Diverging Paths

I shall be telling this with a sigh, somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. ~Robert Frost

Have you ever encountered diverging roads and honestly couldn’t decide which path to take? In hindsight, you might feel you made the right choice but sometimes regret not taking the other path.

More often than not, the path chosen appears to hold more promise, security, adventure, intrigue, or perhaps even danger. Remember the old classics Alice in Wonderland and Huckleberry Finn? These were the first two classics I ever read and did so as an 8-year-old third grader. Though my third grade reading book contained interesting stories, I needed more of a challenge. Once I discovered more intricate stories waiting to be devoured, I visited the library as often as I could. I read Alice in Wonderland in two days, and it didn’t take much longer to read Huck Finn. Now, did I understand everything I read? Certainly not. The plots in both books contained adult themes and undertones an 8-year-old child growing up in the 1970s wouldn’t understand.

In both books, Alice and Huck were faced with “diverging roads” and chose the path of intrigue, adventure, and danger. I think it’s safe to say many folks wouldn’t be content with a wandering path that few travel.

Yet, in some ways, the path leading to danger or putting your life on the line for your fellow man might be less traveled. Certainly choosing a path that’s unpopular or goes against societal ills can be a difficult one to travel.

I’ve encountered many crossroads and paths in my life. I’ve spent the last thirty years raising children, and now my nest is almost empty. Almost, because Josh will live at home while attending college. At least, that’s the plan for now. As I look back thirty years and then to the future, I find myself assessing my life.

What will the next thirty years look like?

My career in medical transcription has evolved into a nightmare of healthcare administration changes, which will only get more cumbersome in the coming years. Through my efforts to continue my education in healthcare, it’s becoming more apparent that the satisfaction I used to feel in this area no longer exists. The chokehold of regulations and metered-out care will soon not resemble true healthcare.

My writing career continues to grow with opportunities, so I have a vision of what the future might hold career-wise.

But more importantly, I strongly believe and live by the admonition given in the Scriptures (Galatians 2:20 and Matthew 16:24-25) and reinforced through books like Amy Carmichael’s biography, A Chance to Die. Dying to self is a must for spiritual growth to produce Kingdom fruit in our lives to impact those around us.

My most important burden has to be the unsaved, the folks living in places deemed too dangerous to reach, widows, orphans, the untouchables, and the people society has deemed throwaways. These exist in every country in the world. I’m prayerfully hopeful that my future includes broadening my work in this mission field.

And then there is the ultimate path. The one that leads to salvation in Christ and our eternal life. If this is a decision you’re struggling with, I’d love to pray for you. Leave a comment or e-mail me.

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Matthew 7:13-14

No matter what path or decisions you’re facing today, remember God is right there with you.

Would you consider taking a moment to click on the prayer list above and pray for those listed? If you have a prayer request, please leave a comment or e-mail me confidential requests.

Do you have a “diverging path” story you’d like to share? I’d love to hear that, as well. J

Shalom,

Laura ✞

©Laura Hodges Poole

Trusting in Him

Seeking answers

“It is a safe thing to trust Him to fulfill the desires which He creates.” Amy Carmichael, missionary, (1867-1951)

I’m a firm believer in praying specific prayers. After all, anything worth putting before God shouldn’t be done in a trite way of “God bless so-and-so. Amen.” However, it’s one thing to pray specifically, it’s another to pray with an answer attached.

I’m re-reading Amy Carmichael’s biography “A Chance to Die.” A gift from my mom, I read it the first time almost ten years ago. Beautifully written by missionary Elisabeth Elliot, the biography sheds light on Amy’s early life and the 55 years she spent in India as a missionary without a furlough home. Of Irish descent, Amy learned early in her life about prayer as illustrated in this excerpt: 

