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Persistence

And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right. 2 Thessalonians 3:13

I’ve often heard it said that life is all about “Plan B.”

Carson, our daughter, was excited about her freshman year of high school basketball. She worked hard all summer on her conditioning and shooting, and she was able to secure a spot on the varsity team. By late September, however, Carson developed an injury in her foot that required her to miss the entire season. She was crushed- all that time preparing over the summer was wiped away with one trip to the orthopedist.

Carson struggled for a couple of days, but her mood eventually changed. Determined to be on the court in some way, she decided to help coach a basketball team of second grade girls. She immersed herself in drills, motivational ploys and teaching the basics of basketball. Her crew of young players had a rough start, losing their first three games. But Carson was determined to make this thing work. And they all improved…the girls became better players and Carson became a better coach. By midseason these young women had turned into a confident, skilled group of players. They improved each game and eventually made a deep run in the city recreation league championship. Best of all? Carson had channeled her frustration into an opportunity to continue with basketball- and make a positive impact on the lives of some special kids. She turned her hurt into something good by attempting to help others.

We are all faced with tough times Plans don’t go as we had hoped. Unexpected obstacles pop up. Life just happens. We can’t control our circumstances, but we can control our attitudes. The Bible gives us numerous passages focusing on pressing on through tough times, including:

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9

By standing firm you will gain life. Luke 21:19

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:3

Endurance. Patience. Persistence. May you never “tire in doing what is right.” God bless.

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Kindness

As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. 2 Thessalonians 3:13

It had been a really tough week. One of those weeks where I felt intense pressure to get a huge project off my desk and I only had a couple of days to make it happen. I had been in the office late for several nights in a row. Tim, our nighttime facilities worker for the building, must have noticed the stressed, hectic activity over the three-day span. Usually conversational and engaging, he simply cleaned around my office and generally left me alone. This was fine with me, as I needed to press forward as quickly and as focused as possible.

One evening as I was leaving, I noticed a small package sitting in my outer office. It was a plate of food- leftovers from a luncheon that had occurred earlier in the day. There was a sticky note on the top of the covered plate that said “you’ve had a lot on your plate this week…hope this plate of dinner might help you. Good luck.”

This sort of thing certainly wasn’t in Tim’s job description. But Tim noticed that I was rushed, stressed and probably not that pleasant to be around. This one simple act of kindness changed my whole outlook on the project- and especially my day.

We are often consumed with our own projects, worries and thoughts. I pray for increased awareness to look around me and see how I can help others. It’s not always in those big, courageous acts either. We can lift the spirit of another with a simple, unspoken action.

Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:18

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

May we all be made aware of opportunities for kindness to others. God bless.

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Celebrate like it’s your birthday

1 Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

If you live in the Carver house, you know that July 8 is an important date. Everyone in our family knows the importance of July 8- probably because we are reminded of that date at least once a week for the entire year. July 8 is the birthday of our youngest child, Britton…also known as “B.”

B loves his birthday. He talks about it often. Perhaps it comes with being the youngest of three children. In his 8 years of life he’s been driven countless miles to sit in stands and bleachers to watch his older siblings play basketball, soccer, baseball and softball. You can double that amount if you factor in practices and scrimmages. July 8 is the single day that all the attention is on him. Nothing else is more important than the events of that day. B decides where we’ll eat, what we’ll do and who we’ll invite to the festivities. On July 8th it’s all about B.

Or perhaps it’s the gift. B loves birthday gifts. He mentions the objects of his desire all year long- wearing all of us down with his constant reminders.

As Christians, we have the opportunity to celebrate a special series of events- and be thankful for a precious gift that we’ve been offered.

Luke 18: 31-33 Then He took the twelve and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. For He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon, and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him; and on the third day He will rise again.”

Jesus Christ sacrificed his body on the cross so that our sins might be washed away. He has established hope for eternal life with Him in heaven. Nothing we can do could ever repay this gift.

And so we should appreciate and celebrate this moment…this event…this gift.
The death
The 3rd day that followed…the resurrection
The promise fulfilled
It’s even better than your birthday.

God bless.

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