Solid Gold Mink Coat!

Photo taken by Allison Smith

I remember as if was yesterday, when I got my new coat! My grandma bought it for me! It was grey suede with a fur collar and I thought it was beautiful. As a very excited second grader, I told everyone I had a “solid gold mink coat”. I was proud as I walked to school the next day, I just knew that everyone noticed my wonderful coat I even skipped along hoping that I would be more noticable. I had just begun my walk home from school when a little boy started chasing me home! Boy, that was fast I thought, already I have a boyfriend, and in my second grade mind I just knew he had noticed how nice I looked in my new coat and “liked“ me! I ran like the wind and was sure my new coat was not only beautiful but had made me run even faster. I made it home and couldn’t wait until the next day when maybe my new “boyfriend” would chase me again. As I made my way to school for the next few days, the same little boy chased me, I giggled at the thought of a boy really liking me, even though I didn‘t know his name or even exactly what he looked like since I was always running. On about the forth day I was ambushed from behind and knocked to the ground, the man of my dreams shrieked “never touch my bike again” and as I lay there he wiped his muddy shoe on my new “solid gold mink coat”. I was stunned to say the least! I can remember to this day the hurt I felt, and the way I felt so embarrassed and betrayed. I had done nothing wrong, never touched his bike or even knew where he lived! I was innocent of doing wrong! My beautiful coat would never be beautiful again with mud embedded into the soft suede, even the faux fur had lost it’s previously beautiful glow because of the ugliness of that day! I don’t remember if I told anyone or what was said about my dirty coat, but the sting of that day is still etched in my mind after all these years.

Have you ever felt ambushed, not knowing what you had done wrong? I think most of us have been. It’s as if you were just minding your own business when whammy here came that muddy foot that you were not expecting. In the bible there is a wonderful story of Joseph who also had a special coat!

Now Israel (Jacob) loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colors.

Genesis 37:3

Joseph was one of those people who was ambushed! Oh yeah he had teased his brothers and it was kind of fun to rub it in that he was his Father Jacob’s favorite. Jacob even gave him a special coat because he loved him so much which was a good indication that he had not read many parenting books. It was also fun telling his brothers of the dreams he had that seem to mean he would someday be the one that they bowed to. But not in a million years did he think his own flesh and blood would plot to kill him. But when they seen him coming toward them, they planned how to kill him. After taking his “coat of many colors” they threw him down a well while they decided what to do with him. They came to the conclusion not to kill him but to sell him as a slave to some traveling merchants. Joseph’s coat was dipped in blood and the brothers told Jacob that Joseph had been killed by wild animals.

From there, Joseph’s story reads like a novel in Genesis but through it all God was with Joseph! He seemed to succeed in all things against all difficulties and finally was in the place God wanted him to be. There was a famine in the land and Jacob sent the brothers to get food. There they came face to face with there little brother, who had been put in charge of the food supply they so desperately needed. At first the brothers did not recognize him but Joseph knew right away who they were the Bible says he went away and privately wept at seeing them. Eventually Joseph revealed himself to them and sent for Jacob and his brothers to come to live near him. When Jacob died his brothers were afraid Joseph would then kill them, so they threw themselves down at Joseph’s feet and asked for his forgiveness. I love his response.

Genesis 50:19-20

But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done the saving of many lives.

God always has a plan for our lives even when we are brushing the mud off of our new coat, He is always there to turn it into good so that we can accomplish His plan in us.

Did I ever forgive the little boy for ruining my “solid gold fur coat”? Well, by my estimation this little boy is probably in his sixties and probably didn’t give another thought to me or my coat but I will say I’ll never go near his bike!

Mother of the Year

Of all the Mother’s Days I have had there is one that sticks out in my memory the most. I believe it was 1973 and I had my daughter Christa who was two and my twin daughters Kelly and Nealy who were 7 months and I was one busy Mom! The twins had been in the hospital more than they had been out in their 7 months and Christa was admitted twice for surgery. Just about the time I would get settled on a schedule one or both of the twins would go into the hospital. By the time they were discharged from the hospital they, like most infants, had changed so again we had to establish a new “norm”. Within that same year we had gotten into two car wrecks, neither one was our fault and had our car stolen off the church parking lot. It makes me tired just thinking of it! A man once sarcastically asked Larry, “where is your God that he would let all of these things happen”? Larry simply said, my girls recovered from their illnesses, we survived two wrecks that could have killed us all and our car was returned unharmed! He didn’t stop the storm, he held our hand as we went through it.


