Amazing Grace

Groaning

/ Patsy Kuipers / 2 Comments

For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
Romans 8:22

Intruders

I heard a noise above me and looked up. The sound was coming from the gutter and was accompanied by the shuffling of leaves. I could see a few stems and tips moving along the edge.

Well, great. (Insert eye roll.) Something else for the wildlife guys to deal with. They’d already been working on ridding my attic of rats. Maybe the varmints were using the gutter to gain access to their new digs.

My grandson Joshua was with me when the fellows showed up the next day. One climbed the ladder they brought while the other one steadied it. Elmer lifted the gutter cover just enough to see a tail. But it wasn’t a long, skinny, hairless one. It was fluffy and belonged to a half-grown squirrel, one of three inhabiting a nest the mother squirrel had managed to construct in the narrow confines of the gutter.

As Joshua and I watched the eviction process, I lamented as I often do when some critter or another takes up residence in an off-limits part of my house, “I left plenty of trees for them to live in! Why do they choose to get in/on my house?”

Joshua piped up, “It’s like the garden of Eden, Grammie! There was only one tree Adam and Eve weren’t supposed to eat from, and that’s the one they wanted!” (Genesis 2:16-17)

Delighted that Joshua had made that spiritual connection, I asked him if he wanted to expand on his observation like he’d done earlier this year with the parable of the bulbs.[1] However, he was more interested in accompanying Elmer into the attic to check the rat traps after he and his helper gently removed the baby squirrels from the gutter. 

But, once Joshua had planted that thought, I just had to ponder it!

Forbidden Attractions

What is it that’s so attractive about things that are off-limits? Regardless of our age, humans have an inborn desire for the forbidden. Sadly, original sin resides deep inside us, making us vulnerable to the enemy’s whispered, doubt-producing innuendos and causing us to question God’s goodness as Adam and Eve did (Genesis 3:1-6). What if He’s holding out on us, keeping the best to Himself?

Nope! We can squelch any doubts about God’s goodness by looking to the Cross. God gave us the very best He could have given us in Jesus, and Scripture assures us that if He gave us the most priceless gift, He won’t withhold any lesser thing (Romans 8:32).

Then there are the sinful tendencies passed on from more recent generations – frailties and misconceptions that continue to affect decisions and behavior until someone recognizes the familial brokenness and says, “Enough! This stops with me!”

Jesus’ sinless life, atoning death, and triumphant resurrection made the ultimate declaration. Praise God, our enslavement to sin ended with His selfless sacrifice on our behalf (Ephesians 2:4-7)! Though we will continue to battle the remnants of our sinful nature until Jesus calls us Home, the Spirit is transforming us more and more into the image of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Repeat Offender

The day after Elmer took the juvenile squirrels to their new home in a nearby state park, the noise-from-above scenario replayed. I was watering plants in front of my house when a snippet of sound and motion got my attention. I looked up and saw the mama squirrel with a mouth full of leaves heading to the end of the gutter. Sigh.

By the time Elmer and his helper returned the following week, she had crammed twice as many leaves into the gutter as before. Now that we knew how she was getting in, they closed the hole she’d made at the end of the gutter; however, she or one of her relatives has found a way into the attic and has spent several nights cavorting with the rats.

Such is life in a broken world.

Longing for Home

I suppose the mother squirrel thought the gutter offered excellent protection from predators, but a hollow in a tree would have been more appropriate as the babies grew. They didn’t get a say in their mother’s choice, but they suffered the consequences, first from being cramped and then evicted.

I felt some remorse the first night they were taken away, wondering what their mother thought when she returned and found them gone. Then again, I knew they couldn’t stay. Given the chance when grown, the baby squirrels might have set up housekeeping in the gutter since that was the example they’d been given. Or maybe they would have gnawed a hole in my deck railing, dug up my plants, or knocked one of the birdfeeders off its hook, all things prior generations of their family have done.

All creation is groaning because things aren’t as God intended them to be. There are days when I join in the groaning, longing for Jesus to return and set all things right. From misplaced critters and weeds in my garden to the ravages of cancer and a swath of destruction left by a powerful hurricane, the vestiges of sin are all around us. But evidence of God’s love surrounds us as well. We can rest in the assurance that Jesus is preparing a Home for us where we’ll dwell with Him forever, never to be evicted again (John 14:2-3)

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience (Romans 8:18-25).

[1][1] You may find Joshua’s parable in “Faith Connections,” Archives, August 2023.

Have We Forgotten?

/ Patsy Kuipers / Leave a comment

Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children of the living God.”
Hosea 1:10

A Challenging Message

This fall, we’re using Paula Miles’ “No Empty Word: Relentless Pursuit a Study on Hosea” for our Women’s Bible study. We’ve agreed that Hosea is a challenging book, not the first one we think of when in need of a comforting verse to put on a counted cross stitch. God didn’t hold back when proclaiming what would happen if His people refused to forsake their wicked ways and return to Him. Some of us have even found it difficult to read parts of Hosea aloud since it contains words we wouldn’t dare utter in conversation.

