Abundant Living

Thursday, August 26, 2010

I know he was trying to do something nice for me, but I’m not sure it was beneficial. A few months ago my husband introduced me to a new solitaire-type game on the computer. “I think you’ll like this one,” he said one evening.

I was skeptical at first… no doubt because I’m basically a resistor of change, and figured that “Freecell” would do me just fine for the rest of my life. Nevertheless I gave the new game a try, and was quickly hooked. Still am, although I try to practice the Christian virtue of moderation in all things.

I have to admit however that this game has served to illustrate a tremendous spiritual truth to me… which perhaps gives my quasi addiction some redeeming value. After failing repeatedly to win a round, I made the amazing discovery that I could re-set the log of my wins and losses whenever I wanted. With the click of a key, all the losses were instantly erased and I was granted a brand new, fresh start.

How wonderful to see a 100% success rate following a single win, rather than 2.5% following successive defeats. How kind of the programmers to include such a “grace” function in their creation. Somehow it motivates me to try harder, to strive to pile win upon win… to improve!
I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3: 19-23)

So the originator of my game wasn’t the first producer of “the clean slate.” Like all good things, God thought of it first. He is the Author of the second chance, and third chance and the one thousand and fifty-sixth chance! When I fail, if I confess my sin to Him… poof! He re-sets the score!

Of course, I have to admit that when I’m racking up more losses than wins in my game, I can become disheartened… and if I ever want to become a champion, I can’t content myself with losing over and over and over. I need to learn the strategies, practice skillfully, and persevere when I fall.

How very much like my Christian walk. God in His grace, forgives, cleanses and wipes my slate clean when I fail. But one of these days He’s hoping that I start amassing more victories than defeats… more triumphs than tragedies… more steps forward than backward. And that’s because He’s more into me conquering the game, than in it conquering me!

And so, when I clear my game statistics, most certainly some time later today, I will smile to myself, and mutter a sincere “thank You!” to the Author of my faith for His mercy that is brand new every morning.

Posted in General

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

It was time. An upcoming visit to our home by a group of nine Brazilian guests provided the motivation (and deadline!) to tackle a job I’d been postponing for ages.

I decided to go through our entire house, getting rid of STUFF that had been accumulating over the past ten years since we moved into our present home. The timing seemed right, since all of our children are “out of the nest” with places of their own. I knew I’d have to be ruthless!

John and I set up 8-foot tables and loaded them with dishes, games, linens, books, CD’s, clothing, and much more. Then we invited our four children and spouses over to claim anything they wanted from the piles. What was left went in various directions… charity, used bookstores, trash, etc.

When the sorting and disposing were all finished I felt positively “light!” It wasn’t that these items were bad things… just superfluous! How wonderful to truly have a place for everything and everything in its place… I was surprised at how fresh and newly-energized I’d become!

The guests came and we had a marvelous time! I believe the extra preparation helped me enjoy their visit even more, because I didn’t feel weighed down by tasks undone. And it was a relief to know that they could open any drawer or cupboard and I wouldn’t need to feel embarrassed by an overflowing hodgepodge of odds and ends.

Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Hebrews 12:1)

What a lesson for my Christian life! How beneficial to regularly do a spiritual housecleaning! Often I’ve discovered that my spirit has become cluttered… not with terrible things… on the contrary, many things that fill my time and attention are normal, acceptable, even fine pursuits. They’re just not necessary. And they weigh me down. They create an almost imperceptible, floating angst that sits on my shoulders and makes my walk with Christ seem burdensome rather than freeing.

“Lord, help me be ruthless with the rubbish that threatens to steal from me the delight of Your presence! I want to enjoy You with a heart that is unencumbered by the cares and distractions of this world! I want You to be able to explore the nooks and crannies of my spirit and find them clean and orderly. I want to freely revel in our times together.”

Someone asked me last week if I would like to have a certain item they were planning to discard. “No!” I almost shouted at her. “I just got rid of all my extra junk; I don’t want to start filling up my house again.” Mmmm, perhaps this pursuit of an uncluttered house and an uncluttered life is an ongoing battle. Perhaps the ruthlessness must be continued. Perhaps I’d better get another 8-foot table!

Posted in General

Friday, May 28, 2010

       Tiny little Judah Rao was tugged and pulled into this world on May 6. Even though he decided to come five weeks early, and the doctors had to almost wrestle with him to extract him via C-section, all is well and he is home and thriving. He made child #5 for our daughter and son-in-law and grandchild #6 for John and myself. Every new life is a miracle and Judah is no exception.

