Beverly Joy Roberts

I love it when I'm the favorite, but not so much when someone else is shown favor at my expense.   In my life, I have known what it is like to be both the favorite and the invisible person in the room.  If it were up to me, being the favorite is my preferred choice of treatment.    In large families, it can be nearly impossible to get floor time, you have to fight to be heard.  At times, this can cause people to talk over one another.   I speak from experience here, so sorry to all those in my life that I’ve talked over because of my need to be heard.    I remember the first time I heard this phrase prayed over someone at the altar; I pray that you will know  The Favor of the Lord.    I thought it was brilliant, and I wanted to pray that over everyone, and have it prayed over me.  The very thought of having   the favor of the Lord   was thrilling.  I wanted Jesus on my side at all times, and I wanted to receive the kind of special treatment only He could give.

A few years ago, in my preschool class at church, I had a wanderer.   At three years old, she came into my class labeled because she had already wandered away on a Wednesday night when she was a toddler.  The church custodian found her by the dumpster on the far side of the parking lot.   She had wandered a long way from the safety of the nursery.  The dumpster where she was found was only a few yards from a creek that runs along the back of the parking lot.   I still shiver to think of it.  T hat incident put the fear of God in all the workers that Wednesday evening.     So, when the little wanderer graduated into my class, I watched her well and for three years we were without incident.   Then it happened.   She wandered.   There was an outside youth water activity that caused a crowd to gather in the hallway outside my classroom.  That hallway had a door that led outside where t he youth were having their water event.   With only a few minutes left before pick-u

Our first missionary photo from 1986. The Sunday before we were to leave the United States and move to the Philippines to become missionaries, I sat in what would be our last church service in the USA for two years.   On my lap was my daughter, and my sons were sitting next to me in the church pew.     The service had been a typical Sunday evening service that ended with a time of prayer at the altar.  The worship leader sang throughout the altar service.   As this portion of the service was ending,  only a few people remained at the altar.  Then the worship leader began to sing one of my favorite songs; The Steadfast Love Of The Lord.   I won’t lie to you, I had deep concerns about moving my family to a foreign country.  I didn’t know what to expect when we arrived with things like beggars, hungry children, masses of people, ridiculous amounts of traffic, military coups, would I know how to shop in the markets, would the heat be unbearable, I had to learn a new curre

Over the years, I’ve received many  special invitations  to different events. With each invitation, I’ve felt honored to be included.   I've received invitations to weddings, baby showers, graduation open houses, birthday parties, and many other events.   When I receive one of these invitations, the first thing I do is go to my calendar to be sure I'm available.  Then I jot down the special event on the calendar as a reminder to participate.  I think I have a pretty good memory, but many times I've had to rely on my calendar to remember a special event. In Jeremiah 33:3, God jotted down for all humanity a special invitation .  All we have to do is remember it's available to us.    This is what Jeremiah 33:3 says, ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ When we face difficulties, often calling on the Lord is the very last thing we remember to do.  In times of trouble, sickness, dist