Maybe the Present is the Present

       We're just past Thanksgiving and already thoughts of Christmas are filling our heads. I've lived much of my life absorbed in planning, whether for a trip, a lesson for school or church, or an event, be it holiday, birthday, or a simple meal. Lately, feeling incapable of looking ahead, I've spent much time looking back with nostalgia on past trips, celebrations, or events, always ending up thinking about how pointless planning is for me now.  Sometimes being in the moment is challenging.

      Right now, though, as a lifelong friend lies near the end of her long battle with cancer, and I think about another dear friend who died suddenly around this time a few years ago, I'm taking stock of how I spend my time and energy. My cancer-ridden friend has continued to be upbeat  and positive, even praying for me as she suffers. The other precious sister, a blessing to all who knew her, was full of life and joy always until she collapsed while looking at photos from the latest trip she and her husband had just enjoyed. 

      These two cherished friends are even now reminding me how precious every moment is, what a gift each breath of life is. I confess, this perspective is extremely difficult for me. And yet, my God understands and demonstrates His love to me, even when I'm struggling to put one foot in front of the other. It happened just now. 

      As I almost begrudgingly lifted my computer onto my lap, because He wouldn't let me ignore these thoughts any more, I felt angry, resentful, sad, frustrated; frankly, I was having a pity-party. Bill had given up trying to help me with a computer problem, because I just wasn't having it, if you know what I mean. Even Copper the dog was staying across the room from me staring, looking puzzled at my expressions of frustration. Bill finally decided to take Copper for a walk. (Can't blame either of them for wanting to get out of the house!) 

      Copper (and God) had something else in mind, though. In two flying leaps a 70-pound coonhound was in my lap, on top of the computer keyboard, licking my face! The neck pillow that stays right above my head on the back of my chair landed on my head like a hat, a sight which Bill thought was so funny he had to take a picture. My tears of frustration turned to hysterics, and I almost wet my pants, truth be told. That silly dog wouldn't move off my lap until I sat up and reached for my shoes. Needless to say, I just came back from a short walk with the two "boys" in my life, and there's even a tiny smile on my face. 

      Friend, how about we pledge to each other during the upcoming holidays and even beyond to worry less about what's past or what might be coming and enjoy the gift of the present. Let's not miss all those moments that are graces from His hand.

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."  (Matthew 6:34 NIV)

"Who can straighten what He has made crooked? When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future."  (Ecclesiastes 7:13-14) 

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"  (Matthew 6:25-27 NIV)

Since I'm preaching to myself, why not embarrass myself?

Of Trees and Forests

       

       The trees in the forest surrounding our house are swaying gently in a light breeze today. A few days ago I looked out and they were bending in unison in a stiff wind. Trees also surround my lake house, but not nearly as thickly as our forest here at home. Still, they are more than a few, and very tall. Not long ago, during a stormy season, I called our local "tree man" to look at my trees at the lake to make sure they were not threatening my house (or a neighbor's) in any way. A couple of years ago, you see, a huge pine had blown down across our driveway in a big wind, fortunately missing houses, cars, and people. I wondered if they needed further thinning. Mike told me my trees were stable and strong, and most interestingly he recommended I NOT thin my "forest" because, he said, they support each other, so they're safer together.

      What a lesson for God's people! A quick search on Bible Gateway just now revealed 387 occurrences of the word "together" in the New International Version, 469 in the King James. The short letter Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus contains some wonderful examples, most notably,

"From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." (Ephesians 4:16 NIV)

      Think about how many congregations floundered when the Covid epidemic hit, and how many people have never gone back to church once out of the habit for several months. Have you struggled to return, finding it much easier to continue watching on-line from your comfortable couch in your pajamas? (NOTE: I am not in the least demeaning those who aren't physically able to attend, whether with health issues or compromised immune systems. I am one of those!) Yes, it is possible to worship from home-- I do it every Sunday and many days in between. Yet there is something about raising our voices together to read God's Word or sing His praises that can't be replicated alone. There's something about the fellowship of believers that is strengthening, just like the trees. We need each other; we are meant for community. 

