Workin’ It

Posted on January 31, 2013 by Margaret

The other day Nelson took the middle seat out of his van and drove off in search of firewood. When he’s “in residence” he makes a beautiful fire every night, coaxing all of us toward the conversation circle in the living room.

But cozy fires don’t come without a good deal of hard work first. Nelson has to find the wood, saw it into manageable chunks, load it into the van, unload it at our house, and then put some real man-power into splitting the pieces of stump with an old fashioned ax. Whack! Whack! Hundreds of times. When I ask if it hurts his back or neck, both of which have been injured in car accidents, he says, “I really love this kind of work.”

And I love that he loves it, because I could never haul or split wood like he does. The only effort I could make to gather logs would be to tear out a check from my checkbook. But it’s interesting that Nelson’s way of securing fireplace wood and mine are different not only in the physical effort expended but in depth of satisfaction, too.

We’ve all heard the expression, “He who chops his own wood is twice warmed.” That refers to the heated work of chopping and splitting, followed by the warmth of the fire. But really there’s a third warming, the sense of accomplishment a man feels in bringing wood from forest to fireplace. It’s much like a gardener growing her own vegetables, harvesting them, and then serving them for dinner.

I think God has this same multi-tiered satisfaction in mind for us when we dig into his Word, looking for him. We go on a diligent search, not sure of exactly what we’ll find, but willing to make the effort. We work hard to read, study, and hear him correctly, and when he finally reveals his truth or himself, we experience the deep pleasure of those connections, and want to do it all over again.

Very few things of value come to us without a degree of diligence and (usually) struggle. We sometimes get disheartened along the way and lose momentum, even quitting altogether. But then we miss getting to the good stuff: the cozy fire, the delicious meal, the bond with God.

So we have a choice. We can let blood, sweat, or tears keep us from succeeding at our labors, or we can push through the discouraging moments (or hours) with diligence, counting on God to strengthen us to each task. And he will, whether it’s splitting wood, harvesting vegetables, or studying the Bible. And hopefully, as we’re “being warmed” by laboring in his Word,

we’ll be able to say the same thing Nelson did: “I really love this kind of work.”

“As your days, so shall your strength be. There is none like God… who rides through the heavens to your help.” (Deuteronomy 33:25-26)

Money Talk

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Margaret

This afternoon when Nelson came in, we sat in the living room chatting while twilight gradually enveloped the neighborhood. As often happens, our talk gravitated to Scripture, and he mentioned an interesting prayer he’d read this morning from Proverbs 30: “Give me neither poverty nor riches.”

Question: Who in their right mind would pray against receiving riches?

It’s easy to nod in agreement when we hear the request against poverty. But riches too? Is that necessary?

We’ve all heard that money corrupts, and as much as we fantasize about having more of it, in our hearts we know it’s true. Nelson and I talked about several people we knew, both famous and not so much, who were ruined by riches. Of course most of us haven’t had the opportunity.

“Try us,” we say to God. “We could handle it.”

But once we had it, could we say with Scripture, “I don’t have to keep it”?

If we find ourselves loving money so much we can’t happily agree to surrender it, we’re opening ourselves to all kinds of trouble. The Bible says so. Money itself isn’t evil, just loving it is, The problem is, we know what wonderful things it could do for us. That’s why it’s so difficult to pray the wisdom of Proverbs: “Don’t give me riches.”

Nelson has long admired a Christian man named George Mueller (Muller) who was wild and wicked in his youth but then changed dramatically after committing his life to Christ at the age of 23. He took the Bible literally for the next 70 years and believed God meant it when he said nothing was impossible. Mueller became a preacher, missionary, educator, and the manager of multiple orphanages throughout the 1800’s.

He kept detailed records of every orphan and every penny given to support them and their schools, and those accountings can still be inspected today. He cared for over 10,000 children full time and educated more than 120,000 in his lifetime. Without asking anyone but God to meet their monetary needs, the Lord sent the equivalent of 9 million dollars through his hands.

And that’s the most interesting thing about this man who kept a healthy distance between himself and any love of money. His massive ministry needs were consistently met only by his asking God to pay the bills. And when too much came in, Mueller gave it away.

God isn’t any different today than he was in Mueller’s day, and each of us can rely on him for our provision. So why don’t we?

Nelson and I agreed that although we’re reluctant to pray Proverbs 8:30, Mueller had no problem with it and actually based his life on it: “Give me neither poverty nor riches.” And it worked out great for him.

“One man considers himself rich, yet has nothing [to keep permanently]; another man considers himself poor, yet has great [and indestructible] riches.” (Proverbs 13:7, Amplified)

Full Hands

Posted on January 27, 2013 by Margaret

This morning the pastor preached about being generous with our time, both to God and others. Before he began with prayer, he asked if we’d all put our hands out in front of us, palms up, as an outward sign of inner readiness to receive from God. Though I’d never done that before, today I did, mostly because I wanted to be on the receiving end from him.

God didn’t waste any time in making his deposit. After the pastor’s “amen,” I glanced to my right where I saw Birgitta’s hands still upturned. Resting in them was the sweet head of her little Emerald looking up at her, and that’s when God made his deposit. “See those hands?” he said to me. “Birgitta didn’t have to ask me to fill them this morning. They’re full with Emerald.”

I thought of the freeing nature of Birgitta’s not having to wonder what to do with her time. Her God-given assignment was literally in her hands. Sure, she’s added university classes and other things, but Emerald is God’s #1 for her. And he’s willing, even eager, to give each of us a #1.

So how do we know when our hands are already full with his choice or if it’s time to turn palms up for a new deposit?

I remember a day one year ago, before I learned Birgitta was pregnant. I’d finished a busy period writing Hope for an Aching Heart and had a little time on my hands for the first time since before Nate died. Then one afternoon I found myself rifling through a basement bin of old videos.

Finding a boxed season of “Little House on the Prairie,” I took it upstairs, got something to eat, and put on the first show. When it finished, I clicked into a 2^nd, and when I realized I’d been sitting there nearly 2 hours already and was contemplating watching a 3^rd, I couldn’t believe it.

The next morning I asked God how he wanted me to use my new-found time, knowing his answer wouldn’t be, “Watch videos.” This was a moment when open hands, palms up, would have been a good idea. His prior #1 had been completed, and he was about to give me a new assignment. I didn’t know it then, but soon I’d be helping Birgitta and Emerald. Coupled with that, he was also going to give me a new book to write.

And so today in church, God did deposit a message into my open palms. It was this: “I’ve already filled your hands for now. When it’s time for a refill, I’ll let you know.”