Healing Through Praying For Others

     Early every spring I replace the fern and the geranium that I keep in large pots in “A Friendly Shade.” These two plants are entirely different.  Although the geranium blooms most of the summer, its beautiful flowers are frail and the petals shed easily with the wind. Its fading flowers require clipping quite often in order to keep it thriving and blooming.  The fern, on the other hand, requires little attention.  It is hardier and needs less watering. Its roots run deep, wrapping tightly in and throughout the pot of dirt.  I feel like it is saying, "I am fine, you have other things to do.  Just clip a single dying leaf here and there and be on your way." 

      The fern reminds me of someone cemented in the Word. Although the strong Christian may be blown to and fro from time to time, he handles what life brings. When troubles and sadness slip in, his spirit is not broken for he obtains his nourishment and strength by spreading his roots. Life is not all about him.   

    A good example of such a Christian is my Sunday School teacher. He recently made an emergency trip to the hospital for heart surgery. This was not a simple procedure or a quick recovery. He had to endure several rounds of shock treatments even after the surgery. During this time of illness our new pastor visited with him. It was in the course of the conversation that this sick man told the pastor, “I am sorry I could not be in town to welcome you and help you get settled.”  Another time his wife stated that her sick husband “prayed for every doctor, nurse, and attendant who came into his room.” This is not a man who simply thinks of himself. He is rooted in the Word and soaking up nourishment for healing by praying for others.
     I suppose that is why he is a Sunday School teacher.  Even though he is not in my Sunday School class while he is recovering, he is still teaching.  He has taught me not only about circling myself in prayer but also about healing myself through whatever problems or illness I may encounter by circling others in prayer. 
     Bro. Butch is busy striving to live what our pastor preached about today, "It's not about me- It's all about others, because- It's all about Jesus."

"Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others." Philippians 2:4

"That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love...And to know the love of Christ, which passeth anowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." Ephesians 3:17, 19
    

The Garden

    I have a garden neatly fenced, tilled, and planted in “A Friendly Shade.”  It is filled with a combination of squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers because it takes them all to create a flavoring of fresh food for the table.  This garden is important to me, and I strive to keep it weed and bug free.  If the plants look thirsty, I add water to rejuvenate their vines.  Then I proudly stand back to watch as blooms form and burst forth with delicious vegetables.    
     Just as I tend my garden, God watches over His.  There is a song that reminds me of how God attends to His garden. 

I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

      I am the product of God’s garden.  It is God who waters, weeds, and harvests.  I bloom and produce because of Him.  When I am weak, He makes me strong.  When I am tired, He refreshes me. When I am apprehensive, He gives me peace.  When I need direction, He is there. 

     My growth is not for a season to be wilted down and tilled under but rather is ongoing, needing constant renewal from the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.  It is because of this right mix of love in my life that I can wake up refreshed with new flavorings in my life. 

The Perfect Diet

     The perfect diet has been researched for years, but people still struggle with weight control.  As I sit here in “A Friendly Shade” I feel myself getting complacent and putting on weight.  Maybe I do need a change of diet; one that fills me up and does not leave me with cravings. I need to change the “bread” I consume.
     Thinking on this, I remember one of my pastors telling about the time he was determined to fast for 21 days.  He was doing pretty good until one day when he became extremely hungry.  He was about to break the fast but then heard a voice saying, “You have not had your bread today.”  Immediately the pastor dropped what he was doing outside, went into the house, and picked up his Bible.  He needed the “Bread of Life.”  After finishing the Bible reading he stated he was no longer hungry.
     Once again I can relate to the “bread” I consume as I remember what a friend told me about a class of children she was teaching.  The friend was explaining to the class how religions practice their faith differently, but they all believed in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life”  The lady then asked one of the children, “How do you practice your faith?”  The child replied, “Well I am a Missionary Baptist and we eat.”   The lady asked, “What do you mean?”  The child continued, “Every Sunday we go to church early and we eat.  Every fifth Sunday we have potluck at church and we eat.  Then every second Friday night our church has a gospel singing and we eat.  So that is how we practice our religion.”    
    Sounds like my kind of church!  I am sure the “Bread of Life” is watching over that congregation. 

