Month: May 2020

27
May
2020

And the Peace of God…

I planted my garden this week. It is exciting to think about all the plants and seeds I planted and all the harvest we will be able to enjoy in the weeks and months to come. It is with eager anticipation, I walk out to my garden each day and look for the seedlings to emerge from the soil. Those few weeks of waiting for the seeds to appear is always a test in my patience. Will the seedlings actually appear? Once they do appear will the bugs or the deer eat them all?

There is one guarantee in this whole process. If I plant bean seeds, bean seedlings will appear. If I plant corn seeds, corn seedlings will appear.

We like to have guarantees. We like to know the outcome of things. We like control.

That is not the age that we are currently living in though, is it? Times are uncertain. The future is uncertain. We do not know exactly how this current crises will affect our health, our jobs, our economy, or our lives.

I have been looking at Philippians 4 over the last few weeks, and have been challenged in my walk with the Lord as I have meditated on these truths. I have found real encouragement in the truths of Scripture and I feel the need to share this knowledge with those of you who want to read what I learn. Thank-you for reading and learning with me.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  (Phil. 4:6, 7)

We looked last week at Philippians 4:6 and being anxious for NOTHING. The rest of the verse says we should take everything to the Lord and be thankful for it.

It is hard to be thankful for the hard situations in life: Covid-19, stay home orders, loss of job or wages, not being able to see family and friends, sickness, and even death. But yet, have you ever thought that God has given us a prescription for life?

The prescription and the result of following the prescription are given to us.

The prescription:

  1. Be anxious for Nothing
  2. But in everything by prayer and supplication-take everything to the Lord
  3. With thanksgiving
  4. Let your requests be made known to God

The result:

  1. The peace of God which surpasses all understanding
  2. Will guard your heart and your minds in Christ Jesus

 

How many of us thrive on strife? How many of us like the feeling of being anxious? God has given us the prescriptions of what we need to do so we can experience peace.

The troubles of tomorrow may not come, so why do we allow ourselves to be anxious about them?  If we do have a concern, we need to pray about it and be thankful for what God will do in the situation.

The best part of all of this is that the results are predictable. If we do what God says we will get predictable results. Just like in my garden when I plant corn seeds, I will get corn to come up. Don’t we like to know what we are going to get when we invest in something?

If we follow what God tells us to do in Philippians 4:6, we will reap the benefits that God told us about in Philippians 4:7.

Do we not want peace?

This peace is so amazing it is beyond what we can understand. We will sit back in our seats and be amazed at the peace we are experiencing because we followed God’s prescription.

The verse does not just say that we will get peace, but it also says that our hearts and minds will be guarded. What is it guarded against? If we follow the prescription, we will be guarded or protected from those feelings or thoughts of anxiety.

This result all happens in Christ Jesus.

So will you follow this prescription? No one said it’s going to be easy. Working in my garden isn’t easy, but I do so love the results. I know that there have been hard things in your life that you have done and when you finished, did you like the results?

So in the midst of all the mixed messages we are receiving daily in the news, be thankful. Pray for our leaders that they will be wise. Use these opportunities to teach your children. Show them how to live in a time of uncertainty. Then show them what the peace of God looks like.

 

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com in The Seasons of Motherhood, 2 comments
20
May
2020

Nothing

During this time of quarantine, there is conjecture by all of us. What if this happens or what if that happens? What if I get sick? What if I lose my job and cannot pay my mortgage? What if all the stores run out of toilet paper? What if we will never be able to go to a sporting event again? What if life never returns to the normal we knew before Covid-19 hit?

Have you thought all of these thoughts and considered all these things? I think many of us have thought these things, been worried about these things, and maybe even lost sleep over these questions.

I remember before 9/11 what things used to be like. Do you? I remember flying with my 2 oldest daughters by myself to visit my parents. One of them was young enough to sit on my lap and the other sat in a car seat on the plane. On the return trip, my dad came on the plane and helped install the car seat for me. Today, he would not have even been able to help me to the gate. We have adapted to these changes and now consider them common place. Those of us old enough remember life before, but we have adapted and become accustomed to the new post 9/11 normal.

So that same thing will happen to us with this crises. As things are beginning to slowly open up and life is slowly returning to “normal” we will see changes. As this is happening, will it do us any good to be anxious for the “what ifs?”

One of the verses that most of us have memorized or are familiar with is Philippians 4:6.

 

“Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication

with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

 

I like to sing. I know lines of songs, but not always the whole song. There may be a word that I hear that reminds of a song and so it prompts me to break out into song, even if I only know one line to the song. I also like to make up songs. For some reason I made up a little ditty, “Nothing plus nothing equals nothing.” And I just repeat those same words. So what does the word nothing mean? Well if you are trying to pour some water into nothing it would spill all over the floor. If you tried to drive nothing you would look ridiculous. If you tried to wear nothing, you would look like the Emperor who wore no clothes.

Nothing is nothing. What does God tell us? To be anxious for nothing. When we start living in “what if” land, is it reality? Is it an actual event or is it nothing? “What if” is not actually anything, it is nothing. So why do we worry about the “what ifs” when they are not a present reality, but rather not a thing (NOTHING).

So as situations begin to happen in our lives, what is it we are supposed to do?

First, do not be anxious about what has not yet happened because it is nothing. Who says it is going to happen? Why are you worrying about something that has not even happened yet? It might not even happen.

Second, when something does happen we must pray and thank God for what has happened and presents our request to God.

Would we ask our friends, spouse, parents, etc. “I need something, but I don’t know what it is?” We go to someone with a specific request. So we must treat God with that same type of request.

Here is my challenge for you. Take life one day at a time. We must plan, but do not be anxious about all the “what ifs” all the “nothings.”