However, as the study has progressed, we’ve realized there is much comfort in Hosea because it recounts God’s unending love and compassion for His wayward people. Time and again, Hosea depicts the tension between God’s judgment and mercy, between His righteousness and covenant fidelity. Despite our faithlessness, He remains faithful (2 Timothy 2:13).

One recent Tuesday morning, we were working our way through chapter 8 of Hosea. In verse 13, we read that God told His people He would remember their iniquity, punish their sins, and send them back to Egypt, which was a foretelling of their captivity under Assyria. By this point in their history, the book of the Law, which the king was supposed to keep by his side and read every day (Deuteronomy 17:18-20), had been misplaced, and the priests were greedy and unfaithful. Thus, it was unlikely God’s people had consistently passed on the story of His miracle-filled deliverance from generation to generation as He’d commanded (Psalm 78:4-6). Given all that, I suggested that the threat of being returned to Egypt might not have meant much to them or carried much weight. Perhaps no one had told them how dreadful it was to be a slave or how marvelous God’s rescue was.

Although Hosea 8:2 says the people still “knew” the Lord and called on His name, simply knowing about God and crying out to Him in times of desperation isn’t the same as having a relationship with Him and a heart that wants to please Him.

Sobering Questions

As our discussion moved on, a whisper arose in my spirit: How about you? Do you remember how bad it was to be enslaved by sin? The thought convicted me. After walking with the Lord for nearly 50 years, have I forgotten how hopeless my situation was before He rescued me? Dead in my trespasses, unable to contribute anything to my salvation. Left to my own devices, I would have perished. Eternally.

But God, in His mercy, chose to redeem a people for Himself (Ephesians 2:4-5). May we never forget how remarkable and costly His rescue was! Redeemed by the Son’s precious blood, none of God’s children will ever be lost. Like a loving Father, He disciplines us (Hebrews 12:5-11), but He won’t ever forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6).

Throughout No Empty Word, the study questionshave challenged us to identify our idols, those things we allow to usurp God’s rightful place in our hearts and lives, things we look to for security instead of depending on the One who is our Provider, Rock, and Refuge, the One who is sovereign over every detail. Self-reliance, autonomy, self-glory, peace, wealth, fame – we’ve mentioned all of these in our discussions. Several times,  those discussions have reminded me of God’s warning in Deuteronomy 8:

Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end. Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day (Deuteronomy 8:11-18).

It’s a warning that applies every bit as much to God’s children today.

O Lord, please help us never to neglect the reading and hearing of Your Word or tire of telling the coming generations about Your glorious deeds so that they, too, will know how awful it is to be a slave to sin and how awesome it is to be a child of God. And may we never forget that everything we have and are, from our salvation to our daily bread, is a gift from You.

Epilog

You may be wondering about the photo I selected to accompany this post. Years ago, I saw a short video of a guy sitting behind a table in a cemetery. He’d posted a sign with the message along the lines of, “Anyone interested in eternal life step right up!” No surprise, but not a single person exited one of the graves and took him up on his offer. I often think of that clip when I contemplate what it means to be dead in our trespasses, unable to contribute anything toward our salvation!

Exfoliation, Reprise

/ Patsy Kuipers / Leave a comment

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:2

Color Harmony

Throughout most of the years I worked for a large corporation, I held the role of colorist. As such, I developed, named, and presented new carpet color options to our customers. After all the time spent honing my skills at work, I relished the opportunity to choose the interior and exterior colors when we built our home in Georgia.

My late husband’s specialty was horticulture, a no-less creative endeavor. When I picked a terra cotta color scheme for the bricks and shutters, I didn’t realize how challenging I’d made it for him to select plants. This was especially true when choosing the must-have southern plant on our list – a crape myrtle.

Nonetheless, being a skilled horticulturalist, Ray made an excellent choice. Unlike other cultivars whose pink or purple flowers would have clashed with our cinnamon-colored exterior and offended my color sensibilities, the creamy-white blossoms of the now-stately Natchez create a harmoniously floriferous cascade each summer. But the brilliance of Ray’s choice is most apparent in the fall, for it is then that the annual process of exfoliation occurs.

As summer wanes, cracks appear in the bark along the mighty trunk, signaling the coming changes. Soon, the cracks become fissures as the old skin lifts away from the tree before finally letting go entirely, falling to the ground in long, jagged shards. To the uninitiated observer, this series of events may be unsettling. How could such an extreme shedding of bark possibly benefit the plant? Yet that very act allows the trunk to increase its girth and grow stronger. Best of all, it reveals the most magnificent cinnamon-colored covering.

