Just Do Your Part

For as long as I can remember, my husband selects a "theme word" for the New Year. Words like discipline, focus, gratitude just are a few. One year (2007) which started off rather well, he selected the words champagne and candlelight. Those fizzled quickly and other words like courage and strength  became our focus to lead us through a year of heartache and grief. We would wander through the next several years claiming words that would help us to simply breathe. Words like grieve,  survive, recover, and heal would steer us through those long, dark days. 

We never know where the year will take us, do we? 

This time last year we had no idea how carefree life was as we finalized  plans for a golf trip to Ireland and a family beach vacation early summer. Little did we know the carefree planning would turn into an unforgettable year - one of fear, heartache, uncertainty and confusion. A year that taught us much about ourselves, our neighbors, and the way in which we socialize, shop, and worship. New words came into use - like shelter-in-place and quarantine, and Zoom..

And now it seems each of us knows someone who did not survive this dreaded virus. Hearts are broken and lives are changed forever. Psalm 34:18 reminds us that "The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and draws near to those who are crushed in spirit." When we cannot be close to our grieving friends, we can take comfort in asking God to be the arms around those who weep and mourn.

Elizabeth Kubler Ross, the Swiss American psychiatrist said, "It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth - and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up - that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had."

And so, I guess it is fitting that this year's word is a phrase - Just Do Your Part. Living every day as if it is our only day left - it doesn't have to be spectacular. In fact, it can be as simple as picking up the dry-cleaning or making the chile the way he/she likes it. It might just be a friendly text - like today when my girlfriends texted about loving the Christmas season and leaving things up a little longer. All just doing their part to be kind to each other and have a little fun on a cold, wintry day.

What will your part be? When this year comes to a close - and it happens quickly - will you be able to say you did your part to help heal, to offer hope, to be kind, to forgive, to love, to learn and grow?

Eugene Peterson says it well in Romans 12:1-2

In God We Trust

I don't understand how so many of us are shocked at the White House security breach. Horrified, we watch and cry out, "This doesn't happen in America!" 

It doesn't?

If this sort of thing does not happen in America, then please tell me what has been going on for the last year. For probably over a year, we have watched similar breaches throughout our country -  businesses burned to the ground, cities destroyed, lives lost or changed forever and very seldom have we cried out "This does not happen in America!" 

No. Instead, we have watched the destruction across our land and called it a peaceful protest. 

We have read the statistics about the rate of homicides that have sky-rocketed across our beautiful America and we cannot help but wonder if this, too, is part of the breach in our divided country. When it hits home and a precious 7-year-old is murdered down the street from where I live, I'd say there is more than a security breach at our capital building, but a breaking down of our very neighborhoods.

Breach is defined, according to Webster, as an act of breaking or failing to observe a law, agreement, or code of conduct. It is also defined as a gap in a wall, barrier, or defense, especially one made by an attacking army. We could make a long list of "breaches" that have occurred in our community, our country, and our world throughout history. 

People have been disobeying the law for a long time. And there are consequences according to God's Law.  (I was recently reminded by a wise young woman that a distinction needs to be made between God's Law and Man's Law.) Read some of the Old Testament and you will see how over and over the Israelites disobeyed God. Over and over there were "breaches" where God removed himself and just let the people have their wicked ways. They suffered mightily, repented, and returned to God's favor. Not without consequences though. Look at poor Moses - he wandered around for 40 years in the desert because his people would not enter the land of plenty. And when Joshua led the people into the promised land poor Moses was not allowed to enter. Consequences. 

 These  words are all synonyms for the word "breach":

 fracture, crack, rent, opening, alienation, split, rift, schism, separation; dissension. 

Whatever you want to call it....however you wish to define it, we (as Christians) find ourselves more and more at a crossroads in our faith. Henry Blackaby, author of Experiencing God, calls this a "crisis of belief".  As Christians, we must decide - will we face the future armed with our faith intact? If so, then we must take action as we wait and watch to see where God is working. Staying close to the Lord, asking his guidance, seeking his will, is the best course of action when we are at a loss of what to do in a complex and confusing world. There would be fewer breaches if we all put God first.

I believe God is in total control of this breach, along with the many other fractures, separations, and cracks that we have all helped to create.  May He forgive us of our sins and guide us through to His Light.

In God We Trust.

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Mind-blowing Gratitude

 

The persistent noise from the leaf blower outside my window is enough to make one scream. On and on it drones every Tuesday morning, sweeping away the leaves, cleaning up the debris from fall's clutter. I have to remind myself that there is a person holding that blower and they work hard in the cold to make my life look better. I try to be grateful. Occasionally it pauses and I breath a sigh of welcome relief and then it starts again.  I know they will be gone shortly so I tolerate it. And when it finally subsides, the quiet is heavenly. My garden has been restored to a sanctuary of order and peace. Until next week.

