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“We have to get on that flight!”

The desperation in the woman’s voice tore my attention away from my mindless searching of the Internet while I waited for my plane to board. I was on my way home after a quick trip to Boston to surprise my mother for her 83rd birthday. I was tired, but looking forward to finishing the last leg of my journey. As I blatantly eavesdropped on the conversation one gate over, I realized I wasn’t the only one eager to get on a plane.

The passenger continued to plead with the ticket agent, but she just shook her head. “I’m sorry ma’am, but the gate is closed,” She explained. “I made multiple announcements and even paged you by name, but you never came. Now it’s too late.”

“But we’ve been sitting right over there the whole time. How could we have not heard the announcements?” the woman asked, anger beginning to replace the desperate tone she’d had earlier.

“I don’t know, but I can’t do anything for you now,” the agent replied, reaching for the gate’s door, obviously eager to escape this uncomfortable situation.

“Thanks for all your help,” the woman snarled, sarcasm dripping from every word, before storming off, her husband in tow. They’d been in the right place the whole time, but they’d still missed their flight.

What about you? Are you in the right place, but still missing God’s call? You’ve been a lifelong Christian, faithfully ensconced in your favorite pew each Sabbath, active in church activities, but have you grown too comfortable, drowsy perhaps, unaware of the time?

Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:42, “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.” (KJV)

The lady in the airport missed her flight because she wasn’t keeping watch, wasn’t paying attention. How about you? The signs of the times are everywhere. Are you keeping watch or is your heart “weighed down with…cares of this life,…so that day come upon you unawares”? (Luke 21:34 NKJV)

Right now God is calling your name, warning time is short, that it’s time to get onboard, but are you so wrapped up in “life” you’re missing the chance to really live?

It’s time to wake up my friends! It’s time to look up from your cell phones, and all the other things distracting you, and realize Jesus’ coming is “near, even at the doors.” (Matthew 24:33 KJV).

Time is slipping away. The gate is about to close. Don’t wait a moment longer. Get on board. Don’t be left behind!

“Sir, I’m going to need you to put your mask up over your nose.”

As I spoke I tried to keep the irritation out of my voice, but I was growing tired of having to remind my patients of the mask policy at our clinic. Some of them just couldn’t seem to get it.

“Now my blood pressure is really going to go up,” he groused before grudgingly sliding the mask back up into proper position. “I’ve got a big problem with these masks,” he complained.

Apparently he had a big problem with a lot of things, because he then launched into a litany of complaints about the government and the mess this country is in.

After listening to him ramble on for a while, I excused myself to go check on his lab results. Shutting the door, I stepped out in the hall and took a deep breath. The man was getting on my nerves!

As I passed the nurses’ station, I did a little grousing of my own to my medical assistant. “This guy’s a grumpy old man,” I complained, before reluctantly heading back to finish the visit.

In the exam room, I tried to redirect the conversation to some lifestyle factors I had concerns about. When I mentioned these things put him at risk for cancer, he looked startled and said, with a catch in his voice, “My mother’s got cancer. She’s in the hospital right now.”

Suddenly, everything fell into place. This man whom I’d labeled a “grumpy old man” was actually grieving and scared. In his pain he was striking out at anything and anyone. His anger and frustration were really a cry for help.

I left that room a few minutes later feeling ashamed. I’d judged this man without knowing about him, put a label on him without knowing his heart. I’d been ready to write him off, without first walking in his shoes. I call myself a Christian, but at that moment “Pharisee” felt like a more appropriate term.

Ephesians 4:2 tells us, “Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.”

We all have bad days and each day we come in contact with others who are having bad days too. They rub us the wrong way, get on our nerves, make us want to scream. It’s easy to label them, when what we really need to do is love them, be patient with them, and make allowance for their faults.

You see the thing is, we don’t know their story. We don’t know what makes them act that way. We can’t feel their pain or know their despair. We’ve never walked in their shoes. Until we do we need to give them a little grace, the benefit of the doubt, and maybe a moment of our time to just let them vent.

Who knows? If we take the time to listen we may discover inside some of these “grumpy old men” there are hurting souls just needing a listening ear and to know that they are loved.

I woke up this morning feeling very blessed. It’s Mother’s Day and, when it comes to mothers, I hit the jackpot! My mother is one of those women who makes everyone around her feel special and loved, most of all her children. She is one of the most caring, giving people I know and I’m so proud to call her “Mom”.

