Keys to the Kingdom

By Carolyn Tucker

Don’t Look, Ethel!

I don’t know why, but I’m afraid of heights. When I was young, I used to think I had hydrophobia, but I eventually found out it was called acrophobia. Oh well, it’s not a problem most of the time. In 2015, our family vacationed in Colorado and we decided to go to The Royal Gorge. Common sense told me I could walk across the bridge and survive. So I positioned myself in the middle “lane” of the bridge, kept my eyes on the far end, and started repeating, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” as I took off. I ended up crossing the bridge four times that day but I never once looked down over the edge. Yes, I’m aware that I missed out on a breathtaking view. But I knew I couldn’t look anywhere but straight ahead if I wanted to make it to the end.

If believers want to live victorious lives, we must keep our gaze straight ahead and press toward the reward that God has for us. We have to set our sights on Christ Jesus and keep moving forward. We can’t allow ourselves to get sidetracked with the frivolous distractions of the world because it‘s not worth it. The apostle Paul said, “…I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us” (Philippians 3:13,14 NLT).

I was determined not to let a silly fear keep me from participating and making good memories with my family. When your back’s against the wall, you’ll turn and find God standing right there with you. Christ followers should have a fearless obedience to do God‘s will. When He asks you to do something, He’ll give you what it takes to accomplish it. “No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us” (Romans 8:37 NLT).

Life, in general, offers a multitude of distracting options every day. A believer has to be careful not to fall into the trap of unending “busyness.” Getting up on the wrong side of the bed and starting off on the wrong foot can simply be a result of neglecting God in the morning. If you’re too busy to connect with your heavenly Father, then I suggest you seriously consider adjusting your priorities. Most of us wouldn’t think of leaving the house without that cup of coffee. So why would Christians run out the door without drinking from the cup of Living Water? God should be considered a morning necessity in order to have wisdom and direction for the day ahead. Paul’s advice is to: “Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end” (Hebrews 12:2 GNT).

Jesus has already crossed the finish line, so now we believers are to look straight ahead to Him. Don’t try to see how close to the edge you can walk, or even consider turning right or left. However, all is not lost should that happen. You are God’s child and He cares about you watchfully. “If you stray to the right or left, you will hear a word that comes from behind you: ‘This is the way; walk in it‘” (Isaiah 30:21 CEB). The Word of God is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path, empowering us to walk fearlessly straight.

The Key: Set your sights on Jesus and He’ll help you make it across the finish line with flying colors.

 

I was born in the ‘50’s, but the first U.S. President of whom I was aware was JFK. I remember the awe and respect my parents had for him, and our government officials in general. Several trips to Washington D.C. during my elementary school days reinforced this ideal. We all know that those times are long gone.

Are the men and women that currently hold office in our country less worthy of respect? Are they worse people than the elected officials of a generation ago? Probably not, but we know much more about their governing activities and private lives than that of their predecessors, thanks to technology, the 24-hour news cycle, and social media. Familiarity certainly can breed contempt.

When employers are making hiring decisions, standard procedure is to check social media and search engines to see what is out there in the public domain. One can learn much about a person when reading what they post. Just so with news reports, and citizen posts about a community.

Unfortunately, the negative seems to dramatically out-influence the positive. It does not take too many vitriolic posts, or caustic comments by a citizen at a commission meeting to leave outsiders with a poor impression of a community. The Internet is as powerful of force for destruction as it is for good; perhaps more so. It can mean the difference between a family deciding to move to Bourbon County, or not.

Word of mouth is still impactful. Upon moving here six years ago, I walked into two businesses, I identified myself as a new resident, and the comments, were something like, “You moved here on purpose?!?” and “Why did you move here?!?” I quickly learned that our communities have a self-esteem problem.

I was born in a town of 1,300 people, I have lived in five states, several small and medium-sized towns, and one large city. Let me say this: Bourbon County is my BEST community experience. My wife and I have no desire to be anywhere else. The grass is NOT greener elsewhere. If you don’t believe me, you don’t know what you have in Bourbon County.

