Karen Moore's Blog, page 5

This Little Light

Maybe you remember singing about that little light that you were going to shine when you were just a kid. Or maybe you’ve heard little children sing that song with gusto and it always warms your heart. It turns out we’ve been singing a version of that song for nearly one hundred and fifty years. At first, according to the lyrics we were going to shine that light for our brothers and sisters. Then we were going to shine it some more for our neighbors. After that, we were going to shine that light all over the world. Finally, we declared that we wouldn’t let Satan blow our light out, because we were going to let it shine, all the time, let it shine. 

So here’s my question. How’s your little light doing? Are you aware of shining your little light for your brothers and sisters, or for your neighbors, or people around the world? Are you aware of letting your light shine with your family, or at the grocery store, or anywhere you happen to go? Little children are great because they smile and hold up their light and sing with all their hearts that they will not stop shining. It’s interesting that Billy Graham and George Beverly Shae, and Cliff Barrows sang the song during crusades, and Bruce Springsteen gave us an exciting version of the song as well.  So, what is that light and how can we be better at letting the light shine?

The lyrics highlight a scripture where Jesus calls His followers, “the light of the world.”  Another scripture says I’m shining this light because Jesus gave it to me. At some point in your life, Jesus gave you permission to “Be the light.” He wants you to shine. He wants you to be a beacon on a hill so the world will see more clearly. Jesus promised that He has overcome the darkness, and that means He has overcome those things that steal our peace on any given day. His Light is greater than this world’s troubles and all we have to do is shine the little light He put within us. All we have to do is lend a hand, speak kindness, offer grace, and pray for those around us. When we do that, the light becomes stronger. 

When you get a chance, check out the Bruce Springsteen version on YouTube. His light is shining!

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It Bears Repeating

One of the greatest things about stories is that the good ones can be told over and over. In fact, the good ones should be told over and over again. Psalm 19:2 says, “Day after day they tell the story; night after night they tell it again.” If they are repeating the story that often, it must be a great one. Storytelling is God’s way of getting the word out about Himself. Early on, He reminded His children of the importance of sharing what He had done for them. Why? Because each generation had to frame the divine nature of God for those who come after them. They had to know God was real, and the only way that would happen was to have each person keep telling God’s story, day and night. 

Imagine what your life would be like if no one had ever told you the story of God’s saving grace and love. As you’ve seen before, history is really His Story: God’s legacy and the place we return to refresh our hearts and minds. Without the story, nothing would be possible.

Of course, the better you know the story, the more you know about God, the more interesting your story will be. When you can share the details of the powerful and miraculous deeds God did for the ancients, the more you can understand and relate to all the things God is still doing today. Your story becomes an inspiration to others, something they can then share as well. 

The golden cliche of storytelling is those four words, “Once upon a time.” Countries from around the world have been using that particular opening line for about eleven hundred years. It’s a line that suggests something interesting, perhaps even amazing is about to be shared. It’s one that transcends time and place because it doesn’t matter what the setting is, it just matters what the story is. You’ve got an incredible story to tell. You’ve got the story of the Good News of God, the Creator of the Universe and all He asks is that you share it with those around you. When you do, He will bring listeners who are ready to receive it.

Billy Graham said that you’re the only Bible some people will ever read. If that’s true, what part of the story will you be blessed to share the most? Even if you start your story with “once upon a time,” it’s certain that you will be telling the only story that actually concludes with “happily ever after.” God wrote the story from beginning to end and it’s a privilege to get to share it. 

You’ve got the story that bears repeating.

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Going Nowhere Fast

Many summers ago, I heard about a guy who longed to have a beautiful boat. He wanted it to be big and comfortable, have room to sleep and entertain, and be equipped to take trips to nearby islands. It was his dream come true, the longing of his heart. This boat, perhaps a small yacht, would be the grand prize, well-deserved for a life of hard work and achievement. When the day came for his new boat to come into the marina, it was glorious, and it was tied to the dock with great fanfare in a space he had prepared for it. He celebrated, inviting his friends and family to step aboard his amazing vessel, the one he could freely take out to sea any time he chose. 

