Opportunities to Trust You!

Anxiety, fear, worry...none of these words seem appropriate when trying to be encouraging, do they? Of course not.  However, these are precisely the emotions that move me to be intentional about seeking my trust in God.

I've always been terrified by the mere thought of medical exams.  The anxiety of the "what if" eats me alive.  A couple of years ago, though, the Holy Spirit guided me towards an attitude of thanksgiving when feeling the cold grip of fear.  Rather than submitting to panic, I must submit to prayer, while thanking Our Almighty Father for giving me another opportunity to trust Him and to draw near His Presence.

Never do I feel closer to My Lord than when I am on the verge of falling into the terror of the hospital waiting room...my hands are cold and sweaty, but my heart is fixed on seeking evidence of His Presence and His Love in me.  The precious name of Jesus resonates in my mind like a soothing lullaby...hushing my frazzled soul.

So, rather than lamenting...I try to concentrate on the blessing that these moments bring ... if my anxious state leads me further still in my walk with Christ, well, Praise the Lord for that!

A change of perspective is all it takes to put in practice the words of the Apostle Paul:

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18

May we always seek the opportunities to thank You and to trust You, Lord, whether immersed in the joys of life or deep in the pit of desolation...shine Your Light brightly in our hearts to know that You are constantly near, regardless of how we feel.  In the precious name of Jesus.  Amen!

Chicken Noodle Moments

The darkness of the skies, the harshness of a winter that is sneaking in ahead of time, the exhaustion of hectic days that rush by leaving nothing but a blur, the stress of a busy schedule, the loneliness of an empty house...they all contribute to moments becoming fuzzy rather than memorable...

Every time I hit the pillow at night it's as if the day had dissipated in thin air, nothing tangible to grasp...gone...the minutes and hours all blended into one shapeless vapor...and me, behind, wrestling to contain it, only to see it slip through my fingers...nothing to capture...nothing to put away...nothing to savor...

Then, I read this phrase, a couple of days ago in a devotional I get on e-mail:  "make moments matter..."

The soft flow of the words poured into my soul like a delicious bowl of warm, comforting, home-made, hearty, soul-fortifying chicken noodle soup...mmm...

I love chicken noodle soup.  Some might find it too plain and simple.  I just think it is the perfect, classic, pick-me-upper meal especially when feeling low.  There is something about homemade chicken noodle soup that warms my heart and cheers my soul.  I LOVE the noodles!  They are specially great when homemade. I have to admit, though, I'm not crazy about the carrots and celery...I know...I'm not much of a vegetable girl.  They tend to get on the way of the really tasty stuff.  Specially if the carrots are too crunchy or too chunky...I often set them aside...sorry...but anyway, the only way to enjoy your favorite soup is one slow tablespoon at a time...well...I think that's what "making moments matter" should be like: a paced motion that moves at a soft beat.

"Make moments matter."  The phrase becomes a chant in my mind.  "Make moments matter." Force yourself to stop.  "Make moments matter." Force yourself to slow down at least.  "Make moments matter."  Force yourself to look up and out to the world around you.  "Make moments matter." Force yourself to pay attention.  "Make moments matter."  Force yourself to really listen.  "Make moments matter."  Force yourself to learn how to say no to what doesn't matter in order to embrace what does.

The same way I can't truly enjoy my perfect bowl of chicken noodle soup in a hurry because I'll burn everything between my lips and my esophagus...I cannot do life rushing through the days as if in a mad race...because I'll burn through everything that matters.

Today, I am encouraged by the fact that I have been made aware of the importance of being intentional about making moments matter.  And I pray that the Holy Spirit will help me do, whatever I need to do, in order to savor life one thick, tasty, totally awesome noodle at a time, even if there are some of those pesky carrots wrapped around them once in a while. 

Fleeting Bliss

At the Washington Mall - Hanging out with our dearest friends!

