A Fable About Flowers

 All the spring flowers at Lowes were on edge. A couple, named the Abbotts, had just come in and were scouting out spring flowers for their yard. The Lowes’ flowers had heard rumors about flowers that ended up at the Abbott’ home. Most flowers wouldn’t make it through the summer. 

Rumor has it that the Abbotts don’t always remember to water their flowers. All the flowers at Lowes knew that meant their life would be cut short. They were Texas' flowers and needed gentle, loving care amidst the Texas heat.

Everyone ducked as the Abbott’s made their way around the flowers at Lowes. When the Abbotts finally snatched up their pristine flowers, the other flowers let out a sigh of relief. “We’ve been saved!” they said. They were so grateful to stay under the nice sprinklers and live in such a loving and attentive home at Lowes.

I have great intentions of watering my flowers at the beginning of the summer. In fact, it should be easy for me to remember. I walk past my flowers every time I leave the house. But, as time goes on, I forget. Sure, I have excuses. I get busy. I don’t pay attention. I put it off.

It’s a lot like our relationships. Let’s start with God. Sure, you know about God and at times you may feel really close with God. Do you remember that point in time where your relationship with God took off? It began to grow and you planted your life with God, much like the flowers in my pot. You were good with God. But things happened. Sometimes, bad things. God didn't come through for you. You got busy. Distracted. 

Aren’t those things that are pervasive, always there, the things that get neglected the most?

Think about your relationships with your family. As we go in and out the door every day, do you make it a priority to water those relationships with love? Loving our family members every day isn’t easy. Busyness, irritations, disagreements and laziness can contribute to relationship challenges.

What about the people you interact with at work? Do you water and nurture those relationships? We can be so focused on a work project, our own stress or deadline, that we forget to cultivate our work relationships.  

God never leaves. He always wants to fill our thirst. Likewise, we can proactively nurture and tend to our other relationships. 

For he will be like a tree planted by the water and will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit.” Jeremiah 17:8

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.

What Would I Tell My Younger Self

On my walk this morning, I was reflecting a bit on my life. I guess that’s what you do when you think about another approaching birthday. I had to chuckle at how I seemed to know so much when I was younger! God has done some deep and lasting work in the ups and downs of my life. What would I tell my younger self?

Be content. It’s so easy to wish away our lives on the things we hope will happen. When single, I spent a lot of time wishing I was married and had kids. It was tough waiting while others received what I wanted. God taught me the value in waiting as He transformed my character in so many ways! Paul in Philippians 4:12 said he learned the secret of being content in every situation. I think contentment in this life is a battle, but a daily opportunity to rest in Christ and trust Him for our lives. 

Be your true self. We can forge forward in this world trying to be someone we’re not. Ask God to help you be your true self. It’s not always easy, but God can help you thrive in being fully you!

Don’t run from pain. We try to avoid pain at all costs, but eventually pain will come. It’s what you do with that pain that matters. Take it to Jesus. Tell Him how you feel. Walk with Him through your trial. Have a trusted group of friends that you can share with. Don’t go it alone. Here’s a good practice during trials “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Romans 12:12

God doesn’t make mistakes. I had a bit of a hard start to life being in an orphanage, before being adopted. Yet, over the years God has sealed in my heart that He was constantly with me back then and EVERY moment of my life. He had a specific plan for my life even despite it appearing to be a ‘mistake.’ “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” (Psalm 139:13-14)

Get your approval from God. It doesn’t take long in life to realize that not everyone will like you. Why do we want everyone to like us? How realistic is this? How has seeking the approval of others hindered you from being who God has called you to be? I have a simple aim in life to love God and love people. Some may not like me and that’s OK. I want God’s approval most. “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galations 1:10)

Do what you were created for. It’s easy to get stuck in a job or a way of life, simply because it’s safe. The alternative of doing something different is too big and audaciously scary for you. Do it! Get out of your comfort zone! I love doing what I was created to do!

Be curious. Try new things. Ask questions. Learn from others. Listen more than talk. I always want to be a learner. Currently, I’m studying Spanish online and it’s great. I’m reading books that are out my normal genre. I’m learning from people different than me.

Mind your mind. We can so easily get stuck in ruminating on how others have hurt you or how things came down wrong in your life. Choose to forgive. It will get you out of your own prison! Notice what you think about and ask God to help you mind your mind. Feel your feelings but be able to move on. God will help you in this.

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio. 

Doomscrolling

Chances are you’ve heard of this new word, doomscrolling. You've actually probably found yourself doing it. Doomscrolling is the act of continuously scrolling through social media or surfing the web and taking in a constant torrent of bad news. It’s gotten way more attention during the pandemic as there was plenty of bad news to go around!

