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  • A Rescued Labrador Taught Me How To Trust

    I have been blessed to hear that people are still reading and being touched by my book Stay: Lessons My Dogs Taught Me about Life, Loss, and Grace. If you don’t know the premise of the book I shared the stories of two rescued Labradors. The first rescue was Hannah. She was a perfectly behaved canine companion. After Hannah passed away, we adopted another Lab to our home. We named her Maggie and she was not quite as well-behaved as Hannah.

    Okay…not even close.

    I described her initial story in Stay.

    For the first two weeks Maggie was pretty well behaved. But now she is showing some decidedly less attractive sides to her personality. She is independent. She is stubborn. She is affectionate only when she wants to be affectionate. She acts out on occasion. She chews things that are not approved for that activity. I am finding out that a “honeymoon” period is pretty common for rescue dogs. That was not mentioned in the brochure. Now that the honeymoon is over, I guess we get down to the challenge of making this relationship work.

    I wish we knew more of Maggie’s backstory. We found out from the veterinarian’s report that Maggie had a fresh gash on her leg when she was rescued near Van Alstyne, Texas. The exam showed that she was visibly undernourished and tested positive for hookworms. Everything else was a mystery. Was she wanted and ran away? Was she unwanted and abandoned to fend for herself? Was she treated poorly? Had she been socialized with other animals and people? The details of her story—who, what, where, when, why—surely have influenced her behavior.

    Maggie’s biggest issue has been trust. I certainly get that. She was captured, kenneled, and then fostered. If I had been bounced around as a child, I would have trust issues. Oh wait—I didn’t experience any of that, and I still have trust issues.

    Of course, Maggie isn’t a unique case. Many rescued dogs suffer from behavioral baggage. Some have severe separation anxiety that may have started when the pups were taken from their mother too early. If a dog has fended for itself, it can become dangerously territorial over food and possessions. When a dog flinches or cowers at the gentlest human touch, it breaks my heart. 

    Each day, I tried to read Maggie’s expressions and body language. Did she think we were just one more way station on her sad journey? She seemed appreciative of everything we gave her, yet she was still wary. Her personality was friendly at times, but then she’d become withdrawn and want to hide. She would accept affection but she rarely initiated it. The message she was sending was “It’s okay. I can make it on my own.

    “Stay: Lesssons My Dogs Taught Me about Life, Loss, and Grace”

    Those memories reminded me of my own journey. I came to Jesus with baggage. I wasn’t abandoned but I certainly needed Him to rescue me from my own selfish desires and stubborn insistence that I could “do it on my own”.

    I thought about my experience with Maggie and compared it with how Jesus could report His experience with me.

    Both of us could be frustratingly inconsistent in our obedience. We shared a penchant to react impulsively to certain stimuli instead of calming evaluating our next step. We both chose to be selective with our affection and caring for others. 

    When I remember Maggie I see how she matured. She learned to trust us and knew we would take care of her.

    Again, I compared that to my journey with Jesus. When I slow down long enough to reflect I can see how I have matured over the years. I have learned to trust Him. My obedience is no longer begrudging compliance but comes out of gratitude for the gift of grace and mercy I receive every day. 

    I can see how many areas of growth I have experienced. Satan wants me to focus on the areas that still need refining and ignore how much God has already done in my life. 

    I know that Jesus will take care of me today and forever. Because of that promise I don’t experience the anxiety that Maggie did on occasion. Jesus made this amazing promise in the Gospel of Matthew. 

    20 …And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
    Matthew 28:20, NLT

    I have the assurance of my eternity and that I will never be abandoned. 

    Maggie was a challenge compared to Hannah. But that is how relationships of love go. Some are easier than others, but all are worth the effort.

    The apostle Peter said it well in his first letter, words that we all should take to heart.

    Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.
    1 Peter 4:8

    We all fall short. We all sin. We all need love when we fail. We all need grace. My prayer for all of us is that we will become infectious carriers of God’s amazing grace. We played the long game with Maggie and she became a sweet and gentle friend. Jesus plays that long game with me and I can see how His patient hand is refining me over time. If you are a follower of Jesus He is doing the same thing for you. Even if you are in a bad season Jesus is patiently and tenderly waiting to be your strength and bring triumph out of trials. My prayer is that you will trust and embrace the process.

