How odd to hear Jesus say he came into this world for judgment.   We are so used to hearing the words, I did not come to judge, (John 12:47 NIV) but to save.   Are these two verses contradictory?  No, they aren’t.

In the above passage, Jesus was speaking to a man who had been judged by the Pharisees as a person who had been ‘entirely in sin’ and was therefore ineligible to teach them anything.  He was explaining to them who Jesus was and why the man had been healed of his blindness.  They rejected his teaching and drove him out (of their presence).

Jesus heard this had happened and sought out the man, not the Pharisees, and spoke to him from his heart.  He asked the man if he believed in the Son of Man.  He asked Jesus who the Son of Man was, Jesus identifies himself and the man says ‘I believe.’  Some Pharisees overheard Jesus talking to the man and ask Jesus, ‘We aren’t blind, are we?”  I imagine that to be rather sarcastic.  Jesus says to them, if you were, you wouldn’t have sin, but since you can see, you do have sin.  Jesus’ answer reminds me of His teaching that we will be judged according to how we judge others.

We have much to learn from this in regards to judging what we see in others and instead, look inside and see what we see in ourselves.  We should think more about what other people can teach us about their experience with Jesus.  We should listen more carefully to what they are saying when they speak about their faith in Him and their encounters with him.  We shouldn’t be driving them out because we think they are sinners in our sight – when in His sight – they are faithful people.  Should we be more concerned with our sight, or His sight?  His is always right.

Lord, please help us to see other people through your eyes and give us ears to hear their praiseworthy stories about their encounters with you.

Jesus heard that they had driven him out . . . and found him . . . (John 9:35 NRSV)

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15 NIV)  Other versions; NRSV and KJV read:  Study to show . . . rightly dividing the word of truth.

Contemplating the instruction given in this verse, in different versions one must consider verse 14, where Paul told Timothy not to get caught up in wrangling over words which ruins or subverts the word for the hearer.  It’s sad and difficult to think about how much wrangling and subversion takes place in the world and church today.

Imagine two hands and a scale, each hand holds a ‘version’ of the Word of Truth. The hands belong to the same being; God in Christ, who spoke (speaks) more than one language, Hebrew, Greek, Arabic and the scale is evenly balanced.  He places different ‘versions’ on the scale and the scale remains balanced.  I think about all the wrangling over the ‘issue’ the church has made over  people ‘speaking in tongues’ and arguing about what ‘tongues’ means.  My humble opinion is it means speaking in the power of the Holy Spirit, whether in English, Hebrew, Hispanic, Norwegian, German, Polish, Indian, Asian or Heavenly Angels so that everyone can understand.  It’s not the language, it’s the message that matters; is it being spoken in the power of the Holy Spirit? If it’s spoken in the power of the Holy Spirit then it is the Word of Truth. Like the Spirit that came down like tongues of fire when everyone who was present, even though they spoke different languages understood.  (Acts 2)

So it seems to me Timothy is being instructed to correctly interpret the word of truth through the power of the Holy Spirit which Paul recognizes in him.  Paul instructs him to pay diligence to the word of truth, to study it well so he can he handle and share it with others so he can present himself to God as a worker who is approved. Timothy is instructed to do his best.  Aren’t we all instructed to do our best?

In Matthew 10:23-25, Jesus tells his disciples that a student is not above his teacher and a servant not above their master.  And in Luke 6:40 Jesus states that a fully trained student will be like his teacher.

To be a disciple of Jesus in our generation, we must become students of the word of truth so we may correctly divide and handle it in our lifetimes.  Physical age and gender don’t matter.  Jesus spoke the word of truth to young and old, men and women.  What does matter is that you do your best to present yourself to God as one approved.  What matters is that we do our best to fulfill Jesus’ command to love God and other people as much as we love ourselves; and then to do our best to live in this kind of loving way no matter what our age, gender or language is.   When we do our best, we can trust God’s grace to do the rest.  This is my humble understanding, my best understanding of what this instruction means.