      Remember Moses leading the children of Israel in battle against the Amalekites? All he had to do was hold up his arms, while Joshua led the troops. Have you tried holding up your arms for an entire day? Even a few minutes? Moses had to have help just holding up his arms! (Read the entire story in Exodus 17:8-16.) From the very beginning, God never intended for us to "do life" alone.

 "The Lord God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.'"  (Genesis 2:18 NIV)

    All that remains of that lone pine is a pile of sawdust. Like my trees, we are meant to hold each other up. I didn't write this blog alone: I had to call Bill to help me find the Moses story, and Linda called in the middle with encouraging words when I was ready to give up. We can only do it together, my friend. 

 "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV)

 "He must increase, but I must decrease"  (John 3:30)

♱

Freefall

       

      

      A few days ago I awoke to a momentary vision which I hope I shall never forget. I was falling, down, down, in a vacuum of softest pink pearl, like a rosy dawn. I was alone, not tethered to any encumbrances like fear, worry, pain, or regret. The only sensation was a feeling of contentment and safety, joy even. As I puzzled over the pleasant peace that settled over me while I lay in bed, immediately there came to mind a line from a Wing and A Prayer song: "You are my Rock-- on You I stand." And somehow I knew deep in my soul that at the end of that freefall, my Father's everlasting arms were waiting to catch me in the gentlest, most loving embrace I could imagine.

"From the ends of the earth I call to You, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the Rock that is higher than I."  (Psalm 61:2 NIV)

"The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms." (Deuteronomy 33:27a TLB)

      I have had the most unaccustomed tranquility since that day. The stress of the world, worries about health, relationships, obligations, needs, or earthly desires may come to mind, but are immediately tossed into that beautiful space of serenity and quickly disappear. I find myself smiling, as if I have a wonderful secret, but it's a secret I would like to share with the world. It's as simple as that pink block at the top of the page and as solid as the rock I'm sitting on below. It's the assurance that when the end comes, when my freefall stops, all will be well. All my past mistakes and blunders, all my worries over what I've done wrong or failed to do, all the pain that came to me unbidden, will disappear in the blink of an eye, and all WILL be well with my soul. 

      It's Jesus! His battered, bloody, nail-scarred body is the ONLY doorway leading to this "peace that passeth understanding." My vacuum was pink, like the water and blood mingled together that flowed down His side, and I was alone, because that's the only way to enter His family. We don't gain salvation through a parent or friend, or attached to any individual or organization, but through our own choice to accept His gift freely.

"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."  (Philippians 4:7 KJV, emphasis mine)

"I am at rest in God alone;

my salvation comes from Him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation,

my stronghold; I will never be shaken."

(Psalm 62:1-2 CSB)

"He must increase, but I must decrease"  (John 3:30)

♱

Enough!

      

Oops!

    I love to bake. If I have an ounce of energy, I'll spend it in the kitchen creating something tasty to eat. Perhaps I'm admitting to being a bit of a hedonist, because it's the eating that I REALLY enjoy! And I have no trouble leaving the washing, cleaning, and bookkeeping chores until they absolutely can't be put off any longer, in favor of my more pleasurable pursuit. Just the other day, as I impulsively started a baking project, I quickly realized I was missing one key ingredient and didn't have quite enough of another. (Yes, there's a lesson in planning there, but that's for another day.)

      As I sighed in frustration and sank back into my recliner to mope, I opened my email to find my son Christian's weekly letter to his church [https://mailchi.mp/4feacceab580/update-5369169?e=[UNIQID]]. My thoughts quickly turned to my failure to produce the desired tasty treat. It's not that unusual for me to run out of some essential ingredient at a "crucial" time: I just can't seem to keep enough of one thing or another on hand. Just like I can never be good enough to please any human being I love all the time, much less to please my perfect and holy Heavenly Father all the time. 