Bottom line: think twice before you go negative, either in private conversations, or on social media. Don’t post anything based on assumptions. Make sure your opinions are factual, and expressed in respectful ways. Don’t sacrifice the good on the altar of the perfect. Don’t take out your frustrations in a public setting. Buy a punching bag instead.

I leave you with a quote from our first President, George Washington, which is one of his 12 Rules of Civility: “Speak not evil of the absent, for it is unjust.” If you have something against your neighbor, go talk to them, rather than posting about it. On second thought, if you have something negative to say or post, ask yourself, “What do I hope to accomplish?” The economic future of our community depends upon the public impression we make every day.

Keys to the Kingdom

 

In my later teen years at home, my parents would usually “call it a night” before I did. Like clockwork, they would straighten up the living room before heading off to bed. It was their nightly routine to put everything in its place. One time Mom explained their tradition: “Back in the day, we always cleaned the living room before going to bed in case the doctor had to come in the night.” That made good sense to me because it was a good habit and good habits should continue even if the reason for them is out of style. That’s why I can join a few others in saying, “I’m from the old school.“ Another rule I learned was to always wear clean underwear in case you’re in a car wreck.

Generally speaking, nobody sees your underwear because it’s hiding beneath your outer clothing. You’re the only person who knows whether your undies are clean, worn-out, uncomfortable, or stink. Spiritually speaking, what’s on the outside is just a façade, but what’s on the inside (hiding) is the real thing. “As I think in my heart [which is underneath and hidden] so am I“ (Proverbs 23:7). Believers need to be careful of the temptation to harbor negative undercurrents in their mind and heart. Bad attitudes are sure to show up in your conversations, facial expressions, and actions. Although you try, you can’t hide what’s on the inside because it comes out involuntarily. King David wrote: “He [God] knows the secrets of every heart” (Psalm 44:21 NLT).

Everyday we have the choice to wear dirty or clean underwear. The Apostle Paul tells us that believers have the choice to put on Jesus or leave Him in the closet. “Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don‘t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires“ (Romans 13:14 NLT). If you’re so busy with going here and there, and doing this and that, you may not even be able to find Jesus to put Him on. If your closet of life is cluttered with stuff, Jesus will just continue to hang around waiting to be worn.

I enjoy going through drawers, cabinets, and closets to throw out stuff that serves no purpose. Christians have to do the same thing spiritually. “Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from Him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God — truly righteous and holy” (Ephesians 4:21-24 NLT). You have to take off something old in order to put on something new. It would be dumb for someone to put clean underwear on over the top of dirty ones. (If brains were gasoline, she couldn’t ride a moped around a fruit loop!)

A baby is coddled and bottled and that’s sweet. But if a Christian is expecting God to do everything for him/her, that stinks. God has His part and we have our part. Paul says believers are to “put on our new nature.” By the power of the Holy Spirit, we are to dress ourselves with the presence of Jesus every day — one size fits all.

The Key: Beware! If your underwear stinks, then you’re the one to change it.

Americans and Canadians are now leaving Mexico and heading home for the summer, and with a goal of ending up with no food in our condos, “Refrigerator Clean-Out” parties abound. So, we all congregate in the condominium of the ones leaving, pick what kinds of cheese or meats or canned goods we might use, thank our generous friends, and then, a few days later, have our own departing exodus get-together, many times giving away what we took from those who left before us.

We prepare our condominiums until we return (hopefully) in the fall. Darkened shades protect the furniture from the sun’s damage, fans help with air circulation, underwear is placed in the refrigerator (Not kidding; it saves the elastic), cars are garaged with trickle-charge batteries attached, and we pray for the best. “Best” meaning no hurricane or tsunami or earthquake or saltwater damage.

Yesterday, making up for lost time, I had a massage.

