Before I start my series on parents working overseas, I want to disclose something about myself. Born in 1937 I grew up in Michigan where I attended Christian schools and college. The love of God became real when I had a vision, in prayer, of Christ on the cross, and felt a load of sin fall off my back, which led to my going to seminary. Later I got an M.A in Speech-Communication (with a thesis on communicating with hippies) and an Ed.D. I taught full and then part-time at Fresno City College from 1968-2011, mostly Interpersonal Communication. There I self-published a book on that subject and outcome thinking. (Last year my wife read an award-winning paper on how it helped 15 low-performing students greatly improve, called “From Shaking to Shining.”)
Married 47 years to the former Florence Clapp, from Bontoc, we had one (adopted) son. She died in 2013. In 2014 I married Dr. Myrna Sison, a professor at BSU. (How we found each other is a miracle!) Together we’ve written a book on decreasing stress and improving learning called Love in the Classroom. I enjoy writing books and doing workshops on stress reduction and communication for teachers, pastors and others. One of the ways stress can be reduced is to imagine yourself doing some hobby or being successful at a hard task, and from that positive zone in your mind just look at the stressful situation, then look at yourself doing the nice activity, going back and forth until you feel the stress has left your body.
Big sources of stress for many, especially inmates, are guilt and shame. I prayed with one guy in jail who “saw” himself trying to lift two heavy buckets loaded with “GUILT” and “SHAME”. Jesus then stood before him saying “Give those to me.” “I can’t, Lord,” the man said. Jesus then stooped down, picked up the buckets and carried them off. (An “inner healing”.)
I, too, have had my share of guilt, shame and failures, including my “first-first” marriage. During that awful time, the cross of Christ was a strange comfort, with His words, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? and Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Parental prayers helped, and I felt and heard the Holy Spirit witnessing in my heart words of encouragement: “. . . .trust me. .. “ Furthermore, a minister pointed out Your failures are on the Cross, as well as your sins. Now, because of Easter, you can go forward and help other people with similar struggles. This has happened countless times over the decades. Grace.
So I would encourage anyone who is struggling with failures or any other spiritual issues: You are not alone, for Christ, through his Spirit, is with you, feels your pain, and wants to lead you forward. He brings good out of evil (Romans 8:28). But if you don’t know Him, surrender all guilt, shame, loveless lost-ness before the Cross and open Bible until you do, for He loves you and His designs for life are truly wonderful!.(Jer. 29:11) (Says the old guy, hpkuiper1@gmail. com.)
