Steel, a very strong component. Depending on how hot it got compressed, it verifies it’s strength. It can be molded in different sizes and shapes. It may last longer due to it’s strength, though overtime it will start to rust… Holes could be patched up, but it will still remain a weak spot/link. It’s like that with our sins. We might confess them before God, and it will be forgiven through Jesus if you ask for forgiveness in His name. Though: it will remain a ‘weak spot’. Something to pay close attention to, something to keep working on.

When a rusting spot is not fixed or is being neglected; it will grow bigger and become a hole.  A hole that provides leaks. It could bring in more water or more sin, comparing it to the weak spot/link.

We constantly have to check our our soul for weak spots, or any signs of rust. We need Jesus… We need Him to help us ‘patch it up’. It’s not a one time event, where He will automatically come do it for you… No, you need to call unto your Savior in Heaven.

Is your heart made out of steel? Hard as anything? No way of getting into, tested by fire? Are we not all born with emotions? Or are we hiding them in a tight sealed box… that box, never exposed to severe circumstances? I think we all did/have in some sort of way. Then there are signs of ‘rust and weak spots’. They might be invisible by the eye, though a welding spot may have come loose, or a chain-link got weak by the power it’s bin enduring in a pull with a certain situation.

God with all His power, can have situations by man’s own free choice, have a strong structure of steel go into a miss-formed piece of junk. This is done through our sin, fueled by the devil. When whirlwind storms miss-form our sin-filled hearts, it needs a lot of new welds, new pieces of steel and most necessary; time… time in a sense of a healing process. You might say, why is God letting it all happen?! This earth is fallen, fallen because of sin; out of free-choice, a wrong decision. Isn’t that why things get out of hand all the time? Not thinking clear, self-focused, and forgetting Who’s in charge?

Our Creator, who made every single detail in our body, gave us free-choice. Will you pick the building (of your life) that never needs attention and slowly looses it’s strength through impacts of life? Or the building (of your life) that get’s the attention of a Person Who fills the cracks, unfolds the bends and keeps you standing strong? Are we as Christian’s strong? Our ‘earthly buildings’ (hearts) may not look the prettiest, but are being kept together by 4 necessary nails. Those that were pierced through Jesus Christ’s body… With His love in any storm or situation, can overcome! But only if you’ll let Him…

Or are we like this piece of steel, left in the woods, beaten by circumstance(s), unattended, forgotten… God does not forget one person, He’s looking for you! He knows us all, He knows you by name, He knows the number of hairs on your head, He knows our secrets, He knows our joy’s.

‘The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?’ (Psalm 27:1) 

A teeny, tiny seed. Planted in soil. It’s spring and many people have starter seeds in pot’s and flats throughout their houses. Especially in this pandemic situation. People realize they need ‘food’. Where it comes from; under a black surface of soil. But without that tiny seed, there is no plant. And without proper attention of water and fertilizer, it won’t grow or even produce and flower.

Just like that, tiny seeds are planted by God in many black hearts. Though are they growing, or neglecting nutrition? Is the soil to dry, to wet or to cold? (how a seed of faith can develop you can find in: Matthew 13: 3-9)

Jesus came down to earth to plant, He will come again to harvest… But when a farmer does a harvest, he waits for the perfect conditions and when the harvest is full-grown and ripe. Timing is crucial.

Working the ground, producing food is what God made us people do after the fall into sin. It’s a s simple as that: ‘Down to earth.’

We are like tree’s, grapevines or plants:

• a seed get’s sown in our hearts by God
• the seed sprout’s and takes roots
• the sprout comes out to the surface
• the tree or plant starts growing
• when full-grown it produces food. ‘food for life’
• others might see the tasty products and want a piece from it: they might eat or harvest seeds
• a new tree or plant is growing…

These signs are all around us, all year long… Nature shows the growth of faith and the results of it! I’ve tried to explain this process to our kids with a little drawing:

We are to be examples in Christ, so others may taste and join in growing a plenty full harvest! Yes, it is so ‘down to earth’! May we all grow our seeds towards the Light!

Today on Good Friday, we here in Ontario wake up to an outside world of snow. The purity of the small sparkles. That when packing them together stands firm and is strong.

When we remember our Savior who cleansed all sins and made them white as snow. With His sweat of blood he covered all of it. When a drop of blood falls into the snow, it stains the white into red. Now, by His suffering while in absolute no fault and in His own free will He turned our blood stained souls into a pure white garment. That is, when we believe.

