Hands open!

Hands open!

            Almost thirty years ago my first son was born—pale blond hair, deep brown eyes . . . and a cleft lip.  Plastic surgery repaired the cleft when he was three months old, but the incision began to scar within a matter of weeks.  Then began our visits to Vanderbilt for treatment for the scarring.  That began a series of illnesses, surgeries, and accidents that marked Stephen’s childhood.

            Stephen was a child who sickened easily, running fevers for no apparent reason.  And I became what is known today as “a smother mother.”  I became fearful that Stephen would be sick.  I got up in the night to feel his forehead, to touch his chest, just to make sure he was breathing.

            As Stephen grew I became convicted of my attitude.  I knew I was not the one who could protect Stephen.  I knew Stephen was only on loan to me, that he belonged to God.  But still I fretted.

            When Stephen was just past ten months old, I was reading in the book of Psalms, chapter 127.  The chapter begins, “Lo, children are the heritage of the Lord and the fruit of the womb is His reward.”  I stopped there to savor the words.  I had been told several years before I was even married, that because of health problems, I had only a 40% chance of ever having children.  (God has a sense of humor since He gave me five children in just over six and a half years!) 

            Just then my eye caught verses one and two:  “Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.  Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman wakes but in vain.  It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows, for so He gives His beloved sleep.”

            I knew God was speaking directly to me. I knew He was saying, “Let go.  Let me take care of Stephen.”  So that night I relinquished both Stephen and Elizabeth to God.  I said, “They are yours.  I will trust You to do for them what I cannot.  It is not my job.  It is yours.”

            I thought that meant God was going to give me peace for all those little things I fretted over.  But God had something different in mind.  Less than a week later we were at Children’s Hospital with Stephen.  The doctors said he had spinal meningitis and might not make it through the night.  And God said, “Let go.  This is what I was preparing you for.  Unless I keep Stephen, you watch in vain.”

            Over the years God has said it over and over again in many situations.  He is still saying it to me today.  “Acknowledge that you have no control over people or situations.  Relinquish them to Me.  Let Me do My job!”

            To remind me, I had my son-in-law take a picture of my hands, held out open to God.  So in my house you will see that picture.  In my office you will see that picture.  On my keychain you will see that picture.

            “See, God.  My mother is in my open hands, for You to do Your job.  My children are on my open hands, for You to do Your job.  My daughter-in-law and sons-in-law are on my open hands, for You to do Your job.  I surrender control of what is not mine to control.”

            What are you clutching in your hands?  What are you trying to control when it is not your job?  Hold out your hands before you, open flat.  Visualize it.  See the person or the situation.  Say aloud, “God, he/she/it is here on my open hands.  I will not clutch or grab.  I relax my grasp.  Do whatever you see best.”

            I sometimes raise my voice when I say it.  I sometimes cry when I say it.  But I say it.  Will you?

                                                                        ~~Faith Lamb

Grab Every Moment

Over the years of life’s experiences I have learned to grab every moment. Recently I have experienced the emotions of finding out a young friend has been diagnosed with cancer and the unexpected death of another young friend as well as the memories of the anniversary of the death of a dear older friend.  Unless the Lord intervenes, another dear friend is coming close to the end of her journey with cancer. I praise God that each one is His child.  He not only holds them in His loving hands, but He holds our tears for them as well.

I have watched my friends and their families give glory to God through these earthly struggles.  They have blessed me by their love for the word of God, their humor and their words of inspiration while traveling the journey.  They are an encouragement to me as they live out their faith and grab every moment. Here are quotes from three of them:

“I am watching the sunrise through my hospital window. What a beautiful masterpiece God has blessed us with to see every day. How many times do we take that for granted? How great is His love for us and how great His power is. Why fear what is to come? My God, who created the beautiful picture outside my window, has got things completely under control. Ok God... let it be done! Let's do this!!

We continue to pray that the Lord would grant strength and healing.  I seek to quiet my mind and to remember to "Be still and know that I am God."  Psalm 46:10.

“If things are tough, remember that every flower that ever bloomed had to go through a whole lot of dirt to get there! God will use life's reverses to move you forward. With Jesus you have not a hopeless end but an endless hope!”

Peter sums it up in the following scripture:

 “We have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by His power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while.”

1 Peter 1:4-6 New Living Translation

So I grab every moment seeking God’s guidance through His word, prayer and dear godly friends.

