My eye was bothering me this morning and my vision in one eye actually became so cloudy that it appeared as if I was looking through a thin film of wax paper. I could see everything and I felt no pain, but everything appeared cloudy. I thought a few eye drops would take care of the problem, but it turned out that there was nothing I could do on my own. I needed to see a physician.
Thankfully, it turned out to be a relatively minor situation which would be remedied mostly by taking a break from my contact lenses. My vision was fine in about a couple of hours and the doctor gave me a prescription and sent me on my way.
To sum it all up, I had an eye problem that prevented me from being able to see clearly. And, as I was praying about my situation, the Lord showed me that the reason some of us are unable to see things clearly in life is because we are suffering from an "I" problem.
Sometimes, the cares of life, or even our successes in life will cause us to shift our focus away from God and onto ourselves. When that happens, we have an "I" problem.
Satan had the same problem. Isaiah 14:13-4 records Satan as boldly declaring, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly...I will ascend above the heights of the clouds...I will make myself like the Most High."
No matter how fearfully and wonderfully we have been made by God, we should never want to follow Satan's example of thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought.
Even when we are speaking words of self-doubt: "I don't think I can do it," "I'm no good at this," "I'm not the best person for the job" we are still thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought because we are declaring that our standard is THE standard of measurement, and we then go on to act as if we have the authority to declare who meets or falls short of that standard.
In reality, it's not about what we can or can't do, or what we think we can or can't do, but it's all about what God declared, equipped and commissioned us to do. Our ability is never the issue, for we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
So, whether we think to highly or too lowly of ourselves, the best way to remedy our "I" problem is not to take matters into our own hands. We must submit ourselves to the Great Physician, for only the Great I AM can remove the scales from our eyes so we can finally see that it's not about us.
BNcouraged!
Rev. Karen
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Arrested Development
I read a disturbing story this morning about a 6-year-old kindergartner in Georgia who was handcuffed and taken to the police station for violent behavior. She allegedly injured the principal by throwing furniture and objects around the office. She was also observed tearing items off the walls, attempting to break a glass frame and biting a doorknob, among other things. The police officer alleges the girl even began fighting him after he attempted to calm her down.
The parents and other family members are angry because they say the girl was upset and "shaken up" by having to be placed in handcuffs and taken to the police station. I have no doubt the girl was traumatized by her unanticipated close encounter with law enforcement. However, I can't help but wonder if the real trauma in her life is the fact that her mother is quoted as attributing her unruly behavior at school to a "mood swing." "She has mood swings some days, which all of us have mood swings some days," she told WMAZ-TV. "I guess that was just one of her bad days."
Sure, it seems extreme to have a 6-year-old in handcuffs, but I have worked with some 4-year-olds that truly needed to be restrained. I don't know if the 6-year-old child in this case has medical issues that affect her behavior, but somewhere in this equation I expect to see where the parents have taken responsibility for their child's out of control behavior. The focus cannot be solely on the school's response to the child, but on the behavior the school was responding to.
God tells us that we are to "train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6), "discipline your son while there is hope, and do not desire his death" (Proverbs 19:18) and "the rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother" (Proverbs 29:15).
I don't know what the parents in this case have attempted to do to train their child, but if the story about her behavior is accurate, it looks like there's been a major derailment in her training. If she behaved in a violent, disrespectful and out of control manner at school, what goes on outside of school? I seriously doubt that this behavior was new.
Sadly, I have seen too many instances in which the style of "old school" parents, who emphasized truly rearing children, has been replaced by parents who merely feed, clothe and house children and take offense at anyone who attempts to provide any hint of discipline to their children.
Some parents have confused profanity-laced tirades for discipline. Cussing a child out, threatening and embarrasing them is not the equivalent of healthy tools like structured discipline or teachable moments that impart wisdom and instruction into the child. In some cases, the discipline at home is so weak that home has simply become a holding pen until the children are old enough for the Federal pen -- as in penitentiary.
