Settled=Done=IT IS FINISHED!

(Written for "FMF" Five Minute Friday writing challenge on the word "settled"--on Good Friday's commemoration of our Lord's death on the Cross)

On a pilgrimage to the Holy Land some years ago, our group of American Christians had the opportunity and physical challenge to try climbing to the summit of what is traditionally known as Mount Sinai in the Egyptian desert. We were awakened at 3 in the morning by our Israeli guide so we could reach the top in time to view the sunrise. 

The climb in pitch darkness with failing flashlights over rocky terrain was more than arduous! I was not one of those who completed the ascent--some of us, breathless and exhausted, took shelter in a rocky cove about half way and waited to join our triumphant group for our descent. 

I wrote this poem afterward contrasting the two mounts: Mount Sinai and Mount Calvary. 

TWO MOUNTS

Sinai thunders "Do!"

Calvary whispers "Done!"

As Moses climbed Mt. Sinai

so I will try

sweating and straining

stumbling over rugged rocks

slipping on steep slopes.

Attempting Sinai's summit

I make it only half way!

Sinai thunders "Do!"

THE LAW, imposed for the good of man

measures with a perfect, divine ruler

man's inability to attain

a "mission impossible" standard:

breaking one law

I stand condemned by all. 

Calvary whispers "Done!"

GRACE, bought by the blood of the One

who dragged a rugged cross

over rough cobblestones

up Calvary--instead of me

and made it all the way

bought my freedom from THE LAW!

 

Not by works of THE LAW

but by GRACE! 

 It is settled!

"It is finished!" our Savior cried.

Sinai thunders "Do!"

Calvary whispers "Done!"--

once for all!

IF THE SHOE FITS....

   (Background from Scripture)

[The night Jesus was betrayed] "...they all left Him and fled. And a certain young man was following Him, wearing nothing but a linen sheet over his naked body; and they seized him. But he left the linen sheet behind, and escaped naked." Mark 14:50-52 

 Mark is the only Gospel writer who records this incident. Was he himself perchance that young follower of Jesus whose well-to-do mother is identified as Mary of Jerusalem? Mark is referred to by historians as 'John Mark of Jerusalem'. His mother is known to have hosted Jesus and His disciples on numerous occasions in her probably spacious home. It remained a gathering place for prayer for the early Christians. (Acts 12:12). She may have been one of the women who followed Jesus seeing to their collective material needs with their own resources.

Her home may have been the location of the Last Supper. (Mark 14:15) My pure speculation, but Mark may have been there that night assisting his mom with the hospitality. After they had sung the last hymn and headed off to the Mount of Olives, (Mark 14:26) young Mark might have been getting ready for bed when his mom got wind of something sinister about to happen to Jesus in a familiar location not far from their home. The young man might have taken off at a run to see for himself, neglecting to put his clothes back on. Could he have been "the young man wrapped in a sheet" who got scared and ran off after the soldiers arrested Jesus?

 From a Commentary: The early Church is practically unanimous in ascribing the Second Gospel to Mark, the cousin of Barnabas and associate of apostles Paul and Peter. Thought to have been baptized by Peter, strong tradition also supports the assertion that in this Gospel he recorded the firsthand recollections and preaching of Peter, who calls Mark "my son" in 1 Peter 5:13. Mark was along on one of the early missionary journeys with Paul and Barnabas but dropped out and returned home to Jerusalem for unknown reasons. (Acts 13:13) This resulted in "a sharp disagreement" between Paul and Barnabas and a parting of their ways. (Acts 15:39) As John Mark, the unproven fledgling Christian, grew up and matured in his faith to become a steady, dependable disciple, he was restored into the good graces of Paul. (Colossians 4:10) After the death of Peter, historians say that John Mark became the first bishop of the Alexandrian Church.

HIS SANDALS

(An imagined scenario)

What happened to Jesus’ sandals?
Leona Choy

Soldiers jerked off His sandals

to nail His bare feet

to a rough-splintered cross

callously casting lots

for His seamless garment.

They tossed aside His filthy sandals

caked with mud

stained with blood

from His painful struggle

up Golgotha's hill
--not worth a throw of dice.

Then I noticed the sandals

hugged tightly under the arm

of a frightened youth.

They called him John Mark.

Where had I seen him before?

At the synagogue door?

Or helping his mother

hosting the Last Supper?

Perhaps in Gethsemane

running naked from the grasp
of Jesus' enemy?

