Then God said 'Go"

It’s been a little over six months now since this world lost Donald Herndon. I didn’t know Donald very well. Mostly, I knew of him because of the Brice W. Herndon and Sons Funeral Chapels and Crematory. I know Donald’s reputation for handling death and dying gracefully and professionally for generations of people in our community. While the major responsibility of his mortuary business was navigating the tasks and logistics associated with death, it was his particular care for life that I will never forget.

In the year prior to Donald’s death my husband, Scott, and I had come through a difficult season that helped us realize that the very thing we had devoted our lives to for years was no longer returning the favor. We had begun to gasp and choke on the smoke from the fire that had previously fueled our purpose. We kept waiting for God to move, but soon realized that God was waiting on us to move. So, we grieved over what once was and stepped away from the heat. It was time to let go. It was time to go.

We were reminded that God has a strong record of telling people to go. The first account of God speaking the word go is in Genesis 7 when He told Noah to go into the ark. God told Abram to go to the land He would show him. God told Moses to go and bring the Israelites out of Egypt.

Jesus spoke it often.

 “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come follow me.” Mark 10:21

“Go.  Your faith has healed you.” Mark 10:52

“Now, go. Call your husband and come back.” John 4:16

“Go into all the world…” Mark 16:15

Noah. Abraham. Moses. The rich young ruler. The blind man. The Samaritan woman. The disciples. Scott and Nancy.  Go. Just go. I will show you. I will show up for you.

We thought our going would take us far away. As it turned out, we didn’t have to take very many steps, just one big one. Less than a month after taking that step, Donald Herndon reached out, offered encouragement, and provided the next stepping stone. He offered Scott a job and told him it would be an honor to have him working at the funeral home. With that, Scott and I both felt like the air was clearing.

A year later, Scott participated in Donald’s funeral. The sanctuary was full, a bagpiper led the processional and recessional, a robed choir sang Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus. There was congregational singing. An Episcopal Rector led the service from the Book of Common Prayer. A Baptist Minister preached a sermon. Happy memories were shared that brought smiles and laughter. Words about heaven were spoken with both assurance and hope.

Donald’s daughter, Allison, sang “Holy Ground.” When her sweet voice sang the lyrics “We are standing in His presence on holy ground…,” it ushered in one of those miraculous moments that is hard to express in words. I began to sense that, at last, my going had ceased, at least temporarily. I was finally standing still. So still, in fact, that I couldn’t move because I didn’t want to push away the presence I felt surrounding me.

After the sermon, Scott sang the Lord’s Prayer. I’ve heard him sing it many times and he’s proven over and over that he can do it well. It had been an emotional and exhausting few days and I was concerned that it might take a toll on his voice. As he began to sing, my face fell to my hands and tears flooded my eyes. With every measure, Scott’s voice grew larger and more powerful as it filled the sanctuary. Honestly, I had never heard Scott sing like that before. My heart knew that the all-powerful authority in heaven and earth was there and I was undone. I understood some of what Isaiah felt when he said he “saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of his robe filled the temple” (Isaiah 6).

When Scott got home later that night, I told him, “Honey, I have NEVER heard you sing like that.” 

He looked back at me with his own tears welling up, and said, “I haven’t either.” 

A few days later when he could finally talk about it he said that it was almost like someone else was singing. Indeed. The Holy Spirit showed up to fill the sanctuary and He used Scott’s voice to do it.

I couldn’t help but take that personally, as if the presence of God was there just for me. I say that because Donald’s memorial service took place in the very sanctuary where, just a year before, our calling had grown faint and our vision had grown dim. The once shaky ground became holy.

Now, months later, people still ask Scott about his singing that day. I wasn’t the only one. The presence of the Holy Spirit showed up for all of us.

When Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up and His train filling the temple, he heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”  

Isaiah responded “Here am I; send me!”

Then God said, “Go…”

This was originally posted February 13, 2020 by The Press and Standard

The Pecan Trees: The seeds we plant matter

My father was born in Soperton, Georgia in the 1920’s. Soperton is a small, rural town located in Southeast Georgia. His family left Soperton when he was a teenager, moving to Jacksonville, Florida where he met and married my mother. My two sisters and I were born in Jacksonville.