The reason Mother’s Day sparks all these memories is because this particular year they were giving out a “Mother of the Year” award! I’m sure that as people watched us drag our little brood to church they gave me the sympathy vote, but, none the less, when the award was announced, it was me who won! I can’t remember what I won but it was the encouragement that was the best part. I’m sure I wasn’t the best mom in the church, or for sure not the best dressed since every outfit I owned had spit-up on each shoulder. My house took no awards for being the cleanest, nor did I have a glow of spirituality but my church and my Lord gave me the affirmation that day that we were not alone through these harried times. We were where we were called to be and I was blessed to be Mom to these beautiful baby girls!


If you are a harried mom of toddlers, a worried mother of teens or have grown children that keep you on your knees I so dub you “MOTHER OF THE YEAR!” Remember to look up from your busy life and see people cheering you on and don’t forget that God has a plan for your children and for you!


Happy Mother’s Day!







　







　







　

Are you Prickly?

As I sat outside today on that old familiar “Prayer Chair” I tried to take in the scenery that I had missed seeing during winter. Surprisingly, only a few days into the “official” spring there were so many signs of new life. How I had missed these old friends! The breeze and the sun was warm as I prayed and meditated on God’s word. I marveled at how the bright sun and warm breezes made me even more thankful for God’s goodness. After I finished I sat and just breathed in the beauty. I remembered last spring how my granddaughter Riley asked me take her on one of our “tree lesson walks”. That was when I would take her to each kind of tree, show her the leaves, the bark and anything else that would help her remember the tree and it’s name. The older she has gotten the more names she has remembered. I remember a couple of years ago after a visit and a tree lesson, Riley and her Mom stopped at a McDonalds and Riley got up to the drive-up window and shrieked “My Mama and Papa have a Golden Rain tree and you ought to see it”. Needless to say the voice at the other end didn’t know what to think and quickly took their order. One of our favorite trees was the Sweet Gum tree. After looking at all the other trees she would want to see that one. One afternoon she came up to me as I worked in the yard and said “Where is the candy tree”? It took me awhile to know what she was talking about so she tried to clarify it by saying “you know…the gumball tree”! I laughed as I thought about the gumballs that she was talking about. Anyone who has seen a Sweet Gum tree knows that it’s gum balls are prickly little balls that can be quite a problem if you want a nice neat yard or if you step on one with your bare feet. So today as I looked at the “candy tree” I thought of my sweet Riley.

My Sweet Gum tree is a beautiful tree, with shiny green leaves that resemble the unusual shape of a maple tree. The thick, shiny leaves along with the trees overall shape makes a wonderful addition to any lawn except for what hides beneath the beautiful façade. They are what Riley refers to as the “gumballs”! These little things are usually considered a nuisance and some people even cut them down to get rid of the unwanted little balls.

Since this tree is one of the last to get leaves, today my tree is barren, with no signs of beauty only these prickly brown balls. I have met Christian people like my tree, on the outside they are stunning! They teach Sunday School, work in the nursery and even know that “church lingo”! They can praise the Lord with the best of them but when the cold winds blow there is nothing left but prickly balls of hate, unforgiveness, or pride. I don’t have to look to hard to find these prickly ball people, no farther than my mirror! I think all of us are susceptible to the devils tricks. He would like nothing better than for us to harbor bitterness, let pride grow unseen, or anything that would cause us to be separated from God. Anything to hurt our witness to those who watch our lives. The Lord says that the fruits of the spirit should not be prickly but beautiful, like LOVE, JOY, PEACE, LONGSUFFERING, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, MEEKNESS, SELF-CONTROL!

So when the winter of old age, or the winds of suffering blows away my façade I pray that instead of prickly gum balls, people will see the true fruits of the Spirit in me!

