This past week has been a week of bad news. On four separate occasions I have been driven to my knees with concern for people that are very dear to me. At the same time, our adult Sunday School class is studying the book of James -- and these words have been running through my mind all week:
"Consider it PURE JOY, my brothers and sisters, when you face trials of many kinds, because you KNOW that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance FINISH ITS WORK so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4
I know that the people directly affected by the bad/sad news of this week are all believers in Jesus. And I know that their faith is not some "pie-in-the-sky", "opium of the people", blind faith. Their faith has shaped them, it has defined them, and today it is what sustains them.
I believe that each of these people will persevere through their current trials and, as a result, they will emerge from this season of life with a faith that is more mature and more complete than it was before. Will they still have moments of worry? Of course. Will tears be shed? Absolutely. Might they even wonder "Why me?"? Possibly. Will they throw in the towel and give up on their faith? No stinkin' way.
For me, these dear ones are living proof of the Good News that we call "the Gospel." Not only do we believe that Jesus died for our sins, saving us from eternal separation from God, but we also believe that He is intricately, directly involved in our lives on a daily basis. Does that mean nothing bad will ever happen to us as children of God? Of course not. But it does give us the hope and confidence that a loving God is willing and able to meet our needs....ALL of our needs....even when our circumstances scream to us that all is lost.
As I think of my own life, and the life of my immediate family, I am grateful that today we are in a season of peace. Everyone is happy, everyone is healthy.....life is good. But, there have been trials in the past that have shaken us to the core, and there will inevitably be trials in the future that will test our faith. In those moments,. I pray that God will grant us the grace to "count it all joy", and that we will emerge with a faith that is more mature, more complete for having walked with our God through the darkness.
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Give Thanks
My Facebook friends have probably noticed that I am on a personal crusade to preserve the month of November as a time of giving thanks. Yes, we should be thankful every day, in everything, but there is something special and unique about a national holiday set aside for the sole purpose of gratitude.
Thanksgiving is particularly meaningful to me this year. A year ago I was in a very dark place, emotionally and spiritually. I felt battered, worn out, and abandoned by God. By His grace, I emerged from that dark place to once again find a place of hope, peace and trust. A HUGE part of that process was learning to be thankful -- IN all things and FOR all things (I Thessalonians 5:18).
God used my husband as my tutor in this process. As I have mentioned in previous posts, Geoff is a man of deep faith. My first response is to doubt, his is to trust. My first response is despair, his is hope. My first response is fear, his is confidence in our God. Throughout the summer and fall of 2012, when my doubt, despair and fear would overwhelm me, he would simply remind me of the goodness of God and call me to believe.
Over time, I learned to see the good that was happening in our lives. Our finances had taken a huge blow, but we were still able to pay our bills and feed our family. Our new house was not the "house of our dreams", but we have grown to love it and it has truly become HOME. I began to embrace an initially disappointing job, and saw the good in being in the same school as my little boy. Our 11 year old car with a faulty transmission is still running and meeting our needs. Our new church has become our spiritual family in Virginia, and has given us a place to serve and be served. Our three children have, for the most part, adapted and settled into their new lives in America. When I chose to be thankful, and see the good, I was overwhelmed by God's provision, care and protection.
This is why I am so determined to honor the tradition of giving thanks. This past year has been a startling lesson on how the simple act of gratitude really can change your life. The good is there...God's grace is there...God's presence is there....we just need to see it and thank Him for it.
Come December 1st, I will pull out my advent wreath and advent calendars and REJOICE that the Christmas season has arrived. But, until then, I am determined to focus on giving thanks, and I invite you all to join me!
Thanksgiving is particularly meaningful to me this year. A year ago I was in a very dark place, emotionally and spiritually. I felt battered, worn out, and abandoned by God. By His grace, I emerged from that dark place to once again find a place of hope, peace and trust. A HUGE part of that process was learning to be thankful -- IN all things and FOR all things (I Thessalonians 5:18).
God used my husband as my tutor in this process. As I have mentioned in previous posts, Geoff is a man of deep faith. My first response is to doubt, his is to trust. My first response is despair, his is hope. My first response is fear, his is confidence in our God. Throughout the summer and fall of 2012, when my doubt, despair and fear would overwhelm me, he would simply remind me of the goodness of God and call me to believe.
