Sometimes God takes us back to a place of great suffering in order for Him to lead us out to a place of great healing. It can be one of the most difficult journey’s we face. But if we are going to trust God for healing a deep wound, then we must learn to trust Him while suffering the painful effects of the deep wound.

This became clear to me during my recent trip to Haiti where I spent some time with a group of female missionaries who serve there and meet together each year for a Missionary Women’s Retreat. We stayed at a mission retreat center that sits on a hill nestled in a stunning mountain range overlooking the beautiful blue waters of the Caribbean Ocean. We enjoyed a special time of worship, studying God’s Word, and relaxing fellowship over three brief days. This group was comprised of women from multiple countries, several church denominations, various age-groups and diverse backgrounds all coming together under one roof to study God’s Word and His message of grace through Jesus Christ.

Upon my return from Haiti, I have thought about one particular missionary I met whose story included serving in Haiti with her parents while she was young. Her return to Haiti came years later, but not without a painful memory she shared with us that happened over 30 years ago. The beautiful ocean that greeted us each morning and bid us farewell each night with a peaceful calm was the precise location where this woman’s father lost his life many years ago. Sadly, she was the one who pulled her dad’s limp body from the ocean only to learn that God had taken him from this life into heavenly eternity. The memorable source of peace for the rest of us that weekend was this grieving woman’s source of great suffering as she was reminded what was lost in those waters. She shed tears telling us about this memory; yet not with a spirit of bitterness, but rather with a spirit of courage and determination that she would not allow this wound to hinder her from doing what God called her to do within a nation she had grown to love.

Standing in the same place that caused her great suffering, I watched our Heavenly Father invite her into His presence through worshiping Him and studying His Word. I believe God was reminding her of His grace and goodness through Jesus Christ. As she was surrounded by the body of Christ, praying over her, weeping with her, and standing alongside of her, the Lord brought this dear child of His a comfort and healing to her wounded heart that could only be explained by the power of the Holy Spirit working in her life. She could have ignored the invitation to come into God’s presence in this great place of suffering, but she took the courageous step of faith by going back in order to move forward. What she found in the open arms of her Savior was a new place of refuge and strength renewing her soul to trust the Heavenly Father for healing in the midst of her suffering.

God gave this woman a new memory that weekend to hold on to that included His grace and unfailing love. She was willing to stop running from her past, draw near to Jesus and receive His love for her through His finished work on the cross. For at the cross, Christ defeated sin and death. By Christ’s resurrection, those who have been redeemed can be assured of the hope of eternal life in heaven with Him.  Jesus’ greatest place of suffering was followed by His greatest place of glory. Whether God is taking you back to a place of suffering or leading you out to a place of healing, He is faithful and will meet you there with open arms.

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us…But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience… In the same way the Spirit also joins to help in our weakness…We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose…In all these things we are more than victorious through Him who loved us.” (Rom. 8:18,25-26,28,37)

Tamar Miller

We have two bird feeders in our backyard. It has been very enjoyable to watch the birds and see how they react and interact with each other. While watching it made me think about how their eating habits are a little like ours for the Bible.

The Blue Jays like the sunflower seeds and will dig for them. When they find one they work at cracking it open and then enjoy eating. They are also the watch dog of the feeder. Since they have come the blackbirds stay away.

The Cardinal eats just about anything in the feeder. They don’t make much of a mess when they eat. Also the male cardinal will find a good seed and feed it to the female.

When the Wren and Sparrow eat they throw seeds everywhere. They also seem to eat just about any seed in the feeder. They also eat a lot for a small bird.

Doves eat the food that has fallen on the ground. They do a great job of cleaning up the fallen seed.

At some point in our lives we need to be like all of these birds. Like the Blue Jay we need to dig for the choice seed, crack it open, and enjoy eating. We should also guard what we know and learn, stand up for the truth of God’s word.

Just like the Cardinal be willing to learn from the whole bible. Then share the choice seed that we find with those individuals that need it. We also need to be the one to receive that choice seed from someone else. Forming a relation where you can share a heart seed is important in our learning and our walk with the Lord.

The Wren and Sparrow get in there and start eating and telling what he has learned to anyone that will listen. He doesn’t worry about where it falls. Am I willing to share my faith with anyone; family, friend, neighbor and even someone I don’t know? Planting the seed is all the Holy Spirit requires, he will do the rest.

Finally the Dove, who eats the seeds that the others have left on the ground. We need to learn from others. Pastor Howard said a couple of Sundays ago that we all need to study God’s word for ourselves but we still need to learn from others that we know are scripturally sound. It is a good way to keep us sound in the word. It also helps us see things in a fresh light, a new insight.

