Broken Water Pipes

My husband is out repairing a water main at the moment.  He left at ten o'clock last evening and is still working.  He always prepares me for how long he will be gone, because he knows I will not sleep well unless I have the information.  He said they would be all night and he was right.  Translation: I am going to come home exhausted, sore from head to foot, will want to sleep but most likely will be too tired at first, will be hungry but unable to eat a lot and will probably develop charlie horses as my muscles try to go back in place after being stretched out all night. He never complains though.  He looks at repairing water mains as a means of service and is happy to be able to do so. 

The first thing that has to be accomplished to repair a main is to valve down the water flow in the pipe that is broken.  This particular pipe may feed many homes or only a few, but it must be repaired or dirt and germ carrying bacteria can get into the lines.  After this they must wait.  All the other utilities must come out and mark the area for any possible cables, sewer lines, etc in the area so they know just how careful they must be.  Hit an active power line and you could be dead.  Hit a phone line and you owe, owe, owe.  Hit a sewer line and you can imagine the implications.  So patience is a necessary commodity when those things are close by or sometimes on top of the main.

If a main is buried deep from years of erosion, road build up, etc, you must be cautious about cave ins of the wall.  This has actually happened while he was in the hole, but God has always protected him. 

If the break in the main is under a driveway, road or highway there is jack-hammering involved.  I could go on, but suffice it to say, he comes home exhausted for very good reason.

You would think that people would see them working and be compassionate and happy they are there.  Many are.  In fact some bring them water in summer and coffee in winter. But there are some who look at them as an invasion.  They become angry that their yard is being dug in, driveway torn up, (even thought the water company always repairs these things) life interrupted by no water and if they are getting ready for work, look out!!  They come out angry and want to know how much longer it is going to take.  If they don't get the answer they want, they feel the need to go into an explanation as to why they need water now.  I wonder if they think it could be turned on just for them for a moment and then back off again. 

This sounds all too familiar to me.  How many times in my life have I gone to God in anger and frustration regarding a situation rather than joy that He is in control?  I am being convinced (spiritually I am convinced, but my flesh still struggles) that when things seem unfair to me it is God repairing a problem in my life, the life of a family member or friend or some other situation that is out of my range of vision for the time being.

This morning I was reading the last two chapters of the book of Ruth.  Boaz is asked to redeem Naomi's property and family, because he is such a close relative.  There is one closer relative he must go through first.  This relative would do so, but he doesn't want the responsibility of marrying the daughter-in-law Ruth.  If he does so, any children she has will take part of his current childrens' inheritance and it will then belong to Naomi's family line.  He takes off his sandal and gives it to Boaz.  Each time I have read this I have been intrigued by this action.  Why in the world did he give him his sandal? 

When God took Abraham out of Ur to the land of promise, He told him that wherever his foot trod would be his and his descendants.  When Moses was standing before the burning bush, God told him to remove his sandals, because the ground was holy.  Perhaps (and this is just a thought) this is because we cannot own God.  He owns us.  When the relative gave Boaz his sandal, perhaps it was a means of saying, "I have not walked this way and do not wish to.  You do it for me and all shall be yours."

When we have not walked in another persons shoes and have no desire to, we need to simply "take off our shoes" and concede the fact rather than jump on them for not doing things our way.  Those who become angry with the water company workers do not understand what is involved, nor do they understand that their personal safety is involved.  If the water supply becomes contaminated, what good is it?  Just as they need to admit they have no clue as to what is necessary, we need to admit to God that we have never and will never be in His shoes (so to speak) so do not understand why he does what he does.  We need to remember that He sees the entire picture and trust Him to make it turn out more beautiful than we can envision.

"The future will fully vindicate God's righteous integrity and the wisdom of His plan." (Randy Alcorn)

My heart desire is for each of us to understand this fully and that we all stand in awe together at the time of His return, rejoicing in the King and His great love for each of us.  Come Lord Jesus!

This too soon shall pass....

"We should view our God-permitted suffering as his specific calling to us, and not resent it if he calls others to suffer less." Randy Alcorn

The wonderful thing about being a child is the ability to go through problems and remember only the good times.  I know that as a child I was sick a lot, but I don't really remember that part so much as the comfort I felt lying with my eyes closed and listening to my family talk with each other.  

