Devotions
Losing Things
I lose everything. I’ve lost hearing aids, shoes, coats, and even my favorite kitchen knife. When I travel, I must take a large bag, so I put my valuables in it to avoid losing them.
Losing stuff isn’t so bad because it is usually stuff, I can replace. When I started losing parts of my body, it got a bit more serious. At age thirty-six, I had colon cancer, and the doctor removed part of my colon. No big deal, you say. No one can tell I’m missing part of my alimentary canal, but I know. Trust me on this.
In 1999, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, so I lost a breast. The following year, they removed the other one “just to be sure”. It was challenging to adjust to a flat chest. Even with corrective surgery, it isn’t me. I grieved that loss, but life moved on.
In 2018, I had a brain bleed in the part of my brain controlling balance and mobility. So, I lost part of my brain—no way to replace that. With therapy and time, I learned to walk and use my computer again, but I’m left with poor balance and a risk for falls.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to appreciate the losses my parents faced – vision, hearing, and mobility.
I will keep losing things, but one thing I will never lose. Jesus promised never to leave us. He even promised that our troubles are shaping and preparing us for a glory that far outweighs anything we endure here on earth.
Are you worried about the troubles of getting old? Due to loss of health from chronic illness. It isn’t easy, but these light troubles are just momentary. They do not last into eternity. They can make us bitter or draw us closer to Christ.
When Jesus prepares a place for us, it will have everything we need. We won’t even have to unpack; it will be complete.
Worry and fear
My mother was a professional worrier. I’m good at worrying because I learned from the best. I’ve worried about many things in my life –- death of family, accidents, failure, and long-term illness.
A few years ago, I woke with a strange feeling in my head and when I tried to stand, I could not. I felt nauseous but could not walk to the bathroom. After a trip to the hospital, the doctor informed me that I had had a brain bleed and would need to be intubated. As a nurse, I knew about the procedure and wasn’t excited about the idea, but I asked her please give me something so I would not be awake. That was the last thing I knew until I woke the next day with the tube still in my throat.
If you had asked me a week prior to this event, if I would be afraid to wake with a tube in my throat, I would have shouted yes. But when it happened, I was not afraid. I had no fear. It was uncomfortable, but I was completely at peace.
The dictionary says worry is to torment oneself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts. My definition of worry is ‘a fear that God doesn’t know what He is doing”. How foolish for us to think the God of all creation can’t figure out how to help us in time of need.
In Scripture, He said, “Be not afraid.” Jesus didn’t want us to waste time being worried or afraid. To the men in the storm, He didn’t say,” don’t be afraid because your boat is strong”, or “you know what to do”, or “this storm isn’t so bad”. He told them not to be afraid because He was there.
Have the challenges of life made you worry? Scripture never tells us to worry or be afraid. Worry can’t add a single hour to our lives or give you words when you need them or make someone well or change the outcome of a situation. Only God can do all things and worry stands in the way of God’s peace.
Body and Spirit
When my brother was twelve years old, he was diagnosed with Juvenile diabetes. It was 1953, and he had access to only two kinds of insulin and an old family doctor. As the only boy with five sisters, we knew he was special. Our mother made it her mission to keep him healthy. She read everything available about diabetes and made him special foods without sugar, even desserts. On the farm, he got plenty of exercise, but he was very unstable, requiring close supervision to avoid rapid drops in his blood sugar.
When Murray was seventeen, our dad wanted him to take a truckload of pigs to a market about two hours from our farm. Neither of our parents wanted him to be left alone that long, so they asked me to go with him and ensure his sugar levels did not rapidly change. I was twelve years old.
Mom gave me some candy to use if I thought he needed it, along with instructions to “get help” if he fainted. To this day, I’m not sure what I would have done if he had had a real emergency. I felt like they were entrusting me with their most precious possession. I suppose they were.
This must have been how the disciples felt when Jesus told them to “go and tell” and left them all alone. Their responsibility was immense, but they didn’t count on the difference the Holy Spirit would make in their lives. Those eleven men turned the world upside down, without libraries, phones, faxes, computers, or even books. The disciples used what they had—their stories. Some preached, some wrote letters, and some went on missionary journeys. God equipped them as they faced persecution and death.
Do you ever feel inadequate when telling others about Jesus? Sometimes, it is hard to know how to tell the gospel, especially when they don’t want to hear it. Writing the gospel into a novel works more effectively for me. I’ve seen others who find it easy to engage strangers on the street. Whatever you have, God will use to tell his story. That’s all He asks of us.
Linda McClung
Drawing aside
Spirit and Mind
I haven’t always done a good job setting boundaries. In my job I allowed my boss to say and do things that were unacceptable, and I didn’t say anything. I came away from that job feeling sure that I was to blame. There must be something intrinsically wrong with me.
I haven’t set boundaries in my church work either. I would say “yes” when I meant “no”. If asked to do something, I felt so honored that even if it were out of my skill set, I would say “yes”.
Jesus knew how to set boundaries. Many times, in Scripture, we find Jesus sending the crowds and his disciples away so he could be alone. Why would the Son of God need to be alone? My search of the subject indicates that Jesus’ power went out every time he healed or preached, and he needed time alone with the Father so that He could continue the work.
If Jesus needed time alone with the Father, I’m sure we do also. I can’t be talking to Him if the phone is ringing, or the TV is blasting, or I’m listening to my husband talk about the sad state of our economy. I need time alone. To meditate and pray, to clear my mind of the worries and demands and focus on God’s goodness and mercy. To gain the power to live the life he calls me to live.
I’ve heard others say their quiet time is in a car driving to work. That might work for some, but it puts us at risk of distraction from other drivers. Time alone, means alone. No one to interrupt or need you to find socks or get a glass of milk or cut you off in traffic.
Do you allow people to say and act toward you in an unacceptable manner. Do you say yes when you need to say no. Does your family demand all your time, leaving nothing for you. Jesus didn’t let that happen to Him. He drew aside to be alone.
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