A Little Chat with God #11

(death for the Christian)

Good evening God:

            Today I want to talk to you about “death for the Christian.”  This is a real in-depth phrase for me to consider, but it is something every Christian has to deal with, in one form or another, at any given time.  I have lost several very dear friends over the last several months, more so than usual, but then I am getting older as is everyone else and death seems to be lurking right around the corner for many people in my age bracket.

            Death, when the word comes to one’s mind, immediately conjures up a picture of sadness, morbidity and finality; the sound of it even carries a dirge tone.  However, death is something we will all face at some point in our life  . . . this is a “rite of passage” so to speak, for every human.  No one escapes physical death and no one escapes spiritual death. 

My main focus is on the older generation who has had ample time to prepare themselves for this passage although I realize that in life the young are taken as well as the old. You are no respecter of persons.  In fact, in the Old Testament, in Deuteronomy 10:17, it is stated, “For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.”  And again in the New Testament in Acts 10:34-35, you again state via the words of your Apostle, Peter, “. . . In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality, but in every nation, whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.”  What a wonderful thought that we will be accepted by you at death if we do your will.  That is a promise to all mankind, but such is almost totally lost within the realm of our culture and society that we live in today.

Death signifies the end of someone’s timeline on this side of eternity.  Everyone has a timeline and no one knows when his or her timeline will be completed.  Life is so fragile and so short; we need to consider this on a daily basis because we do not know if it will be our last day to live or not.  In James 4:14 it states, “. . . For what is life?  It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”  This is so true when you go back in time, if we had a tangible time line in front of us, even if just to the founding day of our country. 

How many people have been born and entered into death . . . their life is like a fleeting blip on a radar screen, there for a second in time and then gone for eternity. We live in a “time” society; we are geared to the idea of seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, years and centuries, as you provided for us as stated in Gen 1.  But in eternity there is no time as we know time.  When you consider the true meaning of the word “forever”, it is difficult to comprehend its fullest extent with our finite minds.

           

Death to the Christian, a person who has followed your word to the best of his or her ability, is a joy in some aspect and a sorrow in another.  People will question this and say, “Where is the joy in death?” or “How can anyone be joyful about the loss of another?” or “Why does God allow this to happen?” which is many times expressed at the death of a child, teenager or very young adult.  These are questions from people who do not have the benefit of your word, your teaching and your promise that the faithful have.  They lack understanding that followers of your will have, that is, a promise of living eternally with you in heaven, a place of love like we have never known, a place where darkness is banished forever, a place of beauty with peace, a place of no pain and hardship, a place where there is no sorrow and no tears . . . this is eternity, heaven, the home of the soul.

Christians live their entire life towards attaining this goal . . . living in eternity with you and your angels . . . when death appears and their timeline has ceased.  Christians strive every day of their life to avoid the pitfalls that Satan hurls in their faces day in and day out.  We are continuously tempted with the pride of life, lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and other worldly desires throughout life here on earth that necessitates our having to continually be on guard so that we do not fall prey to these untoward desires.  Satan wanders to and fro on this earth doing his best to tempt us to sin . . . Satan does not care about us or our soul other than to conquer us as another one of his trophies. 

On the flip side of the coin, you love us, you care for us, you know our every desire before we do, you created us in your image and likeness and it is your express desire and fervent hope that we live a life according to your teachings that we may live in eternity with you.  You have given us the written word which sets forth the type of life we are to lead; you spared nothing to make sure we had your word, even to the point of giving your son Jesus to die such a horrifying and humiliating death on the cross, to pay the price, that we have access to you, the Father, and to an eternity in heaven when our life is completed.  It is you who wants to be able to say to us, “Well done thou good and faithful servant.”

People will say living the life of a Christian is too hard, too restrictive and too demeaning.  Those of that mindset are too involved with the worldly pleasures of our time.  They want to party, they want to get drunk, they want to do drugs, they have no concern for life of another, they want to be free to live as they see fit which most of the time is not even close to the standard of a good life, even by the world.  Oh yes, they have fun, fun, fun; they tend to have no accountability of their actions, they think the world revolves around them and at times, it is these people that seem to have everything . . . well everything on earth that is.  They have no vision of eternity, only the here and now.  Their idea of life is do it while you can regardless of whether it is right or wrong, regardless of who you step on to do it and regardless of what it does to your own life.  These people have no love for another, no compassion, no humility, no concern except for themselves and I tell you, these people will have a sad revelation when they face you at judgment.  As the hymn says, “there’s a sad day coming” and this WILL come and there will be a great moaning and gnashing of teeth right along with it.

Christians live with a clear-cut vision for their future. They hear and heed your calling after studying diligently and having come to an understanding of your word; they know the truth and are highly motivated to follow this truth throughout the rest of their life.  They KNOW and UNDERSTAND what their reward will be and they long to reach this goal.  They also know what their destiny will be if they do not follow, now that they know your pathway. 

I do not believe there is the first soul in the entire universe that really wants to go to hell; most people do not believe there is a place called hell.  They think a just god, as you are, will not condemn one of your own creations to an eternity of horror. There are religions today that feel they can ‘pray themselves out of the fires of hell’ before the day of judgment but little do they realize that you have referred to hell so many times in your word, and it is a real place, if they would just read your word. Hell is referred to as a place in Matthew 5:22 so it must exist if you mentioned it in your own words.  In Matthew 18:9 you mention “hell fire” which puts “hell” in the category of existing with fire.  In Luke 12:5 you say  . . . “But I will show you whom you should fear:  Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!”  Hell is definitely an existing place!  In James 3:6 you talk about the uncontrollable tongue that has been set on fire by hell, again denoting hell is existing and with fire.  In Revelation 19:20 you refer to a lake of fire burning with brimstone.  Again in Revelation 20:10 the devil was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone with the false prophets and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.  How can people even consider the idea there is no hell?  Satan is really having a heyday with these people’s minds and souls, and only too late will they realize their folly.

Death in and of itself in the physical realm (depending on the circumstances) is usually painful, not only to the person dying but to the people who love him and are by his bedside as he slips into the valley of the shadow of death.  Hearts are broken to shards, tears come in unending streams, one’s soul is pierced to the core with the loss of a loved one, and life is changed forever for those remaining. Memories to be made are halted, but memories already made are shared now in our minds and conversation with others.  The physical body is mourned according to the culture and then buried in the ground . . . we were made from dust and now are returned to the dust of the earth.

Death in the spiritual sense is beautiful to those who have trod the pathway you provided for us in the written word, the Bible.  For the Christian who has worked hard all of his life to obey your teachings, set good examples, taught others your way . . . one who has foregone the frivolities, power and wealth of life, the way of fun and games which lead to the darker, dangerous side of life . . . he has, now in death, won the race and earned the crown of life, the ultimate reward, eternity with you in heaven.  There is such joy and peace . . . which others could not begin to understand . . . for those left on this side of heaven, to know they have a loved one in heaven with you, even though, physically, they carry a burden and broken heart as they struggle with life, being now alone. 

But, every Christian knows death will come . . . and they know if they have walked in your footsteps, they will be able to see their faithful loved ones again when their timeline has ended and they too make their way through the valley of the shadow of death and  be united with you, our heavenly father.

While death itself is certain, the time and way of death is not.  And the occurrence of death is a sad and joyous occasion entwined when viewing a Christian’s life and in the godly manner his life was lived.  If I had to put it in words, I would have to say that life really is a dress rehearsal for the play called “Heaven” and I think we had better get the script right on the first go around, because when death cloaks us in its power over life, all chances for heaven cease and we will be judged on how we lived our life on earth.

Yes, I believe a Christian’s death signifies the beginning of a much more beautiful relationship with you in eternity, the likes of which we can only barely begin to imagine, but a place in which I hope to hear you gently but lovingly say to me one day, “welcome thou faithful servant; enter into the joys of my kingdom.”

Thank you again for letting me get some of this off my chest.  This has really been on my mind since the occurrence of several deaths recently and I just had to let you know how I saw this in my mind.  Thanks for being so patient.  Until the next time . . .

Written by Ruth Miller

©  September 15, 2011

A Little Chat with God #8

 (heroes/mentors)

Good Morning God:

Today I want to discuss with You another common word, “hero” or mentors.  So many times we talk about our “hero”, and while I think it is good for people to have someone to look up to, or to follow as an example, this “title” is beginning to carry a slightly twisted connotation now than in the past.  It is such a shame that in our society today, that we don’t look to the heroes of biblical time and use them as our heroes or mentors.

Nevertheless, and unfortunately, our children look up to the current sports figures and celebrities of our time as their heroes, but yet, look at the example some of these popular figures are setting!  Some are charged with DUI, they have anger management problems, they beat up their wife, the get involved with drugs . . . that type of person is NOT a person to look up to; they are NOT examples of the term hero  and are not a mentor by any stretch of the imagination.

Our movie stars fall in the same category as they get involved with multiple marriages, alcoholism and drugs just for starters.  I think they feel that if one marriage doesn’t work out another one will and we find there is no commitment here (of course a lot of people share that same opinion).  Marriage is a lifetime commitment between a man and a woman in its initial concept from the beginning when God created Adam and Eve in the garden, but our society has gone way to the left with marriage to0 (but I will discuss this with you at a later time).

I wonder if these elite people (of all categories) who know that people see what they do and know they have “admirers”, but yet they continue to do “their own thing” because they like it and it satisfies their immediate desires, and never give thought as to whether it is right or wrong . . . do they even consider how their actions are perceived by the younger generation? Do they even care as long as they are so popular and in such demand?  You and I both know the answer to this is a resounding NO!  

In fact, in my personal opinion, they thrive on the attention they are getting from the public and would do most anything to keep their popularity in force.  Our young people see these lives paraded in movies, magazines, TV shows and commercials, and unless they have Godly parents to instruct them in right and wrong at a young age, our children (our future generation of leaders) will be of the opinion that if such a lifestyle is acceptable for the celebrities and high profile leaders to live by and get praised for, it will also be acceptable for them as well, and this is where trouble starts.

Celebrities and people of the upper echelon, I do not care who they are or how prominent they are . . . they DO have a responsibility to act appropriately, setting the acceptable role models for our children.  But what I am seeing over and over again is that these famous people continue in this atrocious lifestyle of greed, dishonesty, power and sometimes even murder, to accomplish their personal goals.  And sadder yet is that they get away with it on so many occasions.  It is like their conscience has been seared with the seal of evil.  Then, when they finally get caught up in their own entanglement of lies and other misdeeds, they hire the best lawyer to “get them off”.  An indirect side effect of their flagrant and provocative lifestyle, for those who looked up to them as “heroes” or “mentors” is that they hurt so many young and innocent people without the first thought to the possible unhealthy contributing role they have played in some youngster’s life.

And while we have great leaders from the beginning of our country’s drafting of the Constitution, even their personal lives were blemished with drunkenness and adultery.  Yet they were great men in the sight of all and even centuries later, we honor them.  I think it is almost a given (note I said almost here) that in so many instances of a rise to power, you will gradually see corruption subtly creeping into their personal values system.  Don’t get me wrong . . . we do have heroes whose selfless acts line the pages of our bibles and history books.  These are the men and women of great courage, valor, intelligence and honor to whom we owe our freedoms and our current abundant style of life today, but when you research their personal life, it is fraught with misdeeds of an unsuitable nature.

Even in our legends and mythology history, we thought of a hero as one with sometimes “divine” ancestry who had great strength and courage and who was celebrated for his bold exploits and favored by the gods.  Coined in English in 1387, hero comes from the Greek language and literally means “protector” or defender”.  It is also thought to be a cognate of the Latin verb servo “to preserve whole” and of the Avestan verb haurvaiti “to keep vigil over”.   Regardless of how this word came about, today its connotation to most of us is to describe someone (male or female) who, in the face of danger and adversity, or from a position of weakness, displays courage and the will for self sacrifice for some greater good of an individual or of all humanity,  The hero is often simply an ordinary person in extraordinary circumstances, who, despite the odds being stacked against him, typically prevails in the end; a person noted for feats of courage or nobility or purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his life.

In biblical days, Moses was a hero to the Israelite nation, but even he was guilty of murdering an Egyptian.  David was noted as being a man after Your own heart, but he committed adultery and murder. There are numerous distinguished kings with great leadership strength who followed Your ways and are said to be “heroes” in their time right along with those following them who did evil.  There were Judges who were heroes during their rule as well.  We also have the prophets, martyrs and apostles who were heroes for religious freedom and truth.

The more I think about this word  hero,  the more I begin to realize that a hero to us is not always someone who lives by the rules and leads an exemplary life, but yet one who has done something very courageous, perhaps even putting his own life in harm’s way to save another.  Even the heroes of old had their sins to contend with but here is where the difference therein lies . . . Moses and David were sorry about their misdeeds and turned their life around with repentance, Godly repentance.  In that respect they showed great character to face their wrong and to do the best to make things right in the future.  Our celebrity or high profile people many think as heroes of today may say “I am sorry” but 99% of the time this is to save face in the eyes of the public or they are simply sorry that they got caught!

And then we have our heroes of war . . . those bold and brave individuals who fight for our freedom day in and day out, some who die at a very tender age  an unwanted death at the hands of a torturous enemy in remote areas of the world.  If it were not for these brave soldiers, we would not be living in the free society we have today.

We have other heroes in all areas of law enforcement, security and firefighting, who continually put themselves between us and danger, and have given their lives so that others may live,

We have countless other people who are the unsung heroes of our time that go undercover and remain nameless and unrecognized as to the role they played in a covert operation that resulted in resolution of a serious breach of freedom.

There are everyday people that are not “titled” who do extraordinary deeds when the time presents itself, doing so without a moment’s hesitation or thought to the danger they may be putting themselves in, to save another.

I just realized I am writing this on the eve of the 10^th anniversary of the 9-1-1 attack on New York, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania. There were so many unknown heroes on that horrendous day of our history.  This was a day, for those who were among the living and saw all the unbearable scenes of death and destruction, that has been seared into our memories . . . a day we will never forget.

As I sit here and chat with you, I realize that a hero is a valiant, strong, caring, considerate and compassionate individual who will not hesitate for a second to jump out of his comfort zone to help another in dire straits, regardless of the circumstances, and without concern for his own personal safety.  The personal life, whether it is good or bad, is not a factor within the true meaning, when someone reacts with such haste to immediately come to the aid of others,

And now that I have given such consideration to this subject, I think I have about exhausted my thoughts on heroes/mentors, but this has been good for me to pursue this line of thinking.  I have come to fully realize that a hero/mentor is not the “near perfect person who has done something courageous” but rather a courageous person who has done something near perfect for someone else, without regard for his own safety.

It is so good to chat with You on so many things as I have in the past. I always end up being more knowledgeable than when I first started.  I know you are so patient with me and for that I am so thankful.  Until next time . . .

Written by

Ruth Miller

© 9/10/11

A Little Chat with God #10

(humanizing God?)

Good afternoon God:

          I think I may need to clarify something with You . . .it was pointed out to me that I could possibly be guilty of “humanizing” You with my series titled “A Little Chat with God”.  I pray for Your forgiveness if I have “humanized” You in any manner with my writings.  However, on thinking further regarding this, I have come to the conclusion after an in-depth search of my conscience, that I am not guilty.  But let me discuss with You my reasoning and how I arrived at this conclusion, so that anyone else reading this will understand my thoughts on “talking” with You as well.  Perhaps it will clarify what I am trying to do with my series, not only for me but for others who may read them.

I  agree wholeheartedly that the commonly used phrase “talk to the man upstairs” would definitely come under the classification of and/or be defined as humanizing, being a little too much on the colloquialistic side of humanity vs. deity.  And, unfortunately, You know I am guilty of having made this comment a couple of times in my very early life before becoming a Christian. After that point, however, I realized just how this could be construed or misconstrued; this is a phrase used very loosely by the world in comparison to the seriousness and sensitivity which should be the mindset of any person at any time when “talking with God”, privately or publicly.  Most people think this is funny but now, to me, since becoming a Christian, to categorize God as “the man upstairs” borders on blasphemy and usage of this phrase would constitute in my own mind a perfect example of “humanizing” God . . .  but this is just my own personal opinion.

However, my “little chats” are my form of “talking to God” or “personal prayer” if You will, and I do not feel this is “humanizing” You in any manner whatsoever.  And, this is probably something that each of us will have to decide on our own.  When I write these articles, I am earnestly writing them from my heart and these are honest requests and concerns that I am putting before You, the Master, for “discussion or clarification”.  In so many of these articles, by the time I have concerned myself about a particular chat topic enough to write it down in textual format in a pleading/requesting/discussing form, I generally have my answer by the time I have finalized my request, or at least a better understanding of the topic about which I am writing, whether it be from research or whether I have just finally come to a better understanding through Your help or on my own. 

I have chosen to “publish” these to help others who read them, and not to humanize You in any form.  But then again, as noted above, this is a decision to be made on an individual basis as to whether one would be guilty “humanizing” You at the time of such writing; only the writer and You know the mind of the individual doing the writing.  Some of these articles I have written about are to help others who may have the same thought, but do not understand such clearly, or perhaps help others see a situation better from a different viewpoint, or to expand the idea of a certain word or thought towards better Christian living or ideals, or perhaps to guide others to understand Christian values better and/or just to put forth a situation that we need to earnestly pray about, i.e., our nation and the downward direction our leaders are taking our society and us along with it.

You want us to “talk” with You on a daily basis; You want us to ask and pray daily; You want to hear from Your children.  How does one classify a “chat” specifically, other than a talk or a personal prayer when communicating with You?  To me, a personal talk, chat or personal prayer are synonymous in connotation; although I could be wrong on my interpretation or specific etiology of each individual word on its own merit.  I also realize that a “prayer” does carry a much more acute level of seriousness of thought and reverence; it is soul-searching in its intended purpose. Maybe it would be better to remove “chat” and replace it with “talk”, I don’t know.  When I am in my car by myself driving I have a little “chat” all the time with You but this is also in the form of a prayer/pleading or talk for me as well.    Nevertheless, it is at these times, especially when diving somewhere by myself, that I am alone, not interrupted, and can think more clearly and more deeply; I am free to express myself completely.  How else are we to “ask” of You other than a chat, a talk or a personal prayer?  Even You say in:

Luke 18:19 “. . . we ought to pray and not lose heart . . .”  

Luke 11:9 “. . . ask and it will be given to you  . . .”  

John 16:23-24 “. . . whatever you ask the Father in my name, He will give you . . .”

James 1:5-6 “. . . let him ask of God . . . but let him ask in faith with no doubting. . .” 

I John 5:15 “. . . if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. . .” 

Matt 7:7 “. . . ask and it will be given to you. . .” 

Mark 11:24 . . . whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you will

receive them. . .” 

I Thess. 5:17 “. . . pray without ceasing. . .” 

James 5:16 “. . . pray for one another. . .”

          So You can see why I needed to approach You on this situation.  While the words chat, talk and private prayer to You are synonymous in meaning, they are done with different levels of intensity.  And communicating with You can be done at either level without running the risk of “humanizing” You, but we do need to always be on the alert and acutely aware of the potential for this in our speech, our writings and our thoughts, as it can seep into our lives before we realize it.  Thanks for letting me discuss this with You.  Until next time . . .

Written by Ruth Miller

© August 1, 2011

A Little Chat with God #9 

(forgiveness)

Good Morning God:

As I glance out from my window, my yard appears to be so much brighter today and the sun is really beaming through the trees, playing peek-a-boo with the limbs.  The fact that we just recently had our three 45-ft oak trees trimmed and a 30-ft cedar tree removed just might have a lot to do with that as well.  But Your sunshine brightens any day as its radiance covers the earth.   Thank You for the wonderful blessing of sunshine and warmth.

Today I have a big, big, big word . . . forgiveness.  The implication of this word in our language is tremendous and it takes so much for a person to have the true characteristic of forgiveness.  This word is involved is so many ways with everyone in one form of the other, although most of us probably do not even give this much thought.  In fact, there are so many things about this word, I hardly know where to start.

First, let me state the definition of this word . . . According to Wikipedia, forgiveness is typically defined as the process of concluding resentment, indignation or anger as a result of a perceived offense, difference or mistake, or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution. The Oxford English Dictionary defines forgiveness as 'to grant free pardon and to give up all claim on account of an offense or debt'. The concept and benefits of forgiveness have been explored in religious thought, the social sciences and medicine. Forgiveness may be considered simply in terms of the person who forgives including forgiving themselves, in terms of the person forgiven or in terms of the relationship between the forgiver and the person forgiven. In some contexts, forgiveness may be granted without any expectation of restorative justice, and without any response on the part of the offender (for example, one may forgive a person who is incommunicado or dead). In practical terms, it may be necessary for the offender to offer some form of acknowledgment, apology or restitution, or even just ask for forgiveness, in order for the wronged person to believe himself able to forgive.  Most world religions include teachings on the nature of forgiveness, and many of these teachings provide an underlying basis for many varying modern day traditions and practices of forgiveness. Some religious doctrines or philosophies place greater emphasis on the need for humans to find some sort of divine forgiveness for their own shortcomings, others place greater emphasis on the need for humans to practice forgiveness of one another, yet others make little or no distinction between human and divine forgiveness.

With such a wide ranging and lengthy definition, You can see why I might not know exactly where I want to begin.  I find this to be a very complicated word in its in-depth meaning, and I think this word defines so adeptly one of the most important characteristics of us as human beings, and one that we will require to have in abundance if we expect to gain entrance into heaven and live forever in your midst. 

This word has a very broad spectrum in general but within its ultimate, deepest and most defining definition, “forgiveness” can be a very soul-searching, sincere, in-depth and sometimes painful utterance to be made by the one actually doing the forgiving.  For instance, I daresay that not a day goes by when we do not utter to someone the words “I’m sorry”.  This is forgiveness at the low end of the spectrum in my simplistic thinking.  Let me further clarify here.  When a person says this to another person, it does not mean to say that the one who says it is not sincere . . . not at all; this is what one usually says when a slight offence or occurrence has come about unintentionally and this is generally the “off the cuff” response.  No one is offended by this but it is a low level of true forgiveness.  This is acceptable in society and occurs regularly without anyone giving it further thought as it is said for the purpose intended and life goes on.

When someone offends you to a more serious degree, sometimes saying “I’m sorry” is just not enough.  If someone has damaged your creditability, your integrity, your character and your reputation, more than “I’m sorry” has to be said to be an acceptable apology or forgiveness to the person or persons offended.  In this situation, his or her livelihood could have been ruined, a complete family could be affected and have to move elsewhere . . . the damage is bad and words sometimes are just not enough.  Restitution is sometimes in order privately and publicly.  This type of scenario I would place in the middle of the spectrum of forgiveness.

There are many times that a life is taken or serious injury occurs for whatever the reason.  Our society is rampant with the “do what is fun for me” mentality and this can be very bad just in general terms of thinking.  There are young boys and girls out in the streets with guns and other violent means of injuring innocent people, who are in it for either fun or personal gain.  There are people who drive on our highways with road rage mentality that cause accidents resulting in serious injury and sometimes death to the innocent.  Some drivers are just careless or in too much of a hurry and have the same resulting situation, injury and/or death, or both.  There are so many people who are innocently and unnecessarily injured or who die as the result of irresponsible actions of others. Injuries of all forms come about not only from human irresponsibility, but also from verbal, mental and physical forms of abuse done to others.  But regardless of the reason for the hurt, forgiveness should be given to the harmed regardless of the form of harm inflicted.

This is the 20^th Century people say . . . well, so what!  Forgiveness was necessary in the ancient days and it is still necessary in modern days as well.  Forgiveness will never be an extinct characteristic of man; it will never not be needed in our world.  Forgiveness is a virtue that EVERYONE will need to have fine-tuned to an extreme level on earth in order to be acceptable in God’s eyes for gaining heaven.

God, you are the ultimate forgiver . . . you gave your son Jesus to die a horrendous death on the cross for all mankind, past-present-future . . . the drunkards and druggies in the dredges as well as the powerful and wealthy living in mansions.  You are not a respecter of persons in that regard; you gave all mankind a way to heaven through forgiveness.

If You can forgive us, the God of All, why can’t we manage to put aside the hurt and pain done to us and forgive those who have wronged us, or in some cases those we think have wronged us. We need to put ourselves on a higher plane of humanity here.  While it is not easy by any stretch of the imagination . . . in fact, in some cases it is very, very, very difficult to overcome the anger, resentment, pain and perhaps loss or injury to a loved one.  In such tragedies, this is something that has to be fervently prayed about over and over again.  We need to pray for help in overcoming and we need to pray long and hard about our resentment in such situations; we need to pray that God will allow us to get past this emotional wall which is holding us within its grasp. There are times when blame is put on others when in fact, it should be a shared blame.

And, from what I have heard others say, true and honest forgiveness releases a tremendous burden or weight from the forgiver.  When someone forgives another of any form of tragedy, neither can bring this up again and toss it in either person’s face as true forgiveness means it is done and over with.  This is another reason that the one doing the forgiving needs to be very sure of his or her emotions and that when he or she says “I forgive you”, it comes from the core of their very soul.   Even You, oh Almighty God, forgive and forget our sins once we have asked forgiveness, and we are so thankful that You do! 

We all have stones that tumble into our pathway intermittently in life, some bigger than others, and some have more than others; but we all have to learn to walk over or around them and go onward with our life.  Life on this earth is way too short for it to be filled with hate, anger and resentment.  I think we all need to check our forgiveness barometers and get on with life.

Thank you God for listening to me again . . . I probably rambled here more than was necessary, but that is a human trait I seem to have an abundanace of, so until next time . . .

Written by Ruth Miller

© July 28, 2011

A Little Chat With God #7
(on the word "bridge")

Good Morning God:

Today I want to explore a word in our English language with You.  For the past week my head has been intermittently tossing about this simple, six-letter word , and since it was apparently running amuck in my mind anyway, I thought I would share my thoughts with You as I see how this word might also be applied to us as human beings.  The word is BRIDGE; it is most commonly used as a noun in our English language but it can also be used as a verb and is also known as a game.

However, the most common definition of the word bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle [according to Wikipedia].  When we hear this word spoken, this is what visually appears in our mind.  It may be an old bridge in our past that has long since been demolished for a more modern one, or it may be one of the newer and fancier bridges that would boggle the mind of the greatest structural engineer.  But the word “bridge” immediately portrays this idea in our minds . . . a way to get from one place to another.

I suppose I want to kind of give myself a little food for thought on this word bridge.  It is more than just a way to get from one place to another.  It can also be a way to get from one person to another mentally and spiritually.  We, ourselves, can in fact be a bridge.  One might say, “Why do you say that?”  Well, let’s think about this further.

When family members get distraught with one another to the point of no communication, and each going their separate way, do we not act as a “bridge” to get them back together? 

Or, for instance,  when a married couple gets so distressed with each other that they have to be apart (for whatever reason) . . . if we talk to each one separately and try to help them see both sides to the situation to try to resolve this “split”, are we not acting as a “bridge” between the two individuals?

Where two separate individuals categorized as “friends” have a horrible dispute, our natural instinct is to “come between them” and try to help them solve the dispute before it gets totally out of hand and ruins a good friendship isn’t it?  Are we not a “span” between these two individuals trying to “bridge” the gap that has come between them?

When there are elderly people who are very ill and have no one to visit them, or maybe their children live too far away to come often . . . when we visit them, do we not act as a “span or bridge” between them and loneliness?

Similarly, where there has been a tragedy in a family, whether it be a death  or a sudden deadly accident of a loved one, and we are supportive of those involved, are we not being a “bridge” from a heart that is wracked with grief to bringing a little brightness in their life at this time?

When someone is lost to sin in this world and we bring them in and teach them your way, are we not being a “bridge” between their depravity and their salvation?

And, with comparison in mind, did You not give Your son Jesus as a “bridge” between God and man so we would have a way to get to heaven? 

I suspect that all of us as human beings, can be bridges in so many ways and we need to be bridges.  We need to step in and be supportive at times where others might not.  And if we care about our fellow humans as we should, we will do this when we see the need.  However, I know there is a fine line between being a help and a nuisance or a hindrance in a lot of cases, but one with the right intent, attitude and love towards each other can be a “bridge” is so many ways.  Sometimes it just takes one person to be the “span” that solidifies relationships again.

I think I like being a bridge . . . and even though I am not degreed in structural engineering, I can be a bridge builder and can help build relationships when they need mending and as a result, I too become a better person.  And the more I write about this, the more I am sure this is something You expect of all of us as well regarding relationships with one another while we are here on earth. . . .  but I just had not thought of myself as a “bridge” until I got to thinking about this word as it was bouncing back and forth in my head.

Thank you God for giving me the mind to think about this word “bridge” in a very different aspect, a very good one, and let me apply what I have learned to my life.  Until the next time . . .

Written by Ruth Miller

© July, 2011

A Little Chat With God #3
(on American society)

Good Morning God:

     I have had something on my mind for quite a while now, and I would like to cover this with you if I could.  I realize I have been chatting with you a lot lately, but there is no one else to turn to and you want and like to hear from your children.  I feel you are getting a lot of serious concerns from the many who turn to you on a daily basis with concerns of the world getting to be so“muckity muck “of late, and our society appearing to be centered on what is “convenient” or what is “politically correct” or “what is good for me”, or all of the above and others, but I still want to talk to you about this.

     Our great country was founded on religious principles and was guided by these for years; but now our current society is so intent in removing Your name from so many areas where it was once prominently and proudly posted.  Additionally, as if removing your name from public is not enough, we are rarely allowed to pray in any public place before events or in schools or other gatherings that are public in nature because it is “offensive”!  We are most definitely in for some sad times ahead without You.   And . . . to make matters worse, the world is going along with this . . . it reminds me of a horse with blinders on . . . full gallop ahead, neither looking to the left or the right.   Everything now also seems to have to be “politically correct” and in that line of thinking, politically correct is not always the correct way and generally causes more turmoil.  We lived for years without being “politically correct” and there was not a problem with talking in plain talk; things should be named for what they are and not to “get around “the truth.

     America was once a great free country, but I fear we are headed in the wrong direction and are going the way of the Roman Empire before it fell.  America has opened her arms for so many cultures that we have been referred to as the “melting pot” . . . and it has been good that we can do this.  But there needs to be a slowdown with this; America cannot continue to keep allowing people onto our shores.  Our resources will become stretched to the limit if they are not already to that point.  It seems as though our government is “giving” to these people benefits we had to work for all of our life.  How can that be?   There has to be a better way to handle this situation.  We have men in office that no longer are “for the people” and they certainly do not go to You for help either, and instead, lean on human wisdom, and that is so sad.  America needs to pray and pray earnestly, but I am so afraid the pendulum has swung so far to the left that it will continue in that direction and never swing back to the right.

     We have so many people in this country of different religions and from different cultures and again, it is good if we can continue to all live together.  But when groups of people start to demand that they be able to do such and such because it is their religious right, but yet their “right” interferes with the standard laws of cities, municipalities, etc., where they have moved to, they are wrong in the stand they are taking.  It is not their “right” to change the way American’s live, or interfere with the way we work and live.  If they don’t like America, they should return to their homeland where they can practice their culture without causing problems and without disrupting the normal way of life here.  As you well know, this IS happening in cities all over the USA; it is creeping into our life in a very subtle manner and before long, it will be too late to rectify this situation. 

     When will America wake up and see what is happening to this once great country?  When it is too late?  I suspect so.  I feel our government is so afraid of stepping on someone’s toes and that we are being compromised where we should not.  And because of this, I wonder how long we will actually be the “land of the free” as we were once called.

     I know You are in control of the universe and that You can see the future whereas, we cannot. I know that in the past you have let the enemy get to such an intolerable state before taking them down.  I know that in all things, and in your infinite wisdom, You will do what is best for all of us.  And . . . I know you have a plan and there is a reason for all things to occur in the manner they do. 

     But in my short time here on earth, I am deeply concerned as to just what it is going to take to get America back in step and how much worse will life get before a realization of the real road we are on can take place.  I am certain that if our government would really take stock of themselves and what they are doing to our great country, time would be on our side and America could be the wealthy and sturdy America it once was.  Unfortunately, I think that sometimes man’s finest hour is when we have reached “rock bottom”, and right now, we are very close.

     However, I do not believe this can happen without Your help.  I plead with you to open the eyes of the leaders so they can really see;  tickle their ears so they can really hear and give them the strength and fortitude it will take to get back on the right path.   Give us strength and guide us all dear God, let our minds give consideration to your thoughts and your ways; help us to always remember that “. . . the ways of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.” (Jer. 10:23).  Lord, let us learn to live in simplicity and truth as you did; let us abide with compassion and regard for one another and always have love for one another as in the examples You set for us. 

     I know I have rambled a lot this time God, but we are at a point where we need some divine intervention and you are the only one to whom we can come and beg for your mercy and grace.  Thanks again for being so patient with me.  Until next time . . .

Written by Ruth Miller

© March, 2011

TO ALL MY FOLLOWERS . . . .

     I apologize for not updating my blog for the past several weeks, but I have had an elderly family member in the hospital and she requires a lot of special care and attention.  I hope to get back to this soon, but in the meantime, keep going to the bottom of the page and click on "older posts" to view all the material posted so far.    
     I really appreciate all who have viewed this blog and who continue to view it;  I would also appreciate any comments you may care to make as well.  Thanks to everyone.

June 11, 2011:
     My mother-in-law took a bad fall recently and has some badly bruised ribs and an abrasion on her forehead from her fall.  She was in the hospital for several days as they found she also had a urinary tract infection which is very distressing for elderly people (she is 90).  She has progressive senile dementia and while in the hospital, she thought she was in a nursing home.  She has always been terrified of being in any type of "home" other than the home she lives in, and she really "freaked out" in the hospital as she could not understand the difference from "home" and "hospital".  
     My husband and I had to stay with her most of the time to stabilize her (those hospital chairs are not conducive to sleep either!).  It has been a "roller coaster" week but she is now home, although she does not recognize her bed, bedroom or our home where she has lived with us for the past seven years. 
     I don't know how long it will be before she does not recognize either of us but I am sure that is on the horizon.  I can foresee a bleak future for her, but hope and pray that the Lord will take her soon before she realizes she in such a bad way, although she already knows her mind is nearly gone.
     I also believe that no one can have too many prayers, so if you would pray that her time will come soon and He will take her peacefully in her sleep one night, without her feeling the sting of death, that would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks to everyone!

June 19, 2011:
     My mother-in-law was readmitted to the local hospital on Friday 6/17.  She had been developing a cough and we were afraid she was getting into pneumonia.  We had been in touch with her physician and had her scheduled to be seen Monday.  She was on a high-powered antibiotic as well. 
     However, her cough got so bad Friday late afternoon that we had to call an ambulance to transport her back to the hospital.  We thought we were going to loose her.  When x-rays and labs were completed, the ER physician said that on her first admission for her fall two weeks ago, the x-ray techs and the ER physician had missed the fact that she had a couple of broken ribs and not just contusions.  He did a CAT scan to further define his suspicious.  Because of the broken ribs (or a possible slight puncture with this), there was an area next to the lungs that began to collect blood and fluid (perhaps similar to a hematoma I am guessing). 
     However, as time went on, this collection continued to expand and put pressure on her right lung and this had gotten so large that her right lung was nearly flat.  That is why her cough was so progressive.  They took her up to ICU and inserted a chest tube to drain the fluid as they did not feel she was a candidate for surgery to do this and clean out of thickened blood and clots that were in this "collection".         
     And, believe it or not, they removed 1500 ml on the first drainage!  That is a right at or possibly a little over a half-gallon of fluid.  She appears to be doing better this Sunday as I type this.  They will leave the tube in for several more days to make sure all has drained.  She will be removed from ICU later this evening or tomorrow.  Thanks again for all your prayers.  They are greatly appreciated.

June 23, 2011:
     A sad news day today . . . my mother-in-law has very progressive Alzheimer's Disease (AD).  I have felt this was the case for a long time but it finally was diagnosed as best can be on CAT scan, and as close to a definitive diagnosis other than a brain biopsy at death.  She should be discharged from the hospital Friday or Saturday.  We hope and pray we are strong enough to endure what will be coming our way in the immediate future. 
     My Aunt June (information on my blog) had AD and we know generally what to expect with this disease entity, but knowledge does not make this task any easier, especially in the last stages.  Edith seems to be in a continual light-level state of confusion at this time, but I know this will get progressively worse.  She does not recognize her bed, bedroom or even the house which he has lived in with us for the past seven years and she gets lost when trying to go from one room to the next. 
     This last fall has really taken a toll on her and exacerbated her AD to almost a full-blown situation now.  We again ask for your prayers, not that she is going to get better, but that she will be spared a lengthy time of total dysfunction; pray for us that we will have the patience, endurance, attitude, compassion and humility to serve her well until it is her time.  Thanks to all of you.

June 25, 2011:
     My mother-in-law came home today . . . to an environment that should be home and a familiar setting to her, but she still does not recognize home, and at this point, I am not sure she will ever be able to do that.  I know it will be a challenge for us now to continue to keep her, living with us at our home, but we will do our best until our best is no longer sufficient for her needs.  Then at that point, we will have to do some further decision making.   Again, thank you, everyone, for your prayers.

July 10, 2011
     When I spoke of a challenge on my last update above, I had no idea of the meaning of "challenge" at its ultimate level.  To all of the care givers out there, may you all be given an abundance of patience, attitude, endurance, compassion and humility as without these, this job would wear you down in a very short period of time.  Until you have been a care giver to one with progressive Alzheimer's (in my case), or any type of end-stage disease or long-term care with a family member, you only think you have an idea of the time involved and compassion needed to carry on from day to day and still keep your "wits about you".  It is definitely a lifestyle-altering situation.  My prayers go out to all of those with loved ones at home whom you are caring for as I think being a caregiver requires the ultimate sacrifice in so many ways. 
     I have been a caregiver for 24 years with my Aunt June and now over seven years with my mother-in-law; while life was a challenge with my Aunt in that she had the mind of an 8-year-old, her care was a different challenge, although she too died from Alzheimer's disease along with a plethora of other medical issues as well.  And with this experience, you would think I would be used to this by now, but with my mother-in-law, everything is a "severe" question and has to be answered  immediately, as her hallucinations are very real to her.  When I am trying to work (I work at home), she will call to me from the next room and I have to jump up and down a lot from my desk to answer her call . . . some days I feel like I am on a roller coaster as I am always up and down, up and down. She sees a man in the house and needs to know who it is (no man, this is a figment of her imagination) but it is so real to her and she needs to be reassured.  She will see a wild party on TV and call me in to say . . . "Do you allow such parties in your home?" as she thinks this party is actually taking place in the corner of the room where the TV is . . . sometimes it is funny if it weren't so sad.  One time she called me into her room at night and evidently thought she was out in a boat fishing as she asked me, "Who is out in the water?" and I told her no one, that she was in bed at home and not out in a lake.  Then she asked me where Leon was (my husband) and I said he was sleeping in the other room (this was about 3 a.m.).  She then went on to ask me, "Well, who do you sleep with?" I had to suppress a laugh because my first thought about responding was, "I sleep with your son", but in her state of mind, I felt another answer was more appropriate so I just said, "I sleep with my  husband" and she said "Oh".  You have to laugh to keep from crying.  However, I focus on the fact that should I live to become her age of 90, I too would want someone to care for me and it brings me back to reality. . .you just have to look at the "big picture" here.
     The grandchildren are coming to have one last visit with their grandmother before she gets to the point where she no longer recognizes them . . . and this is coming quickly.  I say that because she introduced her son (my husband) to the nurses as "this is my brother".  When she was corrected, she still insisted this was her brother so we just let it go.  My son was here this past week and my daughter, who is currently vacationing with her family in Hawaii, will be here on July 18 for a week and a half.  She would have been here sooner but they could not change their previous plans. 
     When we are finished with visits and the prescribed home health care nurses, physical and occupational therapists, and the like, my husband and I will have to sit down and make some hard core decisions about how we are going to continue to handle this situation.  We may do this while my daughter is here as three heads may be better than two.  We have a lot of safety issues going on as she will crawl out of bed with the sides up (she could easily lose her balance and fall again) and her mind is so bad that she can't remember she has to use her walker plus a lot of other issues that are getting to the point with which we really need help . . . I suppose this is just the "nature of the beast."  Again, we covet the prayers of everyone. 
     Thanks for all of you, my fellow blog followers everywhere . . . USA, Germany, United Kingdom, Philippines, South Africa, India, Russia, Ukraine, South Korea and New Zealand . . . for being patient with my not getting new posts up recently, but I will have some soon.  I am so excited that my work is getting to be read so far and wide as I never, in my wildest imagination, realized how many people would be even interested . . . so thanks again to all of you!  And now that the world is my critic, please feel free to let me know if you like what you are reading, or if you have a topic you would like for me to write on in my series "A Little Chat with God".  Thanks again!

July 17, 2011
     My son returned home safely, my husband had knee surgery this week and is doing very well, and my daughter will be here tomorrow.  What a busy week.  I was concerned that I would be in a real bind with Leon being down and me caring for Edith too, but the good Lord has answered my prayers in this regard.  Leon has not had near the pain or recuperative problems I had thought he would have and for that I am so grateful.  It was so good to see Mark, my son, for the week before this as well.  In fact, father and son got to wet a hook one day; they tried to go fishing a second time but the weather messed them up. 
     The Friday before Mark returned home, we did a "dry run" with Edith to see if she was able to be up, out and about for several hours, with the idea in mind that we could take her to church again in the near future.  The nurse's aid had come and bathed her, dressed her and we decided to go out for supper that evening.  She did fine until she finished with her supper and then she told me, "Ruth, I have to go bad, bad!"  Well I won't go any further because it would be TMI (too much information) but suffice to say, we had a bad incident.  I never in my wildest imagination considered this although I should have.  But, as they say, experience is the greatest teacher!  I could tell she was quite tired when we returned home, although she appeared to enjoy getting out; however, we will rethink this in the future for sure!
     This week, I am so looking forward to my daughter, DeeAnn, arriving tomorrow evening.  She will be a big help to me with Edith. Thankfully, she will have a rental car as I do not think Leon can drive the two hours to the airport and then another two hours on the return trip with his knee at this point, and I have only been to this particular airport once last year and would probably get lost in the dark. She is not arriving until after 10 p.m. This way, she will drive home, although it will be probably midnight before she arrives here.  It will be a "double-edge sword" week as DeeAnn will be glad to see her grandmother but she will be sad for her as well, knowing her future is going to be continually in a diminishing state of life.  DeeAnn is very fond of her grandmother and this will be hard on her as well.  It is never easy to "say goodbye" and when you have one with progressive AD, it is definitely "the long goodbye". 
      Please check back this week or so, as I plan to post several new items in my  series "A Little Chat with God".  With DeeAnn here this week, I will have time to get some of these included in my blog.  I can't say thanks enough to all of you out there for your prayers and the fact that you are viewing my blog.  And again, please feel free to comment on any post at any time.


Ruth Miller