Author: Cheryl

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32

It’s strawberry season in North Carolina. There are several farms where you can “pick your own,” which is a favorite activity this time of year. Freshly picked strawberries are a beautiful bright red, shiny, unbruised, and wrinkle-free. As I arrived home recently, one of my neighbors rolled by in her golf cart. She stopped to say hello and handed me a bowl of gorgeous, freshly picked strawberries. That day, she had visited a local farm, so they were fresh off the vine. In today’s vernacular, folks call that a “random act of kindness.” This simple act of receiving kindness reminded me of the power and beauty of this virtue.

A whole phenomenon surrounds the “random act of kindness” trend. Social media frequently posts recommendations on how to show kindness in random ways to friends and strangers. A foundation and numerous websites provide resources and ideas for showing kindness in every situation and among every group of people who may touch our lives. After reading several articles about this trend, one conclusion was common among them. Boosting our mood, reducing stress, and possibly alleviating symptoms of depression or anxiety are the most reported benefits of random acts of kindness. Most of the research I read was heavy on the positive side for the giver, with little to be said about the recipient.  So, what about the recipient? And what does the Bible say about kindness?

One of the many character traits of God is kindness. His kindness towards humanity spills out throughout the pages of the Bible. And in the ultimate act of kindness towards a fallen people, He gave His Son as a sacrifice that we may live. Isaiah 54:8 tells us that because of His everlasting kindness, He will have compassion on us. Everlasting kindness never ends, and He did that through the person of Jesus Christ. God is the author and sustainer of kindness. “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in his kindness, to us in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:6-7). This passage from Ephesians beautifully illustrates how God’s kindness manifests His grace and is a key part of His plan for our redemption.

God often uses people to manifest His kindness. As Christians, we know that our lives are not random. If we are the recipients of an act of kindness, and since all good things come from God, that gift of kindness is part of God’s plan for us. My neighbor had no idea that the week had been tough and finding joy at that time was particularly challenging. But God knew. As I received her gift with thanks, I looked up to the Giver of all things good and gave praise. When I felt bruised, crumpled, and lusterless, He sent a neighbor with a bowl of gorgeous strawberries to remind me of His kindness and compassion. May we always be sensitive to the Spirit when called to a “random act of kindness.” I leave you with this quote from Saint Teresa of Avila: “Christ has no body on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which Christ’s compassion for the world is to look out; yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good; and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.”  And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit.       

“but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:31

In this Holy Week leading up to Easter Sunday, meditating on the word, “surrender” has been where my thoughts have been. I have awoken several mornings with the beautiful hymn “I Surrender All” playing in my heart. The title describes the lyrics completely, to live a life in absolute submission to the Father’s will is to live a life of true peace and joy. That is the gift of Easter. Jesus willingly in humble submission gave Himself to God, to allow God to complete His plan through His death on the cross. It didn’t matter what men might accuse Him of or the pain they would inflict. He surrendered all.

Jesus’s substitution for us is an absolute one-and-done. One surrender, one man, one cross, one death, and one glorious resurrection saved humanity from the deserved wrath of God. Our Lord uttered the words, “It is finished” while hanging on the cross (John 19:30). It is complete. But even Believers, fully justified by the blood of Christ, struggle with surrender. At least I freely admit, I do! The doctor’s report is not good, our children become prodigals, finances are lacking, or we are called to move and leave family and friends, the list of life’s woes is endless. The trial is life jarring enough by itself and then the thought of surrendering our control and will on top of the chaos can be terrifying.  How often do we utter, “The Lord’s will be done” and as soon as we get up off our knees, we start to operate in our own battle plan?  I pronounce myself guilty of the charge.

