Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. (Psalm 84:5)

Life is an incredible journey. And it’s a romantic one as well—our Heavenly Guide is bringing us to the bridegroom’s house! As I think of this wonderful, sometimes dangerous, always challenging adventure, it makes me think of mountaineering.

At times we may find ourselves on a solitary wilderness trek, feeling isolated, alone. Or crossing a high desert plateau where the heat and pressures of life drain our strength. Or we may be dangling from a cliff, anxious that the fragile lifeline of our faith will hold.

We trudge through Valley of Shadows. Sometimes the fog rolls in and we can’t see where we’re going. I heard a great sermon once by Wayne Cordeiro about those times we’re enveloped in a cloud—when we’re disoriented, asking why, and can’t make sense out of anything. He pointed out that “we may not get answers, but we will get instructions.” The Lord will tell us where to take the next step.

Considering the type of terrain we need to cover, we need a guide! And the Lord has given us one in the Holy Spirit. Now if someone is going to guide you up Mt. Everest, for example, you want to know something about that person.

But why don’t we know our Heavenly Guide very well? God the Father—we know about Him. God the Son—we know Him even better. But the Holy Spirit? That’s another story. He’s the God we hardly know. Perhaps in part it’s because His role is always to point to Jesus.

Who is the Holy Spirit? We know He’s the third person of the trinity, along with God the Father and Jesus. But let’s consider the two parts of His name—Holy and Spirit—as seen at Pentecost.

Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. (Acts 2:2-3)

First of all, the Spirit is Holy. Holiness is symbolized by fire which is a cleansing agent. The Spirit of Fire works to purify God’s people. Conviction of sin is the unique ministry of the Holy Spirit. He must “burn” within us until we are willing to face up to our sin.

Hebrews 12:28 says:
“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”

The dictionary says to be holy is to be exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness. One of my Bible Study leaders years ago defined holiness as moral purity. I like this definition because it seems to capture the essence of the word so well.

Secondly, He is Spirit, often symbolized by wind. When I think of the wonderful stories coming out of the Middle East where Jesus is appearing to people in dreams and visions, I wonder, why this doesn’t happen here. But the Spirit blows where He wills.

Our Heavenly Guide is also known as:

Spirit of God
Spirit of Truth
Spirit of Christ
Helper
Comforter
Counselor
Advocate (strengthener, fortifier)

Names like these reassure us that He’s trustworthy.

Since our spiritual journey is like an expedition up Mt. Everest, let’s examine the qualifications required for mountain guides:

• A passion for climbing.
• A passion for the clients.
• A passion for the mountains.
• The physical strength, expertise and experience for the job. He must know the terrain and have the skills to get you safely to the summit and back.

Let’s look at how our Heavenly Guide fits the job description:

• The Holy Spirit has a passion for the mountains, where we’re going—He’s excited about the journey He’s taking us on! I’m sure He loves pointing out spectacular views along the way, where we marvel at how far we’ve come and the truths we can see from new heights.
• The Holy Spirit certainly has a passion for us, but we are not clients, we’re family. Imagine a Sherpa who routinely leads expeditions up Mt. Everest. Wouldn’t he be even more careful and attentive if his son were joining the climb? Our Heavenly Guide maintains the highest sense of moral obligation to us imaginable because He is personally invested in us. We are the bride, sons and daughters, family!
• And the Holy Spirit certainly has a passion for climbing, to see us grow, exercising our spiritual muscles. He helps us overcome our weaknesses and circumstances so that we will successfully reach our destination. He wants us to get strong on the mountain so that in the process we develop hinds feet in high places.
• Finally, the Holy Spirit possesses the strength and wisdom to guide us. Isaiah 11:2 calls Him “a spirit of counsel and power.” He is strong enough to rescue us out of any predicament, and wise enough to help us handle any situation.

Knowing these things, how should we relate to our Guide?

Trust Him implicitly. When we face distressing conditions on the mountain and feel paralyzed with fear, we can say with the Psalmist, “When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?” (Psalm 56:3-4) We must believe that He really knows the terrain and the path better than we do. If we want to take an unapproved shortcut, will we trust that He has good reasons for taking us the “long way”?

Use the spiritual resources you’ve been given. Like a mountaineer who carries a map, flashlight, and food, we too have provisions for the journey. To stay strong for the climb, we must make sure that we regularly nourish ourselves with the Bread of Life and Living Water, and we must allow the Holy Spirit to illuminate our map, the lamp to our feet.

