Hero

Everybody loves a hero. From white knights to Spiderman, Wonder Woman, and firemen - we all adore larger-than-life figures. Hero is a timeless concept, a word chiseled in stone and swathed in red, white, and blue. It evokes images of dashing figures and just-in-time deliverance.

A hero is someone we can believe in, lean on, and trust with our lives and sacred honor. A hero is always there.

My hero is the Lord Jesus. He's the only person who ever lived a life that was absolutely unsoiled, perfectly gentle, and truly wise. He has never left me forsaken on the railroad tracks of life as the inevitable wheels of death came charging down the rails- although I've squirmed a few times as I heard the rumble of disaster approaching. But He's always arrived...just in time... every time.

He's big. He's strong. He's amazing. He's the royalty that bends down to pick up the peasant. He's my King, and He never tires of riding out on the white horse to swoop me up out of my latest fall into some messy pit.

But life for us is not about being the eternal damsel in distress. God has saved us for a purpose:

He calls us to follow Him.
He commands us to take on the nature of His Kingdom.
He calls us to purity, wisdom, discernment, and courageous action.

He calls us to a life of heroic deeds.

Rise to the challenge. Live like you belong in the Kingdom. Be someone's hero today.

When Your Soul Is Shredded

There are two wolves inside us.

The one we feed is the one that will grow.

-Native American proverb

The attacks came without warning, one after another. These last months our family has been reeling from a series of setbacks we never anticipated. Problems we didn't cause and can't fix.

Yesterday was so bad I just had to escape from the phone and the stress and the numbness shredding my soul. I bolted down the driveway and glanced around, remembering to check for snakes and the coyotes that had been calling this morning up the dry canyon above our house. Occasionally they wander all the way down to the yard looking for wayward scraps or cats.

Usually I alternate between anger and pity for them. Anger when they kill our animals. Pity when the summer is hot and barren and they comb the hillside in mangy coats looking for food.

Yesterday I envied them.

I wanted to flee up the canyon wall far away from humans and their struggles, to find a way out. I needed escape. I wanted to release the fear and the anger and the helplessness.

Actually, I wanted to howl.

Instead, I walked for a bit and returned to the house. Our family circled the wagons, as is our habit when new challenges threaten one or the other of us. We spent the evening together, drawing strength from each other as we enjoyed a meal and movie.

Today, the wolves are again at war. Today I halt between two opinions. Is disaster on the horizon? Or is God at work in a mysterious and mystical way?

Fear and Faith sit at my door. Both are ravenous. Will I feed one and allow myself to be consumed, or will I feed the one that will send the predator packing? Which one will I give my trust?

So it comes to this. I must choose to turn off the outside voices feeding the beast and give my mind permission to feed my starving soul on the goodness of God. This was surely what the apostle Paul meant when he wrote these words:

...whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right,

whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,

whatever is of good repute,

if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise,

dwell on these things.

-Philippians 4:8

Dwell on what is good and holy. Frolic in the fruit of the Spirit. Reach for the joy set before you. Trust in a faithful Creator.

If you're as hungry and dry as I am, pray with me:

Here I am, Lord. 

I'm dying on the inside.

My enemy is too strong for me.

Strengthen my faith; teach me how to trust You.

Help me to close my ears to the voice of the predator.

Give me eyes to see Your great power and love.

Feed me.

Amen.

Will You Survive the Storm?

Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,

And He brought them out of their distresses.

He caused the storm to be still.

Psalm 107:28-29

He is called the "prince of the power of the air."* He invades world events, rattles our physical world, and causes havoc in the hearts of men. We know him as the devil, or Satan. He always blows in bringing trouble for God's creation.

++++++++++++++

It had been a particularly busy and productive time of ministry for Jesus, though danger lurked everywhere. Many were healed and heard the Good News. But His cousin had recently been beheaded by the king. It seemed a storm was brewing.

"Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest awhile," He told His disciples. They took a boat across the Sea of Galilee to find a quiet place.

The crowd followed them, however, and were waiting for Him as their boat reached land. Although Jesus was bone-weary, He was filled with compassion at the sight of the people, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. He spoke to them until it was very late, then He filled their empty bellies with a miracle dinner of five loaves of bread and two fish.

If He was tired before, He must have been exhausted by then.

He told the disciples to go on ahead of Him in the boat while He sent the crowd away. Then He went to the mountain to pray for awhile.

As Jesus prayed, a strong wind came up and threatened the boat and His disciples. It was nearly morning. The disciples were caught in the middle of the sea, buffeted by the winds, unable to reach safety.

In the dark, in the middle of a sea, Jesus saw them struggling. He came to them in their crisis; He met them in the storm. He didn't have to join them. He had just miraculously produced enough food out of thin air to feed a crowd. He could have spoken the word from His mountain and calmed the waves.

Instead, He went to their side, walking on the storm as if were His personal highway. The disciples were terrified. Who was this man? 

He told them, "Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid." Only He did not actually say "It is I." He said, literally, "I AM."

I AM. The ancient name for the LORD God of Israel. The name given to Moses out of the burning bush. The Eternal God.

