Jackie's Journey "In A Land Far Away..."

I am a Princess! 

 How do I know?

  I know because my Father called me “Princess” most of my life!  My legal name is Jacqueline Johnson, and I am delighted to be co-author with Jeanna Young for the Princess Parables Series. The original purpose of these weekly blogs, is to love and encourage you dedicated moms who are diligently working to raise your children with character and love for Jesus. 

My first granddaughter, Princess Catherine

I am a former foreign missionary and Pastors wife, a mother of two beautiful girls and a grandmother of three delightful princesses and four young princes with the same goal of character focus with eternal values in veiw.  I was born in St. Joseph, Missouri as our country was resurfacing from its worst Depression.  I attended parochial schools and I was baptized, “catechizemized”, confirmed and on my way to hell! 

  I knew something real was missing in my life and I desperately needed purpose and definition to all that was going on around me.  While attending the University of Arizona, pledging Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, I was challenged to visit a church that introduced me to a God I could know personally through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ.  This was the missing piece…a person!  When Christ walked into my life it was never the same again!  I became part of a true Royal Kingdom!  “…He has rescued us out of the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of His Son…”(Colossians 1:13).  I knew God’s hand and call was on me, and my life’s journey from that day until this moment has been filled with change and eternal purpose. 

 My co-author Jeanna and I had long searched for wholesome stories for our children (and my grandchildren), and God put it on our hearts to create the Princess Parables Series. The stories introduce a character quality in the name of the Princess and take the storyline from a Parable that was taught by the greatest teacher that ever lived.  They have been specifically created to put a functional tool into the hands of young mothers, grandmothers, teachers…that will proactively allow parents to nurture the character of their little princess with a Godly worldview. 

The Princesses are designed to inspire godly thoughts and actions in your daughters.

 These weekly blogs are my reflections and beliefs,

and hopefully, will inspire you young moms 

and advance HIS Royal Kingdom.

.I can’t wait to get to know you better, caring reader,

and encourage you on your journey.

My first two princesses…Princess Catherine and Princess Alexandra Grace

Jackie's Journey "The Trials of Covid-19!"

Just the word “trial” is troublesome and challenging! When I think of the difficulties, sufferings, distresses, worries, anxieties that we are experiencing as a nation, in our homes, on the streets and globally, I am reminded that “afflictions are but the shadow of God’s wings.” George MacDonald “  God will not permit any troubles to come upon us, unless He has a specific plan by which great blessing can come out of the difficulty.” Peter Marshall

Why God Allows Trials? (to create a greater purpose for the benefit of others.)  Daniel of the Old Testament yielded what he could not change, to be free to be used in a dynamic way:

·      Saw his family killed in Jerusalem

·      Taken captive

·      Became a eunuch

·      Submitted his pain to God

Result:  He influenced two worldwide Empires!

 Responding to Trials:

 We benefit from them or we react to them and “lock down” emotionally with:

·      Impatience

·      Fretfulness

·      Why me? Attitudes

·      Complaining

·      Rebelliouness

·       Bitterness

 We benefit if we learn to respond to trials with:

 ACCEPTANCE WITH JOY

AND THANKSGIVING = GROWTH/MATURITY

 There are Three basic Biblical Principles regarding Trials:

Ø  Trials are common; no one escapes unscathed 1 Cor. 10:13

Ø  Trials will pass I Peter 1: 6

Ø  Trials are lessons NOT to be wasted!  James 1:4 (Let endurance come to accomplish His greater purpose) Remember the biblical account of Joseph, the treasurer of Egypt?

 The Purpose of Trials

§  The pressure of trials produces faith 

§  The pressure of trials produces patience 

§  The pressure of trials produces maturity

§  The pressure of Trials produces wisdom

 How can Trials be faced with JOY?

1.     We trust God’s sovereign plan.  Rom. 8:28

2.      We know God will never give a trial too big. 1 Cor. 10:13 God carries us       with His grace.

3.     We anticipate the Eternal benefit.  Rom. 8:18; 11 Cor. 4:17

4.     We know the Holy Spirit will help us. Rom. 8: 26 The Holy Spirit will comfort and carry us.

5.     We know testing will produce Godly qualities.  Job 23:10

 How are you dealing with the trials in your life?