Ask for help—pray. Your Guide is more than happy to help you understand the map or to assist you over some rocky boulders. James says that “if any lack wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”

Why is it absolutely critical we stay near our Guide at all times? For our spiritual safety and well-being. A roaring lion prowls the mountain seeking to devour and destroy. Hidden glacier crevasses lurk in the ice. A fall will not separate us from His love, but we could take down a lot of people who were tethered to us.

And yet, remember that our Guide is able to keep us from falling! He will lead you and me safely home.

Now to Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

(To be continued next month: Holy Spirit, Part 2)

Yikes, the algebra class I’m taking is making me start to think in terms of equations/variables/algebraic expressions…. and it’s affecting how I think spiritually!

Yesterday I was driving home from class and my mind drifted to the challenges of life. I got to thinking:

Just stating a negative about your life makes you sound like a whiner, and besides, that’s not the whole truth.

Equally so, stating only the positive, can come off trite and pollyanna-ish, like you’re not acknowledging difficulties.

Take the following expressions for example:

My knee injury is the pits (-a).

Jesus is at work and uses all things for His glory (b).

How you put the two statements together makes a difference. The word “but” can create trouble depending on what kind of meaning you’re after:

My knee injury is the pits, BUT Jesus is at work using all things for His glory.

Here BUT appears to CANCEL OUT the first part of the statement. We tend to say things like this to diminish or get rid of pain with words or to appear pious.

When speaking about the reality of “what is”, it’s more correct to say:

My knee injury is the pits, AND (+) Jesus is at work using all things in my life for His glory.

-a + b = The whole truth

But let’s say we want to compare the VALUE of the two realities (-a) and (b). With Romans 8:18 in mind (I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us), it’s definitely appropriate to use the < symbol:

My knee injury is the pits (-a), YET (<) Jesus is at work using all things for His glory (b).

-a < b

How about that? Did you ever suspect that math can speak deep spiritual truth?

But I’d better stop here. Perhaps these musings won’t add up correctly, but this sure was a fun exercise in “spiritual logic.”

I always dreamed of having a cat that could go on road trips sleeping peacefully on the back seat window rest. So we started training our new kitten to ride in the car with frequent short outings and she adjusted great. I was delighted.

Recently, I needed to pick up my husband from the airport. Because he is absolutely crazy about our cat, I thought it would be fun to bring her along as a welcome home surprise. No matter that she was now grown and hadn’t ridden in the car for a while. I decided here was the purrfect opportunity to catch up on some long-neglected training.

So I climbed in the car, settled the cat on my lap, and off we went on our little adventure. She seemed a bit nervous but stayed put. “Good kitty. Everything will be okay,” I reassured her with lots of petting while keeping the other hand firmly on the steering wheel. When she buried her face in my jacket, my heart swelled with affection. Just like old times, I thought, and so cute. I didn’t worry when she started trembling. After all, she had always gotten over that stage pretty quickly when she was a kitten. I continued to murmur soothing words of comfort. We were well on our way to the airport when her body finally relaxed under my constant stroking. I smiled to myself as we zoomed along the freeway. What a fun surprise awaited my husband!

Suddenly, I felt something very warm and wet against my legs. “What? No! Stop, Kitty!”

Okay, Ruth, breathe. Keep your eyes on the road. Can’t toss her off or it will get all over the car. Accckkk, Help! I’m driving down the freeway while my cat is…

Yes, can you believe it? So there I sat as the cat…went and went and went. All over me, all over the car seat. Oh yeah, cats’ bladders have an amazing capacity. And the smell! Oh my goodness. I rolled down the window a bit and smiled sheepishly at a passing car—”Hello, nice normal person. You’d never guess I’m sitting here completely SOAKED!!!”

Needless to say, all my romantic dreams of traveling with kitty evaporated that day.

And that is why I’m mad at my cat. Now you know…

P.S. The picture is an actual photograph of said animal.

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ~ John 19: 25

This can’t be happening.

Rabboni, why would they arrest you? You are the most righteous man I’ve ever met. What will happen to you, to us all? Surely they will find you innocent.

Prisons are terrible places; are you cold or hungry? Oh, I wish I could bring you a cloak and some food.

The chief priests and Pharisees have you in their talons, but aren’t they just trying to intimidate you? You are the Messiah—won’t you somehow miraculously escape?

