Faced with a Moment by Susan Barclay

There are defining moments and experiences in all of our lives. Such events determine or set us on our course. Some are completely of our control, things that happen even when we are in the womb; others stem from the way we process things or from choices we make in response to circumstances or desires. They can lead us down good paths or very detrimental ones. Either way, we can describe them as pivotal.

One day when I was a child my mom was angry with me for being careless. I had tripped over the cord of my grandmother's hand mixer and brought the mixer crashing to the floor. My mom yelled and her words pierced my soul. Sobbing in the bathroom, I decided in my 9-year-old heart never to let anyone wound me so deeply again. I sealed myself up and steeled myself against hurt. It was years before I allowed myself another good cry. To this day I struggle to be in touch with my feelings.

The things that happen in childhood are powerful. I once read somewhere that children are excellent observers but terrible interpreters. It's true, I think. If the incident I described had happened when I was more mature, I might have told myself, "She's probably having a bad day. Being a single parent isn't easy; she doesn't mean it--she just needs help" or "She's doing the best she can with what she's been given and what she knows." I might have done what I could to assist her in what she was doing or simply gotten out of her way until her mood passed.

I remember breaking up with my first long-term boyfriend as a young adult. In my late 20s, I was eager to be married and start a family. I said to myself, "I'm getting married next year." No matter what was the subtext. I was a believer and had also decided that I was going to be myself with the next guy and not twist myself into a pretzel to be what I thought he might want. That second part was fine, of course, but being a Christ-follower, I should have had the mind of Christ and His approach: doing nothing of my own accord but seeking God's will (ref John 5:30). Instead, it was a defining moment as I set out with a goal of finding a husband. Thanks to Him, and not to me, things worked out so that I married a good man who seeks after righteousness, and we're still happy together after more than twenty-five years, but my life could have gone very sideways.

The mind is a powerful force. What we focus on matters. Where we let our thoughts travel is significant. The power of life and death are in the tongue (Proverbs 18:21) but what comes out of our mouths or shows in our behaviour first enters our minds. That's why Paul tells us in Philippians 4:8, "Fix your thoughts on what is true and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable." Scripture also advises us to think of others rather than ourselves and not to be selfish (Philippians 2:3). Knowing God's plans for us are for good and not to harm us (Jeremiah 29:11) can help us to wait on His timing and trust He will provide what is best for us rather than take things into our own hands.

Moving on to defining writing moments, I remember being encouraged by my mother and teachers for my writing ability. I remember the publication of my first "book," a laminated and spiral bound collection of stories from my grandmother's childhood. Written in grade 6, it was added to the school library and borrowed by several children before I progressed out of the school and into junior high. It felt good to have a reading audience and to be asked questions about my work, and was no doubt influential on my desire to continue sharing stories with others. Teachers in junior and senior high school were also supportive and affirming--except for that one who told our entire creative writing class that we should consider a trade. Plumbing was respectable, said he! (Well, it is, but that's not what we wanted to hear).

9/11 was a defining moment in my "writing career" as well. Thinking about all those who lost their lives and recognizing the brevity of life made me ask if I was living the life I desired. I was working full-time as a librarian in a public library setting, which meant shiftwork and time away from my young children in the evenings and on weekends. I hadn't done anything really with what I felt was a gift from God: my writing fluency. If my life were to end right then, would He be happy with me? I discussed it with my husband and we decided to move an hour away from where we lived, where housing was more affordable, I could quit work, be home for my family, and write. 

It's true what they say about not quitting your day job. While I've had a few stories published and made a few dollars, if we'd been depending on me for an income, we'd be on the streets. After three years of being home full-time, I took a part-time job as a librarian in my new community. It works well for us and our children are now grown. But I do sometimes wonder if we made the right call. Though we've met some wonderful people here, we've also gone through some hard times. Would we have been better off staying where we were? Only God knows.

