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Jesus walks with his arm around a weary man on a narrow cobblestone street.
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Father of Compassion

krisshetter

“This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.’”  Zechariah 7:9

And when Jesus drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! Luke 19:41-42

When was the last time you saw your father, grandfather or maybe husband cry?  We women seem to cry all the time – tears of pain, sadness and joy.  We cry during commercials and over babies.  We weep when our friends or children are struggling.  We cry watching the sunset.  But men?  Sure there’s a few less “stalwart” men who cry but seeing the men in my family cry has been few and far between.

So now grasp the intensity of emotion when three times in the Gospels we read of Jesus weeping.  Over Lazarus’ death, in the Garden of Gethsemane while praying to His Father, and in the above verse in Luke 19.

As Jesus approached Jerusalem for what would be His final days He stood looking upon the home of His Father’s temple.  He wept knowing of the coming rejection.  But more so He wept for what that rejection meant for His people – separation from the Father and the peace that only He can give.

Throughout the stories of the Bible we see God’s compassion for not just His chosen people but the world at large.  The second half of His Law, given to Moses and the Israelites, is rife with lessons on compassion for others – a reflection of His for us.  The book of Proverbs constantly reminds us of our duties to our neighbors, friends and strangers.

“It is a sin to despise one’s neighbor, but blessed is the one who is kind to the needy.”– Proverbs 14:21

God weeps over our greed, selfishness, lack of kindness, our propensity to argue and war with one another, and our inner turmoil.  His compassion for us draws Him near, seeking to give us His peace and love.  

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble.” – 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

His compassion towards us is what should compel us to show compassion to others.  He has forgiven us so much and desires for us so much, how could we not extend it to those likewise in need?

Friend, God grieves over our selfishness, conflict, and inner turmoil, yet His compassion draws Him near. He fills our lives with grace so that it overflows to others. When we recognize how richly we have been loved, we are compelled to share that love—living lives marked by compassion, generosity, and peace.

“God’s love calls me to be kind,
To love the lost, the hurt, the blind.
In His grace, I find my way,
A light that guides me every day.” Unknown Author

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Attentive Grace

krisshetter

“Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.” – Isaiah 65:24

“For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer – 1 Peter 3:12

So often we hear people talking about “finding God.”  Others say they are “seeking.”  But it’s not God who is lost, we are.  God is right where He always is – all around us and above us and below us.  In fact, to state it correctly, God is the one seeking.  He is the Shepherd gathering His sheep and attending to their needs.

God is not distant or unaware. He is attentive—fully aware of our needs and actively responding to them. Scripture reveals Him as Jehovah Rapha, the Lord who heals, not only our bodies but our hearts and spirits as well. 

He sees our need, forgiveness of sin, and He responds in kind, called to be renewed.  His attentiveness to all our needs came at Creation when He provided for Adam and Eve.  He gave us plants and animals to eat, air to breathe, water to drink.  He gave us relationships, clothing, avenues for joy and gaining knowledge.  

Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, reminds us how attentive God truly is to our needs.

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? Matthew 6:26-30

And yet we forget this basic truth about God.  We come with our own plans thinking we are better at fixing our problems (or those of others) than anyone else.  Or worse, we think God has forgotten us and we sink into depression and despair.

When Moses and the Israelites were out of water, not once but twice, they rebelled thinking God didn’t know their needs or care about them.  At Marah Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink. (Ex. 15:22-27)

Friend, I felt God’s holy attentiveness so often during difficult times caring for my father.  On one such occasion at 2:00am I was yet again cleaning the bathroom floor because his body was failing.  I remember thinking this was not a terrible chore.  It was a blessing God gifted me to help my dad.  The Holy Spirit was on His hands and knees with me, giving me the fortitude and wandering thoughts to distract me from the mess.

My BSGs always used to laugh at Bible study questions that asked, “What are you hiding from God?”  Because we knew the truth — God is attentive and sees everything.  