What would that lad do

with those precious sandals?

Were they just a souvenir

of a grisly spectacle

that even in a later movie age

would surely be rated "R"
for violence and brutality?

Hiding alone in the shadows

on the fringes of the crowd

the boy watched the Man on the cross

suffering and dying.

Without Parental Guidance

to explain the meaning

of this atrocity

would he grasp the import
of this scandalous documentary?

Would this wide-eyed youth

understand the dreadful drama

he beheld that historic day

outside the city wall?

Would he realize that God 
had planned it all
from Eternity?

Would God provide a mentor

to relate the significance

of the death of this Man

who laid aside His sandals and robe

in the Upper Room

and stooped to wash
the grimy feet of His friends?

Would the boy wear those sandals?

Would he dare?

Would he be found worthy

and chosen eventually

to walk in the sandals

of that God-Man of Galilee?

Would they be to him

like the mantle of Elijah

enduing him doubly
with power for service?

Would he wear those very sandals

to take the Good News
one day far away
on missionary journeys?

YES! And he would write

a Gospel for those 

who weren't there

those scattered everywhere

down the corridors of time

to tell what he had witnessed

firsthand with his youthful eyes

at the Cross that terrible day

and received from the keen memory

of Peter the fisherman-disciple

who too had known

the beloved Christ of Galilee

and followed Him

in his own sandals!

IN THE WRONG/RIGHT PLACE AT THE WRONG/RIGHT TIME?

THIS MYSTERY MAN comes along every Easter in the reading of Scripture during Holy Week in most churches. We wonder about him.

 

So who was this Simon of Cyrene who helped Jesus carry His cross? Wasn't he just a man in the wrong place at the wrong time, an insignificant, curious "passer-by," as he was referred to in the Scripture? Wasn't he randomly picked from the crowd by the Roman guards? 

 

What was so important about him that all three synoptic gospel writers would record the event? Why would his name be recorded for history when others prominent in Jesus' ministry like the rich young ruler didn't even get a name identity? There must be more here than meets the eye!

Where is Cyrene anyway? I was surprised to find that it is in North Africa not far from the modern day city of Benghazi in Libya which was so prominently in the news during the terrorist attack of September 11, 2012!

A condemned person was always forced to bear his own instrument of torture, in Jesus' case it was the heavy crossbeam of a cross. But the soldiers didn't want a prisoner to die on the way up the hill to his crucifixion because that would spare him from the planned cruel torture of a deliberately slow and painful execution. A criminal was crucified in a public place to serve as a warning and deterrent to would-be evildoers. Jesus was already staggering under the weight of the crossbeam and falling repeatedly from extreme weakness after his agonizing, prolonged scourging by the soldiers.

In various translations of this biblical passage Simon was said to have been “pressed into service” or “seized” or “compelled.” He obviously didn't volunteer; he had no choice. He was forced at the point of a spear. 

Why would the gospel writer Mark so precisely identify him that he even recorded the names of his sons and that he had come to Jerusalem from “the country” or “the fields.”  Since Mark wrote for Jewish believers, it is likely that by the time he wrote the gospel story the inclusion of the names of his sons in Mark 15:21 may suggest that they were well known and of some standing in the Early Christian community. Tradition says that Simon's sons Rufus and Alexander became missionaries of the gospel. It has also been suggested that the Rufus mentioned by Paul in Romans 16:13 is the son of Simon of Cyrene. 

Libya is separated from the Holy Land by Egypt. Simon would have had to cross Egypt by land or come by sea. Libya was under Roman rule at that time but there was a Greek colony in North Libya along the Mediterranean Sea with a large settlement of Judean Jews. Most of Libya is covered by the Sahara desert except for that special long strip of Northern coastline where eighty percent of Libya's people live. Cyrene became an early center of Christianity in the centuries after the Church began to spread. Some also link Simon with the "men of Cyrene" in Acts 11:20 who preached the gospel to the Greeks—the Cyrenians would have known how to speak Greek. 

Why was Simon there in the crowd that was following Jesus to Golgotha? Were his sons with him? Were they adults or children? Was he a common laborer or a wealthy foreign businessman? Was he a Jew from the diaspora or a dark-skinned Libyan native? Was Simon a believer in Jesus already when he carried Jesus' cross? Was he a devout Jew on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for Passover according to the requirement of Judaism? Or was he only a curious pagan caught up in the drama of a Roman execution until he became part of what was a life-changing event for himself and his sons and perhaps his heritage for generations to come?

