The story is told of a little girl who developed the bad habit of lying. On her birthday she received a Saint Bernard puppy but told all of her friends she’d been given a lion. When her mother heard this story, she was not happy. “I told you not to lie. Honesty is very important. Now go upstairs and tell God you’re sorry. Promise Him you’ll never lie again.”

The little girl slowly climbed the stairs to her room, said her prayers, and then came back down to play. Her mother was waiting. “Well, did you tell God you’re sorry?” she asked. “Yes, I did,” her daughter quickly responded. “And God said that sometimes He thinks it’s hard to tell a Saint Bernard from a lion, too.”

If there is any sin more prevalent than the lie, I’m not sure what it is.  The book The Day America Told the Truth reports that 91 percent of those surveyed lie routinely about matters they consider trivial, and 36 percent lie about important matters; 86 percent lie regularly to parents, 75 percent to friends, 73 percent to siblings, and 69 percent to spouses.

As surprising as those numbers are, who of us hasn’t been guilty?  We download illegal songs.  Cheat on our tax returns.  Embellish our accomplishments.  Permanently “borrow” the stapler from the office. Tell our friends we will “pray for them” but don’t. And then… we justify. Not the way to make God happy. After all, He watched the downfall of man begin with lies.

Think about it.  Satan introduces himself to mankind by lying about God to Eve– “You shall not die.”  In other words, “God fibbed when He warned you of the consequence of eating from the tree of life.”  Eve and Adam learn quickly that God means business as they are banished from the Garden of Eden one itty bitty bite later.

In the book of Job, Satan lies to God.  “The only reason Job obeys you is because you’re so good to him.”  At Jesus’ crucifixion, the same liar convinces the masses to support the Romans and religious zealots who have sabotaged Jesus’ ministry. In the book of Revelation, Satan embodies the antichrist, who tells a lie so believable it brings about the end of the world.

As one author put it, in Genesis he uses a lie to corrupt a godly man.  In Job, he uses a lie to criticize a good man.  In the New Testament, he uses a lie to crucify the God Man. It’s no wonder John 4:4 warns us:  When men are deliberate liars, they prove their kinship to the devil, for Jesus said: “The devil … he is a liar, and the father of it.”

I know someone who lies to make himself feel important and then gets angry when confronted.  Repentance is not part of his vocabulary.  In fact, typically more lies follow in the cover-up.  I wish he could have the same outcome as the store manager who heard his rookie clerk tell a customer, “No, ma’am, we haven’t had any for a while, and it doesn’t look as if we’ll be getting any soon.” Horrified, the manager came running over to the customer and said, “Of course we’ll have some soon. We placed an order last week.” Then the manager drew the clerk aside. “Never,” he snarled, “Never, never, never say we’re out of anything- say we’ve got it on order and it’s coming. Now, what was it she wanted anyway?”

The clerk answered, “Rain!”

For many, deceit holds the key to money, fame, revenge or power. I’d rather hold the key to truth and integrity.

One will keep me in bondage.  The other will set me free.

As I watched the movie “The Twister: Caught in the Storm,” I was reminded of the tornado warnings we had when I was a child living in Fort Scott. When the warning signs screamed, my mother gathered up the three of us kids and headed to our neighbor’s cellar across the street. I had packed a box loaded with my favorite things, just in case. My stuffed monkey sat atop my plastic horses and pop-bead bracelets, treasures I could not live without. When the all-clear siren blasted, I knew my precious treasures and I were safe… at least for a while. Little did I know, those storms were nothing compared to the figurative storms I would face as an adult. You probably can relate.

Life is filled with storms – crazy schedules, emotional bankruptcy and physical exhaustion. My first reaction is to run and hide until the storm passes, but I have learned that (1) there will always be another storm, and (2) I must be prepared before those trials hit. That means I sometimes must say “no” to requests that do not edify those I love or the Lord. If not, my life becomes pretty chaotic.

