Category: Bible

Bible, coronavirus, faith, Family, freedom, God, Jesus, nature, religious, scripture, snakes, spiritual, Uncategorized, women

Be On Guard

katietkennedy

We recently moved to a more rural area adjacent to deep woods. While I relish the scenery and sounds from nature, an unwanted guest welcomed me.

The morning hadn’t started great, I was sleep-deprived from being up with the kids the night before. Then I dropped a gardening tool on my big toe. To top things off, I opened the front door to a four-foot-long black snake sprawled out directly in front of me. My screaming woke him from his sunbathing, he scrunched up and slithered away. I slammed the door as quickly as humanly possible.

I turned to my husband as he gazed at me with inquisitive eyes not understanding my reaction. With tears of exhaustion and defeat in my eyes, I explained my distress. My nature-loving husband ran outside to find the snake and explore his habits. Everyone keeps telling me it was a “good” snake who keeps away copperheads and rodents. Is there such a thing as a “good” snake?”

I generally adore animals, snakes excluded. Something about their slithering ways gives me chills. Shouldn’t I be leery of snakes when Satan chose this animal to tempt Eve in the garden?

Coincidentally, in the past few months, I’ve had multiple encounters with snakes. Was I being forced to face my fears? Was God trying to tell me something? Or was the enemy tormenting me? Even the neighbors had advised me to keep my eyes peeled when walking around so I wouldn’t accidentally step on one. This advice was sound but not comforting.

This reminds me of a verse in the Bible, “Be on your guard.” This verse is cited in various books such as 1 Corinthians, Mark, 2 Timothy, Acts, Matthew, 2 Peter, and more. Why do we need to be on guard?

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8).

Be on guard for the enemy, liars, people, or things which draw you away from God. Be on guard to protect your family, your marriage, your brothers, your church.

I have new eyes when opening my front door. They are alert, ready, and on guard. Should we have the same set of eyes for the world?

Bible, lice

Pushed Beyond Limits

katietkennedy

Having a family comes with numerous blessings and also countless challenges. You face experiences you never even knew were possible. Sleepless nights turn to kids vomiting, running noses, and a plethora of injuries. Disciplinarian challenges and social situations arise usually at the most inconvenient times. Of course, these are all put in perspective when compared to life-threatening health battles.

One uninvited adventure sits at the top of my list. Warning. This story may cause itchiness. One of the most difficult experiences I’ve faced as a parent was ridding our home of lice. I knew nothing about lice until we discovered one of our children had a nasty case.

Lice can spread rapidly amongst kindergarteners due to their desire to show affection to their friends. They are hard to eliminate because if just one is missed, the whole cycle starts again. Most people won’t talk about lice because of the shame associated; however, if you bring it up you’d be shocked how people come out of the woodwork with their own lice horror stories.

Decontaminating our house of lice brought me to my knees from exhaustion and desperation. Between combing hair, washing linens, non-stop vacuuming, drying backpacks, and making trips back and forth to the knit fairies (greatest place on earth if your family is dealing with lice in Richmond, VA). Thankfully lice in our past and I hope it remains that way.

When life brings new obstacles and I find myself grumbling, I recollect our encounter with lice. It’s the barometer in which I evaluate hindrances. The only challenge that mildly compares is when our sewer backed up, but that’s a story for another day.

In Corrie Ten Boom’s book, The Hiding Place, she shares how her sister encouraged Corrie to give thanks for the fleas in their concentration camp barracks. It was the one place the soldiers wouldn’t enter. This afforded them the opportunity to conduct Bible studies in their sleeping quarters.

Why do I share these itchy stories? It reminds of God’s permanent presence. Whatever we go through, we will survive with God at our side. Even if it doesn’t feel like it at the time. When you make it through and emerge on the other side, you are probably stronger and more knowledgeable (as frustrating as this may be to admit).

When you are struggling and feel overwhelmed, think back to a challenging time and remind yourself God will get you through this too.

Bible, dog, faith, Family, freedom, God, Jesus, nature, religious, scripture, Uncategorized

Ramble through Rocks

katietkennedy

My fourteen-year-old yellow Labrador retriever Casey has acute arthritis. Knee surgery in both hind legs causes her to shift extra weight to her front. Over the years this has caused her front paws to splay. Walking on rough services is uncomfortable, especially our gravel driveway.

Casey could remain comfortably on the side of the house and avoid the rocky driveway. Instead she surges ahead toward a grassy island amidst the rocks. It’s hard to watch as she painfully struggles with each step. When she reaches her destination, the lush grass soothes her maimed feet.

This reminds me of life and our journey with God. We often find ourselves navigating rocky terrain. Walking on rocks in bare feet is painful. Who wouldn’t prefer a nice polished surface? God doesn’t assure us a smooth ride. Quite the opposite. “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2 Timothy 3:12)

Am I saying life isn’t supposed to be smooth, easy, and comfortable? That’s exactly what I am saying! This is a harsh reality; however, God promises to be with us every step to help and guide us. We typically underutilized the superpower He gave us, the Holy Spirit.

The world will tell you you deserve a frictionless life. The Bible says otherwise. Look at Paul and Stephen in Scripture. They were men who faithfully followed Jesus and died a martyr’s death.

When you decide to be obedient to God’s plan, He may ask you to do hard things. As we step into these challenges, He molds us and prepares us to handle the next sharp rock in our path. The easy way isn’t always the best way.

Are you ready to step into the rocks?

Bible, blessings, communication, Family, freedom, God, introverts, Jesus, journal, nature, parenting, religious, scripture, spiritual, women

Verifying Voices

katietkennedy

It was a rainy Tuesday morning and I was headed to the bank to rummage through our safety deposit box. My mission was to find my husband’s passport. We were preparing to travel and were gathering the necessary documents to gain TSA approval.

Inside the bank, I requested access to our box. The employee informed me I was not on the account. I asked if we could call my husband and have him add me over the phone. I learned they could do this if an employee at the bank had enough encounters with him that they could verify his voice. I thought this slightly odd but anxiously awaited their response. Had he frequented the bank enough that his voice could be identified over the phone?

A teller spoke up saying she knew who he was and could verify his voice. We made the call and I gained access to the box. This incident affirmed my husband’s personality. His friendly demeanor and tall stature make him easily recognizable. While my attempts to find the passport were unsuccessful, the encounter got me thinking.

I thought about God and how He knows our distinct and unique voice. He knows the tone and cadence better than anybody. After all He is the one who created us. In addition to our voice, He knows our desires and our thoughts. God discerns when we are praising or protesting. He understands when we hurt so greatly we cannot even form words together.

God recognizes our voice but the real question is, do we know His? Are we taking time in our day to make space and learn His voice? He is not going to yell at us through the frenzy, we have to create stillness to hear Him. “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)