And that's the thing, isn't it? God knows what is best for us but sometimes we go off half-cocked, acting impulsively or according to our feelings, rather than consulting Him, reading the Word, seeking counsel from godly people in our lives. I'm not saying my husband and I did this with respect to our move, you understand; I'm talking more generally. I tend to be someone who does my homework, who is cautious in decision-making, rather risk-averse, stability-seeking. But I can still make mistakes. I can decide to wall up my heart so no one can hurt me, pursue my own desires without seeking God's will, and put the cart before the horse, thinking I'm doing a good thing.

If I could give anyone a piece of advice, it would be this from Lamentations 3:25-26: 

God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks. It's a good thing to quietly hope, quietly hope for help from God. (The Message)

When you recognize a pivotal moment, stop, fix your eyes on the One who knows you, loves you, and has good plans for you. Ask what He says and wait patiently on His answer. He will never steer you wrong.

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For more about Susan Barclay and her writing, please visit www.susan-barclay.blogspot.com

Reasons We Drown and How Not To by Susan Barclay

Sometimes I think God must find us "as thick as a plank." We can be just like the drowning man who dies and goes to heaven only to learn that he passed up three opportunities God had provided for him to be rescued. 

What makes it so hard for us to listen or see what God is trying to tell us? Here are a few possibilities:

1. We're in too big of a hurry. We want what we want when we want it. We're not patient enough to wait on the Lord, His direction and timing. We rush ahead of Him, arrogantly thinking He needs our help to bring things to pass, believing we know what's best even though we can't possibly see the big picture or know what better thing He might have in mind. We forget that:

image by Ben Steed, Heartlight.org

 2. We don't seek His input. Our prayers are one-directional, upwards. We talk to Him about what we want or need; we send up pleas and pleases, as in "Please, God, do x-y-z," "Please, God, provide a-b-c." We don't spend any time listening or being still. Maybe we don't believe He wants to talk to us as much as He wants us to do the talking. I wonder how much trouble we could be spared if we only sought His leading instead of supplicating then getting on with business as usual...

Heartlight.org

 3. We don't know how to listen or see. We don't know how to be quiet for once. We haven't been raised in Christian homes or we haven't had good examples or teaching. The Holy Spirit is there to guide us and show us; all we need to do is ask, attend and be available.

image by Joshua Batchelor, Berea project

I don't know about you, but I've been guilty of not listening or seeing. There have been times when I've been in a hurry, I haven't sought His input, or I just didn't know how to wait on God or even how to accurately interpret the big red flags He was waving. Sadly, He has had to get my attention in hard ways that could have been avoided. 

Though I don't always get it right even now, I've become much better at asking the Holy Spirit to teach me, calling on the Lord and seeking His answers, searching for Him and hoping in Him. My greatest desires, apart from the salvation of my children, are to spend time with Him, learn from Him and experience His goodness while I am yet in the land of the living. Essentially, I want to prevent drowning!

As for a story about a time when God provided me with "extraordinary directions," that's currently under consideration with a publisher. Prayers for a favourable response are appreciated!
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You can find out more about Susan Barclay's writing at www.susan-barclay.blogspot.com

Hope in the Struggle - Carol Harrison

Romans 12:12 tells us to, "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." Rejoicing pours out with no problem when things are going well, when hope fills my heart. I love those times when praising God comes easily, when it flows from my heart and out of my mouth or through my writing. Hope encourages me and allows me to encourage others too.

Being patient in tribulation, those difficult times of life, can and has been a struggle. During times when life does not go as I thought it might, or hoped it would drains energy and threatens to remove my focus from the path God has laid before me. These hard times which have shown up more often than I wish they would.  Satan's taunts and negativity shout to be heard above God's still small voice. Questions about whether I am following God's design for me, sharing his message and whether I can be confident in using the gifts and abilities God has given me threaten hope and glimpses of joy become fewer and fainter. I begin to doubt what message I am supposed to be sharing with others. Maybe it is that I doubt the ability or the manner in which to share the message of hope in the middle of difficulties more than what than the importance of the message of hope found through God. 

