When our children were small, we would tell them stories of what it was like when we grew up.  I could see their eyes get bigger, and I could hear their giggles as I shared my childhood. I had a crazy childhood!

As the youngest child of eight, I had a lot of training in how to find ways to have fun.  We were dirt poor, had few toys, and watched little television. My father ruled with an iron fist, and the television came on at night only if he said it did.  The lights went out when he said they went out, and often that was early.  So, we had to have creative imaginations as kids.

My home growing up was not very nice.  There were two bedrooms in a four-room house, with ten people needing a place to bed down at night.  The kids often packed like sardines into one bedroom. We had to be very quiet because making noise would have made for a mad father. 

Quietly, we waited for our father to go to sleep. Once our dad was snoring hard enough to open and shut the front door, we put our imaginations into action.  We had learned to remove two or three boards from the old wooden floor beneath a bed.  As noiseless as possible, we would slip through the hole and escape from captivity to freedom.  Underneath that old house that sat a few feet off the ground was sand, dirty old sand.  We would crawl through that sand and run out into the field to play.  When we sneaked back to our beds, we were filthy, but we were happy. 

Another story that made children’s eyes get larger was explaining how we played hide and seek when neither parent was home.  When it came time to hide, the older kids would take the younger ones to a great hiding place.  (Being the youngest, I now realize it was amazing that I lived through it.)   I was put in the oven, in the refrigerator when it was empty enough, and a host of other “great” places. 

My children heard so many stories of a childhood that consisted of an over-bearing father, but also creative kids that had fun despite it all. 

On September twenty-fifth, I will turn the ripe old age of seventy-two. I still like to share some of those stories with my grandchildren, but those are not the ones which are most important to me.  Of great importance to me is that my descendants know the story of how my life was rewritten by the Lord Jesus Christ.

When the opportunity arises, I tell them a story of a woman who saw me in my Granny’s front yard and started taking me to church with her.  She treated me like she really cared about me.  She introduced me to Jesus Christ which set me on a journey that recreated my future. 

I have told them of being afraid as I shook like a leaf in a storm when I stood up in my speech class at college.  Standing before that class, with tears starting to well up, I mentally declared that I would never stand before people again.  I kept that promise for many years.  Yet, I can testily to my grandchildren about a God who can empower us and strengthen us through times of fear.

Because God is forever at work in my life, I will never run out of stories to share with my grandchildren!  

As I turn seventy-two, what advice would I give?  Tell your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and others about the God-moments in your life.  Share the marker moments when God brought you through something bigger than you could handle alone.  This is your God-story.  Share it chapter by chapter and be intentional about it. Write down the next chapter you want to share and be ready to tell them about a divine moment when God showed up. 

Don’t preach, TELL.  Tell them of a God who shows up.  Let some of it be old stories, but share current stories of a God who is still showing up in your life.  After sharing the story, pray, pray, pray for God to use those seeds in the lives of your children and grandchildren. 

When my life is over, I don’t want to take all my God-stories to the grave.  Our children and grandchildren are living in a time when faith in God is often ridiculed.  I want them to hear of a God who is real and is present.   Tell your stories.

“Tell your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children to another generation.” – Joel 1:3

The room was packed with women who had no idea what I was about to say.  It was one of the first times to share my testimony of God’s redemptive work in my life.  I am by nature a quiet and private person, so to tell the story of childhood sexual, verbal, and physical abuse was not easy. 

It took years before I was ready to share the healing and rebuilding God had done in my life.  I had fought an intense battle with shame, self-confidence, and worth.  There finally came a point that God began to lead me to share my story so that others might be healed.   I refuse to waste the pain I have endured through the years.  God has brought me through so much, and I am going to use it for His glory! 

As I was sharing my story on this occasion, I saw a woman who was sitting in the audience.  We knew each other, and I was well aware that she did not like me.  (Hey, it happens!)  She sat with the others and listened.  When the meeting was over, she approached me, and I thought that maybe my message had softened her. 

