He’s on Your Side

“The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.
    What can man do to me?
The Lord is on my side as my helper;
    I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. Psalm 118:6-7 ESV

Develop enough courage so that you can stand up for yourself and then stand up for somebody else. — Maya Angelou

But are you on your side?  Do you hate you? What’s in the way? A critical voice? A judging parent? Demanding boss? Advertising that encourages perfection? Know-it-alls? Shame? Failures?

You?

Here’s how I self-sabotage myself. I promised to make a list of my strengths and forgot to do it. So, I berated myself – You flake! No wonder you can’t do this. You never follow through. Would you be with someone like I was to me? How can I grow and love with that nagging, condescending, hateful voice?

We are our worst enemy. The cartoonist, Walt Kelly of Pogo fame, had a character that said, “We have met the enemy and he is us.”

Know you are endlessly, dramatically loved by the Creator of the universe. Nothing changes until we fully accept this. Our Father thought you were a terrific idea. Out of all the people, past, present and future, no one is like you. Searching the Bible for all the ways our Father loves us will take a long, long time—an endless love letter. Every time I start to put myself down for a sin or imperfection, I remember: Abba, daddy loves me. He wants to be with me all the time. He wants to know my thoughts and heart. He’s proud of me. He is always with me. He reveals good things about me. The Father is on our side. We are fully known. How can I continue to put myself down? I’m arguing with the Father!

Jesus proved and proves this every day.

Musings

Ask the Father, like a little child, how much he loves you, especially when down, shamed, scared or faithless. Ask the Father how to speak kindly to yourself. Ask the Father how to show compassion for yourself. Ask him to show you your talents. He will. And your love will grow so much you can’t contain it. “Flowing over without measure.”

Prayer

Dear Father,

There is no doubt you love us. We are learning to love. We are learning how vast and incomprehensible your love is. Help us to take in fully your love and return it to you from an open heart. A heart that has courage. A heart that has wisdom. A heart that is generous. A heart that is patient.

When we forget we were made in your image, speak gently to us. We will learn. We will celebrate. We love you with all our heart, mind and soul.

May we never forget: You’re on our side.

Amen.

Be a Caring Person

Grief During the Holidays

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
    and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

 The righteous person may have many troubles,
    but the Lord delivers him from them all… Psalm 34:18-19 NIV

“Our joys will be greater, our love will be deeper, our life will be fuller because we shared your moment.” – Author Unknown

Holidays are such a great joy but they can also be a bottomless pit of despair when grieving. When my husband was in a care center with his Lewy body dementia, there were many who had no one. So, I shared holiday lights and chocolate along with my affectionate English Cocker (such a ham!) with the patients. I bought drinks for the all the staff during their holiday dinner. Then I went home and cried buckets into my pillow while my little dog gave me comforting licks. My husband was alive but no longer with me. But so many at the care home hugged me and said many comforting things to ease the burden. Not what I wanted but what was available. Jesus said from the cross, “Woman, here is your son. Son, behold your mother.”

Please be a light to someone grieving during the holidays. It doesn’t take much.

Here’s what may happen to the bereaved. The loneliness and pain during the holidays intensifies the grief:

Many become addicted to food, alcohol, drugs, spending, suicidal ideation and more. I believe addiction is a search for love, belonging, safety and acceptance—we all need and search for this. The grief stricken can’t feel this—not for a time. I see this so vividly in the elderly and parents who have lost a child.

A caring person does not judge but checks in with the bereaved because loneliness is such a hellish part of grief—empty bed-no mealtime banter-songs that rip the heart out—holidays are the worst! My first Christmas after my husband died was bleak, empty and tear-filled. I couldn’t wait for Christmas to end! Sometimes faith is shattered. This is not the time to Bible thump. Your private prayer will work wonders. A hug and a little presence will too.

A caring person builds trust and is safe for the grieving person to unload their tremendous burden. Rational thinking may not be there for some time. It’s another part of the grieving process. They will question everything they did or did not do, as if they could’ve prevented the death. Just reassure.

A caring person may take them to lunch, a movie or bring a homemade meal. Shovel the walk. Walk their dog. Tell them a story about their deceased loved one. They matter. They need to find purpose.

