Casting With Care

One hot summer my dad decided to take some of his charges to a local pond to do some fishing.  The eager tomboy-ish side of myself begged to go along.  I was forever attempting to insert myself within the tasks my dad had planned.  Caring for and raising four children of his own and at least three others was not an easy task and our time with him was limited.  Therefore, no matter how much I wanted to scrunch up my nose at the long, squirmy worms or the nasty smelling stink bait, I rose to the occasion, grabbed a fishing pole and headed to the pond.  After baiting my own hook and learning the basic mechanics, I was on my way.  I will interject here that I am a bit impatient.  Okay, a lot impatient. My dad must have had God on his shoulder because I imagine my antics made any fish in the immediate vicinity find a way out of the pond.  But, I will never forget how proud I was or the pat I got on the back from my dad when I reeled in that four inch long perch!  I was so proud of my accomplishment I was determined that my catch was going to be scaled and gutted and prepared for dinner.

Funny enough, this leads me to a Bible story I have heard a number of times.  During Jesus' time on the earth, He was speaking to a rather large crowd of people.  His disciples must have dropped the ball, because no one thought to hire a caterer or even bring a picnic basket and the disciples were wrought with worry over how they would feed this large group of people.  We aren't talking about fifty of their closest friends, this was a conference size crowd of five thousand.  Christ, in His infinite wisdom, instructed the disciples to spread out and seek out any food that might be available.  Out of that mass of five thousand, the disciples came back with five loaves of bread and two fishes.  I don't know about you, but when food at any party I throw gets even halfway empty, I get concerned.  I cannot imagine what was going through these guys minds staring at that meager offering.  Christ, however, blessed the food, and they began to break the bread and serve the fish, only to find that all five thousand were fed to capacity, not a rumbling belly in the house.  

Have any of you out there ever worried?  I know I have.  I have been laid off, unemployed, pregnant and wondering how we would be able to buy groceries each week.  I have put a whole paycheck in the bank to find it still didn't bring the balance back into the positive.  In those moments, those are when the true blessings showed up.  When I said a prayer through tears, and something showed up on my doorstep, I knew from where it came. There was no question that whatever kindness I received in those moments where beautifully wrapped gifts complete with perfect bows from God.  None of those boxes contained the total of that week's lottery, or a new luxury automobile, or a key to a new home with no mortgage.  But they were from God, and at that moment, they were more precious that any of those things.

In Psalms 55:22 KJV, it says, "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved."  When that little girl stood there hopping from one foot to the other with a fishing pole in her had, I am sure it was far from the idea of a relaxing day of fishing my dad had planned.  And, I am sure that those disciples felt their hearts drop in their chests when they discovered no one had thought of food.  There are things that come to your mind that bring worry, doubt, fear and uncertainty and you are at a conundrum as to what the solution will be.  I take heart in what Christ tells us in Matthew 6:24-5 NIV, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?  And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?  So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

There is no need to worry, fret, doubt, we only need to trust in God for our needs.  Will He test our strength, our will, our perseverance, our diligence, absolutely!  As any good parent would, He will put us through the ringer if it means bringing us to the blessing He has in store for us. I am sure our God, that dearly loves us, has moments when He wishes he could turn away from our sin, but instead He lovingly redirects us to the path to where we will be richly blessed, we only have to accept his guidance.   As my dad likely wished to cast his cares away behind a fishing pole, but was richly blessed upon seeing my broad smile as I caught my first fish or the disciples' fears were relieved when five thousand stomachs were filled, so I wish that on your weariest day, God leaves a precious blessing wrapped in gold and tied with loveliness to cast your cares away and redirect you to His love.

Racing for Gold

Gasping for air, legs cramping, body depleted, a marathon runner falls short of the finish line.  She pulls herself up again and races once again to her goal, limping that last short distance.  I was witness to a spectacle such as this, one year as I watched the Summer Olympics on television.  It amazed me the feats a body could be pushed to if only the mind didn't give up on the goal.  There is an old Chinese proverb that says, "Fall down seven times, get up eight."  Isn't that truly the secret?

I was once a treadmill track star.  No, seriously, I am no athlete. I wouldn't even bother to call myself a treadmill track star.  I honestly hate to sweat, I know I live in Texas, I should be immune. However, the beginning of a new year many years ago, spurred my desire to make a resolution and "get healthy." I found a good deal on a treadmill and decided I could exercise night or day to get in shape.  I don't know what spurred the decision, but my dad decided to do the same.  It wasn't long until a pseudo competition ensued.  I would finish my time on the treadmill and my dad would casually ask, "How long were you on the treadmill?"  I would answer and later, he would let me know that he had kept up. Back then I was determined to race faster than my dad, I never knew I would be the one trying to keep up.

Many times I feel like I am running this race we call life like I showed up to a marathon in lead boots and my underwear, with two hours of sleep trying to shove the last bit of bagel in my mouth as the starting gun blasts. What I mean is, dad had a purpose, and I did not.  I was running away from fear and anger and running towards whatever I could grasp.  You can understand, we all run away from or towards something.  Sometimes we are running away from a bad decision, bad relationship, bad friendship, bad habit and sometimes we are running towards fortune, accolades, acceptance. But aren't we supposed to be running a race much more important than any of these?

