Just Out of Sight

"'Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross' [Hebrews 12:2] is a great word for fainting souls.

"As I read the New Testament over and over, I am more and more impressed by the way suffering was taken for granted as something appointed; but always there is the thought of joy not far off. 

"In our Lord's private talks with his disciples, there is continually and clearly that "must" of suffering and the joy to follow. 

"We often act as if the place that is called Calvary had been taken out of the landscape of life or was an accident there.  It is not so; but just out of sight is the joy that is set before us, and there is the power which can enable us to treat the invisible as visible, the promised as present."

Amy Carmichael, July 22 in Edges of His Ways

[today's rose bouquets rescued from a fierce, hot prairie wind]

Shut In – Day 100: When Waiting Turns to Years

Another month has passed since we checked in with Noah.

See previous posts in this series here:
Part I: The Lord Shut Him In
Part II: Day 10: The Animals
Part III: Day 20: The Man Noah
Part IV: Day 30: The Walls
Part V: Day 40: What God Says... He Does
Part VI: Day 70: After the Crisis

The rain stopped pouring 2 months ago, and Noah and his family are still shut in the Ark.

One hundred days sounds (and feels) like a rather long time. But what about when the days and months turn to years? You may not feel able to relate to Noah’s trials because yours have gone on so much longer. (Ignoring the fact that once he was let out of the ark, his challenges were far from over.)

Well, the Bible has other examples of waiting and suffering… for years.

I have once again been studying a favorite life-history in the Bible – that of Joseph, one of the twelve sons of Jacob (aka: Israel). You remember… the 17 year old whose jealous brothers heartlessly sold him into slavery and told their father he was dead. (Find his story in Genesis 37-50.)

On the surface, this life of slavery could look like God had abandoned Joseph. But the fact was quite the opposite!

What sticks out to me this time through the account is the phrase:

The LORD was with Joseph.

In chapter 39, as Joseph was enslaved for years and then falsely accused and thrown into a prison in Egypt, we find four clear statements of God’s presence with him through it all. Even the pagans could see this and ended up trusting Joseph with all they owned.

Joseph gives us an amazing example of how to live in years of slavery and prison-life. (For our application think: years of pain, disabilities, grief, betrayal, injustice, lies, or whatever you are facing).

Joseph always:
- served his best to help others succeed
- earned trust and honor from those over him
- refused to sin against God through repeated temptations
- gave God the glory and credit

As a result, look for how many times God blessed Joseph and those he served!

And yet, he was “shut in”… away from his family – and then even away from the responsibilities and respect he had so richly earned as a slave. When a chance finally came to appeal his case, the man who was supposed to help Joseph forgot him…

… for 2 whole years longer.

By this time, 13 years had passed since Joseph was sold into slavery. It could have felt as if the prime of his life was gone. But God’s timing was perfect.

If he had been released 2 years earlier, it would only have been to get out of prison. But at this point, it was to be promoted from the prison to second in command of the entire nation!

“And Pharaoh said to his servants, ‘Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?’” – Genesis 41:38

This put Joseph into position to not only save the nation of Egypt through the upcoming famine, but also the lives of his family. (And yes, he was united with them again more than 20 years after being sold into slavery! But you’ll have to read that fascinating history for yourself.)

Our stories will be far different than Joseph’s or Noah’s. But we can still learn from them!

Is God with us? Then He will bless us – even in the darkest times of our lives.

Next Post in Series:
Part VIII: Day 150: Touch Down!

Sufficient Grace!

In 2022 I came back to a daily devotional which I haven't read for several years. It is as good and "down-to-earth" as I remembered!

Quiet Moments on the Way Home was written by Norwegian pastor H.E. Wisloff during difficult war-time years. That knowledge makes his scriptural meditations have even more impact.

My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness - 2 Corinthians 12:9

Sufficient Grace! Should we not praise God for this?

It is so easy for us to stare at our infirmities until we become blind to the glorious realities of grace.

We who are so aware of our insufficiency are permitted to live in the eternal sufficiency of God’s grace!

