Category: Building Christian Character

As Christians, people should be able to look at us and see Christ. People should be able to see who we serve in the way we act.

Being Thankful in Sickness and Health

Posted on by Wendy

 

We can always find something to be thankful for, even on sick days.
We can always find something to be thankful for, even on sick days.

I am getting over a bout of bronchitis. I finally gave up and went to the doctor on Friday at my hubby’s gentle nudging. I think he was concerned that I may actually cough up a lung in one of my coughing fits. The doc’s prescription was antibiotics and rest.

The antibiotic part was no big deal. It’s just taking a pill everyday, but rest for me, was a little trickier. I hate to just sit and do nothing. Even when I’m sitting, I’m often making some kind of plan, a grocery list, or a blog post, or plans for a vacation six months from now.

But, Saturday, I was completely wiped out and didn’t get out of my pajamas all day long. I felt like such a loser; but guess what? The world did not grind to a halt because I needed a sick day. The dog was happy to snuggle in my lap all day. My teenagers brought their respective electronics and joined me in the living room. They were perfectly happy to stay in their jammies too.

And as badly as I felt, I found myself giving thanks. First of all, I’m normally a healthy person. I feel good the vast majority of the time, something I’m ashamed to say, that I often take for granted. I thanked God for my health. It truly is a blessing that healthy people often forget.

I thanked God for family to help take care of me. Here again, we so often take for granted the family God has blessed us with. We see them everyday. They get on our nerves. We get on theirs, but family is a blessing.

I thanked God for medication. We live in a country where healing drugs are readily available. Bronchitis could easily kill someone who didn’t have access to antibiotics or even over-the-counter meds to take care of a fever.

I thanked God for my house. Shelter is another thing that we often take for granted. My home also has running water and heat, something people in many places in the world don’t have. I’ll bet yours does too.

I could have taken the day and wallowed around and felt sorry for myself. I could have lamented about the hairballs that needed vacuuming up. I could have pushed myself to get up and power through it somehow, but I didn’t.

I believe that our bodies are a gift. For us to be as effective as possible in using them to spread the love of Jesus, we have to work on keeping them well. When we get sick, I think we actually honor God by submitting to our exhaustion and resting, so that our bodies can heal. Perhaps it’s a show of humility to admit that we need rest. When we do, we are admitting that we aren’t perfect or bullet proof. We are simply humans who sometimes get sick.

When we humble ourselves and pray for healing, it’s also a perfect time to give thanks for all of those blessings that we sometimes forget in our daily rush. If we do that, perhaps we can get spiritual healing along with our physical healing and maybe that was what we were supposed to do all along. What do you think?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Seeing Jesus at Publix

Posted on by Wendy
You never know how far a few encouraging words can go.
You never know how far a few encouraging words can go.

I’ve been fighting a cold this past week. Each night I would go to bed hoping that tomorrow I would feel better. Each day, I woke up feeling a little worse. Yesterday, when I awoke, it took everything I had to get out of the bed as my throat and head battled over which would hurt worse.

My normally peaceful morning was also marred by an argument with my fifteen-year-old, daughter. I dropped her off at school after a long, silent ride and went home and fell back into bed for a little while.

I had so many things to do and of course, we were out of some essential groceries, like milk. I prayed that God would sustain me through the day. I prayed that He would show me His face. After I dragged myself up again and into the shower, I continued to pray for some sign of encouragement. Could He hear me? Was He listening?

I received an apology text from my daughter. She told me she just wasn’t “feelin’ it today.” Well, that made two of us. I told her it was no biggie. I try to model quick forgiveness for her, the best I can. That little exchange did my heart good, even though my head was still pounding.

When I got on the road, there was construction everywhere, stop and go. When I got to Sam’s Club, there were only two lines open with six people in each line. Sigh. When I got to Publix, things were looking up. I was almost done with my list, when I picked up a bottle of laundry detergent by the lid and it dropped and spilled, on the floor, on me, on the bottle itself. What a mess.

I couldn’t leave the mess. I told an employee about the floor, so no one would fall, and picked up the bottle and put it in my cart. It only seemed fair. Who would want to buy it? My hands were covered in the detergent when I went to check out. I explained to the cashier what had happened and asked for a paper towel. He insisted on getting me a new bottle and he gave me a wet wipe. I really do love that store.

