Finding Real Joy in our Trials

hmm … Joy amongst trials!? Is this really possible? I’ve read about the “joyful trials” that James writes about but, in as much as I have read, studied and prayed about subject I have yet to find this “joy” when I’m faced with a trail. Clearly there must be a reason why I should be rejoicing when faced with trials but (until the below posted study) I was just not grasping how in the world this was possible.

Being faced with some rather interesting trials and having anything but joy in my heart as I go through them has caused me to dig deeper into what this whole ‘joy thing’ is really about and, as I know that I am not alone in this constant battle to not only stay afloat, but to maintain joy when having a hard time in life I thought that I would share some compiled notes with you all.

“ My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. (James 1:2-5)
"We have just read a challenging portion of Scripture with its commands and expectations. But it is also an encouraging portion as it helps us gain a clearer perspective on Christian discipleship.

Let’s start with that opening phrase, ‘Count it all joy…’ James is telling us how to respond to those times when we encounter trials. He’s telling us to rejoice. Let me remind you what Christian joy is. Keep in mind that it is different from happiness. Joy is an optimistic spirit in response to the events of life. But let me be clear. It isn’t just a grim optimism. True Christian joy over flows to affect the emotions. To be sure, there will be times when we rejoice through tears. And yet, even then, joy will over come the tears of sorrow so that the optimism is felt in the emotions. It may take a little while to get there, depending on the situation, but real Christian joy will eventually show in the emotions as well as in the attitude of the mind. This is the kind of joy that James is pointing us to.

Now, please notice that this is a command. James isn’t offering a suggestion that might be helpful. He isn’t giving pious advice to be accepted or rejected as we see fit. He is commanding us, with all the authority that he has from Christ, to rejoice when trials hit. Christian joy is not optional. It is required. You are to rejoice in the midst of trial. I hope that you see that very clearly. Joy is an obedience issue. A lack of true Christian joy in the midst of testing is not a matter of having a certain kind of personality that just doesn’t do that sort of thing. It has nothing to do with personality. A lack of joy is sin. But also notice that James doesn’t just lay down the law and then leave you on your own to figure out how to obey it. James goes further. He explains how you can obey. He does it in the next phrase. It’s the phrase that starts, ‘knowing’. ‘Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, knowing...’ We do not rejoice despite the facts. We rejoice because of the facts. We rejoice because of what we know.

Here, we bump up against an important aspect of faithful Christian living.You won’t be able to live faithfully unless you know certain things. A person can most certainly receive forgiveness of sins and be reconciled to God if he knows and believes a verse like, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.’ [Acts 16.31] But that verse won’t be much help when you encounter a great trial. If that’s the only verse that you know, it will be hard to rejoice in the midst of trial and very easy to become confused and discouraged. That’s why one of the emphases coming out of the Reformation is that the people of God need to know the Bible. Martin Luther translated the Bible from Greek and Hebrew into the language of the people so that it could be read to them. This is why sermons are to be filled with the content of the Bible, explaining and applying it to life. This is why it is important to have family Bible reading time as well as personal Bible reading time. You will not be able to live faithfully if you do not know your Bible. You will not be able to rejoice in the midst of trial if you do not know your Bible. True Christian joy is a fruit of knowledge. And the more that you know, the easier it will be to rejoice during the tough times.

But even here, there is danger of misunderstanding. So, let me be clear.There are many know the content of the Bibles well. They can quote long passages from memory and discuss the fine points of doctrine made by those texts. But so many of these still do not rejoice. They are, in fact, unable to rejoice. And why? The knowledge that James points to is more than information stored in the brain. Your soul needs to be involved as well.Your soul needs to be convinced that the things that you know are also true.You not only know your Bible. You believe it. You believe those great and precious promises of your God. You believe the warnings as well. You believe what you know. And because of this, because you really believe what you know, you are ready to entrust yourself to your Savior whenever He sends a trial your way. Knowledge, belief, trust. It is these things that produce real Christian joy.

