His Eye is On the Sparrow by Susan Barclay

 

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23

This verse begins the September writing prompt for Inscribers as we are asked to reflect on our writing journey so far this year and on our plans for the remaining months.

To be honest, the last few years have been challenging in almost every area, including writing. I am content, and consider it a win, to meet the monthly deadline for these blog posts!

It seems the remainder of this year is likely to be devoted to decluttering and packing up my mom’s house. She’s finally mentally and emotionally ready to tackle it; alas, not so much physically. She’s tired all the time now, so the bulk of the work is left to me. Her house has over 60 years’ worth of accumulation. Think about that and remember that she grew up during the Depression and war years! She doesn’t want to part with much, and even though I’m the one doing the physical labour, I’m trying to honour her wishes while praying the Lord loosens her grip on things, or that they lose their grip on her.

Lamentations 3:22-23 reminds us of the faithfulness of our God and that His “compassions” (in other translations His “mercies”) are new every morning. How thankful I am for these truths as I fluctuate between gratitude that I can help and support my mom (with my husband's assistance and blessing) and wishing that this “cup” would pass from me. I don’t even feel inspired to journal these days, sensing an interruption could come at any moment. Prayer is my greater focus, the spoken word I cannot do without.

One day, if Jesus tarries, I will have time to write with greater intensity and frequency, in greater quantity. For now, I yield myself to this season, letting my heart sing the words of an old hymn: “All I have needed thy hand hast provided; Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.” His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

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c. Susan Barclay, 2025. For more about Susan and her writing, please visit www.susan-barclay.blogspot.com

Learning to Wait by Susan Barclay

 

I'm at a stage right now where, in addition to the technological distractions that consume many of us, life itself is a distraction from my writing. I hate to harp on it, but between working part-time and caring for my mom full-time, writing is on the back burner. The waaaay far back burner, out of reach at this time. 

I suppose the good news is that God sees, God knows, and God cares. He knows how He's gifted me, why He did so, how and when He plans for it to be used to the full. In the meantime, my role is to accept my circumstances and commit all things to His timing and ways. What's important right now, what's important always, are the people in front of me whom God has given me to serve: my husband, my mother, my young adult children.

I am learning to wait, which is a very necessary skill. The Bible speaks of many who had to wait before the Lord fulfilled His promises to, or purposes for, them. I think of Noah waiting for the rain even as he worked on the ark; of Abraham and Sarah waiting for the birth of their son; David waiting for God to deal with Saul and install him as King of Israel; and more.

Some scriptures encourage me:

Psalms 27:13-14   I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!

Psalms 37:34  Wait for the LORD and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off.

Proverbs 3:5-6  Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Isaiah 30:18   Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.

Isaiah 40:31   but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Lamentations 3:25   The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.

In addition to reading scripture, there are other things I can do as I wait. I can worship. That is time that is always well spent. I can listen to Lectio 365 morning and evening devotionals to encourage my heart. I can squeeze in moments of reading for learning or pleasure when I'm eating breakfast alone, or on my work break, or waiting for the doctor to call my mother in for her scheduled appointment. Reading is an important activity for writers as we learn from both good and bad writing and get ideas for subjects we might want to explore further through our own work.

All is not lost during this season of distraction and waiting, therefore I will neither moan nor mourn. Instead, I set my face toward the One who made me, who knows me, who planted in me the desire to write, and trust that He is birthing something new. And I believe it's gonna be great - because He is!

___________________________

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

A Good Man by Susan Barclay

My husband and I have been caring for my elderly mom for a while now. It's a difficult, thankless job at times, and there are days when I wonder what God is up to. Why isn't He answering my mom's (and our) prayers for her healing and restoration? Why isn't He allowing her to return to her own home, where she'd prefer to be? Doesn't He care? Doesn't He know we have enough on our plates with working outside the home, that our household chores are falling by the wayside, that we have young adult children who also need our energy and prayers?

Duh. Of course He cares. 1 Peter 5:7 tells us to cast all our cares upon Him because He cares for us. Luke 12:7 says that even the hairs on our head are numbered. And of course He knows. He knows everything. He's not called omniscient for nothing. No, whatever the cause, He's allowed this for our good. Whether it's to instill in us patience, gentleness, kindness; to teach us to be more dependent on Him; or to give my mom the opportunity to see that she is loved, this is not without purpose. He has plans for us and they are for our good, not harm (Jeremiah 29:11). 

