Thankful in all Things – Page 4 – Sharing my journey through adversity

December 25, 2022

If you want to go fast, Go alone, if you want to go far, Go Together!

Jesus sent the disciples out in two’s. Why? Because even though they could have gotten to more places alone, there is power in sharing in the things that come our way, There is added impact when two or more people work together toward a shared goal. https://depree.org/why-did-jesus-send-out-his-disciples-two-by-two/

I have been thinking a lot about this lately. We all need others in our lives. Jenni Marie in Kindred Grace shares that Life was not meant to be lived alone. https://bit.ly/lifeisnotmeanttobelivedalone She asks, “When did you last give up? Were you also alone?” When you have failed in life, were you alone?” She then makes the case of why being a mentor or having one is so important. God wants us to know the value of asking for help versus stubbornly trying to do things on our own. She writes, “As I started to value community, I was able to flourish. I reap the benefits when I ask for help.” When we are blessed to have people there for us, we are exhorted to be the one offering help to someone in need. Jenni shares it “does not need to be limited to a mentor-mentee relationship as might be traditionally expected. Although the formal and in-person relationships are beautiful, only one of my advisors has accepted and embraced the title of mentor. The rest? I doubt they even know how much I lean on them for life and business wisdom.” Even the Apostle Paul needed a Barnabus. https://www.biblestudy.org/apostlepaul/life-epistles-of-apostle-paul/paul-and-barnabas.html He also mentored younger men like Timothy and Timothy would eventually become pastor of the church at Ephesus, and certainly the letters of 1 and 2 Timothy express how much Paul loved and cared for him.

My daughter shared advice with me this weekend that was the impetus for me writing this blog. A friend told her to surround herself with people she could trust from every decade. I turned 70 this month so it is harder to find folks in higher decades than me but as I thought about Katie’s comment, I realized that I am blessed to have dear friends in their upper 70’s :), 80’s, and 90’s who I can go to for advice or just follow the example they set for me and others. I also can say I have people around me from every decade below me down to my two 4 year old granddaughters. I can learn from them and I hope all in their teens, 20’s, 30’s, 40’s etc will be encouraged by what I say or how I live my life that helps them along the way.

I encourage each of us to find people whether younger or older who we can trust to be there for us. I also hope we will look for ways to give back by finding others who would benefit from your mentoring.

Never forget however, that God is with you and therefore, you are never alone. https://biblehub.com/hebrews/13-5.htm Reminds us that God’s promises are eternal, and He will provide love, comfort, and courage so we can live an abundant life in Him and through Him. We live in a fallen world where we are bound to get hurt. But God will never leave us nor forsake us. One of the ways He fulfills this promise is by providing others to walk along side us as we navigate through the blessings and adversity that will come our way. May we all find ways to help others remain thankful in all things.

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November 20, 2022

In tragedy and loss, how can we be encouraged

November 12, 2022

When the storms of Adversity come, is your life on a firm foundation

I turned 70 this past week. I thought 60 got my attention! Yikes! I was fortunate to receive many gifts for my birthday. It reminded me of the thought, “God has given us a gift to be in relationship with Him. All we have to do is open it up in our hearts.” Like Nicodemus https://www.biblehub.com/john/3-3.htm, we can have a spiritual birthday as well. I am grateful that I will celebrate my 44th spiritual birthday later this month. I accepted the gift God offered me through His Son at Hilltop Ranch in Maryland on a Young Life weekend.

When asked what I wanted for my birthday, my only wish was to get my family together and that is what happened.(see picture above) After dinner, everyone read Haikus (Maikus 🙂 they had written about me. It was such an affirmation of their love for me and an acknowledgement of the way I have tried to live out the gift God gave me in 1978.

Philippians 1:29 says, “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him.” Oswald Chambers writes in My Upmost,https://utmost.org/ “If you are born again, the Spirit of God makes the change very evident in your real life and thought. And when a crisis comes, you are the most amazed person on earth at the wonderful difference there is in you.

