Crisis averted when Christ makes it his!
Today I find myself writing my blog in the late evening. This is indeed an oddity for me. You see, I usually rise early and hammer these out long before the sun rises. Today, April 3, was different. A blog posting went out like clockwork at 0500 this morning - simply because God has graced me with eight days of writing in advance of posting. I have a "reserve" of posts just in case a day like today comes along.
Last night, I found it necessary to take my 93 years young mom to the hospital. An intestinal virus had almost done her in! She was weak, confused, and getting worse by the hour. Thanks to a great team of physicians, nurses, nursing assistants, healthcare professionals, family, and many friends, the load of the past 40 hours has really been a blessing, not a curse! I returned home long enough this morning to shower, change my clothes, and make a beeline to work. As I spent an hour after work with mom, she coaxed me to go home, get some rest and come back refreshed in the morning.
When I contemplated what to do with my evening tonight, I really felt drawn to write. I guess you might say this is a special form of "release" and "regeneration" for me. Yes, my body is tired, my muscles a little tight, and I definitely don't have much "zip" in my step! Yet, I am delighted by the presence of God throughout my day and just could not wait to share what God has done for me! Our passage today is something which reflects what I think God was showing me in the moment:
10 If you fall to pieces in a crisis, there wasn't much to you in the first place. (Proverbs 24:10 The Message)
To be perfectly honest, there were a couple of moments last night when I just wanted to leak a few tears! Mom was miserable, my emotions were already spent on a busy day at work, and now I was facing a sleepless night in the ER. Mercy! That is all I could hold onto - God's Mercy! Abundant, overwhelming, and consistent through and through.
In the moment, I thought about "falling to pieces", but in the end, God kept the pieces tightly interwoven and encircled in his love. Crisis was abounding, but his grace was even more abundant than any crisis Satan could muster. Look up "crisis" and you will find it is any series of events or stages within a path in which the "trend" of future events appears to be determined.
At the outset of this sequence of events leading up to mom's hospitalization, I would have "predicted" the outcome much differently. Yet, in the moment-by-moment deliberate "putting one foot in front of the other" activity of the day, I have renewed hope, determined faith, and the awesome awareness of not having walked these steps alone.
This is what it is like for the one who faces "crisis" with Christ. The crisis becomes totally different when we can truly say we have walked it through with Christ. The series of events you face today may be the very thing which bolsters your faith! In the events of the day, when the rubber meets the road, it becomes apparent if there is substance in your walk. Christ's love, his peace, and his provision is what gives us substance!
May today's crisis be your unveiling! May what is unveiled be more of Christ in you! March on! God has great things to teach in the midst of this sequence of events!
Last night, I found it necessary to take my 93 years young mom to the hospital. An intestinal virus had almost done her in! She was weak, confused, and getting worse by the hour. Thanks to a great team of physicians, nurses, nursing assistants, healthcare professionals, family, and many friends, the load of the past 40 hours has really been a blessing, not a curse! I returned home long enough this morning to shower, change my clothes, and make a beeline to work. As I spent an hour after work with mom, she coaxed me to go home, get some rest and come back refreshed in the morning.
When I contemplated what to do with my evening tonight, I really felt drawn to write. I guess you might say this is a special form of "release" and "regeneration" for me. Yes, my body is tired, my muscles a little tight, and I definitely don't have much "zip" in my step! Yet, I am delighted by the presence of God throughout my day and just could not wait to share what God has done for me! Our passage today is something which reflects what I think God was showing me in the moment:
10 If you fall to pieces in a crisis, there wasn't much to you in the first place. (Proverbs 24:10 The Message)
To be perfectly honest, there were a couple of moments last night when I just wanted to leak a few tears! Mom was miserable, my emotions were already spent on a busy day at work, and now I was facing a sleepless night in the ER. Mercy! That is all I could hold onto - God's Mercy! Abundant, overwhelming, and consistent through and through.
In the moment, I thought about "falling to pieces", but in the end, God kept the pieces tightly interwoven and encircled in his love. Crisis was abounding, but his grace was even more abundant than any crisis Satan could muster. Look up "crisis" and you will find it is any series of events or stages within a path in which the "trend" of future events appears to be determined.
At the outset of this sequence of events leading up to mom's hospitalization, I would have "predicted" the outcome much differently. Yet, in the moment-by-moment deliberate "putting one foot in front of the other" activity of the day, I have renewed hope, determined faith, and the awesome awareness of not having walked these steps alone.
This is what it is like for the one who faces "crisis" with Christ. The crisis becomes totally different when we can truly say we have walked it through with Christ. The series of events you face today may be the very thing which bolsters your faith! In the events of the day, when the rubber meets the road, it becomes apparent if there is substance in your walk. Christ's love, his peace, and his provision is what gives us substance!
May today's crisis be your unveiling! May what is unveiled be more of Christ in you! March on! God has great things to teach in the midst of this sequence of events!
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