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April 30, 2009 09:27:53
Posted By Kathi Macias
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For I am already being poured out as a drink offering,
and the time of my departure is at hand.
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race,
I have kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:6-7).
I once had a dear friend named Ruth who, in her late 80’s, sat enjoying a grilled steak one day when she heard a radio announcer declare that barbecued meat wasn’t good for you. She stopped her beef-laden fork midway between her plate and her lips, paused for a moment in reflection, then shrugged her shoulders and said, “Oh well, I’ve got to get out of here somehow,” and popped the meat into her mouth and chewed with obvious delight.
Ruth has long-since “gotten out of here” and gone home to the Father she so dearly loved, but today—which just happens to be my 61st birthday—I’m thinking of her as I consider the approach of my own home-going. I’m also thinking of the late, great preacher, Pastor E. V. Hill, who was famous for reminding us, “This ain’t it!” And I wonder, do we really believe that…or are we futilely clinging to a temporal life here in the “shadowlands” as if we could somehow prolong it and enjoy it forever?
I, for one, have no desire to remain here one day longer than God has purposed for me, and I say that with all honesty and conviction. I love what I do. I love my family and my friends. I love so much about this lost-in-sin earth and its tainted and fallible residents. But I love God more, and with each passing year, the yearning and anticipation within me grows. SOON. Soon I will go home. Soon I will be reunited with loved ones who have gone before me. Soon I will live in a perfect place, in a perfect environment, in perfect health. Soon…I will see Jesus and bask in the presence of my heavenly Father.
What do I want for my birthday? To see others experience that same anticipation and yearning to “get out of here” and graduate to heaven. For however many years God grants me to remain in this imperfect life, I pray He will also strengthen my conviction to convey that yearning and anticipation to everyone I meet, whether through writing or speaking…or just living in a way that causes them to want to follow me home.
We all have birthdays. We all get older and “wear out” physically. All the facelifts and exercise programs in the world can’t stop it. But we don’t have to fear death, for it is, after all, a passing from the shadowlands into the joy of living forever in the glorious presence of God. Oh, that we would lay hold of that great truth and live accordingly! Then, as we make that transition into eternity, we will be able to declare with certainty, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
Keep the faith, beloved—and pass it on to everyone you meet along the way.
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April 30, 2009 09:27:53
Posted By Kathi Macias
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Porque yo ya estoy para ser sacrificado,
y el tiempo de mi partida está cercano.
He peleado la buena batalla, he acabado la carrera,
he guardado la fe. (2 Timoteo 4:6-7).
Tuve una vez a una querida amiga llamada Ruth quien, a sus 80 años de edad, se sentó a disfrutar de un filete asado a la parrilla un día cuando oyó a un locutor de radio decir que carne asada a la parrilla no era buena para la salud. Ella detuvo su tenedor con carne asada que estaba entre su plato y sus labios, pausó por un momento en reflección, y entonces se encogió de hombros y dijo, “Ah bien, tengo que salir de aquí de algún modo,” y pinchó la carne en la boca y masticó con delicia obvia.
Desde hace mucho tiempo Ruth ya “salió de aquí” para estar en la casa del Padre a quien ella tanto amó, pero hoy, que simplemente es mi 61 cumpleaños – estoy pensando en ella cuando considero mi propia ida-a-casa. También pienso en el gran predicador que ya está difundo, el Pastor E. V. Hill, que era muy famoso por recordarnos, “¡Esto no es todo!” Y me pregunto… ¿creemos en realidad eso? ¿O nos adherimos inútilmente a una vida temporal aquí en esta “tierra de sombras” como si nosotros de algún modo la podamos prolongar y disfrutar de ella para siempre?
Yo, por ejemplo, no tengo deseo para quedarse aquí un día más del propósito Dios para mí, y lo digo con toda honradez y convicción. Adoro lo que hago. Adoro mi familia y a mis amigos. Adoro tanto ésta tierra-perdida-en-pecado y sus residentes manchados y falibles. Pero adoro a Dios más, y con cada año que pasa, el anhelo y la anticipación dentro de mí crecen. PRONTO. Pronto me iré a casa. Pronto estaré reunida con seres queridos que se han ido antes de mí. Pronto viviré en un lugar perfecto, en un ambiente perfecto, en la salud perfecta. Pronto…veré a Jesús y me gozaré en la presencia de mi Padre celestial.
