Dad

I consider myself to be one of the fortunate ones to have a kind and loving father. Growing up, I had a dad who was there.  He worked hard to provide for us and when he wasn’t working he took the time to be with us.

My dad has never been the overly affectionate type, but when I was a kid, the times when he held my hand or gave me horsey rides on his back were very special to me.

I have many wonderful memories with my dad but there’s one memory in particular that I cherish.  I don’t exactly recall how old I was at the time, but I remember going to bed not feeling well. I woke up at some point with a terrible earache.  I came out of my room and found my dad sitting on the couch watching TV.  

I was crying from the pain and when he asked me what was wrong I told him my ear hurt.  Dads usually don’t know what to do with sick kids, that’s mom’s job, right?  But instead of waking up my mom and passing me off on her, my dad picked me up and held me close for the longest time.  To this day, I’ll never forget the simultaneous feelings of pain and love.  Even though I was in a lot of pain, it didn’t matter for the love I was receiving.

We may not all have had the opportunity to have a loving father in our life, but the moment we accept Jesus, that all changes.  As children of God, we inherit the ultimate Father.  A Father who is always there for us, who loves us, takes care of us, fights for us and holds us close when life hurts.

And just like how my dad’s love overruled my pain as a child, our heavenly Father’s love overrules anything we bring to Him.  After all, He’s not just our Father in heaven…He’s our Dad.

Dina Pugh

Count it all joy!

James 1:2-4 states:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Trials of various kinds come from various sources, and I believe, have various purposes.  Hopefully, these trials teach us who we are in God. 

When faced with adversity we have two choices: go it alone, or go with God.  If we go it alone we may miss the point of the trial completely (which is to go with God.) 

All of our power comes from God.  He has loaned it to us to use at our discretion.  We get to decide whether we collaborate with The Creator of the Universe, or go our own way.

If we go with God then the testing of our faith as described by James will lead to steadfastness, and ultimately, to our own perfection in God.  If we go our own way, well, who knows where that may lead?

I was going to write about how God uses people to challenge us.  He does. But that’s less joyful than this.

Kevin Bibo

Forgiveness

Forgiveness is not only about releasing others for what they have done to us.  It’s also about accepting others for who they are to us.

In Matthew 6:14-15, directly following The Lord’s Prayer, Jesus warns:

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

We forgive others; God forgives us.  Unfortunately, that doesn’t change how we feel about those who trespass against us. We hate them.  And, so long as we hold on to hatred, we are trapped.

I am blessed with enthusiasm. At the core of my enthusiasm is an appreciation for the people God places in my life. Yes, sometimes they trespass against me, and sometimes I return the favor.

However, I have learned to accept others for who they are to me: namely, God’s agents in my life.  I don’t always like or appreciate the role they play, but I trust that their presence is part of God’s plan, even in the most painful circumstances.

God is shaping and molding us daily into the people he created us to be.  Forgiving others softens the clay.

Kevin Bibo

He sees you

Everyday, when I’m sitting in the parking lot of our son’s school waiting to pick him up, I always watch for him to come out.  The bell rings and within mere moments, a sea of Junior High students come flooding out.

It never fails, no matter how many kids there are encompassing where he is walking, I can spot our son in a heartbeat.  My eyes go straight to the child that belongs to us.

So the other day, as I sat there looking for our son, I wondered if the same is true of God for us.  When God looks at humanity, and especially His children, does He too see us no matter what?  Does He see the ones that belong to Him, and even more so than that, does He see each of us individually?

Yes.

And not only does God see us, He knows each one of us personally and completely.  And unlike my or my husband’s limitations on how much we can watch over our children, God is limitless and never takes His eyes off of us. I find great comfort in that.  We are never alone or forgotten.

 

King David wrote of this truth in Psalm 139:1-11:

O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” even the night shall be light about me; indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You.

Dina Pugh