Beware of Befriending your Fears
What is your fear keeping you from doing? Don’t be afraid! It is me. (John 6:20 ERV) I happened to be in Dallas a couple of Friday’s ago and went to breakfast with a copy of The Dallas Morning News. A story on the front page caught my eye and led to a second, related story on the following page. A major newspaper in a major American city was fascinated with the phenomenon of loneliness. “Woman lived alone, with only her fears” declared the below-the-fold headline. The article gave sketchy information about a woman whose mummified body was found and tentatively identified on Wednesday of last week. Police investigators say the body had been there for over a year. Water service had been shut off in April 2005 for nonpayment. There was no electrical service. There were bars on the windows, and there had been a city citation for litter and high weeds last fall. Nobody remembers seeing the woman who bought the house 20 years ago for more than a year now. They thought she had moved away and simply left the house unoccupied for all this time. Early investigations profile a timid woman who told a waitress at a cafeteria where she had been a regular for years that she longed to live a happy, healthy life and have a family. But, she was so certain nobody would like her that she wouldn’t let the waitress set her up a date with her brother. She wouldn’t go out at night because she was afraid of being bitten by mosquitoes. Her life was dictated by her fears, and she died alone. Her body was not discovered for over a year. There are reasonable fears that everyone has, but we address them. We move on with things that must be done. We integrate our lives with other persons for the sake of mutual support. We take the risk of forming relationships. Human beings are created in the image of God, and the God of Christian Scripture is a social being. Father, Word, and Spirit have existed from eternity past in perfect community. The triune deity has created us with the innate drive to produce, share, and live in community as well. While times of solitude are often helpful to creativity, loneliness is both unhealthy and painful. For the shy and isolated, it must be horrible to reach out. To take the risk of rejection. To put themselves in social contexts that make them feel insecure. But it is a risk worth taking! And those of us who find it easier and more natural to be outgoing certainly have the responsibility of making space in our lives for others. Compassionate with their awkwardness. Sensitive to their fears. In order to be missed, we must make friends with more than our fears. No person has ever seen God. But if we love each other, then God lives in us. If we love each other, then God’s love has reached its goal – it is made perfect in us. … Where God’s love is, there is no fear. Why? Because God’s perfect love takes away fear. It is punishment that makes a person fear. So God’s love is not made perfect in the person who has fear. (1 John 4:12-18 ERV) About the author: Rubel Shelly preached for decades and served as a professor of medical ethics, Bible, and philosophy at multiple universities. He was a former president of Rochester College and Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Lipscomb University. He was the author of more than 30 books and hundreds of inspirational articles. His commitment to a non-sectarian presentation of the gospel touched countless lives.
Glow in the Dark Spiders
Inevitably, the darkness will weigh on them, exhaust them, and feel altogether overwhelming to them. Then, they can come to the light to re-charge, but they can’t glow in the light! My son got to pick a toy out of the treasure box last week at preschool. For the third week in a row, he brought home an ugly, plastic, glow-in-the-dark spider. (Because two are not enough.) I was “thrilled” to see that he had now grown attached to another tiny toy that he’d lose, then cry hysterically when it couldn’t be found in our always-clean-and-tidy home. As happened the first two times around, he sprinted to his closet as soon as we got home shouting, “MOMMMM!!! COME ON!!! MOOOMMM!!!! LET’S SEE IF IT WOKS!!!!” Then, we stood there in his tiny closet, oohing and ahhing together at the faint green glow. Throughout the next few days, until we lost them all – or “the cleaning lady” threw them away – he’d take one of those spiders into his closet and shout for anyone within earshot to come and look. It blew his mind every single time. But every now and then, he’d notice the glow starting to fade. He knew what that meant. He’d go set it under the lamp on the side table because it needed to soak up some more light before it could glow again. He’d leave it there for a while, then come grab it, run back to his closet, and yell out again, “MOMMMM!!! COME LOOK!!!! IT’S BWIGHT NOW, MOM!!!!” It never got old. I’m lying. It did. It did get old! That spider was MADE to glow, to shine its light in dark places. That is its purpose. That’s what makes it awesome. It was created (probably in China) to be a *glowing* spider, not a boring, un-glowing spider. Now, you might see that spider laying in the middle of a well-lit room and assume it’s just an everyday, run-of-the-mill plastic spider. If you saw it in the light, you’d never know it was special because IT DOES NOT WORK IN