  • Life Trials Offer A Directional Choice For Our Spiritual Journey

    I am recovering from surgery after two difficult falls. My first fall on a Friday afternoon was an unfortunate accidental event. I picked up a package for a friend and was checking to make sure it was the right thing. I did not notice a step as I walked down the sidewalk. My foot twisted and I fell awkwardly. I knew my knee was severely damaged.

    That was an unfortunate accident that I could have avoided but I do tend to believe that most accidents are not intentional. I was also grateful I was not looking at my phone when this happened. That could have gained me a lot of heartwarming insights like Job’s friends offered to him as he suffered.

    So I had a trip to the ER. They placed a brace on the knee and assigned crutches to allow me to move around. I recommend that you not have accidents on weekends because the medical support staff is less available. I headed home to wait for a doctor’s appointment on Monday to evaluate the extent of damage and schedule surgery.

    This is where it got really challenging. I had been moving around uncomfortably but successfully with the crutches. On Saturday night I stood up to get ready for bed and took a couple of steps forward. The next thing I knew I awakened on the floor to see the concerned look on my dear wife’s face. The Murphy, Texas city emergency responders were in my room getting me ready for another trip to the ER. My fall created a big gash in the back of my head that ended up needing nine staples to secure. But I did not suffer a concussion, so I was able to Dad joke during my first lifetime ambulance ride to a hospital. Surgery happened on Monday and I was released on Tuesday to begin a 6-month recovery process. Ouch.

    Forgive me for sharing the ugly details but it is important to know all that I brought before the Lord in this struggle. How do I process this? Why did it happen? What should be going on in my heart and mind as I start this sometimes painful and long journey. The first question is why did God allow this to happen? Many years ago I would have focused on this question alone and wallowed in anger.

    Suffering and difficult journeys are something most of us wish to constantly avoid. But here is what I realized as I looked back over my spiritual growth. Close to one hundred percent of my spiritual growth has happened during trials and challenges.

    Here are my biggest takeaways and growth impacts from this accident.

    The first thing I did was beat myself up for a careless fall. Why did I do that? What was I thinking? But it did not take too long on this reaction to recognize that every one is this fallen world is subject to accidental suffering. All people, those of faith and those who do not believe, live in in a fallen world where “life” happens. Good and bad. For believers we have a hope that God will comfort, be present, and help us live out the truth of these words written to the Roman people. Paul understood suffering at a level I likely never will and here is his response.

    3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Romans 5:3-5

    I realized that I could not reverse the fall. It happened. I will be extremely cautious in the future to watch my steps. But dwelling on that event will not help one bit. It’s over. Irreversible. So, trusting God, listening to the wisdom of my doctors, and doing the right things to recover needs to be my focus.

    The main struggle I faced was the lengthy recovery from this surgery. A locked leg brace for 6 weeks and healing from 6 months to a year! I was, to be honest, angry. I had been walking daily and started working out a couple of months earlier. My flexibility, upper body, and core strength had been clearly improved. I was frustrated. And then the Holy Spirit brought a memory to my heart.

    For many months I drove my dear friend and pastor Jeff Denton to his cancer treatments. We had wonderful and honest conversations about living a life of faith. One day I shared a reaction about disappointing thoughts and feelings toward a fellow believer. I felt like my reaction was sin and embarrassing for someone who has been in this journey with Jesus for so many years.

    Jeff’s response drilled my heart and mind. Here was his response.

    “We all have reactions to life in the flesh. That is the nature of our earthly bodies to respond in our flesh. I don’t know if your reaction was sin. Since you are already forgiven the key is how do you respond to those moments? Here is what I have figured out. If you stay in that attitude then it is highly likely to become sin. So the most important reaction is don’t stay there!”

    I will never forget that insight from Jeff. Spiritual reaction in the flesh is how our emotions as humans initially hit our minds. So, a disappointing moment can be processed through self-reliance, emotional reactions, or sinful nature rather than trust in the Holy Spirit.

    That insight from my friend has changed my life. We all have negative initial reactions at times. The key is do not stay there. Realize your need for the Holy Spirit and you will move in the right direction.

    This is how the Spirit of God is changing my not so spiritually healthy initial reaction to my terribly slow injury recovery.

    1)    I am healing. The injury could have been worse and more difficult to repair. God arranged a top-notch sports orthopedic surgeon who happened to be on hospital duty that weekend to do my surgery. And I got to have emotional puppy support on my way to surgery!

    2)    I have a finish line. So many dear friends and family members will have to deal with pain for years or even the rest of their lives. I have only a few months until I should be back to what I call normal.