Of course, when he first got the boat, he visited it quite often, sometimes staying overnight on it, stocking its shelves, preparing it for big adventures. He would think about it and map out places to go, knowing that one day soon he’d have a weekend free to simply live his dream. That first year, he was happy and content, because soon, he’d launch into his new life. By the next year, he had a setback that meant he couldn’t take the boat out because he had hip replacement surgery, and it had come with complications. He could barely walk that whole summer. The year after that, he retired and started living on the boat. He’d invite friends over for a fish fry and tell stories and show the maps of where he would go on his adventures, even inviting some of them to come along. He actually lived on the boat for nearly ten years, planning, dreaming, and preparing for his big adventure.

The trouble was his boat never left the marina. Never! He had it all. He had his dream, but he was going nowhere fast. What happened? 

The day the boat went up for auction, a diary was found in one of the cabinets. It was full of ideas and drawings, the best fishing places, the best time of year to visit each island. He had been filled with excitement about all that could be. Yet, one page stood out. It simply said, “Lord, you have been too kind to me. I don’t deserve this beautiful boat because I am among men, a most wretched sinner. I was not always honest in my business dealings. I did not take care of people as I should have. Though I confessed my sins, and I believe you forgave me, I am not worthy of your kindness. Let someone else take this boat on great adventures. Amen”

So, here’s the question. How many of us receive God’s forgiveness, but stay stuck somewhere in time, so we never move past our sins? God forgives us, grants us His favor so we can live redeemed lives, but we are so stuck in our unworthiness, that we never quite receive all He has for us now. When God says your sins are forgiven, it means He has removed them from Himself and from you, because they were nailed to the cross with Jesus. God wants you to move on, to feel loved, and to live in His favor. He wants you to enjoy His blessings and enjoy new things. After all, He is the Captain of your soul, and He always has great plans for your life.

You have been set free. It’s time to leave the dock. 

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Grief Is a Thief

Grief is a thief. It steals from us, breaking our spirits, leaving us crushed by a weight too hard to bear. It leaves us feeling abandoned, confused, and lonely. It moves in like a fog that simply won’t lift. Nothing seems normal. C.S. Lewis said, “No one ever told me about the laziness of grief. Not only writing, but even reading a letter is too much. Even shaving. What does it matter now whether my cheek is rough or smooth?”

What does it matter? Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and he saves those whose spirits have been crushed.” Unfortunately, none of us can escape grief. It comes whether we’re prepared for it or not. It settles in, unbidden, but insistent, changing every thought and challenging everything we think we know. When we’re overwhelmed by grief, we can exist for days or months or even longer chained to our misery. We imagine no other human can actually understand our pain and brokenness. We struggle to believe if God even knows how shattered we are. Nothing makes sense. Nothing gives us relief.

But here’s what else we know. At some point, we are set free from the anguish and the loss we feel, and we begin to see simple things that matter. We embrace a loved one, hear soothing words of encouragement, and slowly begin to see the light of possibility. We utter a prayer, uncertain what to say, but sensing we don’t have to know.  God knows we don’t understand, but He is still with us. We slowly let go of fear and anger and mistrust. We recognize that we want more from life, that we want things to matter. We’re not there, but we have a real sense of being ready to feel better.

None of us want grief to last, and so one day, it happens. We trade in sadness for warm memories. We allow our broken hearts to mend, and we remain strong, ready to be shaped by God’s hand again. We no longer resist His comfort because we believe God has more to share, more to give, that will restore us to peace. God doesn’t see our grief as something we have to let go of, or even get over. He sees it as an opportunity to offer His love in a way we never could have grasped before. He knows what it is like to suffer loss, and He grieves with us. When He knows we’re ready, God sends the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to remain with us until we can move on to a brighter tomorrow. 

Grief is a thief, but it doesn’t have the last word.  God will heal your broken heart. Breathe in God’s gentle Spirit, and rest in His arms until you feel restored. He is with you always.

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The God Who Is

If you’re a believer, you’ve probably already defined God for yourself. You’re comfortable with what you know and may not even wonder if there’s anything more to learn. When J.B. Phillips wrote the book, Your God Is Too Small, he gave us a picture of putting God in a box. We define God, set our comfort zones, and then put Him in a box that we can open as needed. It works for a while, but does it really fulfill the soul? 

