The Road Ahead
Faith
The Unopened Gift
Several years ago, I lived in the mountains. One Christmas, I was invited to spend it with a wealthy elderly gentleman. I had never met him but knew he had a sterling reputation, so I said yes. He was known for inviting ten people from the surrounding villages to his home each Christmas. When I read the invitation, it said, “Please RSVP with one thing your heart truly desires.”
At that time, the Vietnam War was raging and was in the news nightly. I had such a desire for peace, and so when I sent my RSVP back, I just said peace. As the day approached, I selected what I was going to wear and packed my bag. We were to arrive the night before in time for a late dinner at 9:00.
At about 8:00, I got into the Land Rover and headed up the road to his home. I drove slowly as the roads were covered with snow and ice. Those of us who lived in the mountains were used to driving in these conditions and knew that if we just drove slowly, all would be well. The Rover lumbered along at about 25 mph, and I thought about what the next day would be like. I wondered what the gentleman would be like, and all the time I was imagining spending a night in the home of someone I had never met.
As I neared the top of the mountain, the road ended in his driveway. There was a large gate across the road. I got out of the Rover and walked over to the gate. There was an intercom on the post. I pushed the button and waited. “Yes?” the voice on the other end asked. I stated my name and what I was there for. I heard a buzzer sound, and the gate opened automatically. I got back in the Rover, drove up and parked at the end of the circular driveway.
The home was magnificent, huge by any standard, and it looked like a forest lodge. It was built entirely of wood and stone, and floodlights covered the driveway and front with a soft yellow light. I picked up my bag and walked up the sidewalk. I could see several people inside as I looked in the front window. I rang the doorbell and again waited. Soon, a butler opened the door and asked to see my invitation. I opened my purse and showed it to him. He checked it and crossed my name off the list. “Welcome,” he said. “We have been expecting you. There is only one person left to arrive, and we can begin our festivities.”
I walked in and another servant showed me to my room. I followed her upstairs and down a long hall. She opened the door to a room that was almost iridescent. A candle had been lit, and the walls glistened as the light bounced off them. “Wow,” I thought. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.” I thanked the small woman, and I closed the door. I unpacked and put on my favorite dress and went downstairs.
People were talking in the great room. I looked around for our host, and in the corner, I saw an older man with white hair chatting with one of the guests. He kept looking out the window for the final guest to arrive, but the man or woman never came. After about an hour, the butler came into the room and announced that dinner was served.
Everyone looked for their names on the place cards on the table. I finally found mine and sat next to a younger man and woman. There was one place empty at the table, and the older gentleman would look there off and on. You could see it bothered him that whoever he had invited did not come.
We all then participated in what I would say is the most memorable dinner I had ever eaten. Over the next few hours, we went through several courses. Each course was a delicacy of one sort or another. The gentleman introduced himself, and then each of us introduced ourselves and shared a little about ourselves. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, and it took away any sense of shyness I would normally feel in a group of people I had just met.
When we finished dinner, we were told to go pick up our gift by the Christmas tree. We were to take it to our room and open it. He made a point of telling us that our gifts had been purchased specifically for us by his son. When I picked up mine, I walked back up to my room. It was beautifully wrapped, and I wondered, “What could possibly be in there?” After all, my desire was for peace.
I sat down on the bed and slowly pulled on the bow. I pulled the ribbon off the box and took off the lid. There inside, under the tissue paper, were two envelopes. The parchment was delicate, and the writing was in calligraphy. One envelope said, “For the World,” and the other one said, “For you, Valerie.” I opened the one for the world, and inside was a piece of parchment written in calligraphy. It said, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill towards men.” I thought about those words for a few moments. Yes, I had heard the story about angels showing up at the birth of Christ and announcing it. Those words were famous, but had I ever believed they were true, that God’s desire for the world was peace and goodwill towards men? I really hadn’t given those words any real thought. The world I lived in was ruled by war and crass materialism. Was there really a benevolent God who existed and wanted good things for men, even though they were so far away from what he desired?
Slowly, I opened the other envelope. There was another exquisite piece of parchment with beautiful writing on it. This one was for me personally. It said, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give you.” And sure enough, after I read those words, I did feel a peace come over me. I could not control the world and all of the terrible things going on in it, but I personally could have the peace of God if only I would accept the gift I had been given.