Tina Laubscher

A Continuing City

I must confess: I love living on earth. I realize that my sunny attitude toward this life is largely due to the facts of where and when I was born, who my parents were, and a host of other details that make my life very good. I hope I get to enjoy it for a long time.

Still, there are days when life on this planet is very troubling, when to be free from worry and fear would be such a relief. Watching friends--or even strangers--grow sick and die is hard to do, even on the best days. The impermanence of life as we know it is often sad.

These and other kinds of changes can rob our joy and make life seem wearisome. I remember when I was in college---so young and relatively innocent!---and grew tired of moving into the dorm and then out of the dorm every semester. My room at home, a room that had always been a comfortable and cozy place, became little more than a temporary stopping place between stints at school.

During one of those brief periods at home, I was reading my Bible one night and came across--for the first time I could remember--Hebrews 13:14, "For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come." When I read this verse, I stopped and read it again. It is right in the middle of a discussion of Jesus as the high priest and the sacrifice for our sins. Because of Jesus and His sacrifice, we have the hope of a permanent home.

The next verse calls us to "offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name." I am, indeed, thankful that one day all our good-byes and painful changes will be over. We will have a lasting home to share with all the other saints of God.

I am going to love life on earth as long as God leaves me here. I'm thankful, though, that on those days when the world is a sad and lonely place, I know a better home is waiting.

--Sherry Poff

My Faith Journey

I was 18 when I settled my issue with faith in Christ. Having grown up in a godly home, church and school where Scripture was the source of all we did, I knew everything I needed to know about salvation. I knew "once saved, always saved" and "not by works, lest any man should boast." So why was my life characterized by doubt?
As a 5-year-old, I listened to a chipmunk puppet say "the prayer" every Sunday, and just in case...I'd say it with him. Then, on the way to Grandma and Grandpa's house, my sister wanted to get saved, so I wanted to get saved too. On our 6th birthday our Grandpa, Evangelist Homer Britton, baptized us in little brown dresses. As a 9-year-old at a retreat, I wanted to "go forward" because I wanted my leader to know I was a good girl after being "convicted" after a sermon on "There's no such thing as 'Christian' Rock" so I did. She led me through the plan of salvation, and I prayed the prayer once again. I'd heard people in church go forward to "get assurance" so I just told people that's what I did. Several times after that I saw my leader in church and she would ask me why I hadn't gone forward to get baptized. I didn't want her to know that I had already been baptized as a 6-year-old, so I just avoided her. As a teenager, I put all of my energy into doing everything a good Christian does. Everyone believed I was strong in my faith, in fact, I think I believed it too. When I was a senior in high school, my pastor, Dr. Charles Wagner, began a series on the ordinances of the church. He talked about baptism. During this time, I had been doubting to the point that every night I would fall asleep praying, "God, if I didn't get saved last night, will you please save me tonight?" My pastor talked about how this act of obedience could resolve doubt issues. Well, I was so tired of doubting, I thought surely this would be the quick fix. So I told my youth pastor that I wanted to be baptized, because I hadn't gotten baptized after the time I'd gotten assurance of my salvation at age 9. I remember thinking as my youth pastor was dipping me in the water, "So I guess I'm really saved now?" When I left for college at TTU, I had to write my testimony for my ensemble director. I traveled with a singing group, and we had to be ready at any time for him to call on us to give our testimony. I remember telling high school kids that I no longer doubted my salvation, and wondering if I meant it as I said the words.
At the beginning of my sophomore year in college, a revival broke loose across our campus. Several pastors, including my own, Dr. Wagner, spoke some powerful messages that brought many of us to our knees in rededication to the Lord. On September 3, 1998, I had planned to go down to the altar with my sister and a friend to pray for another friend who "needed Jesus." However, as I went down to pray, I couldn't even speak. I remember looking into my sister's eyes and saying, "I don't even know if I'm saved." I stopped right there and prayed my own prayer this time asking Jesus to be Lord of my life, and I can say with confidence that I have not doubted a day since!
I no longer felt the burden of trying to prove to others as well as myself that I really was saved. I claimed the verses in Ephesians 2:8-9:

⁸For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
 ⁹Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Would love to hear about your faith journey! Comment here or on the facebook page!

~Rebecca PhillipsI can't put a date on when I actually "believed in the Lord Jesus Christ" but I can say that my freedom in Christ came on Sept. 3, 1998. 13 years later, I have experienced such abundant life in Christ, and I praise God for pursuing me patiently until my years of knowledge of Christ finally became trust in Him!