Branches and Trees

Musings on Marriage

Tag: Joy

Human Amphibians?

August 31, 2022 / / 0 Comments

Dear Daughters,

When you and I were in school we learned about some critters who are called Amphibians.  The most common is the frog.  If you put a frog into a tank of water without a dry place to crawl onto it will die, but if you place it in a terrarium with no water, it will also die.  Amphibians need both water and dry ground to thrive.

As frogs need both realms in order to thrive, so we humans are designed to live in two worlds – both the seen and the unseen world.  Of course, we are not cold-blooded creatures which all true amphibians are, yet we were intended to enjoy the benefits of two ecosystems, the physical and the spiritual, the earth and the heavens. 

The natural world was created with such beauty, it is saturated with wonders pleasing to all our senses.  Just look at your Facebook feed this time of year – vacations are being taken everywhere natural beauty exists.  Walking through a dimly-lit forest or with sand between your toes on the beach of a beautiful lake is like taking a vitamin (N for nature).  Simply untangling from technology can become a calm and peaceful reprieve.  Dad and I love to drive along Lake Michigan during any season of the year, enjoying the summer lush green vegetation, the majestic autumn colors in the fall or the frozen splendor of the lake in the winter.

But along with this beauty of creation we were also made to live in the spiritual world, to draw upon the supernatural strength, life-giving hope and joy that only Jesus can provide.  There are days when I feel totally alive, hopeful and trusting in God.  There are also days when I forget Him, become disappointed with Him, causing my faith to feel flat or even fake.  Hopelessness can become an infection in my soul, creeping in slowly and sometimes imperceptibly until I find myself in a dark pit. 

Like an injured animal that cannot keep up with the herd, one can become vulnerable to the predator who wants to drag our soul into Desolation.  We have an enemy of our soul who would like nothing more than for you and I to become hopeless and despairing of life.

John Eldredge writes about the human emotions, trying to live in this world using our own strength, watching the world become more divided and falling into chaos:

The symptoms [of Desolation] include a sort of dullness of heart, a poverty of spirit,

a barrenness of soul.  Disappointment, so understandable given the circumstances,

collapses into disillusionment.  Neither hope nor joy comes easily.

Because we are amphibians, we don’t have to rely on our own strength, but we have the Holy Spirit from whom to draw our strength.  Surprisingly, as Paul wrote to his friends in Colossae,

We pray that you’ll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul –

not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives.

It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy,

thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything

bright and beautiful that He has for us.

(Colossians 1:11-12)

Now when I think about God giving strength, I often assume that He would give strength to do exciting stuff like miracles or healings. But in this verse the simple fact of being able to endure through difficult life situations with joy and thanksgiving comes as strength from the Spirit.  It’s nothing outwardly amazing, nothing that would make news headlines, but in today’s world it is rather rare to find people who have joy. 

When we have a firm attachment to God – trusting His timing and wisdom – disillusionment, abandonment and other desolate feelings are eased. 

As Brennan Manning has written,

Define yourself radically as one beloved by God.

This is the true self.

Every other identity is illusion.

If we try to rely only on our own strength we cannot thrive, just like the frog trying to live only on land or only in water.  As human amphibians we need our physical strength undergirded with supernatural strength reigning in our body to endure – not just hang on – but to endure with joy and thanksgiving. 

When many of Jesus’ disciples were turning away from Him because of difficulty, He asked 12 of his closest disciples,

Are you also going to leave?

 Peter replied,

But Lord, where will we go?  No one but You gives us the revelation of eternal life.

Continue to endure with joy by God’s supernatural strength.

Love, Mom

The Dash

September 27, 2018 / / 0 Comments

Dear Daughters,

Today I played piano at the funeral of Gertie who lived to be 98 ½ years old.  I had only met her once – several years ago – but from what I gather she was full of life and love.  One of her granddaughters said she was like the energizer bunny, she just kept going and going and going…

Gertie lived from 1920 – 2018.  As the pastor mentioned, a lot of life happened in that dash between her birth year and her year of passing.  He spoke of her love for life, how she had for years given and given as she helped cared for her six younger siblings, eventually raising her own family.  The joy she brought to children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and even a few great-great grandchildren was obviously a large sum.

