"BAD DAY"

"So you had a bad day......" There's a song with that very line in it and don't you just know how true that statement is!!?? We all have a bad day now and again. Some more than others. Unfortunately that's just all part of life. We have mountains and valleys, twists and turns, ups and downs, ins and outs. All for various reasons and for very specific purposes. Our God is very gracious to us in the fact that He helps us in every situation in life and is there "ALL" the time as opposed to "some" of the time. However when those down times come and those valleys get very deep and you're having a hard time finding your way out just remember Jesus is interdeding for you. We are warned in the Bible that satan is "going to and fro seeking whom he may devour." His goal is to destroy usw and everything we are about. Our families, our churches, our testimony, our children, even to the point of destroying our lives completely. He stops at nothing short of what God allows and that is to the point of taking our life, which thankfully he has no control over!! I recall a time in the Bible where Simon Peter was told by Jesus that satan had sought to "sift him as wheat." To "sift him" meant he was seeking to destroy him and Jesus knew Peter was well on his way to destruction at this point as this was right before Peter was told he would deny Christ 3 times!!! Peter could not have possibly comprehended the magnitude of what satan wanted to do to him. What bigger valley could he have been facing, right?! But remember I told you Jesus loves us more than we could ever imagine? How do I know? Because right after Jesus warned Peter about this He told him: "But I have prayed for you that your faith will not fail....." Jesus Himself, prayed for Peter! He petition3d the Father on his behalf!!! Can you imagine that? Jesus praying for you? How awesome!! It's true! He intercedes on our behalf when satan is out to sift us just like he did Peter. What more encouragement do we really need when we face those down times that we have than to know that Christ is personally talking to His Father on our behalf!! So the next time you face a bad situation or are feeling particularly down, finish this sentence and fill in the blank with your name. "__________________ satan has desired to sift you as wheat, but I have prayed that your faith will not fail!!!"

"Who is the one who condemns? Christ
Jesus is the One who died,
but even more, has been raised;
He also is at the right hand of God and
intercedes for us."
Romans 8:34

"LIFE INTERRUPTED"

Have you ever had a appointment you’ve had to cancel or reschedule by no choice of your own? Well, most of you know that my husband has a tradition of going out on Christmas Eve doing most of our Christmas shopping. This year it didn’t happen that way. With the economy being what it has been for the last several months and my husband being on a 4- day work week for several months we had already warned everyone that Christmas would “not” be what it has been in the past. Finances were just not there for it as it had been in the past. So….we set out on a new venture this year and went shopping the day after Thanksgiving, which my husband had never done before! First time for everything they say!! We initially went for one thing that they had on a “great sale” for our son. We had been watching the papers closely for the best sales we could get with the finances we had. We ended up doing the vast “majority” of our shopping that day at one store!!. We were to excited that we had it almost done, but were more excited that we were able to use the change we had saved during the year to shop with!! What a blessing!!! However, as the next few weeks unfolded it became clear to us the reason things happened the way they did! It was a very different Christmas season than we’d ever been accustomed to.

Many know the change in plans, interruptions if you will, and unscheduled events my family and I have had in the past couple of months. But if not, we had three funerals in two weeks, one of which was my husband’s mother, another a dear friend and church member and if that weren’t enough the elderly lady who lives with us ended up in the hospital for two weeks in the middle of all of it! There would have been no time for any shopping in the middle of all that going on, but God, in all His divine wisdom, knew what would be going on. I’m so grateful that God knows everything that’s going on before we do and He can make provisions that we know nothing about.

At some point in everyone’s life schedules have to be changed and appointments have to be cancelled or rearranged! Interruptions happen!! My hope is that everyone has their appoinment scheduled for Heaven. It’s important to get that done in advance, just like we did with our Christmas shopping. God has made provisions for you also to get that done. Every day of your life is another opportunity to “take time out” of your schedule and pencil God in. Well, actually once you’ve “penciled” him in, He puts you in with His “permanent” ink!!! God has carefully orchestrated an appointment for us that we will “have” to keep and it may very well intefere with our other schedules and appointments just like it did with ours, my mother-in-laws and our dear church member. It was an appointment that they had no idea they would keep on the day they did, but when God called their name, they were ready to step up and take their turns. So, instead of getting irritated that your schedule had to change, just know that our Father knows what’s best for us. And, while you’re planning your life, make sure you put God in your schedule so when it’s time for your appointment with God it won’t be dreaded but a greatly anticipated one!! You can be very sure, He has an appointment with you that you “will” keep no matter what you have “penciled” in. At that point a major interruption will come! A joyous one if you know Him!!!

