The Message

"Listen to me, my people. Hear me, Israel, for my law will be proclaimed, and my justice will become a light to the nations.  My mercy and justice are coming soon. My salvation is on the way. My strong arm will bring justice to the nations. All distant lands will look to me and wait in hope for my powerful arm.– Isaiah 51: 4-5 (NLT)

My son yelled as I turned the knob on the dryer and started the cycle to dry my second load of laundry. 

“It’s your work calling, Mom.”

“Don’t pick it up! Let them leave a message for me.”

He chuckled as he intently listened. Word per word and couldn’t believe what he heard:

“Just wondering if you wanna’ pick up the shift tonight…4 hours…6…8…10…even 12…Whatever you like…” 

It brought me back to the lies put out on the table. When I battled the people in power and accused me of lies about my disability that were not true. In reality…it was them lying about my situation. Except…I was frustrated that I didn’t get the help I needed from the federal agency that was supposed to help people being discriminated at work.

“There were no 8 hours allowed anymore to work in all the facilities,” one lie I recalled.

Yet, that was not the first time they begged me to come whatever number of hours I wanted to do to help out the short staff. Nor would it be the last…

They demoted my position. A show of their power that they could do what they wanted. I accepted. But demoting me to a Per Diem status became an advantage. They couldn’t force me anymore to work on days or shifts that I was forced to do prior to that action. I knew I had to trust more and let God worked for me. I knew what I didn’t understand, there would always be a blessing in disguise.

I faced them without fear. Yes… I was outnumbered…There were 6 “Laban” intimidating me. Trying their best to give me a hard time so I would quit on my own. They robbed me, too. Of many benefits because of that demotion. But I knew…those were just “things”…Replaceable things. Things that would never last. They might have robbed me. But never the God I served. And trusted. And believed in…

“It’s okay,” I told my son as I woke up from being in a reflective moment.

“You know Mommy had been okay…Because God is good to us…All the  time…”

I felt his arms embraced me as he kissed my right cheek. 

“I love you, Mom…” he added as he dashed to go upstairs and get ready for school.

How many men would love to be “gods” while Jesus, the true Son of God chose to be “a man?”

How many poor would be wishing for the riches all the time yet the King of Kings chose to come down here and show His love and redemption? Born in the lowly place…A manger…

Not all injustices occur toward us… A lot of times, a person doesn’t have to look that far. Just look into one’s heart. If one finds “self-righteousness” in it, the belief that one doesn’t need Jesus because he or she is a good person is not true. This belief denies the need for that heart to have its sins be removed. Jesus is the meaning of the Season. He came because we were the reason why He gave His life...

Thanksgiving

The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts.  No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving.  ~H.U. Westermayer

I’m scheduled to work this Wednesday, Thanksgiving eve, to fulfill my commitment as a Per Diem Nurse to work one holiday per year. I had gotten sick these past few days and was not able to work this past weekend. This time, as Thanksgiving peers in the current month, the policy at work is stricter. Anyone who will call in sick from Thanksgiving until the rest of the other holidays of this year will require a medical note. A necessity done to prevent the not necessary sick calls that would further burden the already “shortage” in our current number of staff.

“Why don’t you just order the eggrolls and I’ll pick them up on Thursday morning?” my huby suggested knowing I would be tired by the following day. 

The mind that quickly imagined how good that sounded to hungry tummies agreed in a second. As I started warming up the dinner I had made for him and our son and as we all sat on the table to discuss how each of us spent our day. Often times, we always realized there were just too many blessings to be thankful for. Each day. No matter what minor inconveniences, even bigger problems showed up, there were always “blessings in disguise” it seemed to be discovered.

“No, I changed my mind,” I told my husband. 

“Just order or buy lunch if I won’t be able to cook,” I suggested.

He didn’t have a sad face surprisingly. He agreed with me this time. Thanksgiving we knew at that moment, wouldn’t be an issue about what to eat or what food to have. Thanksgiving wouldn’t be just being thankful for all the blessings, big or small that came our way. Nor Thanksgiving was not reserved for only one day out of 365 days.

Thanksgiving is about to Whom we are thankful for. Yes, the One Who showers us with all those blessings. The One Who deserves all our praises and thanks. Not just for one day. But in each day that comes and goes.

Then I will praise God's name with singing, and I will honor him with thanksgiving. – Psalm 69:30 NLT

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. – Psalm 95:1-6 NIV

For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer. – 1 Timothy 4:4-5 (NIV)

Happy Thaksgiving to all of you dear friends/brothers/sisters in Christ. To our Lord be the glory forever and ever...

The Dry Leaf

Will you torment a windblown leaf? Will you chase after dry chaff? – Job 13:25 (NIV)

I slowly stretched my aching back as I swept more dried fig leaves I patiently detached, one by one, from the thin and bigger branches of the fig tree. Careful that my footing would be secure on our slope yesterday. Daily, I had been sweeping a few here and there. So, I thought of making my task easier by removing the other dry leaves that had not been blown off by the wind yet nor just broke off on its own. I nearly filled the bin meant to contain branches or yard clippings.

