Tag: Courage

When Nick Vujicic speaks–and he does, all over the world–people hang on every word. They can't quite believe that this man is saying what he's saying.

Certainly I found that to be true.

Some years ago my husband and I heard Nick speak and afterward joined the crowd around the stage. His smile lit up the room.

Since then I've seen him on television and just recently on YouTube.

Always, I marvel how every day he triumphs over challenges that would drive many of us to curl up in the corner and wail.

And then there are his remarkable parents. Three sonograms gave them no warning their child would be born with problems.

Imagine their shock to find their newborn son possessed no arms and no legs, only a sort of a "foot flipper" at the bottom left of his torso.

What would you do?

No doubt many well-meaning people told Nick's parents that raising their severely handicapped child would be too much for them and they should turn him over to the professionals.

They paid no attention.

That plucky pair took their baby son home and somehow loved him into a remarkable wholeness of spirit.

They did more than love him absolutely. They gave Nick a lifetime gift.

They instilled in him the sense that he was bigger than the obstacles he faced.

They assured their son he could trust God to make a way for him and use him. Somehow. Somewhere. Some way.

Still, it was years before Nick believed it wholeheartedly for himself.

The boy with the hard name and the weird body

Nick Vujicic (VOO-yee-cheech) was born in Melbourne, Australia, in 1982. As you would guess, being taunted and bullied were everyday occurrences.

He says, "I often came home crying and told my parents, 'I hate school! The kids make fun of me!'

"My parents always said, 'Don't pay any attention. You're God's creation, fearfully and wonderfully made, and we love you. You just smile back and talk to them and play with them as much as you can.' After awhile things got better, but I often felt depressed.

"I accepted myself after I read about the blind man in John 9.  I read how Jesus said the blind man was born that way so that the works of God would be revealed through him. I said to God that if He had a plan for that man I certainly believed that He had one for me.

"That's when I totally surrendered the idea of ‘needing to know the plan’ and trusted in Him one day at a time."

Would you describe Nick as "disabled?"

Most people would. Here's what he says about disability: "We all have brokenness. Mine just shows more than most people's.

"Fear is the biggest disability of all. Fear is simply False Evidence Appearing Real. Courage is doing what's in front of us, even when we're afraid."

Asked how he finds courage to keep going every day, Nick smiled. "I thank God for what I have instead of complaining about what I don't have.

Nick says, “If God can use a man without arms and legs to be His hands and feet, then certainly He will use any willing heart!”

God answers Nick's heartfelt prayers

For years Nick wondered whether any woman ever could or ever would love him. Then God answered his lifelong prayers for a godly wife and a family of his own.

He and Kanae fell in love and then married on February 12, 2012.

And now they have four beautiful children.

(To read more of his story, go to his website: www.lifewithoutlimbs.org or Google his name.)

Nick Vujicic often quotes a favorite verse.

"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

Dear reader friends, that same promise applies to you and to me, every bit as much as it does to Nick. If we compare our problems to Nick's we may feel we have no right to complain, but we are human. Inevitably, we will have times when we feel broken and downhearted. Even then, in Jesus Christ our hope and our future is secure.

Let's resolve to live our lives, too, by the sure and certain promises we find in God's Word.

Lenore

You Can Soar Above Your Challenges

October 26, 2023
Maybe you've noticed this phrase here and there on gift shop plaques and posters and wondered where it came from.

It traces back to a motivational poster printed by the Government of the United Kingdom in 1939 as Hitler's troops were rapidly advancing through Europe and it seemed inevitable that Great Britain would be invaded.

Some months later the Nazi Blitz actually began. A woman I knew was in her twenties at the time and worked in London office. She told of her experiences. "Night after night the Nazis rained bombs on London and other vital towns and seaports and mortars boomed. Every night we headed for the safest place to be, which was in a bomb shelter or in a subway (Tube) tunnel. Truth is, hardly anyone really slept.

"Our lives settled into a dreary, endless routine. When mornings finally came we dragged ourselves up to the streets and picked our way through the rubble, determined to carry on with our work as best we could."

Strangely, Hitler never invaded the British Isles. Even the keenest military experts never could explain why he didn't seize his advantage and put his troops on this island nation.

Brits who believed in God proclaimed with confidence, "It is purely by grace, God's grace."