Thanksgiving Eve Dinner at home with my sister and my niece

My normal mood is a combination of anxious/longing/melancholy: anxious about my fears of future things I dread...longing for better things that never seem to come...melancholy about the past that always seems better than anything I have today...sigh...

However, not very often, but often enough for me to notice...there are these...moments...instants of fleeting bliss...when, everything, if only for a microsecond, feels perfectly right.

Have you felt them?

I have the blessing of experiencing a couple of them in the last two weeks.  One was in Washington D.C. when our family and the family of my dearest friend in the whole world had a chance to get together for a few days, and these moments of fleeting bliss brushed my soul like the soft caress of angels' wings.  Then, last week, I felt them again, when my sister and my niece stayed with us for a week over the Thanksgiving holiday. 

Whether in the midst of endless walks around monuments and museums or in the middle of preparing turkey and sweet potato casseroles; regardless of tired feet, grey skies, rumbling tummies or cold nights, the feeling of profound joy and peace in my heart surprised me all the same.  And the experience lifted me, leaving me light as a feather, making me believe I could fly.

The interesting thing is, now that I think about it, I cannot recall any instance in which I've felt these fleeting bliss around or about material things.  They always come in the middle of relationships, around people I dearly love.  I perceive them while immersed in a reunion of those whom I consider family, whether blood related or not.  Perhaps, it is because that's precisely the message these moments are intended to send:  people and relationships are what matter in this life.  It is just like the Trinity: a Perfect, Holy, Divine Relationship between Father, Son and Holy Ghost.  It is just like the personal relationship we seek to have with Our Lord.  It is just like the gathering of the souls at the end of the road...

It is the anxious-longing-melancholy of the heart that awaits the final family reunion of those who belong to the Perfect, Holy, Divine family of Our Almighty God.  And for that...I am learning to be thankful and glad.

May the season of Thanksgiving last through the Advent season to help us refocus our sight on what really matters:  our relationships.  Because it is our relationships with God and with the people He has surrounded us with, what truly matters in the end.

Terrestrial Angels

"When God provides, it usually is in the form of people."  I read these words in the blog of a missionary family in Haiti who is in the midst of impossible situations, facing shortages, scarcity, violence, uncertainty and all kinds of trouble in the name of Christ...in a land where evil reigns and where hope seems to fade...but...God!

How many times we read in the Bible about circumstances similar to what is happening in Haiti today, then we read: "But God..."  Those two little words usher in encouragement.  They introduce the supernatural healing power of God's hand, and how He can, with one glance, change the seemingly inevitable doom that the visible course is directed towards.  And...if we think about it, often, such redirection is prompted by our encounter with a person.  When doom is impending, He sends someone.  It could be someone through a song, through a book or in flesh and blood...but a person, indeed.

Discouragement was threatening the stability of the souls of the missionary family in Haiti; but God sent tenderness and healing in the shape of a group of people who came to minister to them, leaving their hearts revitalized.  Loneliness threatens to push a dear one into the pit of darkness and desperation; but God sends the blinking light on the phone with fresh messages of hope from someone in the distance who deeply cares and is willing to be "there" for her.  Fear and anxiety threatens to swallow up the fragil resolve of the one who waits for results; but God sends a message of a prayer chain from those who support her with hands lifted up to the Lord.  Precious children are in grave need of life-saving medicine in a remote place in an island that hope seems to evade; but God sends a man willing to sacrifice security and comfort, to deliver the valuable medication into the hands of those who will safely bring it to where is needed.  The entire world was lost; but God sent His One and Only Son, Jesus to be the Christ who saves...

Today, we pray for us to recognize those "...But God..." moments that come around wearing the garment of the common folk; but who in reality are God's terrestrial angels who were willing to say "yes" to a mission that for many would be impossible.  I pray, specially and specifically for Sam, whom today is one of those angels...travelling across miles to spend an hour bringing hope for the future of the "least of these."  May God's grace, mercy, love and protection be with you.  May the Holy Spirit bring comfort and peace to your family in the knowledge that God is traveling with you...and in the trust that He is in control.  Godspeed, good friend.  Hoping to hear your stories upon your return.  In the Precious Name of Christ! Amen!

