Category: Prayer

Ascension Day: The Antidote to Post-Resurrection Letdown

I’ll begin this post as I did the last one: I’m sure most, if not all of you have experienced what I’m experiencing right now: a feeling of hanging in limbo. As though you’re unsure of your next move and have difficulty planning your days.

Then I listed some reasons why that could be happening and expanded on the stress and sadness our family is experiencing with my mother’s decline in health and her journey toward the end of her earthly days.

And that was before I was blindsided (the day following the post release) that the memory care home where my mother lives will be closing its doors at the end of this month. That means finding a new place for my mom, at a time in her life that another transition will be very difficult.

Thankfully, God in His infinite goodness found another place for my mom, through my mother’s primary caregiver. We’ve moved her this last Friday.

But the stress of calling hospice and her nurse practitioner and new nurse and making sure that’s all coordinated has added to the blah feelings; and, I am sure, at this point, that I’m dealing with some sadness and depression.

Grief.

 

And that just amplifies what I was already experiencing.

Post-Easter letdown.

Which really doesn’t need to happen.

The emotional, spiritual, and often physical investment of the forty days of Lent, Holy Week, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and then the rousing celebrating on Easter Sunday can result in a kind of letdown feeling. As though it all happened, and now it’s over, and a feeling of “what now?” niggles your spirit.

But should I really be experiencing that post-Easter letdown? If I’m experiencing it, I can only imagine what Jesus’ disciples were experiencing on an order of magnitude greater than my doldrums.

But if we look at what happened after the Resurrection, which we started to explore on April 19 post, we see that there was a lot happening between Jesus and His disciples. It didn’t happen the way we often envision it to have transpired.

And that’s where we’re headed in this post. On an eavesdropping and sightseeing walk with Jesus and His followers. Experiencing the far-flung emotions they experienced—the shock, dismay, wonder, giddy joy and thrill of their encounters and the final goodbye that drove them to praise and worship their risen Lord.

As we walk with them, we’ll better understand just how generous and loving and patient and kind our Savior truly is toward us. Then, and now.

 

And once we understand and appreciate that, we’ll also experience that wonder, thrill and praise-filled joy ourselves.

 

What transpired with the disciples between Jesus’ death and resurrection?

 As far as we can discern from the four Gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, we get a picture of a terrified group of disciples in mourning. Hidden away in abject fear of the Roman authorities and Jewish leaders, who the disciples believe will be tracking them down and crucifying them too. The Garden of Gethsemane shows them running, after Peter cuts off a temple guard’s ear when trying to defend Jesus. Once Jesus is arrested and taken away, the disciples make a getaway.

But at some point Peter and John follow the group. (I can see them trying to follow the crowd, undetected, in the night.) Because John knows someone there, they gain entry to the Jewish trial proceedings and eavesdrop on that event. That’s where Peter is when he’s accused by a servant girl of being one of Jesus’ followers and does what he swore he’d never do: deny knowing Jesus. And Jesus hears him do it.

Scripture tells us that Peter ran away and wept. Probably bitterly.

John must have stuck around for the proceedings, though, because we get some great details about what transpired. And he seems to be the only one of the twelve that has the nerve to follow Jesus to Golgotha and stand beside the wailing women to watch the crucifixion and Jesus’ death.

Judas goes out in the field to commit suicide over his betrayal of Jesus.

The women disciples, always faithful and seemingly unafraid, station themselves at the cross to be with their Lord and mourn.

After Jesus’ death, two Jewish leaders—secret followers of Jesus—step forward to bury Him in the tomb.

And then the Scriptures are silent on what’s transpiring for three days, although we do know that on the morning of the Resurrection, ten of the remaining followers are assembled together. I can imagine what’s going through their minds.

Agony.

Heartbreak.

Grief.

Disillusionment.

Terror.

Dread.

 

A what-are-we-going-to-do-now feeling.

Things didn’t go quite according to their plan. Jesus didn’t fulfill all of their hopes and dreams—of conquering the Romans and freeing the Jews from oppression. He didn’t do the conquering king thing, as they expected.

They left their livelihoods and families and dedicated three solid years of their lives to following Jesus, being taught by Jesus, watching Him work, heal, preach, and pray. Now, in one devastating twenty-fours, it’s over.

They’re demoralized, devastated.

And scared to death.

 

Ever feel like that? When all of your hopes and dreams, all you’d worked for abruptly ended, and you couldn’t see past your pain, fear and disillusionment to think straight. To trust that all is going according to plan or will be worked out.

It’s a sick to the pit of your stomach feeling that sucks the life out of you.

