From Age to Age...

From Age to Age…

Psalm 94:14-15
“…will not forsake His people; He will not abandon His heritage; for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it.”

November 22, 1963…January 28, 1986…April 19, 1995…April 20, 1999…September 11, 2001. 

Do any of these dates bring back memories?  Do you remember where you were or what you were doing when John F. Kennedy was assassinated (November 22, 1963), or the Challenger exploded (January 28, 1986), or when the Murrah Federal Building was bombed in Oklahoma City (April 19, 1995), or when the Columbine shootings occurred (April 20, 1999), or when the World Trade Center and Pentagon were targeted (September 11, 2001).  For many of us, these events and dates bring to mind memories of fear, sadness, disbelief and shock.  The idea that people could have such destruction and hate in their hearts that innocent lives would be taken as a result is hard to understand.

God’s people are people who remember.  Throughout Scriptures, many occasions are noted in which the people of God took time to remember events of the past and sought to look for the hand of God at work through all that had happened.  Taking time to remember events of the past helps us to see how the Lord never forsakes His people.  Through our thoughtful commemoration of a significant event in the life of our country we can gain a special perspective on the providence of God who as the psalmist writes, “…will not abandon His heritage.”

Commemorating events like those of September 11^th is the perfect time for Christians to remember that the day is about our grace filled God and all He has done then, and what He promises yet to do.  He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning, the End, and all of the events in between.

Gracious God,

You are the source of everlasting security.  We thank and praise you for being the God of ages.  Thank you for your promise to be with us always, and not abandon us.  As we pause to remember events such as September 11^th, keep our eyes focused on you and remember your providence.  Amen

Momma...

Psalm 61:2

From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

My 13 month old has been cutting her one-year-old molars as of late, and consequently has been waking up at night in pain.  From our bedroom I will hear her cry, and I swear that the only time she says, “Mom,” or “Momma,” is when she cries and needs me.  So, after throwing off the covers and walking bleary-eyed to her room, I will usually find her sitting or standing in her crib crying.  The minute I pick her up though, the tears are gone and she is patting my shoulder as if to say, “I’m so glad you’re here!” 

Reflecting on the Psalm chosen, I realize that I too cry out and ask God for help when I am in the most desperate of places, or are in need of his help or healing.  I say His name when I am at the point of desperation and feel as if there is little hope.  I know that His promise is to be with us always, and that He desires His children to come to Him daily in prayer.  However, my sin and my business keep me from always having an active prayer life and consequently, at times, I forget to thank Him for always being there and providing me with countless blessings.

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for hearing our prayer and for your promise to always be with us.  Help me to remember you at all times, and to give thanks for what you have done through your Son, Jesus,  Amen. 

The Real Housewives of…

Proverbs 31:10-12; 28-30

^{10 [a]}A wife of noble character who can find?
   She is worth far more than rubies.
¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her
   and lacks nothing of value.
¹² She brings him good, not harm,
   all the days of her life.

²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
   her husband also, and he praises her:
²⁹ “Many women do noble things,
   but you surpass them all.”
³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
   but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

OK, confession time…My name is Liesl and I enjoy watching reality television.  The show, “The Real Housewives of…” happens to be one of my favorites.  Each season, Bravo TV follows a group of women, from various cities around the country, who agree to have their lives filmed as they try to balance the demands of marriage, family, motherhood, friendships and work.  The network would like you to believe that these women are “just like you and me,” but live in bigger houses, drive fancier cars and live privileged lives.  The lives these women lead (at least what is portrayed on camera) involve gossip sessions about one another, family fighting, financial troubles, marriage problems and feelings of self-doubt over their own inadequacies as a wife and a mother.

My first thought after watching the show was that my life was nothing like theirs, and with each fight and episode, I further distanced my own "real life" from theirs.  The reality is, however, I am a “Real Housewife,” (minus the fancy car or big house).  If I was followed by a television crew the ugliness of my sin would be on full display for all to see too.  My gossip sessions with friends, spats with my husband, impatience with others and my own feelings of self-doubt that I struggle with on a daily basis as I try to juggle marriage, motherhood and work would provide viewers with more than enough material to watch. 

Proverbs 31:10-31 is the Biblical description of the virtues for a wife and mother.  I remember the first time I read this Bible passage, I literally sank lower and lower in my chair as each verse was read wondering how I would ever be like this woman.  The truth is, without Jesus, I can’t and I remain a “real housewife.”  Yet, through Him and by His grace and mercy, I am a “really forgiven housewife,” where my sin and shortcomings are made perfect through the forgiveness given to all of us through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross.   

Dear Jesus,  Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be both a wife and a mother.  Help me to show kindness, compassion and love to the many people you have placed in my life.  In your name I pray, Amen.