Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." ~ Luke 7:48 We all carry "something" with us that can either keep us from moving forward from a situation, or even paralyzes us. For some, the words, "It's not your fault," can mean the difference between moving on, or a lifetime asking, "What if?"
A man I met years ago while a resident at M D Anderson Cancer Center, shared that he still blamed himself for an auto accident that killed his best friend. Over and over he would replay the events of the night. "If we had just left earlier," "If I had just turned the other way to go home," "If," "If," "If?" In some way he rationalized his cancer diagnosis with the self-inflicted guilt that he continued to carry with him, even years after the accident. He simply would not allow for grace, or for forgiveness. Instead he accepted his condition as "justification." His family and friends had tried to tell him that there was nothing that he could have done. Even his pastor had spent endless hours talking about how sometimes bad things happen, even to the best of people. Then one day a familiar face appeared. It was the father of the friend who had been killed. The two had seen one another at the funeral, but time and distance had kept them from continuing to stay in touch. Two decades had passed. For both, the shared memory was like a bad dream they had both encountered on the same night. The friend's father sat down on the bed with the man, and began to tell him what he and his family had been through since that night. Some of it was very hard to hear. The friend's mother had died, and the friend's father had struggled both personally and professionally. In the midst of telling the man of what had transpired over the years, he looked into the man's eyes and told him, "Not once have we ever blamed you. It was not your fault." The man struggled to hear the words, but then they came again. The friend's father remained for the next week as the man continued to decline and die. The need to hear the words, "It's not your fault," are similar to the words we hear when Jesus shares, "Your sins are forgiven." What we do with these words can impact our life in ways that we cannot begin to imagine. Unless we accept them and allow the words to take up residence where that which has held us captive once lived, we will continue to carry it with us. It's in this acceptance that we then realize the freedom we need to live life more abundantly, or in the case of the man, the ability to die peacefully. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2018
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Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” ~ Luke 10:36 - 37 A woman from a parish I pastored years ago was living in a nursing facility. During the course of a month she fell three times and had to be made a "fall precaution." No one could understand why she was falling. She went through a series of tests, changes in medicines, and even rehabilitation. Then one day we were sitting together outside on the facility's patio in the garden when she told me, "You know why I fall? It's the only time someone takes the time to touch me when they pick me up."
My heart just sank. All along everyone was looking to the physical reason why she was falling, and no one had considered the emotional need not being met. She shared that she didn't have many visitors. Most of her friends had either died or were homebound as well. Her daughter lived out of town, and visited her mother when she could. "You just can't imagine how long my days are," she continued, "and sometimes no one even touches me." She began to cry as I hugged her, and we just sat together holding hands. So often we forget that there are those around who simply need a kind word, or simply a hug. We have become a society that seems to have created boundaries that go beyond healthy. I can remember learning how to give proper "side hugs" while volunteering at camp. Even now in my role as a hospice chaplain I will always ask if I can give someone a hug before even beginning to reach out. I remember the story of the Samaritan who took the man, beaten and bloody, and carried him to a place of safety, taking care of his needs until he was healthy enough to be on his own again. The man was cared for someone who was thought to be unclean. The time that Jesus made mud from dirt, wiped it on the eyes of a blind man, telling him to wash and to be healed. Jesus uses his own spit to make the salve to place on the man's eyes. Not something I would recommend, but it reminds us that sometimes we overlook one small thing needed to make a difference in how the healing takes place. There are countless stories and times in scripture when simple words and gestures made for Biblical results! After learning of the woman's reason, I shared with a Sunday School class what I had learned, as well as the staff at the facility. A "hug a day," became our mission! Sunday School members coordinated visits to the home, hugging not just the woman, but others as well, including the staff that worked at the facility. Just that simple effort kept her from falling again. We just simply need to remember that even the simplest gesture of kindness towards one another can make a difference in someone's life and the world for that matter. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams Cast all your anxiety on because he cares for you. ~ 1 Peter 5:7 We all know a little bit about worry. In the movie Steel Magnolias, one of the characters, Shelby, turns to her mother and shares, "I never worry because I know you're worrying enough for the both of us."
