When that Frustrated Feeling Goes Viral

Posted by NormaGail on Apr 21, 2020 | 2 comments

I’m frustrated and I want this quarantine life to be over! I’ll bet a lot of you are with me on that one.

When that Frustrated Feeling Goes Viral

2MefromHim Devotional

Do not be angry and frustrated. Do not fret. That only leads to trouble. Proverbs 37:8 (NET)

I’m frustrated and I want this quarantine life to be over! As a matter of fact, I’ll bet a lot of you are with me on that one. The COVID-19 virus has people in every level of society, every part of the world, every age and background frustrated on some level.

When Life Makes You Frustrated

If you’re high-risk, it’s scary! As a matter of fact, my husband was laid off. We’re stuck in our homes, the kids are out of school, everything is complicated. We question whether to wear masks or not and wonder if it’s safe to go to the store. Our internet is slow. I tried to make masks but my sewing machine has a broken gear. We’re trying to sell 3 vehicles but no one is buying. I’m certain you could add to the list. Oh, did I mention the refrigerator smells, even after being cleaned out and washed? When frustration gains a foothold, it goes viral fast.

If he was totally human, Jesus had reason to be frustrated on a daily basis. He lived and traveled with a group of men who failed to understand who he was. Moreover, they argued with each other, tried to gain a privileged position, and didn’t get what he was sent to accomplish.

The Antidote to Feeling Frustrated

Time after time, scripture encourages us to not give into anger, refrain from worry, treat others with patience, and focus on the good. After Paul lists all the excellent, noble, praiseworthy things we should concentrate on, he puts us in our place. Philippians 4:12-13 says, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

Quarantine life makes us more than a little stir crazy. As a result, I need to concentrate on things that increase my satisfaction with my circumstances. However, God knew COVID-19 with all its ramifications would happen. Our peace and contentment come from Jesus Christ. Therefore, my feelings of stress and fear indicate my lack of trust.

Making Good Feelings Go Viral

I don’t want to be difficult to live with. Therefore, each day I will find something I can praise God for and encourage someone else. I will choose to treat those around me with grace and love. Likewise, kindness only costs thought and time. Let’s make joy and glory to God go viral. After all, he is still in control.

© Copyright, Norma Gail Holtman, April 19, 2020

About the author:

Norma Gail writes Fiction to Refresh Your Spirit. Her contemporary novels, Land of My Dreams, which won the 2016 Bookvana Religious Fiction Award, and Within Golden Bands (releasing May 19, 2020), explore the theme of women whose faith triumphs over trials. A women’s Bible study leader for over 21 years, her devotionals and poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, Inspire a Fire, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, Historical Writers of America, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Norma is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 44 years. They have two adult children. To connect with her, you can follow her blog, or join her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Goodreads, or Amazon.

Having a Noah’s Ark Experience During the COVID-19 Crisis

Posted by NormaGail on Mar 24, 2020 | Comments Off on Having a Noah’s Ark Experience During the COVID-19 Crisis

Noah’s ark provides a powerful example of isolation during an unusual event that changed the world forever. But God remembered Noah and his family. And he remembers each one of us.

Having a Noah’s Ark Experience During the COVID-19 Crisis

A 2MefromHim Devotional

But God remembered… Genesis 8:1

Noah’s Ark Shows God is in Control

The COVID-19 quarantine is a unique experience in our time. We have lived relatively free of the diseases and plagues experienced by previous generations. Without warning, we face a formidable and dangerous situation that threatens our lives, our livelihood, and our world economy. We don’t know how long the pandemic will last or how our world will change before we emerge. Rather than the world being out of control, God is in control just as he was during the Flood.

Noah’s Ark Shows God has a Purpose

In Noah’s time as in ours, evil flourished and few cared about God. He was the only righteous man in the world, intimate with God and obedient to him. Noah gathered his family, the necessary food, the animals, and entered the ark. Unlike our situation, Genesis 7:16 tells us, “Then the Lord shut him in.” However, whether due to our own health or the orders of authorities, ultimately God has a purpose for our isolation.

