Author: Barbara

My passion is to encourage women wherever they are on their life journey. In everything I write and in every opportunity to speak, my goal is to offer hope. May the God of all hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 NIV

Hopscotch

~ Barbara ~ Leave a comment

Do you remember drawing a hopscotch grid on your driveway or playground? We numbered the chalked boxes from one to ten, the tenth being slightly larger and arched to facilitate turning around. We carefully chose a flat stone as our marker because a round one could bounce.

A player tossed her rock into the hopscotch grid and hopped from square to square on one foot, but not in the square with her rock in it. When she reached grid ten, she turned around and hopped back. She once again skipped the square with her rock, but now she paused to pick it up.

The game required agility and balance. It also had a lot of rules:

  • If the tossed stone landed outside the lines, they lost their turn.
  • If a player hopped on the wrong square, they lost their turn.
  • If a player hopped outside the hopscotch grid, they lost their turn.
  • If a player stepped on a line, they lost their turn.
  • If a player put both feet inside a square, they lost their turn.

In light of my Red Rover post, you may wonder if I also find life lessons in Hopscotch. Yes, I do!

  • Keep your eye on the goal—don’t be distracted.
  • Watch your step—God gives us boundaries for a reason.
  • Aim accurately—don’t live carelessly.
  • Progress in an orderly fashion—there are no shortcuts to holiness.
  • Make choices that won’t bounce—choose life tools (stones) that will move you forward and assure victory.

Life’s successes follow those who live within God’s guidelines.

My child, never forget the things I have taught you.
Store my commands in your heart.
If you do this, you will live many years,
and your life will be satisfying.
Proverbs 3:1-2

Red Rover, Red Rover

~ Barbara ~ Leave a comment

For readers too young to remember, Red Rover, Red Rover was a popular childhood game played on many elementary school playgrounds during recess. Kids formed two facing lines, holding hands to form a barrier. One side called out, “Red Rover, Red Rover, let Johnny come over.” Johnny (or whoever was called) aimed at the two clasped hands he deemed most vulnerable and raced across the opening to break the hold. If he succeeded, he returned to his team, bringing one from the opposition with him. If he failed, he joined the opponent as their captive.

There’s a life illustration here. We belong to a “team,” a group of believers where we are safe, united in friendship and faith. But there is a team opposed to us that wants to lure us to their side, calling our name. This is not a game of Red Rover when the bell rings and we return to the safe atmosphere of the classroom. This is life, and temptation’s taunt is not a game we can easily walk away from. When the Tempter calls, his goal is to entrap us. He knows our name and targets our weaknesses.

We may run toward the temptation and, overconfident in our strength and speed, expect success. But the sad truth is, we risk being roped in. When we are captured, there’s no easy escape, no bell to end our captivity. Our team is weakened by our absence, and it will take another brave soul to risk safety and run into danger to win us back.

We thrive in the safety of our team. It is a place where we can learn and grow, increase in wisdom, and resist temptation’s lure. We need each other.

If you’ve run into danger, reach out to someone you trust and ask for help. If you’re standing strong, offer rescue to a struggling friend.

If another believer is overcome by some sin,
you who are godly should gently and humbly
help that person back onto the right path…
Share each other’s burdens.
Galatians 6:1-2 NLT

Picture from commons.wikimedia.org

When did You Last Read Malachi?

~ Barbara ~ 2 Comments

You know, the prophet, the last book in the Old Testament. I just read it and was doubly impressed—by Malachi’s no-nonsense approach and blunt candor, and by God’s non-nonsense attitude and extravagant mercy.

These three nuggets spoke deeply to my heart:

  • “‘My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations,’ says the Lord Almighty” (1:11).
    I don’t currently see this, but oh, what longing it stirs in my heart, what anticipation!

  • “Then those who feared [loved] the Lord spoke with each other, and the Lord listened to what they said. In His presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared Him and always thought about the honor of His name” (3:16).
    Our conversation with others who love God is so precious to God that it’s recorded!

  • “For you who fear [love] my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in His wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture” (4:2).
    I love that image and the unbridled joy and freedom it represents!

God sees the motives of our hearts and, as warranted, will correct them or reward them. I already mentioned what strikes me most—His extravagant mercy. When we err or withhold our devotion, God gladly reroutes us with generous forgiveness. What a good God!

Photo by Matthieu Rochette on Unsplash

Why I Don’t Go Apple Picking

~ Barbara ~ 6 Comments

This is the time of year when New York State’s orchards get as crowded with eager apple pickers as its city streets are with pedestrians. It used to be an annual outing for our family, until the last time, which was in the fall of 2004.

We trekked up to Maskers in three cars to glean the apples we would turn into fall goodies, like apple crisp or pie.  Homemade apple sauce, however, was our favorite. The countertop held Grandma B’s old apple mill, and plastic containers were lined up to receive the sweet, warm sauce. Kids from young to old waited with spoons, ready for their first taste. But I’m digressing. Back to apple picking.

Our daughter Stacey was our adventurer and added sparkle to our family. She had her eye on a lone apple hanging from a tree apart from all the others. Because her father was wrapped around her finger, they tromped through mud and over a fence to reach the one perfect apple that Stacey just had to have.

It was silly, but obviously memorable to us, and its telling has grown sweeter with time because, less than two weeks later, Stacey left us when the Lord lifted her from her bed and brought her home. And that’s why I don’t go apple picking anymore.

The remembrance is too sweet and the missing her would be too sharp, even 21 years later. It’s a memory we savor as we look forward to walking with her through Heaven’s orchards, where every apple will be a perfect apple.

Forgive my nostalgia, but I share this to encourage you to take time to create memories. Set a date, face the traffic, and go apple picking!

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from Him. Psalm 127:3