Category: Perspective

      Have you ever watched as a small child did something for the first time? Isn’t it amazing to watch them as they try something new or see something that they have never seen. I watched in delight several years ago, as my first grandchild discovered an airplane for the first time. He must have been around eight months old at the time.  I was walking from the car to the store and he was riding in the front of the buggy, when all of a sudden he sucked in air and the sound of ahhhhhhhh met my ears. Next his arm shot up into the air pointing at the distant silver shiny object that we call an airplane. I told him that’s an airplane.  He giggled and smiled ear to ear because of the delight and wonder of something new!

        I wish I knew when it was in our growing up that the sense of wonder begins to disappear and why it seems to slip away without us even noticing.  Sure, we have glimpses every once in a while when we see a really amazing sunset or take a long drive through the mountains observing the colorful fall foliage. Yet, for the most part I think we get caught up in the whirlwind of life, running here and there trying to fit all we can into our lives.  We forget to slow down and take the time to find the wonder that is all around us unless there is an extraordinary reason, such as the birth of a child or something unexpected happens. Is it possible for us to slow down and recapture wonder? Or are we in today’s culture just too over stimulated by so much information, so many responsibilities, and such a fast paced world that it seems impossible?

       If we miss the wonder that is right before our faces in nature, then how often do we miss the wonders of the Creator of creation?  Do we take for granted to beauty of each new morning as we rush around preparing for our day making lists and checking them off? How about the smell of the rain as it washes and refreshes the earth or the sound of a gentle breeze blowing through the leaves? How many times do I catch myself   flitting around in all the busyness and don’t notice the beauty all around much less thank God for that beauty? Also, how much more important to pause and notice the wonder of our God, the wonder of His love, His graciousness, His mercy to us? There is no other being on earth or in heaven that compares to God. There is no one who will ever love us like He does! Psalm 77:13-15(HCSB) says “God, Your way is holy.  What god is great like God? You are the God who works wonders; You revealed Your strength among the peoples. With power You redeemed Your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.”      Selah

      Selah, just another way of saying: stop for a bit, take a pause, listen, ponder for a moment. What a blessing if in our busy days we could take a few minutes every few hours and just pause, look around for a moment and quiet our souls and find a little something to celebrate or something small to find wonder in! (Even if we have to schedule on the calender or set a reminder on our phone!) Just take a few minutes here and there to stop the madness and rest in something bigger than we are.  I am betting it would refresh our minds and we would be better people and more productive if we did this more often.

Psalm 71:16-18 (HCSB)  I come because of the mighty acts of the Lord GOD ; I will proclaim Your righteousness, Yours alone. God, You have taught me from my youth,  and I still proclaim Your wonderful works. Even when I am old and gray, God, do not abandon me.  Then I will proclaim Your power to [another] generation, Your strength to all who are to come. 

Storms and Harvest

 

   Problems are inevitable and they love to come along when you are least expecting them and many times the most unprepared for them! Have you ever examined your problem solving techniques? What is our “normal” response? Sometimes it is easier to take things in stride than others. At times we may find yourself panicking or stressing out later to find it was not necessary at all. Then there are times when we don’t take the issue seriously enough. Many times we seek help or advice from a trusted friend, relative or mentor.

      These trials or situations run the spectrum from minor irritations to major life changing ones. Some we are prepared for and others knock the wind completely out of us. There are avoidable problems that in the right circumstance could be prevented and there are the ones that come in like a hurricane that no one could control, prevent, or stop.  So what do we do when these things come?  Who do we turn to for advice? Are we available to those around us who are in the midst of storms? Do we face them head on or try to run and hide from them? How do they affect our attitudes, do we get bitter in the storm and its aftermath or do we become better for having weathered the storm?  Are we a safe place for those around us to run in the midst of a storm in their life?

Where in the world did all this come from, you might ask. I have one of those minds that ponders on something and you just never know what trails it might decide to go down. My thoughts here began with our Wednesday night service. We’ve been studying about the Harvest and the Scripture in Galatians 6:7-9. Paraphrased: what we plant or sow, we will reap, do not get tired in doing good, for at just the right time we will reap a harvest, if we don’t give up.  Pastor Tony spoke of having a safe place to bring the harvest and if you’re not reaping the things in life that you want, it might be time to change the things you’re planting. He has a wonderful way of getting to what we need to hear, telling us the truth and making the medicine we need taste sweet as honey and mixed with humor.  He reminded us that if we are not reaping the type of relationships, finances, and such that we desire then we need to examine what it is that we are doing.

After some meditations these are some of the questions I have decided that I need to ask myself:  Am I planting the seed of what I wish to reap? preparing the soil and cultivating it properly to get the desire results?  Am I keeping the weeds and pests away and nourishing the seeds and the ground in order to make the most of what I have planted? And maybe most importantly, am I waiting for the proper time to bring in the crop (waiting for it to come into maturity)? Lastly, do I have a safe place to bring in the crop when it finally yields it “fruit”, can I be trusted with the harvest?

    The answers, they may take a while. Maybe when the storms come along I’ll try asking some of these questions of myself, also. If it is a law that we reap what we sow, and it is.  Maybe if I begin to look at the problems that I could have avoided differently, then maybe I’ll sow differently and change forever what I am reaping.

       As the season starts to change along with the leaves and cooler temperatures that are almost in sight, it has given me pause to consider some recent changes in our lives. In every life there are seasons, and my husband and I found ourselves being called into one of those new seasons and with it there were some changes headed our way. Good changes.

    Normally, good changes are welcomed with open arms.  A good example is when it is a beautiful spring day, you are inside working taking care of all the things that ‘need’ to be done and a friend or your spouse calls and says let’s go out and enjoy this wonderful weather.  Most would jump at the chance to take a break and enjoy the day. 

    Then there are the times when it seems that just when we get comfortable in the current rhythm of life and everything seems to  be flowing along fairly peacefully, something comes up to interrupt the flow. It could be anything from a minor inconvenience to something major. Often when this happens, we fight it, question it, or get annoyed by it. It breaks in our schedule interrupting our plans and often it can even change our course. 

In “Life interrupted”, Priscilla Shirer compares the two very different scenarios. She gives the example of the telemarketer who interrupts your dinner vs. the ringing door bell during dinner. We are annoyed by the telemarketer, and probably at first the doorbell, as well, until we see that it’s the Prize Patrol and we are the winner of a large sum of money. It’s about perspective and on what we focus! In this new season we are entering, am I going to focus on the new direction and the good things coming along or am I going to let interruptions knock the wind my sail and  rob me of the joy this new season brings?

 In John 10:8-10 we are told: “ All who came before Me  are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them.  I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture.  A thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance.”(HCSB)

Here is hoping  we keep our focus and put first things first when these things come along, giving our burdens over to Jesus and keeping God first. May we tend to the important things and not let the ‘tyranny of the urgent’ take over stealing away precious time, peace and joy.