Happy Independence Day

[Judy Harder]

The Hunt for Pleasure

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. - Philippians 4:12

Society says, "Just do it!" Friends say, "If it feels good, do it."  And our flesh says, "More, more, more!" Our appetite for pleasure fuels our lives. 

Is this a bad thing?  Actually, you were designed for pleasure—but the pleasure that you were designed to seek—the pleasure that will truly satisfy—is finding pleasure in God. 

Far too often, however, we set our sights too low, seeking satisfaction from power, food, status, money, or things. C.S. Lewis wisely reflected that we're like ignorant children who want to go on making mud pies in a slum because we cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea.  "We are far too easily pleased," he concluded. 

Maybe you're dissatisfied in your hunt for pleasure, or maybe you're satisfied right where you are and you shouldn't be.  Pause and reflect on the source of your pleasure.  Only one source is lasting—seek God. 

"Pleasure can be supported by an illusion; but   happiness rests upon truth." - Sébastien-Roch Nicolas De Chamfort (1741-1794)

[Judy Harder]

Transformed Grief

Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end. - Isaiah 60:20

In 1835 Abe Lincoln was a member of the Illinois legislature and a man with a bright future. In love with the red-haired beauty Ann Rutledge, they joyfully anticipated their future together. . . then malaria struck. Upon hearing that Ann was sick, Abe came to her only to watch helplessly as her life - and his dreams - slipped away. A week after the funeral, a friend saw Lincoln rambling through the woods almost incoherent, mumbling sentences no one could understand. Weeks passed and Lincoln was lost in pain.

Lincoln eventually recovered.  And though grief haunted him, faith sustained him. Pain had made him strong. The hard lessons he learned in the Illinois woods prepared him to navigate America through the travails of Civil War. Abraham Lincoln was transformed in the crucible of grief, and in turn, was used to transform an entire nation. 

You can have hope in the midst of your hurting. It won't remove the hurt, but it will help you work through it.     

"Many of us spend our whole lives running from feeling with the mistaken belief that you cannot bear the pain. But you have already borne the pain.  What you have not done is feel all you are beyond the pain." - Saint Bartholomew (1st century AD)

[Judy Harder]

Faith

I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, "Move from here to there" and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. - Matthew 17:20

Desperate to find a home, an orphan girl in India asked a missionary teacher from a nearby village for help.  The missionary had no money or room for the girl but promised she'd pray and ask God for his help.  She told the girl to do the same. 

That evening, the teacher received a letter from an American friend, containing enough money to provide for the orphan girl.  She summoned a messenger the following morning and asked him to go to the neighboring village—a day's walk from her home—to find the girl. 

To the teacher's surprise, the messenger returned with the girl in half the expected time.  When asked how she traveled so quickly, the girl reminded the teacher, "We both prayed to God for help...I thought I might as well start walking."

Faith is active.  Thinking and praying are necessary elements, but the true test of our faith is when like the little girl, we start walking.

"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." - Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968)

[Judy Harder]

Loneliness

Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. - Proverbs 15:22

A recent study reported that the loneliest people in America are college students.  Surprising?  Other groups showing high levels of loneliness were the divorced, welfare recipients, single moms, housewives, and the elderly.  This covers the majority of our culture, indicating that loneliness is an American epidemic. 

To illustrate just how lonely many people are, Chuck Swindoll tells the story of a Kansas newspaper ad, which read, "I'll listen to you talk for 30 minutes without comment for $5."  Swindoll said, "Sounds like a hoax, doesn't it?  But the person was serious.  Did anybody call?  You bet.  It wasn't long before this individual was receiving 10 to 20 calls a day.  The pain of loneliness was so sharp that people were willing to pay to talk to a complete stranger for a half hour of companionship."

We were created for relationships.  Don't go through life solo. Connect with someone today.

"Pray that your loneliness may spur you into finding something to live for, great enough to die for." - Dag Hammarskjold (1905-1961)

[Judy Harder]

Longing for Glory

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

In 1997, Sports Illustrated published a survey of 198 Olympic athletes.

They were asked if they would take a banned performance-enhancing substance if they were guaranteed they wouldn't be caught and they would win their competition.  One hundred and ninety-five athletes said yes; three said no. 

