Diane Mickler's Blog

But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, and we have fellowship with one another, the blood of Jesus His Son, cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7

Although originally debuting in 1971, in Christmas of 1978 there was a Coke commercial that began with one single candle in the darkness and participants singing I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing. As the camera widens, the view is of many people of many different nations and races, all holding candles and singing the song. At the end, you realize they are standing in the shape of a Christmas tree as they sing of harmony and love in the world. Just one candle when the light is shared becomes a beautiful sight of light in the darkness. Oh how far we have come from those days!

It seems a good idea to resurrect this thought of harmony and love in this time of unrest, hatred, division, and general upheaval in this country of ours. We are in a time of darkness that is in desperate need of some light. Who would have imagined an election would cause such divisiveness and disharmony in our great nation? Our democracy has been threatened in so many ways. We could all use just one candle of light.

Last week when much of the area in which we live was suffering the aftermath of Hurricane Zeta, I was texting with friends who were out of electricity. One said, “I’m just sitting here in the darkness.” What a difference just one candle could make in that situation and others like it!

If Christians held out just one candle in this dark time, think how many people might be comforted and strengthened in this world in which we live.

One single candle can be likened to a lighthouse which stands on the shore. What good can a lighthouse really do? It never moves. It can’t run up and down the shore line and rescue a ship. It can’t calm the waters and bring the ship safely to shore. It can’t clear a path for the ship. The miraculous thing it can do is provide a light in the darkness. It can point the way to safety. The light it provides can guide many ships that were in darkness safely to shore. It is a light in the darkness.

There is a reason light was mentioned so many times in the Bible – it’s important to keep the light of Christ burning. The Bible’s account of the ten virgins and their lamps speaks to the importance of keeping the light burning. Five of them were foolish and took no oil for their lamp. Five of them were wise and took enough oil for their lamps. Five of them kept the light burning while five of them were powerless to help.

Mother Teresa takes this parable and adds her thoughts to it with these words: My daughters, what are these drops of oil in our lamps? They are the small things of daily life: faithfulness, punctuality, small words of kindness, a thought for others, our way of being silent, of looking, or speaking and of acting. These are the true drops of love. Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies. I would add that in doing these things we hold out one small candle of light.

Throughout the New Testament followers of Jesus are called to be lights in the darkness. As we seek to be His light, we are called to be not only hearers of His instruction, but doers as well. What light can be bring to a world in desperate need? Each of us can brighten a dark corner by taking those small things Mother Teresa mentioned, adding them to our of daily life and being faithful to do them.

As we look toward Veteran’s Day and honor our veterans, our men and women who actively serve our country, and the freedom they insure for this country, it’s an special opportunity to thank them for their service to our nation. They bring a light to this country that can never be extinguished.

It’s interesting that the Coke song ends with these words, “It’s the real thing – what the world needs today is the real thing.” There is a “real thing” in this world of today, and his name is Jesus. Jesus is the “real thing” – the light of the world – and the world sorely needs Him today.

God bless our country as we strive to keep the light of freedom, equality and democracy alive and well. God bless us all as we light our one single candle!

My strength comes into its own in your weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:10

God bless America, land that I love. Stand beside her, and guide her through the night with a light from above. From the mountains to the prairies, to the oceans white with foam; God bless America, my home sweet home.

The song God Bless America was written in 1918 by Irving Berlin as a war time salute to soldiers, but he decided not to use it and packed it away. It was resurrected in 1938 by Mr. Berlin and used as a “peace song” in response to escalating tensions in Europe. He made changes to it and gave it to Kate Smith to sing on her radio show to commemorate Armistice Day.

Kate Smith introduced the song with these words, “As I stand before the microphone and sing it with all my heart, I’ll be thinking of our veterans, and I’ll be praying with every breath I draw that we shall never have another war.” Unfortunately, war did come, but the song endures as does the message it conveys. It has found its place in churches, the scouts, veteran’s celebrations, and moving tributes to America. Who can sing it without a tear in your eye and pride in your heart?

It also found a home in baseball stadiums around the country. The song replaced the national anthem in 1940 at the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball games because the organization felt it was easier to sing. It was also added to the seventh inning stretch at many baseball games after September 11th. It’s no longer a war time song, but has fulfilled Mr. Berlin’s hope and become a song of peace and love of country.

