Tag Archives: Sandy Kirby Quandt

There’s No Place Like Home

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scarecrow actress

There’s No Place Like Home

If you’ve visited the gift shop inside the Kansas welcome center on Interstate 35, then you undoubtedly know there’s no place like home.

The first time Pilot and I stopped there, “Over the Rainbow” played in the background. Tee shirts with pictures of the Good Witch of the North, ruby slippers, Toto teapots, and emerald green coffee mugs lined the shelves. The place was filled with Wizard of Oz memorabilia.

I found Pilot and asked, “What is with all the Wizard of Oz stuff?”

He looked at me, as he often does when what I just said makes absolutely no sense to him. “We’re in Kansas.”

“Sooo?” It took a minute. Then I said, “Oh, yeah. Of course.”

Duh.

Now I am sure none of you reading this would have been as dense. But in my defense, Kansas wasn’t our end destination on this trip. Colorado was. We were merely passing through the great state.

I wasn’t thinking about where I was in relationship to Dorothy’s there’s no place like home. I was thinking more in line with what I saw. Wheat, buffalo, and the Santa Fe Trail.

Before we left the gift shop, I purchased several books on early pioneers, a few trinkets, and a music box that plays, “Over the Rainbow”. Pilot chose one that plays, “If I Only Had a Brain”. I am positive he did not buy that for me.

On A Quest For Home

In Wizard of Oz, Dorothy is on a quest to get home. Because, as we know, there is no place like home. We too, are on a quest to reach our eternal home. Heaven.

On our journey we sometimes run into people who need a heart because theirs is mean-spirited or callous.

We may meet people who need courage for the difficult tasks they face.

Often times, we are surrounded by people who appear to need a brain since they seem to keep making the same bad choices over and over again.

And of course, there is that wicked witch with her flying monkeys who seems to make life miserable for those in her wake.

Maybe we are the ones who need the heart, courage, or brain. Or who, occasionally, hiss, “I’ll get you my pretty, and your little dog, too.”

Jesus Is The One Who Will Get Us Home

Instead of looking for the not-so-great Wizard behind the emerald curtain, we need to turn to our true guide, Jesus, to get us home. He’s the one who can make our hearts brand new.

He’s the one who will give us the courage we lack.

If we let him, Jesus can straighten out our brains, and help us make the right choices.

As we follow Jesus, he can also teach us how to deal with the flying monkeys in our life.

Your Turn

We may not have ruby slippers, but we have something far superior. We have a Savior who will lead us home. For there truly is no place like our heavenly home.

Which character from the Wizard of Oz do you most relate to?

For we know that when this tent we live in now is taken down—when we die and leave these bodies—we will have wonderful new bodies in heaven, homes that will be ours forevermore, made for us by God himself and not by human hands. 2 Corinthians 5:1 (TLB)

I wish you well.

Sandy

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Image by Keith Johnston from Pixabay.

Jesus Will Not Break the Bruised Reed

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bent reedThe Bruised Reed

How often have we felt like a bruised reed? Something someone carelessly walked past and bent? Maybe the bruising came from a mean-spirited word, callous action, or outright hostility.

Perhaps we’ve felt bruised by a particular life issue that wore us down until we thought we’d never survive.

It could be we’ve felt bruised and burdened by our own harmful actions, callousness, and sins.

Whatever the cause of our bruising, Isaiah 42:3 tells us Jesus will not break the bruised reed. Neither will he quench the dimly burning flame.

Christ Tempers the Wind

In the 13th Morning devotion in his book, The Words and Mind of Jesus published in 1858, J.R. Macduff writes that Christ deals with bruised reeds tenderly, tempering the wind to the shorn lamb.

I love that picture of Jesus as our Good Shepherd. Macduff continued, saying Jesus utters no word of needless harshness or upbraiding to the erring wanderer. Jesus will not break the bruised reed. Instead, he gently brings the wandering sheep home.

Jesus is well aware of our sins and short-comings. Still, when he speaks to us, the goal is to lead us to repentance, not to crush us beyond all hope of restoration.

