spiritualsnippets.com

Seeing life's events in the light of God's Word.

Happy Father’s Day!

Proverbs 13:1- “A wise son heeds his father’s instruction…”

Today we honor dads everywhere.

Hopefully, we recognize their uniqueness and special place in our lives everyday.

My father was a true family man. After God, he put our family first. And it wasn’t easy for a man with a minimal education.

With a family of four children to provide for, he often worked two jobs in the early years. He taught himself the complicated math skills necessary to advance in the aerospace industry. Often times, he’d work all day, come home for dinner, and then go back out and dig ditches for several more hours each night.

Being the only driver, I remember him sometimes falling asleep as he sat in a chair near the checkout waiting for us kids to get what we needed at Sears or JC Penny.

Dad always had time for things that were important. Church was one of those things. He would spread out a newspaper on the counter on Saturday nights and polish four pairs of shoes and on Sunday morning, we’d find our “offering” for church lined up on the countertop beside them.

Dad woke us each Sunday morning by pulling on our toes and announcing, “Rise and Shine.” We might have been grumpy those mornings, but Dad wasn’t. He had a huge smile on his face as he walked us to our Sunday school rooms. 

He showed unconditional love to each of us. And lest you get the impression that it was all sweetness and roses at our house, I must admit to getting in trouble and dreading the “switch.” 

Yes, Dad punished us for getting out of line. And those were the only times we saw tears in our father’s eyes.

Happy Father’s Day, Dad. Ninety-six years old and still setting the example of what it’s like to follow our Heavenly Father’s leading here on earth.

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It’s Not the End of the Story

John 11:25, 26a:  “… I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die….”

Are you in the throes of watching a loved one experience the final days/hours of life on earth, as I am?

What comforts you?

Memories? Sure.

The presence of friends and family? Of course.

But I have found my biggest comfort in the words of scripture.

Yesterday, I read the words of Jesus in John 11. I cling to the promise that Christians need not mourn as the world mourns because we know through faith that this life is not the end. 

To be absent in body will mean eternal life in the presence of our Lord.

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“Here I Am!”

Revelation 3:20- “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”

Rhonda and Dwayne drove slowly through the once-small city in Arizona where they both had been born and raised. Where they met, fell in love, and married.

Nothing looked the same. High rise apartment buildings seemed to have sprung up on every corner. Old landmarks had disappeared. The place was almost unrecognizable.

Dwayne pulled over and studied the handwritten map Joe had sent. He doubled back. They had missed the turn.

Joe and Sandy were waiting on the porch when Dwayne pulled the SUV into their driveway. They had changed. Gray hair. Lines on their foreheads and at the corners of their eyes. 

Rhonda and Dwayne had aged quite a bit, too. Fourteen years will do that to you. 

But three hours later, the uneasiness at seeing each other after such a long time was gone. The awkward conversation had vanished. It was just like old times. 

They were family. Laughing, joking, telling stories. Eating a Thanksgiving meal together.

As Rhonda and Dwayne started for home the next morning, both couples promised to keep in touch and visit more often. Even if face-to-face trips weren’t possible, phone calls, emails, and Face Time would suffice until they could be together again.

God must feel that way, sometimes, too.

Listen. You can hear Him say

“Come over more often…”

“Stay longer…”

“Don’t forget to call…”

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You’re One of the Family

1 John 3:1a-  “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!”

 

I opened the blinds to the patio door outside our bedroom and was surprised by two bobcats!

“Whoa, you don’t belong here!” I shouted.

A friend told me about a family reunion she attended. It wasn’t quite the experience she had envisioned. “I love them all,” she said, “but we seemed so different. They were laughing and talking, but I felt like I didn’t fit in…like I didn’t belong.”

To please a friend, I once “played” a round of golf. The only thing I was good at was driving the cart. I couldn’t even hit the ball. I didn’t understand the terminology in order to take part in their conversation. Golf just wasn’t for me. I felt like I didn’t belong.

Have you ever felt that way?

Disconnected?DSC_2005_2

Left out of the “loop?”
Like you don’t belong?

If you are a believer in Christ, God tells us you DO belong—to HIM!

He created you…knit you together in your mother’s womb!  (Psalm 139:13)

You are his child.
Like a father loves and cares for his children

God loves you.

He cherishes you.

You have a special identity as a child of God. You are connected to Him with an unbreakable bond.

You never have to feel alone.

You’re one of the family.

 

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