Discouraged?

          As you probably know, life can be very hard at times.  Even for believers, it is very easy to get discouraged.  And that can sometimes even lead to depression and bitterness, even though our mind tells us to trust in Jesus who cares for us.

         I find it is especially difficult to face the senior years.  You begin to lose your good friends and loved ones and life can get very lonely.  Few care about seniors and real fellowship is hard to find.   You often aren't needed for anything anymore.  You develop new and difficult physical problems and it becomes harder to get around and take care of yourself.  The cost of living sky rockets and your income doesn't.  A few people might ask how you are, but they really don't want an answer and they are too busy to help you anyway.  Been there, experiencing that.  It is often hard to stay positive.

          But we seniors aren't the only ones who face hard times.  Right now we know some younger adults who have suddenly lost their jobs.  Some are also facing difficult physical problems, including cancer.  Some have lost parents or are helping to care for them.  This too can be very discouraging.

         Then there are younger folks who are also experiencing trials.  We have a fourth grade girl in Awana and a 15 year old boy who goes to our church who have both been diagnosed with aggressive brain cancer. They are facing serious treatments and surgeries. We know of some other young people who have other serious physical conditions and some who are going through rebellion.  That too is hard and discouraging. Discouragement isn't limited to one age group.

           Now we know that Jesus is with us in the good and bad times.  I guess at times I wish that He would just talk to me and reassure me.  But He does speak through His word.  And I am not alone when I feel that way, for the Psalmist often lamented that He wondered if the Lord really was there and cared.  But He found that He was. And He always is.

          On a recent day when all the news and events around me seemed to get worse, I was reminded of a hymn which we no longer sing in our church services.  But we can still sing it and claim it in our hearts.

         

1   When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed,

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings, name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done. 

Refrain:

Count your blessings, name them one by one;

Count your blessings, see what God hath done;

Count your blessings, name them one by one;

Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.

2   Are you ever burdened with a load of care?

Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?

Count your many blessings, ev'ry doubt will fly,

And you will be singing as the days go by. [Refrain]

3   When you look at others with their lands and gold,

Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;

Count your many blessings, money cannot buy

Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high. [Refrain]

4    So, amid the conflict, whether great or small,

Do not be discouraged, God is over all;

Count your many blessings, angels will attend,

Help and comfort give you to your journey's end. [Refrain]

Listen to Guy Penrod sing this.   Count

          Now as you can probably guess, I have often been discouraged in recent months.  Sometimes it seems as though there is no solution to the growing problems, except heaven. And so I thought that I needed to try something different to try and develop a more positive attitude.

         For many years I have kept a journal, adding new entries once or twice a week.  Unfortunately, in recent months as I've recorded events, some of the entries have grown negative.  So I decided to start another journal - a praise journal.  Each day I will try to add a sentence about something positive that I experienced that day. You know, the things you often forget.  It has been interesting.  I've made numerous comments about having a good day breathing or exercising, a good day with my grand kids, safety in travel on ice and snow, problems solved and a variety of blessings I have experienced.  God has been good and I am hopeful that this new activity will help me stay positive as I face the many trials and difficult problems which haven't gone away.

         Are you discouraged?  Remember that you aren't alone.  Jesus promised never to leave us or forsake us and He won't.  Try counting your blessings and be reminded of what God has done.  Maybe a praise journal will help.
          "I will sing to the Lord all my life, I will sing praise to my God as long as I live."    Psalm 104:33

The "Good" Old Fifties

          I am a product of the 50's ...  let me qualify that, despite what you may think, the 1950's, not the 1850's.  Those were great years in my life.
          It was during those years that I gained a sister.  We built a new house.  We moved to Lititz.  I went to elementary school, junior high, senior high and college.  I learned to play the trombone and spent six years in the band. I learned to drive. I had my first jobs.  We started a new church.  I made many new friends.  We got our first television and I actually bought my own, for nine cents.  And I could go on and on - great memories.
          Those years were great years.  We didn't have to worry about terrorism or kidnappers.  It was safe to walk around town and visit friends, even at night.  We didn't need to lock our doors.  We could play pick-up basketball, baseball and football.  Television shows and music were clean and safe to watch and listen to.  Church services played a part in the lives of many people and schools made adjustments for Wednesday night church activities. Stores closed for several hours on Good Friday. Neighbors were friendly and helpful.  It was a different time.
          Recently I received a list of statements that might have been made by folks in those years.  Here are some for you to consider.
     * "If they raise the minimum wage to $1, nobody will be able to hire outside help at the store."
     * "Who would have thought gas would someday cost 50 cents a gallon."
     * "Pretty soon you won't be able to buy a good 10 cent cigar."
     * "Did you see where some baseball player just signed a contract for $75,000 a year just to play ball? It wouldn't surprise me if someday they'll be making more than the    president."
     * "Do you suppose television will ever reach our part of the country?"
     * "I never thought I'd see the day all our kitchen appliances would be electric. They are even making electric typewriters now."
     * "It's too bad things are so tough nowadays. I see where a few married women are having to work to make ends meet."
     * "Did you know the new church in town is allowing women to wear slacks to their service?"
     * "Next thing you know is, the government will start paying us not to grow crops."
     * "There is no sense going to Baltimore or Philadelphia anymore for a weekend. It costs nearly $15 a night to stay in a hotel."
     * "No one can afford to be sick any more, $35 a day in the hospital is too rich for my blood."
     * "If a few idiots want to risk their necks flying across the country that's fine, but nothing will ever replace trains."
     * "I don't know about you, but if they raise the price of coffee to 15 cents, I'll just have to drink mine at home."
     * "If they think I'll pay 50 cents for a hair cut, forget it. I'll have my wife learn to cut hair."
     * "We won't be going out much any more. Our baby sitter informed us she wants 50 cents an hour. Kids think money grows on trees."
          It is so interesting, and maybe even sad, that times have changed so drastically.  I wonder what similar thoughts people in your generation might have had when they were teens.