~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 "Servant or Master?"

“The purpose of life is NOT to find our freedom, but our Master.”  P. T. Forsyth

 Computers, Iphones, ipads, and social media are only technologies…glass, metal, wires, connections and gadgets…until you place them in your home.  In some homes, they become a baby-sitter, for babies of all ages.  In other homes, they are a narcotic, an escape from reality.  Or it may be a thief, stealing time, thoughts, friendships, creativity, and opportunities for much needed recreation and genuine companionship.  In too few homes, they are a servant, providing information, insight, commentary on life, news, laughter, music, and worthwhile entertainment.

 What they become, depends on you, the user.  If you accept it as a tool, using them sparingly, wisely, and purposely, they can become a servant.  If you accept it as a friend, use them continuously, it will become your master. (my edit - David Augsburger)

 Is your technology your servant or your master?

 Moms, we are reproducing like kind!  They watch and copy what is permissible to us…they copy what we do more than what we say.  Children need models, not critics.  We wonder where the younger generation is headed,,,look where it came from!  What we do in moderation, our children will do in excess. 

Just saying…

~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 "The Key to a Miserable Life!"

“The doorstep to the temple of wisdom is the knowledge of our own ignorance”.

Charles Spurgeon

 Personally, I would like to stand on the threshold side of being a wise woman, wife, mother, grandmother…however, in the light of these few miserable sentences, I am taking a solitary moment to evaluate how wise I REALLY AM…

 Misery is defined and developed by the way I:

 Think about myself.

Talk about myself.

Use “I” as often as possible.

Mirror myself continually in the opinion of others.

Listen greedily to what people say about me.

Expect to be appreciated.

Be suspicious.

Be jealous and envious.

 Be sensitive to slights.

Never forgive a criticism.

Trust nobody but myself.

Insist on consideration and respect.

Demand agreement with my own views on everything.

Sulk if people are not grateful to me for favors shown them.

Never forget a service I may have rendered.

Be on the lookout for a good time for myself.

Shirk my duties and responsibilities if I can.

Do as little as possible for others.

Love myself supremely.

Be selfish.

      Anonymous

 Do you know anyone like this?

 If we had a sane estimate of ourselves, we would panic at the thought

that our own ignorance condemns us!   “The unexamined life is not worth living.”  Socrates

Wisdom is knowing what to do next; skill is knowing how to do it and virtue is doing it!

Have a great week…

~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 "Who Controls You?"

Galatians 5: 16” Walk in the Spirit”

 The fruit of the spirit you manifest most, demonstrates who is controlling you!

Galatians 5: 22-23

God’s Spirit                                                   The Destroyer’s

                                 Love                                                                      Self-first

                                 Joy                                                                         Self-pity

                                 Peace                                                                    Discord

                                 Patience                                                                Anger

                                 Kindness                                                               Rude

                                 Goodness                                                             Disobedience                                         

                                 Faith                                                                      Unbelief

                                 Gentleness/Humility                                          Pride

Christ-Control                                              Sin-control

Galatians 5:16 is a command…” (You) walk in the Spirit”. 

Ephesians 5:18 is also a command … “(You) be filled with the Spirit”. 

How would you characterize your walk with God? 

      Do you live in “up and down” defeat or consistent upward victory?

 “God commands us to be filled with the Spirit; and if we aren’t filled, it’s because we are living beneath our privilege!”  (D.L. Moody) It is important to God that we understand how to walk with Him or He would not have given such direct and clear commands.  The understood “YOU” in these commands places the responsibility on us to do our part.  The provision to walk in the Spirit has been given.  We either have all of the fruit or none of the fruit of the spirit!  “Fruit” is singular”, not plural “fruits”. Gal. 5:22

We are making decisions continually in our daily walk through life.  Our choices determine our Christian walk.  The “What Now” or point of decision at the Y in the road is a moment-by-moment choice.  We either choose the destroyer and sin and lead a defeated life or we choose the fruit of the Spirit and the joyful Christian life, receiving all that is ours in Him. (Galatians 5:19-21)   

 Our choice in that moment of decision determines our course and puts one of the two Spirits in control of us!  We cannot serve two masters!

