Today's post is by guest writer Keith Ward.

We were sitting on the patio I built from paving stone that had been mislaid along the driveway.  It was after the flower walk we have taken after lunch for years. That walk is shorter since our whole property  now is smaller than our garden was up north. But, we have a rose, a hibiscus, two gardenias, a desert rose that right now is all bloom, and two small beds with summer flowers. It was an unseasonably nice day with a light breeze and so we were enjoying the shade and talking of little importance. Whatever came up is (conveniently?) lost to memory, but I said, "It's probably a good thing you can't read my mind."  Now, 'fess up. Haven't you at some time said, or at least thought the same thing about your spouse (or teenagers)? But, immediately, I added, "But God can."
 
Have you never seen someone driving in another lane picking their nose or doing something else inappropriate? We seem to forget that our automobiles are not private space, anyone can look through the windows. We are exposed to the world but act like we are in private. So we are always to God.
 
So, does that give you that, "Oops, I've been caught" feeling? Remember when you were thinking, "That is the most boring sermon I've ever heard?" God remembers that too. When you were angrily muttering imprecations about other drivers while alone in the car? So does God. When you were passing the Lord's Supper and not making much effort not to look at what was exposed by the inappropriately low cut dress when the nice looking lady leaned to take the tray? So does God.
 
In fact, my personal list could go page after page, angry words at a spouse or brother, lustful fantasies no one ever admits exist, much less that they have, etc.
 
But there is another list: The times I go around singing hymns in my head (to not disturb the neighbors who are no longer 100 yards away) or do so in the night when the aches waken me, God knows. The times I have been dwelling on a wrong done me and wishing I could….but then said within, "My God is a merciful God and I will not think these things." Or, in another situation, "My God is holy and I will not do this thing. God knows these thoughts too.
 
So, the struggle is always there to have more thoughts from the second group than from the first, in other words to create a new heart within ourselves. Has it not occurred to you that all the passages about putting to death the old man and putting on the new man are written to Christians of long standing (Col 3-17, Gal 5:16-24, et al.)?  God will give us all the power that he used to raise Jesus and enthrone him for us to be able to accomplish this. But, we must "Present our bodies a living sacrifice" (Eph 1:19-23, Rom 12:1).
 
It's a journey, but am I taking more steps forward than back? Are you?
 
"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh." (Ezek 36:26).
"For we are HIS WORKMANSHIP, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God afore prepared that WE SHOULD WALK in them." (Eph 2:10).
"So then, my beloved, even as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, WORK OUT YOUR OWN SALVATION with fear and trembling; for IT IS GOD WHO WORKS IN YOU both to will and to work, for his good pleasure. " (Phil 2:12-13).
 
Keith Ward

Last year I read a book that proved by extensive research of ancient writings that mainstream Protestant belief is completely different from the beliefs of the apostles and the first century church.  The author wrote page after page quoting men who were companions or students of the apostles, men who knew firsthand what Peter, Paul, John, and the others believed.  You would think that by the end of the book the man would have taught himself straight into restoring the New Testament church.  But no, he stopped short.  In fact, he said it was impossible to restore the real thing, and the doctrines he had chosen to attack were only a few.  He never questioned his own desire to keep a few of those “heretical” -isms for himself. 
            I thought about that this morning and went on a rambling train track of other doctrines.  Finally, I hit the premillenial kingdom.  Do you realize that did not become a popular belief until the 1800s?  How can we possibly believe that the men who stood by the Lord as He proclaimed His kingdom and the others who learned directly from them could have missed it?  How can it be that everyone in the next 1800 years was wrong? 
            The problem with that doctrine is the same one the apostles first had.  They thought that the kingdom was a physical one, one that included physical armies that would destroy Rome and install a Jewish Messiah on the throne in Jerusalem.  Even they should have known better.  The prophet Jeremiah prophesied that no descendant of Jeconiah (a Davidic king shortly before the captivity) would ever reign in Jerusalem, Jer 22:28-30.  That includes the Messiah.
            Finally those men got it, and they fought that carnal notion of anything physical, or even future, about the kingdom for the rest of their lives.  John made it plain that he was in that kingdom, even while he sat on the isle of Patmos writing the book of Revelation, 1:9.  We are in a spiritual kingdom, one where we win victories by overcoming temptation and defeating our selfish desires, one where two natural enemies, like a lion and a lamb, can sit next to each other in peace because we are all “one in Christ Jesus.”
            The belief in a physical kingdom here on this earth?  Isn’t that a bit like an astronaut candidate stepping out of a training simulation and proclaiming, “I just landed on the moon?”  Our inheritance is far better than a physical earth--it is “incorruptible, undefiled, [one] that fades not away, reserved in Heaven,” 1 Pet 1:4.  Why should I want something on this earth when I can have that? 
            But it will be newly created, you say?  No, Jesus said my reward is already created, “from the foundation of the world,” Matt 25:34.
            It will last a thousand years?  Then what?  We cease to exist?  No, no, no.  I was promised “eternal life” Matt 19:29; 25:46; John 3:16; 4:14; 5:24; 6:40; 10:28; Rom 2:7; 5:21; 6:23; 1 Tim 6:12, and—well, there are dozens more, but surely that makes the point.  No wonder no one in the first 18 centuries after Christ lived believed such a doctrine.
            We are supposed to have matured in Christ, to have gone beyond the belief in a material, physical kingdom, just as those apostles finally did.  Our kingdom is "not of this world."  It may not look like much to the unbeliever, but we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18.  We have a kingdom right now far greater than anything a mortal man can dream up.  It’s just that only those with spiritual eyesight can see it. 
            But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable hosts of angels, and to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel…At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens…Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:22-29.
 
