Husbands, Holiness, and a Painted Turtle -- Fourth the Series of Cruise Devotions

I should have known there was more going on than mere bartering.

My husband and I were on the beach in Nassau, Bahamas. All day long we had bartered with the locals. "Don't pay full price for anything," the cruise director had coached us that morning before we left the ship. Since it had taken us nine months and a temporary job cleaning a dental office to save for the cruise itself, we weren't about to misspend the small amount of discretionary income we had brought with us.

We had bargained for a cab ride to the beach, negotiated a better price for our lounge chairs, and had even tried unsuccessfully to buy two bottles of cold water for the price of one. We said no to at least twenty different locals walking the beach trying to sell us hair braiding, key chains, jet ski rides, and fancy drinks in coconut shells. That's why I was mystified at my husband's lengthy exchange with Sam, a thin, dark-skinned young man of about 20.

He was selling painted turtles made from coconut shells. "Please sir," he said, "my mother makes these, and we're trying to raise money to buy a bus for our school."

"What do you think?" my husband asked me.

What I thought was Seven dollars for a painted coconut shell? What in the world would I do with it? I'd rather have that bottle of water I just said "no" to. And there probably is no school bus fund. This guy's playing on your sympathy. He sees "Sucker" written all over your face.

What I said was, "It's up to you, honey."


Since I hadn't said "no," the young man shared a few more details about the bus fund and his mother, and eventually walked away with seven of our hard-earned dollars in his pocket.

As my husband presented the turtle to me with a flourish and a slight bow for dramatic effect, I realized he was giving me a lesson that was worth much more than seven dollars.

Throughout my husband's conversation with Sam, all I saw was the value of the turtle in comparison with the value of our money. David saw the value of Sam.

Whether Sam's mother had painted the turtle or he bought it from a "Cheap Souvenirs for Dumb Americans" catalog, whether there was a school bus fund or Sam was going to pocket the money didn't really matter to David. God touched his heart and prompted him to give to Sam. The turtle was incidental. 

Scripture tells us to "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you" (Luke 6:38).

My husband's generous heart toward Sam stood in stark contrast to my own self-centered one. He was a powerful example of how God often calls us to look beyond the surface and into someone's heart. It made me wonder how many other people I walk past without ever stopping to consider whether God might want to use me in their lives.

Every morning I pray the words of Ephesians 5:25-26 for my husband. "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, to make her holy." I realized my prayer had been answered that day on the beach. God had used David to bring me one step closer to holiness through his powerful example of kind-hearted generosity.

And I have a lovely painted turtle to remind me of the lesson I learned that day on the beach.

You want to connect with God, but in the craziness of life, it’s just not happening. You want practical, biblical answers to situations you face every day, but you don’t have hours to pore over Scripture.

You need a resource that answers the questions you’re afraid to ask out loud. Questions like:

• Is my situation hopeless?
• If God already knows what he’s going to do, why bother to pray? 
• Why have you allowed this to happen to me? 
• No one appreciates what I do. Why shouldn’t I quit? 

Each devotion begins with a Facetime question and ends with a biblical answer wrapped in a modern day parable. Like a spiritual power bar, Hungry for God … Starving for Time is packed with enough scriptural nutrition to get you through the day. Wherever you are—in break rooms, carpool lines, or wherever you can snatch five minutes of quiet reflection—Hungry for God … Starving for Time, 5-Minute Devotions for Busy Women is for you.

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Trapped in the Middle of the Ocean -- Third in the Series of Cruise Devotions

"I could never go on a cruise," a friend of mine said the other day as we discussed my recent 27th anniversary cruise. "There's just something about being stuck out in the middle of the ocean, unable to get back to land whenever you want to that makes me feel, well . . . vulnerable," she concluded.

I understand exactly how she feels. 

I shared her feelings as our ship pulled away from the dock on that first day, and I watched the skyline of Charleston get smaller and smaller until it disappeared completely. Although our ship had seemed enormous when we boarded, it was dwarfed by the miles of empty ocean that soon surrounded it. Gazing at the lifeboats strung like wooden beads around the ship caused a tiny flutter of fear to dance in my middle as I pondered the "what ifs."

Other experiences over the course of my lifetime have fed that butterfly of fear:

Taking a mission trip to another country.
Sending a child off to college.
Signing consent forms for surgery.
Helping my daughter move to one of the most dangerous cities in the country.
Making a will.

These experiences and others like them cause us to realize a truth we try not to think about -- we are vulnerable.