Checking out in front of me was a couple from our last church. She heard the whole thing and before I knew it, she had come back around and was standing behind me. I’ve always had great admiration for this woman. I can see Jesus when I see her. She’s a tiny lady, but packed with power. There were many times over the years, when she went out of her way to thank me for my service to the kids or youth in the church. It was a really difficult decision for us, when we decided to leave, but I am still amazed at how kind everyone was.

Well, here we were at Publix; I was a mess inside and out at the moment, and she was a picture of peace and encouragement. She told me that she just wanted me to know how much she missed me and my family. She told me she understood our reasons and respected them, but just wanted me to know that we were missed and loved.

I was fighting tears at this point. I have always believed if you look for God in the world around you, He will show His face in often unlikely places. I desperately needed an extra helping of grace and encouragement and I asked. Once again, He provided, this time through a darling woman at the grocery store.

You never know the power of a little encouragement or a kind word. I always try to be the face of Christ when I leave my house, but today I got to see the face of Christ. Let me tell you; it was beautiful.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

A Call to Church

Posted on by Wendy

 

Christians are called to worship and grow with other Christians.
Christians are called to worship and grow with other Christians.

A friend of mine and I were discussing the sad, but all too often true, fact that people in churches don’t always act very Christlike. She said that her pastor had recently given a sermon about how people with impure hearts can poison a church.

I gave our conversation a lot of thought. I asked myself, where would Satan like most to be? At first, the obvious answer may be at the local strip cub or on the street corner with the drug dealers. But, how much further damage can he do at those places? When we dig deeper, I think the answer is most likely among Christian people and specifically in the Church.

In the very first chapter of Mark, in the Bible, Jesus comes across a man with an evil spirit in the synagogue. Does evil know no shame? Nope. Think about it a minute. Who are the people who are most capable of defeating evil? Christians. When are Christians the most powerful? They are the most powerful, when they are gathered together as a group, praying as one, with one vision and one heart and mind.

Where is that most likely to happen? Church. So, where would the one who lives to cause division, who lives to lie, cheat and steal want to be more than anywhere else? Yep, it’s the Church.

Now, don’t get me wrong. There’s no tug-of-war or great dueling scene between Jesus and evil in the Bible. When evil sees Jesus, it flees. When Christians keep their eyes focused on God and not themselves, the Church is unstoppable. It becomes a vibrant force to be reckoned with. But, when we become focused on ourselves or our own visions or desires and forget to pray and forget to wait on God’s answers or bend to His will, chaos occurs.

Chaos is ugly and painful. Chaos, disorder and hurt feelings are not part of Jesus’ plans for the Church. The Church is supposed to be a sanctuary where believers can grow in love and serve together. The Church is supposed to be a place where wounded souls and seekers can find rest and answers.

I recently read an article about how there are people who have spent their entire lifetimes attending church, who are leaving. They are sick of the fighting and people acting anything, but Christlike. They aren’t giving up their faith; they are giving up the Church. They are called the Dones.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. I get it. People can be a nightmare. People are broken. Broken people can say and do very hurtful things. Broken people can take their eyes off of God and can help cause chaos. But, we are all called to be a part of the Body of Christ with our unique gifts and talents. Most of the New Testament is dedicated to teaching that very concept.

We aren’t supposed to just decide that we’ve had enough. If we are breathing, Jesus wants us to participate with other Christians in some way, to spread the Good News. Sitting at home and reading the Bible, is not spreading the Good News. We can’t share wisdom with others sitting at home and we can’t learn from them either.

Perhaps what we really need to remember is that there is a force that would very much like for us just to stay mad and stay home. We’re much less effective there. But, Jesus has called us to love one another and to forgive, just like He did. Can not participating truly be an option?

I pray that all of the Dones will have a change of heart and return to the Church. We need each other. Non-believers need us. A dark world needs us to be united and to stand together. Isn’t that what we are called to do?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Why Are You So Afraid?

Posted on by Wendy

 

Blog pic

I had a cat named Lindsey when I was growing up. I found her and her sister in an ad in the paper. They were free. I was delighted. I had never had cats. When I took them for their shots, the vet informed me that they had ringworm on their ears. My mama was not pleased. Apparently, ringworm is very contagious. I was the only one who would touch those kittens those first few weeks we had them, while I treated them.