“Taught by her mother that God was a hearer and an answerer of prayer, One who could change water into wine, she [Amy] determined to test His powers. Kneeling by her bed that night she asked for the one thing she most passionately longed for: blue eyes. Surely there would be no difficulty for the Lord in this. The little girl went to bed with perfect confidence. She jumped out of bed at dawn, pushed a chair to the chest of drawers, climbed up and looked in the mirror—into the same brown eyes. She never forgot the bewilderment she felt until, somehow, an explanation was given (did the Lord Himself speak to her, or did someone else?): Isn’t NO an answer? So prayer was not magic. Like her earthly father who loved her, her heavenly Father might also say no.” (A Chance to Die) 

This poignant story is heartwarming as we each see our own children (or maybe imagine ourselves as children) praying naïve prayers. But let’s be honest. We often do the same thing as adults. We don’t stop at praying the specific prayer. We then give God the answer we want in return.

As a small child, Amy only knew that her Irish siblings and many around her had blue eyes, and she did not. It seemed a travesty to her. She couldn’t have known she’d spend most of her life in India, amongst brown-eyed people, and how imperative it was she blend in. She often dyed her skin with coffee and covered her head to move about in unsavory places to do God’s work. Her missionary worked turned into rescuing children from temple prostitution and establishing a safe haven for them, the Dohnavur Fellowship. At the time of her death, Amy had rescued over a thousand children.

Like Amy, we often pray too specifically such that an answer is wrapped up in our petitions.

“Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” Romans 11:34

With our own limited view of the world and with no knowledge of the future, we are often hesitant to step out on faith and say, “God, no matter what the answer might be, I accept it.”

Scary, huh?

Not really, when you consider that God knows our future, wants the best for us, and has designed us for a specific purpose. We only have to trust Him to get it right.

If you have a prayer request you’d like to share, please do so in the comments section or email me confidential requests. Here are the new requests for this week:

·        Today, Courtney is en route to Duke for her two-month follow-up brain MRI. She has had three  clear reports since last summer. Please keep her in your prayers as she battles brain cancer and anxiety. For those of you who do not know her story, please click on the prayer list at the top of the blog for more info.
·       Linda and Stephen’s marriage is at a crossroads right now. Please pray that they’ll seek God’s guidance in their decisions.
·        Matthew is having mental health issues and is living an unhealthy lifestyle. Pray that God will give his family wisdom and strength as they seek answers, and that Matthew will get help for his problems.

Shalom,

Laura

© Laura Hodges Poole

Photo courtesy of Microsoft.com free clip art

Be Still And Know I Am God

“Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10a

Have you ever been still? I mean really still. No cell phone, TV, or computer. No children running in and out. Complete and utter silence.

Imagine calmness filled only with your thoughts and God’s presence. If only we had the time, right?

Many things demand our time. And we give that time away and waste it freely, as though we have an endless supply. As Christians, we do—in eternity.

Meanwhile, here on the earth, if we’re to be effective disciples, we must spend time alone with God.

“…crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Luke 5:15b-16.

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark 1:35.

Many are unwilling to give God premium time—the time they’d rather be (or are committed to) doing something else.

So how much free time is enough?

“O Lamb of God, deliver me…”

From subtle love of softening things,

From easy choices, weakenings,

(Not thus are spirits fortified,

Not this way went the Crucified)

From all that dims Thy Calvary

O Lamb of God, deliver me.

~Amy Carmichael

I often take inventory when life’s demands and deadlines seem overwhelming. I don’t know about you, but Amy Carmichael’s words challenge me. What do I allow to dim His Calvary? Whatever I find that to be—it’s not more important than spending time alone with God.

Rearranging our schedules to have quiet time—be still and know time—with God, is necessary as Christians. It’s during this time that we replenish our spirits.

When God has my undivided attention, inspiration and rejuvenation takes place. What is God trying to whisper to your heart today in the midst of chaos?

As we spend time in prayer for those who visit this blog and leave prayer requests, I’d like to remind everyone of the requests we’ve had in the last few weeks:

·      Courtney, a young mother battling a brain tumor. She came through her gamma knife radiation surgery well, is continuing on chemotherapy, and will have another MRI to check progress next month. Please continue to pray for her healing and comfort.

