Category: mercy

When it’s just too hard

Posted on by Susan Panzica

Another email from our friend “B” bearing horrific news.

B is a pastor in Nepal. He and his wife run an incredible ministry in Nepal raising awareness about human trafficking and traveling the country empowering women by encouraging mothers to form support groups and become advocates for their daughters in their communities.

We at Justice Network have been honored to support them both prayerfully and financially. And we get updates with their prayer requests.

Sadly, many of their reports have been one monstrous calamity after another. Of course, you know about the earthquake of 2015. Since then, they experienced a mud slide causing the destruction of a school, periodic flooding, illnesses, and most recently massive nationwide flooding.

After the mud slide that broke the wall of the school killing several students, injuring others physically and all of them emotionally, I was completely undone. It’s hard to understand why some people seem to experience the lion-share of suffering.

Then this week, another disaster, the nationwide flood from continuous rainfall for two days. I’ll spare you the horrendous photos of dead children covered in mud. But once again, I was grieved to my core.

I was at a total loss for words, which if you know me is a rare occasion indeed. I went to Romans 8 for the verse that reads, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”  (Rom. 8:26)

And then, in the same paragraph, there it was, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8:28)

To see these verses coupled in one passage brought new meaning to each of the two familiar verses. When we are so devastated that we can’t pray and the Spirit intercedes for us, God is still on the job, working ALL things together for GOOD.

We may not see the good now, but we can trust the One who can.

A half hour later, I opened my Bible app on my phone. The verse of the day:

I’m so thankful for God who not only speaks to us, but confirms it despite my weak faith.

B and his family and community live in a communion with God that I can barely fathom. They trust Him for EVERYthing. As my friend Christina said, “I always wonder to myself how different their spiritual experience must be from ours.”

The comforts of living in the US can be a blessing, but also can reduce our dependence on God. It’s been said that that nothing improves our prayer life faster than big trouble. So that’s one way that God gets our attention.

People love to quote Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” But this verse was written to people in exile. It would be seventy years before this promise would be fulfilled! Until then, the Israelites in captivity were to seek the Lord with all their heart. Only then would He be found by them and they would be restored. (Jer. 29:12-14)

My challenge to you and to myself is to continue to call upon the Lord, to seek Him with all your heart, in all circumstances, both blessed and broken.

“…call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.  You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” Jer. 29:12-13

 

 

If you would like to financially support B and New Light Nepal, visit Justice Network’s Donate page. You can donate via check or credit card. Please add “Nepal” in a note on PayPal or memo in a check. And thank you in advance. Their need is very great, but even small donations go a long way.

The Lure of Attraction

Posted on by Susan Panzica
2016-08-28-bee-in-flower-heb-2-18a
Marginal Way, Ogunquit, ME

 

On vacation last month, I was playing with the camera settings on my cell phone, trying out the “selective focus mode,” wanting to look like a halfway decent photographer. And I got the shot! But I got something else too. Something not so welcome.

See the bee inside the flower? Well that little guy hitchhiked home with me! When I got back to the quiet of our hotel room, I heard a faint buzzing sound. At first I thought it was the radio of the next door neighbors. But it seemed too close to me. I checked my ipad and phone to see if there was something playing inadvertently. But no. I couldn’t find the source of the buzzing.

So I ignored it.

To my regret.

Seconds later, I felt a sharp pain at my waist. I pulled at my shorts and shirt, and out flew the hitchhiker, right out the back door!

The pain increased exponentially as a red circle began to grow around the stinger. But Tony, my hero husband, came to the rescue, removing the venom and washing it down the sink. Within a few hours, the pain, redness, and swelling were completely gone. There’s just a dot left where the stinger remains.

And of course, some life lessons remain with me too:

  1. Don’t get too close to trouble. Satan entices us with pretty little attractions. Lures that become dangerous temptations. When we draw too close to a dangerous or forbidden thing, person, or activity, we lose sight of the bigger picture. When we indulge in pride, envy, bitterness, any fruit of the flesh, it becomes an unholy dalliance. Our “selective focus” tunes out the warnings in our spirit.
  2. Hear the warnings, and heed the warnings. I heard the buzzing, but thought it was a harmless distraction. I didn’t pay attention to the possible consequences until it was too late. When that little nudge in your spirit says “don’t,” beware and be aware. Stop, look, and listen hard.
  3. Once stung, repent! Get as far away from the situation as possible, and turn to the Helper (John 16:7). Fortunately, Tony was able to reverse most of the effects of the poison. When we confess, Jesus forgives us, taking our mistakes, our failures, our transgressions, and cleansing us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:8-9).
  4. Consequences remain. Although the sting is gone, a scar remains. It’s both a physical and spiritual truth that we reap what we sow (Gal. 6:7). The pain from broken trust in relationships often lingers long after reconciliation. There may be limits, boundaries that we didn’t require before, but now need in place to keep us free from temptation.

