Real Life by Peggi Tustan

Welcome to Real Life . What does strength look like? Those who give much without sacrifice are reckoned as having given little. –Erwin Lutzer “Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” Isaiah asks. Because the Word from God he’s about to deliver is not an easy one to believe. In Isaiah’s day, Jerusalem was surrounded by enemies and facing annihilation. God’s people were seeking a political messiah to swoop in and rescue them. Instead, God would send an unlikely hero. Not someone to save them in the moment, but the One who could save their souls for all eternity. Who would God send? Not a Samson, but a man of sorrows, despised and rejected. It was our pain and punishment he bore. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. Seven hundred year after Isaiah's prophecy, the arm of the Lord—his strength in reaching, res...

Welcome to Real Life . Death, where is your sting? “Some day you will read in the papers, ‘D. L. Moody of East Northfield is dead.’ Don't you believe a word of it! At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now; I shall have gone up higher, that is all, out of this old clay tenement into a house that is immortal.” –D.L. Moody (1837–99) Will I die of Coronavirus? Perhaps like me, you’ve asked yourself this question. Daily, the death toll rises from this insidious disease. We stay home. We wash our hands. We work from home. We worship at home. What if it’s not enough?  “I’m ready,” I told my son on the phone the other day. God has blessed me with a wonderful life. I don’t want to die. I have much to live for! But if I die, I’m content. I am a child of God. He knows me. He loves me. He protects me. I rest securely in his hands. My Heavenly Father has already determined the day of my death. If I die from Coronavirus, then God allowed it and nothing could keep me alive. A...

Welcome to Real Life . Coronavirus has us disinfecting every surface. But maybe we need to clean below the surface. The key to spring cleaning is to be ruthless!  Throw out anything and everything you never use.  (Or that may be incriminating. Burn, if necessary.)  –Josie Brown [1] Spring is awakening! On a recent Saturday, glorious sun rays burst through my window shattering the gray, dreary spell of winter. The sunshine warmed and delighted me. But it also illuminated the dirt and dust that hides on cloudy days. I was suddenly overcome by an urge to spring clean. (This happens rarely. So, when it hits, I go with it.) Later, the nightly news declared, “Spring cleaning is good for our mental health!” When our houses are less cluttered, clean, and organized we feel better, less stressed, and less depressed. [2] I was living the truth of it. My house was clean. My heart was happy! Spring is awakening! With it, comes Lent. Traditionally, this is a...

Welcome to Real Life . Jesus is alive. I spoke with him this morning. On the first Easter Sunday . . . “What are you two talking about?” the man asked. We’d been so deep in conversation. We didn’t notice the stranger walk up behind us. “You must not live around here. Everyone’s talking about it,” Cleopas answered. “About what?” the stranger asked. “What happened to Jesus of Nazareth, the prophet—no, he was more than a prophet. He spoke with the authority of a king. He opened blind eyes, raised the dead, even quieted a storm. Tell me. Who commands the wind and it obeys? And he spoke of God as his father. The religious leaders hated that. They accused him of blasphemy, arrested, and beat him. On Friday, they crucified him. “We’re trying to make sense of it. I mean, Jesus Christ was so powerful. Why did he let it happen? We believed in him. We thought he was the One, the Messiah. Now he’s de-ad!” Cleopas's voice cracked. He wiped away a tear. “That’s not all,” I con...

Welcome to Real Life . It (real life) is full of disappointments. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Lazarus was ill, seriously so. His sisters, Mary and Martha, sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” They fully expected Jesus to come and heal their brother. For, Jesus was more than their Lord. He was their friend. But, Jesus did not come—immediately. He delayed two days. And, Lazarus died. When Jesus finally arrived, the sisters’ greetings are heavy with disappointment. "If only you had been here…" I've felt their disappointment—keenly: when my first husband left and never returned, while drowning in postpartum depression, when my father-in-law lay ill 18 years, when my mom lost her legs, when my sister was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. Lord, if only you had been here. These things would not have happened. Life would be good, as it should be. I know you, Lord. I am your follower and your friend. Why didn...