If I were to tell you all the ways I’ve been blessed by being Mom’s son I’d have to write a book, instead of just a blog post. Even then I still would have just scratched the surface. Mom has been my guide, my comforter, my confidant, my conscience, my example, my cheerleader and my friend. She gave me life, guided my steps, wiped away my tears, and celebrated my successes.

One of the things I admire most about Mom is her faith in God. Mom doesn’t just talk about her faith – she lives it! Her kindness, her positive attitude, the way she cares for others, always putting others’ needs above her own, all stem from her faith in God. This faith was planted in her heart by her mother, Lois, and continues to grow in Mom, blessing everyone she meets. It was her faith which got Mom through Dad’s passing 2 years ago and it is what sustains her everyday, in spite of the aches and pains that come with being in her 80’s.

Of all the things Mom has given me through the years, it is this faith in God I cherish most. Like Timothy, that faith, “which first lived in my grandmother Lois and in my mother Yvonne,…now lives in me also.” (2 Timothy 1:5 NIV – paraphrased). It is the glue that holds me together when my world falls apart, the foundation on which I’ve built my life, and the hope that keeps me looking forward to tomorrow.

This faith can be yours too. Even if you didn’t hit the jackpot when it comes to mothers, you still have a Heavenly Father who loves you. In fact, He loves you so much “he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16).

No matter what comes your way, God will never leave you or forsake you. Even if your own mother has forgotten you He says, “I will not forget you.” (Isaiah 49:15) Instead, He promises, “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you…” (Isaiah 66:13).

Faith is a gift. It lived in my grandma and still lives in Mom and now in me. I pray it will also live in you. Today put your trust in Jesus, have faith in God and discover for yourself a love stronger than even that of a mother for her child, a love that will never let you go!

Happy Mother’s Day!

Do you have a happy place? For me, I’m happiest curled up on the couch with a good book, hiking through a beautiful mountain meadow, or anywhere I can be with Ana. It is in those places I feel truly happy, content with my life.

Unfortunately, none of us get to spend enough time in our happy places. Life is so busy, so filled with demands on our time, there is little time to steal away, to go where we feel content and happy.

Often we find ourselves in circumstances or places not of our choosing, about as far as we can get from our happy place. It might be a job we hate, a marriage that’s gone sour, or something else entirely. We feel desperate, longing for a way out, for just a few precious moments in that happy place where we feel at peace.

The Apostle Paul often found himself in difficult situations, far from any place you and I would call happy. In 2 Corinthians 11 he details just a little of what he’d gone through. He says, “Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move.” (vs. 24-26).

Persecuted, imprisoned, hungry, thirsty, “in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from…fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers”, Paul seemingly had every reason to be unhappy. Yet, instead, he confidently declares, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation.” (Philippians 4:12 NIV). How could he say this? What was this secret he’d found?

I think Paul had discovered the same thing Abraham had found long before him, that “the happiest place on earth for him was the place where God would have him to be.” (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 126). You see what Abraham knew and what Paul learned was our happy place is not really a place, it is a Person, it is Jesus. When we are with Jesus we can be the happiest people on earth, no matter what our circumstances may be.

This coming week, when you feel the pressure building and you long to escape to your happy place, remember that place is right where you are, if you’re where Jesus wants you to be. Keep holding onto His hand and you’ll soon discover when you’re walking with Jesus every place you go is a Happy Place.

Recently, faced with a difficult choice, I decided I needed some help, so I made an appointment with a coach. I’d never gone to a coach before and I wondered if it would just be a waste of time. Turns out it was the best thing I could have done.

My coach didn’t tell me what to do. Mainly she just listened, asking a question here and there and sometimes offering a suggestion. The thing was, as I talked and she listened, I found all the pieces coming together and the answer to my dilemma slowly became clear. Just having someone listen to me helped me be able to listen to myself better, allowing me clarity to make the right choice.

I think sometimes the greatest gift you can give another person is just to listen to them for awhile. Don’t offer advice right off the bat, don’t interrupt, and definitely don’t judge. Just listen. Quiet your own soul, still the voice that wants to tell them what to do, and just be there for them. The time may come when they want your input, but for the moment what they really need is just to be heard.

