Don’t Worry; Be Happy - Martin Wiles

 

Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down. 

~Proverbs 12:25 AMP

Worry and anxiety are bedfellows that often show up together.

Kelita sat in her car, gunning the engine but going nowhere. And there was a good reason. The gearshift was in neutral. She burned fuel and fogged up the garage where the car rested, but it remained in place.

Hearing the noise, her father finally came out of the door and asked, “What are you doing, honey?”

“Trying to get to work,” she huffed.

“But you have to put the gearshift in drive to make the car move,” he said.

Seems like a silly scenario—and it is—but often, we repeat Kelita’s mistake by worrying. Worry and anxiety will keep us in the garage—or mental prison—burning fuel but going nowhere. And in the process, we’ll pollute the world around us and accomplish nothing beneficial.

Jesus instructed us not to worry (Matthew 6:34), and the wisest man who ever lived said anxiety would weigh our hearts down. But situations in our lives and the world make both easy to do. And since they are first cousins, the first is typically followed closely by the second.

Worry and anxiety in small doses are good, not detrimental. If we had such an attitude that we never worried or felt the least anxious, we’d sit around and fail to respond properly to situations. If we didn’t worry a little about crime, homelessness, abuse, and corruption, we wouldn’t respond to opportunities to affect these circumstances as Jesus instructs us to do.

On the other hand, too much worry and anxiety will disturb us physically, spiritually, and emotionally. The human body is connected, not compartmentalized. What touches one part of us distresses the other parts. When we’re emotionally unbalanced, we’ll experience physical consequences.

Remembering that God is in control and a loving God helps us manage worry and anxiety so they don’t afflict us. As the sovereign ruler, God controls world events and the details of our lives. As a loving God, he won’t allow anything into our lives that he won’t give us the strength to face, conquer, and learn from.

Don’t let worry and anxiety keep you in the garage. God’s shoulders are strong enough to carry you wherever he wants you to go.

Father, I trust you to help me endure whatever you allow or bring into my life. 

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Open, Cook, Taste, Repeat - Anita van der Elst

How sweet your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey. 

~Psalm 119:103 NLT

The text message came from a thoughtful and generous family member. I needed to be on the lookout for a box that would be delivered to our doorstep. Because it contained perishable food, it would need immediate attention.

This was a new experience for my husband and me. Inside the box were the ingredients for five separate meals for two. Each meal was bagged separately, and the meats were in individual bags as well. Included were colorful 8 x 10 charts with pictures and instructions for assembling and cooking the meals. Everything looked delicious. An exciting and nutritious culinary week for the two of us ensued.

But what if we had stashed the food packages in the fridge and never took them back out? And then tossed aside the charts, never giving them a second glance? What a waste of good food. We would have suffered physically as well without proper nutrition.

So why do we often put our Bibles on the shelf or table, knowing they contain great content, yet ignore them? The psalmist understood that God’s Word provided all the spiritual nourishment we would ever need and that it was also flavorful. In another place, he said, “Taste and see that the LORD is good. O, the joys of those who take refuge in him” (Psalm 34:8). 

Just as those meals delivered to our door didn’t do us any good until we prepared and cooked them, so too when we neglect to study and apply God’s Word, our souls won’t benefit from that goodness.

Jesus delivers wonderful refreshment in His Word. How do we expect to taste it if we don’t partake of it? 

Take time to open your Bible regularly and enjoy the feast.

Anita van der Elst finds joy in creating with words, believing God gifted her with the desire to do so. Married to her best friend, Edward, since 1976, she is a proud mom of four adult children and Oma to three of the most delightful grandchildren ever. Other joys in her life include bringing beauty to Facebook through photos she takes on her iPhone, exploring the state parks in the PNW, facilitating a small group of women, and participating in a Bible study.

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Accepting God’s Will - Martin Wiles

Kings’ daughters are among your noble women. At your right side stands the queen, wearing jewelry of finest gold from Ophir! 

~Psalm 45:9 NLT

Being told to submit wasn’t as easy as the process itself.