THE ROCK

     There are a few rocks in "A Friendly Shade" but only one Rock which I never want to remove, for without that Rock, the foundation of "A Friendly Shade" would crumble. 

    THE ROCK

I stand on the Rock,

Solid and secure.

Thou the waves splash high,

Thou the floods swirl nearby,  

He keeps me from being unsure.    

What a mighty force-

The Rock!

He consoles and gives me comfort.   

Thou tears of grief break my heart,
Thou words pierce like poison darts,  
The Rock is my strength and my support. 
Ever tender, ever loving!

The Rock -

Restores me through a tender embrace.
Thou friends lead me astray,
Thou I am left in dismay,
The Rock fills the empty space;
Ever there; never changing!

I stand on the Rock,

Refreshed in spirit and sight.
Thou I fall and stumble,
Thou I complaint and grumble,
My guiding light;
A light calling me from the dark-
The Rock!

He shelters me on solid ground.        

Thou the winds whirl ‘round me,
Thou my life is like the stormy sea,
The Rock surrounds.    
He envelopes, delivers, and rescues me!

I stand on the Rock;

The One who answers when I knock.
The Rock! My fortress! My Armor!
The One who knows my soul and every hair.
Where I am, He is there!
                      Mary Crisp Jameson

Win! Place! Show!

     Win! Place! Show! What does it take? The right bet on the right thoroughbred horse in the right race.

      According to one article I read, a thoroughbred has a small yet elegant head with a high chest. Their profile is straight and the neck long with well-sloped shoulders. It is handsome, alert, and spirited with boundless courage and immense stamina. The breed is known for endurance, agility, and a big heart.

     When I occasionally attend the Oaklawn horse races, excitement runs high as I watch the thoroughbreds enter the track. I look at their coloring, the way they hold their head, and the spirit of their gait. I have to admit, some are just better looking than others. I listen to the gasp in the crowd when a jockey has a problem getting his horse in the gate. However, the horses are all soon off and running with breakneck speed only to either lag behind, overcome another, or stretch out their legs, running neck to neck, through the finish line. As always, in the game of racing, the favorites nor the best looking ones, do not always win.
     I wonder if that is why Jesus did not always select the most upstanding, handsome, or the most favored people to do His work. Maybe they had to learn to run with endurance, agility, and heart to become thoroughbreds.
     Jonah was afraid, lacked faith, and was stubborn. He ran from God’s call, but after being swallowed by the whale and given a second chance, he learned not to defy God and became a thoroughbred. Moses had murdered a man and escaped to the wilderness when he was called. He argued with God that he could not do what God was asking, but in the end Moses became strong, obedient, and ran with stamina. He faltered at times but God gave him courage, faith, and endurance. Samson was given supernatural strength, but he allowed his weakness toward an untruthworthy woman to rob him of that strength. At the end of his life he turned to God, regained his strength, and showed great courage. David was short in statute and just a boy when he killed Goliath. The people did not see him as a strong and mighty soldier for the king’s army, but God gave David the strength to kill a giant with only a slingshot and a small stone. Zacchaeus was a wee little man who could not see above the crowd, yet Jesus offered him a special invitation. Zacchaeus was converted and became a thoroughbred.
     I believe thoroughbreds are formed through a strong and daily relationship with God. Jesus provides so many examples of endurance, heart, courage, and stamina. Being a thoroughbred does not necessarily mean being a favorite among men, but becoming a thoroughbred does make a difference on whether you win, place, or show in life.
     I have a long way to go, but I pray, as I sit here in "A Friendly Shade" that although I falter at times, God will mold me into a thoroughbred for Christ.