Ray saw the potential in the sapling he planted so long ago. He knew what it could become.

Putting Off, Putting On

There are several concepts that I consider to be spiritual touchstones. One such idea is that of putting off and putting on. In His analogy of an unclean spirit leaving a man only to return to its neat but empty former abode, Jesus made it clear it’s not enough to make a show of getting rid of sinful thoughts and behavior (Matthew 12:43-45). Instead, our repentance must be true, the kind that produces fruit in keeping with our profession of faith (Matthew 3:8), as we put on right thinking and conduct pleasing to God.

The Apostle Paul affirms this teaching in his letter to the Romans, where he encourages his readers not to conform to the world but to be transformed by renewing their minds. In his letter to the Ephesians, he goes even further. After admonishing them to “put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24), Paul goes on to provide specific examples of behavior to put off as well as corresponding replacements:

  • Put away falsehood and speak the truth. (vs. 25)
  • Let the thief no longer steal but perform honest labor. (vs. 28)
  • Do not use unwholesome language, but that which benefits and builds up those who listen. (vs.29)
  • Put away all bitterness, wrath, anger, and every form of malice. Be kind to one another, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you. (vs. 31-32)

Refined By the Spirit

Because of Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf, God already counts us as righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21), but there is much refining left to be done. We are not yet holy as He is Holy, nor will our makeover be complete until Jesus returns. Nonetheless, the Spirit is at work in us, transforming us with the same mighty power that raised Jesus from the dead (Ephesians 1:18-20).

At times, our refinement is painful as God strips away bits of our old nature. Our Savior suffered much (Isaiah 53:3-6). How better to know Him than to endure loss, sorrow, and persecution as He did (Romans 8:17)? Such challenges may cause outside observers or even believers themselves to question God’s methods, but we can trust the One who made us has a perfect plan to work all things together for our good and His glory (Jeremiah 29:11; Romans 8:28).

Just as Ray knew what the crape myrtle could become, given sufficient time and proper care, God knows who He created us to be (Ephesians 2:10). Furthermore, He’s promised to complete the work He’s begun in us (Ephesians 1:6) and never to leave or forsake us at any point in the process (Deuteronomy 31:8). The Helper will be with us to remind us of His promises, empower us to do His will, and enable us persevere to the end (John 14:16-17, 26). On that glorious day, our transformation will be complete, and all vestiges of our former selves will disappear. We will gather around the throne, our new selves robed in white, to forever praise our Redeemer King (Revelation 7:9-17).

Scars

/ Patsy Kuipers / Leave a comment

But he was pierced for our transgressions;
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
    and with his wounds we are healed.
Isaiah 53:5

My right hand bears several scars, some the result of injuries, others from surgery. They’ve become less visible with time, but I can see them if I look hard enough. Let me tell you about those scars and some spiritual parallels I came up with when I realized the ugliest scar has faded along with the rest.

Pesky Pop-tops

I started drinking diet sodas when I was a teenager. Back then, the pop-tops weren’t attached to the cans. I would wipe the lid, peel off the tab, and drop it into the opening. Mom was horrified. “Someday, you’re going to drink one of those things!” I assured her I’d bent them enough that they wouldn’t come out. But one day, I left a tab on the kitchen counter instead of putting it in the can. When I washed my hands later, I dried them with a paper towel someone had placed on the counter, never thinking the metal tab might be underneath. The sharp edge made a small cut on top of my hand and accounts for my oldest scar.

Mom was right – those tiny tabs belonged in the trash!

Fast forward 50 years. Those little pull tabs are now securely attached to the top of cans, but you can pry them off if you bend them back and forth a few times, which is what my 13-year-old grandson was doing recently. I showed him the scar on the top of my hand and told him the story behind it.

Is there a lesson you’ve learned from a poor decision in your past, something more critical than a small cut, that you can share to help others understand potential consequences and make better choices?

Surgical Relief

Then there’s the scar from carpal tunnel surgery. The surgeon carefully made the incision in one of the creases on my palm, knowing it would help hide it. Sure enough, it’s barely visible.

I’m not a fan of surgery because I don’t like to be put to sleep or deal with the downtime associated with recovery, and I often say “elective surgery” is an oxymoron in my vocabulary. But the carpal tunnel operation was so helpful I didn’t hesitate to have it done on the left side a year later, and I’ve recommended it to others who’ve experienced the pain and numbness associated with carpal tunnel syndrome.

Just as I try to avoid surgery, I’m not one to beg God to send difficult circumstances into my life to grow my faith. Yet I know He often uses hard things to discipline me, draw me closer to Himself, and transform me into the image of His Son. Thus, I pray with the psalmist, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting,” trusting the Holy Spirit to reveal and carefully excise things from my life that are hindering my walk with the Lord (Psalm 139:23-24).  

