Perfect Paddling

Posted on September 4, 2013 by Margaret

In the last few years, one of the most popular beachfront pastimes has been kayaking. These little boats can be maneuvered nicely even by amateurs and are designed to hold one, two, or three passengers. They come in a variety of colors, price ranges, weights, and sizes, some even light enough for a child to drag across the sand.

As popular as kayaks have been, though, this year a new beach craze took over: paddle-boarding. (I first called it water-boarding and was quickly corrected.)

Paddle-boards resemble surfboards, though users tell me there are many differences: length, width, weight, rudders, materials. But on a calm-water day at our beach, we might see a dozen or more boards in action, looking every bit like those using them have learned to walk on water.

It’s no surprise that the younger the participants, the easier it is to watch them. As geriatrics climb aboard (like me), it’s not so appealing. “Wobble” is the operative word, and strange, staccato noises become part of the effort. “Oops! Yikes! Oh-oh!”

My son-in-law Adam brought his paddle board from Florida when his family visited this summer, and his command of the sport was impressive. He had a head start, though, having grown up on short and long skateboards, and mountain bikes. Now he’s passing along his skills to his children, who will probably grow into non-wobbly paddlers in short order.

Recently Linnea texted me a video of a paddler-wanna-be. Five year old Skylar was balancing perfectly on Adam’s wheeled long board, making her way down the road in front of their house with a paddle that looked suspiciously like a broom. Surely she was thinking, “Just like Daddy!” as she successfully moved along.

Children often follow the behavior of the adults in their lives, learning to love what they love. This works to their advantage when the object of their affection is positive, such as a love for water sports or any number of other good things. But the same modeling takes place with negative stuff, and if we’re not careful, children will adopt habits we’re actually trying to break. It’s devastating when they copy “our bad.”

Maybe that’s why God gives us unlimited opportunities to model good behavior in front of them. It’s much easier to clean up our lives when we know we might be copied, and God knew that. But he also wants adults to have models to copy, too.

His idea was to provide a perfect one for us, someone we could imitate without any negative consequences. So that’s what he did, and his name is Jesus.

* * * *

As for my learning to paddle-board by modeling my efforts after Adam’s example, it didn’t happen. I think for me it will be better to “master” the sport vicariously….

through Skylar.

“Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents.” (Ephesians 5:1)

Well Hidden

Posted on September 3, 2013 by Margaret

When young children are introduced to someone new, they’re usually skeptical, sometimes re- fusing to look them in the eye or speak to them. A preschooler might hide behind her mother’s skirt, peeking out from what she considers to be a safety zone. After all, she can’t be sure the new person might not harm her. But she has confidence her parent will both defend and protect her.

God encourages us to do something similar in our relationship with him. He uses word pictures in Scripture to let us know he wants to be our protector. “Run to me,” he says. “Stand behind me. I’ll take good care of you.”

Psalm 32:7 says, “You, Lord, are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble.” He’s letting us know it’s ok to hide behind him. Actually, he’s encouraging it as a way to gain confidence when faced with an enemy, which could be anything from an attack on our character to words of discouragement. No matter the assailant, God says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name.” (Psalm 91:14)

Behind God’s many scriptural requests that we hide behind him (like a frightened child behind his mother) is his desire to be near us. When we use him as a hiding place, we put ourselves tight up next to him.

Corrie ten Boom, imprisoned in Nazi Germany for hiding Jews and members of the resistance, wrote a book detailing her experiences. THE HIDING PLACE describes not just the secret room her family constructed in their home but also the way God hid them from trouble.

For example, when Corrie and the others at Ravensbruck had been stripped naked to enter the camp, she desperately wanted to keep her small Bible with her. She knew guards would beat her if she tried to trick them by holding onto it, but she also knew God could hide his Word as she went through the inspection.

That’s exactly what happened, and “somehow” the brutal guards missed seeing Corrie’s Bible. God wanted his Word to go into the concentration camp with her, so he hid it from the enemy. Afterwards, that Bible was the one thing that sustained Corrie, her sister, and many others through their torturous time.

It’s interesting to note that God-as-refuge doesn’t always prevent all pain or trouble. But it does mean he’ll guard us from soul-destruction and will often do spectacular things to let us know he’s nearby, going through each experience with us.

Corrie would wholeheartedly agree with the psalmist who wrote, “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans.” (Psalm 118:8) And this is true for us, too, no matter what adversary we meet. Just as a child finds safety behind his mother’s skirt, we can find security when we step behind God and trust him to be our hiding place.

“As for God, his way is perfect…. He shields all who take refuge in him.” (2 Samuel 22:31)

Loud and Clear

Posted on September 3, 2013 by Margaret

All children crave the full attention of both parents, especially when other children are around. “Watch me! Watch me again! Watch me now! Watch me this time!”

Since most families have multiple children, each has to figure out how to rise above the others in order to get the one-on-one attention they need. Some do it by raising their volume: “WATCH ME!” Others use repetition: “Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!” Still others get physical, tugging at mommy or poking at daddy.

While visiting my British relatives recently, I enjoyed watching yet another way to get focused attention: raising the pitch. Three year old Evelyn, a little girl with 3 brothers, has learned how not to get lost in the tussle for parental attention: she talks in a higher range than anyone else.

Each morning during my visit, as I listened to Hans coaching his children through the morning routine, there was no mistaking Evelyn’s voice. It’s a mystery how she hits such conversational high notes, and if it weren’t for her well-pronounced words, she could pass for a songbird. But by using a very high voice, she accomplishes her goal, which is to be acknowledged by the grown-ups in her life.

It’s comforting to know that when we want God’s attention, none of us has to shout, “Watch me!” He’s watching ‘round the clock already, and not only that but is listening, too, as if each of us is his only child. How nice to know we don’t have to raise our volume, our frequency, or our pitch to coax him to look our way.

During my last breakfast with the British Nymans, three year old Thomas said, “Daddy, I would like a banana.”

As Hans reached for the fruit bowl, Thomas changed his mind. “I mean a nectarine.”

“Which is it?” Hans said.

“A banana.”

Then, wanting to hold his daddy’s attention a while longer, he pushed his banana away and said, “But I want a nectarine.”

“You asked for a banana,” Hans said, sliding the banana back to him, “and that’s what you’ll eat.”

As Thomas began to object, Evelyn chimed in, using her highest songbird voice, and said, “Let your yes be yes, and your no be no.”

Evelyn’s intention was to take the parental focus off Thomas and put it on herself, which she did. But without realizing it, she did something else, too. She brought God’s Word into the mix with her statement, letting us know that while God is watching and listening to us, he wants us to watch and listen to him, too.