If we have eyes to see we'll know that explanation also fits our lives

As we comb through our personal history we find times when things "worked out," although we couldn't explain how or why.

At some later point we may discern a sort of pattern we couldn't make sense of at the time. Perhaps we finally spot a connection in what had appeared to be haphazard occurrences. "Ah, coincidences," we say.

My friend, with our loving God and his people there are no "coincidences."

Our bottom line is the same as Christians in all times have found to be true: It is by God's grace. Remember Romans 8:28?

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Did you catch that? ALL things

The goods. The bads. The boring hours that tick by too slowly.

The growing and exciting times. The times we waited for a diagnosis and prayed for a miracle.

The will-this-never-end periods. The how-did-it-all-go-by-so-fast years.

ALL of it.

You and I never will understand everything that comes into our lives. We cannot because only Almighty God is all-knowing. Only He knows the end before the beginning.

As Christians we can be sure of this: Our gracious Lord loves us. HE will work all things together for our good. In His time. In His way.

This is true even if it seems that right now, nothing in our life makes sense.

All He asks of us is that we keep putting one foot in front of the other, keep trusting him and live our days in faith.

Handholds for our hearts

Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.–John 14:1 (ESV)

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." –2 Corinthians 12:9a ESV

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.                              –Philippians 4:6-7 ESV

Whatever is going on in our lives, in every moment of every day we have all we need.

God still holds the world–and us–safe in the palm of His loving hand. This means you and I truly can Keep Calm and Carry On through whatever comes.

Living it out, too,

Lenore

Advice that Fits Every Situation: Keep Calm and Carry On

March 11, 2023
Is the steady drip, drip, drip of negative news getting to you?

If you're like me, you're nodding your head in agreement.

TV newscasters constantly proclaim new reasons to panic–or at least be fearful. We "little people" struggle to distinguish between what's true and what's just another deceptive suggestion.

Here's a tip to save your sanity. For decades the maxim in the news business has been:

If it bleeds, it leads.

Obviously, politicians and wannabes live by this slogan, too. That's why so many of their speeches feature "If __, then __ ."

Conjecture soon is reported as fact by everyone who stands in front of a TV camera and then repeated by every broadcaster.

Soon the rest of us are saying to each other, "Well, it must be true because that's what I hear on all the TV channels."

Always, we get to choose. Will we panic or will we breathe deep and hang on tight to a realistic perspective?

What if it's real? What if it's close to home?

Certainly, this worldwide pandemic is real. No wonder we're nervous, maybe even running scared. Everything keeps changing, from one report to the next. All we can do is follow instructions and try to live healthy.

That may not be the whole story. We may face a serious problem or a scary illness. Or perhaps someone we know and love is having a hard time. We don't know how to help. We can't go where they are and just hold them close.

No matter what the situation, you and I still have the power to speak hope. To shine a ray of light into the life of a person who feels overwhelmed, whether in our family, our church or our community.

How? By staying in touch. By sprinkling words of hope into our texts and conversations. As we tell others to look on the bright side, we'll be encouraging ourselves, too.

This may not seem like much, but it can be huge

Our words matter. Think of tossing a stone into a pond and watching how the ripples spread.

Many great national leaders of the past understood that.

Take President Franklin D. Roosevelt, for example, elected in 1932, in the midst of the Great Depression. Love him or hate him, it took courage for FDR to say in his inaugural speech:

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

No doubt many thought he was mad. Yet his words lifted hearts all across the country and became FDR's most-remembered statement.

The effects of the Depression lingered for years. Then, nine years later, came Pearl Harbor and World War II.

The Brits were already at war and they needed hope, too

They got it from their prime minister, Winston Churchill. He regularly broadcast to his nation and his defiant words put iron in British spines.

Take his slogan, "KBO." That stood for, "Keep Buggerin' On."

That's exactly what thousands of Londoners did during enemy nighttime bombing raids. I knew a couple of those Brits. For months on end they spent every night in the city's subway tunnels, trying to sleep–on benches, on the floor, on the platforms. Every morning they dragged themselves topside and looked around at new destruction and piles of rubble. Then they dug in and cleared away wreckage and buried the bodies of those who were killed. All this besides keeping at their work, doing whatever it took to keep the country going.

In Brit-speak, they kept buggerin' on.

