Perspectives, Words of Endurance

Our Precious Possessions

October 30, 2017

But when she could hide him no longer,
she got a papyrus basket for him
and coated it with tar and pitch.
Then she placed the child in it and
put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.
EXODUS 2:3 (NIV)

Moses’ mother had hope and faith in God that He had special plans for her child. So she laid him – her most precious possession – in a basket and released him fully to God’s care.

The torturous act of trusting our precious possessions to God is the only sure way to peace. This truth is more than theology for me. I’ve tested it.

The morning after my arm and shoulder were amputated to stop the spread of cancer, I went to the bathroom mirror. I stood there pale and rumpled in my hospital gown, staring at the image that stared back at me – the image of a one armed man. I was in shock at how radically they had cut the arm back. The arm was gone. The shoulder was gone. The shoulder blade was gone. And the left side of my collarbone was gone.

“Okay God,” I said, “This is what I’ve got to live with. Put this behind me… let me go forward.” And when the one armed man looked back at me, there was peace in his eyes.

I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart.
And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.
So don’t be troubled or afraid.
JOHN 14.27 (NLT)

ON THE JOURNEY WITH YOU,
DAVE DRAVECKY

Perspectives, Words of Endurance

Refusing the Label “Victim”

By connie on

September 11, 2017

- Perspectives, Words of Endurance

The Lord will stay with you
as long as you stay with Him!
Whenever you seek Him,
you will find Him.
2 CHRONICLES 15:2 (NLT)

The book of Psalms sings of Joseph’s abduction, slavery and captivity. “They bruised his feet with shackles,” we are told, and “his neck was put in irons” (PSALM 105:18) An old translation renders the last phrase of that verse, “the iron entered into his soul.” Somehow, the iron of Joseph’s shackles entered into his soul. He became strong and wise, just and merciful; he would be called “the prince among his brothers.” And through it all, he cultivated a strong sense of God’s presence.

How did he do it? How can we? How can we avoid bitterness when our dreams have been torn away? How can we maintain our walk with God when he allows our youth to be pillaged and our life to plunge into deep shadow and prolonged pain? We can learn much from Joseph.

Though attacked and wrongfully accused, though he endured suffering and cruelty, Joseph became fruitful beyond his dreams. Over and over again, Scripture tells us that “the Lord was with Joseph.” Why was He with him? Joseph set his heart on walking with God, and he did not allow any hardship, any adversity, any tragedy to come between him and his God. That relationship took priority over everything all of his life.

Joseph understood the hard realities of life. But he also clung to the conviction that a sovereign God rules over people’s affair. Wherever Joseph found himself, he served with all his heart, placing full trust in the Lord to care for him and vindicate him.

Joseph teaches us that when we seek God’s kingdom first, we may live content no matter our circumstances. With such a mindset – with such a Lord – circumstances cannot defeat us.

ON THE JOURNEY WITH YOU,
JAN & DAVE DRAVECKY

Perspectives, Words of Endurance

Growing Through Adversity

By connie on

July 17, 2017

- Perspectives, Words of Endurance

As you endure this divine discipline,
remember that God is treating you as his own children.
For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years,
doing the best they knew how.
But God’s discipline is always good for us,
so that we might share in his holiness.
HEBREWS 12:7,10 (NLT)

Hardships do not come into our lives to make us spiritually feeble, weak, lame and disabled. Such a thing is possible only if we allow it to happen. If we will choose instead to consider hardships as God’s discipline and then allow the difficulties of life to build into us the heavenly trio of holiness, righteousness and peace, we will watch ourselves grow from adolescence into spiritual maturity.

In my own growth it was important for me to understand that hardship was to be a part of my life, because so many had told me that God did not intend for me to suffer. It was important for me to look at God as my Father, training me and disciplining me because He loved me, just as my earthly parents had.

My parents had begun the job of disciplining me, but because they, too, were imperfect, the job of preparing me for maturity was incomplete. God will continue to train me where my earthly parents left off, and He has chosen to use hardship as one of His primary tools.