·      Betty and Tony request prayer for his job situation. He is interviewing but so far has not secured a job. They’d like continued prayer in this area, as well as lifting up of their finances and morale at this time.

·      Tony’s cousin’s wife Karen is battling life-threatening leukemia. The family had been called in, the last I heard.

·       Piper’s request to stay focused on God during tough times.

·       Gail’s request for her health and time management.

·       Marta and Lorena for their families.

·       Confidential request (God knows the person and circumstance).

While you enjoy this song by Steven Curtis Chapman, “Be Still And Know,” challenge yourself to find some quiet time alone with God this week.

Please leave any prayer requests you have in the comments section or email me, if you'd like your request to remain confidential. May God bless you all!

The Power of a Dangerous Prayer

Not my will, but Yours

“When an answer I did not expect comes to a prayer which I believed I truly meant, I shrink back from it; if the burden my Lord asks me to bear, be not the burden of my heart's choice, and I fret inwardly and do not welcome His will, then I know nothing of Calvary love.”—Amy Carmichael, missionary.

Prayer has been called many things, but I doubt few consider it dangerous. How would you characterize something which has the potential to end your existence as you know it?

That doesn’t make sense, you might be thinking. Prayer is a solace place we enter to meet God. We bare our souls, share our heartaches, offer petitions, and intercede for others. Sounds like a neat, safe place to abide. And it is.

But suppose you yearn for a deeper, richer relationship with God—to live fully in a manner you’ve not fathomed before. Are you willing to push your spiritual life outside of its comfort zone and into the danger zone to do so?

The five scariest words we could utter during prayer, many people don’t—or won’t. Praying these words mean death—death to self—an end to selfish desires and the beginning of God’s desires to define our lives.

Safety nets are stripped away—power is relinquished.

The five words?

Not my will, but Yours.

Now, let’s get real for a moment. I mean really real. Think of the most monumental problem you’re facing. You may even have a pretty good idea of how to solve it, if everything would just work out the way you imagine. Are you willing to turn loose of your solution?

Makes your heart skips a beat to consider giving the problem to God, then utter, “not my will, but Yours,”—and mean it!

My sister Teresa shared her insights on my last post When God Comes Calling, and they are applicable to this post, as well:

"This hits home for me. I prayed a prayer that my pastor encouraged us to pray one night; a prayer that God show me what HE wanted me to do for Him (not telling Him what I wanted). A few days later, I was headed to Jonesville, VA, on an ASP trip [after a last minute cancellation of another team member]. What a blessing that mission trip was to me! I prayed that specific prayer a month ago, and 2 days later my husband was transferred to Brunswick, Ga. Now, I'm praying that prayer to see what God has in store for me to do to honor Him in Brunswick. I learned a long time ago, it's not about me, it's about what I can do for His glory."

Teresa has left Florida only a handful of times in the last thirty years and has never lived outside of the state. At age 53, she is embarking on new endeavors because she yielded control of her life to God.

Is the unknown scary? Sure. Has God’s will pushed Teresa outside of her comfort zone? Most definitely. However, the blessings she has experienced as a result of praying those five scary words are immense.

Though you’re not guaranteed instant gratification or easy solutions to your petitions, God’s will provides the perfect answer. Christ prayed the same words when he faced death on a cross (Luke 22:42). God’s answer didn’t spare Jesus’ life—instead it granted life to millions of others.

Let me add one caveat. Please don’t hear me say what I’m not. There’s nothing wrong with goals and desires. God gives us those desires (Ps. 37:4). He designed man to yearn for progress. The million dollar question is—Are you willing to give those desires back to God and say, not my will, but yours, and trust Him to bless you?

God’s answer often weaves a beautiful pattern which, in hindsight, you marvel over its brilliance. He doesn’t grant that beforehand—only after you’ve exercised faith by relinquishing control.

So, are you ready to pray dangerously by submitting to the Ultimate Power? I’d love to hear from you about how God has worked in your life when you’ve done so.