THE LIGHT. Glow-in-the-light is not a thing, you guys. Okay, so of course, yes, you know where I’m going with this. We are the spiders. Blah blah blah. But ALSO: So are our kids. Our kids are (eventually) meant to shine in dark places. Our prayer is that our home is a place of light. A safe haven. A place that constantly reminds our kids of their belovedness and their belongingness and their complete and total need for Jesus. SO THAT… they can glow. SO THAT… they can shine in dark places. SO THAT… they can go out among the hurting and the broken and the hopeless and be who they were created to be. SO THAT… someday, we can let go and trust completely (or fake it and pray, at least) that their light will outshine the darkness outside. But, we also know that inevitably, the darkness will weigh on them, exhaust them, and feel altogether overwhelming to them. Then, their light will start to fade. Because they are not the source of the light, only the reflector of it. They’ll have to plug back into the source of light. They will need to fill back up with the goodness of a loving God and be reminded of his truths and his promises. And then, again, we’ll have to let them go. Or, if you’ll indulge my dorkiness, let them *glow.* The temptation is to keep them in the light. To hold them close and position them safely in the comfortable, expected, savory, happy, Christian places, where light constantly surrounds them and their light doesn’t feel threatened. But, they can’t glow in the light. Glow-in-the-light is not a thing, y’all. We are meant to glow in the dark. So are they. Jesus said it: You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they set it on a lampstand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:14-16). Jesus lived it: When the scribes who were Pharisees saw Jesus eating with these people, they asked His disciples, “Why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus told them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:16-17).
Covered Signs
Are we keeping the grace of God hidden from outsiders? In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing, so that no one can speak a word of blame against you. You are to live clean, innocent lives as children of God in a dark world full of crooked and perverse people. Let your lives shine brightly before them. (Philippians 3:14-15) Weather in early “spring” in Central Texas can be quite exciting. Recently after several days of beautiful weather, a howling “Blue Norther” came roaring through as an Artic air mass ripped down off the face of the Rockies and through the plains of Texas. Forget about the hat, we had to hold on to our hair so it wouldn’t blow away. Of all the things I was expecting to see with the cold front, one made me laugh and feel sorry at the same time. A nearby apartment complex had placed all these “cutesy” signs about the amenities of their apartment complex all along the perimeter of their chain link fence. Their property faced a little to the northeast, so when the cold front came through, each sign was neatly folded in half over itself when the wind caught the leading edge of the sign. Every single one of those “cutesy” signs was folded over and covered. All twenty plus of them suddenly became covered signs – absolutely worthless and humorously ugly. Nobody could read their cute messages about their touted amenities. The only message they shouted was, “This place is such a loser, it can’t even put out signs properly!” I know I look at life oddly, but as I stopped at a nearby light and chuckled at the situation, a sudden stab of conviction stung my heart. “That’s us! That’s the Christian community! That’s the Church about half of the time! The best we offer many of those on the outside are covered signs! No wonder so many of them think Christianity is for losers!” We are the recipients of God’s grace. We know the price our Father was willing to pay so we could be adopted into his family. We know that death, though still a painful interruption in our lives, no longer has the final say about our future. We have a family who shares our values and that future. We have support, friendship, purpose, and joy. The Holy Spirit of God lives inside us. We can go almost anywhere in the world and find people who share a similar faith and who will treat us like family. We don’t have to have “cutesy” signs to declare the goodness of God; we get to live it every day! We do, however, need to quit covering these signs! What do I mean? How do we cover our signs? We cover our signs in many ways. We don’t share our joy in the Lord because we don’t live joyfully. We ignore the folks in our church families that need help. We argue and fight about frivolous and non-essential matters. We treat each other rudely and sometimes even crudely. We let our petty selfishness destroy the unity of the Body of Christ. We let our culture mold us instead of being the source of our culture’s salt and light. We go to church in neighborhoods we don’t serve, and when those neighborhoods become too unlike us, we leave them to die in their own squalor. We spend more money on our conveniences than on our mission in the inner cities and to third world countries. We get all razzed up about having the Ten Commandments in public places, but don’t obey their intent in our private residences. We are covered