The Mountain

“If anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.” – Mark 11:23

A few summers ago, my dad and I traveled to Washington State. Following a picturesque cruise to Alaska, we planned to visit Mount Rainier National Park where we would spend a few nights at Paradise Inn. Built in 1916, this lodge is designated as one of the “Great Lodges of the West.” The only thing more beautiful than the lodge itself is its surroundings. For this particular lodge sits in the shadows of Mount Rainier, a majestic mountain that is crowned with a snow covered cap year round. No matter where you stand in and around the lodge, you are captivated by the 360° views of mountain vistas. The lobby is adorned with gorgeous woodwork, hand-painted lampshades, and enormous stone fireplaces. The dining hall serves succulent dishes that would satisfy the taste buds of the most discerning palette. But of course, the main attraction will always be the mountain.

The first time I laid eyes on Mount Rainier, I felt as if I was one step closer to Heaven. The atmosphere is so clean and fresh, with the smell of Evergreen trees permeating the air. The views are so breathtakingly beautiful, like a National Geographic postcard. The location is aptly named because it truly does feel like you have stepped into paradise. I’ve been blessed to travel to several locations in my life where I felt entirely safe, where I was utterly stress free, and where it seemed like the peace filling my soul could never be jolted, even for a moment. While our entire stay at Paradise Inn certainly fit this description, we encountered a major interruption on the way to the airport. For this seemingly perfect day that started with a huge smile on my face would transform itself into one where my face was streaming with tears.

As we were driving between Mount Rainier National Park and the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, a mother deer charged toward the front fender and bumper of our vehicle. We swerved, braked, and did everything we could do to avoid hitting the deer. We did all we could do. But it was no use. When we finally came to a complete stop, I looked back at the deer in the middle of the road. Although my first thought should have been one of gratefulness for our safety, I happened to notice a couple of fawns standing on the other side of the road in the grass, looking toward what appeared to be their mother lying there, still and unmoving. The fact that they would have to go through the rest of their lives without their mother overwhelmed me. It was at that very moment that tears began to stream down my face.

You see, it wasn’t the deer for which I was primarily grieving over. I saw myself in those precious fawns. One moment they were walking with their mother, having a perfectly good day. The next moment, their life turned upside down. The shock, the sadness, and the disbelief all came back to me in a wave of emotion. I had cried before, but this time I let the tears truly flow. I couldn’t control them anyway. But somehow, someway, I feel as if God used these tears to cleanse the sorrow that seemingly overshadowed everything I did, including the bittersweet feelings I had whenever my dad and I visited a new destination. Through this moment filled with shock, God showed me that life does go on. He showed me that even though life would never be the same, we could truly find a new normal, something I thought was not even possible up until this time.

Since that day, I have realized several things that were not apparent to me in the midst of those circumstances. First, God sent His angels to protect us, bringing our vehicle to a complete stop. Neither my dad nor I received any injuries. The air bags did not even deploy. How much worse it could have been. The volunteer fire fighter we spoke to before heading back to Seattle said a local family could use the venison from the mother deer and he was hopeful that another deer would adopt the two orphan fawns. While none of these things on their own made this a “good” experience, I see now that God did take this unfortunate situation and turn it around for good. Through this detour on our journey, food was put on a family’s table, and my dad and I were reminded that God has not forgotten us. For no matter what we are facing, I know for certain that God never fails.

What about you? Are you struggling to find emotional healing from a detour in your life? Is there a mountain that you just cannot seem to climb? I want to encourage you today. Jesus will help you move that mountain out of your way. All you have to do is have faith and believe. No matter what you are going through, Jesus Christ is the answer. He will pick you up, dust you off, and give you a brand new beginning. Do not let anything or anyone stop you from living your life. Get back on the road of life, keep your eyes on Jesus, and keep on driving. You can’t change the past, but you can find a new future. Jesus wants to give you hope and life eternal. Whatever you are suffering from, whether it is drug or alcohol addiction, verbal or physical abuse, grief over the loss of a friend or family member...whatever it is, Jesus will meet you right where you are. He loves you more than life itself. That’s why He gave His life for you. Call on the name above all names, Jesus Christ, today. Then watch that mountain move!

In Christ’s Love,
Jennifer

Land of the Living

A couple of weeks ago, I purchased four sympathy cards for four different families who had lost loved ones.  There’s something a little unnerving and very sad about buying four sympathy cards in the same day.  As I stood there reading the verses in the cards, I wondered how those overly repeated words could possibly have any meaning at such a difficult time in these families’ lives.  Still, I hoped the thoughts and prayers being tucked inside the card would bring some form of comfort to their broken hearts.

