God's Presence

I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father. John 16:28

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world yo will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. John 16:33

How is everybody coming along on their annual Christmas cards and letters? I thoroughly enjoy receiving cards. I find the printed family letter to be a welcomed bonus. The growing, changing families come alive in my mind as I sip on coffee and devour each succulent word. Change. That's what we do in this world. We grow, hurt, love, live, venture out, close in, fall, pick up, laugh, cry, and pray. God is with us in every moment. For me, reflecting on the year in a Christmas letter can turn into quite the spiritual exercise, as I realize His presence in all of life's changes. Below you will read an excerpt from our 2010 Christmas letter...

"Logyn, our baby girl, will turn 6 months the day after Christmas. This little bundle of love, through the grace of God, has beaten medical predictions from a short life, to a defective heart, to an underdeveloped lung cavity. Well, from the second she was born, it was clear that she was healthy, happy, and ready to change our world."

Now, skipping to present day. Wow! We have a novel's worth of life details to fill in from 2010 to 2011. With a Pre-Schooler, an 8 year old girl in a 3 year old's body (ha ha), and an almost 18 month old, no doubt we have grown and changed in the last year. Yet, the overall message remains the same, as you will read in the conclusion of our 2010 letter...

"Through Logyn's experience, God has taught us to have unwavering faith in Him, an immeasurable faith that comes only from Christ as a gift to us. This faith was most evident in the moments of uncertainty that lingered before our daughter's birth. We prayed fervently, not for a set outcome, but for God to prepare us and strengthen us. We will testify this day and every day that our Heavenly Father was our source of power during that emotional pregnancy. We did not know if the desired miracle of our baby's birth would occur. All we knew was that Christ had already overcome the world, and that we had peace."

Dear God, You are the only constant in our lives. We are eternally thankful that You have prepared the way for us, through Your only Son, to live with You in Heaven. We are ever so thankful for the miracles you bestow. We are also thankful that you will not leave us or forsake us during our tribulations. We count all of our friends and family as blessings. We pray that they all will remain strong in faith in You. Amen.

Fear Not - Wait for the Lord!

I try not to let myself think about my fears too often. You see, I have an over-active imagination, and it doesn’t take much for something to be blown completely out of proportion in my mind. When I was growing up, I babysat my little brothers a lot, and if my parents were late getting home, I’d sit waiting for them and imagining all the things that could have happened to them and what I would do if they died and I had to raise my little brothers. Sometimes, I’d follow these fears around in my head so long that I ended up crying as though something had actually happened.

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?

I still have that habit of letting my imagination run away with itself. It’s something I have to work to control, especially when the fears are unfounded.

But sometimes, I have very real fears. (And I have to work even harder to control my imagination with these fears.) These days, most of my fears have to do with the baby. It's a rather active child... What if it gets tangled up in the umbilical cord and we have to do an emergency c-section? It happened with my goddaughter; she was born eight weeks early and almost six years later still has some serious health issues. Another friend recently had a baby 13 weeks early. We only have six and a half weeks to go, but problems could still show up. And what about after the baby comes? I have loads of fears about motherhood, and like I said, I have an overactive imagination.

When evildoers assail me
to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
it is they who stumble and fall.
Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me
yet I will be confident.

I have a very dear friend who, earlier this year, had a seizure in the middle of the night. Scans and tests revealed a lesion or cyst on her brain. They faced a big decision: undergo surgery to remove the cyst or go on medication to manage the seizures. Either decision was and still is scary. And though they've decided against surgery at this point, I know she and her family continue to have a lot of fears. But I also know that they rest secure in the knowledge of God’s love and mercy.

One thing have I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to inquire in his temple.
For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will lift me high upon a rock.
I believe I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living!

Fear is always going to be a part of our lives. It comes from living in a sinful, fallen world. It’s easy to get caught up in our fears, to let our imaginations over-power our trust in God. But fear and sin is not the end of our stories. In John 16:33, Jesus says, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we have complete confidence that sin and fear are defeated. And even when our fears attempt to overwhelm us, we can rest in the peace that God gives us.

Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!
(Psalm 27: 1-5, 13 ESV)

Father, give me courage and peace when I am afraid or when I face problems that threaten to overwhelm me. Be my strength when I have none. Thank you for being my light and my salvation. In Jesus' name, Amen.