signs! We make ourselves into a religious complex for losers. With all the discussion, hoopla, controversy, and publicity over Jesus’ sacrificial death with the release of the movie The Passion of The Christ, we need to have a heart to heart talk, a genuine come to Jesus meeting, with ourselves. We need to repent for covering our signs. We need to ask God to remove the covering we’ve placed over the grace he has poured into our lives and ask the Holy Spirit to open our lives so we can be fully accessible islands of grace that are visible signs of God’s Kingdom. O Lord Jesus, we bid you come! And if, dear Lord, that coming not be your final return that brings about your fully recognizable glory to all people, then we bid you come and help us remove the covering off the signs of your grace so richly deposited in us. Shine so brightly upon us that we cannot help but reflect your glory and demonstrate your grace! To you belongs all praise, honor, and glory, not only forever and ever, but today in our lives. Amen. About the author: Phil Ware has authored 11 years of daily devotionals, including VerseoftheDay.com, read by 500,000 people a day. He works with churches in transition with Interim Ministry Partners and for the past 21+ years, he has been editor and president of HEARTLIGHT Magazine, author of VerseoftheDay.com, God’s Holy Fire (on the Holy Spirit), and aYearwithJesus.com. Phil has also authored four books, daily devotionals on each of the four gospels.
Today’s Verse – Psalm 73:25-26
Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. —Psalm 73:25-26 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… What can truly fulfill and sustain you? Maybe the best way to answer that question is by asking another: What can we keep when our bodies are placed silently in their graves at death? Only our relationship with God, our Christ-like character, and our loving relationships with Jesus’ disciples are permanent. These last beyond the grave. So, if these are lasting, then why would we displace them for anything that isn’t lasting? Earth’s treasures fail, wither, dissolve, and decay. What we have in God is forever! My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. My Prayer… Mighty Yahweh, Strong One of Israel, Keeper of the Covenant and Fulfillment-Maker of every prophecy, you are my hope, my strength, and my future. I live this day in wide-eyed amazement that the Keeper of the Universe knows my name, hears my voice, and cares for me. Thank you for being my past, my present, and my future. You are the Great I Am. You, O God, are the strength of my heart forever! In the name of Jesus, my Immanuel, I pray. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Letting Hatred Go…
Why do we hold onto the things that poison us the most? [Jesus said,] “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends and against all sound judgment starts quarrels. Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions (Proverbs 18:1-2). Forgiveness is setting the imprisoned bird free, then realizing that you were the imprisoned bird. (Traditional & Unknown) “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:18). “Your hatred of her is unjustified,” the teacher said as a man ranted about his ex-wife. “What do you mean unjustified?” he spit out. “You have no idea how she treated me, the things she’s said to me, or the #$#@$@# things she continues to do. It’s my God-given right to hate her.” I’m taking a class for couples who are divorcing or are recently divorced that have too much conflict. Actually, let me restate that: the judge ordered that we take it. It’s like a finishing school of sorts for something that is, well, finished, or at least theoretically should be. The class is divided into 2 sessions: one partner comes to the earlier class and the other comes to the later one. Mr. It’s My Right to Hate Her was in the later class with me and assumed the teacher was making comments based on something his ex had said in his absence. “My comment has nothing to do with her,” the teacher responded in his calm and gentle tone. “She hasn’t said anything that makes me say it. I simply want you to know that your hatred of her will be your undoing.” They’re strong words. They’re also accurate. Trust me, I know. I once believed that if I didn’t fight for certain causes, it meant I was a pushover and was somehow giving my approval to things that shouldn’t ever have a seal of okay-ness on them. If someone pushed me on it, I would have justified my stance, probably even defined it as a righteous indignation. There are definite times for anger and indignation, but this was something different: it became a pattern of combativeness, of trying to determine who was right and who was wrong, or more aptly, of trying to prove my worth over someone else’s while recruiting others into my ring of dislike for the other party. That other party died recently. I’m not saying the fight ended. I am talking funeral service and all that jazz. I won’t – can’t – go into it, other than to say something in me did, too. If I had known their days were more limited than expected, would I have done things differently? I sure hope so. No, wait. Strike that and make it a resounding yes, one that echoes deep within and bubbles out, even to the point of verbalizing it to Mr. Its My Right. “Yes, you