one end just big enough for a monkey to get his hand in, and then they put berries and nuts in the gourd.  The monkey wants the goodies inside the gourd and reaches in to get them, only to discover that when he grips the goodies, his fist is too big to pull out.  

 

Now, in our minds, we think "Why doesn't the monkey just let go of the goodies and pull his hand out?".  Good question!  However, since we aren't monkeys....   

 

In all reality, we are like the monkey in our refusal to let go so we can be rescued.  Let me ask you, how many grudges are getting carried when it would be so much less stressful to let them go?  How many hurts do we keep instead of letting them go so they can heal?  How many situations that we have no control over do we still gripe about?

 

Whatever burden we carry, Jesus understands and is willing to carry our burdens to God's heart....if we are willing to: Let....them....go!

Blessing for YOU Today!

Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.

Jude 24-25

 

I am discovering something that I should have figured out a LONG time ago, which shows that God is extremely patient with hard headed people like me.  The blessings I have found in the Bible have incredible power!  No matter what kind of day I am having; no matter what struggle I am facing; no matter what's going on...these blessings renew my faith and remind me that I'm in the hands of the ONLY one who makes a difference.

 

 

 

 

Just Wanted You To Know

‘May the Lord bless you
    and protect you.
May the Lord smile on you
    and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you his favor
    and give you his peace.’

Numbers 6:24-26

 

 This morning, I woke up early for no particular reason.  I went to sleep last night contemplating this blessing from the book of Numbers and it brought me peace, comfort, and gratitude.  Thus, I wanted to share this with you as a reminder that every single moment of every single day is a blessing if we choose to make it so.

 

Choose today for yourself to be blessed and be a blessing!  

Skunks and Tidal Waves!

For I have given rest to the weary and joy to the sorrowing.

Jeremiah 31:25 

 

Okay, what do skunks and tidal waves have in common?  They're overwhelming!  They can wreak havoc on our lives and leave us feeling as if we are helpless.  They will suck all the energy out of us and leave us feeling exhausted. And then our focus begins to turn inward and we feel overwhelmed, angry, frustrated, helpless and depressed.

Today, I was informed of a couple of people who were struggling with feeling overwhelmed.  They were just going through the motions of their day while hiding the pain they were feeling.  Ever notice that we tend to do that?  We hide what's bothering us so no one will know we are struggling, and then we ride the spiral downward because no one helps because they don't know.

I can tell you from experience that the last thing I want to hear when I am feeling overwhelmed is someone spouting Bible verses at me. In all reality, I really want to punch those people in the face!  When I am feeling stressed and overwhelmed, guess who I turn to?  His picture is attached to this devotional.  I am one of those who truly believe that God created pets to be therapeutic!  When I am stressed, anxious, upset, frustrated, angry or feeling overwhelmed and helpless, I can sit on the couch with Woody and he will let me scratch him, rub him, tell him whatever is on my mind, and he will lay there giving me sympathetic eyes and encouraging licks.  He doesn't tell me how to solve my issues, but he brings me comfort and that speaks a lot.

Once I am able to regain control, after Woody Therapy, I am more able to focus on the fact that God put Woody in my life to bring me God's comfort.  God brings comfort to us in many ways and they all eventually point back to Him.  Next time you are feeling like life is Skunks and Tidal Waves, don't hide it...let's talk about it.