Fountains of Life

Surf Dad

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By Cyndi

A man stands in chest deep water, with two of his sons close by. “Good pop-up that time, Ian!” he shouts to one of the boys in shallower water. “Looking good!” he says to the other one catching the next wave as it breaks. The third son, the eldest, about twelve I’d guess, is further away from them sitting on his surfboard. “Aaron, won’t you come over here and be near us?” he motions with his hand. He wants to be around all of his children. I call this man “Surf Dad” to myself because I don’t know his name but he’s a regular at this spot — a local surfer teaching his three boys to surf.

And what a fine example of a father I see in this man. I’m sure he’s not perfect, none of us are, yet, the manner in which he handles his boys outshines many other dads. He speaks to them with kindness and seems to be patient with them as they learn. There have been times when I have accidentally gotten in his way surfing but he always smiles and says, “No worries,” and paddles back out for another wave. I hear him constantly encouraging his boys, supporting all their efforts and pressing them on.

Observing Surf Dad made me think about Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father. Jesus was taught the carpentry trade from him. I know the Bible doesn’t tell us how Jesus grew up, but from the little knowledge we have of how Joseph responded to Mary and his dreams from God, I have a feeling Joseph was probably a lot like Surf Dad. I bet he was patient when Jesus was little, sweeping the shop, sanding boards, watching His father work. I imagine encouraging words and “teaching moments” coming from Joseph as he trained Jesus in all the tricks of the trade. And I have a feeling they liked hanging out together. 

Isn’t this the kind of dad we all want? Well guess what? We have one. 

Some of us were blessed with one in the natural (I’m one of those people), but Father God wants to be this kind of a dad to each of us now! Jesus came to show us what the Father is like. John 14:9, “If you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen the Father.” He was meek and lowly of heart, compassionate and caring, gracious and merciful, and also liked to play with children! These aren’t just the character traits of Jesus, they’re of our Heavenly Father too!

It’s very possible that Surf Dad is a Christian, since his traits resemble Father God’s so much (plus I’ve seen a fish sticker on his truck), or he may just be a good dad. I don’t know for sure, but either way I feel he paints an excellent picture of how the Father wants to relate to us.

Both Surf Dad and Joseph show us that God always sees us as His sons and daughters with whom He wants to spend time with, encourage, comfort, and express love to. It’s up to us to believe He is, and receive Him as this type of Dad. 

 

(Photos taken from 911surfreport.com   Thanks Eddie.)

On the Side of the Road

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By Cyndi

A little wildflower on the side of the road,

Does anyone see it, does anyone know?

It lives in the sunshine and breathes in fresh air, 

But does anyone see it, does anyone care?

Ever felt like a little flower on the side of the road? Cars and trucks drive past you every day concerned only about their job and destination. Joggers jog and walkers walk past you with bluetooth earphones on or faces glued to a touch screen chatting away.

Sometimes in life we feel lonely. Alone. No one to care for us and no one who seems to care.

Jesus felt alone too when He was on the cross. It’s recorded both in Matthew’s and Luke’s books: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  And if I may be so bold to look into His human side for a bit, I think there were times when, even though He was with His disciples, He probably felt very alone and misunderstood. 

One of the best things about wildflowers is that they are usually NOT alone; they naturally grow in groups or clusters. Think about it. When you look on the side of the road, if you see wildflowers,
there’s usually more than one. Many times there’s a whole color palette of them — purple, yellow, white, orange!  My dear reader, can you not see the spiritual significance of this?!

We are never alone! Yes, it may feel like it sometimes — Jesus did— but the truth is that God will never leave us nor forsake us. (Heb.13:5) And I believe Father sees every single wildflower on the side of the road, each one with its unique colors and tints, each one totally different than the one next to it. Yet there are masses of us blooming beside one another! We are distinctively collective.  

It may be hard for you to see yourself as a flower (especially you guys) but God sees you as His Beautiful Creation. Beautiful as an individual stem, and beautiful as a bunch on the side of the road. 

Now to answer my wildflower poem from the introduction of this article — Yes, He does! 

Yes, He sees you! Yes, He knows! And yes, He cares! You are not alone! We may feel disconnected at times, but remember — we have brothers and sisters who are also bunched up with us on this palette of life together, all of us being held by a loving Master Creator. Rest in the sunshine and fresh air from the Father, my friend. Breathe it in and soak in it. You are never alone. 

 

(photos taken off of Wonderwood Dr.)

Refocus

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By Cyndi

I remember when this year began many people were speaking words like, “This is gonna be a year of vision,” or “This will be a year where our vision gets clearer.” And, yes, having the numerical date of 2020, that all seemed to be apropos.

And then March Madness came. No, not the basketball playoffs, the madness that cancelled those playoffs — COVID-19. Who’d-a-thunk-it? Where did this come from? All of a sudden the whole world seemed blindsided by this virus. Blinded, shut down, not seeing clearly, foggy, confused, no 2020 vision.

Or were we really blinded?

Well, maybe at first. But as time marches on in this state of flux, I find myself truly refocusing and actually seeing clearer. Things I valued and deemed important in my life beforehand have become more obvious now.