During one incredibly painful circumstance a few years ago, I sat across from our pastor and voiced some of my frustrations, doubts and questions about what was happening as well as what to do next. It felt like one hard event after another slammed into our lives like waves rolling in on top of each other, each one feeling higher and harder to overcome than the last one. He encouraged me to be patient, trust God and spend time listening to God. Then he said, "Just look at all the illustrations you have when you speak or write."

I remember my reply, "Couldn't I just read about them and what happened to others?"

His gentle voice replied, "It doesn't work that way."

Even though I knew this, I hoped for an easy fix or way out of the current situation. Looking back I can see God's leading, his guidance and his protection through many circumstances I would rather have avoided. Some I have used as illustrations which in turn encouraged others.

The key for me and I believe for all who follow God is at the end of the verse - be constant in prayer. I must choose to take some quiet time and return to the Word of God, trusting the promises of a never changing God. When I do that and reflect back on his provisions through other times of negativity, doubt, pain and turmoil, hope surges in. I can once again begin to rejoice and be glad in the hope that only God offers even when darkness threatens to consume me.

Being patient, especially in tribulation, takes great effort which I have no strength to do by myself. I can only accomplish any semblance of patience by accepting God's gracious help. Verses like Romans 12: 12  serves as a reminder to always Rejoice in hope,  be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." which brings my focus back to what is essential - time with God. The Bible verses ground me in truth and facts rather than wallowing with my fickle feelings and emotions.

Taking time to listen to God, to hear the affirmations he sends my way and to play with word maps to see how ideas, plans and God's leading fit together help navigate life's uncertainties. They  help solidify a direction and a message. The lessons learned through the tough times in life provide great illustrations to share that message of hope in our broken world.
 

As a speaker, published author and storyteller, Carol Harrison is passionate about mentoring people of all ages and abilities to help them find their voice and reach their fullest potential. She shares from her heart, telling stories from real life experiences and God’s Word to encourage people and help them find a glimmer of hope no matter what the circumstances. She believes we need to continuously grow in our walk with God and lives out her storytelling passion by speaking at women’s events and retreats, Bible Camps as well as school assemblies and church events. Carol is a wife, mother of four adult children and grandmother to twelve. She makes her home is Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Do You Have Commitment Issues? by Nina Faye Morey

Do you struggle with unfinished writing projects? A survey by a popular writing blog revealed that 72% of writers answered “yes” to this question http://thewritepractice.com/finish-projects/. I can certainly count myself among them. Several unfinished Works in Progress (WIP) patiently wait in my computer files for me to return to them and revive our once loyal and loving relationship.

I start out with the best of intentions when our relationship is fresh and uncomplicated. I make a solemn promise to stick with my current WIP through thick and thin. In spite of my strong commitment, it doesn’t take long before things go wrong. The WIP begins to display its faults and no longer looks as attractive to me as it did when we were first courting. Once our relationship starts to fall apart, I begin to have doubts about whether this WIP is the right one for me.

Before I know it, our relationship has slid further downhill as my WIP grows stubborn and irritating. I find myself becoming more negative and critical towards it with each passing day. Soon I’m easily tempted to stray whenever other appealing ideas whisper seductively in my ear. It becomes increasingly difficult for me to resist the urge to throw myself into these promising new relationships. After all, if I tie myself down to this WIP, I’ll be passing up the chance to take advantage of all these other wonderful opportunities.

However, by now I’ve started to feel rather guilty about breaking up with my current WIP. Perhaps I should shoulder some of the blame. So what do I need to do to avoid this temptation to stray and stay faithful to my current WIP? Well, perhaps I need an attitude adjustment. Maybe it’s my behaviour that needs to change if we are to be successful in sustaining our relationship. So I decided to do some research to discover what was at the root of my commitment problem and develop some strategies to deal with it.