 Whose Spirit has control of your life right this minute??

 Years ago, when considering the choice at the fork in the road of my Christian life, my husband asked, 

“Jackie, what is the purpose of joy?”

 What?  What do you mean?...

 I thought it was a really good question and answered, “let me think about it a moment.”  Without that moment’s hesitation, he proceeded to go through each of the fruit with its purpose and to my amazement I found it gave new meaning to the command to maintain my “walk in the Spirit!!”

 This is what I learned that day and continue to learn daily:

 Love is for others first! “If we loved our neighbor as we love ourselves” we would have no need for any of the other fruit! (Gal.5: 14)… But we don’t!

Joy is the reward for giving love away; the spontaneous enthusiasm of my spirit when my soul is obedient to God’s instruction. (Psa. 16:11)

Peace is the absence of turmoil; it maintains harmony with God and man.

Patience is what makes accepting a difficult situation from God without giving Him a deadline to remove it… doable! (Rom.5: 3-4)

Meekness puts my energy under God’s control, when I yield my personal entitlements, rights and expectations to Him. (Psa. 62:5)  

Kindness is a gift to another to show the person’s worth. (Jn. 3:16)

Faith is the absence of doubt; facing fear and turning it into a God-given desire.  (Pro. 10:24)

Goodness is given so others can trust Him in us. His integrity and virtue.

Gentleness is magnified in the presence of pride.  It repels arrogance.

Christ-control is instant obedience to the initial promptings of God’s Spirit. (Gal. 5:24,25)

 The absence of any of these in my daily walk is a signal to me.  If I am impatient, unkind, worried, fearful, and angry or in turmoil, I know I have made a wrong choice at the point of decision.  Somewhere I sacrificed my fellowship with God!  I go back, acknowledge my wrong response or decision, confess it by name and regain my peace and all the other fruit that comes with it!

 How careful are you in your decision-making process?

 Do you guard your responses?

 Little “decision-making” children are watching and learning!

~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 "Thorns and Thistles"

“By His wounds we are healed”.  Isa. 53

The cross is the center of our commemorating the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  His selfless and sinless sacrifice in our place is our reason to celebrate and praise His Name.  We call the holiday Easter and for a moment in time we stop and rehearse His ultimate sacrifice…His life for ours on that thorny and thistled  “old rugged cross”.  Not only did he die for us but also on the third day He rose from the dead and gave us the promise of a resurrected life after death!  

 This deliberate and divine act of love was to give our lives promise, plan and purpose.  We are destined and programmed to serve others first, not ourselves.   In our Easter release to the Princess Parable Series, “A Royal Easter Story”, we have introduced our five young knights who present a challenge that draws our young princesses into a chariot race that reveals the truth of what the cross teaches.  

 Do you live a life selflessly and sacrificially serving others?

 We cannot be consumed with a life that seeks its own and find life abundantly.  It is impossibility.  Local churches, before “lock-down”, opened their doors on Good Friday to give us the opportunity to take a personal account of our commitment to our first love and renew our loyalty to live as Jesus challenges us to live…Holy!  We are reminded to live serving others, as He did, with eternal values and purpose in view.

My 101 year old sweet Mother and her Great-granddaughter, Olivia

reading “Princess Grace and the Lost Kitten.”

As moms, we are dedicated to living and then, teaching the character of Christ into our little princes and princesses.  We focus on drawing their attention to the importance of serving, helping and caring for others.  That is why we find ourselves saying, “Can you comfort your little brother” or “Will you help mommy?”  Teaching by example, without excuse, is the most powerful tool in our toolbox!  We are “known and read” by these little eyes and ears.  They know if the cross is real in us, or not.  We don’t fool them but we do confuse them when our life message does not speak the reality of Christ in us!

Are your little ones confused?