God Doesn’t Take His People Out of the Storms of Life

Once Noah and his family were safe, the deluge hit. Imagine the panicky people left outside. Picture them running to the top of buildings and then mountains, as the waters rose higher, accompanied by frightened animals desperate to save themselves. Perhaps Noah heard the screams. In the same way that people have rushed to buy essential items, and call professionals worried about their health now, the people of Noah’s day scrambled to find a place of safety.

As with the natural forces unleashed during the Flood, the coronavirus is an event of nature resulting in massive mortality. Whether by direct action or selective inaction, God holds ultimate control. Like the rest of the world, Christians can’t avoid the COVID-19 pandemic. However, our safety isn’t only in remaining virus-free and living. Christians have the assurance of safety in Christ even if they die. Likewise, God didn’t take Noah out of the storm but kept his family safe as they went through it.

God Wants Us to Proclaim His Message to Frightened People

We will come out of isolation. Noah emerged from the ark into a changed world void of other life and everything that existed before. People will emerge from the COVID-19 crisis having lost family members, health, jobs, financial security, and with new fears of another disease outbreak. When that time comes, God wants his people to go forth and proclaim the message of salvation to those trapped in fear and darkness.

Our Noah’s ark experience should equip us to share the Good News of salvation in Christ with the frightened people in our world. We have comfort and hope the world lacks. We have a God who says, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)

Spend time with God during this quarantine and find ways to tell a frightened world that God remembers them and wants them to know him.

© Norma Gail Holtman, March 21, 2020

About the author:

Norma Gail writes Fiction to Refresh Your Spirit. Her contemporary novels, Land of My Dreams, which won the 2016 Bookvana Religious Fiction Award, and Within Golden Bands (releasing May 19, 2020), explore the theme of women whose faith triumphs over trials. A women’s Bible study leader for over 21 years, her devotionals and poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, Inspire a Fire, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, Historical Writers of America, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Norma is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 44 years. They have two adult children. To connect with her, you can follow her blog, or join her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Goodreads, or Amazon.

Reconciliation and Healing from the Inside Out

Posted by NormaGail on Mar 10, 2020 | 4 comments

Forgiveness doesn’t necessarily bring reconciliation. When angry words and actions lead to broken relationships, trust is destroyed. Trust is not easily regained.

Reconciliation—Healing from the Inside Out

2MefromHim Devotionals

Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so? Amos 3:3

Reconciliation appeared impossible. The gaping wound awakened me again. I flicked on the light and curled into my recliner, hurting, unable to sleep, and wracked with tears. A tornado of conflict and disagreement whirled through my brain, flinging splintered bits and pieces of my life and relationships through my mind. Everything I knew was changed, distorted, and destroyed. My heart was so wounded I saw no way I would ever be whole again.

I stared out the window into the night, watching as clouds scudded across the sky, covering the almost-full moon. The house shook in the howling wind, battered by powerful gusts, which echoed the storm in my heart. “Lord, I chose to forgive. I acted as you said, but nothing changed. Instead, much of my life appears to be based on lies. Where do I go from here?”

Forgiveness

As an illustration, hospitals isolate patients with infected wounds. Their sores are left open and cleaned frequently to rid them of contagion so healing occurs from the inside out. In the same way, forgiveness begins in the heart and eventually reaches the place where it can be offered to the offending person. However, forgiveness doesn’t necessarily bring reconciliation.

Forgiveness takes place between the person wronged and God, apart from the offender. Once I forgave, a sense of peace began to flood my life. I paid the price of forgiving those who injured me in pride, something I could well afford to pay. However, the relationships remained unreconciled because those who hurt me failed to take responsibility.