My research helped me recognize that my tendency to flirt with seductive new ideas was the result rather than the cause of my commitment phobia. Two particularly persistent troublemakers were those evil twins, procrastination and perfectionism. Together they conspired to keep me from remaining faithful to my current WIP. Their bullying behaviour was disruptive and dispiriting. It distracted me from my WIP and deterred me from achieving my goals. Fortunately, two of my oldest and dearest friends, patience and persistence, showed up to rescue me from their clutches and set me back on the “write” path.

In addition, I discovered it would take a lot of dedication, determination, and discipline on my part to maintain and nurture my relationship with my current WIP. However, there’s no need for me to struggle with all of these commitment issues on my own. Fortunately, I know that I can pray to God and ask Him for help and direction. If I listen for His voice and trust in Him, He will guide me along the “write” path so I can fulfill my commitment to the WIP He originally chose for me.

Whether you turn to the right or to the left,

your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying,

“This is the way; walk in it.”

~Isaiah 30:21(NIV)

So now when those tempting new ideas come calling, I politely take note of them. However, I keep my promise to stay faithful and ensure that my heart and calendar remain open to fulfill my commitment to my current WIP.

Plugging in to the Lord by Glynis M. Belec

 I don’t need re-energizing; I just need more hours in a day. I suppose that sounds a bit rebellious given the impressive prompt and the beautiful works of words that I have been reading about where a depleted writer can go to be refreshed or what he can do to charge his batteries. 

How I long for that little cabin in the woods (with wifi, flush toilets and hydro, of course) where I could just be free to pour my heart onto the page. Okay, I would settle for days – no hours at my computer without a million interruptions. Just having some quantity of time would be sufficient.

This is starting to sound a bit like a tirade or an opportunity to complain or to seek pity. Really it’s not. God is at the helm. I know it and I can feel it. Just because I am not getting what I want doesn’t mean that I am not rejoicing.

The more I think about it, though, the more I am realizing that God is providing me with plenty of writing and speaking fodder. So in actual fact, He is recharging me moment by moment.

Today I will be speaking to a group of 55 women about the shift from daughter to caregiver; from dreamer to writer; from cancer sufferer to survivor.

God allowed circumstances to happen. He was preparing me for His purpose. Maybe the time isn’t right to write about it, but today the time is right to speak about it. So I will forge on with joy in my heart, a smile on my face and a sincerity that can only come from focussing on the Lord. I find when I do that, God opens my eyes to all the wonderful things that are going on around me.

I know God has some great things in store in my writing. I’m trusting His timing. He’s never let me down yet. 

                                                        

For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. Habakkuk 2:3

                               Glynis       

                                            

God's Many Faceted Love by Bryan Norford

Creation reflects the nature of God. Its varied splendour, its abundance, its joyful activities, and predominantly its faithful and loving relationships. That is a measure of God’s love for all humanity.

Of course, since Eden, humankind has been able to mess it up and introduce characteristics that are contrary to the nature of God, destabilizing the good earth, destroying its abundance, and turning joy into misery.

Even so, God provided a strategy that enables us to rediscover the missing joy we crave: He set out the Law—too often maligned by Christians and hated by those opposed to Him.

The Law was not an arbitrary set of rules to kill our joy—as many assume—but like creation, a further reflection of His nature; guidelines to a less natural, but temporary, refurbishing of His image formed in us at creation but lost at the fall.

The Ten Commandments summarize the components of love. Even Jesus summed up the Law as loving God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and loving our neighbour as we care for ourselves.

If we love God, we will not place other gods or goals before Him. If we love our neighbour, we will not kill him, steal from him, or covet his wife or anything else he has.

In fact, it was at the giving of the Law that God revealed His nature. As God set out a law that contained the ingredients of love, He also indicated the values by which He would apply that law: with compassion, grace, patience, love, faithfulness, forgiveness and justice. Exodus 34:6–7.

We humans recognize these characteristics because God has shared them as part of His image in us. Distorted though they are, as we express our love to one another with those values, we show evidence of our transformation to Christlikeness.

Does this sound like the love of a valentine? It should. For this is the standard of love God has set. Anything less is a thin veneer of self-serving affection posing as the real thing.