I put my envelopes back in the box. I put my pajamas on, turned off the light, and lay down in the bed. For the first time in years, I realized there was a God, and if I would only accept what he was offering me, I could have his peace. I got back up and opened the box. I took the envelope that was meant just for me and held it in my hand. I lay back down in the bed and put it next to my heart. I remember thinking that I wanted that feeling to last forever as I fell asleep.
The next morning, I awoke late. I had slept longer and more deeply than I had for a long time. I was refreshed, and I pulled the curtain and looked out at the snow. This would be my last day here, and we would all leave after the mid-day meal. I didn’t want to go, but I knew I would have to. I got dressed and went down for brunch. The table was full of Christmas sweets, and people wandered in and out of the dining room, ate, and then went and sat by the fire. Everyone was quiet and reflecting on the gifts they had been given. As I went and sat by the fire, I noticed there was one gift left, unopened by the tree. Whoever had been invited had not come, and had missed out on a tremendous experience, perhaps even a life-changing one.
Over the years, I wondered about that person. Who was he or she? Was it someone I knew? Who missed out on such an important event? I will never know. All I know is that our host was saddened by the fact that this person had not come. His son had purchased a gift just for him or her, and it would never be picked up or opened. As I drove around each year at Christmas time, I looked at the people shoveling their driveways; or skiing along the paths. That person had no idea what they missed out on, and perhaps never would.
What if it had been me, or you? I shudder to think of how my life would be today if I had not accepted the invitation. It was a milestone in my journey to find the Father and get to know his Son, Jesus Christ.
May you open every gift available to you during this Christmas season.
Heart Check
“Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” 1 John 3:15
When I first read these words in the Bible, I thought they were a bit harsh. If you hate someone, you are a murderer? But I have reflected on these words a lot in the last ten days.
I was deeply saddened by the murder of Charlie Kirk. Let me tell you, I didn’t know who the man was. I had heard his name mentioned a few times, but that’s it. What saddened me was that he was killed because of his political and religious beliefs. I was also distressed by some of the reactions to his murder.
It seems to me there are not too many steps between hatred and murder. When we begin to hate someone, we naturally devalue them in our hearts. Their life matters little to us as we allow that hatred to grow and overtake us. Most of the time, we don’t murder them with a gun, but we can certainly assassinate their character with our words. We look at one person killing another and think, “I would never do that.”
But what is the real truth? Once we begin to hate someone, our heart begins to rot. We may think we are justified when we hate another person or group of people but the Lord doesn’t see it that way. He sees hatred for what it is, the antithesis of who He is and who He wants us to be.
Jesus told us, “to love our enemies” and “to pray for them who persecute you.” It is only love that will break the bondage of hatred in our hearts. As we pray for those we disagree with or have hurt us, we begin to see them for the flawed human beings they are. Their value goes up in our eyes. We also begin to see ourselves for the flawed humans we are.
Let us all do a “heart check.” Do we hate anyone or any group of people? If so, let’s ask the Lord to help us change our attitude. We can hate the things people do or say, but we are not supposed to hate them. We want God’s spirit (eternal life) abiding in us. And surprisingly, it is our willingness to pray for them that will usher in God’s grace and free our hearts from the bondage of hatred.
Photo by Mohamedgado15. Courtesy of Pixabay.
Unrecognizable
Have you ever gone to a town where you had visited and something devastating had happened there? You start to survey the landscape and look for familiar landmarks, but don’t see them. The scale of the devastation is so great that the area is unrecognizable. You aren’t sure exactly which street you are on, and it is impossible to find the features you remember. Has that ever happened to you?
If it has, you know that the first thing you do is get out your phone and call up Google Maps. You hope there is some way to get your bearings and find what you are looking for. You desperately search for something familiar so you can orient yourself to your surroundings.
That is exactly how I feel when I look at the culture around me. I feel I am living in a society that is unrecognizable from the one I grew up in. Almost every social metric has plummeted in a negative direction. Just to name a few: criminal behavior has skyrocketed because it is rewarded with a slap on the wrist and a get out of jail free card. Homelessness is accepted as a normal part of society, and few public officials are able to find a meaningful solution to the problem. The benchmarks on the education of our students are abysmal, and yet billions are thrown in that direction with little or no improvement in literacy or mathematical skills.
Unfortunately, I can’t call up Google Maps for help to try to navigate our culture. How do I, as a believer in Jesus Christ, live in a meaningful way in an unrecognizable society? The only thing I know to do is to go to the Scriptures to help me find my bearings. When I read them, I can somehow get a perspective on what I see taking place. When I look at some of the last words that Jesus spoke to his disciples, they open my eyes and help me see the signposts I am looking for.