I wish my mind and heart could be that easily restored - just a little "mind-blower" to sweep away all my uncertainty, busyness, and distraction, leaving only a peaceful mind, full of hope and gratitude. A recent devotional said to focus on the love poured out on the cross. I look up at a cross on the wall in my office and as the outside clatter subsides, my racing heart slows a bit as well, remembering that nothing can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38). 

 Not Covid, not politics, not disease or death, not grief, not strained relationships, not financial stress, not leaf blowers.

 I'll leave some blanks so you can fill in your own list___________, _________, ___________.

Sometimes it just helps me to name the issues and say with assured confidence, "Covid cannot separate us from the love of God. Politics cannot separate us from the love of God." You do it. A  pastor once told me to give your problems a name and then you can do something about them. For one thing, you can give them to God. This, according to Sarah Young in her book Jesus Calling, is a spiritual act of worship.  Keeping the focus on loved poured out from the cross enables us to be grateful.

And here we are at Thanksgiving week. A very different week for most of us.  Smaller tables set with fewer plates. Smaller turkeys. Fewer gatherings with many of them outside. Hopefully all of this reduction in activity will not lessen our feelings of gratitude for one another, our families, friends, and country. Quite possibly it will help us to be very grateful for all we have, and it is plenty. No unlike the Pilgrims, who 400 years ago arrived in a new country and found after their  first year, many of their family members had died from the hard work of survival, but even in their reduced numbers, they paused and remembered their God, and gave thanks for what they did have. And here we are today.

I challenge you this week to make an ongoing gratitude list and see if it helps to clear your mind of fret and worry.  And in the space freed up, prepare to discover joy has taken up residence.

 

 

Another Birthday

 

Another birthday today.

Another milestone crossed. She would be 39. While I had years with my mom and could write down memories of her, I can only imagine what Megan’s life today would look like. We all got robbed from having years together – as a daughter, sister, and friend. But we had 27 years together and we are grateful for many, many good times. She will never be forgotten.

All of us have someone we have lost, but will never forget – a spouse, a parent, a sibling, a child, a friend, a pet. It is healthy to remember and reflect on the time we had with those people. To laugh, shed a tear or two, to wonder – those emotions are healthy and keep us “real” in this hard life. I posed a question to my husband the other day, asking him how long it takes him to choke up when he thinks of Megan now, after almost 12 years. He thought for a minute and said it varied. He said some days he could remember and sigh and move on.  But other days those thoughts could strike a painful blow, like bad news you have heard for the first time. It was good to just talk about it. 

Most of us are the same. We get blind sighted by a random thought or memory. We might be busy with a project or a deadline but we take a breath and push through, but if we find ourselves with some time on our hands we might allow a few tears. I’m no grief counselor, but I say that is perfectly normal. When we push through, we are likely pushing those feelings down inside and as we all know, sooner or later they will find their way out – in a healthy way or not so healthy. I know because I’ve done both.

What is troublesome today as we try to manage through this pandemic, so many are not able to share the pain of loss with close family and friends. We are experiencing serious illness and death and we feel all alone in our sorrow, uncertain how to maneuver through. I am not sure I could have survived the 18-month illness of a child had I not had the love and support of family and friends who were much closer than 6 feet. Of all the times when we need closeness, now we are asked to stay apart. Take that lonely sorrow and grief and multiply it by 163,000 current deaths in the US alone and we have a great sadness that is impossible to measure. How do we comfort others? How do we share in their loss?

These disruptions in our normal routines and rhythms of everyday life contribute to the lingering unease and sadness that we are all feeling. Not only are we mourning the loss of thousands but we are also mourning the loss of normalcy, from seeing our co-workers to engaging in the mundane routines that we previously took for granted. 

I said earlier we got robbed of years together. But we did not get robbed of a future together. And I say that to all who are experiencing loss and disruptions today. The many millions of us.  Sometimes I must reach for Randy Alcorn’s book 50 Days of Heaven and reread to remind myself that we are all passing through this life. It is not our final home. Take me seriously. By thinking about Heaven, we don’t eliminate our pain, but as he says, “We can alleviate it and put it in perspective. We are reminded that suffering and death are only temporary conditions.”Alcorn says grasping what the Bible teaches about Heaven will shift our center of gravity and radically alter our perspective on life. It will give us hope, a word the apostle Paul uses 6 times in Romans 8.

So we have hope....because we know we have a future together.

 

 

In Need of a Dose of Wonder

We are restless and tired....

                                      weary and worried....

                                                                    conflicted and confused. 

