Works In Progress

by Sandra Byrd

Last week I spent many days in chilly Denver, reconnecting with my close friend from college, catching up with a couple who has  loved and spiritually guided me for more than two decades, and enjoying writing friends, old and new. But the culmination of everything I learned and experienced occurred just after I’d spent several hours parked in a cramped plane on a busy tarmac.

The plane had some mechanical problems so we waited, and waited, and waited. Of course, I was sitting just ahead of Engine No. One, which had the problem, so I spent time vacillating between worry that the engine would blow mid-air no matter what mechanic signed off and trying to ignore the loud man behind me sharing unwelcome details of his weekend conquest. Finally, the pilot said we were ready to go but we had one more thing to do before taking off – we needed to be de-iced.

I’d never been in a plane while it was being de-iced. The pilot drove the lumbering jet to an off-tarmac area and wove in between several cherry pickers fitted with de-icing foam. They sprayed the plane down from fore to aft. Somehow, the tiniest, unseen film of ice left on the plane, on the wings, in particular, can cause the plane to crash as it’s trying to gain the lift required for flight.

Within minutes of being de-iced, we took off, disallowing the possibility of more ice before flight.

As we climbed toward our cruising altitude I thought about how I had just been “de-iced” at the conference.  Cold droplets of fatigue, fear, envy, and anxiety can harden over my heart and my mind in an unbelievably short period of time.  At the conference, a small handful of amazing speakers had shared how the Lord was working in their lives, how He’d loved them, rebuked them, encouraged them, and led them down runways they had never expected nor could they have anticipated. I’d spent time reading scripture and praying with friends. When it was time to return home, I’d been de-iced and was ready to head onto the new flight paths He had plotted in advance for me. But I’d been duly reminded. Spiritual ice builds up quickly and invisibly. The smallest film can have dire consequence. I need to stay in warm, constant communion with Him, His Word, and His people. He has freed me in unexpected and amazing ways; He has renewed my strength. I am soaring.

… but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31

When is the last time you went out of your way to do something kind for a friend? Tonya’s neighbor boy reminds us that we should have child-like spirits …

It’s Better to Give than to Receive
By Tonya Nash

One warm summer’s day, I stood outside watering my front yard. We hadn’t purchased a sprinkler yet, so I had to do it the old-fashioned way and use the water hose. It was so dry that it seemed like the grass was sucking up the water quicker than it would come out of the hose.

All of a sudden I heard a little voice say, “Hello!”

I turned around and saw a friendly-looking little boy who looked like he was about 8 years old. I didn’t answer right away because he’d slightly startled me as I’d been off in my own world.

“I’m going to my friend’s house,” he said. “I’m going to give him one of these!” He held up two packs of handi-snacks. “I don’t know if he likes these or not, but I’m going to share one with him.”

“That’s very nice of you,” I said. “I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.”

The little boy went on his way and I moved to the other side of the house. About 5 minutes later, the little boy came back.

With a very sad voice, he said, “He wasn’t home.”

“Well, maybe you can go back and see him later.”

“My mom will only let me go one time. I really wanted to share this handi-snack with him.” The boy hung his head.

He’s so sweet, I thought to myself. “You should get your friend’s phone number and call him so you can be sure he is home before you visit him,” I said.

“Okay!” He perked up. “See you later!”

This young boy really made an impression on me. He was kind and gentle and he desired to be a blessing to his friend. It made me wonder, When the last time was that I actually went out of my way to be a blessing to someone?

Our gift to others, no matter how small it seems to us, can make a person’s day. And when we bless others, they aren’t the only ones that receive the blessing. Make the effort. Go out of your way today to do something kind for someone else.

Luke 6:38 KJV – Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, new talent Sarah Austin has some fantastic things to share about  true romance …

Diamonds in the Sand
By Sarah Austin

If our generation today had a theme song, it would probably be “I Want to Know What Love Is,” by Foreigner. And if you don’t know who Foreigner is, you’re probably the generation to which I am referring. The media seems to be in love with love. We see it on the TV. We read about it in books. We listen to it on the radio. Everyone seems to be talking about it, and, at the same time, everyone wants to know what it is, exactly.

We look around our campuses, in the mall, on the street even, and we inevitably find – a couple. Holding hands perhaps. Laughing, talking, smiling – like they have the world stuck in the little space between their palms.

And we ask ourselves: Why don’t I have that? Why isn’t someone walking beside me and holding my hand?

With the empty space gaping beside us, we come to the conclusion that something must be wrong with us. Or, simply, that love does not exist at all, despite our culture’s obsession with it.

Let me say here that a conclusion based on an empty space is hardly grounded in reason. And to doggedly refute the existence of something that has such insurmountable evidence in its favor is hardly logical. “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God,’” (Psalms 14:1). And “God is love” (1 John 4:16).

Imagine a diamond in the sand. A person walks by and doesn’t pick up the diamond – he’s blinded by the sun and stumbles obliviously past the precious stone. Another person walks by and doesn’t pick up the diamond either; he’s particular in the way his diamonds are cut. Yet another person searches on hands and knees, but fails to recognize the diamond for what it is amongst all the other glittering shards.

Tell me – does the fact that no one picked up the diamond make it any less valuable? It is still a diamond, perfect in itself. And someday, perhaps, a person will pick it up off the sand. But that will not in any way increase its value. It is already as valuable as it ever will be – and that is valuable indeed.

We are all of us precious stones. Our value does not ebb and flow with the tide but remains anchored in the love of the One who matters most.

What do we say then of this empty space beside us? It is nothing but a space – room in which to move freely, to learn, to grow, and to blossom. And love? You want to know what love is? Ask Him. He can show you.

1 Corinthians 13