Thinking Alike

Posted on March 30, 2014 by Margaret

Mary and I were born 20 months apart, close sisters but opposites in many ways. Maybe that’s why we’ve had a good partnership all these years, since people often gravitate toward those who have what they lack. Strangely enough, though, after thinking through a decision in opposite ways, Mary and I often land in the same place.

Take clothes, for example. Our kids laugh at how often we turn up at family gatherings wearing near-identical outfits without any prior planning. Gift exchanges are often more like matching swaps, and this Valentine’s Day we sent each other identical sister-cards purchased in different stores at different times.

Maybe this kind of think-alike is true of most sister-combos. After all, we were raised in the same home by the same parents who used the same tactics on both of us. But maybe sisters think alike because their attachment over years of time has allowed them to become more alike, by watching each other and learning.

Scripture tells us we ought to hang out with people we admire and hope to emulate. Maybe sisters learn what to do and what not to do just by growing up together. The same can be true in long marriages, which is why couples who’ve been together 20 years or more have learned to dismiss the bad and imitate the good.

Spiritually speaking, all Christians are encouraged to become more like Christ. He’s our sibling-example, the one we should follow around and try to copy. Ephesians 4:15 advises us to do this, suggesting that each day we ought to be making small-but-steady progress.

None of us will have become enough like Christ to be ready for that momentous meeting face-to-face. It’s only through his gift of salvation that we’ll have that privilege at all. I have a hunch, though, that he’s going to commend the efforts we made (no matter how paltry) to think and act like him.

Mary and I enjoy thinking alike, but there’s one project we can’t undertake as sisters: singing duets. We like listening to the unique blend of synchronized sister-voices, but Mary’s and my only hope for that would be in the next world. Maybe Jesus will give us the ability to sing like other sister-groups, like the Andrews Sisters and the Lennon Sisters. We could be the Johnson sisters! Sounds like sweet harmony to me.

“Walk with the wise and become wise.” (Proverbs 13:20)

Mary’s prayer requests:

Praise for Bervin’s patience. As Mary says, “It’s hard being cooped up in a hotel room this long when you’re healthy.”
Praise for the live streaming of the Moody Church service this morning (Mary and Bervin’s home church), which was uplifting
Pray about the sharp abdominal pains Mary has had throughout the weekend in her feeding tube area, that tomorrow’s hospital appointment with the “tube expert” will resolve the problem.
Please continue to pray for weight gain.

Heroism

Posted on February 17, 2014 by Margaret

Yesterday I shared the story of our friend Adam Dominik coming into some well deserved notoriety for his expert handling of a Lake Michigan emergency. Thanks to him and a cross country skier, a man and his dog were saved from certain death.

Our family lived next door to Adam’s family for 20 years, and all of us were fast friends during that time. As a little boy he was darling, with a mop of curly auburn hair and a quiet disposition, wisely cautious and keenly observant. We always knew he would amount to something special.

For example, how many neighborhood boys would willingly cut the grass for us, volunteer to shovel our snow, and always ask if there was any way he could help?

He was a tribute to his parents, who raised him with integrity and helped him develop character traits that would serve him the rest of his life.

As a youth he met Jesus Christ and surrendered his life to him. His valiant rescue a week ago, against all odds, wasn’t just a fluke, because God saw to it he was fully prepared for that chaotic scene. That night, while being interviewed he said, “I believe in God, and I believe he guided my steps here tonight…” The Sun Times mentioned his “devout Christianity,” and though Ad is reserved by nature, he didn’t hesitate to let the world know of his relationship with the Lord.

Although reporters did a good job with the story, they missed crediting the string of unusual circumstances to God. I believe he was the One who personally pulled together the pieces of that unlikely rescue, starting with Ad’s character development that caused him to attempt what seemed impossible. And here’s what else God did:

He caused Adam to go jogging in that area for the very first time that night.
He timed Ad’s departure from his apartment so he would run past the crisis area at the crucial moment.
Though there were only 2 people nearby, he opened their ears to hear the man’s cries.
Weeks earlier he made sure a hunk of strong rope was tied to a sign near the icy accident so it would be quickly available to Ad.
He measured the rope ahead of time to be sure it was long enough to do the job.
He prompted Ad to practice his Figure 8 knot that very morning, so it was fresh in his mind.
He heard and answered Ad’s quick prayer for the supernatural strength to pull up the large, wet dog and a 200 pound man while standing on iced-over concrete.

The story had a happy ending with both the man and his dog surviving, and it was no coincidence that it all happened on the man’s 40^th birthday. I just hope he, too, recognizes that God was there.

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you.” (Isaiah 43:1-2)

Parcels of Love

Posted on January 20, 2014 by Margaret

When my brother, sister, and I grew up and got married, all three of us settled fairly close to home. We didn’t plan it that way but landed within quick driving distance of our old stomping grounds and also of our mom and dad. The 17 children between us had the benefit of nearby grandparents who loved spending time with them, and we parents took advantage of every opportunity to be together.

My children, however, have taken a different approach, and 8 of my 9 grands live far, far away. People have said, “Isn’t that hard?”

Yes.

But I can’t do much to change it. Although I visit England annually and get to Florida a couple of times each year, I’m a long-distance granny more than a hands-on one. I’m thankful for our local post office, though, and love sending trinkets to my young relatives thousands of miles away.

Most often the padded mailers I send are packed with inexpensive trinkets that aren’t worth as much as the postage to mail them. But all children like to receive mail, especially chunky mail, and it’s one more way I can feel lovingly connected to my grands.

Interestingly, God is in the business of love-mail, too. That’s one of several things he had in mind when he inspired the authors of Scripture to write what he told them. And because the Bible has been accurately preserved for thousands of years, we can “check our mail” and receive his “chunky love” by way of countless biblical promises.

But it’s up to us to open the package.

Our world bombards us with lots of attractive alternatives to opening our Bibles. There are colorful magazines, cable TV programs, and that great gobbler-of-time, the internet. If we’re going to enjoy God’s love, we have to be intentional about using the love-gift he’s given us. Without steady determination, we’ll set it aside unopened.

Years ago on another Florida trip, our family visited The Holy Land Experience. Part of that biblical theme park was a walk through an animated time line of the Bible’s history and how it’s been accurately preserved. I’ll never forget looking at an actual Bible someone had protected by using his body as a shield, losing his life in the process. His blood still marked the pages.

The fact that we have access to all the Bibles we want shouldn’t cheapen the treasure each one is. Even when God seems thousands of miles away, his loving promises are close-by daily, hundreds of them. And as Scripture says, none has ever failed.

As for my love-parcels to grandchildren, Skylar inadvertently let me know today how eagerly she receives them. While playing in the Florida sunshine she suddenly said, “Midgee! Let’s see if the mail came!” Jumping up and down she said, “Maybe you sent something!”