Tag: Hope

It can happen to any of us at any time. We reach our limits. Of patience. Or money. Or hope.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” we may say to a friend. Or to ourselves. Or to God.

Our life may be good, at least from the outside, but disquiet nibbles away at our hearts.

That’s a lonely place to be.

Sometimes we also feel distant from God. We can’t seem to pray or feel connected to the Lord we love, whom we know loves us.

Then we have two choices: We can wrap ourselves up in our frustration and fretting–OR change the way we look at our life.

I hear you saying, “Talk is cheap. You don’t know how hard it is for me!”

No, I don’t. But I know how hard it is for me to climb out anytime I let myself get mired in that pit. Then I have to relearn an old lesson that I learned the hard way.

Call a halt!

By now I easily spot the red flag thinking that leads me into risky territory. It comes sounding harmless enough, just random phrases that stoke my fears or my pride, words like these:

What if ____ ?

Why doesn’t he–or she– ____ ?

Why must I always ____ ?

How long must I put up with this?

Where is God in all this?

Thoughts or words like this pull us down as surely as gravity makes the apple drop.

It took me awhile, but I finally learned to catch myself and say, “Stop!”

I don’t have a never-fail “system,” but usually I ask myself questions that run something like this:

Q: What if? A: Why tie myself up in knots about something that may or may not happen? IF or when the situation changes, I will deal with it then.

Q: Why don’t they care? A: Maybe they do. Each individual may be speaking and acting in ways that feel right to them.

Q: Why must I always ___? A: Stop with the “poor me” stuff! Is it really always? Think of times this other person gave in or came through, even when it cost them. Did I discount that simply because they didn’t react as I would?

Q: How long must I put up with this? A: Think. Am I really the only one “putting up with this”? Or does it work both ways? What’s a mutually fair way to handle this?

Q: Where is God in all this? Even those times I feel far from him, I can know that in Jesus Christ I am never alone and abandoned.

Over time I’ve learned that even though I’m the only one who hears it, when I restate the situation in a more balanced way it calms me and helps me think straight.

Fill your mental reservoir with the Good Stuff

I freely admit it took years of reading and praying–and trying and failing–before this finally became my way of thinking. I know now to make my mind switch over to what lifts my heart and eases the tension in my shoulders.

Many people advise using positive affirmations, but that doesn’t do it for me. I’ve tried repeating phrases like, “I am at peace with the world,” or “I am calm in every circumstance.”

Before long my inner nag taunts me with, “Oh yeah?”

I found it true for me that real peace comes when we connect with the Source:

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 14:27

Other Bible verses to lift us up

When we feel swamped, it helps to repeat truths like these.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear …    –Psalm 46:1a

I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?   –Jeremiah 32:27

Cast all your anxiety upon him, because he cares for you. –-1 Peter 5:7

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. —Philippians 4:13

Put the Good Stuff in and gradually you’ll feel the heaviness in your spirit melting away. Even if everything about your life situation stays the same, you will be changed

And I know this for sure: That makes all the difference.

(I’m just passing on what I keep relearning)

Lenore

How to find peace when life feels overwhelming

April 25, 2026
How do you see yourself?

Do you often think or say," Well, I've never done anything special. Probably never will. Makes me wonder sometimes what's the point of going on?"

Just in case nobody's told you this lately, letting that mood hang on is like trying to camp out on quicksand.

Still, dealing with difficult family situations or health problems or simply growing older can feel like too much to bear at times.

Or maybe your daily grind is grinding you down and you can't see a way out.

What's a person to do?

Why not try on a new perspective?

Some years ago Andy Andrews wrote a book, The Noticer, that became meaningful to masses of readers. Here's a brief summary of what the main character, Jones, tells a hopeless individual about the reasons why they are still living:

1. God has a purpose for every single person.

2. You won't die until that purpose is fulfilled.

3. If you are still alive, then you haven't completed what you were put on earth to do.

4. If you haven't completed what you were put on earth to do, then your very purpose hasn't been fulfilled.

5. If your purpose hasn't been fulfilled, then the most important part of your life is still ahead.

6. You have yet to make your most important contribution.

(Chapter 6, pp. 83-85.)