ON THE JOURNEY WITH YOU,
DAVE DRAVECKY

Perspectives, Words of Endurance

Perspective and Promises

By connie on

June 26, 2017

- Perspectives, Words of Endurance

Perspective and Promises

Now the LORD was gracious to Sarah as he had said,
and the LORD did for Sarah what he had promised.
GENESIS 21:1 (NIV)

The problem with pain is that it forces us to live in the moment, to deal with its unrelenting presence. That narrow, unpleasant perspective, like blinders on a horse, prevents us from clearly seeing the past (where God displayed his faithfulness to us) and the future (where the fulfillment of his promise awaits us).

Bound by this thin sliver of time, we forget that God is not bound by time. He exists outside of its minutes and millennia. Promises that seem impossible from our limited perspective are totally possible from his. He will keep every promise he has made to his children, no matter how unattainable they seem at the time.

My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.
PSALM 119:50 (NIV)

ON THE JOURNEY WITH YOU,
Jan & Dave Dravecky

Cancer, Perspectives, Prayer, Words of Endurance

Appearances Can Be Deceiving

By Nathan Solla on

February 7, 2014

- Cancer, Perspectives, Prayer, Words of Endurance

Early one morning, Gehazi, servant of the prophet Elisha, decided to take a walk around the city of Dothan. He was greatly dismayed to discover that during the night a huge army of troops and chariots had encircled the city. Terrified, he cried out to Elisha …

“Oh, sir, what will we do now?
2 KINGS 6:15 (NLT)

The prophet calmly told him not to fear. He assured him that …

“For there are more on our side than on theirs!”
2 KINGS 6:16 (NLT)

How confusing those words must have seemed! After all, anyone could see there was no escaping the army that surrounded them. But Elisha saw something Gehazi could not; Elisha saw the situation from God’s perspective, so he was not deceived by appearances.

Then Elisha prayed …

“O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!”
2 KINGS 6:17 (NLT)

And suddenly Gehazi saw something he never imagined was there: the enemy was itself surrounded by the Lord’s army of horses and chariots of fire! Like Gehazi, we need to remember that what we see isn’t necessarily the whole truth. We need to see the truth from God’s perspective.

PASTOR RON MEHL battled cancer for 22 years.
During that time he was intimately aware
of our need for God’s perspective
as we endure times of suffering.

Wisdom is seeing things from God’s perspective.
BILL GOTHARD

We pray for all of us that when we face adversity and trials that seem way too big for us to ever overcome and we cry out in despair as Gehazi did, “Oh Lord what will we do now?” that we will pray as Elisha did, “O Lord open our eyes and let us see!” Because remember …

“If there’s anything we need in a stormy trial,
it’s perspective …
when we catch the updrafts of God’s Spirit
and are lifted to new heights,
trials look extraordinarily different.”
JONI EARECKSON TADA

On the Journey with You,
Dave & Jan Dravecky

Grief, Loss, Perspectives, Words of Endurance

Under the Pressure of Suffering

By Nathan Solla on

January 22, 2014

- Grief, Loss, Perspectives, Words of Endurance

A healthy spirit conquers adversity,
but what can you do when the spirit is crushed?
PROVERBS 18:14 (THE MESSAGE)

If we live long enough – broken bodies, damaged relationships or tattered dreams will eventually lead us through the valley of suffering. Many of us who sojourn through that misty lowland find that our perspectives on life, God and suffering are shattered along the way. What we believe as we descend into that valley is often not what we believe when we finally emerge.

Consider the story of Job for example. Job’s story was probably the first portion of the Bible to be written and it reveals the drama of one man’s traumatic journey through suffering. Despite his horrific loss of family, fortune and health, Job entered the valley with a noble perspective on suffering. He didn’t resign himself to bitterness. He didn’t succumb to his wife’s advice to “curse God and die.” Initially, his perspective was firmly intact:

Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
naked I’ll return to the womb of the earth.
God gives, God takes.
God’s name be ever blessed.
JOB 1:21 (THE MESSAGE)

But as his suffering wore on without resolution Job started asking questions – questions that revealed the growing stress cracks in his perspective on life.