Our natural tendency in these situations is to jump right in with what we think is the answer to their problem. In coaching this tendency is called the “Righting Reflex”. Our intentions are good, but our approach is all wrong. We care about them, so we want to fix them, but if we try to give them advice without hearing them out and learning the facts we often do more harm than good. This is why Solomon warned, “To answer before listening— that is folly and shame.” (Proverbs 18:13 NIV).

The thing is, more often than not, they already know the answer to their problem. They just need someone to let them get it all out in the open so they can figure it out on their own.

So, the next time someone asks to speak to you, take the advice in James 1:19 and “be quick to listen, slow to speak”. In other words, shut up and listen! You’ll be giving them just what they need and, who knows, you just may learn something yourself!

Several years ago I started work at a new medical practice. Like with any new place there was some adjusting as I got to know the staff and my new supervising physician, Pete. Thankfully, Pete made the transition easy. Pete truly cares about people and his patients love him for it, as does his staff.

When I first joined Pete’s practice, I shared a small office with him. We spent a lot of time talking and discussing cases and I was impressed by his knowledge and his caring attitude. His enthusiasm for medicine and life in general was contagious.

Pete tends to be quite optimistic, but one day he kind of dragged into the office and announced with a moan, “Enthusiasm is low.” I don’t know what had him down, but he had a lot of responsibilities and that day must have been an especially tough one.

Pete can’t stay down for long, however. The next morning he blew into the office full of energy, clapped me on the shoulder and declared, with a smile on his face, “Enthusiasm is high!” After that I think both our days went better. It was good to have the old Pete back!

Sometimes it’s really hard to keep a positive attitude. In medicine, like in any career, there are days when it’s hard to just keep going. Everything seems difficult and when you finally get to go home you wonder if it was all just a useless waste of time.

I was feeling that way the other day. Enthusiasm was low and I was just looking forward to the day being over. That’s when I happened upon 1 Corinthians 15:58, which says, “Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.”

The key here are those words “for the Lord”. If you’re just working to make a living, striving to get ahead, to put food on the table, then it can be hard to get very enthusiastic about the everyday routine. However, if you’re working to please the One you love, the God who gave His Son so you could have eternal life, then even the smallest tasks can be a joy to do and everything has a purpose.

It doesn’t matter if it’s treating a sniffly nose, painting the side of a house, or cleaning up a kitchen, if we’re doing it for the Lord it is never useless. God can make something useful out of even the most mundane task if we’re doing it out of love for Him.

This week, when you feel your enthusiasm getting low, remember who you’re working for and determine, in “whatever you do, [to] do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31). Then, if someone asks you how you’re doing, reply, with a smile on your face, “Enthusiasm is high!”

“Should I stay or should I go?”

These words, sung by the punk rock group The Clash, kept echoing through my mind this week. I’m no fan of punk rock, but these lyrics fit the dilemma I faced perfectly.

Over the last few months I’d become disillusioned with my job at Occupational Health. It was a different type of medicine then I’d done before and I found myself increasingly stressed and anxious. I’d decided to look for something else and about 1-½ weeks ago I finally got a good offer from a local family practice group.

I should have been ecstatic, but I found myself torn. Things had improved at Occupational Health. I’d grown comfortable there and I really enjoyed working with the wonderful staff each day. Thus my dilemma. “Should I stay or should I go?”

So often in life we each face this question, in one form or another. “Should I stay at this job or move on?” “Should I stick it out with this relationship or call it quits?” “Should I stay in school or find a job?” It can be hard to know what to do, especially when the options are equally good (or bad).

In Jeremiah 29 the Israelite exiles faced this question. They were chafing under Babylon’s rule, longing to return to their homeland, but God told them instead to “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce…, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” (vs. 5, 7).

God was telling them to stay where they were, which was the last thing they wanted to hear. God sought to ease their disappointment by adding this wonderful reassurance in verse 11, “For I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” In other words, He was saying, “Trust me! I know what I’m doing.”

In my case, I decided to do just that. to trust God’s plans are the best. After talking with Ana and doing a lot of praying, I knew the right thing to do was to stay at Occupational Health. I decided to follow God’s advice to “seek the peace and prosperity” of the place God has put me to work, to “pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, [ I ] too will prosper.” I can hardly wait to see what He has planned!

You too may be facing a dilemma right now, asking yourself, “Should I stay or should I go?” If so, take it to the Lord in prayer. He promises to “instruct you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.” (Proverbs 4:11).