Dene Ward

I can hear you now.  How in the world can I do a review of my own son's book objectively?  Well, I probably can't, but the next few books I will review are too good for me to ignore just because of that.  We are a book writing family, evidently, and we help one another and encourage one another, and our purpose is to help and encourage others as well.  So I will do my best to tell you the plain truth about these books, what they contain and what they are meant to do, all of which have authors who bear the same last name—Ward.
            This small book (119 pages) came from a series of sermons Lucas preached at the church in Navarre, Florida, where he labors as an evangelist.  He called them lessons on self-improvement.  I don't know why no one has used this terminology before.  Our secular bookstores are full of "self-help" books.  And surely, Christians should be striving daily to improve.  What we seem to do, instead, is read verses with big words in them and say, well, we are doing our best.  How about something very practical that will actually help you do your best?
            Lucas takes the lists in 2 Peter 1 and Galatians 5, and makes them accessible.  First, he defines the words Biblically, undoing several simplistic definitions "we" have come up with through the years.  Then he makes it practical, giving concrete examples of both appropriate and inappropriate behavior exemplifying that Christian trait, and methods for improving that behavior.  He uses colloquial language easily understood with a few pop culture references that make the point clearly.  He also has his tongue firmly planted in cheek occasionally, using humor to make the point.  If you know his brother and father, you should be expecting it!
            A good teacher could easily turn this into a Bible class book by adding a few discussion questions.  A good preacher could make the same series Lucas did and have all his research done for him.  Anyone can read it and understand it and use the examples within to improve as a Christian.  Anyone who thinks he doesn't need to improve will find out otherwise.
            Make Your Calling and Election Sure is published by DeWard Publishing.
 
Dene Ward
 

I often tell my classes, and I am sure I have said it here somewhere in all these years, that I do not use commentaries often, but when I do I try to use conservative scholars.  Perhaps I should define that a little better.
            In the first place, I am not talking about our brethren as we tend to define them, and so the terms "conservative" and "liberal" have nothing to do with that division we often speak about among us.  So what do I mean by liberal and conservative?  Simply this:  the conservative scholars are believers of some stripe who actually think the Bible is the Word of God.  You might wonder why a person who doesn't believe those things, the liberal scholars, would make his lifework a study of them.  All I can say is, perhaps they are studying them the same way we might study other ancient literature or even ancient mythology—it's strictly an academic interest.
            That does not mean that you don't have to worry about conservative scholars at all.  On the contrary, most of them are Calvinist to at least some degree.  However, I find it amusing that a man can accurately exegete (interpret) a passage, and then turn around and say it doesn't mean what it says—because, you see, if it did then that would make Calvinism wrong.  So you still must beware, but at least you are dealing with someone who is not an atheist.
            So, with a little help from some scholarly friends, here is a partial list of conservative scholars that you can count on to at least some degree.

            William Barnes
            Craig Blomberg
            C. Hassell Bullock
            F. F. Bruce
            D. A. Carson
            Adam Clarke
            Everett Ferguson
            Donald Guthrie
            Homer Hailey
            Victor Hamilton
            Matthew Henry
            Walter Kaiser
            Keil and Delitzsch
            Derek Kidner
            RCH Lenski
            H. C. Leupold
            Tremper Longman III
            J. W McGarvey
            Bruce Metzger
            Douglas Moo
            Leon Morris
            John Oswalt
            Martin Pickup
            Phil Roberts
            Bruce Waltke
            Gordon Wenham
            Edward Young

Understand, that is not a complete list by any means, but most of these people, and/or their works, are well-known in scholarly circles and you are reasonably safe with them, as long as you are careful to look for things like Calvinism and premillennialism which most or all believe in.
 
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world (1John 4:1).
 
Dene Ward
 

I wonder if we realize how many times we aid and abet the enemy of the cross?  Usually we are too wrapped up in ourselves to comprehend the perceptions of others and the effects on them.  Our American “rights” tell us we can do and say as we please and it’s no one else’s business.  When you become a Christian, you give up those rights.  The rights of others always supersede yours.
            How do people perceive you in a crisis?  Are you the one who stays calm?  The one whose language never slips?  The one who refuses to fall into a pit of despair?  What happens when you are caught in a mistake?  Do you lie about what happened?  Do you blame others, or do you calmly assume responsibility, offer an apology, and work hard to rectify the mistake?  When you see a person in need, do you step in and offer help?  Do you treat others well, regardless how they treat you?  Do you give to all, not just your friends?  How do you handle disagreements or insults?  A Christian never bases his behavior on how others have treated him, but upon what is right and what is wrong.  “But he made me mad,” means someone else is controlling you, and Christians always practice self-control.
            If you have ever claimed to be a Christian, these things can very well effect whether anyone will ever listen to you again, or even whether anyone else from the church will ever reach those people.  Too many times I have talked to people only to have them tell me about “someone from your church who…”  Our behavior may have successfully aided the Devil in capturing one more soul.
            Sometimes when we think we are doing the Lord’s work, we are really aiding the enemy.  When you talk to people about the church and the gospel, how do you go about it?  It may be extremely uncomfortable, but also eminently practical, to ask others how you are perceived when you teach, when you preach, or just in casual conversation.  Do you notice how many times you use the word “I?”  Do you know whether you tend to be loud or sound bossy?  Does your manner reek of arrogance or sarcasm?  Do you go on far too long, drowning important soul-saving concepts in a sea of words?  When you talk to folks who aren’t Christians (sometimes even when they are), you can’t count on them to be spiritual enough to endure the off-putting habits you might have.  Am I too proud to learn to do better?  If so, I have just aided and abetted the Enemy of the cross of Christ by refusing to “become all things to all men.”
            Most people who try to edify others and save the lost are good-hearted individuals who have no idea they come across in these ways.  They would never knowingly aid and abet the enemy of our Savior.  But that enemy is smart—he will use our weaknesses to his own advantage.  Nothing is said or done in a vacuum.  If you aren’t helping the cause of the Lord, you are hurting it, and it can happen even when you think you are doing His will, just by failing to notice what is going on or refusing to listen to those who might have some pretty good advice about how to better go about it.  Don’t commit treason against the Lord.
 
To the weak I became weak, that I might gain the weak: I am become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some. And I do all things for the gospel's sake, that I may be a joint partaker thereof. 1 Cor 9:22-23
           
Dene Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Joanne Beckley.
 
An African funeral is a challenge to attend. This morning we left the house at 4.30am and arrived at 6am in the Venda village. The large funeral tent was set up at the home of the deceased, but I immediately went into the bedroom to see the widow. The windows were all covered and I could barely see eight old women seated on the floor in the murky light. I looked around to find the widow. Suddenly a figure stepped off the bed mattress (now lying on the floor) and grabbed my hand for a tight hug. It was spooky how she suddenly appeared dressed from head to toe in black and a black hat covering her head and face. She wouldn’t let go, so we led the procession out of the house, over to the very large tent (marquee), and to her reserved seat.
 
The proceedings then got underway, with seemingly the entire village in attendance. Two hours later after some eight or ten speeches, including my husband’s short sermon, we all filed out and gained our cars or walked to the cemetery, about a kilometer away. When everyone had arrived, they opened the gate and the Hearse drove through while we all followed on foot to the grave site.
 