    3)    I was extraordinarily blessed with many years of pretty good physical health to work, travel, be active with the grandkids, and be a first-class dog walker. It is so important to count and remember your blessings even in challenging moments.

    4)    I will be grateful for whatever God has for me going forward. When I see the value of community in a season of sadness it makes me want to have that opportunity to love others even more. I trust God. I want whatever I can accomplish in my remaining time to show the love and grace of God. I want my actions to glorify God. He has blessed me so very much.

    So here I go down the slow road of healing. Will I have moments of frustration and anger?  Very likely.

    Just pray with me that I won’t stay there.

    Thanks Pastor Jeff. I will give you a giant hug when we are reunited in Heaven some day.

    And here is the focus for my mind from Paul’s message to the Galatians.

    “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.” Galatians 5:16 NLT

  • It Helps To Remember That Attitude Rhymes With Gratitude

    I stopped during a road trip for the usual infusion of a caffeinated product but visited the coffee shop restroom first. I and noticed that it could use a bit of attention. But I recognized that this was an extremely high-volume pit stop and gave the workers some grace that they were trying to keep up with drink orders more complex than the tax code.

    As I was waiting for my drink to arrive, a woman rejoined her husband after visiting the aforementioned restrooms. She left no doubt about her feelings.

    “I have never seen such a disgusting and filthy mess. There were paper towels overflowing the containers.”

    Her face looked like she had just left a construction-site portable toilet on a searing summer afternoon. Seriously? You have never seen such a disgusting mess? A few paper towels on the floor drives you to that level of hyperbole? Have you seen the conditions that people live in around the world? Do you see the conditions the poor endure in our own country? This coffee shop restroom is distressing you that much?

    I was reveling in self-righteous judgment, and then it hit me. That can be me. I complain about minor aggravations as if they were actual problems. And yet my first response was to condemn this woman.

    I thought about how much I dislike being around people who find fault with everything and, conversely, find little to be grateful for.

    Neuroscientists have learned to measure brain activity when faced with various stimuli, including being involved in a full-on gripe fest. The results are sobering: “Being exposed to too much complaining can actually make you dumb. Research shows that exposure to 30 minutes or more of negativity—including viewing such material on TV—actually peels away neurons in the brain’s hippocampus.” (Minda Zetlin, “Listening to Complainers Is Bad for Your Brain,” Inc.)

    The hippocampus is the part of the brain involved in problem solving. So scientists have determined that complaining or listening to complainers makes us less able to solve problems. This is not a risk I can afford to take. The article offers some ideas on how to keep your neurons safely in place, but I decided to go back to God’s wisdom.

    James reminds us that all gifts come from God:

    “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.”
    ‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

    Paul pens a pretty strong directive:

    “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
    ‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

    “And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.”
    ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

    “And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
    ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5‬:‭20, NLT

    I get it. I should be thankful for both clean and not-so-clean restrooms. I don’t mean to be flippant, but the point is that being grateful really is an attitude. Gratitude is a mind-set, and I am praying that the response of appreciation can become a lifestyle for me, with some practice.

    It is easy to be grateful for the good things. Accepting with thankfulness the bad and sorrowful takes faith and trust that God is faithful with His children. I cannot claim to be grateful until I can simply say thank you for everything that comes my way, recognizing that every event will bring joy, character, perseverance, or ultimately, glory to God.

    I know that some seasons of life are difficult, and some days you just hope to survive. But I think that the majority of us would admit that we can find something to be grateful for, even in moments of frustration.

    Gratitude is the stabilizer for my spiritual walk. I think I can make a pretty good case that growing a grateful heart is the foundational attitude of the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It is that important. Gratitude keeps me from envy, if I can mentally pivot to the many things I am blessed to enjoy. Gratitude keeps me from anger, if I can be grateful for how patient God is with my myriad of shortcomings. Gratitude keeps me from frustration, when it reminds me how much worse things could be.

    I have programmed a trigger into my gratitude response. When I start getting cranky about my back pain, I think of my friends who live in constant pain. I become grateful that my pain is not constant, and I am reminded to pray for them. A simple mind-set change can take me from self-pity to prayer for others.

    I am also being prompted to pray for anyone who makes me angry with his or her thoughtlessness or rudeness. What is hurting that person’s heart so much that the response is filled with such venom? Full disclosure . . . I am not there yet. But when I can respond with an attitude of gratitude, it is the most freeing feeling. Maybe that is the best way to be grateful consistently. When I get outside my little world and see the suffering and sadness around me, I fall to my knees in thanksgiving for how fortunate I am.