A caring person will not take outbursts of anger personally. A time out is okay. Anger is part of the grieving process and part of healing, especially in the beginning.

A caring person will check in with a grief counselor, hospice, pastor or someone qualified, should the grief be destroying the grief stricken. They may be suffering from Complicated Grief or trauma. Listen to the experts and do what they advise.

If your gut tells you they need emergency help, call 911 or a suicide hotline. I’d rather look foolish and bear their anger than lose them.

It’s not easy. If it were, we’d all be a caring person.

Musings

The golden rule applies. Think: Is it kind? Is it helpful? Then do it.  If the bereaved doesn’t know what they need or want, just say, “I’m going to do such-and-such. Is that okay with you?” You don’t know. You could save a life. You could save their faith. You could validate the most important thing: they are loved. They are valued. They matter. We are to weep with those who weep. Someday, we too, will weep and in the future the Father will wipe every tear from our eyes.

Prayer

Jesus prayed before his crucifixion:

“My prayer is not for them alone [his disciples]. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.” (John 17:20-26)

Amen.

Boundaries and Myths

“Do not let any unwholesome word go forth out of your mouth, but only good, for edification of the need, so that it may give grace to those hearing.” Ephesians 4:29 Berean Standard Bible

 “At your absolute best, you still won’t be good enough for the wrong person.” — Unknown

Perfection. It’s not possible for you or for me. This is when striving, willpower and all sorts of gymnastics drive us, especially during the holidays. Drives us to frustration, meltdowns or to a heavenly discussion with our Father.

And it cuts both ways. Others can’t do perfection. Only one man in all of history was perfect. We know what happened to him.

Someone once said, “I may not seem like much, but you should’ve seen where I started.” There’s so much truth in this.

My mom was a controlling, anxiety-driven and sometimes cruel person who was 20-years-old when I was born. It took me years to realize why. I was an independent, dramatic, obsessive and compulsive adolescent.  Left home twice. Both of us were doing the best we could and it was horrible!

My mother was just a little vulnerable girl and very poor during the Great Depression. I grew up during the Free Love, Viet Nam War era. Neither one of us could relate to each other and some counseling was in order. Mom would not go. I did. I learned so much about my mom and her anxiety which, being a child, I internalized. I learned what a drama queen I was and still can be (sigh). Eventually, I let go of what I internalized: a bad person, a bad child, no good. My mom was wrong. It had very little to do with me. But, because I was a child, I carried that baggage for years! My mom carried hers.

Then forgiveness. You’ve heard the expression, “There but for the grace of God go I.” If I had been born in the same situation, I could’ve been my mom. Yes, it hurt. Yes, it took a long, long time for healing. I began to feel some pity for my mom’s life—some painful results were the result of her own choices, as were mine. “That was a hurtful thing you said. Please don’t or I will leave,” I said shakily. Leaving the past in the past is no quick and easy venture.

Myth: Boundaries won’t be painful or scary. Yes, they are painful and scary but “walking on eggshells” is no cake-walk either. We don’t set boundaries alone. We have our Father. We have others to help us. We don’t scream, cry, beg or manipulate. Nix the dramatics. We just state, unemotionally, what’s acceptable and what’s not. The best we are able.

Myth: Boundaries mean all will be well. No. Many times we lose that person in our life. It can be freeing after some grieving and reflection and recognition of patterns—but we continue to live in the light of our Father’s love and others who live in the Father’s love.

Myth: We only have to set them once. Once again, nope. Depending on the situation, the person and the willingness you have to keep this person in your life, you will set boundaries over and over. Also, other people with similar personalities and baggage appear and you have the wonderful task of setting boundaries again. Count on it! Patterns.

Musings

This side of heaven, we will never be perfect. We will never perfectly handle situations or people. We get better. Others will never be perfect. They get better. We all are at different places and came from different backgrounds. Some of us started life in the hole. Some of us had a loving foundation. The great equalizer: We are all doing the best we can with grace.

Is it true? Is it helpful? Is it kind?  These questions can be a helpful guide for you and communicating with others in your lives.

Prayer

Dear Father,

Is it true? Is it helpful? Is it kind? Your Son modeled all of this for our sakes. On the cross he said, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they’re doing.” Unconscious. Unaware. So much of the evil in this world would be gone if we loved like you. We only have to practice this today, which is challenging, but your grace keeps us on your path. Thank you.