When four of the great-granddaughters spoke of their memories there were sniffles heard throughout the congregation, young men remembering her delicious homemade dinners, small children loving how she took time and care with each of them, friends musing about their hours together – memories of love and laughter.   Whenever someone would leave her home after visiting she would say,

Come again soon, don’t wait too long!

It’s good to go to funerals, to remember the brevity of our own lives.   It’s probably even a good idea to think of our own life backward: pondering what people might say at our funeral, then striving to live up to those images.

Gertie loved Jesus, and her life reflected that love as she continually cheered others on, encouraging the weak, playing games with the children – and always with a smile on her face.

As the slide show of Gertie’s life in pictures rolled on, the song I Can Only Imagine played in the background followed by Johnny Cash’s I Walk the Line. 

As I left the church my heart was full.  Even though I hadn’t known her, I loved her zest for life, her tenacity for joy, and I rejoiced that God created such a woman and that she, in turn, chose to be faithful and true, learning to live life to the fullest.  She was an outstanding giver, but in later years she learned to become a receiver.  Although she was still in exercise classes at the gym well into her 90’s, she eventually learned to receive help from others.

The first thing Danica said when she walked into the house this afternoon for her piano lesson was, “I’ve memorized part of I Can Only Imagine!”  She’s only had the song one week, but obviously loves it.  I mentioned that I heard it played at a funeral just that morning and she immediately replied “That’s a great song for a funeral, but it’s a good song anytime.”  Indeed it is. 

We never know how long any of us have to live on this earth, but I long to fill my dash with giving well, graciously receiving, and living a life of joy.

Love, Mom

Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice,

and no one will take away your joy.

John 16:22

 

It’s So Hard

August 16, 2018 / / 2 Comments

Dear Daughters,

Joy.  It’s such a wonderful emotion when I have it, but at times it seems to be slippery and elusive in my life.  Just when I think I have joy it slips through my fingers and disappears.  It only takes a word, a phrase, a hurt look in someone’s eyes or a casual observation of people around me.

I’m sure you all know those sunny-side up people who seem to always have a smile on their face and a twinkle in their eyes.  I am not one of those.  I have to deliberately choose joy because it otherwise subtly turns into a vapor and vanishes.

The other day I was talking with a friend and lamenting that it’s so hard to choose joy because of how I feel physically.  For years I have struggled with chronic fatigue – some days are better than others – but it is too often a frustration to me. Then my friend wisely said,

Maybe it’s hard because you keep saying it’s hard.

Those words stopped me in my tracks.  Whaddya mean it’s hard because I say it’s hard?

Turns out that those words I stated as a fact – It’s so hard to choose joy – had taken me captive and were robbing my life of the joy I have been seeking.  It was hard because I said it was hard.

I think I learned this once or twice before, just like I’ve learned, forgotten and re-learned many other important things in my life.  Things like

Be grateful

Live this day as if it were your last

Love others as Jesus loves me

Search for beauty

Forgive those who hurt me

Because I have lots of time on my back, I had plenty of time to look up the song JOY! – performed by the group for King and Country that my above-mentioned JOY friend forwarded to me.  Since then I have probably watched it 10 times, enjoying the lyric video, then the Official Music Video, the behind the scenes video, again and again.  I need to get this message tattooed into my soul.

I am once again learning to say – It’s easy for me to choose joy. Yes, sometimes I almost choke on those words, but I open my mouth and say it anyway.  No matter what I feel like.

It’s easy for me to choose joy.


Being a teacher for decades, I have taught others some excellent ways to live:

Practice makes better -not perfect – but much better.

Joy is a choice.

Joy is God’s perspective on life.

Because my life is in His hands, I can trust him and get my eyes off myself.

There’s nothing wrong with hard

But you know what?  It’s a whole lot easier to teach this stuff than to do it myself.  I’m working on it but it’s definitely a work in progress.