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control; against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

If you squeeze an orange you should get orange juice! When I get in a “squeeze” what comes out of me?

Temple Restoration!

In the book of Haggai it is found that God was unhappy that His Temple was in such disarray! It seems that the Israelites were more interested in other things and so let things go in the Temple. Weeds were growing up around it, shutters were hanging half off and the steps were rickety. The people had a bad habit of procrastinating and said “it is not a good time to rebuild the temple, maybe tomorrow”. God said through Haggai the prophet: “you need to take a good look at your life and your priorities”. He wanted them to take their eyes off of themselves and look at him.

I myself am a procrastinator, especially if the job seems overwhelming. I’m sure, as the days went by and the Temple was more and more in disrepair, it seemed impossible to get done and after all they had more important things to do. Anyway, all that activity kept their mind off of this looming task that need to be done. They found though that none of the things thought to be important, satisfied them, not money, clothes or food and drink! They never felt fulfilled no matter what they bought or ate!

It’s said that our bodies are “the Temple of God”. As far as temples go, mine is in total disarray! I have procrastinated when it comes to exercise or eating right. I have ignored the doctor’s warnings about my ever rising cholesterol level and the wear and tear that the added weight has on my joints. My energy level has hit bottom and I always feel tired. God said, “take a good hard look at yourself and think it over” (Wow that is powerful). I feel like it is time for me to restore this “temple” of mine. I want to be able to do more for God, I want to have lots of time to enjoy my kids and grandkids and I want to be the “temple” God designed me to be.

I love what God says to the people through Haggai the prophet:

Then God said: "Here's what I want you to do: Climb into the hills and cut some timber. Bring it down and rebuild the Temple. Do it just for me. Honor me. Haggai 1:8

I love it when he says, “Do it just for me”! Whether, like me, your body and health needs an overhaul or maybe your priorities could stand to have a clean up, think of it as doing it just for Him.

"LET GO"!

When I was about ten, and about this time of year, late February or early March, my dad took me fishing with him. It was cold, rainy and miserable which to my dad was perfect timing. After we started catching bull heads (catfish) which my dad described as pan sized we soon forgot the uncomfortable conditions. My dad’s bobber was the first to go down and up came the first catch of the day, a beautiful fish with a golden belly and horns that I was told not to touch. Feeling a little envious of his catch I watched my bobber or as my dad called it, my cork even closer. We didn’t sit there too long until dad and I both got a bite and I yanked for all I was worth. As my cane pole bent under the pulling of the whale on my hook, I told my dad who was busy with his own fish, “I think it’s a big one”. I pulled and pulled until my dad said something that astonished me, he said “let go”! With that I planted my little feet in firmly and pulled all the harder! Again he said “let go, you are pulling against me”! What was this? I finally get a bite and he says “let go”. He evidently doesn’t know what I know about the big fish pulling on my line. After much prompting he finally was laughing so hard he could hardly get the words out, “let go” you are pulling against me”. He was pulling one way and I the other! We had both hooked the same fish and we were both trying to pull him in. I heard that story told many times when fish stories were shared ,and it always made my dad laugh. He would always laugh and tell how I was determined that I was not going to let go and he couldn‘t convince me that in order to catch the little yellow bull head I needed to let go and let him take over! I don’t remember if he pulled it in or not, I only remember thinking that I knew best, and wondering why my Dad didn’t realize that.

Many times I hang on to things and situations while all the time my heavenly Father is saying “let go and let me take over”. And just as many times I dig my feet in and say no way this is all mine, I know best. When I have a problem I pull for all I am worth, God says give it to me “I‘ll take your burden” but I give it another yank until I am worn out from the struggle. “I’ve got this one God”, I say with my actions “thanks anyway”! Somehow I think if I worry, fret and use my own strength, I can pull it off, but finally I have to say “okay, God I give it to you. I am not accomplishing a thing with my worry, nor is my puny efforts getting me anywhere”. I will let go so you can accomplish what I cannot. Take over, Lord!

Do you have a burden so big that you are bent from the weight of it? Are you reluctant to let go for fear that God can’t really see how important it is or maybe wouldn‘t handle it the way you planned? I have been there and God still tells me LET GO, let me take over. Just as that little girl of many years ago, I some times dig my feet in and say “I want it my way and if I give it to you it might not turn out like I want”! I hear God say “it will turn out better, my child”!

