Crosswinds Meditations from Linda Amey

"CHANGING LIFE'S STORY"

Linda Amey — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 04:15:33 GMT

Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. (Luke 9:23)

Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee when he called his first disciples. Simon Peter and his brother Andrew were casting a net into the sea when Jesus said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Throughout his brief ministry, Jesus called people to action using those same words. "Follow me." In his resurrection appearance in Galilee, the Risen Christ summoned Peter again with the same familiar phrase. "Follow me."

The Spirit of Christ walks by the lakeside of our lives today, calling us to follow him. The appeal has a number of meanings. In a general sense, we follow Christ by engaging in a way of life consistent with his teachings. Follow can also mean watching something steadily or focusing purposefully, as in following the flight of a ball or following a speech. Jesus enables us to follow him in those ways, too. "Blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears for they hear."

To follow Jesus is also to live in keeping with the example he set for us. One way of life stands out. Jesus never let a day pass without attending to someone in need, most battered by life's crosswinds. He didn't perform random acts of kindness, as some encourage us to do today. Instead, in a purposeful and targeted way, he gave people what they needed.

By his example, Jesus calls us to extend meaningful help to others, not only to family, but also to those outside our home. In some instances, help is a simple phone call, e-mail, or visit. In other circumstances, assistance and support require sacrifice. His words instruct us to take up those responsibilities every day.

In the final chapter of the gospel of John, the author supposed that if everything Jesus did were written down that the whole world could not contain the books. In my life, and perhaps in yours, there are long stretches in which the ways I reach out to others in need combine for an uninspiring short story. At other times, the account of my sacrificial acts create at best a modest novella.

But an affirmative response to the Lord's "Follow me" is meant to be life changing. The pledge requires a commitment of heart and time. With that truth in mind, perhaps as the year progresses, we might look back and see that our life narrative is changing. With God's grace, it can become an inspiring and lengthy story that is pleasing to Him and dedicated to His name.

"LOUDER THAN WORDS"

Linda Amey — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 20:27:00 GMT

Joseph was a ... righteous man. (Matthew 1:19)

The gospels record not a single quote attributed to Joseph, yet what Jesus’ earthly father did could surely fill compelling volumes. While engaged to Mary, he learned of her pregnancy and decided to quietly divorce her. He had a change of heart, however, after receiving what Joseph knew was a divine message. He lived, no doubt, a difficult life, beginning with the journey to Bethlehem during the late stage of Mary’s pregnancy, an arduous trek across harsh and hostile lands. The manger birth and the later frantic flight to Egypt must have been frightening, not to mention living through a parent’s worst nightmare some years later—a missing child.

Despite the crosswinds Joseph endured, he remained a righteous man, a man of honor, a man whose actions spoke louder than words. His life inspires us to ask ourselves, “What are my actions saying to others today?”

"IN YOUR OWN WORDS"

Linda Amey — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 18:15:00 GMT

Praise the Lord, I tell myself, and never forget the good things he does for me. (Psalm 103:2)

The psalms contain exquisite words of praise and I read them regularly. They are meant to acknowledge attributes or characteristics of God and to lift our perspective from the earthly to the spiritual.

I confess, though, that when I attempt to praise God as the psalmists did, I feel like a plagiarist, as if I’m stealing another’s words. When I try to praise God as contemporary preachers, speakers, or vocalists do so beautifully I am left feeling like a phony. Yet I know that my God is worthy to be praised and I want to offer what the early Jewish Christians called a sacrifice of praise.

For those of you who face a similar hurdle, I offer this. Years ago, I made a small, inferior photocopy of an artist’s rendition of Jesus. The colors have faded over time and the cardstock is dog-eared, but the image has a magnetic quality and gazing into the eyes of Jesus helps me to praise. My words are always a variation of this...

Jesus, there is so much about you that I love and admire. When you were here on earth, you were kind, compassionate, and merciful. I think often about a particular man whose sight you restored. “What do you want?” you asked him. “I want to see,” he answered, and see he did.

You were an exceptional teacher and I love your way with words, especially in the parables. The stories are memorable and colorful and rich with truth. My words fail, though, to express how much I admire your determination to carry out your mission to do the Father’s will. You were bold and courageous, yet you didn’t shut out those close to you when you were grieving, like the night in Gethsemane just before you were arrested.

I’m trying to be more like you. I have a long way to go, but the Holy Spirit is a patient, merciful teacher.

