Jackie's Journey "Amazing Exchange!"

I thought we were out of the woods with the opening of retail stores, restaurants, elementary schools, universities, etc.…  However, that was short-lived!  Again, we find ourselves subjected to closed churches and beaches, missed fireworks on the fourth of July and avoidance of social gatherings. Each restriction of our “old” life is compounded by our unwilling acceptance.  For me, the old normal was good enough…there is no need for a “new” normal.

 There is an interesting exchange in II Kings 6 between Elisha and his faithful servant.  In my opinion, prophets don’t “get a break” because they consistently cry out truth and no one wants to hear it!  So enraged by this prophet’s message, King Ben-hadad sent his soldiers by night to surround the town where the prophet ministered and the object was to kill Elisha and everyone in Dothan!  

 With so many depictions of this scenario currently on TV in mini-series, complete with swords and armor, it is not difficult to visualize this happening (not to forget...the riots in our streets!).  Elisha’s servant had risen early and gone out, only to become acutely aware of the overwhelming presence of horses and chariots swirling around the city.  He ran in fear to tell his master Elisha and ask, “Alas, my Lord, what shall we do?”

 Elisha, the hated prophet, simply stated,” Do not fear …for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”  Then, Elisha prayed and asked to the Lord to “open the eyes of his servant, so he could see.”  

See what??

This is the good part…

 “And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw the mountain full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha!  I don’t know about you, but I am mighty glad for those chariots of fire, as I face life and the days ahead. 

  It gets better…

Elisha prayed to God, “Strike the people with blindness.”  And HE did!  And they never returned!

 It is easy to be blinded by the world and its false message.  The prophet Elisha led the way in exposing those of us who know God’s ways and follow Him, to the undeniable truth that “those who are with us are more than those who are with them”.

 Let’s ask God to… “Open our eyes”!

Little eyes are watching…

~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. 

Surreptitious Scorpion!

efore we arrived in Panama, we had seen the handiwork of the Kuna Indians and were amazed at their beautiful Mola creations. They would take the jungle and its inhabitants and meticulously sew them into intricate three layer tapestries.   We would soon discover the secrets of these pieces of art!  

Can you see the arthropods on this one?

A typical Kuna Mola

When challenged for tribal missions the unknowns were the most difficult to adjust to…and the unknowns were many and continual.  Honestly, there were more unknowns in our jungle life than I could ever have imagined while stateside…and trust me, I thought my fear had covered everything conceivable in preparation for our missionary service!

The word hope in the Bible is a term of certainty.  The Greek word translated “hope” in the New Testament is elpizo, which means,  “to anticipate with confident expectation.”  Uncertainty and the unknown are bedfellows!  They helped develop my capacity to be a woman of hope and not despair.

Arriving in the last frontier of Panama…the Darien Gap, I stepped over the threshold of our new home.  The Darien Gap is said to be one of the last wild frontiers in the world!

Had I not heard this before arriving??

It was dark and wet.  The mud-packed floor was cold!  Ralph had poured one cement floor in the house, but then realized it was not a viable option to do more considering the amount of weighty bags of cement that would have to be carried two days from Panama City by banana boat and, then, another day upriver by dugout to reach the shoreline of our village.

Kim, our youngest daughter, was a nursing baby when we first arrived. As the months rapidly slipped away from us, we knew she would soon be crawling.  Anticipating his daughter’s first attempts, her Dad found woodcutters from Colombia to carve a wood floor from the jungle.

He also brought in cats from Panama City to discourage the creepy crawlers, skittering mice, and flying bats in the house at night!  Kim loved the cats!  Right on cue, before the floor was finished, Kim began crawling and she was fast! She chased the cats and disappeared out of sight every chance she got!

Kim's friends

One morning her little friends were circling our bed in a very agitated manner.  Kim was as excited as the cats and crawling right behind them!  Swiftly snatching her up into my arms, I caught a glimpse of something large moving under the bed!  I was hoping it was a bird that had lost its way…

Not certain what had entered the house unaware, I instinctively picked up the biggest and heaviest object I had close at hand…Ralph’s size 14 combat boot!  With one fell swoop I smashed the largest scorpion I had ever seen.  Its crushed tail extended beyond the end of the boot!

Alertness is learning to foresee dangers and fully understand the consequences!  No problem here…I was on alert!

This, of course, includes creepy crawlers but also being alert to the dangers of our words, actions, attitudes, and thoughts!  My thoughts could never have visualized all the variables that became my almost daily occurrences.  Being alert to what was taking place around me was a practice that became inherent in our jungle life. 

Being watchful and prompt to meet danger or an emergency is the definition of alertness.  Learning to pay attention to the lessons God was teaching me through the experiences He was bringing my way were invaluable to my spiritual growth.  My anxiety, resistance and need to be “in control” often hindered His growing me up!

How alert are you?

Have those under your care experienced problems that should have been detected and corrected? 

Are you aware of opportunities God gives you to witness and encourage others to grow spiritually? 

What is the last problem you could have avoided by being alert to danger?