Tupelo Tornado: A Matter of Priority

The previous owner of my home planted additional azaleas every spring, stretching into the woods surrounding the small lake behind the house. I have continued the tradition, planting extravagantly some years, but at least a few plants every year. You may not be able to tell it from this picture, but, after more than two decades of planting, I now have acres of azaleas that are simply beautiful. 

Those lovely azaleas were just beginning to bloom in late April. In fact, the weekend before the tornado, the reports of bad weather in the forcast had me concerned. My greatest fear was that wind, rain, or hail might disturb my precious blooms. Not once did I consider that the coming storms might bring death and destruction in their wake. 

The morning of April 28, 2014, I stopped on my way to the car to look at the azaleas that were beginning to bloom.  Heading to work, I fretted about the blooms. I wanted the full dose of extravagant color again this year. Less than twelve hours and one big tornado later, those blooms had lost their hold on my attention. In fact, if there were blooms after that morning, I never saw them. 

That morning, azalea blooms were high on my list of priorities. That evening, the priority list included the safety of friends and family, recovery after the terrible destruction of homes and property in this part of our state, gratitude for my own safety. Azaleas were off the list completely.  

Don't get me wrong. My priorities are usually in pretty good order, and there is nothing wrong with enjoying the azaleas or hoping the blooms will survive. Azaleas, however, need to come after concerns about safety for the people in our area, not before. 

If the truth were told, most of us could use a little work on our priority lists, couldn't we? If you were to list your priorities in order of importance, what would be on the list? If you listed your priorities in order of how you spent your time and money, how would the list look?  

This evening, use a few minutes to examine your life. Take a serious look at  where you invest your money, your time, your energy. Are those priorities the ones you meant to have? Don't wait for another disaster to make adjustments in your priorities.  Make them now. You, as well as the ones who should be at the top of your list, will be glad you did. 

The Power of One

And He came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise!" The dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother. Fear gripped them all, and they began glorifying God, saying, "A great prophet has arisen among us!" and, "God has visited His people!" (Luke 7:14-16 NASB)

Resuscitation, restoration, and reverence. It was quite a bit to happen as the result of one single word. That's the power of one word spoken by the Son of God, however. When Jesus touched the bier on which the young man's body lay and spoke "Arise!", he did more than resuscitate that young man. He changed that funeral bier into a sleeping cot. Those who were unclean because they had touched the dead body were suddenly cleansed because the body was not dead after all. He returned hope and joy to the grieving mother. Everyone in the crowd that accompanied the mother and everyone in the crowd that accompanied Jesus were gripped with a reverent fear that resulted in spontaneous praise and glory to God. One single word was all it took. 

There are several lessons to draw from this. The first is the power of a word well spoken. Our words can have far-reaching consequences and it is important to choose them well. Words can bring great healing or great harm, and caution is needed when handling them. 

The second important lesson is the impact that can come from the intervention of Jesus in the life of just one person. Not only can He stop the destruction of ongoing bad choices, He can bring healing to all those who love the one who has encountered Jesus, as well as those standing by and watching. In this instance, hundreds of people were affected by the young man's encounter with Jesus before his feet ever hit the ground. As soon as he sat up on the bier, lives began to change. Every single life has more influence than we realize. Every single encounter with Christ makes a difference we cannot begin to imagine or understand. 

My life, your life, the life of our loved ones all touch more people than we know. Is that influence for good or for ill?

Today, pray that our encounter with Christ would bring change and leave a lasting impact on all those with whom we have contact, especially our loved ones. Pray, too, for the believers who encounter our loved ones to be faithful to Christ and have a testimony of faith that is both strong and unassailable.  

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Link to last night's post: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/05/tupelo-tornado-giving-and-receiving.html

Tupelo Tornado: giving and receiving

She was born in 1929, the thirteenth of fourteen children. When the deadly tornado of 1936 came through Tupelo, killing more than 200 people and destroying much of the town, she was only seven years old. Her home was destroyed and she and her family walked 19 miles to stay with relatives whose home was intact. 

She laughed as she told me about being the thirteenth child.  "I always said that made me lucky, and I guess it did. I've been through two tornados and lived to tell about it. At least I still have a roof over my head this time. I'd hate to walk nineteen miles now." 

Seventy-eight years later, the tornado of 2014 roared through Tupelo and almost completely destroyed her home again. Although a few walls are still standing, the house has been condemned and she is in dire need of a new home. In good health for an 85-year old woman, she is unwilling to leave the land and home she loves. 

 Fiercely independent, she has made her own way all her life. She was betrayed early by a philandering husband, left to raise two young sons by herself, and did a fine job of it. She has never taken help before, and doesn't want to take help now. Her church has been generous, but even their help has been hard for her. I suspect she's much better at giving than receiving. 

We talked at length about allowing people to help. The blessing would be greater for them than for her, I tried to assure her. She didn't see it like that. Taking help from strangers just isn't her way, she insisted. We went back and forth, but she wasn't budging. 

