The Seed of Hope
I don’t believe in random occurrences. I firmly believe that God has an intent and plan for us. We are not the sovereign masters of our fate. Only God is sovereign. His sovereign control is called “providence.” He has chosen to give us a free will, and He has created a moral universe in which the law of cause-and-effect is a reality…but God is God alone, and there are no accidents and it’s obvious to assume that an all-wise, all-powerful God must have a plan. And though we regularly try to run from it, alter it or ignore it, fighting against the plan of God is pointless. Proverbs 21:30 tells us “There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD” This is why the Tower of Babel was never completed (Genesis 11:1-9), why Daniel’s enemies were thrown to the lions (Daniel 6:24) and why Jonah spent some time inside the belly of a fish (Jonah 1:17).
Even what we would normally call “chance” or “fate” is under God’s control. Consider what Proverbs 16:33 says “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD”. Everything that happens in the world is made to work out according to God’s purpose. Evil exists, terrible things happen, but it doesn’t thwart God’s providence…nor will it EVER. God uses even sinful men for His purposes. “The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; He directs it like a watercourse wherever He pleases” (Proverbs 21:1). God worked in the hearts of the Egyptians (Exodus 12:36) and King Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:27) to bring about His purpose. Even when Man’s intent is purely evil, God can still bring about His will, as was the case when Jesus was crucified (Acts 2:23; 4:27-28).
David recognized that the Lord had a plan for him. Psalm 139:16 “Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be”. Jeremiah revealed that the LORD told him that He had a plan for his life, Jeremiah 1:4-5 “The word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations’”. So, it goes without reason that God’s sovereignty reaches even to a plan for you and I.
Lisa and I are quickly coming up on 1st wedding anniversary and it has me thinking and realizing exactly how God has planted ‘seeds’ of hope years before Lisa and I even met. Back in 1997, when we moved from Green Bay to Baraboo, Amy met a young mother at the public pool where they had both taken the kids for swimming lessons. Over the next 9 years, Kari and Amy became very good friends and served on Baraboo’s version of the PTA together for many years. While I knew Kari, she was more Amy’s friend than mine. Amy even befriended Kari’s husband Jerry as he managed one of the local grocery stores.
Lisa grew up in a small town in western Minnesota, less than an hour from the South Dakota boarder. While she was growing up, she had a very close girlfriend by the name of Chris. Chris and Lisa were so close in fact, that Lisa even lived with Chris and her family for a time, eventually went to college together and to this day are still close friends. Chris had a younger sister who Lisa was close to as well…her name was Kari.
Kari was there when Lisa was married, she was there when both of her boys were born and through each preceding pregnancy...and she was there through the pain and disillusionment Lisa felt when that marriage ended. Kari was there when Amy was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and knew of mountain top highs and shadowed valley lows of the journey Amy walked...and she was there when Amy's journey ended 9 months later.
Kari continued to follow my previous blog, reading about how I and the kids were getting along. One day several months later, Kari showed my blog to Lisa. Lisa told me that she spent the next three weeks reading my blog. Much later, Kari did confide that while initially it was a little weird for her to be the catalyst that drew Lisa and I together, she knew it just felt right. Kari was the photographer at our wedding!
Now, am I saying that I believe God wanted Lisa to divorce or Amy's life to end at such a young age so that we would be together? ABSOLUTELY NOT! What would that say about the character of God? Evil, death and disease entered the world when Adam and Eve chose to disobey God. The verses from Jeremiah 1 that I quoted above, makes it plain that God knows the path our lives will take us, but we have this promise from Romans 8:28 'And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.' What I AM saying is this...in the face of such tragic occurrences, it's obvious to me that God had been and continues to be at work...working to turn tragedy to good and tears to joy...why? Because THAT is the character of God!
Thank you Kari...for allowing yourself to be God's seed of hope in both Lisa's life and mine.
Thank you Babe...for taking that step of faith, for reigniting my life and showing me how to love again!
~ V
Do you trust Him?