Our feelings are not enough, nor our faith, nor our prayers, nor our godliness. But God’s grace is sufficient.

And not only this, but God’s grace is perfected in our infirmities. It transforms the weakness in our lives into peace, victory, courage, and joy. It is to save us, sanctify us and make us useful in God’s service.

We need nothing more, nor do we solicit anything more. We fold our hands and thank Him who loves us and gives us all that we need. God’s grace is our sufficiency!

H.E. Wisloff, Quiet Moments on the Way Home, January 8th

Amos Fortune: free man

Amos Fortune: free man by Elizabeth Yates is one of those children's books that is meaningful and inspiring no matter what age you read it. I first met Amos Fortune this winter of 2022. Even though he died in 1801, I say "met," because he was a man whom everyone would want for a friend. 

Despite all the pain he came through - including being captured by another tribe and sold into slavery in his teens, spending decades earning money to buy the freedom of more than just himself, losing loved ones, and sometimes being mistreated - Amos had a soft and grateful heart. 

It wasn't easy, but he lived out his faith in a very practical way and learned the value of following Jesus' direction to turn the other cheek.

"Amos watched the fire climb slowly at first, starting from a dozen different places; then like a wall of destruction it moved up the steep sides until the flames met and linked in a vast pyramid of fire at the summit, consuming everything that could be consumed and leaving the mountain bare and smoldering.

"Hate could do that to a man, Amos thought, consume him and leave him smoldering. But he was a free man, and free at a great cost, and he would not put himself in bondage again."

His gravestone in New Hampshire reads:

Sacred

to the memory of

Amos Fortune

who was born free in

Africa a slave in America

he purchased liberty

professed Christianity

lived reputably and

died hopefully

Nov. 17, 1801

Aet. 91

Read me a Story Chapter

"Read me—not a sermon chapter, but a story chapter; they've pictures in them, which I see when my eyes are shut. Read about the New Heavens, and the New Earth; and m'appen I'll forget this."

'Bessie Higgins' in North and South

You have probably realized by now that I love a good story! And North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell is one of my favorites. 

What sets it far above books such as Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice or Emma and even Gaskell's own Cranford and Wives and Daughters (which are all enjoyable stories) is the undercurrent of true faith in God, even if not frequently mentioned.

Even Jesus the Christ frequently used stories [parables] to teach in a way His hearers could absorb and apply to their own lives.

But the above quote goes beyond simply a good work of fiction to the best stories of all: those collected in the Bible. 

What makes them "the best"? Because they are True - from the history in Genesis to the prophecy in Revelation! Rather than calling them Bible "stories," a more fitting word is  "accounts." 

The fictional and endearing 'Bessie Higgins' was chronically ill and stuck in bed with the constant pressures of physical pain and emotional stress when she asked the main character, Margaret, to read to her from the book of Revelation.

Through my own years of chronic illness I can fully understand how much more readily a weak brain and weary spirit can absorb truth from a story than from a sermon or epistle.

And so, as mentioned in a recent post, I am back in the book of Genesis - learning from our earliest ancestors as well as later heroes from among God's chosen people.

And all along, I'll be finding signposts pointing to the greatest story/history of all: the gospel [good news] of Jesus.

What parts of the Bible keep drawing you back the most?

Public Domain Illustrations:

Frontispiece from North and South

Hubert and Jan van Eyck, Adoration of the Lamb from the Ghent Altarpiece

Schnorr von Carolsfeld, Woodcut for "Die Bibel in Bildern", 1860.

Unknown Artist, Joseph makes himself known to his brethren

There is No Other Way

 

"His thoughts said, Is there no other way of learning how to help another but by the way of suffering?

"His Father said, Had there been another way, would I not have found it for the Son of My love, whom no thorn of pain had ever pierced, who was tender as a child to the touch? If it became Me in bringing many sons unto glory, to lead the Captain of their salvation by that way, wouldest thou win souls without a pang? Settle it once for all; there is no other way."

His thoughts said… His Father said…
by Amy Carmichael

Sorry if my posts have all seemed heavy and impersonal of late. Life has just been too intense to put into words for a while. And my words have been needed for answering emails instead of blogging. I will try to share more from life soon. For now, I hope something has blessed you from these quotes that stand out to me.

