have you said the words today?

So, how’s your day going? Good, bad or in between? Busy or kind of laid back?

However it’s going, I have a question for you: Have you thought about your heavenly Father today?

In case you’ve forgotten, He loves you. Very much.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”1

God sent His Son, Jesus, to planet earth to die on a cross for your sins. He loves you.

But that’s not all: He’s also faithfully watching over you, protecting you and providing for you. As in right now.

"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."2  

The point of today’s blog entry is short and sweet, and oh how sweet it is: God loves you. Want to hear it again? God loves you.

What’s that? You want to hear it again? Okay. Last time. God loves you!

But we’re not finished.

When people love each other, it’s appropriate for them to express their feelings to one another. God’s done His part, but have you? Translated, have you told the Lord that you love Him today?

We’re not talking about Sunday at church or last week when you were in a real pinch, but today, for no reason except, well, you love Him and want to let Him know.

Need some help? Okay, how about taking the phrase below that comes from one of the Psalms and making it your own?

Go ahead, try it.

“I love you, oh Lord, my strength.”3

Hey, I’m wise to what you just did. You read it and that’s fine, and maybe you even made it your own, which was the point. But can I make a suggestion? How about saying it out loud?  The Lord hears whether it’s a silent prayer or an audible prayer, but I find that saying things out loud makes them more real and meaningful for the one who’s praying.

So what do you say, want to give it another try? Okay, here we go again, with meaning and out loud:

“I love you, oh Lord, my strength.”

Did you do it? If so, know this: Your heavenly Father is grinning from ear-to-ear. Just because His child—you—loves Him back.

God loves you. You love God.

How cool is that?

1  John 3:16

2  Hebrew 13:5

3  Psalm 18:1

"leap like a deer"

I had to turn away and compose myself—I didn’t want him to see me like this. The day was supposed to be encouraging, not a downer. Wiping the tears away and giving myself a verbal pep talk, I turned and walked towards his bed, forcing a big smile.

I had finally worked up the nerve to introduce myself to the boy with no lower body.

He smiled back, not realizing my face was nothing more than a mask hiding a belly full of churning emotions. His smile changed to an ear-to-ear grin when I introduced him to the professional soccer player he had seen on TV.

With a sense of relief I let the two talk alone. After all, who wants to spend time talking to the guy who arranged this whole player appearance when you can actually talk with one of the stars of the team?

I still think about that boy from so many years ago lying in bed with nothing below his navel. How did he get that way? How in the world was he kept alive? And is he still living?

I’ll never forget that visit to Shriners Hospital for Children. Never.

But that’s a good thing. As hard as it was, it was good for me to see people with worse problems than my own. It gave me perspective, and still does. And it also gave me a good feeling—and still does—to know that our visit that day brought joy, however temporary, to those kids’ lives.

That memory also helps certain Bible verses come alive for me. When I read them, I can’t help but think about the boy with no lower body.

“Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.”1

Think about it: A boy with only a rib cage, two arms and a head will someday “leap like a deer.” I can’t even write this without crying. It’s just too wonderful to imagine.

If he smiled when greeting a meaningless stranger like me, and if he smiled even bigger when seeing his favorite professional soccer player in the flesh, how big will he smile when he’s whole? How big will he smile when he can “leap like a deer”?

I think it’ll be ginormous.

So what about you? What health problem or disability are you struggling with?  What painful infirmity is weighing you down today?

Whatever it is, know this: Someday you’ll be whole again. Whatever’s broken will be fixed. And whatever hurts won’t hurt anymore.

That’s God’s wonderful gift to those who acknowledge Him and believe in His Son, Jesus.2

Are you smiling at the thought? So am I.

“Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.”

1  Isaiah 35:5-6

2  John 3:16

the dilemma of the skunk

My neighbor has been trapping some pesky raccoons this summer, but snagged a skunk instead. It seems to me he had two options:

1. Let the skunk die, dispose of its body, re-set the trap and pray for no more skunks.

2. Free the skunk from the trap, all the while knowing he’ll get sprayed.

While I don’t know for sure which option he chose, there was a very strong odor next to his house for the next couple of days. I’m guessing he paid a big price for letting the skunk free.

Jesus did something similar for us. He saw that we were dead in our sins and utterly trapped.1

We were going to be judged for our sins.2

But, praise God, He decided to hold His nose and come to planet earth, a place where sinners like you and I reside. The stench must have been horrible, but He put up with it. And why? It’s love, pure and simple. He loves me. And He loves you, too.3

Pretty cool, huh?

I’m guessing the next time I smell a skunk I’ll think of me and the horrific odor of my sinfulness. But I’ll also think about the awesome and loving God who came to my rescue, opened up the trap and set me free.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-kept in heaven for you.”4

1 Ephesians 2:1
2 Hebrews 9:27
3 John 3:16
4 1 Peter 1:3-4