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WHICH WINDOW?
Catherine Marshall wrote:
"My friend Marge had an experience aboard a plane bound for Cleveland, waiting for takeoff. As she settled into her seat, Marge noticed a strange phenomenon. On one side of the airplane a sunset suffused the entire sky with glorious color. But out of the window next to her seat, all Marge could see was a sky dark and threatening, with no sign of the sunset.
"As the plane’s engines began to roar, a gentle Voice spoke within her. 'You have noticed the windows,' He murmured beneath the roar and thrust of the takeoff. 'Your life, too, will contain some happy, beautiful times, but also some dark shadows. Here’s a lesson I want to teach you to save you much heartache and allow you to abide in Me with continual peace and joy.
"'You see, it doesn’t matter which window you look through; this plane is still going to Cleveland. So it is in your life. You have a choice. You can dwell on the gloomy picture. Or you can focus on the bright things and leave the dark, ominous situations to Me. I alone can handle them anyway.
"'And the final destination is not influenced by what you see or feel along the way. Learn this, act on it and you will be released, able to experience the peace that passes understanding.'"
TRUSTING DOCTORS, TRUSTING GOD
Not many people enjoy going to the doctor, but according to Reuters, in 1994, one London accountant to that to an extreme. The 63-year-old man needed bladder surgery, but he couldn't overcome his fear of doctors and hospitals. So he self-reliantly did what had to be done. He tried to perform the surgery upon himself. Tragically he got an infection and died. The coroner said, "Unfortunately, his drastic remedy went wrong. A simple operation would have solved the problem."
Just as many don't trust doctors and hospitals, many people wont trust God. In their self-reliance, they destroy themselves.
"I CAN SEE YOU."
During the bombing of London during WW2, the Nazis would nightly bomb buildings and homes of civilians.
A father, holding his small son by the hand ran from a building that had been struck by a bomb. In the front yard was a shell hole. Seeking shelter as quickly as possible, the father jumped into this deep dark hole and held up his arms for his son to follow.
It was dark in the hole and the boy couldn't see his dad. Terrified, yet hearing his father's voice telling him to jump, the boy replied, "I can't see you!"
The father, looking up against the sky tinted red by the burning buildings, called to the silhouette of his son and said, "But I can see you. Jump!"
The boy jumped because he knew his dad and he had faith in him.
Accessed 3/26/2011 at http://bible.org/illustration/blitz
THE DEEP ROOT EFFECT
I remember vividly a trip to a dentist for "deep root" surgery. I was told that as the nerve in my tooth was most likely dead, there was no need for an anaesthetic. I trusted the dentist as he selected which long wire to insert into my cavity to remove what ever was left before sealing the chasm.
The dentist inserted the wire an twisted it. Now I’m not small at 6ft 4inches and to be polite let's say "well built," so as I screamed and reached out to the thin 5ft dentist, in the haze of my pain I ...
STAY AND WAIT AND WATCH
A little boy was told by his father to wait on a corner by a department store, while the father had a tire changed on his car. It turned out that the car required more attention than the man had anticipated, and it took over an hour.
The father anxiously hurried back to get his little boy, and found the little fellow right where he had told him to stay. He said to the boy, "Did you think your daddy had forgotten about you?" "Oh, no," was the reply, accompanied by a smile of perfect trust, "I knew you would come just as soon as you could. I wasn't a bit worried. I stayed where you told me, and waited, and watched for you."
Dear child of God, worried and confused by present day world events, you, by the grace of your Lord, can be like that little boy. Have a perfect trust in Him, as you await His coming, watching and waiting in perfect obedience to Him. He has the "times and seasons" in command.
(Sunday School Times. From a sermon by Bill Butsko, The Coming of the Lord, 11/11/2010)
A LITTLE GIRL'S TRUST
It's a lesson we need to learn, as well. Our true security comes from God and God alone, so we must learn to trust Him. Don't trust in a lie. Don't trust in an idol. Trust in the Lord. Then and only then will you be truly secure.
Five-year-old Jessica became a bit frightened as lightning flashed and thunder cracked just as she was stepping out of the bath tub before going to bed. The lights began to flicker as she was getting into her pajamas. She remembered other times when they had to light candles after the electricity had gone out. This time, she asked if she could "please sleep in mommy's room."