Job was widely revered as one of the godliest men in the land. He walked with God daily and trusted God to take care of him. So when the circumstances of his life continued to go from bad to worse, Job didn’t know what to make of it. How could a good God allow such terrible suffering to continue? Why wasn’t God taking care of him? He cried out …

Let up on me, will you?
Can’t you even let me spit in peace?
Even suppose I’d sinned—how would that hurt you?
You’re responsible for every human being.
Don’t you have better things to do than pick on me?
JOB 7:19-20 (THE MESSAGE)

For chapter upon chapter we can read Job’s questions regarding what he had believed about life, righteousness, relationships, justice, mercy, wisdom – and yes, even his relationship with God. Job’s perspective on life and the reason for his suffering was completely shattered. Try as he might he could not make his beliefs about suffering line up with his experience. What a devastating blow! He easily could have become callous and hardened toward God – prolonged suffering and unanswered questions can do that to a person.

But interspersed among Job’s wrestling with the questions, we also see the rock-solid elements of a perspective that held up under the pressure. Listen to the precious nuggets he shouted out across the valley of suffering:

God’s wisdom is so deep, God’s power so immense,
who could take him on and come out in one piece?
JOB 9:4 (THE MESSAGE)

Because even if he killed me,
I’d keep on hoping.
JOB 13:15 (THE MESSAGE)

Still, I know that God lives—
the One who gives me back my life—
and eventually he’ll take his stand on earth.
JOB 19:25 (THE MESSAGE)

No matter how dim his view of what he experienced on earth, Job had one perspective that never shattered – Job knew that God was God and he revered and feared God’s awesome power and authority. Despite all he did not understand – Job knew without a doubt that God was the only one who could redeem him.

God honored Job’s perspective. In time, God delivered him from his suffering and blessed him beyond what he could have imagined. And in a stunning twist of perspective we can see that Job’s experience of suffering was more of an expression of God’s confidence in Job than His contempt.

Job had no idea that his response to suffering made him a key player in a heavenly battle but God has revealed the whole story – the reason for Job’s suffering – to us. Perhaps that is one reason God gave us the book of Job so early in history. Perhaps God knew how much we needed a glimpse behind the scenes – a grander perspective in the valley of suffering so that we could say with Job …

You asked,
‘Who is this that questions
my wisdom with such ignorance?’
It is I—and I was talking about things
I knew nothing about,
things far too wonderful for me.
JOB 42:3 (NLT)

On the Journey with You,
Dave & Jan Dravecky

Healing, Peace, Perspectives, Prayer, Words of Endurance

Changing Your Perspective

By Nathan Solla on

January 15, 2014

- Healing, Peace, Perspectives, Prayer, Words of Endurance

BY KIM JONES
FOR THE ENCOURAGER MAGAZINE

Changing your perspective
is like looking at your situation through a different lens,
like putting on a different pair of glasses.
ANONYMOUS

I had been enduring an extremely difficult trial in life. For months there seemed to be no improvement or resolution. It seemed as if my prayers for a way of escape were being ignored. Finally, I decided to create my own mini-escape. I lived fairly close to the Pacific Ocean so hoping for at least a few hours of refreshment I headed toward a favorite spot – high above the crashing waves.

After parking my car, I walked toward a large, glass-enclosed observatory perched on the edge of a bluff overlooking the ocean. As I stepped inside my eyes were immediately drawn to the north window. There in the distance, I saw an approaching storm. The scene was spectacular but the clouds, fog, and restless ocean made my heart sink. A powerful rainstorm was on its way. So much for my outdoors plans.

