#trust – Page 4 – Life in the Deep End

Trusted Teacher

March 25, 2022Vona Wilson

Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. – Jesus in the Gospel of John 15:4-5.

Jesus gives some last instructions and words of wisdom to his disciples before he is arrested. He reminds them that the time they have shared together and all that he has been teaching them has prepared them for all that is to come. There is a caveat to the work ahead. If the disciples want to be involved in what God is doing on earth, they must abide in Christ. They must stay as close to Christ as a branch is with a vine. That’s pretty close.

Abiding doesn’t mean performing for approval. A branch does not perform and then look back to see if the vine approves or not. Nor does a branch disconnect from the vine and do anything that replaces the nutrients, power, and life that the vine gives. When a branch disconnects from its vine, it eventually dies. Abiding in Christ means living in and with that connection. It is life itself, breathing in and breathing out moment by moment. It is not a program or mandate; it is a way of being alive.

There is freedom abiding in Christ. We are not alone. We do not have the world resting on our shoulders. We are in this life with Christ. We are drawing from the strength and love of the one who came to earth for us! Not to harm us, but to show us what it looks like when the love of God is fully in human form.

Jesus, our trusted teacher, came to help us experience a different way. Our trusted teacher came to save us from distorted truths and a hijacked religious hierarchy that had lost connection with God’s loving intention for our lives on earth. Jesus came to redeem all these things and to fulfill the kingdom of God on earth. What a gift our Creator gave the world – and continues to give us every day.

The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy; I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. – Jesus in the Gospel of John 10:10

We seem be in a constant stream of focusing on a group of people and literally tearing them apart with our opinions, judgements, and disappointments. We’ve seen it happen with law enforcement, teachers, doctors, nurses, and numerous other groups. A mistake by one person becomes a condemnation of everyone. An error that needs forgiveness and justice becomes a pass to never trust anyone again.

It may be that the noise of it all begins to make us think there are no trusted sources in a world that really needs wisdom to navigate through the circumstances of daily life. Hear the good news: Jesus is a trusted teacher. Jesus is the son of God; the Messiah the prophets said would come; the resurrected Christ that is with us even now. The teaching he shared while he was on earth is trustworthy. It is a teaching that sets us free. The way God continues to teach and guide us through the Holy Spirit is trustworthy. Abiding in Christ helps us remain tethered to that stream of wisdom.

I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. – Jesus in the Gospel of John 15:11

Check out more of what Jesus said by reading the 15^th chapter of John: https://bit.ly/3wT9pkf

Three simple ways to practice “abiding” in Christ right now:

Read from the Gospels several times a week or even daily. Start small. Ready for five minutes. Read a chapter. When you finish all four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), start back and begin again. We need to be reminded daily of these teachings. It provides focus and food for our spirit.
Ask God to hold you close to the vine of Christ. Simple & powerful prayers:
“God, please keep me close to Christ today”.
“Lord, help me to walk faithfully through this day.”
“Jesus, come right away; I need help!”
“Christ, you are my vine; I am your branch; let it be.”
Do one small act of kindness for someone. It can be as simple as saying, “I love you” to people in your household; taking a bouquet of spring flowers to a friend or stranger; thanking someone for their service (waiter; store attendant; co-worker; teacher; etc.); listen to the one who needs to simply say their things. Anonymous kindness strengthens the spirit. Known kindness strengthens relationships. It’s always good to intentionally be kind to others. How can you be kind to someone today?

Lord, when your ways are so different from ours, it is probably going to be hard for us to see. Please draw each of us and all of us near to you so when you teach us, we are able to comprehend. We want to abide in you, and we need you. We love you, Lord, and we trust you completely. You are our trusted teacher; our Savior; our friend. Amen.

My Trust in the Lord – Psalm 11

Trusted Surrender

March 22, 2022Vona Wilson

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” – Mark 8:34-38

Jesus says these words right after he and Peter have a very tense moment. They exchange some heated words. Jesus is giving his disciples a heads up about what he is soon to face: arrest and crucifixion. It sounds like pure evil and failure to Peter; he disagrees with the approach Jesus is taking. After an immediate response that rebukes Peter, Jesus pauses to offer this word…this teaching. Just so we know – the way we enter the abundant life involves surrender.

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

God works in our lives and in the world differently than we often expect. Part of following Christ is humbling ourselves enough to listen, to watch, and to discern how God is guiding us. It often means receiving teaching or instruction that is beyond our understanding – but that we choose to accept and trust God with it. In truth, the teaching of Jesus is often over our heads! It rubs up against what we want to hold onto, or even what makes sense in the world. It causes us to squirm a bit and hope no one notices how much he shows us that we simply ignore.

