Things I Will Never See

by   July 14, 2019 with No Comments

Things I Will Never See

Salisbury Post- July 13, 2019 – By Ann Farabee

It was the trip of a lifetime. Early July. Freezing temperatures. Four layers of clothing. An aerial tram to the top of the mountain. And we had arrived – the most beautiful place ever!

Mt. Alyeska, Alaska. Breathtaking. I could not stop staring. The green was the greenest green I had ever seen. The waterway, Turnagain Arm, was the bluest blue, greenest green, and clear like crystal, all at the same time. Identifying where the snow peaked mountaintops stopped and clouds started was next to impossible to discern.

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There were others on the mountaintop with us, but the silence was deafening as we all became immersed in the beauty around us. Each one of us had ridden the tram up the mountain that morning – and all seemed to be impacted in the same way – overcome by it – sensing that only God could have created something of such beauty.

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I had been transplanted right into the middle of a place of serene beauty that I did not want to leave – and could not walk away from. What a feeling! I have always believed God can speak to us through nature – and that moment proved it.

I continued to stand there frozen – literally and figuratively. I remember thinking, “I do not want to leave here. This is one of those things I will never see again.”

Had I never been on Mt. Alyeska, I could not have felt it as deeply, or understood its beauty, because I would not have seen it. But once I saw it…the beauty of it stayed with me.

Things I will never see. That thought on the mountaintop stayed with me, and eventually formed into a question with some answers from God’s Word:

Things I Will Never See?

I will never see:

*Love fail – 1 Corinthians 13:8

*The righteous forsaken – Psalm 37:25

*My need not met – Philippians 4:19

*My call not answered – Jeremiah 33:3

*My sins remembered – Hebrews 10:17

*A lack of grace – Hebrews 4:16

*Death – John 8:51

Had I never been on mountaintop experiences in life with my Jesus, I could never have felt as deeply the power of these promises of things I will never see. I could never have understood the beauty of the promises of these things I will never see. Once I saw it – the things I would never see – the beauty of them stayed with me.

It is such a beautiful place to be – I never want to leave. What a feeling!

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says that He has made everything beautiful in his time: he has set eternity in our hearts.

1 Corinthians 13:12 says that for now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then will I know even as also I am known.

We only have a glimpse of the beauty and joy that eternity will bring when we meet our Savior face to face. We may not have answers to all our questions, but we can be thankful for those things we will one day see – and for the things we will never see.

Chapter 2

by   July 12, 2019 with No Comments

There are events in life that cause things to change. Some of the events we welcome with open arms, while others are birthed out of difficulties. The kind of changes I am talking about create a new normal for our everyday lives. It’s a time when we are forced to move forward, to see and experience things from a different point of view.

The difficult things could be losing a job, having a parent or child move in, divorce, loss of a loved one, or a tragic accident that leaves one disabled. The joyful ones include graduation, getting a new job, getting married, having a child, moving into a new home, or (in my case) retirement. All these, and many others, will create a new chapter in our lives. It’s a new challenge, a new way to experience our faith in God, a new way to relate to those around us.

Here are some things to avoid as you enter your new chapter. Don’t get ahead of God or try to do things in your own strength. You have to do your part, but wait for God’s guidance. While many changes, even good ones, are scary, don’t live in fear. You are going someplace you have never been; trust in the Lord. Finally, don’t doubt the goodness of God, even when you are going through difficult changes. God loves you more than any human being can and will walk with you through the changes.

Here are a few tips to help you with your new chapter. First, find someone who has already gone down this new road you are on. Look for those who are positive and encouraging and who will give you some good guidance. Change is always difficult, but finding others to help and guide you along the way can make all the difference.

Second, try to get some rest. Change can be stressful and take a toll on you. Getting proper rest and not burning the candle at both ends can really help. You want to be able to think clearly as you make decisions, and tired minds can often be cloudy.

Third, start preparing for the change. Sometimes you can look down the road and see it coming. Work to prepare your mind, your surroundings, and your family for how life will be different. You won’t know all the details, but getting ready will make for a smooth transition.

The best way to prepare and get through any change is to spend some time with your Heavenly Father. In your spirit, allow yourself to get so close you could crawl up into His arms. Your Heavenly Daddy wants to love on you. He wants you close through the murky waters. He will protect you. As you stay close to Him, He will impart the wisdom and grace you need.
I think it is critical through any change in life to stir up your faith. If you are moving forward in God’s plans for your life, there is going to be resistance. The enemy will pay you a visit with gifts such as guilt, shame, doubt, and fear. The enemy will do anything to stop you from moving forward.

The way to combat that is to stir up your faith. You need to reflect on your past experiences with God. Think about your personal testimony when God came through for you in the past. He will do it again. He’s not going to fail you. Remembering what He did for you in the past will build your faith for what He will do for you not only in the present situation but also the future.

God’s plan is to grow us up spiritually. He uses carefully articulated plans to create the growth that He wants to see in us. I believe that God is constantly trying to create the environment in our lives that will draw us closer to Him, give us a greater knowledge of Him, and cause our faith to become stronger. That means that God will use everything in His power to bring about His purposes, including new chapters in our lives. He wants us to trust Him and believe in Him for more.

I want to encourage you if you find yourself in a place where God is writing a new chapter in your life. Trust in the goodness of your Heavenly Author to write an exciting and good chapter for you. That doesn’t mean that you won’t have tough times, but it does mean that He will walk with you through them. He is bringing a blessing to you through each new chapter.

Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com

Surrender

by   July 7, 2019 with No Comments

Surrender

Salisbury Post- July 6, 2019 – By Ann Farabee

Once again, Philippians 4:6 slipped my mind: Don’t worry about anything. Pray about everything.

There was a project that was taking all my attention. It was requiring all the organizational, management, and relational skills I had in my arsenal. I was too far in to quit. I had to complete the good work. Day after day, hour after hour, as I worked toward its completion, I kept thinking, “Why did I say YES?”

But, I had said YES. And… I had to finish it. And… I had to give my best.


My daily thought was, “If I can just get through this…”

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As a friend was helping me sort out details to make it perfect, we began to realize that the outcome really did not just depend on us, but depended on the work and decisions of others, too. We really did not have total control.

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There. I said it: CONTROL.


Yes, I was in charge of the project, but there were parts of it that I could not control. I stopped dead in my tracks when my friend said, “We just have to surrender.”


That word changed it all: SURRENDER.

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All to Jesus, I surrender. All to Him I freely give? Right? Isn’t that how the hymn goes?


The word kept ringing in my ears: SURRENDER. I felt like the fugitive on the run who held up his arms in surrender almost gratefully to the one who had been searching for him.

Being on the run had not worked – and the moment of surrender brought instant relief.


The meaning of surrender is ceasing resistance, submitting to authority, to give in to, or to give up a possession. I had been assigned this huge project. I was trying to complete it. I knew I had to surrender.

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I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and prayed, “Lord, I surrender this to You. I can’t do it on my own.”


God then began to pour into my spirit what surrender looked like:


• It was not ‘look what I did.’ It was ‘look what God did.’


• It was not about being in control. It was about releasing control.


• It was not about working for God. It was about God working in me.


• It was not about having power to do the work. It was about the power of Christ in me.


• It was not about personal results. It was about God results.


• It was not about my desires. It was about resting in God’s desires.


• It was not for the glory of Ann. It was for the glory of God.


• It was not harder after I surrendered. It actually was much easier.

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Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”


His plans – not ours. For me. For you.

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