Fearless flying

Boarding time was coming to a close so I filed into the dwindling line to enter the jet-way leading to the airplane. I made my way down the ramp and onto the packed Boeing. Glancing at my ticket I found my seat number and proceeded to the very back of the plane. It figures that when you buy your ticket three days in advance you end up in the seat right next to the bathroom. Good thing this flight is only an hour long, I thought to myself
I took my seat and, like a dutiful passenger, stored my bags securely in the overhead compartment. I pulled my book from my purse and then pushed the rest of its contents tightly under the seat in front of me. With my seat-belt fastened and chair in an upright position I was all ready for takeoff. 
As I got comfortable I noticed a woman to my right just a row ahead of me. Although her chair was in its proper position and all her personal belongings were stowed she was certainly not ready for takeoff. Not mentally, that is. She looked spooked. Her hands were fidgeting. Anxieties were written all over her face. This woman was clearly suffering from Pteromerhanophobia. Also known as the fear of flying. For her sake, I hoped for a smooth take off and turbulence-free ride.
When the plane's wheels left the ground it seemed as though we were in for smooth skies. The plane took off with ease and minimal time spent lingering on the runway. 
But then we hit a bump…and then another. The plane shook and swayed. My eyes immediately shifted to the nervous woman to my right, one row up. Sure enough, she looked terrified. Her hands were gripping the arm rests of her chair so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. She laid her head back on her seat and was breathing deeply, trying to calm herself. With every bump, bounce and shift the frightened woman cringed and tensed even further.
In a few minutes that I'm sure felt like hours to the tense traveler, the airplane leveled out and the ride once again became smooth and steady. The pilot came over the PA system and assured his passengers that we had just experienced a little bit of turbulence but that it appeared we were in for clear skies for the remainder of our trip. We were told to keep our belts securely fastened though, just in case.
The fearful woman seemed to relax just a bit. The voice of the pilot appeared to have given her a comfort and assurance that all was well and that the plane was not just a blink of an eye away from falling from the sky. She just needed to hear that she was safe and that the pilot had it all under control.

Like that anxious passenger, sometimes I need to hear that all is well and that I am safe and secure in the arms of my Almighty Pilot, God. When life looks bumpy and unstable I long for Him to come over the PA system and say, "I am in control of this. We will get to the destination safely. Just keep your seat-belt fastened."
Sometimes I get a fear of flying on God's plane. Although I know He is the perfect Pilot who never loses control of the plane, sometimes I get anxious when the skies don't seem to be just right. The low level clouds and thunder in the distance cause my nerves to act up.
"Are we about to fly into that storm?... Won't that be bumpy?... I'd rather fly in the other direction, away from the turbulent skies…." I think to myself. But the way of the cloudless skies isn't always the direction on God's flight path. Sometimes to get where He wants me to be I have to travel through  the shaking and shifting of a storm in order to get to my final destination.

It is in those times of turbulence that I need to reach for the promises of God, my Pilot. I need the reassurance found in the words of Isaiah 41:10. "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." No matter how fierce the storm or how dark the skies, God will uphold me through it all. He will see that the flight path He has me on won't be disrupted by even the roughest turbulence. He has the path of life in His hands and He has the destination in His sights. Nothing can thwart His plans. 

While flying with God there are times when fears will threaten to keep you and I gripping our seat for dear life. Take heart, God has not abandoned the controls and He cannot be overcome by the winds that buffet your plane. He is in control of it all. He will see His children through to their ultimate destination. There is no storm that can throw off God's will, disrupt His route or ground His plane. He is the over-comer of the storms and the mighty Pilot. So take your seat with comfort and peace because God is behind the controls. There is no reason to fear. 