Simon, “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” Did you stay at the cross after you carried it up the hill for Jesus and watch salvation history unfold? Were your sons at the crucifixion with you? “Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?” Did you become a Christian as a result of seeing Jesus die on the cross or later, perhaps after hearing the witness of the disciples proclaiming Jesus' resurrection? (Someone ought to write a novel about this man!)

Simon,“Were you there when the Holy Spirit came?” Were you among the 120 in the Upper Room? In the biblical account of the birth of the Church on Pentecost in Acts chapter two, in the list of places from which people were present at the event, “the districts of Libya near Cyrene” was noted. Simon, “Were you there in the Upper Room?” We can only speculate.

What is the take-away insight for us from this special event? In His suffering humanity and to accomplish His mission from His Father, Jesus allowed Simon to help carry His cross. He could have called ten thousand angels to strengthen Him to carry the heavy cross, but He permitted and welcomed a mortal man to help Him. In His teaching before the crucifixion Jesus spoke about the necessity of taking up our cross and following Him. (Matthew 16:24) On the way to Golgotha Simon didn't carry his own cross; he carried Jesus' cross.

We can't do what Simon did. We can't carry Jesus' cross. Jesus gave His life once for all on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins and to obtain eternal life for us. So then, how can we bear Jesus' cross for Him now? Jesus declared that whatsoever we do for others or to others, we do as if we did it unto Him. The Lord receives it as literally done to Him! (Matthew 25:35-46) In practice then, we are to bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2)

Each of us has a unique personal cross to bear as well as burdens, afflictions, and problems. There is a sense in which we must with courage and God's enabling accept and bear our own cross, the cross that God has given us in His love. By this we glorify Him and give witness to Him. However, there is a further sense in which we should reach out in love and compassion to help others shoulder their crosses as Simon of Cyrene did for Jesus. By so doing, we are privileged to partake in Jesus' suffering, “For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for His sake.” (Philippians 1:29)

YOUR UNIQUE CROSS

The everlasting God has, in His wisdom,

foreseen from eternity the cross

that He now presents to you

as a gift from His inmost heart.

This cross He now sends you

He has considered with His all-knowing eyes,

understood with His loving mind,

tested with His wise justice,

warmed with His loving arms,

and weighed with His own hands,

to see that it be not one inch too large

and not one ounce too heavy for you.

He has blessed it with His holy name,

anointed it with His grace,

perfumed it with His consolation,

taken one last glance at you and your courage,

and then sent it to you from Heaven,

a special greeting from God to you,

an alms of the all-merciful love of God.

 

Saint Francis de Sales

1567-1622

BILLBOARD NUDGES

Just a routine trip on a routine day as I drove along my routine route into town. 

Suddenly I passed by a small billboard posted at the entrance to our Shenandoah Valley Museum complex:

"HEAR MY VOICE!"

I did a double-take as I caught sight of the large newly-erected sign with only those three words. I routinely stay alert for how God might speak to me subliminally through unexpected ways like road signs, billboards, bumper stickers, street signs, advertisements and other types of media--if I "have ears to hear" as Jesus reminded us in the Scriptures. 

Being curious as to what the sign meant, I took the next U-turn to double back and look at the smaller print underneath. "Display of Native American arts and crafts from the past and present" I read quickly at my second pass. The words of explanation seemed a disconnect to me. Well, never mind, I had already received the message that God meant for me in those three prominent words. 

It's like an “inner impression,” a mental feeling or a sudden knowing. It is like a gentle poke in the ribs or God's tap on the shoulder to get my attention. I keep the ears and eyes of my heart alert because I believe He speaks to me through routine circumstances.

Whatever you want to call it, you know that you know that you know when God is speaking to you, whatever the source. It isn't audible but you hear the voice of God nonetheless; you see with your eyes closed. “My sheep hear My voice,” Jesus declared. The qualification is that you must belong to Him, be one of His sheep, and acknowledge Him as your Shepherd. 

I've heard that a shepherd has such an intimate relationship with each of his sheep that when several flocks of sheep are in the same fold, all bleating noisily, and several shepherds are tending them, each sheep can recognize its own shepherd's voice when its shepherd calls its name. 

Equally awesome is the analogy that Jesus made for the same kind of intimacy that is available between Himself and us. He calls us by name and we are supposed to be able to hear Him, if we are listening. But we have to be listening; we must have an obedient heart. We have to get quiet enough so that the static from the busy environment we live in doesn't drown out His voice.

“Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening,” is what Eli the prophet instructed young Samuel. That's an audio posture I want to be in continually. Many people claim that they have a difficult time hearing God speak. It shouldn't be that hard to recognize His voice, if we know Him intimately. We usually can recognize the voice of a close friend or loved one if they say only a word or two to us on the phone. If some of us older Samuels have a greater challenge discerning the voice of God, we may need to upgrade our hearing aids. God has provided that through the Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts. He who turns the volume up in our spiritual audio. God doesn't usually speak in the high decibel range; He doesn't shout at us. He expects us to listen for His slight whisper.

God is continually speaking through creative ways. God speaks to us through His Word; the Holy Spirit quickens it to our heart and applies it personally. He speaks through His creation. He speaks through His Church and our Shepherds. He speaks through other people whom God “nudges” and they in turn “nudge” us. We exhort and encourage each other as members of the Body of Christ, His Family, His Household of Faith. He speaks to us through circumstances, positive ones and negative ones, if we are open to hear His voice.

The technology of cell phones is incredible, although we seem to take them for granted these days. Less than a generation ago our parents and grandparents would have thought such a gadget impossible. "Where are the wires?" To call them “smart phones” is an understatement. They are an analogy to our spiritual connection with God. Wherever we are, we are connected and can receive and transmit as long as there is a cell tower within range. God is our stable Cell Tower. We, however, are responsible to keep our cell phone battery charged up so we will not miss His call. His call comes only into our personal device. He knows our individual number; He knows our name. In a room full of people and cell phones and noise, we can recognize our special signal or vibration.

Let's not miss the vibration of God's voice, that “nudge” notifying us that God has something to say to us. Let's expect Him to speak today in our ordinary day through routine experiences like a roadside billboard. He speaks to our ordinary needs as well as our extraordinary needs. We don't have to wait for special occasions or when we are in special places to hear God's voice. He may surprise us with something He wants us to say or do as He directs our routine “going out and coming in.” If we are always connected to Him in an inner posture of “praying without ceasing,” as Saint Paul encouraged us, our hearts are in the listening mode all the time.

“If today you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts” (Psalm 95; Hebrews 3 and 4).

WHEN SOMEONE WE LEANED ON LEAVES

Common feelings of Christians who have lost a spouse:

“We've lived our yesterdays together. How am I going to make it alone from now on? I want binoculars to see far down the road. But God gives me only one day at a time. If He helps me make it through today, then I know He will take care of all my tomorrows!”

I've written a book to fill that need especially for the first few months of a woman's new walk alone. This book has been reprinted more times than any of my many other books. It was recently SOLD OUT again but—GOOD NEWS—cases of a fresh reprint have just arrived in time to fill your orders! Many churches keep copies on hand for the continuing need to give comfort to the newly bereaved. Most copies are ordered by friends and families of a new widow to encourage her in her first steps of adjustment. 

 My book includes 73 power-packed daily Christian meditations in a user-friendly format to guide the newly-alone woman through the unfamiliar tunnel of grieving toward a joyful, meaningful life that will please the Lord. Topics center on God's promises of might, strength, and power—things a widow may have in short supply as she embarks on her new role as a single again...but not alone...the Lord will never leave her or forsake her.

 I tag each bite-sized devotional with a Honey From The Rock Bible verse and a brief, related prayer. From my own experience of loss and the Scriptures, I distill God's principles to cover the entire gamut of emotions, struggles, uncertainties and adjustments that widows may be facing.

God demonstrates through the Scriptures and through the actions of Jesus a deep compassion for widows and orphans. Many women find themselves in both categories—their roots are truncated having lost their own parents which makes them orphans; now the loss of their life companion makes them widows. They are qualified for a double portion of God's compassion, love, favor and protection.

This is a “pick up anytime” book which the woman newly-alone doesn't need to read straight through but can select topics at leisure according to her felt need. I can safely say that everyone knows some widows who need the encouragement of this book no matter how long or short her journey has been.

Copies are available by following the ordering information on my website: “http://www.goldenmorning.com” or by email: leonachoy@gmail, or by phone 540-877-1813. I will personally sign copies to you or your friends if you want to give them as gifts.

The Widow's Might: Strength from The Rock is part of my Trilogy of books for those who have lost a loved one. See my website as above for reviews of my other two popular books for widows. 

