Courage For Today

water

Footprints for Others

Strength

My wife and I love to take an occasional stroll on the beach.  There’s really not much more relaxing than walking along the edge of the water and watching all the wonderful sights.  I especially enjoy watching all the children playing in the sand and building those sand castle masterpieces.  The kids on the beach are so intense with their sand buckets and shovels and are so proud of what they’ve built.  There’s just nothing like it.

On our most recent trip to the beach, we were able to do a little more walking than usual.  The beach meandered around the coastline for miles and miles.  We soon came across a pier that reached out into the ocean water several hundred feet or so. We thought that this would be a nice place to sit a few moments and catch our breath so we both sat off to the side of the pier observing all the busy fishermen testing their skills.  We found a nice shady spot next to some large concrete support beams which shielded us temporarily from the heat of the day.

As I sat there, I noticed that we weren’t the first ones of the day at this particular spot. There were the remains of a small sand castle that was fighting to stay in tact from the onslaught of the crashing waves.  The small footprints that were once fresh in the sand, no doubt the builders of the sand castle, were now just barely visible.   It would only be a few more dozen waves until the sand would be a clean slate again, ready for the next day’s activities. This was in stark contrast to the artwork I soon noticed in the concrete support beam next to us.  I wasn’t sure when the pier was built, but –at the time it was built–someone decided to place themselves in immortality by carving a small heart in the concrete with the names of themselves and their loved one.  It was hardened in the concrete for all to see for as long as the concrete was standing.

I thought to myself how symbolic this was of God’s Word and our Work in the Christian Life.  How often do we work and work and work, doing what we may feel the Lord has called us to do, only to see little reward—–at least in our own minds.  We wonder if anything we do in the Christian Life is permanent or simply temporary?  The important thing for us, as Christians, to remember is that if we are obedient, there will always be rewards if we don’t grow weary.

That day on the beach showed me two types of Works.  One that was temporary and one that was permanent.  Whatever you are doing for the Lord, keep it up. HIS work has permanent results and is never in vain.  Don’t quit and don’t grow tired.  It may be years before you see results, or the results may not even be in your lifetime, but you’ll always leave footprints hardened in the concrete for others to see, not washed away like the sands on the beach.

Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.  Galations 6: 9 (NIV)

Other Posts You May Enjoy

[pt_view id=”760f7e8uyf”]

The Poison of Stagnant Water

Forgiveness

As a young child, I loved to play in small creeks and streams.  I suppose every boy does, if they have the chance.  I especially loved to find a narrow section of the creek and attempt to build a small dam.  I would search for large rocks and sticks and whatever I could find to stop the flow of the stream.  Usually, I had a toy boat or pretended I had a boat made out of sticks that I could now play with in the ever deepening water.

On one such occasion, I remembered building a dam and having to run back to my house to eat lunch.  I was gone maybe a couple of hours and I couldn’t wait to return to the dam I had so masterfully constructed.  When I returned, the water backed up to the dam was all stagnant and dirty looking.  However, the small trickle of water that escaped from the dam was crystal clear and continuing it’s flow down the stream.

Forgiveness is a lot like that day on the creek.  Failing to forgive and continuing to look back at our past does nothing to the person(s) we haven’t forgiven–it stagnates our own life.  As you continue your week, ask God to reach into your heart and remind you of someone you need to forgive.

Other Posts You May Enjoy

[pt_view id=”760f7e8uyf”]

It’s Always About the Encounter

Encouragement

One of my grandsons’ favorite activities is swimming.  I don’t think it would matter if they were swimming in a pool; in a lake; in a stream; or even splashing in a puddle of water.  If they can get wet, they will do it.  When they come visit us at our pool, it’s all out fun and excitement.  They can’t wait to slip on their swim trunks and head off to the pool.