Do Likewise

It’s been my experience that not all of us have an attitude like Christ. We delight in crushing the bruised reed. The old kick a fella when he’s down, attitude. Macduff speaks to this when he says:

How many have an unholy pleasure in finding a brother in the wrong, blazing abroad his failings; administering rebuke, not in gentle forbearance and kindly expostulation, but with harsh and impatient severity! How beautifully did Jesus unite intense sensibility to sin, along with tenderest compassion for the sinner. J. R. Macduff The Words and Mind of Jesus 1858

Your Turn

Perhaps we’ve been on the receiving end of someone’s desire to break our bruised reed. Or it’s possible, we’ve taken pleasure in breaking another’s bruised reed. Either way, here are some closing insights from The Words and Mind of Jesus.

  • Never say harsh things if kind things will do as well.
  • Do not unnecessarily lacerate with recalling former delinquencies.
  • In reproving another, let us rather feel how much we need reproof ourselves.

Consider Christ’s encounters with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4), the woman brought before him in judgement (John 8), and Peter post-resurrection. (John 21).

Jesus will not break the bruised reed. Instead, he tempers the wind, convicts gently, and tells us to go and sin no more.

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He will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the dimly burning flame. He will encourage the fainthearted, those tempted to despair. He will see full justice given to all who have been wronged. (Isaiah 42:3 TLB)

I wish you well.

Sandy

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How Can I Pray for the President? Psalm 2

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Psalms Today’s guest post, How Can I Pray for the President? Psalm 2, written by Anthea Kotlan first appeared on antheakotlan.com.

How Can I Pray for the President?

Sitting in the pew on a recent Sunday morning at church, we arrived at the part of the service in the Anglican tradition where we pray for the “whole state of Christ’s church and the world.” This rhythm remains the same week after week as the congregation moves through concentric circles of influence in our lives. First, we pray for the universal church and then by name for governmental officials, leaders in our denomination, leaders in the local congregation, and people who are ill.  

A Call and Response

The style of prayer, designed as a call and response, engages the entire congregation. The leader cues up the prayer by reading it, adding the phrase, “in your mercy.” Then the congregation answers by saying, “Hear our prayers.”

O Lord our Governor, whose glory fills all the world: We commend this Nation to your merciful care, that we may be guided by your providence, and dwell secure in your peace. Grant to the President of this Nation, the Governor of this State, and to all in authority, wisdom and strength to know and to do your will. Fill them with the love of truth and righteousness, and make them continually mindful of their calling to serve this people in reverent obedience to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.

(ACNA BCP 2019 p. 657 “For the President and All Civil Authority”)

This prayer and many others weave into the service as a fixed part of the liturgy for churches nationwide. On any given Sunday, congregations from sea to shining sea bombard the heavenly realms with petitions for leaders. People with wildly divergent political views bow their heads and join hands to pray together.

How Can I Pray for a President I Disagree with?

And yet, I was thinking, how can I pray for a president I disagree with or a governor who might not govern how I believe he or she should? How can I pray for an unbelieving government official to “know and do Your will,” God?

A look at Psalm 2, titled “The Reign of the Lord’s Anointed,” sheds some light on this struggle.

1 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?

2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,

3 “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” (Psalm 2:1-3 ESV)

Captivity of Chaos

These words, penned many years ago and miles away from here, bring comfort because I hear about how the psalmist observed a similar situation to mine. Then, the nations raged, the rulers took counsel against the Lord, and the people felt as if they were being held captive by all the chaos.

Same. Those words sum up current events rather well. However, the psalmist also observes the following.

4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.

5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying,

6 “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.”(Psalm 2:4-6 ESV)

On His Throne

Is the Lord still on His heavenly throne?

Yes, and He must laugh at some of our leaders sometimes.  

7 I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.

8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.

9 You shall break[b] them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” (Psalm 2:7-9 ESV)

Promises Trumpeted

These words trumpet the promise of the Lord that the line of David will go on forever. King Jesus, David’s descendant, rules in the now and not yet. Every day on this planet, believers glimpse the Kingdom of God breaking out. However, the fullness of this promise has yet to be ultimately revealed.

In the meantime, God uses governmental leaders to fulfill His purposes. There are examples of this throughout scripture. One comes to my mind from the book of Esther. A pagan leader, King Xerxes, helps save the Jewish people from total annihilation. “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.” (Proverbs 21:1 ESV)

Warning

Psalm 2 closes with a warning.

10 Now, therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.

11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled.