"CHEWING MY OWN CUD"

Something that I have written previously often circles around to nourish ME again because I'm at a new stage of my life and need a reminder to continue to apply it. Or in a little more earthy analogy, I need to "chew my own cud again." I need to trust God Who was piloting me a few years ago when I wrote this, to continue to pilot me safely around new "hidden rocks and treacherous shoals."

Our personal storms are not necessarily age-specific. They may be related to health or finances or relationships or spiritual struggles or mega-fear of national and international terror or economic collapse. We have a Pilot, a skilled and experienced Navigator, waiting for you and me to invite Him on board and allow Him to freely take the helm and bring us to Safe Harbor.

In His loving generosity, God has given me nonagenarian waters—my calendar nineties—in which to navigate. Many others are navigating octogenarian waters, septuagenarian waters, and sexagenarian waters. They are my friends, loved ones, and peers, and the many friends-as-yet-unmet who read my blog.

Each of us has some similar challenges and some unique ones according to the depth of our waters, the intensity of our storm, and our life destiny. If we admit it, we all need help in navigating. 

Navigating is not just paddling around aimlessly in our own canoe or drifting merrily, merrily, gently down the stream. It is not reckless motor boating. To navigate is defined: to plot, ascertain, direct, or manage a ship to keep on its course; to control its position in relation to its destination; to cross a body of water safely and soberly. A navigator is a person who is skilled and experienced in navigation.

I'm not a skilled or experienced navigator regardless of how many years I've lived. I have never lived in my nineties before, and you have never before lived in the circumstances in which you find yourself. These are continually new waters for all of us! I know my Eternal Destination but the nautical miles between here and There are fraught with uncertainty, the weather is changeable, the gathering clouds seem ominous, my ship is quite ancient, and I feel as if I am running short of fuel. 

I'm sending a distress signal for help—an S.O.S. There is an experienced Pilot who hears my signal, and yours.

JESUS, SAVIOR, PILOT ME
Over life’s tempestuous sea;
Unknown waves before me roll,
Hiding rock and treacherous shoal.
Chart and compass come from Thee;
Jesus, Savior, pilot me!

When the darkened heavens frown,
And the wrathful winds come down,
And the fierce waves, tossed on high,
Lash themselves against the sky,
Jesus, Savior, pilot me,
Over life’s tempestuous sea!

As a mother stills her child,
Thou canst hush the ocean wild;
Boisterous waves obey Thy will,
When Thou sayest to them, “Be still!”
Wondrous Sovereign of the sea,
Jesus, Savior, pilot me!

It doesn't matter at whatever calendar level -genarian any of us is, we reach the point where wisdom dictates that we turn over the helm to Jesus Christ, the Wondrous Sovereign of the sea, and let Him steer our life craft. 

Nor does it matter whether we've been navigating through life with sails which are beginning to tatter, or we feel as if we've been frantically rowing our boat in circles, or we've been lumbering through life like a ponderous steamboat now running out of steam, or whether we've been plowing through life's decades like an unwieldy ocean liner trying to avoid the icebergs with a broken compass--we come to face the reality that our human energy is depleted. The weather forecast is threatening. We can't see clearly what's ahead nor where the rocks lie beneath the churning waves. In our stress and distress we need Jesus in our boat to speak "Peace! Be Still!"
 
I can't pilot my own ship. Whatever waters still lie ahead of me which I need to navigate, Jesus, Savior, please pilot me!

When at last I near the shore,
And the fearful breakers roar
'Twixt me and the Peaceful Rest,
Then, while leaning on Thy breast,
May I hear Thee say to me:
"Fear not! I will pilot thee!"

PINNACLE PONDERINGS

I've stood at the pinnacle, the summit of Great North Mountain, our highest point in my part of Virginia, which I can see from my writing studio window. Our radio station tower was located there. I've looked over the valleys below—an incredible view.

I actually live in a valley, Shenandoah Valley. However, I can see Virginia's mountains in the distance. Valley dwellers even call some of their businesses “Mountain View” as does my ENT doctor.

I subtitled the third of my faith autobio Trilogy of books Flourishing on my Summit and the final two chapters of my autobiography Czeching My Roots: View from My Summit and Living on My Summit. The reason? I've been writing them from the vantage point of my calendar-challenged but blessed vintage season, my Summit.

