Articles by Janice Price at Heartlight

God Loves a Slow Cooker

janprice02@alltel.net (Janice Price) — Tue, 17 Aug 2004 00:00:00 -0500

The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger ["cook"] and abounding in mercy. (Psalms 103:8 NKJV)

The rain-soaked cardboard box sits on the end of the porch. My first reaction is, "What idiot left that box there?" (I live alone, so I know what idiot left it there -- one of my cats!)

As I check the contents, I realize the heavy glass and metal top will be okay, but upside-down, exposed to the foul weather and full of rainwater is the electric heating unit. When I unloaded the car the previous day, I neglected to carry in the last item.

I have messed up, big time. The electric slow cooker is nearly new ... very expensive ... and borrowed.

I am upset with myself and nervous about Mother's reaction, but I call her and confess that my negligence has ruined her valued appliance. I would most likely react in a squeaky, shocked voice, "You did what?" I expect the same from her. Instead, she calmly tells me, "Don't worry about it. These things happen."

Her response doesn't salvage the electric cooker or absolve me of the guilt of negligence. It certainly isn't the reaction I deserve, but it is the reaction of a loving parent who has learned from experience that her daughter is absent-minded and imperfect. It's a response of forgiveness.

It reminds me of our Heavenly Father's reaction when we humbly and honestly confess our negligence, petty grievances, or titanic screw-ups to him. He doesn't scream, "That's it, no more chances for you!" He doesn't announce it to the local tabloid, nor does he take back the blessings he has bestowed upon us.

God created us, so he knows we are weak, forgetful, shortsighted and often short-tempered. Sometimes we are downright unlovable.

But God is merciful. He loves us, he forgives us, and he expects us to pass that love and forgiveness on to others. He is the original "slow cooker." As we grow in grace and faith, we learn to exhibit the same "slow cooker" character.

So how should we respond to a humble confession of a mistake by another? The same way my mother did; we should respond with, "I forgive you."

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (Colossians 3:13 NIV)

Janice Price is an overcomer. Despite a myriad of challenges over the last several years, Jan loves the Lord and longs to honor Him and display His grace in her life. She has a soft spot for her own cats and dogs as well as animals that have been hurt or abandoned. She enjoys writing, especially writing about finding God in the most mundane and everyday circumstances of life.

Between Two Doors

janprice02@alltel.net (Janice Price) — Tue, 06 Jul 2004 00:00:00 -0500

"Mew. Mew." I could hear the faint cry intermittently. What has that kitten gotten into this time I wondered, but I was rushing to get to a meeting and didn't check on her right away. I snapped a leash on Merci and hurried her out the front door. We walked around the house to the back yard.

"Mew. Mew." The doors and windows were closed. Why could I still hear Cyndi's tiny cries?

I turned and there she was. Spread-eagled against the screen, crying pitifully and hanging on by her claws as she pulled herself heavily up the screen door. She was inadvertently locked between the two doors when I took out the trash.

As sorry a sight as she was, I laughed. Now I know what Crystal looked like from the other side of the screen when he was locked between the same two doors. Only he's a full-grown tomcat and there was barely room for him to stand. I don't know how long he stood on tiptoe, but ever since he moves quickly when the door starts to close.

But what struck me funny is that for one crazy moment I could see myself in that predicament -- trapped between two doors and unable to free myself. Later I realized that's exactly where I am at present -- trapped between two doors awaiting rescue. I've done all I can humanly do about the circumstances and I've turned them over to God.

We have all been there. Hemmed in by circumstances beyond our control or sometimes of our own making, able to see there's no one around to rescue us, but unable to go forward, back up, or turn around. It's a terrifying place to be ... unless we have hope.

The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all. (Psalm 34:15, 19 NIV)

God once led the Israelites between two doors. He trapped them between the Red Sea before them and Pharaoh's army behind them, and then he delivered them by parting the Red Sea.

(The Lord) rescued me because he delighted in me. (Psalm 18:19b NIV)

I opened a door for Cyndi, and I trust God will open a door for me.

In Tandem with Jesus

janprice02@alltel.net (Janice Price) — Wed, 16 Jun 2004 00:00:00 -0500

"Would you be interested in reading my story, about how I went from a circus trapeze artist to a quadriplegic?" Vickie asked in an email.