Amen.

God Acts on our Behalf

“Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.”Isaiah 64:4 NIV

“God’s timing, not mine.

God’s will, not mine.

God’s plan, not mine.

God’s glory, not mine.” Mark Robinson

Recently, Larry Schweikart, author of A Patriot’s History of the United States, was being interviewed about his very successful book. It’s being used as a text for many private, religious, home-school educators. He said something so profound I have to share it: “I get up in the morning and thank God that he is God and I am not.” He taught me to do the same. It keeps my self-reliance, self-control, will power and expectations in check. I am the creature. He is the creator.

And he acts on our behalf. Another lesson to be learned and usually only in hindsight. Our Father’s timing, as you probably already know, is not our timing.

I’m pretty sure God has given me much of what I prayed for and it wasn’t so great and definitely humbling. I prayed for a wonderful job and I got it. I also got more stress, more hours, horrendous commute and more responsibility. I prayed to live in a nice city. He said no. And I’m so grateful now—not in the beginning. This is where the desires of my heart come into play. He patiently guided my desire into his– a country bumpkin. I prayed he would help/change others. Got burned on that one! I am not God. How arrogant! He still worked on my behalf and gently showed how to change me; the only one I’m responsible for. He still worked on others’ behalf and not the way I expected—thank God!

I really don’t think like God, know what’s best like God, do not keep the world spinning like God. So I pray, “ Thank you, Father, that you are God and I am not.” And I have a whole lot of peace. Peter told us to cast all our anxiety upon him because he cares for you.

Musings

We may not recognize, see or hear all the things our Father does on our behalf. In fact, I’m sure of it. I’m sure that it’s all for his glory, though I don’t understand how it blesses but it does. I know the Father loves me. He promises an abundant life. He promises to make me a New Creation. He does the same for all his children. Our expectations are brought into line with the Father’s.

Prayer

Dear Father,

You are God. We are not. We thank you for this. We thank you for the situations that all worked for good. They worked for good because we love you and you love us. They worked for good because you enable us to work for your glory. When we see the troubles of this world, communities and family, we remember: you are God and we are not. We are open to your will. Thank you.

Amen.

For Those Grieving During the Holidays–Scar Tissue

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5 NIV

“Our wounds are often the openings into the best and most beautiful part of us.” David Richo

No one can help a parent who has lost a child like a parent who has lost a child.

No one can help a single mom like a single mom.

No can help a cancer victim like a cancer victim.

No one can help an addict like a recovering addict.

No one can help an abuse victim like someone who’s survived abuse.

No one can help someone with suicidal thoughts like someone who’s held on to life when all was lost.

“Out of our wounds come our greatest ministry” has been said over and over because there’s so much truth to it. And no one volunteers for this. Our ministry may be our career, but I’ve found it’s people who have suffered, wrestled with their wounds, who find treasure in ministering to others, no matter their vocation.

One thing I’ve learned the hard way is timing. I may have jumped into helping other dementia caregivers before I’d truly come to grips with my own dementia journey. I wouldn’t say healing because there’s always some pain that remains. Always some vulnerability that knocks me down. Accepting that it takes us months or years of prayer, counseling, support before we’re ready to be that vulnerable can be so discouraging. Preparation is necessary. Envision your father comforting you, guiding you, loving you in and through the turmoil and pain. Talk to yourself as your best friend. I bet you’d be gentle and patient to your best friend.

But when you reach that one with your story and knowledge, it’s like winning the spiritual lottery! You’ve overcome evil with good! Some healing and hope has been shared. Some beauty from tragedy is felt. Redemption.

Musings

Even Bible greats needed time, prayer, support and reflection after enduring tragedy and loss. The Psalms are filled with stories of this. Many respected Christian authors, pastors and counselors have shared their hope years after wrestling with their deep wounds. We are no different. It’s in God’s time and with his great love for his little child before he sends his little, banged up, wounded child.

People will discount, dismiss, ignore, reject and say all kinds of things that will stump and hurt you sometimes when sharing your greatest wound. Remember: This may be part of it too. This is why there’s major preparation, support and faith needed. A little callous over the heart.

