Being "Clothed with Humility" - Random Journal Day Update

It is Random Journal Day again...the first Friday of the month, when several of us here in the blogosphere randomly choose a journal entry from our past...and dare to share it with you. (Click HERE to read what blogger Wendy Roberts is sharing today as our featured writer.) 

So I thumbed back through some old stuff, and discovered this previous post from one of my old journals.  Interestingly, it also coincides with Easter. I offer it to you again today as my Random Journal offering for this month.  (Originally Posted  8/3/10, but written many years previously)


I Peter 5:5 "....Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for 'God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.'"

Proverbs 16:19 “Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.”


Back in the early days of our ministry it seemed that our finances were always a bit tight. I won’t say that we were ever destitute, for God would not allow that to happen. But we always had to watch our spending very closely. However, the pastor’s wife is often called upon to perform certain duties and to attend functions where she needs to look her very best. I have always bristled at the thought that a minister’s wife shouldn’t have stylish clothes or nice things. I’ve seen too many pastors’ wives having to make do with other people’s hand-me-downs or homemade outfits that looked homemade. And then when they do buy something really nice, they are criticized for not being very frugal, and putting on "airs"...  

"The Dress"
Funny...Today it would probably be
considered very stylish!

I’ve been the recipient of many such “gifts” in the past myself, and I have always graciously accepted those gifts outwardly, but oftentimes inwardly have groaned that I would have to wear that thing or someone would have their feelings hurt! On one such occasion a dear relative brought me a dress purchased at a thrift store thinking that I should wear it for Easter. Not only was the dress terribly out of style, but the bright flashy flowered print was just more than I could bear. However, I knew there was no way out since that particular relative would be spending Easter Sunday with us. I carefully made a few alterations to the dress and picked accessories that would help to downplay its garish design. Sunday morning I proudly wore the dress to church, much to the pleasure of the benefactor, and I actually received several sincere compliments from people at church. When I realized how much it pleased my relative to see me wearing something he had chosen for me with love, it helped me to put aside my feelings of pride and truly appreciate the gift and the giver.

Not long after this occasion, a couple from out of state was passing through our town and came to visit at our little church. They were friendly, but did not hang around very long after the service. That week I received in the mail a gift of $25.00 cash (a lot of money to me at that time!) with a note attached saying that I was to use that money to purchase a new outfit for myself and not to use it for my children or any other purpose! By the names signed on the note, I knew it was from the couple that had passed through earlier in the week, but there was no address or any way of contacting them to thank them. Even as I write this now many years later, I can only say thank you to the Lord, and pray that He will bless those dear people for their generosity and encouragement shown to me that day! And yet, I am reminded to also thank the Lord for the ones who gave what they could, even if it wasn’t something brand new, but yet it was given with just as much love and thoughtfulness.

“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

How about you? What are some of the lessons in humility you've learned throughout the years?
And, what are some of the ways God has supplied all of your need during times of leanness...which may be right now for some of us...?  Sometimes we just need to stop and think about it...and then remember to say, "Thank you, Lord!" 

The Condition of the Heart - (Updated 9/29/13)

(Originally written 2/27/10...one of my very first blog posts)

Proverbs 12:25: "Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad."

Proverbs 14:30: "A sound heart is life to the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones."

Proverbs 15:13: "A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.

Proverbs 17:22: "A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones."

Nowadays the grocery stores are full of "heart-smart" foods, and there is much emphasis on being "heart-smart"....in other words, eliminate cholesterol and fat from your diet, eat properly, exercise regularly, and take care of your heart! I recently had my cholesterol checked, and discovered that is was much higher than it ought to be. Of course, when we get over the age of fifty, nearly everything is higher than it ought to be...weight, blood pressure, body-fat composition, our unpaid bills...etc. About the only thing that isn't as high as it ought to be is our bank balance!

This is me with my oldest son, off on a morning walk to try and get back in
shape!  (9/28/2013)  The blaze orange vests are because hunting
season is starting and we don't want to be mistaken for deer. 

But back to the heart...as I read over the above Proverbs, I had to agree with the writer in every situation...the condition of my heart has a lot to do with the attitude of my heart. If we have anxiety in our hearts, we will become depressed...but when someone shares a word of encouragement with us, or we read in God's Word His encouraging words, it helps to dispel our anxieties and depression. Our fears are taken away, and our countenance changes to joy. Likewise, if we have envy or jealousy in our hearts, we become bitter and critical of others. We begin to complain about the "breaks" that others seem to get, while we suffer away, stuck in our little mundane world of mediocrity. It does become like rottenness inside of us, eating away at our hearts and making us very unpleasant people to be around. A broken spirit is not really a positive thing in this particular instance. Certainly we are not to have a haughty and proud spirit either, but what I believe is being referred to here is a spirit that is so defeated and cast down that the person just cannot or will not overcome it. We begin to literally dry up, shrivel up, if you please, and are no longer able to maintain a cheerful countenance. Our faces become permanently fixed into a frown, and it looks as if the whole face would crack if we tried to smile!

Have you truly looked at yourself in the mirror lately? What did you see? A cheerful face? A person ready to face the new day with joyous anticipation...or with dread and anxiety? Is it easy to smile at yourself in the mirror and laugh at your crows' feet that are appearing...or is there a frown that just won't go away, even with a concerted effort? Often when I am going through some difficult trials, I find that my face actually beings to hurt. The jaws become sore and painful from clenching my teeth and grinding them in my sleep. My jowls begin to droop, and my lips turn downward in a tight frown. The space between my eyebrows becomes tightly furrowed and compressed, and my eyes tend to squint and tighten. Then when I even try to smile, it actually is painful. The muscles won't cooperate because they have been forced in the other direction too long. By the sorrow of my heart, my spirit is broken. By the envy I feel for others, my bones begin to ache and rot. They actually feel like they are dry and cracking. My heart becomes heavy with depression because of my anxiety, and I no longer feel the joy of living. It's quite an ugly picture, I agree.

What can be done to bring back the joy...the merry heart, and the cheerful countenance? Must I just wait until the trial is over, or can I experience joy in the midst of sorrow? First, I must determine the source of the sorrow...is it self-induced by envy, needless anxiety, bitterness, fear? If so, I need to get to the root of the trouble. If there is unconfessed sin, confess it. If there is unforgiveness, forgive. But if the trial is brought on by the fact that you are who you are, a servant of God, then cast your care upon the Lord...know that He cares for you (I Peter 5:7) "Rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy."(I Peter 4:13)

And SMILE!  :)

Let your heart become a good medicine to bring back the cheerful countenance and dispel the gloom! Remember, God is able!

"How Deer You!"- Part V

Psalm 18:32-33 “It is God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of deer, and sets me on my high places.”

Living in this part of Ohio would definitely prove to have it’s own challenges for our family. Not long after starting our work at the New London church, we were returning home one starry night following the evening service. Our ride home took us through the country, which was primarily farmland and woods. We had been warned by our parishioners to always be on the look out for deer crossing the road just after dark. The only thing about being warned about the deer is that it makes you aware that they could possibly leap out in front of your vehicle without warning at any time, however, there really isn’t a whole lot you could do about it if they did, except hope that you can stop in time.

We found this out the hard way on that moonlit night. As we drove our way home, with the boys sitting snugly in the back seat of our station wagon, suddenly off to our left we caught a glimmer of the eyes of a deer shining in our headlights.  Unfortunately she was already into her leap across the road as she followed her mate who had already crossed before we came into view. It was too late to miss her as she leaped right into our headlights and then bounded on into the ditch alongside the road. We stopped immediately, and could see her lying in the ditch, obviously wounded, but still alive. One look at the front end of our car, and we realized that we would not be going any farther that night. Of course the boys were startled and upset and started crying and worrying about the poor deer. Fortunately none of us was hurt. Someone stopped and said they would go call the Highway Patrol, and so we waited. Finally the State Trooper arrived, and evaluated our situation. He called a wrecker truck to tow our car, and then privately asked my husband if we would like to have some venison for our freezer. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a freezer, and besides, we really didn’t have the heart to tell the children that the deer wasn’t going to make it. The State Trooper said he would “take care of the deer” after we left. The tow truck driver packed us into the cab of his truck and took us home. The next day we had to make arrangements to find something to drive back and forth to seminary while our car was being repaired.

Just when we thought everything was running smoothly in our lives, we were reminded in I Peter 5: 8 that:

“…The devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

But the next verse tells us to “resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” (Verse 9). And it was comforting to see in the verse previous to these that we should (verse 7) “cast all your care upon Him (God), for He cares for you.”

We were to be reminded of these verses many times in the months and years to come. We had entered upon the battlefield of the Lord, on the very front lines, and sometimes the battle would get quite heated and treacherous. But God was always there, caring for us in the midst of the battle.

In Psalm 91:14-16 God says of His servant, “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him, I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.”

Thank you, Lord, for your protection over our family so many many times in the past and even now still in the present.  We've had a lot of "close calls", but You have remained faithful to Your Word.  Help us to remain faithful to YOU. Amen.