But bless Jesus’ always-perceptive, loving heart. He knows this anguish, and He spends forty days after the resurrection appearing to, speaking with, eating with, walking with and still teaching His followers.

And forgiving them.

 

What transpires during that forty days following the Resurrection?
  1. The first thing that happens is Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene, who has gone with the other women followers to finish the anointing of Jesus’ body that they couldn’t do on Friday due to the approaching Sabbath, when all work was to cease for twenty-four hours.

Can you imagine this woman’s joy when she sees her Lord again? Pause for a moment and consider what might go through your heart and mind if you were in her shoes.

Shock?

Bewilderment?

Inexpressible joy?

Clearly, she and the other women are so excited that they hurry to find the other disciples, to let them know what they’ve heard and seen. And what do the eleven men think?

Unbelief. Because “[the women’s] words seem to them like nonsense.”

I can imagine the yelling and likely arguing that ensued. The anger at not being believed. The chastising and ridicule for such “nonsense” being spoken.

Ever have a heated discussion with someone that doesn’t believe you, or just dismisses what you have to say? It’s more than irritating. You feel patronized and belittled. It’s a horrible feeling.

But Peter and John must have a suspicion that what the women’s report has some merit, because they run to the tomb and take a look for themselves. Luke’s Gospel doesn’t say that what Peter sees immediately convinces him; it says he “wonders what has happened.”

 

  1. The next thing Luke recounts is that road to Emmaus encounter with two followers. The one we covered in the last post. Jesus teaches and opens their eyes to what the Scriptures prophesied about Him, reveals Himself to them, and then splits. Disappears, actually.

The two men are so overjoyed that they run seven miles back from where they had just come to tell the other disciples, who are likely chattering up a storm about the recent developments.

Can you imagine the two beating on the door to be let in and then busting out with what they experienced? How could you possibly contain yourself? The scene is likely happy chaos and breathless reporting.

 

  1. But before they can get out their fabulous story, the disciples burst out with their own revelation: “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.”

So somewhere in that time frame on that Resurrection Day, between the appearing and disappearing, Jesus has appeared to Simon Peter. Alone. And if you know your Bible stories well, you can guess—or already know—why Jesus must have done that.

With his denial, Simon had sinned grievously against his friend and Lord. Scripture is clear that he mourned his sin. Can you imagine doing this to your best friend and then having to live with the agony of regret for the rest of your life?

In God’s mercy, He doesn’t allow Peter to suffer. I don’t know what the conversation was; it was a very private interaction. Scripture doesn’t elaborate, but I can imagine.

Peter is likely shamefaced when Jesus appears to Him. Maybe he falls at Jesus’ feet, weeping once again. Maybe he collapses into Jesus’ arms. Maybe he begs for Jesus’ forgiveness.

Whatever happens, we know that Jesus forgives him. And their relationship is fully restored. And there’s nothing quite like a restored precious friendship.

And that’s exactly what happens to us when we repent to Jesus. When we acknowledge our sins and ask God to forgive us. He’s faithful and just to forgive them. Now. Just as He’s been doing for thousands of years.

What relief and joy Peter must have experienced at the restitution. Can you relate?

You feel clean, restored, refreshed. Your heart is unburdened. Life again has meaning and purpose.

 

  1. Then, while the Eleven and the other disciples are chattering about all that has happened, Jesus appears. Just shows up. No knocking on the door to be let in. He just materializes and gives them a familiar greeting, “Peace be with you.”

And wouldn’t you know it, even though Mary and Peter and those two Emmaus guys have already seen Him, Luke says, “They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost.”

Maybe Mary and the women, and the Emmaus walkers and Peter weren’t startled, but I suspect they were. At least a little bit.

How could they not be? While Jesus is real flesh and bone, clearly something remarkable has happened to Him to allow Him to come and go in an instant, to appear and disappear.

Have you ever experienced something that seemed just too good to be true? Something you saw or experienced with your own senses, but you kept second-guessing yourself? You just couldn’t get over the fact that it happened.

Imagine seeing a once bloodied, broken and dead body come back to life, and you get the idea. And who can blame them? I’m sure Jesus’ ability to just come and go like that took some getting used to.

But Jesus gently chides them when He says, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”

Jesus provides proof. The nail holes haven’t disappeared. The lance-caused side wound remains. He actually invites them to look and touch and see. To be convinced.

To fully believe.

But, because they’re so overcome with joy (Wow! It’s really Him, isn’t it?); and amazed (How could He really be alive and back in our midst?!), they still aren’t fully convinced. Meaning, they probably wouldn’t stake their lives on it as they eventually end up doing.

Again, in His love and patience, Jesus asks, “Do you have anything to eat?” When they provide him with a piece of boiled fish, He took it and ate it right there in front of them. To further prove his flesh-and-bones existence.