Making it to the Team

"Okay, Dylan, you've got to give 150%  of yourself.  Treat every open-gym as if it were the tryouts.  Actually, treat every practice as if it were tryouts.  That's how you show you're worth being picked for the team.  That's how you show you are valuable.  Perform well and they will want you!" 

Gosh...basketball season is exhausting and tryouts are still a week away.  We know it will be crucial for Dylan to make it into the school team this year, so we are pushing him more than ever to perform...that's how you get what you want in this life, right?  You've got to make it happen, otherwise, you get left out...

You've got to show your worth...or else, you get passed on for that promotion, or you don't get into your dreamed college, or you don't get picked to be part of the team, right?

"My kingdom is not about earning and deserving; it's about believing and receiving." These words from my devotional reading this morning (Sarah Young's Jesus Calling) challenged me and deeply convicted me and my way of thinking...

In a world where competition seems to be the only way to win...where performance is the only base to be rewarded...where our worth is measured on what we can and can't do...God stands on the complete opposite side...sending Jesus to tell us: Follow me!

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Luke 11: 9-10

The contrast between the way to achieve things in the world and the way to be fulfilled in Jesus is stark.  When the world says: your destiny is what you make.  Your efforts determine what you get.  Jesus says: Come to Me...seek Me...be still...trust...see...

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Romans 8: 32

Lord...forgive me for getting caught up in the traps of this world.  Forgive me for falling for its alluring and seductive ways.  Forgive me for forgetting that You are the Only Way.

The things that effort, performance and self-reliance can get us will eventually and inevitably fade away.  Dylan might make it to the basketball team and have a brilliant season.  But, years from now, what would that amount to if he does not have God in his life? And, on the contrary, even if Dylan doesn't make it to the basketball team, he will be alright as long as He stays on the path that Jesus has traced for him. The basketball team is irrelevant.  The team that matters, the team into which is crucial he makes it is the one labeled: Children of God...

May we understand this truth as we continue to guide our kids through the path that they should follow.  In Christ Precious Name! Amen!

Whatever is Excellent and Praiseworthy

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8

Do you ever feel so overwhelmed with life's worries/circumstances/situations that it seems as if you were trapped in the washing machine spinning cycle?

Lately, that's exactly how I have been feeling.  My stress level keeps rising, and often, I find myself irritable and numbed to what's around me.  I can't continue like this.  The spinning cycle must stop!  This is not what the Lord wants for us.  I lift up my eyes from the computer and stare at a big poster of a quiet, gloriously gorgeous beach I have hanging on the wall in front of my desk...and immediately, I start to long for that quietness I see on that picture.  Wouldn't it be nice to be there?  I can feel the warm sand on my feet and the salty breeze playing with my hair.  I hear the relentless sound of the waves crashing and the occasional seagull calling as it rushes pass by me in her pursuit for her daily fish.  What would I give to be there...summer morning...nothing to do...nowhere to go...just breathe and be still...

I move my eyes from the picture and the image collapses when my mind hits the reality of my surroundings: a messy desk, a needy dog, a dark/cloudy/rainy/cold morning, piles of work all around me and constant worries about upcoming tests, looming deadlines, threatening worries...

How can I re-create the peace and quietness of a summer week at the beach in my everyday life?

I think Paul has a hint as to what to do:  it's all about the things we think about.  We are called to control our minds, not to allow our minds to control ourselves.  How do we control it, you may ask? By choosing what we think about.  Whenever the daily worries start creeping in, we need to remember Paul's words:  "find the things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable...excellent and praiseworthy...and think about such things, and such things alone.