Over time, I learned to see the good that was happening in our lives. Our finances had taken a huge blow, but we were still able to pay our bills and feed our family. Our new house was not the "house of our dreams", but we have grown to love it and it has truly become HOME. I began to embrace an initially disappointing job, and saw the good in being in the same school as my little boy. Our 11 year old car with a faulty transmission is still running and meeting our needs. Our new church has become our spiritual family in Virginia, and has given us a place to serve and be served. Our three children have, for the most part, adapted and settled into their new lives in America. When I chose to be thankful, and see the good, I was overwhelmed by God's provision, care and protection.
This is why I am so determined to honor the tradition of giving thanks. This past year has been a startling lesson on how the simple act of gratitude really can change your life. The good is there...God's grace is there...God's presence is there....we just need to see it and thank Him for it.
Come December 1st, I will pull out my advent wreath and advent calendars and REJOICE that the Christmas season has arrived. But, until then, I am determined to focus on giving thanks, and I invite you all to join me!
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Gray Hair and Promises Kept
My husband has gray hair.....and I love it!! Not only because it increases his overall handsomeness, but because his gray hair represents a promise kept: a promise that we would grow old together.
Today, September 15, we are CELEBRATING our 23rd wedding anniversary. This year is particularly poignant for me, as I am coming off a year of deep pain, a year of significant growth, a year of recovery. We have had some dark days in the past year, yet here we are -- celebrating another year of life together.
This past year has tested our wedding vows more so than any other. Geoff has seen me at my worst, and still believes in the best in me. We have faced significant financial stress, and Geoff has been the one to whisper in my ear, "God will provide." We have learned that sickness comes in many forms, and on my darkest days, Geoff has been the one to lovingly lead me back to the Light. He has honored me, he has cherished me, he has been faithful to me.
So, today I celebrate. Not a life of perfection, for life has proven to be far from perfect. I celebrate a God who has blessed us and cared for us individually and as a family, and I celebrate a husband who has been a shining example to me of commitment and unconditional love. I step into our 24th year of marriage with confidence....confidence in a God who loves me, and confidence in a man who has proven himself to be the true prince of my fairytale, gray hair and all!! Happy Anniversary, indeed.
Today, September 15, we are CELEBRATING our 23rd wedding anniversary. This year is particularly poignant for me, as I am coming off a year of deep pain, a year of significant growth, a year of recovery. We have had some dark days in the past year, yet here we are -- celebrating another year of life together.
This past year has tested our wedding vows more so than any other. Geoff has seen me at my worst, and still believes in the best in me. We have faced significant financial stress, and Geoff has been the one to whisper in my ear, "God will provide." We have learned that sickness comes in many forms, and on my darkest days, Geoff has been the one to lovingly lead me back to the Light. He has honored me, he has cherished me, he has been faithful to me.
So, today I celebrate. Not a life of perfection, for life has proven to be far from perfect. I celebrate a God who has blessed us and cared for us individually and as a family, and I celebrate a husband who has been a shining example to me of commitment and unconditional love. I step into our 24th year of marriage with confidence....confidence in a God who loves me, and confidence in a man who has proven himself to be the true prince of my fairytale, gray hair and all!! Happy Anniversary, indeed.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
A Nugget of Wisdom from Hollywood
I love Christmas. I love Christmas music. I love Christmas decorations. I love Christmas movies. I love Christmas sweaters with matching earrings. I am a Christmas junkie.
I will agree that Christmas has become highly commercialized....that in the frenzy of gift buying/giving, social functions, family obligations, and "political correctness", the true meaning of Christmas is often lost in the shuffle. But -- the Truth is out there....and it shows up in some unlikely places!
My favorite Christmas movie of all time is "Miracle on 34th Street" -- the original 1947 classic, NOT the cheesy remake. When Santa sings in Dutch to the little war orphan....there are no words....
And, buried deep in the dialogue of this classic film, there is a line that REEKS of Truth. When the disenchanted, bitter mother has finally found the faith to believe in Santa, when she has finally let her guard down to once again love and be loved, she shares this nugget with her little girl -- a child who has been disappointed by Santa's apparent inability to give her what she REALLY wants for Christmas. Her mother turns to her and simply says, "Faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to."