“No, Peter! It can’t be true. They’re crucifying my Lord? You say the crowds turned against him? The very people who only a few days ago waved palm fronds and shouted “Hosanna to the Son of David?” Why didn’t anyone come to his defense? Cowards! They are all cowards!”

He’s being taken to Golgatha? I must hurry to Jerusalem. Perhaps there’s some small thing I can still do for my Lord.

***

Jehovah, have mercy on us. Deliver your son. Is he not destined to save Israel? The Messiah can’t die, can he?

My Lord, I can’t bear to think about losing you. I don’t see how I will be able to go on. How can the sun shine if you are taken away?

I see your beautiful face, the compassion, warmth and tenderness in your eyes, and the glint of sterling integrity that inhabits your penetrating gaze.

I see you walking down the streets of Bethany with the nobility and grace of a prince, yet there’s no hint of arrogance in your bearing.

I see you standing on the Galilean mountainside preaching with divine authority. A shout from you and surely all creation would tremble.

Ah, this voice…such resonance and warmth, flowing like honey with words of life and love. Once I thought it would kill me, that day you commanded my inner tormentors be torn from my flesh. But what joy to be free! Oh, that I could always wrap myself inside the sound of your voice, to always be near you.

And now, are those detestable Pharisees going to succeed in silencing perfect goodness and love? How is this possible?

***

Golgatha up ahead, three crosses. I’m coming, my Lord; no one is going to stop me. I will be there for you until the end, no matter what happens. You shall not die alone.

Oh, my Master, my Lord. What have they done to you? You’re hardly recognizable. These Roman brutes!

They took your clothes? You, who bear yourself like a prince, are given no dignity in death?

Nails? In such hands?
Hands that tousled the hair of countless children.
Hands that broke bread and fed thousands.
Hands that touched multitudes, healing, comforting…

Where is justice? Where are you, Jehovah? Do you not hear; do you not care? Do something!

Someone, quick. Don’t you hear my Lord saying that he’s thirsty? Let me help him, soldier. Why are you pushing me back? See, he cannot breathe hanging like that. Take him down from there. I will nurse him back to health. Please, please…

This darkness…what is it? This sinister presence…a black sky…evil…the old familiar oppression…all around but not in me.

It is finished? No, don’t leave me, my Lord, my joy, my life, my hope…

My God, why have you forsaken ME?

***

I couldn’t sleep all night, my Lord. Couldn’t stop crying. So here I am, up early, going to your tomb to bring spices. I must honor you somehow. I must show my undying devotion. Somehow you must know what you meant to me. You must know how I loved you. You must know with what supreme honor I hold you in my heart. This is the last thing I can still do for you…

Why is the tomb open?

What? He’s not here? Where is he? Where have they put him? How can I say goodbye if he’s not here?

“You men in white, why are you asking me why I’m crying? They have taken my Lord away and I don’t know where they put him. Do you know where he is? I must go find him…”

“Oh, sir, please help me. Are you the Gardener? Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you put him and I will get him. Please don’t think I am out of my mind; I’m just overcome by my grief. I will be able to get him. I can get help, please…just tell me where he is…”

Gardener, how do you know my name?

That voice!

“Rabboni! You’re alive!!!”

This…can’t…be…happening…

©2009 Ruth Wood. All rights reserved.

When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. (Psalm 73:21-23, NIV)

Can you relate to this verse? If you’ve ever been overwhelmed by grief or deeply wounded by an offense, you know how easily hurt turns into bitterness or even rage, when the primal sin beast in us reacts to protect our fragile ego.

The psalmist sees his ugly self before God, yet where else can he go with the pain, the bitterness, the confusion? Only God’s presence can comfort him.

A brute beast is wild, untameable, a moron. Grief can certainly make us feel like that—crazy, like we’ve lost our mind. When strong emotions sweep reason out to sea, we may be tempted to do something downright stupid in our disoriented state.

Overwhelmed by a tidal wave of grief, it’s normal to lose perspective. The psalmist says, “I was senseless and ignorant.” We conclude that it’s okay to not have answers; it’s okay to not be our usual selves; it’s okay to be a mess. But we still wonder how to cope. What can we do when the riptide of bitterness, for example, threatens to pull us under? Or when we can’t discern up from down anymore because we’re tumbling in the high surf of sorrow?

