Our friends showed my husband and me a wooden game they had just bought. Two marbles rolled around on either side of a slope, enclosed in plexiglass, that looked like a miniature half pipe for skateboarding. They were separated from each other by a wooden peg in the middle. You had to get each marble into the cavity on its slope. No matter how we tried to manoeuvre, jiggle, or shake the game, only one of the marbles at a time would nestle into its cavity. This game was impossible!

Of course, the inventor of the game knew how it was done. When we heard the solution, it was so easy!

"Spin it!" said our friend. "It's centrifugal force!" We did that, and with one twist of the fingers, both marbles popped into place, just like that!

The Bible describes many situations that seemed to have no solution.

The disciples had just returned from a tour, where they had gone out two by two to minister to people's needs. Jesus was grieving the shocking news that his cousin, John the Baptist, had been beheaded.

Mark 6:31a – Then Jesus said, "Let's go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile." (NLT)

It was impossible. People caught sight of them, even in that remote place, and soon the crowd swelled to thousands. Jesus had compassion on them and began teaching them. Hours passed, and the disciples suggested, "Send the crowds away so they can go to the nearby farms and villages and buy something to eat."

Jesus then said something even more impossible. "You feed them."

"With what?" they asked. "We'd have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people!" (Mark 6:36-37 NLT)

The disciples did what Jesus asked. They asked around and found a boy who offered them five loaves of bread and two fish — such a pitiful amount among so many. This human solution did not seem at all feasible. Everyone waited in anticipation, sitting in groups. Jesus, looking up to heaven towards His Father, blessed the small lunch, and the disciples began distributing the food. In the hands of the Creator, the impossible became possible. Everyone was fed, and there were even leftovers.

My friend, Joan, attested to this story. She worried when preparing food to feed a crowd in her tiny home. Would there be enough? She would pray over the food, that what she had would be multiplied, and miraculously, everyone would have enough to eat.

We all have had impossible situations in our lives. Let us remember that with God, everything is possible. We just have to ask Him.

Prayer: Lord, thank You that You are the God of the impossible. Help us to trust You in the situations that seem to have no solution. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Besides "to exchange", another definition of "to redeem" is "to buy back". In Exodus, God decreed that the firstborn son had to be bought back. Moses told the fathers how to explain this practice to their sons.

Exodus 13:15 – When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed every firstborn in Egypt, both man and animal. This is why I sacrifice to the Lord the first male offspring of every womb and redeem each of my firstborn sons. (NIV)

For the last phrase, the New Living Translation states, "the firstborn sons are always bought back."

The Lord had spared the Israelites' firstborn sons and the firstborn of their animals during the last terrible plague in Egypt, when all other firstborn sons and animals died. Because they had applied the blood of a lamb on their doorposts, the death angel passed over the Israelites' homes. The Lord, therefore, claimed the firstborn. Parents could redeem, or buy back, a firstborn son by paying the redemption price of five pieces of silver. (Numbers 18:16)

Another definition of "to redeem" is "to ransom", that is, "to free from captivity or punishment by paying a price". In later years, the redemption of the firstborn became a picture of our deliverance from slavery to sin, through Christ, and "redemption" came to mean "to deliver from sin or its penalty".

Ephesians 1:7 – In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace. (NIV)

During this season of Lent, redemption has great significance for us. As God's firstborn Son, Jesus sacrificed His life instead of our having to die spiritually, and He redeemed us, buying us back from bondage to sin. Through the grace of God, Jesus paid a high price, a cruel death on the cross, to bring us back into relationship with the Father. Jesus gave up His life to give us eternal life. May we be with filled with gratitude as we reflect on this costly redemption.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for redeeming us at such a high price, the death of Your firstborn Son. Help us to serve You gratefully in return. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

At a YWAM (Youth with a Mission) Base in Belize, where my husband, Terry, and I volunteered in 2016, I had several responsibilities: baking, preparing a cabin for the weekly guest speaker, washing and drying the kitchen cloths and towels daily, and working in the concession.

Life on the base was a challenge. Tiny fleas from the beach sand covered my legs with bites, while mosquitoes made their presence known in the early evening. To counteract the insects, a "mosquito blower" would come by at 5:30 a.m. Our little casita was permeated with noxious fumes, which came through the window slats we'd had open, trying to coax a night breeze into our bedroom. I got caught up in what invaded my senses, instead of trusting the Lord.

One morning, when I heard that our fellow volunteers were going out in the kayaks, I asked to go with them. I quickly dealt with my first duty, the kitchen towels, so I was free for a couple of hours.