Blessed are all who take refuge in him. (Psalm 2:10-12 ESV)

Kiss the Son

In His kindness, God offers some solid advice to all leaders. “Kiss the Son.” Worship Jesus. The time to repent and seek Him is now because His wrath will be unleashed at the time of His return.

At the second coming, every knee will bow in adoration for the Son, also known as Jesus.

God also encourages believers to take refuge in Him in the meantime. The world will continue to rage and storm, but we know the ending. We can sleep amid the storm because we know who is at the helm of our ship.

What am I called to do?

How can we “burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us”? (Psalm 2:3 ESV)

PRAY

Pray for our leaders. Use the words of the prayer above or pray using the psalms as a prompt. Pray using your own words or the prayers found in various prayer books. Pray for our leaders because they need it; the practice brings freedom to each of us. As I pray for particular leaders, I relinquish fear or apprehension about what might happen next. The bonds of anxiety fall away, and the cords of my complaining loosen their grip on my heart.

Anthea KotlanFor over thirty years, Anthea Kotlan has served as a women’s ministry leader in the church and community. She has a passion for discipleship and encouraging women to walk confidently in their God-given calling. She designs women’s retreats, teaches Bible studies, writes, and enjoys speaking at events. Recently, she began serving on a church plant team in Conroe, Texas with her husband, a bi-vocational priest. Every chance she gets, she spends time laughing with her two adult daughters or snuggling her two grandchildren. Check out Anthea’s blog for weekly soul-tending devotionals from the Psalms. antheakotlan.com 

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the subject. If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.

I wish you well.

Sandy

Please enter your email address on the form located on the right sidebar to sign up to receive posts every Tuesday and Thursday. Thanks!

A Man Named Job

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A Man Named Job

If someone mentions the name Job, what’s the first thing we usually think of? Patience in suffering? Trust in God? Friends with not so wise counsel?

The Book of Job is so much more than a beautifully written poetic story about a man who exhibited patience, and endured unimaginable troubles. This is the story of a man named Job who confidently declared, I know my Redeemer lives, and in the end, will stand on the earth.

Job Was A Man Of Hope

The story of Job is not just a story of patience and suffering. It is a story of hope. Hope in a risen Savior. Hope in a Redeemer. Hope in Jesus Christ as Lord. It is a story that should give us hope, even in the midst of our worst trials and troubles.

Job Was A Man Of Trust

The story of Job shows us a man who continued to keep trusting that God had a plan for his life, even when Job couldn’t see it.

Job had no idea of what went on in the heavenly realm between God and Satan. He didn’t know Satan had to ask God’s permission before he was allowed to unleash his evil against the man God pointed out as his servant. All Job could do was keep trusting.

Job Was A Man Who Sought Answers

During his suffering and loss, Job sought an audience with God. He had questions. He wanted God to give him answers.

However, instead of giving Job answers, God asked questions of his own.

Where were you when I made the earth’s foundation? Who shut the doors to keep the sea in when it broke through and was born? Where were you when I said to the sea, ‘you may come this far, but no farther’? Have you ever ordered the morning to begin, or shown the dawn where its place was? Tell me if you know all these things.

Job Was A Man Who Discovered God Is God And Job Was Not

Job discovered God owes no one any answers for what God permits or plans. He is God. We are not. As Job found out, man’s arm is too short to box with the Creator.

Job Was A Man Who Continued To Love God

Despite his trials, loss, and confusion, Job continued to love God. He continued to petition God for relief. He didn’t understand why God allowed the pain and suffering, but he never stopped loving his Creator. And in the end, God rewarded his faithfulness.

Your Turn

The story of Job is the story of a man who lived in the days of the old and ancient before Jesus walked this earth. It is the story of a man God allowed Satan to test to prove, not only to Satan, but also to Job, how faithful Job was to God.

This is the story of a man who sought answers to his why, yet never received them.

In the end, this is the story of a man who knew and held firmly to this truth. Our Redeemer lives, and in the end, he will stand once again on the earth. We will see God face to face.

Going through troubling times? Hold onto the hope we have in Jesus as our Lord, Savior, and Redeemer. We don’t have to have all the answers. We just have to trust that God does.

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the subject. If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.