I don’t know about you, but when I actually do get into the water during one of those rare times, it’s slow and easy into the water for me.  It’s just too cold usually.  First, it’s my feet and ankles.  Then up to my knees, and slowly inching my way up until I can go under the water.  I’m not one of those people that immediately jumps in the water.  My grandsons, on the other hand, are jumpers.  As soon as they hit the pool deck, it’s off they go.  Straight into the water.  No shock for them.  They don’t wait for to see if the water is warm enough.  They don’t wait for us to give them detailed swimming instructions.  They don’t wait to see who might be looking at them or observing what they do.  They don’t wait to see if they have all their swimming gear in tact.  They just jump.  And they jump some more.  For them, it’s not about getting all the answers and insight about swimming.  It’s about enjoying the water.

It reminds me so much of a conversation I had with an acquaintance many, many years ago.  This person was struggling with Christianity in general and the Bible, specifically.  He spoke about how the Bible was confusing to him and that he had too many questions that couldn’t be answered.  He cited several examples and I could tell that he really, really wanted to be a believer in Christ, but just couldn’t make himself take that leap of faith until he found all the answers to his questions.  To his surprise, I agreed with him that Christianity and the Bible had many unanswered questions, even in my own mind.  There were many things I didn’t fully understand and wouldn’t ever know the answers to until I reached Heaven one day.  He seemed a little perplexed and confused that I would embrace God, as I do, with so many confusing issues swirling in my head.

I spent the next several minutes explaining that my relationship with Christ was not about answers.  it was about an encounter.  It was about an encounter with an almighty God that changes live.  I explained how God had truly worked in my life and changed me.  How God had worked miracles in my own life and my family’s.  And, I shared how my relationship with Christ was personal and intimate.  I may not understand all HE does and why HE does things, but there was no question that I had the encounter and relationship that forever changed my life.

I went on and shared that I didn’t wait around to see if Christianity was the next “big” thing or popular with others.  I didn’t wait around to see what others were doing with “their” Christianity.  I didn’t’ wait around to get the next greatest Bible translation so I could understand things better.  I just jumped in the water.  I didn’t care about all those other things.  I just wanted Christ and what he brought to my life and I haven’t had one regret.

I’m not quite sure why the Lord brought this particular message to me on this particular day, but I’ve got to believe it’s because someone reading this passage is struggling with this same issue.  If you are, don’t wait for all the answers, because you’ll never find them.  Instead, embrace the encounter and the new relationship that awaits you when you accept Christ.  I promise that you won’t regret your decision.

Other Posts You May Enjoy

[pt_view id=”760f7e8uyf”]

The Enormous Power of Forgiving and Forgetting

Forgiveness

I have to admit that forgiving others is sometimes a struggle for me, even as a Christian.  I don’t have any difficulty forgiving someone for what we might call a “minor offense” or something fairly insignificant.  However, if the offense is something that affects my life in a major way, I struggle.  In fact, if I’m being honest, I want just the opposite—-I want revenge.  I want to somehow make the other person go through all the turmoil and anger and bitterness that I’ve experienced.  I know that’s the wrong attitude but, again, I’m being honest.  I really came to a crossroads a couple of years ago when I had struggled for so long with bitterness and anger toward a particular person who caused unmentionable grief for my family and me.  Was I going to really practice my faith and honor what the Bible teaches about forgiveness, or was I going to forget this principle of the Christian Faith and act in a manner I would later regret?

The Lord reminded me one day of an event that happened on one of my many camping and hiking trips as a young person.  On this particular hiking trail, we encountered a medium sized stream that was dammed by fallen trees; rocks; and debris.  The water above the dam was slow moving and almost stagnant, even dirty looking and polluted. There didn’t appear to be any fish or much life at all.  Below this natural dam, I noticed where the stream had found a small gap and had broken through.  There, the water was clear and sparkling and rushing around rocks and around the boundaries of the banks quickly working it’s way downstream.  What a difference a few feet on the hiking trail made!!  I witnessed the same water transform itself from dirty stagnation to clean refreshment.