Like most children, I chafed at times under my parents’ authority. I accepted that they were always right, but as I got older, I questioned some of their rules and regulations. Dad was a preacher, but how did that relate to my being forced to go to church? And there were occasions when I was convinced my parents were wrong, yet they never apologized when I brought it up. During my period of rebellion and questioning, I tired of hearing, “As long as your feet are under my table, you’ll do as I say.” Though the hippie within me often rose up, I accepted their will until I moved out.

The Bible is filled with stories of individuals who willingly and unwillingly accepted God’s will. God told Noah to build a large boat, and he did. He told Abraham to leave his hometown, and he did. He commanded Jonah to preach to the Ninevites, but he ran. He instructed Samuel to anoint David as the next king of Israel, and he did. Now David was that king because he accepted God’s will.

That some choose to rebel against God’s will enforces what the Bible teaches. God has given us free will. He is sovereign and has decreed certain things will happen, but in some unexplainable way, we still have the freedom to make choices that take us away from his plan.

Though God allows us to refuse His will, he encourages us to accept it. His will is best. Choosing him over Satan is wise, as is choosing heaven over hell. Choosing the abundant life he offers is better than choosing the temporary pleasures of sinful activities. As his child, when we choose to depart from his will, he sends conviction along with discipline. For Jonah, it was three days inside a large fish’s stomach.

Accepting God’s will takes intentionality. Our sinful, fleshly nature prompts us to go the other way. And God’s will often takes us away from the comfortable and familiar, as it did Abraham and Moses. Yet, it’s better to be uncomfortable and anxious and be in God’s will than to remain where we are and miss his blessings.

When you discover God’s will for your life, accept it and leave the consequences to God.

Father, make your will known to me, and then give me the courage to accept it. 

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Homemade Cornbread

 

 

Ingredients

Three cups Martha White Hot Rise Buttermilk Cornmeal Mix

2 Eggs

2 cups of Milk

¼ cup Vegetable Oil

Pour vegetable oil in cast iron skillet.

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees and place skillet in oven for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and pour mixture in skillet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

(If sweet cornbread is desired, add ¼ cup of sugar to mixture.)

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Life’s Best Comforter - Martin Wiles

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. 2 Corinthians 1:3 NLT

My wife and I are now the matriarch and patriarch of our family.

My youngest brother and I discussed the concept not long ago. Although our mom is still living, her Alzheimer’s keeps her from managing her affairs, leaving me as her POA to take that responsibility. And meaning that her three boys are the patriarchs of their respective family branches.

I remember the sorrow I felt when my father died, but at least I had my mother left. When she’s gone, there will be no parents left. My wife’s parents are gone, as are her two older brothers. The day has approached when our children and grandchildren must look to us, as we did to our parents. How we’ll handle the last parent dying, I’m not sure.

According to Paul, God is life’s best comforter, and he needed comforting. Since trusting Christ as his Savior, he had faced turmoil and trials. They hounded him like dogs on a rabbit’s trail. Beatings, stonings, jail time. He faced them all. Yet he found comfort in knowing that God was in control and that he was doing God’s will.

God hasn’t changed roles. As he comforted Paul, he comforts us. And not only when we lose a loved one, but also as we face daily life’s challenges. Paying attention to how God comforts us helps us be better comforters.

God’s comfort never runs out, nor does he tire of giving it. Giving comfort to others can be taxing and drain our emotions. God can handle the task, for he is all-powerful. Nothing we face is too difficult for him to know how to comfort us.

Comforting others is often inconvenient. Jesus’ ministry was filled with interruptions from others. When we choose to comfort others, we, too, will have to deal with being inconvenienced. Death, accidents, and broken relationships never happen at a convenient time.

Comforting others takes time we could use for something else, perhaps something more enjoyable. True comfort is more than shooting someone a text or email. Or posting a prayer comment on their Facebook post. It involves hands-on activities when possible.

While comforting others is time-consuming, doing so brings us comfort. God designed us to be involved in others’ lives. Doing so fulfills part of his plan for our lives. We can only fully appreciate God’s comfort when we channel it to others.

Don’t soak up God’s comfort without squeezing out some for others.