I know that my Redeemer lives, and in the end he will stand upon the earth. Even after my skin has been destroyed in my flesh I will see God. I will see him myself; I will see him with my very own eyes. How my heart wants that to happen! Job 19:25-27 (NCV)

I wish you well.

Sandy

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Gluten-free Navy Bean One Pot Recipe

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Navy Bean one potThis delicious gluten-free Navy Bean One Pot recipe is adapted from Molly Yeh’s Home is Where the Eggs Are, and comes by way of Joe Yonan The Washington Post.

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 5 ounces baby spinach, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, pressed or finely grated, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • Crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2.25 ounce can sliced black olives, drained and rinsed
  • 2-15 ounce cans Navy beans, drained and rinsed
  • 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup cream cheese
  • 8 ounces shredded mozzarella, divided
  • 3/4 cup gluten-free panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
  • Handful torn fresh basil leaves

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a Dutch oven, or another large oven-safe pot, over medium-high heat.

Add the onion, bell pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until soft, 8-10 minutes.

Add the spinach and cook, stirring, just until wilted.

Stir in half of the garlic, the oregano, and a pinch or two of crushed red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring about 1 minute.

Add the olives, beans, tomatoes and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Increase the heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally about 10 minutes.

Stir in the cream cheese and a big handful of the mozzarella until melted. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on top. Cover completely.

In a small bowl, toss the gluten-free panko with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and the remaining garlic. Scatter over the mozzarella.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the breadcrumbs are lightly browned.

Top with the Parmesan, basil, and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes.

Enjoy!

I wish you well,

Sandy

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Pause for Poetry — Easter

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meadow lake courtesy pixabayUsually, I only post one poem for my monthly Pause for Poetry, however, today I am posting two Easter poems written by Frances Gregory Pasch. Fatherly Love and Precious, Priceless Prize.

Fatherly Love

Our Father flinched as they hammered each nail,

But He had to endure His Son’s cry.

He planned that Christ’s blood would redeem us…

The reason Christ came was to die.

With each blow, our sins were heaped on Him;

Their weight caused unbearable pain.

Yet He never complained for one moment…

The Perfect Lamb had to be slain.

For unless we had a Redeemer,

Heaven’s gate would forever be closed…

But thanks to God’s love and forgiveness,

It opened the morning Christ rose.

Frances Gregory Pasch

 

Precious, Priceless Prize

How can we ever thank You

For dying in our place!

You suffered pain and anguish…

The ultimate disgrace.

You opened not Your mouth to cry,

Despite the stress and strain

You bore our sins and all their weight,

Yet never did complain.

They tortured You and beat You,

Placed thorns upon Your head,

Drove nails into Your hands and feet

And mocked You as You bled.

But little did they know, O Lord,

That soon you would arise

And free us from the sting of death,

A precious, priceless prize.

Frances Gregory Pasch

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the subject. If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.

I wish you well.

Sandy

Please enter your email address on the form located on the right sidebar to sign up to receive posts every Tuesday and Thursday. Thanks!

Frances Gregory Pasch’s devotions and poems have been published hundreds of times in devotional booklets, magazines, and Sunday school papers since 1985. Her writing has also appeared in several dozen compilations. Frances’ latest book, Greater Than Gold is available on Amazon. Her first book, Double Vision: Seeing God in Everyday Life Through Devotions and Poetry, which was published when she was eighty years old, is also available on Amazon. Frances has been leading a women’s Christian writers group since 1991 and makes her own holiday greeting cards incorporating her poetry. She and her husband, Jim, have been married since 1958. They have five sons and nine grandchildren. Contact her at http://www.francesgregorypasch.com.

The Metropolitan Affair Book Review

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woman in metropolitan museumI enjoyed following Dr. Lauren Westlake and Detective Joe Caravello through the twists and turns of The Metropolitan Affair, by Jocelyn Green, as they worked to solve a mystery where not everything is as it appears, and wishing doesn’t make it so.

Filled with intrigue, mystery, romance, and way too many characters for me to keep track of, The Metropolitan Affair takes the reader on a page turning ride through 1924 New York City.

When old friends, Lauren and Joe, team up to solve the mystery of who is passing off forged art work as authentic amid Prohibition, Egyptomania, fraud, corruption, forgery, deception, and murder, they discover what is real and what isn’t.