For years I have heard raves about Corina, the gal who comes to our complex and is a master at relieving tension. She is not for wimps. Corina started off gently, rubbing my shoulder blades before pressing some area above my hip that shot me into orbit. Hers was a two-hand approach, one kneading my left shoulder area near my spine and the other on that hip spot. Mine was a “try not to whimper” approach. Occasionally Corina would find some body part not filled with marbles, but that was rare, and trust me, holding my breath instead of squeezing her tonsils as a reflexive response was exhausting. Following our time together, I spent an hour trying to figure out how my kidneys ended up above my lungs.

Corina’s hands were weapons, a gift from God to torture those of us willing to hand over 500 pesos ($25.00) to be woman-handled.

Yesterday, the day before Dave and I left Mazatlán, I took my friend Saundra’s advice and made an appointment with Diana, the lady across the street who gives facials. My face, it seems, required about 16 steps to repair its damage, the fifth of which was preempted with these words. “This might make you feel like your face is on fire, but it’s necessary because of the sun’s harm to your skin.” At that point, Diana threw kerosene on my face and lit it with a blow torch. By the 10^th step when she “exfoliated” the dirt lurking in the skin of my nose, I was sure I would be faceless for the rest of my life.

Driving across the mountains of Mexico today was a piece of tres-leches cake compared to the pain endured on body parts I had ignored for far too long but had spent hours of the two previous days repairing. Experts were able to see problems under the surface of my skin that I had no idea were there. Instead of a maintenance program, I had allowed things to get out of hand…or back…or face…or wherever. And I paid a price for ignoring what I needed to do.

Don’t we all do that with our spiritual lives? We go through the motions of daily happenings and ignore the warning signs of what our faith requires until jolted awake by our expert Creator, the One who sees danger below the surface. We are shocked by the damage done when our sins get out of control and question why we did not do a maintenance check on our spiritual life.

When did I stop talking to Jesus throughout the day? How did it become so easy not to attend church? What happened to my New Years’ oath that I would study my Bible on a regular basis? If those questions represent you, perhaps it is time for some spiritual kneading or burning or exfoliating…you know, a maintenance program none of us can fail to ignore.

Keys to the Kingdom

Carolyn Tucker

 

My dad served in the United States Army on the front lines in Germany during World War II. In his later years, he once told me, “It kills me to hear Taps sounded.” I know for a fact that he’s not the only veteran who felt that way. This haunting mournful bugle call is sounded by the United States Armed Forces at dusk, during flag ceremonies, and at military funerals. Dad was in the heat of the battle in the European Theatre from 1944-1946 and he witnessed many of his buddies killed or injured. When Taps are sounded, tears stream down my face as I think about all the brave veterans and their sacrifices.

The Bible best describes a U.S. veteran who dies for his/her Country: “No one has greater love than the one who gives his life for his friends” (John 15:13 NIRV). Dying for something you believe in is the ultimate sacrifice. Memorial Day commemorates the brave men and women who died in battle, or as a result of wounds sustained in battle, while serving their Country and fighting for freedom.

It grieves me to see some Americans lightly treat Memorial Day as simply an opportunity to get together, have a picnic, and start the summer off with a bang. The only reason we’re even able to do that is because of our valiant Armed Forces. Honoring and mourning the loss of those who have died in the line of duty should be the #1 priority on Memorial Day. In addition, Americans have also taken this opportunity to decorate the graves of all their loved ones, not just military graves. God cares about all those who die. “His loved ones are very precious to Him and He does not lightly let them die” (Psalm 116:15 TLB).

When our veterans die for others, there is no more that love can do to show dedication to their fellow man. Fallen soldiers give their lives to protect everyone — not just family and friends but strangers too. They die for those who refuse to salute the flag. They die for those who take freedom for granted. They die for those who refuse to say the Pledge of Allegiance. They even die for those who don’t stand for the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights.

For those who die in Christ, they have a rich reward. “…when I awake in heaven, I will be fully satisfied, for I will see You face to face” (Psalm 17:15 TLB). Even though God’s Word states that we’re born to die, I don’t see many volunteering for it. Everyone I know is trying to stay alive. But when an unselfish individual signs up for the military, there’s a chance he/she will come home in a flag-draped coffin.