My curiosity was piqued and I ordered both of her books. They were added to the reading material pile where they gathered dust for nearly three years. Recently, I came across them for the umpteenth time. I opened one autographed copy and read, "Janice, Choose joy!" After reading Vickie's story, I understand this wasn't an off-handed comment. Joy was attained only after she came to terms -- "God's terms" -- with her life after quadriplegia.

Vickie and her husband Gary were practicing a new two-and-a-half-somersaults feat when she lost her sense of direction and plummeted headfirst into the net below. She broke her neck, ending a career she loved. After three years and three suicide attempts, she was admitted to a psychiatric ward for eight-and-a-half weeks. While there, she came to accept that her paralysis was permanent and that she needed help in order to cope with life. She asked God for that help and Jesus became her new "Ringmaster."

Gary left her on the fourth anniversary of the accident. Yet despite her paralysis, Vickie was able to live on her own with assistance from caring neighbors and part time home health aides. She returned to school to get a degree in social work in order to help others with disabilities. Her physical life was an ongoing battle against pain and respiratory problems, but she still maintained a full and active life, as well as a sense of humor.

Vickie was skydiving before she learned to perform on a trapeze. Her performing days ended, but her thrill of skydiving would take a new twist. Tandem skydiving was relatively new at the time she first tried it, but with an experienced instructor wearing a harness with an oversized parachute pack, Vickie could participate.

"In tandem" means to have one (or more) after or behind another. They need to be going in the same direction for the same purpose, as in riding a tandem bicycle or jumping tandem from an airplane.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12 NIV)

Once Vickie turned her life over to God, she "walked" in tandem with Jesus until she died.

Independent and Self-Sufficient

janprice02@alltel.net (Janice Price) — Thu, 03 Jun 2004 00:00:00 -0500

"I'm coming back to work," Curt said, grinning from ear to ear, as I came through the office door.

I was taken aback for a moment and then realized he was joking. Never again would he trot up the stairs, climb on the roof, or rev up his motorcycle engine before he burned rubber out of the parking lot.

Curt was adept at taking things apart and fixing them. He enjoyed his job as maintenance man at an apartment complex. The tenants enjoyed his good humor. (One time he filled a tenant's apartment with helium balloons while she was at work.)

Young women considered the lanky man good-looking. He had time for dating and for late night partying with his friends, but he put off allowing God into his life. After all, he was young, independent, and self-sufficient. He shied away from people who mentioned Jesus or worshipped and prayed to a Creator.

Life was good.

Until the night he drank too much alcohol, climbed on his motorcycle, and sped away with his mother sitting on the seat behind him. The motorcycle left the road at a high rate of speed and slammed into a tree. His mother suffered major injuries, but she would live. Curt was not expected to survive.

It was touch and go for a while, but Curt did survive. The word "miracle" was used. The only one who was unhappy about the news was Curt. When he was conscious and able to comprehend the extent of his injuries, he pulled out the needle to his IV line and disconnected everything within reach. His life, he believed at that moment, was over.

It was a long and painful recovery. His mother renovated her trailer to accommodate his new lifestyle. He was now a paraplegic, no longer totally independent and self-sufficient. He would never walk again.

The day he took his first solo bus ride, he maneuvered his wheelchair through the apartment complex and into the office for a leisurely visit. He had retained his wonderful sense of humor, but he had changed. He believed he survived for a purpose and he now had time for God in his life.

I never saw Curt again so I don't know the end of his story, but God is able to change hearts and lives so I have always had hope that Curt learned to walk in the Spirit when his physical legs could no longer hold him upright.

He [God] gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. (Isaiah 40:29 NIV)

True Love from Hope and Faith

janprice02@alltel.net (Janice Price) — Sat, 14 Feb 2004 00:00:00 -0600

Editor's Note: This is not your typical Valentine's day love story. On the contrary, this is a real life story of how the loving heart of one dying little girl touched the hearts of a whole community and helped them share love with those who need it most.

We also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Romans 5:3-5)

Hope Stout died recently from osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer. Amazingly, she leaves behind a million-dollar legacy for other seriously ill young patients. It's amazing because Hope was only twelve years old.

When the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central & Western North Carolina offered Hope an opportunity to have a dream come true, she asked how many other local children were waiting for a wish. She was told there were one hundred fifty-five on the list. Hope expressed the desire to see every one of those wishes come true.

Make-A-Wish determined it would cost $1,000,000 to fulfill all 155 wishes and Hope's hometown began fundraising. On January 16th, this goal was surpassed at a "Celebration of Hope" fundraiser.

