by Barb Roose | Jan 16, 2022 | Reflections
On this Martin Luther King Day, I’m reflecting today on these four quotes from Dr. King. His words still challenge me today and in our world where hate feels like it is winning over love, Dr. King reminds us to never lose hope.
Here’s Dr. King’s most well-known quote. The power imagery of his vision creates a thirst deep in my soul. The following words have become MORE, not less powerful over the years:
Here’s another quote from Dr. King. Inspired by his strong faith, Dr. King’s following quote wasn’t an aspirational pursuit. As a man mistreated, judged and jailed, these words represent his conviction. In fact, these words show us the secret source of replenishing power that Dr. King tapped into in order for his message to catch fire in individual hearts:
I remember watching the news when nine African-American people were killed in a church in Charleston. I watched a news reporter get choked up as he watched the community publicly express their forgiveness and sing songs of hope. He was stunned. It breaks my heart that people are shocked and amazed that Christians, who should be known for extending forgiveness, would actually forgive – and really mean it.
Is the shock because normal, rationale folk couldn’t see themselves offering such grace? Or, is it because we feel the prick of conviction? If the families of the shooting victims could forgive the murder of their loved ones, then do we have the right to hold onto our anger or our grudges?
When I was in junior high, my father won an award through his bowling league. But, he was denied entry into the building where the award ceremony was being held. He was denied entry because of his skin color. In the days that followed, I remember our phone ringing off the hook. Local authorities, news media and a few phone calls from higher-ups in the government. I don’t remember how the situation resolved, I just remember that my father made the life-giving decision to forgive and move on. While the incident left a mark, he refused to let it take over his life. That moment had a huge impression on my life. I remember my father’s example when I experience racism and prejudice.
Forgiveness allows me to move on and fight forward rather than getting stuck with my fists pounding the same ground.
When do you speak up?
Dr. King didn’t speak up just because he wanted to be heard. He spoke up so that people could live. There was no hatred in his speech. And for those who may want to highlight his human failings, go right ahead. We can speak up without being perfect. You don’t have to be perfect to stand up for what is right.
What is the cost of your silence? What is the cost of being polite and letting your friends continue to say ignorant, prejudicial or racists things? No one ever makes a difference in this world by keeping silent. A.M. Rosenthal says this: “When something important is going on, silence is a lie.”
When we hate another, we diminish ourselves.
When we judge another, we condemn ourselves.
When we love another, we sustain ourselves.
We’re all in this together. As long as we stand under the banner of the US flag, we share this homeland together. We’re going to rise and fall together.
LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW: Which Dr. King quote inspires you the most?
NEXT STEP: If you’d like to honor Dr. King’s work in our world by learning more about race, grace and the gospel, you can check out my (G)race Project. This is a specially curated page of content that I’ve written about race and the gospel. Click here to check it out.
by Barb Roose | Jul 1, 2021 | Uncategorized
Three years ago today that I backed up a 18’ U-Haul truck down a narrow alley behind a newly renovated apartment building.
It was over 90 degrees that day, so I couldn’t really tell the difference between my sweat and my tears.
When I took French in school, we learned the phrase “C’est la vie” which is translates “such is life.” This phrase is used when life doesn’t go as planned.
Three years ago today was never in my plans.
The addiction that robbed our family of its wholeness and then came back and suffocated us until we had to leave wasn’t in my plans.
Leaving my home of over 20 years where I raised my kids was never in my plans.
The divorce, starting my life over at 45 alone, still attending family addiction recovery support meetings…none of that was never in my plans.
C’est la vie.
No doubt, you’ve got a few days on the calendar in your life that didn’t go as planned. Maybe right now, you’re in a life-or-death grip, holding on to someone or something that you’re trying to keep together…but it’s tearing you apart.
The best that you can give yourself in life’s “C’est la vie” moments is the Gift of Surrender.
Surrender isn’t giving up.
Surrender isn’t giving in.
