10/2/2014

Today is my youngest daughter's birthday.  She is 5000 miles away, in a country I've never been to, seeing sights I've never seen, and, to add a few more tears to my pity pot, she is turning 20, so it is a monumental "decade" birthday!  My thoughts travel instantly back to that early morning so many years ago when I first held the child of my old age in my arms.  "It's a girl," the doctor announced...my whole world changed in that instant and how precious she has been to my life! 

As an "after cancer" child, she gave me a reason to forget about death and simply live again.  As a "last" child, she gave me a reason to stay young.  As the "youngest sibling," she was spoiled a little too much by all of us.  As an "older" mother, many of the filters I had with my first two children disappeared, and our relationship had the luxury of being built on a little wiser foundation. 

Though I will not get to hug her, give her a birthday gift, or eat cake with her today, I know our hearts are joined in a special way that time or distance can never change.  What an awesome God to create a thing called "love"...such a short little word filled with more power and passion than can be imagined, given to us by a Creator who is the very definition of the word.

So fly high, my little lump, and enjoy the beauty of God's glorious world today!  We will give hugs and gifts and will share cake as you tell me of your life-changing adventures another day when we have hours just to enjoy the simple pleasure of just being together!  Love you to the moon and back...happy, happy birthday!

 

Roberta Pledge

10/2/2014

God's "Immeasurably More"

I delight in finding God's "immeasurably more."  Though it is easy to let these occasions slip through the cracks as coincidence, there are events that come to memory that are simply more than I could ever ask for or imagine.  "With God’s power working in us, God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or imagine" (Ephesians 3:20, NCV), speaks volumes about how God works in and through lives.  

Though God's "immeasurably more" occasionally comes unannounced, it is often a result of me doing my part to make things happen.  Instead of accepting a "no" answer, I push further.  Instead of stepping out of the way, I insist God's way is better.  Instead of walking the path of least resistance, I trudge forward through a path that will be met with opposition.  Sometimes to receive God's "immeasurably more," I must do "more" myself. 

When "God's will" meets "my faith" the train starts rolling.  When I allow my actions to move past what I actually think is logical, into the realms of possible and point others in God's direction, "immeasurably more" may be seen in the distance.  When I  take a chance and say or do something beyond my comfort level, press further than I  would normally go for the good of others, according to God's will, the final results can be an "immeasurably more" event. 

Never forget that you are God's earthly hands, feet, eyes, ears, and mouths.  Reach out, step out, speak up, move past your comfort level, and let God use your actions for His blessings.

 

Roberta Pledge

8/28/14

LETTING GO

She will leave.  A few more days, Lord willing, will pass and she will leave me.  She will get on a huge plane and travel across an ocean I have never traveled across and see sights I have never seen.  She will live for months in a world I have never known.

Letting a child go is never easy for a parent.  Whether they are going next door to spend the night for the first time, leaving for a week away at camp, or going away to college, watching them walk away with that packed bag is like feeling a part of our heart leave our inner soul.  Yet, we let them go.  We open the cocoon and set them free when we feel they are ready, or know it is time for their wings to spread. We pray for guidance and let them make choices, but not easily or willingly, for we know the distance and separation will often bring sadness, tears, and fears into our life.

How did God do it?  As our Father, how did He set us free and allow us to be creatures of free choice, knowing He would lose so many of us to the world and its temptations? How did He, the One who could have arranged this world any way He pleased, extend to humans the blessing of being made in His image and create us with a mind to make a choice to leave Him?

We are given the answer in three short words, "God is love" (John 4:8).  These simple words speak volumes about why our Heavenly Father sets us free and why, in turn, we, as loving parents, must be willing, able, and ready to set our children free to experience life on life's terms and make their own decisions.  It is quite simply, though not the easy thing to do, the loving thing to do.

So I will take her to the airport and put her on a plane that will allow her to follow her dreams, knowing she will come back to me a different person.  The comforting thing I know without a doubt, every step of the way, is that she will most certainly come back to me.  As long as it is humanly possible, she will return.  The beautiful thing about love is that it works both ways and, when given to a receiving heart, it always returns. 

