Dr Mari's Health & Hope Corner, Dec 2011

Follow this link to A Safe Dwelling Place, where I reflect on the power of prayer and God's Word to lift us from fearful places unto faith. This month I share from Psalm 91, which is full of promises to those who abide in God (read it below). These words of wisdom were added by a sweet six year-old as I finished this post,

"If I am under the arm of the Lord, I am safe from evil. 

I will not fear at all for the Lord is protecting me."

Several goslings travel safely under their mother's wings.

Psalm 91

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
   will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 

I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress,
   my God, in whom I trust.'
Surely He will save you from the fowler’s snare
   and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with His feathers,
   and under His wings you will find refuge;
   His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of night,
   nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
   nor the plague that destroys at midday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
   ten thousand at your right hand,
   but it will not come near you.
You will only observe with your eyes
   and see the punishment of the wicked. 

 If you make the Most High your dwelling—
   even the Lord, who is my refuge—
then no harm will befall you,
   no disaster will come near your tent.
For He will command His angels concerning you
   to guard you in all your ways;
they will lift you up in their hands,
   so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
   you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
 'Because he loves me,' says the Lord, 'I will rescue him;
   I will protect him, for he acknowledges My name.
He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;
   I will be with him in trouble,
   I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life will I satisfy him
   and show him my salvation.'" 

Let us dwell in the safety of God's embrace!

Dr Mari

* Photo © BNPS.CO.UK

Risking the Temporal for the Eternal

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep

to gain what he cannot lose."

- Jim Elliot 

During this third week of Advent, I celebrate all those people who risk their life to share the hope, peace, and life that we gain as we place our trust in Jesus. Philip James Elliot (Oct 8, 1927 – Jan 8, 1956) was an evangelical Christian who, along with four other missionaries, was killed while sharing the Gospel message with the Waodani people of Ecuador. His words remind us that we can live for today, which is finite, or we can choose to live for eternity, impacting lives in ways that add value and endure.

 "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, 

but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 

For it is written: 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
   the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.'"

(1 Corinthians 1:18,19)

*Photo from atanycost.org.

“'For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, 
that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. 
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, 
but to save the world through Him. 
Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, 
but whoever does not believe stands condemned already 
because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 
This is the verdict: 
Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light 
because their deeds were evil. 
Everyone who does evil hates the light, 
and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 
But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, 
so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done 
has been done through God.'”

(John 3:16-21)

The Joy of the Lord

"But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; 

the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, 

and by His wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5)

We have now lit the third candle in our Advent wreath, the one signifying joy. To me, it's a reminder of the joy that comes from knowing, serving, and following our Lord. In times of deep sadness or difficulty, Nehemiah 8:10b exhorts us with these hopeful words,  

"This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, 

for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

The joy of the Lord is our strength.

As many of my readers know, I am married to a pastor who serves at a local church and also as a hospital chaplain. While working the night shift at the hospital this week, Russell became keenly aware of the presence of Jesus. He was called in to minister to a family whose premature infant was not doing well, and the parents asked for prayers.

As Russ baptized their 26-week old newborn, he laid his hands on the baby's forehead and proclaimed, "You have been sealed by the Holy Spirit in baptism and marked as Christ's own forever." And while making the sign of the cross on the child's forehead, Russell prayed over him, ending with these words from the prophet Isaiah,  

"By His wounds (you have been) healed."

That instant, at the sight of Russell and the awestruck parents, and for the first (and only) time since his birth, the tiny child opened his eyes. Time seemed to stand still as he looked around thoughtfully. He took in his surroundings, filled the room with innocence, hope, and wonder, and then he closed his eyes again, leaving the place transformed by a gaze that seemed to cry out, Yes! Yes! Yes!

Yes!

The above words from Isaiah gain some of their profound significance from the fact that they were written about the Messiah hundreds of years before the birth of Christ. The New Testament writers clearly speak of Jesus as the fulfillment of Isaiah's words. Indeed, by His wounds we are healed.