Never alone

In seventh grade I didn't have many friends at school. In fact, I had so few friends that sometimes I didn't have anyone to sit with at lunch, no one to talk to while munching on my PB&J. Of course I didn't want to sit in the cafeteria all alone! I was far too embarrassed to be seen without a lunch buddy. So I would eat my lunch back in the teacher's classroom and help her correct papers, away from the on-looking eyes of my peers.
As I grew up I found lunch companionship and the seats around my lunch table were filled with friendly faces. Still, I will never forget those lonely days in middle school when I felt unwanted and abandoned. No one wants to eat lunch alone. Everyone wants a friend. Everyone wants a companion who they can talk to and laugh with.
Have you ever felt like I did, alone and without a friend in the world?
Can I let you in on a little secret?
You aren't alone.
Even if your lunch table is completely empty and you are digging into the contents of your brown bag amid a grouping of friendless chairs, you do have a companion that longs to chat with you. His name is Jesus.
Jesus is always near to us and we can talk to Him anytime, anywhere. He longs to communicate with us because He loves us! When we call on His name and pray, our God in Heaven hears us and listens to all we have to say. Psalm 145:18 actually tells us that, "The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth." You and I can have the presence of the Lord with us when we pray to Him, calling on His name. Isn't that a wonderful promise? Jesus can enter into our cafeteria at school, bedroom at home, sanctuary at church or anywhere that we call on His name!
How can we experience this presence of God? By coming to Him in prayer and asking Him to be our constant companion. Matthew 7:7 promises that by praying to God and seeking His company we are sure to have the door opened for us. The scripture says, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." When we pray to God and ask Him to take a seat with us at lunch He will always come and pull up a chair.
You and I, God's beloved children, have a friend who never fails us. We always have someone to talk to who longs to hear our voice and listen to our prayers and praise. We don't need to be in a big crowd or seated at a table full of people to have a faithful friend. We have a unchanging, reliable, constant companion. His name is Jesus and He is only a prayer away.

Give, give, give

What is the secret to a happy marriage?
Where to begin, right?
Well, you could start with someone who has been married for a long time. Seventy-three years qualifies as long, wouldn't you agree? In fact, it deserves a word more expressive than long. Seventy-three years of marriage is worthy of a word not even in the dictionary yet. Someone needs to come up with one. I'll start working on that but until then I'll just read up on Barbara "Cutie" Cooper's advice about marriage.

Harry and Barbara met in Los Angeles in the 1930's. They married and the rest is history. Seventy-three years worth, to be exact. They lived in LA, raised a family and became an internet sensation thanks to their blog "The Original Grandparents" or "The OGs." Thanks to their grandchildren, the legacy of "PopPop" and "Cutie" and their marriage advice will live on, complete with their own theme song. 
The blog that once featured the married couple became a solo endeavor in 2010 when Harry passed away. Cutie continued to write on and even penned a book with the help of her family. In it she shares funny stories, observations about life and, of course, marriage advice. She covers topics like greeting one another to making time for love. My favorite piece of advice has to be this simple little nugget, "give, give, give."
Cutie tells her interviewer that often times people rely on the emotion of love to keep them going. They focus on, "love, love, love." But Cutie has a different perspective. "It's about give, give, give," she says.
Isn't that true of all of our relationships? Love is a beautiful emotion but without the giving it tends to fall flat. I can claim that I have love but if I don't give then my love is nothing more than empty words, sure to disappoint. 
I'm not married, not even expecting a phone call for a first date anytime soon, but I can learn a thing or two from Cutie. Her advice is relevant for the married, single, old and young. Love is more than an emotion, it is an action. To practice love requires the practice of giving. 

Jesus was the living, breathing picture of this principle. Because of His great love He gave up His very life on a cross.  John 3:16 says, "We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us." That is love. Jesus didn't just say that He loved us, He showed it with the ultimate sacrifice, His very body. He gave everything to save those He loves. 

As a Christ follower, I too must love in more than simple words. As the saying goes, "talk is cheap." As 1 John 3:18 says, "Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." I can talk all day long but if I never give then my words are meaningless. Worse off, they can be hypocritical, giving rise to a false testimony and tarnished witness.

Giving out of the depths of love isn't just for those whose names are stamped on a marriage certificate. It is for anyone and everyone who calls themselves a Christian. Giving is essential. Not only am I to give in obedience to God's word but giving is the secret to healthy relationships. Just ask Cutie.

Whether or not I ever marry, I want to have thriving relationships with my family, friends, church congregation, grocery store clerk or even the next stranger I cross paths with walking out of this Panera Bread today. I can accomplish that by giving out of the love of Christ. Not by my own love which is conditional, weak and unreliable but out of Jesus Christ's unfailing love that can be mine to share when I invite the Holy Spirit to come in and invade my heart. By the indwelling of Christ I will be a true lover who gives, not simply a lover by word alone. I will show my love by following the advice of Cutie and the example of Christ: "give, give, give."

Breath of God

My dear Child,

I sustain you….

I uphold you….

I protect you….

I invigorate you….

I make your paths straight….

I save you from your enemies….

I lift your spirit….

I give you peace….

I restore your body….

