They left Egypt triumphant. Without a sword being wielded, without a battle being fought, Moses and the Israelites left slavery behind and embarked on a journey to the Promised Land, a bountiful land God had promised long ago to their ancestor Abraham. But instead of taking the shortest route to Canaan, God led them through the wilderness, the long way.

I imagine there were those among the Israelites who wondered why they didn’t take the shortest route. If God parted the waters of the Red Sea, then certainly He could have performed a miracle to defeat the Philistines, who would not have welcomed the Israelites passing through their land. But God didn’t. They were traveling in a place where water and food were scarce─a difficult place, a dry and barren land─but there was a purpose for this wilderness experience.

Just as God spoke to Moses from a burning bush in the wilderness, God would speak to these Israelites from a mountain in the wilderness. From Mt. Sinai, God spoke. He told the Israelites of His desire that they would be transformed from an oppressed people into a holy nation, a royal priesthood, a special treasure unto God. In the wilderness, God spoke His promises into the lives of these beleaguered people.

Often people refer to the difficult times they experience in life as being in a wilderness place, a place where living life is a challenge. It may be the result of a tragic loss, a conflict, a deep disappointment, a betrayal, a failure. We don’t like these wilderness places in our lives, but just as it was for the Israelites, it is in the wilderness where God can speak to us with clarity. It is in wilderness where God’s Voice is not muted by the distractions and busyness of our lives. In the wilderness, the incidentals, the inessentials fall away as you seek to hear His Voice─the Voice that speaks peace into your life, strength into your spirit, and healing in your soul.

No one craves a wilderness experience, but it provides us with opportunity to hear God speak in a life-changing, faith-strengthening way!

One of the favorite songs my young grandchildren love to sing as they nestle under the covers for a sleepover at grandma’s house is “This Little Light of Mine.”

“This little light of mine. I’m going to let it shine, I’m going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.”

Though the lyrics are simple, and yes, repetitive, they communicate an important truth: the light of Christ should shine brightly in our lives.

(Tracie with her grandchildren)

Last month my older sister, after a 15-year battle with Alzheimer’s, was carried into the arms of Jesus. I’m sure she has a special place in heaven because she always let her light shine─a light of Christ that touched the hearts of so many people, not just in her own family, but also in the lives of her friends, her students, her colleagues.

Because Tracie was ten years older than me, when I was young, her “grown-up” world seem so magical to me. She went on dates, to dances, and cruised down Woodward. I rode my bike and played jacks on the porch. When she started college, her classes sounded so intriguing─Intro. to Psychology, World Literature, Kinesiology. My classes were reading, writing, and arithmetic.

As I reflected on those growing up years with Tracie as my big sister, I realized just how tolerant and patient she was. She didn’t mind that I along with my brother and younger sister intruded into her world of friends and activities. Even when we would try to catch her stealing a kiss from her high school boyfriend, so we could announce it to the world, she didn’t seem to mind. Instead of getting angry, she would just laugh.

As we grew older, the decade of years between us began to shrink, and our bond of love and friendship only grew closer and stronger. And so when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, I along with the rest of my family and our friends, we were devasted. Tracie was devastated. But she faced one of the most challenging adversities that life can throw at you with unwavering faith and grace. Yes, there were tears, there were questions, but never anger, never with the belief that God had turned His back on her and so she would do the same.

You see, Tracie understood that we live in a broken world and our bodies are frail, so her strength to face this disease was rooted in her faith and trust in the goodness of God. Time and time again He had proven His faithfulness to her, so when this diagnosis came in, her first response was to turn to her Jesus. She cried out to Him, and just as the Bible promises that the Lord draws near to the broken-hearted, He drew near to Tracie. And in a time of prayer, the Lord gave her a vision. She saw Jesus with His comforting arms around her, promising that He would be with her. A vision that confirmed a word that her good friend, Shirley, had given to her about two months before the Alzheimer’s diagnosis was determined. The word God gave Shirley for Tracie was that the Lord would give Tracie a blanket of peace. And God did. He kept His comforting arms around her and blanketed her with His peace.

So often when we are going through difficulty times, we want a way out, when God’s answer is that He will help us find a way through. And that it what He did for Tracie. As her daughter, Christen, my sister Patti, and I sat with Tracie during her final hours, we watched in amazement as caregiver after caregiver came in to see Tracie and tell us how her life had powerfully touched theirs. They told us how there was something so special about her, how they loved her, how they were drawn to her.

One caregiver came in on her day off because she didn’t want to miss saying goodbye. The Care Coordinator asked Christen if she could keep the picture of Tracie that hung in the common area so she could keep it in her office. That is how special Tracie was to her! Now understand, Tracie couldn’t express herself with words; she couldn’t hold a conversation. Speech was one of the first things Alzheimer’s took from Tracie.

She couldn’t tell them with her words about her Jesus. But His Spirit, the Spirit of the Lord, was so evident in her that she didn’t have to say a word. In this most difficult place, in this most difficult season of her life, my sister still let her light shine.