Stealth Attack

Next up in the catalog of scar-producing injuries is a cut from an unsheathed razor. I vividly remember the moment. We were on vacation at the beach. I reached into my toiletry bag, not realizing the protective cover was no longer on the razor. The sharp blade sliced a small chunk of skin off the upper knuckle of my pointer finger. I almost passed out from the unexpected injury and the gush of blood that accompanied it. The wound healed but produced a bump of thickened skin, known as a keloid.

The circumstances and raised scar associated with this injury remind me of relationships with people who I took at face value and trusted, only to have their true selves appear later, causing deep hurt and bewilderment. Doubting my ability to judge rightly and not wanting to experience that kind of betrayal again, I overreacted and built walls to keep others at a safe distance.

Graceless Stumble

And then there was the jagged, ugly scar I mentioned in the introduction. It resulted from a tumble I took on my front walk. I went to check the rain gauge, wasn’t being careful on the slippery pavement, and plummeted to the ground. Shocked and embarrassed, I lept up lest anyone see me prostrate. Lightheaded and unsteady, I sought my neighbor’s help to stem the blood flow and apply a bandage. Several weeks later, when I saw how unsightly the scar was, I realized it would have been better if I’d sought medical care and gotten a few stitches. I accepted that it would be there forever, glaring at me, reminding me of the fall.

But then, a few days ago, I realized that it, too, is barely visible.

There have been times when I’ve lost focus and slipped into sin. I never thought I would find myself in such a predicament, and tried my best to minimize the damage and cover my tracks. But my efforts were inadequate, like the bandage that barely staunched the flow of blood from my palm and the fig leaves Adam and Eve used to hide their nakedness (Genesis 3:7).

Redeeming Scars

We won’t pass through this life unscathed by the sin and brokenness inherent in our journey. Some of those injuries will be self-inflicted, others caused by people we encounter along the way, and still others due to generational sins that have simmered for decades.

It takes much more than self-applied treatments to wash away the sin and heal the hurts. Praise God for providing the spotless Lamb who was slain (John 1:29; Revelation 5:12)! Jesus was wounded for our transgressions, all of them. He can commiserate with our weaknesses, yet was without sin (Hebrews 4:15). He heals the brokenhearted and binds up our wounds (Psalm 147:3). Blessed assurances!

The memories of past indiscretions linger, but just like the jagged scar I thought would be there forever, they’ve faded, replaced by the truth of Christ’s sacrificial love for me and my identity in Him.

Jesus still bears the wounds from His crucifixion (John 20:27-28). It saddens me to think about Him carrying those scars forever. But I am oh so grateful those wounds will ever plead for me and other ransomed sinners, as Charles Wesley penned in his hymn, “Arise, My Soul, Arise.”

I’ll close rejoicing with the final stanza and chorus of a more recent hymn, “The Power of the Cross:”[1]

Oh, to see my name
Written in the wounds,
For through Your suffering, I am free.
Death is crushed to death;
Life is mine to live,
Won through Your selfless love

This, the pow’r of the cross:
Son of God – slain for us.
What a love! What a cost!
We stand forgiven at the cross.

[1] Stuart Townsend and Keith Getty, “The Power of the Cross,” Thank You Music, 2005.

Swords Into Plowshares

/ Patsy Kuipers / Leave a comment

They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.
Micah 4:3

Recently, my daughter Jessie and I had the opportunity to visit England. A tour of Windsor Castle was high on my wish list of stops. When we entered the immense structure, threatening clouds filled the sky. Jessie and I agreed it made a fitting backdrop for the formidable fortress.

Many things about the massive compound impressed me, but one element reminded me of a Bible passage. When I saw a lush garden thriving in the gulley formerly occupied by the moat, I immediately thought of the phrase, “swords into plowshares.”

The phrase appears in Micah 4, a chapter brimming with future hope for the people of God. Take a look at the first four verses:

It shall come to pass in the latter days
    that the mountain of the house of the Lord
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
    and it shall be lifted up above the hills;
and peoples shall flow to it,
    and many nations shall come, and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
    to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
    and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
    and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between many peoples,
    and shall decide disputes for strong nations far away;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
    and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
    neither shall they learn war anymore;
but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree,
    and no one shall make them afraid,
    for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.

Like swords becoming plowshares and spears turning into pruning hooks, the once-menacing moat, long associated with intruders and fierce battles, is now a serene site. However, it is not accessible to visitors. I longed to stroll the flower-lined paths, but I could only admire the beauty from a distance as I peered over the stone wall erected centuries ago.

I rarely watch the news since doing so can leave me feeling anxious and overwhelmed. Yet even a glance at the headlines informs me of ongoing wars and uprisings around the world. Closer to home, I have friends waging battles of a different kind as they or loved ones fight to overcome cancer, depression, financial hardships, or myriad other challenges.

