Success and Failure Blog

I would guess that my actions meet with disapproval at times when I choose to go out of my way to “cater” to my son. I imagine that observers are asking themselves, “Why does a young adult man who is marginally contributing to the family, get the same treatment I get when I do so much more?” I counter this imagined question with my own answer, “unmerited favor.” That favor is extended to each of my children. Now that they are grown and becoming more and more independent it brings me joy when they ask me to do something for them. They don’t always get it but, I do not keep a ledger of “who deserves what”. Who knows that may be what keeps them from coming to me more.

1John1:8-9 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin, and cleans us from all unrighteousness. IJohn:8-9 KJV

Today it so happened that my Bible reading was 1John1:8—9 . The picture that came to mind as I read this was changing diapers. I remembered how I changed my babies and cleaned them every time they dirtied their diapers. No matter how many times a day, season after season, I changed them and cleaned them. I didn’t keep track of how many times I had to change and clean them either. (According to the National Association of Diaper Services, that is over 70 Diapers in a week). I think by the third child I realized that learning to use the potty had more to do with how much they wanted to imitate me and their siblings than it did any disapproval or approval from me. According to the Center for Effective Parenting, toilet training is process, that has more to do with a childs readiness, than any battle of the wills. But regardless I am surely not using the fact that I changed and cleaned and cared for my children as babies , as a reason to call in favors or good behavior from them.

In a small way that is how I see the unmerited favor in which God is faithful to forgive us our sin and cleans us from all unrighteousness. Sin is something I am going to do, and it stinks who am I kidding? But, no matter how many times I soil myself, God is willing to clean me off and give me a kiss on the head and a pat on the bottom and send me on my way. I can remember as a toddler, having an “accident” and being old enough to “know better” I tried to hide my soiled clothes…DISASTER. What was different …shame. Maybe that is a reason Jesus tells us that we are to be like little children…Willing to be washed clean!

Phil Reinders had a similar article entitled, “Changing Diapers as an act of Love“. I came across after writing this piece and found it to be worth checking out.

Did you ever consider that Jesus was bullied? Oh, yes, the Pharisees and Saducees – religious leaders of His day – couldn’t stand Him. This was really tough because he was, is, and always will be God. (John 1:1, 14; 10:30; etc.)

Jesus told Peter he could call down 10,000 angels to destroy the world when he was taken away to be crucified. But, He didn’t. Why not? Well, obvioulsy, He came to die for our sins, be buried, and rise again the third day. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4, etc.) His death was a punishment for our sins – He took that for each one of us. (1 Cor. 5:21)But, there’s another, special reason.

that reason is that He loves us. The recent incident at Rutgers, along with the deaths of various high school students, show there is a terrible problem.

Excellent resources for dealing with bullying, both in stopping the bullies and heling victims, have been found, such as this handy list of ways to cope. There is one other thing to consider before things get that bad, for those who are victims of bullying.

Students bully others for different reasons, as is noted in the last link above. However, one thing that everyone needs is to hear and see unconditional love.

First, for victims, you are loved no matter what by God. However, unless you trust Him forgive you for your sins, as mentioned above, you can’t have a relationship with Him. That is because yall of us have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) The wages of sin – what we earn because of our sin – is death, separation from God’s perfect love forever in a horrible place of suffereing. But, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23) That gift is received by faith alone, in Christ alone and what He did for us on the cross. (Romans 10:9-10, Ephesians 2:8-9)

One you receive Jesus Christ as your Savior, invite Him into your heart, and you will be made a new creature on the inside. (2 Corinthians 5:17) Jesus Christ will come to live in you and work in your heart to make you mroe like Him.

Then, He will help you through everything. He promises “In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) the Gospel of John is a great place to start out reading and learning more about Him.

In the meantime, He can also help you to have peace when others are mean. He has been through everything similar to what we face today. he didn’t have video games, but he had games, for instance.