When Tracie breathed her last breath her on earth and breathed her first breath in heaven, Jesus was there once again with his loving arms around her, saying “Well done, enter joy of the Lord.”  For you see, God’s plan for Tracie’s life didn’t end here on earth. His good and joyful plan for Tracie extends into eternity.

So, as you read this tribute to my amazing big sister, I hope that no matter what you are going through, you will be inspired to trust in the goodness of God and let your light shine!

Annual physicals. Not something I look forward to, but I know are a necessity. The process is always the same. I wait in the reception room until a nurse calls my name. On my way to the examination room where I will wait some more (this time clothed in a paper gown), the nurse checks my height to see if I have shrunk over the year (yes, it happens as you age, yuck!), and then she asks me to step on the scales (yes, another yuck!). Once in the small examination room, I sit on a paper-protected, padded “table” while the nurse takes my blood pressure, checks my pulse, and asks a plethora of questions about my current health. And then I wait.

Finally, the doctor arrives. She reviews the nurse’s report, takes note of my blood pressure and pulse (so far so good), and then along with checking my ears, nose and throat, and the health of my lungs as I breathe deeply in and out, she uses her stethoscope to listen to my heart. With great focus she listens to ensure that my heartbeat is not out of rhythm. Then a blood draw is ordered to determine the health of the blood flowing to and from my heart. So why such a concern about the health of my heart?

Well, in an article published by the Harvard Medical School, it states that “the heart beats about 2.5 billion times over the average lifetime, pushing millions of gallons of blood to every part of the body. This steady flow carries with it oxygen, fuel, hormones, other compounds, and a host of essential cells. It also whisks away the waste product of metabolism. When the heart stops, essential functions fail, some almost instantly.” In fact, the CDC reports that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., killing over 600,000 people a year. This is why the medical community encourages us to protect our heart with healthy eating, exercise, weight and stress management, as well as eliminating unhealthy habits like smoking. In other words, guard your heart, because it affects the quality and longevity of your life.

Well, the same is true when it comes to our spiritual life; we need a healthy spiritual heart. Why? Because “it is the place where emotions and desires begin; it is that which drives the will of man toward action . . . a spiritual organ that drives man’s behavior.”[1]  This “heart” drives the choices we make, the actions we take. So, it is no wonder that we are given this admonition in Proverbs 4:23 (NLT):

“Guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

We must guard our hearts  from . .

• from anger, bitterness, or resentment.
• from jealousy and envy.
• from selfishness─self-centered motives and manipulations.
• from lies that tell us we are unworthy or without hope.

We must guard our hearts . . .

• from the pursuit of the things of this world that supplant a pursuit of the things of God.
• from the pleasures of this world that supersede the delight of His presence.
• from seeking the approval of people instead of the approval of God.
• from placing our will and our preferences over the will of God and the truth of His Word.

For sure this is not a definitive “guard-your-heart” list. Everyone’s list may look a little different, but what is the same is the need for each one of us to be intentional about maintaining a healthy spiritual heart.

So maybe like me, it’s time for an honest evaluation of your desires, your choices, your actions—an honest evaluation of the condition of your heart. Maybe like me, you are overdue for a spiritual physical by the Great Physician, the One who can fix every heart.

[1] “What is the heart, according to the Bible?” compellingtruth.org

They were not a part of Jesus’ inner group of disciples, the Twelve, but they were devoted followers of Jesus. Yet Mary, Martha and Lazarus were even more than that. They were his dear friends─friends whom he loved. He had stayed at their home in Bethany, eaten at their table, enjoyed hours of conversation.

So when Lazarus became critically ill, Mary and Martha sent a message to Jesus. “Come, your dear friend is dying.” The diagnosis was dire; the physicians had no cure. The only hope for these two sisters was a miracle of healing, and they knew the Miracle Worker. He was their close friend.

Jesus had performed miracles of healing for hundreds of people that were mere strangers to him, so their expectation what that the moment Jesus received word that Lazarus was dying, he would drop everything and rush to their aid. But once again, Jesus does the unexpected.

“. . . So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.” (John 11:6)

He did what?

Instead of rushing to Lazarus, he stayed two more days? If dear friends of mine had contacted me to come to their aid when a loved one is critically ill, I would have dropped everything and rushed to their side. So why did Jesus stay two more days? Why did he delay?

The answer is found in an enlightening statement found in the first part of that same verse of scripture:

“Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.” (John 11:6)

What? Jesus delayed his arrival because he loved them. That seems like a paradoxical statement! Surely the better way to have shown his love would have been to travel as quickly as possible to Bethany and heal Lazarus. How was this intentional delay an expression of his great love for them?

The answer? Jesus wanted to give them more than a miracle of healing. He wanted to give them a miracle of resurrection! But, the delay was necessary in order to receive the greater miracle.

Sometimes we wonder why our prayers seemingly go unanswered. A prayer for healing. A prayer for financial blessing. A prayer for a prodigal. A prayer for an unsaved loved one. A prayer for provision. A prayer for guidance.