They healed nicely and I didn’t catch it, but I forged a nice bond with Lindsey. When the dogs would run her up a tree, I could call to her and she would jump to me. That’s fairly rare with cats. They aren’t very trusting souls, but she trusted me and I always delivered her.

I was reminded of Lindsey’s trust, when I recently  read the boat story in Mark, where Jesus was asleep and a squall came up. Waves were breaking over the boat and it was nearly swamped. The disciples were panicked and woke him up and asked him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” “He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the waves, ‘Quiet!’ ‘Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.” Mark 4:39

I’ve always liked that story. It shows the complete power of Jesus, but the next verse makes me squirm a little. “He said to his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Mark 4:40

Ouch! He saved them immediately, when they called on him, but he wasn’t very soothing at this point. They had seen him heal lepers, a paralyzed man, a man with a shriveled arm and countless others. They had seen him cast out demons and make people whole again. But, they still struggled with their faith.

Maybe they compartmentalized their faith. Maybe they had come to accept that Jesus could heal people, but they didn’t understand that the Son of God, could control nature as well. I think we may be guilty of that today too.

We pray about some things. We trust Jesus with some parts of our lives, but not all the parts. Maybe we happily pray for physical healing, but don’t trust Him to heal our hearts. Maybe we don’t believe that He can help us with forgiveness. Maybe we think that’s just too hard for Him. Maybe we don’t believe that He can heal emotional pain from our past. We just keep carrying it because we believe it’s just too hard for Him.

Nothing is impossible with God. We are told that more than once in the Bible, but God won’t wrestle our pain or anger or whatever burden we are carrying around, from us. We have to willingly give it to Him and trust. We have to stop being afraid and doubting that there’s anything out of God’s grasp to heal, or mend, or redeem.

Perhaps we need to be less like those men in the boat that evening and more like my cat. Maybe we should jump into the arms of Jesus and know that He will catch us, no matter what. That’s true faith.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

True Compassion

Posted on by Wendy
True compassion means reaching out to people who society may have labeled unworthy.
True compassion means reaching out to people who society may have labeled as unworthy.

Jesus healed many people in the Bible. I love the many different instances of His healing because they all show different sides of Him which help to lead to the heart of who He is.

In Mark 1:40-42, we find Jesus interacting with a man with leprosy. That in itself was not done. People were terrified of lepers and catching the dreaded disease and they had to live off by themselves with other lepers, separated from society and all of their family and friends.

The scripture tells us that, “A man with leprosy came and begged on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” I love Jesus’ response. “Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.”

Let’s look at the man first. He was at rock bottom. He had nowhere to go. Leprosy was a death sentence. People rarely recovered, cut off from everyone and everything that mattered to him, he seeks Jesus on his knees. He boldly states his faith, if you are willing, you can make me clean. He doesn’t ask if he can or if it’s possible. He knows Jesus can make him clean.

Before Jesus acts or says anything aloud to the man, the scripture tells us he was filled with compassion. Dictionary.com defines compassion as: a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate suffering.

Jesus felt sorrow for the man’s pain. He had a deep desire to heal and help. But, that’s the heart of who Jesus is, isn’t it? He would willingly go on to the cross to make us all clean.

Filled with compassion, He reached out and touched the man. Here’s another big taboo for the time. Healthy people never touched lepers. I’m sure that people with leprosy longed for human touch, for a hug from another person, but it wasn’t allowed due to fear. Jesus of course, had no fear as He reached out and touched him.

I can’t imagine the emotions running through the man’s mind, hope, fear, joy, excitement, as Jesus reached for him and said those words. “I am willing.” “Be clean!” The leprosy left him.

He could actually look down at his body and see that it was no longer ravaged by sores. He was healed. His faith had healed him and despite Jesus’ warning not to tell anyone, the man told everyone he met. How could he not?

An encounter like that with Jesus would have been impossible not to share. But, I think Jesus set a beautiful example here for all Christians.