My girlfriend Robin and I recently were discussing how easy it is to miss God’s will when we are navigating turbulent decisions. She and her husband moved to another town when they were offered a good price on their home. The only problem? They had to be out in three weeks…not a lot of time to check out other properties on the market in their new location. One prospective house needed a little work, but when the inspector assured them that all was well, they placed a bid that was accepted.

Unfortunately, they had purchased “the money pit.” A few days after moving in, Robin’s husband was in the attic, moving boxes, unaware there was a hole in the ceiling, a hole he fell through, resulting in seven broken ribs, a head laceration, a broken finger and a broken hip. As bad as that was, nothing prepared them for the cockroach infestation, a refrigerator and dishwasher that did not work, and a copperhead that crawled up Robin’s leg when she was in her back yard.

“I probably didn’t pray enough,” she said. “I prayed but clearly panicked with the time constraints.” Oh, how many times have I done the same! There isn’t enough room here to describe my inability to listen to God before I jump in, and usually a storm of some sort is waiting for me. Then again, in my case, that storm might be for my benefit to draw me closer to God.

One of the most recognizable stories in the Bible is when Jesus slept during a violent storm on the Sea of Galilee. The day has been long, filled with teaching, healing, and ministry, and the disciples are weary. Although accomplished fishermen, they, accompanying him in the boat, cannot imagine how he is not awakened as the “waves swept over the boat.”

Matthew 8:26, 27 reports that Jesus replied, “’You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, ‘What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!’”

Bible Hub tells us that Jesus’ words point to the danger of fear when faith is weak, and they serve as a reminder that true faith trusts in His power and presence. Jesus not only has authority over creation, he also can bring peace to the chaos of life. Think about it. His ability to calm the sea is immediate and complete. There are no after-effects except, of course, in the life of the disciples who once again are witnesses to the person in whom they need to place their faith.

What storm are you enduring? If you are trying to face it alone, you are missing an opportunity to call on the One who can make an everlasting difference, and in this case, you don’t even have to wake him up to ask for his help.

Last week, we looked at Ray Pritchard’s “B” (Build relationships) in the “BLT’s of Evangelism.” Today, we will review his L and T of how to “fish for people.” We are to Look for opportunities to talk to others and then Take these people to places where they can hear the Gospel preached. Many times, those opportunities come in the most unexpected places.

Our grandson, Drake, turned a 12-hour drive from Alabama to Fort Scott into an 18-hour one when he came to a 3:00 A.M. halt on a freeway due to an accident. At one point, he exited his truck and met a 23-year-old in the same predicament. Sitting in the bed of the other driver’s truck, playing cards, Drake shared his faith. His new friend listened and told my grandson that he probably needed to get back to church.

Pritchard’s BLT suggestions seem contradictory. In his “B” category, he told us to keep quiet and basically not be obnoxious with our faith, and his “L” tells us to open our mouths and share what we believe. The author addresses that dilemma, saying that most outspoken Christians are afraid people will think they are too fanatical and run for the hills, but the first need is just to build a relationship and then look for natural ways to share their faith.

Pritchard’s advice? “Look, it’s not difficult. You don’t need to make a big deal about this. Why don’t you begin each day by praying that God will send you at least one person each day to whom you can give a good word for the Lord? After you pray that prayer, just start looking for opportunities to say a good word for the Lord.”

I love his message. “Just say a good word for the Lord.” No big deal. No high pressure. Just look for chances to slip the Lord into your conversations with people in a natural, non-forced way. That’s evangelism.”

Sometimes, what we look for as an opportunity is not what God has in mind. Years ago, I was attending a college lab class. I was much older than the other students, and at my lab table were three fraternity boys, eager to share their party exploits with anyone in earshot. One day, I smiled and said that they were moving up my prayer ladder and that I was worried about their eternal souls. They laughed.