    Today when you find yourself being tempted to complain, pray for a grateful heart, and see if there is something you can be grateful for in that moment. There almost always is.

  • Lord, Help Me Pray Before I Post. Amen.

    It is so unnerving that social media can make generally kind people become hateful. I have watched with sadness as people I consider friends severely denigrated people they once considered friends. Sometimes the venom is directed at those who simply have a difference of opinion on political or moral issues. And the attacks on people who claim the title of Christian have broken my heart.

    Without fail the hypocrite word is used with smug satisfaction.

    And it is true. Let me make this personal since I can only speak honestly for me. I can be a hypocrite. I do not consistently live up to the teachings of Jesus. I fail. I sin. That is why I need a Savior and not a self-help course. I am confident not in my holiness but in the holiness of Jesus. I remember hearing a pastor say that “we all sin and fall short of the glory of God. But that doesn’t keep us from comparing distances.”

    That is exactly what I used to do and still do when I forget why Jesus found it necessary to die for me! I found it easy to judge those I condemned without knowing anything about that person’s wounds or struggles. I would self-righteously note that at least I haven’t said or believed something that offensive! I am not as bad as them!

    So what?

    Whether I fall a millimeter short or miles short of the glory of God is meaningless. I have fallen short. I am a desperate sinner in need of a Savior. Today I asked for the Holy Spirit to examine my heart. I am not responsible for the comments of others. I am accountable for my comments and thoughts before the One who went to the Cross to win my forgiveness.

    Many people have proclaimed that anyone who believes a certain political or cultural thing cannot be a Christian. So your beliefs are the path to salvation? Seriously? I have gone through seasons where I am now regretful for what I said or believed. God patiently changed my heart. The people you attack may be wrong but the Holy Spirit may be changing their hearts.

    May I ask you a tough question? How can you be a sincere follower of Jesus if you spew hate?

    “If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.”
    ‭‭1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭20‬-‭21‬, NLT

    There is a familiar parable from the Gospel of John. I wondered how Jesus might respond to today’s condemning cyberthugs. Here is a modern version of a well known story.

    A crowd soon gathered, and He (Jesus) sat down and taught them. As He was speaking, the teachers of politically correct opinions brought a woman who had been caught in the act of hateful speech. They put her in front of the crowd.

    “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught posting intolerance and hate speech. We say she should be fired, disgraced, and shunned. What do you say?”

    They were trying to trap Him into saying something they could use against Him, but Jesus stooped down and looked at the device in His hand. They kept demanding an answer, so He typed a message that appeared on every device in the crowd simultaneously. They read the message on their screen.  “All right, but let the one who has never unfairly judged another and who has never said an ugly untruth about another post the first judgement!” Then he looked down and typed something else.

    When the accusers read this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

    “No, Lord,” she said.

    And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Remember that every person is precious in My sight and that I loved them enough to endure the Cross. Go and sin no more.”

    Forgive me for taking liberties with such an amazing Scriptural text. But I think it brings it home for us that I (and you) are just like that mob who dragged the woman to Jesus.

    Lord Jesus,

    Forgive me for my judgement of others. Forgive me for my ugly thoughts. Forgive me for my mean comments about those you love dearly.  And thank you for still loving me in spite of the ugly reality of my own sin. I fall on your grace today. Please remind me to use these gifts of communication only to edify, encourage, and inspire.

    Thank you for loving me. Help me to love others in the power of Your Amazing Grace.

    Amen

  • Is The Legalism Road An Easier Path Than Grace?

    Sometimes I just want to step away from people. I get tired. Living in honest community can be frustrating and discouraging. And then the song “Lean On Me” cycles up my playlist. That is not funny Lord.

    The lyrics sung by Bill Withers talks about being there for others. 

    Sometimes in our lives
    We all have pain
    We all have sorrow

    But if we are wise
    We know that there’s
    Always tomorrow

    Lean on me, when you’re not strong
    And I’ll be your friend

    I confess that I sometimes struggle with the cost of walking in honest relationship with people. It can be hard. 

    I have come to understand why legalism is so much easier than grace. Legalism allows me to assess the situation and then apply a verse or assign a task. If that person rejects that Biblical admonition or task then legalism allows me to withdraw because they are disobedient. Grace does not give me that option. Grace demands that I move toward the struggle of my brother or sister and not away in judgment. No wonder grace is a tough sell.