Another of Churchill's famous statements has hung above my desk for years: "Never, never, never give up!"

Throughout WW II, FDR and Churchill both held out hope and it shone as brightly in the gloom as a miner's lamp in a coal mine. No wonder people clustered around radio sets and hung on their every word.

Hope is as necessary for life as oxygen is for the lungs

Every day you and I broadcast to an audience–our loved ones or people around us–usually one person at a time. Do we more often speak words that lift that person's spirit? Or do we simply add to their load of discouragement?

Let's be prepared, ready with hopeful Bible verses that reassure. (If they speak to our hearts, chances are they will to another, as well.) Here are three for starters:

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. –Psalm 62:5

Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint. -Psalm 40:31

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. –Romans 15:13

The Bible is a treasure trove. Why not keep track of verses that speak to you so you can pass them on?

And no matter what comes, let's smile and "K.B.O."

Lenore

How shall we get through this? Speak hope

March 26, 2020
It's the time of year when we celebrate the those who gave their lives so this could remain The Land of the Free.

Most of the time we take all this for granted, as if freedom were our natural right.

Not true. Freedom carries a terrible price tag.

On Memorial Day we count the cost in lives. For once we take a sober look at the truth.

Every headstone represents a person who lived, someone with a family who still grieves the loss of this life.

These individuals died so you and I could walk around without fear.

Their families lost someone dear to them so our Nation's government could continue to function as it has from the beginning. Now as then, you and I are absolutely free to vote for whomever we choose as our President–and all other lawmakers–in every level of government.

Free to worship God as we choose. Free to live where we choose. Free to send our children to whatever school(s) we choose and can afford.

Those who died to preserve these rights were–and are–heroes. They deserve the ceremonies and the flags that fly on their graves in military cemeteries all across the world.

Ever wondered how all those flags "magically" get placed every Memorial Day?

Here in the United States credit almost always goes to local Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts and Brownie troops.

Placing flags fits right in with Scouting goals. They want to build character and help develop citizens who participate, rather than sit on the sidelines.

Scouting couldn't exist without the moms and dads who support leaders and kids in so many ways.

Kneeling at graves and placing flags can be a significant experience. For at least a little while these youngsters will think of the bravery and sacrifice of those who died.

As for the rest of us, why not speak our thanks to these young people? And their parents? And their troop leaders?

Kids need heroes. So do we all

Especially now, when cynicism is running wild among us.

Late-night comics and talking heads endlessly slice-and-dice this individual and that one, over and over. Everyone is fair game, from the President on down.

Such critics get praise for their "wit" and "remarkable insights."

Do any of them–or do we–ever stop to think that it's a privilege–a precious gift–to be able to speak their minds? Or for us to listen to any speaker we want? Or watch any TV channel or webcast that fits our whim of the moment? Or read any newspaper or book we fancy?

All of it without fear someone will find out and report us?

You and I did not earn these rights ourselves. They did.

Memorial Day reminds us who we are

It seems to me we value being Americans too cheaply. We are a Nation birthed out of courage by those who risked everything to bring these United States into being.

Our founding fathers cared enough to fight for our liberty as a people.

Every individual who gave their life to preserve that liberty is proof the courage of those early patriots lives on.

Franklin D. Roosevelt, U.S. President during most of World War II, said,

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear."

How can you and I show courage and be a blessing now?

We can focus on what's right and good. We can speak well of our Nation and its leaders. We can stand for what's true and honorable in whom and what we applaud and reject what is not.

Like the Scouts, we can participate, rather than sit on the sidelines and carp.

That may include teaching the great old patriotic songs and poems–and the Pledge of Allegiance–to our children and grandchildren. (Never assume they automatically learn them in school.)

Why would I say that? Because I sing with a chorus and we almost always close with a patriotic song such as "God Bless America," or "The National Anthem." We see the same thing every time we perform. When invited to sing along, most adults–especially seniors–know every word.

Children, teens and many young adults usually remain silent. If asked why, they answer, "Because I don't know the words."

What more can we do to be a blessing?

When we spot a veteran or a current member of the Armed Forces, we can say, "Thank you for your service and for keeping our country free!"

Most of all, we can pray for our leaders and affirm what is good.