Job had lost everything…his house, land, livestock, everything he owned…gone. And if that wasn’t enough, every one of his children died and he was inflicted with terrible, painful boils that covered his entire body which we scrapped at with broken pieces of pottery. Three of his best friends and even his wife, all asked him what he had done to deserve such misfortune from God…they all advised him to curse God so that he might die and be removed from any further suffering…But Job refused. In chapter 37, he did however ask God why, in spite of his faithfulness, this was happening. God took the next two chapters to answer:
The Lord spoke to Job out of a storm. He said, “Who do you think you are to disagree with my plans? You do not know what you are talking about. Get ready to stand up for yourself. I will ask you some questions. Then I want you to answer me. “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you know. Who measured it? I am sure you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? What was it built on? Who laid its most important stone? When it happened, the morning stars sang together. All of the angels shouted with joy. “Who created the ocean? Who caused it to be born? I put clouds over it as if they were its clothes. I wrapped it in thick darkness. I set limits for it. I put its doors and metal bars in place. I said, ‘You can come this far. But you can’t come any farther. Here is where your proud waves have to stop.’ “Job, have you ever commanded the morning to come? Have you ever shown the sun where to rise? “Have you traveled to the springs at the bottom of the ocean? Have you walked in its deepest parts? Have the gates of death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of darkness? Do you understand how big the earth is? Tell me, if you know all of those things. “Where does light come from? And where does darkness live? Can you take them to their places? Do you know the paths to their houses? I am sure you know! After all, you were already born! You have lived so many years! “Have you entered the places where the snow is kept? Have you seen the storerooms for the hail? I store up snow and hail for times of trouble. I keep them for days of war and battle. Where does lightning come from? Where do the east winds that blow across the earth live? Who tells the rain where it should fall? Who makes paths for the thunderstorms? They bring water to places where no one lives. They water deserts that do not have anyone in them. They satisfy the needs of dry and empty lands. They make grass start growing there. Does the rain have a father? Who is the father of the drops of dew? Does the ice have a mother? Who is the mother of the frost from the heavens? The waters become as hard as stone. The surface of the ocean freezes over. “Can you tie up the beautiful Pleiades? Can you untie the ropes that hold Orion together? Can you bring out all of the stars in their seasons? Can you lead out the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper? Do you know the laws that govern the heavens? Can you rule over the earth the way I do? “Can you give orders to the clouds? Can you make them pour rain down on you? Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’? Who put wisdom in people’s hearts? Who gave understanding to their minds? Who is wise enough to count the clouds? Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens? I tip them over when the ground becomes hard. I do it when the dirt sticks together. “Do you hunt for food for mother lions? Do you satisfy the hunger of their cubs? Some of them lie low in their dens. Others lie waiting in the bushes. Who provides food for ravens when their babies cry out to me? They wander around because they do not have anything to eat. “Job, do you know when mountain goats have their babies? Do you watch when female deer give birth? Do you count the months until the animals have their babies? Do you know the time when they give birth? They bend their back legs and have their babies. Then their labor pains stop. Their little ones grow strong and healthy in the wild. They leave and do not come home again.”
God didn’t answer Job’s question, instead, God asked Job two chapters worth of questions…not to belittle Job. Not to slap him down for asking such an outrageous question, but I think He wanted to remind Job of what being God and in control was really all about. I love some of the questions God asked Job, because it reminds me of what a great God we serve and that while there’s NO WAY we can ever understand all of the WHY’s of this life, we can rest assured that God IS indeed in control and He cares! Think about that for a minute…our Lord has everything so under control that He has time to count the months until ALL of the animals give birth and to provide food for the lion cubs and the baby ravens. He commands where the ocean’s stop and the lightening appears. What an incredible God we serve and to know that He loves each of us far more than the animals (Matt 6:25-33)! In the end, the Lord restored to Job all that had been taken from him, in fact, God blessed him with twice as much as he had before. But, even if God had not, His power, goodness, mercy, and love would still be the same. God’s OK if we question and wonder why storms and trials come…He’s a big God. He can handle our questions! But, He does want us to remember WHO He is and that He’s ALWAYS in control. He wants us in the midst of whatever storm we are enduring at the moment to put our faith in Him…not in ourselves or ANYTHING of this world. Our God, who is mighty enough to lay the foundations of the Earth, command the oceans where to stop, and show the stars where to shine is also compassionate enough to care for the needs of you and I.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 ‘Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.’