Teachings about what surrendering looks like abound. And I freely admit this tidbit is not intended to impart new, riveting wisdom on the subject. The most important, life-changing act of surrender we do is to confess we are sinners, believe Jesus died for our sins, and put our faith in Him. That is Easter!  Life after that is a work in progress. In Christianese, that’s called sanctification. And sanctification requires surrender. The wisdom I can share is that when the hard times and trials come, only surrender brings peace and joy. And that surrender sometimes has to be offered up on an hourly basis to tap down the fear and get through the day. And we will fail. Only one Man got it completely right the first go around. But we must hold tight to the love that Christ demonstrated on the cross and our driving force for surrender must be love. Not for a desired outcome or a less painful road. But that Jesus loved God more than He loathed the suffering and He loves us more than He loved His own life. All hope, peace, and joy are hinged on these truths. When we ponder the person of Jesus and His sacrifice this Easter, and how we will demonstrate our love for Him? May gratitude, worship, and surrender flow from our hearts in response to His ultimate surrender. What love! What a Savior! Happy Easter! And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit.  

The photo was taken in Jerusalem of the Garden Tomb. It is empty! He has Risen, Indeed!

Let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them! Then the trees of the forest will sing…. 1 Chronicles 16:32-33

Spring has sprung! Today, March 19, 2024, is the first day of Spring. Many people declare Spring as their favorite time of year. Folks who live in colder climates look forward to the warmer temperatures and those that live in more temperate parts of the world anticipate the change of season for different reasons. But almost everyone agrees that Spring brings forth a season of life and beauty that everyone enjoys and anticipates. As I’m writing this, I’m able to see the new flower pots hanging outside the window and they bring a smile to my face. In full disclosure, my thumb is not green and I know very little about growing flowers, shrubs, and trees. Which demonstrates that the season of blooming can speak to anyone.

David brings the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem in 1 Chronicles 15-16. David’s beautiful psalm of thanksgiving to the Lord is recorded in 1 Chronicles 16:7-36. In the psalm, David exhorts us to sing and praise Him. He painted a poetic picture of God’s majesty and grace using nature as a backdrop for his symbolism. Nature passionately declares the creativity and redemptive power of God. Just by being, just by displaying God’s handiwork, nature “sings” God’s praise. My favorite flower is the tulip. I have visited Holland and the seemingly endless fields of beautiful tulips are breathtaking and words are not adequate. Whenever I think of nature singing, the picture of those tulip gardens comes to mind. As the first shoot breaks through the soil, then rises towards the sun, and finally, the buds break open in full bloom, in my imagination it’s kinda like the hallelujah chorus being sung towards Heaven.

Still, there are times when we cannot adequately express how deeply we appreciate God’s goodness and love. So we join with nature as David did, “Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day” (1 Chron 16:23). How does the earth proclaim salvation? It is God’s nature to make something new and His gospel plan for salvation is evident throughout nature. Jesus paints this example for us in John 12 and John 15 using a kernel of wheat and a tree to make His point. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John12:24-25).  “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit, apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).  

God created us to glorify Him. That is our purpose both on this earth and in Heaven in its entirety. Everything we do and everything we say should be done in and through the mind of Christ. The budding flowers and all of nature give us the perfect example. As you watch and admire the coming season of bloom and warmth picture in your mind the seas resounding, the flowers dancing in jubilance, and the trees singing as the leaves burst forth. It’s a completely different picture of Spring than the world paints. Can you hear it? Will you join in their praise and glory to God? And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit. 

The picture was taken of the tulips in Airlie Gardens, Wilmington NC        

“Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth.” Psalm 105:5

I had lunch with a dear friend last week. We marveled that we first met almost thirty years ago in Germany and now have come full circle to live in the same area again. We both lamented about the aches and pains of getting older, and how much longer it takes to plan and complete tasks, and agreed that aging is not for the weak of heart. But we also recalled many wonderful memories we have shared over the years. Growing older indeed has its unique challenges and very few people age and escape the difficulties of aging but there are many blessings to maturing. Wisdom gained from life experiences is a blessing that is immeasurable and is a true gift from God. “For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest” (Proverbs 2:6). This verse assures us that any wisdom we obtain only comes from God and is not of our own doing. God ordains our past, present, and future. God can grant wisdom in many ways and allowing us to experience life with both good and bad consequences is one of His very effective teaching methods.       