Roberta Pledge

(8/10/14)

"RORO...DO YOU FEEL MY BREATH?"

"Roro, do you feel my breath?"  That was my three-year-old granddaughter's question as we talked on the phone yesterday.  I paused.  "Roro, I feel your breath, do you feel mine?" she questioned again.  I honestly did not know how to answer that question.  I wanted to agree and say "of course, I do!”  Yet not wanting to lie to her, and wishing to be close enough to actually feel her breath, I hesitated with my reply.

Reflecting later on Harper’s question, I realized that in my day-to-day walk there is another whose breath I yearn to feel.  With the struggles of life being so great, I would love to feel the breath of God on me to reassure me of His constant presence.  David reflects in the beginning of Psalms 139 that God is "all around me--in front and in back," even putting His hand on David (vs. 5).   I know if that was true of David, it is also true of me.  God is always with me, even when I am not aware of His presence.  He is as close as the air I breathe and, in the midst of this world’s chaos, He ever bids me to "be quiet and know” that He is God (Psalms 46:10).

 

In questioning my daughter about what sweet Harper meant by "feeling my breath," she stated that she was probably talking about feeling the vibration of my voice as I spoke.  How interesting that her three-year-old mentality would interpret it that way!  While I may not be able to feel the breath of God as He surrounds me, I can surely feel the effects of Him in my world each day.  And when I long for His touch, I can immerse myself in the God-breathed words of the Bible (2 Tim. 3:16) and feel the comfort given there. 

While I couldn't feel Harper's breath yesterday, I could feel her love as she spoke to me, said “I love you, Roro,” and told me how she missed me.   We cannot always be exactly where we want to be or with whom we want to be with on this earth, but we can always have the peace of knowing there is One greater constantly in our presence and caring for our loved ones wherever they are as well...our God is TRULY an awesome God!  

Roberta Pledge

8/28/13

HAVING AN EDGE...

Have you ever been in a position where you felt you had an edge?  Maybe you have applied for a new job where the boss was your Father’s best friend or played on a sports team that your Uncle Bud coached.   Gone to school where your Mother was a teacher or been in a courtroom where your neighbor was the judge.  Maybe you have been pulled over for speeding only to look into the officer’s eyes and realized it was your Aunt Betty.  Having an edge in any situation may not make favorable results a given, but it certainly removes the helplessness we might otherwise feel. 

The same is true in our relationship with God if we are a follower of Christ.  When we put on Christ through baptism (Rom. 6:3), not only does His cleansing blood wash away our sins, but He becomes our mediator to the Father (1 Tim. 2:5).  How powerful is that!  The very Son of God is our escort to the throne of His Father, pleading our case and making up for our shortcomings.  We are no longer an outsider, but a joint heir to the Kingdom (Rom 8:17). 

We alone will never be good enough, strong enough, or smart enough; but with Christ as our “edge” we will be completed by His grace, His blood, and His love.  As someone totally destructible, we become indestructible when we team up with Christ (1 Cor. 15:54).  There are no words worthy of the description of how we will feel when we look into the eyes of our eternal Judge and see the eyes of our Best Friend and Savior...the ultimate edge for this life and beyond!

Roberta Pledge

2/18/13

"There's a hole in my bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza..."

I am always amazed when I face a seemingly huge problem, searching hard for the solution, and then the answer suddenly just occurs to me and, almost like magic, problem solved!  Such was the case with the “mystery of the flooding bathroom,” which plagued my home for several months. 

Unexplainably, the bathtub started leaking every time someone took a shower, and not just a little, A LOT!  The liner was in the correct place, and everything else seemed in order, but suddenly the water jetted in such a way that it leaked around the shower curtain and flooded the tile floor.  After wringing my hands and many water-filled towels, and almost calling in a professional for advice, it FINALLY occurred to me that a can of shaving gel now occupied the shower caddy just below the showerhead.  Removing the can and everything else that the water might reflect off immediately solved the problem…definitely one of those “duh” moments! 