I knew I believed in God but I had never really suffered until my bout with Guillain Barre Syndrome. As I lay paralyzed in the hospital bed, I experienced the Spirit of God in an entirely new way. It was made evident in what was my real now health challenged life and in what I found myself thinking. I was the most amazed person as I realized there was a wonderful difference in me. I was not scared. I was not fearful. Why? Because there was no doubt, God was with me as He had been for most of my life. The suffering drew me deeper into my faith because it was made real in a way that, when all is well, it is just not the same.

I love the lyrics of a song. https://www.flashlyrics.com/lyrics/john-chisum/firm-foundation-98
Jesus You”re my firm foundation, I know I can stand secure
Jesus You”re my firm foundation, I put my hope in Your holy word
I put my hope in Your holy word
I have a living hope
I have a future
God has a plan for me
Of this I”m sure.

I am confident whatever comes my way I can trust the Lord with the outcome. My birthday gift to you is sharing that you can have this same foundation on which to weather any storm. It come when you put your hope in the One that created you and has made it possible to be in a relationship with you. https://biblehub.com/john/3-16.htm There is no greater gift I can offer. As many of you know, “you will be the most amazed person on earth at the wonderful difference it will make in you.

I can be reached by email at [email protected]. I would love to hear from you.

October 29, 2022

Where has the last three years gone?

I went to Chicago this month in an airplane. As I watched from my window seat while the plane took off, I was struck by the fact that I hadn’t flown anywhere since January of 2020. It surprised me how unsettling this was in conjunction with losing out on most of 2019 due to my battle with Gullian-Syndrome. If you are a recent reader of this blog, here is the link that chronicles my recovery from that crazy disease. http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/michaelguthrie Processing what I went through, led to me starting this blog so that I could share with those who were interested, what I have learned since all of this happened. Here is a link to one of the first blog posts back in the fall of 2019. https://thankfulinallthings.com/337-2/ Wow! My life changed because of Guillain-Barre and then because of Covid given GBS is a compromised immune system disorder.

Since that plane trip and with my 70th birthday right around the corner, I have dealt with grieving over the time lost and things I did not get to do. It is time I can’t get back. It caught me by surprise how The Chicago trip brought it all back. My self reflection leaves me hoping that like this picture, I have had some success at “blooming where I have been planted”. It hasn’t been easy. I have written about how I have been envious of what others were able to do while Dottie and I remained in our self-isolated cocoon.

Yes. I was discouraged but, I never lost hope. Why? When I was first diagnosed with GBS, a doctor friend shared, “it will get worse but you will get better”. I found these words comforting because it allowed me to focus on a positive outcome. A Realtor in my company shared the other day that “Stress is when you don’t what will be your next steps”. Even though I was paralyzed from the head down, I never felt stress but began asking the question, What do I need to do next to speed up my recovery? My next steps were to remember Paul’s promise in Philippians 4:6,7. Instead of succombing to the angst of my circumstances, I was to, “not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” I was to, remember that Jesus said to come to Him with my burdens and He would give me rest. https://www.biblehub.com/matthew/11-28.htm

So how I have resolved the question, “where have the last 3 years gone”? I meditate on Jeremiah 29:11 remembering God knows the plans He has for me https://biblehub.com/jeremiah/29-11.htm
and therefore like Paul,

Do you feel stressed out? Are their circumstances in your life that create anxiety? Maybe your next steps should be what Beth Moore recently wrote. ‘“We cannot take God at his word if we don’t know his words. If we don’t know his promises, we cannot profess with confidence that he will keep every last one of them. Spend some time in Scripture every single day. Will you ask God to give you an insatiable appetite to know Him better.”