While soldiers were casting lots on Jesus earthly garments, He prepared new ones for us… While He gave up His spirit He entered a place that we should be facing. He took it upon Him. He took our sins upon Him.

The words: ‘It is finished!’ Mean a lot to me, while it has a double meaning for being the last words of a dying Man, it also means, that the battle is over. The battle is over as in you’r not alone, I’m there for you. Don’t vend for yourselves any longer, I (Jesus) got you covered.

Today, as any other He calls us: saying; ‘It is finished!’ He’ll take whomever will leave their heavy burdens and worries into His hands. Because through His pierced hands, all things are possible.

As we almost all sit at home right now, spring thunderstorms role by. Lightning fills the sky. Above the clouds a large pink super-moon. The flashes, the glimpse; a reminder of Who’s in charge… When the thunder let’s itself hear and the earth shakes of the sounds. It reminds me; yes, God’s in charge.

‘The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind; The lightnings lit up the world; The earth trembled and shook.’ (Psalm 77:18)

‘Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

‘For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.’ (Matthew 24:27)

When I was a child, I was afraid of the dark. But my mother thought me; Jesus is always with you, in the light and in the dark. And I believed that.

Jesus guides us through darkness. You’re never alone. But this Friday we remember: we remember that He over-won the darkness. He’d entered it for us. Alone.

In and through Him we may shine our lights in this dark, sinful world. Whether you’re alone in a house or as a family. – ‘For you were once darkness, but now you are light of the Lord. Walk as children of light.’ (Ephesians 5:8)

Jesus cried out on that ninth hour, with a loud voice: ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’ – We all should know the answer… it was for us, us sinners. He entered darkness, the darkness where like 2 clouds meet: hot and cold – pure and sinful. Lightning strikes and God speaks to our hearts… Jesus endured and payed the price. Through Him God answers. Like He shakes up the earth with thunder, He shakes our hearts: a wake-up calling.

A favorite Bible verse of mine: ‘Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.’ (Isaiah 60:1)

May your Good Friday into Easter bring you much light to your hearts. May He take all your worries and fears. He took it upon Himself: on the cross.

Opa & Oma van der Weerd – Holland

Een terugkijk aan herinneringen door mijn kinderogen. Jony: Jo van Johanna. Het plattelands leven, van generatie tot generatie. Tussen de koeien en varkens ben ik groot geworden. Boerin zijn al van kleins af aan in mijn bloed. Ik heb oma zien koe-touwen vlechten aan een stoel in haar keuken. Oma had altijd wel wat in haar handen, was het een bezem, een hark of een schaal vol hapjes. En dan kwam oma weer aan fietsen, om te helpen melken. Nadat de fiets was weggezet, ging de rode zakdoek op.

Opa, ja, die kwam met de mercedes. En als hij zijn ronde varkens ging doen, kwam zijn oranje hoedje ‘beuker’ tevoorschijn. Jah, als kinderen zochten we hem op, wetend om de snoepjes in ze’n broekzak… ‘Aah-hahahahaaaaaaaa’ zei hij dan!

Even een paar jaar later: IJsselmuiden. Waar we konden zwemmen, bbq’s en veel, veel ijsjes… Met de vrijmarkt was de garage ingedeeld tot ‘restaurant’. Kom der maar bij: gezellig! En dan met nieuwjaars bijeenkomsten; opa’s klappers!! Jah, wij als kinderen druk met ons vuurwerk en daar was sneaky opa, met ze’n rotjes 🙂 Sinterklaas, niet te vergeten! De eerste 1.5 uur, (of zo leek het dan) een wilde van kinderen. Maar ook rustige visites, waar we dan met alle kinderen voor de scooby-doo zaten te kijken achter de keuken t.v.

Na onze overstap naar Canada, trouwde ik met Jan. En hoe speciaal: alle 8 opa’s en oma’s waren aanwezig… Nu bijna 11 jaar later en 4 prachtige kinderen rijker: het boeren-bloed blijft erin zitten! Maar het belangrijkste, het geloof en vertrouwen in God. Dat wat de Heer belooft van generatie op generatie. Het voorbeeld en respect van opa en oma in het geloof wordt enorm gewaardeerd. Zo mogen ook wij weer dat voorbeeld wezen.