My words of praise are neither profound nor eloquent. They will never be quoted, recorded, or sung. But the praise comes from my heart and I have absolute confidence that my expressions, despite their inadequacy, are pleasing to God — the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — and so are yours.

"JUST TO BE NEAR YOU"

Linda Amey — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 18:29:00 GMT

In the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27)

When I picture Jesus during his earthly ministry, I often imagine him in a swarm of people, all hungering for something. At other times I picture a more serene setting. The day is drawing to a close. Jesus and the disciples are in a boat, people crowding together on the shore, their many needs heavy on his heart.

What it must have meant to Jesus, such a sensitive soul, to realize that some in the crowd were there just to be near him. Not to be cured or healed. Not to be fed or forgiven. Sometimes, not even yearning to be taught. How comforting for Jesus to make eye contact with a man who simply smiled or a woman who nodded faintly and touched her hand to her heart.

For a while now, I’ve begun some of my quiet times with words such as these. Jesus, you’ve done so much for me and I know I can always turn to you, but I’m here now not because I need anything, not even to be taught. I simply want to be near you. No prayer list. No devotional. Not even my Bible. Just silence and a grateful heart.

I like to think that these silent times, in some mysterious way, comfort the Great Eternal Heart. How? you ask. Because our desire to be loved and appreciated just for ourselves (not for what we do or contribute or provide) might well be something we “inherited” from our Creator. We were, after all, created in His image.

"ANOTHER DAY AT SEA"

Linda Amey — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 21:18:00 GMT

Jesus was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they awoke him and said, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38)

After a day of preaching to an enormous crowd, Jesus and his disciples boarded a boat when evening came. They were headed toward the opposite side of the sea when a fierce storm arose, causing waves to break over the sides of the vessel, alarming even the experienced fisherman on board.

The disciples believed that Jesus was sleeping through the crisis and that could well be true, exhausted as he must have been after a long day. It's possible too that he had just stretched out on the cushion for a moment of quiet as he placed in the Father’s hands the people he’d ministered to that day. In either case, he surely wasn’t oblivious to such a fierce and threatening storm, but neither was he alarmed.

Clearly, Jesus could have ordered the sea’s first angry wave to be calm. He could have commanded the first gust of wind to be still. The fact that he did not suggests that in some of life’s storms, God waits until the tempest is at its full fierceness before intervening. Sometimes I wish His method were otherwise, don't you? Intense storms can be frightening. But without them, spiritual lessons go unlearned, and the reassuring sense of our Creator’s tender nearness is sadly lost.

"WHY YOUR SILENCE?"

Linda Amey — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 02:44:00 GMT

Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves? (Habakkuk 1:13)

Without question, each of us knows what it’s like to suffer injury directly or indirectly at the hands of another person. Many blameless individuals bare deep psychological scars because of someone else’s problems or behavior. Some of us have mourned the injury, even the death of an innocent because of another’s evil acts.

Like the prophet Habakkuk, we ask Why, God, do you tolerate this? Why are you silent while wicked individuals wreak havoc on innocent people’s lives?

No one knows the answer to such questions. No one knows why heartless, wicked people seem to get away with so much or why the innocent and defenseless are denied justice and vindication.

But this we do know...

Even Jesus, the sinless Son of God, had to wait to be vindicated. After receiving the death penalty for crimes he did not commit, he was crucified. Despite the injustice, he asked the Father to forgive his killers. He assured one of the criminals executed with him that he would join Jesus in paradise. Our Lord’s vindication was three days in coming, days he lay in a tomb. Then came his resurrection, the most glorious vindication in history, an event that has changed billions of lives through the ages.

With this in mind, we can be sure that no matter what vicious crosswind has battered our lives, no matter that the one who wronged us appears to have gotten away with it, our Creator can be trusted to bring about ultimate, eternal justice. That’s what Jesus taught. That’s what Jesus proved.

"SEEKERS AMONG US"

Linda Amey — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 06:18:00 GMT

“I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.” (Proverb 8:17)

Each of us can point to times or moments when we felt a particularly close intimacy with Our Creator, with our Heavenly Father whom Jesus came to reveal. The same can be said for the grief we have each felt when we failed our Father so miserably. Given the chance, though, the Holy Spirit will remind us that it was for our failures that Jesus died, that it was to a man who had failed him that Jesus entrusted his precious lambs, and that it was to a man who had tortured and murdered his followers that the Ascended Christ gave the mission of sharing his gospel to the Gentiles.