When I say a lot, I don't mean I had some persistent disease, but I had chronic strep throat that would have me throwing up and extremely weak about a week every few months at first, and then once a month by the time I turned twelve.  It was then that the doctor said I needed my tonsils out if I was ever to get past it.  They got most of the tonsils, but left little tags that grew back over the years.  At 28 I was back in the hospital having them removed a second time as the chronic strep returned with them. 

I know I went through all this and even remember one of them.  Momma always took me to Nana's when I'd get sick.  She knew that somehow it made me feel better.  That particular day she asked if I wanted to go.  I said yes, but when we got in the car and it started moving, I wished I'd said no, but wasn't going to tell Momma.  She wanted to help, so I was going to let her.  It was this time that my uncle came in to me, as he always did, and asked, "How you doing kiddo?"  I couldn't even answer because my throat was so swollen and I might throw up.  I just looked at him with that face kids make when they want to answer but can't.  He got down eye level with me and said, "Don't worry.  This too soon shall pass."  Then he smiled, patted me and went back to whatever he needed to be doing.

Those words have stayed with me all my life.  I doubt my uncle knew how extremely important it was for him to say those words at that moment in time, but I am glad he didn't shrug them off as being insignificant and let them go unsaid.  Every time I have faced a crisis, pain, anger, hurt, frustration, fear, etc., those words have come back to me. 
Labor in childbirth has taught me a valuable lesson.  Suffering brings reward - eventually. 
³ Not only so, but we^[a] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.  Romans 5 I realize that suffering sometimes lingers a lifetime and so the words Uncle Danny spoke that have been so meaningful in my life may not have the same effect on someone else who has struggled a lifetime.  However, perhaps they can help a little if we simply remember that compared to eternity, this life is but a breath. 

I know I am extremely imperfect, but I pray that no matter what comes my way I will not only remember these words, but those of the poem that ends this chapter:
This cardboard box Lord.  See it says, "Bursting Limit 100 lbs. per square inch.
The box maker knew how much strain the box would take, what weight would crush it.
You are wiser than the box maker maker of my spirit, my mind, my body. 
Does the box know when pressure increases close to the limit?  No.
It knows nothing.  But I know when my breaking point is near.
And so I pray, Maker of my soul, Determiner of the pressure within upon me,
Stop it lest I be broken or else change the pressure rating of this fragile container
of Your grace so that I may bear more.
Joseph Bayly

intangibles

My husband and I love to watch "Love It, Or List It."  It is a program about people who have decided their houses no longer work for them.  One of them usually wants to move and the other wants to revamp.  A realtor and an interior designer compete to see who can sway them their way.  The realtor looks for a house meeting their standards within their price range and the designer is given a budget to bring their house up to what the owners feel the need.

Our reasons for watching are simply to see the finished product of the designer.  It always amazes us that one person can take a house and turn it into a show place.  It never looks like the same house when she is finished, even if she finds problems unknown before and cannot give them all they want.

Yet the more I watch the more I think about how spoiled we are as a people in general.  Owners will tell the realtor they want a house in a specific area at a specific price with a specific list of "must haves."  Of course there really are some necessary things like a place to sleep for the family members, a bathroom, and a place to cook, but a swimming pool, an eat in kitchen and dining room, a bathroom for each family member, a bedroom for each family member with plenty of windows in each but not street lights near them, and so on, and so on is simply astounding.

Last evening we watched a couple with two small children living in a 4000 square foot home with and indoor swimming pool that just wasn't working for them anymore.  They'd lived there a year.  I couldn't help thinking, "and in another year you would hate your new home as well."  It turned out a good thing they had renovations done, because a mouse  infestation was discovered.  They had to get an exterminator and replace wiring throughout the house.

I think this is what we all need at times, an exterminator and rewiring within ourselves.  We have all these so-called needs that are no more than wants, but we feel we cannot live without them.  An exterminator would cleanse our thought processes and rewiring would help us realize we can live without them and will probably be better off for it.

Most people know that when I was a child I grew up in an approximately 800-900 square foot home with a mom, dad, 5 children and a dog.

We had one bathroom for all of us to share and we were happy. 

I am not going to lie and say we weren't cramped.  Five kids in such a small bedroom was crowded, but we had fun!  We giggled together, tormented each other (my oldest sister was brilliant at this - she has a very vivid imagination and can be very convincing) and became very close and still are. 

