When a toddler races for a toy, obstacles that delay him frustrate him.
When a child is put in time out, a moment can feel like a month.
But children grow, and so does their concept of time. While “next year” seems impossibly far away, “tomorrow” eventually becomes acceptable, and then “next week,” “next month,” etc.
As adults, we can excitedly anticipate a vacation six months from now while understanding that we have things to do in the meantime. Depending on what those things are, we may walk through the days so busy that suddenly we look up to see that The Day has arrived. On the other hand, when life is in the process of throwing everything and the kitchen sink at us, we may be back to feeling like the clock has slowed and every moment is a month. Either way, we know that a special day is approaching, and the promise of tomorrow’s vacation empowers us to take each day as it comes.
Second Corinthians 4:17-18 reminds us that this life, even if it’s a life filled with trials and heartache, is nothing compared to eternity. First Peter 1:6 assures us that those “momentary trials” are helping us become the people of faith we are called to be. The more we’re in the Word, meditating on verses like these, and the more we are in fellowship with Him, the greater we understand this truth. Like the growing child who develops an increasingly accurate time sense, so do we who are children of God, as we grow spiritually, develop an increasingly accurate eternal time sense. It is this that makes life bearable even during the bad days (weeks, months, years…).
I explained in my Surviving Narcissism series that this one revelation was what made the difference in my ability to stay with and care for my disabled, narcissistic husband. I realized one day that, when compared to the eternity in which I’ll live, my life here isn’t even ten minutes. While thinking about it like that, I decided I can do anything for ten minutes.
And that’s what I told God. It went something like, “I can do anything for ten minutes, so if You want me here with him until the day I die, I can do it. With You helping me, I can.” If you know my story, you are aware that I outlived him, but with a true revelation of eternity I was able to say those words and mean what I said. Bible teacher TeDese Ross expresses it beautifully:
Hope for the future gives us strength for the present.
So, if you’re living in a world where a moment seems like a month, where hope is hard to come by, I advise you to turn to God and ask Him to give you that same revelation, to help you fully grasp the fact that while your problems and trials seem endless, they – and this life – really are “but for a moment.”
A friend recently asked for a photo of my Bible shelf along with input on my favorite Bibles. I’ve been meaning to do this very thing for my readers for nearly a year. My apologies for the delay!
So here begins a tour. As you can see, my Bibles are shelved more by height than anything else. We’re “reading” from left to right, beginning with The Message, which is an excellent paraphrase.
I had been hearing about The Message for quite a while when I stumbled across a copy in the most unique “resale shop” I’ve ever seen. Everything was literally piled, and you crawled around and climbed over said piles in search of gems. My first copy of The Message was one of those gems, and it instantly went on my readthrough list. By this I mean I read it through from Genesis to Revelation. This is, as the publisher is quick to point out in the introduction, a fantastic “reading” Bible.
Unlike most Bibles, this one bears only one translator’s name: Eugene H. Peterson. His story is exceptional, and a little heartbreaking for people like me. Here’s an excerpt from the introduction that answers the question, “Why him?”
“I began my work life as a teacher and for several years taught the biblical languages of Hebrew and Greek in a theological seminary. I expected to live the rest of my life as a professor and scholar, teaching and writing and studying. But then my life took a sudden turn to pastoring in a congregation.
“I was now plunged into quite a different world. The first noticeable difference was that nobody seemed to care much about the Bible, which so recently people had been paying me to teach them. Many of the people I worked with now knew virtually nothing about it, had never read it, and weren’t interested in learning. Many others had spent years reading it but for them it had gone flat through familiarity, reduced to cliches. Bored, they dropped it. And there weren’t many people in between. Very few were interested in what I considered my primary work, getting the words of the Bible into their heads and hearts, getting the message lived. They found newspapers and magazines, videos and novels more to their taste.”
Sadly, I see the same thing in the church today. It’s one of the reasons I keep coming back to this one topic, leaning hard into the fact that we cannot afford to disregard the Word of God. We CANNOT!
As a pastor, Peterson learned to meld the old with the new – the original, common-man languages of the Bible (Hebrew and Greek) with the common language of today. He made the Bible come alive in such a way that the difference in his congregation was noticed by an editor, and he ended up spending ten years creating The Message, a Bible with a specific purpose.