Lord God, please help us all not to wrangle over your word but to handle it and to share it with others for the sake of bringing peace into the church and the world today. Please help us to love you and other people as much as we love ourselves.  And because we cannot do this on our own, please give us your Holy Spirit. AMEN

The fire of the Lord is like salt.  It comes down from heaven and seasons us –

There is salt in clay – did you know that? Clay with no salt does not cure, in fact, it is not clay.  So it is with us, if we have no salt within ourselves we are not moldable, we are not curable as in the way of being purified by the Lord’s refining fire.  What good is fire if there is no flame? So if there is no flame within you and no salt, what good are you, how can you season others?  Jesus asks a poignant question: If you have lost your saltiness, how can you be seasoned? And then he gives the answer.  You can be seasoned by those who do have salt within them.

How you ask? You must come near to them and mingle with them. And those who have salt must be willing to mingle with those who have lost their saltiness, for whatever reason.  We must reach out to each other, to season each other with His salt, with His Spirit.

You must draw near to Him and to His people.  There are many stories in the New Testament telling about how often and how many different kinds of people drew near to Jesus to be touched by His hand, His word, His Spirit, even His cloak.  Jesus was filled with Salt.  He promised His disciples that he would ask God to send the Spirit to them. And when the Spirit came it came like tongues of fire and touched them, salting them, setting their hearts on fire for Him, purifying their thoughts, refining their deeds.

This is what the Lord can do for you – as he has for us and those who have gone before us.  So we hope that your lives will be salted with His fire too and that your hearts and minds are purified so that your deeds are refined as you redefine your lives.

Before the Lord salted me with His fire

I was consumed with myself

After being salted with His fire

My selfish ways were consumed

My life redefined and the thoughts

And desires of my heart and mind purified.

Then the peace which surpasses human understanding

Filled my soul and helped me cease my striving for

the things of and in this world.

This is the kind of peace I desire

For my children and my children’s children

And theirs, for generations to come.

For now and forever I want them to be salted by

And filled with the Spirit of the Lord

So that His praiseworthy deeds,

not mine nor theirs, but His praiseworthy deeds

will be made known from one generation to the next.

-          June G. Paul

Prayer – - – Lord God, thank you for loving us and for giving us your salt, your Holy Spirit and filling our lives with your love, grace and peace.  Please watch over us, continue to pour your Spirit upon us that your Name might be praised and your Praiseworthy deeds may be made known from one generation to the next.  AMEN

To be taught one must be a student willing to learn. Still that is not enough, one must be attentive to the teacher.  Every teacher knows that not every student wants to learn and even those who do want to learn are often distracted by the cares of the world around them, family life, lives of friends, work, extra-curricular activities, the next vacation or holiday coming up, the weather outside the window, the noise in the hallway, the aroma wafting down the hallway from the cafeteria . . .

This verse however is not about life in a classroom – this is a verse about life in this world.  It’s about how disciples of Jesus will defend their belief in Him no matter where they are especially in the wilderness times and places.   This is a verse about how Jesus will defend those who acknowledge not only Him, but those who will or will not also acknowledge the Holy Spirit before others.  And this is what strikes me about what Jesus says to his students . . . (pay attention to this)

Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man (Jesus) will be forgiven but whoever blasphemes (denies, speaks against) the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. (Luke 12:10)

If even the Son of Man (Jesus) knew he had to acknowledge the Holy Spirit within His life and within His relationship between God in Heaven and God’s family on earth.  How much more true must this be for us?

I can understand why our acknowledgment of the Holy Spirit is so important to Jesus.  It was the Holy Spirit who was with Him, in Him, speaking through Him when he was in the wilderness for those 40 days overcoming the temptations common to humanity, the temptation to forsake the Word of God and pursue the things of this world instead of righteousness.  He didn’t only overcome these temptations for 40 days – he overcame them every day of his life.

If you’ve read or heard the Gospel you’ll recall that John saw the Spirit descend and rest upon Jesus like a dove, Jesus certainly must have felt the Spirit settling upon Him and remaining upon him. As he spoke to his disciples prior to his death Jesus told them that ‘the Advocate, the Holy Spirit’ would be sent to them by God and teach them and remind them of the things Jesus had told them.