Surfers who dare to ride Hawaii’s famous pipeline know that to survive a crash in those conditions, they must quickly curl into a tight ball. Likewise, we should consider the wisdom of “survival mode” when dealing with high intensity emotions like grief. Lightening our schedule where possible, getting plenty of sleep, and taking quiet time for reflection and prayer are some healthy inner-focused ways to ride out spiritually dangerous seasons in life.

Remember, the waves of grief will subside over time and you will regain your equilibrium. In the meantime, trust that God is stronger than the ocean of sorrow that threatens to keep you under, that the roiling sea cannot separate you from the grip of his love, and that in the end, He will pull you safely to the surface of life once again.

Over and over throughout her life my mother experienced the Lord’s goodness and mercy. This is her account of an incident that occurred after she found work in west Germany as a maid:

A WALK IN THE WOODS

I had the afternoon off one beautiful spring day and decided to take a long walk in the woods. Feeling pretty in my dirndl dress, I marched down the path, delighted by the fresh greenery sprouting everywhere, the birds singing and the peaceful sanctuary of the trees. After a while I found myself on a narrow path. Suddenly I was afraid and thought, No, you dare not go any farther, so I turned around to head home.

Suddenly a young man stepped out from behind some bushes and asked in a choked voice, “Mind if I join you?”

“That’s not necessary,” I replied. “I’m on my way to Cronenberg.”

“That’s where I’m going too,” he said.

An uneasy feeling crept over me.

As I walked I could feel his breath on my neck. He’s following far too close, my mind screamed. All my senses were on high alert now. I started to talk rapidly while in my heart I cried out to my Heavenly Father for protection.

“Are you a believer?” I asked.

“No.”

So I told him about Jesus and the more I talked, the quieter he got. There was not a house or any people in sight. My heart beat so hard I could feel it in my throat. Will he attack me? I berated myself for having been so careless to walk alone.

Finally we emerged from the woods, nearing the first homes, and the path broadened so that he could walk next to me. I breathed a little easier and made eye contact. He stood still, looked me full in the face and said, “I thank you. You are the first girl in such a situation that I have not overpowered. Now I have more respect for myself.”

With tears in his eyes he turned and walked away.

Surely an angel had been with me. With all my heart I kept thanking the Lord over and over for His protection.

I saw this young man only one other time when we crossed paths in town. From a distance he tipped his hat and greeted me warmly. I never saw him again since I moved to Switzerland shortly thereafter.

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If your loved one sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him (Luke 17:3-4, my paraphrase substituting “loved one” for “brother”).

Frankly, this verse really makes me uncomfortable on a couple of levels. First, I’m to rebuke my brother or sister? That’s not very nice. Isn’t it more Christ-like to put on a meek spirit and suffer quietly? Apparently not. Hmmmm…

Jesus forces me to face my resistance to confrontation. I prefer to retain my “nice girl” image. At all costs, I desperately want to be liked.

But Jesus’ way is psychologically brilliant. Stuffing feelings feeds resentment, yet this toxic buildup often drains away when we find the courage to confront. Speaking up empowers us, regardless of the other person’s response.

Next I find myself puzzled by Jesus’ statement, “And if your loved one repents, forgive him.” I want to say, “Wait, Jesus, that sounds pretty conditional to me. I’ve always thought we were supposed to forgive whether the other person is sorry for what they’ve done or not!”

But then Jesus describes what this repentance looks like. My girlfriend can come to me seven times a day and simply say, “I repent,” and I’m supposed to forgive her. Seven times a day? For how long? I’m sorry, but mine and Jesus’ definition of repentance clash. Suddenly I can no longer relegate forgiveness to simply a warm and fuzzy idea. This seven times a day business would quickly find me with my hands on my hips and a scowl on my face.

“You can’t possibly mean you’re sorry again,” I’d say in a harsh tone of voice. “There’s no way you’d keep doing the same thing over and over knowing how much it hurts me. This isn’t true repentance!”

“But I am really sorry…”

I’d shake my head in disbelief. “Sure you are. I swear, you’re just taking advantage of me.”

Maybe you, like me, have spent hours trying to analyze “true repentance.” But doesn’t a little voice keep whispering, What about the countless times you’ve come to your Heavenly Father, ashamed that once again you failed in your chronic weakness? Has He ever said to you, “Sorry, that’s not true repentance—you’re taking advantage of me”?

Praise God His grace extends an eternity farther than ours!

