DAY 5 OF SARCOIDOSIS AWARENESS MONTH

And it’s Resurrection Day!  Alright, many refer to it as Easter.  I’m a Resurrection Day kind of woman.  And what a glorious day it has been, spending the morning on the campus of my church for worship, Sunday School and fellowship. It is a day on which I was reminded in song, scripture, sermon and quiet, that my faith is what keeps me going.

Life is not what I thought it would be as a tread closer to 61.  After all, 35 years ago I projected 2015 would be my retirement year.  When you lose almost two decades of productivity that's more than a stretch.  Ha!   Still, life is good, because God is good.  And even in my infirmities He sustains me and gives me peace.

The Glenn Edward Burleigh adapted a hymn of which I am reminded.   This is what he added:

He gently speaks to me; in my quiet time alone with Him I find the love I need.  
He gently speaks to me; in my quiet time alone with Him I find the joy I need.  
He gently speaks to me; in my quiet time alone with Him I find the peace I need.  

The refrain of that hymn says:

Blessed quietness holy quietness
What assurance in my soul
On the stormy sea He speaks peace to me
And the billows cease to roll

Glenn then continued:

When he speaks to me, I get peace that passeth understanding
When he speaks peace to me, the power of God takes control 
When he speaks peace to me, I get joy, unspeakable joy in my soul
And the billows cease to roll.

Yep, there are storms.  Some of us call them by the names of unloving spouses, unruly children, insufferable supervisors, or bills that sit at table every meal and refuse to ever leave.  And some call them tumor, lymphoma, cancer, MS, ALS or Sarcoidosis.  Whatever the storm, He is the shelter.  Whatever the problem, He is the solution.  Whatever the question, He is in the answer.  That is not to say the storm will disappear; it is to say that He will see you through it.  After all, life here, no matter how meaningful, or successful, or how much we enjoy it, is only a way station until we go home.  And as long as we're here, if we are Resurrection Day kind of folks, we aren't home . . . yet.

Great Is His Faithfulness

I was just browsing through my Facebook page and came across a post requesting most meaningful and inspiring passages from the Bible to be read when someone I hold in high regard travels to Israel in the near future.  How can one choose, one most meaning and inspiring passage?  That is a tough assignment, at least for me.  I thought of many, and the one that I kept coming back to me is Lamentations 3:22-24.


Lamentations, an Old Testament book, was written during the years Judah was in exile in Babylon.  It  shares the torment of the Jews, having been ripped from their homeland and separated from the temple which had been destroyed, because of their rebelliousness and many sins.

Fast forward a few thousand years, and those verses resonate even today.


         22      Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
         23      They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
         24      I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”

Lamentations 3:22-24

The Holy Bible: New International Version.

 I often feel as if I am exiled in a strange land, out of touch with the culture and mindsets that currently prevail, and especially alienated by the divisiveness of my own country.  (Of course, some may still argue in this the 21st century, that I, and people like me, have no right to be here in the first place; but that is for another day.)  Just a minor example:  someone else posted a picture of a very large woman wearing a top that sported so many horizontal back straps that I saw more flesh than fabric, and shorts cut so high that they were more like denim panties than shorts, revealing more than 50% of her buttocks.  And that was a lot of flesh.  While I don't consider myself a prude (at least not the last time I checked), the need for anyone, male or female, to display her (or his) body in that fashion, and the need for someone else to share a picture of that to the rest of the world, are both beyond my sensibilities.  We celebrate and glorify the ridiculous and outlandish, and scoff at just about anything of redeeming value.  And, unfortunately, who constitutes the "We" includes people who profess to believe in the One who is The Word . .  and The Way.  That, indeed, is scary.  

Am I saying that I am perfect and am sitting in judgment on the rest of the world?  Absolutely not!  I cannot help but think, however, that some of the We forge ahead with frolicking, funky fashions and frivolities without considering the long-term effects or broader implications.  Those pictures are all over the place and will come back to haunt someone . . . someday.   I'm just saying . . .  

Just one more "for instance" -- just one more:  My daughter and I discussed the recent Time magazine cover featuring a young boy at his mother's breast.  Are we against breast feeding?  Absolutely not!  We merely discussed the long-term effects that kind of exposure will have on the boy as he gets older:  "Dear mom of the little boy:  what will your son be confronted with in the future because of that cover?   Was it worth it?"

Now, back to Lamentations.  This passage is also the basis of one of my favorite, favorite songs:

Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father;

there is no shadow of turning with thee;

thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;

as thou hast been thou forever will be.

Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see;

all I have needed thy hand hath provided;

great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Words: Thomas O. Chisholm

So what is the big deal?  

The big deal is this:  Things can look pretty, pretty bad sometimes.  Trust me on that, 'tis very true.  Yet, things can also be a lot worse than what they are.  And, take it from someone who awakens some mornings and has no clue about the course of her day:  all that I have ever needed, He has provided.  All that you will ever need, He will provide.  Today was a day like that.  As far as I knew, I had three things on my "to-do" list, none of which constituted billable activities:  1) scan documents for my archives; 2) assist my nonagenarian mother, The Boss, at the polls; 3) look in on my Sweet Pea who has an internship with a District Judge.  Yet, while parking my car in the most unlikely spot that was just be vacated as I turned a corner, a woman in a wheelchair stopped and asked me if I would talk to her about Medicare.  Out of nowhere, after agonizing over 1) having to dress (I don't care what folks say, when one enters a courtroom, proper attire should not be optional.  Hint -- hint to you trendy lawyers and social workers who look as if you're going out to party hard) in a suit, and 2) driving across town to help The Boss, I gave up my resistance to honor my commitments to the two most important women in my life.  And still, He was looking out for me.

He is always keeping me, cheering me, ever guiding me. He is always with me -- even when things look pretty, pretty bad.   So, how about you?  If He gave you another day, it is not too late to turn to Him, and you will find that He has been, is now, and will be faithful.