Since Peter and Paul, countless men and women have endured the bitter experience of failure, you and I among them. We pass through the valley of shame and regret, only to face again and again life's crosswinds on our journey. But why? Theologians and scholars offer numerous explanations, but this I know...

As followers of Christ, we are called to show others the way. I suspect that the Seekers among us are drawn to God less by those who walk on sunlit paths and more so by those who fall and recover, who sacrifice willingly, and who face life’s crosswinds bravely. Deep inside, the Seekers knows that courage in such circumstances can only be found in Help Divine — the very One whom they are seeking.

"A WORK IN PROGRESS"

Linda Amey — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 04:55:00 GMT

"He who began a good work in you will carry it unto completion. (Philippians 1:6)

Years ago, on one of my husband's and my many trips to Ruidoso, New Mexico, I watched a chainsaw-wielding artist carve a five-foot bear from the trunk of a fallen Ponderosa pine. Amazed as the work progressed, I asked, "How in the world did you learn to do that?" The man, standing in a pile of wood shavings, smiled and said, "I just carve away anything that doesn't look like a bear."

I was reminded of that encounter recently when I read the opening words of Paul's letter to the Philippians. "He who began a good work in you will carry it unto completion." Another often-quoted phrase quickly followed. "God's not finished with me yet." I have to confess that I am sometimes put off by those words, a statement which has become -- Don't you think?-- a bit of a cliche. It seems to me that the words are too often used to rationalize behaviors and attitudes that are insensitive or hurtful.

But if we embrace Paul's point of view and attitude toward one another, we would all be more compassionate and understanding. Of a husband who disappoints. Of a parent who falls short. Of a teen who betrays. "God is still completing his work. Our Creator is carving away all that is unlike Jesus, his Son."

Holy Spirit, when I am critical or judgmental or wounded, remind me that your work in those near to me is incomplete. And, please, Lord, remind them of the same about me when I'm stumbling my way through life's crosswinds.

"MY DIVINE COMPANION"

Linda Amey — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 01:31:00 GMT

"I have called you friends, for everything I learned from my Father I have made known to you." (John 15:15)

I've always loved this verse. There is something so open and embracing in what Jesus said. He considered his disciples, and by extension all followers then present and to come, his friends. Because of that perspective, he was eager to share every aspect of his life: joy, sorrow, truth, wisdom, faith and much more.

When times are hard, we instinctively turn to a friend. That friend could be a spouse, another family member, or someone unrelated whom we love and trust. How comforting it is to confide in a caring, trustworthy person, to gain their perspective, or simply to be heard.

I have found, though, that when crosswinds are relentless and intense, it is impossible to fully and openly express to even the closest friend the extent of my discouragement, weariness, or fear. Some will say there are psychological reasons for this inability to reveal our inner struggles: denial, pride, fear of being let down or betrayed. But I think there is a singular reason, one that is at the same time mysterious and yet easily understood.

Each of us, even those who would deny it, has a deeply held need for Divine Companionship. No human being, no matter how close or loving or devoted, can fill that need. If we seek or expect otherwise, we will surely be hurt and disappointed. On the other hand, how liberating it is to abandon that expectation.

Only with our Divine Companion can we experience a level of intimate understanding that will not fail. And in that mutual friendship we will have all that we need to stand strong and to find our way through, when facing life's inevitable crosswinds.

"MISPLACED CONFIDENCE"

Linda Amey — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 17:31:00 GMT

The Lord will be your confidence ... (Proverbs 3:26)

Believers facing crosswinds often say, "I'll get through this. I'm placing my trust in the Lord." I've made similar declarations and I suspect you have as well. But do we really place our confidence in the Lord when times are hard and the way forward is blurred?

Quite often we place our trust in other things. Secure employment or a healthy financial statement. An exceptional skill or talent. Our own intelligence or an impressive resume. Contacts with people of influence. Even a certain way of worshipping or praying.

As valuable as these are from our perspective, those of us who have been through crosswinds know that they are like thistles seeds in the wind compared to our personal relationship with God through Christ, the One who has our eternal best interest at heart.

Holy Spirit, when I am caught in the crosswinds or just enduring a gust, remind me to leave in my Father's hands both the present and the future. Only the Creator of the universe can bring good out of evil, order out of chaos, and peace out of turmoil. Amen.

