Skip to main content

Cared For

     Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything (James 1:2-4)

          This summer probably qualifies as trials of many kinds. How’s your joy? I’m not asking if you’re delighted with everything that’s going on. I read a description of joy as being a firm conviction that one is cared for. Do you believe God cares for you? Do you have a deep conviction that God cares for you as you are facing the many trials of the COVID-19 pandemic and political unrest?

          If I think about it, I recognize God’s care in my life. He has been generous beyond measure. I am not privileged, I am blessed. But I don’t think about it enough. What I think about instead is the trials. Even when I look beyond my pity party and recognize them as trials, I don’t think in terms of the perseverance, or maturity, or completeness. I tend to just think about the trials.

          The other day, Grace and I walked a different route that happened to bring us through a park a short distance from home. I’d heard a rumor about the park, and I discovered it is true. They have a pile of compost available for city residents. This morning, I began the process of bringing small amounts home in pails, so I don’t have to wash the truck bed and so I don’t have to get help getting it out of the truck. I’m feeling cared for, today.

          That probably sounds foolish and trivial to most people, but I’ll need compost next spring when it comes time to plant my gardens again, especially if I decide to expand my garden so I can grow more, preserve more, and share more. It might be foolish for me to see great care in such trivial stuff, but maybe if we opened our eyes, and saw care in these trivial things, we might not struggle so much with the idea that we are cared for when the trials come.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The List

              Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,   through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;   perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5)           Think about it. We have been justified. At least, we could be justified if we stopped insisting that our justification be based on our merits. We have peace with God, or could have peace if we stopped throwing temper tantrums. We have gained access into grace i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listen!

  While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5)            Do you like roller coasters? I don't. You spend forever climbing a hill. You get to the top and have half a second, then you race down to a low point. Sometimes the racing down involves tying your insides into knots. At the bottom, you either have to be dragged up another hill or you get off the ride. Peter's life was a roller coaster from the time he met Jesus. There would be miracles, and then Jesus would teach things that didn't always make sense, and then they'd go out and perform miracles, and return to be taught. Peter was praised for giving the right answer to "Who do you say that I am?" Jesus said that said answer came from God. Peter was at the top of the hill.            ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Prayer Lists

                 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (I Peter 2:2-3)   In connection with what I wrote yesterday about the possibility that I’m wrong, I’m feeling the need to go back to basics - craving spiritual milk because somehow, I missed something. It’s a little embarrassing, craving milk like a newborn, but the truth probably is that we are newborns many times in many ways in our lives. From God’s perspective, we may never be anything more than newborns, forever needing that milk. On the other hand, being a newborn can also be exciting because so much is new. My mind is playing pinball - ricocheting from one idea to the next and through six more before it happens to hit the third again. The main topic is prayer. I have at least seven organizing structures all somewhat influenced by the movie War Room , which I’v...
Post a Comment
Read more