In December a radio interviewer was moved to tears as Hope described how her family supported her during her hospital stay while some of the other young patients didn't have family with them. She talked openly about how her family's faith in God was helping them through their ordeal.

One young girl's lovingly super-sized dream sparked a campaign to ensure that all 155 wishes become a reality. Hope's dream did not die with her. It is comforting her family and touching more lives nationwide than she ever imagined. She believed that anything is possible with God and that her illness could become an encouragement and a blessing to others.

Children have an endearing, unsophisticated faith that God can often use to direct adults back to the simplicity of faith in action. In this instance, he used a girl named Hope.

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

Trust Not in Thy Cell Phone or Thyself!

janprice02@alltel.net (Janice Price) — Sun, 28 Dec 2003 00:00:00 -0600

Jane is leaning forward, one arm resting on the back of the empty chair in front of her. The other arm is gesturing as she talks. She leans too far forward and suddenly she disappears from sight. The domino effect takes over and chairs overturn. Two or three men leap to her rescue. She reappears, unhurt and laughing, and continues talking.

In normal circumstances, I have empathy for embarrassing moments such as this one. This time I laugh, not at Jane's sudden drop, but at the unexpected mental image of my mother's shock and disbelief as she slid out of her wheelchair several evenings earlier.

She wasn't clumsy. She was trying a full-chair cushion in her wheelchair to keep her warm. It's thickness forced her to sit a little higher and a bit forward. Evidently, it was also a bit slippery because when she reached for something, she slid off the cushion.

I wasn't laughing when I heard about it. I was terrified she was injured. She held onto her cordless telephone as she fell and called my brother to lift her off the floor. I was relieved when he called to let me know she was okay. Then I went into panic mode.

First, I thought I should get a second telephone line in case Mother needs to reach me while I am on the Internet. No, it will be easier to get a cell phone, I decided, in case I'm not home if she has an emergency. But I can't afford either option. What should I do?

"Trust me." There was that inner voice, the one that brings peace and resolution in times of unbalanced thinking. The voice of reason reminding me that God is aware of all aspects of any problem and that there is a point where we have to let go and allow him to work it out for everyone's benefit. A cell phone is not the solution.

He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. If you make the Most High your dwelling -- even the LORD, who is my refuge -- then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name." (Psalm 91: 4,9-12,14 NIV)

I am human and I have limitations. I can't watch over Mother 24/7. Cell phones have limitations, also. Too often they are out of range of a transmitter in this area, as well as in other areas. But God reminds us (in Psalm 121:3) that "He will not let your foot slip -- he who watches over you will not slumber."

God's reminder that Mother is in his capable hands gives me comfort. As Jane slid out of her folding chair, I was able to laugh -- even as I envisioned Mother sliding out of her wheelchair -- because I was at peace with trusting him.

Honor the Dead by Helping the Living

janprice02@alltel.net (Janice Price) — Tue, 11 Nov 2003 00:00:00 -0600

It is time once again for Buddy Poppies. Volunteers from the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Ladies Auxiliary to the VFW will be standing outside businesses offering a small flower for a donation of one dollar. Disabled American veterans assemble the poppies and the proceeds are used to help veterans in nursing homes and in the community.

I never gave any thought to what these poppies represent or why they are sold until yesterday when I was given information to put into a short announcement for the local media. What caught my attention was the phrase, "Please honor the dead by helping the living." When I consider it, this phrase is appropriate for Christians.

For many of us, a great Aunt Sally, a grade school teacher, a church member or a parent has set an example of service we strive to emulate, established a tradition of love we want to pass on to others, or taught us valuable truths that have improved our lives. Although each of them has passed from this physical life, their lessons remain with us.

We honor our deceased by helping the living. We pass on their wisdom and teachings by word and action as we live by what we learned from their examples. We enrich our own lives as well as the lives of others as we do this.

In Ecclesiastes 1:9 (NIV), we read:

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

We honor God's deceased servants by helping the living. Some of their mistakes and successes have been recorded that we might learn invaluable lessons for our own spiritual journey. We help our families, friends, neighbors and even strangers as we put the lessons into practice.

Before Jesus could be resurrected, he first had to die. There is much wisdom and insight we can glean from the Biblical record of his three and a half years of ministry. In Matthew 11:29, Jesus says, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

Our lives will be enriched as we learn from Jesus' example and help the living.

All of these people we have mentioned received God's approval because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. For God had far better things in mind for us that would also benefit them, for they can't receive the prize at the end of the race until we finish the race. (Hebrews 11:39-40)