Somewhere along the way, long before she was arrested at school, this child's emotional and spiritual development were arrested. Her actions may represent a cry for help, because something certainly has to change with regard to how this girl handles life. It's also an opportunity for those in the educational and legal system to provide assistance to the parents who may benefit from additional services to support their child's emotional growth. Perhaps a local church may seize the opportunity to get involved to help with the spiritual growth of the entire family.
Even if none of these organizations reach out to the parents, I pray that the parents will seek out such support themselves. All parents must recognize that God holds us accountable for the children He has entrusted us with. We must love them unconditionally, but we are also charged with teaching and correcting them when they do wrong. "For I have told him that I am about to judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse on themselves and he did not rebuke them" (1 Samuel 3:13).
We don't do our children any favors when we excuse inexcusable behavior. We set them up for trouble and we, in turn, bring trouble and shame on our entire household when we refuse to tell our children that their behavior is out of order. The reality is, we don't have to teach children how to do wrong--that comes naturally to them. We do, however, have to teach them how to do right.
If we don't have the necessary tools to pass on to our children, we can't afford to let pride keep us from doing whatever it takes to get it. We work hard to provide physical food for our children, we have to work just as hard at securing emotional and spiritual nourishment for them and ourselves.
Remember, we are made up of body, soul and spirit. We can't afford to only address one aspect of our being and expect the other parts to somehow develop on their own. Prison cells are full of people who never experienced the sense of balance, joy and peace that comes from being fully developed in body, soul and spirit.
Even though we may not be in physical prison cells, when we fail to mature wholistically and fail to raise children in the totality of their being, we set ourselves and future generations up for arrested development. The good news is, there is a way out. No matter how arrested our development may be, when we submit ourselves to God through Jesus Christ, we find that, whom the Son sets free, is free indeed!
BNcouraged!
Rev. Karen
The parents and other family members are angry because they say the girl was upset and "shaken up" by having to be placed in handcuffs and taken to the police station. I have no doubt the girl was traumatized by her unanticipated close encounter with law enforcement. However, I can't help but wonder if the real trauma in her life is the fact that her mother is quoted as attributing her unruly behavior at school to a "mood swing." "She has mood swings some days, which all of us have mood swings some days," she told WMAZ-TV. "I guess that was just one of her bad days."
Sure, it seems extreme to have a 6-year-old in handcuffs, but I have worked with some 4-year-olds that truly needed to be restrained. I don't know if the 6-year-old child in this case has medical issues that affect her behavior, but somewhere in this equation I expect to see where the parents have taken responsibility for their child's out of control behavior. The focus cannot be solely on the school's response to the child, but on the behavior the school was responding to.
God tells us that we are to "train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6), "discipline your son while there is hope, and do not desire his death" (Proverbs 19:18) and "the rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother" (Proverbs 29:15).
I don't know what the parents in this case have attempted to do to train their child, but if the story about her behavior is accurate, it looks like there's been a major derailment in her training. If she behaved in a violent, disrespectful and out of control manner at school, what goes on outside of school? I seriously doubt that this behavior was new.
Sadly, I have seen too many instances in which the style of "old school" parents, who emphasized truly rearing children, has been replaced by parents who merely feed, clothe and house children and take offense at anyone who attempts to provide any hint of discipline to their children.
Some parents have confused profanity-laced tirades for discipline. Cussing a child out, threatening and embarrasing them is not the equivalent of healthy tools like structured discipline or teachable moments that impart wisdom and instruction into the child. In some cases, the discipline at home is so weak that home has simply become a holding pen until the children are old enough for the Federal pen -- as in penitentiary.
Somewhere along the way, long before she was arrested at school, this child's emotional and spiritual development were arrested. Her actions may represent a cry for help, because something certainly has to change with regard to how this girl handles life. It's also an opportunity for those in the educational and legal system to provide assistance to the parents who may benefit from additional services to support their child's emotional growth. Perhaps a local church may seize the opportunity to get involved to help with the spiritual growth of the entire family.
Even if none of these organizations reach out to the parents, I pray that the parents will seek out such support themselves. All parents must recognize that God holds us accountable for the children He has entrusted us with. We must love them unconditionally, but we are also charged with teaching and correcting them when they do wrong. "For I have told him that I am about to judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse on themselves and he did not rebuke them" (1 Samuel 3:13).