 

  1. Jesus reiterates to them that He told them all about this when He was with them those three years—the prophecies about Him in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms. He opens their minds to understand all that’s been written. He says,

“This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sin will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.”

 

And then he gives them another promise, and directions:

 

“I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

 

Power from on high? Who wouldn’t want to stick around for that!

 

Is there more in the forty days after the Resurrection?

In order to learn more about what transpires in those forty days, we need to jump over to the Book of Acts, where Dr. Luke expounds on the story.

In chapter 1 we read:

 

“After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: ‘Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’”

 

Verse six indicates by their question that they’re still hung up on the kingdom restoration to Israel thing, so He tells them, bluntly, that it’s none of their business when that’s going to happen. And then He tells them what they will be doing for Him:

 

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

 

In essence, He tells them that thy have a big job to do for Him. Others need to know about Him, and be offered salvation and restoration to God. And it’s going to be their responsibility to get evangelism kick-started.

 

Evidently that instruction comes on His very last day with them, after He led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, (as Dr. Luke reports in the last verses of his Gospel), when Jesus performs His final act upon the earth.

 

Jesus’ final act upon the earth—

Jesus has appeared. Jesus proves many times over—in front of a multitude of witness—that He was dead and is now alive.

He has forgiven. He has taught. He has given additional instructions. And now He performs His final, loving and encouraging act.

He lifts up His hands.

And blesses them.

 

What He said is not recorded, but we can be assured that His words were tender, loving, uplifting. Maybe something along the lines of probably the most famous benediction in Scripture:

 

“The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace” (Numbers 6:24-26)

 

Maybe He personalized it by saying “I bless you and will keep you. I will make my face shine upon you, and be gracious to you…”

 

But perhaps it was more personal. These are, after all, the closest and dearest, most beloved friends He had during His life on earth. The men and women He had spent an intense and busy three years with. The people He’d joked with, laughed with, ate and camped outside with. The ones who knew Him best.

At least as well as one can possibly know the One who is fully God and fully man.

And in the midst of that blessing, while He’s blessing them, Jesus is elevated into heaven. Slipping through what is likely a thin veil between heaven and earth; returning to the Father in glory.

The Magnificent Ascension.

He leaves them again, this time with that blessing on their hearts and minds.

A glorious memory of their Lord to take and carry with them.

 

Luke then tells us in his Gospel that after He disappears, His followers begin worshipping Him. And they obey His directions by returning to Jerusalem with great joy. Not just a little joy, or a general kind of joy, but GREAT joy.

Once there they head to the temple, where they continually praise God.

A jump over to the first chapter of Acts gives us the full picture.

While Jesus is disappearing into the clouds, the disciples stand staring up into the sky. I can just see all of them standing in a clump, mouths open, heads back, eyes fastened on Jesus, and then those clouds. Maybe they could still hear His voice through the opaque mist.

Luke says they “were looking intently.”

Can’t you just see them, heads bent backward; eyes straining to see. Maybe they’re waiting Him to come back down to the earth. After all, He disappeared once, and then reappeared and disappeared and reappeared. Perhaps He would do it again.

It takes two angels dropped down to earth beside them to get them to re-focus.

 

“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into haven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

 

That’s good enough for them. Nothing like a couple of suddenly-appearing guys dressed in bright white to get your attention. The disciples hit the road and head back to Jerusalem. To wait, as their Lord instructed.

They’ve learned well enough now to believe and to trust, and do as they’re told.

And do it with praise and worship in their hearts and on their lips.

 

What does this story have to say to us?

This is an amazing story. A true and living story.

It’s not a story of an indifferent God who put in His ministry time, suffered, got the reparation job done and then promptly returned home.

It’s the story of a loving God. A compassionate God. A God who seeks, and takes the first steps to forgive and restore.

A God that loves and longs to bless us!

The crushing pain and devastating loss at the crucifixion has been lifted and erased. There is no more sorrow. Only joy and worship and forward-looking living.

Jesus’ physical presence will soon be replaced with His spiritual one. The One that’s busy in the world right now—working, teaching, healing, saving, and leading.

Just exactly like the physical Son did while He was on earth.

 

I would caution you to not let your imagination run amuck, in haste to fill in what isn’t said in Scripture, but can you see yourself in this story? Can you hear Jesus’ words and actions; imagine yourself as a disciple?

Let me provide a few questions to get you started.

 

Invitation—
  1. Close your eyes and imagine all that Jesus said and did during that forty days. Imagine Him blessing His follower friends, and then imagine Him blessing you.
  2. When was the last time you asked Jesus for His blessing upon you and your life? Upon your day; upon a significant moment in time.