That same week, we said goodbye to a family friend who was an elder in our church and first and foremost, a dear man of God.  Earlier this spring, I attended the memorial service for a fourteen year old girl.  Several friends have lost parents and other loved ones in recent months, while others are battling cancer and other illnesses.  And one thing I’ve noticed is that age doesn’t make a difference, ethnic background doesn’t play a part, and socioeconomic status is not a variable either.  No one is immune to death any more than they are immune to life.

Ecclesiastes 3:2 (NIV) says, there is “a time to be born and a time to die.”  As Christians, the Bible tells us that we do not have to grieve as those who have no hope (I Thessalonians 4:13 NIV).  Instead, we should rejoice because the end of our life on this earth is the beginning of something far greater.  For if we have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, this world is just a waiting room, a temporary resting place, on our journey to our eternal home.  While some people may regard Earth as paradise, others do not find that it fits this description.

My dad often tells a profound story he heard on the radio broadcast of Dr. J. Allen Blair.  A man had lived for the Lord all of his life and was lying upon his death bed.  One of his friends sitting beside him said, “‘Farewell, brother.  I shall never see you again in the land of the living.’”  The dying man said, “‘You will see me again in the land of the living, for I am leaving the land of the dying.’”  You see, this man knew that this world is not a permanent dwelling place.  He knew there was something better waiting on the other side.

In the meantime, we need to enjoy life.  We need to embrace our family more, tell them we love them more, and spend time with them more.  We need to live more fully, laugh more heartily, and love more deeply.  I can tell you from experience, you will never regret an extra kind word spoken.  You will never be able to take too many photographs of someone dear to you.  And you will never feel like you spent too much time with someone you love.  Cherish life and never let a day go by without thanking God for another sunrise, another memory, another breath.

Live life like you are on a trip to somewhere you’ve never been but have always dreamed of going.  Don’t let the trials you face in life steal your joy.  The life we live down here may be full of heartache, sorrow, and despair.  But where we are going is full of jubilation and peace forevermore.  God’s Word tells us that we cannot comprehend what God has in store for us.  It is truly beyond the limits of our imagination.  And one day, when we have fought the good fight and finished our race, we will step through those gates of pearl and enter into the presence of the Lord God Almighty.  This, my friend, is when we will finally realize that we have been living in the land of the dying.  But we’re going to the land with no tears, no pain, and no death.  That’s Heaven.  That’s the Land of the Living.

In Christ’s Love,

Jennifer

The Waiting Room

When was the last time you sat in a waiting room in the doctor’s office?  I want you to visualize the setting.  Perhaps the room was crowded, full of people you were sure carried multiple types of diseases.  The children sneezed and coughed profusely, never once covering their mouths.  You picked up a magazine to try to occupy your mind, only to find that it was the same magazine you already read cover-to-cover three months ago.  Sitting there, you wonder why you even made an appointment.  You still have to wait along with everyone else.  You’re probably getting sicker by the minute, being subjected to this germ-infested environment.  Just when you were about to throw in the towel and give up, the nurse opens the door and calls your name.

Life is a lot like a doctor’s waiting room.  Each day, there are difficulties we must face.  These struggles will often weigh us down, infecting us just like the germs that may be found in a doctor’s office.  The constant battles we have to fight cause us to grow impatient, much like someone who is waiting for an appointment that is overdue.  Just like the patients sitting in those uncomfortable straight-backed vinyl covered chairs, our names will soon be called.  Unlike the nurse who calls our names from a clipboard in her hand, our names will one day be read directly from the Lamb’s Book of Life.

I want to encourage you, if you are not certain that your name is written in this Heavenly Book, make today the day that you begin a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Today could be the day that you are called from this temporary home to your permanent home on high.  Have you made your appointment?  If not, it’s not too late.  You have no guarantee that you will breathe another breath.  No man, woman, or child, young or old, has the certainty that tomorrow will even come.  Don’t wait until it’s too late.  Make your appointment for Heaven today.  Ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins, and ask Him to be the Lord of your life.  If you do, your life will never be the same.  And you will know that when your name is called, you will walk through Heaven’s gates to live eternally with the Lord.

This morning, I attended the memorial service for a young teenager whose name was called this past weekend.  There was little warning for her and her family.  She lost her life due to injuries sustained in a accident.  As I sat there, I continuously began to ask myself, “Why?”  Why did this young girl not have the opportunity to graduate high school, go to college, or get married?  Why was she taken from this earth at the young age of fourteen?  Why didn’t God spare her life?  Of course, I know I am not alone.  I’m sure that everyone in the sanctuary had similar questions on their mind.  While sorrow filled my heart, hearing the stories of her vibrant, yet short-lived life, I also felt peace in my heart.  You see, she knew Jesus as her personal Lord and Savior.  She made her appointment in Heaven long ago.  And I know that her name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, and I will see her again one day.

