Kissed by the Spirit

“So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.”

Matthew 27:66 (NIV)

The Pharisees feared the rumors of resurrection and asked Pilate to help secure Jesus’ tomb, so he granted their request to seal the tomb and appoint armed guards at the entrance. After studying to learn what “sealing the tomb” actually entailed, I learned the following:

They stretched a cord across the large stone which blocked the entrance to the tomb. Then they packed clay over each end of the cord, and pressed a wax seal over the clay, which was the seal of Roman government authority. Finally, they posted armed guards in front of the tomb each day. 

All these measures to guard the tomb, appeared to work until the third day, as predicted by Jesus. On the third day of that spring morning, the guards fell into a deep anesthetized sleep. The earth quaked, the stone was rolled away, the cord was broken and the wax and clay seals all crumbled. A powerful surge, like none other, brought Jesus to life, giving Him a resurrected body that could be seen and touched, yet able to walk through walls.

Inside the open tomb lay nothing but the grave clothes of Jesus. A separate cloth that was used to cover the head and hold the jaw closed, called the sudarium, was lying apart from the 14 foot shroud as John described in his gospel. (John 20:7)

The analysis of the mysterious image on the shroud of Turin has been studied by forensic scientists and physicists. Other bodies wrapped in grave clothes never left the type of image on a burial cloth as the shroud has. It’s an image of a crucified man, with bloody wrists, feet, head and a stab wound on his side. There are 120 marks from the scourging of the whip, from the head to the ankle. Though there are human blood stains on the shroud, the image itself was not made from blood stains. 

The shroud image is the most researched artifact in the history of the world. Scientists agree that there is no paint pigment on the shroud. The first carbon dating test found it to be only 700 years old, but that first sample was taken from a tainted, frequently handled portion, which was patched after surviving two fires, but no further sample was ever tested. The flax in the linen cloth was from first century Palestine. The coins placed over the eyes to keep them closed, date back to the time of Pontius Pilate. 

Those who studied the shroud image have found it to be a photographic negative, produced by particle radiation. One scientist described it as a blast of ultraviolet light, of a single wavelength, projected from the body, outward, and onto the surface of the burial cloth. The image also has the 3-D qualities of a hologram, showing front and back of the body. Scientists say that there is no technology that could recreate such an image today. 

The blood type is AB positive, and some have asked why the blood on the shroud remained red in color, since blood turns brown or black over time. Dr. Alan Adler, a hematologist, explained that a person who is tortured for many hours would release bilirubin from the liver, causing the blood to permanently remain red. I am convinced that the shroud is Jesus’ burial cloth. 

Whether people agree or not on the credibility of the shroud, all believers can agree that the resurrection of Jesus came from the same Source who once said, “Let there be light” and there was light. 

No government seals of authority, armed guard, or massive tomb stone could prevent a God of such love from completing His plan of salvation for us. The cords of fear  are now broken. The clay seals of doubt crumble into dust. Powers and principalities of darkness can no longer control us. The powerful blast of energy that raised Jesus will also raise us one day. 

The world has never been the same since His resurrection and lives are still being changed as a result of that empty tomb, 2,000 years ago. 

Lord, thank you for resurrection power that brought our salvation, healing, deliverance and victory. Amen 

Hallelujah! He is risen.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Camey Joy is a lovely woman of faith who wrote a book called “Beautifully scarred.” I have not read her book but I listened to her television interview. She was born in Guatemala with a bilateral cleft palate and lip, totally unable to nurse. She seemed destined to die without immediate medical help, so her father wrapped her in a blanket and walked to the nearest hospital to ask for help. He was turned away saying there was no one at that facility who could correct a cleft palate, yet gave him no advice of where to take her. 

Her father sat on the front steps of the hospital, feeling helpless and began crying, not knowing what to do next. God sees the cries of the helpless and is truly near to the brokenhearted. At that moment two strangers stood before him and told him about an orphanage where children will receive the medical help they need.

