My life message is all about preparing people for eternity, so this clip captures much of my heart. You are an eternal person–live like it!
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What are you doing to invest in eternity?
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In Him together, Susan Gaddis
Someday every nation, every tribe, every kindred will be gathered before the throne of God to give Him glory. If God regards the United States of America so highly as to include our nation in that gathering, shouldn’t we also celebrate? I hope this short “Home of the Free” Monday’s Moment clip reminds you, as it did me, of why we are blessed to celebrate the 4th of July as the birthday of our nation.
If you received this post via RSS or email and cannot view the clip, please visit my Holy in the Daily blog to grab the moment.
I’m off to a family reunion this afternoon. What are you doing today to celebrate our nation’s birthday?
In Him together, Susan Gaddis
“Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves—regret for the past and fear of the future,” states Fulton Oursler. I’m sure you’re well aware of these two thieves. Regret and fear have robbed you of energy, joy, and purpose far too many times.
You probably hang out with these two thieves far more than you should. I know I do. Most of us spend more brain cells thinking about our past failures and a fearful future than we do about the present. Regret and fear hide behind irrational beliefs and assumptions, hindering our growth in Christ. They expose themselves in the unhealthy way we interact with people and process our offenses.
Sometimes I think, “Dang, have I grown at all”? Yet, it was God who started this whole relationship and it is God who committed himself to finishing what He started—even hanging between two thieves to buy my salvation. “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6 NIV).
The past belongs to Jesus and so does the future. He knows our short life span is only the beginning point of all he has planned for us in eternity future. Think about it—500 years from now will you even remember what you regretted yesterday or feared of the future?
So, what have these two thieves robbed you of?
In Him together, Susan Gaddis
Many wonder how good you have to be to get to heaven, but few understand the secret. Watch the following clip and see how well you would do on the “Good-O-Meter.”
If you received this post via RSS or email and cannot view the short clip, please visit my Holy in the Daily blog for today’s dose of truth.
Do you agree with this Monday’s Moment video clip? What do you think is the secret for getting into Heaven?
In Him together, Susan Gaddis
Jonathan
They really do leave the nest—eventually. But how do we adjust to the empty nest depression that accompanies them leaving the nest?
Jonathan, child number four of six, flew off to Finland last Saturday to marry the love of his life, Sanna. The wedding comes in August, but the adjustment comes now—at least for his parents.
Here are my five thoughts for adjusting to an empty nest. These are along the recovery path of “change your thinking and your mood will change” therapy.
1. Oldness doesn’t resonate as old until you really are old. Then it hits you that most of your life has already been lived. This revelation doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy living life to the full with the time you have left; just that time really will be coming to an end and you wish you could have done things better in the time you have already lived. *sigh for deep thought*
2. Most of those who have gone before us lived shorter lives than we have. The average life span during the Middle Ages was 25. I can be thankful that I have lived long enough to see my nest empty.
3. Many people throughout history were pretty dysfunctional, just as I have been. (“We really should have been better parents, but we didn’t know how” kind of stuff.)
4. God seems to get really involved in dysfunctional people’s short lives—I’m thinking Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Peter, and all those who have served God throughout history. To us, our life may seem seem like a vapor, but not to God. He sees our short lives as a beginning point, or why would he invest himself so much in dysfunctional people?
5. Therefore, *grin for big conclusion here* God is investing in something bigger than just our short lives here on earth. He has much bigger plans in mind—like all of eternity future kinds of things with us by his side.
Putting my life into perspective with the bigger picture allows me to acknowledge the past mistakes of my journey, and honor the future—both my future and Jon’s. The nest may be emptier, but it isn’t less full.
So, what are your suggestions for adjusting to an empty nest, whether you have experienced it as one leaving the nest or as one watching others leave?
In Him together, Susan Gaddis
This is a different Mother’s Day post. I wanted to honor those mothers who have lost children. This short video esteems life and the parents who make hard choices to love their children even if they know they will only have them for a short time. These mothers don’t have little hands to give them cards on Mother’s Day, but they have little hearts awaiting them in Heaven. I know–I’m one of them.
I hope this video puts this special day into perspective for you, and gives you a greater appreciation for the blessings God has given you.
(If you received this post via RSS or email and cannot view the clip, please visit my Holy in the Daily blog to view it–but grab the Kleenex first.)
Thoughts, comments, remarks? How did this clip impact you?
God bless you, and call your mother. She’d love to hear from you.
In Him together, Susan Gaddis
Have you ever thought of the death of Jesus Christ as payment of the “bride price” for people like you and me to become God’s intimate companion for all of eternity future? God’s passion for us compelled him to pay the ultimate bride price.
We see this passion of Jesus in Revelation 5:9, “With your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation;” and in John 3:16, “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.”
Recently, at Father’s House, I shared God’s love story, the bride price he willingly paid, and why it’s important for us to understand the empty tomb from God’s perspective.
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Are you living your life according to your definition of a relationship with God, or are you living it according to His definition of what the relationship is to look like?
In Him together, Susan Gaddis
Yesterday I woke to a pink sky and ivy covered heart—nice surprises for a birthday girl. I don’t feel old on the inside, but cataract surgery next month confirms the aging of my body.