This week my sister lost a dear friend after a long battle with cancer.  Twilla lived up to her name, she had sparkle.  I remember the first time I met her and her feisty, sweet spirit bubbled over from her soul.  I did not have the pleasure of knowing her well, but I know that as I mourned my father's death she allowed my son her phone to watch cartoons.  I also know that she walked my sister through some very dark times of her life.  I know by the testaments of the people's lives she touched that she was running towards God. It brings pain to my heart that those who loved her dearly will have to wait for Heaven to see her again, but she finished her race, and what a race it was.  Dear woman of faith this verse is for you, 2 Timothy 4:7-8 NIV, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."  You may have never known, but many years ago, when your friendship with my sister was new, I gained from you a gift.  Not a material gift, but a day out with you and my sister when you would have never known I needed to feel acceptance, you embraced me, reeled me in with that spirit everyone spoke of, and I saw Christ in you.

This sweet sister in Christ and my dad gave me clarity to something I have avoided for a long time, something I feel led to share with you.  Many patients that received that word "terminal" begin preparing for their end, you hear terms like bucket list and last wishes.  Patients and their families do the things they always "meant to do," they say the things they always meant to say.  These frail beings push themselves to complete these last things on their list, as if they are that marathon runner.  They fall down, they grow weary, but they persevere to the finish.

What race am I running?  Am I running God's race?  In my walk with Christ, I feel I am in a last place position for treadmill track star.  If I had my earthly father, I wish I could sit and ask him his fitness plan to run a better race for Christ. Thanks, Dad, I needed this verse, Isaiah 40:28-31 NIV, "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." All we have to do is lean on God, He will carry us over the finish line, He will be our water boy, our strength, our hope.

Apology

Sorry no post went up last night.   Between a sick mama and sick kids I had to take a few days off.   I will be back on Friday with a new post.  Thanks!

Salvage Souls

After a very rough night, my husband and I are both sick, I almost gave up on posting.  All I wanted to do was curl up on my couch and watch some television and wallow in my sickness.  My guilty pleasures are shows about old cars and shows that take old items and repurpose them.  I love old rusty bits and forgotten treasures, I am a bit of an old soul that should have been born somewhere around the 1950's when life was a bit simpler I suppose.

And simpler would be nice, because on top of feeling under the weather, I am also helping my pre-teen daughter navigate the minefield of junior high.  This week she came home in tears twice because two of her peers were playing a little game of "she said, she said" and my daughter got caught in the middle.  After discussing the situation with her and finding out that she shared some of the blame, I instructed her to apologize and thus end the disagreement.  Though she did what I said, the banter continued and we discussed that trust is a big part of friendship and if she could not trust these two girls, it would be best if she did not continue spending large amounts of time with them.  It is hard to see your child struggle with these moments that make them feel less than what they truly are, and sadly this will not be her last introduction to rejection.  My goal is to teach her how to deal with these situations with strength, with dignity and with grace.  But, how do I help her understand what a treasure she is when people make her feel like junk?

All this thinking about junk, reminded me of one of the reasons why I love the used, forgotten, rusty treasures.  When I was young, dad would often take old metal scrap to a local salvage yard to sell.  It became a trip I often enjoyed taking with him.  He was friends with the owners and often while they "shot the bull" I would get a soda or another type of treat.  As time went by, I began to see those piles of scrap as piles of possibilities.

Ding, ding, ding, my "Aha" moment!  Aren't we all just God's big pile of worn out rusty bits?  When considering this, one particular story in the Bible came to mind.  To set the scene, the Israelites are being held in Egypt as slaves, God seeks to deliver His people from the hands of Pharaoh.  In walks Moses, stuttering and insecure, as God's choice to lead His people.  Moses, with the help of a man named Aaron, would walk God's people out of Egypt and part a sea in the process.

God doesn't make junk.  Your weakness is God's strength.  It is when we lean on God for our weaknesses that we see Him work in our lives most fully. It says in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NIV,'But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.'.   When we are strongest it is easy for us to believe we are doing it on our own, but it is in those moments when we are beaten and weary that He uses us and shows Himself in our lives.

Sometimes God has to change use to make us better.  There is an old saying, if you are not changing you are not growing. John 15:1-2 NIV says “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes  so that it will be even more fruitful.".  Sanding the rusty parts, pounding out the dents of your life isn't a simple process or a painless process, but the end result is worth it.  There is beauty in the painful process of growth and change, it is where our most beautiful selves are made. 

Most of all, God is an artist, He can make you a masterpiece.  Isaiah 64:8 NIV says, "Yet you, Lord , are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand".  Whether He prunes you, molds you, or bends your will, He made you and can make you into all you were meant to be.  He will be your strength when you are weary, tired, sick, worn out and used up.  If He sees even the sparrow and makes sure it is fed, He is capable of providing food for your mind, for your body and for your soul.  So, when we think we are just salvage souls, He sees us repurposed into beautiful works of art. 

So, baby girl, handle the rejections of the world knowing that in Heaven you are treasured.  Your strength is found in God's arms, your grace is found in His forgiveness and your dignity comes from knowing you are God's treasure.