You already meet this author's most important criteria

As long as you and I are still breathing we have not yet fulfilled our purpose, at least, not all of our purpose. This makes every day vitally important, doesn't it?

It doesn't matter if we look back on the past with yearning. It doesn't matter if we feel unsure about today or tomorrow. Our moods do not determine the value of our lives. Our down times do not cancel out the good we have done–and are doing.

Those of us who are Christians see a larger purpose in what we're able to accomplish during our lifetimes, even when we're just being faithful to do what's expected of us and see no fine, lofty and lasting purpose in our days. It puts meaning into our days–and our deeds–when we remember what the Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:10:

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Let's take it a bit further

As Christians we're meant to look at life differently. Take worry, for example:

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

How do we get through those days (and sometimes weeks, months, even years) when life seems more than we can handle?

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

We believers can safely trust that we will have the strength to meet whatever challenges may come up. God says so, in Deuteronomy 33:25:

"As thy days, so shall thy strength be."

What will tomorrow bring? None of us can say

So if today is "one of those days" and we're at a low point, it's time to look up from the pits and look past our problems.

You are alive and so am I. We cannot know how God already is using us in someone's life. We cannot predict how He will use us tomorrow, but we can trust that He will.

Dear reader, I pray you may know the truth of Romans 15:3:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Lenore

Take another look at your life

January 16, 2023
For a moment or two, let your mind wander and picture this . . .

You finally managed to buy your longtime dream, a home deep in beautiful, wooded mountain country in California.

Tranquil lakes and streams. Towering evergreens up close or on the next hill. Room to breathe. Peaceful, blessed quiet, except for the calming sounds of Nature all around.

However you spend your days, whether hiking one of the many trails that thread through the forest or just sitting in your front-porch rocker, you're at peace.

Several times a day you think, All those years I (or we) worked hard to get here and it was so, so worth it!

At night, looking into the deep blue sky and counting stars or watching the logs in your fireplace ebb down into embers, you say, "Life couldn't be better. What a blessing!"

And then comes the horror

For some, it came late at night, for others, in broad daylight.

Engrossed in what you were doing–or perhaps sleeping soundly–you're roused by someone pounding on your front door.

There stands a frantic smoke-blackened firefighter. He yells, "You must leave! NOW! You only have minutes! You have no time to grab any belongings. Just go!

"Get your family members and RUN!"

For any of us, life as we know it can fall apart in an instant

All it takes is a phone call. A bad fall. A car accident with devastating injuries. Biopsy or lab test results we prayed never to hear. Someone we love hit by disease or a heart attack. Or a devastating injury. Or death that claims the earthly life of one we thought we couldn't live without.

Or it may be "impersonal," such as a business closing–and with it, the end of a job or career that enabled us to pay the bills. Job changes that call for retraining–or starting over. A landlord that sells the home we live in, leaving us with nowhere to go that we can afford.

Whatever the cause, many of us have lived it, sometimes more than once. Or we know someone who has. In times like that, tragedy can overwhelm our spirits and snuff out hope.

How do we go on?

Whatever comes, we cling to Truth that outlasts any trial, any catastrophe

When we're in pain because our world is falling apart, it feels natural to lapse into anxiety and fear. We're tempted to pull our pain around us like a warm quilt. Why not? Everyone would understand.

Here's the question each of us must answer for ourselves: Is that really how we want to live?

Most of us would answer "No."

Still, how do we hold it together? How do we find strength to go on?

Answer: We do the hard thing: We fight for it.

We deliberately–as if we were changing channels on a TV–fill our minds with reminders from the Bible that our kind and merciful God has not turned his back on us.

We repeat the verse or verses aloud if that's the only way to drown out the fear. We whisper them at night when we cannot go to sleep, sometimes over and over until sleep comes.

Start with reassuring Bible verses like these

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea. –Psalm 46:1-2

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. –Deuteronomy 31:8

I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. –John 16:33

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

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. –John 14:27

Make these verses–and others like them–the refrain of your life

Promise yourself you will stop saying–and thinking, "I don't know how I will get through this."

Say instead, "With God's help, I will get through this. Moment by moment. Day by day."

When fear intrudes–and it will, mentally shout "Stop!" and emphatically turn your thoughts to the One who loved us enough to die on the cross so that we can be at peace with God.