By now the sun was hot, but a good breeze kept it just bearable. After standing for the second sermon and many more songs, we watched as the coffin was lowered, wet cement mixed and poured into the cut grave and around the coffin, dirt poured in, cement added, and the granite headstone and base were placed on top. A large blanket was draped over the headstone. (The cement and blanket were to keep evil ancestors away from the new ancestor who would now aid the family, that is, any who are believers.) THEN everyone walked/drove back to the tent to eat a magnificent meal and offer condolences to the grieving family. This is always quite an expensive effort, but everyone belongs to a burial society and so can feed the village at that time. It is always a challenge to attend and offer sympathy and care during such a long drawn-out affair–and at the same time listen to a language not my own. But all the Christians, from near and far, were so glad to pay tribute to a fine soldier of the cross. From all the speeches we learned of his great love for his village and how he never lost an opportunity to teach the gospel to any who would listen. It was good to listen to the expressions of love his people had for him.
 
We also met members of his second wife’s family for the first time. When he learned of the gospel, he left his second wife and children but continued to support both families. Despite his efforts, the two families became estranged (from angered inlaws), and only in recent years was he able to unite both families to work together to solve their needs. It was interesting to hear the Master of Ceremonies warn that there would be no disturbances between the families during this funeral, emphasizing that they follow the example of their father who was a very humble man, loving all equally. He died praying that all of his nine children and grandchildren would thetshelesa! Their Venda word for listen is the word to obey and he so wanted them to lovingly obey God as he did.
 
Funerals are necessary for several reasons. The primary purpose of a funeral is to help us accept the reality of the death. It is a time to honor the dead and to tie a family and community together. For Christians, a funeral offers serious reflection and a chance to teach our neighbors the joy of serving our Lord, that they too could learn the same joy even during such a sad time. “It is better to attend a funeral than to attend a banquet, for everyone dies eventually, and the living will take this to heart.” Eccl 7:2
 
Every culture from ancient times until today has recognized a need to share in some way the departure of a loved one from this world to the next. The ways they express this varies according to the beliefs of who it is that will meet them “on the other side”. The Egyptians had an entire story to tell, with an amazing panoply of gods to call upon. The Israelites used sackcloth, ashes, shaved heads, and loud lamentations to demonstrate their grief. Job 21:32 mentions a funeral mound. Isaiah 30:33 describes a funeral pyre. Ancient peoples used (and many today still use) water, fire, and smoke to aid the understanding that the human spirit will not end at death.
 
God’s people understand and gain comfort that life does not end with the death and burial of faithful loved ones. Moses was reminded at the burning bush that the eternal God is the God of the living, Exodus 3. David continually fasted and prayed for his sick child, but when the child died, he arose and said, “Now he has died, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.” 2Samuel 12
 
Jesus attended at least two funerals and taught concerning life after death, Luke 16. We have scriptures describing how we will join with our faithful loved ones. 1Corinthians 15, 1Thessalonians 4. Sadly, there is another lot for the wicked, Hebrews 10:26-27.
 
Death is a harsh reality, and facing the death of someone we know and love is never easy. But Jesus Christ came to conquer death, and He did by His resurrection from the dead. We don’t need to fear death if we are obedient to Christ.
 
Joanne Beckley
 

If you are concerned about proper doctrine, I will agree with you.  Let's just never forget that love, proper attitudes, and self-denial are also doctrines we cannot do without.

