Reason for Hope... or writing
Hello Friends,
In the midst of the quarantine chaos, I still have to, or get to, work depending on how you want to look at it. I'm not upset about working, at least not any more than usual. I would love to be independently wealthy and not have to work. God hasn't trusted me with wealth and my track record with money is not spotless so I would say he has good reason not to trust me with it. In either case, I am a nurse so we will work through all of this. Two of my co-workers asked me a question the other day about what worried me the most about the virus and its implications. I told them I wasn't worried although having trouble finding toilet paper was starting to become concerning. That was a good solid three steps from the mildest of worries.
[EPIC FAIL]
1 Peter 3:15 (NIV) says: But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
This is why I write. I am lousy at speaking off-the-cuff. It isn't that I don't have hope, or that I don't know where my hope comes from. My problem is recognizing opportunities when I see them. I can only hope that those two coworkers took courage from my lack of worry.
In reflecting for the last few days since that question, I asked myself; what does worry me and why am I not worried about this? The things that worry me, in general, not just this set of circumstances, are; the unsaved around me, those who accept who God is and why his son came but don't really follow him, the struggles that my children face, and various issues faced by friends and family (health, aging, marital issues, etc). I sometimes lie awake at night worrying (needlessly) about past wrongs I have done. That's an entirely different battle.
I shouldn't worry about any of those things because worry is fear in disguise. There are at least 365 scriptures in the Bible addressing fear. That's one for every day of the week. My daughter expressed her worries about how this was going to disrupt her plans for graduation, her car payment, and other things. These are issues that are weeks or months away. I reminded her of the Lord's Prayer where we are to ask God for our daily bread, "Daily" not "Weekly" or "Monthly" or "Yearly." The Lord's Prayer is found in Matthew chapter 6 along with another long narrative about NOT worrying. The section in the latter portion of that chapter talks about the birds not worrying. The birds never know where their next meal is coming from. God values us more highly than the birds. We don't need to worry, because all worry does is cloud our minds and ruin our moods. Does this mean I never worry? No, it means I have sufficient provocation to stop when worries come.
My co-workers, the two who specifically asked me that question, have legitimate concerns. They are worried about being quarantined in the hospital. They have young children who depend on them as mothers. I understand their concerns and I would certainly have more angst if I were in that same stage in my life. These are worthy concerns. I suppose if I were going to worry about something, it would be about the plunge my retirement account has probably taken recently.
My first thoughts about this seemed slightly morbid and not encouraging. The apostle Paul tells us, "For me to live is Christ, to die is gain." I take courage and comfort from that passage. This goes back to my original worries. I worry when people I care about waste their lives living for self instead of God. To me, Paul's admonition is a win-win scenario. If I die, I will be in Heaven with my Heavenly Father, the one who has never left me or forsaken me. If I live, I will speak to Him daily and share his message of hope in the ways that I can. Anyone who has read my books will see this underlying theme in them if I live I'll do what God commands, if I don't I will join Him.
In Luke 12:4-7, Jesus tells us not to be afraid of things that can do us physical harm but we should be afraid of the one who has the power to throw us into hell. Again, this doesn't sound comforting to most. He also says again in that passage that we are more important than the birds. God knows exactly how many hairs every person on this planet has at any given moment. How many hairs did you lose this week? Humans are constantly losing hairs and growing new ones. The number we have isn't important, but we have a God who is SO in control, that he knows even such an unimportant thing as that everchanging number for the seven and a half billion people covering the Earth.
When I do worry, I worry because I am human and Satan would like nothing better than to distract me from God's promises. I'm also a slow thinker. Satan knows that too. He generally attacks me with worry in the middle of the night. I am also NOT a morning person. I don't wake up well. When I worry it is in those times when I am not in control of myself. Do I have nothing worth worrying about? Of course, I do. My point is, I have reasons to be hopeful and encouraged. God is ALL-Powerful. He is in control of ALL. I get into trouble when I don't trust him. What does that mean for this time of uncertainty? It means, I am a good steward of my resources and I trust him when my resources begin to fail me. I've seen a few people acting irresponsibly and I pray for them and the rest of us who have to deal with their actions. I pray for those at risk. I give thanks when I see those who take care of their neighbors who are at risk. There is a song out there "I Raise a Hallelujah." Look it up on YouTube and raise your own Hallelujah because hope isn't lost.
These are the reasons I am a writer. God isn't a sidebar in my life and His message is important but I'm not good at verbalizing. As you can see by the length of this post, there's a lot I can say, given the right format.