Prayer

Dear Father,

Thank you that you gave us each other and your son to heal and give purpose to our scars. Your son still bears the scars of his death. He chose to be vulnerable for our sake, while enduring all kinds of mocking and rejection.

Father, give us wisdom; we don’t want to cast our pearls when we share our wounds. Let us take in deeply your love for us so that we may minister to others, share hope and ease pain.

Amen.

This Time of Year Remember…

Ease off the Gas!

Quit abusing God’s beloved

“If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 4:11 NIV

“Be aware of your inner treasures and share them with others.” Yours Truly

Whenever I have accepted that I have a bad habit, character flaw, or let’s face it, sin, I bear down with all my strength to change it, change me. Not healthy. A very bad habit! And I’ve missed the point. I’ve missed the lesson. Hurt God’s child. Like a brutal task master I berate myself with: “You idiot!” “You knew better.” “How could you’ve messed up so badly?” “You’re stupid.” “You addict—you’ll never change.” And our Accuser loves when we denigrate a beloved creation of God’s.

We’ve touched on this before and the truth is we’re talking to a beloved person in a very abusive way: Ourselves. I never read, learned or experienced positive, Christian growth with a brutal attack on ourselves. Have you? And think of the message it carries to our children and spouses!

Three things I know for sure:

  1. We are beloved by God
  2. We are accepted by God
  3. We are transformed into being more like his beloved son

Why do we insist on beating ourselves unmercifully? Childhood dysfunctions, tragedies and mistakes, work fears, worldly advertising and more are bombarded daily into our ears, minds and hearts. They’re false. Outright lies! Deceptions! Just. Don’t. Do. This.

Today and every day, especially during the holidays, ease up on yourself. Stop. Breathe. Thank God that you are beloved, accepted and transformed, no matter the circumstances, and watch a subtle yet powerful miracle occur in you and your life. Blessings of inner treasure that YOU are to share and demonstrate God’s glory.

Musings

Being a good and gracious steward of God’s personal and unique gifts is an awesome responsibility. It starts with how we speak to ourselves, a beloved child of God. Let us speak to ourselves as a best friend would with wise counsel, love and compassion. If we can’t, let us ask God who will provide exactly what we need without recrimination or punishment. If we do so, think how marvelously we will speak to others. What a difference we would make in our communities—our world.  “As a man thinks, so is he.”

Prayer

Dear Father,

When we are overcome and overwhelmed by our “bad,” remind us that we are your Creation and loved unconditionally. We so often depend on our good feelings to determine our value and twist or hide or deny our frailties. Help us to remember that we can’t change without asking you to help us. When going in our own strength, remind us how that’s worked in the past. It didn’t. “The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” Help us to let go and let you in all things, especially our faults, with gratefulness.

Amen.

Sacrifice of Thanksgiving

Sacrifice of Thanksgiving

“I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD.” Psalm 116:17 NLT

“Give thanks in everything, for this is the will of God toward you in Christ Jesus.” I Thessalonians 5:18 Berean Bible

“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.” Meister Eckhart

Sometimes giving thanks really is a sacrifice, even at this wonderful Thanksgiving time. If it depends on feelings, it won’t get done. If it depends on circumstances, it won’t get done. If it depends on making time, it won’t get done. And giving thanks requires discipline—a daily, minute-by-minute consciousness. It heals, eventually, too. Thanksgiving is not just a holiday. It’s a spiritual discipline. It’s Thanksgiving every day.

I went to the eye doctor the other day and after my examination, the doctor and I discussed some troublesome results. I could be getting macular degeneration and we need to keep a close watch on this. Some lifestyle changes like more fruits, exercise and supplements may slow it way down. I’m on it!

But here’s the deal. How many times have I thanked God for my gift of sight? You can bet I do now. So many gifts are taken for granted. My eyes have been opened (no pun intended) to even more blessings because of my gift of sight and oh how I treasure them! The autumn colors in my little town, the smiles from the cashiers at my grocery store, the beautiful book I read during my morning devotions. The faces of my children and grandchildren could become a blurry fog to me.  How I pray I don’t lose my sight. How I pray to not be a burden on others. Losing my driving privileges is so scary – taken for granted. All from a disturbing eye examination. Poof! Reality! I am not alone in taking for granted our many gifts.