Remember lamentations 3:22, 23 “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, hi mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

God’s mercy is what we need each day. I wrote a post about this a few weeks ago. http://www.dannadykema.com/new-morning-mercies/

Be anxious for nothing. Remember God’s mercy is new for us each and every day to help us handle the actual problem that comes our way rather than the fabricated one we tend to make up in our minds.

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

It’s Not Supposed to be This Way

In the last few weeks in our house, we have celebrated a college graduation and Mother’s Day. We have seen the governor of Michigan extend our “stay home” order until the end of May.

I have realized one thing: we all take the circumstances we are dealt and either make the most of them or long for what we want things to be.

I have been honored to watch my daughter who was supposed to graduate last Saturday handle the cards that have been dealt to her with grace and joy. There were tears and there was disappointment, but she decided to make the most of the situation. I don’t think any senior given the choice of virtual graduation or drive-thru graduation vs. the full regalia standard graduation would choose the graduation that they have been dealt this year. What I have seen along with all of you are brand new memories being made that no one else has ever made. What a unique graduating class these 2020 graduates are.

Denise, I am proud of you for standing tall and meeting the challenges of this year with grace and joy. You have had many difficult experiences in your life and you have chosen to not allow this disappointment to be “the last straw” rather you have chosen to let this disappointment be another experience of growth. Watching you go through yet another challenge in life reminds me of the following verse.

“No only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:3-5).

 

I have seen you endure and fight hard to get back in shape after brain surgery and two ACL repair surgeries. I have watched you suffer through multiple disappointments in life and seen you become more empathetic with those who suffer. You have compassion on those who are hurting. You are strong as you meet life challenges.

As we celebrate Mother’s Day, I couldn’t be more proud, Denise, to be your mom, and as I have watched my other two girls go through various trials and joys in life, I realize that God has given me a front row seat.

As a parent, God gives us these sweet ones to raise and nurture and influence for His honor and glory. What an amazing privilege. As parents, God has entrusted us with a treasure. Each one of these children that God has given to us is a special individual that God has made in His image. Each child is like a priceless diamond that God has given to us to protect and raise for Him.

As we raise our children and live each day, how will we respond to the trials of our days? How will we respond to the continued stay home order? How will we respond when we go through trials? How will we respond as our children go through trials?

Every day, our children are watching. We may not think about them watching and they do not realize they are watching, but they are.

If we want our children to face the challenges of life with courage, we must too. If we want our children to face the challenges of life with God, we must too.

So Mamas and Daddys, remember the treasure that God has given to you each and every day. Live out your faith before your children. Show them a love that is overflowing. Show them a compassion that will reflect the compassion of your heavenly Father.

Denise, I am proud of you. I am so proud of your accomplishments. This graduation and the diploma that goes along with it did not come with ease, but rather with much fight and tenacity. You have worked hard to get to this point, and as your mom I could not be more proud.

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com, 2 comments
06
May
2020

New Morning Mercies

Are you feeling discouraged over the turmoil and mixed messages we are receving regarding this Covid-19 virus and all the restrictions? We here in Michigan still have a few more weeks for our stay at home order. Now that the weather is nicer, it is harder for people to stay home, plus they have been staying home for seven weeks now. I don’t think staying at home is the worst thing for some people. For some people, the worst thing is the question of their job. Will there be a job for them to have once this is all finished. Will their unemployment run out before they go back to work? There are so many variables that some do not have the answers for.

As I was laying down for my Sunday afternoon nap, I was thanking the Lord for who He is. He is compassionate, loving, and full of grace. Then I thanked Him for His mercies “that are new every morning.” (Lamentations 3: 22, 23).  As I was drifting off to sleep, I thought “why is it that the only attribute of God that says that it is new every morning is His mercy?”

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.” (Lamentations 3:22).

“…according to the riches of His grace. Which He lavished on us…” (Ephesians 1: 8, 9)

“The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you…” (II Peter 3:9).

God’s love, His grace, and His patience are steadfast. They do not change, but God’s mercy is new every morning.

God’s mercy is new every morning not because of who God is, but because of who we are.

If we ponder for a minute the definition of mercy-God NOT giving us what we deserve-we realize that God’s mercy being new every morning has more to do with us.

It is not that yesterday’s mercies were bad or inadequate, rather it is that yesterday’s mercies were for yesterday’s troubles. Today’s mercies are for today’s troubles.

We have a tendency to look at the “what if’s” of tomorrow and try to solve those problems today. Those are tomorrow’s troubles not todays and you do not have the mercy that you need for the troubles of tomorrow.

Does that mean that we should not plan? Does that mean we should not prepare for what will come tomorrow? Absolutely not. We should plan for tomorrow and prepare for tomorrow. The farmer must prepare in the spring to harvest his crop in the fall, but he cannot bring the “what ifs” of tomorrow into today. He must plant his crop in the spring. He cannot be worried about if there will be enough rain or too much rain. That is tomorrow’s trouble and that trouble will have a fresh dose of mercy for that day.

What are you worried about? Whether you will get back to work before your unemployment runs out? Whether you will get sick with Covid-19? Whether this home restriction will ever end?

Those are tomorrow’s troubles and we should let the mercy that God will give us tomorrow take care of the trouble that will come tomorrow.

“Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life what you will eat or what you will drink nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and body more than clothing? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (Matthew 6:25, 27).

If you think about tomorrow, will worrying put food on your table? Will being anxious fix that troubled relationship? Will worrying cause you to have clothes to wear? Will being anxious add one hour to the end of your life?

God’s mercies are new every morning. If you get down to your last meal in the refrigerator, God will give you the mercy for that day when it comes. Why worry about it today? If your unemployment runs out, God will give you the mercy in that day that you need for that struggle.

Remember:

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations3:22, 23)

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com in The Seasons of Motherhood, 4 comments