Thanks for stopping by my blog. It means so much that you took time to read it. Please share it with others if you think it might be an encouragement to them. I would love for you to subscribe so you can receive email notifications when new content is posted. I can be reached by email at [email protected]

October 15, 2022

Faith Hope and Love but the greatest of these is Love

Last week, I wrote about why being silent is not always a good thing. It just have resonated because more people opened this blog post than any other in the almost two years I have been writing this blog. I also shared that sometimes our lack of action is a way of being silent as well. As I thought and talked to others about how to practically apply this concept, I was surprised how being loved or loving others motivates us to not be silent whether in word or deed. In Acts 2 and then again in Acts 4, Peter is compelled to share what God wants for us because he had been loved by Jesus. If we truly care about another person, we will speak up on their behalf, do something if they need help, or make repair if we have hurt them in some way. Here is the link to last week’s blog where you can find read a couple examples of how this can be done. https://thankfulinallthings.com/do-people-know-you-have-been-with-jesus/

I think one of the most significant ways we can love one another is to forgive or to ask for forgiveness. Think about it. If someone does something to you and says they are sorry, forgiving them is a great way to show love. If neither party is unwilling to say they are sorry or forgive, that silence will fester and negatively impact, not only the relationship but, as Gwen Randall-Young writes, one’s own health and mental well being as well. https://gwen.ca/harboring-resentment/ Our desire to make repair should be a motivating influence to not be silent but to move toward the other person. I spoke to one friend this week who shared she apologizes while literally sitting on her child’s lap. Her daughter knows her mom won’t get up until things are resolved. What a wonderful picture of having the intentionality of desiring restoration.

God shows us the way in 1 John 1:9 where it says, “if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us out sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” He wants us to come to Him with our failures and imperfections. We should want to do the same to those we have let down in some way. Matthew affirms this behavior where he writes, “ So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.https://biblia.com/bible/niv/matthew/5/21-24

I will close with these two important points. The bible says we must forgive but that it doesn’t always lead to reconciliation. I found a link to an article that unpacks this concept in a wonderful way. https://bit.ly/forgivenessversusreconciliation Another important consideration is that we must forgive ourselves before we can ask someone else to forgive us. May times people can’t ask for forgiveness because they think how could someone else forgive me when I can’t forgive myself? This points us back to the promise God gives us in 1 John 1:9.

What relationship is out of accord and needs repair? Why not in Faith seek them out and share how they have hurt you or how you have hurt them. Give each other the opportunity to confess their part in the broken relationship with the Hope that things can be resolved. Break the silence in word or in deed knowing that Love is the greatest and will show you the way.

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October 8, 2022

Do people know you have been with Jesus?

Yes. It has been a minute since I last wrote. Life has been a bit crazy over these last couple of weeks. As shared in the past, I am going through the bible with a group of guys and this week we are in Acts. I came across a couple verses that I am not sure I had noticed before.
Acts 4:13,20 “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus….“ As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
It raised the question in me, “Do others in my life, notice I have been with Jesus? When I see things going on that are wrong do I speak up or take action in some way?

I then remembered the last few verses in Psalm 30:10-12

Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me;
Lord, be my help.”
You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
Lord my God, I will praise you forever.

When I cry out does my wailing turn into dancing? When I am lifted up out of discouragement or adversity, Do people hear me sing His praises or do I remain silent?

From these verses came two conversations this week.
1) How do I practically apply these lessons as it relates to the folks asking for money on the street corners? Honestly, I am at a loss as to what is the right thing to do but friends challenged me with the passage in Matthew 7-“Judge not, that ye be not judged.²For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.³And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

My not doing anything is in fact, me being silent. One of the guys knew their names. Another gave money to someone even when the individual shared after getting the money, “you know I am going to buy alcohol with it.” I realized it wasn’t what the other person was going to do, it was me doing something to show that person I cared.
2) A young woman I know shared with Dottie and me how she had left a job because kids were being demeaned and bullied by the person heading up the organization. Without words, her leaving communicated that she would not allow herself to be part of what was a destructive environment. More of us need to have the courage to stand up and speak up for what we believe is right versus allowing things to remain the same because of our unwillingness to intervene in whatever way we can.
And finally, a women was challenged to read the New Testament in 89 days. She wasn’t sure she had the time. A friend of hers who wasn’t a person of faith spoke up and said, I”I am going to do it, can i count on you to do it too” Needless to day the woman has now accepted the challenge. What if the friend had remained silent?

