“I have discovered that it is not my goodness or my faithfulness, that the world’s healing hinges upon, but His.  When God say to love our enemies; He gives, along with the command, the love itself.”

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Not too long ago, my family was struggling financially.  No money coming in for two months for our small construction company — no work on the horizon.  Christmas was approaching — we barely made it through Thanksgiving.  I already had my speech ready for my kids — “this is going to be a small, low-key Christmas for us.”   I began to pray daily for God to pour out his blessings — and in a hurry, please, before the house payment, health insurance and monthly utility bills swallowed us up.

God always has His own time table.  You may pray for something and NEVER hear an answer….or hear one very softly in your heart.  God assured me that we would have our needs covered — and that we must depend on Him.  Continually praying, I trusted him and went on with life and its struggles.  Eventually, the windows of heaven opened and poured out work for my husband and we were able to get “caught up.”  Christmas was really special because we looked at “the Gift” rather than “the gifts.”  God again taught me patience and that He is in control.  May you tap into His strength when the storms in life rage around you.
 
In His Service,
Donna Rypel

This time of year is a lot of fun with young children around.  The excitement and anticipation they have during this holiday season is never-ending and contagious.  It is easy for them to put too much focus on the gifts, Santa and the worldly view of Christmas.  Sometimes I feel like it is a constant battle to bring the focus back to Christ, and what this season is really about. 

God in His infinite wisdom knows that we, as well as our children learn best with repetition.  Which is why I think He says in Deuteronomy 6:7 that we need to teach our children when we sit at our house watching TV or eating dinner, when we are out walking and running errands, when we lie down at night, and when we get up early in the morning. It is easier during this time of year to talk with my young children each day about Jesus and the reason for the season as we pass on our traditions or create new ones. God also knew that if we obeyed His command, He would already be the focus and we wouldn’t have to battle.

Father, I pray that during this season as well as throughout the year that I will be diligent to obey your command to take every moment to teach my children about You so that their focus and mine is on You and not the world.

In His Service,
Dawn Erickson

It’s that time of year for me and my family.  Generally we are all very healthy people.  As soon as fall comes in something happens and one by one we all get sick.  Not just once, but again and again and again until spring.  It is this time of year that I buy more laundry soap, more bleach, and more disinfectant spray.  This time of year is always more stressful because of illness and the financial strain.  So far we’ve had a broken arm, one slipped disc, an ear infection and pinkeye.  The doctor visits alone have now reached double digits.  All of these events pile on me like weights and bring me down. 

I am reminded each day that others around me are hurting as well.  A co-worker is with her mom who has been in the hospital for 2 weeks now.  Another friend has just taken her husband in for surgery.   Another friend is recovering from surgery. And yet another is dealing with the news that he has cancer.

It is a strange thing how an illness or injury can stop your world.  Sometimes I wonder if we get sick because God wants our attention.  Then I stop wondering and questioning as I am reminded of Proverbs 3: 5-6.  Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

I can take off the weights and trust in the Lord to care for me, my family and those around me.  It is not for me to know why these things happen or to know the next step.  My job is to trust in God and to pray. 

Father, help me to give You my burdens of the day.  Help me to know that I can trust in You and that You are in control of my life when my life seems out of control. Amen.

In His Service,
Dawn Erickson

It’s easy to doubt God when your daughter has 3 surgeries within 10 days.  My daughter, Amanda, age 20, was home on a weekend for my birthday recently when her shunt in her brain (she has had fluid on the brain since age 13) malfunctioned.  After one surgery, we went home for 4 days, then it malfunctioned again.  She went back in surgery and it still wasn’t completely right.  Finally, the last surgery got it right.  A sophomore at college, she missed two weeks of school and was stressed not just about her health but about all the class time missed.  However, her strong faith never wavered, but she did question God’s timing and what he wanted her to get out of this experience.  “To give Him all the glory” was all I could tell her and to show others that you don’t just praise Him in the good times, but in the trials, as James says; because that builds you up as a Christian and as a witness to others.  God is good…ALL the time….and ALL the time…God is GOOD!

Amanda is back at college.  She is feeling well and is completely caught up on the work she missed from two weeks at home and in the hospital.  Praise God!!  He continues to protect and uplift her!

In His Service,
Donna Rypel

Some days I feel like it is all I can do to stay above water.  At times it feels like all I do is work. I catch myself feeling bitter about not having enough free time.   In those times I have to reel myself in and realize that God intended for us to work.  He told us so many times throughout the Bible.  In the Ten Commandments He says, “Six Days you shall labor”  and later in the Bible in 2 Thessalonians 3:10, “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.”  God didn’t make whole meals that grow on trees or a home that automatically stays clean.  God didn’t make “shirt plants” or “shoe bushes”, but he gave us the resources that we need for all these things and with our hard work, we have everything we need. 