I was reminded that not forgiving others, no matter how great the offense, simply dams up my my own life and pollutes my Christian walk.  I become stagnant and stale; bitter and miserable; hurtful and dirty.  I discovered that by not forgiving others, I only hurt myself, not the person that I was still angry with.  As soon as I forgave this person–truly forgave them, it was as if the dam broke.  Suddenly, my Christian faith was like the water running down stream, after the dam.  It was clear and clean and beautiful again.  It was an unbelievable feeling of freedom.

Is there someone in your life that you need to forgive?  Do you need to break through the “dam” of unforgiveness in your life?  I encourage you to forgive that person; don’t stay paralyzed with bitterness.  I can promise you that there’s much better scenery downstream with a free-flowing stream, than there is stagnant in a pool of dirty water.

Other Posts You May Enjoy

[pt_view id=”760f7e8uyf”]

Resting in the Comforting Mist

Strength

Several years ago, my best friend and I decided to drive, one Saturday, to the North Georgia Mountains to hike.  We were still young and single and had nothing really better to do on a hot Saturday afternoon, so this would be something different and exciting for us to do.  Neither of us were avid hikers or really knew what we were doing, but it sounded like something to kill some time, if nothing else.

Off we drove for about 2 hours from Atlanta to North Georgia where we arrived at one of the State Parks.  It was gorgeous.  Campgrounds; picnic tables; playgrounds; and, of course, all set in the beautiful mountains.  I can still feel the crispness of the mountain air and how refreshing it all felt after the long drive.

The Park had several hiking trails, but we decided on hiking the trail that was marked as the most extreme.  Afterall, we were young, macho guys.  We didn’t want some wimpy walking trail.  We wanted to go for the most gusto—and we did.

The first part of the trail involved walking down what seemed like a thousand steps deep into a canyon.  From there, the trail began up and around various hilltops all amazingly marked with signs of various landmarks and types of wildlife.  It was as beautiful as we had hoped, but tiring.  It seemed like we must have walked 5 miles, but the hiking trail was only marked as a couple of miles.  The fact that we not walking on a level playing field obviously made it seem longer than it did.  We were both beginning to get very tired.  Being the experienced hikers that we were, we didn’t take any water with us so our mouths and throats were as dry as a desert.  We were suddenly discovering that we weren’t as macho as we thought we were and, to make matters worse, we had to hike back.

We had been hiking alongside a medium-sized river and seeing all that water just made us thirstier.  Just when we thought we couldn’t make it much further, we saw a small waterfall up ahead where the river we were following dropped off to a lower terrain. What really caught our eyes was that there was a ledge behind the waterfall where we could climb and actually sit and rest behind the waterfall.  We debated whether to continue hiking, or try to climb behind the waterfall and rest.  That was something I had seen in movies where people hiked behind the waterfall into some mystery cave or hideout, but I had never personally seen this before.  So, off we went.  Climbing down the ledge ever so carefully until we were actually behind the waterfall.  What an awesome sight! We literally sat there quietly watching the cool water from the river above us dropping right in front of and continuing downstream below us.

It was so refreshing. Watching the awesome power of the water while, at the same time, enjoying the cool mist blowing off the waterfall sprinkling us with much needed water. Not enough to soak us too much, but just enough to revitalize us for the journey back. We probably sat there for 30 minutes just soaking up the beauty and the cooling mist. What a blessing this was on that hot day, especially to think we almost talked ourselves into continuing our hike and we would have missed this opportunity at the waterfall.