The founding fathers of over 200 years ago loved this country, and they had a vision for it. They were a diverse group made up of merchants, farmers, lawyers, etc., yet they all believed in this new, young country. Even though they all wanted liberty, they didn’t all agree on the best way to achieve it. They had different opinions on the best course of action for the country, the appropriate form of government, and the structure which would balance liberty with order. As with any group, their strength was often gained from their differences. In other words, they, like politicians of today, disagreed. On one thing they agreed, any attempt to govern without God will fail.

Unlike today, they were able to put aside their own disagreements and work together as parties and individuals to form one nation under God with liberty and justice for all. There is no doubt that there is a battle raging all around us this week and perhaps in many weeks to come, but there’s none of us who have the strength to win it alone. I do firmly believe that God is fighting this battle, and it is He who will determine the way our nation will proceed.

The good news for us is that after we have done our civic duty, weighed the candidates, listened to the facts, and voted our conscience, our only job then is to hit our knees and turn it over to God. Everyone of us has dealt with disillusionment, discouragement, confusion, and conflict, and we are weary of the battle. The Bible tells us that we should not be afraid or dismayed – for the battle is not ours, but Gods. (Exodus 14:14) Our battle is to fight the good fight of faith. (1 Tim 6:12)

Henry W. Grady on speaking of the strength of America originally said, “Surely the great strength of America lies in its military and naval might.” Years later after the might of war and the military had faded away, he was on his knees in a family circle of evening prayer, and there came to his heart a new conviction. He ended the prayers that evening with this confession; The strength of America is found not in its great armies, but in its godly people.

I truly pray that God will Bless America and strengthen her people with love, peace and hope in the days, months, and years to come. Let us never forget these words: We are to stand firm in our faith with the certain knowledge that the battle is the Lord’s. Our faith is His victory – a victory that has already been accomplished on the cross. That is what overcomes the world. Ray Stedman

So here’s what I want you to do – God helping you; take your everyday, normal life – your sleeping, eating, going to work, walking around life and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him. Don’t become so self adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without thinking. instead, fix your attention on God. You will be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what He wants for you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you , always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings out the best in you , develops well formed maturity in you. Romans 12:1-2 from the Message

These days almost everywhere I go I must expect or be prepared to have my temperature taken. Although, I don’t mind, I have heard that if that digital thermometer is used too many times, it kills our brain cells!! I wonder if that’s normal?

Normal is defined as the usual, average or typical state or condition. For example, the normal temperature for a person is said to be 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. However, normal for one person is not always normal for another. For me normal is usually around 97 degrees. One day they said my temperature was 95.4, which seems almost comatose to me. There are differences in what is considered normal.

In the last seven months, normal has taken on a whole new meaning. Students have been staying home rather than the normal day of school, parents are working at home rather than an office, restaurants and businesses don’t keep normal hours anymore, churches are altering the normal times and amount of services, and on it goes. There is a new normal in our lives.

In this age, we are all having to cope with the sense of lost normalcy in our lives that we took for granted. It seems that we are being granted the time to review our lives and what is really important.

In years past, normal was a dinner without cell phones where people enjoyed conversation and communication. Now, I rarely see anyone in a restaurant or gathering without their cell phone or laptop on the table. Instead of intimacy and communication, we are becoming a generation that has lost that art. We spend our days isolated with only technology to keep us linked to the outside world. Is that normal?

Many people rarely have time to include Jesus in their normal day. We rush from one thing to another, but the one thing we never are without is our cell phone. We feel we are in constant demand. Jesus felt that way, too. He was pursued at all hours of the day and night by multitudes, yet He always found time to depart into a solitary place and pray.

In the past, it was normal to wake every day to a schedule. Now, we are adjusting to schedule changes. Who in our lives sets the schedule for our normal day? Usually it seems that our job, our family, and we ourselves set our schedule for the day or week. We find ourselves busy with work, family activities, and social activities for ourselves, but rarely do we include time for God in our normal schedule.

It is normal these days to acquire as much monetary wealth as we can, work as many hours as we can, own as many cars, houses, and material things as we can, and push ourselves as hard as we can. The new normal is the need to remember that the most important things are those which have no monetary value.