Just as God gave us these resources he also gave us the two best resources of all–two that can sustain us through anything and give us strength to persevere.  God gave us the Bible and He gave us Jesus.  Hallelujah!  As Christians, we have our Savior to help us do it all.  But, in order for Him to help us, we must recognize that we can not be successful in any of our work if we do not give everything over to Him.  If we do not turn everyday over to Him, we will eventually start to drown under the enormous weight of the flood of tasks we as women are strapped with. God is the working woman’s life preserver.

Lord God, please take this day from me and use it for Your glory.  I know that I can not do everything that I have to do today, but I know that You can do all of it and so much more.  Thank you for your precious Son in whose name I pray.  Amen.

In His Service,
Lisa Brady

Can I?  Sometimes I wonder.  My mother had hip replacement surgery last week.  Her hospital stay extended from 3 to 6 days.  I’ve been splitting my time between the hospital and the office.  Now she is going to a rehab facility for the next two weeks.

Morning and night trying to convince my mother (backing up my father) that yes, I know it hurts but you have to do the physical therapy and yes, the doctors and nurses do know what they are doing.  Battling those who want to do things for her and can’t bear to see (or hear) her suffering.  It is difficult watching my mother being controlled by her fears and anxiety, a woman of low pain tolerance and very high-strung nature.

Trying to do a full day’s work in 5 hours is a challenge any time.  I get so frustrated.  Everybody has a crisis they want/need me to solve.  God has blessed me with Christian bosses, but their patience is thinning day by day.

I’ve been spending a lot of time in my car this last week and find myself turning off the radio and breathing prayers.  When I pray to Holy Father and He reminds me to give Him these burdens once and for all, and not take them back onto my shoulders.  I know that yes, I can do all things because He takes the burdens if I truly give them to Him.

Am I doing everything people expect from me?  No.  However, by putting God in control, I address those things that need to be done and the rest will be taken care of another day.  My trust is in Him and I sleep peacefully knowing He is in control. 

Dear Lord, Please give each of us the strength we need to make it through each day.  Thank you for the give of your Son.  Amen.

In His Service,
Lisa Baynes

Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.  Colossians 3:23

I am sure we have all been in a situation before at work where a colleague is that cog in the wheel that completely stops operations or makes everyone else work harder or perhaps you just don’t like the people you work with.

Generally, the common thing to do is to gripe and complain about those people behind their back.  In some cases, those people get fired.  Sometimes the situation remains the same.  I have recently found myself caught up in my own emotions and frustrations forgetting about bringing God into the situation.  The verse from Colossians keeps popping into my head.  This is a passage I memorized as a child and have even been teaching my own children.  After my initial reaction, I in my self-righteousness thought that I needed to confront this person as a fellow believer with the same Scripture my mom had shared with me.  I just don’t have that kind of a relationship with this person.  In fact, it would have made matters worse. 

God finally confronted me with the truth.  Colossians finally hit me, whatever I do I need to do my work heartily, as for the Lord.  I need to “pretend” that person is the LORD.  I need to perform my work as if Jesus himself had given me the project or assignment.  I have to collaborate with Jesus on the schedule.  I need to receive training from Jesus on this new product.  And by the same token, would I talk bad about Jesus behind his back as I did to this person.  Would I then be mean or rude to Jesus as I had been to this person?  Would I then have this horrible attitude because I had to work with… Jesus?  If that person were Jesus, I would have reacted differently. 

There is a reason why God told us to work as unto to the Lord, because man is fallible, evil and a sinner.  Man is capable of good, but we are all sinners.  We are easily affected by our emotions, wants and needs.  These things affect how or why we do our work.  As Jesus as our boss, our attitude changes, our feelings change and we can begin once again to walk with God at work.

Which brings me to Matthew 5:16, as I work unto the Lord, as I work, as I do my job with a good heart, to the best of my ability, I am being a light to the world. A light to this fellow believer so that my Heavenly Father will be glorified.  I wish I could say I have been implementing this truth into my life for a while now, but I have just started doing this.  I am hopeful that my situation at work will change.  Not because I have changed anyone, but because I have changed myself and started walking in Scripture.

Father, I ask you to be with me at work each day to remember that I work for You.  Give me wisdom to work well so that You will be glorified. Amen.

In His Service,
Dawn Erickson