Patricia Cameron

A Bump in the Road

by Patricia Cameron | Aug 11, 2023 | Forgiveness, Grace, Hope, Support

Sometimes things don’t turn out as you plan. No real secret there, right?

As my son loaded up a bed frame to take to his first “home away from home” at college, he casually said the frame was secure in the back of the pickup.

However, at the first significant bump in the road, that frame sailed out of the truck and into the middle of the interstate.

Since I was a few miles ahead of him, he called with the news, to which I cried out to God, “Lord, not something else!”

Not knowing what else to do, he kept driving, seeing cars swerving in the lanes behind him.

The other drivers must have been stunned to see the cloth and metal frame flying toward them. Fortunately, someone stopped and moved the obstruction to the side of the road, and no one was injured in the ordeal.

Bumps can surprise us.

Have you had a bump in the road recently? Have things not gone as planned? It seems I’ve had quite a few lately — too many to count!

What is your bump in the road?

Was it your dream that went flying out the window?
Was it a dreaded call that came?
Was it a careless, hurtful word that left you a wreck?
Was it a sinful act sent your life spiraling out of control.

Bumps can change us.

Consider the woman in the Bible who was caught in adultery (John 7:53 – 8:11). She didn’t plan on being caught, but when the Pharisees showed up, she knew her life would change. In fact, she could have thought her life would end that day.

But that “bump” introduced her to Jesus, who stood beside her, offered no condemnation and told her to sin no more. That one act changed her life.

The bumps I’ve experienced have changed, shaped and even sharpened me – so much so that I am a different person. When I thought I was done, Jesus picked me up, and gave me a firm foundation, hope for a better tomorrow and the will to keep going.

Jesus stood by my side and in the gap for me and remained by my side until I was no longer the same.

Bumps can be used for good.

I encourage you to look at your bump in the road differently. Maybe it will project you into a new phase in life. Perhaps it will remind you of what God has already done in your life. Or it could possibly serve as a wake-up call to fulfill the purpose God has for you.

I wish I knew the rest of that woman’s story. Did she go back and pick up the pieces? Did she repent from her lifestyle and follow Jesus? Did she tell others of the mercy, grace, forgiveness and new life extended to her?

My nephew and son went back to get that bedframe. It was torn and scarred from the impact and being dragged across the concrete, but it was still strong enough to do what it was designed to do.

We may not be hauled to a makeshift trial on a dusty, brick-paved road, however, we’ll likely be scarred and bruised from the impact of our bump.

Even so, we can still be used for good. With Jesus by our side, we have the strength to do what God designed us to do.

Take that bump — that lesson — and let it be used for good.

Rescue

by Patricia Cameron | Jun 23, 2023 | Faith, Hope, Redeemed

John 8: 1-11 tells a story of a woman caught in adultery. The scribes and the Pharisees brought her to Jesus to test Him. Thrown into the sand, she awaited the sting of the stones that would crush her and seal her fate.

She was guilty. She knew it. Her accusers knew it. She had been caught in the act and there was no way out.

Did panic set in? Or was she resigned to her punishment of death? Were her eyes locked on Jesus? Or cast down to the ground?

But then Jesus’ hand reached down and wrote in the sand. One by one, her accusers left.

No stone was cast her way.

Jesus had her back. He did not condemn her; He rescued her. His words only directed her to go and sin no more.

One Pair of Hands

I heard a new song last week. It is an old song, but new to me. Written and recorded by Carroll Roberson in 1971, One Pair of Hands was also sung by Elvis Presley.

The song encourages us to put our faith in Jesus. Its lyrics tell us God formed creation with one pair of hands. Jesus healed people from sickness, raised people from the dead and fed thousands with one pair of hands.

Like the adulterous woman, we have all sinned. Maybe it’s obvious to those around us. Maybe not. Maybe it’s simply a lack of faith.

Consider Peter’s short stint of walking on water.

Strong and confident, bold was his middle name. But when he began to sink, his confidence faltered and fear gripped him. Once locked on Jesus, his eyes shifted to the wind around him. He began to feel the weight of the wet substance as it soaked into his cloak.

However, in the next moment, a hand reached down and rescued Peter from the deep, dark water.

The Bible speaks of many more rescues by Jesus.

One pair of hands cleansed a leper.
One pair of hands broke a loaf of bread, placing the pieces in baskets to nourish the crowd.
One pair of hands took saliva and dirt, placing mud over the eyes of a man born blind. And gave him sight.
One pair of hands held babies and children.
One pair of hands raised a girl to life.
One pair of hands washed the feet of his closest friends, even his betrayer.
One pair of hands were extended and nailed to a cross. Arms stretched in agony secured our hope and sealed our fate . . . if we only believe and receive.

The Price Paid

Have you been desperate for a rescue? Do you need forgiveness today? Restoration? Salvation?

Jesus has already paid the price. His hands have already done the deed, reaching out to us.

Let the goodness and love of our Lord Jesus Christ wash over you today.

Seek Him and put your faith in the one pair of hands.

“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are Mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.” Isaiah 43:1-2

Answering the Call

by Patricia Cameron | May 26, 2023 | Encouragement, God, Joy

We got reacquainted while seated by each other at a funeral. I shared some things from my heart. She committed to pray for me. And she has done just that.

At random times, I receive a text with scripture and words of encouragement. Each time, they meet a specific and timely need in my life.