We don't do our children any favors when we excuse inexcusable behavior. We set them up for trouble and we, in turn, bring trouble and shame on our entire household when we refuse to tell our children that their behavior is out of order. The reality is, we don't have to teach children how to do wrong--that comes naturally to them. We do, however, have to teach them how to do right.
If we don't have the necessary tools to pass on to our children, we can't afford to let pride keep us from doing whatever it takes to get it. We work hard to provide physical food for our children, we have to work just as hard at securing emotional and spiritual nourishment for them and ourselves.
Remember, we are made up of body, soul and spirit. We can't afford to only address one aspect of our being and expect the other parts to somehow develop on their own. Prison cells are full of people who never experienced the sense of balance, joy and peace that comes from being fully developed in body, soul and spirit.
Even though we may not be in physical prison cells, when we fail to mature wholistically and fail to raise children in the totality of their being, we set ourselves and future generations up for arrested development. The good news is, there is a way out. No matter how arrested our development may be, when we submit ourselves to God through Jesus Christ, we find that, whom the Son sets free, is free indeed!
BNcouraged!
Rev. Karen
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Tales from a Holy Land Pilgrim--Seeing is Believing
For many people, seeing is believing. I am that way about some things. In fact, one of my favorite phrases is, "we'll see."
When it comes to matters of faith however, I am thankful that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. That means, He rewards us just for having enough faith and desire to go through the process of seeking Him, even before we ever "see" Him.
When it comes to matters of faith however, I am thankful that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. That means, He rewards us just for having enough faith and desire to go through the process of seeking Him, even before we ever "see" Him.
I first learned about God when I was in elementary school. I don't remember the very first thing I learned, but I do remember that whatever it was, it made sense to me, and I believed.
My earliest lessons about God, creation and life just fit and clicked with something on the inside of me and I've been walking and living by faith ever since. Sure, I've stumbled along the way, but whenever I fell, God sent ministering angels to help lift me up and get me moving back in the right direction. Sometimes He sent actual angelic beings, other times He used people as angels. Yes, I said actual angelic beings--but that's a discussion for another blog.
My recent trip to the Holy Land enabled me to actually see some of the sites that I had read about in the bible that, by faith, I believed actually existed. In walking on those sites and seeing what was described in the bible line up with history, it makes sense that if the bible is accurate about the details of where and when and through whom certain things took place, it's also accurate about what took place.
Here are some of the pictures from trip. Some of you may have already seen them on my Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150708312492850&l=2a14f134fc
These are only a fraction of the pictures I took. I'm still going through them and trying to remember what was what. Check my Facebook page for more updates in the coming days.
I believe God enabled me to take this breathtaking journey not because I needed tangible evidence to believe in Him, but as a reward because I chose to walk by faith and not by sight.
Some of you may have a hard time wrapping your human minds around nebulous notions like faith. You may say, "I'll believe it when I see it." But I say, "You'll see it when you believe it."
BNcouraged!
These are only a fraction of the pictures I took. I'm still going through them and trying to remember what was what. Check my Facebook page for more updates in the coming days.
I believe God enabled me to take this breathtaking journey not because I needed tangible evidence to believe in Him, but as a reward because I chose to walk by faith and not by sight.
Some of you may have a hard time wrapping your human minds around nebulous notions like faith. You may say, "I'll believe it when I see it." But I say, "You'll see it when you believe it."
BNcouraged!
Rev. Karen
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
If These Trees Could Talk
I am finally back from my pilgrimmage to the Holy Land and it was an incredible experience! It will take me weeks to process all that I saw, and over the next several weeks I will attempt to share with you what God shared with me.
As I prayed about where to start, God reminded me of the trees that we saw in Israel. The sycamore tree is a beautiful tree that is plentiful throughout the Holy Land. It is most memorable for being the type of tree that Zaccheus the tax collector sat in to get a good look at Jesus as he passed by on His way through Jericho. The sycamore tree also produces a nut that is delicious when roasted and can be eaten in its entirety--shell and all!