“And it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement…”
Hebrews 9:27

"OFFENSIVE"

Have you ever offended someone? Let me tell you…..I certainly have. I have been told more than once in my life that my personality alone is offensive to some. I guess because I’m a Pastor’s wife I have been stereotyped in the “quiet, off to myself, Suzie Homemaker, Betty Crocker, Proverbs 31 woman.” However, I do not fit that mold in any way. I am who I am. As a matter of fact, I am who God made me to be. Anyway…….I have found that many times in my life I have inadvertently offended someone with something I’ve said or done. I can fully understand that when it comes to my personality or something I might have said. I know how I am. Sometimes I don’t always think before I speak and as the words are spilling out of my mouth my brain is telling me that I shouldn’t be saying what I’m saying. But……….I’m not as multifunctional as most think…..the words are sometimes like a waterfall and you can’t turn that off, it just continuously flows and just because my brain is thinking it sometimes it takes a little effort to stop the flow. It’s not those times I’m talking about though. That’s a work in progress every day. I’m talking about those times when we offend someone because we have shared scripture with them; the Word of God. We have tried to witness to them and they take it offensively. Our words sometimes condemn people and cut them to the quick and most of the time it’s not effective. But, you can be assured if you offend someone using the scripture, you have done nothing wrong. The Word of God speaks for itself and it is used for correction and reproof. It is meant to “cut like a knife!” Sometimes depending on the offense, we can get cut pretty deep. But God would rather cut us and cause us to turn back from our sin than to deliver a fatal stab. He loves us more than we could ever imagine. He is our “Heavenly Father” and He knows what is best for us. He protects us in every way He can so as not to mar us permanently. He gives correction through His word and if we listen, we will learn. If not, then we are foolish!

“Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but one who hates correction is foolish.”
Proverbs 12:1

"SLEEP"

“Exhaustion is a great sleep inducer.” Those are the words my husband heard as I called him shortly after I woke up!!! Now for those who know me you are scratching your head wondering about that statement. Most people know that I “do not” sleep without him lying next to me or at least in the close proximity of me!!! In all of our married life I have never been able to sleep unless he was home!!! However, he’s been on the early shift for the past two weeks, which means rolling out of bed at 2 am, 1:45 am to be exact!! Yikes!!! I know……. that’s early!!! Obviously my body thinks the same thing!!! For the past 2 Sunday nights we have not gotten home until at least 11 pm. Going to bed at 11:30 pm, not going to sleep until midnight and getting up at 2 am is not a good combination!! I know you’re thinking “why haven’t we gotten home before then and why are we laying down in bed at such a ridiculous hour” when we “know” we have to get up so early. It’s all “in the line of duty” so to speak!!! Some things just have to be done and there’s no getting around them. Well, at least not if your last name is “Spencer” and your first name is Jeff or Darlene!!!!! Anyways……when he left for work this morning I went and laid back down in the bed, which is not really uncommon because I’ll usually lay there until he calls to let me know he’s there safely, but I totally knocked out until my alarm went off and then if that wasn’t bad enough, I dozed back off for a few minutes and then phone rang!!!! I was grateful I was half awake! I may not have heard the phone!! Hard as it is to admit, and no I haven’t the foggiest idea why, I was completely and utterly exhausted!!! Enough is enough I guess you could say!! After all, I have now found out that I am human!! Who would’ve thought!!!?? There’s only so much that you can tolerate and then you just have to give it up and give in and if you don’t then your body does it for you!!! Yep…..that’s what happened. However much I “did not” want to sleep without my husband here, my body had other plans!!! I should have known it would catch up with me sooner or later!!!