We are all looking for peace and inner comfort in this not so normal world, so how do we get it? It is probably the world’s best kept secret, but all this is ours for the taking if we just embrace Him and His promises. He will provide us with everything we need to handle life’s opportunities and difficulties. The secret is handling only the things God wants you to handle, and entrusting the rest to Him. That keeps life normal.

Dear Father, help us to expect you as we travel this normal ordinary road of life. We are not asking for sensational experiences, just fellowship with You through every day work and service. Be our companion when we take an ordinary journey and let our lives be transformed by Your presence.

So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not mine, but His who sent me.” John 7:16

When it comes to teachers and students, I’ve discovered over the years that if you get a group of teachers together and ask one question, “Which class was your absolute worst?”, the answers are quick and definitive. If you reverse the question and ask, “Which class was your absolute best?”, the answers are equally (well almost) as quick and definitive. Teachers remember every class and every student because each one holds a special place in their life.

Likewise, students will always be quick to answer definitively when you ask, “Who was your best teacher?” Even as adults, most people remember our best teacher from ages ago! Teachers have that kind of influence on a person’s life.

We all remember teachers for different reasons, but most of the time we remember them because they taught us things we needed to know to survive in this world, and they did it with strength and compassion. Their “teachings” combined knowledge with curriculum and did it in a way which captured our attention and respect.

The ability to live out our teachings isn’t because we are necessarily the smartest person ever, but if we listen to the teacher, watch the process, and try to emulate the teacher, we will learn. I think that’s exactly the method Jesus used to teach others of the Kingdom of God, and I think He would want us to use that method to teach those who need to hear about Him.

There are many different “teachings” going on in the world today. There is the teaching of conforming to the will of the majority. There is the teaching of political correctness. There is the teaching of which lives matter most. There is the teaching of which political party is correct. There is the teaching of what is right and wrong. The teachings of this day and age are too many to number. Which teaching do we embrace and learn? The only teachings that we as Christians should embrace are the ones which come from The Best Teacher, Jesus.

Teachers, in this world of virtual classrooms and constant changes have a very special mission these days, they have to adapt. Besides, teaching the children the curriculum, they also have to be there to model confidence, adhere to safety measures, provide assurance, wipe tears, calm fears, treat students with love and care, and provide a constant for the classroom. Added to an already stressful job, it goes above and beyond their contractual duty. It’s like having three pots on the stove and four casseroles in the oven all on different time schedules with a table of hungry guests at the table!

The best teacher has characteristics which inspire their students just as Jesus had many characteristics which inspired His followers. The best teacher should teach with compassion, authority, tempered with purpose, adapt their teaching style to encompass different scholars, put students first, and approach every day and every student with a unique teaching style.

Jesus did the same thing as He reached so many different people in so many different situations, He adapted. He taught from a boat in the water, He taught on a hillside, He taught from the temple, and He continued to teach from the cross and after the resurrection. He taught to the rich and the poor, the lame and the whole, the young and the old. The best teacher taught by telling stories that relate to life and by using “teachable moments” to which his audience could relate. His teachings had no prejudice – every person was equally valued.

Teachers are leading children by their example, their knowledge, their presentation, their excitement, and their love and care much like Jesus led His followers. When I decided to become a teacher I remember my Mama saying, “That will be the profession that keeps on giving by touching young lives, and it will enrich your own, plus you get the summers off!” One thing proved to be true, it has been a profession that touched my life in so many different ways!

We have to pick the best teacher and teachings upon which to build our faith and our lives. It seems to me that the obvious choice for the best teacher would be Jesus, and His teachings are the ones upon which we should build our lives and faith.

A huge shout out to all the teachers! God bless you as you exemplify the qualities of the best teacher every day!

These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life; homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like the smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit-but nothing moved that house. It was fixed on rock. But if you just use my words in Bible Studies and don’t work them into your life, then you are like the stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards. Matthew 7:24-27 The Message

My parents owned a condominium in Panama City for 43 years. It is one of the first condos built on Thomas Drive, and it has weathered many storms during its tenure. The last hurricane of our ownership, Michael, came through several years ago and destroyed much of the surrounding beach areas. We were sweating the damage report which would come after the storm because electricity and phone lines were down and thus there was no communication.