That simple statement is one of the greatest lessons I have learned in the past year. There have been SO many times when my common sense has told me that my faith has been misplaced. That God has truly abandoned us, that we have been forgotten, that our circumstances could not POSSIBLY be within His control. Everything from the decision to bring our 11 year old car back to the US (a decision which has cost us over $7,000 at this point), to being hired/fired/hired within the course of a year, moving Jack to his third school in three years, moving Molly from her beloved Belmont to James Madison University, watching our hard earned savings disappear before our eyes, realizing that Virginia isn't "home" and that home (Wisconsin) is still too far away....SO many times I have questioned and wondered "Why?"....and my faith has wavered.
But, by God's grace, I am married to a man who is a man of faith. A man whose first response to EVERY crisis has been "We will be fine. God will take care of us." At times I have found this to be incredibly annoying and very unsympathetic, but the reality is that he is right! We ARE fine, God HAS taken care of us.....even when common sense told me that all is lost and we cannot possibly survive. Have God's answers always been what I would have chosen? No, but I am learning to trust Him. To recognize that He has a plan for me and for my family that transcends my minuscule understanding. To have the faith to believe in HIM, even when (especially when??), common sense tells me not to.
I will agree that Christmas has become highly commercialized....that in the frenzy of gift buying/giving, social functions, family obligations, and "political correctness", the true meaning of Christmas is often lost in the shuffle. But -- the Truth is out there....and it shows up in some unlikely places!
My favorite Christmas movie of all time is "Miracle on 34th Street" -- the original 1947 classic, NOT the cheesy remake. When Santa sings in Dutch to the little war orphan....there are no words....
And, buried deep in the dialogue of this classic film, there is a line that REEKS of Truth. When the disenchanted, bitter mother has finally found the faith to believe in Santa, when she has finally let her guard down to once again love and be loved, she shares this nugget with her little girl -- a child who has been disappointed by Santa's apparent inability to give her what she REALLY wants for Christmas. Her mother turns to her and simply says, "Faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to."
That simple statement is one of the greatest lessons I have learned in the past year. There have been SO many times when my common sense has told me that my faith has been misplaced. That God has truly abandoned us, that we have been forgotten, that our circumstances could not POSSIBLY be within His control. Everything from the decision to bring our 11 year old car back to the US (a decision which has cost us over $7,000 at this point), to being hired/fired/hired within the course of a year, moving Jack to his third school in three years, moving Molly from her beloved Belmont to James Madison University, watching our hard earned savings disappear before our eyes, realizing that Virginia isn't "home" and that home (Wisconsin) is still too far away....SO many times I have questioned and wondered "Why?"....and my faith has wavered.
But, by God's grace, I am married to a man who is a man of faith. A man whose first response to EVERY crisis has been "We will be fine. God will take care of us." At times I have found this to be incredibly annoying and very unsympathetic, but the reality is that he is right! We ARE fine, God HAS taken care of us.....even when common sense told me that all is lost and we cannot possibly survive. Have God's answers always been what I would have chosen? No, but I am learning to trust Him. To recognize that He has a plan for me and for my family that transcends my minuscule understanding. To have the faith to believe in HIM, even when (especially when??), common sense tells me not to.
Monday, September 2, 2013
Hi. My name is Susie....and I'm a Global Nomad.
For the past 13 years, I have been a very reluctant world traveler. I have followed my husband around the world kicking, screaming, crying and complaining. I have resented my husband, I have resented my husband's employer, I have resented God for "calling" us to this lifestyle. All of my hopes and dreams for happiness were fixated on the day we'd return to America....home....the proverbial Promised Land.
On June 1, 2012, I finally got my wish. We arrived back in the States full of hope and optimism; I was sure that life in America would ease all of the pain and disappointment of the previous 12 years.
I WAS WRONG. We'd often heard from our friends overseas that the move "home" is the most difficult move of all. However, when you are living in impoverished third world countries, it is impossible to believe that going back to the States could be anything less than fabulous. But once we returned, reality hit....and hit us hard.
We learned very quickly that all the perks and support offered to us overseas disappear the minute your feet land on US soil. The financial ramifications and complete lack of emotional and logistical support left us feeling exhausted and completely alone. We were on.our.own.
So, we struggled to find our way. Slowly, over several months, our new life began to take shape. A new house, new schools, new job, new church, new friends.....piece-by-piece it started to come together.
Then, on May 29, 2013, a crazy thing happened. I went to the airport to join my husband for a few days while he was working in Mexico City. As I worked my way through check-in and security I was struck by the familiarity of it all -- the rhythm of international travel -- and it was oddly comforting.