Stay safe, you are BLESSED by this, and lastly - wash your hands. :)
Love you,
Reggi
In the midst of the quarantine chaos, I still have to, or get to, work depending on how you want to look at it. I'm not upset about working, at least not any more than usual. I would love to be independently wealthy and not have to work. God hasn't trusted me with wealth and my track record with money is not spotless so I would say he has good reason not to trust me with it. In either case, I am a nurse so we will work through all of this. Two of my co-workers asked me a question the other day about what worried me the most about the virus and its implications. I told them I wasn't worried although having trouble finding toilet paper was starting to become concerning. That was a good solid three steps from the mildest of worries.
[EPIC FAIL]
1 Peter 3:15 (NIV) says: But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
This is why I write. I am lousy at speaking off-the-cuff. It isn't that I don't have hope, or that I don't know where my hope comes from. My problem is recognizing opportunities when I see them. I can only hope that those two coworkers took courage from my lack of worry.
In reflecting for the last few days since that question, I asked myself; what does worry me and why am I not worried about this? The things that worry me, in general, not just this set of circumstances, are; the unsaved around me, those who accept who God is and why his son came but don't really follow him, the struggles that my children face, and various issues faced by friends and family (health, aging, marital issues, etc). I sometimes lie awake at night worrying (needlessly) about past wrongs I have done. That's an entirely different battle.
I shouldn't worry about any of those things because worry is fear in disguise. There are at least 365 scriptures in the Bible addressing fear. That's one for every day of the week. My daughter expressed her worries about how this was going to disrupt her plans for graduation, her car payment, and other things. These are issues that are weeks or months away. I reminded her of the Lord's Prayer where we are to ask God for our daily bread, "Daily" not "Weekly" or "Monthly" or "Yearly." The Lord's Prayer is found in Matthew chapter 6 along with another long narrative about NOT worrying. The section in the latter portion of that chapter talks about the birds not worrying. The birds never know where their next meal is coming from. God values us more highly than the birds. We don't need to worry, because all worry does is cloud our minds and ruin our moods. Does this mean I never worry? No, it means I have sufficient provocation to stop when worries come.
My co-workers, the two who specifically asked me that question, have legitimate concerns. They are worried about being quarantined in the hospital. They have young children who depend on them as mothers. I understand their concerns and I would certainly have more angst if I were in that same stage in my life. These are worthy concerns. I suppose if I were going to worry about something, it would be about the plunge my retirement account has probably taken recently.
My first thoughts about this seemed slightly morbid and not encouraging. The apostle Paul tells us, "For me to live is Christ, to die is gain." I take courage and comfort from that passage. This goes back to my original worries. I worry when people I care about waste their lives living for self instead of God. To me, Paul's admonition is a win-win scenario. If I die, I will be in Heaven with my Heavenly Father, the one who has never left me or forsaken me. If I live, I will speak to Him daily and share his message of hope in the ways that I can. Anyone who has read my books will see this underlying theme in them if I live I'll do what God commands, if I don't I will join Him.
In Luke 12:4-7, Jesus tells us not to be afraid of things that can do us physical harm but we should be afraid of the one who has the power to throw us into hell. Again, this doesn't sound comforting to most. He also says again in that passage that we are more important than the birds. God knows exactly how many hairs every person on this planet has at any given moment. How many hairs did you lose this week? Humans are constantly losing hairs and growing new ones. The number we have isn't important, but we have a God who is SO in control, that he knows even such an unimportant thing as that everchanging number for the seven and a half billion people covering the Earth.
When I do worry, I worry because I am human and Satan would like nothing better than to distract me from God's promises. I'm also a slow thinker. Satan knows that too. He generally attacks me with worry in the middle of the night. I am also NOT a morning person. I don't wake up well. When I worry it is in those times when I am not in control of myself. Do I have nothing worth worrying about? Of course, I do. My point is, I have reasons to be hopeful and encouraged. God is ALL-Powerful. He is in control of ALL. I get into trouble when I don't trust him. What does that mean for this time of uncertainty? It means, I am a good steward of my resources and I trust him when my resources begin to fail me. I've seen a few people acting irresponsibly and I pray for them and the rest of us who have to deal with their actions. I pray for those at risk. I give thanks when I see those who take care of their neighbors who are at risk. There is a song out there "I Raise a Hallelujah." Look it up on YouTube and raise your own Hallelujah because hope isn't lost.
These are the reasons I am a writer. God isn't a sidebar in my life and His message is important but I'm not good at verbalizing. As you can see by the length of this post, there's a lot I can say, given the right format.
Stay safe, you are BLESSED by this, and lastly - wash your hands. :)
Love you,
Reggi
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