Monday Morning Memo: He Doesn't Have a Prayer

“She doesn’t have a prayer in passing that class.”  “He doesn’t have a prayer in getting that promotion.”  “They don’t have a prayer in ever reconciling their marriage.”  “I don’t have a prayer in ever being any more than I am today.”  These are just examples of statements that can be made when you feel there isn’t any chance that a certain event will take place.  We’ve all had words to this effect come out of our mouth when something just seemed impossible.

 

Impossible.  The dictionary says it is something that is not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with.  It’s just like when we say that we or someone else doesn’t have a prayer…we are totally giving up that there will be a good outcome when we use the word impossible.

 

I was thinking this weekend about these words and it made me wonder who or what determines or influences when I give up.  Am I coming to this conclusion because I have hard facts, or do I rush to this assumption because I am taking into account my limitations…my shortcomings…my inadequacies or someone else’s limitations…shortcomings…or inadequacies?  Am I looking at the situation through God’s eyes and His strength and power…or my own?

 

If I look to the Bible to find my answers, it tells me what I need to know about “not having a prayer”.  Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.  Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”  Notice it doesn’t say to pray about only those things of which you know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, will work out.  It says to pray about everything!  So even if you doubt something will happen…pray about it anyway.  We ALWAYS have a prayer!

 

And the impossible?  Mark 10:27 tells us, “Jesus looked at them intently and said, ‘Humanly speaking, it is impossible.  But not with God.  Everything is possible with God’”.  So whatever situation we say “doesn’t have a prayer”…we are looking at it from our human perspective.  Everything is possible with God!

 

Remember, Satan doesn’t want us praying because he knows the power that our God has…the power to do the impossible.  Satan knows that God can take our limitations…shortcomings…and inadequacies and use them for His glory as the impossible is accomplished.  And in doing so…Satan’s impact will be lessened and someday my friend, he will be totally defeated.  Because with God on our side…Satan doesn’t have a prayer!

Monday Morning Memo: For HIS Purpose

“It’s not about you.”  If that statement sounds familiar, it probably means you have read Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose Driven Life.  It is the very first sentence in chapter 1.  He goes on to say, “The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness.  It’s far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions.  If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God.  You were born by his purpose and for his purpose.”

 

It also may sound familiar to you because I have shared those words with you before…but they came back to me recently because of a Facebook post I made.  If you are a “friend” of mine on Facebook, you may have read these words:

 

This will probably be a controversial post…but that hasn’t stopped me in the past :-). I've seen influencers the past couple of weeks, buying Easter baskets for their kids that in my honest opinion...are ridiculous.  They have more in them than we bought our kids for Christmas.

 

I think this is a contributing factor to seeing parents freaking out because they don’t have the money to buy their kids extravagant Easter baskets. Friends…hear me on this…it’s ok. We NEVER bought our kids an Easter basket…yes, I know that may be shocking for some of you…but our poor, underprivileged children never got one. And do you know what? They grew up to be wonderful, amazing, productive adults…even without an Easter basket. I have never heard them say, “Well, you know mom, our life would be so much better if we just would have gotten baskets at Easter”. Nope, never heard it.

I’m not bashing you if you buy your kids baskets. If that is something that is important to you in making memories…go for it! But I just wanted to let those parents know, who maybe can’t buy them this year…your kids will be fine. Your 1- and 3-year-old won’t remember it anyway, and if your kids are older…they will be just fine if they don’t get one. Let them know all about the real meaning of Easter…that will have a much more positive, lasting effect on them!

 

I’ve thought more about this Facebook post of mine during the days since…and Rick Warren’s comment has been in the forethought of my mind.  Why?  Because I fear we are raising a generation of children who think everything revolves around them.  Don’t get me wrong…I wanted my kids…and now my grandkids…to have times of fun by receiving gifts…but it just seems like now we have to buy them something at every holiday, putting the attention on them instead of the meaning of the day we are celebrating.  

 

Why must we put our focus on what we will receive at a holiday?  I hate to disappoint you…but Easter has nothing to do with the Easter bunny and if our kids see us put the emphasis on an Easter basket filled with toys, games and chocolate…they are once again getting the signal that it is all about them. 

 

Even in sports today…everyone receives a participation award…because heaven help us if they must realize they weren’t on the winning team.  I even noticed at some of our grandchildren’s games, when announcements were made on upcoming tourney games, they wouldn’t say “The team that wins will move on to play next Saturday at 10:00 am and the team that loses will play next Saturday at 9:00 am.”  Instead, they said something to the effect of, “The team that wins will move on to play next Saturday at 10:00 am, and the other team (or sometimes the team that didn’t win) will move on to play next Saturday at 9:00 am.”  They were so careful not to make the kids feel like they lost.  

 

Now, I understand that we don’t want to hurt our kid’s self-esteem…but life isn’t all roses and there are times we must face the thorns.  But if we are constantly made to feel like we are the focus…we are not going to be ready to face the failures that life will surely throw our way.

 

Some day that child will get a job and they will probably realize fairly quickly that the focus won’t be on them.  They will have to make sacrifices and work for the good of the “team”.  We need to prepare them while they are growing up for times such as this, but if we are always making them feel like they deserve something at every turn…we have not done our “job” as parents.

 

Now, I can hear some of you say, “LuAnn, come on.  It’s just a basket…or a gift…or a reward.  Don’t be such a party pooper!”  I know…I get it.  We all want to do everything we can for our kids…but we also have the responsibility to make sure they are prepared for the days, months and years to come.

