My friend had the privilege of going to heaven on August 15, 2024.  I’m not even sure how old she was, but that’s irrelevant because she was always young at heart.  We had been friends forever!  I was at work when I heard about her death.  I tried not to cry.  I wasn’t sad for her; she fought hard these last years against pancreatic cancer.  I felt extreme grief over the loss we will all feel.  As I will be out of the country for her memorial service, I wanted to share my thoughts for all of you who knew her.

My first thought about Jan Fox Davis is that she loved fiercely.  Oh yes.  She would cross the ocean or climb the highest mountain for her children.  They were her everything.  They came first.  She also loved 3 husbands fiercely – because even though the first two marriages resulted in divorce, I know she battled hard to make the relationships work.  She didn’t like divorce and worked valiantly to save those marriages.  When grandchildren came along, I watched Jan embrace the role of Grammy and loved on them even more fiercely.  She stayed strong and helped buttress Aleea, Wesley, and Asher as Aleea fought her cancer.  With Aleea’s passing, she fiercely loved even more on Asher to let him know his momma Aleea loved and will always love him and that she would help him grow on without her.  She also loved Nelson, her third husband and partner and friend with unbridled passion ‘til the very end.  She even embraced HIS children and grandchildren and counted them as her own.  Jan also loved her Lord and Savior with all her heart.  She believed in prayer and was the greatest prayer warrior ever.  Her faith was unfailing. 

Jan was also profoundly strong and never saw the brick wall.  When things got tough, she would find another way.  As a physical therapist, I know she worked tirelessly with patients and if they couldn’t do things one way, she’d find another way to help them gain strength or build skills.  As a single woman and mom, she faced periodic financial challenges and always found a way to get around them.  When faced with breast cancer, she fought and plowed ahead and came out stronger than when she started.  There was never any wall in her way that she wouldn’t try to find another way to keep moving on and go beyond.  With her own fight with pancreatic cancer, she kept going and fighting and finding ways to beat the odds. 

Jan embraced life.  We roller skated together with our families.  She and I raced our sailboat together.  We vacationed together.  She traveled places that she wanted to go including following her children to California and Colorado to see them and her grandchildren.  She rode bikes with Nelson, and they traveled as much as they could together, sometimes even when she was battling pain from her cancer.

I will miss Jan greatly.  Fortunately I have the best of memories of our friendship.  My heart breaks for those she loved and left behind.  Please know that she loved you all fiercely.  What a great lesson for all of you!  She also would break down the brick wall for any of you.  Don’t ever feel like you can’t go on.  There’s always a way to keep going.  Be strong.  And please do as Jan did and embrace life.  It is a blessing for each day that God gives us as we wake up to whatever the day may bring. 

I love you fiercely my friend Jan.  You fought long and hard.  I’m jealous as you reunite with our Lord and get to embrace your sweet Aleea.  Say ‘Hi! and I love you” to Amanda for me.

just Laurel

Less than a month after Amanda died, Jan took Ted and I on a double date to go to a painting class. She knew we had to get out, get going, get on with living, and embrace life. Poignant that we were painting trees … something living and growing.

Let’s talk about prayer.

I know we all pray.  We pray at church, before meals, to thank God or ask God for something.  It is a gift to us from our heavenly Father that we have a way to ‘talk’ to Him.  Through the years with our daughter Amanda, I know it was the often needed prayers of others that held us together during scary, sick times with her.  Lately I’ve found myself praying more than ever, and praying with great conviction.  There are 3 reasons for this.  One reason is that I am older and have older friends where health needs are more prevalent; so I pray for them.  The second reason is that I have grandchildren.  There is nothing like having these precious little people in your lives and wanting them to know the love of Jesus and pray they grow up safe and strong and walking in faith.  The third reason for more prayers is that some of my grandchildren live out of state.  Oh my.  I don’t see these grands as much as the others and my heart aches often with wondering how they are doing every day.  To stop the worry, I have turned to God and pray fervently every morning for them and their parents.  It’s how I find peace; knowing that they are in the care of our heavenly Father.