Excellent and praiseworthy is Your Name, O Lord!  In the moments of desperation, high stress, numbing fear and worry, may Your Name come to our minds as a lifesaver, to pull us out of the choppy waters and keep us afloat...more than afloat...alive and assured of the Power of Your Steady Presence, for there is Great Power in the Name of Jesus!

I can't think of anything more excellent and praiseworthy than the Name of Jesus!

Let it roll out of your mouth from the overflowing love of your heart and allow the sound of each letter to soothe your troubled soul as a tender lullaby.  Cherish each syllable as it's pronounced by your own voice, audibly, for the walls to shake and your heart to calm down.  And let His Presence bring you comfort, rest and peace to help your mind be still.

I Praise You and Thank You, Dear Lord for Your Precious Name!  How Excellent and Praiseworthy Your Are, Lord.  Your Name has the Power to calm my storms and quiet my mind.  Invade my soul with Your Presence and stop the crazy/spin cycle of my heart, in Your Excellent and Praiseworthy Name!

Whatever is Lovely and Admirable!

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Philippians 4:8

I saw the Big Dipper!  Can you believe it?  For the first time in my 51 years of age, I saw Big Dipper!  The thing is, growing up in Panama, looking for and talking about star formations and constellations was not a thing.  Those who did were considered a bit...how shall I put it? ... strange?  I guess sailors and fishermen did know about such things, but I didn't know any sailor or fisherman.  Therefore, my knowledge of stars was limited to the "Three Marys."

Do you know about the "Three Marys"?  No?!  Let me tell you.  That's what we called the three stars in Orion's Belt...in reference to the women who went to the tomb of Jesus the morning of His resurrection.  Yep, everyone knew about them.  That's the only thing I ever saw on the night sky as far as star formations...Then, I come to the United States and boom!  I'm about the only person around who has never heard about things like "Cassiopeia," "Ursa Major," "Little Dipper," "Orion," "Big Dipper."

At any rate, we got a telescope last Christmas for Grant, and we still haven't had time to figure out all its features.  We got to see the moon a few times, and I have to tell you, it was mighty impressive...but I have to admit, the Moon is about the only thing I can ever find on the sky anyway.  I still can't quite see Orion other than his belt (A.K.A. The Three Marys).  But this morning, as I took Link outside in the brisk, still dark wee hours of our fall dawn, I turned my head toward the northern sky...and there it was!  The Big Dipper!  Right in display for me to see!  It was so clear, I can't believe I've never seen it!  I have been taking Link outside before sunrise for over a year now, always looking up at the sky, marvelling at God's creation, and never saw anything until this morning...

It was huge!  Kind of upside down, but perfectly clear.  It was as if God had opened my eyes.  It was so "there" that I still can't believe I never saw it before...it was like a veil had been removed and I could finally see...and it was admirable!

I was so excited, I came inside and announced it to everyone, and ... nobody cared.  "I saw the Big Dipper!" "I saw the Big Dipper!"  I said, "OK, cool" I heard in response...it wasn't a big deal for them.  But it was for me.  It was a gift, an it was lovely!  And it made me think of the glory revealed in His creation.  Who, other than Our Amazingly Creative God would have thought of forming the stars for our amusement and amazement? And to think that He made the atmosphere clear so we could see it!  WOW!  It's no wonder David, a shepperherd used to spending nights without end staring at the sky, couldn't help but proclaim:

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 19:1

Paul guides us as to where we should invest our thoughts into.  He tells us to place them into whatever is lovely and admirable.  Well, I tell you, today, in a world that seems to be in decay, with not much to find lovely and not much to admire, there is still God's creation and its ability to surprise us with its grandeur and majesty! Therefore, when I find myself falling into the default darkness of  my mind, I am going to remember to look up and be marveled at the lovely and admirable glory of the work of His Hands proclaimed by the skies!

p.s.:  I still can't believe I finally saw the Big Dipper! LOL!