My mind wandered back to the blind man in the Bible and Jesus asked him, “What can I do for you?” If he asked me, of course, I’d answer the same as this blind man, “My eyesight.” With more thought, though, Jesus did everything for me and even though my circumstances are disturbing and my heart is afraid, my answer would be a simple thank you. It’s going to be okay.

Musings

Giving thanks when one is grieving, in pain, ill, homeless, addicted and many of the “Biggies” of life feels like a sacrifice. And it truly is. The good and healing truth is we’re not required to give thanks for the evil and destructive circumstances that come to all in this life but to give thanks in all circumstances. God doesn’t, never will and never has given us evil. We may not feel thankful. We may not understand our circumstances. We may squirm, try to breathe, cling to our faith in these painful times but the truth is, Jesus did do everything for us. The extras are gifts and we are grateful for these too.

Prayer

Dear Father,

Thank you for all you’ve given and done for us. We can list all that we have to be thankful for and the list is still incomplete. Thank you for each other.

Thank you for giving us what we need this day. Thank you for even our breath. Thank you for some wants too. You truly give abundantly beyond all that we can ask or think.

We come to you in a thankful spirit regardless of the circumstances. Every day is a gift. Every day is an opportunity to love. Every day is a challenge to overcome with you at the helm. Like Peter in the midst of the stormy sea, we cry, “Help us.” And as Peter later said, “Cast all your anxieties because he cares for you.”

Thank you

Amen.

Relationships are a Skill

“Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8 (Emphasis mine)

“Some people come into our life as a blessings. Some people come into our life as lessons.” Mother Theresa

We go to college to learn to be a doctor, lawyer, teacher or counselor.

We go to training centers to learn to weld, build, plumb or drive a semi.

We train as interns in marketing, journalism or many of the social careers.

We train as athletes.

And we stumble, question, avoid, intimidate or manipulate to get and keep relationships like a starving person. I believe real love is unlearning many of the concepts we grew up with.

We earn respect.

We earn trust.

We earn an income.

We do not earn love. “For God so loved the world that he gave…”

But from early childhood we are taught how special and loved we are if and when we do the “right” things. We learn to manipulate, avoid, duck and cover, schmooze to earn approval and love. We then think we can “bank” those for the future. It may work—for a while.

 That’s not love. That’s survival. Possibly parasitism.

We become teenagers with all the emotions, angst and confusion mixed in with hormones. We “feel” in love so intensely and dramatically. Well, for a day or two. Rejection is seen as a fate worse than death and social media can really ramp this up. How many teenagers have succumbed to the idea that their looks or fitting in means love?

Adulthood. Oh how up and down! We consciously or unconsciously love others the way we learned and shocked when it doesn’t work. Both parties have stuff, usually unconsciously. We get a glimmer of hope that maybe there’s another way and seek answers.

Enter: A church family.  Then things get really sticky because our spiritual family has all the same challenges, disappointments, dysfunctions and confusion we do and believe our heavenly Father is the same.

Sheep are messy. Sheep are not very smart. Sheep cling. And Jesus is the shepherd. His sheep hear his voice. How did Jesus handle a zealot and a tax collector? How did Jesus handle a prostitute caught in the act? (I still want to know where the guy was. Smells like a set-up).

We go through the many ways of unlearning our idea of love and start learning the Father’s way. We start by reading the Gospel of John and meander into 1st Corinthians 13 and decide to give up. Who can love like that? We read the story of the Prodigal Son and his homecoming and how we relate with a tender and grateful heart! The Father loves us with mercy, emotions and words that we can’t imagine. Then we become complacent and turn into the son who stayed home and judged while envying his brother and father.

Then we get naked with the Father. We come to him with all the sins, flaws and doubts and test to see how much God truly loves us; like Gideon putting out the fleece every night. Then we study, risk and learn to give first with no motives up our sleeve. We learn that rejection may have nothing to do with us. Jesus was rejected over and over but stayed solid. We accept that learning to love is hard and we’ll never accomplish it perfectly. The real lesson is to keep our heart open to the Father’s guidance.