Why is it that we worry and experience anxiety? When you think about it, the Bible is full of scriptures to turn to when we feel worried or anxious. It serves as a reminder that every generation has experienced these feelings. Ultimately the stories and quotes remind and encourage us to trust in the love and power of God in order to find peace. Let's face it, life can simply be overwhelming at times, especially in today's ever-increasing complexity. If you then add worry and anxiety to the complexity, then life can seem to be a real struggle. Learning to take time to breathe, have a time of meditation, and being able to talk about the things that bring on worry and anxiety can be ways to overcome worry and anxiety. For me, I sometimes must remind myself to, "not let my heart be burdened, but trust in God." (John 14:1) It is not always easy, but believing that God will be present does seem to help. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2018 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” ~ Luke 23:42-43 I will admit that so much of what I face each day is about death and dying, but then I meet someone who reminds me that death is not a final outcome. It is merely the journey.
Yesterday I spent time with a woman who holds her faith in every aspect of her life. She smiled as she shared, "Every morning I'm thankful for my life, but at this point in my illness, each day I remind myself that this could be the day that I get to realize paradise." In my mind I was taken back to a day centuries ago when a man hung next to Christ, dying, and experiencing his final hours. In the midst of his dying, Christ turns to the man and says, "Today you will be with me in paradise." These were words that brought comfort, just as they were bringing comfort to the woman who was laying in bed, and reminding me that our journey has a destination. The promise of paradise was so important that the words were written down for future generations to read and to believe. I love how scripture reminds us even today of God's amazing love for us, even as we struggle through our final hours. The woman looked at her two children during our conversation and said, "And one day, we will all be in paradise together." As I got ready to leave she thanked me for stopping and visiting, and as she hugged me, she whispered, "And paradise will be ready for you as well." She winked as I pulled away to leave, and just smiled. It made me realize the power of the promise, and just how thankful I am for these words for each of us! Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2018 Even though I walk through a very dark valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. ~ Psalm 23:4 "Some days are just harder than others, and some moments just will take you to a place you have never been before."
"The valley of the shadow of death doesn't even have a sign to let you know when you are about to enter it, but you certainly realize where you are when you have a day like today." There are all kinds of ways that people describe the valley that we all know at one time or another. The valley the psalmist describes as the "valley of death," is the same valley that I have heard described as the "valley of life's struggles," "times when I am troubled," and "days when I feel I have lost my way and my faith at the same time." I agree with the woman who shared with me yesterday that she wished she had known when her mother had entered the valley of the shadow of death. I asked her what she would have done differently, or how she would have prepared herself? "I'm not exactly sure. I just think I could have prepared myself better," she shared. I'm not sure if any of us are really ready to face days when we find that we are surrounded by things that seem to overshadow us. The need for us to trust in God's presence is also the need for us to be reminded that the darkest of situations cannot overtake the light of Christ. Years ago I learned an important lesson in my own spiritual life when I entered a very dark time. I encountered darkness like I had never experienced before, and while I made the journey I had to intentionally look to see God's light, but I could also recognize that the light was surrounded by darkness. We are taught at an early age that darkness cannot overcome the light. A single match can illuminate an entire room, and a small amount of faith can displace an entire mountain! Our need to be reminded of that presence is the very reason why dark valleys exists in the words of the psalm. It helps us to remember that our steps, even in perceived darkness, are guided by God when we simply trust in that guidance. But getting to that place takes a willingness to be vulnerable and an ability to allow God to lead. It is in these times of trouble, struggles, darkness, or even death, that we realize the importance of the light of Christ and to know that the light will always exist. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2018 By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me-- a prayer to the God of my life. ~ Psalm 42:8 It has been a long weekend, and I have to admit, there is some comfort that it is Monday morning. I'm sitting here, working on my schedule for the coming week, thinking about some of the things I experienced over the weekend, and feeling a sense of accomplishment!
