Why? Where? What?

November 7, 2017November 7, 2017Leave a comment

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In these last few weeks, the terrible tragedies in our nation have surfaced heart-felt questions from many people:

Why would God allow this?

Where is God when these things happen?

There are no easy ways to answer these questions. Even Job in the Old Testament came to the conclusion that there are certain aspects about our circumstances we simply can’t comprehend. But there is one question we can answer:

What does the Bible tell us about God’s heart?

In the midst of our sadness and grief, there are many truths about God which we can hold onto in our lives. I want to mention two:

God brings comfort in our pain. The Bible says, “The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18) His presence is with His people even in the midst of tragedy. His Spirit is our comforter and healer and is a very present help in time of need. God doesn’t promise us a life without tragedy, but He does promise to be with us through the hard places. David wrote,

Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)

God gives us hope in our despair. The Bible refers to God as the God of Hope. If He can bring hope from the tragedy of the cross and the brutal death of His Son Jesus, He can bring hope and redemption to our lives as well. We may not be able to see it now. It may take time to work through our grief, but He always brings hope. The ultimate hope He has given us is to be in heaven with Him one day.

Paul prayed, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit, you may abound in hope.” (Romans 15:13) As you walk through grief or questions, my prayer is that His Spirit will bolster you with a hope and a peace that the world cannot comprehend.

I encourage you to search the scriptures yourself and find comfort, wisdom and strength in getting to know the God of the Bible.

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1)

It Only Takes a Spark

October 29, 2017Leave a comment

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Many of us remember when we were teenagers, sitting around the campfire singing, “It only takes a spark, to get a fire going. And soon all those around, can warm up to it’s glowing. That’s how it is with God’s love…”

Just the thought of that song revives fond memories with my church friends at Mt. Lebanon and with my campers when I was a counselor at Pine Cove.

Recently, I read an article on the topic of leadership that made that old familiar camp song pop back into my mind. The author, Sean Lynch, used the word “Sparks” to describe people who exhibit behaviors consistent with a leader. He wrote, “A Spark is a doer, thinker and innovator whose unique approach to creative problem-solving betters the lives of others.”

I believe that each of us, whether we think of ourselves as leaders or not, have the opportunity to influence others. We can be Sparks by using the gifts and talents God has given us to share the hope and love of Christ. We “better the lives of others” by shining His light into their lives.

The question is, do we let His love shine through us through our words and actions, or do we hide it, afraid of what people may think? Or worse yet, do we spend most of our time putting down others? Let’s be bright sparks. Let’s love boldly. Let’s stop criticizing, and let’s start letting His love shine through our words and actions to help build up others and point them to Christ.

May God use each one of us this week to bring His light to dark places.

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Facing the Mountains in Your Life

October 22, 20171 Comment

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When I was in high school, my mother took me to a lecture presented by Sir Edmund Hillary. I must admit, at the time I was not overly excited about hearing some old guy talk about how he climbed a mountain. It wasn’t until he started speaking that I realized this man had accomplished a feat that was considered unconquerable. This was a man who faced the seemingly impossible, pushed past the limitations and climbed to the top of Mount Everest. Before his successful expedition in 1953, numerous groups had tried and failed to reach the summit. Even within his own expedition group, all but two of the climbers turned back because of exhaustion at the high altitude.

Despite the obstacles, discouragement and even abandonment of his group, Sir Edmund Hillary persevered. His accomplishment was celebrated worldwide and his influence inspired many others to reach toward their own personal goals. Oddly, Sir Edmund originally earned his living as a beekeeper in New Zealand. He started climbing mountains in his own country as a bit of a hobby. Little by little he progressed to climbing the Alps and eventually the Himalayas. The small mountains led to bigger mountains, preparing him to conquer the highest mountain – Mount Everest.

What are the mountains in your life? Mountains come in all shapes and sizes. They may be in the form of a difficult work relationship or a rebellious child or an overwhelming project that keeps you up at night. Some mountains may develop in our lives in the form of financial issues or a troubled marriage or even trying to lose weight. Actually, there are also mountains in our lives that aren’t expressly negative, some of our greatest mountains may include starting a new business or learning a new skill set or language.

Each mountain that we scale in life, strengthens us and prepares us to face grander mountains ahead. Whether we choose the mountain or the mountain chooses us, we still have a choice as to how we will deal with it. We can either look at the mountains in our lives and grumble and complain about them, or we can choose to begin to climb them and conquer them. The secret to rising to the top of any mountain rests in our attitude and ability to persevere. Sir Edmund Hillary said, “It’s not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.” From beekeeper to record breaker, Hillary conquered fears, discouragements and failures. It didn’t all happen at once, but he grew from each experience. We too can look at each mountain in our lives as an opportunity to grow and become stronger as a person.