¿Qué deseo para mi cumpleaños? Ver a otros experimentar esa misma anticipación y anhelo de “salir de aquí” y graduarse al cielo. Por cuantos años Dios me otorgue para quedarme en esta vida imperfecta, yo oro que El también reforzará mi convicción para transmitir ese anhelo y anticipo a todos los que encuentro, ya sea por medio de la escritura o hablando…o viviendo una vida justa de una manera que les cause el deseo de querer seguirme a casa.
Todos tenemos cumpleaños. Todos nos ponemos más viejos y nos “gastamos” físicamente. Todas las cirugías plásticas y programas de ejercicio en el mundo no lo pueden detener. Pero nosotros no tenemos que temer la muerte, por lo que es, después de todo, es un paso de la tierra en sombras a una vida de gozarnos para siempre en la presencia gloriosa de Dios. ¡Ah, que lográramos agarrarnos de esa gran verdad y viviéramos de esa manera! Entonces, cuando hagamos esa transición a la eternidad, podremos declarar con certeza, “Porque yo ya estoy para ser sacrificado, y el tiempo de mi partida está cercano. He peleado la buena batalla, he acabado la carrera, he guardado la fe.
Guarden la fe mis queridos amigos – y pásenla a los que encuentren en el camino.
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April 28, 2009 06:04:24
Posted By Kathi Macias
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It can be tempting to rely solely on hard work or dogged self-determination to turn things around in these challenging times. Yet Bonnie St. John believes one additional life ingredient can dramatically transform life’s tough situations: JOY. Bonnie’s life experiences uniquely qualify her to address methods for dealing with tough challenges. She was abused as a child, endured numerous surgeries for the amputation of her right leg, struggled to finance her Harvard studies, organized her own training regimen to become an Olympic ski medalist, and succeeded in the high stakes, high pressure world of Washington politics… so she doesn’t speak of joy lightly. Her new book, Live Your Joy (April 2009), is a powerfully inspiring collection of real-life, modern-day stories that reveal the surprising power of joy: living it, pursuing it, sharing it, and making it a top priority.
Watch for her on the TODAY show May 4th in the 10am hour!
“With all the things we have to worry about in the world today: terrorists, the crises on Wall Street and global warming, Live your Joy leaves you feeling stronger, more resilient and more energized so you can feel in charge of your life.”
--Joan Lunden, author and TV personality
"Bonnie's life is proof that we can all be happy no matter what. Read Live Your Joy to walk awhile alongside her and learn how to do it."
-- Marci Shimoff, #1 New York Times bestselling author, Happy for No Reason,
and co-author of Chicken Soup for the Woman's Soul
“Bonnie St. John has, against all odds, found great joy in her life. And rather than hoarding it, in her delightful book Live Your Joy she generously shares the treasure.
-- Jeannette Walls, author of The Glass Castle, New York Times bestseller for 100+ weeks
“Live Your Joy, is a funny and inspiring collection of modern day parables, a guide for finding joy in a hectic 21st Century world.”
--Spencer Sherman, author of The Cure for Money Madness
“Bonnie is one of the five most inspiring women in America.”
-- Brian Williams, NBC Nightly News
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April 19, 2009 09:14:47
Posted By Kathi Macias
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Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord!
Let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).
With Easter just past and Mother’s Day on the horizon, I’ve been thinking a lot about mothers, particularly two of them from the Bible. First, of course, was Eve, often referred to as the “mother of all living.” And then there was Mary, the mother of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
What a study in contrasts! Eve, who with Adam had the privilege of living in the perfect environment and in a perfect relationship with one another and with God—not to mention all the animals—caved in to the temptation to doubt God the minute the serpent called the Creator’s Word and His character into question. And the entire human race has been dealing with the consequences ever since. Mary, on the other hand, affirmed the goodness and infallibility of both God’s Word and His character when she declared, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” As a result of Mary’s humble obedience and faith, we no longer have to pay the consequences of Eve’s foolish choice and Adam’s blatant sin.