 “Then said Jesus to his disciples, IF any man will come after me,

 let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

Matt. 16: 24

 The cross holds the hope of humanity.  Denying self-life (our pride and selfishness in all its ugly forms)…and taking up His cross (His desires and His perfect Will for us)…  authenticates His life in us.  Living life consistently with no unconfessed sin and nothing between another person and myself enables me to follow Him.  “His crucifixion is the key; His resurrection the door…it is only by His death that we have the mandate to enter into the gates of eternal life.  His door is open always.  Christ is King.”  Isrealmore Ayivor

 “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; 

yet not I, but Christ lives in me: 

and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, 

who loved me, and gave himself for me.” 

Gal.  2: 20

“There are no crown-bearers in heaven who were not cross-bearers here below.”

Charles H. Spurgeon

Have a Blessed Easter from Ralph and I…

~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 "Still Content?"

We are adjusting to a new way of life here in the good ‘ole USA and our expectations are on overdrive as we face all the unknowns.  It is reminiscent of days of preparation, instruction, and the eventual beginning of our lives on the Colombian border, tucked into the dense rainforest of the Darien Gap in Panama.  Visiting empty market shelves and being asked to stay homebound are new American adventures.  Will I have enough of what I think I need to endure the next few weeks and possibly months?  

 We would buy for 3-6 months at a time in Panama because we only came out of the jungle that often.  I was not accustomed to planning meals months in advance, but I LEARNED!  I learned very early what it took when I did not have enough oil, flour, rice, beans or…??  Meat was scarce, if at all…it was seasonal.  We lived on a river and we had fish…good fish!  

 It was a daily exercise of mine to learn to be and remain content…realizing that God had already provided everything I needed for my present and future happiness!  Contentment required my distinguishing between my needs and my wants!  I look back and again realize there are few things in life that are really necessary.  In fact, God identified just two:  food and clothing!  I owned two Kuna dresses (I wore one and washed one) and one pair of flip-flops! Could I be content with the basics of food and clothing? 

In the jungle there were lots of little mice.  Those little varmints were content to live anywhere!  A boot, under my porch, in my cupboards…They made themselves comfortable with whatever was available!  Could I learn to do the same?  Mud-packed floors, bark walls, tin roof, no electricity or running water, creepy crawlies everywhere, an outhouse, chiggers, mosquitos, vampire bats, monkeys on the porch, a river for a washing machine and a clothes line (instead of a dryer)…

 “If I am not satisfied with what I have, I will never be satisfied with what I want.”

Ralph Guthrie

 The more I released earthly possessions, the more I could grasp eternal treasures.  Martin Luther said, “Next to faith, this is the highest art; to be content in the calling in which God has placed you.”  Contentment comes as we realize that God is all we really need and He will never leave us.  We are told “to be content with what we have; for He has said, I will never leave you or forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5 “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, I am to be content”. Phil. 3:10

 Do you believe God has given you all you need?

~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 "What's the Secret?"

 “NEVER GIVE UP!”

“Perseverance is a lowly virtue whereby mediocrity 

achieves an inglorious success!” Ambrose Bierce

 While attending Bible School, I met my husband and we were married a year later.  We had never heard of tribal people who had never had an opportunity to even hear the name of Jesus Christ!  Can you imagine?  God challenged us to take His Name to them!  My husband responded immediately to the need before him.  Yes, he would go!  He stood up quickly, as the seasoned visiting missionary, challenged the crowd for tribal missions; however, I stood frozen with my mouth wide open, in shock!  I could not believe his independent, instant response.   God had work to do in my stubborn heart.  My self-consumed willfulness held me captive!   

 I was not equipped to live in the jungle…I hate spiders!  It took three days travel to get to this Indian village.  One and half days journey by banana boat (that’s right we slept on wooden benches) following the coastline, arriving in a remote small town to make a connection for the last ten hour day trek upriver in an open dugout canoe!  Let’s see, I have two babies less than three years of age fighting the rapids during rainy season!  Surely, there was someone in that crowd of churchgoers more mature than I am that is willing and ready to go…not me!  I, fearfully, contemplated another 24 hours before I silently knelt with my husband and acknowledged God’s beckoning whisper to submit to His will and His very clear call to GO!  