    That is the glorious dichotomy of grace. Grace wears me out and lifts me up. Grace frustrates and exhilarates. My old nature screams that people who make bad decisions over and over get what they “deserve”. They don’t “deserve” to be pursued and loved and restored. They made their bed now let them lay in it. But there is a small quiet voice in my heart that tells me that they have value. That they are loved by their Creator. And that voice asks who am I to decide who “deserves” anything?

    A quote by Pastor Paul Donnan says it far better than I ever could.

    Grace doesn’t treat us better than we deserve. It treats us without the slightest reference to what we deserve. Grace ceases to be grace if God withdraws it upon any human failure. If Grace is in any way tied to something you do, then it is no longer a gift but a wage, and that’s not grace.

    And, to be selfish, the lyrics of Bill Withers tells me why it is in my own best interest to give grace willingly.

    I’ll help you carry on
    For it won’t be long
    Till I’m gonna need
    Somebody to lean on

    Yep. It is just a matter of time until I will be begging for grace for some stupid action or word. Paul knew that was true and reminded the Galatian Church.

    Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived. (Galatians 6, The Message)

    Why are we so willing to receive grace and not extend it? Maybe the next lyric has a clue.

    Please swallow your pride
    If I have things
    You need to borrow
    For no one can fill

    Pride. Pride causes us to cover our needs because that would show weakness. Pride tells us to wear a mask of false joy so that others won’t know our shame and sin. Our Father in Heaven designed this journey to be lived in community. God knows that we need Him and we need one another. Healthy community is not unlike two parents being the healthiest community for children. Sometimes a child needs his or her father and sometimes only the mother can touch their need. In the same way there are times when only Abba Father can comfort my soul but at other times I need the community of fellow believers to get through.

    We all need somebody to lean on
    I just might have a problem
    That you’ll understand

    We all need somebody to lean on

    Yes it is hard to walk with the wounded. Yes it is frustrating to watch messy people make the same mistakes over and over. Yes it is tiring to give grace to the needy. But my heart’s desire remains the same. I want to follow the game plan of Paul in the book of Acts.

    But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God. (Acts 20:24, NLT)

  • God’s Sovereignty Calms My Fear Of This World

    Many historians believe that 1968 was one of the most turbulent years in American history. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bobby Kennedy were assassinated. Race riots and Vietnam war protests created massive unrest. International peace was unsettled as the USSR invaded Czechoslovakia. A bestselling book by entomologist Paul Ehrlich called the Population Bomb predicted that overpopulation would lead to hundreds of millions of people starving and there was nothing we could do about it. 

    In the Christian world a movie called Thief in the Night came out with a frightening story about the rapture and tribulation. I didn’t sleep well for weeks because I did not want to get left behind. My parents thought the end was near.

    I was 15 years old. The news was terrifying. I was a new Christian and I had virtually no discipling for what faith in God meant when confronting fears.

    I didn’t know if I would get a chance to drive, vote, get married, have children, have a career, or see the Cleveland Browns win another NFL championship. By the way, all but one have worked out.

    Fast forward fifty-eight years (and trust me it feels that way) and the cultural climate in our country feels even worse. I have had a few years to see how God works in my life so that is a big difference. But I will be honest, it is still unsettling.

    Psalm 27 addresses a major issue. Where do we find hope in a seemingly hopeless world? How can we address the fears that confront us consistently? 

    In the Psalm David is being pursued and he believes an attack on his life is imminent. He states his hope without ignoring the danger of his current situation. Instead of downplaying his trouble he looks through a different lens. Yep. Things are a dangerous mess. Yep. I could be attacked at any moment. He starts Psalm 27 with the things he needs to remember as he confronts a deadly threat.

    1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—
        whom shall I fear?
    The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
        of whom shall I be afraid?

    God is my light in the darkness. God is my salvation and eternal hope. God is my strength when I am weak. Wow. Believing those truths alone will make a difference when fear rises up in my heart. But let’s be honest here. No doubt that intellectual knowledge is encouraging but how can we live out those truths when danger and fear are lurking? Let’s look at an amazing statement from the Psalmist.

    3 Though an army besiege me,
        my heart will not fear;
    though war break out against me,
        even then I will be confident.

    Wait? What? 

    If war breaks out against me even then I will be confident? That is not the circumstance that gives me confidence in my journey. 

    How can he possibly be confident? I found it fascinating that the Hebrew word for confident translates literally to “I will trust”. David’s confidence was not in his own strength. He was trusting God and that gave him the confidence to be unafraid. 