Jesus said that the last days would be like the days of Noah. Those days were marked by violence and genetic engineering. He also said they would be like the days of Sodom. Those days were filled with sexual perversion and children being misused by unscrupulous adults. Jesus talked about the love of many growing cold, and if that isn’t one of the primary mileposts of our day, I don’t know what is. Man has stopped caring about his fellow human beings, and meaningful compassion is in short supply.
Rather than walking around dazed and confused, each of us can look to the Scriptures for clear direction. We can ask the Lord to fill us with His Spirit so that we may love our fellow man. We can do whatever is within our capabilities to make a positive difference in the lives of those around us. Then and only then will we make a significant impact and the landscape we see will become more recognizable.
A Full Pardon
For the past few weeks, our society has been focused on the Presidential Pardons being given out at the White House. The President granted his son a full pardon and today has pardoned over 1,500 people. Some of his pardons have been controversial, and others, not so much. Like it or not, over the next several weeks, we are likely to see many more pardons.
Pardons are not something that we see happen a lot. Judges don’t usually give them out and there are not many other entities that are allowed to give out judicial pardons. Because pardons are such a rare thing, they gain a lot of attention.
A lot of us have not been in jail or prison and do not have a record that is limiting our life choices. We do not normally think about pardons in the judicial sense but we are aware of the need for them in our relationships. When we apologize for something we have done that may have offended someone, we want to be pardoned (or forgiven) our wrong. If people are unable or unwilling to forgive or pardon others, they can lead to a very difficult life indeed.
When I think about pardons, I immediately think about the fact that I was given a full pardon several years ago. I was in my mid-twenties, had lived a bit of a wild life, and needed the forgiveness of God for my sins. They were weighing heavily on my mind and I wished to make a change in the way I had been living. I learned that I was not alone and that the Scripture says, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” I found out that God was waiting to grant me a full pardon; if only I would ask for it.
I was grateful that his Son, Jesus, had come to this earth to die in order that I might be pardoned for the sins I had committed. He paid the penalty for my sin so that my relationship with the Father could be restored and that I could live a new life. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life,” John 3:16.
Did I deserve a full pardon? No. Did some people not understand how I could be forgiven and begin to live a new life? Yes. It didn’t matter to me. I was and am eternally grateful to the Father and his Son, Jesus, for the full pardon.
When we think about pardons, we should look inside of ourselves and see if we need a full pardon. Let’s not look at others and think about their unworthiness but look at our own unworthiness when it comes to the ability to stand before a holy and righteous God.
After looking inside, do you feel the need a full pardon? Don’t be afraid to reach out to Jesus and ask for it. He has paid the full price for all of your sins and He is more than willing to give you one if only you will ask.
Photo by Chil Vera. Courtesy of Pixabay.
The Last Laugh
“He who laughs last, laughs best.”
Most of us are aware of the pushback that came after the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. People were especially outraged at the parody of Da Vinci’s Last Supper. To paraphrase the Art Director of the ceremony the day after, he basically said that we should all just have a good laugh and move on. The pushback continues, and now he has come out and said it wasn’t a parody of The Last Supper at all. It was supposed to represent a 17th century Dutch painting, The Feast of the Gods by Jan Harmensz van Biljert. Really? It only took him four days to come up with that explanation. If it was the truth, why didn’t he set the record straight initially instead of talking about how he accomplished his goal of inclusivity at the Opening Ceremony?
I’ve thought a lot about it and to say I was disappointed at the display is an understatement. My spirit was grieved that again Christian symbolism has been upended to make a point for those who wish to display their sexuality in a public in-your-face performance.
Those who put on that performance probably had a good laugh that night and several good laughs since then. But how do you think the Lord felt about the performance? Was he up in heaven wringing his hands and saying, “Oh dear, Oh dear!”?
I don’t think so. He knows those who oppose him and his moral laws, and he knows what their end will be. To quote Psalm 2, verses 1-5, “Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One. “Let us break their chains, they say, and throw off their fetters.” The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath.”
Take comfort, there is coming a day when those who oppose the Lord will have to face him and it will be a very sad day indeed. Better to come to him now while it is possible and the Days of Mercy and Grace are still before us. His hands are always held out for those who will turn from their wicked ways and come to him. No sin is too great for him to forgive. Come while there is still time.