Friend, God does see everything—but not with condemnation. His eyes are attentive to our prayers, and His heart is moved by compassion.  We can be thankful that unlike the gods of the Canaanites, the Greeks, the Babylonians or even modern mystics, our God is not made of wood or stone or glass beads.  He is not cold and unable to hear us.  He is the living God.  He is the God who sent His Son to die for our sins.  He is the God who hears us and answers us.

Praise the Lord, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, 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

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30 Days of Reverence

krisshetter

I’m going to be completely honest.  For the last 6 months or so I’ve struggle with my faith.  I haven’t lost faith.  No, it’s more that I have struggled to feel my faith, to be emotionally involved in it.  Knowledge is gained each day with my studies.  I trust that God will provide.  And I have continued to pray throughout my days.  Only on rare occasions, which usually involve being outdoors, have I felt my faith.

I know I’m not the only one who has had periods like this.  Some say they aren’t hearing from God, or they can’t feel His love or His presence.  I have a friend who went through something similar for 10 years during a very difficult time in her life.

A week or so ago my husband and I visited Santa Fe, New Mexico.  There’s a beautiful Catholic cathedral in the center of town.  Upon entering we discovered they were celebrating 50 years of service by their priest, Jerome Joseph Martinez y Alire.  I was handed a small card with his photo featuring him at his ordination in 1976.  But what caught my attention was the prayer he allowed them to print on the card.  A prayer he prays every Sunday evening.

Dearest Lord,

I sometimes feel I’m only going through the motions of a relationship with you.  Intellectually I know you are with me always, but doing your work as a priest distracts me from falling more in love with you.

But I know you are infinitely patient with me.  Although at times I know you must feel sorrow at the times I neglect your many invitations to enter more deeply into your heart.

Help me then realize that you alone are Savior and that the work I do for you depends on its success upon your grace, not my efforts.  Teach me how to rest in your infinite tenderness for me.  Amen 

The truth is, God has never moved. He is always near. But prolonged grief, stress, and exhaustion can dull our awareness of His presence. After years marked by loss, caregiving, and constant pressure, I realized my soul had grown weary. My emotions had shut down, and my spirit needed rest and remembrance.

For most of 2025 I spent my time at my father’s doctor’s offices, infusion clinics, and rehabilitation centers.  I made endless phone calls handling both my mom’s death paperwork and then my dad’s medical appointments.  My visits to my grandchildren were few and far between.  And as my father declined, he came to live with us.  My trips outside the house became less frequent.  And the need to be his constant caretaker set my own life aside. 

I’m not complaining.  In fact, the LORD’s presence and peace carried me through vast amounts of that time.  I saw Him at work in me and those around me.  

When my father died in September of 2025 I hit a wall.  I’ve read studies on the troubling effects of long-term elevated stress.  The results of which I believe hit me like a rock.

According to an article by Ann Pietrangelo in Healthline, chronically high cortisol and symptoms of chronic stress go hand in hand. These include:

  • Fatigue
  • Sleep issues
  • Irritability
  • Anxiety
  • Weight gain, especially around the abdomen
  • High blood pressure
  • Brain fog
  • Forgetfulness
  • Frequent headaches

Chronic stress has real consequences. I see these same effects in friends caring for aging parents and in others still recovering from recent years of upheaval.

But God.

Despite my (and maybe your) recent feeling of disconnectedness, God has given me so many past experiences where He and I were closely tethered.  I’ve drawn on those to remind me that He is a God who loves me.  A God who sees me.  A God who wants my burdens.  

About a month ago I embarked on a study of the book of Romans.  My plan was to do a series on it.  But at the halfway point I felt overwhelmed with the prospect and underwhelmed with desire.  It’s sitting, waiting for me to finish.  

Recently, I asked God to help me start a project, any project, that I could sink my teeth into.  He has nudged me through various podcasts, devotionals, and sermons.  

In difficult times, in times of loss, in times of detachment, in times of disappointment, we need most of all to remember.  To remember who God is and where we stand with Him.  To remember what has been done for us.  To remember the character and attributes of the God Most High.

