Gateways to Joy

T oday in the comings and goings of trying to help my mom prepare for the cremation of my father, trying to deal with the day-to-day family life going to and fro, trying to keep some semblance of normalcy, I became tempted to fret and worry. The thing is this: The Lord, knowing me, His daughter, immediately told me upon my father's death Sunday— how not to act.  He does not want me taking the "weight" of the situation on my shoulders.  I felt Him saying. I've shared my personality with you all before.   It is easy for me to become tempted and try to be everyones Savior- "helper."  It is in this process that I usually burn out, and become resentful. Knowing this about myself, I've been working hard these past days at keeping a balance within.   "Be still my daughter and see how the matter will fall."  Is what the ears of my heart hear. Not only do I hear that utterance,...

M y heart is sadden as I tap out this post .  This morning about 11:00 AM, my mother called my husband's phone upset.  He gave me the phone and she began—hysterically telling me that something was wrong with my father. "Did you call 911?"   I asked. "I tried, but my phone isn't getting through." "Okay, stay on this phone while I call from my phone."   I told her So I called 911.  When I got the operator on the phone I realized that I am in a different county, so I had to be transferred at least three times. While explaining to the 911 operator what was going on, my mother was giving me the status of what was going on with my father.  "His breathing is slowing down."   "His eyes are rolling in the back of his head."  "He's not breathing." "Why me Lord" I ask?  These are details that I don't care to know or remember.  But this is the place where you have me at this moment.  "Stay ...

F orgiveness. Nothing is more foreign to sinful human nature.  And nothing is more     characteristic of divine grace. Fallen humanity finds God's forgiveness terribly hard to understand .  As individual sinners, we all know firsthand what a struggle it can be to forgive others who have wronged us.  Some people therefore find it impossible to envision Almighty God as anything other than stern and unforgiving.  Others, knowing that Scripture teaches us God is merciful, imagine that He is so completely indulgent that no sinner really has anything to fear.  Both misconceptions are fatally wrong concerning divine forgiveness. Compounding that problem, our attitude toward forgiveness tends to vary, depending on which side of the equation we look at . When we are on the receiving end of mercy, we naturally esteem forgiveness as one of the highest of all virtues.   But when we are the aggrieved party, forgiveness often seems a gross violatio...