As I write this, I am sitting on my patio on a lovely May morning in a quiet neighborhood. I hear the distant rumble of jet engines from the local airport, but instead of carrying weapons that sow destruction, these jets are carrying people to destinations of their own choosing.

While I am far from rich by American standards, I have luxuries in my life that would be the envy of much, if not most, of the world. The fact that I can sit in peace and have the time and a place to write this post is a blessing for which I should always be grateful, and I chose to be so.

I also have freedom in my life that much of the world would also envy. One only need to talk to those who have emigrated to the United States to get a better understanding of conditions elsewhere.

I have freedom to criticize those in power in my country, I have the freedom to worship God openly and in a manner consistent with my understanding of what God wants. I have the freedom to pursue work that I find rewarding and that I enjoy. There are many other freedoms that could be listed.

This level of freedom is another blessing for which I chose to be grateful.

But I am reminded that these blessings, which ultimately come from God, were purchased by those who have given their lives to protect those freedoms. It is these that we remember on Memorial Day.

Yesterday I overheard a conversation in a shop where a veteran announced that it is inappropriate to say “Happy Memorial Day.” I agree. No-one should be happy about the sacrifices that needed to be made to assure our freedom.

So, I will say, “Have a meaningful Memorial Day.” Let us all be grateful for the freedom we have and pray for those who currently serve in uniform and pray for our leaders as they work to protect our country from those who would seek to destroy it. Let us also pray for the families that have lost loved ones in the service of our country.

In the last few years I have started to verbally thank those in uniform who are actively engaged in protecting us, including military personnel, border patrol, police officers, and firemen. Can I encourage you to do the same?

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I live in the desert in the Southwest United States and I really enjoy the variety of cacti that are on display in the wild areas around me and in my neighborhood.

I especially like the seguaros, those tall, majestic cactus with arms that are the symbol of the American desert. They frequently appear in cartoons and movies. But there are many other varieties of cacti in the wild and in the landscape arrangements of the houses in my neighborhood. Each variety has a beauty that makes it distinct from the others.

But when you examine each one, some have holes in them from birds building nests. Others have parts of them that survived less than ideal conditions or downright abuse. Lack of water, animials, humans, and harsh condtions can cause them damage.

But they survive.

Until recently, when I would see this type of damage I would think it a shame that those conditions would have to be overcome. I would often get frustrated and think that the damage, the scars, on display marred the cactus and made it less than it should be.

But I am realizing that those wounds turned to scars also give each cactus a particular beauty. They have encountered difficulties and overcome them. They continue to grow despite the damage.

Then I think of myself and the people around me. In a fallen world, which is less than we would like it to be, we incur physical and emotional damage as we progress through life.

But we survive.

For the Christian, we rely on the promise of God that somehow each of these hurts, each of the scars, somehow will work out for our good and God’s glory (Romans 8:28). So instead of being embarrassed by the scars, we should instead look at them as a testament to the ability of God to get us through the hard times.

If you are encouraged by this post or would like to join in a conversation, please use the comment form below to offer your feedback. If you are reading this in an email and would like to comment, you can reply to the email or click on the “Read in browser” link below to go to the web page where you can enter a comment. I enjoy hearing from you.

In the churches of my youth, I was certainly taught the right way to behave. Or, at least, I was taught the right way to behave which was consistent with the leaders’ understanding of the Bible. Those churches were good at producing conformity among the congregants.

This conformity is not a bad thing in itself, but the danger is that the behavior of the people in those circles can be more heavily influenced by what other people think than about what God thinks. In other words, it can produce outward conformity without heart change.

Or, to put it another way, such a system can change behavior without changing desires. When operating in such a system, I can do the right thing for the wrong reason.

In thinking about this, my thoughts were directed to Jesus’ discourse recorded in John 15 where he begins:

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.” (John 15:1–4, NASB 95)

In verses 4 through 10 of John 15, Jesus uses the Greek verb meno 10 times. This verb carries the meaning of remain, stay, or reside and a common translation into English is abide. In the very first use of this verb quoted above in verse 4, it is in the form of a command when Jesus said, “abide in me.”

Abiding is not an activity as much as it is a mental state. One does not try harder to abide, one simply abides. It is an exercise in inactivity rather than activity. Sloths are very good at abiding.

I have always been intrigued and encouraged by Psalm 46:10 in which God encourages us to “be still” or “cease striving” and know that He is God. This is not a call to frenzied activity. This is not a call to strategic planning and execution. This is a call to acknowledge and revel in our relationship with God.

In Scripture, God promises to work things out for his glory and our ultimate good. If we can rest in that knowledge, then we are less likely to be overwhelmed by life in a fallen and broken world.

If we rest, abide, remain, stay, and reside in Jesus, and seek his comfort and instruction, then we can move forward in confidence instead of allowing our circumstances to push us to an unhelpful or sinful response.

Think of abiding in Jesus the next time you see a picture of a sloth . . .

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:18–19, NASB 95)

Admittedly, I am a slow learner about some things. It has been a long process for me to see how fear has often made my life more difficult. By responding out of fear, I have often said or did the wrong thing.

The difficulty for me comes in determining what is healthy fear (or respect) and when I have crossed over into unhealthy fear, fear that is the opposite of love.

Certainly it is right to be afraid of things or situations that are truly dangerous. Gravity remains in place, fire still burns, and Houston, Texas is still a haven for thieves. Therefore, we need to be careful on ladders, take adequate precaution when dealing with fire, and never leave your backpack in your car when you eat lunch in Houston (I know this from personal experience).

Also, there is nothing wrong about planning and preparation in the event that some unplanned situation will arise. Saving money for retirement, having medical insurance, and striving to be debt free, fall into this category. Scripture encourages us that wisdom requires us to act on evaluations of this sort.

“Go to the ant, O sluggard, Observe her ways and be wise,” (Proverbs 6:6, NASB 95)

But there are other situations where I have little or no control where fear is not wise or helpful. For example, we have little control over the officials in our government. In the USA, we can vote, we can contact our officials, we can protest decisions that are made, but beyond that there is nothing we can do. So, living in constant fear of what will be decided cannot affect the situation and only makes me nervous and unhappy.

I have also found that fear can have a detrimental effect on relationships. If I am in constant fear of saying the wrong thing or doing the wrong thing, I cannot be a good partner in a relationship. While attempting to keep a loved one from making a bad decision, if I am responding out of fear, it is likely that my advice will not be helpful and it will damage the relationship.

John, in the verse quoted at the beginning of this post, tells us that the antidote to unhealthy and unwise fear is love. Not only is it love, it is perfect love, which is only found in my relationship with my Heavenly Father.

There is much more to write about this than can be contained in one blog post, but I am slowly learning that because I am loved by God I can rest in his promises to me as an individual, and to Christians as a group. Therefore I don’t need to worry about how things will turn out. I don’t need to fear the outcome of any particular relationship or problem.

I am slowly learning to trust that God will ultimately fix what is wrong and he will complete what he has begun (see Phil 1:6).

Learning to trust God gives me confidence, not because I am in control or smart enough to prevent disaster, but because God is. Learning to trust in God’s love has put me in a better position to respond to others out of love and not fear. When I respond out of love, I am a better husband, father, employee, church leader, etc.

The verse that comes to mind is Psalm 46:10 (NASB 95):

“Cease striving and know that I am God . . .”