Fountains of Life

Fighting Battles

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By Cyndi

Once again I looked at the weather forecast for the next few days and I dreaded the weekend—rain was coming. Again. So once again I’m thinking I’m going to have to move our bed and place a trash can to catch the water that’s dripping from the ceiling in our bedroom. Our roof is leaking. 

Having gotten estimates from roofing companies we are now waiting for news about insurance coverage before the work begins. Meanwhile, “the mold guy” came to inspect the water damage on the ceilings (yes, plural). Looks like there is water damage for sure, even down a wall. There will be work to be done.

Naturally my good Christian full-of-faith response to all of this is, “Praise God, He’s working all things for good!” However, honestly I must say this was not my first reaction. In fact, I felt quite overwhelmed. 

So for a moment let’s try to not pretend and put on our Sunday morning church faces and just be real here. There are actual battles we are all fighting—some emotional, some financial, some physical, some a combination. And they can be scary. Cancer is scary. Additions are scary. Broken families and wayward children are scary. These are undeniably intimidating battles.

This Is How I Fight My Battles

One of the newer songs out now is Surrounded. It’s quite repetitive, doesn’t do much musically; it simply sings this phrase over and over again. Why? Well, let’s think about fighting for a minute, shall we?

Ever watch boxing? Is it just a few punches and the fight’s all over? Not usually. What about wrestling? Is it just one quick takedown? Hardly ever. Think about the different wars we’ve been in—how many battlefields were fought upon? And how long did those battles last? Many took years.

Self-defense teaches you that when you’re attacked, you hit, you kick, you scream, you poke, you jab, you stomp, etc.

Where am I going with this? 

“This is how I fight my battles…this is how I fight my battles…this is how I fight my battles…this is how I fight my battles.” 

“It may look like I’m surrounded but I’m surrounded by You… It may look like I’m surrounded but I’m surrounded by You.”

Psalm 125:2 says—As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore. Like a mother hen covers her chicks to protect them, the Lord does the same with us. (Luke 13:34)

We are all fighting something and these are fighting words. Repeat them over and over again. Like a battering ram, bang “the door” down with your praise and thanksgiving. Strike your opponent repeatedly. Depression, grief, hardships, loneliness, financial ruin…sing over them, pray over them, quote the Word over them. 

This is what I’m doing.

When I look at the water spots on my ceilings, I fight. As I’m patiently waiting for the roof work to begin, I fight. 

Do I still get overwhelmed? At times. That’s when I take a breather, gather myself and my weapons (praise music, scriptures, prayer, phone a friend) and get back into the battle. 

Father God is surrounding me. He will never not leave me. (Double negative for effect!) And He’s doing the same for you.

Observing the Rests

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by Cyndi

As a musician there are several things you have to know when you read music. There are time
signatures that tell you how to count the beat, key signatures that tell you what key to play in, and specific notes that tell you what tone to play, when to play it, and for how long to hold it. Another thing we musicians have to know is the use of rests.

Rests are symbols marked in place of a note. It tells you to be silent. You count it in time because the beat continues on and the music hasn’t stopped, but you withhold playing anything. It’s a time to wait for your next turn to play.

Just like notes, rests have time values too. Some are long and some are short. And many times, depending on what instrument you play, you may rest for a very long time before you have a note. For example, if you play crash cymbals — those loud percussion instruments that look like two trash can lids you hit together — your part in music is usually those gigantic big bang accents. Your part involves a lot of resting and waiting for just the right moment!

If we didn’t have rests written into music, all instruments would be playing at the same time, all the time. That would be disorganized noise, not music. When you watch a band or orchestra, there are times when most everyone is playing and times when only a few are playing. This is what makes music, music. 

I believe life is like music. 

Each of us has our individual part to play in this beautiful song of Creation, and, just like that band or orchestra, there are times to play notes and times to rest. 

Without resting we become tired and ineffective. We can’t catch our breath if we’re playing all the time! Rests are just as important as notes. In other words, sometimes doing nothing is just as important as doing something!

Listen to the music in life. Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us there’s a time for everything. There’s a time to play and a time to rest. Observe the rests. They are necessary. They make for more beautiful music and a more beautiful life. 

Give Thanks

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By Cyndi

1 Chronicles 16:34—Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.

Thanksgiving is over and we’re hurling head on into the Christmas holiday. However, I’m still stuck on giving thanks. 

Give is defined by dictionary.com as “to present voluntarily and without expecting compensation.” This is an act of our will; we voluntarily do it. There’s no pressure; it’s a choice and we’re not looking for any reward because we did it. The word thanks is defined as “expressing gratitude, appreciation, or acknowledgment.” Once again I believe this is an act of our will—we choose to be grateful or appreciative and express that. So when we give thanks, we are adopting the attitude of intentionally showing gratefulness and acknowledgment for something. 

The world has begun to acknowledge the power of giving thanks. You see, gratitude has become a scientific phenomena of some sort. I challenge you to simply Google “gratitude” and see what you get. Many articles, books, and studies fill the internet with how having gratitude can make you happier, rewire your brain, and add to your emotional intelligence. Gratitude is good for your health, it’s been proven. And since the Bible has been around longer than these studies, I presume God knew all about this already.