Doy Moyer

(This will make a lot of more sense to you if you go to http://flightpaths.weebly.com/2/post/2012/08/bussenwuddy.html, and read it first.)
            I told you awhile back about our first overnight with our grandson Silas.  It was fun, it was sweet, it was exhilarating, and it was a little frustrating at times when we weren’t sure what he wanted. 
            The “bussenwuddy” nearly got us.  Luckily I had cared enough to listen to the things he talked about to recognize “Buzz” and “Woody” from the Toy Story DVD.  Good thing I was the one listening.  Buzz and Woody could have been next door neighbors as far as Keith was concerned.  When you are profoundly deaf, you don’t casually pick up on bits and pieces of conversation or those things “everyone knows.”  You don’t immediately recognize normal words for all that.  No wonder he was lost.
            How well do you hear God?  Even if you recognize the words, do you know enough to make the correct associations and figure things out?  I know people do not know their Bible enough to be familiar with apocalyptic language when they turn the beautiful promises of the book of Revelation into some futuristic Armageddon between political nations (which, have you noticed, change with every generation’s “interpretation,” which ought to tell them something).  I know they don’t care enough to study carefully the entire communication God gave to us when they come up with ideas a real disciple can shoot holes through with half a dozen scriptures off the tip of his tongue.
            But how are we doing?  I hear more faulty exegesis from brethren these days than I do from my neighbors.  Taking things literally that are obviously hyperboles simply because they cannot comprehend a Lord who cared enough to come as one of us, speaking as one of us, including the use of hyperboles and humorous comparisons; refusing to see the obvious parallels between elements of the new covenant and those of the old because they have decided that “nailed to the cross” means don’t ever even look at the Old Testament again, much less study it; spending so much time fighting the heresies of mainstream denominationalism that they miss the important fundamentals of a sure hope and a grace beyond measure—these are just a few of the problems.
            What do you think of when you read “Christ in you, the hope of glory” Col 1:27?  Does the Shekinah even cross your mind, that physical manifestation of God’s glory that dwelt over the mercy seat?  Or is it just another “bussenwuddy” that eludes you, and robs you of a greater, more magnificent promise than you ever imagined?  I could go on.
            Knowing God’s word, not just superficially, but deeply, can lead to a greater understanding and a more heartfelt faith.  Facts may seem cold, but without them you are missing a lot.  You cannot make connections.  You cannot take your understanding to a deeper level.  You cannot see parallels and applications that will make your life more acceptable to your Father.
            Take the time to learn those facts.  How do you think you will ever come to a better knowledge of God if you don’t know what He said?  All it will be is a “bussenwuddy” on deaf ears.
 
For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:11-14
 
Dene Ward
 

Usually buying gifts for our grandsons is difficult for us.  We have already had the problem of giving exactly the same gift as the other grandmother, but because I thought ahead of the possibilities and had taken my receipt with me, my children were able to exchange mine for something else.  Then there is the matter of not knowing what they already have or even like.  Once we hit the jackpot with scooters and another time with remote control cars, but we have hit that problem age now—middle school and early high school.  I don't want to just hand them money either.  Amazon has helped a lot with their "wish lists."  It's easy to go down a list, choose something in our price range, and hope they meant it when they put it on their list.  So far, they have been happy, if not deliriously so.
            This past Christmas, as I went down Silas's list which contained athletic shoe after athletic shoe and hoodie after hoodie, I was about to give up when suddenly I saw a mini-fridge.  We are talking really "mini" here—it only held 3 cans of soda.  We thought one of those hotel mini-fridges might be better and not much more, so we went searching.  Boy, were we wrong.  They cost about 6 times as much.  So we kept looking and finally found one closer to the one Silas had picked out, about the same price, but large enough for "12-15 soda cans."  So we bought it, told his mom to take the other one off his wish list so no one else would buy him one, and when it arrived, wrapped it and put it with the other presents.
            When time came to swap presents, his was one of the last.  His little brother, due to the relative costs of things, had gotten three less expensive items, and that meant Silas had only the one to open.  Finally we got to his present and when we placed the very large box in his lap and he felt how heavy it was, he wondered aloud what in the world it could be, which really surprised me, and made me worry a bit that we had gotten something he didn't really care that much about.  Surely if he hoped he would get it, he would be anxiously looking for something the right size and shape.
            So he began to tear off the paper, still wondering aloud, "What IS this thing?"  He got about a third of the paper off when he suddenly said, "I know what it is—I think," then more tearing of paper, and we finally heard, "Yes, it is.  It is.  It is!!"  For the rest of the evening he held that box in his lap with his arms wrapped around it, and we were as pleased about it as he was.
            We have had other experiences of gift-giving when, upon opening the present, the person said, "Oh.  I don't like those," by an adult, mind you, and the same person more than once.  I can tell you I was floored.  My mama taught me better than that and it's hard to imagine anyone's mama who did not.  But isn't that just what we do to God and his gifts to us sometimes?
            Most of us have better sense than to say anything negative about the gift of a Savior.  But I have heard enough complaints about His body, the church, to make me wonder why He even bothered to give us one.  This is not just His body, it is His kingdom as well.  It is the list in heaven where our names are written (Heb 12:23)—a glorious honor.  It is the place on this earth, for now, where he has placed his people so they can help one another, support one another, and encourage one another.  Without this help where would we be, how could we ever overcome Satan's temptations and destroy his devices?  But no, some of us are just like the scribes, Pharisees, and chief priests who refused to acknowledge the kingdom because they didn't like the King and the way it was set up—it didn't fill the bill to them.  He once said to them because of their attitude, “Truly…the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you" (Matt 21:31).  How can we expect anything else when we slander one another, complain about the preacher and his sermons, or think everyone should listen to our opinions about how things are run or else we will leave?  Why do we think we can complain about such a gift and be any different than those people were?  Jesus won't take that any better than I took it when my gifts were complained about.
            No, the congregation which you are a member of is not perfect.  Probably they have disappointed our Father more than once.  But that's because it is made up of imperfect people who sometimes fail to follow the perfect law of liberty.  And that includes you.  My group includes me.  But if we all recognized the gift we have been given and what it cost—the life of Christ, at a minimum—then maybe it would come a little closer to the ideal that God designed. 
            When you complain about the gift, you are complaining about the giver of the gift as well.  I am sure none of us really mean to do that at all.
 