When I was 15, we moved to a house twice (or more) the size of the one mentioned, but were no happier.  As a matter of fact, I don't think we were as happy. 

We tend to get it into our heads that things will make us happy, when it is actually love that does so.  Without love we are lost.  Living in that tiny, cramped house that was full of love and laughter is a treasure I will always have with me.  It was there that we had the family get-togethers, where our aunts and uncles and cousins would come over and we would have a fish-fry with fresh bluegill from the small lake we lived by.  We would all sit in the yard, eat, play games and sing!!  I remember the singing - love songs and gospel.  What a wonderful and uplifting time we had together!  There was still only one bathroom with about 30 people running around using it, but we made do with knocking on the door to remind people there were others in need.

As an adult I tend to find myself falling away from needs into wants way too many times.  A bigger house with more or bigger bathrooms, a finished basement, a flat yard, etc. etc, etc. tend to sometimes press on me.  If only we had.....swarms my thought processes.  I need to remember my roots.  It has never been things that brought me joy and laughter, but the wonderful love of family and friends and most of all, the love of my heavenly Father who pursued me until I finally turned and ran into His loving arms.  He has never let me go and I am thrilled!! 

I am tremendously blessed.  I have a lovely home, a wonderful family and extended family, many friends whom I love dearly, enough to eat and drink, work to do, and a more than wonderful husband who makes it his goal in life to bring joy to me and those around him.  

All this translates into this - I have a God who truly loves me.  He is all I will ever really need, though my flesh cries out for more.  That doesn't stop Him from pouring out the blessings anyway, and I am ever grateful for his generosity to me.
⁷ Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. ⁸ He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. I John chapter 4

I pray we all realize just how blessed we really are and begin to hang on to those intangibles that truly make life worth living and a joy.

Sanctuary

Lord prepare me to be a sanctuary,

Pure and holy, tried and true.

With thanksgiving I'll be a living

Sanctuary for You.

A very simple song with more meaning than we may want to think about while singing it.  Sanctuary defined is a place of holiness and refuge.  Holiness is to be separate and different from the world in a most positive manner, though it may not always feel positive. 
It is difficult, to say the least, to be different than others.  We all want to fit in somewhere - anywhere.  Some try to deliberately make themselves different than everyone else so that all the people as different as they will accept them.

Christians, those who have truly accepted God's free gift of salvation through Jesus' death on the cross and resurrection from the dead and truly love Him - (If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you WILL be saved.  Romans 10:9) - are to be a sanctuary to the world.

sanc·tu·ar·y

[sangk-choo-er-ee] Show IPA

noun, plural sanc·tu·ar·ies.

1. a sacred or holy place.

2. Judaism.

a. the Biblical tabernacle or the Temple in Jerusalem.

b. the holy of holies of these places of worship.

3. an especially holy place in a temple or church.

4. the part of a church around the altar; the chancel.

5. a church or other sacred place where fugitives were formerly entitled to immunity from arrest.

Notice numbers three through five of the definition.  A building is not the church - it is simply a building that houses the church - the Christian is to be a holy place of refuge for the world to be allowed to run to to escape judgment.  Are we truly that people?  Are people drawn to us?  Do they want to hear what we have to say, experience our life experiences through our message of hope, or do they look at us with nothing but disdain, because we say one thing, but live otherwise?

I have recently learned a lot about my personal prayer life.  I think the most important thing learned is that life is not certain, nor are we promised that it will be perfect and lovely until after Jesus' return.

Therefore, if I truly want to be a sanctuary, as I am commanded to be, then I need to pray about my response to life and its affect on me.

As I lay in my bed thinking on this, the faces of my birth mom and the woman who became my mom through marriage popped into my head.  I thought of how they had faithfully served the Lord, yet their bodies are laden with arthritis, heart problems, fibromyalgia, diabetes, skin disease and more.  They continue serving Him anyway, the best they are able.

I closed my eyes, sighed, and prayed, "Lord, I do not know what the future holds for this body.  I could end up in a wheelchair, or worse - unable to get out of bed and have to be completely taken care of by someone else.  I could end up unable to talk, or even to express myself.  I could lose the ability to think clearly.  But Lord, whatever and however You choose to use me while in this body, I want to be pleasing in Your sight.  May all that happens to me honor and glorify You. May I honor and glorify You in all things."