A week later, a girl seated at another lab table asked if she could talk to me. She had overheard my comment to the party boys and had questions. I invited her to my house, and at the kitchen table, she accepted Jesus as her personal Lord and Savior. I realized then that evangelism has little to do with the person sharing and everything to do with God and how He can use any circumstance to bring people to Him.

So you’ve got the B —Build Relationships, and you’ve got the L — Look for Opportunities. There’s only one thing left, the T. Take your friends to non-threatening events where they can hear the gospel. Hopefully, your church provides ministry opportunities like ladies’ luncheons or men’s retreats or Christian concerts or game days. Pritchard cautions against Sunday services as your starting point because they sometimes might be too overwhelming, but “As the Holy Spirit begins to draw your friends to Christ, Sunday worship will begin to seem much more inviting to them.”

So, there you have it, the BLT’s of Evangelism. Build relationships. Look for opportunities to share, and Take others to Christian events. Sounds simple? It is.

Last week, I wrote about Jesus’ command for us to evangelize (“fish for”) others, and yes, we know this simple act can cause heart palpitations and a feeling of failure…not exactly the way we choose to spend our days.  We picture going door-to-door in our dress clothes, hoping we will say something that prompts the homeowner to invite us in and join our church.  But that’s not the example Jesus laid out for us in Scripture.

So, how do we go about obeying this fishing challenge?  Keep Believing Ministries posted an article written by Ray Pritchard in which he offers some very do-able advice.  He calls it the BLT of evangelism, B standing for “Build Relationships with Non-Christians.” Evangelism begins simply by making friends with non-Christians.

Specifically, this means starting with the people you already know—family members, friends, neighbors you meet while on your evening walk, other parents you meet at your child’s T-ball game or your co-workers at the office.

Unless we are hermits, chances are we rub shoulders with someone every day.  Those are the people God has placed in our lives.  He puts them there so that we can lead them to Heaven…no insignificant matter, unless we opt to treat it as one.

Pritchard gave a few suggestions for ways to build bridges with non-Christians. (Notice that none of them involve dressing in our Sunday best and going door-to-door.)

1. Ask them for advice or help.  Perhaps you need to borrow a ladder or get advice on your lawn.

2. Invite your neighbor or co-worker over for dinner. Hospitality breaks down barriers and builds new friendships.

3. Sit out on your front porch once a week and greet people who walk by. Or simply make it a point to go over and talk to your neighbors.

4. Be sensitive to their needs. If you know an elderly person, offer to mow their lawn or shovel their driveway.

5. Take an interest in their interests. If they like to fish, talk about fishing. If they like to cook, talk about cooking.  Better yet, talk about cooking fish.  (I made that one up.)

6. Help sponsor a “Neighborhood Garage Sale” this summer.

7. Be available when people hurt by looking for opportunities to tangibly express love during times of sickness, death, marital problems or financial troubles.

8. Offer to take care of your neighbor’s kids for an evening.

The article continued by suggesting we say nothing religious the first time we are together.  I would add, “unless the Holy Spirit nudges us to do so.” Look at the list above.  Is there one thing you can do this week to start building a relationship?

This past week at the Shead Family Festival, I ran into a young gal who has a reputation for spreading the gospel.  Someone once said that within at least two minutes of a conversation with her, she will mention Jesus.  They were right, only she did it in the sweetest way: she spoke of meeting my granddaughter and how it was obvious I had prayed for her because she radiated the love of the Lord.  So simple.  Evangelism should not be hard, so why do we make it so?

Jesus told his followers to be “fishers of men.”  I have known several serious fishermen, including one who is a professional.  He has learned the secrets of winning derbies by reeling in “the big one.”  Another friend recently posted pictures after landing an enormous bass, a fish he snared at the same place where my husband fishes and catches something akin to a pet goldfish.

Thankfully, Jesus was not saying that we had to be great fisher-people to fish for people. We do, however, need to demonstrate some of the skills employed by successful anglers, and as I write this list, I see where I fall short.