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone–for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.  –1 Timothy 2:1-4 NIV

Whatever our personal life challenges may be, we can pray for guidance and strength and trust God's goodness.

Good times or hard, God is with us

We can take God's word to His people–and us–seriously, as recorded in Joshua 1:9.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." NIV

Surely God's hand of blessing has been on these United States from the beginning. We do well to remember that, especially in this time when our nation seems so divided from within while dangers lurks on all sides.

Even as we honor those who gave their lives to keep these United States free, we thank God for His goodness.

If we keep that mindset and profess the faith and confidence within us, we will be remembered as people who made our own small world a better place, just by being alive.

God bless America!

Lenore

What does it cost to keep us living in freedom?

May 23, 2018
Perhaps the most shocking thing about another school shooting is that we're not so shocked any more.

This is the world we live in. Try to make sense of. Weep over. Pray for.

Over and over people in the media and Experts of all kinds tell us that whoever the current perpetrator happens to be is "disturbed."

Why? Blame it on any of these: "Has a record of being in trouble." "Came from a dysfunctional home." "Grew up without a father." "Had physical or mental challenges." "Lived in poverty." "Had alcoholic parents." "Lacked good role models." "Fell through the cracks."

Take your pick.

Looking deeper

Name any underlying cause you choose, whether on that list or not. All are disadvantages, not justification for violent behavior.

Otherwise, countless individuals over the centuries could not have survived such circumstances and yet gone on to achieve, sometimes notably.

If all that mattered were the trappings of one's growing-up years, then every child of wealthy and famous parents–the more, the better–would be perfectly adjusted and living a life to be admired.

News accounts and celebrity mags provide endless evidence this is not so.

How do we find our way?

First we face the anguishing reality of life: The list of things we have control over is quite small.

For example, this latest shooting took place in Parkland, FL, a high-income community considered by residents to be safe and therefore, secure.

Obviously not. It's not the neighborhood. It's not how large our income. It's not being able to give our kids "all the advantages."

Rather, security flows out of knowing:

Who/what we believe in

Where we–and our children–can turn for reassurance

The foundation we are building our lives on is unshakable

Security rests on what's within us, not on what's around us.

Oh, come on, that's too simplistic

If you doubt that, read a few biographies of individuals who overcame big odds.

I met one of those over-comers when he spoke at a business meeting. At the time he was "just" a surgeon known for separating conjoined twins. Since then he retired and now Dr. Ben Carson has been appointed secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

That's quite a long journey from growing up in a single-parent family, living in a public housing project for years and playing with rocks found along the railroad tracks as he walked to school.

What brought him through all that? He credits what he learned from his mom, who always left home before he got up and often came home after dark because she worked two jobs.

(You can read their story here:) http://awomansview.typepad.com/a_womans_view/2017/03/take-heart-mom-you-are-your-childs-biggest-advantage-in-life.html

Shoring up our inner defenses

It starts with taking charge of what we feed our minds and therefore, what we give out to our families.

If healthy food builds healthy bodies–and it does–then focusing on Jesus and His love for us, His strength within us, will build strength within us and our children.

In time of crisis what's inside us is what inevitably will come out of us.

If we feed ourselves–and our loved ones–fear, it will be fear.

If we feed ourselves–and our loved ones–talk of God's strength within us, what comes out of us will be courage and peace.

Put the good stuff in

We're never too old or too young to grow in faith. Even small children easily learn "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so," especially if we sing it with them.

Talking to Jesus is natural for young children and they love knowing they can pray in any scary situation, "Jesus, help me!"

Kids equipped with these plain truths from early on know that someone loves them, no matter what. They know they're not alone.

Does that make trouble and danger go away? Maybe not. But it does reassure youngsters (and adults, too,) that they're not alone and forsaken.

When life bumps us around we draw on our reserves

If we're to have a store of courage and strength to draw on we need to regularly deposit Truth into our memory banks. Truths from God's written word, the Bible, like these favorite verses.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  –Psalm 46:1

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  –Isaiah 41:10

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.  –Joshua 1:9

These three are just for starters. You'll find many more as you read your Bible. Underline the verses that speak to your heart. Memorize them or list them on your SmartPhone. Find your way to be able to find them quickly.

The bottom line: How shall we live without fear?

As usual, we get to choose. We can watch the news and look around and live in fear.

