SUPER COOPER!

this week my son received a gift, a cape. it’s not just any cape. it was made for him by his babysitter. it has “SUPER COOPER” across the back and even has a hidden pouch for him to put his map in. he was immediately obsessed and put it on. i had to pack it in behind him in the car seat, extending the safety straps a little to make room. as soon as we got home he went running through the house in search for his sword. he was now able to conquer every bad guy. and in his heart and mind he was sure that he could fly! after finding his sword we just had to go outside so he could find the bad guys and show them he was…

SUPER COOPER!

words cannot truly express the scene as he made his exit from the house and off of the back deck, into the backyard…he had the sword held high in the air and off he went running across the deck. all that stood in front of him were two small steps down to the ground. but to show his great power, he decided to just fly and not bother using the steps. this ended in one of the most epic face plants i have ever seen. (only because i’ve never actually seen any of my classic wipe outs!)

i share all of that because it is a perfect picture of what life looks like when i put on my cape  and try to do life on my own strength and power…i end up in an epic face plant! (if you’re wondering, no i don’t really have  a cape!) but i do that. i try to do things on my own wisdom, strength, power, talent, ability… some of the time the tasks are so simple that i succeed and it feeds my ego. so then i try again with a greater task or a greater decision, only do find myself face down like…

SUPER COOPER!

this morning i could not sleep. so i got ready for the day and decided to do some extra studying. i found myself in jeremiah, chapter 17. this is what it says in verses 5-8 in the new living translation…

5 This is what the LORD says: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans,
who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the LORD. 6 They are like stunted shrubs in the desert,
with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness,
in an uninhabited salty land. 7 “But blessed are those who trust in the LORD
and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. 8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat
or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.

at first glance i didn’t see it, i didn’t make the connection. but then i read over it a couple more times. at first i thought that i just shouldn’t trust other people…that’s the probation officer in me. but as i read it again God made it clear that i was a “mere human” too! He was reminding me that i can’t rely on my own human strength…and He reminded me of my son and his cape!

the best part of this passage is contained in the last five words. if i trust in God, rely on Him, place my hope in Him, only have confidence in Him…i will be like the trees along the riverbank…”they never stop producing fruit“!

i want that! i want that just as bad as my son wants to be…

SUPER COOPER!

FYI – we went on to the swing set and that helped him fly much better. he liked flying so much i’m pretty sure i threw my arm out pushing him for so long.

attempt…

earlier this week i had a client in my office that informed me she had been in the hospital. that isn’t all that out of the ordinary for me. a lot of clients do not have a family physician and use the ER for those purposes. others will seek medications to fill the void of a drug habit they are trying to kick. still others deal with mental illness of varying types and degrees. but i didn’t think this young lady fit any of those molds. so i inquired as to why she was there…

this lead to a story involving an overdose on anti-depressant medication, three days in the ICU, and another five days on the psychiatric unit. but she was there to tell me about it all because this act of trying to take her own life was merely an…

attempt…

i was instantly drawn back to a phone call i received last may. (you can read about that here.) the gist is that i lost a cousin to suicide. two parents lost their son. three beautiful little girls lost their daddy…in that moment, talking to this young lady, i couldn’t help but think that i wanted to be able to have that same conversation with joel. i wanted to be able to talk with him about what had happened and what was going on in his life. i wanted his act to simply be an…

attempt…

so i find myself again asking questions and seeking to bring hope to people in need of it! this morning i was reading in isaiah and specifically the 65th chapter. the very first verse brought tears to my eyes because i can see God saying the words and i can feel His disappointment.

The LORD says, “I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help. I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am!’ to a nation that did not call on my name…”

i don’t know everything that this young lady was going through…i don’t know everything that my cousin joel was going through…and i definitely don’t know everything that you’re going through right now. but i know a God who is ready to respond and longing for you to find Him. so if you’re considering taking your own life for any reason, i’m begging you to STOP even before it becomes an…

attempt…

God is longing to rescue you. He longs to spend time with you and for you to get to know Him. He longs to cover you with His love, His grace, and His mercy. He longs to be your Savior. not only that, God has gone to great length to make those things happen. yet it’s a decision that you have to make. a decision to put the needle, the blade, the pills, the bottle, the keys, or the gun…DOWN! i’m begging you to take Him up on the offer and to make His efforts more than an…

attempt…