The same is often true in life.  We sometimes have a huge problem that we repeatedly struggle with and the immediate way out lies right in front of us.  Sometimes we wrestle with procrastination, with the simple solution being JUST DO IT!  Alternatively, there are times we search endlessly in our minds for the correct answer in a dilemma, when talking it over and giving it to God would quickly give us the most beneficial results. 

This life holds enough truly difficult circumstances, so try simplifying and looking right under your nose or straight up to God for the answers. Take the solution staring you in the face before you replace the whole tub! 

Roberta Pledge

October 31, 2012

Musings from the Prayer Labyrinth...

Walking a prayer labyrinth is a lesson in reaching a center like no other. The labyrinth, upon first impression appearing to be a maze, is actually an intricate pathway.  While the bends and turns seem to lead nowhere, when followed, they will always lead to the very center.  There are points in the path where the center seems far away, but at those very points the center of the labyrinth can actually be the closest to you.  In these and other ways, the process of walking a labyrinth can be mindful of one’s personal relationship with God.

Life is often reminiscent of a maze.  The harder we try to get through, the more burdened and confused we become; we find we are constantly running into roadblocks. It is only when we comprehend that life is not a maze, but a complex pathway, that we begin to understand.  We can only start acknowledging our powerlessness when we realize that the roadblocks are often stepping stones meant to bend our will in the right direction.  Just as the labyrinth’s pathway always leads to the center, if we stay on the pathway with God it will always lead us to our perfect center with Him.

With twists and turns along the way, praying in a labyrinth is very different from praying in a seated or knelling position.   While walking the path your eyes must be open to avoid tripping; life is also very much like that.  We have to walk through it with our eyes wide open.  This means that no matter how hard we are walking towards God, there will always be distractions on our path that take our eyes off Him.  In a labyrinth it may be a stick, a bug, a weed, but in life the distractions are larger and more threatening…a sin, an addiction, a disappointment, the list is endless.  We must keep our eyes focused on our path rather than the distractions.  Distractions lead to desire, desire leads to addiction, addiction leads to sin, and sin ultimately leads to death.

Much like life, the path in a labyrinth, not a straight one, can be deceiving. Thinking you are the farthest away from the center, you find with a single turn that you are actually arriving there.  Similarly, the valleys of life that pull at our hearts and make God seem very distant are also often the very things that often turn our hearts towards Him.  Since God never moves, the illusion that He is far away is always a lie from Satan meant to deceive our hearts. 

The similarities of a prayer labyrinth and life are many, but the strongest one is that if we are focused on God, our earthly path will always lead us to Him.  Just as the intricate path of the labyrinth will always lead to its’ center, the confusion of a day, the obstacles along our path, and the distance of our hearts from Him can be overcome if we keep putting one foot in front of the others and walking towards Him.  While holding God’s Hand we can conquer whatever Satan throws our way and reach our ultimate center, Heaven.

Roberta Pledge

9/25/12

CHOOSING BLINDNESS...

Reading though the Bible we find ourselves caught up in the stories from the past.  We see God working in the lives of real people in sometimes very unreal ways.  We realize things were different during Bible times, with miracles performed through “touch Jesus” healing, knowing that those of long ago were able to walk with His physical form on this earth. 

All of these things sometimes make the looking back to the past full and real; the present moment is another thing all together.  In the present, we cannot see Jonah in a whale or Jesus in the flesh.  We cannot touch the healed leaper or hear Peter preach.  We definitely live in the present, but where do we find this Jesus from the past?

We do not have to look very far to see Him, but we do have to LOOK.  Satan wants us to see the separation of past and present and blind us to Jesus being alive and real in our daily eyes.  All Satan has to do to achieve this is to turn our eyes in another direction…simply distract us into looking and focusing on something else.  Jesus says, “I am with you ALWAYS,” meaning He is here, present, and ALWAYS with us.  Our God is not a God of the past, but One of the present always abiding with us and through us.  Anything else is a lie…straight from the father of lies (John 8:44)!

Roberta Pledge

9/20/12

FINGERPRINTS...