The apostle Paul prayed often.   He had followers everywhere and in so many cities.  He did not have a phone, or computer, or the USPS to stay in touch.  I imagine he worried often and his heart ached with love and concern for them.  But he found peace in praying for them.  And praying often.  I read the other day in 1 Thessalonians 1:2 where Paul wrote:  We sent Timothy who is our brother and God’s fellow worker in spreading the Gospel of Christ to strengthen and encourage you in your faith.  Now my bible has footnotes – and I love footnotes!  They add to the understanding of what I’m reading.  The footnote for this verse gave further meaning for the word:  strengthen.  It said:  “In Greek classical literature the word was generally used in the literal sense of putting a buttress on a building.  In the New Testament it is mainly used figuratively.”

A buttress!

For those who don’t know what a buttress is, it is “a projecting support of stone or brick built against a wall”.  Here’s a simple buttress:

And here’s a fancy ‘flying buttress’:

What a fantastic image for us!  How many times are we asked or we offer to pray for someone in times of need?  Our prayers literally help to strengthen and hold someone up; like a buttress!  That’s what apostle Paul was doing – sending love and care and support to buttress his fellow believers.  When we pray for others (or others pray for us) we add our own support through Christ.  People who have been through tough times often say how thankful they are when others have prayed for them.  They will say they’ve felt the prayers and the love and strength of those prayers which helped carry them through when they had no words or strength of their own. 

Buttress.

What a word.  What a fun word.  Pardon my childish humor here, but ….

Be a BUTTress. 

Seriously.  (and with tongue-in-cheek humor)!

You will never forget this now, will you?  When someone asks you to pray for them, first of all keep in mind what a privilege and gift that is!  How wonderful to love someone and encourage and support them through prayer.  Visualize yourself as a strong buttress, leaning into that person with strength to hold them up in their time of need.  How powerful is that?

Paul did a lot of praying.  It’s all he could do when he couldn’t physically be there. 

1 Thessalonians 5:17  Pray without ceasing!

Romans 1:9-10  Constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times.

2 Timothy 1:3  All night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.

Be a BUTTRESS!

Pray for others and support them and hold them up.

Be a flying buttress if you like!

And pray without ceasing.

Amen.

just Laurel

*Section 2.5-2.9
The Life and Teachings of Jesus of Nazareth

It’s rather enlightening to read a portion of the bible and have it suddenly come to a whole new light.  A verse that you’ve read over and over again unexpectedly has new meaning.  Such was the situation for me when reading today about the time that Jesus went to Jerusalem and chased the money-changers out of the temple.

In the bible, we usually get the picture of a calm, peaceful, loving, and patient Savior.  He is not visualized as a man who was prone to anger or one who got fighting mad.  Whenever I would read about how Jesus entered the temple, saw the money-changers and merchants, and then made whips to chase them out, well I would quickly read over that part.  It was not how I pictured my Jesus.  I couldn’t fathom it.  So I searched for instances of an angry Jesus in the bible, and indeed He did get angry at times.  When the Pharisees questioned Him about healing a man on the Sabbath – Jesus could not imagine how heartless they were to ignore the needs of the sick man because of what day it was.  Again, when the disciples tried to chase away the children who wanted to sit with Jesus, Jesus rebuked them and said “let the little children come”.  Jesus got angry, but never fighting mad. 

Why did Jesus get so mad at the temple?  I thought, and I thought.  Here’s what I realized:  Evil had parked on the porch of the temple!  Jesus did not pick out any one person at the temple to whip and scorn.  He was mad at the merchants and money-changers for taking up the space that belonged to the people who wanted to come to the temple to worship – and they were cheating people with their high prices and high profits.  The devil himself was taking over on the very doorway of God’s house.  That was what made Jesus so furious.  Evil had directed the lives and actions of those people.  Jesus did not directly whip the people but rather quickly scattered the wrong-doers and their wicked business to remove evil and restore God’s house. 

Searching the bible, you can find over a hundred verses where Jesus tells evil to flee.  The devil has no power over Jesus!

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Mark 16:17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues;

Luke 10:17 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”

James 2:19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

I no longer skim quickly over the story of Jesus chasing out the money-changers in the temple.  I use it!  On those occasions when I feel like the devil himself is dragging me down with negative thoughts – making me feel worthless – and giving me doubts and fears – I know that Satan flees at the presence of Jesus.  I picture my Savior swinging that whip and chasing the evil thoughts that try to consume me.

Jesus is my hero!

He fights for me and you!