Take the time to do it right now. Lift your hands to the heavens to receive the blessing. And praise and worship Jesus for giving it. Rejoice, just as the disciples did that day in Bethany and Jerusalem.

  1. Spend a moment considering the characteristics that mark the disciples at this moment in their lives, at the end of Luke’s gospel and the opening of Acts.

They praise.

They worship.

They obey.

And then ask yourself: How much of my day, week, year, or life is or has been marked by praise?

If you’re lacking that component in your life, begin today.

If you’re not sure how to praise, ask the loving Savior to show and lead you.

If you need forgiveness, repent and ask Him to forgive you.

If you’re on the outside of that disciple circle looking in, and want to know how you become a part of it, take the steps needed to break through the circle.

Acknowledge that Jesus is the Savior, the Son of God. The Messiah, who took upon Himself the sins of all mankind, suffered and paid a penalty that you owed.

Ask Him to forgive you of your sins. If you aren’t sure what they are, ask Him to reveal them to you. He will.

Tell Him you want to be a follower, a child of God.

Ask Him to send the Holy Spirit to inhabit your heart so you are counted as one of God’s children.

Then offer praise and worship to the One who restores you from death to life and prepares a place for you to live in Heaven. The One who has given you hope and a future.

 

And rejoice!

 

Why are we looking at the Ascension right now, this long after Easter.

Because this Thursday, May 13, marks Ascension Day, the commemoration of the end of Jesus’ forty days son earth following His resurrection.

Consider it anew and what it means for you.

NEXT WEEK: We’ll continue the story with a look at Pentecost—the event that initiated the age of the Church. We’ll celebrate the anniversary.

Until then, praise, worship and obey.

Blessings,

Andrea

“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”

 
Andrea Arthur Owan, M.S., A.T., R., is a health and fitness pro, speaker, award-winning inspirational writer, memoirist, and senior-ordained chaplain (IFOC). She helps people thrive physically, emotionally and spiritually and recover from grief, loss and trauma.

What is your Future Hope?

What is your greatest hope? Is it world peace? An end to this pandemic and returning to “normal?” A medical test telling you your cancer is gone?

At any point in our lives we may be focusing on one particular “hope,” driven by something pressing in on us. There was a time in my life when my marriage had suffered some pretty hefty relational earthquake cracks, and all I could focus on was hoping (and praying) the cracks would be repaired and the relationship restored. (By God’s grace, it was.)

At that point in my life, the rope knot that kept me hanging on was “love hopes all things.” Love is the knot that keeps you hanging on. It’s the knot that allows us to look into the future.

The future that Love gave us.

And that’s what this season of Easter is about.

Love. Perfect love. Earthshaking, paradigm shifting, life-altering Love.

The kind of love that prompts the God of the Universe to look upon mankind in pain and sympathy and send His only Son down to the inhabited orb to provide a way for mankind to be—if they so choose—restored to Him and look forward to a time when the Earth will be renewed and eternal life established and granted. When every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

 

A future, Heavenly hope.

 

That’s what the Resurrection gave and still gives us.

 

Nothing else on Earth comes close to that kind of promise.

 

Are you looking forward to that time? Do you have that kind of hope in your heart?

I pray you can answer “Yes!” to those two questions. If you can, I know you’re rejoicing at the promise that will someday be fulfilled.

If you’re unsure, or waffling, or wish you knew more, I invite and encourage you to watch these videos by Alistair Begg. They’re short, informative and uplifting.

 

And they could change your life by planting you on the road to eternal hope.

 

Christ has died.

Christ is Risen.

Christ will come again!!

To watch Pastor Begg’s short videos, paste this link into your browser and click on “The Story,” and the other two videos.

And then sing your heart out!

 

 

 

HAPPY EASTER!

Until next week, may you rest secure in the future hope God has already given you—the Eternal Light that shines in the darkness.

Blessings,

Andrea

“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”

 
Andrea Arthur Owan, M.S., A.T., R., is a health and fitness pro, speaker, award-winning inspirational writer, memoirist, and senior-ordained chaplain (IFOC). She helps people thrive physically, emotionally and spiritually and recover from grief, loss and trauma.

5 Steps for Spiritual Health and Renewal

I’ll begin this blog post with the same question I asked last week: Does your spiritual life feel non-existent, bland, or in dire need of a spiritual revival?

Then I went on to discuss how living solely on daily devotionals can cause your spiritual life to degrade to blah.

But what else might be missing in your spiritual life? How can you improve your spiritual health and be renewed?

That’s what we’ll look at today.