Our Creator.

Are you weary of fighting the storm? Are you caught between destruction and the safe shore for which you long? Are you more certain of the strength of the evil one than you are of the Savior?

Take courage.

God sees you. His Son Jesus has conquered the winds and the waves that threaten to sweep you away. Even when His power was restrained by the constraints of a human body, Jesus commanded authority over every challenge raised against those He loved. Now at the right hand of the Father, He has released the awesome power of the Holy Spirit to fight for you.

You're not alone. You won't sink. Watch and trust Him to come to you and conquer your storm.

He has promised, "I AM"    ...everything you need.

*Ephesians 2:2

The Beautiful Broken (and the People Who Love Them) - The Shepherd Family

Today is the first in a series called The Beautiful Broken (and the People Who Love Them). In the following months, I will be introducing you to some amazing people. The world might see them as damaged, but in the eyes of God and those who love them, they are absolutely priceless. As remarkable are the families who dedicate their lives to their protection and care. 

I look forward to this journey with you. We have a lot to learn from them about life, devotion, and comprehending the depths of God's love .  

It was just a shopping day with her mother and eighteen-month-old daughter Laura. Linda was driving the car that fateful day after Christmas when an unguarded moment sent them careening into the path of a minivan at sixty miles an hour. The collision took off the back seat of their car.

Linda and her mother were dazed but okay. But little Laura's car seat went flying out of the car on impact and landed in the middle of the freeway with Laura still buckled in. She was much too quiet.

At the hospital, Linda discovered Laura had suffered a devastating brain injury. She was sent to ICU, where she was wracked with seizures. Surgery relieved the swelling, but she remained unconscious and hooked up to a ventilator. Linda repelled the doctor's suggestion they remove Laura from the ventilator, and when they had the opportunity to move her to a hospital closer to home, Linda was sure her daughter would begin to improve.

At the Colorado hospital, however, twenty-four health care professionals gave her an unanimous decision: Laura was in a vegetative state. She was given no hope for improvement.

Although Linda outwardly fought for her daughter to be kept on the ventilator, inwardly she was in turmoil. One desperate night she made plans to take Laura off the ventilator and overdose herself on pills to end their suffering. As she contemplated this, she knew her actions would also be taking the life of her unborn child, barely two weeks old.

Thankfully, her reason returned before she acted on her impulse. She went to sleep that night terrified of her own dark thoughts and the knowledge she had almost acted on them.

That moment signaled a turning point for the Shepherd family. Linda surrendered her life and the lives of her children once again to God. Laura stayed the same until, ironically, she awakened from her coma one day at the sound of her new baby brother crying.

Laura interacts with therapist Pam Hyink

Today Laura remains paralyzed and on a ventilator. But she smiles and laughs and fills her family with joy. Her father Paul and brother Jimmy are her tender protectors. She has taught her world much about the value of those who are broken by the world's standards, but beautiful beyond comparison in the eyes of God.

The Shepherd Family (l to r): Laura, Paul, Linda, and Jimmy

Linda is an author and speaker who shares the lessons God has taught her through their tragedy. The trials she has endured form the springboard from which she ministers the peace and healing she has received through her Savior.

Laura's life is a reminder we are all broken in some way, and God loves the imperfect vessels He calls His children.

Linda Evans Shepherd lives at home in Longmont, CO with her husband of 26 years and their two children, Jimmy and Laura. Linda is an author and speaker, the publisher of Right To the Heart of Women Electronic Magazine and president of the nonprofit organization, Right to the Heart.










Read more about Linda Evans Shepherd:
Linda and Laura Shepherd
Right to the Heart of Women
http://www.righttotheheart.com/
Linda Evans Shepherd
Linda's e-book: Grief Relief


Photos courtesy Linda Evans Shepherd
Tree photo courtesy Erik Thorson

Whirlwind

I know it's been looking quiet around here at 'Til Dawn Comes in June. But our lives have been a whirlwind. Just before a planned family visit, Kevin came down with an infection and had to go through the usual round of testing and antibiotics. Thank God, it was not a particularly nasty illness this time, and he quickly recovered - just in time for the family fun.

We spent a hectic but joyous week celebrating the birthdays of our two wonderful granddaughters.
The guys went on a fishing expedition to a local lake, the girls went shopping (what else?), and we managed to work in  miniature golf, a movie, and game night.

As most caregivers will tell you, the day-to-day duties required to assist a loved one with life's challenges leave little time for festivities of any kind. We work hard every day. So do our grown children and growing grandchildren. The added miles between us make our rare reunions that much sweeter.

So we had a blast. We crammed as much fun as possible into the visit and managed to do everything on our dream list. We created lots and lots of memories to get us through the long days until we are together again.                                                                                
                                                                               

I'm exhausted.
And refreshed.

This week I'm back in the saddle here and at CMADDICT.COM. I have lots on my heart and lots to share with you as we navigate the treacherous rapids of this life together.

Be sure to check in tomorrow for the weekly devotional on Slightly Obsessed.

Photos courtesy Grace Thorson, Jennifer Thorson, and Racheal McCormack