And then there are days like yesterday when events command my attention, when the brokenness that permeates our world takes center stage, making me wonder what will happen next. Seasons of upheaval and uncertainty, whether personal, within my church family, or in the public realm, drive me to remember and rehearse what I know to be true.

We’re not Home yet, and we will face hardships in this life. But we belong to the One who promised never to leave or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:8), the One who told us to take heart because He’s overcome the world (John 16:33), the One who will return to do away with the former things and establish His eternal kingdom (Revelation 21:1-5).

Though there are times when the waiting seems interminable, we wait in confident assurance of Jesus’ return. And while we wait, He graciously gives us glimpses of what it will be like when He makes all things new, like a once-ominous moat turned into a beautiful garden, even if we need to make the effort to peer over a wall to see them.

Epilog

By the time Jessie and I completed our tour of the magnificent state apartments in the Upper Ward, the sun had appeared. The blue sky and radiant light took the edge off the castle’s sinister side.

Jesus, the Light of the World, commands His followers to be light (John 8:12; Matthew 5:14-16). We have the hope of the Gospel (John 3:16) and the assurance of God’s promises to His people. May we endeavor to shine as beacons pointing others to the hope we have in Christ, making this dark world a bit brighter and less scary for all those God places along our paths.

For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you (Isaiah 54:10).

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them” (Revelation 21:3).

A Father’s Hugs

/ Patsy Kuipers / Leave a comment

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.
1 John 3:1

When my daughter and I started planning our long-awaited trip to England and France earlier this year, I gave her a short wish list of places I would like to visit and left the planning up to her. I thought it would be fun, but in hindsight, I realize it was a tremendous amount of work. Not only did she research the places on my list, but she also scheduled many other adventures, lodging options, and special meals.

As dedicated fans of Downton Abbey, Highclere Castle was near the top of the must-see list for both of us; however, Jessie didn’t secure reservations for us before we left. Instead, we hoped to get tickets when we showed up.

Our hopes were dashed when Jessie checked the castle’s website the night before we planned to visit. Bold letters proclaimed, “ALL TOURS SOLD OUT.”

Jessie lamented, “I’m sorry I didn’t reserve the tickets earlier, Mom!”

“It’s ok, Jess, you worked so hard arranging so many other details for our trip.”

I was disappointed about not getting to visit the castle, but I was more concerned that Jessie would focus on this perceived misstep and forget about all the other things she set up for us. We’re cut from the same cloth when it comes to focusing on the one thing we missed instead of giving ourselves credit for the many things we’ve accomplished.

I prayed as I drifted off to sleep, “Lord, nothing is impossible for You, and You know how much we would like to visit Highclere tomorrow, but if it’s not to be, then please help us to accept that and enjoy all the other things You’ve got in store for us on this trip. And please help Jessie not to be upset with herself.”

It was pouring rain when we got up the following morning.

Jessie asked, “What do you want to do, Mom? Should we just forget about it and move on?”

“Nope! When we get home, we’ll be over 4000 miles from here. Right now, we’re five miles from the castle. Let’s drive over and see how far we get. Eventually, we’ll meet up with someone at a checkpoint, and we can explain our situation. All they can say is no, but at least we will have tried, and maybe we’ll get to see it from the outside.”

We ate breakfast, donned our rain jackets, and set off. We traversed the winding drive, drawing ever closer to our destination. Sure enough, someone was minding the entrance to the parking area. But it wasn’t an armed guard. It was a delightful lady in a yellow slicker and rain boots. She listened as Jessie described our plight, then cheerfully replied, “The morning group has already entered the house, but if you come back at 2:30, you’ll be able to get in.”

Jessie and I could barely believe our ears.

“Should we be here earlier to make sure?”

“No need. Be here by 2:30, and you will get in.”

Happily astounded by this turn of events, we had lunch in a nearby village and made sure to return by the appointed time. The same cheerful lady was there to welcome us back when we approached at 2:15.

She checked her watch, “You’re early!”

Jessie and I replied in unison, “We didn’t want to miss our chance!”

“You won’t. Go ahead and park, and then go over to the ticket booth. Once you get your tickets, you can queue up in front of the house.”

We purchased our tickets and strode toward the mansion. A jumble of emotions welled up as we approached the stately manor we’d seen countless times across six seasons of Downton Abbey. It was all I could do to keep from sobbing. Not only would we get to tour the grand house, but even more importantly, I knew we’d received a bear hug from our heavenly Father.

In the ranking of responsibilities, enabling a visit to Highclere Castle barely registers when compared to keeping the universe going. But the One who hung the stars and spoke everything into existence also knows every detail of His children’s lives, and He graciously gives us good gifts that leave no doubt that He knows and loves us.