Denying ourselves can be giant steps of bold surrender. It can also be tiny steps of faithfulness for today. It can be a step. Today. We all have different things in our lives that could use some surrendering. For Peter (see Mark 8:31-33), it is surrendering his attitude and confidence that he can adequately judge what Jesus needs to do. Peter is basically telling Jesus, “You have this wrong…let me tell you how we’re going to handle this situation.”

We do kind of have a problem with thinking we know what God needs to do and how it needs to be done. Surrendering is not placing our brains on pause or acting recklessly with our resources. It is, however, being fully aware that we need to listen for God’s guidance and to follow it with humbleness and trust. Surrendering – or yielding – means we make space in our lives for God to speak.

What does that look like? What it looks like for you is probably different than it looks like for someone else. How are you providing space for God to speak into your daily life? What wisdom are you reaching for to give you guidance? Is it the wisdom of God or the loudest voices that are pushing their way into your vulnerable moments?

Denying ourselves during the season of Lent is intended to develop spiritual muscle for the journey of faith. That muscle serves us in times of vulnerability. It helps us realign our minds and spirits; it sets our feet on solid ground. Whether the practice of surrender comes in denying ourselves a food we crave or spending 15 minutes a day being quiet and unplugged from technology, every step we take toward God is a way of saying, “I yield my way to your way, Jesus.”

God, we are all in different situations, but we share a deep need for you. We get caught up in our ways of handling life’s challenges and we often miss how you are moving among us. When we seek you today, please reveal yourself in whatever way each person needs to experience you to know that you are right here, walking with us. Strengthen us for the journey. We yield our lives to you. We love you, Lord, and we trust you completely.

TobyMac Lose My Soul

Winter’s Last Dance?

March 14, 2022Vona Wilson

My grandfather always said to wait until after Easter before counting on winter weather to be finished. Like any good farmer, he held even that with open hands, often reminding us that God is the one who created the world, and we don’t control the sun and the rain. A farmer works on faith and prayer in all efforts. A good approach for a Monday morning!

Was this winter’s last dance? I don’t know, but it was beautiful.

I am always fascinated by how quickly nature adapts to changing conditions. I don’t see resistance or hear complaint. Life persists fully and confidently forward.

Monday Prayer
Lord, you are our dwelling place. Wherever we are and whatever the conditions of the day, we need you to order our steps. Give us courage to walk into the week with confidence of your presence, and trusting that in your presence there is fullness of joy and life everlasting. We believe in YOU. Where life is overwhelming, please come quickly Lord to assist. Thank you for your faithfulness in all seasons. We pray in the name of the resurrected Christ, Amen.

You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; and in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
– Psalm 16:11

Hope in the Mourning

February 23, 2022Vona Wilson

People make such profound marks on our lives. We are changed by those relationships, often pruned into stronger and more beautiful persons. Last year, on Feb 23^rd, one of those people in my life made the transition from earth to eternity. His name is Cesar Muñoz, of Quetzaltenango in Guatemala. He is the wife of Sonia; the father of Mariairene, Lucia and David.

It was during a difficult time of the pandemic. I could not go to be with the family. I was not able to mourn with them in all the ways I wanted to share in their grief. When the celebration of his life was held and a community gathered, though limited because of COVID, I celebrated from a very long distance – about 2300 miles away. I shared this experience with thousands of people across the world who were burying and celebrating the lives of people they loved that ceased to be present on earth during this pandemic.

Recently I was able to return to Guatemala and be with my family and friends who are still grieving the absence of husband, father, and friend. We told stories and cried tears. We went to the place where he was buried (an important ritual for me) and I was able to touch the place where he and other family members’ bodies rest in the earth. The time was sacred for all of us.

We are people of faith, so we speak words of hope at the site where these bodies lay. We speak of the fruit that remains from Cesar’s life and the anticipation of a joyful reunion that will one day come for us. The stories we share here are blessings. Our spirits are strengthened.

Cesar was a friend and mentor. He was a partner in the work our church has the honor of being involved with @ ACD Guatemala. He spoke wisdom into my life on numerous occasions and we shared many joys at his table. And totally unexpectedly, we became family when my cousin married his daughter. At that time, the “family” we had been becoming through our shared work with God, became “officially” a family that united all of us forever.

Today I give thanks for Cesar’s life on earth and the impact he made on all of our lives. Every day we see the fruit that lasts from his time here. For all who have experienced death, grief and celebration of life during the time of this pandemic, I pray that you know that time and distance is nothing in the eyes of God. As you pray, as you mourn, as you laugh and cry and celebrate – it is all in perfect timing when our hearts and spirits are one in Christ. I pray this brings you peace.