Perhaps the delay to our prayers is an expression of the Lord’s sincere love for us. He so loves us that He wants to give us a greater miracle, an answer beyond our expectations. But to receive it often requires that we experience the discomfort, even grief, that comes with the necessary delay. Remember when Jesus arrived on the scene, he wept. (John 11:35) He grieved as he witnessed the grief that death causes. Yet for there to be a resurrection, there had to be a death. Martha and Mary had to experience the grief in order to experience the greater joy of resurrection.

Now when Jesus arrived on the scene, Martha questioned Jesus’ delay. We, too, can question the Lord when we are living “in the delay.” So instead of questioning the Lord’s timing (the Lord’s will) in the seasons of delay, we can draw strength to persevere, to be filled with hope, yes, a confident hope in the Lord, by standing on the promises of God. For me, one of the most faith-building, faith-sustaining scriptures to hang on to when I’m experiencing the pain of a delay is Romans 8:28:

“We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28 NKJV)

The good that the Lord worked together for Mary and Martha wasn’t just a healing; it was a resurrection! The greater miracle. It was worth the moments of grief. It was worth the delay.

Trust God’s timing. Trust His promises. Remember He is still the Worker of the greater miracles!

Fishing by the Sea of Galilee, Peter along with his brother were approached by Jesus with this invitation, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matt. 4:19-20 NKJV) Incredibly they dropped their nets and followed Jesus. For the next 3½ years Peter and eleven other men followed Jesus on an incredible journey, eyewitnesses to the power and sovereignty of the Messiah who healed the sick, raised the dead, performed miracles of provision, and taught the multitudes.

How many times had Peter and the others wondered why Jesus had chosen them. Not one among was a member of the religious or noble elite. Peter, James, John and Andrew were mere fishermen; Matthew was a despised tax collector; Judas (not the Iscariot one) was a zealot. Not exactly the kind of men whom the people of the day would have considered the cream of the crop.

Yet Jesus had chosen them. And they followed him. But one day, the wave of elation they had been riding on as disciples of Jesus came crashing down. On a Friday, Jesus was nailed to the Cross and along with him their hopes, their dreams, and their confidence in their future.

Jesus was dead. The turmoil of doubt and guilt raged inside of them. Doubt, was he truly the Messiah? Guilt, because they had deserted him. That is what they felt on Friday and Saturday but on Sunday, the miraculous happened. Peter and John had seen the empty tomb but they had not seen Jesus.

Fearing the Jewish leaders, Peter along with some of his fellow disciples had gathered together in a room with locked doors, when Jesus suddenly appeared. In an instant any despondency turned to elation. Jesus was alive!

But eight days later, the disciples were still in hiding (yes, behind locked doors), when Jesus appeared to them a second time. Yet even after this second visitation the disciples are keeping a low profile. They rejoiced at the miracle of his resurrection, confirming that Jesus was the Messiah, but things weren’t going to be like they were before─traveling with Jesus as he would teach, preach and perform miracles.

So now what? What did the future hold? How could Jesus use them after they had failed him with their desertion and denials? Peter was especially laden with a spirit-crushing guilt because he was the one who boldly proclaimed to Jesus, face-to-face, that though the other disciples may deny and desert him, Peter never would! Yet he had denied Jesus not once but three times. He still remembered the moment when the rooster crowed after that third denial, and Jesus turned his head and looked directly at Peter. (Luke 22:60) Those knowing eyes pierced his soul. How many bitter tears had Peter shed since that moment?

Jesus was alive but Peter was certain that his denials negated his calling to be a disciple who would disciple others. So, he went back to fishing. He went back to what he was doing before he made that choice to follow Jesus. But Jesus showed up yet again, in the same place, watching Peter do the same thing when he had first called Peter to be his disciple─at the Sea of Galilee, fishing. Jesus then extended to Peter that same invitation, “Peter, follow me!”

In that moment, Jesus reminded Peter that his denials and desertion had not changed the purpose for which God had created Peter. With the Lord’s forgiveness, it was time to move forward, to become the apostle who would establish the Lord’s Church upon the earth. “Follow me” was an invitation for Peter to start again with renewed purpose, renewed energy, renewed focus. Peter embraced that invitation and became a founding apostle of Christ’s Church upon the earth!

We may not have denied or deserted Jesus like those first century disciples, but we know what it is like to become discouraged, even despondent, not sure of our future. Who would have thought that a year after the first COVID-19 restrictions were put in place that they would still impact our lives today, impact our ability to gather together. We feel disoriented because the world we knew before COVID may not return. There may be a new normal, and we feel at a loss. Now what?

As Christians, the answer is easy! We embrace the Lord’s standing invitation, “Follow me!” This is the season for each of us to renew our choice to follow Jesus with fresh energy and focus. No matter how the future unfolds, no matter what it looks like, if we follow Him, He is with us. He will guide and empower us to fulfill the purpose for which we were created. Follow Him to your best future!