As children, when we took family vacations we never slept in hotels or visited theme parks. Instead, we always stayed with extended family whom we likely hadn’t seen since the summer before when we made that same trek from Jacksonville to Soperton.

Often our summer “vacations” were scheduled around Thigpen family reunions. Dozens of cousins would gather at the Soperton town clubhouse. There were long rows of tables filled with everyone’s tastiest pot luck. There was a much food as there was laughter and chatter.

Every summer when we made that trip, or any other time of the year we found ourselves traveling to see relatives near Soperton, my dad had one particular stop he always had to make. It was a grove of pecan trees. It’s been years ago now, but the last time I saw those trees they were probably 75 feet tall and almost as wide as they were tall.

We’d drive by those trees and my dad would tell us how he planted each one as a seedling. We would all marvel at how huge those trees were and how much they must have grown since they were first nestled in the ground graciously and evenly spaced in straight, diagonal rows. My dad was drawn to that grove of trees, as if the limbs waved longingly at him from a distance, signaling him to come closer.

Those trees were probably at least 30 years old or more by the time Dad was taking us to see them. I don’t know what was really going through his mind when he made his pilgrimages to those trees, but I do know he never missed an opportunity to visit them. It’s as if they were part of the family too. They were products of his hard work and effort. It was no longer his charge to care for them, but he still cared about them. Years later, he still wanted to see them flourish.

Seeing those pecan trees fully grown and producing crops was satisfying not only to my father, but to every one of us traveling the road with him. If we made the trip later in the fall, we may have even stopped to pick up a handful of nuts. The memory puts a smile on my face and a longing in my heart.

Trees, seeds, plants, branches, crops, harvests, and all kinds of agriculture are frequent topics in the Bible. There are mentions of trees in the Garden of Eden, onions in Egypt, hyssop at the Passover,  Zacchaeus’ climb up a sycamore, a withering fig tree, the ark constructed with acacia wood, palms covering the roadway to Jerusalem, and cypress and cedar trees that may have been used in making a cross.

How long does it take for an entire forest (enough to build an ark) of acacia trees to grow to strong enough to be construction worthy?  How many years prior would they have been planted? What about Zacchaeus’ sycamore?  Or the Jerusalem palms? Or the wood for the cross? Who else but God could make the harvest timing ripe for the task needed?

Beyond Eden, someone on this earth planted the onions, hyssop, palms and other plants and trees used for purposes in the entire biblical narrative. Whoever planted and/or cared for those trees likely had no idea God would use them to tell His story. They may have been like my dad, even if they had moved on after planting, still stopping by to pay a visit when they’re in town, telling his children how dirty he got digging the holes for them, being amazed at what God has done with it since then.

The seeds we plant matter. I need to be better about following my dad’s example by being more deliberate and attentive rather than randomly dropping one or two here or scattering a handful over there. I also need to follow my Heavenly Father’s example. He has a vision for every seed and the patience to see it grow into the very thing He meant it for.

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither -- whatever they do prospers. Psalm 1:1-3

This was originally posted July 18, 2019 by The Press and Standard

Moving on is scary

We’ve made it through another graduation season and a whole new group of young adults has been promoted to the next phase of life. Moving on is exciting, exhilarating, and scary. Some of these graduates know where they’re going, what they want to do, and have it all planned out. Others can’t see quite that far down the road, but they can see the next step and are eager to take it. There are also some who still need a little more time to let the fog clear. I think it’s that last group that helped initiate the gap year.

The gap year is apparently a trend now. Students take a year off between high school and college, or between college and graduate school, or maybe even between graduate school and starting a career-related job. In fact, it is such a trend now that some schools and travel companies even offer gap year programs. These gap year programs involve things like international travel and focus on cultural experiences. The goal is an education beyond academics, and to help provide rest and focus for the upcoming challenge.

I graduated from college a long time ago, but the last twelve months turned out to be a gap year for me.  It wasn’t planned. It just happened.

It started when burglars broke into our house. That day we were robbed of not only precious treasures, but also the vision of what we thought our future looked like in that house. We were safe but changed.

That unexpected incident then seemed to open up the floodgates for a succession of several other rapid fire trauma-filled, grief-filled, and tragedy-filled life-changing events over the next several months. The framework of the life we had built became murky and muddy in the months of deluge. We lost friends, we lost things, we lost money. There were gaps in almost every area of our life.

Because of all the gaps, I had to work to refocus on what was important. I stopped doing most of the things that filled up my days and gave me a sense of purpose and accomplishment. I stopped going. I stopped volunteering. I stopped writing. I just stopped. I, too, needed time for the fog to clear. 

I quit, but God never did.

I kept getting reminders. Things like devotional emails, social media posts, podcasts, almost anything I was listening to or reading eventually brought me around to the same verse of scripture:

“Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:10-11 NIV

I certainly felt like my calling was in question and needed a new and fresh confirmation. I was, however, a little unsure about how to “make every effort” to confirm that new calling, especially since I’d quit all those purpose-affirming activities. I wanted to get busy, but I just couldn’t bring myself to get back in the game.

The longer I remained still and quiet, the clearer it became… it is not up to me to confirm my own calling. That’s God’s responsibility.

In verse 3 of that same chapter of 1 Peter it says that “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

Nothing I have or do will confirm my calling like His divine power, glory, and goodness can and will. My contribution is to simply get to know Him. Getting to know Him is discovering that “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”  Colossians 1:17

Sometimes it takes the dust cloud of a difficult circumstance (or several) to see God’s character more clearly. It’s what made me be able to say that my heart aches, but I still have joy. I am poor, but still have spiritual riches to share. I own nothing, but yet have everything. (2 Corinthians 6:10).

He’s standing in the gaps, filling them with His divine power, glory, and goodness, holding everything together.  That’s my confirmation.

This was originally posted June 27, 2019 on The Press and Standard site.

A simple concept that's not always easy

A couple of months ago, Scott and I blazed through the first two seasons, all 20 episodes, of The Crown on Netflix. Once we got started with it, it was hard to turn it off.

One episode in particular (Season 2, Episode 6) has been lingering with me. In it, Queen Elizabeth meets Billy Graham. In light of Rev. Graham’s recent death, it’s been on my mind even more so.

Queen Elizabeth was struggling to forgive her uncle, the Duke of Windsor.  She’d only been Queen for a couple of years. Twenty years earlier, her uncle left Britain at the behest of the government due to his reasons for abdicating the throne less than a year into his reign. (Her father then became king, which is how she eventually ended up with the crown).

The Duke of Windsor was seeking to return to Britain. He needed the approval of Queen Elizabeth, the Sovereign, to do so. She struggled with the decision because she had been made aware of some German diplomatic papers that were uncovered at the end of World War II.  These files apparently provided incriminating evidence of the Duke of Windsor’s sympathetic association with Fϋhrer Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime. The British government had tried to suppress the documents, but their release was inevitable. She had great affection for her uncle, but also great disdain for his treasonous behavior that threatened their entire country.

That apparently was around the same time Billy Graham and Queen Elizabeth became friends. Rev. Graham had been holding evangelistic crusades in London and she sought him out as counsel on forgiveness. She asked him, “Are there any circumstances where one can be a good Christian and yet not forgive?”

She couldn’t bring herself to forgive her uncle and queried Rev. Graham about it. In their conversation Rev. Graham reminded her that no one is beneath forgiveness and that even Jesus, while he was dying on a cross, asked God to forgive those who had hung him there to die. Finally, he told her, “The solution for not being able to forgive:  one asks for forgiveness one self, humbly and sincerely. And, prays for those one cannot forgive.”

That’s what I couldn’t stop thinking about. Forgiveness is Christ’s example. Not being able to forgive someone who has wronged me is something I need to ask forgiveness for.  Not forgiving someone who has wronged me makes me guilty too, and therefore in need of forgiveness. The good news is that God promises that He will always offer it when we ask.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

While the subject of forgiveness was still in the forefront of my thoughts, I read the testimony of Rachael Denhollander, a former USA Gymnastics Team member and sexual assault victim, regarding team doctor Larry Nassar who is accused of sexually abusing more than 250 young girls over several decades. Rachael, too, spoke of forgiveness as she directed her words to her abuser, “And that is what makes the gospel of Christ so sweet. Because it extends grace and hope and mercy where none should be found. And it will be there for you. I pray you experience the soul crushing weight of guilt so you may someday experience true repentance and true forgiveness from God, which you need far more than forgiveness from me -- though I extend that to you as well.”

