Let Light Dispel the Darkness

There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. 

They had set night watches over their sheep. 

Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them. 

They were terrified. 

The angel said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: 

A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. 

This is what you’re to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger”

(Luke 2:8-12 -  The Message).

Imagine that special night. Sheep were sedate from a full day of following their shepherds and ready for rest, as were the shepherds. The night was clear except for one brilliant star. 

All was still.

Then 

a burst of light 

an angel speaking

 glory outshining that brilliant star 

and they were terrified. 

Some translations record that they were sore afraid. Now that is mighty scared, scared to one’s innermost being. It is a surge of fear.

 A few verses later Luke records, 

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." 

Why was this unexpected honor given to the shepherds? The work of shepherds was not a job of high profile. They lived solitary lives caring for their flocks. Yet God saw their faithfulness and chose to honor them. His favor rested upon them.

How can these thoughts be of help to any of us when the unexpected happens in our lives? We feel far from favored. We often feel solitary and set apart. We tire before day’s end. We expect too much of ourselves, often feeling we have disappointed our Shepherd.

Yet he knows each one of us. He knows the longings of our hearts and the times we are sore afraid. He knows something else.

Light, his light, always dispels the darkness.

How long did the shepherds stay terrified? Once the light and the message being heralded became real to them, they rushed off to Bethlehem. They found the Messiah, yet a babe in swaddling clothes. Then they were proclaiming, to all who would listen, the wonders of what they had seen and heard.

The stars in heaven still sing the same glory. 

The favor of the Shepherd rests upon us. 

We can spread his good news to those we encounter, even during our hardest moments, because light dispels the darkness. Yes, it did long ago, and yes, it still does today.

Prayer

Lord, in unexpected places, open my eyes to behold your glories. However you choose, help me to rush to a Bethlehem near me, proclaiming as I go,  the wonders you have displayed. Amen.

Look to and follow the Star in the night for that is when it can shine the brightest!

Click on the link below to hear this encouragement in song! 

Wandering Pilgrim 

words and music by Twila Paris

Lynn’s photo of a watercolor sketch by her friend, Dave Peterson. 

It was created to image this text. 
Thank you, Dave.

As We Journey Toward Bethlehem

This devotional is adapted from one I wrote for Rest Ministries in 2008, then revised for my manuscript of devotionals, Choosing Comfort, and expanded for today’s entry on my blog. 

It has made its own journey to get to you now!

Bethlehem.This word when used in reference to the city in Palestine, a short distance from Jerusalem, has deep meaning to Christians as the celebration of Christ’s birth marks our calendars. His birth is cause for joy no matter the season but Christmas time brings it forth with more intentionality. 

There can be many festivities commemorating this event: gift-giving, card-sending, and love abounding as family and friends gather. The sounds of music may fill homes bringing the messages of this season to our hearts.

Birth. Wonder. Hope. Fulfillment. 

One song that settles deeply within me is,

 Breath of Heaven/Mary’s Song.*

The lyrics convey Mary’s thoughts on her journey toward Bethlehem as she struggles with the weight of the imminent birth of the Child she is carrying. Heavy, too, is the responsibility she foresees in raising him. As she surrenders to God’s plan, she recognizes that the grace she needs for each of the days to come has also been entrusted to her.

The weighty emotions which overcame Mary are echoed in our lives. We, too, carry Christ within us. Challenges can overcome us.They can take on a heavier tone when holidays are being celebrated and our culture presents many Hallmark moments that  image the perfected, be it Christmas or any other holiday of the year.

There are various reasons we may not be able to join in with matched gusto: some face chronic illness, chronic pain, loneliness, grief over the death of a loved one who once made such times of year very meaningful. 

Families may be estranged, marriages on edge, one’s children walking paths different than had been hoped. Our personal hopes and dreams, still on hold, have us wondering if they ever will be fulfilled. 

Loved ones and friends may be facing their own illnesses or conditions over which we have no control but to love them and support them via our presence or in our prayers for them -- perhaps in both ways. 

We all are asked to work through the traumas of life, no matter the season and with an acceptance of whatever season in life we are facing.

Such times bring questions as we seek answers and resolve.

Can I bear this burden for one more day? Can I see a gift in this pain entrusted to me? Can I overcome the grief and fears that loom up large engulfing me? Can my life ever live up to my expectations?

"Breath of Heaven, hold me together. 

Be forever near me, Breath of Heaven."

God’s breath of life created us. We carry the breath of heaven within us. His life sustains us. We do not journey alone. We may question. We may despair. That is fine for we can turn and seek the answers in the One who has them. We then await the peace that only He can bring.

As we ponder Christ’s birth, we can commit to a renewal in allowing Him to rebirth us. We are as dependent upon Him as He once was dependent upon Mary. Likewise, we share in the grace-filled promise that He is forever 

near.

