A Goldilocks Life

That Inevitable Day

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 NIV

The TV series The Roosevelts[1] reveals President Theodore Roosevelt’s fascination with nature. As a child, Roosevelt kept live snakes and mice in his dresser drawers. He killed and stuffed hundreds of species of birds. As an adult, big game hunting became his passion. In recounting the Battle of San Juan Hill in his book, The Rough Riders[2], Roosevelt describes the dead soldiers in gory detail. This was a man familiar with death.

Unlike Roosevelt, most of us are sheltered from death. We disconnect dying from everyday life. A missionary couple once told me the African people they ministered to faced death often and accepted it as part of life.

Our days fly by. Before we know it, our parents are gone, then our friends, then us. Let’s be ready. Not just by buying a burial plot. Not just by writing a will. The Lord graciously offers everyone the opportunity to know Him. Eternal life is granted those who believe in His Son Jesus Christ. Knowing Him prepares us for that inevitable day. (Related Scripture reading Romans 3:21-26)

[2] The Rough Riders, by Theodore Roosevelt

Give Thanks

It’s almost ‘The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.’ I’ve seen Christmas products in stores since before Halloween, so ya know it’s comin’. For me, fall and Thanksgiving far outweigh Christmastime as my favorite.

First, I love the menu. Over the decades I’ve perfected the turkey/stuffing/gravy process and found that roasting the turkey the day before and storing the cooked and sliced turkey in the fridge covered in broth makes the actual day more enjoyable. Although we don’t always spend it with the same family members and friends, we always gather with a group of people we love and don’t see often enough.

Second, no gift-giving is involved with the Thanksgiving celebration. Not that I dislike giving and receiving presents. It’s just that I find the extra stress of deciding what to buy for whom challenging, not to mention the additional expense.

Best of all, giving thanks is central to the name and reason for the holiday. So is Christ in Christmas, but somehow the word Christmas has taken on a separate meaning of its own. Making time to talk about and write down what my family and I are thankful for is a meaningful part of our Thanksgiving tradition. Then we do that very thing—give thanks to the Lord. What could be more satisfying than to say thanks to the Giver of life and all good things?

May you have a thankful Thanksgiving! I’m very grateful for you.

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His love endures forever. Psalm 136:1

He Will Hold Me Fast!

Psalm 139:9-10 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

Psalm 139 is written by King David, first a lowly shepherd, then king of Israel. In this psalm, we are reminded that God knows all about us, just as he did David. “…you are familiar with all my ways.” (Verse 3) It goes on to say that we can never flee from His presence. Verses 9 and 10 (above) assure me that no matter where I am or end up, God will never let me go. He will hold me fast! What comfort those words are. Why would I ever want Him to be any other way?

In the margin next to verses 13 and 14 I penciled in, “Thank You for Mom.” There it says, “you knit me together in my mother’s womb” and “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Verses 16 and 17 say that God has ordained every day of our lives, and His thoughts about His children are more precious and too numerous to even count.

The psalm ends with a fitting prayer to our wonderful, loving God, asking Him to “Search me and know my heart… see if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Every day of the week, that is a perfect way to humbly approach the Lord with a sincere desire to please Him. Keep me close. Please, Lord, hold me fast!

Please take time to listen and join me in worship with Selah as they sing the Keith and Kristyn Getty song, “He Will Hold Me Fast.”