Frequently, a few days after my precious Harper’s visit, I notice her lingering fingerprints on a glass table or window.  These sweet prints always remind me of my precious blessing and that I miss her terribly.  The truth of the matter is her fingerprints were there all along, I had just failed to notice them.    

The same is true of God.  As we walk along with Him, He continuously touches our lives, leaving His Fingerprints all along the way.  When we are living close to Him, enjoying and aware of His presence in our lives, it is easy to see Him in everything we do.   Occasionally, however, we may move away from Him and fail to see Him working in our lives.  Although He never leaves us, we may feel distant from His presence.  Then abruptly something rocks our world, or we recognize the emptiness in our lives, and our search for Him ignites. 

Then we notice the Fingerprints, His Fingerprints, the ones that have been there all along.  We remember the peaceful times of walking close to Him and yearn to move back to that place of serenity.  Always remember, when blinded to God’s blessings, to search for His lingering Fingerprints.  They will always lead you back to His ever-abiding presence.  

Roberta Pledge
9/8/12

REAL VS. FAKE

 Psalms 32 gives us a quick synopsis of what is real vs. what is fake.  It begins by telling us that a happy person is a forgiven person, and that owning up and being real are what leads to forgiveness.  The opposite, hiding sin and being fake, we can assume will lead straight to the opposite, unhappiness.  This short chapter written by David outlines four basic results of each of these lifestyles. 

·         When we are fake:

1.       We are weak.  Verses 3 and 4 describe this weakness as coming from “deep inside” to the point of causing moaning.  The heat of a summer day can be stifling, leaving you exhausted.  This weakness caused by keeping things to ourselves and being outwardly fake is compared to the frailty caused by fatiguing heat.

2.       Guilt consumes us.  We have lives to live and work to do, but guilt can be paralyzing and leave us with little energy to accomplish anything.

3.       Happiness is fleeting.  We may experience happiness for a brief while, but guilt is always lurking in the shadows, making true happiness is impossible.

4.       Troubles overwhelm us.  Verse 10 states that “wicked people have many troubles.”  Any trouble is too much trouble, but “many troubles” are overpowering!

·         When we are real:

1.       Our guilt is forgiven and we are happy.  With the absence of guilt, true happiness is within our reach! 

2.       Troubles will not reach us or have their full brunt.  Verse 6b-7 states “…when troubles rise like a flood, they will not reach them.  You are my hiding place.  You protect me from my troubles and fill me with songs of salvation.”  This world will always have its trouble, but the knowledge that God is working always for our good keeps our troubles from being overwhelming.

3.       The Lord will give us wisdom and guide us.  Verse 8 and 9 tell this in the best possible way, “I will make you wise and show you where to go.  I will guide you and watch over you.  So don’t be like a horse or donkey, that doesn’t understand.  They must be led with bits and reins, or they will not come near you.”

4.       The Lord’s love surrounds us.  This chapter concludes with the promise that “the Lord’s love surrounds those who trust Him” (vs. 10).  

Confessing our sin, getting real with God and those we have hurt, will bring us to a life spent knowing God’s glory and love.  Growing and maintaining a relationship with our Creator will give earthly peace that cannot be accomplished any other way.  Fake is foolish in that no one will be fooled for long and God will never be fooled…He sees and know all.  Get REAL!

Roberta Pledge

8/2/12

The Assignment

There is an attraction to shining stars.  In the blackest sky, their brilliance is a remarkable sight.  

While the room filled up with teenage girls, the reason for our being there is explained, the assignment simple…sit silently in total darkness for several minutes and observe your feeling.  The ceiling, floor, and walls were all black and, as the lights were dimmed, blackness flooded the room.  As my eyes began to adjust, I started noticing tiny lights sprinkled among us.  The dial of an iridescent watch, the keys of a cell phone, and other minute lights, which would not even be noticed in a normally lit room, were seen all around.  As I tried to focus on the darkness, my mind and eyes kept returning to those small pockets of light scattered about that large room. 