Do you believe in the Holy Spirit? Do you want the Holy Spirit to be your Advocate? Are you willing to learn? Are you willing to receive the Spirit?  Jesus ‘breathed on them’ and said ‘receive the spirit.’ (John 20:22)

If you have never acknowledged or received the Spirit you can now. As long as you have breath you can receive the spirit.  If you have forgotten or neglected the Spirit, you can receive the Spirit again.  The Apostle Paul encouraged the church to ‘go on being filled’ with the Spirit.  It’s hard to be the church devoid of the spirit; it’s hard to be a disciple running on empty.  Resting in the Spirit doesn’t always mean you are lying down – more often than not, I think it means we are working through the power of the Holy Spirit in and upon us.  This is just my humble opinion.

I truly believe the Holy Spirit wants to rest upon you.  I truly believe that God is seeking people in this generation who will receive Him.  (Acts 7:48-50)

Lord God, thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit.  Please pour your Holy Spirit upon us so that Your Will and Your Word may be accomplished through us, to the glory of your Name.  And Lord, please help us to remain attentive to your teachings in the midst of our busy lives so that we may resist the temptations in this world that draw us away from you. AMEN                                     - June G. Paul, January 22, 2011

The phrase actually begins with ‘and’  so something important was said right before this – something important for us to read and contemplate . . . Here it is

“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and . . .  everyone who loves the parent loves the child.”

Belief and love have a lot to do with relationships don’t they?    I’m thinking about some of the current talk shows where the host brings people on who are questioning who is the father of the baby?  I’m  also remembering a book I read to my children and read to my grandchildren titled ‘Are you my mother?’

In the story the little bird falls out of the nest and goes wandering in the big world asking all the things it see’s ‘Are you my mother?’  Finally it is carried by some kind of construction truck back to it’s nest where it is reunited with it’s mother and siblings. 

Every time I read that story I think about how many people are spiritually lost in this world.  How they leave or fall out of the nest of family (and/or church family) too early in life. But like the prodigal son story, the churched family (and church) is always there and most have their arms stretched wide to embrace them and at least every Sunday, if not even more days,  in many churches, there is a celebration waiting to welcome them home.  

In the story, when the truck places the little bird back in the nest I think about the four friends who cut a hole into the roof of the temple so they could place their paralyzed friend back in the nest with his family and how he was healed, physically, emotionally and spiritually. 

People are looking for loving relationships in this world, but they often have no clue what they are looking for.   Sometimes people are confused about what love really is. There understanding of love is convoluted, they think it’s just about physical attraction.  

The truth in this world is – we are all in imperfect situations and relationships.  So some children are born and perhaps never know who their parents are.  BUT - AND  – the Truth about the Word of God is that Everyone, everyone has been given the right, through Jesus Christ to become a child of God.    You see,  Love is a deeper matter of the heart, mind and soul. 

DNA will never be able to prove that we are children of God – only the evidence in our hearts will ever be able to prove that.  If you have faith the size of a mustard seed in your heart you are a child of God and when you nurture that mustard seed – it will grow and you will be holding so many little birds in your heart and in your prayers.

The two most important commandments, Jesus said, are that we should love God (our Father) with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and that we should love our neighbors as ourselves.  Isn’t it wonderful to know that you can love yourself when you are a child of God?  Isn’t it wonderful to know that everyone who loves is born of God?    Let us love one another as God loves us, being patient with and bearing each others burdens.  Encouraging one another to live the life and do the good work that God has prepared in advance for us to do, serving one another using the gifts and skills he has given us.

Imagine what a beautiful, heavenly existence we can have on earth when we all believe in God, His Son and each other.. .

 When I read the Bible I use a concordance instead.   I looked up Testimony and learned  the word evidence could be used  in place of testimony. Evidence is also translated as proof or conviction.   The reading mentions having a testimony in our hearts.  This can be translated to mean we have some kind of evidence, proof or conviction in our hearts. 

I don’t know about you, but when I meditate on the Scriptures I am often ‘convicted’ about something.  Something is set deep into my understanding and my heart is changed as a result.  When our hearts are changed our lives are too, I guess that would be proof of having something in our heart.

What evidence do we have in our hearts? What do we believe? Do we have hearts full of compassion, care, faith, love, kindness, goodness, all those ‘virtues’?  Or are our hearts full of malice, mistrust, doubt, selfish ambition? 

Why do we do the things we do and say the things we say?