Taps is sounded nightly in military installations to indicate “lights out” and mark the end of an evening. The lights have gone out on our Nation’s fallen heroes, but let’s keep the memories of their brave sacrifices burning brightly in our hearts. The National Moment of Remembrance takes place across America at 3:00 p.m. local time on Memorial Day. Let us pray for those who mourn and also for our national leaders.

The Key: The flag of the United States of America doesn‘t unfurl because the wind blows it. It reverently unfurls with the last breath of every veteran who died to protect it.

He appeared to be no older than six or seven. Dave and I were on a four-lane road at a stop light in Mazatlán, Mexico, when he walked in front of all of the cars, carrying two plastic balls. The young juggler was going to perform for tips. The only problem was that he couldn’t juggle. He spent more time chasing his errant ball between cars than he did catching it mid-air. Plus, one cannot call transferring two balls from hand to hand “juggling.” Still, many drivers saw beyond his lack of talent and tipped the youngster. Here in Mexico, it is not uncommon for “entertainers” to camp out at busy intersections. From stilt-walkers to break dancers to fire jugglers to acrobats to musicians, all distract bored drivers and passengers, hoping for a few pesos of gratitude. Occasionally entrepreneurs walk up and down the rows of stopped cars, selling strawberries, trash bags or some yellow drink in a water bottle (which I have no plans to ever try). Groups wash windshields for tips, firemen hold out their helmets for handouts, amputees sit on corners, hoping to earn a living, and blind people are led by a helping friend through the rows of cars. You get the picture. There is no shortage of diversions while waiting for a light to turn green. The other day, however, I saw something disturbing. Across the busy street, standing in front of stopped cars coming the opposite direction, was a woman with a child—a child, not an infant– strapped horizontally on her back, while she attempted to juggle. Just as I noticed her, the light changed, and she hustled to the sidewalk area. I determined that when we returned and would be on her side of the street, I would give her more than the usual amount we donate. Our errand was a short one, but when we drove to her spot, she was gone. I was sick. How desperate this mother had to be to traverse through stopped cars in the hot sun doing whatever it took to make a little money! Had I been intentional, I could have had Dave stop in the parking lot after we crossed the intersection and run the money over to her. Instead, I opted to wait until it was convenient. Convenient. Probably not a word in this woman’s vocabulary. What can be convenient about spending my day begging, having no one to watch my toddler while being a side- show for the travelers too inconvenienced to help out? 2 Timothy 4:2 tells us to keep a sense of urgency, whether the situation is convenient or inconvenient, and Proverbs 3:27-28 reinforces Timothy’s writing: Never walk away from someone who deserves help; your hand is God’s hand for that person. Don’t tell your neighbor “Maybe some other time” or “Try me tomorrow. The intersection where that occurred is about 20 minutes from our house. I have returned there a few times, but the woman has been replaced by political supporters working for the upcoming election. Not only did this begging woman lose, but so did I. Pastor Jonathan Del Turco reminds us of who benefits from being put out: “Life teaches us that all too often the best things in life – its greatest breakthroughs, miracles and memories – seem to be deliberately placed just beyond our convenient reach.” I wish I would have thought of that when I had the chance.

Keys to the Kingdom by Carolyn Tucker

 

The sound of music — there’s nothing like it! It’s powerful enough to uplift your mood if you’re down in the dumps. The evil spirit that plagued King Saul would utterly vanish when young David played his harp for him. The day God created me, He threw in a little of this and a little of that. But He poured in a gallon of musical sauce that’s still seasoning my life. As a kid, I heard a beautiful song that has stuck with me for 56 years. “What the World Needs Now is Love,” written by Hal David (lyrics) and Burt Bacharach (music), was released by recording artist Jackie DeShannon on April 15, 1965.

The other day I was discussing this particular song with a musician friend and the word “timeless” came up. Because the world needed love, God provided it through what His only Son did at Calvary. And then from the cross Jesus said, “It is finished.” He accomplished His part, so now it’s in the hands of believers all over the world to love their neighbor. It’s pert near impossible to truly love others if the love of Jesus isn’t inside you. And even then, it can be a gargantuan challenge if the other person has a scratchy personality.

