Take it all in.

Most women find themselves in possession of unnumbered spray bottles ranging from perfume spritzers to cleaning products. I counted 6 under my kitchen sink alone.

We view these chemical sprays as tools to help us get specific jobs done, and the contents of most are toxic. That’s why we don’t let young children play with them, despite their pleading.

FocusedBut a spray bottle filled with clean water? That’s ok. Thanks to the dollar store, Emerald has 6 of them and plays with them almost daily. She lines them up and says, “Train!” Or she’ll sit on the floor, setting them around her in a circle and say, “Ewa is clustering.” [Sidenote: we taught her that word after noticing how she often gathers toys into small groups.]

She’ll tip her bottles sideways and say, “Ni-night.” Or she’ll bounce them up and down: “Bottles jumping!” She plays with them in the bathtub and loves squirting the basement floor, especially if she’s been drawing with chalk beforehand.

ImplosionYesterday that’s what she was doing when she suddenly came running. “It’s broken! MeeMee! It’s broken!”

And sure enough, her red bottle was smashed and dented. I wondered how a weakling toddler could inflict such significant damage on a rigid plastic bottle. But then I unscrewed the nozzle and watched as the bottle miraculously straightened out in an instant. It was a perfect illustration of an “implosion.”

To implode means to burst inward, and the eventual result is complete collapse. One dictionary says, “to collapse inward in a violent manner.” Apparently as Emerald had been spraying her bottle, it hadn’t been able to “take in” as much as it had “put out,” and the outside pressure had overwhelmed the inside.

Such an implosion is actually an effective visual for what can happen to us spiritually. All of us have experienced times when trouble seems to come in multiples. No single problem crushes us, but in a “cluster” (to use Emerald’s word) they can cause rapid inward collapse.

How can we avoid “getting dented” when outside pressures become intense? The only way is to breathe in spiritual oxygen in greater volume than we breathe it out. This necessitates being vigilant about what’s going on inside of us and takes a firm resolve to give more attention to that than to what’s happening around us.

It’s helpful to ask, “Am I taking in the strengthening truths of Scripture? Am I asking God to prepare me for whatever’s ahead? Have I routed out self-centeredness and sin to make room for Christ’s righteousness?” If we’re willing to follow the instructions he gives, we’ll be able to stand firm.

FixedAs for Emerald’s red bottle, after I loosened the nozzle, it functioned perfectly. And if we’ll just as readily let God fix what’s wrong inside of us, implosion and collapse will never happen.

“He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.” (Isaiah 40:29)

Getting Ready

The yardOur son Hans and his family live in north England in a beautiful town that’s surrounded by rolling green hills. The moist, temperate climate is ideal for growing things, and each year Hans takes pleasure in making his own yard as beautiful as those of his gardening clients. He involves his children in the process and is teaching them how to nurture and nourish many different plantings.

IMG_0279As these youngsters help, they’re also getting Hans’ perspective on God’s integral part in all growing things. They’re learning the laws of sowing and reaping and are being taught that preparing, tending, and waiting are all part of a good harvest.

These Nymans have been preparing their yard for the growth of summer, but that’s not the only thing they’re getting ready for. Any day now their mummy, Katy, will labor to bring a new little somebody into this world. He or she will bring their brood to 5 children in 6 years.

Katy has prepared for the new baby by unpacking all the tiny clothes and other equipment, by cooking and freezing scores of meals ahead, and by mentally gearing up for the needs of a newborn.

Hans and Katy...Hans has been preparing, too, by rearranging bedrooms, painting the nursery, organizing for time off work, and giving Katy as much rest-time as possible.

Any project, plan, or possession that’s valuable is worth preparing for, and that’s especially true of new babies! Yet  as we go through life, all of our best laid plans can never be a sure thing.

The only planner who can be sure he has thoroughly covered all the bases and knows the exact outcome is God. We may have 20/20 vision looking back, but he’s got it looking forward, too. While we may only be able to guess at how things will go, he can be sure.

That’s why it’s a good idea for us to submit every decision to his guidance. The odds of disappointment go way down, and the probability of success skyrockets. Although God definitely wants us to have a part in preparation, counting the cost ahead of time if we can, the final result is up to him.

Gardener and assistantsKaty and Hans have been doing an excellent job preparing for their new baby, but exactly who he or she really is, is God’s special surprise. And the children have been helping Hans prepare the family garden, but even there, the growth is all up to God.

And so we’re left to walk that fine line between under- and- over- preparing, often not quite sure what it’s supposed to look like. Thankfully the Lord is eager to work with us either way, as long as we leave room for his perfect plans to fill in between our imperfect ones. That way, the end-result is bound to be good.

“Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.” (Proverbs 16:20)

Price of a Potty

It’s been 22 years since I potty-trained my youngest child. The details are murky, but I do remember two things: (1) candy was part of it, and (2) all 7 of them got it done.

Today my bathroom once again has a child’s potty in it. Emerald has shown signs of readiness, so Birgitta and I bought two, one for her home and one for mine.

IMG_5332The day I bought them, I stacked the identical potties inside each other on the store check-out belt. But when I got home, I’d been charged for only one. The checker must have swiped them simultaneously.

A 34-mile round trip separated me from the nearest Walmart, and I didn’t have time to head back, but I knew I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t straighten it out.

What bothered me most was knowing I’d have to convince Customer Service to take the $10 I owed. I’ve learned from past experience it’s not always easy to be honest. I considered dropping $10 into the church offering on Sunday to clear my guilt, but by the next day, I knew what I had to do.

While awaiting my turn at Customer Service I rehearsed my lines. “This may sound funny, but I owe you $10.” Or, “I never paid for this potty and want to pay now.”

Customer ServiceThen I thought about the receipt in my hand, knowing the check-out girl’s identity was encoded there. Would my desire for a clean conscience cost her her job? Maybe I should just walk through the aisles and place my potty back on the shelf, which would cancel my debt. Better yet, I could walk to a check-out counter and just buy it again.

No doubt God was getting a good chuckle watching me ride my moral merry-go-round.

Scripture teaches us to do the right thing, labeling it “righteousness.” We shouldn’t have to argue ourselves into it but should just practice it without pause, never worrying about the response of others. In the process, we’ll develop positive character traits that please God. Doing the right thing isn’t usually easy, but once we make it our default behavior, it takes less and less effort.

When it was finally my turn at Customer Service, the young girl there furrowed her brow as I stumbled over my words trying to land somewhere between criminal (shoplifter?) and saint (too honest). Bracing myself for resistance, I was thrilled when she simply said, “No problem.”

IMG_5331She swiped the potty, collected my money, and handed me a receipt. As I turned to go she said, “Good thing you came back and paid for it. If you hadn’t, your granddaughter might never have gotten trained.”

Didn’t think of that one.

 

“He who speaks the truth declares righteousness.” (Proverbs 12:17)