The strangers escorted him to the orphanage, even providing him with something to eat on the way, since he had not eaten all day. When he arrived, they quickly took his baby in, helped to nourish her, arranged for medical help and her adoption. 

The father was relieved that the infant girl would be in good hands. He turned to thank the two strangers who brought him there, but they disappeared. The person who met him at the door of the orphanage said that he arrived alone, and there were no other men with him. His rescuers were obviously angels, who appeared as men for a specific mission, and then disappeared. The Lord heard the cries of that father and reached out through two visitors from Heaven to guide him. God had a plan to give hope and a future to a baby girl who would one day share this story.

The baby girl was adopted by a Christian couple in the United States, who named her Camey Joy. She has had 23 surgeries throughout her lifetime to correct a complex cleft palate. She is not only beautiful today, but loves the Lord, sings, tells her story at churches, public events and has written a book of memoirs. If God had not intervened by sending those two angels who led her father to the right place, she would have died as an infant. 

As I listened to her interview I was inspired to write about it. Her story just affirms that every life is precious to God, and He doesn’t make mistakes. He has a divine purpose for each life He creates. He gives wisdom and medical skill to surgeons who correct even the most difficult cases like Camey’s. 

God also inspires people to start orphanages and connect with medical personnel. It just confirms that God is behind the planning of every humanitarian venture that saves lives. He really is near to the brokenhearted and saves all who are crushed in spirit, as Camey’s biological father once was.

(Psalm 34:18) 

We see the defects but God sees the restoration. We see deformity and malformation, but God sees hope, healing and a future. We see a birth anomaly, but God sees His beloved child born for a purpose to know and walk with their Heavenly Father all the days of their life.

Lord, give all those who may feel flawed, rejected or have lost hope, a special inspiration that you love us and have a beautiful plan for everyone’s future. Amen

“Indeed someone may say, “You have faith and I have works.” Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works.”

James 2:18 (NAB)

A man named Patrick recalled his journey from being a bitter atheist to finding a new life after putting his faith in Jesus Christ. Patrick became angry at God ever since his teenage brother died by suicide many years earlier. As time went by, he married, had children, worked a successful job, and thought he had it all, and didn’t need God. Then his life suddenly hit a roadblock, when his wife asked for a separation, saying she didn’t love him anymore, so they separated.

Patrick found himself living in an apartment and at the lowest point of his life. He even had thoughts of suicide at times, but one person was leaving a gradual impression on him during that dark time. There was an older man in his neighborhood, named Jesse, who  rode his bicycle everywhere, especially to church every Sunday. Jesse would always stop briefly to talk to Patrick, telling him that God loved him or that God is with him. It was as if Jesse knew what Patrick was going through.  

One day Patrick was surprised to see Jesse walking instead of riding his bike, and learned that someone had stolen Jesse’s bicycle. Patrick felt sorry for him, but Jesse brushed it off, in his usual cheerful demeanor, saying it’s okay, since that person might have needed the bicycle more than him.

After his bicycle was stolen, Jesse would take a taxi to church every Sunday, but one day someone stole all of Jesse’s money. When Patrick heard about that, he was outraged, but Jesse calmly said that maybe that person needed the money more than him. 

As Jesse continued to show genuine meekness, forgiveness and incomprehensible peace, it began to work in Patrick’s heart. He never observed anyone like Jesse, who lived his Christianity in a relationship with Jesus, instead of fulfilling religious obligations. Jesse demonstrated by all he said and did, that the presence of Jesus was real in his life. In his sincere gratitude and purity of heart in the troubled times, Jesse was motivated by the love of Christ. 

Patrick became spiritually hungry for that kind of faith, and one day, he bowed his head in prayer, surrendering all his anguish to God, saying, 

“God, if you are real, help me, I want to know Jesse’s Jesus.”

That marked a turning point for Patrick. God answered his prayer,  and he began to have his own personal relationship with Jesus.  As a result of the light that shined through Jesse, Patrick went to church, was reconciled with his wife through a marriage retreat, and today he and his wife are involved together in various ministries, serving God as a family. Patrick also started a ministry of suicide prevention, in honor of his late brother. 