In this season of caregiving, I am so thankful for my husband. I can't imagine doing this without his support. I hear of a lot of husbands who wouldn't have their mothers-in-law living with them, so I know mine is a man among men. He's very good with my mom; sometimes she tells me he's better with her than I am! Though I have to confess that stings a little, I'm also grateful that he's so caring and considerate of her. I know he's not perfect, and he gets frustrated like I do on occasion, but still, I have a keeper!

Today I offer this prayer:

Thank You, Lord, for my husband; for the kindness he shows my mom and, by extension, the love he shows to me. Thank You for the blessing he is to our family, the example he is to our children. Bless him as only You can. Strengthen and keep him; guide him in wisdom and knowledge. Give him a long and healthy life to serve You and testify to Your goodness. May he follow You and keep representing You well so that others would fall in love with You also. Make him a worshipper and a warrior for Your glory. Amen.

______________________

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

Social Justice: What's the Word? by Susan Barclay

Social justice. The very words strike fear in the heart of this conflict-avoiding introvert. The term smacks of activism, conjures up images of marching in the street, waving a sign, being confronted by those who disagree, who will spit in your face or worse, while police stand ready to disperse angry crowds. We can see all too well what that looks like in today's news videos.

Photo by Peter H. (Tama66), Pixabay

Stop sweating, girl. Breathe. Think. What do the words 'social justice' really mean? A quick online search reveals a story different from the one you've been picturing in your head. Social justice in its purest form is to seek justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. It is to be concerned with issues such as poverty, access to education, employment, and housing, to promote everyone's ability to enjoy equally what the most powerful, wealthy and advantaged enjoy. 

But what can one person in a sea of humanity do? These are big issues, perhaps insurmountable. Didn't Jesus say that the poor would always be with us? It's right there in Matthew 26:11. In red even. Ah yes, but if we look just one chapter back we also learn that when we show a kindness to someone, we are showing that kindness to Jesus himself (Matthew 25:40). And then those words in Isaiah 58:6-11, oh so convicting and motivating:

“The kind of fasting I want is this: Remove the chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice, and let the oppressed go free. Share your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor. Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear, and do not refuse to help your own relatives.

Photo by Kristi611, Pixabay

"Then my favour will shine on you like the morning sun, and your wounds will be quickly healed. I will always be with you to save you; my presence will protect you on every side. When you pray, I will answer you. When you call to me, I will respond.

“If you put an end to oppression, to every gesture of contempt, and to every evil word; if you give food to the hungry and satisfy those who are in need, then the darkness around you will turn to the brightness of noon. And I will always guide you and satisfy you with good things. I will keep you strong and well. You will be like a garden that has plenty of water, like a spring of water that never goes dry. Your people will rebuild what has long been in ruins, building again on the old foundations. You will be known as the people who rebuilt the walls, who restored the ruined houses.”

Wow. I sure want the Lord's favour, protection, salvation and healing. I sure want Him to answer my prayers and respond to me when I call. Don't you?

And what about this from Micah 6:8?:

"What shall I bring to the Lord, the God of heaven, when I come to worship him? Shall I bring the best calves to burn as offerings to him? Will the Lord be pleased if I bring him thousands of sheep or endless streams of olive oil? Shall I offer him my first-born child to pay for my sins? No, the Lord has told us what is good. What he requires of us is this: to do what is just, to show constant love, and to live in humble fellowship with our God."

If I flip through the pages of my Bible, I find much more along these lines. There's no misconstruing what God wants of us, of me. The question becomes which issue(s) I will focus on and what actions I will take. What social justice concerns am I passionate about and how can I use my gifts and abilities to help? What time do I have to give?

I am passionate about children, about protecting them from poverty, abuse, and neglect, and seeing them provided for. To this end, I support the work of Compassion Canada, currently sponsoring two children and writing letters to encourage them.

I am passionate about preventing human trafficking and have given financially to the work of BridgeNorth. 

Photo by Engin Akyurt, Pixabay

I am passionate about prison ministry, about offering hope to those who've had difficult upbringings and made wrong decisions, and so support the work of New Life. 

I'm becoming more passionate about eldercare as I look after my mother in her later years. If I'm not mistaken, this too can be a social justice issue.

Because of time constraints in my current life stage and situation, most of my social justice "activity" is in the area of financial giving, unless you count acts of service for my mom. God knows the season that I'm in and it's all good. Not necessarily easy, but good. When things change (and obviously I want my mom to be around for a long time), He'll open the doors to more active engagement. My willingness, His perfect timing and plan.

What social justice initiatives are you passionate about? _________________________

You can find out more about Susan Barclay's writing at www.susan-barclay.blogspot.com