Real Life by Peggi Tustan

Welcome to  Real Life . Everyone loves a … funeral? The word doesn’t quite fit. Yet wise King Solomon said a funeral's better than a wedding feast.  A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth. It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man;  the living should take this to heart.  Sorrow is better than laughter,  because a sad face is good for the heart.  The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,  but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.  Ecclesiastes 7:1-4 In loving memory of my  father-in-law, Michael Tustan April 5, 1929 - July 16, 2012 I've been in a house of mourning. My dear father-in-law passed away last week. He was 83. For 18 years he needed total care after a heart attack left him incapacitated. My mother-in-law lovingly nursed him for twelve years unt...

Welcome to  Real Life . Recently, wildfires in Colorado have destroyed thousands of acres of forest and hundreds of homes. The devastation is difficult for me to imagine. I’ve never lost a home to fire.  Yet, one day this entire world will be engulfed in flames: But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.  The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. [1] God revealed this prophecy through the apostle Peter 2000 years ago. Scoffers say, “It’ll never happen.” Life goes on as it has since the world began – and it will go on forever. It’s easy to fall into that mindset. Life changes little from day to day. It feels like things will go on the same way forever. Actually though, things are constantly changing. America is different than it was 100 years ago. My street has changed since I moved in 30 years ago. My body is different than it was 5 years ago. I have le...

Welcome to  Real Life.  Sometimes it’s difficult to slow the pace of life, even on a vacation.  North Myrtle Beach, S.C. I’ve been on vacation for five days. [1] But, today is the first day it felt like I was on a vacation. It’s taken five days for a sense of rest to penetrate my soul. It’s taken five days to quiet the nagging voice that says, “Don’t just sit there. Do something! Exercise, read, shop, study or write. Be productive. Make the best use of this free time.”  As the nagging voice fades, I hear the Spirit’s gentle whisper, “Be still. Rest in my presence. Find me in the warmth of the sun, the caress of the gentle breeze and the rhythm of the ocean’s waves. It’s time to slow down. Step away from non-stop activity. Get in step with me.” I tend to live life in a hurry. God’s never in a hurry. He is eternal. He created time and dwells outside the realm of time. What I strive to accomplish in days or weeks or even years, he does in a moment. ...

Welcome to Real Life . It (real life) often turns out much differently than our early dreams and expectations. Joseph dreamed of becoming a ruler. It did happen. But, he never thought slave and ex-con would also be a part of his resume. “Help! Come quickly!” she screams. Servants race to find Potiphar’s wife with Joseph’s jacket in her hands. “That Hebrew slave attacked me. He tried to take advantage of me.” Joseph, unjustly accused of rape, is thrown in prison. But, he was just trying to do the right thing. Why did God let this happen? Joseph is the favorite of Jacob’s twelve sons. As such, his brothers despise him. They can’t stand to be around him. When an opportunity arises, they sell Joseph to a caravan of traders traveling to Egypt. In Egypt he’s purchased by a prominent officer named Potiphar. Young Joseph falls from favorite son to slave. Yet God’s hand is on him. Everything he does succeeds. Potiphar notices. Soon, he makes Joseph steward over his entire household. ...

Welcome to  Real Life . Once in a while, I read a story in the Bible that breaks God out of the neat little box I try to put him in. This is one of those stories. Jacob is the third great patriarch of Israel. However unlike his noble father Isaac and grandfather Abraham, Jacob is somewhat of a shuckster. He’s willing to use underhanded methods to gain an advantage. His very name means “deceiver.” He tempts his ravenously hungry twin brother Esau into trading his birthright [1]  for a bowl of stew. Then he steals Esau’s blessing by deceiving his elderly father. Twice cheated, Esau’s angry enough to kill. So Jacob flees to his uncle’s in Haran. [2] Turnabout is fair play. In Haran, his uncle Laban tricks Jacob into marrying both of his daughters. Nephew and uncle continue to battle in the family business, scheming against each other, each trying to gain an advantage. After twenty years, Jacob’s had enough. He heads home to Canaan, taking the wives, children, servants, flocks an...

Welcome to  Real Life . Unfortunately, I am not at all observant. I often miss things happening right in front of me. Jacob had the same problem … until God opened his eyes.  Jacob is traveling alone. He is going to Haran to seek a wife among his mother’s people. As the sun sets, he stops for the night. He finds a smooth rock to use for a pillow and falls asleep. Jacob dreams of a stairway to heaven. [1] Angels are ascending and descending the stairs. At the top stands the Lord. He speaks to Jacob, renewing the promises he made to Jacob’s father Isaac and his grandfather Abraham. [2] He tells Jacob, “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go.” In the morning, Jacob awakens with this thought,  “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”  He calls the place “Bethel” which means “house of God.”  We live in a physical world of people, places and things that we can touch and see. But, this is not the only world that exi...

Welcome to  Real Life . This Father's Day post is in honor of my almost 93-year-old father.  For years, I dreamt of a trip to Slovakia. And for years my husband secretly squirreled away money to make that dream come true. I found his gift under the tree one Christmas morning. It came with a stipulation. He didn’t want to travel with me, “Your mom will go, won’t she?”  Mom was thrilled to go. Both my parents were born in Slovakia. But, we were all surprised when my father decided to join us. Though once a world traveler, he was now afraid to fly. He was also afraid to return to Slovakia. As a soldier, he left the country illegally at the close of WWII to escape the incoming communist regime. He feared that if he returned, they might just lock him up and throw away the key.  What motivated my father to overcome these monumental fears? He had two sisters still alive in Slovakia. He wanted to see them.  It was a beautiful August day when we arrived in ...