We will call her “Sandra.”  Sandra walked up to me and with a smirk on her face, she said in a babyish-type voice, “Awww.  Did her have a hard life growing up? Boohoo.” Ouch!  I could not believe what she had just said to me.  It was shocking, it was mean, it was immature. Sandra almost made me want to quit standing before anyone.    

All of us have faced times when harsh words were spoken over us as children or adults.  The Bible tells us, “The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.” Proverbs 15:4 (NIV). Words matter. Some people are still under the burden of what someone said to them or about them.   

Sandra’s words brought me to a point of decision. I could allow her to take away my voice, or I could choose to remember God’s words in Romans 8:31. “What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”  Those are words that I have had to tell myself many times over the years. 

The reality is that life throws pretty hard punches.   Let’s be careful that we don’t fixate on the temporary hurts and inconveniences of this life. Take the “ouches” of life to God, ask for healing, and recite, “What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” 

Romans 8:31 teaches us that we will confront opposition, but that our opposition is doomed to failure. In other words, there is no one who could be more powerful than God and no one can destroy us. They might be against us, but they cannot defeat us. 

God is FOR you.  God is FOR you. God is FOR you.  Do you hear me saying it loudly?  GOD IS FOR YOU! I am still telling my story of redemption, regardless of Sandra’s words.  Let God’s words determine your actions. He is for you!

I have walked with the Lord for more than fifty years now, and more than ever I am trying to live a life that honors God.  It’s not because I think God will not love me or will be mad at me.  It is because I love my Savior who died for me, and I want to honor Him.

For way too many of my years as a child of God, I lived a shallow Christian life.  Oh, I read my Bible, taught Sunday School, and even led worship.  What I did not do was grow in the image of Christ. 

I cannot tell you the precise year, but there came a point in my Christian walk, that I realized I did not look very much like Jesus.  Kneeling before God, I repented and set out to die to myself and to be resurrected to a life that was pleasing to God.  While I have not arrived, I am simply not the woman I used to be. 

Not too long ago, I really lost my temper with my husband, and it was over a ridiculously minor issue.  As my emotions began to rise, I knew each moment that I was not reacting in a godly manner.  (Thank God for Holy Spirit who says, “Don’t do that.”) An evening was ruined along with my peace.  I had not allowed the fruit of the Spirit to control the situation – the fruit of self-control and gentleness. 

The next day, I apologized to my husband, took ownership, and repented before the Lord.  He forgave me instantly, but I could not forgive myself.  How could I have been so ungodly!  The voice of the enemy reminded me hour by hour, and sometimes minute by minute what a failure I was.  “If only people could see you now.”  “You should never stand up to teach anyone again.”  “God is really disappointed in you.”  Over and over and over I heard the accuser.  I could forgive others, but myself?  That was a whole different issue. 

Are you struggling with forgiving yourself?  We all have struggled with forgiving ourselves, but we will never have joy if past struggles still control our thinking.  I had to get over myself and look to Jesus, the great forgiver. With His help, I had to forgive me.  I walked around and began rehearsing what God said in His word.  I played music and sang along with it.   A breakthrough came, and I was able to forgive myself.

Many are stuck today because of something in their past.   Struggling under self-condemnation is not the way God wants us to live.  Stop replaying in your mind the old recording of your sin which stirs up guilt. Instead replay the truths of God’s Word. God says in Romans 8:1, 2, “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.  And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.”    God says in Ephesians 1:6 – “He has made us accepted in the beloved.”   Rehearse these promises when the recording in your mind starts playing.  As you take hold of His forgiveness and release your guilt, you will walk out of that jail of self-condemnation into the joy of abundant life.

Whatever is in your past, whatever you have done that the devil keeps throwing up in your face (lying, cheating, immorality, debt, fear, unhealthy habits, hatred, anger, bitterness, etc.); whatever it is, you need to know that Jesus died to pay the price.  He wants you to know that He loves you and that you are forgiven. The wonderful thing about God is that when you ask for forgiveness, He not only forgives, but He also forgets.  You do not have to be a slave anymore to your past.  Be free!

