Grains of Sand

Abby at peace. Change. It's never easy to deal with. Whether those changes are minor or major, they bring with them certain consequences. Some of us deal with those consequences without too much trouble. Others struggle a little more. But we all struggle. When Abby and Lou Lou came to Canada from Venezuela, I was told that, once released from their carriers, they would likely find some place to hide and stay hidden for up to two weeks. When we released them, they ran to the nearest closet. That was expected. But, much to everyone's surprise, within 45 minutes they were out making themselves at home as though they had always lived in their new quarters. The change caused some stress, but not much. Jesus knew that His disciples were about to face a huge change in their lives. In fact, there would not simply be one change, but several, to be confronted. He was heading to the cross and that would be traumatic for them. After all, they had walked with Him for three years. An...

Pixabay It's long since gone the way of all things, but the plaque hung on a wall in my parents' home for many years. My mother was a worrier and I had bought it for her as a reminder, particularly while I was overseas, that God was looking after business and she didn't have to fret. " ...in quietness and trust is your strength " (Isaiah 30:15) writes the prophet. In its context, the verse is part of a broader message. It is, in fact, a call to return to the Lord. Israel struggled continually with putting her confidence in places and in people other than her God. She often trusted foreign kings and their armies to rescue her from other kings and their armies. Idol worship was always an issue—Israel took on the belief systems of her pagan neighbours, sometimes not replacing Yahweh, but adding other gods "in addition to...." Israel became like her pagan neighbours rather than being distinct from them as God had commanded her. Eventually this spirit...

“ Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth ” —Proverbs 27:1, NIV. Of all the things that engage our minds about the future, planning ahead and worrying probably head the top of the list. We plan for family, for college, for vacation, for retirement, and for all points in between. Then we worry about everything we are planning for and about all the things that might screw up those plans. Some of us like to be prepared. And preparation is reasonable and biblical. Proverbs tells us, for example, that we are to learn from the ant and work hard to be prepared for tomorrow (Proverbs 6:6-11). Worrying is the activity we are not supposed to engage in (Matthew 6:25-34) because God promised to provide for those who follow Him. To worry is a vote of lack of confidence in God. The key word in today’s verse is “boast,” that excessive pride and self-satisfaction about our accomplishments that pushes God right out of the picture. With a nod to God, we begin...

“ The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still ” —Exodus 14:14, NIV The Israelites have left Egypt. Behind them is a country devastated as a consequence of the plagues that God has sent to “encourage” Pharaoh to let his people leave in peace and to display his glory. They also leave behind mourning mothers and shocked fathers holding their firstborn in their arms. That last plague was the most terrible of all. But Pharaoh is still determined to bring back his slaves and pursues God’s people, catching them with their backs to the Red Sea and nowhere to hide. Exodus 14:14 are Moses’ words to a terrified people. They, too, have forgotten all that they saw God do on their behalf in Egypt just a short time earlier. How easy it is to forget. I promised myself that in this new year I would stop worrying about a particular “thorn in the flesh” and the first thing I did this morning was start “entertaining” that concern once again. So these words from Moses are particularly r...

Somewhere along the way I picked up a little card that still hangs on the bulletin board above my desk. It says: "Worry slanders every promise in the Word of God." Naturally it came to mind this morning as I read my verse for the day. "Then Jesus said to his disciples: 'Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes" —Luke 12:22, 23. (And these verses come attached to yesterday's verse on being careful about greed.) Another image comes to mind. As I watched the news yesterday, several people cheated of their life savings by Bernie Madoff, were being interviewed. One woman in particular stood out. She said that, thanks to Madoff, she no longer has the means to feed herself or to buy medicine. Basically she is now destitute. Is she worried? Who wouldn't be? Matthew includes the teaching of these verses in the famous Sermon on the Mount, j...