If you enjoy Christian historical fiction with enough details to learn interesting facts about that time period, The Metropolitan Affair may be the book for you.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House for a fair and honest review, which is exactly what I gave.

Have you read this book? If so, what was your impression of it? I wish you well.

Sandy

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Six Lessons from Mary Magdalene

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woman at sunriseMary Magdalene Disciple of Christ

Today I would like to talk about six lessons we can learn from Mary Magdalene that I gained from Ann Swindell’s book, The Path to Peace.

Lesson Number One

Jesus can bring light into even our darkest situations.

Luke tells us Jesus freed Mary Magdalene from seven demons. We don’t know the specifics. We don’t know the details. All we know is before she encountered Christ, Mary’s life must have been unbearable.

Lesson Number Two

Once freed, our immediate response should be thankfulness and service.

In gratitude for being released from the demons that tortured her, Mary devoted her life in service to Jesus as one of his disciples. Again, Luke tells us Mary and other women supported Christ’s ministry out of their own means.

Lesson Number Three

Whenever we have to relinquish our dreams to Jesus and let go of what we want, there will be sorrow.

Pre-resurrecton, the death of Mary’s dream to follow Jesus all the days of her life died with him on the cross. Her hope was in the person of Jesus. Now what was she to do?

Lesson Number Four

Do the next thing.

Mary may not have known what her life would be like without Jesus, but she knew she had to do the next thing. She knew Christ deserved a proper burial. She was determined to see that happened.

Lesson Number Five

Serving Jesus, even in our pain, brings healing and peace.

As Mary and the other women set out early in the morning to prepare Jesus’ body, do you think they shared stories of their time with Jesus? Do you think in the sharing, their pain lifted a bit? Do you think they felt a peace in knowing that even in their pain, even in their sorrow, this one act of love and devotion would honor the one they loved?

Lesson Number Six

Everything wrong will be made right in Jesus.

To me, one of the most tender passages in all Scripture is the scene where Jesus meets Mary Magdalene outside the tomb that once held his sacrificed, lifeless body. It brings tears to my eyes every single time I read it.

Everything that seemed so wrong for Mary Magdalene at that moment in time, became right, the instant her Lord Jesus spoke her name and she recognized his voice.

Then the followers went back home. But Mary stood outside the tomb, crying. As she was crying, she bent down and looked inside the tomb. She saw two angels dressed in white, sitting where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and one at the feet.

They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

She answered, “They have taken away my Lord, and I don’t know where they have put him.” When Mary said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know it was Jesus.

Jesus asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Whom are you looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she said to him, “Did you take him away, sir? Tell me where you put him, and I will get him.”

 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

Mary turned toward Jesus and said in the Hebrew language, “Rabboni.” (This means “Teacher.”) John 20:10-16 (NCV)

Your Turn

Just as he did with Mary Magdalene, Jesus brings light to our darkness. He is our hope. He is our peace. Our response should be one of gratitude and service.

When we let go of our plans and dreams, and embrace what Jesus has for us, there is peace in the midst of circumstances we didn’t choose.

Jesus knows our name just as surely as he knows Mary Magdalene’s. Even in our deepest darkness and greatest need, Jesus knows us. He sees us. He loves us.

If that doesn’t bring joy to our heart and tears to our eyes, I don’t know what does.

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the subject. If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.

Soon afterward Jesus began a tour of the nearby towns and villages, preaching and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom of God. He took his twelve disciples with him, along with some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases.

Among them were Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons; Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s business manager; Susanna; and many others who were contributing from their own resources to support Jesus and his disciples. Luke 8:1-3 (NLT)

I wish you well.

Sandy

Please enter your email address on the form located on the right sidebar to sign up to receive posts every Tuesday and Thursday. Thanks!

Last June I reviewed The Path to Peace by Ann Swindell. In March I wrote about six lessons Ann mentions in her book that we can learn from Samuel’s mother Hannah. If you missed that post, you can find it here. Last week I wrote about six lessons we can learn from Jesus’ Mother Mary.

Photo courtesy of avi_acl / 146 images.

He Was Pierced For Our Transgressions

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Christ on the crossFickle

Fickle. That’s what we humans are. Quick to shift loyalties and allegiance.