It is meant to be read. Or, as the publisher expresses it, it is a reading Bible, not a study Bible. It’s a Bible designed specifically to get people into and invested in the Word of God. With this purpose in mind, Peterson crafted it very carefully. Not only did he select just the right words to make God’s Word available to modern readers, he also chose to list verse numbers alongside each paragraph rather than presenting verses individually. This can take getting used to but historically the Bible didn’t even have chapter numbers until early in the 13th century and verse numbers waited another 300 or so years to show up.
While chapters and verses are helpful when seeking specific text, they can also lead to reading passages out of context and, as a result, losing part of their richness and meaning. Not interrupting trains of thought with verse numbers, The Message enables us to grasp a more complete picture and, at times, see what the Bible is really saying as opposed to what we thought it said. This is one of my favorite things about quality, modern translations and paraphrases. They take verses that have become so familiar that, as he pointed out, they’ve reached cliche status and put them into words that wake us up and make us start thinking again.
One more note and I’ll move on. Although it’s not a study Bible, Peterson does offer helpful introductions to sections (i.e., The Books of Moses) and chapters. If you’re one who tends to pass over such introductions, I suggest you make an exception. It often helps to begin a journey, even into a new book, with an idea of what’s to come.
Finally, I do realize there are people who have a problem with any and all modern translations, especially paraphrases, but the intention is to make the text available to the reader. As beautiful as the King James is, and most of the scriptures I’ve memorized come from the KJV, it’s not really the language we speak today. As a result, it can be seriously challenging for modern readers. High quality translations and paraphrases like The Message can make a huge difference in understanding and appreciation.
Ah never shall the land forget How gushed the life-blood of the brave; Gushed warm with hope and courage yet, Upon the soil they fought to save. Bryant
How few like thee enquire the wretched out, And court the offices of soft humanity. Rowe
“It will be remembered that at the time of the burning of New London, Connecticut, a detachment of the army of the traitor Arnold, under whose personal direction that feat of vandalism was performed, was directed to attack and carry Fort Griswold at Groton, on the opposite side of the river. It was then under the command of Colonel Ledyard, a brave and meritorious officer, whose memory will live in the warm affections of his country, as that of one of the early martyrs to her liberty, whilst the granite pile which now lifts its summit above the spot where he was sacrificed, shall long remain to bear the record of his death. The fort was, in truth, little more than an embankment of earth, thrown up as a breast-work for the handful of troops it surrounded, and with a strong log-house in the center. The force which attacked it was altogether superior to that of its defenders, even when the difference in their position is taken into view. The case was so hopeless, that the slightest share of prudence would have suggested retreat. But the chafed and gallant spirits of Ledyard and his men would not permit them to retire before a marauding enemy, however powerful, without making at least one effort to beat him back. With a boldness and heroism scarcely ever surpassed, they stood their ground, until overwhelming numbers of the enemy were in the fort, and engaged hand to hand with its heroic defenders. Fierce and terrible, for a few moments, was the encounter, and it was not until the last ray of hope was gone, and nothing but a useless effusion of blood would have resulted from further resistance, that they at length yielded. In doing so, however, they were inclined to believe that the gallantry displayed by their little band, would at least shelter them from indignity. Ledyard had turned the handle of his sword to the commander of the assailants, and in answer to the question, ‘who commands this fort,’ replied, ‘I did, sir, but you do now,’ when he was pierced to the heart with his own weapon, and by the dastardly hand in which he had just placed it. An almost indiscriminate butchery now commenced; many falling instantly dead and some being desperately wounded. The fort was then entirely at the disposal of the enemy. The barbarity, however, did not end there. When it was found that several of the prisoners were still alive, the British soldiers piled their mangled bodies in an old cart and started it down the steep and rugged hill, towards the river, in order that they might be there drowned. But stumps and stones obstructed the passage of the cart; and when the enemy had retreated – for the aroused inhabitants of that region soon compelled them to the step – the friends of the wounded came to their aid and thus several lives were saved.”*