Mary of Nazareth, an innocent teenage girl engaged to a man named Joseph, had just had her life invaded by an angel, who announced to her that she was going to have a baby, even though she was a virgin. “With God, nothing is impossible,” the angel told her. And with that explanation, this young virgin yielded herself to God’s will and purpose for her life.
Just as Eve fell into sin by yielding to the temptation to doubt God’s Word (“has God indeed said…?”) and His character (“God told you not to eat the fruit of this tree because He doesn’t want you to be like Him or to know as much as He knows”), Mary was able to fulfill her destiny because she believed God’s Word was true and His character was good. She therefore laid down all rights to her own life and proceeded to fulfill God’s purpose for her in bringing forth the Savior of the world.
During this post-Easter season as we approach Mother’s Day when we honor those who gave us physical life here on earth, may we also honor that great truth demonstrated and modeled to us by the mother of Jesus—the truth that God’s Word is always true and His character is always good; therefore we can trust Him and gladly lay down our own lives to serve Him, as well as those we meet on our journey home.
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April 19, 2009 09:14:47
Posted By Kathi Macias
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Entonces Maria dijo: He aquí la sierva del Señor;
hágase conmigo conforme a tu palabra. (San Lucas 1:38 RV).
Con la Pascua que acabe de pasar y Día de la Madre en el horizonte, he estado pensando mucho en las madres, en particular dos de ellas en la Biblia. Primero, por supuesto, está Eva, a menudo referida como “la madre de todo lo viviente.” Y también está Maria, la madre de nuestro Salvador, Jesucristo.
¡Qué estudio en contrastes! Eva, que con Adán tenía el privilegio de vivir en el ambiente perfecto y en una relación perfecta el uno con el otro y con Dios — sin mencionar todos los animales – dominada por a la tentación de dudar de Dios en el momento que la serpiente puso en duda la Palabra del Creador y Su carácter. Y la raza humana entera ha estado tratando con las consecuencias desde entonces. Maria, por otra parte, afirmó la bondad y la infalibilidad tanto de la Palabra de Dios como Su carácter cuándo ella respondió, “¡He aquí la sierva del Señor; hágase conmigo conforme a tu palabra!” A consecuencia de la obediencia humilde de Maria y su fe, ya no tenemos que pagar las consecuencias de la opción tonta de Eva y el pecado ostensible de Adán.
Maria de Nazaret, era una jovencita inocente comprometida con un hombre llamado José, cuya vida había sido invadida por un ángel, quien le anunció que ella iba a tener a un bebé, aunque ella fuera una virgen. "Con Dios, nada es imposible," el ángel le dijo. Y con aquella explicación, esta joven virgen se cedió a la voluntad de Dios y a Su propósito para su vida.
¿Así como Eva se cayó en pecado cediendo a la tentación de dudar la Palabra de Dios (“Dios en efecto ha dicho…?”) y Su carácter (“Dios te dijo que no comieras del fruto de este árbol porque Él no quiere que tu seas como Él o saber tanto como Él”), Maria era capaz de realizar su destino porque ella creyó que la Palabra de Dios era verdadera y Su carácter era bueno. Por lo tanto se despojó de todos los derechos a su propia vida y se dispuso a realizar el objetivo de Dios para con ella en traer adelante al Salvador del mundo.
Durante esta temporada post-pascua cuando nos acercamos al Día de la Madre y cuando honramos a aquellas mujeres que nos dieron la vida física aquí en la tierra, podemos también nosotros honrar aquella gran verdad demostrada y modelada a nosotros por la madre de Jesús — la verdad que la Palabra de Dios es siempre verdadera y Su carácter es siempre bueno; por lo tanto nosotros podemos confiar en Él y de buena voluntad despojarnos de nuestras propias vidas para servirlo, así como aquellos que nos encontramos en la jornada a nuestra morada.
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