Month: October 2019

October 15, 2019

Leave the Past Behind

      Do ever laugh at yourself?  I sure do!  For example: I always rinse my cup with hot water before adding the coffee so the cold cup will not steal the heat and make the coffee lukewarm before its time.  So, this morning, I am standing there waiting and waiting for the water in the faucet to heat up.  It is taking forever!!  (Here comes the funny part…)  Due to the fact that I was not paying attention to what I was doing, the faucet was in the cold-water position!  I could’ve stood there all day and not warmed up my cup!  Talk about futile!

     Which leads me to the title of this writing…  It is just as crazy to try to warm a cup with cold water as it is to live in the past.  Once it’s over, it’s over and we need to move on. 

     “Now listen, daughter, pay attention, and forget about your past.  Put behind you every attachment to the familiar…” ~ Psalm 45:10 tPt 

     Speaking of “the familiar”, we are all familiar with advice on leaving the past behind and not becoming trapped again in the things that had us bound; and I whole-heartedly agree.  But now, at this stage of my life, I can also see another application.  We must not allow ourselves to become trapped in the good things of the past either.  Silken cords of former achievements can bind just as much as the ball and chain of failures. 

     Life is not about hanging on to the past.  It is about moving forward in the present. 

     No matter what happened in the past, whether wonderful or woeful, God wants us to live in the now. 

Respect the past; cherish the lessons learned and the wonderful friends made along the way.  Just don’t get stuck there. 

    

October 8, 2019

Happy Father’s Day (in Oct.)

Have you ever read a sentence that stopped you in your tracks? This one made me slow down and do a double-take:

“Sometimes we say that God has taken our name “father” in order to teach us what He is. That is not a correct statement. God has lent us His name “Father” in order to teach us what we ought to be.” ~ G, Campbell Morgan

Although Father’s Day is celebrated in June, I am much more aware of fatherhood during the month of October. This is the month the father of my children was born (10.01); it’s the month my son became a father for the second time (10.11); and it’s the month that my earthly father won his long battle with Alzheimer’s and made it Home (10.22).

This month reminds me that earthly fathers have been given a tremendous responsibility – the responsibility to model the One from whom creation and the family sprang. Although my husband and my son are not perfect, they love and serve a perfect Father-God, as did my Dad. Sure they all have made mistakes and “fallen short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23), but they also understand that “to be imitators of God” (Eph. 5:1) requires growing in knowledge of who He is and living out that knowledge day by day.

When children see a father who loves unconditionally (John 3:16) but also disciplines in love (Heb. 12:6) …

When they observe a man who is willing to lay down his life for his wife (Eph. 5:25) yet live to serve in love (Gal. 5:13) …

When they understand that Dad works to provide the things they need (1 Tim. 5:8) setting an example for his sons and daughters to follow (1 Cor. 11:1), then they will have less trouble embracing the Father above.

With thanks to all the special men in my life who made/make it easy to believe…