I look at this growing list of descriptive words of the feelings friends are sharing with me and realize not one of them is a physical symptom - something easily remedied by a dose of medication.  No, these are heart and soul issues that each one of us is having to come to terms with as the days of pandemic and political unrest continue in our world. 

Is it our uncertainty? Well, that's one thing we can be certain of - there will be uncertainty.  John 16:63 reminds us that "in this world, we will have trouble." But for many of us it is hard to get our minds around the fact that there is so much trouble - people are dying, cities are burning, and evil seems to be rampant. We feel so helpless as we "stand in our watchtower of prayer and wait" trying really hard to trust that God will ultimately take charge of His world and make it right. We watch and wait.

I try to stay busy with little things I can do to make my world better - feeding the homeless, writing notes of encouragement and blog posts, loving my neighbors, checking on family, studying the Bible, praying for delivery. There are times though when I just have to stop and mentally transport myself away to another world - either through music or a book or a memory of better days.

Today I found myself rereading a section of When God Comes Near. Megan had been ill for several months and as I sat by her side, I found myself reading in her journal about her travels from Salzburg to Interlaken on a train in June of 2003. Her words were like music.

"The scenery is so beautiful. The mountains - oh, I could look at them all day. We pass through farmland - by churches with bell towers and clouds reaching high above the little towns. The streams running alongside us are vivid blue.  With my faced pressed upon the glass I am reminded of my favorite song:

This is my Father's world, and to my listening ears

all nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres.

This is my Father's world; I rest me in the thought

of rocks and trees, of skies and seas; his hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father's world. O let me n'er forget

that thought the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.

This is my Father's world: why should my heart be sad?

The Lord is King; let the heavens ring! God reigns; let the earth be glad.

This is my Father's world; He shines in all that's fair; 

In the rustling grass I hear him pass; he speaks to me everywhere."

She went on to write." I am sure many people I encounter don't recognize  the world they live in - whether Prague, Munich, or the USA - is their Father's world. Some might not even recognize God as a part of their world. What an amazing privilege to have a God who speaks to me everywhere. I am so thankful for all the ways God communicates goodness, faithfulness,and love to me."  

I remember smiling as I closed her journal, grateful and a little surprised I did not feel sad, but through her words from a trip long ago, I had been given this dose of wonder.

 We are all in need of a dose of the wonder these days. 

The author, Madeleine L'Engle wrote:"When I need a dose of wonder I wait for a clear night and go look for the stars.....in the country the great river of the Milky Way streams across the sky and I know that our planet is a small part of that river of stars....Often the wonder of the stars is enough to return me to God's loving grace."

A dose of wonder, taken daily - as often as needed.

Watchtower Waiting

Someone reminded me about Habakkuk. You know, the little (only three chapters) Old Testament book hidden between Nahum and Zephaniah. Assuming I haven't already lost you, Habakkuk was a prophet who asked questions and got answers from God.

It's what we all want as we cross off these pandemic days, marching to the end of summer. Answers to our questions. How long? Why? What is the cure? Will there be a vaccine? How can I cope? Will my family make it through? It seems that none of our questions can be answered in a simple way, and the unanswered uncertainties just lead to more nagging doubt about who we can trust in our community, our country and our world.

As opposed to taking a passive approach to his situation (which I am often inclined to do), Habakkuk was full of questions for God. Troubled by the evil of his times, he was burdened with the chaos of life and had no hesitation in filing his complaints.

"How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?" (1:2)

"Why do you make me watch this injustice?" (1:3)

"Why do you tolerate wrong?"(1:3)

And God proceeds to tell his prophet that he wants him to look beyond the present. Yes, things were miserable. And they were going to get much worse.  But God was working behind the scenes to bring about "something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told (1:5).

Habakkuk climbs up on the watchtower to wait, expecting God to answer him in the midst of all the ruins around him. And God gives Habakkuk a vision of power and destruction that truly was hard for him to believe. I suppose it took a little time to process, but Habakkuk then responds with a song. His prophesy closes with those famous lines from 3:17-18 - "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord...The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights."

And I could mirror that by saying:

 though the summer is too hot, and the garden is wilting,

    though there is no slowing down of this pandemic and no cure in sight,

      though none of know what is best for schools and churches and businesses,

       though we are a country in a mess, yet I will rejoice in the Lord who is working behind the scenes

            in our cities, in our medical world, in our political world, and over our beautiful world.

               He enables me to keep on going. It is enough.

I once quoted a writer who said to pray for God to make us who and what we should be while in the midst of these tough times. She said to pray that we can live within our many afflictions for however long they last,  knowing we are held and sheltered by the Lord who protects us. (LB Cowan)

Find a watchtower............and wait.  It's so hard.