Happy New Year 2018

          Now I guess it is a little late to be sharing wishes for the new year, but somebody recently sent me a list of wishes that I would like to share with you.  I've never been into the "resolution" game for a new year, but this list might include some things that we should at least consider trying to do in the months ahead.  I know there are some, especially the last one, that I need to strive for.

          So read, enjoy, and apply what is needed,

          May you get a clean bill of health from your dentist, your cardiologist, your gastroenterologist, your urologist, your proctologist, your podiatrist, your psychiatrist, your plumber and the IRS.

          May your hair, your teeth, your face-lift, your abs and your stocks not fall; and may your blood pressure, your triglycerides, your cholesterol, your white blood count and your mortgage interest not rise.

         May New Year's Eve have found you seated around the table, together with your beloved family and cherished friends. May you have found the food better, the environment quieter, the cost much cheaper, and the pleasure much more fulfilling than anything else you might ordinarily have done that night.

          May what you see in the mirror delight you, and what others see in you delight them. May someone love you enough to forgive your faults, be blind to your blemishes, and tell the world about your virtues.

          May the telemarketers wait to make their sales calls until you finish dinner, may the commercials on TV not be louder than the program you have been watching, and may your check book and your budget balance - and include generous amounts for charity.

         May you remember to say "I love you" at least once a day to your spouse, your child, your parent, your siblings; but not to your secretary, your nurse, your masseuse, your hairdresser or your tennis instructor.

          And may we live in a world at peace and with the awareness of God's love in every sunset, every flower's unfolding petals, every baby's smile, every lover's kiss, and every wonderful, astonishing, miraculous beat of our heart.

         Above all, may you continue to smile, may your life be filled with laughter, and may you never forget the words found in the Book of Proverbs, "A gloomy spirit rots the bones; but a merry heart is like good medicine."

         Wishing your a very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2018!

Winter

          The beautiful Christmas music is now gone for another year.  The decorations are put away.  Football will soon be over.  The nights are so long.  The cold weather is here.  So are the ice and snow storms.  We are shoveling and driving in treacherous conditions.  Spring seems so far away.  Cabin fever and depression can easily develop in our lives. Obviously the months of January and February are not my favorite times of the year.
          Recently a friend reminded me of a hymn written by John Newton that is not very well known but almost seems appropriate for this time of the year.  Newton seemed to understand how much the seasons can model the attitudes and moods that we face in our lives.  He knew that there are times that our attitudes "darken and gray" like the season.  Our spirits can become as bitter and cold as the winter days.
         But he also knew that "When I am happy in Him, December's as pleasant as May."   And January can be so as well. We can, with the Lord's help and closeness, endure those times that seem both "tedious" (long and tiresome) and "tasteless" (dull and without proper season).  
          I love some of the illustrations Newton used that many of us can relate to as we compare them to our lives. "And prisons would palaces prove, If Jesus would dwell with me there."  How does a prison cell become a palace?  That's easy, the King shows up.  
         "Why do I languish and pine?"  This question is one that I am sure all of us have asked at some point in our Christian walk, especially after the Lord has brought us through a tough situation.  Why do we worry?  Why do we fret?  Why do we lose hope when we know deep in our hearts that the Lord's promises are true?  
         In case you've never heard this hymn, here are the words.

1     How tedious and tasteless the hours

When Jesus no longer I see!

Sweet prospects, sweet birds and sweet flow'rs,

Have all lost their sweetness to me.

The midsummer sun shines but dim,

The fields strive in vain to look gay;

But when I am happy in Him

December's as pleasant as May.

2     His name yields the richest perfume,

And sweeter than music His voice;

His presence disperses my gloom,

And makes all within me rejoice.

I should, were He always thus nigh,

Have nothing to wish or to fear;

No mortal so happy as I;

My summer would last all the year.

3     Content with beholding His face,

My all to His pleasure resigned;

No changes of season or place,

Would make any change in my mind.

While blessed with a sense of His love,

A palace a toy would appear;

And prisons would palaces prove,

If Jesus would dwell with me there.

4     My Lord, if indeed I am Thine,

If Thou art my sun and my song,

Say, why do I languish and pine?

And why are my winters so long?

Oh, drive these dark clouds from the sky,

Thy soul-cheering presence restore;

Or take me to Thee up on high,

Where winter and clouds are no more.

         While it's now winter outside, is it winter in your life and heart today?  Does life with its cares seem tedious and overbearing?  If so, then remember the words that Newton has penned, "His presence disperses my gloom,  And makes all within me rejoice. I should, were He always thus nigh, have nothing to wish or to fear; No mortal so happy as I; My summer would last all the year."  
         Is it summer in your heart and life today?  If not, it can be.
         If you are interested in hearing Newton's song, here is a choice   LISTEN