Just Look Up!

For the past couple of months I haven't been feeding the birds in our yard as I usually do.  It got to a point where they were emptying the feeders faster than I could fill them, and I simply said, "Enough!"  They needed a lesson in not being so greedy, so the feeders came down. 

This week, I finally completed a homemade "birdseed wreath" and hung it where one of the feeders had been located, outside our dining room window.  A bit of compassion swept over me, and I rehung the other feeder in the backyard, filling it to the brim.

My thought was they would be so excited to see the food, and dive right in.  Wrong.  Not one bird paid any bit of attention to the fresh food in both locations.  Once in awhile I would spot some little sparrows pecking at the ground under the feeder.  Silly birds!  All they needed to do was look up, and they would discover an abundance of food.

This went on for several days, until today when one lonely bird found the food in the feeder.  And still no birds have shown any interest in my lovingly prepared birdseed wreath.  How unappreciative of them!  Didn't they know I really did care about them?  I also pondered how long it would take for the one bird to "spread the word" and bring in the rest of their flock.

In all of this, I found a spiritual lesson.  We are like the little birds, scurrying around, and looking for ways to meet our own needs here on planet earth.  What we don't realize is God has already provided for our every need, and all we need do is "Look Up!" 

Earlier this week, my Aunt Sue and I were talking about the old song, "His Eye is On the Sparrow" and it was another reminder of the fact God is watching over us through all of the uncertain days we are in.  These are the words to the song, written by Civilla D. Martin in 1905:

Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come, Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heav’n and home, When Jesus is my portion? My constant Friend is He: His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me. Refrain: I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free, For His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me. “Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear, And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears; Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me. Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise, When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies, I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

In Luke 21, we read of Jesus teaching His disciples about the signs of the "end of the age".  As the list goes, there will be wars and revolutions, as well as earthquakes, famines and pestilence.  Other things mentioned are persecution for believers, great distress in the land, fearful events, and signs in the sun, moon, and stars.  All the while He is telling about these things, He encourages the disciples not to worry but instead to "lift up your head, because your redemption is drawing near".

So, if you are feeling a bit overwhelmed these days, just remember to "look up".  Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father, and is interceding on our behalf until the day He is sent to return for His church.  Listen closely for the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking calm in the midst of confusion.  Trust, and believe God has both a purpose and a plan through all of this. 

In another passage, God reminds us how valuable we are to Him in comparison to the birds.  Keep this in mind next time you are tempted to worry!  And remember to be one of those who goes out to "spread the Word"!

"Look at the birds of the air;

they do not sow or reap or store away in bars,

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?"

Matthew 6:26-27 

Take It To the Dump!

 It was a beautiful day for a walk, with sunshine and warm temperatures to tempt us into thinking spring had arrived.  Of course, living in North Dakota, we know better, but we also know to take advantage of a nice day when it arrives!  You just never know what the next day will bring, and true to form it went back to lower temperatures, cloudy skies, and strong wind the next day.

Having walked the same route on the bypass around Crosby several times, I decided to take a different path, and headed west out of town toward the junction of Highways 5 and 42.  Still feeling blessed by the nice day, I continued down the road a bit further until I came to the "dump grounds".  Now days they have fancier words for such a place, like "sanitary landfill" or "waste disposal area", but back in my childhood days we knew it simply as the "dump grounds".

Most of our garbage is now taken by trucks to a landfill area by Noonan, which is 14 miles east on Highway 5.

But our little dump grounds is still used for burnable items, such as wood and leaves.  Marked by a simple dirt trail leading up to a small fence, there are limited times allowed when someone can access it. Seeing it made me recall the many times my dad would bring garbage to this location during my growing up years.

One particular story told over the years is of my mom doing an evaluation of our toys, and relegating many of them to the dump.  Dad did his duty and brought them to their final destination. . .or so he thought.  It turns out there was a time, a few weeks later, when us kids were allowed to ride along on his visit to the dump grounds.  Of course there was "exploring" to do while Dad emptied his load, and wouldn't you know we discovered a bunch of "really cool" toys to take back home with us!  I don't think Mom was very pleased.

Seeing this small piece of property still being used today brought a smile to my face as the precious memories flowed through my brain.  Then, as I crossed the road and headed back toward town, I found a bit of a "God Lesson" floating around, too.

Confessing our sins to God is a bit like bringing trash to a dump grounds.  Jesus is the keeper of the gate, and is happy to dispose of them when we come in His name asking for forgiveness.  Unfortunately, many times we act like my siblings and I did so many years ago, and pick up those same sins, putting them back into circulation again.  Thankfully, God is willing to forgive over and over again, but a true act of repentance means you are willing to leave the garbage of sin where it belongs. . .forgiven, forgotten, and removed from your life.

It really is hard, however, in this world so full of sin to keep on the "small and narrow way" Jesus references in Matthew 7:13-14.  We find a similar lesson repeated in Luke 13:13-14.  In teaching His followers, He made it clear it was easy to follow the broad road of sin, leading to destruction.  Much better was finding the narrow road which leads to eternal life.

How will we know which road to choose?  Well, here in North Dakota we have something we call "rumble strips".  They are cuts in the pavement on either side of the highway and down the middle.  The purpose is to keep travelers on the right side of the road, as the sound made when driving on them will alert you when you are drifting to one side or the other.  They are helpful for drivers who are tired, or simply not paying attention.  They are also beneficial in the winter when snow cover makes you question where the edge of the road is.