The Brou Ha Ha
“Brou Ha Ha – A noisy and overexcited response to something.” Oxford Languages
Were you distracted this Easter weekend by the brou ha ha that went on because of the proclamation the White House made? I made the unfortunate decision to check the news before I went to bed on Saturday night and I saw it. Do you wonder why the President’s staff made such a decision? If they had to make a proclamation for that Sunday, surely they could have chosen Easter. After all, it is no longer a religious holiday but a secular one with eighty-one percent of Americans celebrating it. To many people, it is just about the Easter bunny, coloring eggs and chocolate.
I listened to the talking points of why the White House chose that particular proclamation but they truly rang hollow to me. They made a deliberate decision to disrespect Christians in America and say, “We’re here. We want the attention. Notice Us!” I’m sure they said to themselves, “How many news cycles will we have to endure pushback?” and the answer was, “Two maybe three.” And of course, they were right. Not many subjects stay in the forefront of the news for more than a day or two.
Hopefully next year we won’t have to deal with all the nonsense. Many will say that the outrage was because the proclamation was about Transgender Day but you can bet there would have been a lot of blowback if they had chosen National Bunsen Burner Day, Oranges and Lemon Day, National Tater Day, Prom Day, Crayon Day, Cream Cheese Frosting Day or Neighbor Day, all of which fall on March 31st. (These are actually national holidays.)
For those of you who were worried about the Lord, don’t be. He has his own view of those who like to shake their fist in His face. One only has to read in Psalm 2: “Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying “Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens shall laugh, the Lord shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure.“
Next time some politician or prominent person makes a point of exalting themselves or their agenda above the Lord’s, don’t worry or be distressed by the brou ha ha that follows. Remember the Lord just laughs at them and holds them in derision. He is still on His throne and nothing can change the truth of that.
Photo by GoldJJ courtesy of Pixabay.
Lost
When our oldest son was about three, we met some friends up at a lake. I was standing on one side of the boat ramp, and my husband and his friend were standing a few feet away on the other side of the ramp. Our son wanted to come over to where I was, and my husband said, “Sure.” He took off, and my hubby just assumed he was with me. He was busy chatting with his friend, and since I was in plain sight, he didn’t give it a second thought.
A few minutes later, my husband came over to where I was and he didn’t have Shawn with him. Shawn had walked right past me and was who knows where. Inside of me, I began to panic. There were lots of people at the lake that day, which only added to my consternation. My friends took off down the path, and I just stood there frozen. I could barely breathe. If something happened to my son, I knew I would not be able to live with myself. Second after second ticked by as I fought back hysteria. Thankfully, a few minutes later, our friends found him following the path along the lake, looking for me. To say I was relieved would be an understatement.
The Lord brought this incident back to my mind recently. When I think about the way I felt about my son being lost, it may, in some small way, reflect how the Lord feels when He looks down at His children and sees so many of them lost. I do not believe the Lord is panicked or hysterical, but the thought of losing them forever must be heart-wrenching. Millions are looking for Him, but because they are on the wrong path, they will never find Him. They will just continue walking until they walk right past Him into a Christless eternity.
Luke 19:10 says: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” That means that if you are lost, if you are looking for some sort of meaning in this life, some sort of God, some sort of something but don’t know what; He is looking for you…right now. He wants you to stop, turn around and look for Him, Jesus, the One who can save your soul and give your life meaning.
He cares for you more than you can ever know and He has no desire for you to spend eternity without Him. He will be crushed to lose you, a precious part of His beloved creation. No matter where you are, what you have done or where your search has taken you, it is not too late to find Him, the One your soul is ultimately looking for. His name is Jesus Christ and He will more than meet you half way. Turn around while you still can, while you’re still safe and while you still have hope.
Photo by Pexels. Courtesy of Pixabay.
Discernment ~ the Antidote for Deception
Deception – 1. the action of deceiving someone, 2. a thing that deceives. The Oxford Language Dictionary
We live in a world cloaked in deception. In every area of society, lies are told as truth and then expected to be believed. Whether it is in the political, educational, social, or spiritual arena, we are fed lies daily. How do we sort through the fog and get to the truth? Well, for sure, we are going to have to do some digging to find the truth. However, sometimes the lies are so egregious that we wonder how those telling them can say them with a straight face. What we really need is discernment as we make our way through this miasma. What is called for is discernment.