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. – Jesus in the Gospel of John 15:16

God, thank you for the lives that so deeply touch ours and bless us. May your peace be with all who grieve, and may you continue to grant us all glimpses of eternity, so our hope remains steadfast and strong. Thank you for the life of your people on earth! Give us humility and courage to serve in ways that bear the fruit that lasts…for your glory and not our own. Amen.

Kari Jobe The Garden

Monday Prayer

February 21, 2022Vona Wilson

The morning peace arrives differently for all of us. But it still arrives. God is faithful. I pray God shows up for you in exactly the way you need today.

God bring peace to bedsides where people are making transition. Let the presence of the resurrected Christ standing guard with them be very clear today.

Bring peace to the people we love who are healing. Let their cells receive nutrients and care; let their blood flow richly through their bodies; fill their lungs with your breath of life and sooth the rhythm of every heartbeat. Free their minds from anxiety and fear. Thank you for equipping the medical teams with your healing grace. May their compassion and skill be guided by you.

Give strength to the ones who are weary but still face the day of long hours. Equip every person for each call and task. Cover them with safety and give wisdom in decisions.

Please grant rest to those who have a holiday and slower pace. Give them joy and restoration however they need it.

Where hope is needed, merciful God, please provide the flame that causes us to catch our breath and say, “it must be the presence of Lord with us!”

Thank you for the creative ways you respond when we ask for help. Open our spirits to see you and receive. We trust you, Lord, and we love you. Thank you for being right here!

Bearing Burdens

February 7, 2022Vona Wilson

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
– Galatians 6:2

A late-night fatality revealed to me the burden I was choosing to help carry. My Paramedic partner set up with me all night as sleep couldn’t come while I was processing the trauma and death of an accident scene. It was more than just this call; it was also the reality that we would respond to many of these 911 calls. We would help many, save some lives… and many would also not survive.

My partner couldn’t take that burden away from me, nor fix it so I would not have anything to carry. What my fellow Paramedic did that night was bear the burden with me.

Listening and being with one another when we are carrying heavy loads allows us to experience grace. We are given the space to speak the jumbled and jagged feelings that come with being human. We are heard.

In those moments of sharing, we are freed from the oppressive weight, and it gives us strength to continue the journey. It is not magic; it often does not remove the burden, but it is lighter, and we are no longer alone.

What my EMS partner did for me in that very early season of my Paramedic days, helped me understand that unless I processed this along with the way, I wouldn’t be able to make the 1000’s of more calls that were waiting ahead in my career. I had my own pain being in the middle of others’ trauma and death. I would have to heal as I went along.

When I reported for my next 24 hour shift and opened my locker, I discovered a large paper rolled up and placed inside.

That was 1982 and the poster still hangs where I can see it often enough to not forget this way Christ calls us to be in the world. We need each other, and sometimes that is just listening to the deep of another’s heart. Vulnerability is hard. And it is healing. Listening takes time and it is a form of serving. Healing happens when both are present.

Jesus is the one who removes burdens. We are the ones who carry our loads and are blessed if someone else is there to help us bear the weight. Who is there for you? Don’t hesitate to let them near enough to assist. Jesus promises to help us, and sometimes that promise is fulfilled by the person God places in our path.

Recently a friend created a piece of art for me; it sits on my desk, always in sight. She didn’t know of the gift I’d been given so many years ago. But God knew…and perhaps never wants me to forget.

Galatians 6:2 is written on the bottom of this stone art. Dec 2021.

Lord, thank you for making sure I never forget who I’m called to be on earth. Thank you for the friends who help me bear the heavy loads in my life, and the special ways they are present. Whenever life is hard, please equip us to step into those moments and love as deeply as you love us. You call us to do it more and more. Perhaps it heals us all. Amen.

Breaking Open

February 3, 2022Vona Wilson

The first time I traveled to Central America I was studying: “Spirituality in Third World Countries”. It was 2004. Nicaragua. I stood in streets filled with waste, spend the night on coffee farms to learn their practice and got my taste of making tortillas over a wood stove. I also rested in beautiful places and watched the sunset in Leon.

I learned about the fireworks and made peace with the rooster’s adamant heralding of the morning. I shared conversations with strangers and made new friends. We met with religious and political leaders and witnessed firsthand the realities of another culture and people. Something broke open in me during that experience and it’s been breaking open ever since.

My heart has grown. My mind has been sharpened. I have learned hard things and have watched beautiful cultures turn into dark spaces of suffering, while others emerged with hope, strength, and humility. My spirit has been pruned and shaped for something much bigger than me. I hope, on most days, it is shaped and breathing in a way that honors my Creator.

A lot of things break us open. Experiences leave us wide eyed and surprised. Grief and sorrow take our breath away and make it hard to live through the next hour. Beauty breaks us open. Love breaks us open. God breaks us open. Marriage, divorce, death, birth, illness, strength…all so incredibly intimate; breaking us wide open while also making us whole.

