Faith & Family

All was calm.

Our Tennessee family steered their packed SUV down our driveway early Sunday morning for their eight-hour trip home. Everything, including the weather, had cooperated during their stay.

An impending thunderstorm loomed in the distance on the previous Saturday afternoon. I hastily guided my pontoon boat onto the lift to watch the sun unpredictably break through the clouds, disperse the storm, and invite me to jump into the water to cool off.

My family’s visit was perfect—a success. There were no accidents, illnesses, or mishaps. Even my cousin’s childhood friend navigated through two hours of Atlanta traffic to spend the day with her BFF.

“Life is too good,” I thought as I turned to walk into the house. “When is the other shoe going to drop?”

Gremlins in the recesses of my mind haunted me. This can’t be true. You don’t deserve this peace. Where is the turmoil, stress, and evil that should be lurking at your door?

Sound familiar? Why do we let our thoughts of dread tarnish good times? Why can’t we relax and thank our heavenly Father for all His incredible blessings right now? No one can accurately predict when storms will hit, so why spoil fun in the meantime? Why look for what might be waiting in the wings?

God promised to prepare us for all that lies ahead—mountain and valley, calm and storm. As a loving Father, He directs us to be still and watch Him fight the battles.

Determine to breathe, relax, and trust God while you enjoy the calm, knowing He has equipped you to face any storm.

Our kids’ brown and white hamster traveled around the living room floor inside his clear plastic exercise ball, tiny legs a blur. The round cage bumped against chair legs, the couch, and an end table and finally rolled along the wall.

The hamster’s erratic journey was comical but somehow sad. The hamster probably believed his efforts would eventually pay off as the ball hurtled around the room. But as fast as he ran, he remained confined inside his plastic prison, unable to experience true freedom of movement. In reality, the little creature went nowhere fast.

Jesus teaches the scribes and Pharisees (the Jewish experts in God’s law) that they are slaves to sin because they practice sin. Jesus also proclaims the gospel’s good news to them: the Son of God can forgive people of their sins and set them free.

Tragically, many religious leaders didn’t receive Jesus’ offer of forgiveness with joy. But why wasn’t the gospel good news to them? These two powerful parties had created a closed religious system of self-made righteousness and human authority, which they believed was airtight. The scribes interpreted God’s law as they saw fit, and the Pharisees supported them.

This uncontested bubble of authority rolled along smoothly until an obscure rabbi from Nazareth confronted their hypocrisy and hard hearts. Ironically, those claiming to be experts in the law did not recognize the Son of God, the lawgiver, when He looked them straight in the eye. They rejected Jesus and His offer of forgiveness in favor of their self-righteous, airtight prison of sin.

It’s easy to criticize the scribes and Pharisees for running inside their self-righteous bubble and rejecting Jesus’ offer of forgiveness. But what’s our bubble? Gossip or envy of what others have? Thinking we’re better than someone else? Not forgiving someone who’s wronged us? Justifying ourselves is easy, but it always lands us inside the hamster ball.

If needed, ask Jesus to forgive you today. He’s ready and willing to set you free from your sin.

After being betrayed by a close friend and let down by numerous others, the man became a recluse. He lived a lonely, solitary life separated from society. “I don’t need anyone,” he told himself—and anyone who dared to question—“not even God.”

The truth is that God did not create us to navigate this life alone. He created us for fellowship with Him and others. The Bible says two are better than one. That could mean a spouse, friend, family member, or co-worker. God knits hearts together so that we can live in community while helping, encouraging, and strengthening each other. Some say there is a direct link between our health and our relationships.

David had Jonathan, Ruth had Naomi, and Timothy had Paul. When we refuse to allow others into our lives, we are unfulfilled and incomplete. Before God created Eve as a helpmate for Adam, God declared that it was not good to be alone.

The Word for You Today says:

None of us can develop to our highest potential unless we’re plugged in to nurturing, life-giving relationships. The highest and best form of this relationship is referred to in Scripture as the “fellowship of the Spirit.” It’s not just a social, relational, or intellectual connection but a deep spiritual link that causes us to thrive.