This past Sunday, Palm Sunday, we celebrated Jesus Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Crowds lined the road. They shouted out their hosannas and praises, as Jesus passed by.

Yet, within five short days, those praises turned to condemnation.

Crucify him! Crucify him! Crucify him!

Although Pilate could find no wrong in Jesus, he gave in to the crowd’s demands. Pilate handed Christ over to be murdered. After that, Pilate washed his hands of Christ’s innocent blood.

Forgiven

Jesus was the sacrificial Lamb of God. He took the punishment mankind’s sins deserved upon himself. His sacrifice allows us entrance into the very presence of God. By Jesus Christ’s suffering and death, our sins were forgiven.

Your Turn

In this video by Central Christian Church, in Wichita, KS, a trauma surgeon medically describes the effect crucifixion would have on the human body.

He who knew no sin, took on the sins of the world, that by His wounds, we can be healed. Perfect Love.

The question, then, is what is our response to Christ’s Perfect Love?

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the subject. If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.

When we were unable to help ourselves, at the right time, Christ died for us, although we were living against God. Very few people will die to save the life of someone else. Although perhaps for a good person someone might possibly die. 

But God shows his great love for us in this way: Christ died for us while we were still sinners. So through Christ we will surely be saved from God’s anger, because we have been made right with God by the blood of Christ’s death.

While we were God’s enemies, he made us his friends through the death of his Son. Surely, now that we are his friends, he will save us through his Son’s life. And not only that, but now we are also very happy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we are now God’s friends again. Romans 5:6-11 (NCV)

I wish you well.

Sandy

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Photo courtesy Helmut_Kroiss / 64 images.

Six Lessons From Jesus’ Mother Mary

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statue Mary and young JesusJesus’ Mother Mary

Today I would like to talk about six lessons we can learn from Jesus’ mother Mary that I gained from Ann Swindell’s book, The Path to Peace.

Lesson Number One

Mary’s acceptance of God’s call to give birth to his son was all about what God wanted. Not what Mary wanted.

Accepting God’s plan cost Mary more than she could have imagined. Nevertheless, she embraced his plan as God’s servant.

Lesson Number Two

Mary wasn’t pregnant yet when Gabriel told her God’s plan. She could have said no.

The invitation to accept God’s call on our life often comes at times where we have to give God our yes before we can see the outcome. We say yes, believing we serve a good Father.

Lesson Number Three

Mary watched her son die without seeming intervention. All the dreams, hopes, and promises she had from God, spoken through Gabriel, seemed to disintegrate in front of her.

None of it made sense.

Lesson Number Four

Although what Mary saw seemed hopeless, God knew what he was doing. There was a plan at work Mary could not yet understand.

In time, it would be revealed.

Lesson Number Five

As Jesus hung dying on the cross, he made earthly provision for his mother. He asked his disciple and cousin, John, to take care of her.

Even on our worst day, in our worst possible moment, God sees, God cares, God loves, God provides. And most importantly, God is in control.

Lesson Number Six

There is hope after the darkness.

Jesus appeared to his loved ones after his resurrection and before he returned to his throne in heaven. Hope was reborn.

Your Turn

Because of what Jesus accomplished through his death, burial, and resurrection; the defeat of hell, sin, Satan, and death, every pain, sorrow, and hurt we experience will one day be redeemed, restored, and made new when Jesus returns.

The following questions came from The Path to Peace.

When you feel God asking you to step out of your comfort zone for him, do you put aside what you want and embrace what he wants?

Do you find it difficult to trust God and accept what he is calling you to do without proof it will all turn out all right?

How do you react when you are obedient, but things don’t turn out the way you thought they would or should?

How do you hold onto God’s promises in the darkness when nothing makes sense?

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the subject. If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.

“I belong to the Lord, body and soul,” replied Mary, “let it happen as you say.” And at this the angel left her. Luke 1:38 (Phillips)

I wish you well.

Sandy

Please enter your email address on the form located on the right sidebar to sign up to receive posts every Tuesday and Thursday. Thanks!

Last June I reviewed The Path to Peace by Ann Swindell. Last month I wrote about six lessons Ann mentions in her book that we can learn from Samuel’s mother Hannah. If you missed that post, you can find it here.

Photo courtesy moingay84 / 114 images.