Aging people tend to talk freely about pain and body problems. It usually starts around age 40 and gets worse as we grow older. You don’t hear people talk much about the pain of their souls. People avoid talking about the problems of their mind and emotions.
The inability to read road signs caused me to focus on my eye problem and seek help, thus the upcoming cataract surgery. Two years ago the intense pain of a broken foot required my undivided attention and a trip to the surgery center. The three-month recovery was not pain free either. I’ll be happy to tell you more about these problems. However, I don’t talk much about the emotional pain I’ve experienced in life.
Physical pain causes us to focus on what is causing the pain and call a doctor. However, when it comes to emotional and relational health, people tend to avoid the pain by focusing on anything other than the source of the pain. I have the tendency to be a great avoider, and I don’t always read soul and spirit pain as indicators of ill health. Rather, I interpret my pain as someone else’s immaturity invading my life.
Why do we think we can handle emotional and relational pain on our own? Why work on emotional problems when a night out with friends will ease the pain? True, a night out will distract us, but our distraction won’t heal the problem.
Emotional pain is there for a reason—it indicates ill health demanding our attention. Avoiding the pain can seriously compromise the health of soul and spirit and cause us greater pain in the future. This results in an immature person walking through heaven’s gates.
The cells that make up my body will die. My soul and spirit will live on. I’m making sure my soul and spirit aren’t breaking down–they are building up—maturing and growing. I’m seeking to respond to emotional and relational pain by focusing on the problem, finding the Lord’s grace and instruction, and obeying. Input from others who are wiser helps with understanding and applying the Lord’s directions.
The soul and spirit are destined for eternity future and designed to age well—healthier, wiser, and with sparkle. I’ve seen enough maturity to know my mind and spirit are aging in ways that will carry health and wisdom over into eternity future. Not a lot, but the indications for wisdom replacing immaturity are evident.
Any thoughts, ideas, or pain prescriptions for aging?
How well are you aging?
In Him together, Susan Gaddis
The Gaddis Girls in Bubblegum Alley
Someone has said that memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, and the things you never want to lose. I had such a day this week. We called it the Gaddis Girls Club, and we were celebrating the newest addition to our family of Gaddis women—Sanna Luhtala.
Sanna is marrying my son Jonathan and therefore joining myself, my daughters Mary and Kati, and my other awesome daughter-in-law, Sharla, in the Gaddis Girls Club. This is a big deal since the Gaddis family was originally dominated by the male species—four sons and two daughters. To celebrate the addition of estrogen, we worked on wedding invitations, relaxed with pedicures, visited Bubblegum Alley, laughed over Thai food, window shopped in small San Luis Obispo boutiques, and rounded it all off with cupcakes. Nice!
Eventually I will probably lose some of my memory—at least my parents did as they aged. But this I know—God won’t forget (see Malachi 3:16). Someday I’ll look over my spiritual scrapbook with him, and together we’ll recall the joy of the day I had this week with the Gaddis Girls Club. I fully expect each of my girls to join us—over tea and cupcakes, of course.
How do you make memories that hold your loved ones close to your heart?
In Him together, Susan Gaddis
When I was about five years old a missionary told me that when I got to Heaven I would be a spirit without a body and resembling the air and clouds. Everyone would be like this, and all we would do is worship the Lord every moment. I knew he was wrong then, and I still believe so.
Worship is a whole spirit, soul, and body experience. Therefore, I know we will have bodies in Heaven. Peter, James, and John all recognized Moses and Elijah who showed up in bodies to talk with Jesus long after they were dead (see Matthew 17:1-10). I’m sure Moses and Elijah used their new bodies to worship when they stood on Heaven’s soil as well.
And that whole thing of sitting on clouds and playing harps that some folks think represents heavenly worship is all wrong too. Worship comprises everything we do all day long with our thoughts, intentions, and actions. Washing dishes can be a worship experience if I am scrubbing with a right heart attitude and doing so as “unto the Lord.”
Why would Heaven be any different? You can sit on a cloud and play a harp if you so choose, but I intend to hang out with Jesus, explore my new location, and in every second I will be worshipping him with my whole heart. And yes, I will also participate in the group worship sessions because from the descriptions I read of them in the book of Revelation, they are off the charts!
Worship isn’t reserved for someday in Heaven. God is more than awesome right here on earth. Jeremy Sizemore, our pastor who facilitates worship at Father’s House, says that our corporate worship is practice for Heaven. I agree. Even though washing dishes can also be practice for worship in Heaven, finding daily time to give my whole spirit, soul, and body to God in worship—my undivided focus—is something I need to practice more. “Worship the Lord with your full focus at least once a day. He deserves it”—so says #6 on my New Year’s resolution list for 2011.
Will you feel comfortable with worship in Heaven—like it is something you have been preparing for your whole life? How do you give your full focus to God in worship on a daily basis?
(By the way, I capitalize Heaven because it is a specific name of a specific location. If this troubles you, I’ll add you to my list of favorite grammar critics.)
In Him together, Susan Gaddis
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