"How do you do it?"

We have safely arrived here by Dyess Air Force Base, setting up camp, getting ready to execute Operation Naaman here. Our drive was relatively uneventful, but the engine and the generator were both running very hot, so we had to go slowly. We successfully stretched a 2 1/2 hour drive to about 4 hours. Pray that we can get this situation resolved before too many more miles.

I am often asked, "How do you do it? How do you go travel like you do, and remain sane?" Well, there are several different ways to answer those questions, ( like...maybe I'm not really sane! Lol!) but Ive been thinking a lot about my two main guiding principles. They may not sound like much, but they have been given me by God and have guided me through my Christian life so far. I know, by God's grace, they will lead me on the rest of the way...

1. My husband and I decided a long time ago, perhaps before we were married, that we would not be so attached to any location that we were not willing to go somewhere else if that's what the Lord wanted.

2. I married my husband, not my house or even my children. I enjoy my home, and I love my children, but where God leads my husband, He leads me (and the children still living at home). I love my grandkids, but it would be better for them to have grandparents that are in God's Will than close by and out of God's Will.

So, really, it's not so hard after all. It's simply following what the Lord has shown me so many years ago, and I'm very thankful for God's guidance.

Today's verse: "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord..."

The Wind is Not a River

“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Romans
8:18

“This too shall pass…”

During the time of the second World War, there was an unusual mix of progress and antiquity in the Aleutian Islands. The native people had been learning the new ways, while still trying to retain some of the old ways of living off the land. It was a difficult time for many, and a precious old saying bore new meaning. For Sasan and her brother Sidak, newly orphaned and having just weathered a terrible storm, the meaning of the saying went even deeper.

…when Sidak mentioned he was hungry, Sasan put out on the table the smoked fish she had brought along. As they sat silently in the gathering darkness eating the fish, Sasan saw a look of sadness come over her brother’s face. She asked, ‘Do you remember what Grandmother always used to say when we were unhappy or in pain?’

“Yes,” Sidak answered, “she used to say, ‘The wind is not a river.’”

Sasan said, “Yes, it is true. The sadness we feel today, like the wind in the storm we just passed through, must also pass away.” As she said these words, she tried hard not to show the pain and sadness in her own heart.

---The Wind is not a River, by Arnold A. Griese

Sasan and Sidak were learning a truth we often need reminded of ourselves. The wind is not a river. Our difficulty and trials we go through here in this life will pass away, and be quickly forgotten in the joy and rapture of the wonders of Heaven. Our trials will one day pass.

In this life, also, we find that the trials of life are temporary. Not only in Heaven will the children of God realize the difficulties will not last forever, but we find that there is always light at the end of the tunnel, sunshine after the rain, and morning after midnight.

Recently, we had a number of problems with our motorhome. Actually, it was an unreal amount of problems! It seemed like everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. Everything that could break, broke! And then the motorhome got stuck in the sand, and sickness swept through the family. It seemed like just too much. But, almost as quickly as the troubles came, they passed. The ill ones recovered, a kind man (with a very big truck) pulled our motorhome out of the sand, and we were able to get almost all of the things fixed. Our problems passed.

Just as Sasan and Sidak remembered the words of their loving grandmother, let’s try to remember that our troubles, though they seem to be so vast and so difficult, will one day pass.

“The Wind is not a River.”

Captain's Orders!

‘“First of all, I do not want you to give in to the pressure of the moment. Whenever you’re hurting bad, just hang in there. Finish the day. Then, if you’re still feeling bad, think about it long and hard before you decide to quit. Second, take it one day at a time. One evolution at a time.“Don’t let your thoughts run away with you, don’t startplanning to bail out because you’re worried about the future and how much you can take. Don’t look ahead to the pain. Just get through the day, and there’s a wonderful career ahead of you.”

This was Captain Maguire, a man who would one day serve as deputycommander of the U.S. Special Operations in Pacific Command (COMPAC). With his twin-eagles insignia glinting on his collar, Captain Maguire instilled in us the knowledge of what really counted.’

---Marcus Lutrell, Lone Survivor

When my son came across those words while reading the book aloud to the family, he might as well have jumped up, got in my face, and yelled, because my spoon froze in midair over the large bowl of carmel popcorn. Immediately my mind began racing to something our Lord said in Matthew: “Take no thought for the morrow, for the morrow takes thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” I know my son read more, because I saw his lips move and I heard his voice, but for me, I was stuck on those wise words from the Captain.
My day begins the instant my alarm sounds. Those four beeps (and all the subsequent ones, if I don’t heed the first four!), signal the beginning of a new, jam-packed day. My “to-do” list can be unbelievably long, sometimes entirely unrealistically huge. With several loads of laundry a day (that’s a normal day; when someone is sick, it increases dramatically), several students to teach and others to moniter, meals, cleanup, etc., I’ve got my hands terribly full. Add a bit of ministry and some travelling to the mix, and you’ve got a very daunting schedule.

