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“Trapped!!”

Trapped!

Have you ever felt trapped?  Maybe you feel trapped in an unhealthy marriage, friendship, family, or even your job.  What can make the difference?  We can’t always get out of situations that we are in but we can change how it feels.

I am reminded of something that just happened recently at my parents.  My mom called because a Bluebird had managed to make its way down their chimney into their stove.  Dad, who has a really bad shake, needed some help to get it out.  Mom is no help when it comes to things like this.  As a matter of fact, we told her to go outside while we did it.  She gets so freaked out.

My daughter (14) and I went over to help.  We took a plastic bag and taped it around the door and then opened the door with the bag.  We wanted to try to draw the bird into the bag.  But because the bag had to be black, in order to be big enough to go around the door, there was really no light to draw him.

So my daughter used the bag to go in and try to grab him.  The interesting part was that he did not try to fly all over to get away.  We thought that maybe he was injured or near death because he was not trying to get away.  It took a little bit because she could not see what she was doing, but she finally was able to get him.

Anticipation

We carefully closed the door and untapped the bag, closing it carefully in case the bird would get out of my daughter’s hand.  I was anticipating that we would have to maybe care for a bird that was injured or not well.

When we got outside and opened the bag and immediately he flew to the nearest tree.  As he flew out of the bag he started to sing.  Then he landed on a tree branch and sat there and sang and sang and sang.  We felt as if he was thanking us for helping him.  We realized that he had felt that we were trying to help him and that was why he cooperated with us.  And then to have him thank us with his singing was such a delight.

It made me long for heaven and the connection we will be able to have with the animals.  What it will be like to swim with the dolphins, pet and lay with the big lion, ride a horse without a saddle or reins, and even be able to have any bird sit on your finger or shoulder and sing and sing and sing.

Analogy

The trapped bird reminded me of how some of us feel trapped.  It doesn’t matter what it is.  It could be a debt hanging over your head, maybe you are trapped in yourself and can’t seem to reach out to others, but whatever, whenever, or where ever you feel trapped there is a solution.  Your situation may not change immediately but how you feel about it can.

Many times we are in the situations we are because of our own choices.  We may be in a bad marriage because we did not seek or even listen to the Lord or Godly counsel.  It also could be that we married before we gave our heart to the Lord and our spouse did not give their heart to God as we did.  Most of the time debt comes from our own bad choices and we have trapped ourselves in the “stove” of debt.  But even in our bad choices, there is a Helper.

When that bird went down the chimney she didn’t just happen to stumble in.  It has a special spark arrestor on the chimney so the bird would have had to actually go into it to fall down the chimney.  There are many times that we do the same thing.  We are walking along in life and we see a job, person, things that we feel we need or want and we don’t investigate thoroughly before we make the choice to dive in headfirst.  And then afterward, too late, we realize it was a big mistake, just like the bird realized too late.

There are other times that we are walking along and it is not something really obvious and we fall in.  But the solution for both is still the same.

I like to call it S U R R E N D E R

 

  • Start your day with God
  • Utter words in prayer
  • Read your Bible
  • Recite verses to memory
  • Encourage others
  • No criticizing words
  • Direct praise to God
  • End your day with God
  • Rest in God’s promises

 

The only way we can have success in our lives is to Start our day with God in Uttering words in prayer, Reading His Word, and Reciting His Word to memory.  When we have His Word in our hearts He can draw it to our memories in the day when we need encouragement or help with any temptation or decision.  Encouraging others always helps to get our minds off of ourselves.  And when we are speaking No words of criticism about people around us or even about ourselves, it draws us closer to God and away from that depressing feeling of being trapped.  It doesn’t help the other person or us when we criticize.  We should be Directing our praise to God each day for what He has done for us.  It may take some time for us to become grateful because we have been so negative but it can happen and what joy it brings.  Make sure to End your day with God.  Recite a verse you are memorizing and pray.  And then Rest in His promises.  If you do these things you will be able to sing a song of praise to God for His help of drawing you out of the “stove” (pit) of sin.

Excited

What I am most excited about is to be totally rescued from the “stove”.  Soon Jesus is coming to take us home, to take us out of this “stove” (world) of sin and sorrow.  When He comes and takes us to heaven that will be the ultimate joy.

I can just imagine myself singing as I ascend up to meet Him in the air, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.  Wherefore comfort one another with these words” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18.

And then when I am actually in the city the joy will be so overwhelming I will burst out with singing praises to the One that has made it possible for me to be there.  I will sing my gratitude of praise to Jesus, “…. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing” Revelation 5:12.   What a glorious day that will be.  And I don’t know about you but I don’t want the things of this world to destroy that moment.  I want to surrender all my life to Jesus.

Dear Father,

“Take my life, and let it be

Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;

Take my hands, and let them move

At the impulse of Thy love;

At the impulse of Thy love;

 

Take my feet, and let them be

Swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice, and let me sing

Always, only, for my King;

Always, only, for my King;

 

Take my lips, and let them be

Filled with messages from Thee.

Take my silver and my gold:

Not a mite would I withhold;

Not a mite would I withhold.

 

Take my will, and make it Thine,

It shall be no longer mine;

Take my heart, it is Thine own,

It shall be Thy royal throne.