Even while in my quiet time early this week — as I struggled with an anxious heart — these words popped up on my screen.

“When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.” Psalm 94:19

How does that happen?

God somehow placed this verse and me on her heart.

She answered the call and sent it to me at exactly the right time. And I happened to glance at my phone at that moment (which I try to avoid during my quiet time:).

God at work

Two other instances came up this week.

Dennis Swanberg, America’s Minister of Encouragement, who wrote the forward in my book Grief Unwrapped: Discovering Joy in a Season of Sorrow, called to check-in. At the end of our conversation, Dennis repeated back to me the same message I had presented throughout the book. Live your life with joy and to the fullest.

And if those two weren’t enough, I was encouraged a different day by another friend who I only see occasionally – Bonny Van. She encouraged me by listening and making me laugh.

Friend, it wasn’t until this moment (as I write this post) that I realized God has been at work in my life this week.

How many more have I missed?

How many times do we miss a message from God because we’re knee-deep in our own struggles? Our own busyness? Our own messes?

Through Sandy, Dennis and Bonny, God had a word for me each day.

Knowing He is speaking to you — even through another person — reminds me that He is the God who sees me and cares for me. He is personal and He reveals His presence to me in amazing and wonderful — and sometimes ordinary — ways.

He IS

And I’m so glad He does.

Because even in distress, I can have joy because I worship the one who IS my joy. He IS my strength. He IS my help. He IS my keeper.

My God IS my rest. He IS my shelter. He IS my hope. He IS my confidence. In all things, He IS.

I pray that as we begin each day, we will take these words — and my encouragers’ examples — to heart. And as God calls us to speak or share a verse, we would also “answer the call.”

Waiting Well

by Patricia Cameron | May 19, 2023 | Encouragement, Obedience, Trust

Fifty-four years ago this week, my dad suffered a debilitating accident that changed his life. I can only imagine what it must have been like for my mom during those touch-and-go days in the hospital. Well, some of that experience I know firsthand.

Then she endured six months of waiting as he recovered and learned a new way of mobility. Sometimes the waiting alone leaves us paralyzed and unable to function properly. But that waiting period can also serve to teach and guide us.

A plan to wait

God promised the shepherd David he would be Israel’s next king. God had a plan. But that plan required David to wait.

As a fugitive, David and his “band of brothers” camped out in a cave while King Saul and his army searched for them to kill him.

And one day Saul showed up in the very same cave David and his crew waited. They encouraged David to take Saul’s life, but he wouldn’t do it. He knew God’s plan for him to be king, however, he waited. And he trusted.

In Psalm 31:24, David pens these words.

“Be strong, and let your hearts take courage, all you who wait for the LORD!” (ESV)

I have been in a season of waiting. I have cried out to God to deliver me. And I waited, knowing that His plan is for my good but crying out all the same for answers.

The words from Psalm 27:14 grip my heart.

Wait for the LORD; be strong and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!

Are you in a season of waiting or just coming out of one? Or has God used your waiting to prepare you for what’s to come?

Let the words of this Psalm and others like it keep you and encourage you in your waiting.

The power to wait

What happened during David’s season of waiting? While he waited, he wrote psalms that still impact us and speak to us today. While he waited, God used that time to teach, minister and prepare him to lead Israel one day. While he didn’t know it then, God would eventually use the outpouring of his heart — and words spoken in agony — to help and heal people throughout history.

David waited well. We can, too, because of the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. He knows I struggle with this. And you may too. However, He knows and provides the power we need to wait. And we can trust God while we’re waiting on Him to act.

Warrior Women

by Patricia Cameron | May 5, 2023 | Courage, Obedience, Prayer

As I prepared to move without a house to move to, I told my friend Elizabeth that it had taken an army of warriors praying on my behalf to get me through this season of uncertainty.

And that is what God has done. Some old friends. Some new. Some young. Some old. All have taken the time to lift me up to the Father. I thank God for warrior women who will take a moment out of their day to call, text, pray specifically for my decisions and that God would meet my needs.

And I know He will. I know the promises of the scriptures – God’s words spoken to all humankind who will listen and obey.

In the waiting

Ah, but the waiting, the anxiety and putting it into action is the hardest part.

I read a chapter from Mark Batterson’s book Chase the Lion that spoke to my heart. Are my dreams big enough? Do I have the kind of faith to dream and step out in faith? Or to wait in faith?

Am I strong enough to live and laugh on the gray days – these dark and unsettling days of waiting? My wilderness.

God sees our hearts

As God encouraged Joshua when He commissioned him to lead the Israelites after Moses died, He is with me — with us. He helps us to be strong and courageous because He is with us.

We don’t walk alone. God already knew His people would rebel and turn away, but He still said he would not abandon them.

As my warrior friend reminded me, God sees our hearts. He still loves us no matter what. That is as true today as it was when Israel stepped across the Jordan into the promised land.

God meets our needs

I learned something new last week about God’s provision. Or at least I’d never thought about it.

God’s manna followed the Israelites into the promised land then stopped the day after they had access to the local food. Six days a week for 40 years, God provided manna for them. It arrived like clockwork, then ended the day it wasn’t needed any longer. Talk about God’s provision.

Do you need God’s provision today? Or do you need a warrior to pray on your behalf?

God is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He is the breath of life. He is our timeless redeemer. He is forever faithful. He is the prince of peace, the Lamb of God, the Lion of Judah. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.

And He is completely capable of providing for our needs.