If I tried to take the whole week on at once, I might as well go right back to bed. It would be an impossible task, one I wouldn’t even want to consider. But my Lord does not expect me to take on the whole week at once; He only asks that I take one day at a time. Perhaps even one step at a time.

I jog about two miles four or five days a week, but it is no picnic for me. I picked it up a little over ten months ago, and It’s still very hard work. Many days, I don’t feel like running at all, and many times I am ready to give up halfway through. It is during those times that I concentrate on my stride. I take one step at a time, one breath at a time. That way, and some days it’s only that way, I am able to finish.

“Don’t let your thoughts run away with you, don’t start planning to bail out because you’re worried about the future and how much you can take. Don’t look ahead to the pain. Just get through the day…”

When life seems steep, concentrate on one step at a time: it's Captain's Orders!

Identifying Areas of Weakness

In our motorhome, we have cabinets above both “living room” windows. Since we spend long periods of time in our bus, on the order of months, our cabinets are pretty well loaded. Thankfully, each of these cabinets is equipped with a latch, designed to keep our debris in the cabinets and off of our heads. All of the cabinets, that is, except one. Unfortunately, that one cabinet is the one that houses our pots and pans.

Somehow the screws holding the latch became loose over time, and now the dumb thing needs to be personally put into position in order for it to latch at all. This works most of the time, as I am the one who makes sure it gets done…as long as I am available. Every once in awhile, it doesn’t get done, and I’m sure you can imagine the excitement that occurs when someone sees an errant pot poised to leap out on some unsuspecting victim.

The latch is the cabinet’s area of weakness.

Of course, it stands to reason that the right course of action would be to identify the area of weakness and correct it using another latch. That, however, is easier said than done, considering the uniqueness of the latch, and also considering that there are a number of more pressing items that need worked on first. And so, the latch will wait for awhile.
Now, remember my last post? The one on The Real Battle, and how it is in the mind? Let me once again quote from one of the Navy SEAL instructors:

“…the real battle is won in the mind. It’s won by guys who understand their
areas of weakness, who sit and think about it, plotting and planning to improve.
Attending to the detail. Work on their weaknesses and overcome them. Because
they can.”

One of the most important things to do in the Christian life is to grow, and continue to become more like our Saviour. Growth involves change, and we will never change unless we are dissatisfied with how things are going now. As long as we are satisfied with the status quo, we will never change, but as we realize our trouble spots, we can begin to see growth.

Many times we only notice that the cabinet is not latched when we are on the road. The bumps and bounces of the rough road push the pots against the latch, and its weakness becomes apparent. The same way, our weaknesses become readily apparent when we go through a trial. The bumps and bounces of life rattle us, and our weaknesses become quickly obvious.

Just like with the latch, the best course of action is to find the area of weakness and correct it. As ladies, we should examine ourselves and seek to improve. It’s a battle won in the mind. We should take some time to think and pray about how we can improve. We can work on our weaknesses and overcome them…because we can!

What are your areas of weakness? Consider how you can improve physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. Take just a few minutes to examine your life to see whether you could take a step, perhaps just one small step, to get better. Identify your areas of weakness, and ask God to help you.

Because you can!

The REAL Battle

For our character studies lately, we’ve been reading a book called Lone Survivor, the Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of Navy SEAL Team 10, by Marcus Lutrell (we edited out the cuss words!). I figured a book detailing the training and conditioning of a Navy SEAL would be a good study in the character quality self-control, and I was right. As we’ve been reading of Marcus’ training, we’ve all been encouraged to “do the right thing,” or “git ‘er done,” no matter how hard it seems.

These guys had to do almost superhuman feats just to survive the first few hours of training. To me, it seems incredible that a person could do at least 450 push-ups and run four miles in less than thirty-two minutes! (I can run two miles, but it takes me about twenty-three minutes! These are men, though, and my husband likes to remind me that they are a little younger than I am…) Right before their training, the men were told, “You must make that four-mile thirty-two-minute run, and you must make the two-mile swims in an hour and a half. You’ll get a tough written test. There’s pool standards, there’s drownproofing. With and without the fins — kick, stroke, and glide.” Standards were strict and the training was tough, because they knew that their lives and the lives of their buddies depended on it.

One quote from the book got me thinking.

Sometimes as Christian wives and mothers, we think we’ve got the raw deal. The old saying goes, “A man will work from sun to sun, but a woman’s work is never done.” (Recently I told my husband that, since the advent of computers, he works round the clock! But that’s beside the point…) It is the never-ending round of laundry, meals, dishes, and of course wiping runny noses, changing dirty diapers, and reading The Taxi that Hurried for the five thousand, four hundred and eighty-third time. It’s a tiring, sometimes exhausting job.

