He Gets the Last Word
May 9
Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You're not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It's the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won't last forever. It won't be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ-eternal and glorious plans they are!- will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does. 1 Peter 5:8 MSG
Turning on the news, we learn that three young women in Cleveland, Ohio had to learn to be content in what is most likely the direst of suffocating circumstances. My mind is truly struggling to process what happened. That was not God's will for those young ladies.
Night before last I thought about how little attention I pay to what is going on around our sparsely populated neighborhood. There is no way I could hear someone pounding on walls.
Traveling home along back country roads yesterday, I was behind a school bus. My mind drifted into wonder about each family dynamic as those children were met amidst a dreary wet day. Most students jumped into cars where doors were pushed open to welcome these little ones after a long day. Some parents got out, gave a hug and then put their children in the cars. One precious grandfather, stood in the rain, hugged his grandson, held his hand and together they ran in the ran down the gravel road towards home. (That one was my favorite.) Then it happened. The bus stopped, the boy crossed the road and began the step mountainside incline up the gravel driveway to a worn out trailer. There was a car parked up next to the trailer, but no parent with an umbrella, no open door, no hug. That child turned his head back and looked at each of us who were lined up in our cars behind the bus. What awaited that young fellow behind that trailer door? My guess was there was not a glass of milk or a plate of cookies.
Minutes later, I enter the bank to cash a check. The bank teller answered a phone call and then ran out from behind the counter to the manager's office. You could hear her exclaim..."It's the school. There was no one at the bus stop to meet your children!"
My heart drifts back to the boy on Lost Mountain Road. (Yes, that was the name of the street.) What does that bus driver know about that situation? What are the rules about dropping a child off? It would be so simple to deduce and make excuse this is none of our business.
Then you turn on the TV and hear what we've heard this week. The Bible teachers us to be on the alert! We are to have concern for the welfare of others. Today I will call the county and ask about the "bus" rules and I may just drive back down Lost Mountain road and at least pray.
Let's come together and pray for people who have had to learn to be content in heartbreaking circumstances and ask God how we can make a difference to a hurting world.
Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You're not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It's the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won't last forever. It won't be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ-eternal and glorious plans they are!- will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does. 1 Peter 5:8 MSG
Turning on the news, we learn that three young women in Cleveland, Ohio had to learn to be content in what is most likely the direst of suffocating circumstances. My mind is truly struggling to process what happened. That was not God's will for those young ladies.
Night before last I thought about how little attention I pay to what is going on around our sparsely populated neighborhood. There is no way I could hear someone pounding on walls.
Traveling home along back country roads yesterday, I was behind a school bus. My mind drifted into wonder about each family dynamic as those children were met amidst a dreary wet day. Most students jumped into cars where doors were pushed open to welcome these little ones after a long day. Some parents got out, gave a hug and then put their children in the cars. One precious grandfather, stood in the rain, hugged his grandson, held his hand and together they ran in the ran down the gravel road towards home. (That one was my favorite.) Then it happened. The bus stopped, the boy crossed the road and began the step mountainside incline up the gravel driveway to a worn out trailer. There was a car parked up next to the trailer, but no parent with an umbrella, no open door, no hug. That child turned his head back and looked at each of us who were lined up in our cars behind the bus. What awaited that young fellow behind that trailer door? My guess was there was not a glass of milk or a plate of cookies.
Minutes later, I enter the bank to cash a check. The bank teller answered a phone call and then ran out from behind the counter to the manager's office. You could hear her exclaim..."It's the school. There was no one at the bus stop to meet your children!"
My heart drifts back to the boy on Lost Mountain Road. (Yes, that was the name of the street.) What does that bus driver know about that situation? What are the rules about dropping a child off? It would be so simple to deduce and make excuse this is none of our business.
Then you turn on the TV and hear what we've heard this week. The Bible teachers us to be on the alert! We are to have concern for the welfare of others. Today I will call the county and ask about the "bus" rules and I may just drive back down Lost Mountain road and at least pray.
Let's come together and pray for people who have had to learn to be content in heartbreaking circumstances and ask God how we can make a difference to a hurting world.
