Human Musings

National Geographic's Picture of the Day today features mandarin ducks. I have never seen these magical creatures before. Their intricate color patterns speak to the imagination of God. Nature is an open book on God's sovereignty and His love of beauty.

Whenever I see a wonder of nature, I think of my favorite fantasy about heaven. It is based on our knowledge that God created Man in His own image. I like to think He likewise created the earth in heaven's image. God is the perfect image He originally intended for man. Heaven might be the perfect image God originally intended for the earth.

This would mean that heaven consists of breath-taking vistas and unimagined color palettes. Creatures like a lion who would lie down with a lamb will dot the landscape. Maybe dogs that don't bite or pidgeons who don't poop will be there too.

Okay, this is a pretty long stretch of the imagination. But it seems to me that this is what imaginations are for. So the next time I drive over the ridge to see blue skies and fluffy clouds, I'll go right on dreaming of how much more beautiful the view will be in heaven.

May you feel His grace today,

Gail W.

The last Word: After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. The voice I had first heard speaking said, "Come up here" . . . at once, I was in the Spirit and there before me was a throne in heaven.

Revelation 4:1, 2, NIV.

Out of the "Blue", Part III

Depression may seem like a modern day phenomenon. God’s Word tells us otherwise. A list of characters who suffered from depression reads like a who’s who in the Old Testament. We’ve already mentioned Cain as the first case of depression cited in the Bible (see Out of the Blue – Part II). Saul comes next with an evil spirit that was soothed when David played the harp. David, the man after God’s own heart describes many bouts with depression in the Psalms. How often does he mention being entangled by the cords of death? This is what real depression feels like. I speak from first-hand experience.

Clinical depression has been an on-going shadow for me through most of my life. Hence my interest in what the Bible has to say on the subject. Sadly, there are many in the Church who scoff at the notion of a biochemical imbalance. Sufferers are seen as lacking in faith and prone to blaming their upbringing for current behavior. This attitude has been a source of great anguish to me over the years. I have often minimized the extent of my suffering to avoid being misunderstood. Thus, Satan’s campaign to keep me isolated in my pain is advanced.

Look around you. Are you or others in your sphere of influence suffering in silence? If one in five adults suffer, how many share the pew with you on Sunday morning? How many are fearful of speaking their pain lest they be seen as ungrateful and unable to trust God for all their needs? God does supply all our needs; in my case, He has often done so through the care of well-trained physicians and the medications He has revealed to man. Stop by later this week for my favorite example of depression in the Bible. We’ll look at the story of Elijah, a great man crushed by depression but delivered by God.

May you feel His grace today,
Gail W.

The last Word: My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
David in Psalm 42:3, NIV.

Out of the "Blue", Part II

Note: This post is part of a short series on depression from a Biblical world view.

God created Adam and Eve to live harmoniously in the Garden of Eden. Their response to the serpent’s temptation changed all that. In judging the original sin, God spoke, “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil, you will eat of it all the days of your life” (Genesis 3:17). Man’s sentence? “Painful toil . . . all the days of your life.” The cost of sin was levied. Disease and its ultimate outcome of death entered the world.

All manner of disease now appeared in the course of humanity. Mental illness was no exception. In the story of the first family formed, we find disturbance of the mind. When God looked with favor on Abel’s offering but rejected Cain and his offering, “Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast” (Genesis 4:5).

If you trace the definition of "downcast" through its many forms in the dictionary, you will eventually come to the word “depressed”. Cain was low in spirits. He was depressed. While one can imagine that Adam and Eve suffered a similar fate, Cain’s depression is the first one specifically described in the Word of God. But his was not the last described by a long shot.

Join us for Part III of this series where we look at some of the great Bible heroes who suffered with depression. Our destination will be God's answers to this painful dilemma as expressed in His Word.

May you feel His grace today,

Gail W.

The last Word: Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death came to all men, because all sinned . . . Death reigned.

Romans 5:12, 14 (NIV).

Out of the "Blue"

Depression. The modern-day “common cold”. A word that is sometimes tossed around casually. There is confusion about being depressed versus depression. Being depressed is something you do when you step on the scales and they haven’t budged from last week. Depressed is what happens when the kids will be out of school another day due to winter weather.

Depression and other mental illnesses are a different kettle of fish. According to the Global Burden of Disease study, mental illness has a greater effect than all cancers combined. In America, suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people age 15 to 24. The Surgeon General’s office estimates twenty percent of adults are affected by mental illness.

Numbers are not just abstract facts. How many people belong to your church? For every hundred members, you can believe around twenty people are affected by mental illness. When you look around the sanctuary next Sunday, consider that one of every five may deal with the consequences of mental illness. You may very well be the one in five on your pew.

But when was the last time your pastor called a member to the prayer rail for support in their struggle with mental illness? Cancer, heart disease, strokes – these woes call for corporate prayer at first glimmer. But mental illness is a problem to keep under wraps. Please join me in the next few posts as we explore the Bible’s take on mental illness and the response God calls for from us.

May you feel His grace today,
Gail W.