Sometimes I cut the tag off of my clothing because it’s scratchy and irritating. Some people are like tags, but you can’t just cut them off. We must learn to deal with them and love them like Jesus would. Books have been written on how to love people you don’t like, but none are better than the Bible. “Put up with each other, and forgive each other if anyone has a complaint. Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Colossians 3:13 GW). That’s a tall order, but Christians aren’t called to just love the lovable.

Songwriter Hal David was inspired to pen these enduring words: “What the world needs now is love sweet love. It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of. What the world needs now is love, sweet love. No, not just for some, but for everyone.” The world still needs the timeless God-kind of love that emanates from believers. Here’s a red-letter scripture from the mouth of Jesus that’s sure to be a challenge for all of us who are followers of Christ: “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for He is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate” (Luke 6:35,36 NLT).

Have you ever wondered how to obey God’s command to love someone you can’t stand to be around? As usual, Jesus is our example because He practiced what He preached. In John Chapter 13, Jesus knew the time had come to ascend back to the Father. He loved all His disciples in the highest degree right to the very end. By now, the devil had Judas Iscariot firmly in his grip and everything was set for the betrayal. After supper, Jesus set aside his robe and put on a servant’s apron, poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet. If we had been in Jesus’ sandals, we might have chosen not to wash Judas’ feet. But Jesus did the right thing by not showing partiality and demonstrating His boundless love to that scratchy disciple. We can choose to love like that too.

The Key: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13 NKJV).

“Friends are the family you choose.” Jess C. Scott

Barry, my husband’s longtime baseball buddy, once told him that if you have five close friends when you die, you are lucky. I thought that sad, but the older I get, I realize the blessing—and rarity–that close friends really are. This morning I was examining the friendship between David and King Saul’s son, Jonathan. The chapters in 1 Samuel I find tragic, largely because of Saul’s schizophrenic behavior. One day the king hums along as David accompanies him on the harp, and the next day he throws a javelin at the musician’s head. Into that royal family, Jonathan was born. (I hope you can’t relate.) Scripture says that Jonathan, the King apparent and himself a courageous warrior, was caught in the middle. On days when Saul was in a “Today I’m going to murder David” mood, Jonathan defended Goliath’s slayer, convincing his father to honor David’s bravery and deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines. Sometimes Saul listened; sometimes, not. Jonathan, recognizing his father’s cruel, unforgiving nature as well as God’s desire for David to one day rule as Israel’s king, made a covenant with David, forgoing his own right to step into the king’s role to which he was entitled by giving David his robe, armor, sword, bow and belt. He easily could have despised David for taking his (Jonathan’s) rightful position. Instead, according to Chapter 18 v. 3, Jonathan loved David “as his own soul.” Their bond of friendship was to last forever. Am I that kind of friend? I mean, I care deeply for my friends, but if I’m in line to be King (or in my case, Queen), I question if I would act so unselfishly. Especially when it means I betray my parent (although that’s probably not so difficult since Saul even tried to murder Jonathan). Especially when it means I put my life in danger. Especially when it means my friendship is pretty one-sided. Especially when it means I will become a casualty instead of wearing the crown. It’s a kind of friendship concerned only with what I give and not what I get. Professor of psychology Robin Dunbar’s research survey concluded that the average number of Facebook friends possessed by most people is around 150. Out of those, 28 might be recognized as low-level “friends.” But when participants were asked how many of those friends would help out in a time of need, emotional distress, or other crisis, the average answer was four. Maybe my husband’s friend was right. Scripture tells us that Jonathan was married and had children and that both he and his father were killed in battle. When news of their death came, the nurse of Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth dropped the young lad when fleeing their home, causing him to be lame. This, years later, gave David an opportunity to repay Jonathan for saving his life multiple times as he offered to help “someone” in his former friend’s family. Mephibosheth was suggested, so David had the boy brought to him. From then on, Jonathan’s son was treated like one of David’s children. It’s a sweet ending to a friendship—and a rarity of Old Testament happy news– that appeared so one-sided for so many years, a payback for Jonathan who loved David unconditionally. It’s the kind of friend I hope to be. A forever friendship…forever.