God says reconciliation comes first

Before I chose to forgive, I was infected with bitterness. Hebrews 12:15 says: “See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” A teaching leader in Bible Study Fellowship brought in a tree root wrapped around a sprinkler pipe so tight that water could no longer flow through. Much as Cain grew to hate Abel, anger festers into bitterness, cutting off the flow of love toward the object of our resentment. Notice the last part of the verse, “and defile many.” My anger and resentment overflows to the people around me and defiles them. They choose sides, get involved, and thus become victims of the corruption, which spreads like a plague.

After I offered forgiveness to those who hurt me and asked forgiveness for my part in the disagreements, some of the hurt began to heal. Matthew 5:23-24 says, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.”

Reconciliation requires atonement

Reconciliation requires atonement, a price paid for the offense. Angry words and actions that lead to broken relationships destroy trust. And trust is not easily regained. It requires time and evidence of change, often some type of reparation must be made.

A relationship can’t be restored if the offender refuses to seek forgiveness or acknowledge the wrong done. Speaking of Christ’s atonement for our sin, Hebrews 9:22 says, “the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” When I hurt someone there is a price to pay to regain trust and enable healing. The offender must accept responsibility, or continuing the relationship will result in more hurt. God never expects us to accept abuse.

What hurts do I need to forgive? What must I offer in order to heal a damaged relationship? Am I willing to humble myself that I might be reconciled to God and those I have injured?

© Norma Gail Holtman, March 9, 2020

About the author:

Norma Gail writes Fiction to Refresh Your Spirit. Her contemporary novels, Land of My Dreams, which won the 2016 Bookvana Religious Fiction Award, and Within Golden Bands (releasing May 19, 2020), explore the theme of women whose faith triumphs over trials. A women’s Bible study leader for over 21 years, her devotionals and poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, Inspire a Fire, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, Historical Writers of America, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Norma is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 44 years. They have two adult children. To connect with her, you can follow her blog, or join her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Goodreads, or Amazon.

To Forgive Demands a Surrender of Pride

Posted by NormaGail on Mar 3, 2020 | 4 comments

The failure to forgive or to seek forgiveness grants the devil a foothold that destroys our hearts.

To Forgive Demands a Surrender of Pride

2MefromHim Devotionals

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:3

To forgive demands a surrender of pride and pain in order to reach out to others as Christ extended grace to us.

Learn to forgive

As a young Christian of seventeen, it became clear that God required me to right a severed relationship. However, following a youth conference, I knew the time for healing had come. God used the heartbreak to lead me to salvation. It was all for good.

When I shared the testimony of what God did in my life, the one who hurt me sat a few feet away. I once rejected his plea for forgiveness. It was time to surrender my pride and let go of the hurt. And it freed us both. The lesson is etched in my memory.

Examples of forgiveness

Likewise, the world has never understood the importance of Jesus’ words on the Cross when he said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” We injure others by words and actions without even trying. Proverbs 11:17 says, “Your own soul is nourished when you are kind, but you destroy yourself when you are cruel.” NLT

Joseph provides an excellent example. Sold into slavery, transported to a foreign country, and thought dead by his father, he was treated unjustly time and again. Years later, when his brothers appeared seeking aide in a time of famine, he revealed himself, telling them not to be distressed. God had a plan. When his brothers feared retaliation, he answered their pleas for mercy by saying, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good…”

Called to forgive

In recent years, a painful situation created a gulf between myself and people dear to me. Once again, the lesson I learned as a teen returned. As a result, I humbled myself to seek forgiveness for words spoken in anger. Likewise, I needed to forgive the hurt I suffered. Forgiveness is a choice made on a daily, often moment by moment basis, whenever hurtful thoughts appear.

Humility brings reward

Quarrels never honor God. He is wounded when we offend others by our actions and words. In Ephesians 4, Paul admonishes us to “not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs.” However, our, loving Abba Father understands our weaknesses. If we humble ourselves, He will heal and renew. The failure to forgive or to seek forgiveness grants the devil a foothold that destroys our hearts.

