Conquer!

During my devotions, sometimes a single word will jump out at me. The word of today...

Conquer.

 

It's a strong word.

 

"For this is what love for God is: to keep His commands. Now His commands are not a burden, because whatever has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith."

1 John 5:4

 

Because I have been born of God; because I have the Love of God living inside me; because of my faith in Christ as the Son of God; He tells me I can conquer the world. I have victory.

 

This world can be so discouraging. Some days are so long. Some days go too fast. Stress. Exhaustion. Heartache. People we love are in pain. Friends are going through trials.

 

But, as a child of God and because of His great Love, He says... CONQUER!

Memories of Dad

Memories of my dad on Father's Day:

 

Back in the day!

 

It's his fault I LOVE basketball. When I was 12 years old he wanted me to play on a park board team. I was resistant and had absolutely no desire to play sports. So we made a deal... If he would be my coach, I would play basketball. And the rest is history...

When I was little there were two magic words that could get me anything I wanted when put together... "Daaaddyyyy, PLEEEEEEASE!"

When I wore holes into my black high-top Reeboks, he bought me another pair. It didn't matter that they were probably more than he could afford.

My dad LOVES animals. He tries to play tough but he's an even bigger softy than we are.


My parents have always gotten us Easter baskets. They were delivered by Dad, which usually meant him hopping like a bunny from his bed room, a basket in each hand.



Working a parade

There are a few perks to being the child of a police officer, such as free ride tickets at the fair. When we were little we got to go to work with dad when there was a parade. It was like having front row seats at a concert :-) At the end of the parade he would pull in behind the procession. I would pretend I was the guest of honor and wave to everyone as we drove by. I was IN the parade!

  

One thing Dad and I always shared was a love for roller coasters. He and I can ride one after another after another together.

Oh the lectures... Fatality car accidents, teenagers getting into bad situations, abuse and neglect, etc. Being the child of a police officer also means being told about all the things that MIGHT happen.

Dad has always enjoyed trying to embarrass me. When I was in the 3rd grade, we went to the school book fair. Dad approached the boy I had a crush on and asked the poor 9-year-old 'what are your intentions with my daughter?' I was absolutely mortified! 

I don't know if he remembers this but it's also his fault that I went into Social Work. I was helping him deliver a semi truck one day and we were discussing what major I should choose. My school would no longer allow me to be undecided. He asked me if I'd considered Social Work.... hmmmm.... There's an option! I began looking into the possibility. Again, the rest is history...

 

If school was cancelled due to ice or snow, my dad drove around and picked up teenagers from the church. We were delivered to the homes of the elderly from church so we could shovel their driveways. Then we played! Which usually meant pulling saucers behind the vehicle in the fields. 

Not only was Dad our chauffeur during snow days, but also in the not so rare event of toilet papering other members of the youth department or members of the church. He would drop off a carload of kids; drive around; and return to pick us up when we were finished. 

Gangster

One of Dad's favorite things to yell when I was playing basketball was, "God gave you those hips for a reason! Use them!" Everyone heard him.

My dad has always been willing to rescue me. In college I locked my keys in the car while it was running; he drove all the way to Bolivar to unlock it. When critters get under my house or I think I hear someone outside late at night, he drives into town to take a look around. He'd rather be safe than sorry!

Dad bought my first car. And my second. And my third. He needs to be needed ;-)

My first year of college I was waitressing at local restaurant and I was miserable. I broke down crying one Sunday because I was working, AGAIN, and not able to go to church. I hadn't been to church in almost 2 months! I called my dad and he said, "Quit." He told me I had the rest of my life to work. I needed to focus on my first year of college and he would take care of everything.

My dad is a talker! I was forced many times to wait on him while he finished talking. He would hand me the car keys (this was before I had a license) and tell me to practice driving around the parking lot.

Dad loved this; I can't say we felt the same. The boat once broke down in the middle of the lake. While he pulled from the front, my sister and I pushed from the back. We waded through dirty, moss filled water to get the boat back to the dock. My swimming suit was ruined. But Dad... he had the time of his life :-P

Dad had a '67 Chevy pickup for a while. Of all times for him to choose for me to practice driving, he once picked a day he was taking me to an open gym. I had been lifting weights and working out all week. My muscles were already sore! I was tense and nervous driving his old pick-up into town; I could not mess up that truck. Not good for already sore muscles!

Dad loves to teach. He's been involved in teaching many different Sunday School classes. But I've always told him he attracts the misfits. He adopts the people and families that don't fit anywhere else. Some of the families may not have extended family support and he turns into 'grandpa'. That's his special niche.
 

 I guess one of the biggest memories of my dad will always be that he was my youth director at church for most of my teenage years. That almost always meant a house full of teenagers. It sometimes meant sharing my bedroom with displaced kids. And... whether I liked it or not, many other kids called him DAD.

Father's Day 2013

 

 

Then and Now

I have become obsessed with the Psalms lately. The writers are honest about how they are feeling. Nothing is held back from God.

  

One night back in March, I came home angry. I spent the night crying out to God. In my weakness I asked 'why?' It was no coincidence that the next morning a friend sent me scripture that depicted exactly how I was feeling.