The apostle Paul felt that same vulnerability. As he said goodbye to loved ones and friends, he said, "I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there." He recognized, contrary to what William Henley suggests in his poem, "Invictus," that we are not masters of our own fates, nor captains of our own souls.

On the contrary, we owe the very breath in our bodies and the life in our souls to God's great love and care. Jeremiah the prophet understood this when  he penned Lamentations 3:22. He said it is "because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail."

It is also on the basis of God's love and sovereign control over the events of our lives that we can rest secure. Corrie Ten Boom said this, "In the center of a hurricane there is absolute peace and quiet. There is no safer place than in the center of the will of God." 

This reminds me that I am safer in the center of God's will in the deepest jungles of Africa than outside God's will in my own home. Safety is not in a place. Safety is in a person. And as Corrie said, safety is not always the absence of difficulty, but the presence of God.

Paul knew this. Listen to his poignant words of farewell to friends he knew he would never see again on this side of eternity. 

"And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me."

"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace" (Acts 20:22-24).  

Is God calling you today out of your place of apparent safety and into the center of His will, risky though that may appear to be? If His calling is sure, you are safe to follow Him. 

 "Without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him" (Heb. 11:6).

You can trust Him. 


"By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God" (Heb. 11:8-10).

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You want to connect with God, but in the craziness of life, it’s just not happening. You want practical, biblical answers to situations you face every day, but you don’t have hours to pore over Scripture.

You need a resource that answers the questions you’re afraid to ask out loud. Questions like:

• Is my situation hopeless?
• If God already knows what he’s going to do, why bother to pray? 
• Why have you allowed this to happen to me? 
• No one appreciates what I do. Why shouldn’t I quit? 

Each devotion begins with a Facetime question and ends with a biblical answer wrapped in a modern day parable. Like a spiritual power bar, Hungry for God … Starving for Time is packed with enough scriptural nutrition to get you through the day. Wherever you are—in break rooms, carpool lines, or wherever you can snatch five minutes of quiet reflection—Hungry for God … Starving for Time, 5-Minute Devotions for Busy Women is for you.


 

 

 

You're Invited to the Family Reunion - Second in the Series of Cruise Devotions

Have you ever been to a family reunion? 

My paternal grandmother, Myrtle Slice, had ten children, over fifty grandchildren, and innumerable great-grandchildren. Family reunions on the Slice side were amazing. Every few years relatives from as far away as New England and as near as Columbia would descend on family land in Sandy Run, South Carolina, for a day of fun, food, and family.

Reno & Rose -- my brother and sister

What I enjoyed most about family reunions as a child was the chance to meet relatives I didn’t know. Because of differing vacation schedules, not everyone attended each reunion. 

Our section of the family, affectionately labeled “the Yankees,” came from Rhode Island only every four or five years. At one reunion in the 1970s, my sisters and I were happy to finally meet several cousins who were close in age to us. We still enjoy the relationships we began at that family reunion.

I enjoyed an unexpected family reunion last week in Nassau, Bahamas.

My husband and I had spent the day on the beautiful beaches of Nassau and were making our way back to the cruise ship on which we were traveling. As we climbed out of the taxi van we had shared with eight other tourists, a man asked us a question. 

A conversation developed, and before long we had exchanged basic information. We discovered that Reno and his wife, Rose, were traveling on the Aida, a beautifully painted ship docked next to ours. They were German, and Reno spoke much better English than his wife.

Reno had noticed David’s Operation Christmas Child t-shirt and the cross around my neck and wondered if we were Christians. 

His questions and our answers helped us discover that despite being born in two different countries, speaking two different languages, and living in vastly different parts of the world, we were brothers and sisters in Christ. We experienced the indescribable sense of family connection as we swapped stories of our conversions, our local churches, and our ministries. 

While the joy of finding cousins I hadn’t met yet at my physical family’s reunion had always been delightful, finding members of my spiritual family that afternoon in Nassau was even more so. We shared the Apostle John’s deep satisfaction at being a part of a world-wide family of believers. He wrote about it in 1 John 1:3 when he said, “truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.”

As we parted from Reno and Rose, we linked arms while my husband prayed for them. His prayer contained these words. “Father, as Reno and Rose board their ship, and we board ours, we know that we may never meet again on this earth. We know, though, that we will meet again someday in Heaven, and we will be together for all of eternity. Thank you for the chance to fellowship as brothers and sisters in Christ today.”

It was one of the nicest family reunions I have ever experienced.