Someone once said we should never stay where we’re simply tolerated; we should remain where we’re celebrated. Think of the people in your life. Do they cause you to thrive? If so, cherish and nourish those relationships. They are God’s gift.

The world went quiet as the chainsaw wound down, the last revolutions of its roar echoing off the far ridge before disappearing into silence. For a few long seconds, the former majestic eighty-foot oak fought against the gravity tugging it back to earth. Then, with a moaning crack deep inside its trunk, it trembled and shifted on the thin hinge left by the chainsaw. The heavy trunk kicked high as the bulk of the tree slammed into the earth with a whoosh THUNK that vibrated up my legs from the soles of my shoes.

The ancient oak had probably been here on the ridge since the Civil War roared around it 161 years ago. But it was diseased, fatally so, and poised a danger to our home. It wasn't alone. Another oak, smaller and younger but just as fatally sick, was already prostrate across the yard. Also, several thick branches had stretched ominously toward the roof of the house.

The tree surgeons had swarmed over our trees, wielding their chainsaws like lightsabers as they pruned, cut, and cleared. Now, their work done, they packed away the tools of their trade in their somewhat battered white van and disappeared down the driveway and off the ridge.

Their work was done, but ours was just beginning. There was probably a cord of firewood scattered across the yard, but unfortunately, it was still in its original form. For the next several weekends—armed with chainsaws, handsaws, hatchets, axes, sledgehammers, and splitters—we worked to clean up the mess for the next several weekends. And gain firewood for the winter.

I hated seeing holes in the leafy tree canopy that had once covered our home. But I would have hated even more to see holes in our roof from dead limbs crashing to earth. Deadwood must be trimmed, and dead trees must be brought to earth.

In the same way I work to keep the trees in our yard healthy, God likes to prune me. And like most living things, I suppose I produce more fruit when pruned. Disappointment, grief, family troubles, loss, circumstances that seem unfair, jealousy, and worry over health problems are all rubbish the Lord likes to show me. Fortunately, His Word is so sharp it doesn't hurt much when He prunes.

If you have deadwood in your life, use our Father's help and His razor-sharp Word to prune it out. Then have yourself a nice bonfire.

On a warm Florida fall day, my husband and I drove to Chamblin Bookmine to sell a box of books. Whenever I have a fair number of books to release, I start with Chamblin’s. Whatever they don’t take, I donate.

Because there were stacks of books from other customers ahead of us, the clerk asked if we would like to browse the store as we waited. I preferred to go outside to enjoy the sunshine, but I decided to take him up on his offer. I later realized the reason.

As my husband and I browsed the aisles of books, my hand eventually landed on a small book, Object Lessons from Nature, by Sylvia M. Mattson. I paused and leafed through the pages, noticing that the author used lessons about nature to teach lessons about Christ-centered living. 

Finding this little Jesus-filled book in Chamblin’s felt like finding a needle in a haystack. The store clerk later informed me they had just gotten this treasure in, and I knew it was there for me to encounter.

When we delight in seeking God daily with all our hearts, we can find Him in various ways. Sometimes even in small books in large bookstores.

Some ways we encounter God also create additional paths for connecting with Him. I am now journeying devotionally through Object Lessons from Nature, and God continues to give me sweet signs of His presence as I do.

Seconds into reading Lesson 1 on “The Smaller Plants,” a small leaf from a tree in my side yard landed directly over my heart. I don’t typically see the leaves dropping there. On the day I started reading the chapter entitled “Leaves”—because of the gloomy, cool weather—my eyes were suddenly drawn to the many leaves on my fall-themed tablecloth. Even indoors, God connected objects from nature with His presence.

The ways I encounter God are refreshing and fun to my spirit. I enjoy seeing Him in every little detail. If we want to find Him, all we need to do is take the time to seek Him daily.

Think of some ways you can seek God in your daily walk.