OR we can live by faith in the Lord of heaven and earth and we can teach our children the truths of Scripture.

Like taking the right turn at a crossroads, that makes all the difference.

So let's speak faith, not fear. Let's live with courage, trusting God all the way,

Lenore
How can we–and our children–live without fear in a world of horror headlines?

February 21, 2018
"Ordinary" people who perform heroically usually amaze the rest of us, especially when they seem unimpressed with themselves.

Here's one you won't forget. Meet Nico Calabria, age 20, a standout in every way.

Photo by Carl Calabria

After Nico's birth doctors told his parents their son would never lead a normal life.

Could never lead a normal life.

Yet at Concord-Carlisle (MA) High School he played on the varsity soccer team and the varsity wrestling team.

As a 19-year old he was one of five amateur football (soccer) players featured in Powerade's 2014 FIFA World Cup ad campaign.

Even earlier, at age 13, he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, the 19,341 ft. peak, set a world record and, by the way, raised $100,000 to provide free wheelchairs to needy people in Tanzania.

He did it all on crutches.

Nico was born without a right hip or leg.

His fascination with soccer balls started early

He first picked one up and played with it as a toddler. An unlikely toy? Sure, but his parents never discouraged him and Nico never viewed his disability as an excuse not to try.

As he told interviewer Mihaela Husar of "Impresive" magazine, "It was hard sometimes, but my family always had a 'no excuse, tough love mentality' when it came to overcoming challenges."

That's easy to say, hard to carry out for any mom or dad, but especially when their child has a disability.

We get a glimpse of Nico growing up

The ad agency hired by PowerAde sports drink produced this heartwarming video about Nico's life when he was chosen to be a member of Team USA of the American Amputee Soccer Association which in 2014 competed in the World Cup.

YouTube picked it up and it immediately went viral.

For Nico it's all about doing what he loves

Nico tells his "Impresive" interviewer some people think he's trying to make a statement by playing soccer with able-bodied people. Not true. He says he never gave up because, "I just love playing soccer."

It helps that he has no hangups about what he can or cannot do.

"I look at disabilities as 'differences in ability.' There's an important distinction. The definition of 'disabled' is basically a long list of synonyms that don't describe me…like 'crippled' and 'weak'."

PowerAde's global communication manager says Nico redefines our outlook on challenges. "Having one leg was his reality, so he chose to view it as an asset rather than a hindrance. … That's what we loved about him."

Here's life according to Nico at age 18: "I've got one leg. You get one life. I'm not going to let the hand I was dealt in life dictate what my life is going to be."

What holds the rest of us back?

It took me way too long to understand the basic, obvious fact that everything hinges on how we think and what we think.

Whatever the circumstances of our life may be, what we think is most important.

That's just as true for you and me as it is for Nico Calabria.

I need to keep reminding myself of that truth, so I collect quotes. Here are some favorites. Each one has at times been on a sticky note on my bathroom mirror or tacked to the bulletin board above my computer.

Life is 10 percent what you make it and 90 percent how you take it. –Irving Berlin

Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right. –Henry Ford

Never, never, never give up! –Winston Churchill

The bottom line for us as Christians

You and I face different challenges, but each one of us has difficulties to overcome. How we look at our lives makes all the difference.

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. –Proverbs 23:7 NLT

For God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and self-control. –2 Tim. 1:7 ESV

We know we're not alone. For us, it's God who gives us the right spirit and supplies what we need to live the life He has given us.

That certainty will carry us through each day, each challenge. Count on it.

Still learning,

Lenore

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Are heroes born or made? You decide

February 10, 2016
"Life Happens," they say. Catastrophes happen, too.

Fears we stuff down during the day haunt us at 2 a.m. Questions like, If that were true for me, could I handle it?

That's on my mind because of what happened to friends I'll call John and Mary. These two were driving home from vacation on a summer day. No speeding. No alcohol or drugs. Suddenly their car spun out of control on a curve and slammed into a highway guard-rail. Most of the impact was on the right-front corner of their new SUV.

Mary's side.

John walked away. Mary was helicoptered to the nearest trauma center. Doctors could not repair her mangled legs and amputated both of them below the knee.

Mary's life will never be the same. Neither will John's.

Like so many other friends I'm praying God's healing and comfort. Courage, too, for both of them, every day.