In such times we are called to praise and worship.  So that’s what I’m going to do.  In the back of Jen Wilkins’ amazing Bible study on Revelation, you’ll find a long list of the attributes of God.  I’m taking that as my guide for 30 days.  

If you find yourself weary, disconnected, or longing to feel close to God again, I invite you to join me. Together, let us remember. Let us worship. Let us stand in reverent awe of the One who has never left us.

30 Days of Reverence begins April 1 with a twice a week blog post. I hope you’ll walk this journey with me.

Faith
krisshetter

Friends, for some of you the catholic priest’s prayer in my blog post today did not come through on your email. I have resent it separately for you:

Dearest Lord,

I sometimes feel I’m only going through the motions of a relationship with you.  Intellectually I know you are with me always, but doing your work as a priest distracts me from falling more in love with you.

But I know you are infinitely patient with me.  Although at times I know you must feel sorrow at the times I neglect your many invitations to enter more deeply into your heart.

Help me then realize that you alone are Savior and that the work I do for you depends on its success upon your grace, not my efforts.  Teach me how to rest in your infinite tenderness for me.  Amen 

30daysofpraise, Bible, bible study, Christian, Christian Church, christian encouragement, Christian women, Faith, god, Jesus, Jesus Follower, prayer, scripture, Uncategorized

30 Days of Reverence

krisshetter

I’m going to be completely honest.  For the last 6 months or so I’ve struggle with my faith.  I haven’t lost faith.  No, it’s more that I have struggled to feel my faith, to be emotionally involved in it.  Knowledge is gained each day with my studies.  I trust that God will provide.  And I have continued to pray throughout my days.  Only on rare occasions, which usually involve being outdoors, have I felt my faith.

I know I’m not the only one who has had periods like this.  Some say they aren’t hearing from God, or they can’t feel His love or His presence.  I have a friend who went through something similar for 10 years during a very difficult time in her life.

A week or so ago my husband and I visited Santa Fe, New Mexico.  There’s a beautiful Catholic cathedral in the center of town.  Upon entering we discovered they were celebrating 50 years of service by their priest, Jerome Joseph Martinez y Alire.  I was handed a small card with his photo featuring him at his ordination in 1976.  But what caught my attention was the prayer he allowed them to print on the card.  A prayer he prays every Sunday evening.

Dearest Lord,

I sometimes feel I’m only going through the motions of a relationship with you.  Intellectually I know you are with me always, but doing your work as a priest distracts me from falling more in love with you.

But I know you are infinitely patient with me.  Although at times I know you must feel sorrow at the times I neglect your many invitations to enter more deeply into your heart.

Help me then realize that you alone are Savior and that the work I do for you depends on its success upon your grace, not my efforts.  Teach me how to rest in your infinite tenderness for me.  Amen 

The truth is, God has never moved. He is always near. But prolonged grief, stress, and exhaustion can dull our awareness of His presence. After years marked by loss, caregiving, and constant pressure, I realized my soul had grown weary. My emotions had shut down, and my spirit needed rest and remembrance.

For most of 2025 I spent my time at my father’s doctor’s offices, infusion clinics, and rehabilitation centers.  I made endless phone calls handling both my mom’s death paperwork and then my dad’s medical appointments.  My visits to my grandchildren were few and far between.  And as my father declined, he came to live with us.  My trips outside the house became less frequent.  And the need to be his constant caretaker set my own life aside. 

I’m not complaining.  In fact, the LORD’s presence and peace carried me through vast amounts of that time.  I saw Him at work in me and those around me.  

When my father died in September of 2025 I hit a wall.  I’ve read studies on the troubling effects of long-term elevated stress.  The results of which I believe hit me like a rock.

According to an article by Ann Pietrangelo in Healthline, chronically high cortisol and symptoms of chronic stress go hand in hand. These include:

  • Fatigue
  • Sleep issues
  • Irritability
  • Anxiety
  • Weight gain, especially around the abdomen
  • High blood pressure
  • Brain fog
  • Forgetfulness
  • Frequent headaches

Chronic stress has real consequences. I see these same effects in friends caring for aging parents and in others still recovering from recent years of upheaval.