For one, we need to put in the effort, knowing that some days we might throw out our line multiple times but catch nothing.  Still, we have to try.  Sitting in our rowboats, staring at the water, praying for a 30-pound bass to jump into our vessels while telling others that we are “fishing” makes us look rather pathetic.  To truly excel in this skill, we need to do our homework.

The same applies for what Jesus meant. Fishing for men requires us to know what the Gospel says about salvation and be willing to share that knowledge by being sensitive to our listener.  Expecting people to show up at our door and ask to hear what they need to do to be saved just ain’t gonna happen.

Fishermen also need to know what bait to use.  Different seas and locations require research to know what the fish want. Bobbers or feathered lures or worms or cheese will likely have different results. If I were to share the Gospel with a farmer, my best approach would be to use agricultural terms like “sowing” and “reaping.”  Discussing what I know best (baseball or teaching) might cause my listeners to yawn or find an excuse to exit hastily to work their field.

Unfortunately, most of us might be good at talking about fishing, but Jesus never said, “Follow me and talk about evangelizing.”  We read Christian books (maybe even the Bible), attend conferences, listen to Podcasts and skim articles like this one.  We end up with a tackle box full of information and maybe even a few predictable questions (“If you were to die today, where would you end up?”).  Simply discussing what we know is not enough.  We are to act on what we know.

So, why is it so difficult to fish for people? Most Christians know they should evangelize but don’t know where to begin or how.  Researcher George Barna has discovered that nine out of ten people who attempt to explain what they believe to other people come away from those experiences feeling as if they failed. No wonder we don’t do much evangelism. It’s not fun to do something that makes us feel like a failure 90% of the time.

In Mark 16:15, Jesus commands us to “Go and preach the gospel to every creature.” No Christian can wriggle off the evangelism hook. We are to spread the good news about Jesus Christ by seeking opportunities wherever we go, and the best part of all is that we don’t have to seek only that 30-pound large-mouth bass.  Sometimes, a tiny little goldfish might be the biggest win of all.

The road from anger to bitterness is not a difficult one.  The journey appears smooth and easily traveled, yet what awaits us around the bend is a cavernous pit.  A U-turn is necessary before we ever get to that end, yet some people never make that choice.

Bitterness is deadly.  It causes us to weep when others rejoice and rejoice when others weep.  It will rob us of our ability to recognize and reveal God, as it renders us powerless to love others.  The roots of bitterness squeeze life from our hearts, as this sin shows up as anger, pride, sarcasm and hostility.  Others recognize it in us, but few of us recognize it in ourselves.

At the root of bitterness are three lies about God:

1.  He does not understand my problem, so I feel isolated.                          2.  He has left me to deal with this alone, so I feel forsaken.                        3.  He cannot do anything to help me, so I feel hopeless.

These are lies from the enemy.  God will never leave nor forsake us (Acts 17:28).  He knows the plan He has for us (Ps. 139:13-14), and He can do anything (Luke 1:37).

This year, as a high school teacher, I have watched several students act out bitterness.  They share their stories, and I get it.  A father rapes his young daughter and then commits suicide when he is found out.  A stepdad molests his son, my student, and the son has to miss class to relive the incident in court.  Children are forced to move in with aunts or grandparents who let them know they are an obligation, not a blessing.  Yesterday, a male student showed me a video of a former student who chose to fight another teen “because that way I don’t cut myself.”

Those are the ones I can write about.  Others have shared secrets so dark, they want no one to know their stories.

I have to wonder if I wouldn’t be equally as tormented.  These teenagers “act out” their bitterness by failing their classes or becoming defensive with the least bit of constructive criticism.  Their mood swings are painful to watch.  I overhear them tell their friends about the teachers who hate them (basically, anyone who holds them accountable). The girls sleep around.  “Will anyone make me feel valued?” Not even lessons learned in their church youth group penetrate their wounded souls.

