Won't you be my neighbor?

A few years ago I was going to a leadership meeting at my church. As I walked from the parking lot to the building, I spotted a man about my age who was in the public eye at church. I'd admired him from afar because he was smart, talented, good-looking, and shares deep and profound truths. I didn't know him personally, but I was very impressed with what I'd observed.

As we approached the first set of double doors leading to the church, I was one step ahead of him. I held open the door for him, said good morning, and he said thank you.

As we approached the second set of double doors, he passed by me and was a few steps ahead of me. I've seen men do this before--usually because they want to be a gentleman and open the next door. He did open the door, and just as I was opening my mouth to say thank you, he let go, kept walking, and the door slammed in my face.

"Wow," I said to myself. "He must be really lost in thought to be so rude." But no, right then a friend of his called out his name, and he returned the greeting with a hearty hello.
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A few days later, I went to the beach. It was a perfect beach night, and I had a lot of things on my mind. Something about the water and waves and sand always helps to clarify my thoughts.

Near where I parked my car, there was a man and his wife who were sitting on a bench. The man had only one leg, and his crutches were nearby. They were sharing a cold one ... and did not look much like the people who attend my church.

On my way down to the water, we exchanged a polite nod, and I quickly averted my eyes from the missing leg--and also from their faces. The second time I passed by, after returning to my car to get my beach chair, I again averted my eyes, but the lady said hello. When I left the beach about an hour later, they were still there, and they struck up a conversation with me. The man told me his name was Steve, and reached out to shake my hand. The lady's name was Telly, and she told me they had just moved to Ft. Lauderdale from Massachusetts. After talking for several minutes, I packed up my car and drove off, my heart strangely and unexpectedly warmed.

I wonder…who loved their neighbor as themselves? The man I worshiped with every Sunday and looked to for insights on God’s Word? The beer-drinking, rough-looking couple spending their Saturday night at the beach? Or me? 

I know it wasn’t me.

As-Is

I have a dog named Lucy. She is a 10-pound, champagne-colored, Maltese-Poodle mix. Her favorite activity is sitting as close as humanly (or doggy) possible to me. She has no sense of personal space, so if given the opportunity, she will choose to lie directly on top of me. Every day. All the time. Even when I’m upset with her and have scolded her.

I don’t know if Lucy believes in God, but if she does, I’m fairly certain she equates me with God—or at least His right-hand woman. I can do no wrong in her eyes. Whenever I leave, whether it’s for five minutes or five days, I am greeted with a welcome that rivals a ticker-tape parade. I can ignore her for hours and she never gives up on me; she keeps trying to wheedle her way onto my lap to show me love.

So I had to laugh when I saw this quote on a church sign near our home: “Be the person your dog thinks you are.”

There’s no way I could ever be the person Lucy thinks I am. It would be an impossible task. I’ve thought about that church sign a lot. I wish it had instead said something to the effect of, “God loves you even more than your dog loves you.”

You see, while our dogs may think we’re perfect, God knows how very imperfect we are. And while our dogs think we’re God’s gift to this earth, God sent His Son to be God’s gift to this earth. We don’t need to be the person our dogs think we are. God loves us as is. And that, my friend, is true love.

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8 (NLT)

Deaf in One Ear; Can Hear Out of the Other

"Hello? Hello?" I was trying to answer the phone, but I couldn't hear the caller. Finally I concluded we had a bad connection and hung up.

The person rang me again, and for some reason, I put the phone to my other ear. I could hear him perfectly. I switched the phone back to the first ear—nothing. Something was wrong with the hearing in my right ear.

In the months that followed, I visited several doctors and tried various treatments. Nothing worked. A virus had attacked my right ear, making me completely deaf on that side. Noisy environments became a challenge; conversations were hard to comprehend, and I often felt left out.

During that time, a friend said, "I know what you're going through is tough, but you have a couple of options. You can be a half-deaf person who complains about your loss and feels bitter, but nobody is going to want to be around you. Or you can be a half-deaf person who responds with grace and dignity, and your friends will still enjoy being with you."

The choice was mine. I didn't have control over a lot of things, but my attitude did not fall into that category.

Are you going through something unpleasant and feel helpless to change the situation? The Apostle Paul tells us to stay positive, to think about things that are good. Why? Because everyone suffers when you're in a bad mood—most of all, you!

If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change what you can—your attitude. How? By meditating on things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise.

"Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, 

and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that 

are excellent and worthy of praise."  - Philippians 4:8 (NLT)

Rules For Life

Be alert.

Be self-controlled.

Encourage one another and build each other up.

Live in peace with each other.

Warn those who are idle.

Encourage the weak.

Be patient with everyone.

Always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.

Be joyful always.

Pray continually.

Give thanks in all circumstances.

Hold on to the good.

Avoid every kind of evil.

Learn to control your own body.

Lead a quiet life.

Mind your own business.

Work with your hands.

Never tire of doing what is right.

Do not share in the sins of others.

Keep yourself pure.

Turn away from godless chatter.

Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments.

Don’t quarrel.

Be kind to everyone.

Be hospitable.

Be self-controlled.

Be kind.

Be busy at home.

Slander no one.

Be peaceable and considerate.

Show true humility toward all men.

Avoid foolish controversies.

Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him

Fix your thoughts on Jesus.

Encourage one another daily.

