This is My Father's World

By Pat

From the time we are born until the time we die, at some point or another, we all have the "that's mine" mentality. Just watch children playing, and count how many times you hear the term "that's mine" either said, yelled or cried. We intervene. We tell they have to share; we remind them that's what God would want them to do. But do we sometimes need that same reminder?

In the Old Testament, the people fought constantly over their land, their countries. "It's mine!" Territories were guarded closely, and those who attempted to encroach upon another group's territory often found themselves asked to leave-and not so politely, either. Seems like things haven't really changed all that much, have they?

I intensely dislike, when navigating through an automated phone system, having to press a certain number to continue in English. Sheesh! It's America! Of course I want to continue in English. After all, that's the language spoken in MY country, isn't it? I have sometimes become resentful of small communities within larger communities where certain ethnic groups reside, sometimes clinging to the customs of their home countries, and this admission does not make me proud. And I know that I am not alone. But who do I think I am, proclaiming this to be MY country? Isn't it really God's WORLD? Yes. Is it.

And so I have been praying for God to change me, change my perspective and way of thinking and of the way I view other people. We are a world of many cultures, many languages, many races and many customs, but only one God; the God who created them all. We are all brothers and sisters living in one world created by the Master. Any walls or barriers that exist have been erected by us, not by God, and in order to live in harmony with one another, we must knock down these mental barriers. The Old Testament days are gone...we must share. I try now to see people not as any one ethnicity, but rather as simply God's children, and my country as God's world. It's NOT mine!

"Then Peter began to speak: 'I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right."  (Acts 10: 34)

Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.

Living For Today

By Pat

With all the crazy weather the world has been experiencing lately, much has been said about "the end" getting closer. Earthquakes which seem to be increasing in frequency, hurricanes, flooding, record-breaking seasons of tornados and droughts...hmm. People are talking. Could it be true? Could the end really be getting close? Wow! I hope so!

But wait...didn't Jesus clearly state, after telling us the signs to watch for, that we won't really know when it will happen? "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." (Matthew 24:36). Yep. he sure did say that, and I believe it.

Therefore, instead of anxiously awaiting our departure from this world and arrival into the one to come, shouldn't we be making wise use of our time? I admit, with the current struggles my family and I have been undergoing for what seems to be a VERY long time now, nothing would make me happier than a swift and final exit. Goodbye, troubles! Goodbye, sadness! Goodbye, heartaches and pain and worries! I'm outta here! But also goodbye, unsaved friends and family. Goodbye, opportunities to discover more fully how God wants me to use my gifts and talents. Goodbye, chances to make the world a little better.

As tempting as it is to focus on the coming of Jesus, we can't allow ourselves to become so wrapped up in looking for signs that we fail to focus fully on the present, and therefore neglect the things we need to be doing here. We have to live more fully, serve more joyfully, seek more diligently, and witness more urgently. We must focus on today and live it to the best of our ability and allow God to use our current difficulites to mold and strengthen us. If we live with the "get me outta here" mentality, we fail to become the very best we can be for God.

And so, no matter how tough things get, there is still work to be done, more souls to be won, so I pray that God will adjust my focus, correct my mindset, and use me to be the best servant I can be!

Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.

The Storms of Life

By Pat

Another thunderstorm rumbled through early this morning, about one A.M., and right on cue, the bedroom door flew open and in dashed our six-year-old granddaughter, Kendra. As always in these situations, she hopped into bed with us, snuggled up in between us, and went back to sleep, safe and secure in the knowledge that we would protect her from the storm.

God tells us very clearly to run to Him during the storms of our lives, no matter what kind they are. He is always there, waiting for us, just as we were waiting for Kendra to seek our protection. Kendra came to us immediately, but I have to admit that sometimes I wait and try to weather the storms myself, refusing to admit my fears and worries. Whereas Kendra's first instinct was to run to our arms for safety, sometimes running to God is my last choice; it's the one I make after nothing else has worked and my own attempts have failed.

God wants us to have "childlike" faith and trust, and I know what He means! I need to learn that even though the storm may rage on, the winds continue to howl and the thunder crash, God is a God of promises, and I must run to His arms first, trusting in His protection and garnering courage from His strength. Perhaps if I do, the storms won't seem so scary after all...

"Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm." (Mark 4:38-39)

Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.

From Scraps to Blessings

By Pat

I often feel like I have made such a mess of my life that I can't possibly serve God in the manner he wants me to. I have missed so many opportunites, taken so many wrong paths, and passed up so many chances to truely be the servant God created me to be that I feel it's just too late. I'm not so young now, and I despair that I have wasted so much of my life in ways that I know can't possibly be what God would have been pleased with. But there's hope!

In the famous story of Jesus feeding the large crowd of people with five loaves of bread and two fish, the great power of Jesus is shown by how he miraculously feeds five thousand people with just these small food items. A miracle indeed, and the meaning and magnitude is not lost on me. I know that Jesus made something big from something small, but what I have recently focused on is what Jesus did with the leftovers; the scraps that were left behind by the crowd.

"When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten." (John 6:12-13)

Jesus did something miraculous by feeding the crowd with the small amount of food, but what he did with the leftovers is, to me, both miraculous and comforting. I am not finished. I might not be perfect, and I might feel like all that's left of me is scraps, but God sees me differently. God can gather up my scraps and make something wonderful of me for His use! He doesn't see scraps, bits and pieces. He sees baskets filled with usefulness. He sees something wonderful, and if I allow Him to take control and do what He does best, wonderful things can happen. I am so thankful that, no matter what I have done, God can make something good come of it.

Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.

God Is Paying Attention

By Pat

Sometimes it's really hard to get through each day maintaining our diligence in serving God. We see so much pain in the world around us. We hear so many cries for help, for healing. We see terrible injustice. We ourselves struggle with our own burdens and problems, and we yearn for God's answers. We beg for His mercy. We are impatient. We want God's immediate intervention, and we want to know when it's coming. How long must we wait? It's easy to become frustrated, and Satan whispers into our ears that God isn't paying attention, doesn't care. but He IS paying attention and He DOES care and He WILL take action...in His time, not ours.

We live in such an "instant" world these days that it's becoming more and more difficult to wait, and our patience fades quickly. But as we grow older, we learn that those things we wait for are usually the ones most worth waiting for. God never promised there would be continual perfection in the world, but He did promise that His word is true, and He knows what He's doing, even when it seems He doesn't. We must remain steadfast in the struggles and bring His light into the dark corners of the world so that He can allow us to be the change He wants to happen. His word is true, His timing is perfect. He wants us to have faith that, in HIS time, He will prevail.

"As the rain and the snow come down from Heaven and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth; it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." (Isaiah 55:10-11)

Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.