I have learned that in every circumstance that comes my way,

I can choose to respond in one of two ways:

I can whine or I can worship!

Nancy Leigh DeMoss

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This is an excerpt from Positive Leadership Principles for Women. On sale right now for $5. Order yours today. Click Here for more info.

Photo by Samantha Sophia on Unsplash

Broken Clocks, Broken People

October 16, 2017October 16, 2017Leave a comment

In our house, my husband is the one who does the decorating. I love the fact that he enjoys the hunt of finding just the right items to make our house an inviting environment for us as well as our guests. Curt loves to visit antique stores. I must admit here, before I met Curt I had never stepped foot into an antique store. Now, its become a regular routine.

Antique clocks grabbed my attention when we first started visiting old shops. Unique and beautiful, most of the rare clocks we purchased had long since stopped working. But that didn’t matter – they made lovely accents to the ambiance of our home.

There was one clock that I especially loved because of it’s classical design and features, yet this clock was old and of course, not ticking. I wanted to fix this particular clock because I had a feeling the chimes would add beautiful music to our home. I asked myself, “What do you do with a broken antique clock?” I suppose I could try to fix it myself, but I don’t have any knowledge of the inside workings of an old clock.

I tried to take it to a clock repair shop, but the repairman told me, “I’m pretty sure the only person who can fix this clock is the clock-maker himself.” Hmmm…..Since this was one really old clock, I am pretty sure the clock-maker is no longer available. Currently, the clock sits on our shelf as beautiful and silent decoration.

When it comes to fixing antique clocks, I know I’m out of my league. In my case, the only one who could repair the clock was the one who made it. Isn’t it interesting that when it comes to clocks, I recognize my limitations, but when it comes to people, I often think I can fix them. When will I realize that I can’t fix broken people, but I can lead them to the gentle touch of their Maker?

Consider who you are trying to “fix” right now in your life. It may be one of your kids, or a co-worker or your spouse. Could it be that you are not equipped to fix them? Maybe, instead of doing it yourself, you could consult the Maker and point them in His direction.

When we pray for the broken people in our lives, we begin to have a fresh perspective. And as we use our words to point people to the Lord, we give them hope beyond what we can provide. Let’s begin taking people to the Clock-maker, rather than trying to fix them on our own. God may give us the insight and tools to help them on their journey, but only God can do the greater work in their hearts.

Besides, aren’t we all broken in one way or another? Don’t we all need the Lord to do a work in our lives?

Bounce Back

October 9, 2017Leave a comment

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Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently. – Henry Ford

How well do you bounce back from failures or mistakes? I want to encourage you today, that setbacks and discouragements often pave the way on the journey to growth and learning. William A Ward reminds us, “Failure should challenge us to new heights of accomplishment, not pull us to new depths of despair. Failure is delay, but not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead-end street.” For me personally, some of my greatest disappointments have pushed me down a better path. As I observe the men and women God used in the Bible, every single one of them faced discouragement or even failure in some way. Yet God allowed these circumstances to shape them into humble and powerful vessels for His purpose.

Possibly the greatest life lessons we will ever learn are discovered in the classroom of brokenness. For it is in this humble classroom that we recognize our complete and utter need for God. In our arrogance, we may think we have it all together, but in our brokenness we recognize our need for God, and His redemptive work in our lives. When we make a mistake, we can choose to live in the defeat, continually beating ourselves up for what we could have done. Or we can move forward growing and learning from our mess ups. My friend and fellow author, Victorya Rogers, often says, “Your greatest challenge can be your greatest impact.”

What about you? Are you allowing your challenges to be your enemy, or are you growing through them? It’s a choice we make and a perspective we pick. The “Bounce Back” effect can lead to bigger and better opportunities in our lives. We can learn to thank God for our flaws and failures, for through them He expands our understanding and teaches us new and marvelous truths. Let’s Allow our mistakes to strengthen us, teach us and turn us into wiser more resilient people.

Practical Applications

Admit when you have made a mistake and take responsibility for it.
Grieve it and leave it. Don’t continue to replay your mistakes in your mind.
Seek God’s direction first.
Turn from sin and live a life of moral purity.
Allow your set-backs to turn your focus back toward God’s goodness.
Thank God for your mistakes and the opportunity to grow.
Look for new opportunities or ways to do things differently.
Write down the lessons you have learned.
Use what you have learned to help others.

Personalize It

What would you consider to be the biggest blunder or failure you have experienced in your life so far?
What are the lessons you have learned or can learn as a result of this frustration? In what ways can you thank God for this situation?
Is there someone you can reach out to and encourage who has experienced a set back?

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A portion of this blog is an excerpt from Karol’s book, Positive Leadership Principles for Women on sale now for $5. Click Here for more info.