        One morning I drove “Mommy” Monica into the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) so she could care for her little son throughout the day. As she settled into the rocker, with Judah cradled in her arms, it was obvious immediately that he had only one thing on his mind. His little lips parted, his head turned toward his mother and it was apparent that he knew exactly where the source of his next meal was.

        “Amazing,” I thought, “this four-pound creature, just barely introduced to the world, knows instinctively that he must eat and who has the capability of feeding him.” I watched him twist and turn and wriggle and reach with his entire body, so he could finally begin nursing. “She represents survival to him,” I observed. “And not just survival, but also comfort, growth, love and safety.” He needed her desperately. It was intuitive, but it was desperation just the same.

        And then I had another thought… “How dependent on the Lord am I for my survival, comfort, growth, love and safety? How desperately eager am I to receive Godly nutrition?” I have to admit that there have been times when I’ve gone so long without spiritual food, that I feel like I’m starving. I sense my soul shriveling and drying up. It’s a miserably empty feeling. Then I open God’s Word, and His strength begins to trickle into me. I need that sustenance so badly. Why in the world, do I wait so long between feedings?

        Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (I Peter 2:2)

        During the busy ten days I spent caring for our four older grandchildren while Judah remained in the hospital, I realized again the necessity of internalizing of God’s Word. When I became tired (I’d forgotten how demanding the role of a young mother is), I would stop for a moment and simply recite, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me the strength!” It was like getting a good taste of high-power milk and it was truly energizing!

        Admittedly a more lengthy session of reading the Bible and meditating on its truth is probably most beneficial to my Christian growth and maturity… just like an uninterrupted, extended nursing session is optimal for a baby. But I’ve discovered that even short, frequent swallows of Scripture throughout the day can be strengthening. Certainly they’re better than nothing.

        So… today I’ll plan to settle comfortably into my Father’s arms and drink for awhile from His life-giving Word. And as I rush through the many items on my to-do list, I’ll purpose to pause long enough to mentally gulp down plenty of His Truth tidbits that make such a difference! Whether prolonged or brief, I believe those spiritual ‘’swigs” will be my survival!

        Mmmm, mmmm… I do believe I’m getting thirsty just thinking about it!

Posted in General

Friday, March 26, 2010

It was plastered everywhere. Hemp necklaces, beaded bracelets, wall plaques, book covers, T-shirts, bumper stickers, even paper weights. The” WWJD” insignia was hugely popular, at least for a season. But then, like all passing fads it gradually disappeared, only to surface occasionally as 25 or 50-cent items at garage sales, or worn, often somewhat shabbily, by die-hard enthusiasts.

It was a good fad, as fads go. It certainly got Jesus’ name out there in the public awareness. Still, I doubt that many of the people who wore the jewelry actually knew the origin of the craze. Some were genuinely devoted disciples of Jesus. Probably more though were enthralled with the latest rage, and a religious slogan about a “mystical” Superhero seemed like a cool body adornment. Certainly it was less expensive and permanent than a tattoo.

Way back when I was in college I read Charles Sheldon’s classic novel, In His Steps.  Few stories have impacted me so deeply. For weeks afterward I felt like I was seeing the world through a new lens. I found myself constantly asking the same question that had transformed an entire fictitious town… the question that, decades later, was as popular as tie-dye had once been:” What would Jesus do?”  It obsessed me. Then slowly, gradually, like happened to the trinket trend, the question lost its popularity. It ceased to haunt me.

But it’s back again. Only this time it’s been much more perplexing.  I’ve been wrestling with it. In college, perhaps in my youthful idealism, it seemed so much easier to answer. At that point in my life, I pictured Jesus always operating in a super-spiritual dimension. I dreamed about being as zealous about winning lost souls as He was. I envisioned myself consumed every waking hour with spiritual pursuits.

Then I got married, had children, cared for a household, went to a job, and suddenly those dreams seemed to be… fantasy. Oh, spiritual goals were (and still are) immensely important to me, but the demands of real life consumed so much time. Weeks, months and years passed by like a snap of the fingers. I’ve enjoyed the Lord’s presence the whole time, but lately that “WWJD?” has been needling me again.

Only this time I find myself asking, “What would Jesus reallydo in my situation?” If Jesus were a middle aged (or as my son categorizes me, “a young, older” adult) individual with a spouse, kids, grandkids, a job, bills, health challenges, a community of family, friends, neighbors, acquaintances and a to-do list that is never-ending… what wouldHe do? Would He go solo to Lancaster city each evening to chat with passers-by? Would He attend every event offered by His local church…and, speaking of churches, which one would He prefer? How much time would He devote to prayer, Bible memorization, evangelism and ministering to the poor, sick, needy and lost? Would He ever sit at home in the evening with his feet up, watching a mystery movie, solving a Sudoku puzzle or working on a hobby? Would He make home-made ice cream and sit on a porch rocker, listening to the crickets, smelling the lilacs, and savoring the smooth frozen treat? Would He throw a ball with His grandchildren, or sleep in after an exhausting day? Or are all of those things too “earthy,” too inconsequential, too unspiritual for Him?