We know from Scripture that when we encounter a trial God is up to something. He is at work. And who can fail to rejoice once he is convinced that God is at work in the situation? James knows this but he wants to be even more specific. So, he focuses our attention on one particular thing that God is doing by sending trials our way. He writes,‘knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.’ When trials hit, God is at work. He is producing patient endurance.

When these trials come they are also a test of Faith. Honestly, this is not my first thought when I am facing financial issues, on-the-job issues, or people issues- a test of my Faith?! So it seems like James wants us to recognize when our Faith is being tested. Now, I don’t know about you, but for me, one of two things usually happens if I realize my faith is being tested. I either notice I have no faith in that particular area or I need to dig deeper in the Word to find scriptures to stand on. Sometimes it’s hard for us to understand what’s happening, but if we recognize a “lack of Faith” our first response needs to be; ‘Get in the Word!’

Romans 10:17 - “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God”
Now here is the reward for your faith being tested-“Your endurance has a chance to grow.” In the NKJV version, James 1:3 reads “knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience”. So with these trials and the recognition that this is simply a faith test, I will grow in patience, which is one area of the fruits of the Spirit.

It doesn’t stop there. The next verse states; “So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything”. Now, there are two things here I want to point out.
First, for your endurance to be fully developed, it means you are probably going to be experiencing that “trial” for some time. It will not just go away over night.
Second, when your endurance has reached its maturity, you will notice your next reward, strength in character, and the ability to be ready for anything. I want to bring to your attention that the scriptures used “anything” and not “something”. I note this simply because we can get caught up in “fighting” one or more battles without letting our patience mature which causes us to fight out of a place of little power. Hence, it may seem like we have been standing on the Word, but some how we are not ready for anything. The disconnect lies in the maturity of our patience. We will be ready for anything if we endure and that’s what the Word says! The next verse says “If you need wisdom – if you want to know what God wants you to do – ask Him, and He will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking.” When facing these trials, we tend not to have a clear understanding of why, and the only one I know who has all the answers is God. So James tells us what to do, go ask for wisdom. God will tell you what to do. In these times, I have also noted the strategy which comes forth from the Holy Spirit.

I may not know what you are going through, but the Lord knows and He has already spoken to you in His Scriptures.
1 Peter 4:12-14 - "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be over joyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you."
The trials you are facing are not strange! You are not the only one! I promise, you are not the first nor will you be the last to go through what you are facing, especially if it was caused by your outward confession of Christ.

Let me share with you one area of caution while your patience is maturing; people will try to unnerve you with their “words of wisdom” which do nothing but add worry. Granted they can be rightfully concerned, but be careful who you share your heart with and listen to. Stand with God and use discernment.

I recall Ephesians 6:13 - “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand”. You know the drill by now; suit up with God’s Armor, get your prayer partner, and stand on the Word the Lord gave you. So let’s go back to the beginning.

Do we have a reason to exude Joy in our “fiery trials?” Yes, absolutely! Without a shadow of a doubt! We must recognize that these trials are tests of our Faith and if we endure, we will grow more in patience. With mature endurance, we will be ready for anything, especially when we have petitioned God for wisdom and we our Joy is fulfilled. It’s not easy, but “You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you”. Count it ALL JOY!

There are many things that James could have pointed to as a basis for joy. But he chose this. Why? The reason is clear. This is what James’ listeners needed to hear. There were many trials, some big, others small. And the temptation to give up was very real. They could hear the evil one whispering in their ears, ‘This is too hard. Why keep at it? Life would be so much easier if you just quit.’ James’ listeners needed to be reminded that those trials were doing good. They were worth enduring. In fact, they were producing the very endurance that they needed to finish the race. James pointed to this aspect of God’s work because of something that both he and his listeners knew. Being a faithful Christian is hard. It isn’t just some walk in the park. It’s a marathon. And getting to the end of the race is difficult. We know that it is difficult because many who start the race don’t finish it. The message that is sometimes preached these days is, ‘Come to Jesus and life will be wonderful.’ Now, that’s true. But it’s incomplete. And because it’s incomplete, it can be misleading. We need to tell people that life will be wonderful for them if they come to Jesus. But we also need to tell them that it will be hard. That’s what Jesus said.