God’s providence and God’s faithfulness over our lives need to be the memories at the forefront of our minds. Only by looking back over our lives can we see the way He has led us, protected us, taught us, and allowed us to obtain wisdom. But why does God give us the gift of wisdom? One reason is so that we don’t continue to repeat the same mistakes and reap the same negative consequences over and over. But God’s primary reason for wisdom is so His faithfulness can be shared with others. He wants us to talk about our lives and memories, along with the stories of His remarkable deeds. “Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (Dt 6:7). He doesn’t grant us fruitful periods or bring us through challenging times to just have something to talk about at a party, but so that we can recall His faithfulness during those times. He should be the main character in the movie of our lives when we replay it for our children, friends, neighbors, and strangers. The first verse of Psalm 105 commands us to give thanks and make known among the nations what He has done!  

My friend talked about how pictures of my oldest daughter as a preschooler in Germany still adorn her home. I share those memories but I can also recall God’s faithfulness in bringing me a lifelong friend when I was a new mother and alone in a foreign country because my Army husband was deployed. I recall God blessing me with the wonders of experiencing Germany through the eyes of a German woman. I remember the nights when I was alone and sometimes frightened, God was my faithful constant companion.

Life is full of challenges and blessings. But God is faithful. He trumps all the tears and tragedies and He smiles along with us in the good times. He has the starring role in all our memories and He wants the stories to be passed from generation to generation. Think across the years of your life. Remember all the times God’s faithfulness and goodness saw you through hardships or granted you blessings. Consider His marvelous works and give Him praise. And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit.  

The photo, taken in 1996 of Maya, Brooke and Pebbles outside our home in Dittelbrunn, Germany.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10

I freely admit I’ve been in somewhat of a rut lately. With the first phase of moving completed and the chilly winter months, it was easy to cozy up and slip into a routine of the same old, same old. The dictionary defines a rut as a habit or pattern that has become dull and unproductive. Interestingly, it also says a rut is a long, deep track made by repeated passage of the wheels of vehicles. The dictionary didn’t list it, but in the medical world, the same terminology describes paths formed in the brain called neural pathways. Our neural pathways or ruts are formed by learning. The more we repeat a routine, the deeper the channel gets. The fascinating fact is that these microscopic ruts can be seen during an autopsy. The brain’s nature is to save energy. It requires far less cognitive thought or energy to keep doing or continue thinking the same way than it does to learn something new. Our habitual tasks and thought pattern ruts keep getting deeper and deeper, and consequently because it requires much more cognitive energy, it is hard to get out of the old and make new tracks. Hence, why established habits are hard to break; you have to dig a new rut.

Imagine driving a car along a narrow dirt road. Due to the lack of pavement, deep tracks have been formed by the vehicles repeatedly driving down the road. You are gripping the steering wheel tightly as you navigate the road because thinking you could jump the rut and get out of the well-worn path is nerve-wracking. Where would this new path take me? Would I crash the car off the side of the road? Or would the new way make the drive easier? Most of the time, because it is the easier path and elicits much less fear, we stay on the well-worn road. Our brains, thoughts, and actions are in a literal rut.

But God, in His Word, commands us to react differently. In Romans 12:2, Paul urges us, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Renewing the mind means learning new things and thinking new thoughts. God designed this prescription for getting out of a rut long before modern-day psychology. The irony here is that modern psychology actually agrees with God. Though I doubt they would admit it, the remedy is the same. How do Christians get out of a spiritual rut or renew their minds? By opening our minds to God’s way of thinking. We do that by consistently reading the Word, not just scanning the text with a preconceived personal interpretation. But asking the Holy Spirit to open our minds and hearts to what God has to say about a particular passage. The Scriptures are the Living Word of God. Seeing the scriptures as “Living” is an amazing fact that I believe many Christians forget or don’t realize. We get into the rut of seeing the same scriptures in the same light. But when we open up our minds to be renewed, God can use the same scripture you have read fifty times to speak to you in your circumstances today in a completely different way than that scripture did last year. That’s because they are alive! I get so excited when God reveals something in a familiar scripture through Bible study or solid Biblical teaching that I had never considered before. Or to feel the Holy Spirit’s comfort and peace as a familiar scripture is used as a balm for a new pain or heartache. Every day could hold something exciting or comforting if we get out of our ruts and open our hearts and minds to be renewed by God’s Word. And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit.