    Again, that is a comforting intellectual concept. God is my light. My salvation. My strength. I trust Him. I still need a plan to implement those truths. How do you trust God when danger is all around you? David’s plan is simple and instructive for us today.

    He wanted to be present with the Lord.

    My natural tendency would likely be to agonize over the circumstances. Instead David chooses, and it is a choice, to make God his priority in uncertain and difficult times.

    My first instinct would be to desperately pray for protection. That God would remove me from this situation. But what did David want first and foremost?

    4 One thing I ask from the Lord,
        this only do I seek:
    that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
        all the days of my life,
    to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
        and to seek him in his temple.

    He wanted, more that anything else, to be in the presence of the Lord. 

    Author Max Lucado wrote, “The presence of fear does not mean you have no faith. Fear visits everyone. But make your fear a visitor and not a resident.”

    You do that by seeking God’s presence and peace. God wants His children to commune with Him. He wants us to learn more about who He is. Then we need to bring those things we learn about God’s character into fellowship with Him in honest prayer and reflection. Knowledge alone often falls short. Knowledge combined with intimate fellowship with the Lord is a game changer. 

    Now more than ever that we need to place the truths of Psalm 27 in our hearts. David’s words remind us that even in the difficult times we can persevere because our God has perfect timing and the perfect plan. There is no need to panic and force our plans to fix the problem. We can have confidence that if we turn to God for strength, knowledge, and wisdom, we will know what our part in the solutions is. 

    There is a famous saying that fits this Psalm of David.

    Fear knocked at the door. Faith answered. No one was there.

    When we trust God and seek His presence I believe that can be true. When we feel fear rising up we need to remember God is our light, our salvation, and our strength. The next time fear knocks on the door gather up those truths and have faith answer. It makes a powerful difference.

  • Is It Even Possible To Always Be In Control?

    You see t-shirts and signs that proclaim that I am the master of my destiny. Slogans like these sounded really empowering.

    “If it is to be, it is up to me”

    “If you can dream it you can achieve it”

    I agree that having a good attitude and determination is important. But sometimes my life experience is more accurately described by the great boxer and philosopher Mike Tyson.

    “Everyone has a plan ’til they get punched in the mouth”

    Yep. Well said Mike. No matter how much I may plan my life I will face the inevitable “punches” in the mouth that life delivers. No amount of efforts to control my life will prevent illness. I do not have control over every relationship in my life. I cannot keep those I care about from making bad decisions. I cannot control unforeseeable circumstances that impact those I love. Just last week I had a couple of Mike Tyson moments.

    James warns about the folly of thinking that we are in control.

    Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil. (James 4:13-16, NLT)

    The one thing we can be sure of is that we have trials and heartaches in this journey. The question I must answer is how will I deal with the inevitable? I pondered the answer to that question in my book Stay: Lessons My Dogs Taught Me about Life, Loss, and Grace.

    One person responds to tragedy with deeper faith. Another turns from God in anger, perhaps never to return. What is the difference? Perhaps this parable that Jesus related in Matthew’s Gospel offers the biggest clue. When the storm hits, what matters most is the foundation that you have built your faith upon.

    Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.  (Matthew 7:24-27)

    I have dealt with loss by relying on both types of foundations. My early theology was built on the shifting sand of self-effort and discipline. When the storm came, my “house of faith” collapsed like a house of cards. When I began to build on a foundation of identity and trusting who God is, my house of faith weathered the storm without being destroyed. The storm battered me full force, but the house stood.

    What is that foundation made of? I would suggest that these are the foundation stones.

    God is all powerful.

    God is all knowing.

    God is love.

    God is holy.

    God is good.

    God is just.

    God is righteous.

    God is grace.

    God is sovereign.

    God is unchanging.

    God is joy.

    God is forgiving.

    God is truth.

    God is patient.

    If the Gospel message is true—and I believe it is—then God says to trust Him when we face trials. His ways are not our ways, and His timing is certainly not ours, but His love is real and faithful.

    Excerpt from Stay: Lessons My Dogs Taught Me about Life, Loss, and Grace

    Today I choose to stand on that foundation. I am not in control but I am confident in the One who is. To quote the old hymn that my dad loved so much.

    Many things about tomorrow
    I don’t seem to understand
    But I know Who holds tomorrow
    And I know Who holds my hand

    Order your copy of Stay: Lessons My Dogs Taught Me about Life, Loss, and Grace.