Category Archives: God’s plans for us

Cold Rejection

Posted on by

Here in southwest Michigan we’re longing for warmer weather, but tonight we’ll dip back to 22 degrees. Our longing is premature, though, considering the general rule is to expect random frosts till mid-May. Actually I’ve never risked planting flowers until after Mother’s Day for just that reason.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

One spring years ago I invested in 4 flats of pink impatiens, 36 plants to a flat, intending to put them along the north side of our Illinois home. Though I’d bought them the day before Mother’s Day, I knew enough not to plant until after the weekend.

That night’s forecast was for a hard frost, so after supper I moved my young plants to a safer, warmer spot in the yard. But the next morning when I checked on them, I found they were icy-crisp and twisted with the cold. What had gone wrong?

It turned out I’d put them in the worst possible place to stay out of harm’s way. We had a gentle ditch running along the front of our yard that Nate used to call a “swale.” I thought this mini-valley would offer protection for my impatiens, but warm air rises and cold air falls, so plants in a valley are at high risk.

My intentions were good, but knowledge was minimal, and results were poor.

How many times does this happen in other life-categories? With good intentions we might try to compliment someone but end up foot-in-mouth, or we give a gift that turns out to be totally inappropriate.

Chatting

And what about spiritually? Maybe we charge ahead with the intention of challenging someone about sin, but our inappropriate judging drives them from the Lord. Or we refuse to take a criticism, pridefully thinking we’re above it. Or maybe we share something that should have been kept confidential, disguising it as a prayer request.

Do we get credit with God for having had good intentions, even though the results were bad? How does God want us to prevent these unintentional disasters?

He tells us, “Get educated.” In the wisdom of Proverbs he says:

  • Pay attention, and gain understanding.
  • The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint.
  • Do not forget my words or turn away from them.
  • The unfolding of God’s words brings light.
  • By paying attention to the wise, the simple get knowledge.
  • Whoever has understanding keeps a straight course.
  • The one who gets wisdom loves life.
  • The one who cherishes understanding will soon prosper.
  • All who follow the Lord’s precepts have good understanding.
  • From the Lord’s mouth come wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.

Following this counsel will prevent us from making all kinds of unintended errors. As for my swale-mistake with the impatiens, I learned what not to do. And if we make unintentional blunders in the spiritual realm, we can gain wisdom from those, too…. for next time.

“The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” (Proverbs 4:7)

 

Keeping Secrets

Posted on by

DeterminationBirgitta has been a most diligent mother during the last 5 months since Emerald came along. Adding university studies in January forced her to get organized in a way that stretched her limits, and a baby doesn’t sympathize with additional work loads. But Birgitta never once complained about any of it, including the evaporation of her pre-baby social life.

In addition to the many radical changes she’s experienced in the last few months, she also “lost” her sister Louisa to a 2 year commitment to Youth With A Mission. Six months would pass before they could be together again, which amounted to one more difficult adjustment for Birgitta.

But in Montana at the YWAM base, Louisa was feeling it, too, and began praying about a possible visit home during spring break. Nelson counseled her to “try to do it,” and when she unexpectedly walked in our door last night at midnight, Birgitta couldn’t have been more shocked… or delighted!

Klaus had retrieved Louisa from the airport, and since I’d been tipped off to the surprise, I worked to keep the exhausted Birgitta from heading to bed before the arrival. But finally she said, “I’m going to bed,” and I wasn’t sure what to do. Louisa had texted, “Ten more minutes!”

I tried to stall her. “Why don’t you stay up just a few more minutes?” I said.

“Why?”

“Because Klaus is on his way over with a surprise for you.”

“What?” she said. “Now? What is it?”

Stunned...

Unwilling to spoil things I said, “You won’t want to miss it!” And a few minutes later when she rounded the corner and saw her sister, she was dumbfounded.

Keeping a secret is difficult and requires a good deal of self-control. It’s exciting to reveal something only you are privileged to know, and the temptation is to let the news slip out prematurely. In my case I fully intended to keep the secret but came close to spilling the beans several times, by mistake. For 6 weeks I was nearly bursting with anticipation of how Birgitta was going to love the surprise and could hardly wait to have her know.

Maybe that’s how it is with the Lord. He’s got secrets galore about what’s ahead for his children. I envision him bursting with anticipation for us, knowing how delighted we’ll be when we finally see all he’s got waiting for us. And yet he’s a pro at self-control and won’t reveal too much too soon. All he’ll say is, “Just know it’s beyond your wildest imaginings!”

A thrill

Watching Birgitta experience Louisa’s big surprise last night was well worth the weeks of silence, and when I saw that, I was glad I hadn’t spoiled it by letting her know too soon. God doesn’t want to spoil it for us, either, and is surely anticipating our joy, knowing his “reveal” will make us deliriously happy.

“We declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.” (1 Corinthians 2:7)