But God.

Despite my (and maybe your) recent feeling of disconnectedness, God has given me so many past experiences where He and I were closely tethered.  I’ve drawn on those to remind me that He is a God who loves me.  A God who sees me.  A God who wants my burdens.  

About a month ago I embarked on a study of the book of Romans.  My plan was to do a series on it.  But at the halfway point I felt overwhelmed with the prospect and underwhelmed with desire.  It’s sitting, waiting for me to finish.  

Recently, I asked God to help me start a project, any project, that I could sink my teeth into.  He has nudged me through various podcasts, devotionals, and sermons.  

In difficult times, in times of loss, in times of detachment, in times of disappointment, we need most of all to remember.  To remember who God is and where we stand with Him.  To remember what has been done for us.  To remember the character and attributes of the God Most High.

In such times we are called to praise and worship.  So that’s what I’m going to do.  In the back of Jen Wilkins’ amazing Bible study on Revelation, you’ll find a long list of the attributes of God.  I’m taking that as my guide for 30 days.  

If you find yourself weary, disconnected, or longing to feel close to God again, I invite you to join me. Together, let us remember. Let us worship. Let us stand in reverent awe of the One who has never left us.

30 Days of Reverence begins April 1 with a twice a week blog post. I hope you’ll walk this journey with me.

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High Fives

krisshetter

With one more day left in this year of 2025 I noticed this past post had a few looks today. I went back and read it myself. It made me realize that my only resolution for the coming year is to live a life where an unbeliever would have cause to ask me how or why…and my answer would be Jesus.

We should all live our lives as believers in every situation; sharing the Gospel to all we encounter. Let’s help bring a few more home this coming year.

“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 15:5-6

The other night, just before we were about to go to bed, I looked over our Christmas shopping list to see who my husband still needed to check off. It caused me to ask him where a gift certificate was that had come in the mail the day before. It is an “old school” paper certificate for $100 to a local attraction. Thus began an all out search for this thin piece of paper.

At the same time, I know it sounds odd, I was also searching for a brand new bra that disappeared about a week ago. Since I don’t go around tossing my bra off outside my house I just knew it had to be inside somewhere! So, here we were at 9:00pm going through trash cans, drawers, paperwork, sheets, towels, etc searching for a piece of paper and a bra. 

At one point my husband was ready to give up. He was going to call the shop the next day and ask for a duplicate gift certificate. He told me to just buy a new bra. But I’m not a quitter so we kept searching. At last, I looked in one last place for the gift certificate — the office recycling bin. And there it was stuck to an empty Christmas card envelope! Moments later my husband was digging around in the clothes hamper and he pulled out my bra displaying it like the Lion King Mufasa holding up the baby lion Simba. How I didn’t see it the other 10 times I looked in there I have no idea.

As we fell into bed laughing about our search I said, “We are practically like a Bible story — you know, the ones about the lost coins and the lost sheep! We didn’t give up and we finally found our precious things.”

As so often happens when I’m in the midst of writing, my everyday experiences lead me to ponder on the glory of God. In this instance, how He also never gives up. He goes into our trash heap of sins and pulls us from the depths. He seeks us out under the dust and brushes us off. He cleans us up and makes us righteous before Him through our faith in Jesus.

"And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:9-10

Christ not only welcomes us home but He runs to meet us like the father to the prodigal son. Through His bountiful mercy (not dishing out the punishment we deserve) and grace (giving us the love and justification we don’t deserve) He celebrates our entrance to His Holy Kingdom. 

Think on the last time you lost something and finally found it. You may have performed a little, silly dance or shouted out in glee. Now imagine when you accepted Christ as your Savior how God must have danced in joy because He is a God of great celebration. While we can’t change someone’s mind about God, He can. He asks us to join with Him in the search effort. Imagine each time you share the message of your salvation with an unbeliever how God must be saying, “YES! LET’S DO THIS! Let’s bring another home!” 

