Darla Dumler

Darla Dumler
Darla Dumler

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Miracle Seed

I was eight years old when I had my first experience with planting a garden. My family moved to a farm house with a large area ready for a garden and my Dad couldn’t wait to get the seeds in the ground. One warm spring Saturday morning Dad stood at the barn door beside his collection of seeds, shovels, rakes, garden hoses, and sprinklers and said,  “It’s time to plant our miracle garden.”
“Why is it a miracle?” I watched him as he opened a packet of seeds.
“You see these seeds?” Dad held the dried seeds in his hand. “These seeds are dead. Once we plant them and care for them and the sun warms them, they will live again and take care of us.”
“How can that happen if they're dead?”
“It’s one of His miracles,” Dad pointed heavenward. “Just like when Jesus died and then came back to a new life and gave hope, strength, and provision for people’s futures.”
Dad was right. It is a miracle that God our creator sent his only son and our King Jesus to pay the ultimate price and die for our sins so that we can be made new. We are dead seeds walking around without Christ and we don’t even know it. Only until we are planted in his fertile soil by accepting Him do we receive a new life. Our new life is just the start. We need to be watered by His Spirit and warmed by the Son’s heat and fed by His word. As we begin to grow, grounded in Him, we have to fight to grow upward and break free from the crust of our past lives to reach the future the Son has prepared.
I had to break free from the crust of believing I was not loved or lovable, of calling myself stupid, ugly, fat, dumb, or feeling I wasn’t deserving of anything good to allow my inner self to reach the Son. Because of my human nature and the outer lures and deceptions that constantly pull and attack me, this process continues daily.  I have committed to use the Miracle Grow of God’s Word to help me develop deep roots to withstand the inner and outer attacks of Satan.  Satan doesn’t’ need to cut my leaves off to injure my faith; he only needs to wilt me through doubt and attempts to get under my skin by encouraging me to question my ability to be good, to think good, and believe I am loved by Him.
Look at the garden of your life. Do you need to transplant yourself into the fertile soil of His word? Do you need to weed? Do you need a constant Miracle Grow word each day? Tend your garden so you can produce good fruits that lead others to the Son light and love them along the way. This was Jesus’ example and sacrifice on the cross that led to the ultimate breakthrough of death’s crust.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
2 Corinthians 5:17
What do you need to do in your garden today?

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

The Love Wash

The approach of Easter calls me to examine my acts of love. How do I treat those who hurt and betray me?
Jesus knew Judas was going to betray him, and yet he ate and slept with him, taught him, let him handle the money, and loved him. Judas saw the wisdom, mercy, grace, and love in Christ and through His miracles. In the end Judas still chose to betray him.
During the Passover supper, Jesus washed all the disciples’ feet and shared his meal without excluding Judas in any way. He treated him with mercy and grace, just like all people He served in his life.
People I love have hurt me greatly in my life, as I’m sure yours have. In the past, I would lash out or close myself off to protect myself, but that was all about me. As I have grown in my personal relationship in Christ and allowed God to heal my heart, I am beginning to understand my witness of God’s love to others is more about my actions after being hurt. I have learned to draw healthy boundaries to take care of myself and take responsibility for my mistakes and fix them. However, when people in my life hurt me, I have committed to meet them with my bowl and towel to wash their feet. I choose not to lash out or disappear or let anger, resentment, or vengeance take root. I realize I am an ambassador of Christ and I am to give the grace and mercy I received from Him.
Jesus spoke truth in love to Judas when he warned him about the woe to come to the one who betrays him. It was Judas’ decision to ignore it. No one knows what Judas reasoned in his mind to reach his decision, but it still had a consequence. Even when Judas bestowed the kiss of death and betrayal on Jesus in the garden, He showed no anger, disrespect or malice toward him. Jesus didn’t repay evil actions or attitudes for evil but for good. He let God handle the judgment and He remained the beacon and ultimate example of love before He even endured the cross.
In the end love is the greatest. With love is forgiveness, freedom, and the power of the resurrection, the new life. I don’t get it right a lot of the time, but I want to encourage you to commit to getting it right as often as you can. Wash the feet of the ones who hurt you and let God do the rest.
How are you treating the Judas in your life?

Monday, April 11, 2011

Break Through

Have you ever noticed how plants can break through blacktop and cement without hands or tools?