I quickly moved to the east window. Although it was quiet in the observatory I looked out onto a noisy scene of wind-swept chaos in the parking lot. Kids, cars, and carriages scurried in all directions. Dads hastily unloaded the family gear – backpacks, cameras, binoculars and picnic baskets – as moms frantically tried to bundle up their children to protect them from the chilling wind. I couldn’t hear their frustrated words but their faces told the whole story. I didn’t watch this scene too long – it made me tired.

With relief I stepped over to the south window. Seemingly oblivious to the brisk wind and incoming mist, a young couple wrapped in a blanket sat on a small patch of weathered lawn. Their obvious affection for one another must have driven away the discomfort of the biting wind. They weren’t just taking in the view – they were experiencing it. From my sheltered viewpoint, I found myself experiencing it with them.

Other observers moved in my direction so I felt compelled to leave that heart-warming scene and take in the view from the west window. Standing alone, overlooking the immense expanse of the Pacific Ocean that stretched to the horizon, I felt unbelievably tiny. The reflection of the sun lay like a glimmering golden path on the water. I’d never seen the ocean quite like this and it brought tears to my eyes.

I closed my eyes to thank God for the awesome beauty of that place. At that moment He spoke to my heart showing me something I had never realized before. As I visually immersed myself in each view I had experienced a multitude of emotions – some positive – some not. I had experienced frustration, elation, sadness and awe yet I had not set foot outside the observatory. The only change was on which view I had chosen to focus.

How humbling it was to realize that in dealing with my personal trial I had been focusing on only one view. I had looked at the situation from only one viewpoint – finding a way out. I had not yet considered any other possibilities. That day I realized that God was far more interested in changing my perspective than in changing my circumstances.

No wonder my trial had been overwhelming. I needed a different view – a new perspective. And God in His mercy showed me that it was only a few steps away…

One ship drives east and another drives west
With the self same winds that blow.
‘Tis the set of the sails,
And not the gales,
That tells us the way to go.

Like the winds of the sea are the ways of fate
As we voyage along through life,
‘Tis the set of a soul
That decides its goal,
And not the calm, or the strife.
ELLA WHEELER WILCOX

On the Journey with You,
Dave & Jan Dravecky

Grief, Perspectives, Words of Endurance

A Different Perspective

By Nathan Solla on

January 13, 2014

- Grief, Perspectives, Words of Endurance

Having come face to face with a life-changing illness,
I now have a different perspective on life.
DAVE DRAVECKY

Although we may not realize it, each of us has a formulated view on what life is supposed to look like and how it is supposed to work. When life is going well we may not be aware of our perspective or recognize how much it shapes our response to life. But our perspective has a powerful impact and when adversity strikes – many of us find that our perspective is shaken to the core.

Before I was diagnosed with cancer my perspective on life was pretty limited. Life had been going my way up to that point and it was good. I knew pain and suffering happened but as an athlete, I felt that I could conquer anything. I was young – in great shape – I was living my dream. I thought pain and suffering would happen to the other guy – not me.

Now I know better. As is true for many people my cancer diagnosis blew apart my naïve perspective on life. It forced me to realize that life wasn’t what I had assumed it would be. I held onto a few nuggets of truth but I began to question much of what I thought I believed. It was scary and humbling to realize I didn’t have life figured out quite as well as I thought I had. It was tough to abandon the expectation that everything would always be fine and to accept that I no longer lived in that safe world.

Over a period of time, however, I reevaluated my assumptions and gained a new perspective on life. That new way of thinking became essential in dealing with what had happened to me. It helped me learn to take life one day at a time – to dream and plan for the future but not to take the time I have for granted.

I think suffering, adversity, and tragedy are supposed to change your perspective. My illness sounded an alarm that caused me to react and take action so that I can give the greatest amount of attention to what really matters.

That was 25 years ago and thanks to God’s Spirit my perspective continues to mature and be lifted to new heights with each passing year, every gray hair and each stormy trial.