When Russ shared this powerful moment with our children and with me, he reminded us that even in great sorrow, there is joy because of Jesus, who transforms everything by His mere presence. Whether the infant lives or dies, Russell and the child's parents know that something remarkable happened in that room. Joy broke through the sadness, the fear, and the doubts, and healing followed. The joy spread by the One who was pierced for us broke through, changing everything.

During this third week of Advent, we welcome the joy that comes from knowing and staying close to our Lord - our Savior and Healer. May we rejoice as we know Him better and surrender more and more to God's perfect will for our lives.

Rejoice!
Dr Mari

For more Advent reflections, read Advent Word of the Day: Devotion. To learn more about the tradition of the Advent wreath, read The Light of the World: Advent Reflections.

Advent Word of the Day: Devotion

Look closely; that baby bear is smiling!

"'I will bring him near and he will come close to Me, 

for who is he who will 

devote himself 

to be close to Me?’ 

declares the LORD." 

Jeremiah 30:21 (emphasis added)

According to The American Heritage Dictionary, the word "devote" means to "give or apply (one's time, attention, or self) entirely to a particular activity, pursuit, cause, or person." Advent, the four weeks leading up to the celebration of Christ's birth, is a wonderful time to ask ourselves, What are we devoted to? What occupies our time, our mental and physical energy, and our resources? What is it that we worship?

What is first in our lives? 

This Advent, we can decide to change the course of our lives by the choices we make. And a wonderful place to start this process is prayer. A simple, heartfelt prayer on my knees changed the course of my life twelve years ago. During a time of desperate need, I asked God to reveal Himself, and He did, and I've drawn close to Him ever since.

When God is the center of our lives, everything else begins to be lined up, returning to its proper place - submitted unto the Lord and His ways. Matthew 6:33 explains it like this, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." God knows our needs, and our deepest need is to know, serve, and follow Him. When we do that, life begins.

This Advent, may we devote ourselves to being close to the One who created us, loves us, and longs for us to know Him more.

His!

Dr Mari

For more Advent exhortations, read The Light of the World and The Joy of the Lord.


* Photo from thundafunda.info.

More Advent Food for Action

                             

The season of Advent is the perfect time
to make this life-changing decision:
is there room in our hearts and lives for Jesus?
May we be blessed as we ponder its significance
and choose to open the door of our hearts.

Have a joyful Advent!

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. 
He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; 
yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." 

Ecclesiastes 3:11

For more Advent inspiration, read Advent Word of the Day: Devotion.

* Photo from nancyoutloud.com.

The Light of the World: Advent Reflections

The light of life has dawned.

One of my favorite traditions during the Advent season involves making a wreath that becomes our table's centerpiece until Christmas day. A new candle is lit each week symbolizing the light that shines when Christ enters our world. As we say grace before dinner each night, we take turns lighting the candles and reading different verses that remind us of the relevance of Christ's coming. This tradition is a powerful reminder of the eternal significance of the season and helps to quiet the voices that distract us from the true meaning of Christmas.

The prophet Isaiah spoke of this coming light hundreds of years before Jesus' birth,  

          "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; 

on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned." 

                                                                                              - Isaiah 9:2

The Old Testament words from Isaiah 9:2 were quoted hundreds of years later by Matthew in the New Testament when he spoke about Jesus' life and ministry (Matthew 4:16). And in John 8:12, Jesus fills us with hope by telling us who He is,

“I am the light of the world. 

Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, 

but will have the light of life.” 

During Advent, we celebrate this light that shines into the darkness of our world and of our hearts bringing truth, salvation, and life. This time of year provides a wonderful opportunity to get to know the One who calls Himself "the light of the world." This Advent, may we all see Him more clearly and live more fully as we prepare to celebrate the glorious birth of Jesus Christ, the light of the world.

Rejoice!
Dr Mari

Read God's Song for an account of God's blessings in the midst of suffering.

More Ways to Unload Your Life (Part III)

Many of you enjoyed Overloaded Lives are Powerless Lives and Unloaded Lives are Powerful and asked for more. As we approach what to many of us is the busiest time of the year, why not resolve to have it be different this time around? We can manage our time proactively starting now. We can enjoy a true Advent - the time of preparation leading up to Christmas - by setting aside time to ready our hearts and nurture our spirits along the way. As you consider these steps we can all take to unload our lives, I invite you to put them into practice now to avoid another frazzled, hectic month that will leave you exhausted - just in time for Christmas!