If that sycamore tree could talk. Would it tell of the majesty of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who walked by it? Did its branches and leaves give a wave offering to the one that created it? Did it brace itself and strengthen its limbs to make sure Zaccheus had the support he needed to see the Savior? After all, just one look is all it took, and Zaccheus was converted:
"And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, 'Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.' And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly." (Luke 19:5-6)
And, what about the trees in the Garden of Gethsemene? Some of the olive trees in that garden are thousands of years old. How can they live so long, you ask? Because olive trees never die. How appropriate that our Lord frequently visited this garden which was full of trees that, like Him, represented everlasting life!
The Garden of Gethsemene is also the place where Jesus agonized over the fate awaiting Him on the cross, praying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as Thou wilt." (Matthew 26:39)
One of the trees that we saw was 3,000 years old, which means it was there when Jesus visited the garden and prayed that prayer. Take a look at the picture I took of it below.
Oh, if that tree could talk! Would it tell of how it gave forth its olives to be pressed and crushed to produce the olive oil that is a staple of life, just as Jesus gave forth His life to shed His blood in order that we might have life? Would that tree bear witness to the extent of the agony Jesus experienced when He sweated drops of blood as He prayed?
There's one more tree I wonder about. The one used to make the cross Jesus was crucified on. What would that tree say if it could talk? Did it protest being cut down and fashioned into an instrument of torture? Did it humbly bear the body and the blood of Christ, communing with Him at that transformative moment in time?
Even though none of those trees can talk, we certainly can. And, as we proceed through Holy Week into our various celebrations of Resurrection Sunday, don't be shy about telling others what you know and have experienced with Christ in your life. It's important that people realize Easter/Resurrection Sunday is not about a fictional bunny but about a real man whose real love for us is documented in the pages of the Bible and is even rooted in the trees that were firsthand witnesses of the life and atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Have a wonderful and rich Resurrection Sunday!
BNcouraged!
Rev. Karen
As I prayed about where to start, God reminded me of the trees that we saw in Israel. The sycamore tree is a beautiful tree that is plentiful throughout the Holy Land. It is most memorable for being the type of tree that Zaccheus the tax collector sat in to get a good look at Jesus as he passed by on His way through Jericho. The sycamore tree also produces a nut that is delicious when roasted and can be eaten in its entirety--shell and all!
If that sycamore tree could talk. Would it tell of the majesty of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who walked by it? Did its branches and leaves give a wave offering to the one that created it? Did it brace itself and strengthen its limbs to make sure Zaccheus had the support he needed to see the Savior? After all, just one look is all it took, and Zaccheus was converted:
"And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, 'Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.' And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly." (Luke 19:5-6)
And, what about the trees in the Garden of Gethsemene? Some of the olive trees in that garden are thousands of years old. How can they live so long, you ask? Because olive trees never die. How appropriate that our Lord frequently visited this garden which was full of trees that, like Him, represented everlasting life!
The Garden of Gethsemene is also the place where Jesus agonized over the fate awaiting Him on the cross, praying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as Thou wilt." (Matthew 26:39)
One of the trees that we saw was 3,000 years old, which means it was there when Jesus visited the garden and prayed that prayer. Take a look at the picture I took of it below.
 |
| 3,000 year-old olive tree from the Garden of Gethsemene |
There's one more tree I wonder about. The one used to make the cross Jesus was crucified on. What would that tree say if it could talk? Did it protest being cut down and fashioned into an instrument of torture? Did it humbly bear the body and the blood of Christ, communing with Him at that transformative moment in time?
Even though none of those trees can talk, we certainly can. And, as we proceed through Holy Week into our various celebrations of Resurrection Sunday, don't be shy about telling others what you know and have experienced with Christ in your life. It's important that people realize Easter/Resurrection Sunday is not about a fictional bunny but about a real man whose real love for us is documented in the pages of the Bible and is even rooted in the trees that were firsthand witnesses of the life and atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Have a wonderful and rich Resurrection Sunday!
BNcouraged!
Rev. Karen
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