A Solace for Sick Saints (and a prayer request)

'And I will strengthen them in the LORD:
and they shall walk up and down

in his name, saith the LORD'

▪︎ Zechariah 10:12

"A solace for sick saints. They have grown faint, and they fear that they shall never rise from the doubt and fear; but the great Physician can both remove the disease, and take away the weakness which has come of it. He will strengthen the feeble. This he will do in the best possible way, for it shall be 'in Jehovah.' 

"Our strength is far better in God than in self. In the Lord it causes fellowship, in ourselves it would create pride. In ourselves it would be sadly limited, but in God it knows no bound.

"When strength is given, the believer uses it. He walks up and down in the name of the Lord. What an enjoyment it is to walk abroad after illness, and what a delight to be strong in the Lord after a season of prostration! The Lord gives his people liberty to walk up and down, and an inward leisure to exercise that liberty. 

"Come, my heart, be thou no more sick and sorry - Jesus bids thee be strong, and walk with God in holy contemplation. Obey his word of love."

▪︎ C.H. Spurgeon, "Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith" - October 11th

Illness has increased in our home this month. Would you join us in prayer for healing from a severe case of shingles (not mine) that even shocked the doctor? The pain is hardly allowing for any rest (let alone 'sleep') night or day for the last two weeks. This makes it harder than ever to heal.

Something Very Precious

If you live with chronic illness, you can relate to this conversation in the middle of World War I:

"'And now, two years later, it is no nearer the end than it was then,' said Miss Oliver gloomily.

Susan clicked her knitting-needles briskly. 'Now, Miss Oliver, dear, you know that is not a reasonable remark. You know we are just two years nearer the end, whenever the end is appointed to be.' ...

'Would you exchange them - now - for two years filled with fun?'

'No,' said Rilla slowly, 'I wouldn't. It's strange - isn't it? They have been two terrible years - and yet I have a queer feeling of thankfulness for them - as if they had brought me something very precious, with all their pain. ... And still' - Rilla gave a little apologetic laugh, 'I don't want to suffer any more - not even for the sake of more soul growth.' ... 

'We never do,' said Miss Oliver. 'That is why we are not left to choose our own means and measure of development, I suppose.'"

And the following quote will show why this book came to mind today:

"And you will tell your children of the Idea we fought and died for - teach them it must be lived for as well as died for - else the price paid for it will have been given for nought. This will be part of your work, Rilla. And if you - and all of you girls back in the homeland - do it, then we who don't come back will know that you have not 'broken faith' with us."

"Rilla of Ingleside" by Lucy Maud Montgomery was the first book I remember bringing to life for me the heros and the sorrows of war - both in battle and at home.

While this final book in the "Anne of Green Gables" series does contain a rather cheesy and shallow romance, it thankfully doesn't take up too much of the story. In short, it follows Anne's youngest daughter, Rilla, through what she expected to be the most exciting years of her life. Little did she know that her teen years would be defined by World War I.

Whether you are an "Anne" fan or want to learn more about wartime life for soldiers and their families this Veterans Day [in the USA], "Rilla" may just stick with you (as with me) as being one of those books that brought history to life.

Happy Veterans Day!

Find the free audiobook on Librivox.org and free e-book on Gutenberg.org

Nevertheless ... Hereafter

 

'Nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven' - Matthew 26:64

"Ah, Lord, thou wast in thy lowest state when before thy persecutors thou wast made to stand like a criminal! Yet the eyes of thy faith could see beyond thy present humiliation into the future glory. What words are these, 'Nevertheless -- hereafter'! I would imitate thy holy foresight, and in the midst of poverty, or sickness, or slander, I also would say, 'Nevertheless -- hereafter.' Instead of weakness, thou hast all power; instead of shame, all glory; instead of derision, all worship. Thy cross has not dimmed the splendour of thy crown, neither has the spittle marred the beauty of thy face. Say, rather, thou art the more exalted and honoured because of thy sufferings.