Jesse passed away in 2020 and is resting in the arms of Jesus today. He lived his life in humility and faith, never doubting that God was with him, even when bad things happened. Now Patrick is telling his story of redemption and spreading the light of Christ to others. 

The world is hungry for someone to demonstrate the true peace and joy that only Jesus gives us. 

Jesse showed it throughout his life, by leaving a legacy, which inspired someone to say, 

“I want Jesse’s Jesus.”

This story made me more aware of how effectively Christ’s light can shine through a human being. It doesn’t require a minister, priest or missionary to explain Jesus to this world, just the humility of believers who shine with a genuine peace, joy and love. Jesse made me hope and pray that I could demonstrate my faith in a way to cause others to say, 

“I want Maria’s Jesus”,  because there’s no greater legacy to leave in this world.

Lord, help us to demonstrate our faith in greater ways, so that we will all leave a legacy of reflecting your peace, joy and love through all we say and do. Amen

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.”

Luke 15:22-24 (NIV)

The Father of the prodigal made a feast and ordered his servants to bring the finest robe and put it on his son. This was the son who took his inheritance money and estranged himself from his family, until he finally returned home after living in a pen full of swine. Though he urgently needed a bath, his father wanted to first shower him with love, rejoicing in his return. The bath could wait until later. 

The prodigal son story reveals God’s extravagant love for us, by receiving us just as we are. The bathing and deep cleaning can wait because we are His sons and daughters, and it doesn’t matter where we’ve been. He loves us as we are, and is looking for all of His children to come home.

Paul said that if we were baptized into Christ, we put on Christ, as one puts on a garment. 

(Galatians 3:27)

Putting on Christ is like putting on the Lord’s robe of righteousness and His garment of salvation, as described by Isaiah. (Isaiah 61:10)

The father of the prodigal put his  finest robe on his son, then He honored him with a ring on his finger and new sandals on his feet. The father did all this, not because his son was deserving or righteous, but because he was his beloved son.

We are all undeserving, but we wear that robe by the grace of our Father in heaven, who loves us. Every lesson from the prodigal story, centers on relationship. God is our Father, and we are His sons and daughters. He merits us to wear His finest robe, which is Christ. He wants all His children to keep coming home and regularly receive the grace and forgiveness that He generously offers.

The finest robe was a gift, not given as a reward for good deeds, but simply for being his son. We have all been reconciled to God,  predestined to be conformed to the image of His son, Jesus, and He expects us to wear His son as a gift. (Romans 8:29)

The prodigal son wore his father’s finest robe publicly, as we are meant to wear Christ publicly, not hiding Him from the rest of the world. People often say that their faith is private, but the father of the prodigal celebrated his son’s return with a public celebration. It was never intended it to be a private matter, and so is our faith. 

Redemption is too great a gift to be kept private, but was meant to be shared with others. Jesus is waiting for more prodigals to return home, so that He can place His robe of righteousness upon them. All of Heaven celebrates every time a son or daughter comes home. (Luke 15:10)

Lord, thank you for wearing our sins on the cross, while clothing us in your finest robe, and loving us as sons and daughters. Amen

“Lying back on Jesus’ chest was one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.”

John 13:23  (NASB)

John, the apostle, in writing his gospel and epistles, never identifies himself by name. Instead, he calls himself, “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” 

Some Bible scholars thought he did it out of modesty, but most agree that John wanted to be known by his affectionate posture with Jesus, which was more important to him, than his own name. To be loved by Jesus was the best thing in John’s world. 

John was known for laying His head on Jesus’ chest, whenever they reclined. He wrote about love more than the other gospel writers, and wanted everyone to find their own intimate posture with Jesus as well. We cannot physically lean on Jesus today, but there is a postural image of Him, that we carry in our soul. 

