Bloom!

We are all straining forward – looking around the corner, checking the 10-day forecast on weather.com, opening the door at night to lean out and look at the stars. Spring…it’s so close and we’re so ready! We’ve begun hearing frogs and crickets across the lake and the birds know it’s the first day of spring.

Driving home from church today, I happened to glance at one of the many fields that we pass, as yet unplanted. And there in the middle of one brown, hay-strewn field were several bunches of daffodils, waving in the wind and cheering me.

The bumper stickers and little wooden plaques hang in Stuckeys and Cracker Barrel General Stores. “Grow where you are planted.” It occurs to me that many of us are planted right now in brown, hay-strewn fields. Or we have family or friends that live there.

To the person in the checkout line at Safeway or Walmart, we may be the only breath of spring, bunch of daffodils she will see today. We don’t have to be governed by our surroundings, circumstances or the people we meet. We have the freedom to reach out and take hold of the joy, love and peace that is available from the Holy Spirit. And to pass it on. Bloom where you are planted!

2 Corinthians 2:14-15
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.

Active Waiting

I have no control over my life. I know this. This is not a “self-control” issue discussion. I’m talking about external situations in my life that frustrate me or that I want to manage.

That’s not so unusual, is it? It’s always easier to accept a part of our life if we can do something to "keep moving forward" if you've seen Meet the Robinsons, to feel a little bit proactive. But in truth, we mainly have one option – prayer. Sometimes God opens doors that allow us to act or to advise. But sometimes, He doesn’t. And that’s where I am in several areas of my life.

I get a daily scripture on igoogle. Some days it really speaks to me; other days I think yeah, I know. I’ve read this one hundreds of times. This morning’s verse was nice, but I didn’t catch my breath in amazement at the message.

So I went on over to Comcast where my old email account remains. Every day there I get a devotional from Today’s Christian Woman and the same story goes there. Some days it feels right; some days I think, yeah? Okay, so?

This morning before I read my devotional, I asked God to speak to me through the words or the scripture. I read the scripture from Isaiah, the one about mounting on wings like eagles? And I thought, that’s a nice scripture. I like that one but I know it. I’m not getting chill bumps. And I went to take my shower and get dressed.

I was going over the verse in my mind when I was stopped in my tracks. And I began to smile and shake my head. How many times have I read or quoted that verse? And where it says, “those who wait on the Lord”, I’ve just mentally glossed over and replaced the phrase with “those who love God,” “those who do their Bible study,” “those who pray,” etc.

And today God tapped me on the shoulder with that little word “wait”! Because that’s what He’s been asking me to do. So I looked up the meaning in Strong’s. And you know what? It doesn’t say “pray and then worry about it” or “sigh and resign yourself to discouragement.” It says, “to wait, look for, hope, expect, look eagerly for.”

I’ve heard “wait” from Him. But today, He let me know that if I continue to pray and to WAIT, He will strengthen me and keep me energized to continue believing He has a plan and He is in control. And I can be joyful and soar with the eagles!

Isaiah 40:31
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Wrapped Up in Royalty

I don’t watch the Academy Award shows any more. I don’t know the movies or even who most of the stars are. And I have to watch myself to keep that from being a point of pride, “It’s so worldly!” Bad as going the other direction and immersing myself so completely in it all that I’m obsessed with knowing each and every detail. I’ve been there too.

But, as I enjoy doing on occasion, I’m taking this one somewhere else.

Because you’d better believe that on Monday morning I’m on the internet looking at the dresses. And the hairdos. The sheer pageantry of it all. Why does that stuff appeal to us so much?

In 1981 I woke my sweet four-year-old daughter out of a sound sleep at about 5:00 in the morning to come and watch the wedding of a princess. I told her it would probably be her only chance to see in real life what she loved in fairy tales. Cinderella, Snow White, every little girl has the dream and moms (and grandmothers especially) support it with dresses, crowns and books.

Where does it come from, this fascination with royalty? Little boys love to play knight, or at least some game with swords and lots of noisy ceremony. Big boys go to the Xbox and do the same thing.

We all love the pomp and circumstance, the music, the complete spectacle. I believe that it comes from deep inside. The Bible supports it, in fact. In his book, “Heaven”, Randy Alcorn tells us “Psalm 2 speaks of Christ ruling ‘with an iron scepter’ and dashing the nations to pieces ‘like pottery’ (v. 9), a reference to the Messiah’s return, judgment, and perhaps his millennial reign. But once we enter the new heavens and New Earth, there’s no iron rule or dashing to pieces, for there’s no more rebellion, sin, or death. The vanquishing of sin doesn’t mean the end of Christ’s rule. It means the end of his contested rule and the beginning of his eternally uncontested rule, when he will delegate earthly rule to his co-heirs.”

My current pastors often refer to Christ as King Jesus and I love that. I’m not sure why more don’t! He will return and there will most definitely be pomp and circumstance and kingly rule. If we believe that, really believe it, we have much to be excited about! How can we not look to the sky and with John say, “Amen. Come Lord Jesus (Rev. 22:20).”