If there’s anything we need in a stormy trial,
it’s perspective …
When we catch the updrafts of God’s Spirit
and are lifted to new heights,
trials look extraordinarily different.
JONI EARECKSON TADA

On the Journey with You,
Dave Dravecky

Hope, Perspectives, Words of Endurance

Wisdom for the Journey

By Nathan Solla on

January 13, 2014

- Hope, Perspectives, Words of Endurance

ATTITUDE

If you think you know it all, you’re a fool for sure;
real survivors learn wisdom from others.
PROVERBS 28:26 (THE MESSAGE)

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.
WINSTON CHURCHILL

Our attitude toward things is likely to be more important
than the things themselves.
A.W. TOZER

Attitude is the librarian of our past,
the speaker of our present,
the prophet of our future.
JOHN MAXWELL

Afflictions color your life
but you choose the color.
ANONYMOUS

An optimist sees an opportunity in every calamity;
A pessimist sees a calamity in every opportunity.
HERBERT V PROCHNOW

Some people complain because God put thorns on roses,
while others praise Him for putting roses among thorns.
ANONYMOUS

A pessimist is a person who, regardless of the present,
Is disappointed in the future.
ANONYMOUS

A thankful disposition will always find some cause for cheer
And a gloomy one will find a cloud in the brightest sky
and a fly in the sweetest ointment.
Let us cultivate a spirit of cheerfulness
And we shall find so much in God and in our lives
to encourage us
that we shall have no room for doubt or fear.
A.B. SIMPSON

Thankfulness that is put into words has a healing effect
upon the soul.
A.W. TOZER

Joyful is the person who finds wisdom,
the one who gains understanding.
PROVERBS 3:13 (NLT)

On the Journey with You,
Dave & Jan Dravecky

Hope, Pain, Perspectives, Words of Endurance

Training for an Attitude Change

By connie on

December 12, 2013

- Hope, Pain, Perspectives, Words of Endurance

Train yourself in godliness,
for, while physical training is of some value,
godliness is valuable in every way,
holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
1 TIMOTHY 4:7-8 (NRSV)

Changing our attitudes requires us to change the way we think and that is a process that doesn’t happen overnight – it takes training! It may take weeks, months or even longer to “retrain” our attitudes in godliness but like an athlete in training, those of us in “attitude training” need to focus on the specific exercises that will enable us to reach our goal.

Below is an ATTITUDE acrostic. Perhaps you can use the reminders on the ATTITUDE acrostic as “training stations” to help keep you on track while you train for a godly attitude. I know it sure has helped us on our journey to mature our attitudes!

Ask God to help you have a right attitude. Ask Him often for …

Teachability, for a heart that is willing to embrace change.

Truth, so you know what and how to mature.

Insight into the obstacles that keep you from maturing.

Tenacity, so you don’t give up when you experience setbacks.

Understanding of the Scriptures, the source for right thoughts and attitudes.

Desire to have a godly attitude – the same attitude as Jesus.

Endurance to continue to mature your attitude.

Your attitude should be
the kind that was shown us by Jesus Christ,
who, though he was God,
did not demand and cling to his rights as God,
but laid aside his mighty power and glory,
taking the disguise of a slave and becoming like men.
And he humbled himself even further,
going so far as actually to die a criminal’s death on a cross.
PHILIPPIANS 2:5-8 (TLB)

On the Journey with You,
Dave & Jan Dravecky

Perspectives, Words of Endurance

Our Precious Possessions

Perspectives, Words of Endurance

Refusing the Label “Victim”

Perspectives, Words of Endurance

Growing Through Adversity

Perspectives, Words of Endurance

Perspective and Promises

Cancer, Perspectives, Prayer, Words of Endurance

Appearances Can Be Deceiving

Grief, Loss, Perspectives, Words of Endurance

Under the Pressure of Suffering

Healing, Peace, Perspectives, Prayer, Words of Endurance

Changing Your Perspective

Grief, Perspectives, Words of Endurance

A Different Perspective

Hope, Perspectives, Words of Endurance

Wisdom for the Journey

ATTITUDE

Hope, Pain, Perspectives, Words of Endurance

Training for an Attitude Change

Useful Links

Connect

Dravecky Fan Corner