The Bible is pretty clear on the subject: “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:14-15 

It’s a simple concept.  Simple, yes, but not always easy. It’s humbling and embarrassing to ask for forgiveness when you mess up. It can be even more agonizing when you’re the one that needs to extend forgiveness to a criminal, an abuser, or a traitor.

We recently had an invasion of our home and privacy. Thankfully, we were not home at the time, but every single piece of gold jewelry that we owned (that we weren’t wearing at the time) was stolen. No single piece was extremely valuable, but collectively it was all worth more than our homeowners insurance would cover.  Every necklace, ring, and pendant had been a gift.

Because of the sentimental attachment to the jewelry, my feelings were really hurt. They still are. It took me a couple of weeks before I actually got angry about it and when I finally did, I took it out on everyone around me. I was not a happy person to be around and regretfully, showed little evidence of forgiveness.

Now I find myself thinking about what I would say if I ever come face to face with the person that smashed my door in and stole my jewelry. I can’t, yet, say for sure what words I would use, but following the advice of Rev. Billy Graham, I’m praying for forgiveness. I’m praying for the burglar. I’m praying that both of us will know that merely for the asking, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.” Ephesians 1:7

I’ll be praying that because, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” James 1:12

Our sins are forgiven because of the riches of God’s grace.

That’s the crowning glory I want reigning in my life.

This was originally posted on The Press and Standard site

How to move forward when you just need to sit down

Scott and I have been members of the congregation at First Baptist Church Walterboro for 21 years. In one of our first Sunday morning worship services at First Baptist all those years ago, Scott sang a solo. He sang with a split-track CD as accompaniment instead of the piano or organ. The split track enables the sound operator to keep the volume up on the instrumental accompaniment while at the same time silencing the recorded voices singing the demo. This was new and unfamiliar technology for First Baptist at that time. We know this because Scott ended up singing “Somebody’s Prayin’,” right along with Ricky Skaggs’ voice at full volume all the way through the entire song that morning.

We laugh about it now because we made it past that learning curve and have serpentined our way around many others. Just last month we used accompaniment tracks from a CD, a flash drive and an iPhone all in the same worship service and managed to do it without any demo voices being heard, also while projecting visual images on a screen. But what about next Sunday? We have a desire to be on top of it all, but it’s a challenge to keep up with the latest technology and music.

In the last 21 years, First Baptist has had three pastors and will soon be searching for a fourth. All three of the previous pastors came for the same purpose, but each one was completely different in how they carried it out. We yearn for more and better with each new pastor. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that yearning. I do think, however, that maybe we unjustly assign the responsibility for it to the man instead of to God.

Churches have always had a challenge keeping up with technology, leadership styles, sermon topic trends, musical preferences, community service missions and human need causes. Some make the stride better than others, but even those that do will eventually lag behind somewhere. The reason: humans. I agree with the adage, “If you’re standing still, you’re falling behind,” but sometimes, because I am human, I just need to sit down for a bit.

Hal West is currently serving as transitional pastor for First Baptist Walterboro. Hal was pastor of First Baptist Church in Moncks Corner for much of his life’s ministry. After his retirement as a full time pastor, he began working as a consultant to other churches that were in transitional situations. Hal has come to Walterboro to help First Baptist in the transition not only to the next pastor, but to the future life and mission of the church as a whole.

In one of his first sermons here, Hal began to address how we as a church will face the future; how individual lives will play an important part in the direction and influence First Baptist will have on our community. Churches (which, by the way, are made up of humans), regardless of whether they are traditional or contemporary, seem to like the way they do their own things. Usually it’s a mix of doing something different from every other church along with just enough of recognizable familiarity to offer comfort. Hal’s sermon encouraged us not to lose the meaning of our traditions, but to carefully be aware that sameness is not sacred. He compared doing the same thing we’ve always done to an old shoe. It’s a favorite, it’s so comfortable, it’s the first thing we reach for especially at the end of a tiring week, but it’s worn out.

We love that old shoe, but we long for new and shiny. We want both, but wearing two different shoes will make walking awkward and probably affect our balance. How do we update yet still remain a vehicle that represents the solid rock of Jesus Christ? How do I keep moving forward when I just need to sit down?