The heavenly hug I received on that damp, chilly day was specially tailored and multi-layered, as they often are:

  • I’ve been walking with the Lord for nearly 50 years, but I sometimes act like I’ve forgotten Truth that He’s repeatedly affirmed in my life. I genuinely believe I’m never out of His sight (Psalm 139). However, when I travel, I sometimes feel vulnerable, and the further I venture from my home base, the more uneasy I become. An ocean stood between home and me, providing ample fodder for concern, but the Highclere experience was a beautiful reminder that God hadn’t lost sight of us just because we were overseas. That reminder stayed with me for the rest of our twelve-day trip, a touchstone when some circumstance or another tempted me to worry.
  • If we’d reserved tickets for the morning entry time, we would have been soaked waiting to enter the castle. As it was, the rain had stopped by the time we queued up in the afternoon. No soggy jeans to deal with!
  • Perhaps most importantly, Jessie didn’t have to feel bad about not getting the tickets. I didn’t want a perceived failure to overshadow all the hard work my caring, capable, conscientious daughter put into planning our trip. Neither did her Father.

Today is Father’s Day. It may be a joyous occasion for many of you as you celebrate with your dad. For others, it may be a sad day. It is for me because it’s my first Father’s Day without my dad. Though our relationship was rocky at times, I knew Dad always had my back, and there were plenty of instances when his hugs calmed my fears. From childhood scrapes and booboos to life-changing losses in adulthood, he was there. I’m thankful for the love that accompanied those consoling embraces.

I pray those of you who, like me, no longer have your earthly fathers will take comfort in knowing you’re never out of sight or reach of your Heavenly Father. Look for His affectionate hugs – those little reminders that He sees, He knows, and He loves you more than you can imagine (Isaiah 49:15-16). 

Death Benefits, Revisited

/ Patsy Kuipers / Leave a comment

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20).

Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6 (NIV).

I’ve been known to gasp over a post-Christmas credit card bill or cringe when writing my annual property tax check, but this may have been a first – tears filled my eyes as I gazed at a deposit to my account. The deposit was present because my husband no longer is.

After dealing with the aftermath of Ray’s sudden death – notifying family and friends, planning and attending his visitation, funeral, and burial services, traveling back and forth to North Carolina – grief clouded my thinking and slowed my body. Not yet able to fully grasp the finality of the situation, I moved through my days moment-by-moment, piecing thoughts and decisions together, struggling to complete a puzzle missing an essential piece.

My parents’ presence not only comforted me, but their clearer minds filled in some of the gaps in my thinking. And so, some ten days after Ray’s passing, at my dad’s urging, we made our way to the Social Security office. I recorded the following in my journal:

“Gathered things to take to meeting with Social Security after I took Mary and Jessie to school – marriage license, passports, M&J’s birth certificates – happy bits of my life, now gathered for a very unhappy purpose.”

Nonetheless, thankfulness and relief washed over me when I heard my minor daughters qualified to receive monthly benefits, based on their dad’s earnings, until their 18th birthdays. I received a small, one-time widow’s stipend along with the news that I would be eligible to collect Ray’s benefits when I reached age 60, at least if I hadn’t remarried by then. Remarrying seemed highly improbable. Like a swan, I felt I mated once, for life. Regardless, my 60th birthday loomed 22 years in the future, a distant speck on a 21st-century calendar, so I filed that bit of information in the far reaches of my mind.

I dedicated myself to raising my daughters, completed a 30-year career at a large corporation, returned to school to study horticulture, and became “Grammie” to three precious little ones. All the while, the calendar pages kept turning with increasing velocity until that distant speck became an entry on my planner, “me – 60!!” Once again, I gathered important documents and went to the Social Security office. Thoughts of the former trip accompanied me, as did so many similar emotions, which became barely-contained tears as I resolutely recounted my story to the kind agent who entered my claim.

Several months later, the first deposit appeared on the designated date, eliciting the tears mentioned above. Ray’s benefits, based on his years of diligent work, were credited to my account. I had done nothing to earn them other than being his widow and believing that the benefits would be there as promised.

Each year, as the April 19th anniversary of Ray’s death approaches, I intentionally think back to my last week with him and my first one without him. My annual remembrance occurs in the same season as Holy Week, another time of intentional remembrance, though the exact dates of the latter change from year to year. From Palm Sunday to Good Friday, I recall the events of each day of Jesus’ final week, all He endured to save me, a destitute sinner with no hope of saving up any treasure worthy of entering the Father’s presence.

And then comes Resurrection Sunday! What joy and gratitude fill my heart, knowing Jesus’ sacrifice paid my debt and credited His perfect righteousness to my account, an account that now overflows with eternal blessings.