According to Jesus, rebuke, repentance, and forgiveness work together to create harmonious relationships. The Bible does teach that we are to forgive others whether they are repentant or not. However, in these verses in Luke Jesus seems to be giving specific instructions for relating to people who desire to be close to us.

If we humbly speak up about how we feel when we’re offended, we give our loved one the opportunity to make things right and avoid the cesspool of resentment. But if we’re too cowardly to exercise this God-given safety valve, we will, in many cases, needlessly struggle with anger and bitterness.

And if we remember how God continually forgives us far more than we are called upon to forgive others, we will grow in mercy and compassion each time a brother or sister expresses sorrow about their failure.

Rebuke, repentance and forgiveness. Exercised within the circle of humble honesty, our relationships will flourish.

Lord, we are so far from being like you. Give us the courage to rebuke in truth, and give us a heart like yours, willing to extend love, grace, and mercy over and over again.

By Ruth Wood

I am an old woman now, and how I cherish my memories. Oh, what an honor it was to be the mother of my Savior! May the Lord be magnified forever!

God taught me early in life that nothing is impossible with Him! Gabriel said that I, a virgin, would be with child. And so it came to be.

But you already know about Gabriel, the shepherds and the wise men. Today let me tell you what it was like to be the mother of the Son of God.

When I think back to that stable and the thrill of his birth, I hear his first cries—they seemed so heartrending. In hindsight I wonder, “Were his tears a waking to the harsh reality of being away from his heavenly home?”

I loved holding him; he was so beautiful, my child of promise. In my heart I vowed to someday make him a special garment with no seams, one worthy of the Deliverer of Israel. I felt so blessed, so honored to be the mother of this baby.

Many have asked me what it was like raising Jesus. Actually he was an easy child to parent—loving and obedient and kind to everyone. But I did face an unusual challenge—it soon became apparent he was different from anyone I’d ever known. You see, he was perfect—and I was not! Sometimes when I spoke impatiently with the children, he’d look at me with those earnest brown eyes as if he could see deep into my soul. And though his look was never one of condemnation, but one of compassion, it would always break my heart.

Jesus didn’t begin his public ministry until he was thirty-three, but I couldn’t wait for him to be revealed to the whole world—I knew they’d love him as I did. He would be a strong, wise and compassionate leader, the greatest the world had ever known!

Imagine then, how I felt when Nazareth, our home town, rejected him. When Jesus read the scriptures and taught in the synagogue, the people were offended by some of the things he said even though he spoke only the truth. They drove him out of the village and would have killed him except that it was not God’s time.

I was devastated and deeply hurt. To have my home town, and people I thought were friends, turn on our family like that was unbelievably painful. The women gossiped behind my back for weeks. Only by talking to Jesus about everything and watching how he handled the rejection with grace, was I able to forgive and go on.

For me, Jesus’ ministry years were exciting and a whirlwind of miracles. I saw him heal the blind, the deaf, the lepers, witnessing repeatedly that nothing is impossible with God. But in spite of all the miracles, at times my faith was challenged.

One incident stands out in my mind. Jesus was casting out demons and furiously debating the Pharisees with such intensity one day, his brothers thought he’d gone crazy. They were so embarrassed by the spectacle, they tried to force him to come home. They didn’t believe in him either.

I badly wanted Jesus’ brothers and sisters to see that he was the Son of God, but for many years they thought I was a fanatical old woman because of my unrelenting faith. Sometimes they even accused me of favoritism.

Not only did challenges come from my family, sometimes I couldn’t understand my own son. Once he said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, yes, even his own life…he cannot be my disciple.” Hate family? His siblings were supposed to hate me and follow him? Personally, this was a hard saying to accept, but later Jesus explained it better saying that love for family would look like hate in comparison to the commitment of discipleship.

As I dreamed of glory, imagining how Jesus as Messiah would someday rule Israel, I never realized that glory would first lead to a cross. No mother should have to watch her child murdered before her very eyes. From a distance I noticed soldiers casting lots for the garment I had made with such high hopes and dreams for my son. I kept thinking about Simeon’s prophecy, “And a sword will pierce your own soul.” Yes, even though behind the scenes God is orchestrating a wonderful work in your life, He will not hesitate to shatter your dreams or your heart for His greater purposes.

Nothing happened in my life how I thought it would. Can you relate to this? Yet today I testify, with a heart overflowing with joy, that God had a much greater plan than I could have imagined—and it was good, very good.