 As a young student, untested missionary, wife and new mother, I stepped out in blind obedience.  The unknown was my constant companion, as was my all-knowing God with His directing will and promises.  “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, so shall your offspring be.  Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead…since he was about a hundred years old…and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.  YET he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promises of God being fully persuaded that GOD HAD POWER TO DO WHAT HE PROMISED.”(Romans 4:18-21)

 For over 55 years now, God’s pursuing love has driven us to claim the name of Christ.  First, to those living in the remote jungles of Panama, “in the farthest corners of the earth” (Psalm 65:8), and today, to those living in the asphalt jungles of the United States.

 We have counted it a privilege to walk day-by-day wrapped in His strength, following where He leads us.  Joyfully persevering has become a fulfilling way of life… His receiving the glory is our reward…

 What are you facing today that seems 

unbelievably overwhelming and impossible?

~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 " It's My Choice!"

“It’s quiet.  It’s early. My coffee is hot.

The sky is still black.  The world is still asleep.

The day is coming.  In a few moments the day will arrive.

It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun.

The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day.

The calm of the solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace 

Of the human race.

The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met…agendas and schedules…

For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day’s demands.  

It is NOW that I must make a choice. 

And so, I choose…”

I CHOOSE LOVE…

No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness.  Hatred means to love less.  I will give love freely with my motive to receive NOTHING in return.  I choose love.  Today I will love God and what HE loves. (I Cor. 13:3)

 I CHOOSE JOY…

I receive JOY when I give Love away.  Joyfulness is the spontaneous enthusiasm of my spirit when I am in fellowship with God. I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance.  I will see interruptions as opportunities in all the chaos around me.  I will refuse the temptation to be cynical…the tool of the lazy thinker.  I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God.  I will refuse to see any problem or situation as anything less than an opportunity to see God. I choose to get in harmony with HIM and HIS will.  (Psa. 16:11)

 I CHOOSE PEACE…

I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live. I will allow peace to govern me today. Great peace have those who love His law and NOTHING will offend them. I have no excuse!(Psa. 119: 165)

 I CHOOSE PATIENCE…

I will overlook the inconveniences and conflicts the day presents.  I will accept any difficult situation from GOD without giving Him a deadline to remove it.  Rather than complaining that the wait is too long or chafing at an unexpected response from someone, I will thank God for a moment to pause and for a reminder to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at my current obligations, I will face them with gratefulness and courage. (Rom. 5:3-4)

 I CHOOSE KINDNESS…

I will be kind to the unkind because HE was treated unkindly and I deserve no less.  I will be kind to the poor because they are alone. I will be kind to the rich because they are afraid.  I will invest whatever is necessary to heal the hurt of others. Kindness is an act.(! Jn. 3: 17)

 I CHOOSE GENTLENESS…

Nothing is won by force or coercion.  I choose to show personal care and concern in meeting the needs of others.  If I raise my voice, may it be only praise.  If I clench my fist, may it be only a prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself. Gentleness is an attitude or manner.(I Thess. 2: 7)

 I CHOOSE GOODNESS…

I will see the goodness in others when it is hard to find.  I will confess before I accuse. I will walk in humility, which is the gas tank for the other qualities.

 I CHOOSE FAITHFULNESS…

Today I will keep my promises.  My spouse will not question my loyalty.  My children will never fear that their mom will not be there for them.  I will visualize God’s future in each life.  I will use difficult times to demonstrate my commitment to God and to those HE has called me to serve.  (Jn. 15:13)

 I CHOOSE SELF-CONTROL…

I am a spiritual being.  After this body is dead, my spirit will soar.  I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal.  I choose to be instantly obedient to the initial promptings of God’ Spirit.  I choose God-control. (Gal. 5: 24-25)

 To this I commit my day…understanding that my choice indicates that either I have ALL of these qualities or that I have NONE of them. This is not a smorgasbord!  God-control means His Spirit is producing all of these in me. If I succeed, I will praise HIS Name and give thanks.  If I fail, I will seek God’s face in repentance, with the reminder to keep shorter accounts with HIM. 

