by Macy Johnson
“God created man in his own image, in
the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.”
(Genesis 1:27 NIV)
My husband
recognized Ronald Reagan’s voice in a World War II documentary. I wondered how
Jeff could identify our fortieth President’s verbal commentary above the sounds
of war. How are we able to distinguish voices, those of family and friends,
even over the phone or broadcast on TV?
by Macy Johnson
“Stop listening to instruction, my son,
and you will stray from the words of
knowledge.”
(Proverbs 19:27 NIV)
In a box
of old keepsakes in the attic I found letters written to me by my husband, Jeff.
His love came during our engagement from Houston to Pensacola in the form of a precious
collection of his thoughts. I felt like I was there with him as I read his
carefully crafted words.
by Macy Johnson
“The salvation of the righteous comes
from the Lord;
He is their stronghold in time of
trouble.”
(Psalm 37:39 NIV)
“I wrecked
my car and my apartment complex is on fire!”
Those
words shot out of my mouth before my father could even say “hello.” It was the
dreaded phone call that gives every parent nightmares. He calmly responded,
“You’re kidding, right?”
by Macy Johnson
“Then you will know the truth, and the
truth will set you free.”
(John 8:32 NIV)
One of my
very favorite Bible verses is John 8:32. For any addict this verse is the
ticket to freedom. To escape from the pull of this life is a gift straight from
the Savior’s hands.
I asked
God to take away my addictions. He responded, “You have this struggle to teach
you to want more of me.” If He dissolved my cravings, I might not run to Him
and fall at His feet for mercy and grace. He reminded me, “You will battle with
sinful addictions every moment you breathe on this earth. But don’t worry,
because I have overcome this world.”
by Macy Johnson
“When I said, ‘My foot is slipping,’
your love, O Lord, supported me.”
(Psalm 94:18 NIV)
Jeff and I
camped at Moccasin Creek State Park in November, the first time to pitch our new
tent. We hiked the trail to nearby Hemlock Falls the last day before packing up
for home. Instead of driving to the starting point, we strolled a half mile to
the trailhead, warming up our legs for the climb.
by Macy Johnson
“Blessed are those whose strength is in
you,
who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.”
(Psalm 84:5 NIV)
I hurried
downstairs, grabbed my music bag and purse, and reached for my water tumbler. Once
in the car, I placed my foot on the brake and pushed the Start button. Silence.
Change in plans. I drove Jeff’s truck to choir practice.
by Macy Johnson
“But when you pray, go into your room,
close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father who
sees what is done in secret will reward you.”
(Matthew 6:6 NIV)
I remember as a child hiding in the linen closet at the end of the long hallway to our
bedrooms. Friends and siblings played “blind man’s bluff” (sans blindfolds)
in the pitch black darkness. My hiding place was a secret, at least for a while.
by Macy Johnson
“The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously;
it must not go out.”
(Leviticus 6:13 NIV)
I love
sitting around a firepit or a campfire in the fall. The smell of burning wood
and the mesmerizing dance of the flames relax my thoughts and escort me to
another world.
by Macy Johnson
“May the groans of the prisoners come
before you;
by the strength of your arm preserve
those condemned to die.”
(Psalm 79:11 NIV)
I watched as she raced toward the cliff’s edge, clutching
the tiny hands of her two children, dragging them to certain death. She
hesitated at the precipice long enough for a large hand to reach down and jerk
her back to safety.
by Macy Johnson
“The wolf will live with the lamb, the
leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them.”
(Isaiah 11:6 NIV)
What are
you looking forward to? Depending on your age, you might anticipate retirement,
a vacation, a new home, raising a family, obtaining a driver’s license, graduation,
playing sports, or spending time with friends at school.
by Macy Johnson
“You are the salt of the earth.
But if the salt loses its saltiness,
how can it be made salty again?
It is no longer good for anything,
except to be thrown out and trampled by men.”
(Matthew 5:13 NIV)
I recently
joined a weekly Sermon on the Mount Bible Study group. While reading Matthew
5:13, I remembered visiting with my sister in Pensacola this past summer. She
presented me with a shirt that displayed a new slogan for the beach: Stay
Salty. Being salt-like took on a fresh new meaning.
by Macy Johnson
“The Lord does whatever pleases him, in
the heavens and on the earth,
in the seas and all their depths.”
(Psalm 135:6 NIV)
Several of
my husband’s high school friends from Virginia, South Carolina, and Texas met
for a small class reunion on Florida’s Gulf Coast. We drove down from Georgia
to Navarre Beach. A warm, fuzzy feeling came over me when we crossed the state
line into Florida, my old stomping ground.
by Macy Johnson
“Asher’s food will be rich; he will
provide delicacies fit for a king.”
(Genesis 49:20 NIV)
“I would
love to eat some Boudin,” my husband announced one afternoon while enjoying the
view from our front porch. Jeff often hankers after Louisiana cuisine, since he
grew up near Shreveport on Barksdale Air Force Base where his father was
stationed.
I searched
online for the Cajun delicacy of pork liver and rice in a sausage casing, but
shipping prices were prohibitive. It must be packed in dry ice to ship to us in
Georgia. So, Jeff decided to table his desires.
by Macy Johnson
“For we know, loved by God, that he has
chosen you.”