He is the One who told his followers–and us: "Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." –Matthew 28:20.

We do not walk alone.

We do not face our troubles on our own.

Whatever comes into our lives, God will give us the strength to get through whatever comes.

In every situation, we depend on Him, not on ourselves. And so we survive–and get through–whatever comes.

Hanging on tight,

Lenore

Here’s help for when life falls apart

September 2, 2021
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
Are we a nation of wimps or what?

It's as if we assumed our technology and enlightened thinking guaranteed our society wouldn't have–shouldn't have–big challenges that dodge easy solution.

That's understandable, I suppose, since for quite some time now, we've been strutting around feeling proud of all we have achieved. On our own.

This Corona virus, also known as Covid-19, has knocked us off our perch and brought us down to reality with a deafening thud.

Here's the shocker: As amazing as we may be, we are not in control.

This is not the first and it won't be the last time disease and disaster show up out of nowhere. We live in a sinful world, remember?

For example, in 1347-1352 the Bubonic Plague, a.k.a., Black Death, ravaged Europe and killed 25 million people, which was 30% to 60% of the entire population.

No treatment existed. A person who contracted the Plague either lived or died.

It didn't stop there.

Step back into Wittenberg, Germany, in the year 1527

You are Martin Luther and the dreaded Plague once again is barreling toward your town.

There's nothing to do but wait. And read your Bible. And implore God to keep you and your loved ones safe and alive.

Luther was known for spending hours in prayer and reading his Bible. During this time he pored over texts like Psalm 46 and drew on it to write, "A Mighty Fortress is Our God."

Here are the first two verses:

"A Mighty Fortress is our God"

A mighty fortress is our God,

A trusty shield and weapon;

He helps us free from ev'ry need

That hath us now o'ertaken.

The old evil foe

Now means deadly woe;

Deep guile and great might

Are his dread arms in fight;

On earth is not his equal.

With might of ours can naught be done,

Soon were our loss effected;

But for us fights the valiant One,

Whom God Himself elected.

Ask ye, Who is this?

Jesus Christ it is,

Of Sab-a-oth Lord,

And there's none other God;

He holds the field forever.

This hymn speaks to our fear and uncertainty, as well

After all, what can we do other than obey the Government directives that come out and try to stay healthy?

We Christians read our Bibles. We pray most earnestly that our loving Lord will watch over us and our loved ones.

Just as surely, we pray God's protection over our Nation and the world, and that he will keep medical personnel and caregivers safe.

And please, may we unite in prayer that God will guide all our leaders, whoever they are, in every level of authority.

Here are a few verses from Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. …

The LORD of hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.        Psalm 46:1-3, 11 ESV

Dear reader, I pray that you know the truth of these words and that you trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior.

And when fear wakes you in the night, call this verse to mind and be at peace:

"For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, 'Fear not, I am the one who helps you.'" Isaiah 41:13 ESV

Despite the unknowns you and I can choose to place our hope–our certainty–in the LORD. Today. Tomorrow. And for eternity.

Trusting, too,

Lenore

Holding onto Hope while we Hunker down

March 20, 2020
"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
Some of us ran out of hope a long time ago.

Maybe that's where you are right now, or you know someone who is. This one's for you. It will lift your heart.

First, some background. As Scott Lohman neared his goal, life was good. After years of seminary classes and an internship at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Downers Grove, IL, he was almost ready. In a few weeks he would be ordained as a Lutheran pastor.

Then came what looked like the end of everything.

But God had other plans.

______________

(Chris James, a pastor at Immanuel, told Scott's story for the February, 2012, edition of their church newsletter. He graciously gave permission to reprint his article, slightly edited.)

THE HAND OF GOD

On Monday, November 28, 2011, at 3:30 pm, Vicar Scott Lohman suffered an aortic dissection. Into the middle of this horrific tragedy, the Hand of God reached down to intervene.

Scott should have been in his garage by himself that afternoon, but his wife, Gina, called to report a harmless car accident, so he headed to Interstate-55 –that was the Hand of God.

Soon after he arrived at the accident scene, Scott passed out. An ambulance which police routinely summoned for accidents, waited, ready to take him to the hospital —that was the Hand of God.

