Jackie's Journey "Weathering the Storm!!"

I now understand why my husband always had a love for palm trees.  I thought they were stately, but I was more drawn to weeping willows blowing in the wind or a blooming magnolia tree.  The source of life in a palm tree is at its center rather than just beneath the outward surface, as in other trees.  Its roots go deep into the ground and draw nourishment during times of drought.  The longer it endures, the sweeter its fruit becomes.

  The palm tree tolerates abuse that would kill other trees, because it is not harmed by surface wounds. While living in Southern Texas, the palm trees were severely tested when a hurricane struck our town.  We watched those stately trees sway and bend, not giving in to the torrents of  roaring winds, crashing rain and pelting hail and debris.

 The next morning, fallen trees of every kind were everywhere, roads were blocked…but no  palm trees! Through the storm, the palm trees had the strength to endure it all!  “The righteous will flourish like the palm tree: he will grow like a cedar in Lebanon.”  I want to flourish like the palm tree and be found faithful, enduring whatever He chooses to bring my way.  No…correction… I want to be found rejoicing… in the midst of the storms, trials and tribulations.  We need strength to endure.  Endurance is that inward strength the Holy Spirit gives us to withstand stress…and keep going! 

 Quitting is not an option.  Prioritizing  goals and pursuits so there is no time, energy or talent wasted is imperative.  Learning to bend, instead of break, under pressure is a requirement. Leaving discouragement at the door becomes vital.  Learning to do what is right even in hard times is a given…

 Whatever “storm” stress you are facing this week, will you join me

 in the pursuit of “endurance”…tapping into His strength…

rejoicing always…never giving up?

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights. 

Jackie's Journey "As Long As It Takes!"

My daughter has been in Israel this past week, sending pictures of an ancient land.  For centuries, the camel has served as a reliable source of transportation, enduring the elements across these dry impassable regions.  Most animals are stopped dead in their tracks by the sheer challenge of the hard desert conditions.           

 I received a call from a good friend who is going through a very long and arduous time of suffering. She has been discouraged and is looking for strength and stamina to see her through the maze.  My thoughts took me to my sweet mother, who at 101 years old longed to be with the Lord. There have been times when the truth, “He gives power to the faint and to those that have no might , He increases strength”… becomes the most important reality!

 While in the Darien jungles, with the stifling heat and humidity that drained all energy for the task at hand, I found myself challenged by the words, “If you run with the footman, Jackie, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses?  And if in the land of peace, where you trusted, they wearied you, THEN HOW WILL YOU do in the swelling of Jordan.””! (Jer. 12: 5)

 We are called to endure hardships, afflictions, persecutions, tribulations, grief, chastening, and temptations.  (II Tim. 2: 10)  Discouragement is not an option!  There is a secret to endurance and my mother set the bar for me.  Quitters miss experiencing the power of God’s love that comes from rejoicing in trials and difficult circumstances. He gives power to the faint; and to them that have no might, He increases their strength.!” 

 Do you live as a soldier who is in the most critical spiritual war ever waged, or as a civilian in a time of peace, prosperity and pleasure?  Your mindset regarding this question will determine how you make life’s required adjustments to long-suffering and prevailing in life’s trials. Will you thank God for each circumstance, rejoicing with hope in all things (even crying out when necessary), and will you on becoming an over-comer by doing good in your turmoil?  These are the keys to the secret of endurance.

 “And let us not be weary in well-doing;

 for in due season we will reap, IF we do not faint.”

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights.