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Even Pigs…Have Purpose

Good Morning,  Everyone;

I bet that you are wondering about the title of my blog today? Well as you might guess, it has something to do with my Goat Tails books. Above is a picture of Scruffy having trouble again, as he so frequently did in Scruffy Finds His Way and in SuperScruff. In this picture, Scruffy has just landed right smack into the middle of  Pudgy Pig’s mudhole, where he gets pretty stuck. Poor Scruffy, he’s always up to mischief, which usually turns out badly for him, even when he’s trying his best to do something good. I think that many of us are like that too. And sometimes seemingly bad things happen to us or around us that we do not instigate…unwanted and unwarranted…downright unfair.

How are supposed to deal with these events in life? Well, as usual the Bible has some suggestions. It tells us in Romans 8:28 – that ALL things work for good; the good, the bad and the ugly, for those who LOVE the Lord. Now what’s that supposed to mean? It means that even when apparently bad things happen that God has full knowledge (though he doesn’t make them happen) and has a plan to use these events for our good…for KINGDOM goals.

Nothing slips by God. He is always at work and is always aware.  Let me give you an example. I was reading this morning in the book of Esther – chapter 4 about the pivotal time in Esther’s life. A time where one decision on her part could mean her death and the death of her kinspeople – the Jews.  Esther was the Queen and she had the opportunity to save her people from annihilation, but perhaps at the cost of her life. A huge decision and a frightening one. Esther 4:14 it says, ” …and who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Well, Esther prayed and fasted, with her friends, then made the decision to act and her people were saved.

This story and many others teach us that God gifts each one of us for a specific purpose, which He will make known to us as we watch and pray. Each of us are special, placed on purpose in a time and a place to do His work. Ephesians 2:10 says, ” For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

I am so encouraged by this. I have been made for a purpose, and I am special to God and here’s the big news…so are you!

Have a great day, Lynn.

P.S. – A new book in the Goat Tails series will be launched late this fall…entitled, Even Pigs…Have Purpose. Surprise!! Watch for it.

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Ger…it’s not fair!

 

Hi Everyone;

Today I’m going to comment on a topic that I think all of us have thought about at some time in our lives. And that is…”Ger, life is not fair!” (I’m sure some of you are wondering about my spelling of the word…Ger, well that’s kind of a joke. You see, my husband and I were hiking in Newfoundland and found the half-sign that I am pointing at in the picture and it reminded us of the disgruntled sounds our very ferocious Jack Russell Terrier makes when he doesn’t get his way…haha. )

Ok…back on topic. “Ger”…I’m not really complaining, I’m just commenting on the vast number of times that things don’t work out as we think that they should. You know- like when you work really hard at your job or on a project at school- you do your very best and you are certain that your best is good enough to win the prize…the promotion, the recognition, the gold medal. But at the end of the day, some “nobody” who hasn’t worked half as hard as you wins that coveted reward. Outwardly you smile and sometimes congratulate them, but inwardly you scream…”not fair.” In this world we expect to succeed. We expect the rewards for effort. We expect to be able to be “number one” at something…perhaps always. We take aim at our chosen targets, put in our best effort and go for it, with our own power and strength. Then DISASTER strikes. We lose the race, miss the goal, lose our health, lose a loved one, fall off the cliff that we’ve climbed…just when we are about to say…”ta da.” And we sit down and cry, “not fair.” Sometimes we look up and ask, “where are you, God?”

Oh, my, why do we suddenly blame God, when we haven’t really consulted Him before? Probably because we do not wish to blame ourselves. Now that we’ve fallen off of our pedestals, and are sitting in abject defeat, we have time to ponder…our condition, our goals and our relationship to God.

In the Bible, God presents a different picture of our relationship with Him, of our potential goals in life, of what our expectations should be. He says, “Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be first must be your slave-just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:25-58 If there was one “person” on this earth that could scream, “Ger…not fair,” it was Jesus, who came to earth to live an unmatched life of service and love, then was judged guilty by sinful mankind and put to death on the cross…for what? For loving us so much, that he sacrificed himself for OUR SINS. Totally not fair, totally LOVE IN ACTION.

So, next time I get lost in my own projects and plans and am tempted to “Ger…not fair,” when things don’t work out, I plan (I hope) to stop, breath and thank the Lord who made me for giving me an opportunity to grow.

See you next time

Lynn

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When disaster strikes…where do you turn?

The storms of life

Hi Everyone;

In my devotions this morning, I read, “The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.” Psalm 145:18 And that got me thinking.

What do I do, when the storms of life hit…you know, the really bad stuff, like sickness that just won’t go away, like a cancer, it just hangs on – ruining your life. Or the death of the person that means the most to you or the loss of the job that has brought meaning to your life. Or the storms that catch you in the middle of a lake, with no place to land- temporary but terrifying. Disasters!! What do I do? Cry, get angry, turn so moody that no one can help me or calmly face them?

Well, I can tell you one thing. I couldn’t possibly face the disasters of this life, without God. He has promised in the verse above to be always near to those who call upon Him. Ah…that’s the key. He never leaves me, nor forsakes me, but I leave Him. When times are good, when I’m paddling in calm waters, I tend to forget the God who got me there- who was with me all the way. I pat myself on the back and offer inward congratulations for a job well done. How foolish I am.

Ah…but when disaster strikes, I run crying to God for help. And He does! Oh, He doesn’t always lift me from the pit that I dug, then fell into, nor does He always cure my health issues nor bring back the person I love. But, He always brings me peace…in the presence of trouble, that sustains me and helps me to go on. So next time the storms of life descend upon you…call, call, call upon Him, while He is near (Isaiah 55:6), because we know that He always hears us.

“God is our refuge and our strength,

an ever-present help in trouble…

therefore, I will not fear,

though the earth gives way

and

the mountain falls into the heart of the sea.”

Psalm 46:1,2

The calm following the storm…Peace.

Until next time, Lynn

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Disasters, bring about change

Disasters, bring about change

Hi Everyone;

I went out a few mornings ago for my regular early morning prayer walk and as I walked I noticed these two trees, growing side by side along my path. I pondered why one tree was tall and straight while the tree right next two it was twisted and misshapen.

Both trees were reaching up to the sky for light, both were fairly tall, both were deep rooted and strong, yet something had obviously happened to the twisted tree to make it take a different route to reach the sky. But what?? Well, I suppose I will never know…but it got me thinking about life.

No two people travel exactly the same path in life. Each of us have events in our lives that change us. Sometimes wonderful events, like love and marriage or amazing accomplishments at school or work or sometimes disasters…troubles.  Sometimes events are by choice and sometimes they just happen to us (or seem to), but whatever the cause, these moments in life shape us…like this tree was shaped.

God says in His Word, that He is “in” the events of our lives and that He uses these events for good, for those who love Him. Romans 8:28. Hmmm, all events? Yep, that’s what He says. Lots of us have gone through catastrophic, even ugly events in life, surely God doesn’t mean those? I think that He does. He knows the beginning of our stories and the end and everything in between. He sees what we do not see and asks us to trust Him to carry us through the nasties of life…will you trust Him? I do.

See you next time, Lynn