Friday, May 27, 2022

Heal: Five Minute Friday

It's probably been two good years since I joined the Five Minute Friday linkup, but the invitation to spend five minutes writing on the word "Heal" without edits was a welcome chance to immerse myself in community. Here's the linkup for Five Minute Friday: Heal.

 Heal. Heel. 

"I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Genesis 3:15

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." John 10:10

"And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And He touched the man’s ear and healed him." Luke 22:50-51


Conceal. Don't feel. Don't let them in, don't let them see.

Healing hurts.

Crying hurts.

Sadness is too sad.

It's easier to pretend not to feel.

It's easier to remain numb, callous, unfeeling, uncaring, shell shocked.

It hurts to sit and feel and mourn and grieve.

Everything that we couldn't control.

Every way we felt controlled by uncontrollable forces.

Everything we lost.

We want Jesus to answer, "No more of this!"

We cry out, "No more of this!"

Is He silent?

Is He good?

Where is He when life is not good?

Is God Sovreign?

We read Job.

That was not good.

Job did not do anything to deserve it.

God never told him "why".

But we are allowed to ask.

When I was in despair, a sweet small voice on the radio said "Salmo siete uno catorce."

Psalm 71

In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;
    let me never be put to shame.
In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me;
    turn your ear to me and save me.
Be my rock of refuge,
    to which I can always go;
give the command to save me,
    for you are my rock and my fortress.
Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked,
    from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.

For you have been my hope, Sovereign Lord,
    my confidence since my youth.
From birth I have relied on you;
    you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.
    I will ever praise you.
I have become a sign to many;
    you are my strong refuge.
My mouth is filled with your praise,
    declaring your splendor all day long.

Do not cast me away when I am old;
    do not forsake me when my strength is gone.
10 For my enemies speak against me;
    those who wait to kill me conspire together.
11 They say, “God has forsaken him;
    pursue him and seize him,
    for no one will rescue him.”
12 Do not be far from me, my God;
    come quickly, God, to help me.
13 May my accusers perish in shame;
    may those who want to harm me
    be covered with scorn and disgrace.

14 As for me, I will always have hope;
    I will praise you more and more.

15 My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds,
    of your saving acts all day long—
    though I know not how to relate them all.
16 I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign Lord;
    I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.
17 Since my youth, God, you have taught me,
    and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.
18 Even when I am old and gray,
    do not forsake me, my God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
    your mighty acts to all who are to come.

19 Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens,
    you who have done great things.
    Who is like you, God?
20 Though you have made me see troubles,
    many and bitter,
    you will restore my life again;
from the depths of the earth
    you will again bring me up.
21 You will increase my honor
    and comfort me once more.

22 I will praise you with the harp
    for your faithfulness, my God;
I will sing praise to you with the lyre,
    Holy One of Israel.
23 My lips will shout for joy
    when I sing praise to you—
    I whom you have delivered.
24 My tongue will tell of your righteous acts
    all day long,
for those who wanted to harm me
    have been put to shame and confusion.

To heal, we must believe that God is faithful.

Only He will have the comfort our broken hearts need.

This world has trouble.

The Lord is my Shepherd.

Amen.


 

Friday, November 13, 2020

Five Minute Friday: Cancel

 This is part of the Five Minute Friday linkup. You set a timer and write for five minutes on the word prompt without editing.
I began in this linkup group in 2014 or 2015. Though I'm not a frequent contributor these days, tonight I'm in the group!

This week's word is "Cancel".

Though I'm tempted to vent my frustration as I live in a state with a high level of panic and a governor who has issued "mandates" through "emergency power" for the last 8 months straight and recently issued a "two week freeze", I am led a different direction.

"Cancel her debt," He said.

Paid in full.

How? I come from a poor family. I have no nobility, no inheritance. I would have been doomed to work off my debt as a slave until the day I breathed my last.

Instead, He looks at me with tender, loving eyes.

"And now, my daughter, don’t be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All the people of my town know that you are a woman of noble character." (Ruth 3:11)

He is Boaz, I am Ruth.

He is Jesus, I am chosen, beloved, highly favored.

I choose to accept this gift.

I cancel sin and guilt and shame when they try to tell me that "that's your name."

Jesus has ransomed me, there is none closer.

"Aun cuando yo pase por el oscuro valle de la muerte, no temeré porque tú estás a mi lado. Tu vara y tu cayado me protegen y me confortan." (Salmo 23:4)
Even when I pass through death's dark valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.

In the intimate form of "you", the Spanish tells me that in the very darkest of times, Jesus is intimately, dearly, close beside me, protecting me as a cherished family member.

There is no formal distance.

What is canceled this year? Our list of wrongs. Our idols. All that we worshiped before life was put on hold.

What is not canceled?

Hope.

"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but through me." John 14:6

"A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees, oh hear the angel voices, oh night divine, oh night when Christ was born."

I pray that God would cancel fear for you.
From the end of last year, at Christmas Eve service, He had me pouring through my Bible for the phrase "Do not be afraid". It was in all the gospels as the angels and even Jesus appeared to mankind.

In 2020, God is continually repeating Himself, "Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged."

Have courage, my friends. In 2020, fear is a liar, and fear is canceled.

Sincerely,

Tammy


 

Saturday, April 4, 2020

Now: Five Minute Friday

The prompt is “Now”. You get one word and five minutes to write whatever comes to mind. Go!
FMF link!!

I don’t like to sit still. I am always looking ahead. Turning the calendar to the next month thrills me. I am always happy to help turn that page when my friends are a week behind because it doesn’t bother them.
God has a plan for me and I am slowly accepting it.
It’s called “Now”.
I am not enjoying it.
He is asking me to slow down and look at today. What can I see right now that He can do through me to speak to hearts needing to hear His reassurance?
We have a lot of transitions at my school-potentially merging with the other large Christian school in town. There has been so much uncertainty about the future and this has compounded it.
I have no idea what my future holds next year and if I will be classroom teaching the subjects I have previously taught and God has been prying gently every single bit of control from my chubby toddler hands. He is also asking me to empty my pockets.
I have stuffed my pockets full of little things I delight in controlling.
He is reminding me that this is the time to look for Him NOW, not in the future. This is our time. Each day, we are sharing the good news. Especially as tomorrow is Palm Sunday. “Hosanna” means “Lord save us.”
How fitting that we cry it out each Easter.

I am grateful He has been using the words of others’ posts and writing out the clouds in my head so I can see clearly.

-Tammy
My bilingual Bible: we are studying James and even here we have the “corona” in my mind. 😂

We had to go to our room to host our Bible study via Google Hangouts 

Same passage in English...

Self-covering for a grocery trip. Strange days we live in!!