First of all, we should all be filled with more compassion for the hurting world around us. It’s awfully easy to judge those people who we consider, unclean in some way, but Jesus didn’t judge. He had compassion. He was willing to help and we should be as well. How are we doing at reaching out to a hurting world full of people who feel that they are too unclean for Jesus, to unclean for grace?

We can’t heal them or make them clean, but we can point to the One who can. Isn’t that what we are called to do in whatever little way we can, in whatever little corner of the earth where we are? How are we doing with compassion?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Good Out of Place

Posted on by Wendy
If we pray about our weaknesses, God will help us.
If we pray about our weaknesses, God will help us.

My pastor discussed the concept of good out-of-place, in his Sunday sermon. He pointed out that most of the evil in the world begins with good intentions. He used wine as an example. Is wine bad? Is it evil? The concept had my mind spinning.

Jesus turned water into wine in the wedding at Cana. He drank wine at the Last Supper. Would Jesus drink something evil? Of course not. Wine in itself isn’t evil, but what humanity chooses to do with it can be. Is it wrong to drink a glass of wine with dinner? Jesus did, so I’m guessing, no. Is it wrong to drink a glass of wine to calm ourselves after a stressful day? Possibly, is drinking wine the only way we can tame our emotions? Could we take a walk or meditate or pray? Could we phone a friend?

I think the evil comes when we use it as a crutch. When we look to it for peace instead of to God. But, humanity struggles with that concept across the spectrum, don’t we? Our desire for more things, from cars, to clothes, to jewelry, to bigger houses, is another example of a crutch. The quest for more stuff keeps us prisoner. We look to it for comfort. It’s truly not much different from addiction.

Our desire to worship is ingrained and because of that, we have to be careful. We have an enemy that will exploit that need, if we allow it. One glass of wine after work becomes three. We can find ourselves unable to get through a day without a drink. Wine has become our idol.

Our obsession for that new car, makes the payments so high that we constantly argue with our spouse over finances. Our marriages get into trouble. Our family suffers. Who loves to see the family fail?

Perhaps we need to be very vigilant about keeping our eyes on God and asking ourselves some soul-searching questions regularly. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having a glass of wine if you enjoy it, but if you are drinking to escape your current reality, that’s another matter altogether. I certainly don’t think there’s anything wrong with buying new clothes or a new car. But, if you can’t afford it or if you are buying things you don’t need because they will make you feel complete somehow, you may have stumbled.

If anything we do hurts our marriages or family relationships, that’s always a big red flag. I think it comes down to the fact that we are all individuals, “fearfully and wonderfully made.” Because we are all unique, we have different strengths and weaknesses.

We can’t just ignore our weaknesses. We can pray for God to point them out to us so that we are aware of them, so that we can ask Him to help us deal with them. If alcoholism runs in our family, perhaps we shouldn’t drink. If our spending is out of control, perhaps we should get some debt counseling and cut up our credit cards. If compulsive gambling is an issue for us, that vacation to Las Vegas may be ill-advised.

God wants us to be the best we can be. How else can we serve Him to our best ability? To be the best, we have to work on breaking any bad habits and conquer any weaknesses that may be working against us. We can’t conquer them if we don’t know or can’t admit what they are.

If we keep our eyes focused on God and pray for strength and guidance, and lean into Jesus, he will help. “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”  2 Corinthians 12:9

What do you need to pray about today? He’s always listening.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Appointed to be with Him

Posted on by Wendy
We are all invited to walk with Him daily.
We are all invited to walk with Him daily.

As I was reading the Gospel of Mark’s version of Jesus calling the twelve disciples, Mark’s language had me taking a second look. “And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach, and to have authority to cast out demons.” Mark 3:14-15 NASB

First of all, Jesus had a lot of people hanging around Him. He was healing people and casting out demons and taking on the religious establishment. He was the proverbial rock star and He had a following.

But, Jesus knew the importance of community and He knew you can’t have fifty best friends. So, He created what we like to call in modern terms, a small group, that He could get to know intimately and who would in turn get to really know Him as well.

The text says, “so that they would be with Him,” not hang around sometimes when they had extra time, or drop by on the way home from work, or casually visit on Sundays. He wanted them to be with Him all of the time, so that they would have the faith and ability for Him to send them out to preach and cast out demons, (which is basically, fighting Satan.)

