Debbie W. Wilson

Refreshing Faith

Avoiding Mistakes Is Not the Same as Pursuing God

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Why would Eve trade paradise for the knowledge of good and evil? Why do I swap peace and joy to worry over a decision?

Photo by: Lea Dubedout/Unsplash

I recently realized Eve and I share a common problem. We’ve both allowed the desire for knowledge to rob us from the pleasure of trusting God.

Choosing fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil made her miserable. My desire for the knowledge of good, better, and best has stolen my joy. See if you can relate.

I bought a neutral colored jacket I thought would go with everything. But after I brought it home, I couldn’t find anything I wanted to wear with it. The time to return it ran out before I realized my purchase wasn’t as smart as I’d thought.

“If only I’d thought it through better,” I moaned.

That’s when the Eve analogy struck me. The serpent told Eve that if she ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, she would be like God (Gen. 3:5).

  • How many times have I beat myself up because of a decision that didn’t turn out well?
  • Was my “If only I’d known,” an echo of Eve’s obsession with the tree of knowledge?
  • Was I trying to be like God—all-knowing?
  • Is my desire “to know” a way to replace my need for God?

What about you? Have you let decisions you’d like to do over with the knowledge you’ve gained from time and experience steal your peace?

Even though God’s Word and Spirit guide us, we still learn as we go. Continue Reading

One Good Reason to Trust God with Unanswered Prayer

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What if I told you unanswered prayer is a sign of God’s favor? You might remind me that since biblical days many have taught the opposite: if your illness hasn’t gone away or God has closed your womb, then obviously you’ve fallen from grace and are harboring secret sin.

What if I told you the Bible shows the reverse can be true?

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In preparing for Christmas we were reading the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth. One line spoken by Elizabeth, after she became pregnant, spoke volumes, “‘The Lord has done this for me,’ she said. ‘In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people’” (Luke 1:25 NIV).

The Jews believed Elizabeth’s barrenness meant God was punishing her for some hidden wrong. For decades, Elizabeth, who was a descendant of Aaron and married to a priest, had felt disgraced among her people.Continue Reading

What My Poodle Taught Me about Faith

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“But my righteous one will live by faith” (Hebrews 10:38 NIV).

I think standard poodles fall somewhere between people and pooches on the animal hierarchy—maybe slightly closer to people. Besides entertaining us, Max, our male standard, is like Nana, the canine nanny to the Darling children in Peter Pan. Before retiring, he patrols the yard and marches from room to room to check on everyone, including his sleeping poodle sister.IMG_2906

Maybe we feel especially close to our 85-pound buddy because we almost lost him three times in his first three years of life. After surviving emergency colon surgery, we were heartbroken a year later when he was back in the vet hospital fighting for his life. We had returned from church one Sunday to discover an upset tummy had completely zapped Max’s strength. He was so weak his tongue couldn’t even bring water to his mouth no matter how hard he lapped.

Confusion only added to my grief and helplessness. Why would the Lord allow Max to suffer again, so soon? Why would He save him only to have him at death’s door a year later? As I pondered this, I remembered the story of the man who was born blind. The disciples asked their own “why?”Continue Reading

Are You Overlooking Your Best Gifts?

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My friend’s son delighted our four-year-old one summer by inviting Brant to drive his battery-powered three-wheeler. Watching Brant’s delight planted an idea. A three-wheeler would make the perfect Christmas gift for him.

By: woodleywonderworks

My husband and I were thrilled that December when we located a store that had a red one on sale. We stretched our seminary student budget and bought it. A smile lit my face every time I imagined Brant’s surprise on Christmas morning.

But Brant wasn’t thrilled. It wasn’t blue. It didn’t matter that red was his favorite color; Brant believed the blue one was better. That year, his friends and sister scooted around on the three-wheeler, but Brant wouldn’t touch it.

The next summer we visited my friends again. The blue three-wheeler was still there. But, it was smaller and more worn than Brant had remembered. Realizing his toy was bigger and better changed his attitude toward it. But, by this time, because Larry had finished seminary and we were moving, he’d promised it to a man for his grandchildren.Continue Reading

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