Category Archives: God’s plans for us

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While Linnea gets to know her 3rd child, this grandma is having fun with the 1st and 2nd. Yesterday, since rain eliminated playgrounds and neighborhood hikes, the 3 of us ventured out to the library. As we started our drive, I suggested we each name something we’d like to see during our morning together. “I hope I see a horse,” I said.

Skylar quickly chimed in. “I want to see a cow, brown and white.” She also spoke for Micah. “Micah wants to see a fire truck.”

“Big fire truck,” he added.

The gigantic library building captivated us from the time we pulled into the parking lot. Leave it to children to point out the important sights, like the traveling book-mobile. Driving up close to it, we took time to enjoy the painted books on its exterior and the real books visible through its windows. “Those are for children who don’t have cars and can’t drive here,” Skylar said. Not bad reasoning, for a 3 year old.

As we walked into the front entrance, a larger-than-life, brightly painted horse greeted us. “Look!” Skylar said. “Midgee, a horse!” And sure enough, it was.

The children’s section, dominating half of the ground floor, was packed with child-friendly computers, magnet boards, floor puzzles, puppets, books, and an encouraging staff. As we mouse-clicked on a screen to match up mommy and baby animals, suddenly we were looking at Skylar’s cow. Brown and white to boot.

Our 2 hours ran out before their interest did, and when I announced it was time to leave, both children resisted. Strong-willed Skylar seemed close to an outburst, and I wondered how I’d successfully get them to the car.

Just then the entire library went dark, a power outage from God. Skylar jumped up, grabbed my hand and said, “It’s dark! Let’s go!”

Taking young children on an outing that’s been arranged completely for their benefit can be either a dream or a nightmare. I wonder if God sometimes plans good things strictly for our benefit and is disappointed when our responses flip-flop. “Yes, Lord, you blessed us with a sunny day, but now it’s too hot.” Or, “Sure, you gave me a new job, but now I don’t like my boss.”

Receiving what we’re given without wanting to tweak it is a skill gained only through resolute practice. With little children, we sometimes have to take good gifts away from them for the sake of teaching. And God sometimes takes away our sunny day, a new job, or any other blessing we will only appreciate by losing it.

Skylar, Micah and I were grateful (for different reasons) to quickly exit the dark library. And once in the car, as I was clicking Micah’s seat belt, a red fire truck drove right past us, sirens blaring, horns honking, and God blessing us 100%.

“Big fire truck!” Micah added.

“We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. If we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” (1 Timothy 6:7-8)

Great Growth

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Last week the midwife who helped deliver our little Autumn Faith on Monday returned for a follow-up visit to finalize the birth certificate and check on mommy and baby. Another thing she did was paint black ink all over Autumn’s tiny feet to imprint them on a certificate, allowing us to view her precious heel-to-toe soles in a new way.

As we marveled over her perfect feet, of course we credited God for the wonder of her unique print patterns, clearly evident in the ink. But when Skylar and Micah put their bare feet next to Autumn’s prints, the resulting picture could have been entitled, “Great Growth.” The progress made between birth and ages 2 and 3 was impressive. Autumn has her work cut out for her.

Pediatricians tell us a baby usually doubles its birth weight by 5 months and triples it by a year, by far the most dramatic growth in anyone’s life, even including a year when we might eat too much. Maybe that’s why eating is a baby’s favorite pastime. Such tremendous growth is a big job.

It’s interesting that God’s growth assignment for a newborn fits a baby’s abilities. Then as the years add up, he still expects growth, but in categories other than physically. A toddler’s biggest assignment is to learn speech and increase vocabulary. A preschooler has to conquer toilet training and begin understanding the social graces, including letting others go first.

Once we reach school, the more difficult growth begins, much of it in the school of hard knocks. Important growth takes place in the emotional realm as children learn to deflect criticism and handle verbal sparring. We grow best through the tough stuff we encounter, and the growth of our feet loses importance, except at the shoe store.

Then we hit full-blown adulthood, and slowly it dawns on us we’re falling short in being able to control life and even ourselves. We experience loss, heartbreak, and failure. And we learn we need help to grow.

God is ready and waiting, patiently standing by all the while as our little feet grow into walking ones, and much later as our childish nature grows into mature character. Little feet get bigger so we can become independent; but God grows our character greater so we can one day succeed not at being independent but at dependency, which doesn’t make sense unless we realize who he wants us to depend on. And of course it’s him.

Once we become dependent on him for every step we take with our big adult feet, life becomes richly satisfying. And it isn’t as if he doesn’t still have plans for our physical soles. He wants us to walk into the lives of others in an attempt to win other souls to dependency on him. And when we’ve grown into that, God lets us know our feet have become downright beautiful, even more attractive than the precious feet of a newborn baby.

“How beautiful… are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say… ‘Your God reigns!’ ” (Isaiah 52:7)

 

Rational Fear

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Jack is like all dogs, wanting to go along whenever I leave the house. He accompanies me to church, the dentist, Bible study, and on errands, content to nap in the back seat. Today, though, I decided to leave him at home and patted his head on my way out.

But I just couldn’t turn away from his pleading eyes. “Alright. I guess you can go.”

So off we went to make 5 stops. First up was Walgreens, and I pulled into a parking spot 8 cars away from the entrance. While reaching for my purse and list, another car pulled in on my left. The driver went into the store while his burly passenger stepped out and stood next to my door.

This man was agitated about something, shaking his head and shouting. He stood outside my window facing me, his stomach no more than inches away. He didn’t move but kept shouting at no one in particular while lighting a cigarette.

Fear washed over me, and I looked at my door lock button: open. If I locked the doors in front of him, would it offend him? Would he follow me when I left Walgreens?

A minute passed and he didn’t move. Neither did I, and my gut told me I was in danger… until I remembered who was napping in the back seat. In a raspy whisper tinged with fear I said, “Jack!” and like a shot he was up on all fours facing the window. And the man.

Immediately the intimidating stranger became the intimidated, stepping away from my door and onto the sidewalk, eyes locked on Jack. I started the car, backed away, and headed for errand #2.

While driving, I thought about God’s promise. “Fear not, I am with you.”

“But Lord, a stranger just threatened me! And I was afraid!”

What does God mean by asking us not to fear? He isn’t into feel-good platitudes that have no bite to them in an emergency. His promises are practical, and he personally stands behind them, so I don’t think he means we shouldn’t feel afraid. To the contrary, I think my in-the-moment fear was his gift to help me assess the danger and decide to leave.

So what about God’s statement not to fear?

I think he’s saying, “Because I’m with you, this situation will ultimately end in victory. I’ll settle the score, have no fear about that.”

While that might not be as comforting as we’d like, in the same passage where he says not to fear, he also says, I’ve chosen you… I’ve called you… I’ll help you… I’ll uphold you… I’ll strengthen you…

I promise.

No matter what might have happened in the parking lot today (even an attack), God would have kept those promises to help, to strengthen, whether before, during or after. I’m thankful it turned out as it did and am also thankful for Jack, who will now be my permanent errand-running buddy.

“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you.” (Isaiah 41:10)