As the first pictures emerged, we were amazed to see the Regency still standing with little damage. Ironically, most of the damage was contributed to the sand that blew in and accumulated. I was intrigued and began to ask around about the strong structure of that building. It seems that when it was built, the foundation, although on sand to begin with, was built down one half as far as the building was tall until it rested on rock. This foundation has kept it intact all these years.

Just like that building, the foundation of our life is what keeps us grounded. If we build our spiritual life on sand, it will eventually shift and we can lose the footing we need to deal with every day life and problems.

Storms on the ocean, just like storms in life, come fiercely and quickly. They crash the waves against the shore, wash through buildings and cars, shake boats loose from their moorings, uproot trees, and leave destruction behind on the shore. However, by the next morning or so, the ocean will return to normal, the sun will shine, and the winds will be calm. No one but God can explain it!

Life is full of the same kind of storms. Things happen in life which no mortal can explain. None of us can explain COVID-19 totally, just like none of us can explain the root cause of cancer, divorce, depression, alcoholism, drug abuse, child abuse, and so many other things. We like to try and find answers and justify storms, but only God knows why. The thing is, He doesn’t have to ask us for our opinion on it, or how we would solve the problems of life and nature. He is working, and only He knows the end result.

Just like a storm, if we dwell on the debris left behind, we can begin to feel anger and frustration which grows stronger than the storm itself. Driftwood is one of my favorite things to find on the beach after a storm. We usually find it all knotted and gnarled by storms and the journey it has made to reach the shore, but this only adds to its beauty for me. No two pieces will ever be the same because no two pieces have been through the same experience.

Each of us have journeyed through different storms in our life, and no two of us will emerge from them alike. The storms we have endured only add to our strength and beauty. Lives that are built on the sand are shallow at best, but if our lives are built on the rock then we only have to trust Him to see us through.

Why do people think storms will never come and build their houses on sand? No one knows. It is plain to me, that all we need to do is just dig a little deeper, go down until we hit the rock, then just like the storms, life can emerge slowly from the darkness and destruction to become more beautiful and stronger!

My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ the solid rock I stand; All other ground is sinking sand, All other ground is sinking sand. Edward Mote

Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Mark 2:3-4

Every time I read the scripture above, I think of how determined these men were to bring their friend to Jesus for healing. These men exemplified tenacity by finding a unique way to approach Jesus.

Tenacity is defined as the quality of being very determined or persistent. Tenacity calls up a picture of holding onto someone or something for dear life. Its a picture of holding on with all one’s strength against overwhelming odds. It makes me think of a God that holds his children tenaciously and in return, his children hold onto Him just as tenaciously.

Tenacity is about so much more than not giving up on a goal. It’s about pushing through barriers of self doubt and having the willingness to persist against all odds. It reminds me of The Little Engine that Could.

In order to demonstrate tenacity, we should start with an attainable goal, something that requires a new skill, something just out of our reach. We make that goal , then go on to add more and more difficult goals.

The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is merely tenacity. We had a situation this summer on our family vacation that is an example of tenacity to me. After eating dinner at a restaurant, we were all boarding Lee’s boat for the ride home. The boat, which had been on a journey of its own, was wet all over. (That’s another story.) As Randy stepped down into the boat from the dock, his foot slipped, and he landed sitting straight up on the bottom of the boat. Now, to appreciate the horror of this moment, one must know that Randy has had two knees and two hips replaced, one hip just two months before.

The family group grew deafeningly quiet as we looked on in surprise, horror, and a little disbelief at him sitting on the floor wedged in between a seat and the side of the boat. We were all thinking the same thing, as we stood in anticipation of calling 911, “How can we get this man up?” Suddenly, before we had time to react, Randy was standing up! It seems that our grandson, Drew, had taken charge. He put his two hands underneath Randy, and he lifted that 240 pound man to his feet!

Drew made the decision to act as the rest of us stood not knowing what to do! His goal was evidently attainable for him, but probably a little higher goal than he would have anticipated!! That’s tenacity!! Amelia Earhart said, “We are capable of so much more than we realize.”

Randy’s perspective said it all, “I was mentally checking off each new joint to make sure it wasn’t damaged when suddenly, two strong arms came underneath me and pulled me up.” Just like those friends who were tenacious about getting their friend to Jesus for healing, God is like two strong arms who are underneath to support and care.