 

 

Keys to the Kingdom by Carolyn Tucker

 

You can stick in the corner of my eye what I know about playing cards. Although I have three decks of cards in my possession, it’s only because each card has a different photo of Elvis on the back. Old Maid was the only card game in my childhood home! All I know about playing cards is what I’ve seen on Western movies and heard from Kenny Rogers’ hit song, “The Gambler.” I think you’re supposed to have a holstered Hogleg tied to your thigh just in case there‘s any cheatin’ goin’ on. I could never play Poker because I don’t have the essential “poker face,” plus I wouldn’t know a winning hand from a losing hand even if it slapped me in the face.

But on the other hand, if you’re gonna play the game of life, you gotta learn to play it right. That’s where Jesus comes onto the scene in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” I’m grateful for the word “whoever” because it’s all inclusive. No one can be cut out of eternal life except the player who refuses to believe in Jesus. Our choice determines our destiny, so choose wisely. “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15 NKJV).

Righteousness is God’s gift to all the “whoevers” from the beginning to the end of time. As with any gift, we have the free will to take it or pass on it. Everyone has the responsibility to choose and the power to act without being forced. Righteousness is freely given to anyone who truly believes in what God did for him/her through Christ Jesus. [“Righteousness, standing acceptable to God] will be granted and credited to us also who believe in (trust in, adhere to, and rely on) God, Who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead” (Romans 4:24 AMP).

In 1982, The Hinsons released their hit song, “Two Winning Hands” written by Ronny Hinson. Partial lyrics from this “sermon set to music” speak for themselves: “Don’t gamble on life with all your luck and your skill. ’Cause you can’t play the cards that death’s gonna deal. The Bible has planned who the loser is gonna be. Ain’t but two winning hands and they were nailed to a tree. That same Jesus you’ve heard of can take a black heart without love, wash it in red blood and make it whiter than snow.”

The stakes are too high to gamble on your eternal destiny. Don’t place a bet with the devil thinking you can run your own life successfully. “Be alert, be on watch! Your enemy, the devil, roams around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8 GNT). The devil is the master deceiver who knows how to bluff his weak hand. He’s been tricking mankind into believing God’s Word isn’t true ever since the Garden of Eden. Don’t be a loser and fall for Satan‘s lies. Choose to be a winner with the King on your side.

The problem with unstable people is that they’re apt to fold. But grounded believers place their confidence in Christ to keep a victory hold.

The Key: Put your hand in the hand of the One who will never lose.

When God created penguins, I bet the angels giggled. There are few creatures, I believe, as entertaining, and today, when I met Haley, a young gal who works in Antarctica during the winter months, I learned a few things about their behavior.

 

Haley shared that in her area penguins rule, and with no fear of humans, they come by to hang out, occasionally bringing presents like rocks or dead fish which they lay at her feet. For the most part they are friendly, unless being tagged by scientists; then they slap their flippers against the workers’ shins, leaving them badly bruised. Haley had proof.

 

Penguins there are well protected. One day, when a helicopter was needing to land and a group of penguins chose the runway for their squatters’ hangout, a “penguin manager” had to be called to use his expertise to not agitate (or touch) the animals while encouraging them to waddle off to another location. Only because the pilot radioed that he had 15 minutes of fuel left were the seabirds relocated. It was a really, really big deal. Each country involved in Antarctica’s scientific study and international treaty had to be alerted to the penguin conundrum.

 

Haley said that the environmentalists have protected the Antarctic in regards to everything having the potential to endanger species or trash the continent. Since the ocean is not to be used as a garbage bin, food scraps are smashed into special boxes which are loaded onto freighters and taken to the West coat of the U.S. where they are discarded.

 

I know all of this—and more than I have room to write– only because I asked questions. Many questions.