But godliness with contentment is great gain. …Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. God… richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life (I Timothy 6:6, 11, 17-19).

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody (I Thessalonians 4:11-12).

I guess there’s a balance. The “good things” of this world that I enjoy are gifts from God’s hand, meant for my pleasure (and the pleasure of all His children). But how often do I revel in these, without a thought of thanks to my Father for providing them? And how often to I indulge in the easy luxuries and entertainments of this world, neglecting the harder path of sacrifice for the good of others? And how often do I wallow in self-produced guilt, because I do so little “spiritual” stuff?

Oh my… I find myself back to that pesky question again: ”What would Jesus do… really?”

Now here’s a new thought… perhaps if I would ask Him, He’d actually tell me what He’d do.

Somehow I believe Jesus’ answer would be just right, every time.

Posted in General

Monday, February 8, 2010

I can’t believe it. January flew by so quickly I never got around to posting a new blog. Yes, well… such is life.

John and I once heard someone accuse American Christians of having a faulty view of time management. This gentleman said most Christians start every day with a “to-do list.” It’s either written on a calendar, in a notebook, or posted on the refrigerator. Perhaps it’s in their electronic planner, or maybe it’s just a mental list. Regardless, their list is so long that if they were honest, they would have to admit there would be no chance of completing every task in one twenty-four hour period. Consequently they fall into bed each night, exhausted, feeling like failures, because once again the sun has set on their unfinished chores. How demoralizing!

I have to admit I’ve spent great periods of my life living with that type of relentless sense of frustration over unreached goals. It’s as though I’ve held to the belief that, “there are never enough hours in any day to do the things I need to do.”

The same person who criticized the time management of North American Christians, went on to state what he believes to be God’s better view.  He said, “I don’t believe that there are never enough hours in any day to do the things I need to do. Instead… I believe that there are always enough hours in every day to do every thing that God needs me to do.”

Ah…..that was freeing! That was refreshing! After all, God wouldn’t seek to frustrate His children by giving them daily assignments which He knew they could never complete. He would only give jobs that were within the scope of possibility.

My job then becomes figuring out what God wants me to do with today. Granted, that can pose its’ own challenge… particularly because I love to pack my days full of “my” stuff, rather than His.

Nevertheless, reminding ourselves of that wise man’s statement, has helped both John and me to relax more and even slow our hurried pace. We’ve actually allowed ourselves to cuddle up on the sofa after a hard day’s work, or sit on the porch rockers on a summer evening, or simply crawl into bed at peace, knowing that what got done got done. What didn’t get done, must wait until another day. What God enabled us to finish is… enough!

David said it to God in Psalms 31:15, “My times are in Your hands.”

 I need to say that too, every day… “Lord today is Your day… every hour, every minute, every second.  Help me to not take on things You don’t want me burdened with. Help me prioritize those things that are most important to You. Help me accomplish Your will, no more and no less. And in the midst of it all, sunrise through sunset, help me feel Your presence and Your peace that passes understanding. “

Ah…. It’s going to be a great day!

Posted in General

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Last weekend we were snowed in! Winter had not even officially arrived yet, and our area was hit with about ten inches of snow! Although it resulted in many cancellations and hours of shoveling and plowing, I have to admit, it was beautiful!

We were entertaining two Brazilian teenagers who had never seen snow in their lives. What fun to see their reactions, as well as to bundle them up and send them out to sled and make snow angels!

Seeing the huge piles of snow lining the streets this week took me back to my childhood. I grew up in a large city and walked to and from school each day. Whenever it snowed (which was pretty often in Canada), residents had to shovel their sidewalks, making giant mounds along the edges of their lawns.

How I loved those huge piles of snow! I could never bring myself to walk on the cleared sidewalks when those mountains of white were begging to be climbed! I imagined myself a great mountain climber, scaling towering cliffs and reaching unconquered summits! At times my weight would break through a crusty top layer and I’d sink to the top of my thigh. My friends and I would laugh and carry on and arrive at school with boots packed with melting balls of ice!

Looking back I recognize that those wintery hills were actually not very tall at all. Although they seemed to tower over me as a child, now that I’m an adult, I see them much more accurately.