And when the devil tries to take over – I see my Jesus swinging that whip;
and evil scatters and flees!

just Laurel

*(Our church is beginning a bible study for the next 7 weeks {beginning 2/12/24} leading up to Easter.  We are using a book that has taken the 4 Gospels of the New Testament and smooshed the accounts of Jesus’ life that Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John wrote about and put them together chronologically to read as one story.  Genius!  Click here if you are curious about this small, handy, and convenient little book.  My writings over the next weeks will reference what sections of this book I am reading.  If you don’t have the book – no problem!  You are surely familiar with the Jesus stories I write about.  Reading them again always gives fresh meaning and life to God’s word.)

*Sections 1.5-1.10
The Life and Teachings of Jesus of Nazareth

A few months back in a sermon preceding Christmas, our pastor taught on the shepherds who heard about Jesus birth.  Pastor talked about how the shepherds were rather low on the economic and social scales.  They had the lowest of jobs and were maybe a bit dirty (they were outside most of the time!) and probably a tad bit stinky (c’mon – they were around the animals all the time – probably holding the little ones!).  They were simple folk.  We all know about the shepherds in the Christmas story and, well, they are included in our manger scenes so, of course, they were there!  But as I re-read the story of Jesus’ birth, this thought came to light.  Jesus was born in a barn or a cave – or someplace rustic … we know because “there was no room in the inn” AND the infant Jesus was placed in a manger.  The angels visited the shepherds to tell them the good news.  But, if Jesus had been born in the inn or someplace of higher economic status, the shepherd story would have ended in the fields!  The shepherds knew they were kind of dirty and stinky.  They might have even been scorned by people of a higher status than them.  Can you imagine if the shepherds had knocked at the door of the hotel, or someone’s house, and said they wanted to see the baby that was born?  Ewww …. They were stinky ragamuffins and maybe even carrying a needy lamb with them and would have been cast away!  The shepherds knew this.  BUT … the angels told the shepherds that they would find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.  Ahhh … the manger was a feeding trough… that meant animals … and the shepherds were comfortable with that.  I’m sure the nights got long out in the fields, and with a star to guide them, the shepherds thought, “What the heck – let’s see if this baby in the feeding trough is real!”  So they went and found their Savior. 

Jesus came for ALL of us.  That is so clear to see.  He meets us on our level and where we need Him. 

Also part of the story of Jesus’ birth is the visit by the Magi or 3 kings.  Now whether these guys were truly wise, or astronomers, or royal counselors, doesn’t matter.  What DOES matter is that they were of a higher status.  They were learned men and had a proper home and food and clothes (that didn’t smell of sheep or goats).  These guys were NOT going to go to a barn to see some poor people’s baby who was napping in the hay.  HOWEVER, these smart guys watched the stars for signs and changes and this big star got their attention.  They saw, in the sky, something new and bright and just HAD to go investigate for themselves.

Jesus came for ALL of us.

No matter who you are or where you are in this earthly life, Jesus is here for you.  He will meet you in your time of need and be there right where you need Him to be and on a level you can understand.

What a great God we have!

just Laurel

*(Our church is beginning a bible study for the next 7 weeks {beginning 2/12/24} leading up to Easter.  We are using a book that has taken the 4 Gospels of the New Testament and smooshed the accounts of Jesus’ life that Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John wrote about and put them together chronologically to read as one story.  Genius!  Click here if you are curious about this small, handy, and convenient little book.  My writings over the next weeks will reference what sections of this book I am reading.  If you don’t have the book – no problem!  You are surely familiar with the Jesus stories I write about.  Reading them again always gives fresh meaning and life to God’s word.)

(Our church is beginning a bible study for the next 7 weeks leading up to Easter.  We are using a book that has taken the 4 Gospels of the New Testament and smooshed the accounts of Jesus’ life that Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John wrote about and put them together chronologically to read as one story.  Genius!  Click here if you are curious about this small, handy, and convenient little book.  My writings over the next weeks will reference what sections of this book I am reading.  If you don’t have the book – no problem!  You are surely familiar with the Jesus stories I write about.  Reading them again always gives fresh meaning and life to God’s word.)

