Life’s Journey

Even If

/ Carol Underhill / Leave a comment

Even if:

Those are powerful words to pray.

Lord, I believe You will ______ (Insert your prayer request here), but Even If you don’t, I will still trust You.

There have been a lot of “Even if” situations in my life. Prayers that I’ve prayed with all my heart, but knowing that even if God did not answer them the way I wanted Him to, everything would be okay. Even if I do not get the results I hope for, I believe that God is working everything out for my good.

There’s a story in the Bible about three men who chose to serve God, even if.

At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “May the king live forever! 10 Your Majesty has issued a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, 11 and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. 12 But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—who pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.”

13 Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, 14 and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? 15 Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?”

16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. 

18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual 20 and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. 22 The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, 23 and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.

24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”

They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”

25 He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”

26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”

So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, 27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.

28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.”

30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

Daniel 3:8-30

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego knew that the God they served could protect them from the fire. But they were willing to go into the fire, even if God did not spare them.

We serve the same powerful God today. May we be willing to worship and praise God, even if He doesn’t answer our prayers according to our desires.

This song by MercyMe is very inspiring and I close with this link to the lyrics here:

Good Monday Morning 9-20-21

/ Carol Underhill / Leave a comment

I bent my glasses a week or so ago and had to bring out a pair that are several years old. They are bifocals, like the ones I usually wear, but there is something I noticed about this pair. When I look down at the ground, my feet appear close=er than they really are. They really aren’t, but from the perspective of my old bifocals, I look very short. (Not that I am tall at 5’2″, but I’m not as short as these glasses make me feel).

Today’s Monday Morning message is a quote within a quote. I received a small booklet called, “Grace for the Moment,” as a gift. It is quotes from Max Lucado’s books.

As I set out to write something for today, I picked up this book, which was on the stand beside my other devotionals. Today’s message, for September 20, fits in perfectly with what I was seeing through my glasses.

The Scripture that accompanies today’s devotional quote is 1 Peter 1:8.

“You have not seen Christ, but still you love Him. You cannot see Him now, but you believe in Him.”

From Max Lucado’s book:

“Some years ago, a sociologist accompanied a group of mountain climbers on an expedition. Among other things, he observed a distinct correlation between cloud cover and contentment. When there was no cloud cover and the peak was in view, the climbers were energetic and cooperative. When the gray clouds eclipsed the view of the mountaintop, though, the climbers were sullen and selfish.

The same thing happens to us. As long as our eyes are on God’s majesty there is a bounce in our step. But let our eyes focus on the dirt beneath us and we will grumble about every rock and crevice we have to cross. For this reason Paul urged, “don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to the things going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from His perspective.” (Col. 3:1-2 MSG).

(The Great House of God by Max Lucado)

My old glasses give me a distorted view of my feet. If I keep my focus ahead or up, then I can see clearly where I am going.

As we go about our day today, be it sunny or gray skies, let’s keep our perspective on Christ. See other people as souls who are in need of encouragement or comfort, not as problems we have to solve.

God bless you this Monday, September 20, 2021.

Good Monday Morning 9-13-21

/ Carol Underhill / Leave a comment
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Good Monday morning.


Please, Lord, let this week go better than the last two.

Two weeks ago, I locked my key in my car at a client’s house. I only had one key. I had to call a tow company to come and unlock it for me.

I had some spots on my arm that I wasn’t sure what to make of. I went to the doctor and found out it’s a reaction to the sun, a side effect of a medication I recently went on. The spots are ugly and hopefully will fade, but it’s nothing to be concerned about.

I worked the weekend at the deli. I did okay for the first few hours, but as the store got busy, anxiety kicked in so I did only 3-4 hour shifts.

I don’t remember what happened last Monday. It must not have been significant as it doesn’t stick out in my memory.

However, on Tuesday I was at a client’s house when the storm warnings came in. I left early and drove home to beat the storm. A tornado warning came in the town where I’d just left, and I would have been on the road during it. No tornado, fortunately, but a short day for me.

I got an early start to work on Wednesday. I couldn’t find my daughter’s car key. She needed it and I was the last one to use it. I searched for half an hour and no luck. I took my car and started to work. I’d been in a hurry to get home the day before and didn’t put gas in, so I needed it that morning. I drove to the nearest gas station and put my card, but nothing happened. I wasn’t sure what to think, so I went inside. I had to wait in line, and found out that pump was not working right. I had a $10 bill in hand so I prepaid, then got gas.

By that time, I was twenty minutes late for my first appointment. I headed to town, and came upon a road closed, detour sign. Now I was really stressed. By the time I would have taken the long way around, I would have been over 40 minutes late, and that would make me behind all day.

I started to drive toward the detour, and it hit me all of a sudden that I was grieving. A close family friend had passed away the night before. I hadn’t taken it in at the time I got the message, but now the sad news added to the complicated morning.

I pulled into a gas station (a different one) and texted my boss that I needed the day off due to stressful reasons. She’d just mentioned a couple of weeks ago that self-care was important. That comment had come up because I’d had a bad week at work earlier in the month and made a couple of mistakes with clients.

So on Wednesday, I took a mental health day and stayed home from work while someone else took care of my clients.

