Watch out!

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Margaret

The other day I bought a piece of glass that had a warning attached to it: “This glass may have sharp edges.”

The company wanted to make sure every person who purchased their product would be thoroughly informed, so it printed the warning in 19 languages. In other words, it was made as easy as possible for consumers to stay safe.

God has done the same thing with his warnings, not necessarily with 19 languages in one document, but definitely with words. In the Bible he repeats warnings over and over in an effort to persuade us, wanting us to avoid mishaps just like the glass company does.

For some people, listening is all the caution they need to stay out of trouble. God says, “Watch out!” and they do. Others consider themselves the one exception to every rule and plow past warning signs, assuming nothing untoward is going to happen. They figure the odds are in their favor. Still others believe that most warnings are exaggerations, and on that basis they can be disregarded.

But when God says “don’t” followed by “if you do,” it’s more than just a casual suggestion. He’s really saying, “Don’t hurt yourself by doing such and such. Your life will turn out better if you follow the water-tight counsel I’m giving you. Ignore it to your own peril.” Yet setting aside the “peril” part, we can be pros at the ignoring.

Whatever God says goes, and once he has told us to “Watch out,” if we haven’t, he usually lets us find out why we should have. But lest we think all his advice is “you’d better not,” he’s quick to include plenty of “how about this?”

Scripture includes far more positive promises than worrisome warnings. Instead of, “Don’t do this” God often says, “Do this…. and then watch my blessing flow!” So we can either “Watch out!” or just “Watch….” If we heed the warnings and claim the promises, it’s win-win.

As for that sheet of glass with its 19 warnings, I was so intent on studying the different languages that I cut myself on its sharp edges.

“Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.” (Proverbs 11:14)

Who, What and When

Posted on February 25, 2015 by Margaret

One of the problems of having 7 children is trying to remember who I told what, when.

(Left to right: Nelson, Hans, Lars, Klaus; Linnea, Louisa, Birgitta)

For example, I might be planning a trip and tell one of my children about it as we’re conversing in my kitchen: “On such-and-such a date, I’m going to visit so-and-so.”

Then, while texting with another child later that day, I might send a similar message. The next day I might have a phone conversation with another one and say the same. Gradually the word spreads: “On such-and-such a date, Mom’s going to visit so-and-so.”

But then, after I’ve gone, sure as shootin’ one of my grown kids will say, “Where’s Mom? She hasn’t been home for 2 days!” That’s when a sibling will say, “Don’t you remember? She went on a trip.” Then the uninformed will respond with, “She never told me.”

That’s when one of the others will say, “Well, she told me 3 times.”

These days, iPhones make group-informing easier, but for many years remembering to let all 7 adult children know my plans was a chronic problem. Occasionally one of them would actually miss a family gathering because, “No one told me!” It was an awful dilemma.

I failed at communicating like this again recently, and today as I was chastising myself, God comforted me by reminding me of something special: “Remember, I’ll never do that to you.”

One of the Lord’s awesome characteristics is that he relates to each of his children one-on-one every time he wants to communicate something. It’s as if each of us is an only child, his only child. But that isn’t all.

Simultaneously, while relating to one of us at a time, he’s also keeping track of his personal interactions with every person who lives on the earth. And it doesn’t stop there, because he’s also one-on-one with those who’ve died and are already living in Paradise with him… from the first-ever man and woman through to today.

Thus, the total number of his one-on-one relationships is astronomical, yet he is continually keeping careful track of each one, what he’s told, what he hasn’t.

My 7 children have good reason to wonder if they’re missing out on something I’ve told the others but not them. But God’s children don’t ever have to feel insecure about that. He’ll never fail to let us know everything we need to know.

This is reassuring, especially when I’m waiting to hear from him and don’t. I can be encouraged by picturing my Heavenly Parent looking me straight in the eyes and telling me the important stuff. And if I still have lingering questions or am craving more info, I should remember that I don’t have it only because I don’t yet need it. He’ll tell me when his timetable says he should.

He won’t ever forget to inform me. And if I miss the details, it’ll only be because I didn’t remember what he already said.

“Then I remembered what the Lord had said.” (Acts 11:16)

Frosty Frosting

Posted on February 22, 2015 by Margaret

Today when we left church we were treated to an unusual sight: snow frozen in a mid-melt slide off the roof, fringed with icicles. I’ve tried to make cake frosting look exactly like that and know how difficult it is to make it stay. This mid-plummet freeze was truly beautiful.

Later, I watched a short online video of something else that’s been frozen mid-tumble: the mighty Niagara Falls. Due to unprecedented sub-zero temps, the crashing water at the bottom has morphed into massive marshmallow-like sculptures of ice like never before.

Our Creator keeps the whole world running, and most often he does it by way of his own natural laws. When it gets cold, water freezes. When the air warms, it melts. And sometimes I wonder if he looks at the dramatic effects of his seasonal extremes (like the frozen Niagara) and admires his handiwork.

Surely it brings him joy when we admire it.

But we shouldn’t stop there. Looking at a frozen waterfall ought to prompt our admiration of not just what’s been created but of the One who created it. As we see photos of the falls, we ought to quickly breathe praise to God: “You’ve made a spectacular world, Lord! You are awesome!”

Without doubt this would please him.

Psalm 104 is a detailed description of God’s daily involvement in our physical world. The writer admires the way things grow, the behavior of wild animals, weather patterns, movements of the sun and moon, and God’s relationship to all of it.

Toward the end, after giving much thought to what’s been made, the psalmist writes, “May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the Lord.” (v. 34) He implies that thinking about what’s been created not only pleases God but wells up in his own heart as rejoicing.

And if we’re wondering what the Creator thinks about all this meditating and rejoicing over his world, the author writes, “May the Lord rejoice in his works.” (v. 31) So apparently He’s rejoicing, which means we should, too.

This afternoon I enjoyed my virtual trip to Niagara Falls. Some people, though, want to do more than that. This month a professional ice climber named Will Gadd decided to be the first-ever to climb the ice-falls, and he carefully picked his way from bottom to top. I heard him marvel over the astounding beauty of his experience. He labeled it, “one of the highlights of my life.” Surely this brought a smile to the Creator.