Father, use me as an instrument of comfort to those who are hurting. 

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

God Understands - Martin Wiles

O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.  You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. Psalm 139:1-2 NLT

Regardless of how many times I explained the concept, some still misunderstood and made mistakes.

Correctly punctuating compound sentences is one of the simplest yet most difficult concepts I teach in Language Arts. The rule is simple: when two independent clauses are joined by a coordinating conjunction, a comma must precede the conjunction. For an independent clause to be claimed as such, it must have a subject, a verb, and a complete thought—not just a verb and a few prepositional phrases.

And it was the latter that confused many students. Many of them placed a comma when the sentence was actually a simple sentence with compound verbs. Others would mistake the word “then” for a coordinating conjunction and place a comma. I spilled a lot of red ink correcting papers on correctly punctuating compound sentences. Although I explained the concept in every imaginable way, the rule often didn’t sink in. Sadly, their failure to understand cost them many unnecessary mistakes.

I, too, failed to understand concepts in school, although my misunderstanding was more in math than in English. But it is more worrisome when others misunderstand us.

The psalmist was confident God understood him. After all, God had created him. He knew everything about him, even his innermost thoughts.

Failing to understand a concept and being misunderstood by others aren’t pleasant. Both can lead to frustration. I’ve taught students who practically gave up, and I’ve known people who struggled with depression because others just didn’t “get” them. 

Since God made us, he knows everything about us. He knows what things we struggle with—the hard subject, the unpleasant work atmosphere, the tough relationship, the co-dependent friend, the addiction. He doesn’t have to hear us voice our frustrations because he knows our thoughts. He understands us.

We will always encounter situations we don’t understand—and probably people who won’t understand us. Yet we can live with that if our Creator is by our side, guiding us along life’s journey. He’s the friend who will never leave, who will always comfort, and who will forever understand.

Take comfort in knowing God understands you when no one else does.

Father, thank you for creating me and understanding everything about me. 

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

How to Master the Art of Good Comforting - Martin Wiles

I have heard all this before. What miserable comforters you are! Job 16:2 NLT

Regardless of where she went, she couldn’t find comfort. It seemed as if no one knew how to master the art of good comforting.

Leah and her husband were never apart. They even volunteered at the same place after they retired. Both appeared to be in good health, so you can imagine Leah’s shock when her husband dropped dead. Jeff was outside cutting grass. He had no recent health concerns. But when Leah saw him stumble into the doorway and say he wasn’t feeling well, she could see something wasn’t right. Within a few minutes, he had slumped over, never to recover.

Although months had passed since Jeff’s death, Leah still mourned and suffered with anxiety and depression. She went to counselors, pastors, and friends, but nothing seemed to soothe her mental agony. She couldn’t focus and struggled to make it through each day. She left her old church, saying she just couldn’t stand to attend without Jeff. Leah longed for lasting comfort, but couldn’t find it anywhere.

Job didn’t find it with his fair-weather friends either. He had lost almost everything a person could lose and still survive. What’s worse, God permitted his woes to prove to Satan that Job would maintain his loyalty to God despite extreme adversity. The only comfort Job’s friends could muster was telling him he had sinned. Confess, and things would get better, was their advice. Job, however, had nothing to confess. He maintained his innocence and muddled through his pain and sorrow.

Job’s friends did what is typical. They thought they had to say something to soothe his grief—and they did. But what they said didn’t do the trick, nor was it biblically sound.

Telling someone that God needed another angel, or that you know how they feel, is hollow comfort. God doesn’t take life to get angels, nor do humans become angels after death. And no two people grieve over the same episode in the same way.

Our presence during grief is better than words. Sharing truth from God’s Word can be comforting, but timing is critical. Sitting, listening, and letting the person cry on your shoulder is better. When the time is right, they’ll ask, and then you can share words of wisdom they might need to hear. For the moment, silence is golden, and practical help is priceless.

Comforting those who grieve is tricky business. Before you speak or act, pray and ask God for direction and wisdom.

Father, give me wisdom to know how to comfort those who are hurting with grief. 

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.