SAYING GOODBYE

...surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:20b (NIV)

I stood in the driveway, watching my mother's beloved rust bucket Ford Escort station wagon disappear down Mountain Road. It left an ache in my heart. Hot tears escaped my eyes.

The car was Mother's faithful friend, taking her to church and bringing her home every Sunday for sixteen years.

I worried when Mother drove thirty one-miles to church on Sundays. She told me not to worry, Jesus was co-pilot when she got behind the wheel. I prayed He was there protecting her. After all, she was eighty-four when she first moved here and still drove everywhere by herself until her fatal illness at eighty-eight.

It's a blessing to have the wonderful memories of Mother and her car. I used to tease her and tell her she had wheels for feet. She laughed and told me not to forget it either. We were not going to take her keys away. She would know when it was time for her to stop driving.

Mother became progressively ill during her last year with us. She eventually stopped driving so her car stayed parked. She kept the keys.

Sometimes Mother asked me to read her Bible to her when she grew too weak to read. I checked the chapters and read as she lay back in her rocker, exhausted but content. It wasn't long before my sisters and I had to tell her goodbye. We had faith that God's angels took her to heaven. It gave us a chuckle to think of angels driving her to heaven in her beloved rust bucket.

Thank You, Father, for always being with us, especially in the fond memories of our beloved mother and her trusty old car. Amen.

© 2016 Evelyn B. Ryan

WORRY OR WORSHIP

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you…. Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27 (NIV)

Worry is a choice! When living in a very challenging situation where fear was a constant companion, I was mentally assaulted with a dread that I would be out on the street. When the tempest enveloped me, I sang praise songs, like “Trust in the Lord with all your heart” repeatedly. Soon I felt relief. I was never homeless.

Recently, I had to drive my daughter from Abingdon, MD. to downtown Baltimore to John Hopkins Medical Center. That concerned me. I felt I’d probably get lost, be stuck in the wrong lane or miss my turn. She insisted I take her car, being newer and more reliable.

Thank God we arrived on time, and at the correct place. Her hand surgery went well and after four hours, she was released to go home. Her husband arrived at the hospital and said he would drive her home, and I’d drive her car home.

I looked outside. It’s snowing. Here I am in the city, in a different car, and its rush hour, and I prayed, “Lord, help me.” I felt His nudge. Worry or worship, entered my mind. How can I stop this trembling? Worry or worship, repeated itself. 

Straightening my shoulders, and taking a deep breath, I drove through the blinding snow singing. “This is the day the Lord has made.” Soon “Trust and Obey” and “Amazing Grace” burst from my heart. I drove home in perfect peace.

Worship is a better choice.

Dear Lord. You are my Shepherd. I shall not want. Your provision is greater than my strongest need. amen

2016 © Lois Gosley

LESSON LEARNED

"You shall not steal." Exodus 20:15 (NIV)

When I was seven years old, Mother allowed me to accompany my friend, Becky to the store. When we got there, Mr. Sam took her list, filling the order. Becky whispered in my ear something that gave me chills. I struggled with my conscience, knowing it was wrong to steal. My mothers words echoed in my head about disobeying God's commandments.

"Come on," Becky urged. "Take a cookie for you and one for me. I'll watch and tell you when Mr. Sam comes back."

My mouth watered in anticipation. I eased the lid off the big jar and took two cookies. When Becky got her order, she said loudly, "Mr. Sam, Bonnie took two cookies from the cookie jar." I wanted to disappear.

Mr. Sam scowled at me but told me to keep the cookies. I left the store and ran all the way home, never looking back at my so-called "friend."

Right away, Mother knew something was amiss. She saw the cookies and asked where they came from.

"The store," I answered meekly.

"Did you steal them?"

"Yes," I said, my head bowed in shame.

Mother was a whirlwind. She grabbed my hand and dragged me back to the store, anger boiling inside her. She made me tell Mr. Sam what I had done. "I taught her better than that!" Mother said vehemently. She took the cookies and threw them in the trash can. That day I got the hardest spanking and most stinging lecture on how God hates stealing.

Lesson learned. I didn't understand then, but my mother loved me more by disciplining me, further enforcing the eighth commandment.

Father, thank You for a mother who knew the Ten Commandments and brought me up by the seat of my panties when I needed it. Amen.