(1 Thessalonians 1:4 NIV)
My
granddaughter’s seventh birthday quickly approached. Walmart’s greeting cards’
display commandeered my attention longer than planned. Out of the midst of a
plethoric selection of birthday greetings for granddaughters, one special card leapt
off the shelf and into my cart.
by Macy Johnson
“If my people, who are called by my
name, will humble themselves
and pray and seek my face and turn from
their wicked ways,
then will I hear from heaven and will
forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
(2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV)
Most mornings you’ll find me on my Prayer Walk, one of God’s
gifts. For some time a GPS tracker visually proved my route. One morning I
looked at the display with squiggly red lines and noticed that it strangely resembled
Pi. What does that mean?
by Macy Johnson
“I have been crucified with Christ and
I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.
The life I live in the body, I live by
faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave himself for me.”
(Galatians 2:20 NIV)
I drove to
the nearby town of Madison to shop for weekly household supplies. My husband
needed cash for his hairstylist, so I decided to cash a check at the bank’s
drive through. I placed on the check for $100 a post-it note which read, “Five
twenties, please.”
by Macy Johnson
“By the sweat of your brow you will eat
your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for
dust you are and to dust you will return.”
(Genesis 3:19 NIV)
We must
humbly admit we are made from the dust of the earth. We are hand-fashioned in
the womb out of flesh and blood and bound to this planet for a short season.
Dust has
many connotations. It is the substance of being, the offspring of destruction, and
dry and lifeless until the Holy Spirit pours nourishing life-giving water into
it.
“I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for
her husband.”
(Revelation 21:2 NIV)
There is
so much in life to look forward to. Whatever you are planning right now, if it
is God’s will you can bet it’s on its way!
Fear
paralyzed me as I unfolded our new tent from its packaging, laid it out on the
grass in front of me, and took a long, apprehensive look. I walked over to read
the instructions sewn into the carrying case. Words, few and jumbled, and drawings
not very clear, nevertheless stirred my husband and me to start with the first step.
by Macy Johnson
“God is just: He will pay back trouble
to those who trouble you.”
(2 Thessalonians 1:6 NIV)
Hurt
people hurt people. But we can break the cycle of pain with love. We can back
off and give them time and space, as my husband suggests.
“Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them,
for they do not know what they are doing.’” (Luke 23:34 NIV)
by Macy Johnson
“Do not come any closer,” God said.
“Take off your sandals, for the place
where you are standing is holy ground.”
(Exodus 3:5 NIV)
Mark Batterson
confessed a personal idiosyncrasy in his book, Draw the Circle. He
revealed, “I remove my shoes whenever I am writing to remind me that I’m
fulfilling a sacred calling.”
by Macy Johnson
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it
springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams
in the wasteland.”
(Isaiah 43:19 NIV)
One of my favorite
mottos is: “Leave every place better than you found it.” The most challenging
projects were hand-me-downs left by people who never even brushed up against my
motto. Some prior occupants were even bent on destruction.
by Macy Johnson
“A discerning man keeps wisdom in view,
but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of
the earth.”
(Proverbs 17:24 NIV)
On the
morning of March 25, 2020, God told me to stop playing around with struggles I
have faced all my life. He said it was time to let go and give Him complete control.
Bit by bit He unfolded a Love Challenge specifically tailored for me.
by Macy Johnson
“Give attention to the entrance of the
temple and all the exits of the sanctuary.”
(Ezekiel 44:5 NIV)
Summer vacation
at the beach house was a Christmas gift to our children and grandchildren. The
striking, seafoam green structure stood apart, named for seashells on display
in every room.
How did
God reveal Himself to me in the whirlwind of activity? A week later He woke me with
a clear memory of a life-changing event.
by Macy Johnson
“For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.”
(Isaiah 44:3 NIV)
“The only
reason we don’t have a revival is because we are willing to live without it,”
the pastor exclaimed during his sermon on chapter 4 of John’s gospel.
by Macy Johnson
“Why do you look for the living among
the dead?”
(Luke 24:5 NIV)
Gwen Ford
Faulkenberry wrote, “You know that one death, loss, or failure that you just
can’t get over? It’s time to scatter the ashes to the wind. It’s time to begin
rising with your living Savior.”
by Macy Johnson
“The Lord is my strength and my
shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I
will give thanks to him in song.”
(Psalm 28:7 NIV)
I watched
a video on YouTube about songbirds and discovered they are born lacking
feathers or other protection. Both parents are needed to nurture their tiny
offspring.
by Macy Johnson
“Be still before the Lord and wait
patiently for Him.”
(Psalm 37:7 NIV)
Many years
ago I created a reading list. Books I have read and those I want to read are
neatly arranged in a spreadsheet with one column indicating the order in which
I would like to read them.
by Macy Johnson
“You will keep in perfect peace him
whose mind is steadfast,
because he trusts in you.”
(Isaiah 26:3 NIV)
My
heavenly Father reveals Himself to me in the rising, morning sun. It peeks over
my shoulder, watching me as I write love letters to God.
by Macy Johnson
“Consider how the lilies grow. They do
not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was
dressed like one of these.”
(Luke 12:27 NIV)
My closet
is not large enough to hold all of my clothes, so some miraculously migrate
(with my help) from the attic into my tiny closet, and vice versa, every spring
and autumn. My husband installed a long metal pipe on the rafters of our attic’s
ceiling on which I hang my out-of-season clothes.
by Macy Johnson
“You hypocrite, first take the plank
out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from
your brother’s eye.”
(Matthew 7:5 NIV)
Little
black specks drift in and out of my peripheral vision. My floaters sometimes startle
me like spiders creeping up out of the corner of my eye.
by Macy Johnson
“With God all things are possible.”
(Matthew 19:26 NIV)
One sad
Thursday morning during the COVID-19 pandemic, I awoke to a text from my son.
His beautiful yellow lab had passed away in his sleep.