I find so many things in life are like those heaps of snow. The challenges that seem massive and daunting to us actually look miniscule to the King of the universe. As Scripture says, “Nothing is impossible with God.” When I am going through a tough situation, it seems gigantic. But when I look at it from God’s perspective, it suddenly shrinks.

G. K. Chesterton once said, “An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered.” Or, to put it even more simply, “The difference between a mountain and a molehill is simply perspective.”

As this year draws to a close and a new one dawns, I certainly don’t know what hardships we all may face today and tomorrow…perhaps financial needs, marriage difficulties, parenting challenges, health issues. I do know that no heap of problems is insurmountable with Jesus’ help.

So, no matter what lies ahead in 2010, I aim to handle it just like I did those snow banks of my childhood. I will choose to view life’s trials as beautiful heights to be gained, not nasty nuisances to complain about. I plan to put on my spiritual boots, march up to those problems and scramble over them, knowing that one day I’ll look back and see them for the tiny bumps they really were. Care to join me?

Posted in General

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

I regret that I didn’t get around to adding a blog entry last month. The “lazy” days of autumn must have rubbed off on me!

Actually the fall months are always incredibly full around here. For me, one of the highlights of October was our annual luncheon for widows. This year Set Free, a group of young men in cowboy boots, jeans and western shirts, provided the approximately two hundred ladies with some foot-stompin, heart-blessin blue grass gospel music. They were great!

I came next in the program with a short message of encouragement to the ladies. As often happens to me, the talk grew out of something the Lord had been impressing on me over recent weeks.

I had been reflecting on the many Scriptures that refer to God’s right hand, as well as those that refer to Him holding me by my right hand. The following are just a few:

You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me. (Psalm 18:35)

It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them. (Psalm 44:3)

I stay close to you. Your right hand upholds me. (Psalm 63:8)

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me. (Psalm 138:7)

If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. (Psalm 139:9,10)

Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. (Psalm 73:23,24)

For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. (Isaiah 41:13)

Obviously God is a supernatural Being, so it isn’t exactly easy to picture what His hand looks like…let alone what it means for us to hold His hand. Nevertheless He repeatedly chose to use that symbolism to describe His care and I admit the picture helps me a lot!

Ever since the first time my husband reached out and took hold of my hand (That was thirty-seven years ago and I can still remember the thrill!), I’ve loved holding his hand. Whether I reach for him, or he reaches for me, both have a powerful effect. When I’m fearful, his hand gives me courage. When I’m sick, it soothes me. When I stumble, it steadies me. When I’m sad, it cheers me. When I walk, it guides me. Holding hands with him, I’m reassured of his love, his care, his protection, and best of all, his presence.

If holding a human hand can do so much… imagine the multiplied impact of holding the hand of God Himself!

So that’s what I’ve been meditating on lately. In the nitty-gritty busy-ness of everyday life, I try to keep that picture in my head… a picture of a Divine Hand holding mine. I have to confess that I waste a lot of time and create a lot of needless grief by keeping my hands to myself… living like I don’t need an extra hand.

But I do. And He knows that. So in His love, He keeps His hand extended to me. And when I grab it… and hang on tight… I wonder why in the world I ever let go!

Posted in General

Friday, September 11, 2009

I don’t particularly like change.

My husband and I had been “empty-nesters” for about four years. We were pretty much adjusted to the life of a twosome. Then this past October our daughter and son-in-law and their four young children moved in with us while they sold their house in Maryland and found another home in PA. Ten months later, we were used to the liveliness of eight people in the house. Last week they moved into their new home and we were hurled into an empty nest all over again!

I wish that I could freeze time…. I’d love to stop the clock when all my children are happily married with children of their own, when they all live within thirty minutes of my house, when my husband and I are getting along famously, when the whole family is in total agreement on matters of religion and politics, when each member in our family, as well as our extended family and closest friends are healthy and happy, and of course when my husband and I look and feel fifteen years younger than our age and are totally capable of living independently!. Let time stop right there!

But it never does! It marches on. Each day and every encounter brings change of some kind. It’s inevitable. No matter how much I wish it otherwise, I can’t change the reality of change.

So what can I do?

I’ve tried some poor approaches… crying, complaining, resisting, running. None of these change the change. In fact they usually make me feel worse!

There must be a better way…

I the Lord do not change. (Malachi 3:6)

Heaven and earth may pass away, but my words will never pass away. (Matthew 24:35)

Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38 & 39)

Ah… the Unchangeables: God, His Word and His love. Three glorious unchangeables! Three rocks that will not move no matter how many people or circumstances threaten to turn me upside down.