May the Lord be praised! Day after day He bears our burdens; God is our salvation. Selah

Psalm 68:19

Calm Down

It was a beautiful day here in our neck-of-the-woods so I grabbed my bible, my study books, my coffee and a few of my critters to go out to my “prayer chair”. The sun was beautiful and a Cardinal cheerfully sang “birdie, birdie, birdie”. Ahh it was so good to be out to my prayer chair! I had been out there even in the bad weather and had even kneeled in the snow to pray a few times but to actually be able to sit comfortably was wonderful. I put my things down, moved the cat that wanted to be on my lap and opened my bible. The only problem was, the thin pages of my bible did not want to stay put because of the breeze that was blowing. I didn’t really have the nerve to ask God outright to stop the wind since it was such a small thing, but I just hinted at it. “Lord, it would sure be nice if that wind stopped for a little while so I could enjoy my time with you” hint, hint! The wind seemed to whistle even harder across the pages of the bible and I was cold! I pulled the collar of my thin coat up around my ears and neck to keep them warm. “Sure is uncomfortable here, Lord” I wish the wind would die down a bit”! I may have to cut this short, I am just not comfortable even with the beautiful sun shining on me, I complained. At that moment, it was as if the Lord said to me…. Just go get your heavy coat and maybe a hat! Duh, I thought. He would not stop the wind but he was telling me to go get the things that he had provided to shelter me from the wind. Sometimes He doesn’t stop the wind but instead gives us what we need to withstand the cold blast of life. He gives us his word to encourage us, he gives us brothers and sisters to come along side us and he gives us his presence as he hides us there. But rest assured even when we don’t feel Him, when we only feel the cold winds of life, he is there! You probably have heard the saying “sometimes he doesn’t calm the storm, he calms his child”, I love that. Many times I pray for the storms of life to pass me by but the Lord seems to say “my grace is sufficient for you even in the midst of the storm”. Calm down my child, I’ll hold your hand as you go get a coat! Praise God!

WHEN!

In my devotions today the question was asked “Do you feel inferior”. I had to think about that for awhile because there was a time in my youth that I can say, I felt inferior as most teenagers do at times. But as for now, I didn't think so but it didn't seem that I could get that out of my head.

Later as I read the parable of the ten virgins, I saw myself in a different light. If you remember, five virgins were wise and brought enough oil for the lamps so that it would be shining when the bridegroom came. The other five were foolish and had to go to Wal-Mart to buy more and while they were gone the bridegroom came and they were left in the dark. Guess who I identified with? You’re right if you said the five dumbbells. I started to reflect back on other things and what side I came down on. When Jesus took the disciples with him to pray, and when he returned they were sleeping, guess who was wiping the sleep from her eyes. Hey, I even understand the poor guy that was given just one talent, he, after all, was doing what he thought was best. Then I thought of poor Peter. He was quite the guy. When the soldiers came to get Jesus to crucify him, he cut the ear off of one of the soldiers, but later when people pointed to him and said “Isn’t he one of Jesus followers?” Peter denied Him three times just as the Lord had predicted. Hmmm, would that be something I would do? Like Peter, I would stand and say “Not me” but would I? Have I ever failed miserably after feeling so proud of myself? I certainly have. But what I like about Peter’s story is what I read in Luke 22:31-32. This is what Jesus told Peter at the Last Supper of our Lord.

Jesus said:

Simon, Simon Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And WHEN you have turned back, strengthen your brothers. Luke 22:31-32

Hey, there is hope for me because every time WHEN I came back, my heart was softened toward my brothers and sisters. Then I could tell them, “I know what you mean” I forgotten to get oil for my lamp, I have been asleep as Satan sneaked up on me and I closed my eyes to the power of God. To be on the safe side, I have hidden my talent for fear of being rejected. It seemed right at the time! Dear Sisters and Brothers I have failed my Lord more times than I can count but he tells me that WHEN I turn back he has a job for me to do. May the Lord help us to strengthen our Brothers!