After a while, I ran out of new arguments, and, to both our surprise, tears started trickling down my face. "When we give to you, we are doing it for Jesus, and we want to do for Him because He's been so good to us. Can you understand that feeling?" She nodded her head as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "The man who will help with your house is my friend and I trust him. He's not a stranger to me. Can't you please let him do this for Jesus?" We were both weepy as she started nodding her head. I hugged her, took a deep breath, and started looking for some Kleenex. 

Being on the receiving end of great generosity cannot be easy for one as independent as this sweet lady. She's never had much, and doesn't need much, she has tried to explain. She can make do with what she has. That's true. She can make do, but she doesn't have to this time. A portion of the body of Christ feels called to help her, and I'm not sure she can avoid it. 

Her persistent refusal to accept help that seems heaven-sent was a little frustrating, and I've been left wondering how often God has tried to help me without success because of my own stubbornness. How often has He wept over my refusal to allow Him to change my life for the better? 

How often has He longed to change your life, but was unable to do so because you refused Him?

I've thought a lot about giving and receiving today, and I've realized something very important. It is always more blessed to give than receive, unless God is doing the giving. In that case, we would do well to accept all He wants to give. 

Raising the Dead With a Word. (Luke 7:14)

And He came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise!" (Luke 7:14 NASB)

The KJV uses the word "bier" instead of coffin. It was not a box with a lid but, instead, an open box of sorts with very low side walls. The body would be clearly visible on this bier.  As you know, a dead body of any kind was considered unclean (Numbers 19:11), as was anything the body touched (Lev 22:4). When Jesus touched the bier, He became ceremonially unclean and would need to go through the ritual of cleansing to be made clean again. 

Jesus was not one bit worried about becoming unclean. He walked up to the bier and touched it. The men carrying it stopped in the street, and Jesus did the most remarkable thing anyone had ever seen. He spoke to the young man (who was dead) and said to him, "Arise!" and that is exactly what he did. The young man arose. He was raised from the dead (not as Jesus was, to a new body) but resuscitated to his former body. With that one word, arise, the boy regained his life. 

That single word from Jesus did what the tears of the mother and the efforts of the doctors could not. It restored life, and it was all that was needed. In fact, nothing else, no one else, could make any difference at all. 

We would do well to remember this story. In the most hopeless situations, those that are beyond any hope of redemption, there is still one thing that can change everything. There is still One who can enter the situation and transform it. Have your loved one's bad choices taken him or her to a place of horrid circumstances? Have your own choices left you in a dismal state? Jesus can still make a difference. Jesus still has the power to change. Take your burdens to Jesus and allow Him to bring whatever change is needed to redeem the situation. 

The hopelessness of the mother's situation did not deter Jesus, nor does your own situation. His power is not diminished by human failure. It is made perfect in our weakness. Turn to Him for whatever help you need. 

Pray today that Jesus would enter our circumstances and those of our loved ones to bring whatever change is needed and to restore life to weary, wandering hearts. 

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Read last night's post here: 

http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/05/tough-love-hardest-love-of-all.html

Jesus was all she needed. (Luke 7:12,13)

Now as He approached the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, "Do not weep." (Luke 7:12, 13 NASB)

This grieving widow had already lost her husband, and now she had lost her only son. Just as our community would do in a tragedy of this nature, her friends and relatives had turned out in large numbers to accompany her to the burial ground to bury her son. She was overwhelmed with grief and sobbing every step of the way. 

She had lost her son, and it seemed that nothing could ease her suffering. A crowd of people had come to help and failed. No one had the words that restored hope for her. No one had the touch that gave comfort to her. 

As Jesus and the crowd with Him approached, those with her surely noticed Him. Scripture doesn't tell us if she noticed Him as well, but we know that she did not run to Him or fall at His feet. If she knew she could find help in Christ (and it is likely that she did not), she did not move to claim it. Although she had no way to know it beforehand, Jesus was all she needed. 

Seeing her terrible pain, Jesus was moved with compassion and entered her grief. He stepped closer, and with one touch and a single word, changed everything. Everything. The woman would never be the same again. The son would never be the same again. The crowd would never be the same again. 

We are surrounded by hurting, grieving people. Many of them have no idea how great the comfort of Christ can be. Many have no idea He offers comfort at all. What if Jesus could enter their circumstances and change everything? Of course, He can. We have His Holy Spirit to move and comfort, but sometimes grieving, hurting, frightened people need "Jesus with skin on".  That's where you and I come in. We can be the hands and feet of Christ, if we will. We can be the one speaking words of comfort and healing. We can offer the gentle touch that soothes. We can, if we will. 

Do you know people in need of "Jesus with skin on"? Be the one who offers the hope and healing of Christ. 

Pray today that we will be the hands and feet of Christ, offering hope to the hopeless and comfort to those who grieve. Pray, too, that we will extend that same hand of Christ to our loved ones at just the right time,when they need Him most. 