Then my arrival in Mexico. The anticipation as we began our descent, passport control and immigration, getting foreign currency, finding the safe/pre-paid taxi stand.....all these activities as natural to me as breathing. Once in the taxi, I was overwhelmed by the realization that I felt more "at home" after half an hour in Mexico City than I had felt after 11 months in the US! How could this be?!?
Day one in Mexico City brought an additional landslide of emotions. There was a HUGE international festival occurring on the main avenida outside our hotel; booths from all over the world selling clothing, food and souvenirs. As I walked down the street, it was a literal stroll down memory lane. So many countries that have shaped the life of our family....Turkey, Guatemala, Israel, Nigeria, India, France, Belgium, the UK, Thailand, the Czech Republic, Germany.....each booth bringing an onslaught of memories and emotions, and, again, that unexpected feeling of being "at home".
That is when it hit me. We ARE a third culture family! Our first allegiance will always be to the United States, but we have left pieces of ourselves all over the world. Each country that we have either lived in or visited has left its stamp on our souls; for better or worse, who we are as individuals and as a family has been influenced by these foreign nations.
According to Wikipedia, a global nomad is someone who is living a mobile and international lifestyle. The pessimist in me says "Then no place is home"; the emerging optimist in me is beginning to say "EVERY place is home!" We are citizens of the world, and it is up to us to focus on either the negatives of what this lifestyle has cost us, or on the positives of how it has enriched us. I have focused on the negatives long enough, and that choice has not served me well. So, I embark on an attempt to focus on the positives and be thankful for the lives and experiences we have had as a third culture family. I can (almost) proudly proclaim: "My name is Susie....and I am a global nomad."
On June 1, 2012, I finally got my wish. We arrived back in the States full of hope and optimism; I was sure that life in America would ease all of the pain and disappointment of the previous 12 years.
I WAS WRONG. We'd often heard from our friends overseas that the move "home" is the most difficult move of all. However, when you are living in impoverished third world countries, it is impossible to believe that going back to the States could be anything less than fabulous. But once we returned, reality hit....and hit us hard.
We learned very quickly that all the perks and support offered to us overseas disappear the minute your feet land on US soil. The financial ramifications and complete lack of emotional and logistical support left us feeling exhausted and completely alone. We were on.our.own.
So, we struggled to find our way. Slowly, over several months, our new life began to take shape. A new house, new schools, new job, new church, new friends.....piece-by-piece it started to come together.
Then, on May 29, 2013, a crazy thing happened. I went to the airport to join my husband for a few days while he was working in Mexico City. As I worked my way through check-in and security I was struck by the familiarity of it all -- the rhythm of international travel -- and it was oddly comforting.
Then my arrival in Mexico. The anticipation as we began our descent, passport control and immigration, getting foreign currency, finding the safe/pre-paid taxi stand.....all these activities as natural to me as breathing. Once in the taxi, I was overwhelmed by the realization that I felt more "at home" after half an hour in Mexico City than I had felt after 11 months in the US! How could this be?!?
Day one in Mexico City brought an additional landslide of emotions. There was a HUGE international festival occurring on the main avenida outside our hotel; booths from all over the world selling clothing, food and souvenirs. As I walked down the street, it was a literal stroll down memory lane. So many countries that have shaped the life of our family....Turkey, Guatemala, Israel, Nigeria, India, France, Belgium, the UK, Thailand, the Czech Republic, Germany.....each booth bringing an onslaught of memories and emotions, and, again, that unexpected feeling of being "at home".
That is when it hit me. We ARE a third culture family! Our first allegiance will always be to the United States, but we have left pieces of ourselves all over the world. Each country that we have either lived in or visited has left its stamp on our souls; for better or worse, who we are as individuals and as a family has been influenced by these foreign nations.
According to Wikipedia, a global nomad is someone who is living a mobile and international lifestyle. The pessimist in me says "Then no place is home"; the emerging optimist in me is beginning to say "EVERY place is home!" We are citizens of the world, and it is up to us to focus on either the negatives of what this lifestyle has cost us, or on the positives of how it has enriched us. I have focused on the negatives long enough, and that choice has not served me well. So, I embark on an attempt to focus on the positives and be thankful for the lives and experiences we have had as a third culture family. I can (almost) proudly proclaim: "My name is Susie....and I am a global nomad."
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