Meek and Humble of Heart

Friends of Faith:

“See, your king shall come to you; a just savior is he, meek, and riding on an ass, on a colt, the foal of an ass.” Zec 9:9

Christ did not come to us as a knight in shining armor riding in on a high horse, but rather he comes to us meek and humble, riding on a lowly ass.

And he did not reveal himself to the haughty and rich, the smart and the learned, but rather to the “little ones.”

“At that time Jesus exclaimed: “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to little ones.” Mt 11: 25-26

He revealed himself to the little ones, because just as any parent is to a child, that is when we are the most trusting, when like a little child I listened, hanging on to their every word, obeying their correction and accepting their love unconditionally.

But as I grow older, I deceive myself into thinking I have become wiser, that I have learned to do everything I need to do, and that “I can do it by myself.”

I often forget that it is through God that I am able to anything, yet alone everything.

Again this is not just today’s verse, for today’s situation, it is everyone’s verse, for every situation.

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” Mt 11: 28-30

So, when I trust in God, when I listen to him, my decisions are easy, because they are his. HE makes my burdens light, he gives me knowledge, courage, strength, understanding and most importantly HE gives me peace.

Heavenly Father, send down your Spirit to ride into my life. Help me to realize that He will not come as a knight in shining armor, but meek and humble—whispering in the night. May I meet Him not on my own high horse, feeling as if I know everything, but rather, may I come to Him as he does to me, riding meekly and mildly, with an open heart, trusting and willing to follow His every command, listening for His whispers in the night. Help me to be His faithful child today. Amen.

This is Stan’s and my prayer as we face the challenges of rebuilding and restoring this week. Piece by piece God gives us answers and what we can handle, making our burden light, giving us an inner peace. Not necessarily taking away the problem, but rather making it not mine/ours, but giving us His answers and His peace to continue forward.

As of today we are still unable to enter the building, pray for our patience and an answer in this area. Our focus this week will be to get the parts that we were able to salvage more readily accessible and to finish building temporary office for our sales and parts departments.

We ask your continued prayers for safety and good health for us and all who are working to help us. And we thank God for the freedoms our nation has bestowed on us that allow us the choices to serve others in a way that honors Him.

I pray that each of you will not deceive yourselves into thinking you can “do it yourselves,” but instead meekly and mildly accept God’s hand in your lives,
Blessings,
Charlotte

In the Middle

Women of Faith:
Happy New Year!

I would guess that you are surprised that my subject is “the middle” rather than the “beginning:” for it is the beginning of a new year, the beginning of new resolutions, and even the beginning of a new tax season.

Remember the old saying: 'It’s how we live in the “dash” (19??- 20??) that counts?’

In the beginning ….with childlike faith we planned for perfect happy endings, for happiness and “honeymoons.”

And as Christians we all hope and believe that at the end of our dash we will be granted eternal life in heaven.

But the middle of life brings stresses, challenges, obstacles, loneliness, sufferings and even failures. And we are challenged to keep the same attitude as we had in the beginning: to live life in faith that He has control of the outcome, to TRUST in Him.

“Let what you heard from the beginning remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made us: eternal life. …And now, children, remain in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not be put to shame by him at his coming.” 1 Jn 2:22-26

God tells us that as believers, life, the middle, will not be “perfectly happy,” that we will be persecuted for our belief in Him (Timothy 3:12); and that while we suffer we are supposed to “have peace” and “take courage” for “I have conquered the world.” (John 16:33)


The middle is about crosses: crosses which reflect His gift on the cross; about His will, not mine.

In the middle of life’s journey we are given choices, choices of trust and faith which are forced by sufferings, challenges, and loneliness, by new beginnings and untimely endings. I am given the choice to freely give love even when it is not given back; to pray rather than to complain; to accept responsibility for my actions rather than to blame others for what has happened to me or my family; to serve rather than to be served; and to chose God’s world rather than this world.

Do I trust God like a child trusts a parent or am I overcome by worry and fear?

Do I have an “attitude of gratitude” or do I expect rather than accept?

Do I choose God’s love in the middle, to love one another as He loved us (He died for us) and as He asks us to love: “love is patient, love is kind... it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick tempered, it does not brood over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth… it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (Cor1:13 4-6)?


Do I make choices in faith: to keep my resolutions, vows and His covenant, even in the sufferings, so that my middle, my dash, will have “new life” at the end?

Dear God, May I always praise you even when things aren’t going my way. May the middle of my life say “faithful, courageous, peaceful and loving.” Thank you for the gifts that you have given me in the middle of the hardships to remind me of your presence each day. Amen.

Blessings in the middle of each of your decisions,
Charlotte