Getting the Job Done

When I was learning to drive, I remember my father giving me this piece of advice: "You drive the car. Do not let the car drive you." He saw that I was afraid of this huge piece of machinary and wanted me to be clear that the car would do what I told it to. He wanted me to get a feel of the steering wheel and the touch of the brake. He wanted me to control the car instead of letting the car control me. It was great advice. I thought of another piece of advice he gave me as I was sawing several downed branches in my back woods yesterday and today. Once when my Dad saw me wearing myself out while forcefully sawing something he said, "Honey, let the saw do the job. You just move your arm back and forth." I relaxed and found that even with less physical effort the logs were cut quite easily.

The other day I felt as if I'd failed in an attempt to share the Gospel with two Mormon missionaries. I cried after our two encounters, feeling I'd failed these young men by not having the right words, even though I had prayed for the Holy Spirit to do the talking. This frustration was just another on top of the recent failure I was feeling towards the many folks I've been praying for recently who do not know Jesus. Knowing the eternal fate of these folks has weighed heavy on my heart. I was hoping I could see a success story.

Then a good friend from high school told me about a teacher she had who used to be Mormon. She said he commented that it took more than one person to cause him to question his beliefs. And I remembered the story of evangelist William Fay who said of his pre-Christian days that he remembered the face of every person who shared Jesus Christ with him. In other words, I may just be one of many the Lord will use to help these young men see the truth of Scripture. It was something I already knew, but was glad to be reminded of once again.

Then another friend reminded me that it's God that does the calling. We just do our part in showing and sharing the love of Christ, via our actions and testimony, and then step back and let God do the job.

The car and saw are both instruments we use to get a job done. One to drive and one to cut through things. We too are instruments used by God to get the job done. And each of us are individually gifted to do different parts of those jobs. I do not need to worry about the success of reaching these children of God. That is God's domain. I'm just supposed to do my part. I think Satan was working on me a bit, perhaps hoping I'd give up since I wasn't seeing results. Instead, I'm going to rejoice in the fact that God gave me two opportunities to speak to the fellows in my neighborhood. And I'm rejoicing that I can pray for my long list of folks who need Jesus.

God's got this. I'm gonna let Him drive and push the saw. And I'll gladly do what He wants whether or not I see the results ... and continue to give Him the glory!

Time to Clean House - Literally, Virtually and Spiritually

Black Friday, our family was checking out computers on sale. While learning about gigabite memory, dual core processors and the like, we asked about software we have installed on our current computer. We wondered if we'd lose it all. Some programs, we were told, we would certainly lose unless we paid an extra fee to have the hard drive information transferred over to the new computer. I turned to my daughter and said, "You mean if we don't do this, we'll lose the Sims' houses?"

Now if you've never played The Sims, that comment means nothing to you. In this video game, you can create families and houses. I never got into playing the game itself, but I loved designing and decorating houses. I got to play architect, interior designer and landscaper. My kids know a cheat code, so my houses had no monetary limit. I could design whatever I wanted in the grandiest scale. I haven't played Sims in several years now, but when I was designing houses for my children's Sims families, I would spend hours crafting homes. And I had some pretty awesome ones. (Not the one you see in the picture above, however. Someone else made that beauty.) Therefore, my comment to my daughter - and trust me, it was sincere - was refering to the fact that we could lose virtual homes. Fake homes. Imaginary homes. Pixels and megabites, if you will. I was lamenting losing them.

When I heard myself say it, I was embarassed. I haven't looked at those houses in years. I spent so much time on them. Yes, I had fun doing it, but what a waste of time! I thought back to Christ speaking to the disciples at the Sermon the Mount where He says, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy and thieves do not break in and steal."

Typically I'm a tosser - or a donater. I don't save what I don't use. I don't believe in wasting space. So a cabinet filled with Tupperware that I don't use to me is ridiculous. Yet for some reason, I was actually saving virtual homes on the hard drive of my computer!

While in prayer recently for several young men who I pray regularly for that do not believe in Jesus Christ, I thought about the wasted hours I'd invested in the Sims. Hours that could have been spent serving God's children, sharing His story of grace and mercy, reading and memorizing His Word or praying to Him. I was mortified at the lost time.

It's time for me to do a little house cleaning. December is always a great time to go through the stuff you have to decide what to keep, what to toss and what to donate. And yes, even a good time to clean houses off my computer. But I also need to do a little spiritual house cleaning as well and decide what needs more time, what needs fine tuning and what needs cast aside. Time to focus a bit more on those heavenly treasures, I think.

No more "Comen snada" for me. Comen snada you ask? It's Sims talk - they have their own language. I don't even know what it means, yet I remember the little virtual people saying it. Great ... I've even wasted brain space. Yes, definitely time for some house cleaning.