For many, doomscrolling has become a mindless habit. It can be so mindless that you might find yourself picking up your phone and start scrolling without even being aware of it. Doomscrolling can reinforce negative thoughts and a negative mindset, something that can greatly impact your mental health. Whether it’s reading about another shooting, political strife, racial tension, or just mindless twitter feed, our minds can take a beating to this constant negativity. We can become angry, pathetic, hopeless, discouraged or even depressed by taking in the bad news of the day.

I find myself scrolling instead to Psalm 73 in the Bible. Psalm 73 actually gives help to the doomscrolling habit. If you’ve ever wondered how something could happen to you or your family that seemed so unfair and so wrong, this is the Psalm for you. How could a good God allow all this bad stuff to happen? The writer of the Psalm, Asaph, was acknowledging that God was good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. (Psalm 73:1) But, Asaph was in trouble. Crazy bad trouble. His feet almost slipped. He lost his grip. He was ready to walk away. He, quite frankly, was ready to throw in the towel.

So much BAD had happened! Asaph saw how other not-so-good people were being treated and he was envious! Suddenly, Asaph started paying attention to these people and it led him down a bad path. It was like he was doomscrolling over and over what the important people of his day had, (their bodies, their health, their possessions, the company they kept, etc) and his conclusion? What a rip-off!!! God, it’s not fair!

I find the Psalmist one I can relate to. He’s brutally honest about his feelings, his struggles with God and his envy. But, finally, after he’s poured his heart out to God, he did something hugely important in Psalm 73:16-17 “When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.” 

At that point, everything changed in what Asaph said. He brought his confusion to God. He worshipped God and got God’s infinite perspective, not his own human one. He saw himself and how envy had affected Him. He saw His God clearly and gained an eternal perspective. Asaph prayed so beautifully in these verses “Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Psalm 73:23-26)

Doomscrolling can take us down a dismal path of gloom and doom. When we go to God and get His perspective, things change.

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.

Not Done with Easter

Easter is done. However, I’m not done with Easter. I want to sit a little longer in the awesomeness of it all. I want to take in what it must have felt like to have been there. The agony of Jesus' death. The inexplicable joy of the resurrection. The hidden fears of “What if?” and “What now?” as they contemplated life without Jesus.

But, wait, there’s more to the story! Picture two women who loved Jesus very much showing up at the tomb, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary. They had to go! They loved Jesus so much! As they arrived at the tomb, this happened: “There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.” (Matthew 28:2-4)

The story of Easter doesn’t end with Christ coming out of the tomb. Here are two persistent, compassionate, grieving women that wanted to anoint the body of Jesus with spices. They were even more anxious and confused when they couldn’t find his body there.

“The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: “He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” (Matthew 28:5-7) 

The angel knew exactly what the women were feeling at that moment. Sorry. Grief. Confusion. Uncertainty. Where is Jesus? We just want to see our Jesus!

The angel calmed their fears. Oh, don’t you and I need that? Those fears of the unknown that grip us at the most inopportune of times. The angel knew they were looking for Jesus and told them “He has risen, just as he said.” The angels literally invited the women to see for themselves that Jesus had risen from the dead. Finally, the angel told them to go quickly and tell his disciples.

Don’t miss their trip to spread the news. On the way from the tomb, afraid, yet filled with joy, Jesus steps out of nowhere on the path! “Greetings.” he said. “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” (Matthew 28:8-10) Jesus was alive and present with them! Why should they fall prey to fear? 

We can get so caught up in our fears that we miss what’s right in front of us. An empty tomb. A resurrected Savior. A place of grace for all to see, where the lost can experience redemption. Mary Magdalene and Mary with great joy gave witness to the risen Christ. They didn’t let their fears get in the way of spreading the greatest story ever told.

Jesus’ command to the women becomes a command to each of us today: Stop being afraid. God has defeated death. We are loved, redeemed and wanted by God Himself. We have nothing to fear.

Linger a bit longer in Easter. I’m not done with Easter.

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you, I have called you by name, you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.

Holy Week Invitation

Holy Week is here. I admit, I often walk through Holy Week thinking way more about my Easter dinner and coloring Easter eggs than Christ's dreadful walk to the cross. Somehow, the busy time gets away from me.  Maybe you too?

But I’m not going to do that this year. I want to understand more what Jesus must have felt, seen, heard and experienced on the road to the cross. That’s what Holy Week is about!

I want to invite you to find time to have a “date” with God this week. Yes, a date. Just like you set aside time on your calendar for a date with your spouse or an appointment at work, set aside time with God. I know you may find that weird or strange. But it’s really not and I know that you will experience his presence somehow, someway. Maybe go to the park. Take your hammock to a quiet spot in your back yard. But park yourself alone with God.

Use your phone or bible to look up one of the Scriptures selections below. It will take some time to read through it, so allow yourself some time.