"ELIJAH'S CAVE"

Linda Amey — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 04:02:00 GMT

When Elijah heard [the gentle whisper] he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. (1 Kings 19:13)

Toward the end of his prophetic mission, Elijah was under great pressure and took refuge in a cave near Mount Horeb. There he awaited the presence of God. A mighty windstorm hit the mountain, but the Lord was not in the wind, nor was he in the earthquake or the fire that followed. Then Elijah heard a gentle whisper, a still small voice that he knew in his heart was the voice of God.

In our noisy society, silence is a foreign thing. It causes some to feel bored, uncomfortable, or anxious. Many consider time spent alone to be empty and hollow, a waste of valuable time. But to be at one with God requires time spent in prayerful stillness. Without silence, we risk losing our awareness of God’s presence when the crosswinds hit, as well as in times of hope, relief, or joy.

Silence is rest for the mind. It is to the spirit what sleep is to the body. Like Elijah’s cave, silence is a refuge where the Divine Voice comes as a gentle whisper — a still, small voice heard as a consciousness of heart.

"SEEKERS ALL"

Linda Amey — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 03:02:00 GMT

Jesus said, "...seek and you will find.." (Matthew 7:7)

The home in which my husband and I previously lived is on a golf course. On the far side of the fairway is a wooded area dense with native trees. From our terrace, I sometime saw flocks of large, black birds circle for hours above the treetops. In time the buzzards disappeared into the woods to feast on lifeless prey.

From that same terrace I watched with joy when a shimmering green hummingbird zoomed into my flower garden and darted from plant to plant. In time the delicate little creature spotted just the perfect blossom and hovered in mid-air to feast on the nectar.

From the same blue sky the birds spotted vastly different feasts. From a human perspective, the buzzard spied something foul and unappealing. The hummingbird, on the other hand, caught sight of something beautiful and inviting. Why the difference? Because each bird found what it was seeking. Each bird found what it was focused on ... and so it is with us.

Jesus said that a person who seeks will find. Today I asked myself, "What are you looking for, Linda?" I prepared to make a mental list, but images of buzzards and hummingbirds showed me a shortcut. To know what I'm seeking, I must simply take stock of what it is that I'm finding.

At home, at work, in relationships, we find what we're focused on. How careful we must be then to train our eyes on what is positive in life, on all that is uplifting, beautiful, and joyous. What we find determines the quality of each moment of each day for a lifetime. With God's grace, I intend to follow the lead of a hummingbird shimmering in the sunlight.

SEND ME, LORD

Linda Amey — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 18:43:00 GMT

Just as you trusted Christ to save you, trust him, too, for each day's problems. Live in vital union with him. (Colossians 2:6)

Do you ever feel as if you're running on spiritual fumes? I do and it's rarely because of the enormous burdens that I am called to bear. Certainly there are times of tremendous stress and spiritual energy can become depleted unless replenished. But, thanks be to God, those difficult times are the exception.

For the most part, we run on spiritual fumes because we have allowed small burdens to accumulate. At work or at home, annoyances pile up, worries amass. Duties that are ours and ours alone are carried out begrudgingly. Sacrifices, once made out of love, become yet another burden laid upon us.

In his letter to the Colossians, Paul encouraged believers to trust Christ our Lord with each day's problems. Safe to say, that is not an easy task, especially for the problem-solvers among us. Success lies in what Paul went on to say. "Live in vital union with Christ."

One simple approach to living in union with Christ, one that I am attempting to embrace, is to carry out a duty as if Christ himself placed the assignment before me. Sometimes the undertaking is a physical task. At other times, the mission is to maintain a Christ-like attitude when my inclination in the circumstance is to do otherwise.

With the assignment complete, however imperfectly, I pause for a spoken or silent prayer of gratitude. Replenished, I find myself more and more able to say, "Here I am, Lord. Send me."

"MY RESCUER AND GUIDE"

Linda Amey — Sat, 22 May 2010 03:03:00 GMT

He lifted me out of the slimy pit ... He set my feet on a rock ... He established my goings. (Psalm 40:2)

Contemplating this verse never fails to evoke in my mind the image of a desperate person mired in a pit of quicksand. The more she struggles against her dire circumstances, the more desperate her situation becomes. The harder he tries to remain still and wait for help, the more irresistible is the urge to try and save himself.

At some point, we all find ourselves caught in the quicksand of misfortune or bad decisions, our own or others'. Too often, we hold on to faith with one hand, but make futile efforts to climb out of our mess with the other. Attempts to extricate ourselves are wasted.