"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it." Mark 8:34-35
Jesus, here, promises life in its fullness. But He also promises a cross.You need to lose your life for His sake first. James understood that. His listeners understood that. We need to understand that. Being a faithful disciple is both wonderful and difficult, glorious and painful. We pursue it in the hope that one day being a faithful disciple will be even more glorious and not painful at all. And what is needed for us to arrive at that day? Patient endurance, continuing to put one foot in front of the other as we run the marathon, eagerly looking for the end of the race. And while we are slogging away, the world, the flesh and the devil are doing their best to trip us up. They will try to discourage us. ‘It’s too far and too hard. Just give up.’ They will try to foster unbelief. ‘You’ve been abandoned. No one cares. You’ve been left alone. Not even God thinks about you. What ever is at the end of the race certainly isn’t worth this.’ They will try to confuse you. ‘Are you sure that you’re doing this right? Is it really supposed to hurt like this?’ And then they will tempt you with the pleasures of this life.

Faithful Christian discipleship is hard. But here is James, our fellow runner. And he is shouting encouragement to us. He is telling us that the trials that we find so difficult are actually for our benefit. They are producing the endurance that we need if we are going to run the race to the very end. He is telling us that these trials are part of God’s way of getting us to the finish line. And so, when they hit, when you encounter atrial, rejoice! Rejoice because of what you know. God is at work. He is blessing you with what you need. He is using the trial to bless you with more endurance. Thank Him for what He is doing. Be optimistic. Good will come out of these trials. And so, as you submit to God in your trials, rejoicing because of what you know, you’ll find your self getting stronger and stronger. You'll be better equipped to plod on until you come to the finish line that you have so eagerly desired.

There are good reasons to rejoice and to continue the hard work of faithful Christian living. But none of this will do you any good unless you believe it. If you don’t believe that faithful Christian living is a difficult race then there is no need for patient endurance. If there is no need for patient endurance then trials are only an annoyance instead of a blessing. And if you view trials in this way there will be no joy. All that you’ve read is of no value unless you believe it. And that takes the grace of God. And so, I would urge you to pray. Pray that God would enable you to believe what you’ve heard, to believe it deeply. As you do that you will see your joy grow.

I would also encourage you to think about the finish line. Often. We are in the midst of a long race. But in this race everyone who finishes wins. There is no coming in second. Everyone who finishes the race comes in first. Everybody wins. Nothing in this life is worth the pain of the race. But after you cross the finish line it will all be worth it. Pray that the Spirit will make heaven so very real to you that we all will run with endurance all the way to the end."

-H. Leon Ben-Ezra paraphrased by me to fit this post

Pondering a Mountain

Trials and tribulations. All of us face them in our lives, but what do we do about it? How do we cope with them and is there any hope for a ‘bright tomorrow’ when faced with a mountain? These are questions that we all ask ourselves at one point in time or another and my battles with a few of my own ‘mountains’ has brought me to ponder the subject on a deeper level lately.

There are many things that happen in life that make absolutely no sense to us and that tempt us to question the will of God. However, sooner or later we come to the realization that it is not our place to question the will of our Creator but to have faith and hope as we keep trusting in Him.

Being a child of a loving God does not make me immune to life’s trials. The Bible clearly teaches that God loves those who are His children and He “works all things together for good” for us (Rom 8:28). So that must mean that (even though we cannot always see it) the trials and tribulations He allows in our lives are part of the working together of all things for good. Therefore, for the believer, all trials and tribulations must have a divine purpose.