And that fullest expression of love: compassion, grace, patience, love, faithfulness, forgiveness and justice, should show first in our closest relationships, to our wives, husbands, and children, and then to the wider community.

Find God's direction in the Norfords’ marriage devotional, Happy Together, available in paperback or kindle from Amazon. 

Waiting Expectantly - Lynda Schultz

Abby likes violets. Somehow she knows they are in bloom. Whenever I enter the bedroom she waits below the stand by the window where I keep the plants. She waits expectantly in the hopes that I will gives her a flower to eat.

Both cats know how to wait. They know how to make their wishes known. At daybreak, Abby sits by my head, meowing gently. She's waiting for her teaspoon of milk. Both Abby and Lou Lou Belle "park," sprawled in the doorway to the kitchen or right where they know I have to walk while they wait for their dishes of wet cat food—a cat's "breakfast of champions."

Every new bag of dry food that comes into the apartment has to be taste-tested. They hang around, underfoot, until I open the bag and give them a few nibbles. This same exercise is repeated at night. They know when it is time for bed, and that last little treat of the evening, the cats' version of breath mints.

Lou Lou waits patiently just outside the shower. She has a "thing" for the water that gets caught in the cracks between the sliding doors as I shower.

I admire their patience as they wait. They know me well enough to understand that I will not fail to meet their expectations. They simply have to persist in waiting. They have to "be there."

I am reminded of Jesus' admonition in his parable about the persistent widow in Luke 18. She insisted, even in her dealing with a judge who had no regard for God or for her. Eventually the man broke down and gave her what she asked. Jesus says: "And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly" —Luke 18:6, 7 NIV.

The next statement is the most telling. He has told his disciples to persist in prayer and wraps up his story with this: "However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

Abby and Lou have faith that I will respond to their expectant waiting. Can I demonstrate any less faith in my loving, Heavenly Father? Will he find me waiting expectantly?

In His Time - Jan Keats

Have you been waiting a long time for an answer to prayer or for that something special to happen in your life? Do you feel the eagerness or anxiety? Some people cross off the days on a calendar in anticipation of an answer. It could be a prayer that you’ve been praying for a long period of time, or it could be an immediate need that requires steadfast prayer, or it could be an anticipation of a call to come through for that job offer.

Do you remember when God do come through after praying and waiting? How do you feel then? Relief? Joy? Satisfaction? Did you remember to praise God for His guidance? Maybe your special prayer request hasn’t even been answered yet and it seems that it’s nowhere in sight. Yes, it may seem that way but what does God’s Word tell us about that? Do you ever wonder and say, “Where is God when I need Him?”

God is in our midst to hear our prayers and grant forgiveness. God is in our hearts to seal the promises that He has made until the day of redemption. The Bible says that the Spirit is God’s guarantee that He will give us everything He promised and that He has purchased us to be his own people.

God is in our midst to protect, guide and strengthen us. In the Old Testament there’s a verse that says: “For the Lord is the one who goes with you. He will not fail or forsake you.” Deut.31:6
He walks with us all the time and He answers our prayers all the time but…it is always in His time! The prophet Elijah prayed earnestly that it would not rain and for 3 ½ years it didn’t, then he prayed that it would and God gave the rain.

Sometimes our prayers need immediate attention. Queen Esther was faced with the potential death of her people; her entire race that lived in the region. So she urged her people to pray for 3 days just to muster up the courage to talk to her King to plead with him to stop the death of her people. Job was another person who suffered and needed God in a desperate situation, but he continued to trust and believe that God would come through despite all the trials that he went through.

In James chapter 5 we read about Job’s patience. “For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. Job is an example of a man who endured patiently. From his experience we see how the Lord’s plan finally ended in good, for He is full of tenderness and mercy.” (James 5:10,11)

Are you able then, to rest in the Lord? To rest on His promises? You can trust the God of glory to shelter and comfort you when the going is tough. Just watch God shine His grace upon you! Just watch God at work as you pass on to others the same hope and grace He sustained you with!

Copyright Jan Keats