God calls us to relinquish our faith in self-reliance and to grasp with both hands the rope of faith. With this command comes His promise of safety, security and guidance. In the words of the psalmist, he will lift us out of the pit. Safety. He will set our feet on a rock. Security. He will establish our goings. Guidance.

Isaiah 59:1 presents another picture that fits so beautifully, so powerfully, with the image of the struggler. “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save.” Lay hold of this truth when you are mired in one of life’s inevitable pits. Every thought of these words is one pull nearer to safety, security and guidance.

"A HUMBLE HEARTFELT PRAYER"

Linda Amey — Tue, 04 May 2010 05:20:00 GMT

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountain and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them. (Matthew 5:1-2)

The location of the mountain on which Jesus delivered his great Sermon on the Mount is unclear. It may have been a hillside northwest of the Sea of Galilee, not far from Capernaum. The sermon he delivered was broad in scope and included a teaching on prayer, a clarification of what Christian prayer should and should not be.

In no uncertain terms, Jesus condemned ostentatious prayer, the kind meant to make the person praying appear pious in the view of others. He also warned against long, mindless prayers and singled out the babble of pagans, perhaps a reference to the practice of reciting a long list of divine names in hopes of eliciting a response from the deity.

In the view of Jesus, personal prayers should be offered in a private place. He promised that the Father hears and answers, and that he knows what we need even before we ask. As a model for communal prayer, he left us the beautiful and powerful words of the Lord's Prayer.

How deeply moved Jesus must have been by the prayer of a certain blind man he met on the Jericho Road. Jesus asked the poor beggar, "What do you want me to do for you?" Bartimaeus answered, "I want to see." His prayer was certainly not ostentatious. nor was it wordy. It was perfect, humble, and heartfelt. "I want to see." And see Bartimaeus did.

We would be wise, from time to time, to make the prayer of Bartimaeus our own. "Lord, I want to see. I want to see myself as you see me, an imperfect vessel being remade by the Master Potter. I don't want to be blind to my sins, while seeing the failures of others with perfect vision. I want to see that you do indeed know what I need even before I ask. And, Lord, when I'm caught in the crosswinds, I want to see that you are with me."

"AN IMPERFECT FAITH"

Linda Amey — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 04:49:00 GMT

"I do believe. Help me overcome my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24)

These are the words of a desperate father crying out to Jesus for help. The man's son had suffered life-threatening seizures since childhood and he was desperately afraid that the boy would die from them. The disciples had failed to cure the boy, so they brought him to Jesus. When his son began to convulse, the frantic father pleaded, "If you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." Jesus assured him that everything is possible to one who has faith. The man cried out, "I do believe," but knowing his faith was weak, he added, "Help me overcome my unbelief!"

Every believer identifies with this man's struggle. When we take needs to our Savior, we do so in faith, but we know that our faith is imperfect. Belief is mixed with unbelief. At such times, we take courage in remembering that Jesus didn't require perfect faith of the father who came to him for help. Instead, he eagerly and completely healed the man's son. Beyond that, Jesus taught the boy, his father, and everyone who witnessed the healing a lasting lesson about imperfect faith and the grace of God.

The journey of faith is like a ladder. Each rung is fashioned from a lesson learned -- some when faith is strong, others when it is fragile. Some rungs are hewn from failure; others from success. A few fit instantly into place; far more require repeated measuring and much smoothing by the Lord's plane. Some rungs are milled from deep regret and others from inexpressible joy.

Regardless of how a lesson is learned, the Lord invites us to plant our feet on that rung and to continue our upward progress. On each step, declare to him, "I believe. Help me overcome my unbelief!" And be assured, even if a rung was hewn from great sorrow, we find comfort there, for because of God's grace, even life's crosswinds serve a purpose.

"ONLY ONE AMONG TEN"

Linda Amey — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:07:00 GMT

It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praise to the Most High. (Psalm 92:2)

After concluding his Galilean ministry, Jesus began his final journey to Jerusalem. It was at least a three-day trip requiring travel through Samaria. Entering a village near the border, Jesus was moved with compassion for ten lepers who cried out to him from a distance. Responding to their plea, he told the afflicted men to go to the priests and show themselves, the normal procedure after a person was cured from a contagious disease such as leprosy. On the way, the men realized they had been miraculously cured. At last they could return to their families. No longer would they be shunned and isolated.

Luke concludes the account of the cleansing by pointing out that only one of the ten returned to Jesus to say thank you. Noting the fact, Jesus asked his disciples, "Didn't I heal ten men? Where are the other nine?" No doubt the disciples disparaged the men's thanklessness, but in truth ingratitude is common among us all.