Wasting Away; Renewed Day by Day

There is a woodpile over the hill in my backyard. I didn't put it there. It was there when we moved in. When I found it, it was covered in vines and downed trees. After cleaning the overgrowth, I was able to utilize this wood for our many fall and winter campfires. Just recently when I went back there to get some dry wood, I'd found that a goodly portion of the pile had begun to decompose. Tiny bugs, weather and time itself have taken their toll on the cut logs back there. Many have decayed clean through. And there at the bottom of the woodpile, is the most beautiful earth you've ever seen. Those logs have been transformed into deep chocolate-brown loamy soil. I spent an afternoon recently digging up that dirt and filling a wheelbarrow, which I rolled up the hill to my garden. There I dumped it on top of the less hospitable soil I've planted my tomatoes, green beans and other vegetables into this past summer. Now nearly filling the garden plot, is beautiful black soil filled with nutrients God Himself supplied. I can hardly wait to plant my garden for next year.

How beautiful, how amazing is our God to take what wasn't being used and transforming it into something that not only will be used, but will make something else better! I like to think of us human beings in that same light. A friend told me recently she is lamenting leaving her family for the first time as she and her husband are relocating in the New Year. She wanted Bible verses to lean on in this transition. In addition to those verses, I gave her some advice from our many moves. I told her to find a church as soon as she could, for the church will become her new family. I also told her that every move our family has made has grown us spiritually. There is no doubt that we are closer to Christ, better servants and deeper in our faith with every relocation.

God is so wise and so good with this change. He's taken something that might not have been used in another place, and made it something that not only will be used, but perhaps make something else better. Scripture tells us that "Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day." (2 Cor.4:16). I can't wait for stories of God's plans for this young family after their move! How will they better themselves and God's Kingdom, I wonder. Just like the new soil will make for a better ecosystem in my garden, no doubt this move will make a better Kingdom of God! Glory to Him!

Waves of Life

My husband was holding me from behind with his arms around me as we stood in the Gulf of Mexico waste deep near the pier in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida. He rested his chin on my head and we stood staring south out over the beautiful clear blue-green water. My husband delighted in the calmness of the sea, with the small rolling waves breaking behind us closer to shore. I spent much of my time looking for the sharks I'd heard about that I thought would love swimming near the pier where fisherman cast bait over the railing.

Since the gulf was so calm, the sea was nearly flat with tiny ripples, but every once and awhile a wave would nudge us both enough to throw us off balance just a bit. We'd giggle every time it happened. Finally my husband profoundly said, "You know this is just like life. You think you have your feet firmly planted and something comes along to try to knock you over."

As we were celebrating our 23rd wedding anniversary there in the panhandle of Florida and reminscing over our years together, I thought about his analogy. Many times over those years we thought everything was stable, blessing after blessing, when all of a sudden something would happen to knock us off our feet. Sometimes the challenges were small and other times they were huge, difficult challenges that took much more time to recover from. Many times, it wasn't a recovery that occured, but rather a sharpening of sorts, winnowing perhaps or even a readjustment. No matter how firmly we thought out feet were planted in the sand, that has never stopped the waves. Brad was right. This was like life.

The morning of our anniversary as we looked at pictures from our wedding I asked my husband, "If you could go back in time to your newlywed self, what would you tell him?" He said quickly, "I would tell him to get his spiritual act together." I then asked, "Would you have listened to yourself?" Without hestitating he responded, "No, probably not." When asked the same question about what I would've said to that young bride in white silk organza, I replied, "Armor up, girl. There are challenges ahead."

When I think about the two of us standing in the cool waters of the gulf, I remember what each of us was doing at that moment, and how it reflects our outlook in life of late. My husband delights in the calm moments. You can hear him sigh, breathing in God's goodness. While I'm busy looking for sharks in the water, watching for the next challenge to head out way. It's just what our life experiences and spiritual journeys have brought us to thus far.

And no matter what waves are coming, it looks like between the two of us, with God as our anchor ... we've got a nice balance.

Enough Troubles For Today

Sitting at the end of one of my neighbor's driveways is a bowl of water, a bowl of catfood and a bamboo placemat usually with a feathery toy laying on it. It's right there near the road. It sits there because in the sewer that drains right there at the curb lives two feral kittens. Apparently my neighbor, while not claiming ownership of the cats, has not turned a blind eye to their need for food and water. It's full every day when I walk by.

Recently my pastor preached on Matt. 6:25-34 about worrying. Though I've read this Scripture countless times, this sermon couldn't have come at a more perfect time. Just recently, my sister was diagnosed with malignant melanoma. She has had surgery and awaits a meeting with a doctor to determine the amount and frequency of her chemotherapy treatments. Then just the other day, my father was diagnosed with the same thing. He is awaiting news from his doctor about surgery and whether or not his body can even handle the surgery since he is already dealing with a low white blood cell count due to his leukemia. If there was ever a time to worry about tomorrow, this is it.

But God assures me in the above Scripture that worrying isn't worth it. By worrying, I can't add a single hour to my life, Jesus says in vs. 27. I know by worrying I've lost more than a few hours, however. Jesus adds later in vs.34 tomorrow will bring worries of its own and to just handle today's troubles.