Philippians 4:12-13 ‘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. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.’
In the midst of the storm...when you're bailing water like mad and fighting the current...trying beyond hope to stay afloat...we become distracted by the seemingly urgent situation of the moment and we lose perspective of who really IS in control, how much He really cares for us and the freedom that comes by resting...I mean truly resting in Him.
~ V
National Man Day!
Check this out...
National Man Day.
~ V
Man Law Tuesday #2
Man Law Tuesday #1
You've heard of the law of the land, Murphy's Law, Maritime Law and even the Long arm of the Law. But this is MAN LAW. Little known, and never spoken of until now, Man Law's are little rules of life that men...REAL men instinctively know. So, without further ado...
MAN LAW #1: Talking in a Public restroom and other bathroom etiquette
1. Do NOT talk to anyone. If you see someone you know, a quick nod is acceptable, but NOTHING more!
2. A quick glance in the mirror is permissible, but absolutely don't spend a significant time arranging hair, clothing, etc. This is called 'primping' and is done in the restroom across the hall.
3. If you must wait, form a single-file line, and be sure to keep looking around, do not...I repeat DO NOT make eye contact! Read graffiti.
4. All graffiti is anonymous. Signing one's graffiti defeats graffiti's purpose and is not done by any man that has taste.
5. Given a string of unoccupied urinals, you must choose one on the outside. When one outside urinal is occupied, use the other side, then middle. Avoid standing directly next to somebody at all costs.
6. Don't start unzipping until you're protected by the privacy of the urinal. Always keep your eyes forward and look at the wall. Looking down means you're obsessed or don't know what you're doing. Looking at the people next to you is disturbing and in direct violation of ALL Man Laws.
7. Always flush. We're men, not animals in the forest.
8. When you find an unflushed toilet, STOP...quickly back out of the stall and use another.
I'm a man and that's MY law!
~ V
The Great American Pastime
I have to admit that it's had its challenges; trying to hold the attention of 13 eight year olds during an hour and a half practice is NOT an easy task! Not to mention trying to keep 26 plus parents appeased! But the boys are fun and they had the chance to 'show their stuff' last Tuesday as they took their season openner 19 to 3!
So, if you see me at the end of the season and it looks like I have a few more grey hairs...I probably will!
~ V
Trusting in His promises
Whether it’s your kids, finances, your spouse, your job or a million other things, worry is very real and affects every one of us at one time or another. We believe God has redeemed us, broken the shackles of Satan, take us from hell to heaven, placed us into His kingdom, and has given us eternal life, but we have trouble thinking He can get us through the next couple of days. We believe God for the greater gift and then stumble and not believe Him for the lesser one…What does this say about us?!! When we worry we are saying in effect, “God, I just don’t think I can trust You.” Jesus basically said, ‘Hey! Why are you worrying? Look at the birds, or the flowers…do they worry about their needs? No! God supplies their needs every single day and if He will do this for these, the least of His creations, don’t you think He’ll supply that much more for you??’
By worrying, we are choosing to be mastered by our circumstances instead of by the truth and promises of God. Jesus wants us to realize it doesn’t make sense to believe God can save us from eternal hell, but not help us in the practical matters of life!
If you struggle with worry, I have found that studying the Word of God to find out who He really is and how He has supplied the needs of His people in the past can be an effective remedy. Also, studying and meditating on His promises helps to build confidence for the future. Stay fresh in the Word every day so that God is in your mind. In Ephesians 1:18-19, Paul tells us “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.” When you catch yourself worrying, go back to Scripture or start singing a praise song…let God open your eyes (and heart) again.
Understand this…God gives each of us the strength we need just one day at a time. He gives us what we need when we need it and doesn’t weight us down with excess baggage. God gives us His grace in the hour we need it and His timing is ALWAYS perfect.
Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.
Do you believe, I mean really believe in His promises?
~ V
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