The picture is our new pickleball paddles. We are going to learn something new!  

“Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from Him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.”  Ephesians 4:21-24

Last week, we registered and licensed the car in our new home state of North Carolina. For some, I’m sure it is not a big deal, but for me, it was somewhat emotional. Removing the old plate brought back a flood of memories from the last twenty-plus years. Whether right or wrong, our license plate provides a small view of who we are to perfect strangers. Whenever I spot a tag from West Virginia, I always feel a kinship and wonder if I’m familiar with their small town. As I pass a car with a Virginia plate, I often wonder if they are from the NOVA area and, maybe, by chance, if we lived in the same vicinity. In a totally different light, having a local tag negates all the mercy I can hope for being a visitor when I fail to navigate the numerous turnarounds and traffic circles of my new surroundings. Isn’t it interesting how the perception we give to the world outside our car can change with the flip of a piece of metal? Also intriguing is how we feel removing the old, worn tag from our former state and replacing it with a brand new plate.  

In 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 Paul provides some of the New Testament’s most explicit teaching concerning new birth in Christ. “So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time, we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anybody who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” This “new creation” has such transcendent importance that it is the visible evidence of our salvation. Our old lives of sin and shame are removed, and our new life in Christ begins. Our lives are no longer worldly but spiritual. The old nature of self-love and self-indulgence in sin has been replaced with a yearning and desire for new things, full of life and the glory of God. The new creation is a wondrous mystery of God, created by His power and glory born from His great love for us.

These verses profoundly and simply illustrate the incredible significance of our redemption. Because God so fully and completely loves humanity, He is all about redemption. In today’s vernacular, it is His main game. We, the redeemed, don’t live sinless lives but live each day, sinning less and hating it more each time we fail. That is only possible through the redemptive power of Jesus. A redeemed person is secure in Jesus, who bears God’s wrath for all our sins. Through faith and acceptance of Jesus, we are assured of a present and future glory in Him that is beyond our comprehension.

Just like the perception we give the world with a change of license plate, the same is true when we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord of our lives. How the world sees us and how we feel inwardly should change. Our salvation is not just for ourselves but to reveal the glory of God to others, and it should be visible, just like our license plates. And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit.   

But the Lord’s plans stand firm forever; his intentions can never be shaken. Psalm 33:11

I visited USS North Carolina this week. She was the first vessel of the fast ships built by the Navy and played a vital role in the offensive plan of WW II. I’ve been on a commercial cruise ship, but the enormity of this ship was difficult for my mind to comprehend. One of the more interesting facts is that the boat was abandoned with everything still on board. All the goods in the store, food in the pantry, equipment, everything is preserved with the actual items of the day. It looks exactly like the day the last sailor walked off the ship. Climbing the ladders and roaming the decks, imagining the young men operating the massive guns and living below in the cramped quarters took me back to a place and time in an environment I’d never contemplated. Reading stories and accounts in the Bible can have the same effect. It isn’t easy to take ourselves out of the 21^st century and get an authentic vision of how life was in Biblical times.

It’s hard to visualize the story told in the 27^th chapter of Acts. The narrative unfolds with Paul as a prisoner aboard a huge grain ship with 275 other people bound for Rome.  While it was a large ship for the day, it did not compare to our modern ships. But yet, the sea has not changed. Devastating storms arose then, as they still do today. Luke, the writer of Acts, implies in verse 20 that everyone had lost hope when a fierce storm rocked them for days: “…..we finally gave up all hope of being saved.” This would include himself and Paul. But in the midst of despair, God sends Paul an angel to minister and encourage him. The angel assured him that not one person would perish, though the ship would be lost. The Bible doesn’t record the entire conversation between Paul and the angel. I imagine it wasn’t much of a conversation. Paul was probably in total listening mode, absorbing every detail of instruction. The story tells us that Paul knew they would run aground on an island (vs. 26) and must all stay on the boat to be saved, even though they attempted to jump ship (vs. 27-32). I think the angel probably laid out to Paul exactly how things had to happen for everyone to survive. Paul encouraged everyone with this knowledge and strongly advised them against creating their plan. They devised a plan to pretend to lower the anchor when they dropped the lifeboat to escape. Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved” (vs. 31). Paul trusted God’s promise and His plan. They needed to stick to the plan, even though they didn’t understand it.