Sections 1.1-1.4
The Life and Teachings of Jesus of Nazareth

The day after Amanda died I actually went to work.  Amanda went to heaven early Sunday morning, October 12, 2014.  I think I was probably so much in shock that I set my gears on automatic and thought that going to work Monday morning would help me feel normal.  I wasn’t feeling normal because losing a daughter is not normal.  I made it through my work day at the surgical center, but I felt like I was in a bubble.  The shockwave of watching my daughter die had me feeling such a rare and awful mix of feelings.  From her recent illnesses and all the other experiences of the previous 31 years of her life, I was feeling like I was in a world, or a bubble, of my own where no one else had ever ventured.  As I made my way out of the building at the end of my Monday work day, I was stopped by Brad – a man who worked at our center as a handyman and driver for patients.  I can’t remember anything he said until, “….well, when MY daughter died …”.  Wait.  What?  Brad had lost a daughter?  POP went my bubble.  I had never heard Brad talk before about his daughter who had died.  Here was someone else who met my need that day, and popped my bubble that had locked me into a painful, lonely world of parents who had sent children ahead to heaven.

Mary, Jesus’ mother, probably felt like she was in a bubble.  She was a virgin and yet pregnant with God’s son!  Who was going to believe her?  Thank goodness an angel had visited Joseph as well, so he knew and believed God’s plan for his wife.  But who did Mary have to talk to?  (Besides Joseph, of course, but sometimes a girl just needs a girlfriend!)  If she were to confide in the girls in her peer group, they would probably be rolling their eyes and talking behind her back.  But Mary had a cousin, Elizabeth, who also had a miracle from God.  She had been unable to conceive and after many years she was gifted a son:  John the Baptist.  Mary probably went to visit her cousin as soon as she heard about the pregnancy.  Elizabeth was the wife of a priest and described as a “righteous and blameless” person.  When the two women got together, Elizabeth’s baby leapt for joy at the presence of the Christ child, growing in Mary’s womb.  POP went Mary’s bubble!  Elizabeth had no reason to doubt the news Mary brought, as the 2 women shared their miracle stories.  Mary had a pregnant friend, a cousin (family!) and an older wiser woman to confide in and support her.

Almost 10 years later I am working at a different surgical center.  I have a co-worker with a special needs daughter; not exactly like Amanda, but with multiple issues.  My co-worker would sometimes talk about her daughter’s recent hospitalization or challenges.  Her sweet daughter got 12 years on earth and has gone ahead to heaven.  My friend has struggled.  Stuck in a bubble.  When I first saw her after her daughter passed, there were no words between us.  We just fell into each other’s arms.  And wept.  POP went her bubble.  She didn’t have to feel so alone. 

We have an amazing God.  He is always there to hear our praise, our petitions, our thanks, or our cries for help.  But He is such a wise God and knows that we need friends here on earth to walk with us in our time of need.  How miraculous and wonderful that God planned for Elizabeth’s miracle pregnancy to give confidence and comfort to Mary.  Amazing how he fits all those pieces together!

Remember, the experiences you have had may pop the bubble someone else is trapped in.  Or have you also had someone reach out when you felt alone and stuck in your own bubble?  It’s not all coincidence.  God is a great planner!

just Laurel

Ted and I just got back from the gym.  We have been making a point of going twice a week.  On the weekends, we look at the week ahead to plan around work schedules so that we can schedule our 2 mornings for our work-outs.  We both, like most, have the effects of aging to battle daily!  We both feel it is important to stay strong as we grow older.  Ahhh!  There’s my word:  STRONG.  (Are you reading this Verne?) 

Ted and I are part of a Life Group with our church.  We are a lovely and motley crew of people who love God and choose to grow in faith through our small group relationships with fellow believers.  At the beginning of each calendar year, we have been sharing our “word” for the year.  We each choose a word that gives us direction or reminders of what change or new thing we’d like to work on, accomplish, or get better at.  It took me a while to realize my word.  Strong.  It has multiple meanings for me.

First:  I tend to be a weak person.  Oh yes I am!  Y’all don’t know how I struggle with self-confidence.  Good ‘ole Satan knows how to break me down to make me feel like a worthless stupid person.  When those negative feelings start scratching at my brain and I feel myself sinking, I now call out to God for me to stand strong!

Joshua 1:9  Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Second:  As mentioned above, it is my desire to grow old but to stay strong physically.  I want to keep up with the grandkids!  I want to be able to walk and hike and never stop sailing!  There’s a lot of this world I still want to explore and experience!

Third:  I want to grow stronger in my walk with Jesus.  I want to know Him more.  I want my faith to show in what I say and do.  So how to do this?  The simple, yet challenging answer is to get into daily bible study.  Read God’s word and let Him speak to you.  If you’re like me, you’ve probably tried to do this several times.  We get off to a good start, right?  Then we get busy and we’re done. 