I am so impressed by the Australian brother duo who call themselves for King and Country.  I had heard of them before but had never paid them much attention until this song stepped into my heart and took hold.  Then, as I often do when I learn about a new music group I research them, read their history and get to know them as if they are my friends.  I watched interviews, behind the scenes stuff…

Anyway, Luke and Joel Smallbone are the little brothers of Rebecca St. James, who is also an incredible singer/songwriter.  Those boys are gifted beyond measure.  Their creativity, humor, lyrics and music have propelled them quickly to become my – as well as many others’ – favorite singers.

So, if you haven’t already heard of this group, enjoy and be encouraged.  And above all, choose joy even when life is not happening according to your hopes and dreams.

Love, Mom

Joy

December 23, 2015 / / 2 Comments

Dear Daughters,

Last night we hosted a sing-along at our home. We invited people to simply come and join us in sharing some Christmas music.  We had local friends, dark-skinned and light, with their guitar and ukulele, a few relatives, our neighbors down the lane – about 20 in all – a good variety of old friends and new.  Grandma and I have been practicing for weeks our Christmas songs on the piano.  Sometimes Grandma morphs from Go, Tell it On the Mountain into Jesus Loves the Little Children; other times she plays the verse of one song flowing seamlessly into the chorus of another, but most of the time is able to end on the same song she started. Snowtree

There were no gifts given except that of sharing music together. After we caroled many Christmas songs, Susan and her friends taught us a new song:

Nothing behind, nothing before, the steps of faith,

Fall on the seeming void, and find The Rock beneath.

We listened to our friends sing the song then joined along with them. After that we sang it as a 3-part round.  It was beautiful as we all sang our parts, hearing the lovely harmony weaving in and out.  Next Susan asked us if we had any stories of our walks of faith that we were willing to share with the group.  We heard some stories of people coming to Idaho from New York, New Zealand, Michigan, California, Arizona, the Netherlands – all of us stepping out in faith, going where God had called us to go.  All of us had journeyed many miles, sometimes not knowing what lay before us, but simply being obedient to God’s call on our lives. Window

I knew the stories of many of these people and the suffering they have endured. Yet here we were, singing with joy on our faces and in our hearts, thankful for our Savior Jesus Christ and the Rock he has been in all of our lives.

It’s interesting that the people who have been through hard things in life often seem to be the most joyful. I had heard the quote by Richard Nixon:

Only if you have been in the deepest valley, can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain,

and I have found that it’s true. Of course you have to pin that beast of bitterness and ingratitude to the floor, give thanks and fight for joy, it doesn’t just fall on you.  There are those who have suffered and choose to stay in that prison of bondage.  But the good news that Jesus brought to us thousands of years ago is that there is freedom – freedom from hurt, abuse, neglect, and broken hearts. Joy2

My friend, Marcia, posted the following prayer a while back and I think it’s profoundly beautiful. It’s not your typical prayer of blessing, but a prayer that comes from knowing real blessings can only come through hardship, adversity and the perseverance that results.

I pray this prayer for each of you, my daughters, because I know this is a prayer that God will answer in a most creative way for each of you. I am certain He will answer in His exquisite wisdom and timing.

A Franciscan Benediction

May God bless us with discomfort

At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships

So that we may live from deep within our hearts.

May God bless us with anger

At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of God’s creations

So that we may work for justice, freedom, and peace.

May God bless us with tears

To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger, and war,

So that we may reach out our hands to comfort them and

To turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless us with just enough foolishness

To believe that we can make a difference in the world,

So that we can do what others claim cannot be done:

To bring justice and kindness to all our children and all our neighbors who are poor.

Amen.

Even though we will be far from all of you this Christmas, you are closer than ever in my heart, mind and soul. I will miss you and your families greatly, but know that God will bless you now and in the years to come…until we meet again.

Love, MomSnow (2)

Recent Comments

Stories and Songs

© 2024 Branches and Trees

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