Category Archives: God’s plans for us

ln the Pink

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Back in the fall of 1982, I was 9 months pregnant and very anxious to meet our 5th child. Also excited were his or her siblings: Nelson, Lars, Linnea, and Klaus, 3 boys and 1 girl. Logic told us another girl would be nice.

3 boys, 1 girl, so farIf you had chatted with our one daughter back then, at 5 years old she’d have let you know that baby #5 was definitely going to be a girl. The thought of a 4th brother was, well, unthinkable.

I prepped her for that possibility, though, by saying, “God is the one who chooses boy or girl, so we’re going to be happy with whoever he sends to us.” But that didn’t dissuade Linnea from continuing to think pink.

The day Hans was born, Nate and I were thrilled with a boy-partner for his brother Klaus, who was just 16 months older. But we knew we’d have to choose our words carefully when we announced the news of yet another brother to our little girl.

As expected, she didn’t take it well. “Did you do that on purpose, Mommy?” she asked, looking sideways at me with her pudgy hand on her hip.

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3 boys, 1 girl...In recent weeks, the tables have turned, and our 5th-born (Hans) has been anticipating his own 5th-born. With 3 sons and 1 daughter, it was déjà vu as he and Katy found themselves preparing little Evelyn, also 5 years old, for the possibility of a 4th brother.

One thing Katy did was set up a mother-daughter “date” during which she cleverly told Evelyn a story: “Once there was a family with 3 boys and 1 little girl. The mummy was going to have another baby, and the little girl really wanted a sister…”

The conclusion of her story was, “The new baby turned out to be a little boy, and they named him Hans – and guess what. He grew up to be your daddy!”

Katy described to Evelyn how different life would be for them if Hans had been a girl. Katy wouldn’t have him as her husband, and Evelyn wouldn’t have him as the daddy she loves. Evelyn understood, but that didn’t stop her from continuing to think pink.

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Hans, Katy, and ElizabethToday, just after lunch, the long-awaited phone call came. Baby #5 had arrived safe and sound in England…. a sister for Evelyn!

Elizabeth Anne Nyman, born at home, weighed in at 7 pounds 4 ounces. And I am grateful for the conversation I got to have with both parents today while the thrill of the birth experience was still fresh in their voices. God has done his wondrous work yet again, creating a brand new, unique person with a soul that will live forever.

 

Elizabeth means my God is bountiful.  Anne means graced with God’s favor.

Indeed!

Elizabeth AnneDear Lord, please cause Elizabeth Anne to “come to know your ways. Teach her your paths. Lead her in your truth and teach her, for you are the God of her salvation.” (Psalm 25:4-5) We are overwhelmed by your goodness, Father, and the gift of this precious child! With all our hearts we thank you.  Amen                  

Take it all in.

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Most women find themselves in possession of unnumbered spray bottles ranging from perfume spritzers to cleaning products. I counted 6 under my kitchen sink alone.

We view these chemical sprays as tools to help us get specific jobs done, and the contents of most are toxic. That’s why we don’t let young children play with them, despite their pleading.

FocusedBut a spray bottle filled with clean water? That’s ok. Thanks to the dollar store, Emerald has 6 of them and plays with them almost daily. She lines them up and says, “Train!” Or she’ll sit on the floor, setting them around her in a circle and say, “Ewa is clustering.” [Sidenote: we taught her that word after noticing how she often gathers toys into small groups.]

She’ll tip her bottles sideways and say, “Ni-night.” Or she’ll bounce them up and down: “Bottles jumping!” She plays with them in the bathtub and loves squirting the basement floor, especially if she’s been drawing with chalk beforehand.

ImplosionYesterday that’s what she was doing when she suddenly came running. “It’s broken! MeeMee! It’s broken!”

And sure enough, her red bottle was smashed and dented. I wondered how a weakling toddler could inflict such significant damage on a rigid plastic bottle. But then I unscrewed the nozzle and watched as the bottle miraculously straightened out in an instant. It was a perfect illustration of an “implosion.”

To implode means to burst inward, and the eventual result is complete collapse. One dictionary says, “to collapse inward in a violent manner.” Apparently as Emerald had been spraying her bottle, it hadn’t been able to “take in” as much as it had “put out,” and the outside pressure had overwhelmed the inside.

Such an implosion is actually an effective visual for what can happen to us spiritually. All of us have experienced times when trouble seems to come in multiples. No single problem crushes us, but in a “cluster” (to use Emerald’s word) they can cause rapid inward collapse.

How can we avoid “getting dented” when outside pressures become intense? The only way is to breathe in spiritual oxygen in greater volume than we breathe it out. This necessitates being vigilant about what’s going on inside of us and takes a firm resolve to give more attention to that than to what’s happening around us.

It’s helpful to ask, “Am I taking in the strengthening truths of Scripture? Am I asking God to prepare me for whatever’s ahead? Have I routed out self-centeredness and sin to make room for Christ’s righteousness?” If we’re willing to follow the instructions he gives, we’ll be able to stand firm.

FixedAs for Emerald’s red bottle, after I loosened the nozzle, it functioned perfectly. And if we’ll just as readily let God fix what’s wrong inside of us, implosion and collapse will never happen.

“He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.” (Isaiah 40:29)

A Purple Bible

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Finding myself back in the Chicago suburbs last weekend, I had no idea how much fun God had in store. Baby showers are always energizing as women gather to celebrate new life and help “induct” young parents-to-be into the adventure of parenthood.

Roxanne and me.After the shower, I listened to one of the other guests tell stories of God-sightings in her life, always an inspiration. Hearing the details of another woman’s radical trust in God urges the rest of us to trust him “just like that.”

Roxanne told of a recent mission trip to Hungary with the church high school youth group. Their purpose was to teach English to Hungarians by day and fellowship with them by night. Those whose native language is English are welcomed into foreign cultures by those wanting to learn the language. Roxanne, along with the other leaders, prayed God would use them in ways that would bring the students closer to him.

When Roxanne’s luggage didn’t appear in the Hungarian airport, she became a celebrity of sorts, borrowing clothes for a few days and remaining upbeat about her suitcase. Thankfully she’d packed her “necessities” in her carry-on bag.

One of those necessities was her favorite Bible, the one her husband Ricky had given her as a birthday gift years before. It was unusual in that it was purple, and through the years Roxanne had underlined and filled the margins with notes of personal discoveries.

One evening a Hungarian student named Sabrina noticed Roxanne’s purple Bible. In broken English she asked about it, and Roxanne felt God nudging her to give away her Bible.

“Really, God?” she said. “She can’t even read English, and this is the English Standard Version!”

Purple BibleSabrina asked to see the Bible, and Roxanne resisted, not wanting to part with her treasure. But she had prayed God would use her, and God’s intention was clear.

As Sabrina was walking away with the purple Bible tucked under her arm, Roxanne said, “Try to read the underlined words first. I’ll be praying for you.”

Roxanne’s prayers about the trip began to change. For one thing, they had Sabrina’s name in them. They also pleaded with God to open her understanding to the underlined words in the Bible.

Roxanne wasn’t able to go on the next mission trip back to Hungary, but when that was over, those who’d gone told her they’d seen Sabrina, who was still working at her English. And she was carrying the purple Bible.

God works wonders with his Word and watches over it carefully. From our point of view, it’s a long shot that Sabrina will manage enough English to understand and appropriate the words inside her purple Bible. But Roxanne is trusting God to teach her — both the English language and the truths of his Word.

“My Word…. shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11)