When I married into the Benton family, I got an up close and personal look at life on the farm.  Comer and Myrlene Benton were two of the warmest, inviting people one could ever meet on the earth.   There was always room for an extra plate at the table for someone who might have dropped by.  Grandma Benton was like Martha in scripture, but with a visible outward joy.

Papa Benton’s calloused hands told the story of what a hard worker he was until his sudden death at age seventy-nine.  Papa loved the land.  He thanked God for his land.

The main crop that Papa grew was peanuts.  He had acres and acres of peanuts.  Each year, as he planted his fields, he had no idea exactly how much he would reap when harvest time came.  He did know that without planting seeds in faith, he would never see a harvest.  He did not worry himself with the harvest, that part was up to God.  He did his part by cultivating the soil, sowing the seed, fertilizing, and asking God to bless the seed every year.  Planting seed takes a lot of work, a lot of faith, and a lot of patience.

Some years the crop was better than other years.   It was exciting when the crop was overwhelmingly bountiful, but that wasn’t every year.  Yet, Papa always planted because without the planting of seeds, there was no chance of reaping a harvest. 

A sower went out to sow begins the familiar parable in Matthew thirteen. “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on a path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched, and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. If you have ears, hear!”  -Matthew 13:3-9.

This story has several facets to it, but most often the emphasis is given to the hearer, and that is totally justifiable.  But for just a moment today, let’s look at the sower.

The sower had a generous supply of seeds and sowed them bountifully.  Some produced a zero harvest, and some produced a bountiful harvest.  The sower did not know which seeds would spring forth with a grandiose harvest.  Regardless of that fact, the sower sowed bountifully.

I find it interesting that as Jesus is sharing this parable, He himself is being a sower.  The first couple of verses in Luke thirteen tell us that a large crowd was listening.  Not everyone in the crowd was going to receive what Jesus was saying, but Jesus said it anyway.  The sower continued to dole out the seeds even in places that did not look promising.

Do you ever tire of spreading seeds?  Perhaps the size of the harvest makes the investment seem not worth the effort.  Have you ever thought:  I don’t want to pray one more prayer for this country.  I don’t want to share God’s love one more time with that rebellious person.  I don’t want to give one more dime to help with the homeless.  I don’t want to teach this children’s class one more Sunday.  I don’t want to be kind one more time to that rude person. I’m done!  I see little or no results. 

Friends, as the Bible says, ”Let us not grow weary in well doing.”  That verse does not mean we will never get tired.  It means let us not grow tired of doing that which is right in God’s sight. 

A harvest awaits us, but we will never see it unless we generously sow seeds.  That’s our part.  God will take care of the harvest part.  As Jesus said at the end of the parable, “You know what I’m saying?”  (Well, maybe He said it a little differently.)  Ultimately, the success of the seeds that we plant is not in our hands, but in the hands of the Holy Spirit.  Our role is simply to plant the seeds, and to trust in God’s promise to help them grow. Harvest is coming.

Relocating to another city is difficult and to another state can be even more challenging.  We did just that in January 2004.  Gaylon was a pastor in Florida but accepted a call to be a chaplain in the Birmingham, Alabama area. I loved living in the state of Florida, so moving was hard for me.

We bought a home in the small community of Helena which is about twenty miles from Birmingham.  Prior moves while serving in ministry were easier because my husband was always a pastor.  This meant there were a lot of people with open arms waiting for our arrival.  People were ready to invite me to lunch, show me around town, and tell me about the best places to shop.   Upon arriving in Helena, there was NONE of that. My husband was a chaplain now, which meant finding our own church home, learning our own way around, finding our own friends.

One day as I went out exploring, I saw a store that caught my eye.  The name of the store was “The Spirit Store.”  (Not the one pictured here.) I was about to pass by the store but quickly made a left-hand turn into the parking lot of The Spirit Store.  I was so happy to find a Christian bookstore to peruse. I excitedly walked into the store with great anticipation!  I could hardly wait to see the latest offering of books, music, and art to hang on the walls of my new home. 