Musings

Falling in love is so wonderful! Embracing your little one is a taste of heaven. But then the rubber hits the road and love is also practice. Relationships are a daily decision. Are you married for life? You are if you decide to be married for today. Are you a parent for life? Yes, yes you are, especially if you decide this daily. Are you a caring leader at your work or church? Again, daily decision looking at ourselves first. And the blessing is becoming a bit more like our Father through his Son. And lots of loving relationships.

Prayer

Dear Father,

Thank you for love. We know that all things will be done away with but love will remain. We know only Jesus loved perfectly and he is our example. “By this they will know you are my followers, if we love one another.” We make that decision today. We make the decision to focus on how much you love us. We focus on how very much we love you.

Amen.

Mistakes–Everyone Makes Them

“Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed, for the Lord is holding his hand” Psalm 37:24 BSB

“You have to make mistakes to find out who you aren’t. You take the action, and the insight follows: You don’t think your way into becoming yourself.” – Anne Lamott

On my birthday I received a gift that says, “Youth is a gift. Age is an art.” Boy! I took that to heart! So many of my youthful days were filled with optimism, fun, health and the perpetual myth that life should be and will be fair. I’ll meet “the one” and we will live with rainbows and unicorns. Somehow, grace covered all the youthful mistakes in my thinking and acting. True to life, they were the building blocks of my faith and successes.

Now, I’m much older with different losses, pain, learning experiences and disappointments galore. I wake up and my legs are bit stiff. I think going anywhere after 9:00 p.m. is a waste of time, especially if I have a good book or inspiring movie. I look at my granddaughters and see the very same ideas, hopes and optimism that I had in my youth. They’re making many of the same mistakes I made. They cry over the similar situations I had. And their optimism is sky high.  High expectations of others and themselves is a crushing lesson but necessary. They’re sure they can change the world. Their energy is boundless. Their expectations high and disappointment reigns. Adulting is very hard work!

What to do?

Nothing. Just be there. Mistakes will be made but you’re not a mistake. They’re not a mistake.

This is what my grandmother did. She smiled when I would go off on an emotional tangent. She would set out cookies and coffee. She would embrace. She somehow knew it would be all right and such a comfort without any words or judgment.  I would ask her what to do and she would tell a story from her past leaving me to take it in or not. It sure does now! By her personhood, she showed me grace and safety with assurance that all will work out. She knew the building blocks of success, compassion and character are mistakes—sometimes biggies!  She was safe.

It’s Hands Off with Love. Detachment with love. Prayer is highly recommended.

It’s recognizing we’re all unique but susceptible to the same entanglements, mistakes and disappointments. And I may not learn from your mistakes. They may not learn from your mistakes. But they will keep trying if they have love.  I think that’s true for most of us. I learn by MY mistakes. Hard knocks! It’s a gift that seems like punishment.

Musings

To laugh often and much;

To win the respect of intelligent

People and the affection of children

To earn the appreciation of honest

Critics and endure the betrayal of false

Friends; To appreciate beauty, to find

The best in others; To leave the world

A bit better, whether by a healthy child,

A garden patch or a redeemed social

Condition; To know even one life has

Breathed easier because you have lived.

This is to have succeeded—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Mistakes will be made.

Prayer

Dear Father,

Thank you for grace along with the joys, disappointments and work that covers us when making mistakes–sins. It’s such an affirmation of your work in us. It’s grace that keeps us going. Progress.

We read in your Book about the many mistakes your people made. We’re making them too, thousands of years later, but your grace, love and pursuit keeps us faithful in hope, faithful in perseverance and faithful in love.

And thank you for the transformation that is taking place in us today.

Amen.

Laying Down One’s Life

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:13 NIV

“The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.” G.K. Chesterton

And I thank the families of the veterans. I was married to a sailor during the Viet Nam War and I know how hard it is to not hear from your loved one for weeks, to count every penny because the salary is so low, to be a mom and a dad at the same time, to have crowds throw things at you and your family with the ugliest words. Loneliness isn’t a stranger.

And the parents, spouses, children and friends who no longer have their loved ones. They didn’t choose this. They didn’t volunteer for this.

Some veterans lost their legs, arms, suffered brain trauma or PTSD.  Some died from addictions to soothe their weary and war-torn souls. May they have peace beyond understanding.

I thank all of you with a full heart.

May I close with this:

“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”

—Theodore Roosevelt
Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910