Courageous people seldom see themselves as heroes

For another wonderful couple I know, let's call them Jim and Jenny, this scenario is familiar territory. When she was a young mother Jenny contracted a type of flesh-eating bacteria.

Doctors gave them a choice: Her legs or her life. They chose life.

Surgeons severed her legs well above the infected area, up to her knees. Since then Jenny's prosthetic legs and her walker have been her best buddies. Together this young couple coped, reared their children and made a warm, loving family life.

When asked individually how they got through it, each one said something like, "Well, we knew God wouldn't give us more than we could handle. So we just prayed and kept going."

Tragedy strips away pretenses

After years of happy marriage, Mary and John face the same kind of challenges as they adjust to this new reality. John reports that Mary already is receiving physical therapy. She already can transfer herself from the bed to a wheelchair and will be fitted with prosthetics. After transfer to a long-term rehab facility in another city she's amazing therapists. They predict she'll be walking and driving within six months.

John thanked friends for their support and prayers, then closes his update with this sentence:

"Our lives have changed but we will move forward doing what we want to do in a different way."

When everything else falls away, it's what's inside that counts

Jesus talks about that in Luke 6:45:

Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.

My friends have an inner reserve on which they draw.

If we continually put the Good Stuff in it's like "filling our tanks," a reserve of courage beyond our own. Then we'll be ready for every day, whatever it brings.

I've found it helpful to underline Bible verses that speak to my heart so I can find them more easily. Verses like these remind me I'm not alone.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. —2 Corinthians 4:7-9

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. –Isaiah 41:10

As you read your Bible mark verses you love. Think of them as your internal armor (Ephesians 6:10-18.)

Then when the what ifs come in the night, repeat them and let them balm away your fears. Peace, be still.

Love,

Lenore

When the bottom drops out of life, how can we go on?

July 14, 2012
How do you see the glass of your life? Is it half-full or half-empty?

Every day of our lives, we choose.

We can focus on what have or on what we lack. Give thanks for what is or wail about what is not.

Truth is, we decide what kind of life we're living.

That makes no sense, especially in the middle of a hard time, right?

Wrong. It makes perfect sense. Why make a bad situation worse by holding a never-ending pity party?

I know a woman who as a teenage girl heard her doctor announce, "You have Muscular Dystrophy. I'm sorry, but there is no treatment and there is no cure."

That was more than forty years ago. Since that dark day "Mary" has experienced the progressive weakening of her body. She and one of our daughters have been friends since both were in their twenties. Whenever I go to visit that daughter I also see Mary and I've observed the progression of her M. D. At this point she astounds her doctors just by being alive. In order to remain in her home she depends absolutely on the help of caregivers, family and friends.

They all love her. So do the paramedics who sometimes rush her to the hospital, as well as her doctors and nurses.

Why wouldn't they? Mary accepts the facts of her life without bemoaning her fate. Her smile is as wide as a house and her sense of humor never fails. Through it all, she maintains her feisty spirit and exudes life.

I never heard Mary complain. Her faith in a loving God remains strong and her eyes reveal the peace within her.

Mary spends her days in a motorized wheelchair and accepts various physical indignities calmly. Does she ever give in to frustration? Of course. She's no plaster saint. Does she take it out on caregivers and people who love her? Not by all accounts. Despair may come knocking, but if so, she apparently refuses to answer the door.

Her horizons broadened some years ago when friends installed a user-friendly E-mail program she could manage. She promptly became an E-mail champ, exchanging messages with people all over the country. Since she had unlimited time, she became the go-to person for Google research.

When holding books and newspapers on her own became impossible TV viewing seemed the only way to fill her days. Kindle changed all that. Once again the wider world opened up to her. Mary quickly became the authority on which new book(s) to read.

This past year her increasing weakness threatened to cut all this short. Then came the I-Pad. Now once someone places a stylus in each of her hands she can E-mail, watch movies or read a wide assortment of books, plus several newspapers.

Nevertheless, most of us would consider her glass half-empty.

Not Mary. She focuses on the fullness of her life, the gift of modern technology and on friends and family who take her places and treat her with love. Mary would say she knows a blessing when she sees one.

Each of us deals with our own set of challenges and our own testings every day. Yet the question for us is the same as for Mary: How will we choose to perceive our lives?