Christians may view giving thanks as simply a command we’re supposed to obey. But I don’t think that’s how Father God sees it; He’s not that legalistic. I think He understands our physiology (of course) and knows that not only does thankfulness make us healthier and happier, but it also changes our whole outlook on life. We begin to see the “glass half-full” not half-empty. We begin to dwell on the positives not the negatives. And we begin to bring light and hope where there is darkness and despair.

As we truly see how good God is, we become light in this world. Giving thanks won’t just be an exercise of typing three things we’re grateful for on our gratitude app once a day, it will be living and breathing His goodness every hour and every minute! So not only is gratefulness good for you, it’s good for others too!

I have a feeling I may be stuck here on giving thanks for a while, especially in the Christmas season — there’s so many things I’m grateful for. I invite you to join me in this gratefulness journey. Find an app, use journal, or simply talk to God. Make a choice. Lord knows this world needs some hope and light. 

May we choose to be grateful in everything. (1 Thes. 5:18) And may our gratitude rub off on others around us this holiday season and throughout the whole year.

Muscles and Strings

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By Cyndi

Between the grunts and groans while stretching during an exercise class, a friend and I began noticing the similarities between guitar strings and muscles. And of course, with me, God has a way of taking daily activities — like exercising — and teaching me a lesson through them.

Do you realize that muscles and strings have something in common? Their level of performance depends on how tight or loose they are. There’s a balance for being toned or tuned, respectively.

Each string on a guitar is to be a specific note. When a string is too tight, it’s not in tune. The pitch sounds too high so we say it is “sharp.” When the string is too loose, it’s not in tune either. The pitch is too low so it is called “flat.” 

The term “sharp” sometimes is used to describe things as being harsh, cutting, abrupt, or brash. Many of us tend to get sharp when we’re stressed or upset; we tighten up or say sarcastic words. That’s why we use expressions like “uptight” or “edgy/on the edge.” 

The word “flat” may be used to describe dull, lifeless, plain, or ‘off key’ things. For example, we tend to get flat when we’re uninterested or unconcerned about something; or how carbonated drinks loose their fizz if left out too long. In the case of a guitar string, if the instrument is not played often enough the strings go flat from disuse. Similarly, our muscles go flat if we don’t exercise them.

So what do we do when our muscles tighten up and we feel stiff? We stretch! This helps loosen them up. And when our muscles are flabby (another way to say flat!) what do we do? We exercise to tone them up!

And the God lesson in of all of this?

God wants us to be in tune — in perfect pitch and in harmony with Him— and in shape, toned up, ready for whatever He asks us to do. Not too tight, not too loose.

I picture myself as that string with His fingers on the guitar’s tuning pegs turning one way then the other little by little listening to the pitch, changing it ever so slightly until it’s perfect. Or lying prone on a floor mat in a gym, God in His trainer polo shirt stretching my legs a little, loosening me up. His workout routines can be a bit strenuous at times, making me exercise my faith like dumbbells when I’ve been a bit complacent or apathetic. 

And so whether it’s tightening or loosening — stretching our faith or resting in His love — this process brings us closer to Him. I believe Father God wants to have a healthy and harmonious relationship with us — flowing in His love wherever we are.

Growing Older But Not Up

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By Cyndi

Jimmy Buffett has a song called “Growing Older But Not Up.” Not that I accede to all the lyrics of this song, I do like the title. Especially when it comes to the Kingdom of God.

Jesus tells us we are to become like little children if we wish to belong to the Kingdom. (Mark 10:14)  He also says that praise is perfected in children. (Matt. 21:16) And of course, the biggest child reference in the Word is that we are all called His sons and daughters — His kids.

I just recently had a birthday and my body and mind are definitely aging. Be that as it may, spiritually I’m getting younger, more child-like. Keeping things simple.

I don’t believe the Kingdom of God is complicated. He created us to be His sons and daughters, we receive that position by faith and – boom – Abba Father is that close.

Children aren’t born with prejudices, shame, or even fear, I think. We learn these things. Look at our forefathers, Adam and Eve. They walked in the garden, naked and unafraid (sorry, couldn’t resist). Eden had nothing dangerous in it they were worried about. There was no embarrassment or fault-finding in their bodies. Do you think Eve ever asked Adam, “Does this make me look fat?”

They were supposed to live forever. Forever as a son and daughter, partaking in the glorious presence of their Father. Playing, laughing, and resting in perfect love. Like a child. No worries, no fears. Dad will take care of everything.

Being involved with Shiloh Place for many years, I remember Jack Frost used to say, “I just want to be a little boy with a big Daddy.” And to this day, his wife, Trisha Frost, still claims she’s Papa God’s favorite. (Me too!) Luckily, we are all favored. We are all His children in whom He is well pleased. (Luke 3:22). 

So I have another year on this earth under my belt and my numbers are getting bigger, but I’m gonna refuse to grow up. I want to live continuously in child-like wonder of the majesty of His creation. I want to strive to see people through the simplicity of mercy and grace as a sibling. I want to relate to my Almighty Father in heaven as a gentle Daddy that allows me to climb up in His lap and play ostrich (peek-a-boo).

Yeah, I may be growing older, but I’m becoming more and more like a kid in the Kingdom. Thank you, Mr. Buffett, for reminding me of my true position in Christ.