As in everything, God’s ultimate purpose for us is to grow more and more into the image of His Son (Rom 8:29). This is the goal of the Christian, and everything in life, including the trials and tribulations, is designed to enable us to reach that goal. It is part of the process of sanctification; that is, being set apart for God’s purposes and fitted to live for His glory. "In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which perishes, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 1 6-7) Simply put, faith will be made sure by the trials we experience so that we can rest in the knowledge that it is real and will last forever.

If we were to step back and look at things, we would notice that our trials develop godly character with-in us that enables us to "rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us” (Rom 5:3-5). Persevering proves our faith. "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13).

At the same time, we must be careful never to make excuses for our "trials and tribulations" if they are a result of our own wrongdoing. God will forgive our sins because the eternal punishment for them has been paid by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. However, we still have to suffer the natural consequences in this life for our sins and bad choices. But God uses even those sufferings to mold and shape us for His purposes and our ultimate good. The more I study and reflect on this the more I fully realize how trials and tribulations come with both a purpose and a reward. "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him" (James 1:2-4, 12).

Through all of life’s trials and tribulations, we have the victory. "But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord, Jesus Christ." These verses encourage us to see that although we are in a spiritual battle, Satan has no authority over the believer in Christ. God has given us His Word to guide us, His Holy Spirit to enable us, and the privilege of coming to Him anywhere, at any time, to pray about anything. He has also assured us that no trial will test us beyond our ability to bear it, and “he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Cor 10:13).

A Simple Butterfly Reminder to use Struggles for Future Growth

A cool breeze loosened another curl from my braided hair, sending it whipping across my face which, in turn, sent a shiver shooting down my spine. I am of a rather ticklish nature, you see, and the soft touch of even my own Irish curls torments my nerves in ways that words cannot describe! After giving myself ample time to do a full body shudder, I calmly but yet firmly placed the ill behaved curl behind my ear and continued on with my work.

Summer had just drawn to a close, and the bright blue sky of which I had grown so fond during the warmer months was now hidden by deep grey clouds that threatened rain, but never brought it. I was in the middle of sorting freshly dug potatoes that smelled earthly in that wonderfully familiar way, when the sun’s warm rays reached out from a break in the clouds and smacked me right in the face. Being a bit surprised by the warmth of my long lost sunny friend, I sat there, a bit bedazzled, for a while. Not knowing when I would next have the chance to appreciate the company of my longtime companion's warm rays again, I decided to take a brief moment to properly greet him.

The autumn leaves crinkled and crunched beneath my body as I laid myself down upon the ground. The rice-ekrispies in-a-bowl sound almost deafened me as I re-positioned myself underneath the looming branches of the great oak tree that towered above my head.

I closed my eyes and listened to the rustling sound of leaves being tossed about in the gentle breeze. The reminder that leaves were falling off the trees, and not staying on them, was not comfort to me, as I was dreading the cold months ahead. Just as I started to get lost in thought, I felt a light tickle upon my face. Fearing another shiver attack coming on, I opened my eyes to recapture the unruly curl and set it back in its place. To my utter surprise, however, it was a butterfly that was brushing up against my face! I sat up and gazed upon its bright colors as it fought the blowing currents and flittered here and there around the tree. Most of its kind had already migrated south, so this one must have really been running late.

Butterflies and moths have always caught my attention, so it was no surprise to me that I was so captivated by its presence. As I watched, a multitude of memories came back to me from my youth, when I studied and collected wide varieties of moths and butterflies.

Seeing it’s determination in fighting the wind reminded me of the time I watched a cecropia moth emerge from its cocoon. It was a rainy day when the top of the cocoon finally broke open and the moth attempted to free itself. As I watched, I could see the moth struggling to exert its newly-formed muscles, and it was very noticeable that the moth's progress was slow. The urge to reach down and widen the opening of the cocoon to make it easier for the moth was so over whelming for me! I knew that with a few moments of my help, it would be free from its prison. I knew all too well, however, that if I did this in an effort to relieve a struggle, I would cripple the future of this creature. You see, what my studies had taught me is that the battle to get out of the cocoon was an essential means of developing the muscle system of the moth’s entire body. The pressure of these muscles working together was necessary to push the blood into the wings and fill them out to their full dimension.