One thing more. Mary calls on God to get her through her days. We can, too.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble . . . I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.

–Psalm 46:1; Philippians 4:13

What do you think? Comments, please.

Here's to having eyes that see the fullness in our lives,

Lenore

Half-full or half-empty?

January 25, 2011
Imagine being thirty-two years old and being told the sore on the back of your tongue is malignant. Surgery, to be performed at once, would involve removing most, if not all, of your tongue. Afterward, you might never be able to swallow on your own, nor speak intelligibly.

Hearing that would devastate anyone, but especially a pastor who spends his life speaking, preaching and teaching. Especially the doting father of a two-year old little girl.

Scott Schmieding, a Lutheran pastor then in Baton Rouge, LA, survived the eleven-hour surgery in 1995. Surgeons in Houston opened his neck from ear to ear and removed his tongue through his throat. Then they removed a muscle from his abdomen and reconstructed the cavity in his mouth. Intense radiation followed, which caused mouth blisters. For eight months he breathed through a hole in his neck and ate through a feeding tube. Radiation also eliminated Schmieding's sense of taste and ability to swallow. So he learned a new way to swallow–a quick toss of his head backwards, to move the food to the back of his throat, where gravity took over.

From the moment of his diagnosis one question dogged him. If he lived, how would he talk without a tongue? How could he communicate the Good News of Jesus Christ? That passion drove him to doggedly persevere in speech therapy sessions. With the help of a special retainer which acts somewhat like a megaphone, he learned to pronounce consonants. To make the "T" sound, for example, he shoots air at his retainer.

Finally Scott Schmieding was ready to return to his life as a parish pastor, wondering always what would happen if parishioners couldn't understand his slightly impaired speech. His first Sunday back he baptized his newborn son, there in the Baton Rouge congregation which had loved and prayed for him and his family throughout their long ordeal.

Schmieding says he never asked God, "Why?" Rather, he prayed to understand the purpose of his ordeal. During the past thirteen years he arrived at an answer. Noting that he and his family also lived through five major hurricanes in Louisiana, he says, "I have become an expert at adversity. I know what people are feeling when they face trials and tragedy."

That's why Scott Schmieding has become a sought-after speaker. His message of hope and perseverance comes through loud and clear. In March, 2010, he became pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in St. Charles, MO. Members soon found they didn't notice any speech irregularities because they were so caught up in their new pastor's joy in Jesus.

When asked how he got through it, he points to the Apostle Paul, who faced his own set of daunting challenges. In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Paul repeats the words of Christ to him:

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

Scott Schmieding knows the truth of those words first-hand. He believes he reaches more people without a tongue than he would have if he'd never had cancer. That doesn't strike him as remarkable. "The history of the Bible is the story of God using imperfect people for his perfect purposes," he says. "I'm just one in a very long line of imperfect people being used by God."

I learned of Pastor Schmieding when our daughter in the St. Louis area clipped an article by Tim Townsend in the St. Louis Post Dispatch, the basis for this blog post. I've never met him, but his story lifts my heart. I pray it will do the same for you. If you wonder how he sounds, here's a link to a short clip with sound: http://interact.stltoday.com/mds/projects/html/2428

(If you have trouble with the link, copy and paste it to your search engine.)

Each of us will draw our own lessons from this story of one man's life–and of course, his family's life, too. As I think about the miracle of his healing and the surgery that enables him to talk, it reminds me of one of my favorite Bible verses, Jeremiah 32:27:

"I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?"

God brought Scott Schmieding his long period of suffering and in the midst of it, gave him joy. Despite what looked like the worst kind of loss, he gained not only life through that surgery, but also a deeper understanding of what it feels like to be fearful and in pain. When he ministers to hurting people, they know he's been there and truly understands their emotions and their sometimes doubts.

This story says to me, Live. Live today. Live fully. Live in faith. Don't be too quick to label something "a disaster." Our lives are in God's hands and He often works through human hands.

What about you? What do you draw from this story? Maybe you have a story to share or are living out a hard time. If you tell the rest of us, we can pray for you.

Whatever you're facing, keep on trusting. God is faithful and He can be trusted.

His peace and blessings,

Lenore

Hope in the midst of cancer and meaning in the aftermath

June 22, 2010