May we all become as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo when they answered Nebuchadnezzar's threat of throwing them in the fiery furnace - "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king.  But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."  Daniel 3:16-18

Have No Fear

Fear is an amazing creature.  Just one small impression from it can keep us from experiencing miraculous events in life. 

I love to ride roller coasters, as you well know.  They get my heart beating just a little faster and help me feel the wind a bit stronger which makes me feel more alive.  They are called thrill rides for a reason.  They bring a thrill to my spirit. 
I have learned through experience that many women and a few men are terrified of them, so much so that no matter what is said to them or how many times it is demonstrated that they are safe, they absolutely refuse to get on them.  I once ran in to two ladies who were considering getting on Wildfire.  For those of you who've never seen or ridden it, it has three loops and one fairly long and swift drop.  One of the ladies was ready to ride after a little encouragement from me, but the other set her jaw and absolutely refused, even after I reminded her that millions of people have ridden it and not one of them has been injured.  (I left out that some had thrown up from the experience.  But that's not fear.  It's motion sickness.)  I don't know if her friend ever actually rode or not, but I have no doubt that she did not.  It saddens me, because it truly is an adventure of a lifetime.

Reading this sentence: 'God doesn't only promise to replace our grief with joy, but to turn it into joy,' made me think about roller coasters again and how they can be compared to life experiences. 
My favorite part of every coaster I've ever ridden is the big drops.

The thrill of falling without worry is awesome.  I have no fear, because I know that when I reach the bottom, I will not hit, but be scooped back up into a new climb.  All is well.  I need to remember this when trials and suffering come my way.  As a child of God, I can never hit rock bottom, because he will always be there before me to scoop me up in His hands and head me back up into a new climb.  So, perhaps rather than holding tightly to the rails as we soar through life, we should instead throw our hands in the air in expectation of His catch, much like when my husband would set one of our little ones on top of the refrigerator and tell them to jump.  They always did, without hesitation, because they knew Daddy would catch them and the thrill it brought caused them to want to do it over and over and over again.

I am not saying that we should never grieve.  Jesus grieved over Jerusalem crying out,  "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing."  Matthew 23:37 

He also wept as He stood in front of Lazarus' tomb - John 11:35 

When I was told my precious daddy had  passed on into heaven last year on the day of my oldest son's wedding, everything seemed surreal.  I was able to make it to the wedding after having a long talk with God about how I felt, but when I walked into the reception hall after the wedding, I saw people, but it didn't register who they were, even though I knew most of them well.  The room started to spin a bit, so I figured I needed to find my husband.  Instead, God led me to one of his brothers who gave me a card.  I opened it and read (I don't remember the exact words, but still have the card and will keep it as long as I can) something like this - Know what this card is for?  When you opened it it read - Me neither.  Then he had written simple words of love and encouragement that made it possible for me to really see the people around me again.  I not only made it through the evening, but God did turn that day into joy.  I now have a wonderful new daughter-in-law that loves my son unconditionally and loves the Lord.  I know where my daddy is and that I will see him again as well.  On that day my grief will be completely turned to joy.  Until then, He has already started the process and that peace that passes all understanding floods my soul.

Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn  while the world rejoices.  You will grieve, but your grief will turn into joy......Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy."  John 16:20-22

Nipped Heels

"Through suffering we become powerless so that we might reach the powerless.  We like to serve from the power position.  We'd rather be healthy, wealthy and wise as we minister to the sick, poor and ignorant.  When those preaching God's Word have little familiarity with suffering, the credibility gap makes it difficult for them to speak into others' lives.  But our suffering levels the playing field." pg. 436 If God Is Good....Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil."

Many times throughout my life I have wondered what my life would have been like had I been born elsewhere.  If I had been born in India, for instance, what would I be doing at this moment in time?  Would I know Jesus as my personal Savior and Lord?  Would I have even heard of Him?  Would anyone have cared enough to tell me and, if they did, would I have listened?  Would I worship all living creatures, thinking I would possibly one day become one of them?  As ridiculous as that sounds to the Christian, it just as easily could have been one of us.  We should know all too well that, "But for the grace of God, there go I."   Joking about something like this is easier than allowing the hurt of caring enough to go tell them the Gospel mess with our lives.
I am not saying that everyone is called to go to a foreign land to administer the Gospel, but I do wonder how many have been called, but turned their backs in fear or in the name of common sense.  Not only that, but how many other things has God laid on our hearts to do of which we have wheedled our way out?  On the other hand, how many things has He NOT wanted us to do that we have forced our way into in the name of duty, honor, and pride?  I shudder to think.