I think we could all say indisputably that our family and our health are near the top of our most valued assets. Being able to spend so much time with our kids, the positive and negative of it, is something we may never have again in our lifetime — at least not like this. This containment scenario is making many memories and may one day be viewed as a blessing, though it’s a bit trying for the time being. My son is older and, not only out of the house, but quarantined in Chicago. For me, I wish I had more time with him. Kids grow up fast. 

And our health can change fast over time too. During this “stay-at-home” order Robert and I have been refocusing on eating well and exercising better, because we want to live active and prosperous lives for many years. Plus with all the stress of the situation, it’s also a good time for prayer ministry and noticing how we’re dealing with the pressures. Our emotional health and personal growth are important too. 

At the top of our values most of us would put “faith in God.” Perhaps this priority in our lives is being tested these days. We may be questioning: “What is God up to?” “Did He cause this?” “How will He fix this?” “Why is He allowing this to happen?” 

My only answer is — I don’t know.

I don’t know any of the “why’s” or “how’s,” but I do know we have to focus on Him and not the circumstances. This is where the 2020 vision does come in. Recently reflecting on Jesus dying on the cross and Easter — things weren’t what they appeared to be in this story. Today I have to look beyond my natural eyesight and what I think I see. This is walking by faith, not by sight. (2 Cor.5:7) If ever there was a time to understand this verse, it’s now.

So how do I do this? I relax and trust that Father God loves me and that His love is always good. I rest in not having to know everything and instead simply know that He’s here with me, in the middle of it all. 

I, too, can’t wait to see my friends in church again, to surf at the beach, to go out to dinner, and to be with all of my extended family. But for now I’m trying to refocus back solely on Him and I’m seeing much clearer than I have in a while. After all, it is the year 2020.

Rest. Rest. Rest.

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By Cyndi

About a week ago I tweaked my back a little. It was the last day before the beaches were closing here in Jacksonville due to the Coronavirus, so knowing this, I surfed until I could hardly move. I let my body rest for about a week, but then I started feeling better, not all the way healed up, but enough to work in the yard a little. Well, you guessed it — my back went out again. Bummers. Gotta rest it again! I do not like not being able to do anything physically; I love to exercise, walk, be outside, be in the water — anything to be moving. I’m a doer. 

Here I was once again stuck not able to do much of anything. I needed to let my body rest and heal. Funny thing, our nation, along with so many others right now, are all supposed to be staying home to stop the spreading of this COVID-19 virus. Many are even quarantined and entire cities are locked down. (As of this writing we are not yet.)

I think Father may be trying to get a message to me. And maybe not just to me, but to His whole body world-wide during this crisis. 

He’s not calling us to DO something. He’s calling us to BE something. Be the church. Be His hands and feet. And be at rest!

It’s very easy to get a feeling of helplessness with this pandemic going on. Everyday we see the numbers and statistics change — mostly for the worse at this point in time — but it will eventually get better. We just have to wait and be at rest in Him.

The Lord never guaranteed us that we will not have trials and tribulations. In fact, He flat out says we will! But He said He’ll be with us through them, even in the midst of them. In John 16:33 Jesus tells us that, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” 

So what things did He tell us previously before this verse? That going through these troubles are hard, but on the other side of them, it’s so much better:  

  • Jesus had to leave so He could send the Holy Spirit;
  • Jesus left His disciples so they could go directly to the Father;
  • A mother goes through travail to give birth, yet afterwards has the joy of a child. 

My friends, I believe on the other side of this it’s gonna be worth it. (Great song from Rita Springer.)

Rest, my friends. Breathe deeply. This is a time to invest in your families. This is a time to reveal to strangers the Hope we have. This is a time for the fruits of the Spirit to grow and develop in us if we allow them to. 

Let us be the Father’s love expressed here on this earth — right here, right now!

Stop doing and start being. Rest. Rest. Rest. 

God Is Our Refuge

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By Cyndi

There’s a lot of fear and anxiety out in the world today. Some may say hysteria. The unseen enemy of the Coronavirus is running amuck and normal life is becoming something like we’ve never known before.

Yes, it’s pretty crazy watching the news, seeing people in stores, the lack of traffic on the streets, businesses closing. Things have changed. Well, except God. He never changes. He hasn’t moved nor fretted one bit. 

He is still good and always will be.

Look at Psalm 34:8 — “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.” The Hebrew word for refuge here is Chacah meaning to take refuge, flee for protection, put trust or hope in. Many other verses also refer to God as our shelter, our strong tower, our place of safety and security.  

A picture that comes to mind and gives me great comfort is from Matthew 23:37 where Jesus is saying how He wants to cover us with protecting love just like a mother hen takes her wings and shields her chickens. However, both in this verse and in the world today, some of us are not allowing Him to cover us. We have to choose to rest in His love. 

Perfect love casts out all fear. (1 Jn. 4:18) I encourage you to take some time to be still and just rest in His love. Put on some worship music and soak in God’s presence. It’s true we don’t know how everything is going to turn out, but we can at least live in peace as we wait.

And much of the world is looking for that peace right now. Historically after many plagues and disasters, Christianity spread. People are looking for hope in the midst of their fears, comfort for their concerns, and quiet for their turmoiled souls. We have a Father who is big enough to shelter us all.