Choosing to believe

               I have often thought about what to me is a very powerful scene in the movie Henry Poole is Here since first seeing it at the theater in 2008.  Henry, the main character, receives a terminal diagnosis as the story begins and just wants to “disappear” quietly when he moves into a house in the neighborhood where he grew up.  However, life takes a very different direction, one with wonderful results not only for Henry but for others whose lives are also changed in dramatic ways.

               One of those characters is Patience, interestingly enough, a young girl who works at the local grocery store and very innocently, tries to engage Henry when he goes through her line.  The girl has very thick glasses, which would probably cause her to be self-conscious and perhaps even teased.  As the story progresses, a stain on a stucco wall on the back of Henry’s house becomes associated with the face of Christ.  Even drops of blood appear from nowhere on the wall.  Word gets around about the face and the power that comes when people approach the wall with hope and a desire to be helped by God. That word gets to Patience.

               One day, Henry returns from being out to find Patience kneeling right at the base of the wall.  Her glasses are off, and she seems to be experiencing the restoration of her eyesight as she looks at her fingers with wonder and joy.  Henry comes alongside her; he seems unsure of what is happening but embraces her and recognizes the excitement of this moment for this sweet girl.  That first time I watched this unfold, I was struck by the power experiencing such miracles can have.  Unbridled joy, true awe at what would otherwise be impossible can “speak” volumes about God’s love and His goodness often questioned in today’s world.  Surely that was part of why Jesus often healed those who approached Him with faith.

               My husband and I rented the movie a few days ago because I wanted to see that hope and joyous celebration of God’s healing and grace again.  I wanted to see the story about the power of hope, love and faith in God.  But the movie had another scene with Patience and Henry that I had forgotten, one that also has an important message to convey.  Not long after Patience receives her sight, Henry more cheerfully comes to her checkout line and returns her glasses.  He begins by asking if she has been to her doctor, but the conversation moves into a brief discussion about whether things in life always need an explanation.  Patience says, “Sometimes things just happen because we choose for them to.  I chose to believe.” 

               Choosing to believe is like just saying “no” to drugs; both are much easier said than done.  And this great movie in the end is only that—just a movie.  But for me, it is also a reminder of the beauty of receiving great blessings by the hand and power of God, a beauty that impacts many with the demonstration of God’s goodness, and the importance of what we choose to believe.

Words to "Keep the faith"

               “Keep the faith.”  Just three words spoken to me by a physical therapist I have worked with intermittently for more than three years and saw just last week.  But those few words and the genuine encouragement behind them meant more to me than she knew because it was like God Himself also reminded me to do just that:  Keep the faith, the faith that I have given you.

               I have been bandied about for more than 20 years by what was first diagnosed as fibromyalgia, which at the time was a malady I and many others had never heard of.  There were no commercials on television about lyrica and its help for the widespread pain fibromyalgia causes.  Since that diagnosis, I have had periods of doing fairly well and periods of great difficulty.  In the last few years, the stiffness and pain in my hips and legs have greatly affected the way I walk, clearly indicating something more than fibromyalgia is involved. 

Finding out what that something might be and gaining some relief from the painful symptoms have taken me to various specialists with varying results.  I’m sure it is hard for a doctor to know what to do with a patient whose problem is hard to pin down.  Recently, I was called the “mystery woman,” something the doctor seemed to find intriguing with no clue about how being this mysterious presentation of symptoms has neither been intriguing or amusing to me.

Fortunately, throughout this frustrating medical journey, I have also been actively seeking God and earnestly desiring to hear “His still small voice” above my own fears and discouragement.  The words that God can speak so very personally right to our hearts are indeed powerful and life-giving.  In Psalm 27, David’s declaration of his hope has given me comfort many times:  “I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (13).  He goes on to exhort himself and us to “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage” (14).

Biblical faith is defined in Hebrews as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1).  That chapter goes on to list the many amazing outcomes of such faith, including the birth of Isaac after Sarah was far beyond child-bearing years and the protection of the children of Israel celebrated in the Passover when their firstborn were protected from destruction.  God had spoken words of guidance and power to both Abraham and Moses, and He offers us those same opportunities for faith today if we will but listen, really listen to His wisdom instead of relying on our own.

An attention grabbing—at least to me—Dell ad on TV recently has wonderfully stirring words recalling the small beginnings of big companies today, such as Skype and Drop Box.  Showing the little rooms and dates where these big success stories began, the narration is compelling.  In each example, “those with endless vision and an equal amount of audaciousness believed they had the power to do more.”  Vision, courage, belief, power—all very important aspects of our Christian call to seek faith in God and believe in the power of the name of Jesus.           

Three simple words, “Keep the faith,” brought fresh light and encouragement to me from a very kind and helpful therapist.  But also so very important is what those words pointed me back to—a faith in God that even as small as a mustard seed carries the power to move mountains.  As Jesus said, “Nothing will be impossible for you” (Mat. 17:19,20).    

Appreciating the power of words

               Appreciating the power of words, words of moving content and skilled expression, might not be an unusual quality in an English teacher, but I was drawn to such words long before I matched my strong desire to be a teacher to this subject area.  Words in songs, popular and Christian ones, stayed in my mind in enjoyable and inspirational ways.  In high school, I clipped pictures and quotes from Life Magazine, and in college, I pasted meaningful Christmas card fronts onto poster boards to put on bulletin boards in my room.         

        Perhaps the help and encouragement I found in words fueled a practice I began after teaching developmental English at a community college for a few years.  I knew my choice of each quote would be presenting my values (perhaps a bit corny), but I “took courage” and started writing a quote on the blackboard before each class session.  Every semester I began with this:  “There is no substitute for hard work” by Thomas Jefferson.  Most of the others focused on motivation and perseverence.  For example, "Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles he has overcome."  Booker T. Washington

       The students’ responses certainly exceeded my expectations.  Although I rarely mentioned a quote in class, I noticed some students writing down the sayings in their notebooks.  At the end of class, I would erase the classwork on the board but not the quote.  Occasionally, students coming in for the next class with a different teacher would also copy the quotes.  Students seemed hungry for the hope and encouragement these little morsels presented.  Clearly, our words can and do matter.

        I end with a favorite quote, a promise to write the next post joining the power of words with the even more excellent power of God’s words spoken to our hearts—and a list of additional quotes.

                                        Never underestimate the power of a kind word or deed.

To be continued!

“A star is a small thing but it lights up the whole sky.”  Brazilian proverb

“May you not forget the infinite possibilities born of faith.”  Saint Theresa prayer

 “Courage is resistance to fear, not mastery of it.”  Mark Twain, 1894

“Adversity causes some to break—others to break records.”  Sammy  Sosa

“Each day we begin again.  What we do today matters most.”

“If the world is cold, make it your business to light fires.”

“Abilities are like tax deductions.  Use them or lose them.”

“It is better to light one candle than curse the dark.”  Chinese proverb

 “You must have long range goals to keep from being frustrated by short range failures.”

“Faith has won many a race.”

“Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness.” Seneca

“Ultimately we are remembered for what we give, not what we take.”

“You build a successful life one day at a time.”

“An expert at anything was once a beginner.”

 “Nothing is more expensive than missed opportunity.”

“You can never beat the person who never gives up.”

“Love is patient; love is kind.”  1 Corinthians 13

“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”  Dale Carnegie

“We should not let our fears hold us back from pursuing our hopes.” John F. Kennedy