Not all mornings are like this. I have often wondered what Jesus' routine looked like, and then realize, that each day was filled with many things, and many people with all kinds of needs. I remember my days in school. Mornings were filled with getting up, feeding livestock, catching the bus on time, and then making sure that everything was ready for class. As a parent with a newborn, there was then the midnight feedings, sometimes getting hardly any sleep, balancing work and family, and making sure that all priorities were being met. Even now, as the kids are grown and starting their own families, there are still daily chores around the house, animals to be cared for, and of course, trying to get them all completed while traveling around the city visiting patients. One thing that remains constant through all of these life-chapters is the need to sleep, and the need to rise and start the day. While I think of Jesus' days, walking dusty roads, while not necessarily knowing what might be waiting just beyond the next hill, there was also the responsibility of the new lesson, or parable, to share. The need to find shelter, or the next boat to cross a lake. I really have no idea how Jesus managed to keep the twelve who followed happy, and of course, we know that this simply didn't always happen. The times that Jesus felt the need to go off and pray were really the only times when Jesus had time alone. One thing that I have had to create a discipline of doing is taking time each day to stop, write these paragraphs, and seek out a way to start the morning, acknowledging the morning.. glory! What do you do for yourself? This is something that I ask every new patient that I meet, even when they are in their last days. Even at the end of life, as well as throughout all our seasons, finding time to recognize the morning.. glory, is something that we can all do. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2018 No one knows the day or hour. The angels in heaven don't know, and the Son himself doesn't know. Only the Father knows. ~ Matthew 24:36 I spend one weekend a month and every Tuesday evening on call. I laugh and remind folks that I like the "Tuesdays with Morrie," but in my case, it is "Tuesdays with Todd."
Being on call means that I am available to respond to hospice patients, their families, and our staff. I don't always know what the need may be, and because I have four other chaplains I work with, there is a good chance I haven't met the patient or the patient's family when I respond to the need. The call comes when there is a crisis, someone dying, or that someone has died. Someone recently asked, "How do you have any kind of a 'normal' life when people are always calling you because there is a crisis?" It's funny how this is such a part of my life that I don't think of it as being out of the ordinary. Even my own family finds my getting up in the middle of the night sometimes to go be with someone as somewhat "normal." Even this morning as an update was emailed to staff, the sound of the notification caused me to roll over in bed and read the note to see what was going on, and then to roll back over and go back to sleep, but not without thinking of the situation, and praying for those responding, without even realizing that this is what my life being on call is about. I will admit that some nights are exhausting, and some nights, especially when I first started living like this, I would lay awake for hours, waiting for that call, while living in fear that I would miss a call or an email. These nights often would remind me of when our children were very young, and the three am cry, no matter how loud or soft, was a call that would pull me from my sleep. This morning as I read an email, and realizing that I didn't need to do anything about it, I just found my mind drifting, thinking about many things. I thought about the folks I have spent time with this week, my schedule for tomorrow, then thought of my kids and grandkids, and on and on. Sometimes I struggle to just to allow rest to enter my mind, but I am reminded that we are to remain ready. Scripture reminds us to be aware. To remain faithful. To be ready! None of us know exactly what God may call us to do on any given day, or for some, any given moment. Jesus in his sharing describes being ready for his return, although even he shares that he doesn't even know the day or the time. For me, I look at this not so much a warning, instead as a call to simply be ready. There exists the need for us to ponder, pray, and to be ready for the day ahead. To consider options, and to think about what God wants from each of us. We must remind ourselves that being ready also means that we have to make ourselves intentionally available. My time of being on call has become normal because it has become part of my routine. For any of us, becoming available for God's calling in our life begins with us making ourselves ready. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2018 "Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me."
~ Revelation 3: 20 Today the whole idea of gathering to eat has changed. With the convenience of the fast food drive thru, application ordering from the phone, and already prepared meals, the intimacy of family recipes and cooking from scratch are "old fashioned." I loved walking into my great Mamaw DeAtley's kitchen, especially when one of her warm chocolate pies, with the tallest, lightly browned, and firm meringue had just exited the oven. Many of life's problems just disappeared, and any bad day simply succumbed to a piece of her simple, but wonderfully crafted, sweet offering. Even now as I remember her smile, especially when she would watch, as any person who tried one of her pies seem to fall under her magical spell (Note, no witchcraft was used... only unconditional love and the knowledge that everything she did, she did with a prayer as well...). Jesus, who not only has every kind of blessing just waiting for us, actually is just waiting on us to open the doors of our lives to his presence. We don't even have to do anything. Just answer the door! It's like having a visit from Mamaw with her bringing everything! Well, perhaps that image is a bit stretching it, but we ALL have images in our minds that are reflective of love, unconditional presence, and peace. All are things that we need. Have you answered the door lately? Heard a knock or two? Open the door! You are loved! Knock, knock... guess who is there! Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2018 "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: ~ Ecclesiastes 3:1 "Patience is learning to live within God's timing," she said to me, "and believe me, I have learned a lot about God's timing."