Philippians 2:9-11
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Baby Steps

First really warm day – summer side of spring. Do you ever feel like opening all the windows, hauling all the furniture out into the yard and bringing in the water hose? Let ‘er rip! Because spring cleaning should be that way. I get in my mind that I’m ready to wipe down the walls, wash the windows, vacuum the pet hair off the furniture, clean the closets – you get the idea.

And it’s also Monday morning. I face the same thing each Monday. Fresh new week – time to change the sheets, make sure all the laundry’s caught up, plan menus, wet mop the floors, churn the butter, spin the wool, and on and on.

Fresh new season, fresh new week, fresh new day. It really doesn’t matter. Because no matter the circumstance, I will attempt more than I can accomplish. And by noon on Monday, I’m beginning to slow and I look back at what I’ve done and decide I’m ready for a little break. I also begin to realize that I’ll not be able to do what I expected to do on this one day. Discouragement sets in and, if I’m not careful, with that, inertia.

So I’ve learned to take baby steps. I adopted them a long time ago in my writing with the realization that to look at a whole new project is entirely too overwhelming. But if I can simply do these three, tiny tasks…

It works with housework. It works with goal-setting. And it works with my time with God. Because here’s the way that goes:

I’m going to read one chapter in the Old Testament and one in the New. And I’m doing those two Bible studies. And I need to read the book for book group. Oh! And I’ve got those other two books going. I need to memorize scripture but I can’t find that scripture journal and I’m not going to just start learning verses without a plan. And I’ll do all that, but I really shouldn’t start until my house is clean because someone may knock on my door….

And at the end of the day, I may look back and see that I never spent any real time with God. I talk to Him all through the day, but I mean good, real, quiet, quality time alone with Him.

At this point you’re saying, don’t talk to me. You’re retired. Your time is your own and your children are grown. I have responsibilities, small voices calling my name, a long commute, a boss who undermines all my efforts.

But I have an idea. One I plan to use myself. One little verse, first thing every morning – radical thought, maybe even before my coffee. And five minutes alone with a God who adores me and who waits to greet me as I start my day, who wants to shoulder any burdens I may have to carry. Lock yourself in the bathroom and turn on the shower if you need to. Stuff a towel along the bottom of the door so small fingers can’t reach under and plead with you. (Just make sure they’re safe before you go in.)

One baby step toward becoming more like Christ.

Hebrews 12:2, 3
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

If you use Igoogle as your home page, there are several gadgets for daily Bible verses. Just search in gadgets for “daily verse”. I like Bible Gateway’s Verse of the Day (NIV) because it doesn’t take much room. Only the verse address is there and then you click on a little plus sign to expand and show the text.

There Is a Name

I dread trips to the dentist. I avoid them avidly. Not very adult, I know, but I figure I’ve lived long enough to be childish about some things even when my common sense tells me how foolish I am.

So when I sat down to my annual pre-Easter jelly bean buffet (all right, so one bag does not a buffet make, but I did some damage), and came up with a hole in the front of my mouth where my crown had been, I felt like I had been chastised. Since giving up laughter and big wide smiles is not an option, I made a dental appointment.

I have an unhealthy and almost paranoid fear of the dentist. I know why but that’s another story that you don’t really need or want to hear. I found a dentist in northern Virginia that was kind and understanding. I swore I would continue to make the seven hour drive so that he could go on treating me.

Not entirely practical, I realize now. (See above paragraph on gaping hole in mouth.) Steve had visited a dental clinic in Sumter and, because he is a patient, we assumed they would give me an immediate appointment as a new patient as well, which they did.

So I drove over today, heart fluttering. As I sat in the waiting room with my crown in my purse, I became aware of the Newsboys singing “In the Hand of God” and I began to smile. How cool was it that my dentist played contemporary Christian music! I relaxed a bit and, being the only one in the waiting room, felt free to wander and look at the intriguing pictures on the walls. There were children there – all ages and nationalities and all smiling. Then I noticed that some of them had scriptures on the pictures. My smile got almost wide enough to show the gap in my teeth!

My name was called and I was led into a treatment room where I faced a large picture of three beautiful dark-eyed boys grinning at the camera and holding up toothbrushes and toothpaste. When the dental hygienist came in, I asked her if one of the dentists in the clinic goes on mission trips. She told me all three do!

And I relaxed completely. I knew that I was in safe and, more important, compassionate hands. Because when we’re with believers, chances are high that we will find comfort in common ground. Not that we don’t disagree. Not that we don’t make mistakes and mistreat one another. But bottom line, I’m going to trust a group of believers because I know where they stand.

And for the second time this week, the name of Jesus gave me a sense of peace. The other morning, I was rushing around – picking up the house and getting ready to run errands. And I wasn’t paying close enough attention to where my thoughts were wandering. And I began to pick up little bits of worry, stress, resentment – chaos. I pulled my thoughts in check and was on the way to telling myself that I needed to stop and pray.

Somewhere in that argument with myself, I said the name of God. And simply saying the name, the very name, made me calm.

Psalm 124:8; Proverbs 18:10; Joel 2:32
Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth…The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe…And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved….