COURAGE FOR TODAY

The Significance of Insignificance

I have to confess that I'm not a mechanic.  Recently, as hard as I tried, I just could not get my riding lawnmower to work properly.  I could crank the engine easy enough and put the mower in gear, but each time, the belt that turns the blade would fall off the pulley.  I would stop and put the belt back on the pulley, only to put the mower in gear and have the belt fall off again.  Over and over again, I placed the belt back on the pulley, only to see it fall off.  I could not figure out why.  It was so frustrating.

Forgive and Forget

I have to admit that forgiving others is sometimes a struggle for me, even as a Christian.  I don't have any difficulty forgiving someone for what we might call a "minor offense" or something fairly insignificant.  However, if the offense is something that affects my life in a major way, I struggle.  In fact, if I'm being honest, I want just the opposite----I want revenge.  I want to somehow make the other person go through all the turmoil and anger and bitterness that I've experienced.  I know that's the wrong attitude but, again, I'm being honest.  I really came to a crossroads a couple of years ago when I had struggled for so long with bitterness and anger toward a particular person who caused unmentionable grief for my family and me.  Was I going to really practice my faith and honor what the Bible teaches about forgiveness, or was I going to forget this principle of the Christian Faith and act in a manner I would later regret?

I Don't Have A Green Thumb

I hate yard-work and it shows.  It's all I can do to keep my grass cut.  I'm not sure why I'm this way, but I'm just not one of those folks that loves to work in their gardens and lawns constantly.  I once had some neighbors that worked seemingly 24 hours outside.  Their lawns, shrubbery, and flowers were gorgeous and showed the fruits of their labor.  As for me, I'm just content to do the basics.  I have too much going on in my life to over burden myself with yard work.

Sadly, my Christian life has sometimes mirrored my garden life.  

If You Were Here

Little did I know that Mothers Day 2006 would be the last day that I saw my Mom in a talkative, cheerful frame of mind.  She had been ill for sometime by that point and had been in the hospital for several weeks.  My wife and I went to visit her that evening for Mothers Day not really knowing what to expect.  She had been having good days and bad days.  But, this day, was an up day.  It was almost as if she knew the day was special and she didn't want to miss it.  She was in good spirits and glad to see us.  She enjoyed the Mothers Day card we brought her and the short time we spent together talking.  We were truly blessed by her condition and frame of mind that special day.  After that day, her health slowly worsened until she went on to join the Lord a couple of weeks later.

Hide and Seek

When our children were pre-schoolers, they loved to play "hide and seek." I'm not sure why they loved the game so much.  I guess it was the thrill of hiding somewhere and, then, having Dad become frustrated trying to find them hiding in some obscure place.  My daughter, especially, took the game to its most extreme level. She took hiding serious.  So serious, in fact, she was disappointed if she was found.