Not long after rumors about his resurrection, Jesus suddenly stood among us, a throng of 500 believers, my children and I among them. I couldn’t believe my eyes! He was alive! Laughing and crying I rushed to his side to hold him in my arms once again. My beloved Son, my Lord, and my Savior!

And because of God’s great love for all mankind, he is your Savior too! As you celebrate his birth this year, consider:

• God’s glory may first lead to a cross.
• God may need to shatter your dreams and your heart for His greater purposes.
• Nothing, absolutely nothing, is impossible with God.

©2008 Ruth Wood. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Interesting Facts About the Christmas Story

• Jewish maidens were eligible for marriage at age 12-1/2 years, and Mary may have been as young as 13 when she was betrothed to Joseph.
• Betrothal was legally binding and could only be broken by divorce. During the following twelve months, couples didn’t live together and waited to consummate the marriage until after the wedding. However, it’s important to note that the man could claim his bride any time after betrothal.
• Mary and Joseph most likely traveled to Bethlehem sometime between spring and autumn when shepherds kept their flocks in the fields.

• They were poor and would not have been able to afford a donkey. Even so, the image of Mary on a donkey is a myth because the cultural taboo prohibited a woman to ride while the man walked.
• The distance from Nazareth to Bethlehem was 90 miles, traveling a winding mountain trail through Samaritan hilly country, gaining an elevation of 1,321 feet. Commentators estimate that walking this road took more than a week.
• Mary most likely gave birth in a shepherd’s cave. The cave under the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem has been shown from antiquity as the birthplace of Jesus.
• A note on swaddling: Until recent times, Palestinian Arabs practiced the custom of rubbing salt, water and oil over a newborn’s entire body before wrapping him swaddling cloths. Every seven days they’d repeat the procedure until the baby was forty days old.
• The Bible doesn’t say how many wise men came, but these visitors most likely stemmed from a priestly Persian and Babylonian caste. They could very well have been in possession of some Old Testament prophecies regarding Messiah acquired from Jewish exiles to Babylon in Daniel’s time. Their valuable gifts would have made the flight to Egypt financially possible.
• The Bible lists Mary’s children as “James, Joses, Judas, Simon and several girls.”
• Mary is last mentioned in Acts when she and the disciples are waiting for the Holy Spirit in the Jerusalem upper room. “They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

This is a talk I gave recently at the Eugene Mission Women’s Center for the homeless.

We suffer from many different kinds of losses in life, don’t we? Not only when loved ones die, but as we age, we face increasing loss.

For example, I can’t tell you how shocked I was when I turned forty-five and my eyesight started going. It wasn’t even on my radar screen that this could happen to me. I’d always enjoyed 20/20 vision and assumed this blessing would continue all my life. So when my vision started blurring, I figured something must be seriously wrong with me. Did I have diabetes?

When I saw my eye doctor, he said, “Just about everyone needs reading glasses when they get to be your age.” What? I’d never gotten that message. Thankfully, he quickly diagnosed presbyopia (an inability to read fine print or see close objects clearly), and with some contacts and glasses I soon resumed a normal life.

And then there’s my hearing. In my early thirties, I suffered a case of sudden hearing loss which my doctor treated with prednisone. This same type of viral attack occurred three years in a row, but the third year my hearing did not return, and I had to get hearing aids. It’s no fun dealing with amplified background noise during a “quiet” dinner or embarrassing feedback squeals coming from my head when leaning in to hug a friend.

And then there’s the loss of my youthful body. I swear that I just look at a piece of cake and it leaps to my waistline. I’ve definitely lost my ability to shed pounds. And these flaps hanging from my arms. What’s up with that? I’ve always had buff arms—unlike the rest of me—but I liked my arms. Now it looks as if I’m sprouting wings.

Aging is just a crazy thing, isn’t it?

What about you? What kinds of losses have you experienced? Perhaps you’ve lost a job, a relationship, or your health…

And that leads to the question, “How do we cope with loss?”

I’m going to speak for myself here, but for me, the only way I’ve been able to deal with it is to hang on to the one thing I can never lose—Jesus Christ.

You see as I age, losses will continue and may even accelerate:

Friends may move away, die, or reject me, but Jesus will always be my friend.

I could lose everything in the financial crisis, but Jesus is my treasure.

I may lose my health, but Jesus is my life and my strength.

I may lose a family member, but Jesus is my Comforter in times of grief.

Finally, and this is a certainty, I will lose my physical life, but through Jesus I have eternal life.