But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel (Heb 12:22-24).
 
Dene Ward

I had sat there for hours like I always do, occasionally undergoing a test or other procedure, waiting for the doctor to finally reach my chart, along with a dozen or more other patients who also sit for hours every time we go to the Eye Clinic at the University of Florida School of Medicine.  But this time was different.
            An older woman and her husband sat next to me.  As often happens, we began to talk, usually about how long we have been waiting, the longest we have ever had to wait, and the various distances we all travel to see this world renowned, and incredibly skillful doctor we share.  Then she said four words, “I have a shunt,” and everything changed.
            My head whirled around, riveted to her face and especially her eyes.  “You do?”
            “Yes, two actually.”
            “I have one, too,” I said, excitement creeping into my voice.
            Her eyes instantly lit up.  “You do?” and there followed an hour of, “Do you have trouble with depth perception?  Do you see circles?  Does it ache?”  One question followed another, both of us nodding to one another and saying, “Yes, yes. Me too!”
            Finally someone understands, finally someone knows how I feel (both of us were thinking). 
            Someone understands how odd your vision can be; how colors have changed, how light “gets in the way;” how you can’t tell when a curb is a step up or step down or any step at all; how riding in the passenger seat makes vehicles in front of you look much closer; how many strange things can go wrong with an eyeball after what seems to the world like an easy surgery—why, you didn’t even have to stay in the hospital so how could it be serious? Someone else understands how much pain eye drops can cause, and how all those beta blockers can wreak havoc with your stamina; how careful you have to be when doing something as simple as wiping your eye because of all the hardware inside and on top of it; how inappropriate the remark, “I hope you get better soon,” is because there is no hope for better, just a hope that it will not get worse too soon; and someone else knows the feeling that any day could be the day that it all blows up.
            We sat there talking like close personal friends.  Occasionally she looked over at her husband and said, “You see?  I’m not crazy after all,” and he nodded, a bit patronizingly I thought, but we had developed such a quick and strong bond that perhaps I was just feeling protective.
            We were both called to separate exam rooms but when I left, I waved across the hall and wished her well.  I never got her name, nor she mine.  Strange, I guess, but we never felt the need to ask personal questions—we felt like we had known one another for years, and all because we felt the kinship of understanding what each of us was experiencing when no one else did.
            No matter what you are going through today, you have a friend just like that.  God emptied Himself to become a man and experience what you experience, feel what you feel, and suffer what you suffer.  He did that precisely so He could understand.  I always knew that, but now I really know how quickly a bond can form simply because of that shared experience. 
            But what if I had never responded to the woman’s simple statement about a shunt?  What if I had just sat there and done nothing?  That bond would never have formed.  It takes a response to the offer to gain the reward.  It takes a willingness to open up and share with the Lord the things you are feeling.  Yes, He already knows, but you will never feel the closeness of that bond until you share with Him as well.
            That day it felt like I had found, not a new friend, but a long, lost friend from the past.  When it happens that fast, it can’t be a complete stranger, can it?  Why don’t you turn around and talk to the Man next to you today and find out for yourself?
 
Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery…Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted, Heb 2:14-18.
 
Dene Ward