Indeed, Jesus’ sinless life, atoning death, and subsequent resurrection guarantee numerous benefits for those who belong to Him. Consider, for example:

  • Peace with God – Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). (See also Luke 2:14; Romans 15:13)
  • Forgiveness – To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name (Acts 10:43). (See also Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:13-14)
  • God’s abiding presence now – And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age  (Matthew 28:20b). (See also Deuteronomy 31:8)
  • and forever – Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God (Revelation 21:1-3).
  • An eternal home – In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also (John 14:2-3).
  • An imperishable body – Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality (1 Corinthians 15:51-53. (See 1 Corinthians 15:35-58 for the full description of the change we can look forward to.)
  • An eternal inheritance – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Peter 1:3-5).

I’m grateful to receive Ray’s Social Security payments. They connect me to him and remind me of his love and care while he was with me. But each month, when I see that deposit on my statement, it also reminds me of the One who is my ultimate and eternal Provider, the Giver of all good gifts (James 1:17), who didn’t spare His only Son, but gave Him up for us all (Romans 8:32) to secure death benefits of the most enduring kind.

The Light

/ Patsy Kuipers / Leave a comment

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:5

I’m tired. And a bit grumpy. The same thing happens every year when I lose an hour of sleep as we spring forward to Daylight Savings Time. I get out of sorts just thinking about it. But then, when evening of the shortened day descends, and it’s still light after dinner, I remember the benefits of those extra hours of light at the end of the day, including more time to work in my garden and go for walks.

I’ve shared a number of times on these pages that one of the things I like best about living in Georgia is the early arrival of spring and the long bloom season. Granted, the weather usually teases us with a few stretches of warm days followed by a return to near-freezing conditions before the last official frost date, sometimes with dire consequences for the plants that thought spring had arrived to stay.

But not so with the light. After the winter solstice, daylight gradually increases until the summer solstice, when it begins to decline again. My aunt used to give Mom an almanac calendar that noted the daily amount of daylight to the minute. By the end of December each year, Mom would happily report, “The days are getting longer!”

All this thinking about light led me to ponder THE Light.

In one of His discourses with the Pharisees, Jesus declared, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

The Apostle Paul affirmed our status in his letter to the Colossians: (The Father) has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,  in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13-14).

Peter also mentioned darkness and light as he described our incredible identity in Christ: But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy (1 Peter 2:9-10).

However, we must not overlook the fact that ushering us into the kingdom of light plunged Jesus into the depths of darkness as He took our sins upon Himself and endured the wrath of God on our behalf, thus removing the barrier between us and the Father:

And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” . . . And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom (Mark 15:33-34, 37-38).

The lyrics of a song we sing at church depict the painful separation of Father and Son. The words often bring me to tears as I contemplate the darkness Jesus endured for us:

How deep the Father’s love for us,
How vast beyond all measure,
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure.
How great the pain of searing loss –
The Father turns His face away,
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory.[1]

Even though Jesus secured victory over death by His sacrifice on the cross, this world is still marred by sin and brokenness. There are times when we experience darkness, collectively as the Body of Christ and individually – illness, disappointments, broken hearts, and dashed dreams. But, the darkness will never overcome the Light. And, as His representatives, we’re to shine brightly, glorifying God and pointing others to the hope we have in Jesus.

In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus declared as much:

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16

Just as Mom used to get excited about the incremental minutes of daylight, we can rejoice in knowing we’re getting ever closer to Jesus’ promised return. The day is coming when darkness will be defeated once and for all, overcome by the brilliance of the spotless Lamb, surrounded by His followers arrayed in radiant robes of righteousness that have been washed in His blood:

And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life (Revelation 21:22-27).

Dear readers, I hope my musings and, more importantly, the passages of Scripture I’ve included in this post will give you some things to consider as we look forward to celebrating Easter later this month. How blessed we are that God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die for us so that we might be welcomed into the kingdom of Light forever!

[1] “How Deep the Father’s Love”, Stuart Townend, 1995
Photo courtesy of Google Images.

Gratitude

/ Patsy Kuipers / Leave a comment

I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.
Psalm 86:12

It wasn’t a chirp or a tweet but an intermittent, melodious trill that caught my attention. The pattern – a snippet of song followed by a moment of silence – repeated several times, causing me to look out the window to see which feathered friend was singing so sweetly. There, perched on the suet, was a Carolina wren, one of the smaller birds that visit the buffet of treats I’ve placed on my deck. I watched him take a nibble (silence), then sing his little song. The endearing sight both charmed and convicted me. Charmed because I imagined the tiny creature thanking the Creator after each bite. Convicted since I know there are times when I fail to express my thankfulness to the Giver of all good gifts (James 1:17).