What's to enjoy on life's summit when you are thought to be “over the hill”? The final years of life are more often considered depressing valleys because our best days are behind us. We do have a choice. We can wallow in the loss of our yesterdays, bemoan our limitations of the present, fearful of our lack of a future.

 Or we can take in the fabulous vista of God's faithfulness and savor the fruit of our life from its orchard. We can choose to “smile at the future” as the worthy woman of Proverbs 31 did. “Give her the fruit of her hands,” the last verse declares. God wants us to enjoy our harvest, to munch on a crunchy Virginia Granny Smith apple--although it was not from an orchard that I cultivated.

Age provides a better perspective although we may physically be viewing our summit through diminished physical eyesight, bifocals or through inter-ocular lenses from cataract surgery. Even if we are visually challenged, we can use the eyes of our heart, the “enlightened eyes of understanding” which Ephesians says we possess as God's children. We can even ask God to give us another mountain as 85 year old Caleb asked Joshua on the verge of their entrance into The Promised Land. Why not?

Each new season not only has its challenges and demands, but its own beauties, opportunities and fulfillments to relish. If God gave us this summit time, it is His generous, loving gift. Robert Browning got it right: “Grow old along with me; the best is yet to be, the last for which the first was made.” Think of many loved ones who were not blessed with longevity and with whom we were not able to grow old. If we're still here, we still have time, even if only one day, to appreciate our remaining relationships. Each new dawn provides us with another fresh slice of life to rejoice in and live for the Lord. Another chance to make the present day, the present moment, the most meaningful yet.

Let's focus our priorities as though our days were soon coming to a close. They are indeed—whether in a few years, one year, a month or a day. As summit Christians, let's guard our precious calendar commitments as seriously as we would against an approaching hoard of locusts who would eat up all our time. Yes, there is a proliferation of doctor appointments and the growing burden of just getting through the mundane routines of life which are consuming greater and greater amounts of our shorter days. Let's invest whatever discretionary time we have left to cultivate a deeper and closer relationship with Jesus Christ, the Lord of our lives—both temporal and everlasting—a glorious, forever and ever summit relationship.

“So teach us to number our days that we may present to Thee a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).

WEARY OR JUST TIRED?

TIRED, WEARY, FAINT—one definition doesn't fit all. There are nuances of difference in meaning. 

The classic passage in Isaiah chapter 40 expresses all of those words. I tried to mine gold out of each word with the help of a Hebrew-Greek Expository Dictionary, reliable old Webster, the Amplified Version Paraphrase and a comparative word study Concordance. Subtle shades of meaning shine forth to encourage our daily walk with the Lord.

We draw our strength from God whom this text makes clear never becomes weary or tired as we human creations do. Tired implies loss of energy, zip and vitality. We have used up our physical or mental reserves through arduous work, strain or continuous stress. We are depleted and feel drained. Our battery has lost its charge. Such feelings are common to mortal life so we shouldn't feel guilty about being tired.

Jesus became so tired that he could nap in a rocking, rolling boat in the middle of a storm while His disciples panicked in fear for their lives. He had exhausting days and was physically depleted in the human part of His nature. Tired is something that rest and sleep will cure. The three most faithful disciples fell asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane from physical weakness.

After their return from the ministry of teaching and healing on which He had sent them, Jesus told His disciples they had to retreat to a quiet place to become restored. “Come unto Me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest,” was a remedial invitation extended to us as well. Tired is temporary and part of our temporal existence on Planet Earth.

Rest and sleep and good nourishment, as was the case with Elijah the prophet. He was exhausted mentally and physically after his confrontation and spiritual battle with the pagan prophets of Baal. God prescribed extended restful restoration at his point of need to get him back on his feet.

The Isaiah passage adds another layer over the feeling of tiredness—weariness. We who are in our calendar-challenged years find ourselves not only prone to tire more easily but also inclined to become weary. That isn't exclusive to the aging process; it also afflicts the young. “Even the vigorous young men grow weary and tired and stumble badly.” It is a condition of the flagging spirit. Weary is a protracted feeling not easily remedied, more inward and serious than being physically bushed or wiped out.

What can we become weary of? Well-doing. Weary of discharging responsibilities given us by the Lord. Weary of striving against sin. Weary of the length of the road. Weary of being under the chastening hand of God. Weary of persevering in prayer. 

 
Endurance, perseverance, faithfulness, determination, fidelity are what God wants us to express as an antidote to being weary. Since He promises to give His strength to us in our weariness, it is His desire for us as His disciples to “know how to sustain the weary one with a word,” (Isaiah 50:4).