The old hymnwriter wrote, “I don’t know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future!” I’d put a little different spin on that…“I do know what the future holds…change (more and more change, every day change, unrelenting change… changes I like and changes I hate). But in the midst of them all God and His Word and His love will be there. They will support me. They will comfort me. They will help me.

Perhaps change isn’t so bad after all.

Posted in Family, General

Thursday, August 13, 2009

So-o-o-o… yesterday I was knocked out! On purpose! Oh, it was nothing romantic or dramatic. I wasn’t rendered comatose by a stray baseball, a falling brick or an enraged attacker. I actually asked for this. It was one of those unglamorous “over 50” medical procedures that is best experienced un-consciously!

The day before the test I went through some “prep.” Some people find this disgusting and difficult. I found it a bit challenging, but mostly “cleansing.” I followed the doctor’s orders carefully, because I didn’t want them to tell me “sorry… can’t take you today after all.” I wanted to be ready for the big event.

Being anesthetized has always been a very intriguing process to me. One second I was relaxing on a table, cheerfully conversing with the doctor and other medical personnel in the room. They slipped me something called Versed through my vein and the next I was waking up in a completely different room with the strangest sense that I just lost a small chapter of my life with not the slightest memory of it. Of course I didn’t really lose it at all. While I was in la-la land, I was being poked and prodded, rolled around and examined closely… and amazingly I felt nothing. But clearly something was being done to me. They even gave me some embarrassing pictures of my insides to prove it!

My husband said I was pretty funny when “coming to.” My speech sounded like a sponge was stuffed in my mouth, and I kept asking him over and over what the time was. But I couldn’t remember any of that and later I made him promise that he would never blackmail me by threatening to divulge my crazy comments to others.

How sobering that in what seems to be a speck of time, a person can fall asleep and wake up changed just moments later.

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

In the busy routines of life, I sometimes forget that I’m preparing for a really, really important blink of an eye. It may be death, or it may be Christ’s return… but either way it will be a flash and I will be changed. We all will. It’s a procedure that’s been scheduled for each one of us! We’ll fall asleep here on earth and wake up in eternity! Amazing!

I can’t help but think that if I kept this upcoming appointment more in the forefront of my thinking, I’d probably make a lot of different choices in the course of my day. I believe I’d follow Jesus’ orders more conscientiously. I’m sure I’d be more motivated to help others get ready as well.

“Lord would You do whatever it takes to keep eternity in my thoughts today? When I get lazy about preparing… would You get my attention and remind me that the big blink is coming? Thank you Lord. I need Your help!”

You know… it was great seeing my husband’s smiling face and getting a good report from the doctor after my black-out yesterday. But I’m convinced that’s nothing compared to what I’ll feel when I see Jesus’ smiling face and hear His Father welcome me to heaven.

Somehow in a nanosecond, in a blink of an eye, He’ll change us all forever! I don’t know how He’ll do it, but I’m pretty sure He won’t use anesthesia!

Posted in General

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

They’re all back! All of them! After years of having a spread-out family, John and I now have our four children, their spouses, plus our five grandchildren living in Lancaster County. What a delight!

The other week I had the whole gang over for a cook-out. After supper was over, and the little ones settled in their beds, the adults sat around our kitchen table (my favorite place in the house!) and just talked… and talked… and talked some more.

Our children began asking my husband and me questions about our “journeys of faith.” Funny, we kind of assumed that our children knew how we came to be where we are today. Because of our job as Christian marriage counselors, we often talk about spiritual issues with our clients and share our personal testimonies of God’s work in our lives. And of course, as the children were growing up we had taken very seriously their spiritual training. But this late-night chat revealed new information about our faith walk to several of our children and/or their spouses.

It was truly a special time of family closeness! I couldn’t help but think afterward about the numerous admonitions in Scripture to pass down to our children and grandchildren the accounts of what God has done for us.

We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done… so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands. (Psalm 78:4, 6 & 7)

So I was convicted of not sharing enough “God” events from my own life with my children. “Please forgive me, Lord! I should have and could have done so much better!”

And I’m challenged today to begin speaking more frequently about the doubts, the struggles, the joys, the victories, the lessons I’ve learned as a follower of Jesus.

John and I rejoice that all of our children and their spouses are part of God’s family. They each are walking with the Lord. But maybe a little more honest sharing from Dad and Mom will help cheer them on when the going gets tough (as it always does sooner or later!). And of course there will be more grandchildren coming… and they’ll grow up and bring their spouses into the family. So I believe we’ll have lots more opportunities… or, we’ll purposefully make lots more opportunities to pass on our true accounts of God at work in our lives.

Maybe we’ll have to get a bigger kitchen table!

Posted in General