Our posture is how we picture ourselves in His presence, or our response to His love. The posture of our soul is like a reflection of our spiritual self esteem.

As we close our eyes and imagine ourselves in His presence, we take note of our posture. We may see ourselves laying our head on His chest, as John did, or kneeling before Him. Some might imagine lying face down on the ground in awe before Him. Whether we picture ourself standing, sitting, kneeling, or leaning on Him, our posture reflects our sense of security and intimacy with Jesus. He loves us so much that He knew we were worth dying for, and our posture is our response to His love. 

Jesus not only died for our sins, but He bore all of our griefs and sorrows on the cross, as well. Isaiah wrote, 

“Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.” 

(Isaiah 53:4) 

Our griefs and sorrows includes all of our emotional baggage. He invites us today to cast all of our grief, pain and sorrow upon Him, because it’s what He died for and He cares for us. His yoke is easy, and He receives us with open arms, because He is the good Shepherd as well as the gentle Lamb of God. Whatever posture our soul has found, Jesus wants us to keep bringing all of our worries to Him. 

While we visualize our posture with Him, we gradually lean in a little closer. Our mind is still distracted by thoughts and concerns of our day, but as we rest our head on His chest, like John did, our anxiety is being transferred from our head to His heart. We are now able to hear His heart beat, and while listening to Jesus’ heart, we find ourselves caring about the things that He cares about. He gives us His compassion, the ability to forgive and the desire to seek first His kingdom.

In this posture, we too become the disciple that Jesus loves. If we could look into His eyes, we would see how much He has loved us our whole life, wanting to gather us closer to comfort us. He lifts our burdens and gives us His peace. 

While we are resting in this posture, He turns to us and says, 

“I have loved you with an everlasting love, and My peace I give to you. I am with you always.”

Lord, we lay all of our mind’s anxieties upon your heart and receive the comforting peace of being your beloved disciples. Amen

“David continued: “The same Lord who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul answered David, “Go! the Lord will be with you.”

1 Samuel 17:37 (NAB)

David was the youngest of eight  brothers in his family. His father  sent him to the war zone to deliver lunches to his seven older brothers, but God had another purpose for him that day. David spent his usual routine by shepherding his father’s flock, and creating worship songs, until his father sent him on a routine mission of a different type.

David arrived with fresh bread and cheese for his brothers, but when he heard and saw how his people were being bullied by a 9’9” giant named Goliath, he was inspired with bold faith to stand up to him. David was ridiculed by his brothers who tried to prevent him from approaching Goliath, since to them, he was merely their kid brother and not a trained soldier. 

After being mocked by trained soldiers, David convinced King Saul to allow him to approach Goliath. Saul was impressed by David’s confidence and permitted him to face the giant. David ran towards the giant carrying nothing but a few stones, a slingshot, and a heart full of faith and courage. One stone from his slingshot struck Goliath on the forehead, and he died. 

The Israelites were miraculously freed from Philistine oppression that day. They regained their faith and confidence in God, while David became a folk hero from that day on.

Fast forward 1,000 years and another young boy went on a routine mission, as he packed his lunch and headed to a large crowd one day, to hear Jesus speak. He thought it was going to be a routine day, listening to a new Rabbi speak, but it ended up being a day that impacted people for generations to come, and he played a major part by bringing his lunch.

The boy gave his lunch to Jesus, who miraculously turned the small amount of bread and fish into enough to feed the multitude. The unnamed boy didn’t know when he routinely packed a lunch that morning, it would not only feed 5,000 people but would inspire people’s faith for generations afterward. 

Both boys were doing a routine task, by bringing a basket of food to a public gathering place. They never dreamed they would be used by God to inspire the faith of  a multitude. Only God can make a routine errand turn into a faith inspiring moment, that would be spoken of for generations. 

We never know who will be set free from their fears, find new hope or surrender their heart to God, by something we do or say during some routine task during our day. 