Matthew 21-28
Mark 11-16
Luke 19-24
John 12-21

Here are some questions to reflect upon:

* What kind of feelings did Jesus express as he walked toward the cross

* How did other people treat Jesus?

* How did Jesus treat people?

* How do you think Jesus felt when betrayed? When Peter denied him?

* How do you think the disciples felt when Jesus washed their feet?

* What is God teaching you during this special time with Him?

* How did you feel when Jesus was crucified?

* How did this time of reading help you appreciate the joy of Easter?

Jesus’ walk to the cross shows the enormous extent of his love for me and for you. He loved us “to the uttermost” in going to the cross and suffering on our behalf. It is during Holy Week, we see God’s profound love for us. May God bless you and give you a most special time this week. Happy Easter!

“It was just before the Passover Feast, Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.”  (John 13:1)

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.

Where is God When?

There have been times in my life when I’ve questioned ‘Where is God when this or that happened?' Life didn't go the way I thought it would. The pain I felt caused me to question God. And I did. 

What about you? You fill in the blank. When you have no clue what to do. When the diagnosis comes. When you fear the future. When disappointments mount. When the pain won’t stop. When the cries of your heart are agonizing. When life throws a curve ball. Where is God when these things happen?

Who hasn’t asked a few of these questions this past year? There was no smooth cookie-cutter set of directions for how to get through 2020. We’ve all been challenged in some form or fashion. I think the greater question now is this: How will we respond to God when we don’t know where He is?

When considering pain, I’m often reminded of C.S. Lewis’ thoughtful words “Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures…but shouts to us in our pain. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” Could it be that God could use the events of 2020 somehow, someway, in your heart and mine? Could it be that some of the greatest spiritual growth comes in the midst of our deepest suffering? Could it be that God is shouting to you in your pain?

John 16:33 comes to mind: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” I find such comfort in this verse. Jesus is speaking and telling us that it is in Him that we can have peace. Secondly, He says that in the world there will be tribulation. Thirdly, He tells us to take heart and remember that He has overcome the world. It is a relationship with Christ that guides us through the ups and downs of life. It is in a relationship with Christ that we realize that this world is not our home. Our suffering can draw us deeper into Christ and the profound hope He gives us in his word. Suffering is a time to recommit our focus to what’s important…our God, our family and friends, our work, living out our calling, and loving, serving and caring for all people.

You and I aren’t the only ones who have questioned and asked where God is. Scott Sauls writes “Job lost children, his wife’s affection, his livelihood, and his reputation in a single day. Moses stuttered. Jacob limped. Sarah was infertile. Tamar and Bathsheba were assaulted. David was betrayed by his son. Hosea’s wife fell into prostitution, as did Rahab. Ruth was widowed in her youth. Mordecai was oppressed and belittled. Jeremiah battled depression, as did Elijah. Gideon Doubted God, as did Thomas. Mary and Joseph sought asylum from a reign of terror. Mary and Martha buried their brother. John Mark was rejected by Paul. Peter hated himself.” (Scott Sauls, When Faith Feels Like Defeat)

God’s word is chock full of examples of people just like you and I. People who’ve had bad things happened. People who wondered “Where is God?” when these things happened. Yet, they modeled dependence and trust in a sovereign God. They believed God would keep His promises. Where is God when _____? He’s right beside You loving You and longing to walk with You through the mess.

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.

St Patrick's Prayer

One of my favorite memories working with active older adults in the Y was planning for our annual St. Patrick’s Potluck. Now this wasn’t any old potluck. This was a potluck consisting of only green food. You had to be a bit creative to think outside the green salad box. It was pretty hilarious the food that would come in for the festivities. Of course, COVID has forced potlucks to be a thing of the past, for now.

I must say, I love St. Patrick’s day! It’s such a festive day and I’m Irish as well! But step aside from all the green-dyed festivities of the day, there is something to appreciate about the spiritual legacy of the real Saint Patrick, a 5th-century missionary and primary patron saint of Ireland.

The most popular prayer attributed to St Patrick’s was St. Patrick’s Breastplate or often known as “Morning Prayer.” Here is a portion of it:

I arise today
Through God’s strength to pilot me;
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me,
God’s shield to protect me,
God’s hosts to save me
Afar and anear,
Alone or in a multitude.

Christ shield me today
Against wounding
Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ within me, Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ at my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down…”

St Patrick, who was originally kept as a slave, eventually rose to freedom and inspired many. God blessed St Patrick greatly as he went around Ireland and ministered to people. I imagine that God brought Him close to him in the midst of his challenges. St. Patrick’s life was not about wearing green, enjoying green food, 4 leaf clovers or even green beer! It was about enjoying a relationship with God through Christ His Savior. Can you sense how close Christ was to St. Patrick in this prayer? Oh, may that be true for us as well!

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.