As I walked into the store, I quickly knew that this spirit was not the same Spirit that dwelt in me!  There were many bottles of bourbon, whiskey, rum, wines, and a host of alcoholic beverages of which I had no knowledge.  I exited the store very quickly because I discerned the spirit being offered there, was not the Spirit for which I was looking. 

The Bible says, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. – 1 John 4:1

Today, we are in a time when truth is challenged, rewritten, and often watered down. There are all kinds of voices that try to speak into our ears.  John said that we are to test the spirits to see if they line up with the Spirit of God.  How often this principle is neglected!  Someone comes along sounding pious, knowledgeable, and rhetorically gifted, and we do not check to see if what they are offering is from the right spirit store. 

As believers, we are not to be overly critical, but nor are we to be totally gullible.  John spoke to the church about this in a letter because they were embracing all kinds of teachings that did not line up with the true Gospel.  In this passage, John tells us not to believe every spirit because some spirits are liars.

A discerning spirit is a powerful tool in the arsenal of the believer. It can keep us from error and poor decisions. It will keep us from unhealthy relationships. Having a discerning spirit will stop us from being aligned with demonic spirits. (Yes, they still exist today.) As God’s people, we must have a discerning spirit in this critical time in which we live.

The Scottish pastor, Eric Alexander said, “The only way I know to cultivate a spirit of discernment and true wisdom in being able to tell the difference between truth and error…is a concentrated commitment to the study of Scripture.”  He is right.  A solid foundation in scripture and prayer, accompanied by walking daily with the Spirit will give us discernment.

Don’t be lazy.Test the spirits. Be careful what spirit store you frequent.

Where is my phone?  Have you ever asked yourself that question?  Oh, I’ve asked myself that many times over the years.  I have actually been on the phone talking while feverishly going room to room looking for my phone.  Did I just admit that?

One day, I was about to leave my house, so I went about gathering needed items before departing.  You know what they say:  the adult version of head and shoulders knees and toes is wallet, glasses, keys, and phone.  I found my wallet, glasses, keys, but not my phone. I moved from room to room looking for my phone, but I had no success. 

Fortunately, I wear an Apple watch.  With an Apple watch, I can press a “find your phone” icon and my phone will start beeping, and I can find it.  I pressed the icon and heard the beep which only lasted a few seconds.  I could not find the phone before the beeping stopped, but I could tell it was close by.  I pressed the icon again while walking around my house, but again I could not locate the phone before the beeping stopped.  Determined to locate my phone, I took a few more steps around my house. Once again, I could not find the phone though it was nearby. 

I stopped and asked myself, how could my phone be near every place I was, and yet I cannot see it? I tried for a fourth time, and it dawned on me that the phone was in my pocket.  Everywhere I went, the phone was present even though I did not see it.

As believers, we live by faith and not by sight.  God is present even when we do not see Him.  The words of Jesus assure us that He is always working. “But Jesus replied, “My Father is always working, and so am I.” – John 5:17 (NLT).  Now, that’s a promise that we should hang on the refrigerator, the bathroom mirror, by the kitchen sink, and on the dashboard of the car!

Just because we cannot see what God is doing or cannot feel His presence, does not mean that God is not present and working. It does not mean that God has not heard those cries as we prayed to Him. God is working all things together for good even when we don’t see it, even when we don’t feel it, even when it is not evident.

When long seasons of difficulty and heartache come, Satan will begin to whisper in our ears, “Where is God?  Where is God?”   The devil wants our focus to be on the problem we can see and not on the God we cannot see.   

The Psalmist David expressed his feelings about this subject in Psalm thirteen.  David said, “How long are you going to forget me, Lord?  How long am I going to cry out to you with no answer?” 

I’ve felt that, have you?  But David doesn’t leave it there.  He ends the Psalm with these words, “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me.”

The truth is that I want to see and understand everything that God is doing right now. I want to know the whole plan.  But that isn’t how God works. Our circumstances don’t determine if God is working, nor do our feelings. God is always working. What will I do in the season of “how long?”  I am going to keep trusting, keep speaking truth, keep declaring His promises over my life, and like David, I will sing unto the Lord for He has been good to me!