Surrender is a gift that we give ourselves.
We surrender when we give over what we love or care about to God because we finally humbly accept that only He can handle it.
Surrender is your only path to peace.
Today, there is still grief and sadness in remembering, but in my living there is blessed shalom. Over the years, God has been abundantly faithful to His promise to give me the peace that truly does blows my mind.
God's love held me together when I was falling apart.
God has provided more than I could ask or imagine.
He healed the heartache.
He surrounded me with the support that I needed.
God wants to do the same for you. Is there something that you’re trying to hold together, but it’s tearing you apart?
What or who do you need to surrender today?
If you need a simple prayer, you can use this: God, I can’t, but You can and I will let you. Amen.
by Barb Roose | Dec 11, 2018 | Women's Topics
I’ve struggled with being patient all of my life.
Once, I even purchased a house without telling my husband. It was awful. I had to make a lot of apologies. For me, I get impatient when I want something that will make me happy or feel secure and God isn’t moving fast enough.
Can you think of a few times when you struggled with impatience and jumped ahead to do the opposite of what God wanted for your life?
- Your dream guy isn’t proposing fast enough so you compromise your standards in order to keep him….
- You find a just-over-the budget dream home, but panic because you’re afraid of not getting it so you take out a hefty loan that keeps you up at night…
- Your spouse is struggling or not getting with your program so you resort to nagging or lecturing to pressure him straighten up his wayward behavior.
It’s been said that while the early bird gets the worm, it’s the second mouse gets the cheese. We have to be careful and not jump too quick for something that God isn’t ready to give us.
I love the story of the Israelites crossing the Jordan River before they entered the Promised Land (Joshua 3). God told Joshua to instruct the millions of Israelites to let the ark of the covenant start out toward the river before them. Joshua told the people to keep a half-mile distance or a 15-minute walk between themselves and the ark. Since the ark was the physical presence of God, the big picture principle behind the command to stand back was this: Let God lead.
For me, this distance is also symbolic. Sometimes we get in a hurry when we’re trying to get something done. We pray and ask God for help or a favor. At first, we try to be patient. But when God is taking too long to get us what we want, we rush ahead into the unknown just because we’re too scared to stand still. But there was a reason why God told the people to wait for the ark to lead. “Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before.” (Joshua 3:4 NIV).
When life is uncertain, this is the most important time to slow down and let God lead. Let’s be honest, when you don’t really know what you’re doing or where you’re going, there’s a greater chance that you’ll mess up or hurt others figuring things out. But, God knows exactly what He is doing in your life at ALL times! There are no dark corners in God’s vision. He will always lead you to His best for you.
What’s a clue that you’re rushing ahead of God? You know that you’re rushing ahead of God when you start stressing out, controlling people, and worrying about details. When you wait on God to lead you through uncertain times, you‘re far enough back to let God pave the way for you.
Learning to be patient and let God lead is a hard lesson. But every time I let go and let God, He shows up and leads me through uncertainty in a way that allows me to sleep well each night and manage through tough days with peace, strength, and courage.
by Barb Roose | Nov 27, 2018 | Christian Living/Discipleship, Women's Topics
For years, my former pastor and boss encouraged our staff team to participate in an overseas missions trip. Not only would we receive our regular pay while we were gone, but we’d also receive an additional day off to rest when we returned. Sweet deal, right?! But, there was no amount of incentive that could convince me to leave the safety and security of my home for the unknown of a third-world country where I was afraid of the heat, bugs, strange food, and that I didn’t know the language.
For years, I said no when even God nudged me to say yes to that missions trip. My pastor would announce it at staff meetings and the guilt would be unbearable because I couldn’t believe that I was actually saying no to the God that I loved and wanted to serve with all my heart.
Finally, my life verse pushed back against my many fears: Seek the kingdom above all else and live righteously, and he will give you everything that you need. –Matthew 6:33 NLT
If I loved God, then I realized that I needed to say yes to going on a missions trip.