If you are breaking open today – may God give you peace to know that you are not alone. Help is on the way. Ask!
If you are celebrating a joy you can’t contain – I hope you see Jesus’ hand reaching out and inviting you to dance. Do it!
If you are surviving one day at a time – know that the plans God has for you are for good and not for harm .Trust this!

We are given life to live. Live fully. When beauty is present, make time to appreciate it. When you or someone you love is hurting – sit in the valley with them; your presence is enough. We are doing this life together – the sorrow and the joy; it is a gift. Above all, remember that you are loved.

A few photos this morning as a prayer offering.

Lunes por la Mañana en Guatemala

January 31, 2022Vona Wilson

Rooster calls across the dark morning tell me to rise, a new day has come. Before the people move or I can launch my mind to the work ahead, every bird, animal and plant is making a clear claim of praise for the faithful rise of the son. Villancico; song of praise. Santa Maria is invisible; the clouds shield any human sight of her presence. Nublado.

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
This is what the ancients were commended for. – Hebrews 11:1

Morning Prayer
God, thank you for the creation that never ceases to praise you for the morning’s arrival. You have ordained another day; you speak it into being for all creatures. And whether we wake with heaviness or joy – you are here with us. Please walk with us wherever our steps trod today, we need you. Clear our minds of fear and shame. Remove the weight of worry. Fill our spirits with your grace and mercy. Remind us that we were created with your love, and we cannot destroy what you are making whole. Where we are broken – keep mending and restoring. When we are moving too fast – redeem within us your pace. Wherever love needs to pour over our wounds, we welcome your presence however you come. We trust you completely. Let it be. Amen.

Wee Hours Prayer

January 17, 2022February 6, 2023Vona Wilson

(a repost from July 2021)

Nudges of your Spirit come in the wee hours.
Perhaps, Lord, someone you love is reaching
for your hand of grace.
We are seen. Even in the wee hours.
Reaching into the dark spaces of grief
and uncertainty
of pain.
Come now, Holy Spirit, come.
Come now with your mercy
into the wee hours of our lives.

Where suffering has interrupted the days of a focused life; Lord have mercy.
When grief grips our souls and tugs against the pursuit of healing; Lord have mercy.
For the past that returns unwanted, for the futures we dare to dream; Lord have mercy.
Bring your arms of grace around our trembling bodies.
Offer your blanket of peace to cover the places
of our lives left out in the cold unattended.

Lead us to our simple prayers:
Help! Mercy! Come quickly Lord Jesus to help us!
Remind us again that your love persists
In the wee hours
In the waking hours
In all hours.

For you, Holy God, created us and placed us in time on earth
Where your grace is never offered too early,
and never arrives too late.
We find our peace in the arms
of the resurrected Christ
holding us all again.
One miracle moment at a time.
Bring rest. Restore our breathing. Bring peace.
Let your love lead us back to sleep.
Amen.

Fires

PEACE 2022

January 3, 2022Vona Wilson

I confess to praying for snow. It is selfish and I know not everyone needs or wants it. I need the falling mystery that changes everything overnight. I welcome the joy of overwhelming delight; the invitation to play. I hope for it every winter and even in the quiet of the night, I sometimes pray, “Lord, if we can experience the snow, please bring it.” This morning we woke up to beautiful snow. How absolutely wonderful! A gift.

I realize now that I was waiting for it…the snow. Perhaps even this particular snow on the 3rd of January 2022. The “word” for this year came a few weeks ago and was confirmed as we listened and let the days pass through the new year. The year of Peace.

Lord, we embrace the peace you give:
Peace in your timing; it is perfect, we trust you.
Peace in our life’s work; it is meaningful, we need it.
Peace with our pace; not ahead of you and never too far behind.
Peace in our serving; for your glory and never our own.
Peace in our location; for wherever you are and wherever you send us, is where we need to be.
Peace in our friendships; may they bless and encourage; sharpen and never harm.
Peace in our joy; let it come from deep wells of your grace, unhindered by circumstance.
Peace in our whole being; for how you created us is enough. We are formed in your image.

Gracious Creator, give us Peace in our grounding of you
for though the mountains fall and the earth shakes
though our spirits mourn and our hearts break
though our laughter is fleeting, our joy is unending
For in all of this:
– you are forever and ever our God. You do not leave or forsake. You are steadfast and trustworthy. You bring possibilities out of our impossibles. You redeem what we thought could never be. You pick us up, dust us off and call us beloved. You are the author and finisher of our faith. Our Savior. In you and through you, we find and hold our Peace.

Welcome to the year of Peace. Whatever comes, we are confident of God’s holy presence with us.