From Our Hearts

I know there are a lot of jokes made about patience (“Patience is the ability to count to ten before blasting off!”, “I need patience—and I need it now!”), but when you’re the one who’s forced to wait while you suffer—or suffer while you wait—it’s no laughing matter. But, my friend, as the verse below says, we need to wait patiently on the Lord.

When I taught elementary school, I could not “wing it” when teaching my students. I had to think ahead about the year’s schedule. I had to search for effective teaching materials and look up creative ideas. I spent hours planning each lesson to give my students the building blocks they needed to succeed in the next grade and beyond.

God tells us in Deuteronomy 6:6-7 to, “Teach them to your children diligently.” The “them” is what you are to teach—God’s Word and His commands. And “diligently” is how you are to teach—with purpose, and conscientiously as a task or duty.

Be the primary role model and teacher of truth.

When our children are growing up in our home, we seek to train their spiritual sensitivity so they can “distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:14). We examine what’s going on in our home. We desire to protect them from ungodly influences and dangers. Then they leave the nest.

Our nation’s founding fathers approved the wording of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. This declaration gave the people of this newly formed country a freedom they had not experienced before. Though it took many years for it to become the holiday as it is celebrated today, July 4th has always been an important date in our nation’s history. We celebrate much more than the approval of a declaration. The Fourth of July is a celebration of independence, religious freedom, and freedom from tyranny and oppression.

Paul wrote, “We do not cease to pray.” This is a good reminder for all wives that our prayers for our husband are not to be a one-time event. When our husband has an issue, need, or crisis, or we have a concern regarding him, we can offer up a quick prayer anytime and anywhere.

I’m not much of a student of the laws of physics, but it doesn’t take much of a student to understand that where there is no resistance, there is no pressure. And that same law could apply to our spiritual lives as well—where there is no resistance to sin (that is, when we disobey), there is no challenge to obedience.

If you are a dad, you are part of an exciting exclusive club. However you came to be your children’s dad and whatever the circumstances, you are their dad. Being a father is one of the greatest privileges God extends to you. But this role also bears the greatest of responsibilities.

We often focus on the personal side of worship when we note what marks a man after God’s heart. You, as God’s man, should be marked by prayer, praise, and personal worship. As you read, memorize, and meditate on God’s Word, you will develop a deep reservoir of strength that, in time, will issue forth in praise and prayers of gratitude to your God.

Knowing your purpose as a Christian woman is important. To drift aimlessly through your precious days is tiresome, frustrating, and unrewarding. It would be a great tragedy to wake up one day and realize all you could have accomplished if you had focused on some worthy goals along the way.

Like other single people, a widow has a choice to make. She can worry about her situation as a widow, or she can take up God’s challenge and take on the multitude of opportunities for service.

I once read about a woman who went to an art museum. Determined to see it all, she whisked from room to room, from painting to painting. Each time she criss-crossed the museum, she saw a gentleman seated on a bench across from one painting. He remained there the entire time, drinking in the glory of one masterpiece.