When I was a youth in the midst of my teen years, I was asked these questions: "What is your first thought in the morning when you waken most mornings?  Do you think about what you will wear, or eat, or where you will be going and doing?  Or do you wonder what God has in store for you and go to Him in prayer and Bible study?  Odds are, the first thing on your mind is the most important thing to you in life at that given moment."

Those questions have plagued me ever since.  When I wake up with a song of praise going through my mind, I offer a prayer of thanksgiving and go into Bible study.  There are days though when I am consumed with pressures I have allowed to get under my skin.  On those mornings I waken with an urgency to get moving and get things accomplished so I can get back to what is normal.  I contend that on those mornings I am being lied to.  Reason being, if I listen to the urgency, I go into the kitchen and start preparing for the day.  The still small voice I hear reminding me gently to pray and study is told that I will get to it in a little while.  Most of those times I end up scurrying to get in my Bible time when I go to bed that night, or I may even forget until the next morning. 

I am not called at this time in my life to go out into a foreign field, but I am called to minister where I am, and this is what every Christian, like it or not, is called to do.  We are not to allow fear, reasoning, self-pity, personal suffering, time constraints, or anything else of this world get in our way of ministering to those who have been assigned to us. 

This book (named in the first paragraph) has stepped on my toes time and again.  I will have to read it again and again to keep them sore as a reminder of Whose I am.
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;  you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.  I Corinthians 6:19-20

God will not force me to do or be anything, but my love for Him should constrain me to be all that He desires.  So the next question that is set before me by me is this: How much do I love Him? 

I praise God that He is my Great Shepherd and keeps the sheep dog of His Word nipping at my heels to keep me safe and where I need to be in order to serve Him best.

Walking on Water

"We rejoice in suffering in the same way that Olympic athletes rejoice in their workouts - not because we find them easy, but because we know they will one day produce great reward."  {pg. 426 If God Is Good...Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil}

I love/hate to exercise.  Any doctor will tell you my body was not designed exactly for it by today's standards.  I do not put on muscle easily as most true athletes do.   I have asthma which causes me to wake up tired a lot of the time.  I have mitral valve prolapse which can also cause me to feel tired often.  I also have endometriosis.  (I thought that would go away with the surgery, but doc tells me it doesn't.  The endometrial cysts remain and can even grow.)   However, when I do exercise, all these things become moot.  My heart is strengthened.  My lungs are strengthened.  My back muscles are strengthened along with my stomach which reduces pain from the endo.  Knowing this doesn't make getting myself to exercise any easier.  I have to literally force myself to do so.  It helps that my husband asks me now and then if I have walked or done my trampoline yet.  However, if I focus on the results while exercising, somehow it gets easier. 

I have been lax this past winter and did not exercise nearly as often as I should.  I am more tired than ever in winter due to the fact that I am one of those people that needs sunlight to fully function, and this became a convenient excuse.  I am paying for it now.  I walked two miles outside for the first time in three months the other day.  My legs became quite sore from it.  That did not stop me today though.  I realized the error of my ways and made myself jog for 30 minutes on the trampoline.  Remembering that I won't have so much pain if I keep keeping on kept me going, though I didn't feel like it.

It is the same with suffering in this world.  If I focus on my suffering, it seems worse.  If I take the time to look around me, I can always find someone in worse shape, and that makes me realize how self-centered I am being.  If I then take the hint and start remembering that my time of suffering here is short compared to eternity and that in eternity I will be free of all suffering, then nothing seems quite so bad.  Thinking about how I can use this time of suffering to help and encourage others also makes it much easier to bear. 

Just like Peter walking on the water: When I take my eyes off Christ Jesus, I start to sink and drown in self pity, but as long as my focus remains upon Him and the glory to come, I am able to walk on the water even in the midst of the storm!!  (Matthew 13:22-33)