You can have peace, then, that He will see you through. He can see anyone through anyone. He will also give you courage to say “I love you in Christ” to those who dislike you.

That is important, because you will then have the Lord in you, and He can help you help them to change, bit by bit, simply by showing Christ’s love for them. And, by using the power of prayer to change things.

Bullies must realize that there is unconditional love for them out there. They dont’ have to put others down to be special to God, becuase He is grieved any time someone feels hated. The bullies must break the bad habits early by learning to gather things like the Fruits of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, etc..

See, wanting power and control over someone is wrong. it’s what the devil does. And, when we try to control others for selfish purposes, we are letting the devil control us.

Instead, we need to realize the freedom being in Christ gives us. God’s Word, the Bible, promises “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)

This, by the way, is also excellent advice from someone in a relationship (marriage, boyfriend/girlfriend/whatever) where they are being bullied. God has given you the power to end that controlling nature of the devil. When the Bible speaks of Jesus “leading captivity captive,” it isn’t just talking about letting captives free who are prisoners for crimes. Many times, we imprison ourselves or allow others to imprison us. But, Jesus holds the key to escape.

The key to escape is *not* by leaving this world, though it will be when God calls us home someday. The key to escape is a spiritual one. it involves being free from being bullied or from being a bully. instead, God let’s us learn to form relationships based on mutual love adn trust.

The first key is to draw close to others, ask the Lord to help you and your family become closer to each other express your feelings more through words. If you can’t with them, find friends who are willing to listne. But first, if you are a bully, you must trust the Lord to help you do this.

It might be hard, if people have let you down so much. But, all it takes is one little smiden of faith. And, that starts by realizing that God is not a man, that He should lie. God is the one who made this world and everything, including you. He loves you.

However, thousands of years ago, sin was brought into the world through disobedience. People followed the devil and his ways of controlling, and lusting after the flesh.

God will one day punish all sin, and it will be thrown in a lake of fire to burn forever. perhaps you would like to see others there, becuase people have been mean to you. But, remember, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We’re not perfect. If we don’t form that perfect, unconditional loving relationship with God, we will die in our sins and go to that horrible place where sin will be punished.

God loved each of us, though – He doesn’t want you to go there. he is pleading with all who red to turn to Him before it is too late.All it takes is a single, sincere prayer of repentence int he Lord Jesus. Just talk to God, and: Admit you’re a sinner, that you fall short of His perfect love. Believe that Jesus Christ, God in flesh, died for your sins and rose fromt he dead; He took your punishment becuase you can’t get to Heaven on your own. And, Choose to repent and receive Him as your Savior, inviting Him into your heart to save you from your sins and forgive you, and to make you new ont he inside.

And, please, go out and share that Godly love with others, showing them a change. Becuase, when people see changed lives, they will believe there is a difference. That will be having a positive impact,a nd taking control by letting God use you in positive way. You will be spreading true, unconditinoal love around.

And, this world needs so much mroe love. Not just shallow, physical love, but deep, intimate, personal love. he can help you have that, if you only trust Him.

God gives us children to teach us lessons! I have learned from watching, listening, supervising, and trying to teach little children.  Sometimes what I learn is that I am not the smart person in the room.

I believe God sends us little children who will challenge us.  They bring us back down from our pedestals, put us back in touch with our emotions, and help us remember what it is like to be young.
One of the ways God touches us is through the little visitors He sends our way during the summer.  To us, it may be just a brief stop in our daily routine, an interruption, something dreaded, or maybe just a way for us to connect with the adults who accompany the little children.  For the children it is something much more, or at least it can be if you allow it.  Summer is a time for fun and adventure.  Little children crave this break in the routine of life.  They embrace the visits to family unknown or family hardly seen.
Will you ruin the visit for them or help make it one of the memories of a lifetime?  God can speak to us through those inquisitive little minds, those seemingly endless questions and insatiable curiosities.  He can even speak to us through those who try every nerve in our minds and bodies!
Little children need us to guide them, teach them, help them, and especially to provide that awesome treat of summer fun they may only have that one chance in life to grasp and enjoy.
Make this the summer you decide to be the relative the little summer visitors will remember with a smile for the rest of their lives, however long or short that may be.