A regular contributor to my blog, Oswald Chambers 🙂 https://www.thespiritlife.net/facets/nurturing/75-process/process-reflection/1938-october-2-devotional-oswald-chambers reminds us we have get off of the mountain top so that we can take what we learned down into the valley. We are called to serve in the day to day and mundane places of our lives. That is where we can truly make a difference. I hope I have challenged you in some way to speak up and/or do acts of service to those paths God has you cross. I would love to hear how this blog has encouraged you. I hope it will spur you on to love and provide good works. https://www.biblehub.com/hebrews/10-24.htm You can reach by email at [email protected]

September 20, 2022September 20, 2022

No matter what our title, we are called to serve

I am guessing many of you got up early to be amongst the millions who watched the funeral of Queen Elizabeth. As I watched the service, I paraphrased Psalms 21 https://www.biblestudytools.com/psalms/21.html to express my feelings toward this extraordinary and beloved woman who reigned for 70 years. I used the verses 7 and 13. “For the Queen trusts in the Lord with her unfailing love of the Most High. She will not be shaken. Be exalted in your strength Queen Elizabeth. We will sing and praise a life lived well”

I wanted to write about sacrificial service this week. Her majesty’s funeral service brought what I wanted to share into focus. True service is forgetting about yourself and looking for ways to help those around you. Giving up your time and your God given resources to make a difference in someone else’s life. I found this great essay https://bit.ly/tolivewemustfirstdie written about a favorite book, Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. In it Bill Onisick writes, “This we must first die perspective changes our attitude and our actions. Jesus says in Matthew 10:39, “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” Commentator Albert Barnes explains: “The word “life” in this passage is used evidently in two senses. The meaning may be expressed thus: He that is anxious to save his “temporal” life, or his comfort and security here, shall lose “eternal” life. . . . He that is willing to risk or lose his comfort and “life” here for my sake, shall find “life” everlasting, or shall be saved.”

Her funeral service, which she had planned years before, showed that Queen Elizabeth’s life was an example of a life lived this way. Even though she was born into the monarchy with everyone serving her, her first priority was to serve God. She most certainly had the comfort and security this “temporal’ life but from birth, her life was not her own. She would never be free to live the life she may have wanted. In his sermon, the Archbishop of Canterbury reminded us that, on her 21st birthday broadcast , she famously declared that “her whole life would be dedicated to serving the nation and Commonwealth.” He went on to say that Jesus exhorted “I am the way, the truth and the life, follow me.” Her late Majesty’s example was not set through her position or her ambition, but through whom she followed.”

What if we all committed to do the same? When we follow Jesus, we too, become heirs to the eternal throne. Romans 8:17 explains it this way. “And if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we serve/suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. Much like Queen Elizabeth, we have to let go of our personal desires so that we can live the life God intended for us. When we realize that there is something for us bigger than we can ever imagine, we will find ourselves humbled that we are children of God. As His children, Our whole lives must be dedicated to serving as the Psalmist writes, the Most High. Only then, can we understand who we are and what is our true purpose.

I will end this post with how the Archbishop ended his sermon. “We will all face the merciful judgment of God: we can all share the Queen’s hope which in life and death inspired her servant leadership. Service in life, hope in death. All who follow the Queen’s example, and inspiration of trust and faith in God, can with her say: ‘We will meet again.’” Here is the full text https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2022/09/19/archbishop-of-canterburys-sermon-for-the-state-funeral-of-queen-elizabeth-ii/

Thanks so much for reading this blog post. If you haven’t subscribed yet, please do so you can receive email notifications when new content is posted. You can reach me via email [email protected]

I then remembered the last few verses in Psalm 30:10-12

Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me;Lord, be my help.”You turned my wailing into dancing;you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.Lord my God, I will praise you forever.

When I cry out does my wailing turn into dancing? When I am lifted up out of discouragement or adversity, Do people hear me sing His praises or do I remain silent?

Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me;
Lord, be my help.”
You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
Lord my God, I will praise you forever.