The last Word: Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.
James 5:14, NIV.

Happy Monday

I know, I know - old people again. But I just can't seem to help myself.

Click here and enjoy the clip.

May you feel His grace today,
Gail W.

The last Word:
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him!
Romans 15:13, NIV.

You Go, Girl!

Old people are my favorite hobby. I found this picture over the weekend. I was just trolling through images of old people on the web. This picture sparks my imagination. It makes me wish I could sit down and feast on this woman's company.

Elders have long been a sustaining force for me. As a child, I was nurtured by my grandmother. My entire professional life has centered on elders. The folks I work with now are mostly in their nineties or above. They scoff when I tell them they are beautiful.

They are beautiful. Wrinkles on top of wrinkles, white hair, joints swollen with arthritis. It all tells a story. It is all a testament to endurance. Elders are walking pictures of history.

I love to think about the events that each one has lived through. How has the world changed in their lifetime? What great events in history did they witness firsthand? What do they know about the world that the rest of us are too young to know?

I am blessed by elders every day. What about you? How do they figure into your life? Who would love to just sit and enjoy? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter.

May you feel His grace today,

Gail W.

The last Word:

Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a life of righteousness.

Proverbs 16:31, NIV.

Strenthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear. Your God will come."

Isaiah 35: 3,4, NIV.

She's Back

Dear Friends,
I’ve been away for several months. That is another story for another day. I am so grateful to those of you who sent notes, wondering where I was and praying that I was alright. I am happy to return to Blogland. I had been waiting to dive back in when God sent me a day I could not keep to myself. I love you all and pray my words will cheer your heart.

Three years ago, my daughter Katie and I went to a doggie adoption fair at a local pet store. We met a little fellow who was half pomeranian, half cocker spaniel and 100% heart. Katie instantly fell in love with the dog. But there were two families who had already expressed an interest in him. We added our name to the list. Over the next few days, my daughter asked a dozen times, “Do you think we’ll get that dog, Momma?” I dreaded her response if the dog went to another family.

Two days later, I received the phone call that Mr. W had been found dead of a heart attack. It was a horrible day. That night, the animal shelter called, “Do you still want that dog?” It was a miracle. So at a time of great sadness, Sammy entered our lives, bringing with him a world of comfort and love. Knowing about Katie’s loss, the woman who fostered Sammy ordered a medallion for his collar. It was engraved, “Katie’s Guardian Angel.”

Six months ago, I took a new job. It was my dream job but very demanding of my time. With one daughter off to college and the other immersed in her social life, I watched as Sammy grew sadder and sadder. He stopped following me to the door in the morning. He knew he wasn’t going anywhere. He spent his days alone, whimpering in delight when anyone came home.

This would not do! Sammy had been a ray of sunshine in our lives when we needed it most. I couldn’t bear to see him so sad. Six weeks ago, I knew what I had to do. I had to find Sammy a new home where he would receive the love and attention he craved. After all the joy he had brought us, he deserved nothing less.

Finding Sammy the right home was not as simple as I had hoped it would be. I put out the word, hoping someone in my circle of friends would want him. Nothing happened. I registered him with the adoption group that first brought him to us. I took him to a doggie adoption fair. Nothing happened.

As the weeks dragged on, I was in agony. Every time I hugged and kissed Sammy, I would think, “Soon now, it will be the last time.” I prayed that God would send the right family to us and that He would do it quickly. Just when I thought I couldn’t bear another week of this, God once again showed His love through this little dog with a big heart.

Today, I met a family looking for their first dog. Their twelve year old daughter had been begging for a dog for months. The mom told me how they had agonized over the decision. She had prayed to find just the right dog. I explained that I had been praying just as earnestly for God to send Sammy a wonderful new home.

When the young girl sat down on the floor, Sammy jumped into her lap and stayed there. The girl beamed, her smile made more adorable by a gleaming set of braces. Not only had she found a dog, she had found a friend. A furry, cuddling friend with a warm tummy and plenty of kisses for her. A friend to love her unconditionally through the turbulence of passing from child to young adult.

I told the story of how Sammy had earned the medallion, “Katie’s Guardian Angel”. I explained that I believed his work with us was through. It was time for him to move on to another family in need of a loving pet. I shivered when the mom turned and said, “This is my daughter, Katie.”

So tonight, Sammy has a new home. The medallion I had thought we would keep to remember him went with him. Another Katie has found her guardian angel. Another Katie is rubbing his belly and assuring her mother that Sammy sleeping on her bed would be a good thing. As he sat in his new family’s car to go home, I joked, “Gee whiz, Sammy. You could at least muster a tear or two!” But in my heart, I was thrilled as he smiled. Without a single look back, he rode away to the next stop on his journey of love.

Tonight, two families’ prayers have been answered. God has once again revealed His mercy and His own sense of timing. While the parting is painfully bittersweet, it affirms that God is in control of all things. When we call, He answers more abudantly than we could have wished.

May you feel His grace today,
Gail W.

The last Word:
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29: 11-13.