Was it a dream or a nightmare?  Was it a vision of some sort? Did it really happen?  I do not know.  I only know that the event and all the things that I am about to describe to you seem as real to me now in the day light as they did in the darkness.  I imagine it was all a dream, but I feel the reality of it in the deepest crevices of my heart and soul.

It began in a large white area that reminded me of a hospital.  It was immaculately clean and more tranquil than any hospital I had ever been in or visited.   I peered inside through a large gate with intricate and ornately designed carvings and emblems.  I saw a very tall man.  I don’t really think it was a man.  It was a very tall and broad creature with masculine features and a beauty that is not usually found in men.  He sort of floated or glided to the gate and opened it to let me in. He went back to where he had been and motioned for me to follow.  I did, with shaking knees and goose bumps on my arms. It was a strange eerie feeling that I felt in this place.  As I got closer to where to man stopped, I noticed that the entire area was filled with little clear cases or cube like carriages.   Each case had a teeny tiny little being inside.  Some were too small and fragile to even be seen with the human eye.  For each of them there was one or more attendants or care givers.  These care givers smiled as they saw me and smiled at the little beings as they handled them and cared for them and I could tell that the attendants shared special strength and a wonderful love with the little ones in the cases.  I could feel that the little beings were weak and that the smiling care givers helped them and gave them continual strength and that strength seemed to compound and accumulate the longer I stood there nearby watching.  The tiny beings looked almost identical to infant children.  They varied in size and shape and there were so many.  There were billions upon billions, at the very least.  For as far as I could see, this area was filled with the small clear cases and the little, innocent beings inside.

The man that had let me spoke to me with out opening his mouth.  He asked me to follow him and to take still a closer look.  I was led quickly on the man’s heels by my growing curiosity.  As we approached the first row of clear cases I saw that each little one had a name written beautifully on their case.  Each one had jewels and intricate designs upon it.  The cases were bright and shiny and they shimmered and so did the little ones inside.  They glowed! How beautiful, I thought.  The man spoke again.  This time he spoke aloud.  “Gently touch your fingers to this case”, he said, pointing with one long finger to a nearby case.  I did, and as my fingers touched a story began to unfold to me.  It was the story of the one inside.  It was a male child.  He was to become a medical scientist and discover the cure for cancer.  He was also to be a big brother, husband and father.  He would have been loved by many and he would have made a difference in the lives of others.

I touched many cases at the man’s command.  Each one told another story. I heard stories of love and purpose and stories of things that should have been and never were.  I heard stories of the one’s who would have saved people from burning buildings, traveled and made great discoveries, invented interesting and invaluable creations.  I learned of loving relationships that never formed and miraculous deeds of bravery and thoughtfulness that would never get to be done.  I even saw great triumphs for both humanity and in the kingdom of God and in heaven.

“Why”, I asked? “Why can’t these little babies do all of those great things?”  My heart was heavy and tears overflowed like a waterfall from deep within me.
The man did not answer me.  Instead he said, “Now, take my hand.”  When my hand went into his I saw the most terrible thing yet.  I saw one of those sweet, innocent babies growing comfortably within their Mother’s womb.  I could feel everything that the little baby felt.  I felt its tiny heart beat, small and low.  I felt the growth of strength in its little body.  I felt the safety and security of being there.  It was so warm.  It was so restful.  It was so very peaceful.  Then without warning I felt the Mother’s heart beat escalating and I heard loud but muffled voices.  It was all happening so fast.  The baby was startled awake from a wonderful dream.  Then some kind of machine came into the darkness.   The loud device entered the secret places inside the womb and began to devour the little baby.  I felt the baby’s pain.  Terrible, it was just awful.  It was too terrible to describe with words.  I felt a great pressure and an inner pain that surpassed that of the physical pain.  I felt the little baby’s sadness and all the hurt from of betrayal.  I felt the life being jolted away from the baby!   The baby’s life was stolen!
The baby was snatched!  It was too painful!