The term preach has taken on a negative connotation these days. No one likes to be preached to and we don’t like to be considered preachy. But, when I looked up the word preach in my Concordance, it defines it as proclaiming or sharing the Gospel or Good News.

Now, sharing the Good News doesn’t sound negative at all, does it?

I think we have to return to the text in order to truly share the Gospel. We have to live it. In other words, we have to practice what we preach. The world sees our actions and they stand out much more boldly than our words.

If we want our actions to proclaim the message of Jesus, then we have to spend time with Him regularly, not just occasionally. If we ever find ourselves asked the question, “What would Jesus do?” we need to have some idea what the answer might be. He has so much to teach us and we have so much to learn. But, it’s only through a true intimate relationship with Him, that we can be who we are meant to be with Him.

When we are with Him, we can forgive and love. When we are with Him, we can know joy and peace. When we are with Him, we are free, and then this broken world can look into our faces and see Jesus because we are out proclaiming the Gospel and taking on the enemy.

It’s the Great Commission and we are invited to participate. Let’s be with Him.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

We’re Not Meant to Journey Alone

Posted on by Wendy
We aren't meant to journey alone.
We aren’t meant to journey alone.

My pastor pointed out in a recent sermon, that Jesus sent his disciples out to preach in pairs. “Calling the twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits.” Mark 6:7

He went on to say that we weren’t meant to walk our faith journey alone. I wasn’t unfamiliar with the passage. It appears in Matthew and Luke as well. It seems that all through the Bible, there are countless examples of God sending a friend or family member to help someone on their walk to follow Him.

There’s Adam and Eve, Moses and Aaron, David and Jonathon, Ruth and Naomi, Mary and Elizabeth, Paul and Timothy, just to name a few. God knows that we are wired for close relationship. It strengthens us and helps us grow. It also makes us accountable and keeps us safe.

A faith friend who loves us and loves God will gently call us out when we are getting off the path, not in condemnation, but in love. There’s safety in numbers.

The entire idea of going to church on Sunday for an hour and doing a little Bible reading at home and praying is fine, but we need relationship to sharpen each other. “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17

So, Jesus sent his disciples out in pairs. They preached and healed people and cast out demons. They did great things together in Jesus’ name. I wonder how often one of the pair got tired or discouraged or afraid. We don’t really get many details from the text, but I think it’s probably safe to assume that the road wasn’t always smooth for them. Jesus warned them ahead of time if they weren’t welcomed, that they should shake the dust off of their feet when they left.

Why would he say that if he didn’t expect opposition? I’m guessing it would have been much easier to give up, when things got tough, if they were sent out alone. But, as always, Jesus had their backs.

He has ours too. We still have that opposition today. When we really try to grow spiritually closer to God and walk more closely with Jesus, or try to follow some new dream God has given us, we will get push back. It’s really foolish of us not to expect it, but here’s where our faith friends really shine.

They not only keep us safe and help us grow; they encourage us to keep going and never give up, keeping our eyes focused on Jesus. We are also instructed to be a faith friend to others. “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11

In an ever more isolated world, where we sit at home and stare at smartphones and computers and don’t even have telephone conversations anymore, perhaps it’s more important than ever to seek out faith friends and community. Sunday School classes, small groups, or inviting another Christian who may be struggling or one who may be completely solid in their faith, to have coffee are all great possibilities to weave that faith net that we so desperately need, that net that Jesus wants us to have.

I’m taking a close look at that net and making sure it’s woven tightly with many different believers. I’m also praying that I’m an integral part of the faith nets of other believers. How’s your faith net? It’s never too late to add people or to get it started. You never have to walk alone. That’s the beauty of grace.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Believing Versus Following

Posted on by Wendy
Is simply believing enough or are we called to actively follow?
Is simply believing enough or are we called to actively follow?

A recent Pew Research poll found that 78.4% of Americans claim to be Christians. While that number isn’t great, it’s okay, I suppose. The greater question may be, “What exactly does being a Christian entail?” It seems that the most common answer I hear is, “It means believing Jesus is the Son of God.”

While that may be at the heart of what we believe, a quick read through the Gospel of Mark, demands a little more of our definition.