I often think of my Christian Walk and how sometimes life just seems overwhelming. It reminds me so much of that day, many years ago, hiking in the mountains.  On that day, we walked and walked; uphill and downhill looking for the end of the trail and yearning for refreshment at the same time.   Finally, we found the mist of the waterfall and we forgot about our feelings and the long journey still ahead of us.  The comfort of the mist was worth the agony of the journey.  Whenever I have those overwhelming “life moments,” it helps me to just stop and have some quiet time with the Lord and simply wonder in His mighty grace and strength.  I couldn’t tell you how many times I missed fellowship with the Lord simply because I was too busy to slow down.  Just like that day on the trail, we would have missed the refreshing mist of the waterfall had we not stopped.  The “mist” of the Lord’s love and greatness is more than I need for any situation on any day and all that I need for the long journey ahead.

Other Posts You May Enjoy

[pt_view id=”760f7e8uyf”]

What is Your God Given Vision

Faith

My wife and I just returned from a wonderful 8-day cruise to the Caribbean.  The weather was beautiful; and the scenery was unbelievable.  We met some wonderful people during the cruise as well, but unfortunately, it’s back to reality now.

During the cruise, we decided we wanted to do something different; something that we wouldn’t or couldn’t do at home.  Being the adventurous souls we are (just kidding), we decided that we wanted to sail on a real sail boat and then go snorkeling.  I was a little skiddish about the snorkeling.  I hadn’t done that since I was a child and certainly had never snorkeled in the ocean, so I was excited, but nervous at the same time.

We left the cruise ship and arrived at the dock to board the sailboat. Once we boarded the sailboat, but before we set sail, the Captain explained to everyone where we were going; what we would be doing; and reviewed all the safety requirements.  After a few moments, it was off we sailed for about an hour to a secluded cove.  We then donned our life jackets; our swim fins; our masks, and jumped in the water (after much hesitation and encouragement from others).  Once we were in the water, we were allowed an hour to swim around and explore the beauty beneath the surface.  Words can’t describe the beauty of the coral and it’s many colors and the beauty of the many fish swimming around.  It was actually peaceful and refreshing.  Suddenly, I wasn’t nervous or apprehensive anymore.  It seemed like the hour in the water flew by and, before we knew it, it was back to the sailboat for the trip back to the cruise ship.

This entire journey into the world of sailing and snorkeling reminded me of my own journey of faith, and perhaps yours too.  It brought home the reality of what I must be doing each and every day as I walk by faith:

  1. We must have a God-given goal or vision.  Just as the Captain of the sailboat told us where we would be going; what we would be doing; and told us how to be safe during our journey, the Lord does the same for us.  The Lord gives us the goal or vision for our lives.  We just have to trust and follow.  I knew nothing about snorkeling or sailing and was totally living by faith on every word the Captain said.  I had no choice but to believe and trust him for my safety.  We should be no different in our Christian lives.
  2. We must enjoy the journey along the way.  Sometimes, the journey is longer than we want or think it should be.  We know where we want to go and where the Lord is leading, it just seems like we never get there.  I would encourage you to stay focused on the goal and stay persistent and determined and you will reach the goal God has for your life.  It seemed like an eternity before we reached our snorkeling destination, but the journey was worth it in the end. Had we given up, or cut the trip short, we wouldn’t have experienced the joy at the end of the trip.
  3. Sometimes, we must jump in the water. We can have all the goals we want.  We can have all the God-given direction we want.  But, sometimes we just have to “jump in the water ” by faith and get wet.  From the deck of the sailboat, all I could see was the vastness of the blue water.  Once I jumped in the water and saw the view below, the beauty was breathtaking. Even though I listened to the Captain; knew our destination; and enjoyed our journey, I would have never witnessed the underwater world that I did had I not actually jumped in the water.  I would have robbed myself of the final victory had I not taken the plunge.

Where are you in your walk of faith?  Do you have a God-given vision?  If so, are you “sailing” along toward that goal and enjoying the journey, or are you close to giving up?  Or, are you like me on occasion and you just need to take that step of faith and “jump in the water?”  I promise you that the view is something that you will never forget.

Other Posts You May Enjoy

[pt_view id=”760f7e8uyf”]