Discernment – 1. the ability to judge well 2. (in Christian contexts) perception in the absence of judgment with a view to obtaining spiritual guidance and understanding. The Oxford Language Dictionary
Some of the lies we are being told are so obvious we can reject them outright. Others are presented by the media in a way that is portrayed as positive when, in reality, it is just the opposite. Have you ever seen a movie where people are hooking up with one another? It is just a bunch of fun and portrayed as normal. What could be wrong with a simple one-night stand? No one ever mentions pregnancy, STDs, or the emotional wreckage that can go along with the negative consequences of this type of behavior. A person needs discernment, i.e., the ability to judge well, before engaging in this kind of behavior.
What about the lies that are told daily in the political arena? “Age doesn’t matter,” The border is secure,” and “We care about crime,” are just a few we hear spouted daily and are obviously untrue. One doesn’t need much discernment to know they are lies; we just need to open our eyes and see what is going on around us to discover the truth.
Soon, we will need more than human discernment to pierce through the deception that is coming in the spiritual arena. We will need the discernment that only the Holy Spirit can give to be able to sort out the truth. Jesus warns us over and over in Matthew 24 to watch out for deception. It will be the hallmark of the end of the age. Many will be sucked into and fall for the spiritual deception that is coming. As they look for a savior to bring the world peace, they will fall for those who pretend to have the answers to the world’s problems. Jesus said in Matthew 24:24: “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.”
For your own sake, don’t wait until these things come upon the world, seek the Lord now while He may be found. Get in His word and discover the truth for yourself. Pray for the discernment that only the Holy Spirit can give so you will not get sucked into the lies that are coming just over the horizon.
Photo by Stefan Keller. Courtesy of Pixabay.
An Unfinished Life
About a month before Thanksgiving, my husband and I bought a puzzle from the local library. It was a used 500-piece puzzle, and we decided to put it together over Thanksgiving week. True to form, my husband (the expert), separated all of the pieces by color and put the edges together. He then began to work on the center. Myself (the novice), took all of it in and waited for it to resemble the picture on the box. As I walked by, I would occasionally pick up a piece and set it in place. The funny thing about this puzzle though, several pieces were cut in the exact same shape. You had to choose the one that best fit the picture. On and on we went until there was just a small hole in the upper right of the puzzle. There were about fifteen pieces left, and neither he nor I could make the last pieces fit. I blamed it on the puzzle (of course, it could not be user error), and when neither of us could finish it, I boxed it up and threw it into the garbage…and good riddance. It was frustrating to not finish the puzzle. I didn’t like having left it undone, but there was nothing we could do about it. The picture of it stayed in my mind for a long time. It reminded me of an unfinished life.
How many times have people passed, especially when they are younger, and we feel that they left an unfinished life. “If only,” we think, “They could have done so much more.” I remember those who passed in Junior High and High School, and I feel that sentiment when I think of them. I know that I am not the only one who feels this way.
So what is an unfinished life? We all have our own definition but primarily it is a life that was not able to experience the usual milestones we pass as time goes on. If the person is talented and gifted, we think of all the good they could have done in the world. I remember thinking that of a few doctors I knew who passed relatively early. Oh, how the world would miss them, and I was right. They left a hole in our small community when they were gone.
After I became a believer in Jesus Christ, I thought that way about Him for several years. Why did He have to die at the age of 33? Think of all the people he could have healed, raised from the dead, and the many demons he could have cast out. It was only later that I realized His life was not unfinished. He accomplished what He came to earth to do. He laid down His life as a payment for the sins of the world. His life fulfilled everything it was meant to.
So the question becomes, how do we live so that when we leave we haven’t left an unfinished life? Do we need to have all of our projects done at work? What about things that need to be done around the house? Is it about dotting every i and crossing every t on our list of things to do? I don’t think so.
No matter when we are called to go, there will always be something left undone…a bed unmade, a project not signed off, or that right person not hired. But those things can be remedied by others. There are things that we do not want to leave unfinished, things that only we can do. Have we called our relative that we need to reconcile with? Have we forgiven someone who hurt us? Have we reached out to the hurting in our community in a way that will make a significant difference, or have we only lived for ourselves?
As we approach the beginning of another year, let’s make an effort to not leave the important things unfinished. As we take our last breath on this earth and wake up in the rarified atmosphere of eternity, let us make sure we have not left the most important thing unfinished: that of our relationship with the Lord. If nothing else, let’s get that right before we pass. If you haven’t taken care of it, don’t let another day go by before you do. You never know when it will be your time to leave this world, and you don’t want to live in eternity regretting that you left it unfinished in this life.
“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.” Hebrews 9:27
Valerie Cullers 