Month: April 2020

29
Apr
2020

I Hope in Your Word

Here we are facing more days of the “stay-at-home” order from our Michigan governor as she extends this stay home order to May 15. While I appreciate her desire to decrease the spread of the virus, I also think that the citizens of this great state understand the severity of the virus and the risk involved to each individual if one should get the virus. I see people that are careful when they go to the grocery store. People don’t get near each other. People are wearing masks. The grocery stores are cleaning like never before. We have all learned our lessons on how to prevent the spread of the virus.

During my time with the Lord each morning I spend time praying through the Psalms. I am currently in Psalm 119. I especially liked the following verses and felt like they are so applicable to us as we all face different challenges of our own. Everyone is dealing with these restrictions and struggling with them in different ways, yet God’s Word is relevant to each of us in our situation.

145With my whole heart I cry; answer me, O LORD! I will keep your statues.    146I call to you; save me, that I may observe your testimonies.  147I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your  words.   148My eyes are awake before the watches of the night,  that I may meditate on your promise.     149Hear my voice according to your steadfast love; O LORD, according to your justice give me life.  150They draw near who persecute me with evil purpose; they are far from your law.  151But you are near, O LORD, and all your commandments are true. 152Long have I known from your testimonies that you have founded them forever.                                                           (Psalm 119:145-152)

As you read these verses, notice the first part of each verse in the first five verses. Life is hard. We have difficulties and challenges that seem overwhelming. We cry out to the Lord with our whole heart, we call out to God, and we are awake at night because of the challenges that face us in our lives. The author of this Psalm (probably David) knew challenges and heartaches. We have these in our lives too. Those that are facing unemployment. Those that cannot pay their bills. Those that are sick with the virus. Those that are sick with the virus and cannot work. Students who have had their school years disrupted. The list of the challenges that we all face are many. These challenges cause us to struggle emotionally because the current events and the unknown events of the future are challenging.

That is the beauty of these verses. We cannot hope in the circumstances around us. If we spend our time focused on them and worrying over them it will do nothing more than cause us to be discouraged. So what do we do?

The Psalmist says he cried out to the Lord. He asked the Lord to hear him. The last part of each of these verses then tells us what to do. Focus on God’s Word. Keep God’s laws.

This crises that we are in will not be the last crises that you will face, nor is it the first crises that you have faced. How have you handled previous crises?

Over the last year and a half I have been memorizing scripture. I have memorized Psalm 145, Daniel 9:3-19, Psalm 103, and now I am in Colossians 3:1-17. What I have found as I have committed myself to not just memorizing Scripture, but rehearsing it when I go on my walks in the morning, when I drive in the car, or when I lay down at night to sleep is my focus has changed. It has been a slow and a gradual process, but I have noticed in myself that I do not worry as much. I do not focus as much on all the negatives that happen. When something bothers me I do not hold onto the bad feelings for as long.

God’s Word via the memorization of it has transformed my heart. I understand the words that the Psalmist wrote in these verses. I have worried about things and been in turmoil over them, but then I remember God’s Word.

I challenge you during these extended days of our “stay at home” order to memorize Scripture. Do something productive rather than sit and fret over all that is wrong. Focus on what you know to always be true no matter the circumstances: GOD’S WORD.

…I hope in your Words. (Psalm 119:147)

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com in The Seasons of Motherhood, 2 comments
22
Apr
2020

Are you content?

We are in our sixth week of quarantine. How are you coping? What things are you going to take away from this experience? Have you ever noticed that when a challenge or an obstacle arises it brings out your worst? There is a reason for that.

Here’s an illustration to help you understand this. Say you have a cup of hot tea. When you bump that cup of tea, what comes out of it? Tea, of course.

The same is true with us. When we have a difficult situation come into our life that is the “bump,” and what comes out is what is in our hearts.

So during this Covid-19 crises, what is coming out of your heart making itself evident in your life?

My guess is one of the top things is lack of contentment.

So what is at the heart of not being content? It is an ungrateful spirit. If we are not thankful for what we have, then it is easy to complain about everything we do have. Paul tells us in I Thessalonians 5:18 “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” No matter what the situation we are in, we should be thankful. We should even be thankful for the situation. That is the hardest thing to do, be thankful for the situation. Yet, Paul tells us in this verse to be thankful in every situation. Paul does not tell us that it will be easy, but he does tell us what to do. Be thankful in all circumstances.

During supper at my house, we have been sharing one thing we are thankful for. It has helped us to see the positives like a Zoom meeting with friends, a phone call, playing games with friends online, getting things done we didn’t have time for before, a delivery from Amazon. So many things that we used to take for granted, we now are thankful for.

I hope that this this crises is giving us a new appreciation for things that we once complained about.

Who used to dread going to the grocery store? Now, it’s our favorite thing to do.

What about going to church on Sunday? Did you barely make it in time or wish you could stay in bed longer? Now we can stay in bed till 1 minute before the service starts or we can even wake up and watch the service in our PJ’s in bed. Don’t you miss being with other believers?

How many of us wanted extra time to get some things done. Now we have that extra time to get extra things done. We might be careful what we wish for next timeJ

I would encourage you to think about what your take aways for this are going to be. Take some time (which you have) and consider what you have learned during this time.