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Link to last night's post: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/05/tupelo-tornado-matter-of-priority.html

Tough Love: The Hardest Love of All

Jesus once told a little story about tough love that seems perfect, and perfectly hard, for a Mother's Day post. I think you will recognize the story 

There was a father who had two sons. The younger son was disrespectful and rebellious. He thought the father was old-fashioned and unreasonable. "I could do things better," he often said to himself. There was constant strife in the home. 

Finally, the father confronted his son. Enough was enough. He wanted peace, and this was no way to live. "If you are going to live under my roof, you will have to do some things my way.  I am the father and you are the son. One day, you will be the father and you can decide how you want to do things. Can you understand that? There are certain things that are expected of sons. If you can't cooperate with that, you will have to live elsewhere. The choice is yours."  Surely he will see the light, the father thought. Where would he go?

The son was young, impetuous, and foolish. "You can't tell me what to do!" he stormed. "I don't have to take this!" Sadly, the father explained that the boy would have to leave. It was the saddest day of his life, and he thought he would die as he watched his son gather his possessions and walk down that long road. "Will he ever come home again?" he wondered.

Weeks went by, then months. Every day, the father watched for the son to return. Every day, he listened for news of his son. The things he heard broke his heart. The places he was going, the friends he was choosing... he could hardly believe it. "Is there no end to his foolishness?" he wondered.

There came a day when word came from the far land. His son had wasted all the money he had, lost his job, and ended up feeding pigs on a hog farm, sleeping in the barn. "Aren't you going to go get him?" the father's friends asked.  "No," he would say. "He chose this life. If he wants to come home, he will have to choose to change. I will wait. I can't choose for him." It was agony as he watched that long road.  "Please God, touch his heart. Watch over him. Bring him home. Give me my son back." He prayed and prayed and prayed. The rest of the family was about sick of his hoping and praying. Still, he prayed. 

Finally, when everyone else had given up, the father spotted a lone figure heading in his direction. Could it be?  Maybe... Yes. YES!!! It was his son!!! He had come home.  

"Oh, father. I have made such a mess of things. Would you let me be a servant here for you? I just want to come back. My way was all wrong. I'm so sorry."  The son was so ashamed. "Forget about being a servant. All I ever wanted was for you to be my son. Welcome home. Are you hungry? We're having a little party to celebrate!" The father was thrilled.  

The older brother had a tough time with his brother's return. It was hard for him to let go of all the mistakes. You can be sure the father let go of them, though. It was tough love in action. He let him go, and he welcomed him back. Do you think the father kept bringing up the past? I don't think so. He let the son come back home when the son was ready to be a son, and not a minute before. 

Tough love doesn't keep giving chances. It draws a line in the sand and says, "If you choose badly, these are your consequences. If you decide to choose wisely, this is what you can expect. Make a good choice, and live with what you choose." That's how God treats us. How can we do any less?

Parenting is the hardest job in the world, and the best. God chose you to be the parent for your children. He knew it was a big job, too big for you.  It's a God–sized job, and He offers all the help you need. Just ask. 

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. (James 1:5 NASB)

Stop Wailing (Luke 7:13)

When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, "Do not weep." (Luke 7:13 NASB)

Jesus was often moved to compassion for those around Him, and this grieving mother was no exception. In that compassion, He spoke to the mother. You might expect Him to say something like, "I'm God's Son and I have everything under control," or "I'm so sorry for your loss."  No. He said nothing consoling. 

Jesus, filled with compassion, walked up to this lady, and said, "Stop wailing please." Translations always soften what He said, but the word for weeping here (klaiō) actually means "to wail" or "loud weeping and mourning". She wasn't just sad and grieving. She was wailing so loudly that she couldn't hear anything else. She was totally focused on her grief to the exclusion of everything else around her, as most of us would be. 

Before you decide that seems harsh, reconsider the scene. Almighty God was wrapped in flesh, full of grace and power, and standing right in front of her.  The grieving widow was wailing over her loss to such an extreme that she could not see God in the flesh just inches away. Had she realized that God Himself was on the scene, would she have continued to wail? Probably not. 

In the midst of our own suffering and grief, it is easy to wail and mourn like the widow. It's common to forget that, because of the Holy Spirit's presence, we, too, have Almighty God at our side. There is no need to wail. The loss of a loved one brings grief, certainly, as well as the accompanying sadness and longing for the departed one. For followers of Christ, however, we have the presence of God to comfort us and bring renewed life to our situation. 

The time of grief over the death of a loved one is not the only time we mourn and wail, is it? When children make bad decisions, when loved ones are estranged, it is not uncommon to be so overwhelmed by the situation that all we can do is weep and wail. Take heart, dear ones. Jesus says, "Stop wailing! Look at Me and allow Me to work in your situation."  Although difficult to take our focus from our concern to our Lord Jesus, it is the only way to find peace and hope. 

Today, pray that we would stop wailing and start looking to Jesus for intervention. Let's give our concerns to Him and allow Him to do what only He can do, bringing life and hope to replace death and despair. 

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Here's the link for last might's post here:

 http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-greenhouse.html