One of the “ministering angels” who came the next morning to the aid of the thirty-five wounded men, who lay all night freezing in their own blood, was Miss Mary Ledyard, a near relative of the Colonel. “She brought warm chocolate, wine, and other refreshments, and while Dr. Downer of Preston was dressing their wounds, she went from one to another, administering her cordials, and breathing into their ears gentle words of sympathy and encouragement. In these labors of kindness she was assisted by another relative of the lamented Colonel Ledyard – Mrs. John Ledyard – who had also brought her household stores to refresh the sufferers, and lavished on them the most soothing personal attentions. The soldiers who recovered from their wounds, were accustomed, to the day of their death, to speak of these ladies in terms of fervent gratitude and praise.”+
* Democratic Review, vol. 20, pp. 93-4. + Mrs. Ellet
______
Excerpted from Noble Deeds of American Women (Patriotic Series for Boys and Girls) Edited by J. Clement —— With an Introduction by Mrs. L. H. Sigourney Illustrated BOSTON: Lee and Shepard, Publishers Entered by Act of Congress, in the year of 1851, by E. H. Derby and Co., in the Clerk’s Office of the Northern District of New York ______
Honor and shame from no condition rise, Act well your part, there all the honor lies. Pope
In December, 1777, while Washington was at Valley Forge and the enemy was in Philadelphia, Major Tallmadge was stationed between the two places with a detachment of cavalry, to make observations and to limit the range of British foragers. On one occasion, while performing his duty, he was informed that a country girl had gone into Philadelphia – perhaps by Washington’s instigation – ostensibly to sell eggs, but really and especially to obtain information respecting the enemy; and curiosity led him to move his detachment to Germantown. There the main body halted while he advanced with a small party towards British lines. Dismounting at a tavern in plain sight of their outposts, he soon saw a young girl coming out of the city. He watched her till she came up to the tavern; made himself known to her, and was about to receive some valuable intelligence, when he was informed that the British light horse were advancing. Stepping to the door, he saw them in full pursuit of his patroles. He hastily mounted, but before he had started his charger, the girl was at his side begging for protection. Quick as thought, he ordered her to mount behind him. She obeyed, and in that way rode to Germantown, a distance of three miles. During the whole ride, writes the Major in his Journal, where we find these details, “although there was considerable firing of pistols, and not a little wheeling and charging, she remained unmoved, and never once complained of fear.”
______
Excerpted from Noble Deeds of American Women (Patriotic Series for Boys and Girls) Edited by J. Clement —— With an Introduction by Mrs. L. H. Sigourney Illustrated BOSTON: Lee and Shepard, Publishers Entered by Act of Congress, in the year of 1851, by E. H. Derby and Co., in the Clerk’s Office of the Northern District of New York ______
Our church opens our doors for two hours every Saturday in January so we can gather to pray. I just returned from tonight’s session, and I returned with a word from Him to me – and you.
“Let the wind of the Holy Ghost sweep away your attachment to your failures.”
For years, I battled a tendency to not let go of my failures, to keep beating myself up for them even after I’d repented and received God’s forgiveness. I broke the worst of that tendency a few years back when God rebuked me. As He reminded me, if I were to criticize and berate one of His kids the way I was attacking myself He’d call me out for sin. And, obviously, He then reminded me that I am one of His kids too – and it was still sin.
What He said tonight hit me in a fresh way. God specializes in that, you know. If you don’t fully understand the first time, He’ll say it differently. In this one sentence He said so much!
The Holy Ghost has the power to sweep away those attachments if we let Him.
They are our attachments. Those failures aren’t attached to us; we’re attached to them. They’re nothing but memories and have no power on their own. The devil can toss them up in our faces, but as long as we’re not attached to them, they’ll slide right off and hit the floor, powerless.
We must choose to let the Holy Ghost remove them. Then we must decide, every minute of every day, if necessary, to refuse to pick those threads up again. We can: We can either pick them back up and get attached (and attacked) all over again, or we can refuse to ever touch them again. It’s not easy, but it is doable.
God says so! Here’s some proof.
No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but 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 (emphasis mine)
Paul, of all people, had things he could have refused to forgive himself for, mistakes from his past that he might have permitted to drag him down. He chose to forget the past and only look forward.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. Hebrews 12:1 NLT (emphasis mine)
“Let us strip off every weight that slows us down,” the teacher says. Yes, that definitely includes those past mistakes, even the huge ones. If they (or anything else) slow us down in our pursuit of God, they’ve got to go!