Remember how valuable it is to have a schedule. Rather than getting to the end of your day and feeling like you accomplished nothing, arrive at the end of your day with a to-do list or a schedule with everything crossed off. I love the days I make a schedule and all that I am able to get done. I also have some days that I have a general guide to my days, but I leave a little margin in those days too. It is nice for me to have a balance of scheduled and unscheduled days. I appreciate them both more.

If you have not started finding something to be thankful for each day, start today. It will help you to become more content.

If you haven’t developed a schedule yet, start today. Set your schedule up for tomorrow and stick to it.

Don’t let this quarantine be a wasted time in your life. Make the most of your time. What is coming out when you are bumped?

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com in The Seasons of Motherhood, 0 comments
13
Apr
2020

Happy 22nd Birthday, Denise

Happy Birthday, Denise! You are an incredible blessing to our lives. It is hard for me to remember a time when I was not a Mom. The last 20+ years have been the biggest blessing in my life. I never knew that being a Mom would be so fulfilling and rewarding, and I am so thankful that God has given me the privilege to be your Mom!

I am so proud of the young lady you have become. God has sent to you many trials and you continue to grow stronger and more mature with each trial. I have never heard you complain in the midst of each trial. You just keep looking for the positives and allowing God to stretch you and grow you through them.

You have had brain surgery, two ACL repairs, and now the end of your senior year in college has been disrupted by a small little virus. You have missed out on so many things, BUT you have chosen to not let the trials dictate your response. You have chosen to continue to hope and trust in the Lord. You have chosen to make the most of each situation. You have chosen to take the negatives and make them into something positive.

I love your heart for discipleship. It shows that the love you have for God is something you want to share with those who are around you.

I love your heart for children. You love them with an unconditional love. Not just do you love them, but they love you. Kids are drawn to you.

I love to work outside with you. We seem to be able to turn any work project into something fun.

You love to work with your hands, and get them dirty. You also enjoy keeping them clean while you make something creative in the kitchen.

Your smile and laugh light up any room and bring joy to anyone’s face that hears it.

You have a heart for serving our Lord by serving others.

So today, on your birthday, I know that this is not the way you had planned to spend your birthday, but I hope that you see this day as you have seen all the other days that didn’t turn out quite how you thought they would. I hope you continue to see all the blessings in your life. I hope you see all the people that love you AND you feel loved and cherished. I hope that today is another day in your life that you continue to see God’s faithfulness in your life.

HAPPY 22nd BIRTHDAY, DENISE!

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com in The Seasons of Motherhood, 0 comments
01
Apr
2020

Be Thankful

How is your schedule going? Have you put one into place and started following it? Have you accomplished all those things on your “to do” list that you have always wanted to do, but never seemed to have time to accomplish? I am struggling with feeling like there are just too many things to do. Since we all seem to have extra time on our hands, I feel like there are so many different avenues that people are suggesting of things for me to do. There are webinars to watch and podcasts to listen to. The lady that I follow for my morning exercises is taking longer for my workouts, since she figures I have more time. I certainly hope I am in better shape after this is over since my workouts are going longer.

Be selective

Just like when we are able to go out and do anything we want with anyone we want, we still need to say “no” to a few things, we need to practice that same principle. We still do not have to do everything. We must enjoy this time of not having a packed schedule and enjoy the things we are doing rather than rush through them. Just because we are getting suggestions from everyone to do everything does not mean that we have to say “yes” to these things. Make your schedule and be selective at what you say “yes” to. We have had the privilege of having our oldest daughter and her husband here with us for an extended period of time. Rather than go about a regular routine of all the chores and work that I could get done, I have enjoyed spending time with them playing games, watching movies, going on walks, making food together, working on a puzzle together, etc.  What a joy to make these extra memories together.

Be intentional with others

During our normal days, we often let our schedule dictate who we spend time with. Now that our schedules look different, we need to be intentional in reaching out to people. Call friends and family members you wouldn’t normally communicate with on a regular basis and check-in with them and see how they are doing. I am sure a conversation with someone new will brighten and cheer both of your days. Get out the stationary out and write someone a letter. The post office is still running. The postal delivery workers practice social distancing routinely in their jobs as they are out delivering your mail.

 Spend time in prayer and Bible Study

The most important thing we need to do during this time is to spend time praying and reading God’s Word. We need to be praying as a nation that this virus will cease to spread and those that are infected with it will recover. We need to be praying for the leaders of our country to make wise decisions regarding our health and how to stop the spread of this virus. We need to be praying for each other that we would learn through this experience rather than get angry and resentful over it.

Be thankful

Every day we have a choice to be thankful for the events in our days or to grumble and complain about them. As a family since this has started, we have been sharing one thing at dinner every night that we are thankful for. Yesterday was my birthday. Before all of this started, I was going to be home alone for my birthday. I was so happy yesterday to be able to share my birthday with my family than be home by myself. If I could pick, I would rather that my daughters be at college and my daughter who is a senior be able to continue her senior year at college as normal. However, since that is not part of God’s plan, I am thankful that yesterday was filled with such love and joy and memories with my family.

With every difficult and challenging situation, we must find the things to be thankful for rather than grumble. We must be sure to enjoy our days and not fill them to overflowing with too many things. Enjoy each day, don’t rush through it. Be sure to spend time reading God’s Word and praying.

“If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (II Chron. 7:14)

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com in The Seasons of Motherhood, 0 comments