 

Psalm 6

O Lord, don't rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in you rage.

Have compassion on me Lord, for I am weak.

Heal me Lord for my bones are in agony.

I am sick at heart. How long O Lord, until you restore me?

Return, O Lord, and rescue me. Save me because of your unfailing love.

For the dead do not remember you. Who can praise you from the grave?

I am worn out from sobbing. All night I flood my bed with weeping,

drenching it with my tears.

My vision is blurred by grief; my eyes are worn out because of all my enemies.

Go away, all you who do evil, for the Lord has heard my weeping.

The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord will answer my prayer.

May all my enemies be disgraced and terrified. May they suddenly turn back in shame.

 

At the beginning of the year I had embarked on a spiritual journey, and Satan was seeking to destroy my joyfulness and my spirit. I do plan to share parts of this journey with you by revealing exerpts from my personal journal really soon. But today I want you to know that Psalm 6 is not my current state. Today, almost 3 months later, I find another Psalm:

 

Psalm 116

I love the Lord because He has heard my appeal for mercy.

Because He has turned His ear to me, I will call out to Him as long as I live.

The ropes of death were wrapped around me, and the torments of Sheol overcame me;

I encountered trouble and sorrow.

Then I called on the name of Yahweh: "Yahweh, save me!"

The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is compassionate.

The Lord guards the inexperienced; I was helpless, and He saved me.

Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.

For You, Lord, rescued me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.

I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

I believed, even when I said, "I am severely afflicted."

In my alarm I said, "Everyone is a liar."

How can I repay the Lord for all the good He has done for me?

I will take the cup of salvation and call on the name of Yahweh.

I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all His people.

The death of His faithful ones is valuable in the Lord's sight.

Lord, I am indeed Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of your female servant.

You have loosened my bonds.

I will offer You a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of Yahweh.

I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all His people,

in the courts of the Lord's house - within you Jerusalem.

Hallelujah!

One thing the Psalms are reminding me is that I can pour out my emotions before God, both good and bad. I can cry to Him in my helplessness and sadness. I can ask 'why' when I'm angry. And I can laugh with Him in joy. He is my Father and my Friend. But at the end of each one, the psalmists always praise God. He's still glorified for who He is, what He's done, and what He's going to do.

Remember. Remember the past and how the Lord has blessed you. Remember the pain, and remember the joy.

I look at the difference in these two Psalms. Each of them depict the emotions I was feeling at two different points in time. Praise God for His deliverance. I cannot repay what He has done for me, but I can follow through with the commitment I've made to follow and serve Him.

 



The Compassion of a Heavenly Father

The Lord has so many attributes it is difficult for the human brain to comprehend everything He is. I have to admit that sometimes I focus so much on Him as Sovereign, Holy, Righteous, Wise, Eternal, Omnipotent... And I forget some of the more personal attributes: Longsuffering, Merciful, Faithful, Loving, Truthful... Compassionate.

Let this term sink in for a second... FATHER.

"As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust." ~Psalm 103:13-14 NIV

 

A father is many things. A protector. A provider. A leader. A disciplinarian. But how often do we remember that a father is also someone who shows sympathy, mercy, and compassion to his children?

I looked up the definition of compassion: "sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it."

A father hates to see his child go through trials and and tests in life. Some fathers are so protective they seek out ways to keep any hurt from reaching their children. And if pain happens to impact a child, the father hurts right along with the child. A father wants to alleviate distress.

Our heavenly Father is no different. He feels our pain and has compassion on us as His children. He wants to take away the hurt.

Father's Day is next weekend (in case you forgot.) Some have earthly fathers who seek to be the example the Lord has set. Some don't. Whichever category you fall into, there is a heavenly Father who is willing to protect you, provide for you, guide you, and have compassion on you.

I hope you have a personal relationship with the Lord so that you can call Him Father.  



Going Good Blues

I'm pretty sure I could have one of the strangest fears of all fears... The fear of being too happy.

 

I love Reba. I'm not necessarily talking about Reba McEntire the country singer (even though she is one of the classiest women in entertainment.) But I love Reba, the sitcom. In one of the episodes, Reba perfectly described this very unique fear of mine... 'the going good blues.'

 

What are the 'going good blues'?

"The feeling we all get when things are going really good, but we're just waiting for things to go bad." ~Reba

Perhaps my fear isn't necessarily of being happy as much as what comes after the natural high of things going well, feeling blessed, and having fun. If I allow myself to feel joy, success, enjoyment, satisfaction, delight, contentment... Then sadness, grief, disappointment, dissatisfaction, and discontentment might soon follow.

That's really what I want to avoid.

However, I can tell you from experience that completely shutting off emotions in order to avoid the negative feelings is also not a fun place to be. It's lonely there and there's no satisfaction in it.

It is not the Lord's will that we live in fear, especially the fear of being happy. He wants us to celebrate the blessings He has given us and the salvation we have found in Him. Christ tells us in John, "I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete." (John 15:11)

So, in the words of Reba, "The key is not to worry about what could go wrong, but just enjoy all the things that are going right."