The closest hospital was St. Joseph's in Joliet, nationally recognized for both stroke and heart care –that was the Hand of God.

Emergency Room physicians planned to wait until morning to follow up on Scott's tests. Then Gina's cousin, Andy, an off-duty St. Joseph's physician, stopped by. He said, "He's had a stroke; he needs help." —that was the Hand of God.

A dozen nurses, six doctors and multiple test results surrounded the patient. Only Nikita, an ICU nurse, noticed Scott had two different pulses in his wrists, which signaled a heart problem —that was the Hand of God.

The heart surgeon told waiting family and friends what happened alongside busy Route I-55 that afternoon. Scott suffered an aortic dissection, which caused his stroke, then traveled to both arms and legs, as well as his brain. Scott most likely would not survive the surgery. Yet five and a half hours later he emerged. He lived – that was the Hand of God.

The surgeon warned he could only repair the valve to Scott's heart. Yet during the surgery, he was able to repair Scott's ascending aorta, too, and restore blood flow back to his brain — that was the Hand of God.

Vascular damage to Scott's left arm was irreversible and he would lose it, said the surgeon. Yet the next day Scott had a pulse in his left wrist –that was the Hand of God.

No one promised Scott would wake up from his coma, and if he did, whether he would recognize anyone or ever move again. He did, he does, and oh, how he moves! —that was the hand of God.

Because Scott's kidneys were wrecked he requred daily dialysis. His only hope would be a kidney transplant. And then, his kidneys were healed — that was the Hand of God.

Scott could not breathe without the ventilator. No one knew if he ever would. Now the vent is gone and he is back to his old, chatty self –that was the hand of God.

That dark November night Gina said good-bye to her husband. By the Hand of God she and the kids have received him back home, where they are all looking forward to a new chapter.

Praise the Lord all my soul; all my inmost being, praise His Holy Name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits–who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases. Who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. –Psalm 103:1-5

________________________

An upadate: On July 1 Scott Lohman will be ordained as an assistant pastor at Immanuel. With Immanuel's sponsorship, Scott will concentrate on planting and pastoring a new church in nearby Minooka, where the Lohmans have lived for several years.

_____________________

Every one of us can recall times we prayed with all our hearts and saw no evidence God heard us. No Scott Lohman outcome for us.

But God does hear us. Even when life makes no sense, we can trust His love for us because of Jesus (John 3:16.) We who believe can know that God's hand is on our lives just as surely as on Scott's. In every circumstance, He promises us strength for each day (Psalm 46:1.)

That makes it safe to give up fretting, even in hard times, and trust. Let God be God.

That's not fatalism. That's peace, the peace that passes all human understanding.

May you know that peace, my friends,

Lenore

Looking for hope? Read this man’s story

June 15, 2012
Nobody saw it coming. Catastrophes are like that.

This is the face of one woman in the aftermath of unimaginable horror, Japan's 9.0 earthquake and the devastating tsunami that quickly followed.

You and I have not lived what she experienced, but we know that face. We know those tears and those inner groans of, "Oh, please, not that!"

Our world can shake and crumble around us without an earthquake. We can be swamped and drowning without a tsunami.

All it takes is being given that diagnosis we never wanted to hear. Or a day when we wave goodbye to our husband or wife who never makes it home from work. A sports accident that turns our healthy, strong son or daughter into a paraplegic. The young adult child with so much potential who chooses a path we know will lead to unhappiness. The rumored pink slip that awaits us when we thought our job was safe. Home values that plummet and investments that tank when we thought we had saved up some money for the future.

Each of us has our own list. We watch, we cry, we pray. We scream, "Why?" into our long, sleepless nights. And we feel utterly helpless.

That's when we wear the same face as the woman in this photo, the face of fear and dread and hopelessness. She cannot escape her reality and neither can we.

But we can find refuge. Listen to the wonderful words of Psalm 46:1-3 and verse 7, followed by Isaiah 41:10:

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging . . .

The LORD Almighty is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress . . .

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.

The hard truth of life is that we have no truly safe place here on this earth. No guarantees of a perfect life in this imperfect world.