As I looked at the rumbles strips before me, it made me think of the guidelines God has given us in His Word, the Bible.  He not only clearly outlines what sin is, but also tells us what we should be doing instead.  Galatians 5:19-23 contains two lists to consider, one labeled "the acts of the flesh" or sinful deeds, and the other "the fruit of the Spirit" which are found growing in the lives of believers.  

The acts of the flesh are obvious:  

sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 

idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, 

fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, 

factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, 

patience, kindness, goodness, 

faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

In the Old Testament, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, which Jesus later summed up into two:

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."

"Love your neighbor as yourself."

It's really not so difficult.  Remind yourself often of the guidelines, and should you happen to drift off the narrow way, be thankful the dumping ground for sin is always readily accessible!

Blowing in the Wind

At the beginning of this year I signed on to a walking challenge, setting a goal of 10,000 steps a day.  On miserably cold days this winter, I was thankful for our local gymnastics building, which features a walking track.  Unfortunately, with the Corona Virus entering the picture, this option has been taken away.  I have learned it is possible to walk around the house to obtain this many steps, and it helps if you have someone to talk to on the phone while doing so.  Above all, however, I prefer to be in the great outdoors, soaking in the fresh air while I add up my steps.   

This week, on three different occasions I chose to walk the bypass which runs south of Crosby, ND.  Lots of wide open space was available, and it was certainly easy to "socially keep my distance", as we have been asked to do. 

Anyone who has ever lived in North Dakota knows about wind.  It seems to be the unchanging constant no matter what the season.  This past week was no different, and I found the wind either at my back, blowing in my face, or attempting to throw me off balance from the side.  Although we saw the official start to spring on the calendar, temperatures in the low 20's and "teens" were a reminder winter still wanted a role to play in our days.

Often, when faced with a windy day, I am reminded of a little chorus a former pastor taught us back in the 70's.  The words were as follows:

The wind is blowing again,

The wind is blowing again.

Just like in the days of Pentecost,

The wind is blowing again.

The winds of Pentecost referenced in this little song are those referred to in Acts 2.  According to the account we are given in the Bible, the followers of Christ were gathered together in one place during the time period shortly following the return of Jesus to heaven, after His death on the cross and subsequent resurrection.  Verse 2 gives a vivid description of what happened:

Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind 

came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.

Accompanying the sound was a sight to behold. . .what seemed to be tongues of fire separated and came to rest on each of those present, and each began speaking in a language they had not learned.  All these things happened as a result of the Holy Spirit coming from heaven and filling these believers.  It must have been quite the experience!  The wind during my walks made me wonder if God's Holy Spirit isn't once again blowing around looking for a place to land!

The wind also made me think of my dad, who was a pilot who did aerial crop spraying.  Wind was a key factor as to when and where he could do his work.  He had to carefully observe how strong the wind was, and also the direction in which it was blowing, to determine if conditions were right to apply chemical to the field he was considering.  How many times, I wondered, did he just have to wait for the conditions to change, much as we are doing during this current Corona Virus season?

Today, the wind was still blowing, but the temperature had risen into the upper thirties.  What a difference those fifteen to twenty degrees made!  With the warmth of the sun shining down on me, I hardly noticed the wind, and had a much more enjoyable walk.  The lesson learned on my walk today was to simply keep my mind focused on the warmth of the "Son", while opening my heart and mind to the working of the "Holy Spirit" in and through whatever "God" blows our way!

HOPE

It has been some time since my last blog entry.  Often in the past three months God has placed things on my heart I could have shared, but for some reason processing them to the blog never happened.  This evening, as I have been trying to sort through all that is happening in the world, I found myself asking, "What can I do?"  Here I am, trying to be socially responsible by staying home, and there is a whole world out there looking for hope in the midst of chaos.  Listening for God's still, small voice I heard, "What is something you have done for Me in the past?" and "What have I given you the ability to do?"

And so here I am, at the computer attempting to offer some words of hope to anyone who might happen across my blog.  Earlier today I found myself focused on the word "hope" and what it might mean.  According to an online dictionary, the first definition of hope is, "a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen."  For most of us, our desire is for things to get back to "normal", whatever that might be.

It is, however, the second definition which captured my attention tonight.  "A feeling of trust."  As a believer in God, and follower of Jesus Christ, I feel it is part of my assignment to offer this feeling of trust to anyone in need of finding it.  This corona virus did not catch God off guard, and He is still on His throne, waiting for His chance to work all things together for good for those who love Him.  We find those words in Romans 8:28.

Many times we find acronyms for words we use which expand on the meaning.  Searching for what others have used in the past, I came across several I found appropriate for our current state of affairs:

Hold Onto Prayer Everyday

Hold On Peace Exists

Helping Other People Everyday

"What would YOU use for an acronym?" came the still, small voice.  Hmmm. . .H.O.P. seemed to resonate "Hold On People!" in my brain.  But what about the E.?  It was then I remembered a list of the names of God I had printed out some time ago for reference.  There were quite an assortment which began with the letter E:

El Elyon - The Most High God

El Shaddai - The Lord God Almighty, All Sufficient One

El Roi - The Strong One Who Sees

Elohim - The All Powerful One

El Olam - Everlasting

What great reasons to maintain hope in the midst of uncertainty!  Our God is most high, all sufficient, strong, powerful and everlasting.  We can never go wrong with Him on our side.  And, thankfully, He has promised in His Word He will never leave us. If you do a Google search for Bible verses about God never leaving us, you will find there are many reassurances of the fact throughout the Bible.  Here is one good list of 100 verses for you:

100 Verses On God Never Leaving Us

That's news enough to allow me to sleep in peace tonight.  May you, too, my friends!