 

Feeling Disenchanted with your Christian Life?

Many Christians find their initial fervor in the faith wanes after a few years, and their hearts feel a little dulled. If you find yourself facing that dilemma, rather than just consider it normal, or trying to brush it aside, or convincing yourself that your spiritual life is really okay, you should ask yourself the following questions:

 

  1. Are you consistently listening to or watching good, solid Bible preaching? The kind that challenges and stretches you; reinforces your faith. Gets you excited, or even convicted.

Just as daily physical nourishment is required for good health, you need to feed yourself with the solid word of God for your spiritual well being. No offense to the power of positive thinking crowd, but that kind of preaching doesn’t delve deeply enough into the meat of the gospels. The whole Bible. Find a good Christian radio station to listen to, a television or streaming program with strong, biblical preaching to watch.

 

  1. Do you have a circle of strong Christian friends you fellowship with regularly?

Iron sharpens iron, and this fact can’t be missed, or dismissed. Even Jesus had his twelve and then his inner three, although the joke is that He had Peter, James and John follow Him around because they were the most likely to get in trouble, and He had to keep an eye on them.

Belonging to a solid, Bible-teaching congregation is critical to spiritual health. Find one and become an active participant.

Find a Bible study group and be sensitive to others that you feel connected to. Seek them out. Join them for coffee or lunch. Get your hearts knit together. You don’t need an army of them. Two or three friends that stick together, lift each other up, make you feel safe and blessed are what you need.

I wouldn’t be able to survive without mine.

 

  1. Have you been baptized?

Getting Holy water dribbled on you as a clueless baby is a lot different than taking the full plunge in front of witnesses as an adult.

You’re making a statement, a formal commitment to Jesus Christ. Proclaiming yourself to be a follower. It’s a serious matter and incredibly joyful and freeing event.

Your church doesn’t submerse? It doesn’t have to be the Jordan River. Ask a pastor to join you and some friends in a backyard pool.

 

  1. Are you partaking of Communion?

Every time you gather with other believers to profess Christ’s body and blood given in sacrifice for Christians, you are remembering the Lord and what He has done for you, and everyone else gathered there. It is a community event. It means you accept Him as your groom as He proposes to you, His bride.

It is also a time of introspection, since no one should come to the Lord’s Table without a repentant heart.

And let me go out on a limb here and say that I believe it to be perfectly acceptable to pour yourself a small glass of grape juice, (or wine), and snag a small piece of bread or a cracker (as a side note: the bread Jesus used would have been unleavened, not some fluffy loaf we think of), open your Bible to the passages on the Last Supper or verses remembering that event, pray fervently, and partake of Communion on your own.

Or ask a friend to join you. My husband and I and another couple did just that a couple of weeks ago, as we sat in our living room watching a live stream worship service that included Communion. The pastor encouraged it. And it was a particular joy to celebrate it with dear friends in this continued COVID distancing.

 

I know. I’m going to get some flack on that one, especially from denominations that believe only a priest is allowed to bless the elements, and that they must be properly blessed before consumption. If you are horrified at what I’ve said, please leave a comment and tell me why you believe that to be true. And please back it up by Bible references, not extra-biblical writing.

 

  1. Finally, do you have an active prayer life?

After reading and studying His word, this is the primary way to connect with the Savior.

There is nothing like reading Scripture, praying it, praying for yourself, others, the body of Christ, your leaders, your neighbors, your friends and your enemies. And seeing those prayers answered, whether yes or no. It’s life changing. Like walking with God in the cool of the day. Pouring your aching heart out to Him. Getting down and dirty and honest about your life.

It’s how life is won—on your knees.

It gives you unexpected revelations, opens your eyes to truth. Helps you recognize and utilize God’s life-giving power.

It helps you understand just how deeply and profoundly and unconditionally you are loved by the Creator and Savior.

 

Invitation—

If you’re not using any of these steps to strengthen your spiritual life, I invite—and encourage—you to start now. You can jump into all five of them with both feet, or tread more slowly, selecting one or two to incorporate and pursue. But do pursue them!

And if you have another discipline that helps you strengthen your spiritual life, please share it with us in the Comments box.

And if you don’t yet have a relationship with the Savior and would like to know how to have one, text me at 520-975-6109 and leave a brief message. I’ll be in touch. Or email me at:

 

andreaarthurowan@gmail.com

 

Easter is a marvelous time to commit your life to Christ!

 

NEXT WEEK: As we approach Easter, we’ll look at the importance of the Cross. Without it, there is no Christianity.

Until then, take the next steps to deepen and solidify your spiritual life.

Blessings,

Andrea

“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, jut as your soul prospers.”