No place to run except into the sheltering arms of God, who so loved the world that he sent his only Son to earth to die on a cross and live again. For you. For me.

In His strength we weather our storms and go on, leaning on the everlasting arms.

His peace,

Lenore

Where can we go when disaster strikes in our world?

March 14, 2011
Even non-tennis players found the news from Wimbledon captivating. Two players, one American, one from the Netherlands, hang on for eleven hours and five minutes and make the history books for the longest tennis match ever. Oh, the cheers! Oh, the glowing forecasts of the winner's meteoric rise to the ranks of tennis greats!

Fast forward to the next day, when the winner, John Isner, plays another match. This one he loses, after just one hour and fourteen minutes.

This is what stunning defeat at Wimbledon looks like.

This is what losing feels like. Anywhere. At any age.

I think there's a BIG message here, for us as individuals and also for us as moms and dads.

Last one first. Lots of us parents tell our kids over and over that they're winners. It's like the carrot held in front of the donkey. We warn them if they don't work hard enough or practice long enough they might (oh, horrors!) not come in first and they wouldn't want to be a loser, would they?

That sounds like they will be either/or, doesn't it? Sure, somebody wins the race or the tennis match or gets the highest score … this time.

On the tennis court, in the classroom and in all of life, sometimes we win, sometimes we lose. Sometimes we feel on top of the world and sometimes we're scraping bottom.

We do our kids a big favor when we help them learn to handle losing gracefully. Of course, we rave when they win. Do we cheer with as much gusto when they do their best and come in second? Or fifth? Or when they don't make the team or win the scholarship?

That's important, because we parents set the tone for how our children see themselves. And what we want more than anything is for our kids to know we love them for themselves, whether they win or lose, isn't it?

The other way we help them is when we handle their losses (and our own) well and role-model being a good sport. We stay calm when the umpire gives a bad call. We don't deny the pain of losing, even as we comfort our children with love and encouragement. But then we let it go.

From this side of rearing children I understand way better that the small things turn out to be the big things. All those everyday incidents and our offhand remarks add up. The youngster who learns to stay positive grows into the young adult who can handle life's ups and downs without being crushed. We parents play a big part in that.

I'll bet you, too, know adults who fall apart every time things don't go their way. They're not much fun to be around, are they? My grandmother had no patience with that. She'd seen her share of hard times and she would say, "Oh, for Pete's sake. You're still breathing, aren't you? So put today behind you and go on. Tomorrow's another day."

That's not a bad way to look at life, is it? Not for any of us. Grandma's old wisdom still makes sense. As long as we're breathing, there's always another day.

And for John Isner, there's always another Wimbledon.

Blessings,

Lenore

Any kind of loss can knock us flat. Job loss, separation or divorce, the death of a loved one, the end of a friendship or relationship, even moving from one place to another.

The life lesson from Wimbledon: Winning isn’t forever, but cheer up, neither is losing

June 28, 2010
I confess. I have Christmas cards and letters still waiting to be mailed and gifts to be wrapped. (And please, could we not talk about my list of neglected everyday chores?)

If you're sharing this uncomfortable boat with me, you may be thinking, "Now if I can just get through Christmas…"

That's a trap. As soon as we do that we rob our days of the joy that comes with reading letters from friends and thinking how to please the people we love. I think it's time for a vision adjustment and a transfusion. (Sorry, I can't produce an extra five or six days…)

Pause for breath and let's drink in some energy for our spirits:

Probably the reason we all go so haywire at Christmas time with the endless unrestrained and often silly buying of gifts is that we don't quite know how to put our love into words. Harlan Miller

It is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child himself. Charles Dickens

This is Christmas: not the tinsel, not the giving and receiving, not even the carols, but the humble heart that receives anew the wondrous gift, the Christ. Frank McKibben

Take Christ out of Christmas, and December becomes the bleakest and most colorless month of the year. A. F. Wells

The Light that shines from the humble manger is strong enough to lighten our way to the end of our days. Vita-Rays

God rest you merry, lovely readers. Let us rejoice-in-the-midst of the rubble all around us. That same Light will power our personal "energy cells," one day after another.

Question for you: What's your biggest hurdle in this wonderful Christmas time?

Lenore

Are you running out of steam before Christmas?

December 17, 2009