Don't Be a Closet Dweller - Martin Wiles

In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. Matthew 5:16 NLT

She’d been in the closet for five years, but now she was coming out. No longer would she be a closet dweller. 

Collecting old picture frames with photos of unknown dead people was once one of my hobbies that my wife didn’t particularly appreciate. She does love the old frames with the ornate handiwork and will gladly replace the dead person with a modern piece of art. But I never wanted to change the picture.

One particular closet dweller hung on my office wall for three years, eyes following everyone who looked at her, regardless of where they stood. Then we moved, and my wife said, “No dead people hanging on our walls—except in your office.” But my dead girl with the roving eyes wasn’t even allowed there. I convinced my wife not to sell her. Instead, she stuck her in a closet.

One day, when I came home from work, I found my girl leaning against a bookshelf. My wife had cleaned out the closet in my study.

“Why is my dead girl’s picture out of the closet?” I asked.

“I have a place on the wall you can hang her.”

And she did. As I walked into my office each morning, I was greeted by her wandering eyes. I was glad she came out of the closet.

Jesus doesn’t like closet dwellers either. He wants our lights—our good deeds—to shine brightly before others. Putting a light under a cover or shielding it only dims the light or extinguishes it altogether.

The light we have as believers is our testimony of what Christ has done in our lives and how we act out the difference he makes daily. We don’t have to preach a sermon to tell others what he has done. Because of the snippet-world technology has created, we need to shorten our testimonies to the bare essentials to share them in a minute or two.

But what we say isn’t nearly as important as what others see. Words mean little without actions to back them. God gives us numerous opportunities to act out our faith in practical ways. And we’ll see them if we ask him to provide us with a gentle nudge when he sends them our way.

Don’t hide your faith or be a closet dweller. Come out of the closet.

Father, give me the courage to live my faith before others so they will be pointed to you.

I invite you to try my book A Whisper in the Woods: Quiet Escapes in a Noisy World. No one escapes life's hurts, but quiet places help us regain our perspective. 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.

Showers of Blessings - Patricia Jordan

I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing. Ezekiel 34:26 NKJV

Major D. W. Whittler, the writer of the hymn, Showers of Blessings, had been through some storms and hardships, yet he wrote many beloved hymns.

In 1861, he married Abbie Hanson. They were active members of the Chicago Tabernacle. The day after their wedding, he joined the Union Army and served under General Sherman.

During the siege on Vicksburg in 1863, he was shot in his right arm, which then had to be amputated. After that, the army sent him back to Chicago but did not discharge him. By war’s end, he had been promoted to the rank of major by General Sherman. 

Upon returning home from the war, Whittler secured employment at the Elgin Clock Company. He and his wife, Abbie, become parents. Their family routine included being active at the Chicago Tabernacle. Neither their separation, his arm amputation, nor any other trials they experienced weakened their faith in God.

The evangelist D. L. Moody, also a member of the Tabernacle, asked Whittler to join his evangelism team. Moody and his team traveled a lot, so they weren’t at home for weeks on end. While traveling with Moody’s team, Whittler began writing hymns that were set to music by the pianist. From the 1870s to the 1890s, he wrote over two hundred beautiful hymns. He gave his time and talent for God to use, and we are still blessed by those hymns to this day.

Singing that sweet old hymn and other treasured hymns refreshes and strengthens me in my Christian walk. It can do the same for any of us. 

No matter what we’re going through, God desires to shower us with blessings. This is His promise to us, and He always keeps His promises. We may not see those blessings immediately, but in God’s timing, we will receive them.

Take a few moments today to name some blessings that God has showered on you. Doing this will keep your joy renewed and refreshed.

Dear Lord, help me to use my time wisely and only pursue that which brings me closer to you. In Jesus’s name, amen.

I invite you to try my book A Whisper in the Woods: Quiet Escapes in a Noisy World. No one escapes life's hurts, but quiet places help us regain our perspective. 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.

Series: Oh, the Things We Say: God Just Wanted Another Angel - Martin Wiles

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. Psalm 116:15 NKJV

Life is never easy when parents lose an infant or young child—or a child, period. Although I’ve never said it, I’ve been in the presence of others who said to grieving parents, “God just wanted another angel in heaven.”