 

Earlier that day, Dave and I had played pickleball with Haley’s parents where I learned that one daughter played volleyball, one had been in musical theatre, and one loved the environment.

 

After our games, we met for breakfast where their daughter Haley joined us, and I asked her which child she was. She laughed and answered that she was the “middle child, no one special.”

 

When I questioned what she did for a living, she said that she scheduled helicopters.

 

Pretty boring, I thought, but I continued prodding, only to find she had a double degree in molecular science and international finance, was an Alaska guide, had gone on a 72-day kayak trip and now lived in Antarctica.

“No one special”? This gal was off the charts with what she had accomplished in her 20+ years.

 

Mind you, Haley volunteered none of this information. I had to pry it out of her, but soon her answers were longer than just a few words as she saw my excitement in learning about an area of the world I probably never would visit.

 

Not only was I blessed, but so was Haley, the “middle child, no one special,” as she felt edified and appreciated. You see, everyone has a story.

 

EVERYONE! Not one of God’s creations is “no one special,” and a Christian’s responsibility, I believe, is to make sure that they know it.

 

Jesus was the master at engaging the “no one specials.” Read John 4:1-30 where he encounters the woman at the well and changes her life because her story was important to him.

 

If we don’t give others a chance to share their stories, not only do we lose, but so do they. Sometimes we just have to be willing to ask.

 

Keys to the Kingdom – Carolyn Hayward Tucker

 

Even though I’ve been a mother for 34 years, I usually don’t think of myself but rather my own mother as Mother’s Day approaches. Most everyone believes they have/had the best Mom in the world, and they should. The last time my brother and I celebrated this special day with our Mom was 2015. The definition of angel is: a spiritual being who acts as an attendant, agent, or messenger of God with greater-than-human power appearing in human figure with wings and halo; a person of exemplary conduct and virtue. Hmm, this description sounds a lot like a loving mother.

According to the dictionary, a mother is the female parent of a child. That matter-of-fact definition doesn’t butter my biscuit at all. A mother is a teacher of faith, a giver of hope, and God’s earthly example of love. In addition to the usual information, Mom’s headstone has five words engraved on it: “An Exemplary Life of Love.” In 1 Corinthians 13, we find that love is the more excellent way to live. There’s faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is love.

The supreme goal for all mothers is to practice love. Love is most important because it lasts forever. When children have been loved appropriately during their nurturing years at home, they will continue to carry that love until their last breath.

Mom’s words still resound in the warm and fuzzy places of my heart. Her teaching topics on everyday life were quite varied: “Be sure your sins will find you out.” “Smile at everyone — it doesn’t cost you anything.” “A soft answer turneth away wrath.” “Shoes make or break your outfit.” “Never leave the kitchen while you’re baking cookies because you need to watch them so they don’t overbake.” “Keep your word, do what you say you’ll do, and be dependable.” “You might as well laugh as cry.” “If you can’t say anything good, then don’t say anything at all.“ She also proved that God had first place in her heart by her everyday lifestyle.

Country/gospel music artist Randy Travis released the song “Angels” in 2004. Buck Moore, Troy Seals, and Harvey McNalley co-wrote the song. Here are some of the lyrics that will warm your heart and make your eyes leak: “Me and some of the boys were sitting around the other night and started talking about politics, religion, love and life; and is there or isn’t there angels here on earth. And then one guy said, ’If it’s something I can see or something I can touch, well I might believe in all that stuff.’ So I just had to say to him, ’Are you tellin’ me that you’ve never seen an angel? Never felt the presence of one standing by? No robe of white, no halo in sight, well you missed the most obvious thing! Man, are you blind? Just look in your mother’s eyes.’” (I suggest you to go online and give this song a listen.)

Mom began keeping a diary when her first grandchild was born in 1970. After she died, I found multiple diaries and eagerly read them. I was tearfully impacted by her acts of love in her daily life and I decided that I wanted to be like her. Because being like her was the same as being like Jesus.

The Key: A loving mother is as close to an angel as you can get. Happy Mother’s Day!