      As Christian reminded me, though, our wonderful Creator God knew this from the very beginning. Yes, even pleased as He was with His human creation, enough to pronounce it "very good indeed" (Genesis 1:31), He knew that in giving us complete freedom to choose, we would fall short. But unlike me in my creative efforts, He had the perfect plan in mind. As evil spread and grew in men's hearts, He knew that the only adequate covering would be His own flesh and blood, His only Son Jesus. And unlike my insufficient supply of flour and butter, He was enough. Enough for your sins and mine and all of man's sins throughout the ages. 

      As Paul declared, 

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."  (Romans 3:23)

      And yet the Lord says, to Paul and to all of us, 

"...My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness."  

 (2 Corinthians 12:9 CSB)

      I take a lot of comfort in the latter verse these days. Though I never felt that I quite measured up to my earthly father's expectations, for most of my life I felt pretty self-sufficient, thinking I could "do" whatever needed to be done to get along in this world. That's the problem, you see: I was getting along fine in this world without giving much thought to my eternal home. When the difficulties of life take away much of your ability to "do," then you begin thinking more deeply about how little you really CAN do to save yourself or make yourself "useful" or worthy of living eternally in God's presence. NONE of us has what it takes to measure up to God's standards of holiness. Why would we think we could ever be worthy of attaining Heaven?

"But thanks be to God Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!" 

(1 Corinthians 15:57 CSB)

      When you realize that you can never be enough, take comfort in this beloved verse:

"For God so loved [Put your name here] that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."  (John 3:16 KJV)

 "He must increase, but I must decrease"  (John 3:30)

♱

Waiting for Hope

      "I waited patiently for the Lord, and He turned to me and heard my cry for help."  (Psalm 40:1 CSB)

    Sometimes you even have to wait for hope. It's not a pretty place to be-- perhaps a little like the inside of an ordinary caterpillar's cocoon. It's tight, and it's messy, but somehow soft and comfortable, because it's home, and you don't have to move... just wait. And rest. Because the real work, the hard part is yet to come: that painful squeeze through the tiny opening that will make you into the glorious, sun-kissed, delight-giving beauty that you were meant to be all along.

      It's not very much fun, this waiting. Downright boring and frustrating at times. You might even forget there's a purpose for it and feel like giving up the wait. But remind your inert chrysalis every day, every hour if necessary, of the glory that is to come. With David, proclaim to your heart,

"Praise be to the Lord,

for He showed me the wonders of His love

when I was in a city under siege.

In my alarm I said,

"I am cut off from Your sight!"

Yet You heard my cry for mercy

when I called to You for help.

Love the Lord, all His faithful people!

The Lord preserves those who are true to Him,

but the proud He pays back in full.

Be strong and take heart,

all you who hope in the Lord."

-- Psalm 31:21-24 (NIV)

      And while you are waiting, never forget:

"We demolish arguments and every proud thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ."

-- 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (CSB)

      Then pray this heartfelt prayer with the late great George Matheson, who went blind at the age of twenty:

 "Give me the power to wait for hope itself, to look out from the casement where there are no stars. Give me the power, when the very joy that was set before me is gone, to stand unconquered amid the night, and say, 'To the eye of my Father it is perhaps shining still.' I shall reach the climax of strength when I have learned to wait for hope."

 "He must increase, but I must decrease"  (John 3:30)

♱

Diving for Pearls

      Sometimes it feels as though I've been underwater longer than I can possibly hold my breath. Are there pearls down here I have yet to find that will make the dive worthwhile? Perhaps my perspective has been upside down. 

      I read recently that pearl divers must carry large rocks with them in order to overcome their bodies' natural buoyancy and reach the depths where the largest and most precious pearls are found. I think I've been clinging to my Rock in hopes of rising from these depths, but maybe I've been looking at things all wrong. Maybe it's clinging to Him that's keeping me deep enough to discover a priceless pearl waiting there for me. 