I repair your brokenness….

I carry you….

I comfort you…

I defend you….

I am your energizer...your strength…your lifeblood….

Beloved, apart from Me you can do nothing. All of your efforts will be as worthless as chasing the wind. You will run and run, growing faint and weak, never to obtain your desire. 

With Me you will never run a step in vain. You will sprint with great force yet your breath will not fail you. You will run up mountains and through storms and still your feet will remain steady and strong because no matter the obstacles or conditions, I will be your life-force.

When you run under the shadow of my wings you run on the power of my mighty strength. I will oversee your every stride. Before you reach the finish line, I will declare your victory because I have already won the race. I have traveled the same path, overcome the same challenges and risen above them all. When you run on my power you run with my great triumph in your feet. When you call on the breath of God you run with limitless endurance and stamina. 

Let me be your sustainer and your strong tower and you will not be overtaken. You will be justified. You will be victorious through the power of my grace, love and mercy.

Call on me to be your Lifeblood. Call on My breath to invigorate you to your very core. With Me you can do all things. With Me you will win the race with a lightness in your step and a joy in your heart. Just call on the breath of God. 

Love,

Almighty God

Perfectly made plans

Robert Burns had it right when he wrote back in 1785, "The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men, 
gang aft agley," or, as you and I have probably heard it said, "The best laid plans of mice and men oft go awry." Those words were as true in 1785 as they are today.

His poem's wisdom didn't stop there, although that one solitary line is the most famous and quoted. The original poem goes on to say (in the modern day translation, I'll spare you the language of the eighteenth century), "And leave us nothing but grief and pain instead of promised joy!" 

Can you say, "Preach it, Burns!" I sure can!

I can sympathize with the cry of his poem because I have seen my own plans go oft awry. I've seen my plans fail and dissolve into nothing more than a memory of good intentions. In all of my planning and plotting I have become so caught up and invested in the schemes I am formulating that I have lost sight of how, in a moment, those plans can go wildly off course. 

Looking back on the plans I have made I am left shaking my head  in regret, turning red in the cheeks over my foolishness. I have thrown my entire being into designing the best of plans. I've written out blueprints in my mind, calculated twists and turns and come up with fanciful ideas. I have gotten so wrapped up in the foresight that I've lost my foundation in the here and now, carried away down paths of plans. 

Then the present reality hits with a force I could never anticipate. My plans fail. A monkey-wrench gets thrown into my carefully designed diagram of my future. It may feel like sabotage or just good intentions gone terribly wrong. Either way, the result is the same. All my ideas that I have planned and plotted go up in flames, lost in a cloud of smoke and consumed by raging fire. 

I've seen this scenario play out too many times. The sting of lose is acute and sharp. As Burns wrote, there is pain endured as a result of all those plans gone bad. The joy that I had in the planning is replaced with misery and grief. 

Slowly, very slowly, I am beginning to learn a vital lesson from my own personal tale of the mouse and failed plans: don't hold on to plans too tightly. 

Plans are just that, plans. They are an idea for the future but they aren't the present reality. They are very much subject to change. In a moment, without any notice, all of those plans can be turned on their head. Life can suddenly and unexpectedly throw a curve ball that knocks even the best made plans right out of the way, down a hill and into a ditch. So long plans! So long calculations, blueprints and designs! And hello to a whole new reality. Probably one that you and I didn't plan for and hardly know how to handle.

When I am holding onto my plans for dear life I become devastated when they are dissolved. My joy goes up in smoke right along with all of the designs I had in mind. Grief and pain replace my excitement and happiness. But this isn't how God intends for me to live. He doesn't want me to be so attached to the plans I've devised that I become dependent on them for my contentment. Instead, He wants me to find true joy and peace in the plans He has for me. After all, they are better then anything I could ever devise. 

Jeremiah 29:11 says, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

There is no denying the scriptures. God's plans aren't necessarily my plans. I must remind myself when that Jeremiah 29:11 doesn't say, "I have the same plans you have!" or "I'm going to let you make your own plans and I'll ensure they go according to your design! Just give me the blueprint." That is not at all the promise of God. 

God says that He has plans for me. They are plans that will give me hope and a future but they won't necessarily be my plans. In fact, it is probably better that they aren't my plans! Quite frankly, my plans are flawed. Even my best plans aren't half as wonderful as God's. This truth should leave me desiring His plans and not my own. I should be holding tightly to the promise of His plans instead of clinging for dear life to my own ideas for the future. 

