Broken

On the list of things to do today was trying to make the backyard more orderly.  An old picnic table on which I had potted plants sat haphazardly on one side, and the coordinating benches were stacked next to each other across the yard.  Here and there were reminders of the yard work I'd been doing, but never completely finished.  The lawnmower was sitting out.  Yes, today was the day.

It seemed like the easiest thing to tackle was rolling the lawnmower back into the garage.  Angling through the walk in door I discovered the car was parked too far forward and space was limited.  Several chairs being stored were shuffled until what I thought was a clear path formed.  Just a few tweaks and it would be through.  Then it happened.  CRASH!!  SMASH!!  SHATTER!!

Our son recycles pop cans and removes the opener tabs before crushing them.  A glass jar which once held spaghetti sauce had been recycled into a container for the tabs.  Said glass jar was now on the cement floor in a million pieces.  My mission to organize the backyard had instantly turned down a new path.

Picking up the largest chunks of glass, I then sought out a new container for the tabs, finding one which would not be as susceptible to breakage.  Carefully I picked out the tabs from the splinters of glass, finishing with a good sweeping.  As I worked, I grumbled.  "Okay, God, just why did THAT have to happen?  I was finally feeling ambitious, and now my precious time is being wasted cleaning up a mess!"

In the quiet of my inner spirit, I gently heard the Holy Spirit communicating God's reply.  "Now you know what I feel like, My child.  At one time I created a perfect world and everything was in order.  It didn't seem too much to require one small rule, and My newly created children chose to disobey.  In an instant, just like your jar, my world became broken.  Slowly and patiently over the years, I have been attempting to restore order to this world, but sadly, once broken it can never be put back together in the same way."

Humbling.  I had never quite thought of it in this light before.  But suddenly it made sense.  As I completed my task and placed the tabs in the new plastic container, I received another message.  "Yes, My child, someday there will be a new world for you, too.  It will be a world free of the risk of being broken.  We aren't there yet, but it is coming.  Have patience, My child.  I love you and will see you through until such day arrives.  Until then, just trust I'm working on it!"

"F" is for Father & More

With Father's Day once again upon us, my mind drifts to growing up years.  How thankful I am for a father who was there for our family.  He was hard working as a farmer, and yet took time for quick getaways to fun places like Yellowstone National Park, the Black Hills and Glacier National Park.  A nice day wasn't always for getting the job done, but also sometimes to take advantage of an opportunity to fly his family across the state to visit his brother's family, or even just to Bismarck for a piece of pie at the airport lunch counter.

The letter "F" seemed to dominate my memories.  Father, farmer, flying, fun.  As my thoughts continued, even more "F" words came to mind. . .faithful, friend, and fighter.  Although his farming profession kept him busy, there was never any doubt he would be there for us at the end of the day.  He had a friendly personality, one which sought to find the good in people and give them a helping hand if he could.  As for being a fighter, it took battling a quadruple bypass surgery, a stroke and prostate cancer before the cancer moving into his bones finally took him at the age of 72.

It seems as history unfolds, there are fewer and fewer families who are blessed to have a father such as mine.  They say a girl often marries someone like their father, and I'm grateful to have found an equally faithful man who became the father of our two children.  We are also blessed by the fact our daughter found a husband of strong character who is the father of our grandchildren.

There are many in this world, however, who do not have such a story to share.  For some, there was no father in the picture.  Others may have had an abusive father, or one who placed family on the bottom of his priority list.  I'm not sure why I was one of the fortunate ones, but you can be sure I count my blessings often!

Whatever your Father's Day memories might hold, be sure to remember you also have a Heavenly Father who longs to have a personal relationship with you.  He speaks lovingly to you through His Word and patiently waits for each of His children to "come home".

 

Blessed

As a Christmas gift this year, I received two pairs of socks from my son.  One pair had the words "I am awesome" printed across the toe and the other said, "I am blessed".  They are very comfortable socks and are my first pick if available in the sock drawer.  At one point this winter, I unfortunately threw the "blessed" socks in a load of towels which included a red dishtowel.  Instead of white, they are now pink!

Because I had shown my son the socks in a holiday flyer put out by our local drugstore, I decided to see if they had any more available, and purchased two additional pairs to have on hand when I need to be reminded how blessed I am.  Actually, I don't need much of a reminder.  All I have to do is take a quick evaluation of my life and the blessings are abundantly there to count.

As I'm counting, I find myself looking around and seeing so many others who are less fortunate and wonder, "Who am I to be so blessed?  What did I do to deserve so much when others have little?"  To these questions I have no answers.  Instead, a prayer of thankfulness seems to be the only appropriate response.

Looking back on my life, some blessings have come from choices I've made, but the majority of them were simply plopped in my lap by a Sovereign God who reigns over us all.  In Acts 17:26 we find the following exposition from Paul to the men of Athens:

"From one man God made every nation of men,

that they should inhabit the whole earth;

And He determined the times set for them

and the exact places where they should live."

 

In essence, Paul was telling the people it wasn't just "happenstance" they were living in the time period they were, and furthermore, even the exact places they were living had been determined by God long before when He set into motion His plan for the human race.  It can be mind boggling to think of all the people who have walked this earth, and yet, according to this verse, God had each one in mind from the beginning, and going back to the King James Version, "exact places" becomes "bounds of habitation". 

 

It takes looking at the next verse to figure out what God's purposes were in doing this.  In verse 27 we read:

 

"God did this so that men would seek Him

and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him,

though He is not far from each one of us."

 

At the top of my blessings list would be the fact I was born into a Christian home and surrounded by people who modeled a positive lifestyle for me.  Although each of us is given free will to choose, it certainly helps to be encouraged to walk the "straight and narrow" from an early age.  As far back as I can remember I have had the assurance of "Jesus Loves Me" ringing in my soul, and have made an effort to pass the same message on to my children, grandchildren and all who God brings across my path.

 

How about you?  Are you walking a road of blessings today, or is life more of a struggle?  As I said, I have no understanding of how the blessing basket is being distributed.  I only know God's desire is for each of us to reach out and find Him.  A poem comes to mind, one written by Annie Johnson Flint:  

God hath not promised skies always blue
Flower strewn pathways, all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

 God hath not promised we shall not know
Toil and temptations, trouble and woe;
He hath not told us we shall not bear
Many a burden, many a care.

 God hath not promised smooth roads and wide,
Swift, easy travel, needing no guide;
Never a mountain, rocky and steep,
Never a river turbid and deep.

But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labour, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing kindness, undying love.

 

Thankfully, one of God's greatest blessings is the promise of a time to come where problems simply will not exist.  All the wrongs will be righted and evil will no longer have power to rule over us.  If your blessings list seems to be lacking at the present time, cling to this promise and know as you draw near to God, He will draw near to you!  (James 4:8)  For now, there will be an enemy trying to block the way, but remember, "Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4) and in the end, those on God's side will reign victorious!