John and Kathy Deisher

One Call, One Harvest, 50 Teams

love

Living Gladly

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“The greatest honor we can give Almighty God is to live gladly because of the knowledge of his love.” 

— Julian of Norwich

I love mornings. There is a freshness, a newness about them. I watch the sun rise and am always filled with a sense of delight that no two are the same.

I don’t love problems. There is a staleness, a sameness about them. I watch problems come and am always filled with a sense of dread whether no two are the same or whether they all seem the same.

But everyday I am provided both—sunrises and problems.

So, I chose to “live gladly” for the opportunities both bring.

I know God loves me, and in facing my sunrises and problems I have the opportunity to experience that love. It is my choice in how I live.

So I will live gladly.

Sunrises or problems.

Gladly.

Giving Thanks

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Psalms 118:28-29

28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;

    you are my God; I will extol you.

29 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

    for his steadfast love endures forever!

Steadfast.

I don’t know why, but to me “steadfast” sounds, well, plain. Steadfast sounds like a description someone would use when they couldn’t come up with another word to describe someone.

“Well, at least he’s steadfast, bless his heart.”

(Yes, I even hear “bless his heart” added to make it somehow more, well, pitiful.)

But there is a reassurance to “steadfast” that says no matter what else may happen, this will continue. It may not be flashy, or the “latest and greatest”, but in spite of everything else, what is stead fast will still be there.

Like God’s love.

Steadfast.

Enduring.

Forever.

No matter my situation, no matter how fluid the moment, I can give thanks because God’s love will always be there.

And that blesses my heart.

Act Your Way

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“The rule for all of us is perfectly simple. Do not waste time bothering whether you ‘love’ your neighbour; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets.”  C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Dr. Ray Brock helped shape me during my Masters program. One of the things he said has stayed with me throughout the last 35 years:

“It is easier to act your way into a new way of thinking than to think your way into a new way of acting.”

C.S. Lewis agrees. The question is not “Do I love this person” but “How do I show love to this person”. The act does not flow out of my thought. My thoughts flow out of my desire to act. 

And this is a good thing.

Because often, I don’t find find myself really wanting to love some people. I want to choose those worthy of my love (whatever that means). But, of course, as a Christ-follower I don’t get to think about those things.

I get to act.

In acting, I find my thinking comes around, and that there are lot of people that I love. 

And that is a really great thing.

God’s Faithfulness

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I planted a garden this year. OK, I actually planted some vegetables in three large containers. That is what you do when you live in an RV.

I planted tomatoes, peppers, and pickling cumbers. I did not expect bushel baskets full of produce, but I thought it would be nice to have a few fresh vegetables.

But it rained. All of April, all of may, much of June, it rained. Despite the rain, I picked two tomatoes and had three more growing, along with two peppers and one cucumber. Not a bumper crop.

Then it got hot. Hot as in a week of over 100 degrees. Two of the three tomatoes survived the heat, but the rest of the vegetables wilted and died.

Where am I going with this?

I could have lamented what was lost. I could have shaken my fist at the rain and the sun for ruining my harvest. I could have regretted the money I spent and the time I invested.

Or, I could enjoy my salad. Actually, two salads, each with two tomatoes. And I could look forward to next year.

Life brings you stuff. But we choose how to live, how to respond.

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23

I wonder what I should plant next year?