It shall be Thy royal throne.

 

Take my love, my Lord, I pour

At Thy feet its treasure store;

Take myself, and I will be,

Ever, only, all for Thee.

Ever, only, all for Thee.”

— Frances Ridley Havergal

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Surrender all to Jesus today.  He will help make your path straight and bring you joy and peace no matter what situation you face.

Love you all.

Do you have a nature story you can tell?  I love to hear nature stories.  Share what you learned from your experience.

 

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“He’s Getting Married!”

It seems that hardly a week goes by and I hear about someone getting married.  I am sure as you read this you probably have more than one person come to mind that is either getting married very soon, has recently gotten engaged, or has recently married.

A few days ago somebody I know got married.  Although I was unable to attend the wedding it makes me think of weddings that I have attended.

I love the beauty of a wedding and to see all the diversity of wedding ideas that come out of different personalities, cultures and backgrounds.

I can picture the happiness of the bride preparing herself for her soon to be husband.  I love it when the groom does not see his bride until she is fully prepared.  The brides beautiful white dress, representing purity and her hair beautifully done.  She has prepared herself in the most beautiful way.  She is radiant with love for her husband to be.

The groom is anticipating his pride walking down the aisle toward him.  He will have the privilege of her being with him forever, “until death do us part”.  He is full of excitement and a desire to take care of the one that he loves and has longed to be with him.

We live in such a sad society now.  Relationships are such a walk in, walk out mentality.  There is no commitment.  There is no ideal.  There are many selfish people who just want what they want.  As soon as they get tired of it they want to throw it away.  There is not commitment in marriage like there once was.  Unfortunately this also applies to Christians as well.

How can this be?  The devil knows that if he can get the marriage and family he can take down the church.  He knows that the marriage is what God has given us to represent our relationship with Him.  So if Satan can corrupt our thoughts of marriage and how it is supposed to be, he can corrupt the thinking of people about how our relationship needs to be with Him.

Here are some steps you can take toward a good marriage to your spouse as well as a good marriage between the church or Christian and Christ.

  1. “Husbands, love your wives even as Christ also loved the church andgave Himself for it.” Ephesians 5:25.  This is a very tall command.  This is a command for Christian men.  Just like Christ continues to love us no matter what we do, husbands should do the same for their wives.

This will be a very hard thing to do at times.  Husbands can only do this with a full surrender to God and being totally dead to self.  This is a commitment that God expects of Christian men.

In 1 Peter 3:7-12 it reads,  “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them (wives)according to knowledge (understanding), giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.” It is frightening to think that, as men, your prayers are hindered if you do not live with your wife in an understanding way.  It may be a time of reflection and surrendering to God’s plan for marriage.

This can be so challenging.  Dying to self is such a key.  There are wives that are very challenging.  And it will take a lot of love and patience.  And only God can help you love as He loves.

When you are struggling with doing these things think about what Christ has paid for you.  Have you been that perfect “bride”?  Does Christ love you even though you have spat in His face, even though you have argued with His ways?

  1. “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the

Lord.”  Ephesians 5:23.  When a husband truly loves his wife as Christ loves the church this becomes way more possible.  If a wife feels loved and understood it is easier for them to feel safe in the decisions of their husbands and to submit to those.

As a wife you may be asking, “I do not understand, my husband is asking or

telling me to do things that are contrary to the Word of God and/or he is beating me physically or emotionally and you’re telling me I need to submit.” Let me make this clear, there are criteria for submission.

In Colossians 3:18 it reads, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.”  The bottom line, what they are doing or asking you to do needs to be in accordance with God’s Word.  If it is not and it is against God’s ways, “We ought to obey God rather than man.” Acts 5:29b.

God does not want wives to be doormats that are walked all over and beaten either physically or emotional that is not His plan.

We as wives need to be submissive to God first and then to our husbands. We need to die to self and be willing to listen to our husbands as to God if they are not asking us or doing things contrary to God’s Word.

All of us as Christians need to be submissive to God in this way.

There are many other things that can be said on how to have a good marriage but I am only touching on these today.  I will touch on more in the future.

Just like we prepare for a marriage here on earth there is a marriage feast that we are to be preparing for as Christians.

Christ loves us just as a husband is to love a wife.  He loves us unconditionally.  Just as a husband is supposed to sanctify, and cleanse his wife with the washing of water by the Word so that he might present her not having a spot or wrinkle, that she is holy and without blemish (Ephesians 5:26-27), so Christ does for us.  And just like a wife needs to be in submission to her husband for this to take place, we need to be submissive to God for Him to be able to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The only way a husband can do this for his wife, with love, is if he is in full submission to God.  And the only reason Jesus can do this for each one of us is because He was and is in full submission to His Father.

Is this an easy path? No, dying to self is a battle.  But God is able to provide the strength if we submit our lives fully to Him.

Dear Father,

We have great need of you.  We cannot do any of these things without You.  Come and heal our marriages and our families.  As we have the marriage that you would have us have and a family that is well-ordered, we can be a true light to the world for You.

Thank You for Your unconditional love.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

I don’t remember exactly how the saying goes but it goes something like this, “Couples that pray together, stay together.”  In this world of no real commitment let’s commit to God’s ways in our marriages.

What things have you done to keep your marriage alive?