You may not always understand why God leads one way or another, but still “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him…” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Trust Him always – even if He tells you to “stay” when you’d much rather “go”!

I admit it. I’m basically a coward. Oh, I’ve had a few courageous moments, even one or two episodes of borderline heroism, but for the most part I am a trembling coward.

It’s not even the big things I’m afraid of, either, the running into a burning building or the standing up to a bully. No, it’s the little things that terrify me, like meeting someone new or trying something I’ve never done. I’m afraid of conflict, of censure, of being judged. Fear saps my courage and leaves me paralized. If I let it, it will steal my future. And it will do the same to you.

Fear is one of the most destructive emotions humans experience. It keeps us from realizing our full potential, builds barriers between us, and destroys bridges linking us together. Fear is the root cause for most of the conflicts throughout this earth’s history.

Fear is the reason for much of what is wrong with our society – the injustice, racism, greed, and hatred which plague our planet. We fear those who think differently, act differently, or look differently than us, and in our fear we strike out in anger and despair.

We’ve seen this played out over-and-over in the last year. Whether it was the mob storming the Capital, the racial riots in our nation’s cities, or the panicked crowds fighting for the last roll of toilet paper in our stores, it was fear that was the driving force behind their actions.

Fear is a pathogen which spreads faster than the most virulent of viruses. It feeds our insecurities, causing hoarding, arguments, lethargy and despair. In its most insidious forms fear leads to authoritarianism, racism, violence, and destruction. Fear is a virus eating away at the very fabric of society.

There is but one one antidote for this destructive virus, one vaccine which will provide immunity against its effects – Love! But not just any love – God’s love.

1 John 4:16 tells us “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” And verse 18 says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear…”

Fear doesn’t stand a chance when love takes the field. Conflict and strife flee from its presence. Love makes cowards into heroes, the greedy generous, and turns Saul’s into Paul’s (see Acts 9).

God’s love “drives out fear”, heals our wounds, gives us hope for the future. His love teaches us to “bless those who curse [us], pray for those who mistreat [us].” (Luke 6:28). It gives courage to face our fears and peace “which transcends all understanding.” (Philippians 4:7).

Are you afraid, my friend? Has fear left you paralyzed, unable to move forward, to step into your future? Do you look around you and “faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world” (Luke 21:26)? Then it’s time to turn, to turn from your fear and turn to God.

Invite God into your heart today and experience what it means to be truly loved. Let go of your fear and let love take the throne!

God bless and have a Happy Sabbath!

As I have followed the tragic events of the last two weeks I, like many of you, have looked on with disbelief and despair. What has become of this nation we all hold dear? Where have we gone wrong? And what can be done?

As I’ve considered this I have become convinced that where we have erred, both as a nation and as individuals, is in forgetting where our hope comes from. We have put our faith in human beings, ignoring God’s warning that, “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord.” (Jeremiah 17:5 NIV)

Over and over in earth’s history we’ve seen the tragic results when we trust in a man or a system of government to save us. We so easily forget that “Salvation comes from the Lord.” (Jonah 2:9). That is why Psalm 146:2 tells us, “Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save.”

I have a newsflash for you – Donald Trump is not our Savior! Neither is Joe Biden! They are mere mortals and deeply flawed ones at that, just like you and I. Like us, “When their spirit departs, they [will] return to the ground; on that very day their plans [will] come to nothing.” (Psalm 146:4).

In spite of what they may tell you, no politician can save our nation. When they die “their plans come to nothing.” All their scheming, their rhetoric, their empty promises, will blow away with the winds of time, leaving their followers bereft, disillusioned, and lost. Why? Because they have trusted “in human beings, who cannot save.”

My friends, we have but one Savior, one who can be truly trusted, whose promises never fail. He is not a politician. He is the “King of kings and Lord of lords.” His name is Jesus Christ and “salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12).

So, what should we do? Pick up any quarter and you will find the answer. There, prominently displayed on the front, are these words, “In God We Trust.” For far too long we have given mere lip service to these words. It is time for us to start walking the talk, to start living as if we truly believe what we say.

In the coming week, and in the weeks and months to come, let us not put our “trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save.” They will only disappoint and lead us astray. Instead, “Trust in the Lord with all [our] heart(s)…” (Proverbs 3:5).

God is our only hope and the only hope for our nation and our world. From this day forward, let us declare with every word we say and with everything we do it is in God, and God alone, we trust!