On Thursday, I went to work and cleaned my first house. The second client was a no-show. She’d gotten the week mixed up (I clean on a biweekly schedule). I moved the third client up and finished early. I was supposed to attend a staff meeting, but it was not required, so I asked my boss if I could pass on it, as I was still experiencing some stress and anxiety.

On Friday, one of my clients had to cancel due to a funeral.

It was a not-good ending to a not-good week.

On the way home, I thought there was no way I could get through the weekend.

However, I did. I didn’t get through everything on my to-do list. I didn’t go to a very special event because I didn’t want to be in a group of people. I did work a few hours at the deli and enjoyed that change of pace.

I did what I needed to do to be able to put the stress of the past couple of weeks behind me.

It’s time to move forward now. This is a good Monday morning, because I am alive and healthy.

So Good Monday morning to you, and I hope you have a great week. May the blessings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ go before you, be with you and keep you in peace.

P.S. The car key was under my son’s lunch box.I had moved the lunchbox but hadn’t picked it up and looked beneath it. He discovered it later that day, but by then I’d already canceled the appointments and someone else was covering them.

Wednesday Pop-Up: Giveaway

/ Carol Underhill / Leave a comment

Autumn: a season of change

I love the colors and scents of fall. I miss the days of watching my sons play football and listening to my daughter in the marching band. Hot chocolate, nachos, sitting on the bleachers cheering them on.

I love the changing colors of the leaves outside my windows.

I like going to the apple orchard. I especially enjoy apple cider and pumpkin spice donuts.

Do you know what I also love about fall? God’s grace is evident in the changing of seasons. The words, “this too shall pass” brings to mind the fact that we go through seasons in our lives. Childhood, young adulthood, career establishment, weddings, becoming parents—seasons that bring us joy.

Then we might go through seasons that bring us sorrow—loss of a career, a spouse through death or divorce, financial hardships.

God is with us in the good seasons, and He is especially near to us in the seasons of heartache.

I lost my husband in 2010 after only 20 years of marriage. We were in our mid-forties. I thought I would never get past the grief.

However, that season of grief has passed because of the gifts of a loving and supportive family, a network of good friends, a church family who prayed for me, a counselor to help me through the especially dark times.

I will always miss my husband, as if a part of me has been amputated (C.S. Lewis).

But I’ve found joy in life again. As an expression of that joy, I welcome you to participate in a giveaway for a copy of my novella.

What is your favorite part of fall?

A. Color change of leaves

B. Football

C. Marching Band

D. Youth Hunt

E. Pumpkin spice anything

F. Apple orchard

Go to my Facebook author page to post your answer for a chance to win.

https://www.facebook.com/authorcarolunderhill/?ref=pages_you_manage

Prize:

A signed copy of my novella (or outside the continental U.S., a Kindle version of same.)

Good Monday Morning 8-30-21

/ Carol Underhill / Leave a comment

Jesus My Belayer

Anyone who knows me well knows that I’m not an outdoorsy type person. I’m also very afraid of heights, so you would not ever catch me rock climbing. However, the idea of rock climbing became very significant to me this week.

I was under a lot of stress and felt like I was falling into a pit of anxiety and depression. I’ve been in that pit before. I’ve worked very hard in the past 7 years to get out of the pit and stay out. There have been times when I’ve slipped and almost fallen. Thanks to God’s grace, and the support of family and friends, I’ve managed to find the footholds to climb out before I hit the bottom.

Earlier this week, however, as I struggled with the idea of trying to claw my way out of the pit that stress had caused, God gave me an amazing word picture.

Psalm 94:18-19 reads:

“When I said, my foot is slipping, your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great with me, Your consolation brought joy to my soul.” (NIV)

The image of a rock climber came to mind. Not knowing anything about it, I took a look at some photos and watched videos of rock climbers. I was impressed by the use of a belayer to assist in a safe climb.

Wikipedia describes the belaying process as follows:

“As the climber moves on the climb, the belayer must make sure that the climber has the right amount of rope by paying out or pulling in excess rope. If the climber falls, they free-fall the distance of the slack or unprotected rope before the friction applied by the belayer starts to slow their descent. Too much slack on the rope increases the distance of a possible fall, but too little slack on the rope may cause the climber to “whip” or swing into the rock at a high velocity, possibly injuring themselves. It is important for the belayer to closely monitor the climber’s situation, as the belayer’s role is crucial to the climber’s safety.”

Wikipedia.com

I have the sense that Jesus is my belayer as I climb the wall of life. He holds the rope, and He is attached to me through my relationship with Him. Though my foot may slip, He’s not going to let me crash to the ground.

Of course, I have some personal responsibility when it comes to my safety. I have to choose my path wisely. I can’t expect Jesus to save me when I am climbing outside the safety of His will. And the Bible makes clear what His will is in almost every situation that I face.

To stay out of the pit and climb successfully through life, I need the firm foundation of the Word of God. That foundation is the truth of who I am in Christ.

What is that truth?

God loves me.

God forgives me.

God accepts me.

I am a child of God.

As you climb the rock wall of life’s stresses, harness yourself to the One who created you, who knows you better than you know yourself, and who wants you to be fulfilled and blessed.

Make Jesus your belayer. He will make sure you have the right amount of rope to safely climb successfully out of the pit. He will not let you fall.