Prayer

Lord, I exhale my heavy burdens to make room for You and for your help within me this day. Fill me up to overflowing with both the strength and the lightness of your Presence. Amen.

As you listen to the lyrics of this song and reflect on the message in this blog posting, may you relax in to the reason for this season, no matter what season of life you are experiencing. 

Click on the song title to get to the music.

Breath of Heaven/Mary's Song

*Songwriter/Composer(s): Chris Eaton/Amy Grant

performed by Amy Grant

Photo by Lynn

Watercolor by Lynn’s friend, Dave Peterson, sketched specifically for inclusion in her manuscript,  “Choosing Comfort”

Giving My All, With Thanks

I wrote this devotional in 2009, originally posted by Rest Ministries (an online Christian site for those living in chronic pain or with chronic conditions). It bears a message for this season and any season. 

It holds a reminder that whether we are in crisis or merely facing some of the daily human challenges that can appear, it is the blessings in our life that need the focus of our attention. 

As those of us who live in the USA gather to celebrate Thanksgiving Day, I am thankful for each of you who take the time to stop by and read my thoughts. 

God bless you!

“They all gave out of their wealth; 

but she, out of her poverty, put in everything

—all she had to live on” (Mark 12:44).

 I have had one vision of this verse - a poor woman with her widow’s mite - willingly dropping that fraction of a penny into a basket.

Now I recognize some of my attitudes, the ones glued to the bottom of my all basket, that need emptying. 

I can be downright selfish when it comes to giving my all. Many days, as I am forced to rest on my couch, my pain is my all and little else seems possible.

Then, I view all that is around me and I observe abundant blessings. God has not stopped giving his all to me. I am provided for as I remain isolated from much of the world outside these walls. 

More importantly, 

his Presence is here with me in the stillness.

I war with feelings of envy as others go about their busy lives during my season of more limitations. It truly is an arrogance, a questioning of God’s plan for my life. 

He knows what He is doing. I am far from possessing the qualities displayed by the woman praised in this Scripture verse. Her qualities are worthy goals.

The all in my basket hold 
some attitudes needing to be surrendered. 

Next to my basket, God has another one filled with his wealth. These are provisions He wants me to recognize, reach for, and hold on to: trust, faith, grace, humility, and acceptance. 

It is from my basket that I am to pluck out and plunk into his hands all that is holding me back. With God's perspective, I will not be comparing my life to that of others. 

I will deeply recognize that he provides for one and all.  

If there is to be any poverty, let it be from my heart draining in thanksgiving to God - the One who loves me in spite of my attitudinal shortcomings.

He remains with me to help me see with new eyes 
- his eyes.

Prayer

Lord, help me to give my all so that there is room within me to receive your all. Help my heart to rise in thanksgiving for you and your basket full of generosity - ever and always near. Amen.

 Hand-stitched Quilt by Lynn

Photo by Lynn

I Am Here to Hear

This devotional writing of mine was posted today on the Rest Ministries website and also sent out via their subscription option. Here it is for those of you who have stopped by to visit my blog! 

“We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. As has just been said: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts  as you did in the rebellion'”(Hebrews 3:14-15).

This exhortation comes from a context in Scripture when Moses had led the Israelites out of their captivity in Egypt. They were free and on a journey toward the promised land. Yet they came to be quarreling and questioning the Lord’s ways, longing to be back in Egypt. 

I am in a ripe environment for my heart to become hardened as I long for an earthly freedom from my pain. I can feel like I am “in Egypt” and awaiting deliverance. 

Unlike those who Moses led, who were looking back to what they felt were better times in Egypt, I stumble looking back on better days before my challenges erupted. I want to be tasting new fruit in a better land. I want release. 

I want. I want. I want. 

I say I want God’s will for my life but when suffering is what I feel 24/7, I want out. I still want Him; I just want his will to be a miraculous healing so I can be out of the pain and the limitations that accompany it.

I do not believe that God authors my sufferings. I do believe that, as my Creator who has my life plans intact, He understands these longings I experience. As He dwells within me, I am not abandoned as He is in this exile with me. 

For my heart to be protected from growing hardened,  I need to get used to hearing his heart beat within mine -- His voice of encouragement that I can come to recognize when I learn to listen for it.

His heart is tender towards me. When we dwell in softness together, He can turn my exiled hardening thoughts toward his thoughts that bring comfort in spite of the suffering. 

He becomes a shelter from the clamor that has me wanting to “get out of Egypt”. When I relax with Him, I begin to see blessings in the here and now.

Prayer

 Lord, I receive You and the grace that only You can give as I wrestle with longings to be elsewhere. You are with me here, not “there”. Soften my heart to rejoice that there is no exile when You are with me. Amen.

If we each are to keep our hearts guarded, so that they do not become hardened, it is important to recognize that God is wooing us to hear his voice. 

Here in song, are some insights as we commit ourselves to listen,

 to wait, and to let Him guide us.