We all need to be a little like all these birds. We need to study the Bible, so we can crack the hard things, share the choice morsel, and learn from others. We need to stand up for God’s Word and not be afraid to share with whoever God puts in our path.

Ruby Cripe

I hope everyone enjoyed celebrating Mother’s Day yesterday. It’s always such a beautiful day to honor our mothers and those who have blessed us with a mother’s love, even though they aren’t our birth mother.

I have been blessed and had the pleasure of being a daughter, mother and grandmother. My mother was a beautiful, Godly woman, who was proud of her four children and she took an active part in each of our lives.  However, at the young age of thirty-five, she was overcome with depression and took her life. It was devastating to say the least. I was so grateful that she gave me the love of Christ and that I had God’s love to carry me through that difficult time. For that reason, Mother’s Days are still somewhat difficult for me.

But as life goes on, God blessed me with two beautiful and healthy children and three beautiful and healthy grandchildren. I also have the pleasure of being stepmother to a wonderful son and grandmother to his three beautiful sons. God is so good all the time.

As we go through life, we experience different changes and seasons. Some are great and memorable, some we would rather forget. None the less, they change us and how we react in different situations. I praise God every day for His strength, mercy, grace and guidance. I don’t know where I’d be without Him walking beside me and sometime carrying me, when I was too weak to walk on my own.

I guess you’re wondering how I got on tis topic after talking about Mother’s Day?

Being a child, mother or even a grandmother hasn’t always come easy for me. I’ve been a single parent and my grandchildren live a thousand miles away. I know a lot of you can relate with me. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to parent a special needs child. We all have special needs and thankfully God knows each of those. He is sovereign, omnipresent and has a plan for each of our lives. I am so grateful.

Now that I’m retired He allows me the opportunity to volunteer in our church. It is the most rewarding experience I have ever known. It is my blessing and I highly recommend it to anyone that has free time.

My life has been rewarding through Christ and I pray that you feel the same. No matter your season in life, God is there to guide you.

"Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice!
Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.
Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving; let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  Philippians 4:4-7

Yours in Christ

Carol Bridges

  

David Miller’s message yesterday dealt with a loving confrontation. Moses was overwhelmed and his father-in-law saw what Moses could not. We call those blind spots and we all have them. The difficult part for us is knowing when to confront and when to forbear.
We as Christians are to be known for our love, even to the point of loving our enemies. We are to be ready to forgive those who mistreat and hurt us. We are to remove the log from our own eye before attempting to remove the speck from our bother’s eye. Often for me personally, after I have done that, I don’t have a need to say anything. We need to be ready to extend grace. Forbearance is not passive. Forbearance allows us to understand, accept, forgive and let go of the offence without bringing the matter to their attention.
Forbearance is not choosing silence while nursing inner discontent, anger and bitterness. It may look peaceful on the outside, but results in further conflict and broken relationships. Matthew 18 instructs us to go directly to the person who sins against us. If that is ineffective, we then can involve others. 2 Timothy 2:24-26 instructs us to be gentle and not quarrelsome in hope that they will come to their senses. Galatians 6 cautions us to restore gently and to watch ourselves or we may also be tempted.

Below are some guidelines taken from an article by Leslie Vernick:
1. The matter dishonors God. (1 Thessalonians 5:14; 1 Corinthians 5:11,12; Romans 2:19-24) 
When Queen Esther was told of Hamen’s wicked plan to have all the Jews exterminated, she knew that it was a not time to forbear but to speak out. She didn't do it rashly, but prayerfully and thoughtfully. (Read the OT book of Esther for the story). She was afraid but she knew she had to confront.
2. The matter hurts the person (James 5:19-20; Galatians 6:1)
We are to be faithful to our friends and friendships and that means that if we observe someone caught in a repetitive harmful sin or habit, we need to speak to them gently about it. Do you have a friend who is flirting with disaster? Tempted with an affair? Playing with drugs? Abusing alcohol?
So many people have told me they wished someone would have come along side of them and lovingly warned them before they fell of the cliff. Hebrews tells us to encourage each other day after day lest any of us become hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
3. The matter has damaged the relationship (Matthew 5:23 Matthew 18:15 Proverbs 16:28; Proverbs 17:9)
When someone repeatedly or grievously sins against us, this is not the time for forbearance but for talking. Matthew 5 and 18 tell us that if someone has sinned against us, or if we have something against another person, we are to go and make peace first before presenting our offering. Sometimes the relationship has been hurt or damaged by something someone has done. We can’t just forbear or forgive. Even if we've tried, we can’t let it go. We must talk about it or the relationship will deteriorate further.

Beverly Chesnut