"So, Lord, I also would take courage from the 'hereafter.' I would forget the present tribulation in the future triumph. Help thou me by directing me into thy Father's love and into thine own patience, so that when I am derided for thy name I may not be staggered, but think more and more of the hereafter, and, therefore, all the less of today. I shall be with thee soon and behold thy glory. Wherefore, I am not ashamed, but say in my inmost soul, 'Nevertheless -- hereafter.'"

- C.H. Spurgeon, Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith, May 30

Not Even a Cup of Tea?

"The son said, My heart is disquieted within me. My soul cleaveth to the dust. Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O God.

"His Father said, In My hand are the deep places of the earth. Is there no blue sky? Have roses forgotten how to blow? Have birds ceased to sing among the branches? Hast thou not the sweetness of the love of a single little child? Hast thou no pleasant food – not even a cup of tea? Have tears been thy meat day and night?

"Gather up thy comforts, the greatest, the smallest, and thou wilt be surprised that thou hast so many to gather."

His thoughts said… His Father said…
by Amy Carmichael

Trust Cries Out

"When there is stabbing pain, trust cries out.
It is only mistrust, fear, and suspicion that keep silent."

• Mike Mason in The Gospel According to Job

"I cry out to God Most High,
to God who fulfills his purpose for me."

• Psalm 57:2

Pruning

 The prolific phalaenopsis orchid we call "Tripod" had gotten too wild to fit in its pot any longer. 

Time for a trim.

Since I didn't have a larger pot available, and these orchids prefer to be cosy anyway, I scrubbed up the old pot.

At the bottom I found a forgotten collection of amazing rocks! Used to help drainage and lessen the amount of potting bark needed, I decided to only put a few rocks back and lighten the pot for handling during weekly watering.

Next, pre-soak the new bark...

...along with a sprinkling of charcoal for deodorizing.

And re-pot - wrangling most of the old air-roots into the pot for stability.

Looking much better!

This being the first time I've tried this invasive process on an orchid while it was still blooming, I wasn't surprised to see all but one blossom drop off soon after.

But I was surprised that the new spike I was watching emerge (and which precipitated this re-pot before having to wait months longer through another flush of blossoms) turned out not to flower at all!

Never before have my orchids grown a keiki (baby orchid) on a new, dedicated spike. Mine have always before come from old spikes that were done flowering.

Maybe the plant thought it was dying and wanted to reproduce first?! Instead, Tripod is looking better than ever, and my orchid nursery will need a new "crib" (little pot) by next year.

Hmm... how often do we feel that God's pruning and trimming things out of our lives through loss and pain are "the end of it all" - when they are actually just the spur needed for new growth?

Keeping Every Promise

"The Christian is, by definition, a hopeful person. That hope is not artificial self-projection. It is produced in us by God's promises. Because we love and trust the Lord, we believe the promises He has given in His word. They have become the spectacle lenses through which we view everything - and that is what injects the melody of hope into our lives.

"Hope does not put us to shame"; it doesn't let us down or disappoint us. Why? Because "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us" (Romans 5 v 5).

"What does this mean? Our biggest hope is for everlasting life: for heaven and all that will follow it in the new heavens and earth. Being sure of that, even although we don't yet experience it, changes everything. It is like light appearing at the end of the tunnel, dispersing the total darkness that engulfs us. It enables us to see our way forward.

"...The logic goes like this: if you spend £500 to pay for a holiday, but then discover there is an additional £10 taxi fare to be paid to get you from the airport to your destination, you're not going to turn back. No, since you have already paid so much, of course you will pay the extra. The same logic applies here. If God has kept His major promise by giving His Son for you and to you, you can be sure He will keep every promise He has made.

"That is why His love is the foundation not only for faith but also for hope. And that hope lasts; it will never fail. It is a hope that we can hold on to even when we are suffering, even when life seems to be unravelling at the seams, even when our worst nightmares are coming true. We can still have hope, because God kept His biggest promise, His oldest and costliest promise, when Love came down at Christmas."

