Jesus

Don’t Miss the Adventure!

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Just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many that they may be saved. 1 Corinthians 1:10:33 ESV

Do you ever struggle with wondering who to trust in a world in which we are constantly being bombarded by junk mail, telephone solicitors or even neighbors trying to sell us stuff? As I have grown older, I have developed the tendency of being skeptical of almost everyone. But then I remember Melissa. She was the daughter of one of our friends at church. When she was just about thirteen, Melissa caught me one day just as we were leaving church. “So, Mr. Caligiuri, how are you today?” she asked flashing what seemed like a sincere smile. Now I liked all the Newell kids, but I knew that something was up, so I asked her in return, “That depends on how much it’s going to cost me” “Weeeeeell,” she confessed with a sheepish grin. “If you buy a box of candy from this catalogue it will help me to go to youth camp!”

Now, you might think that she was taking advantage of our families’ friendship, but today I am delighted that I bought that candy because she not only made it to youth camp, but she and her husband now serve as missionaries in Japan. They also have a couple of sweet little girls who I bet can sell all the candy they can get their hands on! Too often we miss opportunities to bless others because we build walls to protect ourselves from everyone. But choosing to always play it safe means missing the adventure of opening our hearts in ways that reap eternal rewards, both for us and for people we may never meet on this side of eternity!

Statue of Liberty

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Known worldwide as a symbol of American freedom, the Statue of Liberty was actually a gift to us from the nation of France, with donations coming from around the world. When I had the chance to visit there a few years ago, I saw a plaque with words written by the poet Emma Lazarus. Emma originally used her poem to raise funds for the project and though the statue was opened to the public in 1886, she was forgotten. But friends of Emma remembered her words and continued to lobby for them to be included until finally her they were added in 1903.The second verse which we most remembered says:

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
Emma Lazarus

Yesterday at our community clubhouse, we observed a moment of silence in remembrance of those who had given their lives in defense of the liberty spoken of on the base of that statue. But we must not lose sight that even more than those freedoms, Jesus came to offer an even greater freedom: and He, instead of raising a torch, was Himself raised up on a cross to die. Today, Jesus is calling out to you and me with words that are not written on a bronze plaque but are spoken to our hearts by Holy Spirit.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30 ESV
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Driving Through the Notch

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Even though I walk through the valley of death I will fear no evil for you are with me. Your rod and your staff they comfort me. Psalm 23:4 ESV

During times of crisis, it is natural to be fearful. A few years ago, our airwaves were filled with the constant reports of quarantines and businesses shutting down. There had never been anything like it in our lifetimes, and we wondered what would happen next. Today, there are other crises happening that are like the dark valley of death in today’s verse. Each of us faces a little different valley, but what remains the same is that as we go through them, we have a hope because we have a good shepherd. whose name is Jesus, and He has promised to walk with us all the way through.

Outside the city where I was born lies a long valley called Sugar Hollow. It is a notch between the hills through which the main road coming up from the South runs into town. It is a pretty stretch of road, but one strange thing about Sugar Hollow is that as you drive into it during afternoon rush hour, it gets dark early. Everyone begins to flick on their headlights because the surrounding hills block out the sun, in the Hollow. All around it begins to look as if night has fallen; but as you round the final bend of the road that leads out of the valley, the shadows draw back, and the sun reappears as if saying “You made it through the notch again! Welcome home!” 

Prayer: Father God, help me to trust you in the valley I am walking through today and to remember that you have promised to be with me all the way through!
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