Trust

Milk – Eggs and Worry

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment

That is why I say to you; don’t worry about living—wondering what you are going to eat or drink, or what you are going to wear. Surely life is more important than food, and the body more important than the clothes you wear. Look at the birds in the sky. They never sow nor reap nor store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them.  Matthew 6:25-26 Phillips

As a native New Englander I confess that we do brag a lot about our toughness when it comes to winter. We laugh uproariously at stories of school districts in the South shutting down because of a couple of inches of snow. But no matter how many winters we have lived through our response to snow falling on our own street stays the same. “Honey, can you run to the store and pick up some milk and eggs?” Despite the logical conclusion that hens will keep on laying and cows will continue to give milk, we go into panic mode! No matter how tough we pretend to be, Jesus knows us all the way to the core of our fearful hearts. He sees that no matter how many times He has provided daily bread and protected us through long cold nights that at the first sign of a storm we act as if God might not take care of us this time around.

But if we watch the birds as Jesus tells us to do, we’ll notice that none of them stay up late at night looking for seeds to pluck from the bushes or worms to pull from the ground. They simply fold their wings, tuck their heads and drift off to sleep.

They somehow know that tomorrow will always dawn with all they need to get by. So whether you are wondering if there will be milk and eggs at the store when the snow melts or panic buying toilet paper in the pandemic, what counts is not on how tough we are, but who we are looking to for help. If we look to Jesus we will be amazed to discover once again, that the same God who is an expert on feeding birds, knows exactly what we need today!

That’s Not Fair!

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments

‘Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” ‘ Matthew 26:48

Over the last two weeks we spent four glorious days alone at a lake cottage (I’ll try to post some photos tomorrow) and then another eight with our family. Being in close proximity with seven grandchildren, I often heard one phrase repeated; “That’s not fair!” The days of our own struggle as parents raising two hyper competitive sons with all the attendant frustrations, weariness and uncertainties sprang back to life for me.

Why is it that life often seems to deal us an unfair hand to play? Why does one grandson have kidneys that don’t work properly and another has special needs which have kept him on a second grade reading level into his pre-teen years? Why does one succeed at almost everything and another is in a battle just to finish high school? None of this seems fair and as a grandparent my tendency is to want to fix everything; but in most cases I can’t. It feels like we just clean up one mess in time for another one to fall from the sky. Where is God? Jesus could certainly have asked these questions along with a thousand more on that night when He was betrayed. After all, His disciple Judas was supposed to have been one of his closest friends. Jesus had called Judas and taught him. Jesus had multiplied bread and walked on water while he was there. Jesus had handed him the bread and the cup at the last supper, and yet there Judas stood with a smile on his face as the temple guards arrested Jesus. Where was the answer to Jesus’ prayers in the garden? Where were the thousands He had healed, prayed for and wept over? The answer may seem obvious to us as we just the flip the page and see that Jesus would rise from the dead. But at the moment of unfairness and pain both for us and for Jesus those concepts feel far away . And yet God is in control of the circumstances …even the unfair ones and like Judas’ betrayal, are firmly held in the His hands. If like Jesus you continue to love and trust Him alone; God will reach down and take those things that hurt the most and cause good to come – both for ourselves and for those around us. Pain, hurt and betrayal are not the end of your story There is still another page to turn! Rest in Him. No one knows more than Jesus the sting of unfairness and betrayal that you are going through. He is holding on to you and has promised to always be with you; even to the end!

What me Worry?

/ pastorpete51 / 5 Comments

Worry is something just about everyone on the planet does; but why? “Don’t worry, be happy.” is pretty snappy but on the face of real life stuff its about as useful as a screen door in a submarine. Rather than spending time researching why not invest some time looking at what God has to say?

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. Matthew 10:29-31 ESV

I have found that the best recipe for worry is to set aside focused time alone and just sing. To take a line from the not too theologically correct movie ELF – “The best way to spread Christmas Cheer, is singing loud for all to hear.” Today’s video draws comfort from singing some songs to bring you cheer. I hope they make somebody’s day a little brighter! Blessings