So here are some more choices we can make to help us recover the precious gift of time. They are from Dr Richard Swenson's book, Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives.

• Sabotage Your Fuse Box. The author shares, "Our family enjoys Wisconsin winters where a two-foot snowfall is a thrill, not a torment. When the world is snowed in, cars can't move, businesses can't open, and schools can't convene. A spirit of holiday reigns. Part of the reason for this is the unexpected gift of time margin." Make today a "snow day" and decide to enjoy the gift of time! Can you even remember what it is you love to do when you suddenly have a free day? Do it now! And build it into your schedule more often.
• Get Less Done But Do the Right Things. Some people lead such hectic lives that even hearing about their day is stressful. How they can continue to live with such daily chaos is beyond me! Even "good things" can become too much if they fill up our days to such an extent that we are no longer kind to ourselves or to others. "'For many people,' says pastor and author Rick Warren, 'the barrier to spiritual growth is not lack of commitment, but overcommitment to the wrong things.'" Remember, when you say yes to something, you have just said no to something else. Are your answers consistently in agreement with your values and goals? 
• Enjoy Anticipation, Relish the Memories. Is your schedule ever so busy that there's little time to anticipate a wonderful event, enjoy it when it arrives or reminisce about it afterwards because you've already moved on to the next thing? Consider saying no to a few invitations next month so you can fully enjoy the ones to which you say yes! Do you feel obligated to go? Perhaps this question can help you as you discern when to say no.
• Don't Rush Wisdom. Take your time when making decisions. "If life's pace pushes you, push back. Take as much time and prayer as you need for (clarity) to develop. And wait for your decision to be affirmed by peace."
• For Type A's Only. Dr Swenson shares this advice from Dr Meyer Friedman, who first described the type A personality. "Practice smiling. Purposely speak more slowly, stop in the middle of some sentences, hesitate for three seconds, then continue. Purposely say 'I'm wrong' at least twice today, even if you're not sure you're wrong. Listen to at least two persons today without interrupting even once... Seek out the longest line at the bank." Although the old me could be the poster child for the type A personality (and still, at times!), I have learned to receive such previously frustrating annoyances as long lines in the supermarket as gifts - opportunities to breathe, to pray, to rest. "In repentance and rest is your salvation," says the Lord in Isaiah 30:15, "in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it." These are sobering words if we haven't learned to desire inner quiet more than we want whatever it is we want right now. To those of us pursuing the abundant life each day, the need to wait for some things becomes a gift. Outer chaos in our lives often reflects or leads to inner chaos. Having to wait builds patient endurance and is often a path to greater wisdom and love. 
• Create Buffer Zones. Wouldn't it be nice if we all learned to create buffer zones around our daily lives? Whether at work or running errands, we can set aside even five minutes an hour to rest our minds and nurture our spirits. A song on iTunes. An inspiring poem. Enjoying photos of our children and spouse. Closing our eyes in prayer or reading a psalm or two. These short but powerful infusions of hope and joy in the middle of a busy day can make all the difference.
• Plan for Free Time. "Christ's teaching, His healing, His serving, and His loving were usually spontaneous. The person standing in front of Him was the opportunity He accepted. If He chose spontaneous living, isn't that a signal to us? Overloaded schedules are not the way to walk In His Steps." An inflexible, over-scheduled day lacks buffer zones and leaves little room for the Holy Spirit to move. If your day is packed, move some items to another day or delete them altogether.
• Be Available. "God... exalts faithfulness over productivity." Do we? Have we scheduled ourselves so full that we are unavailable to God? Can our agenda be interrupted to serve God and His people in need?

As we approach Advent and the celebration of Christ's birth, let us resolve to prepare our hearts, making room for God to use us like never before, giving Him our time and choosing to glorify Him in all we do.

Be free!
Dr Mari

* Photo by James Randkley, Stone/Getty Images. 

Visit Overloaded Lives are Powerless Lives for Part I and Unloaded Lives are Powerful for Part II of this series based on Dr Richard Swenson's book, Margin.