Bitter people often do not choose to move past this destructive behavior.  If this describes you, you need to know that it’s never what you can do; it’s what God can do through you.  If you find yourself on the road to bitterness, there are a few things He wants you to do:

1.  Admit it and confess it (1 John 1:9).

2.  Ask God to show you how bitterness damages you (Prov. 16:2).

3.  Stop rehearsing your bitterness with others (Mt. 15:11).

4.  Stay in harmony with godly people (Prov. 11:14).

5.  Read the Bible (Mt. 13:18-23).

6.  Look ahead, not behind (Phil. 3:13-14).

7.  Study winners who chose contentment over bitterness (Gen. 50:20).

8.  Remember, winning over bitterness takes time (Romans 8:25-30).

God offers the path that destroys the root of bitterness; if you choose not to accept it,  it will destroy you.

Isaiah 40:28-31 (NIV) Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:28-31 (NIV)

How can two people accumulate so much junk? Dave and I are packing to move from the lake area into town.  This move, probably because we are tired of paying per-pound for things we never will use, we are trying really, really hard to declutter.  For some reason, I look at Dave’s things with clearer eyes than I do my own.

“Honey, you don’t need those old baseball folders.  And when was the last time you wore those polyester pants or needed those rusted tweezers or those tireless bikes?”  Dave is equally as helpful.  “Patty, didn’t you wear that outfit on our honeymoon?  How many hair products do you actually need?  Aren’t three spatulas enough?”

And then we both defend whatever it is our spouse thinks we should throw away.  This is ridiculous.  We have no problem moving, leaving behind years of sweet, family memories, but we can’t part with unnecessary junk.  Change is a natural part of life.  We can embrace it, or we can fight it.  The choice is ours.  Just like the eagle’s.

The eagle has the longest life-span among birds. It can live up to 70 years, but to reach this age, the eagle has to make a hard decision. In its 40s, the eagle’s long and flexible talons can no longer grab prey, its food. Its long and sharp beak becomes bent, and its old and heavy wings, covered with feathers that have grown thick over the years, become stuck to its chest, making it difficult to fly.

The eagle is then left with only two options: die or go through a painful process of change which lasts 150 days. This requires the eagle to fly to a mountain top and sit on its nest. There the eagle knocks its beak against a rock until the beak falls off. The eagle will then wait for a new beak to grow back and use the new beak to pluck out its talons. When the new talons grow back, the eagle starts plucking out all of the old feathers. After five months, the eagle takes a famous flight of rebirth and lives 30 more years.

Change is sometimes needed to survive. Read the Bible.  Every story includes choices people had, either to follow God or not.  What is God asking of you?  How is He working to increase your faith by making a change in your life?  The answer is simple. He is preparing your steps to move out of your comfort zone, to get rid of useless material junk, to eliminate destructive habits and to focus on what is truly important.

When Dave and I began to concentrate on what we really need, we found a certain satisfaction in not holding onto what was familiar. Joshua 3 illustrates how God works in these decisions. The Israelites were close to the Promised Land, but the Jordan River stood in their way.  God asked them to take one step into the water.  He would do nothing until the Israelites obeyed.  The lesson is one for us all.

Don’t wait until you believe it all.  Don’t wait until you can see it all.  Don’t wait until you understand it all.

Take the first step.  God will meet you there…even if it involves rusty tweezers and multiple spatulas.

Jacee asked for a Mental Health Day. She needed time off work because she was stressed, not to mention her employee contract allowed her three of those days a year, so she was entitled to it.

Where were those days when we were living in Houston, Dave was playing baseball in another part of the country and our children were young? No one offered me a day to regroup, not even when I found my outdoor wreath nailed 18” above the baseboard in the living room (i.e., where the ping pong table was located, of course). As it turned out, when Adam beat Jeff in a game, Jeff threw his paddle at his younger brother who retaliated by shoving Jeff through the drywall. The wreath was their brilliant plan to hide the butt cheeks’ hole in the wall.