Then, before kissing her mom good-night, she prayed: "Dear God, I hope it doesn't thunder and I hope the lights don't go out." She paused briefly, then she continued, "But I thought it over, and you can do what you want. In Jesus' name. Amen."
That's what it means to trust God. It's letting Him do whatever He wants with my life, my family, and my business. And whenever we do that, whenever we turn it all over to Him, trusting Him to do what's best, then and only then do we find true peace.
(From a sermon by C. Philip Green, Hot Pursuit, 2/19/2011)
TRUST MADE THE DIFFERENCE
Years ago, when my nephew Josh was about 9 years old, we were out in the yard playing tag. He had tagged me and was running for all he was worth to get away from me. He was laughing and laughing as he looked back at me chasing him. Then he turned around and ran into a tree.
It knocked him right off his feet and I swear he took a bite right out of the tree bark. A couple of his teeth were loose and bleeding and he was crying uncontrollably. My sister, along with his aunt tried reasoning with him--telling him the bleeding was temporary, and that his teeth would be ok--but he just kept on crying.
Realizing this wasn't working, I asked them to step aside and I sat on the bed beside him. I gently put my hands on his shoulders and told him "Josh look at me."
And he did.
"Do you trust me?" I asked.
He nodded.
"Josh, you're gonna be OK. Your teeth are gonna be just fine. Do you trust me on that?"
He nodded again... and the tears dried up.... And he went outside to play.
All the reasoning in the world wasn't going to change how he felt. But his trust in me did.
It all depends on who you trust.
DO YOU HAVE THE NERVE OF A SQUIRREL?
A young writer with a very uncertain income went into a quiet park to contemplate a serious problem. For four years he had been engaged, but felt he did not have enough money to get married. He wanted to live and write in Paris, Rome, Vienna, London--everywhere. However, without the security of money, his plan seemed hopeless.
As he thought about his situation, he looked up and at that moment saw a squirrel jump from one high tree to another. He appeared to be aiming for a limb so far out of reach that the leap looked like suicide. He missed that limb--but landed, safe and unconcerned, on a branch several feet lower. Then he climbed to his goal, and all was well. An old man sitting on the bench next to him said, "Funny, I’ve seen hundreds of them jump like that, especially when there are dogs around and they can’t come down to the ground. A lot of them miss the branch, but I’ve never seen any miss the tree or get hurt in trying." Then he chuckled. "I guess they’ve got to risk it if they don’t want to spend their whole lives in one tree."
Suddenly the writer thought...
UNSTEADY GROUND: JUST KEEP GOING
Have you ever stepped on ground that seemed unsteady, but you really had to go on, just to get where you were going?
Just recently we took a trip up to the (northern part of South Korea) Hwacho’n area and then down to the Chuncho’n areas. We stopped at a nice restaurant where they had those outside gazebo kind of things. We had our steamed chicken in herbs beside a flowing stream. The flowing water, the setting, and the dragonflies buzzing over the corn across the stream, all added to the taste of this meal.
Well, after we finished, the ladies decided they wanted to wade or walk in the stream. There was a very small sand bar, or bank, in the middle of the stream, while the rest was pebbles and rocks. One of the ladies cautiously stepped over to the sand bar. She didn’t put all of her weight in that first step, wary that she would sink in the sand. Then a little more weight, a little more weight, until she was standing on the small sand bar. Then, she took another step with the same apprehension, the same hesitation. She found out it was solid and able to support her, and she then began walking around without a care in the world about the sand bar. The apprehensive thoughts disappeared and she began to focus on what was around her. In faith she stepped out, and she realized and rejoiced that the ground was able to support her.
In a way, that’s faith, faith that the ground, or in church ministry, God will support you. That’s what we do in ministry. We step out. Sometimes that first step is hard, shaky, or uncertain, but we take it anyway because we trust and have faith in God. Do you trust Him? If you’re not trusting Him, you’ll never take that first step. Are you willing to step out? Are you willing to take that seed of faith and replant it?
Just under half of Americans say most people can be trusted, while 50% say you can't be too careful. (Foster letter 3/25/07)
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