I remember a lady who left an  inspiring impression on me. Monica was the daughter of a resident at my son’s Nursing Home. When I first began visiting my son, I observed her coming regularly to visit her mother, but Monica was different from other visitors, because she greeted every resident by name, and spent time with them. She offered strangers a hug and a listening ear. I was so impressed by her kindness that I remember hoping I could follow Monica’s example. 

Shortly after that her mother passed away and Monica no longer visited the Nursing Home. I never saw Monica again, but now I’m the routine visitor, who greets the residents by name and talks to them with each week’s visit. 

I know now that God used Monica to inspire me to follow her example of kindness, and try to make a small difference in the lives of many lonely Nursing Home residents.

The stories of two boys bringing a packed lunch, shows us that God uses ordinary routines of ordinary people to do extraordinary things for others. He can use our lunch break at work, or the daily errands we run, to encourage someone we meet that day. Monica may never know how much she made a difference and inspired me. 

Lord, you are the bread of life that we can routinely share with others through simple acts of kindness, which plants seeds of faith in all those we meet each day. Amen

“The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand for ever.”

Isaiah 40:8 (RSV)

There is a man who I’ve become acquainted with over my time of visiting the Nursing home. He has serious mental health problems and has undergone multiple (ECT) electric shock treatments. Each time I see him he seems to know me but never remembers my name, nor does he know what year it is, or the facility he is in. I will call him Joe, for privacy reasons. 

While visiting with my usual small group of residents, Joe came into the Day room, and rolled his wheelchair near to our table. One resident looked at him and cried out, “See, that’s how he gets!” I looked at Joe and he looked extremely anxious, and his facial expression appeared to be tormented. He didn’t seem able to speak, and I didn’t know what to do for him.

I asked Joe if I could pray for him, and he nodded yes. I laid a hand on his shoulder and prayed for him to have peace and to know Jesus is here with him. I told him to keep praying and God will help him. After I sat back down at the table, I heard Joe’s voice faintly begin to recite the Lord’s Prayer. I turned to look at him as he said the words, “Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name.” His voice was faint so I joined him in saying the rest of the prayer and then the friends at the table joined in as well. Joe prayed the entire prayer all the way to the end with us. 

It was a moment of grace to see how Joe, who couldn’t speak for a moment, and with his very limited memory, start saying the Lord’s prayer on his own, and prayed it to the end with the others. 

The Lord’s Prayer is God’s word, first taught by Jesus, in Matthew’s gospel.  Isaiah said that God’s word will endure forever, long after the grass withers and the flower fades. 

As I looked around the Nursing home that day, it is filled with people whose minds are fading like flowers, and whose bodies are withering like grass, yet the words of Jesus will remain in the human soul forever. 

Somehow, the words of that prayer remained in some part of Joe’s soul and brain, enabling him to start reciting it, despite a disabling memory loss. I think it’s amazing that people like Joe can still remember certain prayers and scriptures. Chaplains have found that patients with Alzheimer’s dementia may not know their own name, but they remember how to recite a prayer. 

The body and mind may fade but the soul retains all the eternal things, which have nourished it. As Joe prayed, the expression of panic and anxiety left his face, and he became more relaxed. 

There’s a scripture for every need and here’s one for all aging seniors to know God is with them:

“Even to your old age and gray hairs, I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” 

(Isaiah 46:4)

God gave us souls that receive blessings even when the mind and body begin to fade like the flowers and grass. Our soul can retain the everlasting nourishment of faith, God’s word and His Presence, which sustains us and carries us through.

Lord, you made us and promised to sustain us, so we place our body, mind, soul and spirit into your hands to be carried in your love. Amen

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 ( NIV)

My grandmother’s first born, my mother, was a perfectly healthy baby, until around 9-10 months old. She developed a sore on the shin of her leg, which got worse until it turned into a festering ulcer. The medical diagnosis was a type of TB osteomyelitis of the bone. 

In that year, 1914, the medical recommendation was amputation. Once the bacteria spread to the bone, it would cause swelling of the surrounding tissue, cutting off the blood flow, causing any nearby tissues to die. To prevent this, doctors preferred to amputate as soon as possible.