Or how about the time teenager Jeff placed the riding mower in drive instead of reverse, pinning me against the wall in the shed…the same teenage Jeff who tried to take a shortcut home from mowing a neighbor’s yard and drove into a ditch full of water, dropping the keys in the muddy water when he jumped off the mower? I never got time off work when I was mentally unstable. I got time off work when the principal of Adam’s middle school called me to say that the history teacher was tired of Adam’s shenanigans. Would I trail Adam at school for a day to see if he behaved better? That was my mental health day.

According to Jessica Brodie, author of “5 Sneaky Habits that Cause Serious Mental Health Problems,” mental health issues range from diagnosed mental illness (many times caused from a chemical disorder, genetics or trauma) to short-term periods of mental imbalance. What intrigued me about Brodie’s article was that mental health problems can be caused by five behaviors: lack of sleep, poor nutrition, not exercising, substance abuse and lack of self-love.

Except for substance abuse, I was guilty of the other four but certainly not unsympathetic to single parents who resorted to “substances.” I mean, how was I to sleep when I realized Adam disconnected the security system so he could sneak out his window at night? I guess I needed to be more like Jesus whose disciples had to wake him when a storm arose. (I could not relate.)

As for nutrition, yes, I know that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and deserves proper nutrition (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), but was it my fault Little League concession stands sold only hotdogs and nachos instead of salads? Then there’s exercise—so over-rated. Who has time for a spin class? Wasn’t it enough that daily I played catch with my sons and retrieved balls that somehow missed my glove? Proverbs 31:17 addresses the strength of a godly woman: “She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.” My arms were strong; it was the rest of my body that suffered.

Matthew 22:39 deals with self-love. Matthew never met my kids. How does one love herself when she is told by other parents that on several occasions her older two sons put a football helmet on their younger brother and had him run through the woods, target practice for their BB guns? No doubt, I was the topic of conversation for many of my son’s friend’s parents.

As I reflect on the hundreds (thousands) of incidents with my children, I understand that had mental health days been offered to parents who deserved them, I never would have worked a day in my life. Still, the wildest thing about all of this is that I now consider my children as some of my greatest blessings. Crazy how that works, isn’t it?

My student’s step-mother died this past week. “Jon” had been excited about an experimental medical procedure that would save his mom’s life, but something went wrong. When Jon returned to class, I shared with him how sorry I was. “She was the kindest person I’ve ever known,” he said. “She never had a bad word to say about anyone. It’s hard to understand why she had to die when so many jerks don’t.”

Jon began sharing how much his mom loved Jesus and lived for him. We discussed how much better her life is now compared to when she was suffering with a heart defect, but we both understood the genuine hurt felt when someone so dear dies. Jon recently had back surgery, and his father will soon have a surgery in which his small intestine will become his stomach. Clearly, this family has been asked to endure much.

And then there is Diana, my wheelchair-bound friend who watched her husband choke to death when the restaurant employees apologized because they weren’t allowed to perform any medical procedure, Heimlich included. Her unmarried daughter was diagnosed with cancer and will begin chemotherapy and radiation treatments this week.

This same week, Becky, my longtime friend from Ohio, texted that her younger son had died from complications following surgery in which his pancreas and spleen were removed, even though they had gone to one of the finest hospitals in the country. Her older son passed away three years ago from cancer. Becky cannot make phone calls because she lost her hearing five years ago. I cannot even tell her verbally how I hurt for her and her husband.

Too much. Too much. Sometimes, challenges seem too much to bear.

God knows that. He sees us shake our fists at Him, scream for answers when there appear to be none and watch our faith be shaken. I wonder how many millions of times He has listened to our tantrums and wanted to tell us that His ways are not our ways, that this trial needs to grow us, to bring us closer to Him. Perhaps this is the first time we have been on our knees in years (well, since the last time we were overwhelmed). Perhaps this is so others can watch us endure in order to give them hope. Perhaps we won’t know the “why’s” until we meet God face-to-face.