In the storms of this earthly life, we all wish that God would send an angel to our bedside and give us every detail of how it will work out. I certainly have had that desire. But we can trust that He is with us, and we have His Word and the Holy Spirit to give us all the encouragement and hope we need. When the storms are particularly fierce and seem endless with no rescue in sight, we must cling to the promises daily and sometimes hourly. I’m sure Paul didn’t give them the plan once and was done. He probably had to keep shouting above the storm over and over again to stick to God’s plan to survive. And we need the same. We must open the Word, shout it above the storm, and let the hope it provides rain down and saturate us with His confidence in His plan. And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit.    

“…..which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship…..” Acts 27:17 (KJV)

One of my most favorite things about my trip to Israel was seeing the scriptures through the eyes of the Jewish language. Words that are so common to us and that we use daily to express ourselves can have an entirely different context in another language and at another time in history. A friend of mine often ended our prayers with a plea for God to “undergird” us with His strength. I love the word pictures “undergird” brings to mind and often use it myself in my prayers. I’ve learned that even a silly illustration of the modern-day girdle is not far from the original meaning. The story of Paul as he sets sail for Rome is filled with words that have a far deeper meaning than a mere scan of the text will reveal.

In Acts 27, we find Paul in the middle of a “northeaster” (vs. 14). The Greek word used to describe this storm was typhonikos. The words typhoon or hurricane describe the exact same weather event. It was a life-threatening storm. The ship’s captain attempted to sail along the coast, but the fierce storm drove them out to sea with no land in sight. “Since the ship was caught and was unable to head into the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along” (vs.15).   In this verse, the Greek verb means to “be seized with great violence,” and the same term is used in Luke 8:29 of a demon violently seizing a man. How often have we expected to go along hugging the safe coastline of life when we encounter a raging storm that drives us off course and takes us captive by force? We experience the suffocating swells, the disappointments sting like the biting rain, and we feel like we will break apart like the timbers of a sinking ship. But then we read verse 17, “After hoisting it up, they used ropes and tackle and girded up the ship.” It seems so simple that it’s easy to read right past it, but it gives us great insight as to how to handle the fiercest of storms.

The word “ropes” in the NIV translation is not the usual Greek word for ropes. It is the word boetheia. The word literally means “helps” and occurs only twice in the New Testament. Acts and Hebrews 4:16 says, “Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time” (italics added). Take a moment to picture the scene in your mind. Just like sailors encircle the boat’s hull with ropes to keep it from falling apart, God wraps us in His cords of mercy and grace to save us from falling apart in the storm. He permits storms, but He does not want us to fall apart. He desires to help us navigate with His Word and prayer. Those are essential GPS tools to strengthen and undergird us and guide us through the towering waves.

That’s the meaning of the unfamiliar term “undergird.” When we access the throne of grace, we are wrapped securely in the cords of God’s love and grace to fortify us to weather the storms and not fall apart. Do you need undergirding perseverance? Approach the throne and ask. Lord, undergird us this day with Your strength, Amen. And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit.

The picture is of the boats we rode in on the Sea of Galilee. They were crafted to look much like the boats of Jesus’s day and time. 

We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!  1 Cor 13:12 MSG

Record high temperatures for January had everyone breaking out the shorts and flip-flops last week. And living within a 30-minute drive to the beach, of course, we had to go there. If for no other reason than to say we went to the beach in January. The traffic in and out of Wrightsville Beach confirmed that we were not the only ones with thoughts of sand and surf dancing in our heads. The sun shone brightly as we approached the bridge to the beach, but ahead, we could see that it was about to change. It was a sight I had never seen before, at least not at the beach. A thick fog covered the area. I’ve experienced unexpected fog in the mountains, but never like this in the mid-afternoon of a bright and sunny 75-degree day at the beach. It was beautiful and eerie at the same time. A quick Google search enlightened me about sea fog—coastal fog forms when relatively warm, moist air passes over the cool water’s surface, and it is most common in the winter and spring months when the ocean is at its coolest.