Give all honor, praise, and glory to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen

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Loving Enough

krisshetter 
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5

Hello Friends!  I haven’t written for the blog in over a year and have missed hearing from you with your comments and insights!  Many of you know that this year has been one of many highs and lows.  In April, I commenced being a full time caregiver to my father, diagnosed the July previous with advanced bladder cancer.  It was a blessing filled with trials, sadness and laughter.  In September, my eldest daughter and I sat by his bedside watching him take his last breath.

As many of you have experienced yourself, being a caregiver not only takes up your physical time but also your mental and emotional time.  The thought of researching and writing was a dim, distant light this year.  Recently, that light has burned brighter with each passing day.  My prayers have included this burning desire.  I just today began gathering materials for a possible study in Romans.  I don’t know where it will lead but I know being in His Word is always fruitful.

Holy Spirit Nudges

As always happens when I start pondering writing with more fervor, the Holy Spirit nudges me and reveals truths to me.  Today, in fact just a few moments ago, was no different.

In my Truth for Life devotional (Alistair Begg), I was challenged like King David, to repent and humble myself.  To stop covering lies and let God cover them for me.  I wrote that I don’t love God as I should, nearly enough.  It was a hard truth to write but one that has weighed on my mind for some time.

And because God loves a great illustration to bring His point home, as I was sitting indisposed in my bathroom, both my dogs came up to check on my progress.  I say “both” because my dad’s dog now lives with us.  A dog whose fur is the exact color of my now deceased mother’s hair.  A dog who has lived most of his life in an unhappy home, full of strife and anger.  

As both came to nuzzle against my knees, I begrudgingly petted Ben – my dad’s dog.  Yet when my dog Tucker put his cold, wet nose on my skin I leaned in to snuggle with the big lump.  Tucker wandered off and little Ben laid close to my feet.  And I felt that Holy Spirit nudge on my heart.

You see, my allergies have gotten terrible with a second dog.  And after just one day of my new carpet Ben peed on it in two places.  He’s kind of neurotic and yelps at the slightest movement.  He follows me around breathing heavily and anxiously wherever I go.  He wanders off when we are at the beach as though he’s forgotten what I look and sound like.  His bark is sharp and annoying.  He’s underfoot and over needy.  

And I don’t love him like I should.  Like he needs.

Loving At Arms-Length

Ben is cute as a button.  But I don’t want to love him.  I don’t want to give myself fully over to him.  He represents a terrible past that I just want left behind.

In that moment in the bathroom, I realized what it means that I don’t love God the way I should.  I stand at arms-length from Him.  Because if I were to truly love Him, I would have to give all of myself to Him.  I would have to accept the good things and the bad things that come my way through His hands.  I would have to give up my fears, my prejudices, my preferences.  I would have to go “all in.”

While God may not sneak over to a corner and pee on my new carpet, He might bring people (or dogs) into my life that will.  People who need mercy, forgiveness and love.  I know this because He put me, a broken, sinful person, into other believers’ lives.  And I pray for their mercy, love and forgiveness towards me.

More Jesus

Ben, sweet goofy Ben, needs a lot of love and patience.  I need a lot more Zyrtec.  More than that, I need a lot more Jesus.  I need to love Jesus a lot more than I do.  So, I prayed for forgiveness today that I don’t love enough the God who sacrificed His Son for me.  Who has forgiven my yelping and my anxiety.  For making a mess on beautiful things.  

While I know the coming year will be full of unbelievers doing terrible things, I also know that God will be at work.  He will be in the tears and the laughter.  His glory will be available for anyone to see.  And I want to be sure to see and love Him at all times, in all places and in all circumstances.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Ben and Tucker

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The unwinnable war America’s Founding Fathers fought and won changed human history forever

krisshetter

Thomas Jefferson’s powerful words ignited a global transformation from tyranny to liberty that continues today

By John Coleman

Reprinted from https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/unwinnable-war-americas-founding-fathers-fought-won-changed-human-history-forever

Two hundred and forty-nine years ago, 56 men met in the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia to commit treason against the most powerful empire on Earth. 