No one enjoys suffering, yet James tells us to “consider it pure joy” when we face trials. This makes no sense. Why would anyone rejoice in hardship? The answer is found in what trials produce. They develop perseverance. They strengthen faith. They teach dependence on God. Without trials, our faith remains shallow. With them, it grows deep and unshakable.

Becky knows all about that. Her final words in her text were these: “God answered my nightly, ongoing prayers that he doesn’t suffer terribly with a long, painful ending.” She ended by repeating herself: “God answered my prayers.”

He always does, sometimes in ways we find difficult to understand.

Marbles and Jokers is one of our favorite games.  Dave and I were introduced to it a few years ago and immediately became fans.  Since that time, most of the couples whom we taught to play have ordered the game for themselves and for their adult children.

Months ago, we had two couples over for dinner and taught them the game.  The following morning, one pair ordered the game for themselves.  We play marathon M&J every chance we can.

Today, while talking to my friend, Lael, a fellow M&J player, I shared with her that wonderful things seem to happen over dinner and that game.  She asked how many people had bought the game because of us.  I said about 30.  But then she asked me a question that made me realize the opportunity I was missing.

“Can you imagine sharing Jesus with 30 people over the course of the last few years?”  Granted, most of the people who have played this game with us are Christians, but some aren’t, and even though they know where we stand, why haven’t I been as determined to tell them about Heaven as I have been about teaching them a competitive game? Too, could Marbles and Jokers be the tool I use to do so?  Why do I make witnessing so difficult?

Finding the way to Christ is simple, and the “Romans Road”—seven scriptures in the Book of Romans—is a great path to get there.

3:10—There is no righteous person.

3:23—Everyone sins and comes short of the glory of God.

5:12—Sin (and death) entered the world through Adam’s sin; that death was passed to all of us.

6:23—Sin leads to death, but God gives the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ.

5:8—God covered our sins by his son, Jesus’, death.

10:13— Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

10:9-10 (NLT) “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

And yes, I understand that, unless the Holy Spirit inspires me, I would not share those seven scriptures with a non-believer I had invited over to play a game (not even if they were winning and I wanted them to go home).

There are simpler ways to witness. Our example, for…well, example.  This school year, I have had many opportunities to pray for faculty and students.  Sometimes, it is as simple as hearing their problems and asking how I can pray for them.  Other times, I drop them a note to tell them what a blessing they are to me or simply to encourage them, reminding them that God hears our prayers.

I have had deep conversations with students who were wounded by their parents, reminding them that we all are sinners and that God grieves when He sees parental figures abusing their children.  I have apologized to an entire class when I showed anger instead of doling out fair consequences, telling them that as a Christian, I failed to show mercy.

Lael’s question made me realize that I was missing an incredible opportunity.  After all, losing a game is nothing compared to losing our eternal lives.

Have you ever been called to “love the unlovely”?  You know, like Jesus did.  I recently realized how hard that really is…not because I can’t love the unlovely but because sometimes they don’t love me.  People I know have been disappointed in me, and my Christian character has been ridiculed.  Compared to how I felt when a dear friend said that I didn’t mask my double-chin well when I delivered my Tedx Talk or how another addressed my unflattering outfit or when someone shared that I overdid my makeup at my book signing, and I bet you know which hurt worse.

Yep, when my Christian character was maligned.

I want desperately to please God.  I do.  I want people to see in me a joy, a peace, a freedom, so infectious that they ask my secret.  That doesn’t always happen.

Today was the exception.  A sweet, young waitress told me that I make a difference in her life, that every time she waits on me, she feels that she has someone in her corner.  Her grandparents and father are deceased, and her mother is an addict.  She, a divorcee, has young children and struggles being a good mother, but, she said, she believes that I care.  She is right.  From the first time she waited on me, I knew there was something in her I admired.