When I plot and plan, no matter how detail-oriented they may be or how carefully I lay out each step and thought, those plans will fail if they are not God's plans. When they fail how will I respond? Will I be filled with pain and grief? If so I probably was far too invested in them and far less invested in God's will for my life. 

Or will I continue to be joyful and content? 

When I cling to the promise of God, that He has marvelous plans for my life and a great hope for my future, there is not a single failed plan of my own invention that can get in the way of my joy. My joy won't be contingent on my own ideas. My joy will be rooted in the promises of God and the truth of His word. 

The great privilege of being a child of God is that, no matter how many well made plans fail us, we are not reliant on their success to have a bright future. Our futures lie in the hands of God. He alone makes the perfect plans and sees them through to fruition. 

The upper room

Evenings in the cozy warm abode I call home have been experiencing a new animal addition as of late. Her name is Truffles.
Noelle, my oldest niece, adopted her beloved dachshund about two years ago. Truffles is just what you'd imagine when you think "weiner dog." She is chocolate brown, a little plump and has a comical running style that is a mix of waddle and trot. Truffles is deeply attached to Noelle and takes her role of protector dog very seriously. She barks at passerbys and chases young boys. Anyone who might possibly come near one of her family members is fair game to be bombarded with a barrage of woofs.
Truffles is also Pippy's best friend. The two are cousins by….marriage? I'm not sure of the proper terminology for a dog's family tree. Nevertheless, Pippy and Truffles are best buds. Whenever Truffles comes over the two dogs exhaust themselves by running around the house, chasing after toys and each other, jumping up and down off of couches and wrestling on Pippy's dog bed (which she graciously shares with her BFF). But more than any other activity, Truffles favorite pastime at my house is to pester the eldest of animals under our roof, Patches, the big fat cat.
In her own home Truffles doesn't have a cat to sniff and investigate so she must feed all of  her curiosities when she as at my house where she has the mother of all cats to put her nose all over. Truffles relishes this opportunity.
Case in point, Thursday night. From the moment Truffles came barreling through the door she was all over the cat, literally. She was sniggering(?) her from head to toe. Maybe Patches had a new and tantalizing smell that was a feast for Truffles' nose. I can't explain the extreme curiosity, all I know is that Patches wasn't too thrilled. In fact, she seemed downright peeved. She just sat there and meowed. I wanted to tell her to go run up the stairs, find a cozy bed and go to sleep away from the intruding nose of this silly dog. But Patches is getting old and senile. Maybe she forgot that she has the ability to escape the bombardment. Or maybe she is sick of having to hide. Either way, she stayed put and let the sniff-fest continue as she aired her dissatisfaction with incessant meowing.
As the night wore on I was in and out of the room where the animal activity was on full display. I had gone to clean my room, do some laundry and write. When I came back down the stairs and rounded the corner into the kitchen I saw the most unusual sight. Patches was sitting on the small kids activity table that takes a prominent spot in my home's kitchen. On the floor stood Pippy and Truffles, looking up at the oversized feline relaxing in sniff-free peace. The cat had won. The dogs were perplexed.
How Patches managed to lift her oversized body up off the ground and onto the top of a table I will never know. All I can say is, where there's a will there's a way. Patches certainly had the will. It sounded something like this, "Get me away from this annoying dog." Somehow she came up with a way to remedy the situation.
For the rest of the evening Patches laid comfortably atop that table. Not one of us had the heart shoo her off. That poor cat had put up with enough for one evening. We all agreed to let her stay out of reach of the rambunctious dogs and simply sanitize the table later.
What Patches needed at that moment was a break from the chaos of life on the floor. She had put up with the antics of her dog companions long enough and she simply needed to get away. The table provided her an escape and a measure of serenity. Patches may be old and in desperate need of a diet, but she is far wiser than I had suspected.
Sometimes, like Patches, we all need to take a step away from the hustle and bustle of life. We may not have a dachshund sniffing us, but there may be plenty of other unwanted intruders that are bombarding our rest and causing our heart to lose its peace.
Watching Patches, I was reminded of the upper room referred to in Acts chapter one. After a day's journey back from the city the apostles and a number of women, including Jesus' mother, went into the upper room of the home they were staying. They separated themselves from the world so they could communicate with God in peace. In the upper room, away from the comings and goings of the world below, "They all joined together constantly in prayer…" (v. 14).
The apostles needed to be away from the noise and the demands of the world so that they could tune into the will of God. Their prayers were for guidance and direction in the matter of who among them should be nominated as another apostle. They needed to step away from distraction so they could hear the commands of God, have peace about their decision and walk in obedience. 
They needed to jump up on a table and get away from all the chaos of the world below. They needed to pull a Patches. 
There are times that I need to find refuge in my own upper room, my own kid's activity table. To hear God clearly might require that I shut off the noise of the radio and TV and temporary retreat from the people around me so that all of my attentions are entirely focused on God. It is in my upper room that He can speak to me directly and I can know that I am hearing Him and not the whisperings of the voice sitting at the next table or the background buzz of the news reports playing on repeat. I want to hear the direction of the Lord, not the distraction of the world. So sometimes I need to step away from the chaos that surrounds me so that I can take hold of the peace of God.
That evening, the one where Patches was in desperate need of an upper room, she remained on that table top for at least an hour, maybe even two. She didn't come down until Truffles had left the house and was well out of the driveway. Then Patches hoped off the table and laid back down on the rug. She had found the refuge she so desired and now she could come back down off of her perch and remain in peace.
When I am losing my peace and in desperate need of a rest I hope I put into practice the wisdom displayed by my pet cat. Go to an upper room; seek the company of God; find serenity in communing with the Holy Spirit. In His presence I can find a resting place for my head and a peaceful calm for my heart. In my upper room, prayerfully coming before God, I will claim the truth of Isaiah 32:18 that says, "My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest."

