My Two Fathers
In loving memory of my daddy, Lyle E. Thurston, who died when he was struck by lightning while fly-fishing on the San Juan River, in the “Quality Waters” below Navajo Dam near Farmington, New Mexico on September 29, 1995. God blessed me with this poem the first Father’s Day following my daddy’s death.
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Grieving in Hope
“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope…we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:13,17b, 18
My mother walked in from shopping with a friend to find out my father was dead.
My parents were visiting some dear friends. The women went shopping while the men went fishing on their favorite stretch of river. My mother’s life, as she had known it for 42 years, ended in a split second when they returned from shopping and the son of her friends explained that my father had died. Their plans for trips, a cabin, and retirement time together, were exchanged for a life of learning how to go on alone.
She has become a source of strength and inspiration to everyone who knows her. My dad told her that if something ever happened to him, she must go on and live her life doing the things they would have done, not sitting around mourning his loss. The other reason is her deep and unfailing reliance on God, and her acceptance of His sovereignty and loving wisdom.
She has led Bible studies, been to Israel and Hawaii
Death is a part of life. As Christians, we are not to give up and sit on the sidelines feeling sad and alone. Loss should move us closer to the Lord, causing us to seek Him with more diligence, and to live to the fullest. God does not want grief and loss to paralyze us. Every experience in life is meant to grow us and allow us to touch the lives of others in new ways with His love and hope. Holding onto pain makes us useless. Releasing that pain to God enables us to comfort and aid others in need.
At my mom’s insistence, we wrote the Bible verse at the top of this page in the thank you notes. Yes, we grieve, but our grief must have the inseparable component of hope, the certainty that as believers we will see our loved ones again. Unlike my dad, if your loved one was an unbeliever, you must be able to leave their fate to God in faith and trust.
For the Christian, out of grief should spring hope, and out of hope springs abundant life.
© Copyright 2012 by Norma Gail Thurston Holtman. All Rights Reserved.
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The Father’s Reward
“But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:3
I thought I new my father well. After his death stories began coming to us in cards and letters, often in person, of things he had done that even my mother knew nothing about.
His generosity was described well by a dear friend of many years, when he wrote a story which none of us had ever heard, in spite of the closeness of our families. They told us about a time over thirty years before, when the wife had all of her Christmas money, an amount equal to her husband’s weekly paycheck, stolen. She told my mother of the problem. There would now be no Christmas for their sons.
As they discussed what to do about their problem, the door bell rang. There stood my father, his trademark smile lighting up his face, a check in his hand. The amount of the check was equal to what they had lost. He ignored their protests, saying he wanted their boys to have a good Christmas.
My mother was the most surprised by the story. She said at that point in time they had little money to spare and she knows my father never told her what he had done.
Often we hear of someone’s loss and have it within our means to remedy the situation, and do nothing. We hate to put ourselves in financial peril, so we say we’re sorry and go our way. That was not my father’s way. If he was capable of helping someone he did it, and almost seventeen years later, we still hear the stories.
Our good deeds are to be done in such a way that no one knows except for God and recipient. If we want worldly accolades, then that will be our only reward. God’s desire is for us to do as He prompts, trust Him for our needs, and do what we can to supply the needs of others, saying nothing to anyone.
Perhaps you know of someone in need now. Too often we are willing to give at Christmastime, but don’t show the same love and charity the rest of the year.
Ask God to show you how He might use you to fulfill someone’s need. Then do it right away, and without making a public display of your act. Trust God to reward you in the way He sees fit. He never fails.
© Copyright 2012 by Norma Gail Thurston Holtman. All Rights Reserved.
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He is My Shield
“He hides away sound and godly Wisdom and stores it for the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with Him); He is a shield to those who walk uprightly
and in integrity, that He may guard the paths of justice;
yes, He preserves the way of His saints.”
Proverbs 2:7, 8
It hit me out of the blue. I responded out of years of training and that calmed the situation for the time being. I knew God put the words in my mouth because I didn’t know what to say. I did a couple of things that I didn’t want to, but felt God wanted me to do and they seemed to illicit a positive reaction.
Still I was afraid. I felt threatened, uncertain about how to react to a situation which was totally out of my realm of experience. I went to God in prayer. I talked to my husband, a couple of pastors, those people in church authority who could guide me.
Psalm 46 says, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” How easy it is to panic and forget He is right there with us. I like the wording, “ever-present help.” That reassures me when I’m uncertain and unsettled.
I had to face the same situation for a matter of weeks. In times such as that I think about the things I would tell my children or my friends to comfort and encourage them. My words usually come from the scriptures. They are comforting and holy and wise, but often I don’t follow my own advice.
