DebraJ
In the Bleak Midwinter
As I looked out on my garden Thursday morning it was a peaceful scene: while birds fed at bird feeders and on the ground, fog hovered in the air, causing leaves to drip…drip…drip with the heavy moisture. All was calm, serene.
Suddenly, the stillness was broken! A black cat with white socks jumped out of the bushes trying to snatch an unsuspecting bird for a morning snack, causing all of them to fly away to safety. Unsuccessful, he sauntered away in the direction of his home. As he left, birds once again landed on the grass and feeders. All was calm, serene.
A few moments later, Socks jumped out of the bushes AGAIN, trying to snatch a bird unaware that he had snuck back into that peaceful place. Again, all the birds went flying for safety, leaving the unsuccessful hunter to saunter away in the direction of his home.
Again, birds landed on the grass and feeders in relative peace. But I realized they were more aware of their enemy’s tactics than I was as I stood in my house. They live their lives in battle mode – always keeping a wary eye out for sneaky cats that try to fool them by “leaving” only to return from another direction.
Sure enough, very soon he was there again, jumping out of the bushes seeking to ensnare someone that wasn’t watching out for him. All that appeared calm and serene wasn’t going to stay that way! Again, all the birds flew away to safety and soon Socks sauntered away in the direction of home in defeat…this time staying there!
Do you ever feel like those birds? I know I do! Thinking all is calm and serene I’m suddenly blindsided by an attack that comes from out of nowhere! I don’t know what yours are, but my recent “attacks” include financial concerns; health issues (my own and two friends in the same day with possible cancer); family health issues (my sister needed a kidney transplant after an autoimmune disease destroyed hers); while at the hospital in Loma Linda, the San Bernardino mass shootings took place only three miles away; and then the hospital received a bomb threat! That was followed by hearing from yet another friend whose heart was deeply wounded by a broken relationship.
One after another – it was just like that black cat with white socks relentlessly jumping out of the bushes trying to ensnare me.
But I was not taken out…my enemy was not successful and these issues did not ensnare me!
Why? Because of a Baby born in a manger 2000 years ago. The One born into our world of despair, disease, drought, death. The One who knew there was no other way to redeem all those whom God loves from this damaged and broken life, which without him is no life at all. With Him even the very things meant to destroy us will work for good, according to His purpose and plan. With Him we have strength to stand firm when faced with such things.
But sometimes I need a reminder that the difficulties I see going on around me will not last forever.
Listen to what awaits those of us who choose to accept His redeeming love into our hearts – our lives:
Isaiah 35 (Joy of the Redeemed)
“The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy…they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God.
“Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.’
“Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, (I especially love that!) and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.
“The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.
“And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it. No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast; (nor any black cat with white socks!) they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, and those the Lord has rescued will return.
“They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.”
All this because that Baby, Son of God and Son of man, grew up to be our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; offering His perfect, sinless life in place of our imperfect lives, to pay the penalty we could not pay on our own; conquering sin; overcoming death…offering us eternal life with Him through His redeeming blood!
“And He shall reign forevermore, forevermore! And He shall reign forevermore, forevermore! Unto us a child is born, the King of kings and Lord of lords! And He shall reign forevermore, forevermore!”*
Lord Jesus, thank you for coming into this world to bring us life. Please help us to stand firm in you no matter what attacks may come our way, and remember that you shall reign forevermore. Amen
*Chris Tomlin, “He Shall Reign Forevermore”
OF RATS AND ROACHES
I’ve decided that I really dislike rodents and creepy insects, especially when they invade my nice, clean and tidy living space. I’m sure most of you would agree with me, but may I share with you some new perspectives I’ve gained regarding such things?
A couple of weeks ago my kitty Daisy and I started out on our morning walk through the garden. We were still on the back deck when I heard a “plop” on the grass where we were headed and noticed leaves drifting down from the podocarpus tree just above it.
“Oh dear.” I smiled to myself and then said to Daisy, “Was that the little squirrel?” thinking he’d fallen out of the tree, where he hides his nut stash.
