Tag: help

Thanksgiving Wishes II

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© jb katke

As I said last week, ‘I just don’t think fast enough.’

If only I had picked up the phone. Made the call. Communicated something.

Thanksgiving Day is over, but this year will forever remain in my memory. It’s one of those shoulda, coulda, woulda moments.

Normally I have our big dinner in the middle of the day. Smack in the middle of the football game—to the angst of my menfolk.

This year I did things different, including the hour we sat down to eat. Later in the day. Later was when some of the family was back on the road to see the other half of kin. The opportunity to eat and enjoy the company of each other became a missed moment. If only a person could be everywhere at once.

I wish I had communicated the changes so that we all could have made the necessary adjustments to commitments.

It’s a tough spot to be in when family comes from out-of-town and cannot spend adequate time together.

All it would have taken was a little communication. We all think so much of each other—no one would have suffered the angst that we did.

What about you—have you been out of communication lately? With Jesus? Of all people, I hope not him. If something comes to the forefront of your mind, it may be him letting you know. He’s the guy that helps us.

You may be wondering, if he is such a help, why didn’t he help me in my situation?

He can, he does and he did. Because unlike us, he is capable of being everywhere at once.

Jesus helps me learn from my mistakes. I have made many through the years. But when I take his guidance seriously I keep from becoming a repeat offender. 

I am fortunate to have family that finds joy in each other. Some call it lucky, the Good Book calls it blessed. It’s a pleasure to catch up on each other’s lives. We need that because staying in touch can be difficult.

The neat thing about staying in touch with Jesus is he knows all. We don’t have to explain situations or people—he created us and can sees things as they are. He longs to be part of our life, to make things better than they already are.

This is one opportunity not to be missed.

Pictures Change-Revisited

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sub zero temperatures

A meme was forming in my mind. It went something like this:

You’ll like living in Kansas they said. The winters are mild there. People, the wind chill may drop to -30 tonight!

All I had to do is remember how to meme on Facebook.

Arctic temperatures hit us with I can’t even think of anything that hard. Our furnace has been running 24/7 for nearly ten days. We are warm when others are not. We get it, and understand this deep freeze is impacting too many in the nation.

A friend living in Texas posted a humorous message that her state was closed. Southern states aren’t equipped for this kind of snow and cold. Life comes to a standstill.

In the course of the year some have lost jobs, most schools have been closed, COVID-19 has taken too many lives. Death, it seems is lurking behind every corner. Now this.

Our personal crisis involved the compressor to the refrigerator dying. The thought of losing food was a place I didn’t want to go.

Suddenly, I was grateful for this frigid weather.

Our frozen food was boxed up and set outside. Refrigerated food was delegated to the garage. The years we went camping came to mind, it was inconvenient but doable.

The reason I tell you this stems from concern.

Situations happen beyond our control are made bearable if one has a friendship with Jesus and his heavenly father. That is the take away message in many of my blogs

How you might receive that message is added concern for me. I dread to think you may be thinking, ‘I’m so happy things worked out…for you.’ However, your response is out of my control.

Where you are at today may be radically different than where I am. I have seen the news on TV. Wind turbines have frozen up, making power outages abound. No heat and yes, food loss. Accidents on the road, some causing death.

Life seems to continually get harder.

The clincher for me is where these events are happening, Christians are there. They too, are suffering, and they have that friendship with Jesus! What about them?

My only response is Jesus is there with them. Somehow, some way, he is making the circumstances doable for them to get through. Because the Good Book says so, I can relay that message to those who may not have read it.

This usually impacts me with the “Why them and not me?” question.

The best I can figure is it’s my call to pray for them, and give thanks for what is going to be done to help when I’m so far from the situation. Jesus is right there, on the spot, in the moment. You can’t get a more personal, present help than that.