She is lovely, personable, hard-working and determined to give her children a better life.  She asked if we could exchange phone numbers.  Of course we could, and we did.  She explained that she wants to leave her present job and move into something more fulfilling, something that would provide better for her kids.  I assured her that I would try and make that happen.

Then she said something I did not expect.  “I am pregnant.”  She spoke about how amazing the father is, how he treats her well, but how she knows things now are more complicated in her hunt for a new job.  I couldn’t help but think, “Would Jesus call this complicated?”  Absolutely not.  He loved everyone, even those who think they disappoint. No story reflected that better than when Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well.

According to John 4:1-42, she, the lowest of the low, an unmarried female of a race despised by Jews, meets Jesus on his way to Galilee.  His disciples are in town buying food when Jesus asks this woman, coming to draw water from the well, for a drink. In that era, women drew water in groups in the morning, but this outcast drew water alone midday.

The Samaritan woman questions how this man can ask her, a woman, for a drink.  Jesus’ responses confound her as he explains that he offers “living water,” the kind that leads to eternal life, to everyone. The dialogue continues until Jesus switches gears and reveals that she has been married five times and is not married to her current affair.  Still, he offers her a chance. She then gets it: she who has disappointed for as long as she can remember is talking to the Messiah.  And he’s not disappointed.

When this woman believed, she immediately ran off to tell others. Her words made an impact. As Scripture tells us, “Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony.”

Loving the unlovely is Jesus’ way.  My job is to love those who don’t love me, those who judge me or criticize me, to see them as Jesus does, so they can know him too.

Along the way, I hope I don’t disappoint.

Thirty years ago, I was not frazzled easily. Perhaps because I had survived the ordeal of raising three A.D.D. sons without any criminal repercussions. Perhaps because I had learned to relax as a teacher and enjoy my students, or perhaps because I was finally figuring out the difference between religion and a relationship with Christ. What I deal with now is nothing compared to those challenges, so I have no idea why at this age I get frazzled so easily. Still, the list of things that frustrate me is endless. For example:

• Delayed Amazon deliveries
• A slow internet speed
• Passwords and QR codes
• Fast-food restaurants that use kiosks
• Pinterest ideas that appear impossible to mess up…until I try them
• Stop lights that stay red when no one is coming from the opposite direction

The list above includes modern inventions that are intended to make our lives easier, yet when they fail to do so, I become frustrated instead of being thankful for the times they do work. Why is that? In Luke 17:11-17, we read of 10 outcast lepers who were healed by Jesus. Lepers were no small deal (like my list above). They were considered permanently unclean, so they could not worship in the temple. They could not hang with their families and were cut off from society. They would gladly have changed places with me, complaining about such trivial things as my list above. Jesus curing them was no minor miracle.

Still, only one leper thanked him, and in no insignificant way. That leper fell at Jesus’ feet and loudly praised him for this miracle. Jesus questioned why the other nine just went on their merry way while only this one stayed behind to show gratitude. “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Questions asked in Luke 17:17,18. Being thankful was important to Jesus.

Typically, I love thanking people and look for ways to do so. Still, I need to do a better job of thanking God. Take this morning, for example. I had countless reasons for which to be grateful: life itself; opportunities to pray; a phone call from one of our children; a car that started; great friends; inspirational, Christian Instagram posts; Kleenex (allergies); and short lines at the post office. The list was endless, but only now, while writing this, am I thanking God.

In the Bible, the word “thanks” or “Thanksgiving” appears over 100 times, and no season reminds me of the need to show gratitude more than Easter. Without the Resurrection, we would be hopeless. The Bible would be just another history book, Christianity would be pointless, and none of us would have a chance to spend eternity with Jesus.

The next time I’m frustrated because my internet is weak or my Pinterest macaroons look more like a blackened pizza crust or I spend 15 minutes pushing the wrong buttons, trying to order an Egg McMuffin, I need to remember what’s truly important. Actually, I need to remember Who is the most important…and maybe fall at His feet when I do.

That’s what Easter is all about.