Communication is an art—and challenging to master. But every time I hear the above sentence, I cringe and wonder what it means to the hearer. Do they think God is so capricious that he’d kill their child so he could add another angel to his force, as if he needs more? He has legions at his disposal. While the speaker is trying their best to comfort in a difficult situation, they probably failed.

The above translation makes it sound as if God gets some sordid pleasure when Christians die. A more modern translation makes it clearer: The Lord cares deeply when his loved ones die.

Trying to comfort someone who has lost a child can be better accomplished by avoiding such a statement. Not only could it give them a wrong conception of God, but it could also lead them down an incorrect theological road.

Telling someone God needed another angel in heaven implies that we become angels when we die, which the Bible never states. In correcting the religious leaders’ views about relationships in heaven, Jesus tells them there will be no marrying in heaven because we will be like the angels. He doesn’t say we will be angels. Just that angels don’t marry, and neither will we.

This saying is one among many used when trying to comfort a grieving person. Situations vary, and it can be challenging to know what to say, so sometimes it’s better not to say anything. Just be there. Give a hug instead of a statement. Spend a night. Prepare a meal. Get them some groceries. Pay a bill. Take their other children for an outing. Call friends for them.

The adage is true: “Actions speak louder than words.” And they may very well give the comfort we’re trying to provide better than our words.

Learn to think before you speak when trying to comfort those who are grieving.

Father, give me wisdom to use the right words when I am comforting those who have suffered loss. 

I invite you to try my book A Whisper in the Woods: Quiet Escapes in a Noisy World. No one escapes life's hurts, but quiet places help us regain our perspective. 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.

Broccoli and Potato Soup

 

Ingredients

4 RED POTATOES (CUT INTO LONG STRIPS)     

2 CUPS CHOPPED BROCCOLI

1 ONION (DICED)

1 CAN EVAPORATED MILK

½ TEASPOON SALT

¼ TEASPOON PEPPER

½ CUP VELVEETA CHEESE

1 TABLESPOON CORNSTARCH

Directions

COOK POTATOES, BROCCOLI, AND ONION IN A QUART OF WATER UNTIL TENDER.

ADD SALT, PEPPER, MILK, AND CHEESE.

DISSOLVE CORNSTARCH IN COLD WATER TO THICKEN SOUP.

I invite you to try my book A Whisper in the Woods: Quiet Escapes in a Noisy World. No one escapes life's hurts, but quiet places help us regain our perspective. 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.

Series: Oh, the Things We Say: More Than I Can Handle - Martin Wiles

And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. 1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT

My arms were full, and I didn’t know whether or not I could make it to the car. I had more than I could handle.

At the age of fourteen, I began my first real job: bagging groceries at the local grocery store. Although I had helped my grandfather on the ice cream truck for several years, this job introduced me to the real world of work. 

In addition to bagging the groceries, we bagboys carried them to the customer’s car. Most customers bought enough groceries that we needed a buggy to transport them, but occasionally a customer would have only a couple of bags. Trying to impress them and whoever else, I attempted to carry them. 

Today, that wouldn’t be an issue. Bags are plastic and have handles. Then it was. The bags were made of paper and had no handles. A shifting of the contents in the bags might mean spilled and damaged groceries.

I’ve heard numerous believers say, “God won’t put any more on us than we can handle.” A statement commonly spoken when someone is going through a difficult period or even a series of unfavorable circumstances. It’s another one of those statements we’ve formulated to comfort and encourage. And perhaps it does, but the problem is, we can’t support it biblically.

I don’t know where the saying originated, but it may be based in part on Paul’s statement that God won’t allow Satan to tempt us to the point that we must give in. However, difficult circumstances and temptations are not necessarily the same.

In reality, God will put more on us than we can stand. And he has a reason. We often think we can handle life on our own. Just as I thought I could handle the grocery bags. Trying to maneuver through life without help from anyone else—particularly God--is foolishness. When God allows more into our lives than we can handle, we are forced to turn to him, which is what we should do in the first place.

God wants to be our burden bearer. He will give wisdom and courage for every situation we face.

Let God give you the strength to face each life situation.

Father, I thank you that I can depend on you to guide me through every circumstance of life. 