Andrea Arthur Owan, M.S., A.T., R., is a health and fitness pro, speaker, award-winning inspirational writer, memoirist, and senior-ordained chaplain (IFOC). She helps people thrive physically, emotionally and spiritually and recover from grief, loss and trauma.

Advent: Past, Present and Future

ADVENT. Defined as the arrival of a notable person, thing or event. Recognized by Christians as the first season of the Christian year. In other words, when it all began. The exact dates are the four preceding Sundays leading up to Christmas Day.

But it doesn’t end there. For the faithful the term also means the coming or second coming of Christ.

A lot of us have been looking for that lately. That second coming. A lot of Christians thought COVID-19 was the crack in the second coming curtain. The opening prologue. Some still think it is.

Having Jesus return now and being caught up in the clouds with Him and swept off to glory without having to suffer and die certainly seems a more appealing option than contracting and having to suffer through a near-deadly case of the disease, or having a family member or friend die of it. Of having to stay cloistered at home, out of touching range with family and friends, classmates, co-workers, birthday parties, funerals, graduations, church worship and Bible study gatherings.

Actually, it’s a more appealing option than life in a normal year.

 

A yearly reminder, and look to the future—

Regardless of whether or not this is THE year, (Hint: no one knows the time or the hour), Christians are always called to be ready, looking, working, preparing. As one of my favorite mugs says, “Perhaps Today.”

And it’s always a good thing to celebrate that first coming, the one that stood the world on its head over 2000 years ago. The celebration that reminds us of the Who, what and why of Christmas.

And then look to the future and celebrate Christ’s future return. Plan for the party. Keep busy preparing for it, inviting guests, getting them ready for the feast, rejoicing over our future hope.

Because either soon or soonish, or not as soon as we’d like, Jesus is coming back. He promised He would, and He told us to be watching for Him.

 

A personal advent—

This year I can certainly relate to that watching and waiting for a baby to arrive on the world’s stage.

On Mother’s Day, my older son stuck an ultrasound picture up in front of his computer camera during our Mother’s Day ZOOM meeting. My younger son and I immediately knew what it was. (The engineer, working without his close-range glasses, was a little slow to catch on.)

To say it was one of the best Mother’s Day presents EVER is an understatement. The other two were the ones immediately following my older and younger son’s births. Yet, now, there are no adequate words to describe the joy, and the heady anticipation of progeny.

 

We’ve waited and watched and looked for since that glorious May day, talking about due dates, shower gifts, baby paraphernalia needs, having another ZOOM meeting for the “It’s a Girl!” gender reveal, nail chewing during some blood pressure spikes, and the two and a half days it took for her to arrive after inducement.

We were on emotional pins and needles. And to an extent, we still are. We haven’t seen our beautiful granddaughter yet, but we will soon. With weighty expectations of holding her in our arms, singing to her, tracing nose and ears, touching and brushing silky cheeks, and feeling baby fingers looped around thumbs nearly make me swoon in ecstasy.

So, to some extent, we’re still waiting and watching, preparing. Expecting. With eyes and hearts wide open.

I shouldn’t be any different with my Lord’s return. Advent then. Advent future. Looking back and looking forward. Always watching, being prepared. Expectant. Cognizant of the signs of the times.

It’s easy to get jaded and do the same-old, same-old at Christmas. But I doubt anything will look the same to any of us this year.

And that’s probably a good thing.

Maybe a new, reinvigorated appreciation for the meaning of the day will emerge in our hearts and lives. We’ll be more grateful. More repentant and more forgiving. More joyful.

We’ll take a serious look at what we missed this year, and what we didn’t miss. And what we can now live without and can no longer live with.

And Who we need to bring sanity and peace to this insane and crumbling and ugly world.

 

The month of December—

It’s hard to fathom that this is likely my last post of this notorious year. It seems to have dragged on too long and also sped by. So much has happened—in the world, our nation, and in my family. But slinking toward its end, it is.

I’ll be taking December off, to enjoy that new grandbaby, my family, and life. To dig into Advent. To read the story again—the old one and the coming one. To prepare my heart, and offer thanks.

Because within both lies hope. The kind of hope only the King of Glory gives. A hope and a future.

Something everyone is craving right now.

Invitation—

I hope you have an advent study selected and are already into the celebration. But if not, and you’re looking for some weekly reads, you can access my Advent posts on my other blog “Broken Hearts, Redeemed.”

“Is There Room in Your Inn?”

“Advent: A Great Message for Today, and for the Future”

“Advent: A Season of Joy, Now and for the Future”

“The Advent and Maintenance of Peace”

“Christ is Born Means God is with Us!”