God, however, in His infinite love and mercy, gives us the strength to do His Will. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” It’s truly a matter of us appropriating the strength He’s made available through grace. And someone’s eternity may depend on it.

One of the SEAL instructors told the men: “…the real battle is won in the mind. It’s won by guys who understand their areas of weakness, who sit and think about it, plotting and planning to improve. Attending to the detail. Work on their weaknesses and overcome them. Because they can.”

I must say that there is something about military training that pushes people to, and beyond, their limit, and that’s a good thing. We seem to have in our minds that, “Oh, I just couldn’t be a missionary,” or, “Oh, I couldn’t have a large family,” or, “I couldn’t teach a Sunday School class.” Sometimes we even think, “I don’t think I can make it through another day, I’m so worn.” We sell ourselves far too short for what we really could do, if only we availed ourselves of the strength given us by our Lord.

Navy SEALs become convinced that they could do anything, if they just put their minds to it, and by and large, they can do just about that. It’s stuck in the heads. They do what they are told, no matter how impossible it may seem, because they know it really IS possible. Their commanders would never send them into a volatile situation assuming defeat.

I remember a time when my husband was talking to a Marine who was fresh out of Basic Training. With a bit of a grin, he asked him, “If your drill instructor had told you that tomorrow you were going to charge Hell with water pistols, what would you have done?” The young Marine got very serious, and replied evenly, “We would have done it…and we’d have taken it, too!” It is the spirit of the military. It needs to be our spirit, as well.

We are given a job to do by God. He does not give us a job that we cannot do, He gives us only what we can do. “But God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will, with the temptation, also make a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (1 Cor 10:13) And, “I can do all things, through Christ, which strengtheneth me.” (Phil. 4:13) He strengthens us, and comes into the yoke with us, giving us the supernatural ability to tackle to tough tasks. “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, and ye shall find rest unto your souls, for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Whatever we are given to do, we are able to do, with The Lord’s help. The main battle is in the mind.

“…the real battle is won in the mind. It’s won by guys who understand their
areas of weakness, who sit and think about it, plotting and planning to improve.
Attending to the detail. Work on their weaknesses and overcome them. Because
they can.”

Don’t sell yourself short. Has God called you to be a godly, loving wife? You can be! Has God called you to be a gentle, consistent mother? You can be! Has God called you to be a daughter who is ever learning to be what God wants you to be? You can! The battle is in your mind.

Through God, you can win that battle.

Someone’s eternity may be at stake.

Never Leave a Wounded Soldier

I was talking to a lady a few weeks back who must have been soaked in Hollywood somehow, because the question she asked me showed such a complete deficiency of understanding of our nation’s military. “Isn’t it true,” she asked, “that the military brainwashes its soldiers, takes away their personality, and makes them feel like they are nothing more than a number that goes around killing people?”

I tried hard to mask my mixture of irritation and amusement. I explained to her that we know many soldiers and their families personally, and they are the finest and kindest people you would ever know. A soldier, though he is trained in the use of firearms, will rarely use one, and then only when absolutely necessary. “I think one of the most remarkable qualities about our military, however,” I went on, “is how they take care of each other. If one of them gets wounded, they will never leave them. They will risk everything to take care of that wounded soldier and bring him back home to get the care he needs.” I gave her the many examples I knew of personally, and also reminded her of the honor the military bestows upon its fallen heroes. My recent trip to Arlington National Cemetery was a fine example of the reverence any military family pays to its deceased.

Never leave a wounded soldier. This is drilled into our military from day one. It has saved the lives of many on the battlefield, and more than one soldier has been grateful for the heroic actions of someone brave enough to go into the line of fire to retrieve one who has fallen. Few nations compare to that of America when it comes to caring for its wounded.

Never leave a wounded soldier.

All of us go through trials and troubles. How much more do we need our brothers and sisters in Christ during those dark times than others. Yet it is often those very times when we are abandoned by those who are supposed to stand by us.

Christians, especially we Baptists, are noted for shooting our wounded. After all, isn't it much easier to go up to a flickering lamp and blow it out than it is to give of our own oil that they may shine more brightly? Many people think that talking negatively about a brother and putting him down makes them look more spiritual. But I can tell you, it is an awful, selfish, and uncaring person who allows a wounded fellow Christian to shrivel up and die when we could do something to be an encouragement. Personally, I realize that my behavior is not stellar when I am going through trials, and I am so thankful for those who stand by me, though I am hurting. Shame on us if we leave a wounded soldier!

Never leave a wounded soldier. May it always be said that we will stand by those who are trying to do their best to live for God, even if they are wounded. Someday we will need someone to stand by us!

Photo from Nato.int