Father, we’re so thankful to live under Your grace. May we never take it for granted. Let us strive to live holy lives, pleasing in Your sight, and keeping our eyes on You. “…and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.  And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.” Matt. 6:12-13

Because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted. Hebrews 2:18

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

Are you listening?

Posted on by Susan Panzica
Forgive me another 9/11 post. At our monthly writers meeting on Saturday, our exercise was to write a 9/11 reflection. Thought I’d share it with you.





9/11/2003
Two years after the day that forever changed life as we knew it, at a memorial service, I heard the testimony of a young man. He and a co-worker were in Tower 2 when the second plane struck. They ran from the office, unsure where to step next. Right or left? They argued as she wanted to take the elevator, but he heard a voice directing him to the stairs. He tried to convince her, but ultimately saw her for the last time in the foyer outside their office.


He listened to the voice directing him down, step by step, landing by landing, eventually to safety outside. He praised God for directing and leading him out. But I couldn’t get past the question – What about her? God loved her enough to direct her too, didn’t He? 


Eventually, I understood. God was surely speaking to both. But only one listened. Only one obeyed. The still small voice*. The voice saying “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.‘” *


And what about me? Do I listen when I sense the leading of the Spirit? Do I obey when the direction God gives is clear? 


Not always, I’m sorry to say.


This leading may not be the difference between life and death, but it surely is the difference between growing or not in discernment and Christlikeness. He was obedient, even to death on a cross. “If you love me,” He said, “you’ll obey Me.” 


That young man is alive today because he responded in obedience to the still small voice. I want to be obedient in the big and small choices I make, not for earthly benefits, but for the simple demonstration that I love Jesus. I like to think that I’d be willing to die for Jesus. How willing am I to live for Him? 


Jesus, I ask Your forgiveness for all the times I sense You directing me, and I turn the other way. Help me to be obedient, even unto to death, even unto life. 




*1 Kings 19:12, Isaiah 30:21, John 14:23-24

Forget It! … or Remember it??

Posted on by Susan Panzica

Happy New Year!

On Jan. 1st, I updated my facebook status to read:
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” Is. 43:18-19

Seemed like the perfect verse to usher in the new year along with Paul’s words from Phil 3:13-14 “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Seems like starting a new year gives us opportunity to do a lot of forgetting.

Yet I also recall verses that tell me to do just the opposite – remember!

Repeatedly in Scripture the Lord urges His people to remember – His covenants with them, what He has done for them (and us), what they (and we) had been, how they (and we) angered God, how He forgave.

In fact, Isaiah himself who wrote “forget the former things” also wrote “Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.” Isaiah 46:9

So what’s a girl to do?

Forget or remember??

Probably a little of both.

Alas, I find myself remembering things that have little value, hurtful things, foolish things, things that should be long forgotten. These are the things that Isaiah says to forget – “do not dwell in the past.” In Paul’s description of the race of life, these things are weights that drag us down and keep us from pressing on toward the goal.

What we are to dwell on, to remember, is the God that is like no other. The One who redeemed us when we were unworthy, the One who sustained us when we couldn’t go on, the One who grants us peace beyond understanding, the One who helps us to love the unlovable and who loves us unconditionally, the One who made us and REmade us.

The lyrics from one of my favorite bands Tenth Ave. North says:
    You are more than the choices that you’ve made,
     You are more than the sum of your past mistakes,
     You are more than the problems you create,
     You’ve been remade.

     ‘Cause this is not about what you’ve done,
     But what’s been done for you.
     This is not about where you’ve been,
     But where your brokenness brings you to

     This is not about what you feel,
     But what He felt to forgive you,
     And what He felt to make you loved.

     You are more than the choices that you’ve made,
     You are more than the sum of your past mistakes,
     You are more than the problems you create,
     You’ve been remade.

So in 2011, what will you remember? And what will you forget?

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. Phil. 4:8-9

 

.

Candy-Grams

Posted on by Susan Panzica


Have you ever met someone and instantly connected? That is what happened in NC when I met my very dear friend, Joanne Kraft, from Blessed and Grace and Truth Living. Though we live a continent apart, it’s as if she’s right next door. Her writing is filled with humor, and today – a little lump in the throat.


 

For unto us a child is born, unto us a child is given. Isaiah 9:6

For God so loved the world that He gave…John 3:16



Unfolding a piece of paper, Grace began reading off a list of names. “Jaden, Michael, Jake, Brittany, and Jessie…”

“What are you doing honey?” I asked.

“Our school is selling candy-grams, Mom. For $1.00 I can send a message and have a candy cane delivered to someone’s home room.” She smiled.

I know all of Grace’s closest friends and had never heard these names before. At eleven-years-old, her only income came from occasional babysitting jobs. Five dollars might very well clean out her piggy bank.

“Sweetheart, who are these children? Aren’t you getting one for Mackenzie?”