When a difficult time comes to an end, our first reaction is to take a deep breath of relief and then start putting the crisis behind us. We rush forward to make up for what we perceive as lost time -- time lost to illness, fractured relationships, or foolish decisions. We try to erase even the memory of the crosswind because of the lingering sting of frustration, fear, or hopelessness.

At times we become so focused on moving forward that we fail to thank God for seeing us through. When Jesus pointed out the failing of the nine, he wasn't concerned for himself. He was lamenting their thanklessness because of what it deprived them.

In the words of the psalmist, it is good to give thanks to the Lord. And when our hearts are filled with gratitude, we will always be counted with the one, never numbered among the nine.

"GOD'S RESTRAINING HAND"

Linda Amey — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:19:00 GMT

The Lord said to her, "Martha, dear friend, you are so anxious over all these details. There is really only one thing worth being concerned about." (Luke 10:41)

When the Galilean ministry of Jesus drew to a close, he began his journey to Jerusalem. On the way, he and his disciples entered a village where a woman named Martha welcomed them into her home. As Jesus began to speak, he captured the attention of Martha's sister Mary who sat at his feet listening.

Martha, on the other hand, was busily serving her family and house guests. In time she grew resentful and complained to Jesus. He recognized that Martha's sense of duty and responsibility had shuffled her priorities. In that moment, she had lost sight of what was truly important, the chance to spend precious time with her friend and teacher. Jesus reminded her tenderly. "Martha, dear friend, you are so anxious over all these details. There is really only one thing worth being concerned about and Mary has discovered it."

In our hectic world, we often find ourselves physically or mentally weary, not unlike Martha. We worry about things over which we have no control. We focus on details that have little or no impact. We rush from task to another, sometimes out of duty, more often out of habit or restless seeking.

Jesus calls us to care for family and friends, and to extend kindness to strangers. But when weariness weighs us down, resentment is sure to follow. Most often the feeling is directed at those we love most. At such times, we are wise to make a prayerful assessment of priorities. Sometimes weariness is the restraining hand of the Holy spirit urging us to spend more time at the feet of Jesus. With our spirits renewed, we can then stand strong against the inevitable crosswinds on our journey.

"ONLY A WALKING STICK"

Linda Amey — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:09:00 GMT

Jesus went around to the villages in the vicinity teaching. He summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two... (Mark 6:6-7)

When Jesus sent the Twelve to proclaim the kingdom of God, he gave them specific instructions. "Take nothing for the journey but a walking stick. No food, no sack, no money, not even a second tunic." Jesus wanted the men to be completely reliant on their Heavenly Father. His instructions were literal, but they were figurative as well, not only for the Twelve but also for us.

The Lord urges us to travel with a light, unburdened heart, leaning on him as one would a walking stick. To do that, we must discard all that is not important for the journey, beginning with material possessions that fail to simplify our lives or those that distract us from the spiritual aspect of our journey.

The Lord also calls us to leave behind the tattered sacks in which we carry regrets about the past, worries about the future, and attitudes in the present that are unproductive, ungracious or uncharitable.

And finally, the Lord instructed us to discard our second tunic, the cloak of self-reliance. Without dependence on him, how can we possibly stand strong against the crosswinds on our journey?

"THE MARCH IN THE JOURNEY"

Linda Amey — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:45:00 GMT

"Well done, my good and faithful servant . . . Come, share in my joy!" (Matthew 25:23)

In modern Christianity there is a great deal of emphasis on the joy of living a God-guided life. Joy is the subject of countless sermons, books, and personal testimonies. I wonder, though, if we have reached a point where the expectation of Christian joy is over-emphasized or its meaning misunderstood.

Has your life been a consistently joyous journey? Mine hasn't. Frankly there are times in which my walk with Christ seems like a march, not a journey, and a toilsome one at that. During those joyless times, I have wondered if something in my life was amiss or askew, or if my faith was somehow faulty.

Over time, those concerns have given way, and my long-held perspective on joy has given me stamina for the marches within my journey. Joy is not an emotion evoked by a sense of well-being. Joy is a gift ... a reward for a job well done, for faithfulness with much or little, for trusting when we cannot see.

During the stretches between the promise and the reward, we do well to concentrate on the march, not on how we feel as we move forward. Joy will come! It is our heart's response to the Spirit's whisper, "Well done, my good and faithful servant. Come, share in My joy!"