I found an answer in scripture. Here it is: Go ahead, sit down, and while you’re there, take off BOTH shoes. God told Moses to take off his shoes because he was standing on holy ground (Exodus 3:5).

The shoes don’t matter. Worshipping God does.

Worshipping God means trusting Him for the future. If I do that, I don’t need to keep striving to keep up with the latest whatever. God will take care of it.

I am human and humans are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). In that act of creation, God set eternity in the hearts of man (Ecclesiastes 3:11). I’m not sure I have the words to explain that, but I know how it feels. Longing — it feels like longing. The longing I have for more and better is about Him, not about songs, technology, instruments, sermons, flowers, candles, the time of day or anything else we utilize. None of that should ever be an excuse to not worship God.

The design of this longing was never meant to be satisfied by anything in this world. Having that longing satisfied will not look like the world, at all. Maybe our worship shouldn’t either.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God —t his is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — His good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:1-2

Offering our true and proper worship is not always easy. There are so many human expectations and distractions. But, somebody’s prayin’ for us.

“Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” Romans 8:34

This was originally posted February 4, 2018 on The Press and Standard site

Life's struggles offer us opportunities

At our house, we often quote memorable lines from movies to emphasize our feelings about something. One that we repeat a good bit is from a scene in The Help where Aibileen Clark confronts Hilly Hollbrook about attempting to appear superior to everyone else, which usually involves trying to control everything and everyone around her. Aibileen asks her, “Ain’t you tired, Miss Hilly? Ain’t you tired?” 

Ain’t you tired? We say that a lot at our house.

Yes. Yes, I am. ‘Tis the season for being tired and worn out.

We learned in early autumn that my husband, Scott, needed some major surgery. Specifically, a craniotomy to remove a benign brain lesion. It wasn’t an emergency, but he was encouraged to have it done before it developed into a more urgent situation.

It took a while to get it scheduled but we were finally given a November surgery date. The doctor told us to expect a few days in the hospital and a least a month of recovery at home.

We made preparations and did as much as we could before the surgery. We were praying for and expecting a positive outcome and recovery, but we still reserved a margin of time afterwards to deal with any uncertainties. We cleared our calendars for November and December. Any Thanksgiving and Christmas activities would be decided upon based on how Scott felt at the time.  It was a relief, and a little disappointing too.

As we began to let those around us know what was going on, a good friend asked Scott, “How do you keep from getting mad at God?”

He asked that because this wasn’t Scott’s first craniotomy. Or his second. This would be number three. I asked the neurosurgeon if he had ever performed this same surgery three times on any one patient before. He shook his head, no. Only God knows why Scott would have to endure having the grey matter of his brain seeing the light of day three times. I can understand wanting to question God about it.

I’m also tempted to consider and weigh in with something about living an upright life, trying to avoid sinful behavior, attempting to do good and serve God. Someone who lives that way doesn’t really deserve having to do this three times, do they? Wouldn’t just once be enough?

When you experience something more than once, you gain experience, but you also develop perspective. Having been side by side to this event three times now, I’ve come to believe that God sees each and every one of these kinds of human struggles as opportunities for Him to prove His love and faithfulness to us. And ours to Him.

We’re now on the other side of that third surgery and so far, the recovery has been positive. Any new perspective I’ve gained this time is related to how close God is in the midst of times like this. I could hardly whisper a word or blink my eyes without recognizing something or someone that reminded me of God’s love and care. Those reminders would still have been there regardless of any pathology results.

Besides movie quotes, we also sometimes quote Bible verses around our house to emphasize a particular sentiment. The verse I’ve been repeating a lot lately?  It’s Job 16:7a.

“Surely, God, you have worn me out...” 

I know how you feel, Job. 

Job had five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and three thousand camels stolen from him on the very same day all seven thousand of his sheep were killed along with all ten of his children. Then he woke up the next day with a debilitating skin condition. Job was one of the good guys who feared God and shunned evil. Still, there probably wasn’t any other man on earth at the time that had experienced so much trouble and loss in such a short amount of time.

Job’s wife tried to convince him that death would be better than living in this misery. He responded by asking her if we should only accept good things from God, and not trouble as well. Job was worn out, but still clinging to God in spite of the trouble.