“Christmas: A Heavenly Timetable” (My nonfiction story that first appeared in a Chicken Soup for the Soul Christmas book.)

“A Season—and Life—of Hope” (Read this one right after Christmas.)

“He Might Come Tonight—Are You Ready?”

“12 Steps to Defeat Depression: Spirituality and Prayer, Part 2 (For a stronger start to the New Year.)

Until 2021, keep praying, keep preparing, and keep watching, waiting and expecting.

Perhaps today will be THE day!

And thank you, dear readers, for your support throughout this year. It hasn’t been easy or smooth sailing for anyone. And I appreciate you more than I can say.

Blessings and a Most Blessed Christmas to all of you!

Andrea

“Beloved, I pray that you prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers” (3 John).


Andrea Arthur Owan, M.S., A.T., R., is a fitness pro, speaker, award-winning inspirational writer, memoirist, and senior-ordained chaplain (IFOC). She helps people thrive physically, emotionally, and spiritually, and recover from grief, loss and trauma.

Thanksgiving History: Being Grateful for Life’s Thorns

It’s all about thanksgiving.

I’m going to guess all of you reading this post have experienced a major life event you considered to be more of a thorn in your side than a blessing you’d give thanks for. No doubt 2020 has rocked your world with COVID-19 and maybe brought accompanied economic devastation.

It hasn’t been a normal year for anyone, or an easy year for many. We’ve all been turned on our heads to some degree.

It’s been a thorn.

We don’t like thorns. They’re sharp and often draw blood. They might leave bruises or infections that take time to heal. They certainly make life harder to handle.

But there are profound life-growing lessons to be learned from painful, blood-drawing thorns, and joy can result from them. For it’s in life’s thorns that we learn more about ourselves, become humbled, and learn how to persevere.

They can also—if you’re willing—turn us toward God and make us more reliant on Him.

 

But even with these thorns, we have so much to be thankful for. So I’m going to focus this post on our upcoming American holiday, Thanksgiving. It’s a special day to focus solely on giving thanks; a day set aside to express gratefulness with and for family and friends, even if you have to celebrate and thank them via ZOOM.

While we don’t often think about celebrating or giving thanks for the thorns in our lives, they may be the first and most important things we should look to and have at the top of our “I’m thankful for…” list.

Even the Pilgrims, who are officially credited with celebrating the first Thanksgiving nearly 400 years ago, (we were supposed to have a big 400th anniversary celebration for their arrival this year), had encountered thorns prior to that celebration. Deadly ones. And the fact that any of them were still alive to tell about it may be the reason they gave thanks.

 

Pilgrim basics: my heritage—

Thanksgiving is special to me. It should be, since I’m a direct descendant of two Pilgrims who sailed from England to America in 1620. Actually, one was an true Pilgrim (Separatist) and the other was a cooper (barrel maker) who evidently wanted a change of scenery and a new life in a new land.

The group was a little band of mostly like-minded pioneers who wanted to worship God without fear, persecution or worldly influence in a way of their choosing. They bravely sneaked away to England on a tiny ship after signing a contract with an English company to plunk down a colony on our shores and start successful trading and businesses.

(On a side note, don’t confuse Pilgrims—Separatists, who wanted to completely separate from the Church of England—and the Puritans, who wanted to transform and purify the Church from the inside.)

When I think about the accounts of that first Thanksgiving—the three-day feast the Pilgrims celebrated with the Wampanoag Indians—I wonder just how many of them were thinking: “I’m so thankful.”

As the History Channel’s website, history.org, states:

 

“As was the custom in England, the Pilgrims celebrated their harvest with a festival. The 50 remaining colonists and roughly 90 Wampanoag tribesmen attended the “First Thanksgiving.”

 

One of the attending Pilgrims noted a Pilgrim attendance of 53, but let’s not quibble in numbers.

It was customary for these English people to celebrate a bounty with a feast and recreational activities, so that’s what they did. Food and sport. And they invited the Indians. (Yes, they really did.)

They were grateful to the Indians, especially for one of them who intervened early and miraculously in their lives to teach them how to add fish to the soil to improve the growing conditions for a good harvest.

They hadn’t expected the poor soil conditions in Massachusetts. It was not where thy planned to land and live. Farther down the coast in Virginia was the landing plan, but they had arrived too late in the season and had to settle for the more northern location.

They also missed planting adequately for the growing season in cold, bitter Massachusetts with its poor crop-growing soil. Their food rotted and became infested with bugs. Then disease, starvation and freezing temperatures decimated most of their tiny band of 102 immigrants in the first six months.

And this is where it gets personal.