Suddenly it dawned on me that we, as Christians, are to be those tiny strewn lights in this dark sin-filled world.  For those in the world who do not have Christ, our lights are to shine for them as indicators pointing the way to hope.  Because we sit so close to Christ, we may not notice the absolute darkness of our world or our own individual brightness, but those who are searching in the total darkness of this world should be attracted to the glimmer of our light. 

There is an attraction to shining stars.  In the blackest sky, their brilliance is a remarkable sight.  “You will be God’s children…but you are living with crooked and mean people all around you, among whom you shine like stars in the dark world.” Phil. 2:15

Bad From Good???

 “I will take the bad and make good…”  “There is no way to make good from bad,” I think “no way!”  “YOU CALL THAT FAITH?”  As always, I am looking through earthly eyes, and You are looking through Your Heavenly Eyes.  “Count it all JOY when you fall into trials” (James 1:2) and “In EVERYTHING give thanks” (I Thess. 5:18) can seem utterly impossible from a human standpoint, but through God’s eyes they are the easiest road to Him.  His Wisdom is infinite…no, no, no….His Wisdom is exceedingly, abundantly infinite, because He can give “exceedingly, abundantly more” than I can “ask or think” (Eph. 3:21). 

Life is much like a roller coaster ride, when you are climbing the hill all is quiet and calm, but then there is the moment when you realize the calmness is ending and you are so less than calm and quiet.  You know you are safe inside that little car, but it is no less a scary ride.  God is much like our little car and we are safe in Him.  He will protect us and guide us through every dip and turn.  He will bring us closer through the scary parts and show us His protection.  He will not leave us, and as long as we remain with Him, He will hold us in His protective Hands no matter what this earth puts in our path.

Roberta Pledge

7/10/12

Peace...It IS Perfect!

      Trying to get through a day without peace is a little like trying to eat a piece of pie without the sugar …you can definitely tell something has been left out!  The pie is bitter, rather than the sweet you were expecting, and you immediately know an important step was overlooked.  Most often, when a day is lacking peace, it is because an important step has been overlooked.  

Our chaotic lives can often leave us feeling out of control and fearful. No matter how turbulent our day may be going, remember the voice of our Savior on the stormy sea as He spoke the simple words, “Peace, be still.”  This is the same Savior we have in our lives.  If we think He is sleeping and not providing for us, it is simply because we have not taken the time to communicate with Him.

When you lose something and search for it, immediately upon finding it, you realize it was there all along.  The same is true with the Peace that God offers us.  It is always there, even when it is missing from our lives.  We may be searching for peace in many other places, but we will only find it in Him.  When we finally look in the right place, we realize it was there all along!

Roberta Pledge

5/8/2012

HERITAGE



Robbie Blankenship Gwinn



Genealogies and ancestries are a huge interest to many.  Searching back through old family photos and keepsakes give us a feeling of being grounded in the past and help us realize our own importance to the future.  We do many things to make a statement about our lives, and our past has a huge influence on own identities and the paths we take in life.  My personal heritage is grounded in faith…a faith I have chosen to hold dear in my life and to pass on to my children and hopefully their children.

In Psalms 61:5, David states, “You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name.”  What a blessing it is to have a heritage that you are born into that fears and loves God and strives to be obedient to His Will!  Where would I, personally, be without that?  Would I have found my way to God?  Would I have married a Christian and had the goal of Heaven for both my family and me?  I, thankfully, will never know the answer to these questions.  One of my fondest memories of my Grandmother, other than sitting beside her in church, is hearing her tell me after I went off to college that she prayed for me every day.  I have never forgotten those words because, like David, they remind me that my own heritage was one that feared God’s name.  What a blessing to have a heritage in the Lord...if you don't have one, it is the perfect time to start creating one!

Roberta Pledge

4/18/12

I MISS...

I MISS…

I miss t-ball games, puzzles to work,

Long walks, and visits to the park.

I miss helping with baths in a tub full of toys,

After playing outside until dark.

I miss self-constructed lemonade stands,

And a house filled with friends to the brim.

I miss long summer days with nothing to do,

But watching the kids play and swim.

Others always said those years would fly by,

Although in the middle, it’s impossible to see,

I was always busy taking care of so much,

And doctoring at least one skinned knee!