In this day and time, we all need to cultivate a quality of tenacity! We are all capable of doing so much more than we believe to be possible, and if we act instead of waiting in an situation or during a momentous problem, we find ourselves developing tenacity, two strong arms, and a will to help others.

Three young boys were asked to give a definition of faith that illustrates the important aspect of tenacity. The first boy defined faith as “taking hold of Christ,” the second as “keeping our hold on Him” and the third as “never letting go of Him”. That’s tenacity!

He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal, took him to an inn and took care of him. Luke 10:34

In medical circles, the word triage is defined as the assignment of degrees of urgency to wounds or illnesses to decide the order of treatment of a large number of patients or casualties. The triage consists of three degrees of cases; emergent, urgent, and non urgent. When a person arrives in the emergency room, the first step is assessment by a triage nurse. The nurse them evaluates the condition and determines the patient’s priority for admission to the emergency department and for treatment.

I began to picture God as the triage nurse in our lives. He sees each of us and assesses our state of need, then He admits us to His love and care and helps us through it. His triage is a place to stop the bleeding in life. No matter the severity of the need, He is like a doctor in a triage unit fighting to save us and never giving up.

Just like the Good Samaritan in the scripture above, we are all called to provide a triage for those among us who are hurting, not only physically but spiritually. It’s easy to pass on being the Good Samarian or the one to bind up wounds and care for others, but it’s something that’s required of us as Christians.

There are different kinds of wounds going on all around us in this strange new world. There is the wound of loneliness, the wound of isolation, the wound of enabling, the wound of depression, the wound of abuse, the wound of a debilitating disease, even the wound of an unforgiven past.

We might ask, “What can we do for these wounded? We are all wounded in some way ourselves.” That’s exactly the point. Because we are all wounded, we can offer the gift of understanding.

Luckily for me, I have only been in the ER a few times in my life and each time turned out to be a minor event. However, there are people every day in a triage with doctors and nurses tirelessly trying to save them. These people are the heroes of this day and time – the Good Samaritans.

My nephew is a resident at UAB, and he recently wrote something that moved me because it gave an inside look at what medical personnel face daily. It also shows the power of the Good Samaritan in us all.

“I experienced something new for me recently. I’ve been in medicine for eight years now. I’ve seen many patients die. I’ve seen many doctors, including myself, orchestrate the preceding events in the room surrounding a patient’s death. This is the first time I’ve seen a physician in that role ask the room of disheveled and exhausted people who just spent the last hour trying to prolong a person’s life if he could pray for the patient. He prayed for God to be present with this patient and to usher him into the next stage with peace and to give that same peace to his soon to be grieving family. I am thankful for his example and hope that one day I’ll have a doctor who does the same for me, and that I can be a doctor who is bold enough to do the same for my patients.”

Sometimes we tend to give up on ourselves and on others. No matter how bad things might be, we should never give up too soon. If we keep trying and don’t give up on ourselves and others, God will make us paramedics of His love, mercy and grace. God hasn’t give up on any of us and neither should we!

Rescue the perishing, care for the dying, Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave; Weep o’er the erring one, Lift up the fallen; Tell them of Jesus the mighty to save. Rescue the perishing, care for the dying; Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save. Fannie Crosby

Thank you to all our heroes!

None is righteous, no not one.  Romans  3:10

My Mama used to love to find words with which she was unfamiliar and research their origin and meaning.  I think she would have loved a word which I happened to run across this week, Atelophobia.  Atelophobia means fear of not being good enough.

How many of us spend our lives thinking that we are not good enough to be the recipients of all God’s blessings, and love for us?  We simply can never be good enough to justify all He has given us.  So, instead of spending our days punishing ourselves for not being good enough, what if we just took each day and looked at it as God’s gift of grace and began to see His grace in all the things around us?

Grace is defined as the love and mercy given to us by God because God desires us to have it not necessarily because we have done anything to earn it. I like the abbreviated version which says Grace is God’s riches at Christ’s expense. (copied)

What kind of person lives seeing the grace in everything?  This is the kind of person who sees grace all around them every day and daily sees grace in the good and the bad.  Miss Dorothy Summerour was that kind of person.  No matter when you called her or asked how she was doing, she would always say, “We do just fine over here”.  She never seemed to have a bad thing to say. and she saw everything in every day as God’s grace in action.

