This morning I heard a renowned pediatrician and child psychologist on Christian radio talking about the important role a father plays in a child’s life. It caused me to reflect on my dad, and the effect his presence has had on my life. It’s well known that our childhood experience drives us toward certain behaviors or attitudes, sometimes carried throughout our adult lives. No one had it perfect. Where there was lack, we often seek to fill the void, sometimes with things that bring more pain than blessing. If we’re honest, in different ways we’re all broken people—in need of…
One of the greatest turning points in my life and faith was when I realized I don’t have to live a life of reactions: meaning when I speak and my words are favorably received, I’m happy; but when not, my smile quickly disappears. No longer need I let people and circumstances dictate the inner joy of my heart, leaving me wounded by someone’s words or actions, or down because it’s raining again. I can cultivate a cheerful heart. Now maybe you’re thinking, “Life is hard right now. How can I possibly have a cheerful heart in these circumstances?” Jesus tells…
I woke to the steady rhythm of waves pounding on the shore, the unremitting rise and fall of the tide easing me out of the night’s slumber. Outside my window, the beach where folks leisurely walked the night before now covered in water. High tide. Though powerful and dangerous, there’s something calming about the sight and sound of the ocean—the constancy of the waves’ ebb and flow relaxing, reassuring. Here we see God’s majesty on full display, and gazing out at the endless sea, we become small. Through summer’s warm sunny days, people gather here to enjoy the water, the…
A few days ago I lost my favorite watch. After stumbling through the day feeling like part of my arm was missing, that evening I found my watch. What joy! A few days later, however, remembering the lost watch incident, my joy was not as intense. After a week, the joy had completely faded away. Yet at that moment the watch was not lost again! So what happened here? Simply that what was now lost wasn’t again the watch, but the joy in finding it! Chinese Christian teacher Watchman Nee likens such an example to the Christian experience. He wrote…
Moving day was overwhelming. When our new neighbor Ginny came to the door with a plate of blueberry muffins and an offer to help, it was like cool breeze on a sweltering summer day. “I’m free this week on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. I can help unpack, clean—whatever you need, I’ll be ready to do.” After many years of working and saving, friends of ours were finally enjoying a family vacation. As they pulled up to the tollbooth on the Chesapeake Bay-Bridge Tunnel in VA with the hefty $15 fee in hand, they got quite a surprise—from strangers! The toll…