absolutely have every right to hate her,” I softly said to him. “No judge or anyone else is ever going to mandate that you abandon your views of her. But even though you have that right, you have to ask yourself if it’s worth it. The hatred comes at a high cost. There is so much that is valuable around you, especially your kids, yet you’re losing out on it as you’re consumed in this war against her. When does it end and when do you get to be you and have the freedom to live?” My words weren’t intended to be a I’m better-than thing, but rather of one who has been there for much too long and can look back and see the price. It comes with a ticket I refuse to pay anymore: bondage, depression, grief, and perhaps worst of all, giving someone else the right to determine if I was happy, upset, or somewhere in between. This life is too great to chance it away like that. This life is too great to hate it away like that. Today, I’m on a different mission. It’s one I eagerly recruit people into the ring with me to fight for it and embrace it dearly. It’s called life. I want to live, not as a result of what others say and think, but to live fully, extravagantly, and truly. Come join me in the ring. Title image courtesy of and altered from Flickr: Ben Salter About the author: Stacy is a founder of Eyes of Your Heart Ministries. which helps women “know the hope to which (God) has called (them)” (Ephesians 1:18). She is an author and speaker known for her ability to connect with audiences while bringing Biblical characters and principals to life. A proud mama of a beautiful daughter and energetic son, Stacy and her husband Allen live in Colorado.
Where Does it All Come From?
Where does the strength for a crisis come from? John Paul Norman is twenty-five, married, and the father of a four-month-old son. His mom, dad, and two sisters take such pride in him. He was an excellent student in high school and always kept his nose clean. In fulfillment of his boyhood dream to fly military aircraft, he earned an appointment to the Naval Academy, was commissioned as a lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, and had become the “go-to guy” of his outfit – excelling now in flying two-man Cobra helicopters. On his last day of stateside training before leaving for duty overseas, his sophisticated flying machine failed its pilots. The experienced Major at the aircraft’s controls did everything right to minimize the crash impact. He was injured but able to escape the cockpit. Lt. Norman, in the front position and manning the Cobra’s weaponry, was pinned. As his flying mate and another crew of Cobra pilots tried to extricate him, the terrible fire began. And John suffered third-degree burns on both arms and both legs. As I write this story for you, he is still fighting for his life in a burn unit in Phoenix. He is getting outstanding medical care and has already undergone three major surgeries in the two weeks following his injuries. It has been absolutely amazing to watch his wife, parents, and sisters deal with all that has happened. And their way of coping reflects the heart and character of the patriotic young man they love. Something of a mantra within this godly family right now goes like this: “God didn’t cause this to happen to John, but he is going to use John and what has happened to him in some wonderful way we can’t see yet.” Have you ever heard a clearer, firmer declaration of faith? Do you wonder how they found such strength in this crisis? They didn’t! They built it into their lives and relationships over decades. What some people don’t understand is that heroic or righteous behaviors don’t just spring up in a fortunate few. They surface in the lives of people who have been about the little things that build faith, nurture love, and form character over time. Then, when the crisis comes, they have deep reserves from which to draw. If you think the routine things of your life – showing up, doing your job well, being honest and fair, saying grace at meals with your family, getting to Sunday School and church together – don’t really count for much in the grand scheme of things, you are incredibly mistaken. They are monumentally important. They are the tiny elements of the deep strength you may need for your own ordeal someday. So make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life. Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence. A life of moral excellence leads to knowing God better. Knowing God leads to self-control. Self-control leads to patient endurance, and patient endurance leads to godliness. Godliness leads to love for other Christians, and finally you will grow to have genuine love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more you will become productive and useful in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 5:1-8) As you think about your own needs for today, please pray for my friend John. About the author: Rubel Shelly preached for decades and served as a professor of medical ethics, Bible, and philosophy at multiple universities. He was a former president of Rochester College and Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Lipscomb University. He was the author of more than 30 books and hundreds of inspirational articles. His commitment to a non-sectarian presentation of the gospel touched countless lives.