She continued to tell me how God's timing is different than God's planning. She shared that "God's planning is our assumption that God plans for good and bad things to happen in our life. God's timing is about how God steps in when we make a poor choice. It's what makes God, 'God.'" She should know. She has lived a full 101 years of life, and for me, I'm like a student sitting on her footstool, soaking up every word. Wisdom is something that we all know about, but having the wisdom to discern between God's timing and God's planning is real wisdom that comes with having lived through both. I think for any of us, our need to make sense of things when they happen to us is really part of our need to find God in every situation, especially when it involves a milestone or life-changing event. It is part of the reason I still read "The Road Less Traveled," by Robert Frost, and recall that the person in the poem who makes the choice to take the "Road less traveled," and how it, "made all the difference." God's relationship to us in our life is as Creator, but living that life is filled with options where we will need to make the choice on how it is lived. The woman who shared her wisdom with me went on to say, "and I am still trying to figure it all out." For any of us, God's presence is both known and unknown at times. Sometimes we feel the presence of God, and it can't help but overwhelm us. However, there are times when we sit and wonder. It's both God's timing and planning when we simply live our life, while we always remain in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2018 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” ~ Nehemiah 8:10 Let's face it. None of us wake up each day full of energy and ready to start the day. For me, today has been one of those days.
I have learned, however, on these days I work harder to be intentional about discovering joy, so that the energy that I do have is focused on something positive. Years ago following a lengthy illness, I encountered a long period of depression. It was the hardest thing I have ever encountered in my life. My entire life seemed to be focused on what I had lost during the illness, rather than what I had managed to survive. It was a real battle, and it wasn't until someone asked me, "What brings you joy?" and, "Where do you find it?" that I realized that some days I must seek joy. It was at that point that my focus had to be on seeking out the things that bring me joy with the energy I had because that was the only way I was going to make it through the experience. At first it was really somewhat hard. I was still so centered on the pain, that the joy remained on the outskirts of my life. It was probably only after a month of this intentional quest and spiritual practice that I began to see the results of the work I was doing. Yes, the work I was doing! Joy isn't something that is meant to be hard to find, but for some, joy just doesn't seem to appear. It has to be found. I am reminded of the song, "the joy of the Lord is my strength," but my joy is still something I have to be intentional about. The important thing is to realize the impact that joy makes in our life. It is both sustaining, and empowering. It helps to make every day a little easier, especially on days when you get up, already feeling like you're exhausted. Be intentional joy seekers, and stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2018 In that day they will say, "Surely this is our God we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.” ~ Isaiah 25:9 I think for any good movie plot, at some point a character will ask the question, "Do you trust me?" At that point something happens that affirns that trust, whether it is some crazy stunt, or it helps to affirm a characters reputation.
Trust is something we begin to learn at an early age, and as we grow older we learn that trust is something we earn and trust is something that can be lost in one bad decision. The two most used words in the Hebrew texts have to do with turning away and returning to God. And it is not just one generation of people. It has happened throughtout all of known history, and still happens today. While we affirm, or place our trust in God, sometimes I have to wonder what God's trust in us may look like? Humanity is such an interesting part of creation. Created in the image of God, and infused with the breath of God, we are uniquely made. It is that image and presence of God in us that makes trusting God even more important. God knows each of us so well. For years there have been those who have talked and written about discipline, forgiveness, love, and even hatred, while encouraging and aligning our life and relationships to mirror the relationship that God has with us. We are to help one another, and to seek ways to build one another up, while embracing faith, hope and love. With the greatest of these being love. But none of these things are possible without the binding force of trust. They are challenging within themselves at times, but without trust, they don't stand a chance. Forgiveness happens when we trust that something will not happen again. Faith occurs when we trust in the things we cannot see. Love happens when we allow our heart to become vulnerable. Trust is by far one of the greatest gives that we may extend to someone, and the greatest gift we may receive. Trust in God is what makes us different, and allows us to move forward each day. Trusting in God allows each of us to not only live, but to stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2018 |
AuthorRev. G. Todd Williams is the author of the book, "Remember Me When..." and is a former hospice chaplain and pastor. Archives
February 2024
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