One day there will be an enormous family reunion in Heaven. It will be grand and glorious as all God’s children come to live with Him for all eternity. 

But like the Slice family reunion is only for those who bear our family name, God’s family reunion is also limited. It’s not enough to have been physically born. To be part of God’s family, we must also be spiritually born. Galatians 3:26 and 28 puts it this way, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”

If you have never been born into the family of God, or perhaps you’re not sure, you can settle the matter today by praying a prayer something like this. “God, I know I am a sinner. I also know that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins. I accept what He did on my behalf. I repent of my sins, and ask You to come into my heart and life and make me a new person. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

 

If you prayed this prayer and meant it with all your heart, God’s word has a promise for you. “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). This means you are now a member of His family. That makes us brothers and sisters in Christ. 

Welcome to the family. I’ll see you at the reunion!

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How's Your Vision? First in the Series of Cruise Devotions

The only time I saw the painting was when I was lying in bed. Not a fan of abstract art, I remember glancing at it one night and wondering why so many interior decorators favor the style. It was colorful enough, I conceded, and it definitely complimented the tropical theme of the cruise ship, but as a pragmatist, I prefer knowing what I am looking at without having to guess.

Today I saw the painting in a whole new light.

Propped up on the side of the bed reading my Bible, I waited for my husband to finish showering. As I glanced at the painting, I noticed with surprise that there were three figures in the lower corner. There were also bright green palm trees, pink hibiscus flowers, and a canopy of foliage forming a frame for the tropical scene. The artwork I had dismissed as abstract was suddenly full of recognizable details.

Puzzled, I wondered how I had missed the beauty of the painting.

Then it hit me. 

Up until that morning, because of the layout of the stateroom, I had only been able to see the painting after I had climbed into bed. I wear contact lenses, so by bedtime each night, I had already removed them. 

Without my contacts, I can only see details if they are within 18 inches of my face. Today I sat on the bed for the first time with my corrective lenses on. What had been a blurry and totally abstract painting suddenly became crystal clear. I could see the details I had missed before with my compromised vision.

Sometimes I see our world the same way.

Last week I heard of a friend’s son and daughter-in-law who lost a baby shortly after birth because of a terrible congenital disorder. I heard news of an estranged father who killed himself and his two young sons in an explosive house fire. I heard a patient of mine had dropped dead of a heart attack while eating breakfast at Hardees.

From my near-sighted perspective, sometimes our world seems hopeless.

Until I realize that I have a flawed perspective. I am only looking, as the King James version says, “through a glass darkly” (1 Cor. 12:13). The New International Version puts it this way, “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror.” 

Like my view of the painting in my stateroom, my perspective on life is often short-sighted and limited; all I see is what is immediately in front of me. This, however, is not an accurate perception.

When I gaze at the world through the corrective lens of the Word of God, I realize that God’s plan for mankind is not limited to today or tomorrow, to my lifetime or yours. He has all of eternity at his disposal. 

He steadfastly moves, sometimes silently, sometimes loudly, through the calendar of history to work out his plan for humanity. Although my lifetime seems like the only time period that matters, God’s word reminds me that my time on earth is just a few pages in the grand adventure of forever.

Isaiah 65:17-20 gives me God’s vision. His perspective gives me hope when sadness and sorrow threaten to distort my view of the world.

 "Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind . . . the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more. Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years. . . They will not toil in vain or bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the LORD, they and their descendants with them. Before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.”

If you are struggling with disappointment and discouragement, I challenge you to put on the corrective lenses of God’s word. Learn to take the long view of eternity. You’ll be amazed at what you see.

You want to connect with God, but in the craziness of life, it’s just not happening. You want practical, biblical answers to situations you face every day, but you don’t have hours to pore over Scripture.

You need a resource that answers the questions you’re afraid to ask out loud. Questions like:

• Is my situation hopeless?
• If God already knows what he’s going to do, why bother to pray? 
• Why have you allowed this to happen to me? 
• No one appreciates what I do. Why shouldn’t I quit? 

Each devotion begins with a Facetime question and ends with a biblical answer wrapped in a modern day parable. Like a spiritual power bar, Hungry for God … Starving for Time is packed with enough scriptural nutrition to get you through the day. Wherever you are—in break rooms, carpool lines, or wherever you can snatch five minutes of quiet reflection—Hungry for God … Starving for Time, 5-Minute Devotions for Busy Women is for you.

If you enjoyed this post, why not subscribe? I'll send you twice-weekly 5-minute devotions to help nourish your soul. 
Because women need to connect with God in the craziness of life. 

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