At that very moment, I realized: the moth’s present hardships, were essential for its future maturity. I was struck by the determination of these moths, who endured their current trials for their own good. Each and every growth stage of the moth would be achieved only through struggle, and each struggle would be necessary for the insect to attain full growth.

If this concept is true for the growth and survival of a moth, how much more is it true for us? We cannot reach our own potential, or even survive, for that matter, if we do not face our daily struggles with a striving toward future achievement. Now, every time I see a moth or butterfly, I am reminded to go forward with determination whenever faced with a challenge, so that I will give my self opportunity to achieve growth, and not to be crippled by my foes.

Trusting in Him: His Eye is on the Sparrow

This past weekend I got called out on an emergency run to deliver some goat kids (this is not uncommon for Beth or I at this time of year).
In as much as you may be saying “oooh how exciting!!” I found myself dreading this event as I ran toward the truck. In raising animals for the past 18yrs and taking an active part in delivering them for the past 9, I have seen my share of these little creatures coming into this world as well as my share of seeing them leave it.
You would think that it might get easier to ‘loose’ a life as time passes for I may possibly be finding out how to deal with it better and by now it could/would have become a ‘normal’ part of life (which it is).
But, its rather on the contraire for in-as-much as it is a common part of life, it seems to be getting harder to see something leave this world. Now here, you may be temped to say “Oh what an overly emotional female! Always putting her feelings into something that she has to “boohoo” every time something dies!”. However, in my own defense, God created us women to be rather feeling, nurturing and caring beings and it is quite human to feel sadness when something dies. Not to mention the fact that God has placed us here to shepherd these flocks and to care for them. (Prov 12:10 A righteous man regards the life of his animal,) So, I desire to be responsible in caring for their lives. Also, I fully recognize that it is God that gives and takes away everything on this earth and He has a reason for everything.
I think that it is here, in my humanness that I have trouble seeing why He does, what He does, when He does it. But, it is not my place to question the sovereignty of God and it is (more often than not), not meant for me to know those details, but just for me to trust in Him.