Somehow they know they must push on to survive. Once they make it through their barrier, they don’t know their life or outcome. They may not get enough water or sun or they may get cut off or trampled, and yet they still grow and push forward. It takes deep roots to give them the determination and energy to grow no matter what comes their way.
I pray God gives me their same determination, strength, and faith to grow no matter what barriers come my way. When I have looked to my own power to break through something in my life, it didn’t end well. In fact, some of the consequences from my decisions and actions will last for the rest of my life.
I, like the plants have an innate drive to keep pushing on through my own limited wisdom and power or through faith that God knows what’s best for me and He will lead me and guide me when I listen. I am either growing and pushing onward or giving up and dying. To ensure my best life, I choose to be deeply grafted in God so I can have the tenacity and endurance to love others and myself no matter what comes my way.  This is just what Jesus says in John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” I am living proof of this scripture. Even though I bear the pruning scars of the bad decisions and actions in my life, I am now experiencing and celebrating the fresh fruit and love through Christ. We can all bear good fruit. It just takes one decision, to follow Christ.
What barriers have you pushed through in your life?

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Oh the Winds of Life

The winds of life swirl to and fro inside and outside wherever you go. You can’t run and you can’t hide. How can you face them and live to thrive?

I stepped out my front door into a beautiful breezy, partly cloudy, sixty-degree day with my trusty friend Molly who lives to smell the grass, bushes, and trees on our walks.  Half a mile into our walk a mighty puff of wind hit me from the side, making it difficult to keep walking in a straight line.

“Molly, maybe this wasn’t a good idea and we should turn back,” I said, stopping to ponder my choices. “If we quit and turn around, you won’t get your exercise watching me on the treadmill and I won’t get the fresh air. Molly, we’re going to persevere because it’s only wind.”

We endured the side winds until we turned the corner. Suddenly we felt the thrust of the wind at our backs, challenging us to stay in control and not rush ahead of our feet. We persevered and kept going. We continued along a curved path to meet a gale wind head on, taking our breath away.

“Come on, Molly, we can finish,” I said, reaching down patting her head. “Let’s lean into the wind and thrust our arms and legs forward until we make it around the next corner.” We persevered and kept going to reach our last corner two blocks from home.

It would have been easy to turn around at the half mile and let the wind push us back home. Instead, I decided and committed to start and finish our journey, no matter where the wind came from or where it tried to make us go, and we made it home. 

Today’s walk was intense, leaving me weary but triumphant like many winds of trial in my life. Some come from the outside and we are aware of the conditions before we step into them; some come out of nowhere and leave us little if any control. For me, the harder winds often come from deep inside, winds of fear, sadness, uncertainty, and self doubt.

We will all have winds and be tempted to take the easy way out or to avoid them. When you decide or you are forced to walk through the winds of your life, you will find times of stillness, peace, strength, and courage in the midst of the storm, and joy on the other side. They can help sand off the rough parts of our character and build our faith and endurance, transforming us into mature Christians with more of Christ’s character so we can stay our course, just like He says in Ephesians 4:14, 15.

 14 “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the head, that is, Christ.”

Be strong and persevere no matter how you feel. Don’t allow your winds of marriage, parenting, self value, doubt, fear or any other force of the destroyer have a foothold in your mind, heart, or spirit. End strong with a song.

There is a song by Casting Crowns, “Praise you in the storm,” I have linked to this blog. Please click on the video link and be inspired.
Lyrics to “Praise you in the Storm” (words by Mark Hall)                                                      
I remember when I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry you raised me up again
My strength is almost gone how can I carry on 
If I can’t find you
As the thunder rolls
I barely hear you whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”
And as your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
The God who gives and takes away

Chorus

And I will praise you in the storm
And I will lift my hands
That you are who you are
No matter where I am
And every tear I’ve cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I’ll praise you in the storm

What winds or storms of life have you endured?       Praise you in the Storm Video

Friday, April 1, 2011

A New Time

As the buds, sprouts, and bulbs begin to peek out of their winter encasements, I ask myself if I’m breaking out of my encasement of self protection to allow myself new hope, new life, new growth, and a new spring.
Unlike the foliage, we were made unique in God’s image. He knows each hair on our head, each thought in our mind, every deed we do, and yet He loves us. When we look up to the Son our creator first, and allow his light and love to saturate us all things are made new. He will give us all we need to handle our moments, hours, days, and lives. He is our protective guard who always allows and encourages us to mature and bloom.
God made each season to develop our faith and character in Christ. If you are in a hard season or relationships with others, with Christ, or with yourself, hold on to the truth that He will never leave you and He will be your strength, wisdom, and shield. Anticipate and expect the Almighty to love you just as He said He would and He’ll bring you a new time, season, and life.
 1 There is a time for everything,
   and a season for every activity under the heavens:
 2 a time to be born and a time to die,
   a time to plant and a time to uproot,
 3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
   a time to tear down and a time to build,
 4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
   a time to mourn and a time to dance,
 5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
   a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
 6 a time to search and a time to give up,
   a time to keep and a time to throw away,
 7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
   a time to be silent and a time to speak,
 8 a time to love and a time to hate,
   a time for war and a time for peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8