As we rounded the big blue planter both of us peered out on the grass. Nope…no squirrel. It was a RAT! A little tree rat, yet still a RAT! His tail was moving, so we knew he was still alive, but he couldn’t quite get himself moving to high tail it outta there. Well, he wasn’t gonna get any help from ME and Daisy just wanted to gobble him up, so we back-tracked and started our garden walk from the other direction.
And wouldn’t you know it! Any one of those bothersome neighborhood cats that hang out in our garden would have been a welcome sight right about then, but there wasn’t one to be found! Oh well…I was certain they’d find him soon enough.
When our walk was finished, we went to check on that little varmint…but he was gone. I guess he was able to high tail in outta there, after all. Ewww!
~
About a week before that (soon after returning from our trip to Maui) I found Daisy staring at the top of my kitchen cupboards. She was sitting on the island countertop, very closely watching something that was very interesting to her little kitty eyes. So I looked up, trying to see what had captured her attention, figuring it was a crane fly or other flying bug that she loves to chase.
Nothing on the cabinet doors…nothing on the right side…but OH. MY. GOSH…there peering over the edge of the crown molding was a HUGE cockroach! (Did I mention he was HUGE?) He was looking down at Daisy (probably wondering if she was edible, cuz he was HUGE) with his antennae wiggling back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Keith wasn’t home so I knew I was going to have to be the one to smash this guy to smithereens.
Leaving Daisy to keep an eye on him (remember he was HUGE) I ran to get something long handled with which to whack him, wondering where in the world he would have come from! (Maybe a hitchhiker from Maui?) Finding a yardstick, I then quickly found my trusty step stool and prepared to crush this creepy guy before he could jump down or run away. I climbed up and raised the yardstick way above my head, all ready to hit him so fast and hard he wouldn’t see it coming or know what hit him. But as soon as his big ol’ antennae sensed a change in the atmosphere he turned around, quick as a flash and was GONE!
OH. MY. GOSH! Now I had a HUGE cockroach somewhere behind my cupboards! Frantically I searched for (and found) bug spray and doused the daylights out of every crack and crevice ’til I was certain this larger than life cockroach was history!
But it wasn’t until a few days later, after Keith had sprayed all over the house, that I spotted him on the floor, feet up, flat on his back. Filled with relief, I started to pick him up with a paper towel, when he turned over and started running away! OH. MY. GOSH! I had absolutely no choice but to smash him, right then and there! (Remember he was HUGE?)
Finally this R.O.U.S. (Roach Of Unusual Size) was definitely DEAD!
Yes, I have definitely decided that I really dislike rodents and creepy insects that have invaded my nice, clean and tidy living space. And I will do all that is necessary to be sure they do not do that!
~
So, a few days after these two incidents had taken place I had to go to my local pharmacy to pick up some medications. Now, this pharmacy has changed over the past year, getting a little…“scummy” (is how I described it to Keith). It’s been overrun with beggars & shopping cart people, although it hasn’t always been this way. These people aren’t homeless, but live at an assisted living home around the corner. And lately I’ve noticed that they’re becoming a bit bolder: when a car drives in and parks, they walk right over and stand at the car door, waiting for the driver to get out. The minute the door opens they ask for spare change.
That bugs me.
It feels like they’re invading my space, just like the rats and roaches! How do I know how safe this person is? Why do they want my money and what will they do if I don’t have any to give them? It’s made me want to move our meds to a different pharmacy OR maybe ask the pharmacy to have them beg some other place.
And then I studied chapters 5 & 10 in book of Isaiah in the Bible. God was angry with His people. He was angry because they had turned away from Him to worship false gods and gratify whatever desires they had, in any way they wanted. It grieved my heart so deeply that His chosen people would do such a thing to the One who loved them, chose them, cared and provided for them! I’m so grateful the Lord has redeemed me from a life like that! I never want to hurt Him in any way…
But…He was also angry that they were unjust, greedy and they didn’t care for the poor and needy in their midst.
In short, God’s people were looking at the poor and needy, the rif raf of society, as “scummy” (gulp), maybe even rats and roaches (ouch). They didn’t like them invading their space (groan), so they built house to house and joined field to field so they wouldn’t have to be near them.