So, that being said, I shall continue on with my story.
Having gone through many nightmarish deliveries last kidding season and loosing one to many does and kids, I have been rather dreading this kidding season. All the memories of seeing the life slip away from eyes of countless newborn kid that died from kidding complications were fresh in my mind along with the memories of seeing their Mom’s die after tying so hard to bring their kids into this world.
It’s a hard battle that my mind, heart and soul fight together. For on the one hand, I know, that I know, that I know that God is in control and if it is meant for them to die, then they will flat out die no matter what I do to save them. But on the other hand, one cannot help but feel completely responsible when I loose one for it really does feel that I lost them!
So, I drove on completely lost in prayer as I made my way to the farm that had called for help. From the details given in the call, I knew that I had my work cut out for me and that this was not going to be an easy delivery. This was proved true when upon arrival and during the internal examination, I found a rather large kid miss-represented. Many things then took place and I was running out of time to save the kid and we were reaching the point where the doe was not looking to bright either.
I knew that Beth was on her way as a ’back-up’ so that thought was of comfort to me. At that time, there was not another kid present that I could push this one back in and go for another so I was really running out of options when I finally got its nose up on its knees and begin to pull yet once again. We were just about to enter the point of no return and I felt sure that I would finally be able to get this baby out when it jerked its head out of my grip and I was back to square one. Beth was almost there so I decided to let the doe rest a bit and let Beth have a go at things with her fresh strength.
Beth encountered the same problems but by then there was another kid present that she was able to push the first one back in and go for the second. I’ll spare you the rest of the gory details and wrap this up with the facts that we were not able to save any of the triplets that were born. The doe will be fine but the loss of all three kids did not come too lightly.
All the ‘hidden’ emotions of past losses started to come forth and I was lost in a sea of grief and sadness. On the way home I started to kick myself for loosing them but I was quickly reminded that it is the Lord that gives and takes and I started to calm down. Still, when I reached home I found myself washing the blood off me with the dish scrubber in such a vigorous action that I am surprised that I still have some skin left! My blood stained clothes were quickly removed and I could not shake off the urge to take a shower with a Brillo pad.
In my devotions that evening I happened to be reading in Matthew 10 when the verses 29-31 really stood out to me. (“Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”)
That night I spent a good chunk of time writing in my journal and taking notes on that entire chapter. Being reminded of how He is in control of everything was refreshing. It was also an encouragement to be reminded and see how providence extends to all creatures, even to the sparrows.
My parents had just returned from a wonderful couples retreat that evening and we had much to catch-up on together. So, I was not able to spend as much time in this passage of scripture as I desired to and all my unfinished thoughts were still flying about the next morning.
That morning as we were just about to go out the door to Church, Mom’s little dog got attacked by the neighbor’s dogs. At that time things looked pretty grim for the little fellow. He was given what medical help that he could have and we left him to rest.
As I’m driving to Church all of this ‘sparrow stuff’ was burning on my mind. The song ‘His Eye is on the Sparrow’ was mulling around in my (sometimes rather empty) scull. Then I got lost thinking about the little doggy who was ailing at home. As I got lost in thought I felt as if someone kept trying to tell me
“Dawn! It’s OK :) It will all be fine, you are doing all that you need to do, just trust, trust Me and all will be ok. Just let it all go, and TRUST Me”.
I took a deep breath and gave it all up to my Father realizing that I should not have been holding onto anything in the first place for it is not mine to hold.
Just then a flock of sparrows flew up and the very last one hit the windshield right in front of me. Me oh my! What a feeling of God being so totally in control of everything! That verse about the sparrow was on my mind and then “wham!” He just took one right then and there! How little I felt in those few short moments that followed.
Somewhere along the way I had developed this silly fear, a fear of loosing. Loosing people, weather it be in death or loosing friendships, loosing relationships, a fear of loosing animals, of loosing those babies that I have worked so hard for these past 18yrs and I somehow along there, I forgot that it is God that completely holds everything. That it is He that gives and takes.
Fear in a person brings on a perplexing snare, a snare that disturbs our peace, an entangling snare, by which we are drawn into sin (and) therefore, it must be striven and prayed against. Tribulation, distress, and persecution cannot take away God's love to/for us. I (we) need to fear Him at all times. For it is He who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
I often need to remind myself that the way of a person is not in himself, nor in our friend's hands, nor in our enemies' hands, but in God's. In this faith and confidence that we should pray like David did that the Lord would save him for his mercies’ sake, and not for any merit of his own. (Psalm 31:14 But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.” )
I also need to remember the Lord’s hand in the act of providence. Providence takes notice of the meanest creatures, even of the sparrows, and Providence likewise takes interest in the smallest interests of the disciples of Christ.
I must admit that that there are times that I stop and chuckle at myself for my own human stupidity. Because, even though the Lord has brought me down a path in life that time and time again has made me cling to Him for survival, I still find myself straying.
Those that truly love God, may triumph in Him as their Rock and Refuge, and may call upon Him with confidence. It is good to always observe all the circumstances that surround that of a mercy which magnify the power and strength of God, and His goodness to us in it. God will not only deliver us out of our troubles in due time, but he will bear us up under our troubles in the mean time. (Psalm 18:2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.)
Its one of those things that I sit back and say to myself “You silly Dawn! You know better! You‘ve been through all of this giving it up to the Lord and trusting stuff before! Oh ye of little remembrance! Wilt thou ever learn??”
I'm finding out that God seems to bring us through things multiple times so that we can learn and remember the lessons on a new level. This time around, this lesson hit home on a different note than usual. . .