Our church will be soon starting a 7-week study of the Life of Jesus.  Our Life Group has decided to participate.  We will meet every Sunday afternoon, the sermons will be tied to the study, and we have a book with daily bible readings and questions for reflection.  My Life Group has graciously given me the task to be our group “facilitator” for our weekly meetings.  Ugh.  Sometimes I shirk responsibility.  But I believe God wanted me to do this as I strive to grow stronger in His word and my faith.

So how can all of this help YOU?  I encourage you to find a word that will be your guide for 2024.  It’s really easier than a New Years’ resolution.  All those have been broken already, anyways.  But if you have a single word to be your guide, it is so much simpler.  I’d love for you to reply to this blog and share your words with me and other readers.  FYI – others have chosen words such as:  anchor, grace, purpose.  Whatever makes the point for you – make it your word. 

Also … Our church study does not begin until February 12^th, but I am already doing the daily readings to get a head-start.  If you are a friend of mine or my church that is doing this study, I will be blogging my thoughts throughout the week in regards to the readings and what things were brought to mind for me.  If you are not part of this study, that’s okay!  I am praying God gives me insight to the bible readings we are doing and hopefully will give me something to share. 

Let me see those words!

Ephesians 6:10  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

just Laurel

I have laryngitis.  I don’t have a fever or the flu … just some sinus drainage and gunked-up, frozen vocal chords that have reduced my voice to a whisper.  This usually happens to me once a winter.  I’m not uncomfortable.  I’m just silent.  Ted will ask me something from the other room and I will answer him.  Only, he doesn’t hear my answer and thinks I’m rude and not listening. 

I was supposed to do this ‘thing’ at church this past Sunday, but it had to be delayed until next Sunday when I will (hopefully) have my voice back.  Ted and I went to church anyways.  I felt fine; just no voice.  As we mingled after service with friends and I tried to add my two cents comment on what we were talking about, our little group of friends went silent and stared at me.  They knew that I had laryngitis.  But if I wanted to talk, everyone else had to be quiet and really lean in and listen to what I had to say.  It wasn’t long before I was out of the conversation because any attempt I made to add to the conversation, well, they didn’t hear me!  It was too hard for them to hear and listen to my whispers.  I wasn’t mad.  It was just eye opening. 

It made me think.

When you are with a group of friends and someone has something important to say, that person will get excited and raise their voice to gain attention and be the main speaker.  We all do it.  With our children, don’t we raise our voice each time we have to repeat what wasn’t heard the first time, or the second time? 

The other day I went to Hobby Lobby with Lena and Margot, two of my granddaughters.  We had fun ooo’ing and ahhh-ing at all the fun crafts and stuff.  As we meandered our way to the check-out, six year old Lena stopped to examine something.  She was a couple feet in front of me with her back to me.  A pair of pretty earring caught her eye and she softly said, “oh – those are Delft.”  Ummm …. How does a six year old know that?  I walked away laughing.  Now you have to understand that I am very attentive to my grandchildren.  In fact, after we visit with our kids and grands, I have to ask Ted about what the ‘grown-ups’ talked about.  I was busy listening to the little voices.  I make a point of listening.  If I had not been attentive to what Lena was doing and saying, I would have missed that gem.  What a smart little girl!  She was correct – they were Delft!

If you have small children or grandchildren, I urge you to listen to them.. They sometimes have the most incredible things to say.  Everyone wants to just be heard.  Even grandmas with laryngitis!

But also, God speaks to us much more than we realize.  Do you hear Him?  It may be that still, small voice that you don’t have the time or patience to listen to.  He doesn’t often choose to shout an answer to our prayers to us; He is not a God of force but rather a gentle, loving father.  Perhaps a ‘spiritual laryngitis’ might be helpful so that we can be forced into silence so that we can hear what He is saying.  Oh, I do love a hearty and lively conversation with my friends.  There are times, however, to be quiet and listen – to children ….  To God’s voice.

Just listen.

Laurel

Proverbs 1:5  Let the wise listen and add to their learning.

Proverbs 18:13  To answer before listening -that is folly and shame.