When I look at photos of days gone by,

I remember many blessings of my past,

I wish I could walk backwards, revisit a few,

And make a few moments last.

I can’t read those books to those same little ears,

I can’t see the smiles on each face,

I know that those years will never return,

But sweet memories they cannot erase.

So cherish each moment, know they are few,

Don’t get bogged down with each chore,

For time will pass by and babies grow up,

Before you blink, they walk out the door.

For Mason,

the best son and dad anyone could ever have

12/11

Love, Mom

Roberta Pledge
3/19/12

BALANCING BROOMS!

·    Balancing brooms…haven’t you recently seen pictures of these all over Facebook?   I finally had to try it myself.  Having no luck at all I concluded that these people balancing their brooms must not be sweeping with them. My well-worn brooms simply did not have this talent!
   The object, obviously, is to balance the broom on its’ center and it will stand on its’ own for an undetermined length of time.  One person commented that theirs was even still standing the next morning!  In thinking about this, I realized that the same is true of me.  When I am standing on my center, which is Christ, I can always stand straight and firm, but when I get off-center, I always fall.  If, like my brooms, sin has worn me down, I may not be able to find that center and stand. 

Paul compares us to a building built on a solid foundation with Jesus being the most important stone (Eph. 2:20).  Without that Stone as the center of our lives, we will surely fall!  Stand daily thankful for a loving God who constantly holds you up when you make Him the true Center of you life. 
Roberta Pledge
3/9/12

Today's Thoughts...When You Walk With God...

·         When you walk with God, each day holds surprises you cannot even imagine.  Consider each day a precious, unrepeatable adventure that you alone will live.  Watch closely for His hand and follow where He leads.  Know He is close and watching your heart (Romans 8:39).  If you feel empty, fill each hole and crevice of your being up with Him, knowing the love you want to show others will reflect off His presence there.  Allow your weaknesses to become your strengths, but always be aware of the fact that:

Whatever you think you aren’t …watch closely for,

Whatever you “have under control”…wait for its’ return,

For whatever you have “mastered” is your personal area of weakness,

And whatever you would “never do” is the very thing Satan will lay in your path!

("Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." 1 Cor. 10:12)

CS Lewis, in his book Mere Christianity, describes pride as the “great sin…through which the devil became the devil.”  He also states that, “there is no fault…which we are more unconscious of in ourselves” and describes it as a “spiritual cancer (that) eats up the very possibility of love, or contentment, or even common sense. “  He believes that “As long as you are proud you cannot know God… (for) as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.”  We must each look daily on our hearts, realizing our areas of weakness for “If you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited indeed.”  (Lewis, pages 121-128) We must all watch closely to stand guard each day, filling ourselves up with God, for this is a day to cherish that will never be repeated. (Ps. 118:24, "This is the day that the Lord has made...")

Roberta Pledge
1/24/12

As usual...more than an ear full!!

MALCHUS…where did he end up???

Often reading the Bible I run across passages that make me wonder, ‘just what happened next?’  Like, Malchus…exactly where did he end up?   What went through his mind, where were his loyalties, what were his actions following that heaven and earth changing day when Jesus was arrested in the gardens of Gethsemane?  I just have to wonder!

Maybe the name Malchus does not strike a bell, but you will surely remember him…he was a servant of the high priest, who on that day had but one mission…to find and arrest our Savior.  Many people were with him, bearing clubs and swords, including Judas Iscariot, bearing a kiss to identify, betray, and condemn Jesus.  As they moved forward to arrest Him, impulsive, protective Peter, friend to our Lord reacted.  He immediately drew his sword and swung it and Malchus’ ear was never quite the same again!   Peter’s sword landed on Malchus’ ear and Malchus’ ear landed on the ground!  Now we may see pictures or try to visualize this, but are we looking at the whole picture?  There is so much going on…many people shouting and upset, but definitely the loudest scream and the most physically violent picture at that particular point had to be Malchus! 