Sometimes I think that’s the way we are in our lives as a Christian. We fight and fight and we never win. We do everything in our power and we just wear ourselves out and then when it finally comes down to it we collapse due to spiritual exhaustion!! When in all reality if we had just given in and let God do what He does best, we wouldn’t have been so worn out!!!

I’m grateful that God finally “made me to lie down” and get some rest. I feel so much better!!! New energy to face another day!! Now……I’m going to bed at a decent hour!!

“He restores my soul”
Psalm 23:3

"REGRETS"

So many times in life we have regrets. Regrets about things we didn’t do……places we didn’t go…..people we didn’t see or talk to. And when the time comes and the opportunity passes we say things like; I wish I had taken time…..I wish I had gone here or there, etc. I wish, I wish, I wish. We spend our lives “wishing” things and never doing some of the most important things! The truth of the matter is that we “make” time for the things we “want,” but sadly enough many times not for what we “need” to do. Those are the times….the times that the opportunity is gone forever and that’s when we’re left to carry the burden of guilt. Those people that we love should take the highest priority in our lives, yet many times they are left unattended to until we “have” time. We need to realize that we only have ONE chance at this life we live here on earth and so does everyone else. Unfortunately many people use that as an unhealthy advantage to do things they really shouldn’t but they consider it their “once in a lifetime” opportunity. In all reality, there are more important things that in life than those times. When someone you love is hurting or in need, that’s the time to respond….right then….. in that moment. My Grannie used to say: “there’s no time like the present.” We need to realize just how true that statement was. There is no time like the present because what you did yesterday is gone and what you want to do tomorrow may never happen. Take time today to love, laugh and live life to it’s fullest. Jesus did. He loved deeply. In His Word we’re reminded laughter is like medicine to us and He lived His life to the fullest and gave it all for us. Isn’t it time we started living the example He left us? We simply “cannot” turn back the hands of time so regrets only come when we ignore the present need.

Today’s opportunities will never pass this way again so we need to live today like yesterday never happened……………..and the tomorrow we may never see.

You don't even know what tomorrow will bring--
what your life will be! For you are but a vapor
that appears for a little while, then vanishes.
James 4:14

"WHERE WILL YOU BE TOMORROW?"

The news came that there had been a fatal traffic accident and the life of one of our close friends son had been taken prematurely. “How awful. How tragic,” I thought. Only 18 and his life was ended so suddenly. Then the phone rang. “Will you sing at the funeral” I heard as the words stung my heart. Immediately I responded, “of course I will!” I couldn’t say no. I’ve always considered it an honor to be asked to sing no matter the situation or place. As I hung up the phone I began to think of what I would sing. It depended on whether he was saved or not. My usual song is “Serenaded by Angels,” but how could I possibly sing that if I was uncertain about his salvation. I picked up the phone and quickly called the Pastor in charge of the service and asked him. “Yes, when he was younger he made a profession of faith” he said. Praise God, an affirmative answer! I was so relieved. I got the CD out and put it in and began to sing it and I began to imagine all the beauties he was gazing on at that very moment. I couldn’t help but have an extremely heavy heart for his parents, family and friends, but all I could think of is how he was indeed led to the throne of God by the angels who were sent to receive him into the Kingdom of Heaven. What joy he must have felt. What splendor he must have saw as he entered the gates of that city so bright and fair. The joy he must have felt as he was met by his grandmother who had recently passed and all the other ones who had gone on before him. What a welcoming committee that surely must have met him at the gate!!

