THE LION AND THE LIGHT

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1 (KJV)

 One night I had a lion cub dream. It was small and cuddly—absolutely adorable. As we romped, it gradually grew, muscles rippling playfully under his skin. He seemed innocent and cute; it was inconceivable that as a full grown lion he would weigh several hundred pounds.

With each pounce he got bigger and stronger, his claws and sharp teeth began to hurt and made small stinging wounds. There was nothing fatal at this point, but I began to realize there was great potential for harm. My playful lion cub was getting harder to manage. I kept trying to ease toward the door, but he always caught me before I could escape.

Others came and went back out through the doorway letting in a radiant light each time without offering assistance or even noticing my predicament. I kept watching the bright doorway for someone else—someone I knew could save me.

I awoke from my dream without ever seeing who I was hoping for—my savior from the lion. Pondering the parallel of the cub and how small sin can quickly grow and overtake us, I wanted to return to my slumber and the finale. But, in the dim light of dawn, my heart confidently whispered, you already know.

Indeed I do! Jesus, Savior of the world! Satan may taunt and inflict wounds, but he can never deliver the fatal blow that would separate us from our hope and salvation through Jesus Christ.

 

Thank You, Lord, we wait in faith KNOWING that You have come to our rescue and nothing can separate us from you. Amen.

 ©2016 Bonnie Mae Evans

IN TIMES OF TROUBLE

Trust in God at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.
Psalm 62:8 (NIV)

Feelings of pain and devastation filled me when Mother's cardiologist told me that her heart was working harder than it needed to because of clogged arteries. He wanted to perform triple by-pass surgery to ease the strain on her heart. At 74 years old, the question was whether she was strong enough for such a drastic procedure.

Calling my sisters and conveying to them what the doctor said, they, too, were very concerned for our mother. To me, it was the beginning of the end. I worried and prayed and then worried some more, knowing that by worrying, not one bit of good would come out of it. Philippians 4:6—7 calmed my fears. It says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

On my knees, with head bowed, my prayers bombarded God over and over again. Once word came that Mother had come through the surgery, the peace of God swept over and through me. I am forever thankful to God for His love and mercy to Mother and my sisters and me.

Mother lived 14 1/2 years after her by-pass surgery. God blessed her with all those extra years so we could have her with us and love her unconditionally, just as He did.

Father, our family gives You thanks for Your generous gift of our mother's love. Amen.

© 2016 Evelyn B. Ryan

FORGIVE THE UNFORGIVEABLE

If ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses Matthew 6:14-15.  (KJV)

I didn’t realize that a little white lie told with good intentions, could spiral out of control ending a lifelong friendship.  You see I’ve always had a passive, forgiving, laid-back type personality. 

After attending the funerals of seventy-five percent of the family I love, confide in and depend on, it was obvious my entire safety net had died. With no one left to confide in, some people now misuse my trust for their agenda.  Instead of being depressed, I decided to take a vacation with my best friend from high school. 

One problem, she had a medical procedure coming up and not enough leave time to cover our vacation nor her medical procedure.  I had three hundred hours of vacation time plus four hundred hours of sick time. Knowing she had a single income household, I donated eighty-eight hours of my vacation time to her, and used forty hours of my sick time for our vacation. 

We planned our vacation from our home computers. Nothing was planned from our work computers. Long story short, our vacation was HORRIBLE! To make matters worse she emailed, from our plane, vacation details to my work computer (direct violation of office policy) without my knowledge while we were still thirty five thousand feet in the air, exposing my lie. 

As a result, I was reassigned to a different office. Was it the betrayal, or the lie that cost me my position?

Father God, please create a clean heart in me, and renew a right spirit within me. Help me Lord to forgive my childhood friend, and to forgive myself.

© 2016 Jeannette Clark

SOLID AS A ROCK

He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. Luke 6:48 (NAS)

On the news recently there was a structure collapse with people trapped inside. Interviewed neighbors said they had been afraid something like that might happen since it hadn’t been built properly. I began thinking how essential it is to first have a firm foundation in everything we are building, whether it is a family, a business, or an actual structure.

In the world of writing there is a lot of attention placed on platform building. Everyone is looking for the perfect soapbox to attract interest in the book they are promoting. The focus is to sell. Why? So money can be made. A profit can be realized. There is a problem with that. There are a bazillion books out there. It's hard to find an original platform and convince people you have what they are looking for.

Instead of a platform, I want a rock. Platforms collapse. They're dependent on the flawed humans that build and maintain them. A rock is solid through and through. It will not collapse in on itself or me.

So whatever I do, dream or ever hope to accomplish must begin with a strong foundation. Christ is the rock I'm counting on. If I begin with Him as the cornerstone, seek Him and His guidance in all my hopes, plans and endeavors I cannot fail because He never fails. All the glory then naturally belongs to Him, eliminating human pride that guarantees a fall.

Praise You Father, you are the rock that never fails. Lead me in making You the rock foundation of all my plans.

©2016 Bonnie Mae Evans