~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 discipling 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 "A Cruel Companion!"

After major emergency surgery in Panama my recovery was slow.  While my husband returned to our village in the jungle, I was taken in by dear friends who cared for me and our two daughters until his return and a doctor’s release to re-enter jungle work.  Christina attended the mission school during those months and I attempted to care for a very active three-year-old, Kim.  To say that she was lively would be an understatement.  Her boundless energy was an extreme contrast to my very slow and weak frame and keeping up with her was daunting.

 Kim, to this day, can walk into a room and the whole room lights up, full of energy.  Her middle name is Joy and she certainly brings that into our lives!  Her willful defiance to correction in those early days brought this young mom to an impasse…we would continually lock horns or I would just count my blessings and give in! 

 Ever been there?

 I have one of those faces that can’t hide anything.  I wear my emotions on my face, not my sleeve.  I consider myself to be a fairly even-tempered woman with a clear understanding of what it means to be angry.   I know the functional definition of anger, the peace I have to sacrifice to give into it, the guilt that results, and the pain required to resolve it. 

  One day at our friend’s home, Kim’s “lively activity” drew attention for some needed help. I was asked how I was going to respond to her. I answered the question with a silent non-verbal,… “what...what do you mean…?”  My face must have spoken loudly because I was then asked, “Are you angry, Jackie?”  I responded, “Of course not!”  My friend replied, “Jackie, look at your expression in the mirror” (there was a mirror on the wall where I stood).   

 I looked…and there was no denying the fact that my face said what my mind clearly denied…I was angry! Sometimes I pause and glaze over while processing, but this was different!  I slithered off into my temporary bedroom and made an attempt to rationalize my situation!  Don’t they realize how fragile I am?  This can’t be fair…I just had a Laparotomy, forty-four stitches inside and forty-four stitches to close…I was in bad shape…don’t I get a smidge of extra consideration???  My self-pity consumed me…why… I thought I was a victim (the biggest lie from the pit!), well…wasn’t I??  

Sound familiar?

Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming….

Anger is a cruel companion. The emptier the pot the quicker it boils!  Anger does everything to undermine truth and defeat us!  It is nothing more than “someone finding a right that I have not yet yielded to God.”  By that definition no one can makeme angry!  I choose it all by myself…I can’t blame anybody!  It is my fault!

 “When God wants to bring more power into our lives, He brings more pressure”.

A.B. Simpson

 There was no verbal argument and no laboring the point…just my humbly taking personal

responsibility and acknowledging …my guilt!

Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured. “It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman.” Prov.21: 19   The last thing I wanted to be was that angry woman!  My children deserved a godly example, not an excuse!  My husband, bless his heart, deserved a wife free from anger to humbly love him unconditionally.  

 Anger and humility cannot dwell together…one has to go.

 Henry Drummond in The Greatest Thing in the World, wrote:

  “It is the intermittent fever which bespeaks unintermittent disease within; the occasional bubble escaping to the surface which betrays some rottenness underneath; a sample of the most hidden products of the soul dropped involuntarily when off one’s guard; in a word, the lightning form of a hundred hideous and unchristian sins.  For a want of patience, a want of kindness, a want of generosity, a want of courtesy, a want of unselfishness, are all instantaneously symbolized in one flash of…TEMPER.”  

 We call TEMPER by many socially acceptable names in an attempt to excuse it: impatience, frustration, wrong response, irritation, and annoyance…    We find clever ways to rationalize our anger.  We protect it, guard it, defend it, and yet its ugly head rears up and betrays us.

 I am grateful and forever indebted to the family who forced me that day in Panama to face my anger and its subtle and insidious hold on me!  That new light to recognize anger and its deceptions, to call it by name, to ask forgiveness and to walk in the promised victory keeps my Christian life liberated daily, as I continue to learn.

 Are you an angry woman?

 Is humility your signature attribute?

~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 discipling 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.