In this world of tragedies, viruses, fires, hurricanes, political and social unrest, and everyday stress, there is always grace.  Grace comes all the time and in the most normal of days.  It comes as a long time friend who calls just to check on you to see if you need anything and if your family is okay.  It comes from a neighbor who just wants to be sure you still have electricity after a storm. It’s grace when a friend sends a meal or a card in a time of grief.  Grace comes in the face of a service man, fire fighter, police officer, EMT, nurse, doctor, who are there when they are most needed.  All this and many more examples should be labeled as grace in our lives.

Grace in our lives can be a game changer.  It can take us from what we once were to what we can be.  I never will forget a scene that played out on the steps of our first church in the little community of Starrsville, Ga. in 1976.  Randy’s Daddy had come to visit and attend church that day.  As the people greeted him and told him how happy they were to have us there, his Daddy replied to their kind words by saying,  “Thank God for His grace.  There was a time when Randy’s Mother and I were worried he might end up in prison!”  A bit of a stretch, but a testimony to God’s grace none the less.

Grace is the key to the Christian faith. If it weren’t for grace none of us could qualify for heaven for there is not one of us who is good enough. Our problem comes because even though we might believe in the theory of grace, most of us have trouble believing that God will forgive us. We cling to our guilt instead of letting it go and letting God’s grace take hold. Randy’s Grandmama used to say that she would take all her problems to the altar and give them to God in prayer. Then, before she left, she would grab them all up again. It’s hard to leave our problems and fears, but Grace makes it possible.

Instead of walking around this week trying to pronounce the word, Atelophobia, and wrestling with the fear of not being good enough, why not use the week to look around and see the grace God is pouring out all around us even in the midst of all our problems?

This hymn describes the Christian doctrine of faith and justification by faith, the title is: Grace Greater Than All Our Sin, and the third stanza is: Marvelous, infinite matchless grace, Freely bestowed on all who believe; You that are longing to see his face; Will you this moment His grace receive? Grace, Grace, God’s Grace; Grace that will pardon and cleanse within; Grace, Grace, God’s Grace, Grace that is greater than all my sin. Julia Johnston

I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he die, he shall live. John 11:25

During my growing up years in school and even during the first few years of my own classroom teaching, it was required that the teacher call roll every morning. Now, in my small town, a teacher could easily look around and know who was absent, but they called the roll each morning anyway. I found it comforting to hear the well known voices reply, “here“, because it signaled that everyone was well, present and accounted for. If someone didn’t answer roll call, it affected us all.

In the old days, if a student were absent, the teacher would immediately reach out to the family to make sure that the student did actually have a reason to be absent, and that the parents knew about said absence. It was always important to know that nothing bad was going on at home.

There always were, of course, those with chronic absences no matter how many folks tried to help them or their family. The thinking was that it just wasn’t that important to be in school when there were other things to be done and they were needed at home. Nobody was surprised when on many occasions, they didn’t answer “here” when the roll was called.

Just like Christians who know there is a heaven and that it’s important to learn about Jesus now, some of us just don’t think it’s important enough to practice the things we know the Bible asks of us.

The old favorite hymn When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder was inspired by disappointment. James Black, the writer, was calling roll one day for a youth meeting at his Methodist Church. One name didn’t answer -young Bessie, the daughter of an alcoholic. Crestfallen at her absence, Mr. Black was heard to say, “Oh God, when my name is called up yonder, may I be there to respond.”

The important thing here is that sometimes we might miss roll call on earth such as in a classroom or a job, but we want to be sure we are able to answer “here” in heaven.

In order to make an investment in heaven, we must suffer losses of things we covet here. Things like anger, resentment, hatred, jealousy, unfaithfulness, greed, and so many other sins we harbor in our hearts must be given up. Even though others might call giving these up a sacrifice, we know another whose love has been proved by the greatest possible test, and He now lives in heaven and prepares a place for us. If we call ourselves Christians, we have a vision of something far beyond the difficulties and disappointments of this life. Our journey is one that leads to fulfillment, completion, and an enriched life.

Years ago in my first year of teaching, I taught in a school which was in a very “rough” neighborhood. There were gangs, drugs, and abuse in the homes all around the school. I was 22 years old, newly married, oblivious to a life other than the one I knew, and beginning my first teaching assignment. One morning on my way to school, I heard on the news about a shooting which had resulted in the death of a young man whose name I recognized as the brother of one of my students, Nancy. When I arrived at school, the bad news was confirmed. I was so ill prepared for the events of that day.