Twila Paris

I Will Listen

Photo by Lynn
Molly Ward Gardens
Poulsbo, Washington

Put On Love

I once again have the privilege of being a guest writer over at my friend, deni Weber’s web site, Today’s Encouraging Words. 

Put On Love

“And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful”

(Colossians 3:14-15).

When I see these words, put on love, I wonder how do I do that? Is putting on love like putting on a coat? 

Is it like putting on the armor that guards us against the enemy’s assaults? 

To put something on seems so temporary. I want love to be a permanent part of me and of everything I do. 

This Scripture’s exhortation is that over all these virtues, I am to put on love. I back up and find this:To read more, Click Here

Photo by Lynn

Molly Ward Gardens

Poulsbo, Washington

Running and Races

 My friend, deni Weber asked me to be a guest blogger on her web site where she writes daily devotionals of encouragement. I was honored to be asked and today she posted this devotional that I submitted to her. 

Thank you, deni.

To visit deni's web site and read some of her amazing posts and see this writing of mine in her beautiful formatting, 
 Click Here

She is also offering a free ebook download of her writings. Do check it out!

Running and Races

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1. 

I recently viewed photos of a former student, now a young woman. She had just completed running a marathon. Her victory smile was appropriate.  

Although  I can smile, I no longer am able to run. There are times I need to access my cane or my walker, but I do thank God that I can walk. I have friends needing a wheelchair for aiding them in their mobility. I know others whose daily needs require full-time assistance. 

Am I to take this Scripture literally? What is the race marked out for me? I must reconfigure my thoughts around the word, race.

This Scripture continues and exhorts me to look to Jesus who completed the task set before him when on earth. He never questioned the course his Father ordained. I can struggle with the course set before me. Will I make the next step, let along the next mile? Yet, I can look back at the route of my life and see God’s faithfulness along each step of the way. . . the steps I feared I could not take.

I listen to others who face daily physical challenges and hear them say, “I no longer feel productive.” 

I have known this struggle at various times and  eventually it leads me to ask, “Productive to whom?” There was a time when my productivity was more tangible and visible. Yet, who has set my race before me? Who recorded my days before I was born? 

The word race, in this context need not mean a competition, but an acceptance of the life course God has for me. He has promised to give sufficient strength to help me complete all that he has asked of me. A cloud of witnesses who have reached their finish line are cheering me on. They have received their reward  for persevering.  

If I compare my yesterdays to today, I can get entangled and face inadequately the part of my race that is for now. I can get thrown off the track if I am not careful. I want to stay hydrated with God’s grace, keeping my eyes on Him. 

He knows the direction we are going. We race together, no matter the pace. With Him, I will reach the finish line exactly when the moment is right and that is a race I know I will win.

Prayer: Lord, I thank you that I am not alone to face the course you have mapped out for my life. As you accompany me, encouraging me onward, I remain grateful to be in this race with you. Amen

God Blesses My Weakness

Rest Ministries posted one of my devotionals today. I decided to share it with you here on my blog in its original form. To view it on the  Rest Ministries web site, Click here

“He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power”

 (2 Corinthians 13:3b-4a).

In 2 Corinthians 12,  Paul speaks about the thorn he carries in his flesh. He accepts it as a gift given to him to keep him from puffing up in pride. He is concerned for the Corinthians who are drifting from the ways of the Lord. He becomes stern in his admonitions toward them and their need of restoration.

This is background to my thoughts. We each know our weaknesses to sin and the gift we have to repent and receive forgiveness. We have examined, beyond measure, whether our physical ailments are bound to any wrong doings.We discover, rather, that they can be used to draw us closer to God and his strength. He desires for us to receive his loving faithfulness.

I recently read this phrase: consecrated weakness. It captured my imagination. At the time I read it, I was having an exceptionally weak day physically. How could weakness be consecrated? I pondered the juxtaposition of the two words. 

I can bring God my weakness, whatever forms it takes. Once surrendered to Him, He can consecrate my weakness, anoint it and make it sacred to Him for his purposes. My focus is to be in the surrender of the limited strength I have. It becomes a knowing and trusting that God’s strength is what I need and what I use to do anything that He asks of me.

In  2 Corinthians 2:9a, Paul received God’s promise, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” That is a promise for each of us, as well.

It remains a mystery to me that, though I feel so physically weak, God’s strength is helping me get through the day. There is strength to accomplish what I know, in the natural, would be impossible for me without Him. There is, also, strength to accept the days when all I can do is rest, the quiet days. This sacredness, touching me in my weakness, could only come from God. 

Prayer: Lord, draw me in my weakness, to receive your strength. Help me to experience your touch of strength even though I do not feel strong.Together we will journey through each day as You bless my weakness with your strength. Amen.

Surrender, when we each want control over our own lives, is a challenge equal to the challenges we carry in our body and emotions. Here, in song, is a reminder why and how it is done. 

 Twila Paris and Dennis Jernigan  

On My Knees