Approach the throne of grace with confidence.

Throw off everything that hinders and the sin that entangles.

Fix your eyes on Jesus.

Endure hardship as discipline.

Make every effort to live at peace with all men.

Keep your lives free from the love of money.

Be content with what you have.

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Come near to God, and he will come near to you.

Do not slander one another.

Rid yourselves of all envy.

Rid yourselves of all hypocrisy.

Rid yourselves of all malice.

Live in harmony with one another.

Be sympathetic.

Love as brothers.

Be compassionate and humble.

Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing,

Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.

Be self-controlled and alert.

Cast all your anxiety on him.

Set your heart on things above.

Clothe yourselves with compassion.

Clothe yourselves with kindness.

Clothe yourselves with humility.

Clothe yourselves with gentleness.

Clothe yourselves with patience.

Bear with each other.

Forgive grievances.

Rid yourself of anger.

Rid yourself of slander.

Rid yourself of filthy language.

Devote yourself to prayer.

Let your conversation be full of grace.

The Race

A few years ago I participated in a 5K race. I am not a runner, but I like to pretend I’m one. Plus, competing in a race gives me excellent motivation to exercise beforehand.

Unfortunately, my plan didn’t work out. I failed to get in shape before the race, and I had trouble running the 3-mile course. Truth be known, I walked most of it. But as I neared the finish line, 48 minutes and 30-odd seconds after starting, crowds of runners who had already finished were gathered alongside the track and were cheering for me and the other stragglers.

“You're almost there!” one said. “Keep going! You're almost finished!” another shouted. Their high-fives and encouraging words gave me the strength to finish what I'd started.

Most of these folks didn’t know me; I was just a fellow runner in the race. I started to fight back tears. It reminded me of what heaven will be like, and of the crowd of witnesses who has gone on before me. I imagined them waiting for me, cheering me on to finish the race of life with endurance, and ultimately welcoming me with open arms.

The Bible tells us that because Jesus died on the Cross for our sins, our entrance fee to Heaven has been paid in full. However, how we get there will depend on how we run the race. Some believers will breeze into heaven, like a friend of mine who runs marathons without breaking a sweat. Others will be tired, but will be grateful for the training they endured. Others will pass the pearly gates limping, red-faced, and unable to speak because they'll be so winded. But however one gets to heaven, I'm confident it will be a time of celebration, a wonderful homecoming filled with sweet reunions. 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses… let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Hebrews 12:1-2 (NLT)

The Name

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” wrote Shakespeare in his famous play, Romeo and Juliet.

But one name really is better than the rest. It’s the Name above all other names. It is so powerful, that in some countries, it is forbidden. Those who embrace the Name are tortured, jailed, and even killed.

This Name produces a variety of reactions. Blasphemers hate it. It is a thorn in their flesh. Sinners cling to it. They know it is their only hope. Followers love it. It is the sweetest sound they’ve ever heard.

At the mention of this name, demons flee in terror. The wind and the rain are silenced. The dead are raised. The crippled walk. The blind see. The deaf hear.

When this name is embraced, fears vanish. Anxieties are quieted. Worries are put to rest.  There is peace—indescribable peace between man and God. Why? Because He is Immanuel, God with us. His name means Savior, the One who will save us from our sins. He is Christ, the Anointed One. He is the One and only Son of the Most High God. He is Jehovah-Jireh, our Provider. He is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He is the Word of God, in flesh. He’s the Prince of Peace.

Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:10 (NLT)

A New Day

We mark time in different ways. An anniversary, a birthday, a holiday, the start of a new year. Today I'm remembering one year ago today.

It was on that day when I took three pregnancy tests. Two in quick succession, another one a few hours later. All had a double line. Pregnant. My hands shook and I wondered if it could be true. I cried tears of happiness, alone in my bathroom, and I waited anxiously for my husband of just four months to get home from work to share the news.

It had been a busy week. Just the day prior we had flown home from Chicago. A funeral. My mother's funeral. We saw her laid to rest, in the plot next to my father. He was buried there just four years earlier.

But despite being tired from travel and grief, I couldn't rest. I was having a baby! I went to Home Depot and bought a decorating magazine for kids' rooms. I clipped my favorite pictures and hung them on the wall in what was then the "Man Cave."

When Ken walked in the door from work, I told him I was starting a new project. He looked at me inquisitively. I said it was in the Man Cave and asked him to close his eyes as I led him in there. I guided him to the wall where the nursery pictures hung. He stood there for a moment, staring, digesting. Silent. And then he said, "Is this what I think it is?" I said yes, and we hugged and hugged and hugged.

That week marked the end of one journey and the start of a new one. Today, as I bounced Jack on the exercise ball (yes, that's how he likes to fall asleep), I stared out the sliders at the lake. I watched ducks skim the surface of the water, leaving white foamy water in their wake. Then they'd take off, circle round, and another would follow. I thought about how much my mama loved watching the birds on that very lake. She'd sit on her balcony, just across the lake from our place, and drink her coffee, knit, and watch those crazy birds.

I imagine there's a viewing room in heaven, reserved for parents. There's a glass window where they can gaze down and see what their children are doing and what's going on in the world. My mom's window is positioned just above Lake Emerald. There she can watch the ducks splash and swim, and she can see her youngest daughter bouncing her only grandson to sleep.

We're all OK, mama. We're all OK.