We can say one thing with our mouths but the real evidence is in our hearts.  Somewhere it’s written that God judges us by the motivation of our hearts.  The truth is – we cannot always understand each others hearts – as much as we would like to.  Sometimes we misunderstand people and sometimes we’re misunderstood even by those we live with and love the most.  This happens because we are trying to communicate too quickly and cut each other off mid-stream.  We only have a short time and need to get our comments in.  We are so busy thinking about where we have to go and what we have to do that we don’t take the time to stay in the moment.  We want fast answers – no time to wait for the other to think about what they just heard. And we want to give fast answers because we just want to get on with it.  We have places to go, people to see, things to do, we have to get back to work or back to the program or whatever.  But what we really need to do is to get back to the basics of good communication and that takes time.

Heartfelt communication takes time, it can’t be rushed.  This is true in all our relationships.  It’s true for husbands and wives, parents and children, friendships, work relationships, recreational teams and volunteer relationships.  And it’s true of our relationship with God, if we don’t spend time reading, marking, studying and inwardly digesting His life-giving word, we are apt to misunderstand what He’s trying to communicate to us.

 We are a very active, mobile and fast paced society.  Our technological advances and communication systems have increased our ability to get information to people fast but fast doesn’t always reach the depth of our hearts.  And if it’s hard to see into the eyes of those who communicate from a distance, it’s harder still to recognize what is in their heart.  When a lawyer is building a case for something she or he takes time to gather the evidence and before a jury makes a verdict they take time to go over the evidence.  What evidence would others find in our hearts?  What evidence would we like them to find?

 There is only One who can see clearly into all our heart, all the time. He is slow to anger, slow to judge and quick to forgive and that is where the evidence resides.  This evidence was in the heart of Jesus when he spoke the words:  Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

 We all do and say things that sometimes aren’t quite right and we get hurt or someone else gets hurt by something that is said or done.  But if we have forgiveness in our hearts, then we have evidence of God in Christ in our hearts. 

Talk about a day of conviction – it’s hard to keep a pure heart 24/7 – hard, but not impossible, just gotta stay in communication with the One whose heart is always pure!  Guess that’s why Jesus taught his disciples to pray – ‘Give us this day, our daily bread. ‘

  Thank God WordPress was able to help solve that problem and let me back in! I chuckled a little at my forgetfulness and then thanked God for the powers that be and the people who can open the site for those of us who seem to have had a memory lapse.  And then thought about some of the stories in the bible of people who received new names from God after struggling with him and finally submitting to His authority.  I had typed in several possible passwords before I finally asked WordPress for help.

How similar is that to the times I tried to pass through a rough time in my life, a trial of some sort in my relationships at home, work, school, volunteerism, church, friendships.  Maybe you struggle sometimes too.  I’m talking about the  ‘I can do this myself’ attitude that we all suffer from and with, or the ‘we don’t need his/her help, we can do this without them attitude,  until we finally submit to the Lord and ask for help.  And then the problem is solved.

I can’t see the people who gave me a new password for my blog anymore than I can see God.  But because they kept asking me, ‘Have you forgotten your password.’ I was finally able to re-enter my blog because those whom I cannot see gave me a new password.    And how like that is God – always sending us invitations to re-enter our relationship with him. He stands at the door knocking, he whispers our names, he calls out to us and we just keep doing the same thing over and over again as if we are deaf.  God is so patient, like WordPress Help – he keeps offering it until we finally accept and submit.

We can re-enter into a relationship with God anytime through the power of the Holy Spirit, that’s what Jesus professed to people when he walked on this earth.  You don’t need a new password with Him because He is the Word. 

How do re-enter into relationship with Him? It’s easier than you think. It simply starts with remembering Him and asking for His help. The restoration of the relationship continues by spending time with Him.  Just like any earthly relationship, your relationship with God is healed and strengthened by spending time each other.  By talking and listening to each other and by spending time with other people that you love and care for together. 

You return to a life with God through of prayer, studying the Scriptures, and worshipping in spirit and truth.  This is done best by being in and remaining in relationship with other people.  The Apostle Paul is quoted in the Bible as having encouraged people to continue gathering together.   God has not forgotten you,(Luke 12:6 & 7).  Jesus is and has been and always will be interceding for you and there are people in your life now who are too. (John 17:20-21) 

I believe if you are reading this, it’s only through the power of the Holy Spirit, who is calling you into a deeper relationship with God. So don’t be afraid. Return and turn to the Lord.  He is waiting for you with open arms, all you have to do is open your heart and let Him in.  (John 6:44)

The oak indwells the acorn reminds me of the words: The Tree of Life which reminds me of a Family Tree. The oak indwells the acorn.