It was strange to look from the shore and be able to hear, smell, and feel the ocean but not see it. The many wetsuit-clad surfers didn’t seem to mind that they couldn’t see; they ran expectedly towards the water. In the days since experiencing the sea fog phenomenon, I was struck by how it represents a metaphor for our lives. Whether it’s about my girls and the direction their lives are going or navigating this new season of life in a new place with new people, it all seems kind of foggy. I couldn’t see the ocean clearly, and I can’t see this earthly future. I can imagine it as I imagined the sea that day before the fog lifted. I can pray about and hope for it, but I have no certainty of the daily logistics or even if my imaginary, futuristic picture is correct. Only God knows. And, instead of wearing myself out trying to figure out the details or giving God advice on how He should handle the details, I need to align myself with what the Bible reveals. Just like the surfers, we should run expectedly! Seeking His kingdom and His righteousness daily, if not hourly. Have the trust and confidence that He is there, controlling the fog and the lift. The surfers trusted that the water was within the mist and would pick them up and carry them; the same is true of God. He is there, even in the fog. He will pick us up, and He will carry us; all we have to do is trust Him to do so. “Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul” (Psalm 143:8).

The fog lifted while enjoying a delicious lunch with an ocean view, and the sea’s landscape became visible. Tomorrow may be foggy, but the big picture is crystal clear.  As we move forward even in the thickest fogs, earnestly seeking Jesus, trusting Him with the details, and believing He loves and cares for us, the Light will shine through the mist because of His faithfulness. And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit.   

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 19:1

State Road 74 connects Wilmington to our growing little town of Leland. It is a tree-lined, four-lane highway separated by a wide median.  Unlike the curvy roads of West Virginia, it is flat and straight, and visibility goes for miles. This week, traveling back home from a trip to Wilmington, I experienced probably one of the scariest and certainly potentially deadly incidents I’ve ever had behind the wheel. I was in the left-hand lane with a car in front of me and two cars beside me in the right-hand lane. Thankfully, about two car lengths were between us because we were going about 65mph. Suddenly, and I mean suddenly, the car in front of me puts on its brakes at a dead stop. I had two choices in that instant. Run into the vehicle in front of me, which would probably cause the tractor-trailer behind me to hit me and kill us all or go off into the median. I can only assume God and experience take over in those moments because, in those split seconds, there is truly no rational thinking occurring. Only fear is happening. As I drove across the rumble strip and into the grassy median, I could see the problem. A huge “something” was in the road, blocking the lane. Thankfully, no one was hurt, and I could drive my car from the middle of the median back onto the highway. No matter how many times I replay it in my head, I have no answer to the question, “With the range of visibility why did the person in front of me not see the road obstacle long before we were right on top of it and try to avoid it by slowing down and moving safely to the right?”

Life can be very much like this experience. For some unknown reason, we don’t see what is in the road ahead of us until it stops us in our tracks. I can make some assumptions about why the car was blinded to the roadblock. And being distracted by their phone is the first thing that comes to mind. Sometimes we are distracted, and not paying attention to the signs and sometimes the news blindsides us. The unexpected medical report, death of a loved one, a wayward child, financial crisis, and the list of unforeseen roadblocks is endless, but they are really all the same. They cause us to drive off the road, in a state of fear. How long we stay in the median in that state is really up to us. Does the fear paralyze us and not allow us to move forward out of the median, or do we turn to the One who was right by our side as we entered the median and remember He is the one who guides us, never leaves us, and soothes the quaking fear? “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deut 31:8). The roadblock can be small, be resolved quickly and become a blimp on the screen of our lives. Other roadblocks can be much larger and the impact and consequences completely change life’s landscape. No matter the size of the obstacle in the road, we can rest in the assurance that God and his providential sovereignty are in control, and all these experiences call us to trust God’s higher purposes. And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit.

The photo is of the sunrise this morning over the neighborhood.