Booted

Emerald's shoesDressing toddlers is tricky. Often they have their own outfit-preferences and make them loudly known. But even when they comply with Mommy’s choices, there’s no guarantee they’ll stay clothed, especially when it comes to shoes.

The other day, Nelson, Birgitta, Emerald, and I were running errands together shortly after a foot-deep snowfall. As we got out of the car at our first stop, we noticed Emerald’s snow boots were missing, and she was in stocking feet. We searched the car but came up empty, leaving us no choice but to carry her… boot-less.

Once we were back at home, we thought surely we’d find her cute little black boots there, but no. This was especially frustrating, since they were new, and the snow was deep.

Lonely cold bootThat’s when Nelson headed out to shovel, and wouldn’t you know, right off the bat he spotted a boot peeking out of the snow from where it must have slipped off Emerald’s foot. Looking for its mate, he poked around, stirred the drifts, and carefully watched each shovel-full of snow as it flew through the air. But #2 never appeared.

Later we scoured the house again, looked once more in the car, and even prayed, but it wasn’t to be. Now we have one lonely boot awaiting its mate, useless without it.

Sometimes that’s exactly the way we are in our relationship to God: We’re off somewhere all by ourselves, unaware that we’re missing something very important. Oh, we can function on our own, just like Emerald could walk in the snow with one boot. But until she’s wearing both, their true purpose can’t be realized.

God wants us to come as close to him as two boots in a pair. When we do, we’ll learn about the exciting plans he has for us. But until we partner with him, our true purposes remain unrealized.

Lonely bootAmazingly, many of us choose that option, to go it alone, because we like the idea of controlling our own destinies. God has a destiny in mind for each of us too, but he’s not going to force it on anyone who doesn’t want it.

Some of us might say, “Because God is God, it’s possible his plans are superior to mine. So I’ll take a look at it, and then I’ll weigh one against the other.” But God doesn’t play that game. It’s either commit or forfeit. We either place our faith in him, or by default, we place it in ourselves.

It’s our choice.

As for me, all I have to do is picture Emerald walking in the snow with one boot on to be reminded that life works better in pairs – especially when one half of it is the Lord himself.

“As for me, it is good to be near God.” (Psalm 73:28)

Step 1. Step 2

My husband was a cerebral guy, well-read in history, politics, current events, literature, almost everything. His intellect was one of the things that first attracted me to him, probably because most of us look for a mate who’s equipped where we are lacking.

But Nate proved over the years that he was also capable of developing an adventurous streak. It was only a streak, since adventure wasn’t his natural bent. But once he was married and raising a family, the situation often called for it.

Nate raftingNate carving.During our dating years, if I’d have told him he’d be white-water rafting down the Colorado River or carv- ing pumpkins in his business suit or compet- ing to win at kid’s games, he’d have had a good laugh.

Nate competing

Hindsight is 20/20, and when I look back at our shared history, I see how adaptable he was. He took to marriage well, and never allowed me off the pedestal he put me on the day we were married.

Clowning aroundHe got “goofy” when he sensed his kids would appreciate it and if coaxed, would set aside serious pursuits to clown around.

Most widows look back and appreciate their men in fresh ways after they’ve gone. It’s the old adage that we don’t fully appreciate what we have till we’ve lost it. I’m no exception and am thankful for Nate in all kinds of ways I never acknowledged while he was alive. Like his willingness to adapt. Thoughts of “wishing him back” stem from a desire to express gratitude for what I left unsaid at the time.

In thinking about this, I also think of the most important relationship in my life, the one with the Lord. Am I noticing and being grateful for his many blessings? And am I following through with voiced appreciation to him? Thankfully with God, it’s never too late to verbalize thanks.

Nancy Leigh DeMoss, in her book Choosing Gratitude, says there are two parts to being grateful: realizing it and voicing it. “Gratitude is learning to recognize [#1] and express [#2] appreciation for the benefits we receive from God and from others.” That means being intentional about letting what’s in our hearts “come out!” *

Step 1. Step 2.

Most of us don’t have trouble identifying reasons to be thankful. It’s that second step where we fall short, the one I regret not stepping into more often with Nate.

Scripture consistently exhorts us to be thankful, and one verse in particular (below) hints at moving the message from inside-to-outside. First get a joyful heart (by being grateful) and then voice thanks. Always.

“Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks…” (Ephesians 5:19-20)

*page 169

Catching a Vision

Creative playWhen two-year-old Emerald and I play together, we enjoy a variety of simple pleasures: reading books, chasing bubbles, playing piano, drawing with markers. But most fun of all is watching her come up with her own creative “games.”

It was her idea to climb into an empty bathtub with her super-balls and stir them up till they fly around like hail in a hurricane. She does it every time she visits .

And she often asks me to reach for her half-dozen sippy-cups so she can stack them, match them with their appropriate lids, and arrange them in a circle like the numbers on a clock.

Vision.Though two-year-olds are total entertainment, maybe it’s more than that. Emerald may grow up to be a visionary, someone who dreams big and tries new things.

The other day she walked into the kitchen (after rummaging through my desk) with my magnifier glasses on her nose. After staring silently for the longest time, she finally just said, “Eyes.”

No doubt she meant, “My eyes can’t see right.” What she saw through them was blurred, but when I offered to take the glasses, she chose to keep them, walking through the house while gently turning her head this way and that to experiment with her new vision. She was fascinated.

VisionNot long ago I had a similar experience but with a non-visionary response. I found a pair of extreme magnifiers at a rummage sale and got a good laugh trying them on. But unlike Emerald’s desire to experience something new, I couldn’t wait to get them off. She pushed through positively; I gave up.

But of course eye-vision is one thing. Being a true visionary is something else. It means believing in an idea so completely that words like impossible, unlikely, or impractical aren’t roadblocks. Visionaries don’t hear even sharp criticism, because their drive to shoot for something fresh and new is so strong.

God knows all about being a visionary. Talk about a vision! His was to save corrupted mankind from sin, an impossible task from our perspective. But he saw through to the end result and ended up accomplishing exactly what he set out to do.

Now, as he offers salvation to each of us, we have to choose whether or not we’ll believe his vision about a sinless future in eternity with him. In a way, that calls for each of us to be a visionary.

We also have to be visionaries about the details. How will things go when we step out of this world and into the next? Since we don’t know for sure, we have to blend God’s word with trust in him. As we do, it’s best not to criticize or worry, which is what non-visionaries do. Instead we should simply “catch God’s vision” and expect that somehow everything is going to work out perfectly.

“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” (Proverbs 29:18)