The funeral would be set for that following Saturday so I thought to myself I’ll have some short amount of time to get a grip on my emotions so I could sing. Saturday came and as we drove up to the funeral home we would find that there was nowhere to park! The parking lot was full, across the street was full, down the sides of the roads were full!! As we entered the funeral home we quickly found that there would be “standing room only” also!! The people were packed in like sardines. So many people had come to pay tribute to this young man. The service began and a good friend sang first. A hush fell over the crowd as she began to sing “Ten Thousand Angels Cried.” The Pastor prayed and then opened it up for whose who wished to say something in honor of the young man. It was one right after another. The story remained the same throughout most of their words. “He was the best friend I ever had. He was special, kind, loving, caring, extremely intelligent, etc. He gave me some sense of worth in my life. He will be our guardian angel now to watch over us. I can’t believe he’s gone and I’ll never see him again. I never had a friend before him. I most likely will never have another friend!” The last sentence struck me so hard. I thought, “oh if you only knew his Jesus you would know that you have a friend. One that will never leave you!” I had already prayed for the officiating Pastor, but at that point I began to ask God to empower him in a way that he could penetrate the hearts that were being destroyed by their grief. They were devastated without any hope. I realized they did not know Jesus therefore they would be tormented by their loss for a very long time. I prayed God would somehow show those young and old alike the hope that this young man had had. As each one took the podium my heart became more and more burdened and saddened by what I was hearing. The tears began to pour. Not so much for the young man’s body who was occupying the casket, but for those who had no hope of ever seeing him again!!! How horrible that must be I thought to myself!! As the last person sat down the Pastor took the podium again and as he spoke a lump formed in my throat and the tears burned my eyes. As I stood there and prayed for a peace I felt a hand on my shoulder and knew it was my husband. In a moment I knew he was praying for me as I felt the very presence of God fill me from the top of my head to the soles of my feet. A calm fell over me that I have never known before. As the Pastor ended the service with a prayer I began to make my way to the podium to sing. I prayed that those who were in range of my voice would hear the words to my song and they would realize all that the Pastor has said about being ready for Heaven would come to life in their minds. The Pastor had given a time of invitation for those who did not have the hope of seeing their friend again. He made it perfectly clear that without the salvation that this young man had experienced there would be no glad reunion day for them, but if they did they would definitely see him again! I prayed that in some small way the words of my song would reiterate what the Pastor had said and they would receive Christ as their Savior. As I sang a song that normally has no volume without a microphone (which the funeral home had none), the words came out strong and clear and I was told later it could be heard to the back of the funeral home!! It had nothing to do with me. It had all to do with the wonderful Saviour that the song spoke of and the Pastor spoke of. It spoke of the same Saviour that this young man knew. The same Saviour he is now with. My prayer is that his friends and loved ones will realize the brevity of life. I pray they will consider the fact that his tomorrow never came here on this earth, but began in Heaven and will prepare for that place should their tomorrow never come here. I am at peace with where I know he is, but my heart still is burdened for those who know no peace because they do not know Jesus as their Saviour. I pray through this they will believe. Never go to sleep angry, harbor bitter feelings about someone or fail to tell someone you love them and mean it because you are not guaranteed to see or speak with them again. Most importantly be prepared just in case your tomorrow doesn’t start here on this earth!

“Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. “
Amos 4:12

"He Knows"

Everybody has a story. As I sat and scanned the crowd there were many I knew and many I didn’t. As each singer took the stage my mind began to wander as I had thoughts of “I know about her struggles. I know his weakness. I know about their family. I know this, I know that……” I have no idea why those thoughts were racing through my mind. I had to question myself. You know what you’re doing to and how would you feel if you knew someone was sitting thinking those thoughts about you?” Trouble is, we don’t know ANYTHING unless we know the Lord. We may think we know everyone’s story, but we need to remember God knows “OUR” story. “The song came to my mind that Sami and I sing. “He Knows My Name.” That song is one of comfort and assurance that no matter what you’re going through, He will always be there for you. It became a sobering thought to me. It turned from comfort to reality. He knows exactly every intricate detail of my life. Seen and unseen. Heard and unheard. He knows our struggles, our weakness, our failures, our troubles, but the greatest thing of all is that in the midst of billions of people, He knows me!!! Every time I call on Him He answers. When He sees me, He looks beyond all my faults and failures. He never sits and thinks about what we’ve done or what we’re doing. He never prides Himself on thinking He knows anything on us!!! He never has anything that He deems worthy to “hold over our head” because all He sees when He looks at us is the Blood. That precious blood that takes the blackest heart and makes it whiter than snow.

Is there someone you look at and have thoughts of knowing their “story?” Have you shared what you know about someone? Before you decide to share your thoughts with anyone, first remember that God doesn’t share your story with anyone. You should do the same.