Well, Shut My Mouth!!

" God never tells Job to shut his mouth; but after seeing God's greatness, Job realizes he must."  (Randy Alcorn-If God is Good)

There was a time, not so long ago and yet ages ago, that I was giving God a diatribe on why He should speak to Michael about being so messy.  "He shouldn't make a trail when coming home from work by dropping a sock, then another, then his pants, then his shirt on down to his underwear as he walked into the bathroom for a shower.  I then had to pick up each item and reclean the floors due to the mud that was inevitably encrusted on each item."

 

That was over 30 years ago, but I remember the conversation well.  As I walked into the middle bedroom and began cleaning. God gently spoke these words to my heart: "Michael gave his life for you."  He didn't have to say anything more.  My mouth had to shut.  I had been so VERY wrong.  

 

Michael had given up his dream of playing in the Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass band, an around the world trip with the youth national band (I cannot remember the name of the group, but he had been chosen for it and it was an extremely great honor) and was now working in a position that required (and still requires) him to work with water in sub-zero temperatures in winter, dig deep holes by hand in above 100 degree temperatures in the summer, trust the electric, phone, sewer, cable and gas companies to mark their lines correctly so that he doesn't strike one and become injured or killed, work in  pouring rain, sleet and even hail, etc.  and he was doing it all so that he could have me as his wife!  I was and am not worth it.  Who is?  Yet here he was and is doing so virtually every day of his life.  As I write this he is working another water main break.  He worked all day yesterday, got two and a half hours sleep before getting called in to work, got home at 7:30 am just as the phone rang with another call to work another break.  This is the one he is working on now.  (Let it be known that Michael no longer drops clothing around the house, but is very careful to place them in the hamper.  He does laundry, cleans the kitchen, scrubs the shower, takes care of the trash and vacuums as well, and I didn't have to ask him to do any of it.  One day he simply took them over, but that is another story for another day, perhaps.)
 

When he left, I was feeling sorry for myself that he had to go yet again.  I should know better.  All that does is makes him feel badly that he has to go.  He called me after checking things out to say that it indeed was another main break, but that it was already marked by the other utilities, so they could start right away and he hoped to be done by 11:30 so he could take me shopping !!  I wanted to cry!!  I am ashamed to have made him feel the need to tell me this.  I don't care about the shopping, I just miss him!  So, I sat down and spoke to God about it.  I type many of my prayers and this is what I wrote:
"So, Lord, I started this morning off by feeling sorry for myself and for Michael. Forgive me and help me learn to trust You more. When You said that the woman would crave her husband, You really meant we would simply crave him personally, didn't You? .... it is the simple thing of being with him, talking with him, sharing occurrences with him, laughing and crying and holding him...these are the things I crave most. When I am in his arms, the world fades away, just as You meant it to. I cannot thank You enough for allowing me to experience this. I know the reason for this experience is to give me a foretaste of eternity with You. I cannot fathom why anyone would want less!!"

 

I really enjoyed this analogy:   "Ignorant beings often feel unhappy and confused because of decisions made by wiser and more powerful beings.  Like my (Randy Alcorn) dog Moses thinks I don't "get it" when I hush him late at night.  I'm cruel when I refuse to let him eat the steak he smells.  Of course, he has no idea that his barking wakes up the neighbors, or that a whole steak wouldn't be good for him (he had one once, so this is not a theory), or that there are beings more important than he (perish the thought).  Given his world view, he may feel certain I am not demonstrating goodness and love.  But Moses is simply not in a position to grasp my reasons.  They transcend his understanding." 

 

Moses and I are a lot alike.  We have difficulty fully grasping this verse:

"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."  Romans 8:28

This verse has been misunderstood and even taught incorrectly by many.  It isn't that God turns everything into good, but rather that He makes them work together like a jigsaw puzzle or a tapestry to become a beautiful piece of artwork for our good.  It may take years before we can see the big picture, or it may even take until eternity for us to grasp even a small portion of it, but we can rest assured that God always, always, ALWAYS keeps His promises.