And…
He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. Psalm 103:12 NLT
If He’s removed the sins, they’re gone. Only the memories of those sins remain, and we have no business digging them up or entertaining them if the devil tries to do the digging. If God removes our sins so completely, it stands to reason that He removes our mistakes, big ones and small ones, as well.
Be at peace. Let the Holy Spirit rid you of those attachments forever.
New Year’s Eve found me pondering the word God had given me for 2024. Yes, I mean God literally told me that was my word; I don’t choose them myself.
The word was “soar,” and as we discussed it I confessed that I couldn’t see how it fit the year. Had I missed something? His answer was, basically, “Yes.”
The year began with a TIA that, praise God, caused no damage. An ER visit followed a few weeks later when acid reflux had me vomiting up the mucus that lined my stomach. Pretty much all of April and part of May were trashed by a severe reaction to gnat bites (gnats were at plague level at that point) that kept me in bed most of the time; I was going to work as I was able, but everything else hit the floor. These are just a few examples, but you get the picture: The word “soar” really didn’t seem to apply when looking at it from my perspective.
Then God showed me His perspective.
I’d entered 2024 having already made some lifestyle changes, but that TIA spurred me to make even more, to begin treating my body more like the temple of the Holy Ghose that Paul tells me it is in 1 Corinthians 6:19. Then, after the acid-reflux ER visit, I chose to stop using the medications I’d relied on for years and go the holistic route. The result, which I shared about in Acid Reflux Solutions: My Holistic Path to Recovery, is that my stomach is healing.
Then there is my weight, including a disturbing amount of belly fat, which has been an issue for some time. For years, I’d not been able to get under 176, which kept me in the obese category. Last October it was 183, if I remember correctly. By February, my lifestyle changes had already caused it to drop to 180. Recently, for the first time in over ten years, I’ve broken that 176 barrier, and I’ve actually bumped 174 in recent days. It’s been a slow process resulting not from diets, but from steady lifestyle changes, and I’m feeling worlds better.
God explained to me that the weight loss and the improvement in my digestive system were examples of me soaring, rising above those trials I’d faced in the first part of the year. Even the month and a half I spent battling an allergic reaction so bad that it actually affected my ability to think clearly saw me rising above my agony. He then showed me all I’ve learned this year, including my most recent lesson on my trust in Him. (That one is in God’s Question that Stopped Me in My Tracks) He didn’t stop there, but I am. I’m sure you get the picture.
My point is that, when He gave me the word for last year, He knew exactly what was going to happen, and also knew how He was going to use what happened to help me grow, to help me soar.
Now I’m looking at 2025’s word, “perseverance,” and wondering just what He has in mind. Given the American Heritage Dictionary’s definition of the word…
Steady persistence in adhering to a course of action, a belief, or a purpose; steadfastness.
I find myself wondering just what’s on the schedule.
Proud were they by such to stand, In hammock, fort or glen; To load the sure old rifle- To run the leaden ball- To watch a battling husband’s place, And fill it should he fall. W. D. GALLAGHER
During the battle of Monmouth, a gunner named Pitcher was killed; and when the call was made for some one to take the place of her fallen husband, his wife, who had followed him to the camp, and thence to the field of conflict, unhesitatingly stepped forward, and offered her services. The gun was so well managed as to draw the attention of General Washington to the circumstance, and to call forth an expression of his admiration of her bravery and her fidelity to her country. To show his appreciation of her virtues and her highly valuable services, he conferred on her a lieutenant’s commission. She afterwards went by the name of Captain Molly.
The poet Glover tells us, in his Leonidas, that Xerxes boasted “His ablest, bravest counselor and chief In Artemisia, Caria’s matchless queen;” and Herodotus also very justly eulogizes the same character. Yet Artemisia was scarcely more serviceable to Xerxes in the battle of Salamis, than “Captain Molly” to Washington in the battle of Monmouth. One served in a Grecian expedition, to gratify her great spirit, vigor of mind and love of glory; the other fought, partly, it may be, to revenge the death of her husband, but more, doubtless, for the love she bore for an injured country, “bleeding at every vein.” One was rewarded with a complete suit of Grecian armor; the other with a lieutenant’s commission, and both for their bravery. If the queen of Caria is deserving of praise for her martial valor, the name of the heroic wife of the gunner, should be woven with hers in a fadeless wreath of song.