The Face of Fear
What do you do when you are really afraid? We were stunned. People chose sides and weighed in with strong opinions. The young mother was sentenced to prison. Her live-in-lover was already in prison for the brutal death of her young child. His actions were beyond belief, and had raised incredible rage in the community. How a toddler could be so disgracefully murdered was incomprehensible to everyone. Now, the mother was being sent to prison for not protecting her child – for not reporting the previous abusive incidents by her boyfriend and not immediately reporting the role her lover had in taking the life of her child. “She lived in terror for her own life!” That’s what women’s advocates screamed. That’s what her defense attorney emphasized. He pleaded that she had been demeaned enough, had lost enough, was grief-stricken enough, and that prison time could do nothing to redeem the situation. “She is the child’s mother. As parents, we have a sacred duty to protect our children, no matter the danger or the consequences.” That was the position of the DA and most in our community. I’m not asking you to choose a side. I want us to think for a moment about what lies underneath this incident. I want us to us focus for a moment on fear – fear that paralyzes and intimidates and fear that shuts us down, immobilizing and debilitating us. Have you ever been terrified? I’m not talking about going to a really scary movie or having an instant of sudden, but passing fear. I’m talking about an ongoing sense of absolute terror for your own life and the lives of those you love! As the debate raged about this mom and her lack of response, my heart broke for her. I have known terror. I’ve worried about having put my whole family in jeopardy. It was a long time ago, but every now and then, something happens and it comes back like a cold paralyzing wave. Fear has the power to destroy God’s work in us. Fear can become our unwanted god, making our heavenly Father an irrelevant relic left in the stain glass ghetto of Sunday. Our Christian faith sounds so neat and tidy there, so powerful and inspiring. But you see, it’s not really put to the test until we see the face of fear in our own mirror. Until we feel its wilting breath cold upon our shoulder and experience the total emasculation of our resolve. Hopefully in our time of fear, a brother or sister in Christ will step in and buy us some time to sort out our fear. Hopefully we will courageously keep doing the mundane things that are necessary for life and open the door to the Spirit’s presence. But in the crucible of real life, ultimately there comes a time when those of us in fear have to decide whether or not we believe in the promises of God to give us ultimate victory beyond death. We have to decide that God is with us no matter what the circumstances are – that we are not alone in facing our terrors and that God’s Spirit will strengthen us AS we do what’s right, even when we are not sure we have the strength to do it! When I was a boy, filled with images of John Wayne movie courage, I thought that a courageous person did not experience fear. Now I know better. I understand that God’s Greatest saw the face of fear and prayed, “Let this cup pass from me.” He saw the terrors of hell that he would have to face on the Cross and he asked to be delivered from them. But looking fear in the face, he went one step further: “Not my will, but yours be done.” If he could not be delivered FROM his terror, he was confident that God would deliver him THROUGH his terror. In the end, this is the ultimate test of faith and this is the ultimate proof of courage. When Jesus came to his disciples on the stormy waters and said, “Fear not, I AM!” I don’t believe he was saying, “Don’t let fear cross your minds.” No, he is saying, “In the face of fear, recognize I am here. Don’t let fear stop you from what I’ve called you to do.” There is a difference between feeling fear and being mastered by it. There is a difference between being afraid and being immobilized by it. Courage is seeing the face of fear and then choosing to call out to the one who insures that it can never have us, our great I AM. Courage is seeing the face of fear and refusing to have it be our master. About the author: Phil Ware has authored 11 years of daily devotionals, including VerseoftheDay.com, read by 500,000 people a day. He works with churches in transition with Interim Ministry Partners and for the past 21+ years, he has been editor and president of HEARTLIGHT Magazine, author of VerseoftheDay.com, God’s Holy Fire (on the Holy Spirit), and aYearwithJesus.com. Phil has also authored four books, daily devotionals on each of the four gospels.