- from Love Came Down at Christmas by Sinclair B. Ferguson

[Our family appreciated the book quoted above for our month of advent readings last December. As you can see, the truths contained are anything but limited to Christmas. I needed the reminders again now! And the photos in this post are July in Mom's garden.]

Heaven Rules!

 No matter what challenges we are facing, we all need to be encouraged to remember the truth - regardless of how we "feel".

So I like sending cards packed with truth!

This set of greeting cards matches our 2021 wall calendar from Revive Our Hearts.

"The storm you are in will not last one moment longer or be one degree more intense than God intends for your good and for His glory. Heaven Rules."

"Put your trust in the Word of God and the promises of God.
His plan will not be thwarted.
Heaven rules."

A Bit of Chronic History

After all those posts on history via good books, this could be a let-down! In no way do I assume the history of my family's health struggles has the same level of interest to readers in general. 😄 

But for those who need "companionship" or encouragement on their own journeys through life with chronic illness, I occasionally mention how it affects our daily life. It helped Elsa and me in the early years to run across a couple others online who were "in the same boat" - letting us know we weren't alone or crazy and that others had faced similar disabling and confusing sets of symptoms.

But I am not sure if I have ever really summarized our diagnoses here. So for those who are interested, feel free to read on. (It will be very abridged and incomplete anyway.) 

For the rest of you, here a few, non-medical "fun facts" and old photos by way of introduction. 

I am a daughter (and daughter of the King!), sister, aunt, part time piano teacher and full time Chronic-Lyme warrior. I enjoy music making, audiobook narration [Storytime with HannahMary], being out in God's creation, travel/missions-trips & camping with my family, sailing, skiing, sending hand-written snail-mail, learning to watercolor... 

But most accessible these years are the joys of knitting for my sister's Etsy shop [TheNauticalNordic] while we listen to audio-books together.

I have 3/4 Norwegian blood in my veins, grew up with a large family of stuffed animals, have been roommates with my younger sister, Elsa, all but a few months since she was born, and pretended I had a Corvette in/after college!

My sister and I have been treating Chronic Lyme Disease (etc.) full-time for the past 7 years. Elsa has even more daily symptoms to battle with than I. [Find her at: http://reachingtotheskies.blogspot.com] She had to close her bakery and I drop most of my piano students in 2014 when the symptoms finally became disabling after wearing us down for years.

We did not then realize that the “worst flu of our lives” back in 2005 was actually a vector-borne disease. So we ended up with Lyme, Bartonella, and apparently other co-infections as well. This slowly but surely brought down our immune systems and clogged our detoxification pathways (already impaired due to genetics). This led to extreme levels of heavy metal and mycotoxin/mold toxicities, socially-isolating Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, many food sensitivities, and more.

Some of our symptoms have been: chronic muscle and myofascial pain, extreme fatigue and muscle weakness, brain fog, insomnia, sound and light sensitivity, night sweats, sudden onset of allergies and sensitivities, blood sugar issues, neurological damage, adrenal dysfunction and other hormone issues, whole-body “jitters,” dizziness, nausea, migraines, eyes not tracking... We are still digging our way out of years of damage but are overall seeing some clear progress, praise God!

Both of our parents have dealt with acute Lyme a couple times as well, and our mom seems to have more of the chronic symptoms building up along with a diagnosis of CIRS. Two years ago Lyme became a “whole-family tradition” when our older sister ended up with large and spreading bull's-eye rashes from a tick bite while pregnant with our nephew.

To avoid the baby ending up in NICU for months after birth - as happened with our doctor’s relative who did not treat her Lyme during pregnancy... or even worse results that we have heard of - our sister was on 2 antibiotics until her baby was three months old and then on strong herbal treatments for several more months. We are so thankful that mother and son are both doing very well more than a year after treatments. Our lively nephew is such a gift and quite the exercise/strengthening plan for his Aunties!

So, while our lives are still far from "normal" and every day in these bodies is more or less of a battle, God has been using these years to teach us more of His love and providence in ways we wouldn't have noticed back in our rushed, over-filled lives, when we "never had time to be bored!" and rarely had time to "Be Still."