They were then asked if they'd take the substance if they were guaranteed they wouldn't be caught, would win every competition for the next five years, but would then die from the side effects of the substance. More than half the athletes said yes. This is both shocking and very sad. 

O.K., sports fans, the Olympics take place every two years.  Can you name five gold medalists at the most recent Olympics?  (Can you even remember where they were held?)

We all have a longing for recognition and honor.  But immortality and glory belong to God.

"I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend." - J. R. R. Tolkien (1892-1973)

[Judy Harder]

Marriage

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. - Genesis 2:24

How can a stranger tell if two people are married?  When eight-year old Derrick was asked this question he stopped to think for a minute.  Then he replied most seriously, "You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids."

Kids really have a way of making us laugh, reflect, and, yes. . . sometimes yell, don't they?  But young Derrick hit upon a very important fact: marriage can be tough—and that's true regardless of whether or not you have kids. 

Finances, communication, intimacy, and sometimes-even kids can become sources of tension in your relationship with your spouse.  Nevertheless, God's intention for marriage is that it be a source of joy, encouragement, comfort, and grace that gives richness to life. 

"Marriage is the state or condition of a community consisting of a master, a mistress and two slaves, making in all, two." - Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914)

[Judy Harder]

Materialism

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. - Colossians 3:2

Even when I've sincerely turned to God in faith, the pursuit of things has tripped me up.

My first house was a great investment: Only $10,000 with a monthly mortgage payment of $100.  I congratulated myself on being so financially astute.

But a door-to-door carpet salesman changed all that.  Carpet was my house's only real deficiency.  And upon showing me a sample of sea-foam green, stain resistant carpet, I was hooked.  I simply had to have it.  I didn't have the money to pay for it, so the salesman arranged for me to have credit.

But after I had the new carpet installed, I noticed how ratty my furniture looked.  Before I knew it, I was lost in the tide of materialism.

What I thought would bring me respect and comfort made me a slave.  Be careful about what becomes important in your life.

"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."
- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

[Judy Harder]

Perfectionism

If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the law was given to the people), why was there still need for another priest to come — one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron?
Hebrews 7:11

Are you a person who's never quite satisfied because you can't attain perfection?  I have good news for you! Perfection is unattainable, so you can rest from your efforts.  Yes, excellence is a worthy goal, but perfection is nothing but pure fiction! You're not perfect, and neither is your spouse, your children, your boss, or your co-workers.  Not even your dog is perfect.

Nevertheless, if you're a perfectionist, you'll be quicker to judge rather than show mercy.  Most perfectionists end up correcting other people rather than connecting with other people.

If you struggle with this, remember—relationships are always more important than regulation, so be careful not to push yourself and the people in your life toward perfection.  Lay down your spears, tear down those walls, and step forward to discover that it's perfectly fine to be human in every area of life.

"Perfection consists in one thing only: doing the will of God."
- St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)

[Judy Harder]

Suffering and Character

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.
Romans 6:22

My life has been littered with mistakes—my own mistakes and the mistakes of others.  And in every one of those incidents, God came along, picked up the litter, and put it back together in a way that transformed it into a monument for faith.  I can look back and say, "It was at that very point, in the midst of that adversity, that this part of my character began to grow and my relationship with God really deepened.

It's our nature to seek quick relief from pain.  But Helen Keller—a woman well acquainted with adversity—said, "Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet.  Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved."

Let God transform and redeem the suffering in your life?

"Deep unspeakable suffering may well be called a baptism, a regeneration, the initiation into a new state."
- George Eliot (1819-1880)

[Judy Harder]

Teen Anger

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.
James 3: 17-18

When Benjamin Carson was a teenager he had a terrible temper.  One day he got into a scuffle with another youth, drew a knife, and stabbed at the other boy.  The blade, however, caught on the boy's belt buckle.

That moment was a flashpoint experience for Carson.  He went home and fell to his knees, praying for three hours for the Lord to take his temper away.

So, what happened to that boy?  Today Benjamin Carson is the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, known all over the world for his surgical skills and care for his young patients.

But if God hadn't prevented his blade from striking or Carson hadn't conquered his temper that day, hundreds of patients would've been deprived of his compassionate care.

Aren't you glad God is in control and watches over every detail of your life?

"Don't lose your temper, use it."
- Dolly Parton (1946-    )