But God doesn’t see the poor and needy as rif raf…scummy…rats and roaches. God loves them just as much as He loves me…knows each of them by name…knows they are somebody’s baby girl or boy, now grown and in need of a special touch from God, Himself.
I know that…so where in the world had my thoughts come from? (Not Maui!) I realized I needed to pray and ask the Lord about all of this…and here’s what He showed me…
I’ve helped the poor and needy: Keith & I serve the single parents at our church; I’ve led worship for kids in foster care; I open my home to friends who need a place to live…I do what I can, but maybe I can do more…maybe I need a new perspective and try to see the beggars and shopping cart people through God’s eyes.
Maybe I can have a plan when I go to the pharmacy (or anywhere else)…a plan to bless them, not to ignore or get bugged by them. Maybe I can love them…not on my terms but God’s…
Otherwise, why am I any better than the Israelites in Isaiah’s time?
So, that’s what I’m doing. Now I look forward to pharmacy runs or to wherever the Lord leads me to encounter one of His loved ones in need. I’m choosing to consider them “Divine Appointments” provided by God as opportunities to share His love.
I don’t always have spare change and may not be in a position to purchase a meal for them, so I’ve put together a little “blessing bag”. It contains a few healthy snacks, a pair of new socks, a little first aid kit, toiletries, tissues, sugarless gum…and a note that says: “I’m praying you’ll feel God’s love today.”
~
I love how the Lord gently but FIRMLY holds His mirror to our faces so we can see how much (or how little) we look like Him. I love how He gently encourages us to change and grow into people who live out the love He places in our hearts…
I still really dislike rodents and creepy insects. And I will do all that is necessary to be sure they do NOT invade my nice, clean and tidy living space…unless the Lord has another Garden Lesson in store for me.
Lord, some of these creatures you’ve created are pretty creepy. But I’m grateful that You use whatever it takes to get our attention so we can change every attitude that needs changing. Thank you for your forgiveness and grace, given through the blood of our Lord Jesus. Amen
OUTRIGGER CANOES
Outrigger canoe, Maui HI
On Keith and my recent trip to Maui we were thrilled each morning and evening to watch, from our condo, teams on outrigger canoes training in the ocean. Day in and day out they trained, strengthening their arms as they rowed in synchronized order, cutting through the water until they reached their destination. Then, still on the ocean, they would rest a bit before turning the canoe around and paddling back the same way they had come.
I grew accustomed to their routine. But one day, toward the end of our stay, one of the canoe’s teams stopped rowing much earlier than usual, near some flags attached to buoys in the water. The minute they stopped rowing the canoe slowed down, slowly gliding forward for a short while, until it stopped completely. Then, I noticed that a current in the ocean began to carry them backwards. I’d been totally unaware that there had been any current at all when they were rowing against it. Now that they had stopped, the current was very visible as it carried the canoe backward in its formerly unseen stream.
Not long after they had started drifting with the current the team placed their oars in the water and once again began rowing in unison, although now at a much faster pace. The outrigger canoe cut through the water quickly, going against the tide that had taken it backward, leaving a noticeable wake behind it, showing all who were watching exactly where it had been.
I wondered to myself if this team was preparing for a race and, if so, how much longer they had to prepare or if, maybe, they were ready now.
Then, as so often happens when I ponder and pray, I thought of how this was a picture of certain times in my life as a Christ-follower. I work diligently, disciplining myself to follow Him, which very often goes against the current of our culture. It can be tiring, even draining at times. I used to not realize how just taking a little break from my prayer time or from reading God’s Word or even from keeping my mind focused on our Lord could impact my forward progress. I wouldn’t intend to do it for long but taking my eyes off of my goal to be more like Jesus would cause me to slow down and begin, instead, to keep pace with the world around me. Rather than attracting others to Jesus, I would become more immersed in our culture, going with the flow that would take me further and further from Him.
Oh, how I dislike doing that! So now, as soon as I get my bearings and sense how much ground I’ve lost, I ask my Teammate, the Captain of my little canoe, to get me moving toward Him once again. And because He is stronger than anything or anyone, when I yield to Him and allow Him to work again in me, I too leave a noticeable wake behind me that lets everyone watching see exactly where we have been.
Someday I will approach the finish line and my race will be over.
So this “one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13b-14