There is a season

Spring will come….
Spring will come….
I am absolutely certain that spring will indeed come!…

I keep repeating this truth to myself. I need the reminder after this long winter that the freezing temperatures will end and the sun will break through the blanket of grey that has enveloped the sky for months on end. I will get to pack away my boots and store my winter coats. I will once again enjoy open windows, inviting a warm breeze to blow through the house while enjoying the melodious songs of the birds perched in their blooming trees. Spring will come again.
But then I look down at my car's thermometer and see that little snowflake flashing its bright white light, reminding me that it is still thirty degrees. It is late March and I'm still wearing my winter coat with the furry hood and my hands still feel like ice cubes despite wearing my thick alpaca gloves. I know that spring will come but it definitely has not sprung yet.
Despite freezing hands I hold onto the promise of the changing seasons. For twenty-three years I have experienced an annual spring. It has always come right after winter. Sometimes it comes in late February (Punxsutawney Phil, the famous groundhog, does not see his shadow!) and other years it has remained hidden until mid-April (Phil sees the biggest shadow ever!). The month and date hasn't remained constant but regardless of the unpredictability of its arrival, spring has always sprung.
This year will be no different. Flowers will once again bloom, grass will burst forth in vibrant green color and the temperature will break out of its arctic deep freeze.
God has promised to keep changing the seasons since the beginning of time, from all the way back in Genesis. God has planned for the seasons and knows precisely when they will arrive. Daniel 2:21 even says that He, God, "changes the times and the seasons." He is the master planner, knowing when to put a stop to the snows and blustering winds and when to introduce the song bird and the buds of the tulip. His masterful hand is on the seasons, always bringing forth a glorious spring no matter how harsh the winter.
God does the same work of change and rebirth in the lives of His children. Even after the most brutal trial and struggle God has a spring to unleash in perfect timing. As Ecclesiastics 3:1 says, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven."
Just like the weather, I don't get to determine when God will change the seasons of my life. I would love to have every winter end in the first week of February, giving way to the brilliance of spring sooner rather than later. But God doesn't always give me spring precisely when I want it. In fact, sometimes it seems as though the wait will never cease. But experience has proven that there is always an end to my great anticipation. Spring always comes.
When I am tempted to grow weary in waiting for the change of seasons in my own life, changes that have nothing to do with temperature or the colors on the trees, I can look to the seasons for reassurance. God will not leave me in a perpetual state of winter. The dreary, bleak days of cold and wind will not go on forever. In God's perfect timing the seasons will change and my winter will gave way to spring.

This morning I heard a bird outside my window. Do you know what that means? Spring is coming. The winter has been long but God's faithfulness has not wavered. He is still God of the earth and God of the birds, bringing them back for their annual grand entrance.
God is changing the seasons of my life, too. Soon my life will be blooming with bountiful tulips in brilliant color. There will be new leaves on once bare trees and birds will be back in full song. Just as He promised, God is once again changing the seasons.