      Upon greater reflection, however, I must acknowledge the pearls I have already uncovered:

      1. Love, understanding, perseverance, and patience in a husband who admittedly struggles with the latter. (Don't we all?)

       2. Support in the form of prayers, cards, messages, and understanding in loved ones who admittedly can't truly comprehend why I often can't talk on the phone, respond immediately to an email, or even explain what's going on with me.

      3. Doctors who continue to spend hours outside of office hours helping me try to figure out what's really wrong with me and how to help me feel better.

      4. Empathy with the suffering of others. 

      5. How to say "I can't" and ask for help without feeling guilty.

      6. How to recognize and appreciate the daily "love gifts" from my Heavenly Father: a cuddle with a loving dog, an injured bird who flies again, a flower, a butterfly, a hummingbird, rain dripping off the tree outside my window, the ability to see, hear taste, smell, feel. "Morning by morning new mercies I see!" (Lamentations 3:22-23)

      Meanwhile, awaiting the day when I shall emerge from the depths with the most priceless pearl of all, 

       "The Lord is my Rock, my fortress, and

        my Deliverer, my God, my Rock where

         I seek refuge, my shield and the horn

         of my salvation, my stronghold." 

         Psalm 18: 2 (CSB)

Photo: q8allinone.com

                 

 "He must increase, but I must decrease"  (John 3:30)

♱

Pressed But Not Crushed!

Queen's Day Crush!

 "We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair."  (2 Corinthians 4:8 NLT)

       One of my favorite daily devotions, Streams in the Desert by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman, directed me to this Scripture today, and there immediately sprang to mind a memory from some twenty years ago. Bill and I had traveled to the Netherlands in Spring expressly to see the tulips in bloom. We were staying in Amsterdam, as the famed Keukenhof Gardens were just a short bus ride from there, and we could enjoy the sights of the city in addition. Unbeknownst to us, our trip encompassed "Queen's Day," which is comparable to our Fourth of July celebration, but even more raucous, as you can imagine in this extremely worldly city.

      On that day, of course, we would not hide in our modest hotel room just to avoid a harmless crowd, and so we joined the fun on the streets. We had had lunch in a small Greek cafe along a canal, observing the passing crowds and barely moving cars in the streets, boats filled with revelers literally forming a solid bridge across the canal. We could feel more than hear the throbbing of the pervasive "techno" music even inside the restaurant. We at last decided to venture out to cross over a footbridge to the other side of the canal, and almost without warning we were truly crushed in an immovable mass of humanity, people trying to move in all directions and completely gridlocked. My feet literally left the ground as the crowd carried me forward, almost breathless and definitely helpless. I remember clinging to Bill's shirt with two fingers, worrying mainly about the big camera around my neck, trying not to panic. And then suddenly we were loosed from the grip of the crowd and I just stood there shaking, taking in big gulps of air, and clinging to Bill in relief. 

      Have you ever had days, weeks, months, or even years like that? Times when you can't see a way out of the hard place and all you can do is breathe, and even that with difficulty?  I know I have, and I'm sure most of you have, too. It is times like these when I know that I can, I MUST, reach for my Bible to study Paul, or Job, or turn to my favorite Psalms of comfort to put my troubles in perspective. At the very worst of times, I simply sit in quiet contemplation of my dear Savior, visualize the last days of His short life, and remind myself He did it all for me. The pain and punishment I deserve, He did NOTHING to deserve, yet He took more than I can ever imagine... for me, for you.  

      And so I keep breathing, knowing that  "our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory."  (2 Corinthians 4:17 CSB)

Keukenhof Gardens -- A Taste of the Glory to Come!

This song was sent to me today! Contemplate that last photo and listen: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqxtFUwM3-o

 "He must increase, but I must decrease"  (John 3:30)

♱

NOTE: Some of my favorite Psalms of comfort: 8, 16, 23, 34, 42, 46, 91, 139.