The psalmist declares that his spirit thirsts for God. Thirst is a driving force. It seeks to be satisfied and doesn’t give up. Our need for water keeps most of us engaged, sipping from our favorite container, keeping it close, so we don’t have to look very far for it. If God is our Living Water, then why don’t we keep Him just as close, if not closer? Why don’t we yearn to know more of Him and fulfill the longing of our hearts and souls?

It may be that like Jacob, we still struggle with God. We aren’t sure how far to go with Him? After all, people might look at us as somehow losing a grip on reality or moving away from a more polite faith. We want some of God, but do we want all of God? It’s a question worth perusing because God is big. God is so big that He knows everything about you. He knows your motivations and temptations. He knows your hopes to be a better person. He knows every breath you take. He is a God of details. Well, if He knows all that about you, doesn’t it stand to reason that you really want to know more about Him, about the God Who Is?

Trust me, this is a question I ask myself often. I wonder if I’m ready to know more, or if I’m equipped to know more, or even if God wants me to know more. The thing is, I believe He’s ready any time to share more of Himself with me, if I just get Him out of the box and let Him reveal His truths to me. I don’t have to worry about what the world calls reality. I don’t have to wonder what is happening outside that seems crazy, because I have enough to do to look inside and figure out how God and I are going to get to know one another better, that is, how I am going to get to know Him better. If you ever wonder that, then here’s a place to start:

Ask God to reveal more of Himself to you right now.Search for God through Scripture, Faithful followers, and the Holy Spirit.Thirst for God, never stopping until you feel satisfied.Allow God to be big, bigger than you ever imagined.Know that God wants a relationship with you that equips, comforts, and shines a light on your life.  

 Like Jacob, you may struggle to know God, but once you do, the God who is will bless you beyond measure.

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The Doughnut or The Hole

The Optimist’s Creed is a whimsical saying that was printed in medieval-style art on every box of Mayflower Donuts from the 1930s to the 1970s.

This personal motto of founder Adolph Levitt read:

 

“As you ramble on through life, brother,

Whatever be your goal,

Keep your eye upon the doughnut,

And not upon the hole.”

                       

The Doughnut or the Hole

Whether you see the doughnut, or the hole, tells a lot about how you view the world. An optimist believes good will prevail despite the craziness of social, political, or economic agendas.  In fact, optimists, who are also believers, look to God when life takes unexpected turns, trusting He has the answers to turn things right side up again. We might say, optimists see the doughnut, preferably with chocolate sprinkles, because they see God’s hand at work in every situation. 

Those who only see the hole, tend to miss out on the possibility that good can prevail. They don’t see any way for things to get better or for their odds to improve. They are anxious and weary, wondering what to do, but having no sense of direction. Every news report, every morning sunrise comes laden with despair. They think the view they hold, the one that imagines nothing is possible, nothing can change, nothing can be good, is realistic. They imagine there’s nothing left to do but jump into the hole, and so they miss the goodness all around them.

The doughnut represents the sweetness of life, the goodness that prevails, if we only choose to see it. When the world is falling apart around you, the last thing you want to do is jump into the mess. The best thing you can do is to renew your mind, think a new thought, look up and try to discover God’s hand at work. If you can put your trust back in God, you can embrace all that’s possible. After all, most of us are ready to see things in a new light. This little poem about the doughnut and the hole is a great reminder about how to get more of the good stuff of life.

 

So here’s the rest of the doughnut!

Research indicates that those who look at the world through an optimistic lens stay healthier, embrace others with respect and joy, and imagine a brighter future. They believe they have every reason to be hopeful and so they walk around obstacles until they find opportunities.

Winston Churchill said, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” In order to see new possibilities, we have to be willing to renew our thoughts, step away from negative hearsay and social media bias and set a new course. We need to trust that better days are ahead.

Perhaps the biggest connection between your faith in the Creator, and your sense of optimism has to do with the hope you feel in your heart.  Hope of Christ carries you into the future and gives you opportunities you never expected.  In order to thrive on possibilities, you must trust that those things which are meant to be, will come together. For an optimist, hope is the doughnut, and there are lots of doughnuts.

You need a healthy dose of reality to get through life, but your reality can be transformed by your faith. You can trust that the One who provided the doughnut in the first place, meant for many sweet things to come your way. There are no holes in God’s plans.

