In a Timely Manner

Posted on July 13, 2014 by Margaret

Many months after Nate died, I came across an expired coupon worth $8.00. The title read, “NICTD CONFIRMATION OF A LATE TRAIN.” Google let me know that NICTD stood for Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, and it was clear what had happened.

Before Nate and I moved to SW Michigan in 2009, he had commuted to Chicago’s Loop from the suburbs for 37 years. After we moved, he still traveled to the Loop, but from the opposite direction, riding the South Shore Line from Michigan City.

Although Nate often bragged about the punctual Chicago trains, apparently the NICTD didn’t have the same track record. Many late trains coaxed them to establish a coupon system offering passengers a pay-back for extreme tardiness. Along the side of Nate’s coupon it reads, “60+MINUTES LATE.” That’s a woefully overdue train.

The cross-shaped punches in Nate’s coupon indicate he was on board this “at least 60+ minutes late” train on his fourth commuting day. With his back in severe pain and his body suffering from hidden pancreatic cancer, he must have been beyond miserable while the train sat on a track neither here nor there.

I can tell from Nate’s oversized handwriting on the coupon that he was frustrated. I don’t know why he never redeemed it, surely intending to do so on principle. He used to say that when someone contracts to be on time, they should be, and each ticket purchased is a mini-contract.

Nate was always on time. If he was late for anything, it was because I had something to do with it, an aggravation during our early years together. He was right to be punctual, and I was wrong to be late. But as married people learn to do when compromise doesn’t work, one partner gives in, and with us it was Nate. I wish I’d tried harder to pull myself together.

But God was watching, appreciating Nate’s desire to be on time. I say that because God is never late, and we are to emulate him. He usually waits to act until we think he is late, but when he comes through, it’s always spectacular. In this, he’s trying to teach us it’s important to be on time.

Those who’ve mastered punctuality on earth have already stockpiled treasure in heaven. Nate gets double credit for his efforts, because he put the interests of his wife ahead of his own by giving me grace. But both “early people” and “late people” will get some time-related perks in paradise. The “earlies” will never again have to struggle with the “lates”, and the “lates” will have all the time they need.

But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in Your hand. (Psalm 31:14-15)

Praising and Praying with Mary

As I receive infusion #8 tomorrow, I thank you for praying against nausea.
My extra-busy week continues through this week as well. Thank you for your prayers for stamina and proper rest.

Fresh Start (More on Mary tomorrow)

Posted on May 4, 2014 by Margaret

Back in the 1940’s, housewives began using brand new products called laundry detergents in their wringer wash machines. These chemical compounds promised to clean clothes better than traditional soap ever had, even in hard water, and women were thrilled with the results on laundry day. All the detergents came in powdered or beaded form and were easy to use.

In the 1970’s, Colgate-Palmolive came out with the first laundry detergent sold in a bottle rather than a box, though it was still in powder form. They named it Fresh Start and promoted it as the first “highly concentrated” detergent on the market. Each full load needed only one-fourth of a cup rather than a whole one.

This morning in church, our Pastor Jay delivered a fascinating children’s sermon with a bottle of Fresh Start in his hand. The vintage bottle no longer contained detergent but had something far more interesting inside: water from the Jordan River in Israel. A pastor friend of Jay’s had given it to him after a visit there, and this water and the bottle it was in were the focal point of today’s message to the children.

Earlier in the service, Jay had baptized two babies. (Our church baptizes or dedicates, according to the wishes of the parents.) The detergent bottle and river water was meant as a visual to help youngsters understand the symbolism of baptism, the washing of our lives by the Living Water that is Jesus. Jesus himself was baptized in the Jordan River, and ever since, he wants us to see baptism as symbolic of being cleansed from sin.

Amazingly, the Fresh Start bottle with its bit of the Jordan in it was aptly named. It said, “Heavy Duty Fresh Start.” Who wouldn’t want one of those?

Our God is the champion of heavy duty fresh starts, and the bottle put it well: “Cleans your family’s deepest dirt and many tough stains.” That’s exactly what Jesus does for us when we repent of our sins. The Fresh Start label says, “Extra stain-fighting power! Concentrated for strength!” Jesus says the same about himself, though he deals with stains more difficult to clean than those on our clothes. He cleans the invisible ones on our insides.

All of us have been stained by sin, and we spend lots of time working to remove that dirt from our lives. Coming clean doesn’t happen, though, unless we ask God to wash us. After that he’ll give us a heavy duty fresh start!

Jay’s detergent bottle even tells us what our lives can be like after we’ve been cleansed by Jesus. Wherever we go, it says, we’ll leave a “clean fresh scent.”

The Lord’s cleansing will smell good to us and to others. And even to Him.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Praising and Praying with Mary

Praise for a weekend in Michigan making wedding plans with daughter Stina, and for time with 3 grandchildren
Praise for feeling good, though very tired
Pray for enough stamina to meet the many demands of this week. (More about this tomorrow)

Melting the Ice

Posted on January 8, 2014 by Margaret

We in the Midwest continue to experience temperatures far lower than the inside of my food freezer in the basement. Every time I walk Jack, I “hear the snow crunch…” (to quote a popular song). It’s that special sound a sub-zero snow pack makes beneath my boots. But the neighborhood is striking in its winter attire and begs me to run back home for my camera.

Some of winter’s best visuals can be the icicles hang- ing from people’s houses. I remember our children orchestrating sword fights with 4 foot long ones and pleading with me to store bunches of icicles in our freezer for summertime fun.

One year an energetic eight-year-old “planted” rows of straight-up icicles all over the yard, which resembled a sparkling crystal garden. Another winter we made use of smaller icicles as ice cubes in our cold drinks. The refrigerator had died, and while we were shopping for a new one, icicle stir-sticks worked perfectly.

This winter, we can boast an icicle to end all icicles. It hangs from the upper corner of our front porch to the ground, a length of about 11 feet. Thirteen inches across at the top, it is absolutely gorgeous, and today I spent time studying it.

I don’t understand how water can melt in order to form icicles when the thermometer reads -10, but drip by drip this once-tiny icicle grew into a massive one. Such slow, steady growth can be a picture of the way other life-buildups can occur, too, such as the subtle way a good relationship can become frosty, little by little.

Small negatives can start to obstruct a friendship, for example, the way a tiny bit of ice clogs a drain pipe. Though the damage isn’t immediately visible, it forms the base-layer for further buildup. Drip, freeze, drip, freeze.

Incident upon incident causes increasing blockage until the rapport between two people has become frozen. Eventually others see it too, and suddenly we wonder how such an icy atmosphere was able to build up between us.

God wants us to act warmly toward each other and will never leave us out in the cold. Instead, he’ll take one of two approaches to thaw icy relationships. Either he’ll melt them slowly with the words of Scripture, or he’ll whack the ice down in one fell swoop.

Neighbors have told me I should use a shovel to knock the icicles off my gutters, since they’re heavy and can do permanent damage. Frozen friendships feel heavy, too, and sometimes swift intervention (i.e. a whack) is the only way to begin warming the affections between two people.

However God does it, we do know he wants us to act lovingly toward one another. And just like the warmth of spring will eventually melt our giant icicle, so the breath of God’s Spirit will melt the ice between two people…. every time.