The pain was excruciating.  A couple of times last week, I encountered nocturnal leg cramps in the middle of the night.  Over the years, this has been a battle for me.  Unfortunately, leg cramps happen suddenly and without warning.  Though I had not had them in a while, for two nights cramps attacked both of my calves, causing almost unbearable pain. I drank pickle juice and licked salt. I tried to pray them away, wiggle them away, and wish them away, but to no avail. 

The pain was there. The pain was real.  The pain was bad. I had to walk through the pain until it was over.

Life can be described similarly. Without warning and without mercy, terrible pain enters our lives.   As children of God, we are not exempt from pain.  In fact, the Bible tells us, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you.” 1 Peter 4:12

In most cases I don’t know what readers of this blog are going through in their personal lives, but this I do know: Life is peppered with all kinds of pain, and each of us will be touched by some kind of pain. While it is nice to confess, “Because I am a child of God, I shall live a pain-free life,” that is simply not reality. 

In the middle of the night, as I was suffering intense leg pain, I got up and walked through the pain.  Eventually, as I walked through the pain, it left me. I still felt the tenderness for a few days, but I walked victoriously through the pain. 

As you walk through pain, God can be trusted to bring you through victoriously.  It might feel tender for a while, but healing comes for the child of God.  Never lose sight of the end of the story.  Jesus willingly suffered the greatest pain because he knew the end of the story, and so do we. Scripture shows us in Revelation 21:3-4:

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

In the middle of the night when pain suddenly hit me, I walked through it.  It hurt as I walked through it, but the hurt gave way to healing.  Has your life been hit with enormous pain? Walk through it. Walk through it even when it hurts. Pain does not have the final word in a Christian’s life, God does!

As I sat in the warm Florida sunshine drinking a cup of coffee with a dear friend, I thought, it does not get much better than this! My friend and I had a cup of coffee, but we also had one or more cups of laughter. We sat outside on the patio to enjoy the warm winter temperatures of Florida.

Across the way were a couple of other women enjoying lunch together. In the corner of the fence that the surrounded the patio were two young men just loitering. I really did not give it much thought. Suddenly, one of the men quickly sprinted by the other two women, snatching the purse of one of them. He was long and lanky and quite a speedster and was gone in a dash.

No way was he getting away with stealing what was not his! I quickly got out of my seat with my cell phone in-hand and began to chase him, while calling the 911 operator to explain the situation. Though I could not stop this thief on my own, I continued running and telling them where he was. In a matter of a few moments, the authorities caught him, and the woman got her purse back. When I told my husband the story, he thought I was crazy to chase the thief. I told him that I called those who had the power and authority to catch this thief. I was not in the battle alone. I was running with authority.

Jesus said, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). According to Jesus, the thief comes to steal, to kill, and destroy. He is standing in the corner of the fence just waiting to steal your joy, to kill your dreams, and to destroy your hope. The thief is against you. God is for you.

Jesus makes an undeniable contrast. I came to take authority over the thief and undo his intentions. “If you follow me, I will give you an abundant life.” The word abundant means superior, extraordinary. That does not mean everyone will be rich and have a swimming pool in the backyard. It does not mean that one will have a problem-free life. It does mean that we can enjoy life to the fullest as we walk with the Lord. It does mean that we have been set free from the bondage of sin, the lies of Satan, and the voice of the world.

The devil wants to control how we live our lives. He does this by planting seeds of doubt and fear. The devil knows that if he can keep us sipping coffee and letting him snatch what God has offered us, we will focus on the negative things around us. The devil will whisper in our ears, “Where is God? What good is praying? Nothing will ever change.” 

Now that you are fully aware that you have an enemy who wants to steal, kill, and destroy you, what will you do as a child of God?  It’s time for God’s people to rise up from that cup of coffee, run with the authority of Heaven, and stop Satan from wreaking havoc.  The authority of Heaven will give us the power to resist every attack and lie of the devil, and to overcome every strategy that he tries to use against us. Do not let him snatch your purse! Get it back.