If we live in the world, there will be trouble. Jesus spoke those very words to his disciples just before he was arrested, tortured, and killed. Trouble indeed. Not even Jesus escaped it.

But then, in the same breath that Jesus said there would be trouble, he finished by saying, “But take heart! I have overcome the world.”  John 16:32

Overcome the world. It’s what He was born to do. This year I’m more grateful than ever to celebrate the birthday of the One that overcomes the trouble in this world and brings peace to all of us that are worn out from it.

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:14

This was originally posted by The Press and Standard December 24, 2017

Life's Struggles Offer Us Opportunities

At our house, we often quote memorable lines from movies to emphasize our feelings about something. One that we repeat a good bit is from a scene in The Help where Aibileen Clark confronts Hilly Hollbrook about attempting to appear superior to everyone else, which usually involves trying to control everything and everyone around her. Aibileen asks her, “Ain’t you tired, Miss Hilly? Ain’t you tired?” 

Ain’t you tired? We say that a lot at our house.

Yes. Yes, I am. ‘Tis the season for being tired and worn out.

We learned in early autumn that my husband, Scott, needed some major surgery. Specifically, a craniotomy to remove a benign brain lesion. It wasn’t an emergency, but he was encouraged to have it done before it developed into a more urgent situation.

It took a while to get it scheduled but we were finally given a November surgery date. The doctor told us to expect a few days in the hospital and a least a month of recovery at home.

We made preparations and did as much as we could before the surgery. We were praying for and expecting a positive outcome and recovery, but we still reserved a margin of time afterwards to deal with any uncertainties. We cleared our calendars for November and December. Any Thanksgiving and Christmas activities would be decided upon based on how Scott felt at the time.  It was a relief, and a little disappointing too.

As we began to let those around us know what was going on, a good friend asked Scott, “How do you keep from getting mad at God?”

He asked that because this wasn’t Scott’s first craniotomy. Or his second. This would be number three. I asked the neurosurgeon if he had ever performed this same surgery three times on any one patient before. He shook his head, no. Only God knows why Scott would have to endure having the grey matter of his brain seeing the light of day three times. I can understand wanting to question God about it.

I’m also tempted to consider and weigh in with something about living an upright life, trying to avoid sinful behavior, attempting to do good and serve God. Someone who lives that way doesn’t really deserve having to do this three times, do they? Wouldn’t just once be enough?

When you experience something more than once, you gain experience, but you also develop perspective. Having been side by side to this event three times now, I’ve come to believe that God sees each and every one of these kinds of human struggles as opportunities for Him to prove His love and faithfulness to us. And ours to Him.

We’re now on the other side of that third surgery and so far, the recovery has been positive. Any new perspective I’ve gained this time is related to how close God is in the midst of times like this. I could hardly whisper a word or blink my eyes without recognizing something or someone that reminded me of God’s love and care. Those reminders would still have been there regardless of any pathology results.

Besides movie quotes, we also sometimes quote Bible verses around our house to emphasize a particular sentiment. The verse I’ve been repeating a lot lately?  It’s Job 16:7a.

“Surely, God, you have worn me out...” 

I know how you feel, Job. 

Job had five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and three thousand camels stolen from him on the very same day all seven thousand of his sheep were killed along with all ten of his children. Then he woke up the next day with a debilitating skin condition. Job was one of the good guys who feared God and shunned evil. Still, there probably wasn’t any other man on earth at the time that had experienced so much trouble and loss in such a short amount of time.

Job’s wife tried to convince him that death would be better than living in this misery. He responded by asking her if we should only accept good things from God, and not trouble as well. Job was worn out, but still clinging to God in spite of the trouble.

If we live in the world, there will be trouble. Jesus spoke those very words to his disciples just before he was arrested, tortured, and killed. Trouble indeed. Not even Jesus escaped it.

But then, in the same breath that Jesus said there would be trouble, he finished by saying, “But take heart! I have overcome the world.”  John 16:32

Overcome the world. It’s what He was born to do. This year I’m more grateful than ever to celebrate the birthday of the One that overcomes the trouble in this world and brings peace to all of us that are worn out from it.

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:14

The was originally posted by The Press and Standard, December 24, 2017