My grandmother was not a meek personality, and she was pretty outraged at the thought of amputating her baby’s leg. When she emphatically said “NO !” to amputation, the doctor referred her to Evanston hospital, where a research study was being done for TB of the bone, at the time. 

My grandmother took her baby there and my mother became a test patient in that research study. I don’t know all of the details, but it may have involved a treatment combining medicine with a new surgical procedure of scraping the bone clean of the infection. They did the treatment and as a result, my mother was totally cured. 

She grew to adulthood and lived a full life, all because she had a strong willed mother and a faithful praying father. My grandfather was the one person in the family that I never met, since he died before I was born. My mother always spoke of his gentle nature and his steadfast faith in God. He took his three children to church every Sunday, and the faith they grew to live by, was learned from him. 

I’m sure my grandfather’s prayers had a huge effect on how everything turned out, and my grandmother’s immediate resistance to amputation, made the two of them, the perfect parents that my mother needed, at that time in her life. 

It took the spunkiness of my grandmother, which led to learning about the research study, as my grandfather’s prayers and trust in God, led to a successful outcome. Whatever our personalities are, we are the parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles or godparents that we were created to be, according to God’s perfect plan.

I remember the deep, ugly scar in my mother’s leg, but she never had any deficits or weakness in her leg. I thank God for a trial procedure that saved her leg from amputation.

Medical professionals do all they can do, but we always need to trust God to do the rest. 

God gives the wisdom to those professionals who develop cures, and He gives us the faith to entrust our Iives and our family’s lives, to Him. If we trust in the Lord, and not lean on our own understanding, He will lead us in the right path.

Lord, we submit every problem or decision in our lives to you. Lead us in the path of wisdom, as we put all our trust in you, more than on our own understanding. Anen

“But when the Counselor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me;”

John 15:26 (RSV)

The Holy Spirit has many names, the Counselor, Comforter, Helper, and Advocate. Whatever name we call Him, He is always eager to bear witness to Christ, and He finds interesting ways to do it. He seems to work mostly through conversations and occasionally will redirect the topic to center on Jesus. 

When I was still working, I used to pray a short prayer before starting the day. I asked the Holy Spirit to come into the room that I was working in. If I remembered to pray that prayer, He never failed to hijack a conversation, turning it to a topic about Jesus or God. If people try too hard to do this on their own, they could become obnoxious, but when the Holy Spirit does it, it’s not only amusing, but awesome as His Presence enters that room.

He gives us our cue to say a few words at the right time. Jesus gave His church a mission, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” (Mark 16:15)

That mission is not only for clergy, but for everyone who believes in Jesus as their Savior. His words were not meant to burden us with a difficult responsibility, but a call to listen for our cue each day.

Bearing witness to Jesus is the Holy Spirit’s job, since it’s His area of expertise, not ours. He lives in us now, so we can listen for His gentle nudge and say the right words in season with His perfect timing. To start the day by inviting Him into a room with us is not a vague, general request. It’s a specific invitation to a specific place, and He will come.

I can remember one time when the Holy Spirit came into a room and took over a conversation, suddenly making Jesus the main topic. I did not initiate it, nor did I plan it, but I received His cue.

A conversation at work landed on a topic of mass murderers and one coworker was adamant that mass murderers, including tyrants who commit genocide, will never be forgiven by God. It’s a topic that triggers emotion but when I heard him mention God and forgiveness, I knew it was my cue. I just said, “But Jesus forgave all of His murderers from the cross.” 

My coworker rejected my answer, but how often do we have a segway to present an image of Jesus on the cross, forgiving all of His murderers, especially in the midst of a busy work day. Not often do we have a chance to share the boundless mercy of God and His forgiveness in a routine day at work. 

That conversation took place inside an operating room as five or six of us were setting up for the next case. 

The Holy Spirit so desires to be with us, to partner with us and bear witness of Jesus, but He still depends on us to listen for our cue and speak with complete reliance on Him. 