Translations differ in the Isaiah 40 verses as to whether we will be able to “run and not get tired, to walk and not become weary” or vice versa. Sometimes a short sprint like a mile run makes us physically tired but the walking, the steady, long road plodding along with its daily routines may make us weary in our spirit. We are not left in doubt how to run. The writer of Hebrews twice encourages us to “run with endurance,” “so when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised” (Hebrews 10:36 and 12:1).

Drawn-out weariness will lead to the even more serious condition of fainting. We don't want to go there. In Revelation 2:3, 4 Jesus praised the Church at Ephesus, “And you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary.” Then follows the tragic “but.” “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.”

Galatians 6:9 in the Amplified puts it all in perspective. I don't need any application pointed out to me beyond the Word of God itself speaking to my heart. Am I simply physically depleted? Perhaps I should sleep it off. Am I weary of well-doing? “Let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint.”

COACHING WRITERS OPPORTUNITY

Among the many viewers of my blog, I'm sure there are caterpillar writers and writers in process of emerging from their chrysalis, and already flying butterfly writers who want to soar even higher. I am offering FREE Coaching to Christian Writers at every stage from "Caterpillars to Butterflies."

Please let your writer friends know about this opportunity. 

 

Why FREE? I want to pass the baton of Writing for the Supreme Editor to the next generation and help Christian writers to the next level or stage in their writing dreams and skills. So I call it “Stage Coaching.” You are never too young or too calendar-challenged to write for God's glory, if you feel a gift arising in you or God is giving you a nudge or a dream.

Some may dream of writing a best seller or being widely published with name or face recognition, or being asked to speak in Writers Conferences or hold workshops, or have a book signing. Hopefully, most of us want first of all to fulfill our calling from God to communicate what He wants to say to specific readers and to give Him the glory. Perhaps you need a coach for awhile to help you refocus your skills, develop new ones and discover new markets for your writing. I want to support you to achieve your specific personal or professional goal by providing guidance.

As your temporary STAGE COACH friend, I want to help you:

• Improve your writing skills and explore your realistic dreams
• Refocus your goals in respect to writing, if necessary
• Move past challenges that may stand in the way of achieving your goals
• Press forward in your writing beyond your present stage
• Identify your strengths and talents, natural and spiritual gifts
• Develop a writing plan to maximize your experiences and present opportunities

We'll “talk by email” about your experience and what you want to accomplish. You'll work on the steps by which you can achieve your goals. I'll suggest how you might improve your writing skills to editorial standards. I will point you to other resources and professional persons in specific areas, if you need extra help. I will offer support and guidance along the way, with my prayers for your progress.

My coaching is not only for beginners who are just discovering God's latent gift of expressing themselves in writing. I also coach my seasoned writing peers and those who are already well-published with skills and experience and publishing credits far beyond mine. I welcome anyone who wants to explore together further ways to move forward “with their stage coach” up the winding trail to a higher stage in their calling as a writer who is a Christian.

There is no charge for my one hour of email coaching.

How to get started:

1. So we can know each other better, read my recent book "Writing for the Supreme Editor," (Order by email: leonachoy@gmail.com) Become familiar with my website www.goldenmorning.com and my blog: www.leonachoy.blogspot.com.

2. Email me requesting the Questionnaire to introduce yourself and let me know that you'd like to take advantage of my coaching. Return Questionnaire to me by email.

3. Send me by email a sample of your writing, whatever you wish, up to 1000 words.

I will go over your writing and email you to discuss it and your specific writing interests (back and forth by email as we progress). No deadlines. I may have more specific questions to ask you based on your stated writing dreams and goals.

I will spend at least an hour to prayerfully suggest how you could move forward in your writing. I personalize my coaching—one size doesn't fit all—writers are at different levels and unique in their needs and God-given gifts.

I might ask you to send me more of your writing. When my promised coaching hour together concludes, does that doesn't mean that our communication is over? No, I will continue praying for and encouraging you and follow your progress. I will still be available to answer your questions. I'll probably offer you further suggestions as time goes on. I may point you to helpful writing resources and online Writing Groups for instruction and fellowship.

We'll go with the flow and share the joy of writing together while we watch how God will lead you as you as you write for the Supreme Editor! Email me to get started with our coaching. leonachoy@gmail.com.

Your writing friend,

Leona