______
Excerpted from Noble Deeds of American Women (Patriotic Series for Boys and Girls) Edited by J. Clement —— With an Introduction by Mrs. L. H. Sigourney Illustrated BOSTON: Lee and Shepard, Publishers Entered by Act of Congress, in the year of 1851, by E. H. Derby and Co., in the Clerk’s Office of the Northern District of New York ______
I was thanking God for a friend a few days ago. Some time back, she volunteered to handle a specific task every month. It’s not super complicated, but it does take time and requires her to run an errand that otherwise wouldn’t fall on her. Month after month, she consistently covers this project for me. “I’m so grateful for her, “I told God. “I know I can hand her this job and she’ll get it done.”
I meant what I said, every word of it. My heart was full of gratitude. Then God asked me a question.
He wanted to know why, if I trust her so easily, I sometimes doubt Him and whether He will “get the job done.”
OUCH!
We’re talking punch-in-the-gut stuff here. I like to think I’m a woman of strong faith, but He wouldn’t have asked me the question if it didn’t apply. Do I really, at times, trust a human friend more than I trust my God? I mean, this is GOD we’re talking about. Of course He will get the job done, whatever that job is!
I do tell Him on occasion that it’s not Him I’m doubting, but me. More specifically, I too often doubt my own ability to hear Him clearly. Did I really hear God’s voice, or did I go off on a tangent of my own creating? Yes, I have those moments – more than I like to admit. I wonder if this is part of what He’s talking about, that in doubting my own ability to hear Him I’m doubting His ability to help me understand. Possibly?
I’m still thinking about this one, about how I have at least on occasion failed to trust The Creator of the Universe, how at times I apparently put more faith in the one who holds my project in her hands than in the One who holds my whole life in His hands.
This faith walk? One of its most important factors is self-assessment – making sure we are who we think we are, and repenting if we’re not. If we’re not listening and judging ourselves when He asks questions like this one, we’re not getting the job done.
One day, earlier this year, I found myself in the ER vomiting up the mucus that lined my stomach. That afternoon, I decided I’d had enough.
The vomiting was a result of acid reflux and yes, I was on medication when it happened. I’d been taking prescription medication for years as well as doing everything I knew might help. I actively avoided my known triggers, for instance. (I went years without eating french fries!) I also had my chiropractor adjust my xiphoid every time I saw him.
“Your what?” My xiphoid. The xiphoid process is a tiny part of your body, at the bottom of the sternum, that has a direct correlation with acid reflux. Basically, if it’s out of position it can trigger an attack, and if you’re suffering from acid reflux it gets pulled out of position. It’s a truly vicious cycle. My chiropractor adjusts me with an activator and, using that tool, he can adjust my xiphoid. Every time he adjusted it, I got relief for a while.
After that ER visit, I decided I was done with the medicine battle. For years, faithfully taking medicine had accomplished nothing beyond keeping the symptoms at bay. I wanted better than that. As soon as I could, I went to The Health Fix in Liberty, Texas, approached Betty Runkle, ND, and informed her that I needed to fix my acid reflux and do it naturally. I knew going in that natural remedies take time and can be costly since they’re not covered by insurance, but I had reached the point that none of that mattered. I was committed to true recovery if such a thing were possible.
She assured me it was possible and set me up with a plan that is working.
It’s working so well that in one of my recent visits my chiropractor didn’t even have to adjust my xiphoid. That is a first! Yes, I do still deal with issues, but they’re less and less every month – except for months like these last two when I’ve eaten a lot more rich food than usual. The point is the symptoms aren’t just being controlled like they were with medication: The system is clearly healing.
So, what am I doing? I’m glad you asked! What I’m about to share is what I’ve found works for ME. It involves taking the appropriate nutrients that support and promote the body’s natural and innate healing processes. It’s about taking what she told me to do and tweaking it as I saw how my body responded. It’s a multi-part program, and every part is essential. Let’s go.
I take a teaspoon of raw, unfiltered honey every morning and every night. Honey is a healer on many levels and, when I let myself run out, I notice a definite difference.
Another thing that heals your stomach is aloe vera. To be honest, if I were doing it totally right, I’d be drinking organic aloe vera juice. What I do is buy the 16.9 ounce bottles of aloe vera you can get at dollar stores and groceries (especially if they cater to Hispanics). I drink one a day, usually early in the day. I drink it early because you don’t want to combine it with apple cider vinegar as the two cancel each other out. I let the aloe soothe my stomach and work on healing it in the morning, then introduce the acid around noon. Aloe vera is also a great rescue; if you feel the fire, it’ll put it out. I sometimes drink it before bed as well.
I take a digestive enzyme with my morning pills. The one I take is Acid Soothe from Enzymedica. This is one of my tweaks. Dr. Runkle had suggested I start the day with an apple cider vinegar pill to ensure there’s enough acid in my stomach. For most people I’m sure that’s best. I generally practice intermittent fasting, however, and putting that much acid on my stomach and then waiting so long to eat seemed to make things worse instead of better, so I switched to taking the enzymes first and my symptoms improved. You can also take enzymes with meals, and I do often, especially when I’m eating foods I know might bother me in some way. I’ll even take enzymes in the evenings if I’m uncomfortable.
Apple cider vinegar, which I was thrilled to learn comes in pills, is a huge part of the program. Acid reflux is triggered by not having enough acid in your stomach when you need it. With this in mind, and since I don’t take it first thing in the morning, I try to take it about half an hour before a meal – though I’ll also take it at the beginning of a meal if I’m behind schedule.
Finally, she taught me to mix up a roll-on with Solle Naturals’ CALM essential oil in a carrier oil. I take it with me everywhere, and if I find myself experiencing discomfort, I can roll on a line from my belly button to my xyphoid or, if I’m in public and can’t, I’ll often roll it at the base of my neck. I learned about putting it at the base of my neck when I had one of those “it feels like something is stuck right there” moments (if you know you know) and decided it was worth a shot. The relief was amazingly fast. Solle’s CALM is a high quality essential oil blend that promotes bile production and a sense of calm throughout my body and mind. Essential oils are amazing and, as soon as you put them on the skin topically, the healing properties enter the bloodstream within three seconds. If you’ve never tried them, you’re missing out!
That’s everything we discussed. It was pretty simple and, surprisingly, it’s not that much money! I was honestly shocked. People automatically assume that natural remedies are necessarily expensive, and they can be; these aren’t. I can stay on these even during the months I don’t get my widow’s benefits from Social Security. (If it seems odd for me to mention it, know that women in my position have to keep in mind the reality of those checks and what their absence does to the budget.)
I will insert, here, that when you’re dealing with natural remedies you are also dealing with time. That’s something we don’t like in the modern world. We love quick fixes, and we especially like them when it comes to our health. The problem is, those quick fixes often fail to deal with the root problem just like years of taking prescription drugs for acid reflux never healed my gut. It takes time for the body to get out of whack, and time for it to get back in balance. I have enough experience that I knew I was making the right decision going into this, but even if I’d lacked experience I knew enough that I would have made a 90-day commitment because, while in many situations you do experience immediate results, with natural remedies it can often take 90 days to start seeing them.
The only other thing I do, aside from trying to eat healthier than I have this holiday season, is see my chiropractor regularly so he can keep the xiphoid in line. It’s been nearly a year and this regimen is working. Healing is undeniably happening, and I couldn’t be happier.
If you have questions about natural treatments for this or any other health issue, I suggest checking out The Health Fix Store or the VIP group BeYoutifully Holistic on Facebook, which is the front page for the podcast, BeYOUtifully Holistic with, no surprise, Betty Runkle.
Betty Runkle, ND, is a fount of valuable information and you can make appointments to speak with her personally at https://bettyrunkle.com.
Believe me, your health is worth it!
Celebrating Jesus! Tammy C
PS: If you want to check out Solle’s CALM, and don’t mind using my referral link, you can click here. There are several Solle products I use regularly, so I signed up to be able to use their monthly subscription service and get discounts. You may want to consider doing the same.