The fig tree looked a lot better as greener, remaining leaves remained. The yellow, decayed leaves gone from its still healthy tree. Battered by the chillier winter winds and sometimes, a hotter sun, those leaves withered away from the extreme, constantly changing weather. My husband and I enjoyed a few of its fruits this past summer. A lot lesser than what it previously produced. Still…The fruits were sweet.

My attention was interrupted with an in-coming text from a dear friend. She injured her foot and for four months had to be away from work. Except…that text came from the hospital where she worked. She was placed back to try and see how she would do as she still continued to recover from her injury. She had gone through so many trials. As a witness, I was grateful that God had given me the means to be able to help her in any way I could. I knew she wanted to give up many times. What words could one give if the burden was not on one’s own shoulders? 

“Why does one thing after another keeps happening? I don’t understand, Rcubes,” she lamented one time as she laid on the hospital bed awaiting surgery and as I sat by the bedside. 

I knew her heart. She had a good heart. Full of kindness and love to those around her. But it seemed like waves of unexpected trial kept hitting her and kept coming. Threatening the sands of her faith in God to be washed away as those forceful waves came. 

I couldn’t answer her. I just told her what Jesus said. That we would face many trials and would have sorrows in this place or world. But at the same time, He wanted us to pay attention to the peace He could give. That could guard our hearts and minds. Because He had overcome the world. He didn’t want us to worry. For worrying would not add another day into our lives.

I knew I had to remove those dry, some rotting leaves from the fig tree before the wind knocked each off from its fragile branches, already battling the cold November winds.  I knew my friend felt like that dry leaf that had fallen to ground and still was being crushed by the forceful winds of trials. But God also taught me through His Word to be careful not to judge someone. 

Because someone who is going through tough times doesn’t mean that he or she is a bad person. 

Nor a prosperous person is someone who has a good heart and knows God. 

However, a sinner is like that dry leaf, being chased by the wind. Its forceful blow bringing to mind its own fragile state. God does the same… Sometimes, He makes us remember our past sins not to hurt us but most of all, to bring us to repentance. Because to know Jesus is to find peace among life’s turmoil. To discover and have life and revival of its dead condition.

"Just sore, achy..." another text came in from my friend...

My heart understood hers as I also had a history of neck injury from the past. But joy flooded my heart as I pondered:

Belief and faith in Jesus will make one overcome any trials...I knew I felt a smile appeared on my face as I stared at the greener fig tree and as I realized....

My friend would overcome....She already did...Trial after trial...She remained a victor...Despite the waves of doubts, she chose to believe... 

"Take care..." I texted back.

The Light

Many people say, "Who will show us better times?" Let your face smile on us, LORD. – Psalm 4:6 (NLT)

You, LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. – Psalm 18:28 (NIV)

The teaching of your word gives light, so even the simple can understand. – Psalm 119:130 (NLT)

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them. – Isaiah 42:16 (NIV)

The other nurse rushed past me, carrying a kit that contained everything to start an IV. As I concentrated on increasing my pace to go to the prison’s Intake and was about to help the Intake Nurse getting swamped with arrestees who arrived from many streets in the county. She requested if I could just check and write on the logs and made sure all the suicidal inmates and those that were intoxicated were all doing well.

The noises were deafening as one drunk kept yelling profanities at the deputies. Busy shoving bodies to a particular cell to be processed, no one had time to pay attention not unless he would start hurting himself or others sharing the tiny cell with him.

I saw different shapes of humans wrapped in the grayish Velcro-strapped gowns. Some asleep. On their right side. On their left. On back or stomach. Whatever was comfortable, they did to try to get some rest they were craving for. A few of them talking as they sat on the wooden bench and slowly hushed as I came near the huge glass window. They acknowledged when I called their names. Surprising that no one had intimidated me. Most were cooperative and appeared calm.

I saw him. All alone in the adjoining cold cell. Pacing back and forth, his dirty feet approached me as he saw me charting something on the piece of paper that belonged to him. He was studying me. I could feel that kind of stare. A little surprised when I looked up all of a sudden and asked him how he was doing.

“Ok…I guess…What time is it?” he asked.

Raising my left arm with the wrist watch on it so I won’t lose some of my vision of him, I replied, “Almost 5:00.”

“It’s hard to tell. There’s no light,” he quickly answered, a huge smile occurred and exposed his white, pearly gems. I saw the tiny cell’s light on the ceiling shone on his head. It illuminated his weary face. But I could see he was also a handsome man. A good-looking guy on the outside yet tormented by stormy thoughts inside. 

“It is huh, Mr. K. But you know what? I can say you have been patient waiting for the doctor. When the light comes outside, a few more hours and he will be here to check on you. Okay?”

“Thank you, Nurse,” I audibly heard as I made a u-turn and went back to the Nurse’s clinic to chart on all of their paper works.

Back in my mind, something was revealed from that encounter. 

That darkness never lasts. The light is always there shining and waiting for its chance to have a breakthrough. 

The light that always waits for any heart that would see its brilliance. A heart that is willing to accept and embrace it.

Aaron Shust- God of Brilliant Lights (Acoustic Performance) from centricitymusic on GodTube.