You see, if you have Jesus, you have everything regardless of what happens to you.

Let me ask you this—what do you think is the worst thing you could lose? Ponder this for a moment.

Jesus said, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? (Luke 9:25) You see, according to Jesus, the worst thing you could lose is your soul. There is nothing more horrific or tragic.

Part of the reason why I believe God allows loss in our lives, is to give us the opportunity to prepare ourselves for eternity. As we age, accelerating losses are signposts reminding us that this life is going to end and we need to be ready for the next.

Perhaps now you’re asking yourself, “How can I know that when I die, the real me will live forever? How can I keep my soul?

The Bible says to “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” When you believe in Jesus Christ you are born again.

We hear the term a lot, but what in the world does it mean to be born again? Let me try to describe this as concisely as possible.

Being born again means understanding that you don’t deserve God’s mercy and grace because of all the hurtful and wrong things you’ve done.

It means believing that Jesus paid the price you owed God when He died for you on the cross. That He took your punishment so you can go free.

It means telling Him you’re sorry and asking Him to forgive you. It means accepting His forgiveness, receiving Him into your life.

It’s relatively easy to give mental assent to all of the above, but most importantly, being born again means changing direction, choosing to follow Jesus, putting Him first. It’s living in light of the fact that you’re forgiven, clean, accepted.

Now some people hesitate to change direction because they’re afraid they’re going to have to be perfect. Just because you follow Jesus doesn’t mean you will stop making mistakes. Let me explain it this way:

Life always spins in cycles, doesn’t it? We make relatively good choices and feel on top of things before messing up and circling to the bottom again. However, these cycles also spiral in a particular direction. Those who don’t know God revolve in a destructive, downward direction that eventually leads to eternal death. But when you follow Jesus, your cycles of good and bad choices spin upward toward eternal life, almost as if a rope from heaven pulls you ever closer as you live in the power of the Holy Spirit.

In which direction are you traveling? Is there something stirring within you that badly wants a new beginning, to be washed clean, to be forgiven? To change direction?

If this is the case, I invite you to make a commitment to Jesus. Before eternity arrives at your doorstep, you may not have another opportunity like this one. With the music playing and every eye closed, please raise your hand if you would like to make this decision. Why raise your hand instead of just making the commitment in your heart? Because an outward, more public action somehow carries more weight in our minds.

Remember, the worst thing you can lose is your soul, but the greatest thing you can gain is Christ. And to know forever…that you are found.

Those of you “listening in” via this blog who would like to make a decision for Christ may email me at ruthywood@gmail.com as your way of “raising your hand.” Tell me a little about yourself and the commitment you’ve made. I will pray with you and send you some helpful material for your new life in Christ.

…Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes…For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. (Luke 12:22-23, 30-31)

The command to not worry invites the question of what to do instead. Jesus tells us to focus on his kingdom. In other words, be busy seeking and doing God’s will instead of wasting your energy on anxiety.

Here are some things Jesus points out in relation to worry:

The body is more than clothes. Last year I attended Body World in Portland, Oregon, an exhibit displaying cadavers in an educational format. I came away from that experience in awe of our bodies, this “machine” housing our spirits. The earthly tent we live in is truly a miraculous gift from God. No wonder Jesus says our body is more important than clothes. I need to remember this the next time I go shopping and get frustrated because I can’t find any jeans that fit!

Life is more than food. The saying goes, “Do you eat to live or live to eat?” Jesus would be in the eat-to-live camp. He once said, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work.” (John 4:34)

Worry is futile. Death is the ultimate worry. Since you can’t postpone your worst fear, why worry about anything else? Jesus said, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why worry about the rest?”

Trust your Heavenly Father. Though in our day we don’t face the same challenges for survival when it comes to food and clothes, we are no different than Jesus’ audience in our preoccupations. We worry what to make for dinner, what kinds of foods to buy. Free range chicken? Hormone-free milk? Sugar-free chocolate? We worry that we’ll eat too much and get fat or over-control ourselves and develop an eating disorder. We look in our closets, lament we have nothing to wear, and exhaust ourselves in a shopping frenzy to find the best buys, the right brands, the newest trends. Jesus reminds us that our Heavenly Father knows we need “such things.” His words are meant to bring us to our senses, to stop running, to live in trust and enjoy His peace.

Replace worry with a heart and mind bent on seeking his kingdom. Life is more than food and the body more than clothes…