Beautiful Scars
Can ugly scars be beautiful? The following story by Lih Yuh Kuo appears in Chicken Soup For the Soul: A little boy invited his mother to attend his elementary school’s first teacher-parent conference. To the little boy’s dismay, she said she would go. This would be the first time that his classmates and teacher met his mother and he was embarrassed by her appearance. Although she was a beautiful woman, there was a severe scar that covered nearly the entire right side of her face. The boy never wanted to talk about why or how she got the scar. At the conference, the people were impressed by the kindness and natural beauty of his mother despite the scar, but the little boy was still embarrassed and hid himself from everyone. He did, however, get within earshot of a conversation between his mother and his teacher, and heard them speaking. “How did you get the scar on your face?” the teacher asked. The mother replied, “When my son was a baby, he was in a room that caught on fire. Everyone was too afraid to go in because the fire was out of control, so I went in. As I was running toward his crib, I saw a beam coming down and I placed myself over him trying to shield him. I was knocked unconscious but fortunately, a fireman came in and saved both of us.” She touched the burned side of her face. “This scar will be permanent, but to this day, I have never regretted doing what I did.” At this point, the little boy came out running towards his mother with tears in his eyes. He hugged her and felt an overwhelming sense of the sacrifice that his mother had made for him. He held her hand tightly for the rest of the day. In a similar manner, Jesus Christ bears a scar – many scars, in fact. There are those who find that somewhat embarrassing – “You mean to tell me you worship a man who was crucified?” However, realizing that his ugly scars are the result of his efforts to save me, they suddenly take on a special beauty. Those scars led Thomas to say, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28) They lead me to say the same thing. I’m so thankful that something so ugly and horrible has taken on such beauty, because of the great love that Jesus Christ had for me. “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) About the author: Alan Smith ministers with the Church of Christ in White House, Tennessee and publishes the email devotional “Thought for the Day.”
Falling on our Face
Did her Olympic disaster remind you of anyone you know? We’ve all done it. We’ve “fallen on our face.” Some of us have done it literally. My nickname through early life was “Trip” and I’ve literally dive-bombed my way into an embarrassing situation or two – while walking to class, on dates, with family, in front of crowds, walking off of the tee box … the list could on and on. Nearly all of us have “fallen on our face” figuratively. We’ve promised God we wouldn’t fall into the same old sinful trap and then turn around and stumble over the same temptation. We’ve torn apart a relationship because of repeated bad judgment, insensitivity, or just plain ol’ sinfulness. We’ve ruined a good business because of continuing greed, arrogance, or success lust. We’ve spawned a feud with a family member and nurtured it with an unwillingness to ask for forgiveness and with an unwillingness to forgive. The list could go on and on. If we are honest, we all know a little bit how Guo Xinxin of China felt when she fell on her face the other night at the Olympics. Guo had led the first round of Women’s Aerials in freestyle skiing. However, when Evelyne Leu of Switzerland connected on her extremely hard triple summersault with three twists, Guo had to try a very hard jump to win. Her jump was beautiful in the air, but on her landing, her skis pulled apart and she missed her landing. Actually, she literally “fell on her face” with her arms and legs spread eagle with her landing. This not only cost her the Olympic gold medal, it also cost her a trip to the podium for any medal. Like the old ski jumper in ABC’s “agony of defeat” segment, that poor guy who missed his jump and bounced down the slope of the hill with his arms flailing, Guo was the “spectacle” in the “spectacle of sport.” She was the morbid fascination of this winner-take-all made for TV drama. She even made