The sea was like glass as my friend and I set out, her three-year-old daughter tucked between us, following her husband and the two boys. Soon, we reached a white buoy marking the edge of a traffic lane where the water taxis would speed by. We lowered cement-block anchors. Here, the ocean floor was only about ten feet (three metres) below. My friend's husband, the base chef, wanted to dive for conches to cook. I slipped into the water to practise my snorkelling. How peaceful! The stresses of the preceding several days fell away as I leisurely swam, gazing at the sandy bottom, with sea grass moving gently back and forth.

No conches were to be seen, however, so we all headed back to the base. I was refreshed, and the kitchen cloths were bone dry.

Years later, as I pondered this interlude in my busy days in Belize, God spoke to me. The traffic lane in the ocean is like our sometimes-hectic days today, filled with frenetic activity. How often we rush through our responsibilities or waste energy reacting to our surroundings and circumstances! We may even be doing things the Lord has not appointed us to do.

The calm spot just next to the traffic lane is like the quiet waters of Psalm 23. The Lord, our Shepherd, marks out pastures where what we need is lush and plentiful. Our tasks will be much easier, as He leads us along right paths. Let us be at rest, knowing that He guides and strengthens us as we trust in Him.

Prayer: Thank you, Jesus, for providing green pastures and quiet waters for us, so that we can refresh our souls. Amen.

As children, we would buy books of cards we had to cut out, with cute sayings that we took great pains to match appropriately to our classmates. Then, these cards were "mailed" in a decorated box in the classroom. We waited with great anticipation for February 14th to see how many cards we would receive, and to enjoy a party.

The kind of love expressed on greeting cards is not the same as God's love. The heading in my Bible for the well-known love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13, states, "Love is the greatest". Here are some qualities of this love:

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 – Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. (NLT)

Every year, Terry and I are asked to look after our four grandchildren for a few days while their parents go on a holiday by themselves. The children are now much more reasonable than when they were younger. We said "yes" again, hoping there would be no major challenges.

We filled the summer days with interesting activities and outings. Then, the "drama" hit. On the sixth day, at the supper table, I told the youngest to finish her milk. Big meltdown! I ignored her, and she retreated to the closet to cry and wail loudly. I was irritated and did not react in love. I had so wanted our days to go smoothly. That morning, I had even journalled Psalm 37:5 – "Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you." (NLT) But had I done that? When I calmed down, the Holy Spirit showed me that my irritability stemmed from perfectionism, which I thought I had conquered. Hadn't the pastor just said in his sermon that nothing ever goes perfectly when people are involved? The Holy Spirit further showed me that through my expectations, I was ignoring Nelly's real needs.

Philippians 2:3b-4 – Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. (NLT)

Valentine's greetings and gifts are great, but real love, God's love, is much different. Let us endeavour to meet others' needs, and not demand our own way or react when our own goals are blocked.

Prayer: Lord, help us to live with Your kind of love, being patient and kind, and seeing the needs of our fellow human beings. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Some unusual plants grow in the Sonoran Desert of southern Arizona, USA. My husband and I read about them as we explored the Ajo Mountain Drive, a 21-mile (34-kilometre) driving loop in Organ Pipe National Monument.

The park is named after the organ pipe cactus, a towering plant taller than a person. This cactus originated in the larger part of the Sonoran Desert in Mexico, but has adapted to life north of the US-Mexico border. In this protected area, there are only a few frosty nights a year. The organ pipe cacti grow on bare, south-facing slopes covered with dark volcanic rock. During the day, the rocks absorb heat, which is released at night to keep the plants from freezing. God provides a perfect blanket!

Certain desert trees act as nurse trees for the saguaro cactus, which also grows in the Monument. The palo verde, a small-leafed tree with a green trunk and branches, the creosote bush, or the ironwood tree all function in this role. They protect young saguaro cacti from the sun, flooding, and the occasional frost. The cacti flourish in their "care", gradually crowding out the nurse tree and taking over its water source. You could say the tree gives up its life for the cactus.

Jesus Christ gave up His life for us. Not only do we receive eternal life from Him, but He provided the means to adapt to a hostile world. During Jesus' earthly ministry, His disciples and followers thrived by having their teacher among them. When Jesus announced His departure, they were dismayed. They couldn't conceive of life without Him — a severing of their relationship, they thought.

Our heavenly Father, however, planned an adaptation for them and consequently for us. He sent us the Holy Spirit.