I pleaded with the man.  “Please make it stop!”  I tried to wrench my hand out of his hand but the man did not let go.  The terrible thing was still happening.  The little baby was so sweet and although the thoughts were not in words like our thoughts come to us, the baby had thoughts.  It wanted to say something, but there were no words or any way for the baby to speak.  It wanted to cry out for help, and for comfort but it could not cry.  The baby was so helpless to save itself and I found myself wishing and praying that there was something-anything I could do.  I watched helplessly as the hopes, dreams and opportunities to live and achieve and love and laugh were stolen too. Now the little baby had no more thoughts.  There were no more sweet dreams or hopes.  There were no tears and there was no more life in that womb. There was nothing more than emptiness and darkness, and the little baby was destroyed and discarded as nothing.

“What can I do’, I cried?  “Please just tell me!   What can I do?”  I heard no answer and I felt my hand being released.  I unclenched my eyes and slowly opened them. I was back in the area where all the little cases or baby carriages were at.  I don’t know why I had not noticed it before.  It was so quiet.  Not one baby whimpered or cried.  Other than my own, not one cry came from this place.   I now saw many attendants coming and going with many more aborted children, ministering to them, loving them and caring for them.  I now recognized them to be angels of God.  I was in heaven!  I looked for the angel that had let me in and could not find him anywhere.  Then, I looked and saw Jesus.  I saw the scars that the nails had left in His hands.  I saw the love in His eyes as He looked at me.  I heard love in His voice as He spoke, “You must be a voice for the unheard cries.”

The writing above is fiction and did not actually happen.  I just wanted to bring important attention to a very important issue. It is terrible to know how many children are aborted.  The reality is far worse than any nightmare.  The facts are startling!  According to bound4life an estimated 46 million abortions happen every year all over the world, (1 baby is killed every 2 seconds) and approximately 50 million babies have been aborted in the United States since 1973. There are many other numbers and statistics but one of the most upsetting is that the reason for 98% of all abortions is reportedly personal choice or inconvenience.

Scriptures that support the fact that unborn babies or fetuses are living children:

Psalm 139:14 (New International Version)

¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Genesis 25:23 (Amplified Bible)

23The Lord said to her, [The founders of] two nations are in your womb, and the separation of two peoples has begun in your body; the one people shall be stronger than the other, and the elder shall serve the younger.

Job 31:15 (Amplified Bible)

15Did not He Who made me in the womb make [my servant]? And did not One fashion us both in the womb?

Jeremiah 1:5 (Amplified Bible)

5Before I formed you in the womb I knew [and] approved of you [as My chosen instrument], and before you were born I separated and set you apart, consecrating you; [and] I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.

Psalm 139:13 (Amplified Bible)

13For You did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother’s womb.

God creates us very carefully and with great thought and love for us.  We are made special by God’s own design. Even before we are born, God has created us for a purpose.  God knows our future even while we are still inside the womb.  God fashions us all from within the womb.  God forms us and knows us and approves of us before we are born.  God has great plans for us even before we are born. God creates us both inside and out and we are alive at the time of conception.  From the moment we are conceived God is at work creating us according to His plan for us.

If you are pregnant or know someone that is pregnant and considering having an abortion, please seek help in making a good decision before aborting your unborn child.  Please know that the child you carry inside of you may be small but that child is alive and God has plans for every child before they are even conceived in the womb and born into this world.   God loves you and that little unborn baby very much.  There is nothing too difficult for God.  He will help you and see you through.

Please pray for the unborn children.  Please join me and be a voice for the unheard cries.

May your life be blessed and a blessing in Christ Jesus.