Perhaps the way you can build up another today is to apologize. Maybe you need to forgive someone who doesn’t realize how they hurt you. Forgiveness frees the offender as well as the offended. Surrender your pride. Choose to forgive. It’s never easy but the reward is peace.

© Norma Gail Holtman, February 26, 2020

About the author:

Norma Gail writes Fiction to Refresh Your Spirit. Her contemporary novels, Land of My Dreams, which won the 2016 Bookvana Religious Fiction Award, and Within Golden Bands (releasing May 19, 2020), explore the theme of women whose faith triumphs over trials. A women’s Bible study leader for over 21 years, her devotionals and poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, Inspire a Fire, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, Historical Writers of America, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Norma is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 44 years. They have two adult children. If you’re interested in connecting with her, follow her blog, or join her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Goodreads, or Amazon.

Choose Kindness & Compassion – A 2MefromHim Devotional

Posted by NormaGail on Feb 25, 2020 | 2 comments

To choose kindness and compassion, I must overcome uncharitable and selfish thoughts. It’s what Jesus would do.

Choose Kindness and Compassion

A 2MefromHim Devotional

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

Always choose kindness and compassion. What we remember most about others is how they treat us. The best friend is one who goes out of their way to show love. Yet how easy it is to find an excuse to do the opposite.

Choose Kindness

Not long ago, I sat at the bedside of my dying aunt. As a former nurse, sitting beside a deathbed wasn’t uncomfortable, however, a friend’s visit cheered my heart. When she realized the imminence of death, she remained. We sang hymns, read scripture, and prayed. Sacrificing her own plans for the day, she sat with my uncle and me and remained until after my aunt’s passing. Her thoughtfulness and generosity will never be forgotten.

Likewise, there is a stark contrast between a display of kindness and those who are either neglectful or mean-spirited. Henry Drummond said, “The greatest thing a man can do for his heavenly Father is to be kind to some of his other children.”

Kindness Heals

I came across a quote recently from Joseph B. Wirthlin, “Occasionally, family members treat each other with less courtesy and kindness than they do acquaintances or even strangers.” I think this even applies to our family of fellow Christians and the greater family of mankind. Nothing should cause us to deny someone’s need when it is within our power to be kind. Even relationships broken by mistrust, lack of understanding, and hostility can begin to mend through a single act of self-sacrifice and care. It matters little if we understand completely, only that we help within our ability.

Lack of Compassion Hurts

In contrast, a confrontation with someone lacking kindness reminds me of the screams my husband and I heard coming from beside some railroad tracks near a sightseeing spot. We ran in that direction, only to discover a deer taken down by a pack of wild dogs. Though we chased them away, they returned. Similarly, to be treated with a lack of compassion and understanding leaves deep emotional wounds. Self-preservation makes us avoid people who hurt rather than help.

The Cost of being Kind

My father is remembered for his kindness. After he died, a dear friend related how he showed up at their door one year with money to buy Christmas gifts for their boys. Their savings were stolen from his wife’s purse, and though our family wasn’t well off, my father somehow found the means to help.

As a child of God, I must overcome uncharitable and selfish thoughts in order to treat someone with kindness. It’s what Jesus would do. It dishonors Christ to ignore someone’s plea when I possess the power to help. Yes, it costs us to be kind. We pay in time, humility, and sometimes money. However, the reward is everlasting.

Who do you know that needs to be shown some kindness? Will you honor Christ and make the sacrifice necessary to help?

© Norma Gail Holtman, February 22, 2020

About the author:

Norma Gail writes Fiction to Refresh Your Spirit. Her contemporary novels, Land of My Dreams, which won the 2016 Bookvana Religious Fiction Award, and Within Golden Bands (releasing May 19, 2020), explore the theme of women whose faith triumphs over trials. A women’s Bible study leader for over 21 years, her devotionals and poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, Inspire a Fire, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, Historical Writers of America, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Norma is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 44 years. They have two adult children. If you’re interested in connecting with her, follow her blog, or join her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Goodreads, or Amazon.