My great, great, great, great… Pilgrim grandmother, Priscilla Mullins, arrived at Plymouth in Massachusetts with her brother and their two parents, ready and likely excited to start a new life. But within months, the teenager’s mother, father, and 14-year old brother had succumbed to disease and starvation, leaving her alone with the other survivors, which included only three other women. Her family, along with the other dead, was buried in unmarked graves.

Priscilla was suddenly an orphan in a strange, scary land.

A year later, what could she have been thankful for?

Was she at all thankful for those torturous thorns in her life?

I can only speculate, but knowing that she was a devout follower of Jesus Christ, I’m going to guess that she had a few items on her thankful list.

 

My thorns—

About twenty years ago I started deliberately thanking God for the thorns He’s allowed me to get skewered by in my life. Why? Because it’s been in and through these thorns that I’ve grown the most emotionally and spiritually.

My thorns remind me that I’m really a helpless, puny human without much control over my life, although I often entertain, placate and blind myself by thinking I have more control over it than I do. The thorns keep my humble, relying on Someone greater than myself. The One who’s always in control. And that keeps me focused on and centered in my faith.

Surely, the memory and aftermath of being punctured by my thorns still hurts. After all, thorns do make you bleed. And they can leave nasty scars. Yet they have a tendency to remind you where you’ve ben, what you’ve survived, Who really got you through them, and where you should be going.

 

A (shocking?) admission—

What I’m going to write may shock or offend some of you, while others will nod their heads in collective sympathy and understanding.

As much as I still grieve and lament over my infant daughter, Victoria’s, death; as much as I still long to have her here with us; as much as I day-dream at every stage of life what she would look like and be doing, and mentally replay the dreams I had for her, I am grateful—thankful—that I walked that dark, horrible, thorn-ridden road. Because doing so brought me into a vivid, eternal life with the Supreme giver of life. A deeper, more fruitful, fulfilling and joyful life in the here and now, and in the eternal.

I’d like to think that it really didn’t need to happen that way. But in my heart, I know it did. I would have kept going just as I was, with one foot in the world and the other on a spiritual banana peel.

I’m thankful for those thorns. They remind me to Whom I belong, to Whom Victoria belongs. And they remind me that I will one day see my daughter face-to-face. And I will rejoice that we’ll spend eternity together. They give me one more reason to look forward to heaven.

Each year I move closer to that precious reunion celebration.

And give thanks.

 

Back to my Pilgrim family—

So what was Priscilla Mullins thankful for that cold fall day?

I can only guess.

Even though she was a firm believer in God, His word, and His promises, I suspect she went through the normal stages of grief all of us encounter: shock, fear, denial, anger, depression, exhaustion. Being a Christian doesn’t make you immune to suffering the effects of losing a loved one, of experiencing profound loss.

Being a Christian does mean, however, that you experience something in addition.

It means you grieve with hope, rather than without it.

Your grief is hopeful, not hopeless.

 

Priscilla may have sat at the table, thanking God for His protection over her and the other survivors, for the memory of her parents and brother, for the hope of the future, and probably for the new man in her life—John Alden, with whom she would have 10 children and produce more descendants in the United States than any other Pilgrims.

I often think of her and wonder if her unwavering faith and prayers for her children and children’s children paved the way for the blessings I’ve received in my life. Many of my blessings may be the result of her generational faithfulness.

For that, I also give thanks.

 

As my older son once said to me while he was in college, after making some big mistakes and suffering for them, and struggling against events not in his control: “I wouldn’t change a thing about my life. I don’t regret any of the mistakes or the problems. Because they all make me the person I am today.

And that person he is today just became a first-time father last Thursday morning to a beautiful, precious baby girl. Another descendant who made me a grandma.

I have been praying for this baby—Baby Ellie—for months. My heritage, my reward.

I’m counting a plentitude of blessings this year.

And I’m sure you can count both thorns and beauty in your life this Thanksgiving!

 

Invitation—
  1. What the thorns you’ve experienced in life?
  2. Did you consider these thorns blessings in any way?
  3. How is it possible for you to be thankful for them?
  4. How did God see you through them so they might become a blessing?

Next week, we’ll look at Advent and the importance of celebrating the coming of Christ more than two thousand years ago, and His future coming.

Until then, may joy and thanks abound this Thanksgiving Day. I’m going to guess you’ll never forget your 2020 Day of Thanks!

Blessings,

Andrea

“Beloved, I pray that you prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers” (3 John).


Andrea Arthur Owan, M.S., A.T., R., is a fitness pro, speaker, award-winning inspirational writer, memoirist, and senior-ordained chaplain (IFOC). She helps people thrive physically, emotionally, and spiritually, and recover from grief, loss and trauma.