John 14:26 – But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor — Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you. (AMP)

Like the blanket of warm air allowing the organ pipe cactus to exist in a harsh environment, imagine the term "Comforter" like a cozy blanket, wrapping us in the Lord's protective care.

Like the nurse trees in the desert, our "Strengthener" nurtures us, reminding us of the things Jesus has taught us, allowing us to flourish in a world contrary to God's values.

Revelation 4:11 – You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased. (NLT)

Marvel with me at God's provision, both in creation, and for us, here, today!

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for the provisions You have made for us as we live in an environment contrary to Your values. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

One wintry day, my husband and I were walking at the golf course, which has a trail that, along much of its way, parallels the river to our left. We hoped to see some overwintering river birds. At first, however, the river wasn't visible. Suddenly, we came to a fork in the trail, but we knew from previous walks that we were supposed to keep to the right, the main trail.

Terry decided he wanted to get closer to the river sooner, so we took the left trail. We followed it easily, but after a while, it dwindled to nothing. No footprints in the snow showed us where to go next. "I know the main trail is just over to our right," said my resolute husband. "We just have to get back to it." After a lot of traipsing through the bush, getting snow inside our boots and stumbling over hidden sticks, we finally found the main path again.

In Scripture, the words "path" or "way" are pictures of the life course that God sets out before us, or the one that we ourselves choose to follow. We have to make a decision. When we are in tune with the Lord, we can hear His guidance. "Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, 'This is the way you should go,' whether to the right or to the left." (Isaiah 30:21 NLT)

John 14:6 – Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me." (NLT)

When we make the decision through Jesus, we find ourselves on the right path, the one that leads to eternal life. Jesus told His disciples that He is the only way to the Father.

Matthew 7:13a,14 – Don't look for shortcuts to God. … The way to life — to God! — is vigorous and requires total attention. (MSG)

Keeping to the path in the woods on the right would have led us by the river eventually. We needn't have wasted time and effort by looking for a shortcut.

God's Word is our roadmap. It guides and illuminates our journey through life.

Psalm 119:105 – Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. (NLT)

We don't have to see a great distance ahead. The Lord illuminates only the way just before us. We have enough light, or guidance, for the moment.

Psalm 23:3b-4 – He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. (NLT)

Let us continue this new year rejoicing that it is the Lord Who leads us on the right path!

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for Your leading, guidance, and protection. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

All of us were excited at the possibility of a white Christmas, as my aunt's town was at the edge of a forested area, more reminiscent of our home back in Canada than of the city in which we were living. After a few months of new experiences and different ways of doing things, I was hopeful for a Christmas "just like the ones I used to know".

After a long day of travel, the reality was different. We were exhausted, and a dismal rain fell. The smell of the coal furnaces of that era hung in the air. The five of us squeezed into one room, with a tiny, damp bathroom across the hall. I couldn't even relax in the tub downstairs; a big carp swam there until it was needed for Christmas dinner. I hadn't had a chance to buy Christmas presents, and possibilities in the small town were limited.

The next morning, I prayed in desperation, "Help me, Lord. I feel so out of place here."

God's answer was swift. "Don't look at circumstances. You can be happy wherever you are. Nothing is the same as you're used to, anyway. Get the focus off yourself, and give of yourself to make others happy." I hadn't thought beyond my own feelings, but my holiday changed from that moment of revelation.

My aunt asked me to decorate. The doors looked festive with simple evergreen boughs, gold-sprayed apples on a ribbon, and real mistletoe. I washed dishes, and Terry mounted cup-hooks in my aunt's tiny kitchen. I managed to buy a few small gifts for the boys and their cousins.

As our foreign Christmas unfolded, we enjoyed the novelty of doing things in a different way. On Christmas Eve, the unveiling of the Christmas tree, the opening of presents, and the special carp dinner took place. One highlight was familiar — a walk up a small hill in the woods. The boys were ecstatic that snow had fallen after all, as they happily frolicked in it.

1 Corinthians 10:24 – Don't be concerned for your own good but for the good of others. (NLT)

I realized that the real Christmas isn't the presents, the atmosphere, or even the snow in the woods. The real Christmas is giving, just as God gave His only Son to be our Saviour.

These days, as our children have grown up, and circumstances vary from year to year, Christmas seems even less like the ones of my childhood. As I intentionally focus on serving others, however, instead of trying to capture the atmosphere, I'm living out the real meaning of Christmas. I invite you to do the same.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for showing us that the real meaning of Christmas is giving of ourselves for others. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.