 

adapted from my book, It’s Still Possible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Unlearning May Be Good for the Soul

Oswald Chambers wrote, “It is not true to say that God wants to teach us something in our trials. Through every cloud He brings our way, He wants us to unlearn something.”

Most of us grew up in a family culture that provided us with norms for getting along in the world. Our parents tried to instill behaviors they deemed appropriate, as well as ones that society might embrace. We learned to cooperate, to compromise, and to do our best to get along with one another. We also learned things that might actually hinder our growth or keep us from striving to move forward. Those are things we may attribute to the folk wisdom of our surroundings. The problem is the beliefs I grew up with may be very different from the ones you grew up with. Perhaps neither of us can claim right or wrong in what we learned, but we may recognize today that some of those beliefs did not serve us well. 

As your heavenly parent, God also tries to demonstrate behaviors and beliefs that will help you move closer to Him. God calls it “pruning” when He has to shape our direction in life. Chambers calls it unlearning. We call it trials or tests, which generally come with a negative spin about our situations. So, consider this. What if we’re getting it all wrong? What if God is not actually trying to wear us down, put us through the wringer, and deplete our strength until we cry “Uncle?” What if instead, He is working to change the way we think? He wants to give us a new perspective because old habits die hard and so He has to help us discover the error of our thoughts and beliefs. Perhaps we need to reconsider the judgments we make about people who are different from ourselves in economic status, creed, or race. Perhaps God wants is to unlearn the cliches that simply make it hard to love your neighbor as yourself.

Is it possible, there’s more for us to learn? Maybe we need to let go of those things that keep us from seeing God’s hand at work, right now, today. Perhaps we need some new definitions, some new beliefs, and some new markers to help us build trust in God and in one another.  Sure, it’s a lot to consider. You may have a lot to unlearn, but even if you let go of just one dated, worn-out, overused belief, and replace it with one that is holy, and wholly filled with love, that one thing could catapult you into the very place God wants you to be. God sees you right where you are, and as the saying goes, “He loves you too much to leave you there.”  His pruning technique may be uncomfortable, but it’s sure to help you grow into the mature and beautiful person He designed you to be.

God makes things new every morning. You can be sure He has new things for you to learn right now. 

 

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The Instagram Scam

I lost my Facebook account last week. I was suspended because of some activity on my Instagram site which Facebook owns. Of course, it was all a surprise to me. I rarely use my Instagram account, but apparently some group had hacked in and started posting “Hidden Ads.” When I finally found that link it was loaded with porn sites. Besides making me heartsick, I couldn’t understand how this had happened. I instantly deleted Instagram. That’s where this story begins, and I share it to protect you from this kind of thing happening to you. 

After being told that my Facebook account, along with over six thousand followers had been suspended, I went online to see how to fix the problem and clear up the mess. I found a phone number titled Facebook Customer Service. A woman answered, announcing that she was Facebook Security. Her name was Jessie and she gave me all her ID information. I explained the situation and she seemed as horrified about it as I was, especially when I shared what I do for a living. She immediately set out to solve the problem which involved answering too many questions and I began to feel even more uncomfortable. Ultimately, she said we would have to notify my banks of the hack, which could include my bank accounts. She asked me for the phone number of my bank and said she would put me through on a secure line so the hackers couldn’t listen in on the call.

A man identifying himself as someone from my bank told me that Facebook had sent a message that my accounts were in need of greater security. He looked at my account and told me that the hackers were planning to deduct $2000 from my account that very afternoon. He said they were sending $500 to some porn site, and $1500 to buy bit coin. He said these transactions were pre-authorized and so the bank could not prevent them from happening. Of course, I protested that I had never authorized such things. He gave me all kinds of legal gibberish and finally said, he could stop the $500 after all, but not the $1500 one. I would have to go to my bank, get $1500 cash and deposit it in a bit coin account under my name, so the hackers wouldn’t get my money. Of course, I didn’t believe any of this so I asked to speak to a manager. Sure enough the “manager” was right there, ready to confirm this was the only way to prevent my money from being taken. 

I was kept on the phone for nearly an hour, advised not to share this with anyone, and to go to my bank directly for the cash. I did it, but only so I could leave the phone in the car and talk to a real person at the bank. They immediately agreed I was being scammed and so I stayed in the bank long enough for the scammers to drop the call. They didn’t get any of my money, and I felt truly stupid for listening as long as I did, though they were impressively good at their trade. I still don’t know how to get in touch with Facebook to try and reinstate my account because they make that exercise very difficult. If anyone knows how I can get through to them, I’d like to hear from you. 

It’s interesting how hard it is to report this to Facebook, even though they and Instagram hold a record for the scams run across their lines. 

It’s sad to me because I know a lot of people read my blogs on Facebook. I will be away from social media for a while. Please be aware of how well trained these scammers are. Even my banker told me she was recently scammed, and she works in a bank. It happens. Don’t let it happen to you.

Praying that God will expose and shut down the people who truly harm others with their scams.

 

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You Can Change the World Today

A former Canadian politician, Jack Layton, said, “My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.”

I’m reflecting on this attitude toward change as I consider the inherent negativity that exists in our everyday lives and our political arena. We’ve become too well acquainted with anger, with hopelessness, and despair. We’ve imagined the worst instead of cultivating the best. We’ve allowed our hearts and minds to wander away from the ways God wants us to think, and the ways He wants us to care for one another. We are individually and collectively the ones who can make a difference. We are the ones who can remind others Who God is, and that God still reigns, and He is in control. We can choose to think as the world suggests, wandering in the dark, fearing one another, or we can trust that God has not left us desolate. We simply have to pay attention to the Spirit who leads us forward.

Please pray with me.

Lord, it feels like so many people are deceived by a spirit of depression and negative attitudes. So many people suffer miseries that never befall them, worrying about what might be and missing what is. I ask today that You would free us from fear and anger and deceitful spirits and renew us with the power of Your Holy Spirit. Help us to remember all You’ve done in the past to strengthen us and guide us. Give us positive thoughts as we embrace the good in others and help us flood the world with light to overcome the seeming darkness. 

Let each person who seeks Your guidance, Your mercy, and Your grace today be encouraged by all that is still possible. Help us to do our possibles, while you do the impossibles. We are in Your hands from here to Heaven, and we are in this world together. Thank You for renewing our thoughts, our spirits, and our abilities to do all we can to bring the power of hope to others. 

Help us to honor one another and forgive our uncaring thoughts, so that we lovingly choose kindness in all we do.

We praise and thank You.

Amen

(Partial excerpt from my book, Prayers from the Heart.)

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Still on the Fence?

We talk about making good decisions as though each choice was easy. We think,” if I do this, it’s good. If I do that, it’s not so good.” The problem is that oftentimes the decision is complicated and there are good sides and not so good sides to be considered. For many of us, that leads to the proverbial fence, where we sit and ponder, ponder and sit, hoping somehow to simply know the answer that will make things turn out right. If you remember Tevye, the main character in the story of the Fiddler on the Roof, you might remember his constant prayers to God always tended toward what he could do on one hand, or perhaps on the other hand. It’s a strategy that could leave you wishing you had more hands. 

So, what can you do? Part of your belief in God is about trusting His plan for your life and knowing that at any given time, He might want to change things up. He might want to move you out of your comfort zone and impress your mind with new ideas. You might not be clear about the steps to take, but you’ve been here before, and you know enough about the way God works, to recognize new possibilities are coming your way. Why now? 

Perhaps one reason is that God has more for you to do in this world. He doesn’t mind you sitting on the fence when you’re not sure which way to turn, but eventually, He wants you to choose. The question is not about the rightness of your choice. It’s more basic than that. It’s about your willingness to “choose this day whom you will serve.” It’s about your readiness to embrace a new direction. It’s about your awareness that God is on the move, and He wants you to come along.

You already know the fence is not that comfortable, and sitting there pretty much assures you that you’re going nowhere. The good news about making a choice is that you are never left to simply choose all on your own. You can take your dilemma straight to God and lay out your options before Him. Leaning on Him is a great step because it means you’re off the fence. You see, sitting on the fence will never give you an answer. As Theodore Roosevelt once said, “In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing you can do is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”

God loves to help you make decisions. He knows you want to do the right thing. It might just mean you have to get off the fence and draw closer to God. He’ll help you from there. 

Time to move along! 

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