This event is recorded in all of our four Gospels, but only John (18:10, 11) identifies Peter and Malchus by name and only Luke assures us that all ended well with Malchus’ ear being healed by Jesus (Luke 22:51).  As we read these passages, we are most likely focused on something other than Malchus.  There is a huge crowd, an apostle betraying our Lord for thirty pieces of silver, our Lord waiting for His delivery to His impending death, and His followers, who just moments before could not even stay awake to provide companionship to our Lord in this dark hour. 

This one soldier in the midst of all of this carries little weight in our eyes.  We are focused and anxious for our Lord.  If it was a play we would probably cheer when Peter is bold enough to draw his sword and show some wrath.  Malchus and his ear are the least of our worries…but our Lord, who has just prayed and pleaded for His life, cares.  He cares, he cares, he cares…he doesn’t walk away from the pain filled screams of Malchus, but cares enough to stop and heal him.  And with that one gesture of love from the One who is the very definition of Love, Malchus, servant to the high priest, was changed forever. 

That brings me to my point of wonder.  Exactly what does it do to you when, just as you are coming to take hold and arrest Him, the very one who has created your world and everything in it touches your face and heals you?   How do you feel from that point forward in your life?  Did Malchus’ loyalties change?  Was he immediately aware of the fact that an ear on the ground one minute and back on your head the next had to be a miracle?  Or that the One who performed the miracle was, indeed, not an ordinary person?  Or that he was involved in apprehending someone who may, in fact, be exactly who He claimed to be; the living, breathing Son of God?  I wonder if he changed from that day forward, if he became a follower of Christ, if he lived out the rest of his life telling the story of the one who changed his course on that very day, or if he simply went back to living his life as he always had. 

As I wonder about Malchus, not knowing the answer, I have to realize that very likely it did not change his life.  I hope that it would, but just as Malchus was physically touched by our Lord, many are spiritually touched by Him through His Word daily without being changed.  God has given us this story along with thousands of others to change our lives, but yet we often just turn away and live our lives as though we deserve to have our ear healed, or our soul saved, and fail to do our part.  We get so caught up in being a “servant to the high priest,” that we fail to be a servant to our High Priest.  Look at Malchus’ ear, look into Christ’s healing heart, and make your choice, no matter what Malchus' choice was, to change YOUR life because it has been touched by the Hand of Love.

Roberta Pledge

1/11/12

What AM I supposed to look like??

I can get very confused about what I am supposed to look like.  While it’s easy to say I’m not supposed to look like the world (“Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed, by the renewing of your mind…” Romans 12:2), that I am supposed to look different and set apart, it is confusing to know where that line lies that sets me too far apart from the world, the line where I am not able to minister as I should.   If I am considered a “weirdo” (hush!) then I won’t be able to lead others or point them to the Way.  Where do I draw this invisible line of “setting myself apart?  ”Too ‘much’ world leaves me ineffective, but, yet, so does too ‘little’! 

There is certainly no doubt that this invisible line cannot, MUST not, be drawn and colored with sin.  Oh, I will sin, that is promised, but deliberate, intentional, habitual sin is not what a Christian is to look like.  If you look at me and see blaring sin, I am failing terribly in my attempts to be Christ-like.  He, of course, was sinless and if I am striving to look like Him, you will not notice my sin at first glance.  The two simply do not go hand-in-hand.

Another thing I would not want jumping out when you first look at me is my occupation.  I am in this world to do one thing and that is to point you toward the world beyond it.  Unless my chosen occupation is being a full time minister, if you meet me and see only my occupation, I am not doing a very good job of looking different.  The one person who has probably been the greatest example to me of this was Jesse Pinckley.  When I first met Mr. Pinckley, he was not only my college roommate’s dad, but the Mayor….the MAYOR…of Huntingdon, TN.  I had never so much as met a mayor of any city or town, much less spent the night in their home!  But if you knew Jesse Pinckley, you knew that being the Mayor was not at the top of his priority list.  He was a great dad, friend, husband, business partner, employee, but, more than that, he was one of the most loving Christians I have ever met on this earth.  Love oozed out of him, kindness was written on his face, and his giving spirit continued throughout his entire life and even after his death. 