“I decided to do something different. Mackenzie is still one of my best friends, but she will get lots of candy grams. I decided to send them to kids in my school who might not get one.”

A lump began to form in my throat.

“Jaden is autistic. He sits by himself at lunch. Michael is really, really smart and gets made fun of by the popular kids. Jake is the boy I told you about at the library, the one who walks kind of funny, remember? He offered to give me his seat and girls walked by him and whispered, Jake-alert. Jake-alert. I could tell he felt bad. Kids encouraged Brittany to dance at lunch last week. She thought they were being nice, but they were really being mean. And, Jessie, well she is kind of chubby and sits by herself in class and doesn’t talk much.”

My child went on and on with her reasons for giving—I couldn’t help but whisper a prayer of thanks for my daughters’ heart. “What are you going to write in their message?” I asked.

“I’m not sure. I think I’m just going to write, Merry Christmas – God Loves You.”

“I’m sure they will love it.” I reached out and pulled her in for a hug.

God so loved the world that He gave. This Christmas season encourage your children to give anonymously. Lead by example and show them how it’s done.


• Drop off a plate of cookies on your neighbor’s front porch, ring their doorbell and run!


• Write out a Christmas card for someone and fill it with reasons why this person is loved by you. Don’t sign your name. Have your child address it and drop it in the mail.


• Take your child with you to the grocery store. Have them help you pick out food for someone in you know is hurting financially. Let your child drop the bag off at the house.

Remember, we are loved by a God who gives lavishly. Let’s remember to touch the lives of someone in His name by giving.

Who can you give to this holiday season?

.


Cash for Clunkers!

Posted on by Susan Panzica

I have been hearing a lot about this new government stimulus program. My friend, Donna, was telling me about the new van she got. She drove her old one to the dealership, and it died right there in the lot! She drove out with a beautiful new, totally decked out model – thanks to Cash for Clunkers.

.

Every time I hear that phrase, I just can’t help but think about God’s plan that changed clunky old me into something of value.
.
To the woman caught in adultery, Jesus said, “Where are your accusers? Neither do I condemn you.” He gave the blind man sight, made the lame to walk, healed the leper and raised men, women & children from the dead. Those He touched would never be the same. I may not have been blind, lame, diseased, or dead physically, but spiritually and emotionally, I was all those things. His touch on my life provided healing, freedom, peace, hope and joy, and I will never be the same.
.
Like Donna’s old van, I was dead, had nothing more to give. And like her new van, I am decked out! Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” He has made my life full, not so much with worldly riches, but with the peace that passes understanding, with His love that endures forever, with abundant grace, with truth that set me free. He bound up the brokenhearted, and set the captives free.
.
Do I ever have clunky days? Moments when I’m sure I failed? Times when I feel unlovable? Absolutely, I do. But I also have God’s Word that reassures me of the truth. I have His presence near me and in me confirming His truth to me. And what He did for clunky old me, He will surely do for you!
.
What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole. 1 Peter 1:3-4 The Message
.
Susan

When must we NOT show mercy?

Posted on by Susan Panzica
This is the first, but surely not the last, you will read about my gardening experiences. I find so many illustrations about the Christian life when I am tending my garden. Maybe that’s why it all began in a garden.

The truth is: I have a love/hate relationship with my garden. Oh, how I love the blooms, the fragrance, the sheer beauty that shows its face each spring. Oh, how I hate the seemingly endless care that it requires. And to be honest, I’m not the most gifted gardener. But, I try.

Today, I was attacking an overgrown hydrangea with the pruning shears. Perhaps “attacking” is too strong a word, but I think the hydrangea would disagree. From the plant’s point of view, I seemed just vicious, showing no mercy. But in fact, I was saving its life. There were shoots of dead wood, and if left intact, they would have a negative impact on the rest of the plant, as well as the other plants in the garden, especially the peony next door.

At times, I feared I was too aggressive, but I’ve had this hydrangea a long time. We’ve been through this before, and from past experience, I know that this seemingly harsh treatment is very beneficial. My hydrangea rewards me every summer with a bounty of blooms because with the life-sucking shoots gone, its energy can be directed toward new life.

As Christians, we are instructed to show mercy. Jesus says “God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” (Matt. 5:7). Mercy is the very hallmark of the Christian. But there are times when what appears to be mercy isn’t. When a friend or loved one is engaged in dangerous behavior, they need boundaries and consequences, not an enabler. When sin is crouching at our door, it needs a swift kick right out that door. When envy or bitterness or resentment start slithering under our skin, we need to uproot and remove it. Just a few verses after Jesus teaches about mercy, He says, “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” (Matt. 5:39) Oooh, well, that doesn’t seem too merciful to the eye, does it? No, but sin is like gangrene. It may start small, but unless it is amputated and removed, it will spread causing death and destruction.

So the truly merciful thing to do is nip it in the bud, just like my hydrangea.

Susan