Representing 13 colonies of that empire, these men – a mix of landowners, entrepreneurs, politicians and others – had become enamored with a new set of ideas flowing from enlightenment thinkers and Christian teaching. Those convictions led them to start a war no sane person believed they could win.

Remember what government looked like back then. We now live in the world those 56 men created – a world in which even dictatorships like North Korea cloak themselves in the language of “republic.” 

But in 1776, freedom, equality and self-governance were nascent concepts espoused by philosophers and adopted only incompletely in a few small enclaves. The vast majority of countries in the world were hereditary monarchies and empires under which equal rights and individual liberty were not contemplated. The Founders’ fight seemed incomprehensible.

In launching it, the Second Continental Congress largely tasked one man – Thomas Jefferson – with drafting the document that would articulate their vision for humanity and this new country and reshape history.

Imagine how he must have felt. Jefferson secluded himself from June 11 to June 28 in a rented home on Market Street to draft the document. He was 33 years old at the time. In isolation in that rented townhome he drafted what I think is one of the most beautiful passages in history:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Read it again. Read it as if you were living under a Spanish colony in South America or under the iron fist of the Qing dynasty in China. Read it as if you were a poor tenant farmer under the oppressive rule of King George in Virginia or an enslaved person in Georgia (whose freedom under the principles of the Declaration was still decades away). 

Read it as if you grew up in a system that assumed you were worth less than your neighbor by virtue of your social station, and under which your future was limited by the circumstances of your birth.

The Declaration was, in fact, a “revolutionary” statement articulating the ideological and factual basis for a coup against empire. But spiritually, it was more important than that. 

It was a revolution against history. It was a revolution against the idea that some men (and women) are worth more than others. It was a revolution for the idea of dignity, human rights, and equality before law.

And when Jefferson submitted his document to the Congress, and those 56 men signed it and shipped it off to King George and to others rulers around the world, they ignited a war in the America colonies that would become a centuries-long war to transform the globe from tyranny to liberty.

READ: THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

War they got. Five of the signers were captured, tortured and killed. Nine died from wounds or hardships fighting in the war. All were impacted – raked by violence, their homes and property ravaged, their children thrust into the violence they created. They starved. They lost battles.

They must have wondered if it was worth it – these ideals that had caused them to plunge a nation into violence. And then, unexpectedly, they won.

In creating America, those Founding Fathers reshaped history. We now live in a world in which nearly half of countries are democracies. The combination of political freedom, free markets and the technological innovation unleashed by those systems has lifted billions of people out of poverty – creating a world more than 100 times richer than the one that existed at the time of the Declaration of Independence. 

The dominant ideology now globally is the one articulated in the Declaration. And the revolution in America has become a revolution in human history.

This weekend in the United States we celebrate Independence Day. We celebrate 56 men who risked everything. But we also solemnly reflect on the charge of the Declaration and its authors.

All people are created equal. We are all endowed by our Creator with inalienable rights. Each of us deserves life, liberty, and the ability to pursue our own unique paths to flourishing. But those inalienable rights are not guaranteed. As our forebears, we are called to embrace and fight for them. 

Abraham Lincoln once noted that great men “thirst and burn for distinction” and will have it, “whether at the expense of emancipating slaves, or enslaving free men.” And around the world the powers that oppose liberty, dignity and opportunity fight ceaselessly to dominate others.

May we, on this Independence Day, fight back. May we have the audacity and conviction to oppose the enemies of liberty and to continue to fight for the promise of the Declaration and America’s spiritual foundation. May we do so out of love – for our neighbors and for the blessings of the Creator. And may we gain courage from the example of those 56 men, their hundreds of thousands of compatriots, and the unwinnable war they won. Happy Independence Day.

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Our Wise and Sanctified Souls

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"But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life." Jude 1:20-21

You began your journey on the road of the sanctified life by professing your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior.  You may not even have realized what that meant but, you took the step.  You began reading your Bible, going to church, seeking others of faith.  Your Knowledge Basket filled little by little.  Your soul became refreshed and watered at rest stops along the road by the Word.