© 2016 Evelyn B. Ryan

A MOTHER’S LESSON

Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. Titus 2:3-5 (NIV)

Mother’s Day is just a day away. I hope to take some time this weekend to pay respects to all mothers. It is not possible to be with my mother since she lives in another state. I can however, pay my respects to someone in my life who embodies the grace and wisdom we associate with Godly mothers.

Growing up I did not have a Godly mother. It was not until I got saved and joined a church that I was able to look to other older women for my example of what a good mother should be. The pastor's wife took me under her wing. Her example encouraged me to be the mother I yearn to become.

The whole goal of a Titus 2 woman is to train younger women in Biblical, Spirit-empowered, love-based lives. This can be accomplished when we seek God first, rather then the counsel of other Godly women life.

Christian principles I have learned from the many other Godly mothers in my life, helped me to pass these lessons to the younger mothers God puts in my path. Now, I seek to be a Titus 2 woman.

Lord, help me to be a Godly mother, grandmother and an example to other mothers.

©2016 Dawn Sexton.

I SEE A GARDEN

Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food." Genesis 1:29 (NIV)

I see a garden.
     True, the ground is bare
of what used to be.
It's quite different now.
There's not much to see.
But, though the ground is bare,
natures phantoms are still there
leaving remnants of beauty for me.

I see a garden.
     There are cabbages in a row
on that far side.
The vines on that trellis
give the cukes a place to hide.
The birds all seem to know
where the ripening strawberries grow
and the weeds grow thickest on that side.

I see a garden.
     Though traces of snow cover
the sleeping seeds of spring,
there is life beneath the soil
and new birth the sun will bring.
Though old age may hinder me
and I'm not what I used to be,
I see a garden in my heart
and my soul SINGS!

Father, thank You for the provisions You made for our sinful original parents and for us today. My joy is full when I work my garden and harvest the produce because of Your love. Amen.

THERE IS A SNAKE IN MY BASEMENT!

But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:3 (NIV)

There is a snake in my basement, or at least there was. It might be dead by now, or it might have gotten out, or it might still be there. I do not know. It snuck in while my husband was working at the outside entrance one day. He tried to catch it, but it escaped into the unknown crevices. Finding it would have involved taking three generations’ worth of possessions out of up to four rooms, and we just were not willing to put in the effort. It has been several months now, and my husband thinks he found the carcass a while back, but we do not know for certain.

Sin is like that. It slips into some place that we will not take the time to clean out. Sin does not, however, just curl up in a corner and die. It takes up residence in that dark corner and then starts working its way into the light. By the time we notice the problem, it is too late.

Praise the Lord, we have a Savior, who is also an expert house cleaner. He knows exactly where sin is hiding and exactly how to get rid of it. Of course, then a new problem occurs, or perhaps it is the same old problem. Will we let Him clean out those dark corners that we try to ignore and may even want to keep everything in them?

Prayer: Lord, make our hearts long for Your cleansing touch, instead of hiding in the dark.

©2016 Heidi M. Grant

WORK SPACE WITNESS PLACE

My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness and of Your salvation all day long. Psalm 71:15 (NASB)

God has given each of us a special arena to reach lost souls—a place where only we can minister.

My nursing profession provides unique opportunities to meet people at a point of need where medicine falls short. Often a patient arrives in my office stunned by a diagnosis that leaves them peering into the window of eternity. Their life suddenly careens into an abyss where all of the world's medical brilliance offers no guarantee.

Like blind men stumbling, groping in the dark, they are searching for something to give direction and stability. They need a light in the terrifying darkness of their diagnosis. Faced with their own mortality, suddenly what was of value yesterday, today is worth nothing.

Five minutes into conversation reveals if they have the peace and assurance of knowing Jesus. If they are secure in their eternal destination, they are concerned but not shaken to the core. Their feet are resting on the solid rock of Jesus Christ.

It's the other patients that grieve my heart and leave me praying for an opportunity to share my faith. Often, God has answered that prayer by having them look up and rest their eyes on the cross or a Bible verse on my office wall. Usually a question follows. I thank God for the opportunity and ask for His leading. My work space has become my witness place.

Whether facing a terminal diagnosis or another life issue, every person we meet needs to know the security of God's kingdom. We all have an important job to do.

Father, Help me to always keep my eyes open for opportunities to share Your gift of eternal life. Amen.

©2106 Bonnie Mae Evans