While we may not be able to comprehend why things like this happen, we can rest assured that God has everything under control.  He knows our hearts are sad.  He feels our pain.  He sees our tears.  Yet, He knows how our story ends.  Romans 8:28 (NIV) says, “In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”  Notice this scripture does not say that all things are good.  Instead, it says that God will work everything together for our good.  Does this mean that we will never encounter a trial?  Does the scripture mean that we will never have a bad day?  No.  What it does mean is that God will take each trial and every single bad day and in His own special way, use them for our good.

You may be thinking, how could the death of a young girl be used for good?  I cannot answer this question.  Only God knows what the future will bring.  He knows our future and He knows our past.  And He is walking beside us right now, in the present, holding our hands as we stumble along the road of life.  Through every illness, tragedy, and even death, He will be our strength when we are weary, our peace when we are distressed, and our hope when we are hopeless.  Even in every moment of heartache, God has given us a promise that we can stake our lives on.  He has promised us that this earth, with all of its turmoil, is only temporary.  We are just passing through on our way to our eternal home, Heaven.  We won’t have to wait in this dreary waiting room much longer.  2 Corinthians 5:1-5 (The Message) says:

For instance, we know that when these bodies of ours are taken down like tents and folded away, they will be replaced by resurrection bodies in heaven—God-made, not handmade—and we'll never have to relocate our "tents" again. Sometimes we can hardly wait to move—and so we cry out in frustration. Compared to what's coming, living conditions around here seem like a stopover in an unfurnished shack, and we're tired of it! We've been given a glimpse of the real thing, our true home, our resurrection bodies! The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what's ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we'll never settle for less.

If you want to experience the joy of knowing that this life is only temporary, don’t wait until tomorrow.  Don’t sit there in frustration, uncertain of where you will go when you die.  Don’t leave your family and friends wondering if they will see you again.  Don’t sit there miserable because you feel like you are a prisoner to this world of sorrow; instead, cling to the One who will restore your joy, set you free, and light the way home.  Jesus Christ will be a friend who is closer than a brother.  He will love you when you feel unlovable.  He will pick you up when you fall.  And best of all, if you have a personal relationship with Him, He will welcome you with open arms when your life on earth is done.  Don’t sit there, trying to remember if you made an appointment, growing agitated with the long wait.  Make your reservations and set your sights on Heaven until the day you make it home!

In Christ's Love,
Jennifer

Keep On Keeping On

Do you ever encounter a difficult situation and wish you could simply run away?  Or do you face it head on, trying not think about what is going on around you?  Sadly, there are moments in time when we cannot run away from rough weeks, trying days, and emotionally draining hours.  In these times of sadness and despair, we must not lose hope.  We must keep the faith.  No matter what, we need to keep on keeping on.

Yesterday, I attended the viewing for a dear friend and colleague, Corporal Gary Edwards.  Today, I attended his funeral.  For me personally, these are events that I would prefer to avoid.  The floral arrangements, the song selections, the eulogies…all are reminders of where my Dad and I were standing less than three years ago.  The photographs, the memories, the tears…all of them bring sadness instead of joy.  The casket, the hearse, the graveside…all of these remind me of how life is so very fragile.

As I walked toward the chapel yesterday evening, I encountered several friends and colleagues.  We shed a few tears, embraced, and shared words of encouragement.  While I was dealing with sorrow of my own, I felt in my heart that God was giving me the words to speak, even when I did not know what to say.  I told a couple of them what a blessing it was to have God’s strength in times like these.  Then, I told them that we just have to keep on keeping on.  They agreed, and one of them asked me to keep reminding them of this fact.  I told them I would.

In life, we are going to encounter some situations that seem impossible.  We will run into some valleys that seem too wide to cross, mountains that seem too high to climb, and rivers that seem too treacherous to brave.  Even when we face difficult circumstances, we need to keep the faith.  We do not have to do it on our own.  God will walk beside us, hold our hand, and even carry us.

Of course, when we are in the midst of the darkness, there are times when we are blinded to the point that we do not even realize that God is there with us.  I know I have had some moments this week when I felt like I had taken one step forward and was now taking two steps back.  I miss my Mom every single day of the year.  My heart remains broken.  Losing a colleague and friend this week breaks my heart a little more.  Just when a scab was beginning to heal over the brokenness I feel inside, something like this occurs and rips off the scab once more.  Still, I have hope.  I know God has not forsaken me.  He loves me more than I could ever imagine.  He has a dream for my life, and I will follow Him wherever He leads.

Even when we are down and out, God is working for our good.  Romans 8:28 says, “All things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.”  Sometimes, it is hard to see the good that will come from the situation you find yourself in.  Even so, you must hold on a little longer.  Don’t run away and hide.  And don’t push your emotions aside and act as if nothing happened.  Trust that God will provide the strength you need to make it through this difficult time in your life.  There is joy around the bend.  Life may change, but God will never change.  Put your hope in Jesus Christ.  Keep the faith, and keep on keeping on.

In Christ’s Love,
Jennifer