The inevitable pothole leaps out at you suddenly.  You may even veer off the road a bit.  Your soul takes a beating with heartache and loss.  Your sins become a glaring, flashing red light.  But you look in your Trials Basket and remember God will never leave you or forsake you.  (Deut 31:68) You recall Him telling us to ask in His will and you shall receive.  (Matt 7:7-9)

The verses you so carefully plucked and memorized tell you the Holy Spirit is your strength and He has a plan for good.  We learn such jewels from Proverbs as, “Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.” (Prov 26:11)

You pick up and dust off your bruised soul and get back on the path, gathering experience after experience. Confirming over and over the truth of God’s Word.  The truth that He sees you and knows every hair on your head. (Luke 12:7) You remember each time a new pothole jumps at you to pray for His hand on your life.  You affirm to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding, and He will make straight your paths.” (Prov. 3:5) 

You come to a fork in the road.  To the left you see what appears to be an open, empty road.  It’s just you and the path.  It looks so easy to take.  To the right you see broken down souls trudging outside the path.  Ones who are weary and thirsty; ones who are lost.  Ones who are being deceived.  Souls who are in need.  But you also see the Holy Spirit ahead, like a busy traffic cop beckoning you forward.  

You must ask yourself, “Do I turn left, lock my doors and enjoy the blessing of salvation by myself?” Or, do I choose to submit myself to the entirety of God’s teaching?  Will you choose to fill your Stewardship Basket? To love your neighbor, to share the Gospel with your family and friends, to give your time, talents and treasure to those in need for the glory of God? (Matt 22:39)

God’s path calls for us to submit ourselves wholly to Him – not just part.  The “easy path” so often doesn’t turn out all that easy.  It’s a mirage, set up by the devil to deceive.  James tells us a partial faith is “double mindedness.” (James 1:8) And that person shouldn’t expect anything from God.  1 Corinthians 10:31 tells us “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”  It means we take all God has gifted us and we turn it back into glorifying Him to others in need.

As our soul matures along this road, we choose.  Yes, we choose which fork to take.  We choose to submit every sin, every action, every word, every need and every gift for His Kingdom.  When we do, God continues filling our Submission Basket with new experiences and new revelations.  We trust in Him and He gifts us the best road trip snacks – peace and the security of our eternal future.

"You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal." Isaiah 26:3-4

My friends, humans are the only created beings to which God has blessed this amazing opportunity of sanctification.  The animal kingdom obeys God’s plan instantly upon birth.  They do what they are made to do.  Yet, those actions are limited in scope.  We have so much more opportunity to glorify God with what He has given us!

God has placed us on this road to travel and gather.  Each mile marker brings us new insight into Him, the world, and the adversary.  Wisdom is not a far off mirage.  No, the jewels of wisdom sit firmly in our baskets which have been gathered along the way.

“Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies.

I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.  

I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.  

I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word.  

I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me.

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”  Psalm 119:98-106

One day I will be an “old soul.”  Right now, however, I’m working my way down the road of life.  Making mistakes and re-submitting my life to Christ each day.  Forgetting to pray and rely on God’s sovereignty then having a friend ask me, “Have you prayed about that?”

I can feel my soul growing wiser, growing more at peace.  I want my roots to run deep in His Word so I bear good fruit for others to enjoy along the path. (Matt 7:17-18) But most of all I want to be ever thankful that Jesus took it upon Himself to build this path toward the heavenlies.  

A Path Freely Given

He didn’t have to.  We need to remember that fact when others abuse what Jesus did for us.  When they complain when we re-affirm Jesus is the only Way.  God didn’t have to make a way at all.  Not only did He build it, He gave us the full recipe, He gave us a guide.  All so we can make it safely home.

As I write this my 86 year old, cancer riddled, atheist dad has come to live with us before he travels his final path.  I’ve had many friends concerned for how hard this will be.  It is hard at times. Especially at 2:00 am when bed clothes and sheets need changing. Or when I must choose to forgo activities dear to me. But I am at peace.  

I realized this the other day.  It’s a peace I’ve prayed for a lot in my life.  I never expected during a trial such as this that peace would be what God gifted me on this road.  