There was a godly Christian man named John of Avila who lived in 16th century Spain. He said that the poor in spirit, is the one who mistrusts their own opinions, their own strength, and their own gifts, but places all their reliance on God and His Holy Spirit. 

That’s what we do whenever we ask the Holy Spirit to come into any room with us each day and take over. It’s a way of saying that we do not depend on our own abilities, gifts or strengths, but on Him. Jesus said “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

(Matthew 5:3)

The Holy Spirit came into a specific operating room that day. He has been coming into rooms ever since He came into the Upper room on the day of Pentecost. He intervenes in our conversations and bears witness of the mercy and forgiveness of Jesus. He does all the work as we pray and then listen for our cue. 

Lord, help us to invite you into every room and to listen for our cue, to draw others to your love and mercy. Amen

“Uphold me according to thy promise, that I may live, and let me not be put to shame in my hope! Hold me up, that I may be safe and have regard for thy statutes continually.”

Psalm 119:116-117 (RSV)

A newborn baby is carried out as the lone survivor of her family. A father continues to hold the hand of his deceased fifteen year old daughter. An entire family is rescued, as several children survivors are carried out of the rubble. 

These were the tragic scenes and images on the world news the night after an earthquake struck Syria and Turkey in 2023. 

Those images of lost lives and destruction are contrasted by images of miraculous saves, and reunited family survivors. The scenes of first responders holding up people of all ages, lifting them from the rubble and into safety, fits what this scripture verse is saying, “Uphold me that I may live….” Thank God for all first responders who tirelessly labor to uphold survivors and save lives. 

The images of the earthquake  evoke a dichotomy of emotions. We feel great sorrow in seeing the extent of the wreckage and loss, but at the same time, we feel deep gratitude for the lives that are miraculously pulled from the rubble and saved against all odds. 

Feeling sorrow and gratitude at the same time may be God’s way of helping us cope with tragedy. Every person can think of a time when a situation evoked feelings of sorrow and gratitude at the same time. 

My husband, Stephen, found the most rewarding phase of life to be those years, after retiring from his sales job, spending time coaching youth golf leagues and giving golf lessons to the younger population. It was a fulfilling time of his life, throughout his latter years until he became ill and passed away. 

Ryan was one young man that Stephen coached for a few years who received a golf scholarship. He was away at college when Stephen died, but he sent me a sympathy card with a hand written note expressing his feelings that Stephen was more than a golf coach to him, but a life mentor.

Though it was sorrowful to watch a debilitating illness like ALS, remove so much quality from his life, I also felt deep gratitude for the help and support that he received from friends, family and therapists. His family and friends were so supportive, that we had someone visiting him in our home, every single weekend.

Among the blessings of regular visits by friends and family, there were occasional coincidences that stirred feelings of gratitude. 

In looking back, I know there really are no coincidences, but only blessings sent by God at the right time. 

Nurses and different kinds of therapists were coming and going from our home every week. One day the physical therapist sent to him that day, turned out to be the mother of a boy who once was in his youth golf league. It was a pleasant surprise and she told him how much her son benefited from his coaching, which lifted his spirit for the day. It appeared as a coincidence, but I know that God sent her to be his therapist that day.

Gratitude is readily felt in the small things and small things leads us to be grateful for all things. In the end, it’s God’s way of upholding us spiritually and emotionally, as we combine our sorrow with gratitude. 

The earthquake survivors were physically upheld by the first responders and volunteers who lifted them out of the rubble. God spiritually upholds us by sending  small coincidences, which lift us up from whatever weighs us down.

In all things, we can be sure that God’s got us. He is holding us up and lifting us out of the rubble of distress. Scripture confirms that God loves to receive our gratitude, since gratitude draws us closer to Him, keeps our perspective on Christ and gives us peace in the storm.

Lord, thank you for helping us to find the small things to be grateful for, as you uphold and strengthen our spirit each day. Amen