 

Instead of giving them an Easter basket…why not prepare a basket with them to give to someone who needs it.  There are so many people in nursing homes who never have any family visit them…they would be thrilled to receive a basket with some special treats.  Or gather items to give to kids who are in the hospital…or living in homeless shelters.  That sweet child of yours will not only learn much more but will also have the feeling that comes when you bless others…and that experience will be remembered for a lifetime.

 

Raising kids is hard and if you are like me…you will make lots of mistakes.  But I think if we can keep our focus…and theirs…on what is truly meaningful in life…our kids will grow up with something worth much more than an Easter basket.  Because as Rick Warren reminded us, wewere born by HIS purpose and for HIS purpose.

Monday Morning Memo: Picking Up the Torch

Back in the early 2000’s, a family came to our church who we didn’t know.  We had several opportunities to be around them and really liked them from the start.  But my friendship with the wife, Nancy, really took root when she posted on Facebook that she had an extra ticket for a local Christian radio station’s Women’s Day Away the next day, on Saturday.  She wondered if anyone wanted to go with her.

 

I responded that I would love to go and trust me, spending a day with Nancy was unforgettable.  We laughed until it hurt and talked throughout the day and by that evening, a cherished friendship was cemented.

 

Little did I know then, that 22 years later, Nancy would ask me to come over to her house because she wanted to go over details for her funeral with me.  That is something you don’t expect to do with a friend in her late 40’s.  She had been diagnosed with MS in her early 20’s and by the time we discussed her funeral, she was living in a frozen body…unable to move.

 

Nancy loved her Jesus.  You couldn’t meet her and not know that fact within a very short time.  She talked about Jesus all the time and witnessed to anyone who would listen.  That’s one of the many things I loved about her…she was never shy to speak out about what she believed and about her love for her Lord and Savior.  Nancy made such an impact in this world and one of the main reasons was that she believed in the truth and beauty of the Gospel - that Jesus came and gave His life for all of us.  Even in the midst of doubts and pain…she held fast.  Even as she wrestled at times with what was happening to her and why it was happening…she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that God loved her.  Her faith is what fueled every facet of her life and impacted everyone with whom she came in contact.

 

If you were a friend of Nancy’s…you were blessed with a special kind of friend.  Nancy cared SO deeply for everyone and she was the greatest prayer warrior I have ever had the privilege of meeting.  Here she was, unable to move and living oftentimes in horrible pain…but she always wanted to know how she could pray for me.  When I would tell her of a need of mine, she was always so good about checking back with me to see how my prayer request turned out.  If you wanted something taken to the Throne of God…you knew to ask Nancy to do just that.  She had a direct line to her Jesus…a relationship with Him that was inspiring.

 

I remember asking her one day about her MS and if she thought a lot about how her life would have been without it.  I asked her if she wished she would have never had it and her answer shocked me.  She said that while she wasn’t happy that she had MS, she didn’t wish that it would be taken away…because she said she never would have had such a close relationship with her Jesus without it.  She knew that this diagnosis made her rely on Him every single day and she said there wasn’t anything she wanted more than to be close to Him.  You see, the desire of Nancy’s heart was to allow the power of Christ to work through her in the good times and in the bad.  What a wonderful example to follow.

 

A month ago today, on March 6th, at the age of 52, I am confident Nancy heard the words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant” as she took her last breath on earth and her first breath in Heaven.  Nancy was finally whole…completely healed with no traces left of MS.  She was now with her Savior…the One she so faithfully served in the good days and in the bad.

 

I had the privilege of speaking at her funeral, and I shared a couple of verses in the Bible found in 2 Timothy 4:7-8 and I personalized them as a tribute to my dear friend’s life:

 

“Nancy fought the good fight, she has finished the race, she kept the faith. Finally, there has been laid up for her the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to her on that Day, and not to her only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

 

Nancy left such huge shoes to fill and the words which have haunted me since that day are “Who is going to pick up the torch that Nancy so faithfully carried?”  The world has lost an amazing prayer warrior and witness for Christ, and I know she would want me and you to pick up where she left off.  

 

If I’m honest, I must admit that I don’t think I’ve done a good job lately on carrying her torch.  I have so much to learn from Nancy’s example…and a long way to go to be the faithful servant she was.   I must ask myself if I am  willing.  Are you?  We are living in a dark world that needs to be told about our Jesus and if they don’t hear about Him from us…they may not hear about Him at all.  Let’s make it a point this week to pick up Nancy’s torch…raise it high…and let others see Christ through us.  

 

HEALTH UPDATE:  I had another CT scan and met with the lung surgeon and was told that no surgery is needed at this time.  That is a praise!  My lungs have greatly improved according to the CT scan…the only problem is that the pain and tightness remain.  I am currently on another round of antibiotics and once those are gone…they want me to try and go three months without any medicine to see what happens.  Another CT scan will be taken at that time and if it looks good…we will know the infection is gone.  If the lungs don’t look good at that time, I will return to the lung specialist and we will talk about surgery.

 

I asked the surgeon if this is possibly my new “normal” with my lungs and the pain and tightness will never go away.  We know my disorder, Hypermobility Syndrome, is the base cause of all of this, so it is possible that my lungs are damaged and won’t improve.  The surgeon said that is a possibility…but we will hope healing will take place.  

 

Thank you SO much for your prayers.  You all have been such an amazing prayer “army” for me and I can’t thank you enough!