When you read your own life backwards you cannot avoid reading into the lives of those people who came into the family tree before you. The Tree of Life exists for the church as well as individuals. The congregation you have become a member of or are considering becoming a member of has a family tree. Even if you are ‘planting’ a new church, there already exists a Tree of Life, a church that has been dwelling within an acorn.

Just like Oak Trees, churches grow in both forest and field, in the country and in towns and cities. Sometimes when an acorn falls from the tree it remains where it fell and grows very near to the ‘parent’ tree. Some acorns are harvested by squirrels that pick them up and carry them off to hide them in the ground somewhere else. The squirrels might forget about that acorn or they hid so many they didn’t need that one and so it lays still. While forgotten by the squirrel it is still fed and nourished by the earth around it and the rains that fall from the heavens and heat that radiates through the ground from the sun and is cooled when the sun sets and moon lights up the night sky. That acorn is growing and soon become a small planting that grows and becomes a mighty oak surprising everyone when suddenly its leaves appear, first blending in with the green and brown and then bursting forth in color.

Perhaps you have members like this in the midst of your congregation. Perhaps you’ve been nurturing a mighty oak all along and were never noticed because you were busy looking at your own leaves or the trunks of other mature oaks that surround you.

Some acorns are harvested by people who are in the landscaping business. These businesses are aware of the wide variety of oaks, where they come from and where they are best suited to grow according to the climate and conditions. They harvest sort them, name and identify the acorns. Then meticulously plant and purposefully nurture them so they are healthy and strong. Then the trunks are tethered so they stand straight, not leaning too far in any one direction so their branches will not weigh them down causing a split or fracture. These oaks are then sold to organizations that are looking to improve the landscape their property. They are now nurtured and appreciated by a family, community or organization. They provide shelter of many kinds, for people and for animals. They grow and soon they produce acorns and more oaks indwell them.

Perhaps seminaries are a little bit like tree farms full of acorns wherein the oaks dwell. Perhaps the church with all it’s various denominations is a little bit like a forest full of many varieties of oaks, none better than the other just different. Standing side by side, blocks or miles apart, they make our communities and our country more beautiful than if we only had one kind of oak or one kind of tree. Yes, the oak indwells the acorn, but from which oak has the acorn come from?

Looking at the following verses from Genesis, Luke and Revelation, it seems to me that God is the Oak and Jesus is the first Acorn . . .
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. Genesis 1:28-30 (NIV)
“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:43-45 (NIV)
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. Revelation 22: 1-3 (NIV)
Yes, it does seem to me that God is the Oak and Jesus the first Acorn. . . This is the family tree I’m a member of . . . The family of God. The Apostle Paul said that through Jesus, everyone has been given the right to become children of God; people can be grafted into the family through him.
And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. Romans 11:23
And yes, there are many stories about branches (individuals, families and churches) being grafted into the Family of God through Jesus Christ, who founded the church by grafting into his heart a man who had denied him knowing him before other people.
We cannot judge ourselves, each other or our churches. We can only proclaim the gospel message of Jesus Christ, through whom we have all been redeemed and called to be in a loving relationship with God and one another in the power of the Holy Spirit.
© June G. Paul, November 5, 2009
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He’s not talking about egg yolks, he’s talking about a piece of equipment that is placed over the head, around the neck and shoulders of work animals – horses, mules, oxen, cows, even dogs and I don’t know what other kinds of animals.  Some people work their animals to death and animal rights activists really oppose this kind of mistreatment.  There are some people who feel as if they are being worked to death by their employers.  There are some people who work themselves to death thinking they have to do everything they think of that they see or hear needs doing.  They are their own worst bosses. 

When Jesus called his disciples to follow him, they followed him while he worked and when he rested. They saw him seek times of rest and refreshment.  He did not overwork them.  When he told his disciples to look at the birds he must have been wanting them to notice that they took times of rest.