In the very first chapter, Jesus is in the synagogue, (church), “Just then a man in the synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, “What do you want with us Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are- The Holy One of God!” Mark 1:23-25

A little further in Mark, the text says, “Whenever the evil spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” Mark 3:11

It seems that the demons in the Gospel knew exactly who Jesus was and openly proclaimed it. So, as Christians does our faith require more than just believing? Is it enough to believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that he died for our sins? Is it enough to believe in the resurrection and ascension?

If we know that those statements are true, doesn’t Satan know it too?

I guess the deeper question I’m trying to get to is, “Is salvation enough for Christians?” It is true that we are saved by our faith not by our works. I’m certainly not suggesting otherwise. But, perhaps we should ask ourselves do we really know Jesus? I’m not talking about in the sense that we know our neighbors in passing and wave at them when we see them, but in the sense that we know our families and sit down regularly and break bread with them.

Is Jesus an acquaintance or a true friend? Do we meet with him in passing at Sunday service or do we intimately seek him everyday over our morning coffee? Have we attained all of our knowledge of him from sitting through sermons or have we really studied the Gospels to see and try to understand his actual words and actions?

I wonder if we can consider ourselves true followers if we refuse to get up off of our pews and actively follow? He called on his followers to be fishers of men. He called on his followers to pray and to forgive. He called on his followers to look to the eternal and not to the earthly.

If 78.4% of Americans were actually doing all that Jesus called us to do, what would our country look like? If 78.4% of Americans were actively reading the Bible daily, what would America look like?

These are some of the questions that the Gospel of Mark has brought to the forefront of my thoughts. We all fall short and that’s okay. We all need rest and that’s okay too. But, I have to wonder, if the 78.4% is doing the best we can to be true followers or more importantly, how can we improve?

The beautiful thing about grace, is that today is a brand new chance to try to get it right. Jesus is always ready. Are we?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Moving On

Posted on by Wendy
When we truly embrace healing, we also embrace moving on.
When we truly embrace healing, we also embrace moving on.

As I was recently reading through the Gospel of Mark, I came upon the story of Jesus healing Peter’s (still called Simon a the time), mother-in-law. It’s only a couple of verses without very many details, but the implications jumped out at me.

“Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her. So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.” Mark 1:30-31, NIV

Now I have to admit, as I read it the first time, I thought to myself, “My goodness! This woman has been sick in bed with a fever. A fever really wears you out. Can’t the poor woman take a little break, a little rest from taking care of everyone around her?” I mean, the minute she got well, she was up and waiting on them. I feel like these kind of women make me look bad.

But, at a second, more prayerful reading, subtracting my own cultural bias from the story, some other words took center stage. “He went to her, took her hand and helped her up.” That’s the headline here, so to speak. Jesus took the woman’s hand and helped her up.

Can you imagine, the Son of God, reaching for your hand and helping you up? She was immediately healed of her physical ailment, but I wonder what else changed within her at that moment? Did she know who Jesus was in that moment? Could she feel his enormous power and the inner healing that also came from his touch?

Mark’s Gospel doesn’t give us any further info, or does it? How did Jesus heal her? He took her hand and helped her get up out of the bed. She was cured. How did she respond?

She waited on them. The NLT version says she made them a meal. While the details differ in the translation, the point is the same. She served them. She went from being a victim to serving them. She sets a great example for our society that loves to dwell on being victims.

We will take legal action against our neighbors in matters ranging from simple fender benders to coffee being served too hot. Life is not fair and we believe the world owes us something to even the playing field. If we feel slighted in some way by a friend, or a neighbor, or our spouse, we will “vent,” to anyone who will listen. Even when the matter gets settled, we will often continue to dig it up and complain.

I imagine that Satan delights in that. If we can stay made or hurt, we continue to be victims. Like Peter’s mother-in-law, we just lie in our proverbial bed with a fever, wallowing in our negative emotions. We are completely ineffective for God when we do that. We are sidelined. Who wins then?

We all have the opportunity to be like Peter’s mother-in-law. We can reach for Jesus’ hand and get up. We can embrace forgiveness and healing and then we can go right to the next important step. We can serve. It doesn’t matter how we serve. What matters is that we move on and then God gets the glory. I think that looks like a better plan. What do you think?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