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Turning Sandy Beaches and Hooting Owls into a Lesson on Loyalty

My mind was a thousand miles away from home as I lay comfortably in my bed dreaming of pleasant things when I was suddenly awoken by some buzzing sound that seemed to be moving my pillow. It took me a moment to gather my bearing and realize that I was no longer on a sandy beach, but rather that I was freezing in my northern American bed as my phone vibrated away by my covers. It all started to come back to me as I remembered that I was trying to take a short cat nap before my dear friend called me that night. There was a two hour time zone difference between us and he was only available to talk that day after a time when I was normally asleep. So, on this particular night when I was feeling so sleepy, I decided to go to bed early and just let the phone awake me when he called. It had been several days since we had time to really talk and I was quite eager to catch up on things. So, I had no second thoughts about re-arranging my sleeping schedule (just this once) so that we could talk that evening. Our conversation turned out to be a long one that night and I found myself hanging up a little after midnight. My mind was racing after we ended our conversation for we had talked about a good many things and I did not quite know what to think about it all. However, the clock ticked on and I knew that I needed to get my rest. So, I settled back into my bed and tried to drift off to sleep.

My half awake and ever racing thoughts were soon interrupted by a faint “hoOhoO whohoo! whoOo, who, hoo, hohoOo whoowhoOoO”. I had to smile at the sound of this old hoot owl who was somewhere outside my window just hooting away. For some reason its small voice was very calming to me. However, it was not long before this medium pitched hoot was answered by a much deeper toned hoot from across the road. The two talked and hooted back and forth, back and forth till the high pitched one finally flew closer in, landing on the tree right out side my window. The deeper one returned the gesture and few to a closer tree as well. Now their conversations were much louder and were heard all to well by my ears who, (by now), would much rather be hearing a whole lot of nothing rather than a whole lot of something! The two of them echoed each other back, and forth back and forth … back … and forth … back … and forth for hours on end! I turned my floor fan on, cranked up my good night Mozart music, and buried my head under a pillow but it was all to no avail for I could still hear them. The clock ticked away, and, I must confess that my temper was starting to rise up with-in me for I was in great need of sleep and saw no reason to be kept awake by two overly vocal opera singing hoot owls! One’o’clock, two’o’clock’, two-thirty . . . I was still wide awake. But, by now I had put my thoughts to good use as I tried to name off all the good qualities of owls. For some reason, when I am having a good deal of bad thoughts towards someone, or something, I have found an easy way (for me anyway) to turn all of my sinful negativity into positive Christ honoring thoughts just by naming off all of the good things about that person or about that thing. Thus, on went the search to find all of the good traits of owls.

Being a girl who greatly enjoyed a nice flock of poultry when I was in my younger years, it was rather hard to think of an owl’s good traits because all I could think about is how bad they are for my farm! All that they have ever done was steal our baby chicks and carry off our young hens. However, the more I thought about this, the more I realized that I could not really blame them for this because they were just providing for their family. And, as it just so happened, we had a good source and plentiful source of food for them. I’m sure that the Beatty family farm was sort of like a McDonalds or something to them! I thought about how sacrificial and serving owls are when they are sitting on their eggs for they lay them in the cold months, and sit on them all through-out the winter.

My mind drifted back to a time when I came upon an owls nest in the dead of winter while I was out for an early morning bareback horse ride. This early nesting was an unusual sight in the frozen woods that I was riding through for it was a full two months before other birds would do the same - and for a good reason to! The cold days and colder nights made the female owl a prisoner of her nest. If she left the nest to find food for herself, she would run the risk of her eggs freezing. So, she went without much food during the crucial incubation period.

