The Day After

Yesterday was my son's wedding and it was a very beautiful one. Anyone who knows Aaron will understand why it was particularly inspiring since he was once a prodigal who returned to God and is now transformed. He married a wonderful Christian girl from Ecuador and their vows were amazing. Today they left for their honeymoon, and I was left with an empty nest.

My sister warned me that it would hit, but I didn't realize how soon. I wandered around the house looking for what needed to be done next for the wedding, only to find everything had been accomplished. My daughter, who was visiting for the wedding, was going to spend time with me, but she needed my car for a job interview.I was stuck at home, so I put some Christian music on and did some light housework. The songs on the radio ministered to my "the day after the party" blues. It was none other than "Jesus, Lover of My Soul" and "All I Need is Jesus." I sat down (almost for the first time this summer) and absorbed the meaning of the words.

I've had a very wonderful and busy summer, especially since my son's fiance lived with us for six weeks,and I showed her around our beautiful Hudson Valley. But now everyone's gone. What it all boils down to is that the only one who remains with us all the time is Jesus. He's the only one who makes us truly whole. He's the true lover of our soul. He can fill us with His presence whether we're in a crowded room or alone. All the business of the summer was fun and it was great to see friends at the wedding from years ago, but they cannot be with me all the time. In those quiet moments when I tend to sometimes be lonely, only God can sustain me. He's all I need, whether I'm happy or sad, with my friends and family or not.

I often think that I'm so blessed to have great friends and a wonderful family, which always lifts my spirits. I know all this is a blessing from the Lord.I don't want to be a spoiled Christian, though I feel like it sometimes when I think of our persecuted brothers and sisters who suffer so much in other countries for their belief in God and Jesus. Thinking about how much we're blessed living in America helps me to put things in perspective. All of what we experience is so temporary anyway. It's what we carry into eternity that counts--how much we allowed Jesus to transform us into the image and likeness of His Son. It brings me such great joy to see how much my son is allowing Jesus to do that in his life.It's another one of those countless blessings.

Why it might be an odd way to cope with empty nest syndrome, I've found contemplating the blessings of God and meditating on Him is the best cure for almost everything!

Living Like an Olympic Champion

What does it take to be a winner in the Olympics? After watching these games the answer is obviously a no brainer. It takes determination, self-discipline, a healthy lifestyle,endurance, belief in the ability to achieve, dedication, good genes (the inherited kind, not the blue ones) and lots of practice! The performance of the medalists doesn't rely an just wishful thinking,haphazard training or half-hearted workouts.Yet some of us lead our lives as Christians just like that. We are tossed about by every wind of doctrine--what's fashionable at the time, listen to the lies of our mortal enemies: Satan and his followers, as well as training incorrectly. So, how can we take these Olympian's example and apply it to our own lives?


The apostle Paul in his letter to the Corinthians provides us with the key clue. "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize? (1 Corin. 9:24-28).

If we want to be victorious Christians,we need to keep in good shape spiritually. But how do we get there is the million dollar question. First, we need the desire to win. If we don't have that, we will surely give up and be easily defeated. But where can we get that motivation to run this race and win? Let's look at the positive reasons Olympic athletes train to be the best they can be. Some just have natural talent combined with a competitive spirit. They want to do their best and win!They just don't train aimlessly, but with determination to win. We need to lay hold of this truth.

In this day and age, we can't just be lukewarm Christians and maintain. We will not be able to just tread water for long because the tide of culture is too powerful and will sweep us away. What can we do to resist this tide and strike a blow to the opponent of our soul--Satan? Once again desire is the key. This reminds me of a book, The Journey of Desire by John Eldridge. God has given men strong desires, but they often chase after what which will only fill them temporarily: sex,power,money and material things. Woman can also be driven, but most often she longs to be loved. All of these desires create a hole in your heart, which can only be permanently filled by a spiritual life and God.Just look around, I think our society speaks loudly to this issue. I see a lot of unhappy people because they are chasing after the wrong dream or they've given up.So how can we have a desire for what is good and godly?

Above all else, knowing God as our Lord and Savior is the prerequisite for having a godly appetite.Only God can give us what we truly need, but we have the choice to eat wholesome truth from the Word of God or fill ourselves up with junk food that the world offers. Not everyone who calls themselves a Christian knows God or what He has to offer. If we do not, we will live a defeated life. We may be able to go a few rounds with our opponent, but in the end Satan and his demons will win if we don't meditate and fill up on God's Word (The Bible). Once we have truly experienced God and truth, everything else will taste like straw, (which is fine for horses, but we need more nutrition).

So far we've laid the foundation for living like an Olympian--knowing God and having the desire to live victoriously, which comes from having a relationship with Jesus Christ. Next we need to train ourselves in our pursuit of godliness,believing that what God says is true.Just as the Olympic athlete needs to believe in His or her potential and what their trainer tells them they can do, we need to believe who we are in Christ, which will be the subject of my next post, so this one won't be too long!