But what about everything that I was afraid of? One of my biggest fears was running into a giant spider. I had nightmares of spiders crawling over me at night and that I was unable to get away.
But, when I thought about the words in Matthew 6:33, God’s promise was that if I trust Him and followed where He led me, then God would help me handle my fears.
Whenever people say to me, “Well, God never gives us more than we can handle,” I gently push back and say to them,
“I believe that God allows more than we can handle so that we’ll realize that there are situations that ONLY God can handle.”
On that first missions trip, I realized that my fears were more than I could handle. In fact, I barely got any sleep at night because I was so worried about a spider crawling on me or biting me. Each night, I’d wrap up inside of my comforter like a burrito. I was wrapped up so tight that I could barely breathe. Guess what? God did take care of me because even though I was in humid, tropical conditions, my beautiful host family had fantastic air conditioning. Even though I slept only a little each night, at least I didn’t suffocate!
In the midst of my great fear, I saw God do even greater work while on that trip. We carried rocks to fill a new home foundation for a hard-working mother with seven kids. I taught Jesus’ love through Bible lessons and face-painted dozens of kids. I worked in the clinic pharmacy and saw the life-changing effects of simple medicines that we took for granted here in the US.
My fears were more than I could handle, but God still took good care of me. Even though I didn’t handle my fears well, I experienced God in a great way that changed the trajectory of my life.
In fact, I’ve taken almost ten missions trips over the years. Get this: I’m still afraid of spiders. But, I’m more afraid of missing out on how God wants to use me.
If what you’re facing today is bigger than what you can handle, that means that your situation is perfect for God’s power and might. Seek God first in your situation. He will give you the power and strength to handle whatever comes your way.
by Barb Roose | Nov 13, 2018 | Women's Topics
It was the middle of the night. I took five steps across the hardwood floor as quietly as I could, hoping not to jam my toes on the corner of dresser. When I took those five steps, I stopped and turned. Then, I padded five steps back in the other direction, quietly wiping the tears that were falling down my face.
Why did you let this happen, God?
When will this end, God?
I’m so miserable…
If you’ve ever paced the floor at night, you know that middle-of-the-night pacing is not exactly a party. When we’re watching the midnight minutes tick away because we can’t sleep, well let’s be honest, it sucks. #Christiancurseword
What’s been keeping you up at night lately? More importantly, how is the lack of sleep affecting your life? There’s only so much coffee can do for you. Good sleep is essential for good health. So how do we stop our worries from screwing up our sleep?
There’s a tool that I created to interrupt the worried thoughts that might prevent me from getting a good night’s sleep. It’s called the God-morning/God night technique. This simple tool is so easy to do and use! Best of all, it activates the power of God’s Word to work the worry out of your mind.
Every worry gets stopped in its tracks by the Word of God!
In order to use the God morning/God night technique, you’ll need a “starter set” of five short verses from the Bible. Search for verses that contain words or phrases like peace, do not fear, do not worry, or courage. Here are a few of my favorites:
When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. –Psalm 56:3
For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. –Philippians 4:13
Give all of your worries and cares to God for He cares about you. -1 Peter 5:7
You can add two more verses to this starter set. You can store them in your phone, but I recommend writing them on a notecard or small sheet of paper and taping it to your nightstand or any place you’ll see it before going to bed. For the next 30 days, read those verses aloud before you go to settle down for bed. Don’t rush through reading them, take the time to hear the truth in the words as you read them. God’s truth always wins over your worry.
I use this technique in the morning, too. When I wake up, it’s easy for mind to spin about everything might go wrong.
However, when I start my day with God’s Word, my worries get shot down before they start.
If you try the “God morning/God night” technique, take a picture of your card by your bed and share it with me on my Facebook page. If you do this, you’ll encourage others to do it, too. Imagine how you can help others trust God and get a good night’s sleep!
When do you speak up? 