The godliest people I know memorize a lot of scripture. they spend a lot of time meditating on its meaning. Charles Spurgeon once said, “If those who spend so many hours in idle company, light reading, and useless pastimes, could learn wisdom, they would find more profitable society and more interesting engagements in meditation than in the vanities which now have such charms for them.”
What comes out of your mouth when you are challenged, frustrated, or angry, your own thoughts, or the wisdom of God?
We spend time with our loved ones because we want to be nearer to them, we want to be like those we admire. Therefore, if we love God we will spend much time with Him, in prayer and in studying and meditating on His word. I can often look back on my day and know what parts of it were wasted. If I spent that time drawing closer to God, when challenged, it would always be Him and not I who responds.
Whose words come out of your mouth when things get tough? Choose today to spend more time gaining godly wisdom.
© Copyright 2012 by Norma Gail Thurston Holtman. All Rights Reserved.
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An Invitation
Out in the open wisdom calls aloud, she raises her voice in the public square; on top of the wall she cries out, at the city gate she makes her speech…Repent at my rebuke! Then I will pour out my thoughts to you, I will make known to you my teachings.” Proverbs 1:20, 21, 23
She had the chance to find the truth, but turned it down. It makes me sad when I think of friends from long ago, especially those who were my best friends growing up. So many of them walked away from God’s truth and are lost and searching to this day. My 40th high school reunion is coming up. Yes, I’m getting old!
I am one of the blessed ones out of the group of friends I grew up with. I came to a knowledge of what it means to accept Christ’s sacrifice on behalf of my sins in high school, so many that I still pray for, did not make that choice.
We make choices every day, but some have consequences that are far-reaching and have eternal ramifications. Our choice of whether or not to trust Christ for our salvation and God’s word as our guide falls into that category.
Jesus said, in Matthew 7 that not everyone who thinks they knew Him will be known by Him on the day He returns, or for that matter, on the day of our own death. It is a sad thing when a person dies without a solid faith in Christ. Our day should begin, end, and be punctuated throughout, with the word of God.
Godly wisdom is not reserved for pastors and people who are in church leadership. Some of the godliest people I have ever known were simple, every day people who chose to fill their lives with the wisdom of God through His word. Everything that happens in our day should be punctuated by our knowledge of God’s wisdom. It is the anchor which holds us steady, no matter what the problem.
I don’t know what is facing you today. None of us knows from one moment to the next what might happen in our lives, a car accident, a visit to the doctor, a heart attack, in my father’s case, a bolt of lightning while fishing.
What a blessing to know my future is safe in the hands of a loving God and today is also taken care of. Where do you go when you need wisdom or help?
The day will come when our life’s choices will be over. What choice will you make today which will affect your future?
© Copyright 2012 by Norma Gail Thurston Holtman. All Rights Reserved.
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Without Dread
“But whoso hearkens to me [Wisdom] shall dwell securely and in confident trust and shall be quiet,
without fear or dread of evil.”
Proverbs 1:33 AMP
I went on and on, testing my husband’s patience and getting myself all upset. Then, when I found out the details I discovered God had gone before me. There was nothing to fear.
I hate to watch the news. Everywhere you turn there is death, turmoil, insecurity, and danger. Keeping a right perspective is difficult. Reacting rather than praying and trusting is a natural reaction, but not a necessary one.
When I think of all the time I have spent worrying and trying to make certain things were worked out the way I thought they should be, it is appalling. All that time and energy which could have been put to good use was wasted because God was going before me. He knows what will happen and He knows what I will need, and His arrangements are always better than what I had in mind.
Time on my knees is more valuable than time on the phone or time fretting. All the peace and security I long for is already there for me, if I quiet my heart and trust in the Lord. When I found out the details of the situation, I also found out I did not need to worry myself or vex my husband, I only needed to pray and wait on God to work it out. I have to learn that lesson over and over again.
People often wonder why I spend so much time writing devotionals, leading Bible studies year after year, searching the scriptures for wisdom—without it I lose my anchor. I have nothing to ground me and keep me where I need to be. I wander away so quickly if I am not careful to hide God’s word in my heart and ask Him first before I react.
My dad was one of the godliest and wisest men I will ever know. As I read his Bible following his death I could see why. He read a chapter of Proverbs every day. He knew it so well that it spilled over into everything he did, whether it was fulfilling some office at church, dealing with a client in his insurance business, or guiding his children with wise words.
Solomon wrote that if we listen to God we will be without fear and full of confident trust. That’s the way I want to live.
© Copyright 2012 by Norma Gail Thurston Holtman. All Rights Reserved.
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