Of course, I am up early and embracing my cup of coffee.  I enjoy my morning quiet time.  We have a BIG winter storm warning today.  They are calling for 8 to 13 inches.  A quick peek out the window shows that it has not yet started.  Winter is coming!  I know there are lots of moans and groans out there because snow is cold and it makes driving sketchy and treacherous, but it IS winter in Michigan.

I was looking back at photos I had taken on my phone over the past months.  In October, Ted and I were taking care of a few winterizing tasks with our sailboat when I took this photo. 

Our boat was “on the hard” – meaning it was not floating but rather it was sitting on its cradle in the shipyard.  Other boats were tightly packed in and lined up with ours.  It was cool out and the leaves were changing colors.  Since that photo was taken, we have secured a tarp to cover the boat to keep leaves, rain, and SNOW off the boat.  When I went inside and below deck on our boat, it was dark and cold.  It was just not right.  Sailboats are about sunshine and summer breezes and clean white decks.  I found this bible verse from Proverbs 26 that makes my point:

Proverbs 26:1  Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, honor is not fitting for a fool.

That’s just not right!

I have a friend here in Holland who has a pool in her backyard and, like us with our sailboat, she has to close and winterize it.  It’s a bit sad to say good bye to the sailing season, and the swimming season, but we both agree that it is actually nice to take a break.  We pack the boat up and put it away and we don’t worry about it until the last frost is done and summer sailing beckons. 

In life, we experience many seasons.  Each comes with different “weather”.  Sometimes we face battles and storms.  Some seasons are cold.  Some are fair and mild, with little conflict.  It’s all part of life.  It’d be great if the ‘weather’ was always perfect.  But each season brings joys.  We may love our sailing, yet there are some who dislike the hot, humid weather.  There are some who abhor the freezing cold snow and winds, but for skiers and children who just want to build a snowman – the weather is perfect! 

Ted and I are ready for the winter storm.  We have plenty of food and actually have plans to have the grandkids over.   THAT will keep us warm! 

And no matter if you like or dislike the storm that is coming, may you prepare the best you can and remember that God will help you weather whatever comes your way.  Here in Michigan, we know that the weather can be like winter in the morning, and thaw to spring by afternoon.  Change?  Yep – that’s Michigan weather!

Ecclesiastes 3:1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.

May you find the joy in today.

Just Laurel

I’m going to share with you one of my personal medical flaws.  I have a nystagmus in both of my eyes.  No, no, no I don’t mean to say that I have an astigmatism.  An astigmatism is a common eye problem that makes your vision blurry or distorted because your eye is not perfectly round.  I have a nystagmus:  Nystagmus is rapid, uncontrollable eye movements. If you have nystagmus, your eyes may move up and down, side to side or in a circular motion.  My eyes move in a circular motion.  Oh, it’s subtle and you can’t see it unless you really look me in the eye, and you will see my pupils quivering in a circular motion.  Both eyes will twist like knobs, back and forth, back and forth.  I guess I’ve compensated or grown used to it over the years.  Sometimes it’s worse than at other times.  At work I often have to enter patient chart information into the computer and it will include the lot number of an implant – usually a long number.  I am already challenged by the tiny print of the number on the sticker, but if it is a number with lots of zeroes … oh dear.  You see, the number shakes and I can’t tell how many zeroes there are.  Is it 1700056 or 170056?  I have to cover the number with my finger and slowly move right to reveal each number, one at a time.  My co-workers around me probably think I am the old nurse quickly going blind.  If my eyes would only hold still!

Hold still!

At my work, we get many babies and toddlers who are there to get tubes put into their ears; a common fix for frequent ear infections.  Before their surgery, we need to get some vitals on them.  Do you think those sweet kiddos hold still?  Hardly!  As they twist and turn, we try to put a pulse oximeter on their finger or take a quick blood pressure, all while they squirm or gaily pull the monitor off and hand it back to us.  Ahh, if they would only hold still!

It made me think.

In the middle of a sewing project or an Ikea furniture construct, have you been like, “…whoa …. Let’s stop and back it up.  What did the instructions say to do again?”

Did you go to college for a certain career plan, then find yourself one day putting on the brakes …. Stopping ….. pushing the pause button …. And regrouping to change paths and start in another career direction?

Have you had a day with wild, crazy kids who have gotten a bit too crazy and just won’t calm down and listen?  You shout to get their attention and make everyone STOP so they will finally look at you and listen.