In the midst of that passage of Scripture, Jesus asks His disciples to consider the birds of the air and the lilies of the field and how God cares for them, adding "Are you not of more value than they?" It made me think of that neighbor down the street caring for these two kittens to make sure their needs are met. And it made me smile. I know God is going to care for my sister and father.

A friend recently asked me how I was doing after this latest health blow to my family. I said without hesitation, "I'm not going to worry about it, because Jesus told me it won't help anything." I'm going to spend that time praying instead.

Coming or Going?

I have a rip-a-day calendar titled "Islands" that has breathtaking photographs of islands all over the whole world. Recently, the photo for one day showed the Fakarava Atoll, a Tahitian island where you can do some excellent snorkling. The picture showed half under the turquoise water while the top half showed the palm-tree covered island above the water. Under the water, were some colorful tropical fish. I looked at the picture and thought these tropical fish were the cutest ever with their golden yellow faces, big black eyes and white and black tail ends. After some googling, I learned this tropical fish is called the Threadfin Butterfly fish. Then I realized upon closer examination that these cute little yellow faces were actually their tail ends. I was looking at the fish backwards. The face was the black and white striped end and the tail was golden yellow with a black dot on it. I chuckled when I realized my error and thought how clever of God to create a fish that just by looking at it you couldn't tell if it was coming or going.

I feel like this fish many days. With a scheduled packed with responsibilies that only seems to get added to, I feel sometimes like I don't know whether I'm coming or going. And I've got no clever creative coloring to fool those looking at me. By all appearances sake, I should be going in just one direction, but, like many folks these days, am tackling lots more than I probably should. My fear is I may start forgetting to do things I'm committed to or the quality of some things I'm doing will be diminished because of my overcommitment.

Our Father has given us 24 hours in each day, 16 of which we are normally awake for (unless you're my teenage son, then it's closer to 12). I do not think God intended for us to fill every moment of those 16 hours with multiple tasks, regardless of our ability to handle so many at once. I think He'd prefer we stick to the tasks He's called us to, gifted us to do, so that we do them well and do them with energy and love.

The other day I was between tasks and wondered aloud what I should do next. I heard the calming voice of my Father asking me to slow down, take a seat and enjoy some time with Him: time in prayer and in Scripture. It was truly the most beautiful, most relaxing and most fulfilling part of my day.

If you're feeling overwhelmed, overcommitted and, well, exhausted, perhaps it's time to say "no" to a few things ... and say yes, to a little quiet time with our Father. And after looking at this rip-a-day picture, I wouldn't mind spending some of that time on Fakarava Atoll. :)

Father of Compassion, God of All Comfort

I walk two miles every day, sometimes more. I take different routes through the neighborhoods adjacent to mine for some variety. On one particular street there is a home with seven garden gnomes under a magnolia tree. It's the same home that had lifesize carolers on the front porch at Christmas. I mention this because it's a home I notice everytime I walk by it.

More recently there has been another reason to notice it. This summer, nearly every time I've walked by this home, I have waved to the owners. An elderly couple lives there, I'm guessing in their 80's. And every day, the husband wheels his wife, still in her jammies, out onto the driveway. He brings out their black poodle to run out by the gnomes and sets his resin chair next to her wheelchair. And they sit there, sometimes in the sun, sometimes in the shade, waving to passersby and enjoying each other's company. They are always smiling. I am touched each time as I see him gently bringing his wife out to enjoy some fresh air. And I was especially touched when I saw him bring out a standing fan on a long electrical cord to blow a soft breeze on her during our hotter days. She still enjoyed the outdoors and people, but now with some comfort. It was truly beautiful to see. I asked my husband later, "Will you wheel me outside and put a fan beside me when I'm unable to do it?" He assured me he would, then added, "unless it's you wheeling me outside."

Our daughter, Ayla, visited a weekend recently. She's a workaholic and had exhausted herself to the point where her body was begging her to slow down. I got to coddle and cuddle her in an effort to try to get her rested and strong. I enjoyed caring for and loving on her. She is so precious to me, so her well-being is important to me.

I'm reminded in the caring of an elderly man for his wife and my love for my daughter of our Father's care for us. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:8, we don't need to use a bunch of words in our prayers because God already know what we need. He knows our needs and wants to care for us. And who could possibly do a better job than the Creator of the universe. He knows what's best for us physically, mentally and emotionally. I love that he even knows the number of hairs on our heads (Matt. 10:30. Every time I brush mine and watch several fall out I'm telling God, "Recount!"). This is a God who truly, lovingly cares about the details, growth and abundant joy of His children. (2 Cor. 1:3-6)

I live for the day when I can sit by my Father in Heaven and delight in His company. I'm thinking I won't need to bring a fan to cool Him or a dog to entertain Him in Paradise, but I know I'll want to see to His comfort and serve Him. In the meantime, I'm going to love on His children here. I think He'd like that.