My oh my, how loyal these owls are! After four weeks of keeping the eggs warm, three cream-colored, downy owlets hatched. Now the reason for the early nesting became apparent for their young appetites were enormous. The task of feeding would be impossible were it not for the mother’s early nesting. This gave her the advantage of being able to spot a passing meal on the floor of the woods. Leaves had not yet grown on the trees, and the lingering snow provided a sharp contrast to the rodents for which the parents searched.
In three months the owlets would grow from three inches to over two feet! Their tremendous and rapid growth makes it necessary for the parents to secure enormous quantities of food. And it is for this reason that the parent bird adjusts its schedule and remains stationary during the cold months of winter, depriving itself of food so that it can better meet the need of its rapidly growing young.

Thinking over these things caused me to pause, and question myself. Am I loyal? One thing that the owl taught me is that loyalty can be displayed in many ways. One meaning and one way to display loyalty would be adjusting my schedule to meet the needs of those I am serving. Do I do that? … Do you? Do you patiently, and willingly, adjust your schedule to meet the needs of those who you are called to serve? Or, my dear reader, are you unfaithful? Being unwilling to be committed to our Lord and unfaithful to what He has called us to serve in, and, unfaithful to who he has called us to serve. In all things we should be loyal, using difficult times to demonstrate our commitment to God, and to those whom He has called us to serve.

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. These things I command you, that ye love one another. If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.”

- John 15:4-20

Philohela Minor and Responsibility

P-H-I-L-O-H-E-L-A M-I-N-O-R, I spelled the words so carefully at the top of my newly turned page and re-read it : Philohela Minor. Otherwise and more normally known as the common woodcock. It was a new bird that I had spotted that early summers morning while I jogged my way through a near by forest preserve. I loved my time spent here at the preserve for it afforded me with many wonderful things all at the same time. My favorite part of my morning trips were that I was able to have some quite moments to think, pray, and ponder important issues of life while being out in nature and enjoying God’s beautiful creation. Learning from nature and soaking in creation has almost become a hobby of mine. So, you can easily see how these trips to the preserve were priceless and almost monumental in my daily routine. Plus, I also got a good physical work out by walking, jogging or biking down the curvy and often very hilly paths so that was an added bonus.

I had always been taught to watch and learn from the possible character traits that were hidden around me in nature. So, since I had paused to tie my shoe I automatically paused to watch this little woodcock and her young for a while to see if there was anything that I might learn from them.

After a while, it became apparent that the mother was attempting to feed her young but she seemed to keep finding only sticks and stones instead of nice worms and bugs for them. As more time passed the woodcock begain to do some very interesting things. Such as deliberately flattening herself out on the ground, Next, she spread out her wings. In this position, she beat the ground by rapidly flapping them against the earth, Then she stopped for a moment, listening intently before resuming her unusual effort.

In a short time the woodcock family was enjoying its long-awaited meal. Each young chick was busily finding worms along the parched surface in the very place where their earlier efforts had been fruitless. What made the difference?

Earthworms instinctively know that if they are deep within the ground when a hard rain falls, they will drown unless they can quickly get to the surface for air, Because of this danger, the body of the worm is very sensitive to the vibrations from the surface. When the woodcock rapidly flutters its wings from above, the beating sounds like rain drops to the worms and they burrow upward toward the surface. As the worms come within reach, the woodcock pierces the ground with its bill and pulls them out.

I noticed how responsible this mother was with her little ones and I pondered if the young woodcocks would observe the important aspect of responsibility by the example of their mother using all her energies to fulfill the needs of her young. This made me question myself as I asked the question of am I responsible or not. Do I know and do what God and others are expecting from me? My dear Christain, I ask you the same of you, are you responsible? Do you do know and do what God and others are expecting from you? Or are you unreliable. Do you recognize what needs doing before your asked to do it, or do you go about your own way and ignore what the Lord has called you to do?

“For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.”
Romans 14:8-13