Have you gone through a day, a week, or season in your life where you have never stopped to smell the roses?  … to reflect and count your blessings? … to take stock and figure out what’s next?  … to rest?

Most people are familiar with the 23^rd Psalm:  “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul.  He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.”  Notice how it says that He MAKES ME lie down?  God knows when we need rest, when we need to pause, when we need to hold still.  But God doesn’t leave us to find our own way, He LEADS me and He REFRESHES me. 

I know y’all are busy with work and life and kids and home and family who need you and friends who want more time.  Just be sure to sometimes HOLD STILL.  Stop what you are doing every now and then to exhale, thank God for the blessings, and just enjoy the moment.  Reevaluate and then carry on.  We all need those little breaks and pauses to hear what our spouse is really saying, to figure out what is broken, to understand the reason for the quarreling kids, to stop being so busy, to rest, or to surrender to what God is trying to tell us.

Psalm 46:10  Be still and know that I am God.

In this busy, spinning world, I hope you take the time to occasionally HOLD STILL.  Push the pause button.  Make things hold still so you can count the zeroes! 

Be still.

Just Laurel

If you know me or Ted, then you know that we are sailors.  It’s our hobby; it’s our passion.  We love to take new people sailing so they can experience it at least once.  For some, once is enough.  For others, well, they keep coming back for more!  Many of the first time sailors are surprised by a whole new vocabulary of words related to the art of sailing.  Ted will tell you that there are NO ROPES on a boat – but there are lines with names like, the halyard, the cunningham, both an outhaul and a downhaul, a line for the vang, and a boom lift – among many many more strange sounding names.  The many sizes and colors of lines that we use on our boat can be confusing to the first-timers.  When we tack the boat and you need to sheet in the head sail, Ted may shout (especially in brisk winds), “….sheet, sheet, sheet!” as you struggle to grasp the right line.  With time and practice, a sailor learns what all the lines on their boat can do and knows how and when to use them. 

In the Christian faith, there are often many sailing references in describing a life journey.  Well, why not?  There was no transportation by planes, trains, or automobiles in Jesus’ day.  But most people understood travel by sea as well as the importance of the fishermen and their boats used to catch all important fish for food.  The Sea of Galilee is the stage for many stories in Jesus’ life.  Is your life in chaos and it feels like you are being tossed in stormy waves?  Well, Jesus can calm those storms like he did for the twelve.  Do you need peace in your life?  Pray for calm waters.  Have you gone astray and need to come back to your faith?  Anchor yourself to your Heavenly Father. 

I saw this photo the other day and I had to share it with Ted.  Now I’m sharing it with you!  Taken from the top of one of two masts on a great ship, just look at all those lines!  I wondered if every one of them had a name like they do on our small boat.  They MUST because how would anyone know what line to pull if someone tells you to, “… “hey, could you tighten up on the whatchamacallit line?”  How do you keep track of all of that?  What a mess it would be if they got tangled! 

So, it made me think. 

We are all on a journey through life … let’s say that journey is like a sailing trip across the sea.  Every line on that boat represents something that can be pulled or tangled, tightened or loosened:  Get to work on time, get the kids off to school, pay the bills, take your vitamins, change the oil in the car, mow the lawn, help the kids with homework, put the laundry away, get to book club, get 8 hours of sleep, grocery shop, and the list of life’s tasks can go on and on and on.  If there are no storms and we know how to set all our lines just right, we will have smooth sailing to our destination.  But, storms happen.  And many times, those lines wear thin or get knotted up.  Sometimes, it’s a huge tangled mess.  But the good news, the wonderful thing, is that if you have Jesus at your helm, you will never sink!  When a storm hit while Jesus was on the boat with his disciples, he was like, “… you woke me ‘cuz of a storm?  We weren’t going to sink!  I got this!” 

I don’t often ‘take the wheel’ on our boat – I’m better at adjusting lines.  There are times, however, when Ted has to do something and I have to take the helm for a short spell.  Here I am ….. Ahhhhhhh!  We had some wind and we were heeling to the side.  I held on for dear life and knew that I would only have to drive for a short time, until Ted got back in place.

Life a little rough?  Jesus won’t let you sink.  Put your faith in Him.  He will guide you to your next destination.  Ride out that storm.  Get your lines in order.

And sometimes … you have to hold on for dear life! 

Prayers for your journey,

just Laurel

you might want to read: Psalm 107:23-31