Fizzling Out

Posted on April 7, 2015 by Margaret

Normally when we say something is “fizzling out,” we mean it’s losing its brilliance (like a sparkler) or is coming to an end (like a party). But yesterday it turned out to mean something completely different.

Heading for a grocery store check-out, I was surprised when a man approaching from the opposite direction sped up and steered his cart right in front of mine. He quickly began haphazardly tossing items on the belt, stacking them 3-and-4 high. His piles were unstable, tumbling every time the belt moved. And then, just as I began unloading my cart, his big 2-liter Coke rolled off and crashed to the floor… right at my feet.

It exploded with “fizzle,” but the man seemed unconcerned, fishing for money in his pockets. “It’s fizzling out!” I said, jumping back to avoid a stream of sticky Coke heading up my pant leg. Fully expecting him to quickly bend down and grab it, I watched as he stepped past the cashier and out of spray-range.

By this time the Coke was rolling around every-which-way in response to its own fizzling…. all over me, my cart, the floor, and the guy behind me. But the one who was responsible pretended not to notice.

It was a long, sticky day as I pursued the rest of my errands in clothes decorated with brown splatters and shoes that suctioned on every surface. I couldn’t stop thinking about that man and his thoughtless disregard.

But while driving home, God whispered something in my ear. “You know, Margaret, sometimes you behave exactly like that. How often have I tried in creative ways to get your attention? And how often have you disregarded even my ‘fizzly’ attempts to reach you?”

He had me there. Rushing through busy days with one eye on a to-do list and the other on whatever’s in my “cart” for that day, I must look to him much like that man in the grocery store. And since I’m often selfishly possessive of my time, interruptions regularly equate to irritations. Sadly, this can include interruptions even from the Lord.

Though I’ve never spoken it aloud, internally I’ve often said, “Father, can’t you see I’m in a hurry here? Your ‘fizzling’ at me is ruining my efficiency!”

But of course God knows all about it and is “fizzling” at me with purpose. The proper response, of course, is to stop what I’m doing and give him my attention. And so, by way of yesterday’s messy object lesson, I stand corrected.

As for Mr. In-A-Hurry’s Coke bottle, a fast-thinking store employee nearby moved in to rescue us. But as he took hold of the giant bottle, it sprayed everything within ten feet, including him — face, hair and all.

The only person it completely missed was the guy who should have been tending to the fizzle. But he was long gone.

“Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts.” (Hebrews 3:7,8)

Timed Right

Posted on April 6, 2015 by Margaret

This afternoon I made my way to a local eye-care facility to check my vision. It’d been 4 years, and I thought it was the responsible thing to do.

Walking into the building, I counted 72 chairs in the waiting room, about half of which were occupied. How long would it be before my name was called? But then I saw a big airport-style electronic board that gave me a clue.

As I sat down, it was encouraging to see that my doctor was running “on time.” The reassurance produced by those two words made me wish there was a similar screen I could check in reference to my communications with God. Once I’ve asked for his help through prayer, my next thought always is, “I wonder when he’ll answer.” An electronic board of “wait times” would be a big help.

Through the years I’ve heard countless sermons about the Lord’s timing. I’ve been told he’s never late with his answers to prayer but that he’s seldom early. In other words, he’s always right on time.

I’ve also heard that it’s unacceptable to bargain with God based on what we hope will happen when. In other words, we’re not to pray the calendar: ”Lord, if you’ll do ‘that’ for me by ‘this’ date, then I’ll do ‘the other thing’ for you.”

This is a demand masquerading as a prayer request and displeases God. So our only choice is to spell out the desires of our hearts (which he encourages) and then find a chair in God’s waiting room. Days pass –sometimes years– without anything happening, and we wonder if it’s true that God is never late.

A wise Bible teacher once told me to watch carefully for God’s timing of events, because it’s never without significance. Considering that, it probably isn’t wise to plead with God to act sooner rather than later. Might the end-result be disappointing if he decides to give us what we want by answering “now,” when he had intended something much better for “later?”

Put in that context, impatient waiting comes with a loss. God is in charge of the calendar and controls all of time. We know that from two episodes in Scripture when he (1) made the sun stand still, and (2) caused the sun’s shadow to move backwards on Hezekiah’s 15 steps…. not to mention his involvement “in the beginning” when he created time in the first place.

So as we’re tempted to wonder what’s keeping him so long, we should weigh all the options. In the end, our best deal is to wait without complaint. And you never know; today I got called from the waiting room well before I thought I would. And sometimes God does that, too.

“From everlasting to everlasting you are God.” (Psalm 90:2)

Fooled Ya!

Posted on April 1, 2015 by Margaret

Every April 1st my mind floats back to childhood and April Fool’s Day with our fun-loving mom. Actually, she enjoyed playing tricks on people year ’round.

Mom owned an entire box of tricks, including a beautiful crystal juice glass with tiny cuts in its pattern. As the person drank, juice would dribble down their front, and she would laugh till she cried.

She also had a plastic puddle of fake vomit, a true-to-life melted ice cream bar, and a realistic-looking doggie deposit. Her pack of gum snapped any fingers trying to take a piece, and she made such regular use of her plastic ice cube with the fly in it, that it finally turned yellow.

Mom got a kick out of short-sheeting the beds of overnight guests, especially those who weren’t acquainted with her jokester ways. And when people came to dinner, they might get the plate with an inflatable “lift” beneath it, operated by a squeeze-bulb in Mom’s lap.

If a pastor was coming, she might put her pin-up girl decals under the toilet seat. I remember her chuckling as she set that up for Alan Redpath, pastor of Moody Church, just before he and his family arrived for dinner.

I’m not sure what the Lord thought of Mom’s endless trickery. Although Scripture does record God laughing (Psalm 37:13), dabbling in shallow humor doesn’t seem to fit with his holy character. And I don’t think he ever duped people into believing something that wasn’t true.

I, on the other hand, can’t say the same. How often have I tried to pull a fast one by cutting a corner and then convincing myself that God “didn’t catch that.” But of course there’s nothing God doesn’t “catch.”

I don’t think he cares one way or the other about leaky juice glasses or short-sheeted beds, but he does care about protecting and promoting his truth. I’ve gotten myself into trouble on more than one occasion by not being truthful, and I still fail often by way of embellishment and exaggeration.

It’s not that God wants us to be bland in our speech. Scripture instructs us to “be salty” as we talk about spiritual things with others, and that can’t mean anything other than to make it “taste good.” It might even mean it’s ok to use humor in the process. Mom did her share of winning souls to Christ, and something tells me she made that fun, too.

As for Pastor Redpath, I’m not sure what he thought about Mom’s pin-up decals. When he came out of the bathroom that day he didn’t say a word. Maybe in the end, that joke was on Mom.