As I began the day knowing how sad all the children and us teachers were, we were instructed to make the day as normal as possible for these fourth graders, so I started by calling the roll. When we got to Nancy’s name, I hesitated, but called her name. From the doorway came her voice answering “here.” As she walked in and looked at all the familiar faces, her face turned from fear and tragedy into joy and love.

Nancy’s mother had sent her to school because she knew we were all waiting there to offer her acceptance, sympathy and love. As I moved toward the door and hugged her in my arms, I began to feel one after another of the children all wrapping arms around us and each other. It was as I would imagine Jesus hugging each of us when the roll is called for us.

That is the kind of reception we can all look forward to when we answer the roll in our eternal home. Two things are certain, our Father’s house is our home, and He is present there. Roll Call will be a joyous celebration!

The great weight of eternity hangs upon the small wire of time. Thomas Brooks

When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound and time shall be no more, And the morning breaks eternal bright and fair; When the saints of earth shall gather over on the other shore, And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.

And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter to be with you forever. John 14:16

About six years ago, our nineteen year old dog, Buck, died suddenly while I was out of town. This dog, which we inherited from Ashley on the occasion of her departure to college, was loved dearly. I didn’t have a clue that Buck had died until I came home, and Randy met me in the garage. Now, this is a suspicious occurrence because Randy never meets me in the garage, so I knew something had happened. I was devastated at the news to say the least.

After my breakdown, as we were walking into the house, Randy said, “Before you open the door, I have a surprise for you, but if you don’t like him – I can take him back.” I wasn’t ready for this! Inside was a sweet little puppy named Rocco, who jumped into my lap immediately and kissed me all over my face. However, it was not the time for me to welcome a new dog, so I pushed him aside and continued to be sad and grieve.

The special thing about Rocco is that he seemed to understand my grief and would not let me grieve alone. Everywhere I went, he was beside me offering comfort until I was able to love him back. These days, he is my third child!

Rocco was a rescue who was abused in his first six months or so of life, and maybe because of this, he seems to have an innate sense that tells him when someone needs comforting. He knows when people are sad, he knows when we are hurting, he knows when we are sick, and he knows when someone needs him. I’ve seen this dog walk over to a perfect stranger who had obviously had a stroke, sit at his feet and lick the man’s hand. I’ve seen him jump into a friend’s lap who is suffering and lick his face until he is laughing. I’ve seen him sit quietly by a grandchild with a fever.

I often wonder why we have to experience sorrow, loss, hurt, hopelessness, addiction, depression, cancer, or any other great pain. The answer has become a little clearer to me as I realize that before we can be competent for the mission of comforting others, we first have to have experienced the pain. God must equip us to be comforters. At that point, we can tell others how we have suffered with that same thing and how God comforted us.

Comfort isn’t given to us when we are lighthearted and cheerful, but rather after we have traveled through adversity and experienced comfort ourselves. John Henry Jowett said, “God comforts us not to make us comfortable but to make us comforters.”

When my sisters and I were little, we shared a bedroom with three twin beds all in a row. At night, Daddy would push the beds together, and we would sleep with me in the outside bed, my middle sister in the middle, and my younger sister on the end against the wall. I didn’t realize it then, but it was a great comfort to know that the other one was close.

For each of us there are people to whom we naturally go in times of trials and sorrow, sickness or grief. These are the comforters who always seem to say just the right words and those who can give wise counsel or direction. These are probably people who have been through the same valley and understand our need. God is the great comforter and when one has been through the healing with Him, then they become co workers with Him in helping to comfort others.

Just like me however, many times we push the comforters away. We think we can do it all on our own, but most times, we need the comfort these comforters can offer.

I’ve heard it said that God never sends his rod without his staff. The staff He sends to support, give rest, and be a guide. The rod He sends as protection and a symbol of love. That is what a comforter is to me – someone who provides all these things.

Just like Rocco, we all need someone who is not willing to let us go through things alone, but rather will be there offering the comfort we need.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me. Psalm 23:4

This is dedicated to all our sweet family dogs who loved and comforted each of us. We miss you! Thank you, Buck, Chief, Cota, Cole, Velvet, and Beau.