Who took off with Jesus? That question was posed in a newspaper article in 2003. The question hung in the air of the Church of the Holy Cross in Midtown Manhattan when caretakers noticed that a two-hundred-pound statue of Jesus had been stolen.

The caretakers were not usually surprised when burglaries took place at the church, because they had often been burglarized. Their location made them an easy target. This burglary was different. The thieves unbolted the two-hundred-pound statue that was attached to a cross. They took great pains to unbolt the precious artwork. They wanted Christ, but they did not want the cross.

Many in the Body of Christ seem to be at a point of wanting Jesus but not the cross. Jesus without the cross is like a heart without a beat. Without the cross, Jesus is just another person in a long line of great teachers. Without the cross, we just take the parts of Jesus we want and leave the rest.

Jesus was talking with His disciples, and He said to them, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” – Luke 9:23.  Jesus was not saying this to strangers. He said these words to His disciples, men who wanted to follow Him.

I have a feeling the disciples were a little surprised at what Jesus said. After all, they had left family, home, and occupations to follow Jesus. Now, they were finding out that following Jesus meant giving up everything. What a shock that must have been! They were well aware of what carrying a cross meant. When Jesus told his followers, they must take up their cross to follow him, it did not sound like a pleasant proposition. It does not sound like something anyone would willingly want to do.

Through the years, I have heard people say my cross to bear is cancer, my cross to bear is divorce, or a host of other things. That is not at all what Jesus was saying. He was saying, “If you are going to follow me you are going to have to deny yourself and take up your cross.”  Denying ourselves and self-denial are not the same thing. I give up sweets when I am in self-denial. When I deny myself, I surrender my will to Christ and determine to live according to His plans and His will.

Jesus had a deeper meaning when he spoke these words to His followers. He wanted them to “put to death” their own plans and desires and turn their lives over to Him, doing His will. It would require denying themselves and livng a life of obedience. And Jesus said you will have to do it daily. 

If we deny ourselves and take up our cross, it will not set well in today’s culture.  They are okay with the loving, cuddly parts of Jesus, but not so much with the cross part. To take up our cross is to treasure Jesus more than we treasure fitting into a world that wants Jesus without the cross. There is no Christianity without a cross.

As I whipped out my TJ Maxx gift card to pay for items for my home, I was so excited. I was standing in line to pay and thinking how tired I got of putting in work to get that card. I am a bargain hunter. Any more out there? I love to get the best deals possible. More than once I have told myself that if I were a millionaire, I would still be a bargain hunter.

There are three online programs of which I am a participant and all lead to a reward. I participate in Ibotta, Fetch, and Stocking Spree. (I know you wanted to know!)  I have gotten several hundred dollars in gift cards from Ibotta, Stocking Spree, and Fetch. All of them require me to put a little work in to get my reward, but Fetch is the most difficult. It takes a long time to get that reward.

Almost daily for the past year, I have faithfully put in the work required by Fetch. Even though it only took a few minutes a few times a week, I wanted to quit at times! I wanted the rewards, but I was tired of the daily grind without seeing the reward. When I got that gift card and could get free items for my home, I was happy. I endured till the end and my reward awaited me.

As I walk through this life with God, there are times that I am ready for the reward. Faithfulness requires doing some things over and over. Praying over and over. Studying the Bible over and over. Being a part of ministry over and over. Sometimes, when you do it over and over without quickly seeing a reward, there can be the temptation to stop being faithful. Have you ever felt that?

I know we are in an hour where we are fighting back darkness, and at times it seems darkness is winning. Do not believe it!  As has been said many times, we have read the end of the book and we win! God is working in ways that we do not see to fulfill every promise He has given to His people. God hears every prayer that you have prayed for that family member. God sees everything that you have done in His Name to minister to others. God will bring a harvest from all those Words that you have read and spoken over others. Don’t stop now! The reward awaits you and it will be worth the wait!

It will be worth it all when we see Jesus,
Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ;
One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase,
So bravely run the race till we see Christ.

“Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised” (Hebrews 10:35–36).