the front page of our sports section. She was displayed face down in the snow, sliding down the landing hill with ice and snow splashing all around her. Guo is from a sports culture where winning is so important – and these days it sure seems all cultures are pretty much that way about the Olympics. I have wondered how Guo will be received at home. Will she be lauded for attempting such a hard jump rather than simply settling for a medal? Will she be “scapegoated” for her failure to live up to her predicted victory? How does she feel inside about “falling on her face”? How will her friends and teammates help encourage her? Over the years, I’ve literally seen thousands of posters, plaques, needlepoints, pictures, and banners displaying Isaiah 40:30-31. Nearly all of those have a picture of an eagle. I’ve never seen any with a person lying face down in the snow! While I love the majestic grandeur of these soaring eagles, I’ve come to believe that the real heroes are not those who soar like eagles. It’s pretty easy to enjoy life and keep going when you’re soaring like an eagle! My heart is now more often drawn to those who have stumbled and fallen, even “fallen on their face,” and then they have gotten back up and kept on walking. So here’s to you, Guo XinXin. May you keep on walking. And if you do, I know you will take flight in the aerials once again. And here’s to you – yes, you who have “fallen on your face” once again. Your failure matters more than Guo’s because she failed at a game, no matter how important that game may seem. No, you have failed at your life. You’re not sure you can go on. You’re not sure you even want to try to go on. Even worse, you are not sure you are even worthy to be given another chance to go on. I want to simply remind you that the greatest of heroes are those who get up and keep walking after they have “fallen on their face,” again. God’s promise is for you, if you will summon the courage to believe … and get up … and keep on walking. Even the youths shall faint and be weary,And the young men shall utterly fall,But those who wait on the LORDShall renew their strength;They shall mount up with wings like eagles,They shall run and not be weary,They shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:30-31 NKJV) About the author: Phil Ware has authored 11 years of daily devotionals, including VerseoftheDay.com, read by 500,000 people a day. He works with churches in transition with Interim Ministry Partners and for the past 21+ years, he has been editor and president of HEARTLIGHT Magazine, author of VerseoftheDay.com, God’s Holy Fire (on the Holy Spirit), and aYearwithJesus.com. Phil has also authored four books, daily devotionals on each of the four gospels.
Daily Prayer for February 28
For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth. Psalm 57:10-11, NIV Dear Father in heaven, we thank you that you have always been gracious to us, revealing your great goodness and power in ages past and in the present. In this revelation we live, O Lord our God. You are the almighty One, who works wonders on earth and who rules the heavens so that we can be blest and helped on our earthly paths. Let your goodness and your justice be revealed throughout all the world. Arise, O Lord our God. Let your light shine in us who believe in you. Let your light shine into the whole world. Let your name be glorified. You are indeed our Father, both in heaven and on earth. You give our lives security now and in eternity. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Light Your Lamp and Read Saint Columban An ancient Irish saint exhorts us to sell our vices and buy life. Read now Painting the Neighborhood John Whitehead Allan Rohan Crite, a contemporary of the Harlem Renaissance, forged his own artistic path in Boston. He has left us a celebration of community. Read now The Masculine Virtues We Need More Of Rubin McClain Jesus shows us what it means to be manly. Read now Christian Fellowship Isn’t Just Being Nice Clarence Jordan In our hunger for fellowship, we have settled for cheap substitutes. Nowhere in the New Testament does “fellowship” imply pleasant social contacts. Read now Walls Make a Room Ersun Augustinus Kayra When offering hospitality to people in crisis, you need to know your limits and boundaries. Read now