The other day, I took my dad for his first ever mani/pedi experience to fix his old crusty toenails.  He loved it.  When I sent my Bible study sisters a photo of him in the salon, one commented: “I love that you are loving on your dad this way!  A foot washing like Jesus would do today!” 

It struck me that I have been sanctified for a time such as this. (Esther 4:14) Blessed with the opportunity to take the fork to the right and share the love, mercy and salvation message of Jesus Christ with my father.

My friends, I pray that you too will have many opportunities to do the same.

"May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thessalonians 5:23

Our final question: What’s the best lesson you have learned so far on your sanctification journey?

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The Well-Travelled Soul

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“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might.”  Ephesians 1: 17-19

Have you ever heard someone young described as having an “old soul?”  It usually describes a young person who seems to think and act much older than their actual years.  Or someone who enjoys music, art, crafting, etc. from years past.  I’ll be honest, I cringe when I hear this phrase.  Because usually the person they describe just seems naturally more introverted.  Not shy, just one who enjoys quiet.  Quiet time and quiet activities.

In reality, all Christians must travel the highway of sanctification to attain true and deep wisdom.  We gather it along the road in our baskets little by little with each trial and tribulation and heartbreak.  Each time we act in God’s will, not the way of the world, we find another fruit in that basket.  When we get to the end of our sanctification road, our dents, scratches, repairs and maybe even a little duct tape, will be our trophies of gathered wisdom. 

I bring the “old soul” view up because it flies in the face of what the sanctification road means for a Christian.  Worldly wisdom can only get us so far on this journey.  We, however, seek the wisdom gifted by Christ Jesus.  The wisdom that comes from the different steps we have discussed thus far: knowledge of our LORD, submission to the LORD, the experiences of trials, and the stewardship of all He has given us.

King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 7:3-4, “Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad.  The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.“

In other words, we learn a lot more about life, ourselves, others, and God when we face sadness and hardship.  So that supposed 10 year old “old soul,” if raised in a modern society, has yet to gather much in their basket of life.  

Worldly Wisdom vs. Godly Wisdom

What’s the difference between worldly wisdom and God’s wisdom?  If you study Proverbs, you’ll see the best worldly wisdom has to offer actually comes directly from that book!  The worst is highlighted throughout the Bible with names such as greed, lust, selfishness, pride, and vengeance.  Worldly wisdom so often focuses on the “me” and not the “thee.”

The world tells us it is wise to go along with our loved ones’ sins.  “Go along to get along.”  “Don’t judge.”  God’s Word flies in the face of this when He tells us: “My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God’s truth, don’t write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God.” (James 5:19-20 the Message)

We are likewise reminded when we share the freedom message of Christ Jesus it may separate us from those same friends and family—a worldly unwise move.  In light of this, we hold on to the truth that this is yet another act of submitting; which brings us closer to God’s wise plan for our lives.

The world tells you it’s wise to have sex outside marriage.  Why?  Apparently so you know more about sex and can pick a good sex partner in marriage.  And besides they say, it’s your “right” to have a little fun.  The Bible tells us “There’s more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, “The two become one.” Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us lonelier than ever—the kind of sex that can never “become one.” (1 Cor 16:19-20 the Message)  The promoters of sexually immoral behavior call abstinence before marriage unwise.  Yet God’s wisdom tells us to value this gift as precious.

My friends, besides standing with Jesus at the end of my life, my end-goal on this journey is wisdom.  When to keep my mouth shut and when to speak.  When to help others and when to be wary of fools.  Recognizing good character and keeping far afield of pigs who want to steal my pearls.  Remaining calm when the world says to panic.  A knowing that forgiving those the world says I should hate actually heals my own soul.

This week’s question: What’s something you have become wiser about in your journey of life?

Next week we’ll take one last look at our sanctification journey as we wisely travel the road home.

For more study on wisdom check out these series: “31 Days of God’s Wisdom” and “Enjoy Life: From Meaningless to Meaningful (a study of Ecclesiastes)