I can get so caught up in family…they are “bone-of-my-bone” and “flesh-of-my-flesh”…but you should not see only my family when you look at me.  I must be recognized as being more that “Monica’s mom” or “Mark’s wife” or “Helen’s daughter”.  I also need not get so caught up in friends or hobbies or sports that one of those ends up being what I am known for.

You must see Christ in me first.  It has been said, “Whatever you worship will become your god.”  While we are quick to agree with this statement when it is a sin overtaking someone, we sometimes don’t see it as easily when we are worshipping our occupation, family, hobbies, sports, or anything else that stands between ourselves and God.  Colossians 3:2-2 states, “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.  For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”   From this the conclusion is drawn that if I am in Christ, looking like Christ, acting Christ-like, hidden in Christ, that I will also be hidden in God.  And we all know what God looks like.  Not that we have seen Him with our eyes, but if we make a habit of seeking Him, we have seen Him with our hearts.  Our Christ-like hearts recognize God immediately.  1 John 4:7-8, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” 

That is my total and complete answer to the question, “what am I supposed to look like?” I am supposed to look like LOVE. You should immediately see it when you meet me, think of it when you think of me, and want it when you see me wearing it.  It is so simple, yet, even if I am able to squeeze into it, I cannot always wear it all day long.  It can be so fleeting that I am not even aware when it has been replaced.  Yet I continue to strive to be “steadfast, immovable, always abounding” (I Cor. 15:58) in God, I know that I must watch to make sure that when it leaves I quickly put it back on (“Above all things clothe yourself with LOVE which binds us in perfect harmony.” Col. 3:14 ).   As I set goals for the coming year, first and foremost, is the goal of looking like love…clothing myself with it and wearing it until it is so comfortable, that I am uncomfortable when I take it off!

Roberta Pledge

12/27/11

SILENCE IS (NOT ALWAYS) GOLDEN...

Spending almost a month with extreme hoarseness, including two weeks of trying not to talk at all, gave me a whole different way to look at “be careful what you pray for.”  I had been walking around with “keep your mouth shut!” written on my hand for three days just prior to my condition and I was right in the middle of trying to take to heart James 1:26 (if you think you are religious and can’t keep your mouth shut, you are deceiving yourself and are useless).  When others would ask me what was wrong, I would whisper “James 1:26”!

The thing I missed the most, of course, was teaching my 3 year olds on Sunday morning.  Last Sunday was my first Sunday back and I quickly remembered why I had missed them.  It was a fiasco of a class with one coming in crying and a large class of eight, but they were still such a joy to teach.  The highlight of the class was the funny thing that happened just before the prayer.  It was a true test of using a teaching moment and not saying the wrong thing.  One of my Princes stated, totally stone-faced and simply sharing information, “It’s gonna be stinkin’ during this prayer because I just pooted.”  I simply said, as I stifled the hilarity of the moment, “there are some things we keep quiet about and don’t share with others and that is one of them,” and continued with our prayer song.  Possibly a test to see how much I had learned in my month of silence!

I do not make a secret of struggling to control my tongue….there is simply no reason to…that way others help me and tell me when I need to keep quiet.  I try to constantly look at myself and make changes, although I certainly wish that I could learn this lesson and be done with it!

LOOKING AT MYSELF

I should take a moment, if I’m looking at your flaws,

I should take a moment, to see my own because…

If I’m taking time to look at all the qualities you lack,

I’m just passing by my mirror and never looking back.

If I hear things about you, that I don’t think are right,

I shouldn’t stand and judge you, or let it lead us to a fight.

If I find myself about to say something better left unsaid,

I need to stop and think, or say something nice instead.

For life is way too short to watch how others play their cards,

And time is better spent cleaning our own backyards,

For there is truly only one over which we have control,

And working on ourself, alone, can be a fulltime goal.

So the next time you are tempted to try to change another,

Remember they are just like you and treat them as a brother.

Spend some time in prayer for them, let them know you care.

Try to show Christ’s love to them, and as a friend be there.

Roberta Pledge

12/8/11