Longtime readers know I’m a ponderer. Thus, my thoughts turned to how I feel when someone doesn’t thank me for a gift or an act of kindness, which quickly led to me remembering the story of Jesus healing ten lepers (Luke 17:11-19). Only one, a Samaritan, came back to thank Jesus. Scripture doesn’t tell us why the other nine didn’t return, so we’re left to surmise their reasons. Maybe they were astonished at being healed, so overwhelmed with joy that they couldn’t wait to show their friends and relatives after they showed themselves to the priests. Who knows how long they’d been outcasts, separated by the uncleanness of the dread disease?

I doubt ingratitude for such a miraculous healing was the main reason they didn’t return, yet Jesus’ question, “Where are the nine?” conveys His disappointment in the behavior of those who went on their merry way. There are times when I’m thankful, but I don’t take the extra step to express that gratitude to God or to the person who’s blessed me. That robs God of the glory He deserves, the other person of the gladness of knowing they made a difference, and me from the delight of counting my blessings and realizing there’s so much more for me than against me!

Expressing gratitude is a joy-producing practice. As Christians, we can start by acknowledging that everything we have and are, from each breath we take to our salvation in Christ and every blessing in between, big or small, are gifts from our gracious heavenly Father (Ephesians 1:3). Then, we can be intentional about recognizing the good gifts others give us, both the material and relational, tangible and intangible.

God deserves all honor, praise, and glory, and we benefit by acknowledging and appreciating all He’s given us. Over the years, studies have shown a correlation between gratitude and emotional well-being, with thankful people being more positive and hopeful.

As we celebrate Valentine’s Day later this week, may we remember that God loved us so much He gave us the most precious gift He could give – His one and only Son (John 3:16). And let us never adopt a sense of entitlement, thinking we deserve the bountiful blessings He bestows upon us. Instead, let us endeavor to cultivate an attitude of gratitude, being thankful for every morsel and miracle He gives us until we find ourselves singing a happy song of thanksgiving like the little wren.

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.
Psalm 30:4

New Year’s Resolution

/ Patsy Kuipers / Leave a comment

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
2 Corinthians 5:17

Making New Year’s resolutions is a tradition for many of us. Something about opening up a new planner full of blank pages waiting to be filled in or turning the calendar to January 1 inspires us to make changes in ourselves. Sadly, despite our best intentions, breaking those resolutions is about as common as making them in the first place.

But what if we were to resolve to do something that we knew for sure we’d accomplish? There is something, but we can’t do it on our own.

When we endeavor to become more like Christ, we can be certain of accomplishing our goal because it’s God’s will for us, and the process is all of Him. Reflect on these assurances:

  • God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him (Ephesians 1:4).
  • Those (God) foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers (Romans 8:29).
  • We are being transformed into his image from one degree of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18) by the power at work within us, the same power that rose Jesus from the grave (Ephesians 1:19-20).
  • For it is [not your strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13, AMP).
  • Ask anything according to His will, and He’ll do it for us (1 John 5:14-15).

Isn’t that encouraging?

When we think of resolution, most of us think of the primary definition: a firm decision to do or not to do something.

But if you keep reading through the list of definitions, you’ll come to this one: the degree of detail visible in a photographic or television image. That description reminds me of a statement made by my spiritual mother, Susan Hunt, “We become what we behold.” The more we look into God’s word – living, active, sharper than a two-edged sword –  the more precise our picture of His character, His promises, and His will for our lives becomes (Hebrews 4:12).

Let’s consider again the initial verse from 2 Corinthians 5, continuing to the end of the chapter: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (1 Corinthians 5:17-21).

Our pastor often reminds us that we are Christ’s ambassadors as we live in the now-and-not-yet, in between Jesus’ first coming, when He ushered in God’s new kingdom, and His second, when that kingdom will be fully consummated. We’re already counted righteous in Christ, seated in the heavenly places with Him (Ephesians 2:5-7), but we still struggle with sin (Romans 7:19-20). However, given our new nature and our new citizenship, we’re to embrace, embody, and extend to others the goodness and grace we’ve experienced because of God’s work in our lives, being salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16).

Later this year, I’ll celebrate the 50th anniversary of my baptism and public profession of faith. In those five decades, the Spirit has done a mighty work – chiseling, sanding, polishing – making me more into the image of Jesus. I’m not the same person I was then, and by His grace, I won’t be the same person I am now when I turn the calendar to January 2025. The same can be said for all God’s children, be they baby saints just beginning their journey with Him or seasoned saints drawing ever closer to Home.

Our transformation won’t be complete until Jesus returns, but we can be confident that He who began a good work in us will see it through to completion (Philippians 1:6). Then, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, we will be changed (1 Corinthians 15:52-53)!

For now, may we heed  God’s charge and resolve to be kingdom representatives, endeavoring to live up to what we’re already counted to be in Christ, knowing we’re not laboring alone or in our own strength.