I invite you to try my book A Whisper in the Woods: Quiet Escapes in a Noisy World. No one escapes life's hurts, but quiet places help us regain our perspective. 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.

Series: Oh, the Things We Say: Fear the Lord - Martin Wiles

You must fear the Lord your God and worship him and cling to him. Deuteronomy10:20 NLT

Being around something or someone I’m scared of is not my favorite thing to do. Nor was my favorite thing being told to fear the Lord.

I have real and perceived fears. My fear was real when bears entered a fellow camper’s campsite and devoured their food—twice. My son and I were camped in a three-sided shelter a mere fifty feet away. The same bears could have easily walked into our shelter and devoured us.

As a child, my fear of the dark could have been real or imagined. Although Dad was fond of saying there was nothing in the dark that wasn’t there in the light, I never believed him. Some dangers are present at night that are not present during the day. But I did imagine some of my fears associated with darkness.

Early in life, Dad taught me to fear the Lord. At the same time, he wanted me to love the Lord. I don’t typically love or choose to be around those I fear. If I fear them, I perceive that some danger hangs around them. Loving and fearing God seemed like an ironic situation, and I was unsure of how to do both.

The command combines fear, worship, and association. If we usually avoid what we fear, but God wants us to worship and associate with him, fear must have another definition. And it does. Fear can involve being afraid of something or someone. Defined in such a manner, we would avoid that person or thing. Fear can also mean to reverence. And this is the definition God has in mind when he tells us to fear him.

When we reverence God, we stand in awe of him. In one sense, we should fear him. He has life and death power over our existence. With the utterance of one command, our hearts would stop and our breath cease. He is sovereign over people and the universe.

Although fear can involve fright, God wants us to love and revere him. So great was his desire for fellowship with people that he allowed his Son to die for our sins on Calvary. We should stand in awe of Him, but we also consider him as our Savior and friend. He has accepted us into his family and invited us to come into his presence as often as we like.

Let your fear of God lead you to him, not away.

Father, I love you for who you are and for what you’ve done on my behalf. 

I invite you to try my book A Whisper in the Woods: Quiet Escapes in a Noisy World. No one escapes life's hurts, but quiet places help us regain our perspective. 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.

Series: Oh, the Things We Say: I Know How You Feel - Martin Wiles

Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. John 11:21 NLT

Tragedy had struck. What could I say? I was tempted to resort to “I know how you feel.” But then, I thought better.

I’ve watched people endure their share of tragedies. A husband whose wife decided to drive while drunk. Her actions led to the death of their small child. A father whose daughter was innocently riding her bike through their subdivision and was hit and killed. Good friends whose daughter tried to ride a bicycle that was too large and accidentally rolled into the path of an oncoming truck. A couple whose child was born prematurely and languished in the neonatal intensive care unit for months and then grew up mentally challenged.

I’ve probably been guilty of saying it, but even if I haven’t, I’ve heard many others say those infamous words: “I know how you feel,” or “I know what you’re going through.” Innocent words spoken with good intentions, but words that mean little if anything to the one who is grieving—and perhaps questioning God at the same time.

Mary and Martha were probably feeling a little confused themselves. Their brother, Lazarus, was sick. So they sent for Jesus, thinking he would heal him. Instead of coming immediately, Jesus waited until Lazarus had died. Martha was confused.

Even if we’ve experienced something similar to what a person is going through, saying “I know how you feel” isn’t the best response to their grief. We don’t know how they feel. We know how we felt, but we can’t get inside their body and experience their emotions. The statement usually falls on deaf ears. They may also perceive the words as an empty platitude that means nothing.

When a person is grieving, spending time with them and saying little is a good practice. If we feel the need to speak, saying, “I can’t imagine what you’re going through” or “How can I help?” are better statements. Better yet is thinking of some way to help without asking the person. In their state of mind, they usually can’t think of what they need anyway. If we have experienced something similar to their tragedy, we can always share our story and tell how God brought us through.

Depend on God to give you the right thing to say when you’re helping a grieving person.

Father, as you comfort me in my time of grief, so give me wisdom to know how to help others in their times of grief.

I invite you to try my book A Whisper in the Woods: Quiet Escapes in a Noisy World. No one escapes life's hurts, but quiet places help us regain our perspective. 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.