I looked up the word rest in a bible dictionary as it is originally used and learned there are different connotations.  The original Hebrew word for rest in this verse is connected to another verb that means to assure, to have confidence, make friends, persuade, trust, inward certainty.

It’s easy to get confused by all the voices in the world around us.  Everybody thinks you should be or do something different than who you are or what you are doing.  This makes us think we are guilty and feel ashamed. We separate ourselves from people when that happens.  Everyone has their personal opinion about what should be done.   But the truth is, we don’t have all the answers.  God does.  He knows the plans he has for our lives, the spiritual gifts and talents and skills he has given us. Do we? He knows who we are and what we have been created to do. He unites us in purpose, through a spirit of truth, love and grace.

There are so many voices in the world, prophetic and social justice voices, telling us to hurry up and that there is a lot of work to be done.  But work that is done by physically, emotionally and spiritual exhausted people is not of good quality. Sound growth in body, mind and spirit requires rest.  Good work does also.

Jesus said he was humble.  Part of humility is knowing what and how much we can and cannot do and recognizing when we need to rest, our bodies and in the word. Jesus modeled going away to a quiet place to pray and be still. When we are weary and burdened do we find a place where we can rest, yoke ourselves with Jesus and learn from him?  Or do we just run off somewhere for awhile and come back without a solution of how to deal with the burden and so we become weary even before our vacation ends.

 Whenever we’re confused, when we’re weary, when we’re burdened we can turn to Jesus in a number of ways. We can search the Scriptures, we can seek Christian friends. If there is no place else to go we can at least find a church to sit in and be still before the Lord.  There we can search our own hearts and mind first. We can ask ourselves; Why am I in a state of unrest? What burden am I carrying and why am I so  weary?  Then we can search the Scriptures and learn from them, we can talk with a Priest, Pastor, Counselor or Spiritual Care Director so we can have rest for our souls. 

Where do we go if it seems as if there is unrest in the world, at home and in the church? Retreat centers, monasteries, convents all offer places to rest in body, mind and spirit.

I have learned that what Jesus said is true and that being yoked with him and taught from His words is a good thing for me.  Perhaps you will learn this too. 

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Those who hope/wait/ long for or look for the Lord will rise . . .

Twenty four years ago I was a tuckered out young mother who was finding her back to the Lord and the faith that had been instilled in her as a young child.  I was in a new town and the only people I knew there were my husband and our four children who were  4, 2 and twins that weren’t quite 1 year old.   I had sleepless nights and busy, busy days.

I went to church on Sundays and the Priest and Warden came to visit me and welcome me to the community and to the church family.  They became an extended family to me.  Because of their ministry, instead of crying when I was tired and lonely I began reading my Bible again. 

One night, when the children had all been sick with the  flu and earache’s and whatever else and my husband was working double shifts and I was so exhausted that I was unable to sleep.  When I picked up my bible I came across Isaish 40:31 and it caused me to think about how many times Jesus was tired during his times of ministry to so many people. So tired that sometimes he had to go away to a quiet place.  And sometimes even though he tried the people would follow him around, much like my children were following me around and calling out for help.  He always had compassion on them and ministered to them.

I thought about Mary and the fact that she had more than one child and managed to raise them all according to God’s plan for her life and theirs.   She was able to do this, I believe, because she pondered often the word of God that had been spoken to her.

I thought about the woman who had been sick at home.  When Jesus left the temple and came to her house He touched her and the fever left and she was able to get up and began waiting on him and other people.  She had not only been touched, she had been filled by him, by his caring, by his presence, by his words. (Matthew 8:14-15; Mark 1:29-31; Luke 4:38-39)

I realized I needed to be touched by the Living Word of God so that I could have the emotional, spiritual and physical strength to take care of the family I had been given – my husband and my children.  I realized I needed to be filled with the Love and Life of God through the power of the Holy Spirit.

I fell asleep that night with my cheek resting on the pages of a Bible my sister had given me years before. Resting in the knowledge that I didn’t have to be a perfect wife or mother, I just needed to rest in the Word of God more frequently and allow Him to rest in me. 

I have learned through my lifetime that there are times of passive waiting and times of active waiting and both are more fulfilling when they are filled with and fueled by the Word of God resting in my heart and soul and mind.

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