Rough Patches

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Margaret

All of us have been driving when suddenly a torn patch of road shakes the car and has us swerving to avoid potholes. The road of life can be like that, too, presenting us with sudden rough patches in finances, marriages, friendships, or our spiritual lives. But if we take our time, if we slow down enough to carefully navigate around the cracks and dips, we can avoid potholes-worth of problems.

God is linked into this idea, too, knowing that when we calm our pace, we’ll hear him better. And when we hear him better, we’ll learn how to avoid trouble.

All of us remember Mr. Rogers of public television fame. He was popular with children because he moved at a slow speed, waiting for them to catch up if necessary. Although adults sometimes made fun of his unhurried pace, truth be told they appreciated him for it, too.

I recall one evening on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show when Fred Rogers was a guest. At the beginning of the interview, Johnny asked questions tongue-in-cheek, winking at the audience. When he asked Mr. Rogers to sing one of his original songs, Fred looked Johnny straight in the eye and without a trace of hurry sang:

“It’s you I like–
Every part of you,
Your skin, your eyes, your feelings
Whether old or new.
I hope that you’ll remember
Even when you’re feeling blue
That it’s you I like…”

By the end, Johnny was wiping away a tear of emotion after having genuinely absorbed the sincere message of the song. Mr. Rogers’ calculated singing had slowed Johnny down long enough to hear the meaningful message.

What an effective illustration of our communication with God. So often we come into his presence flustered and rushed, hoping to have a quick, economical session with him. I’ve even initiated prayer times by asking God to make our few moments “efficient.” But hurried communication with the Almighty isn’t good communication, and unless we approach God like Mr. Rogers approached Johnny Carson, slowly and deliberately, we can’t expect much in return.

When we slow down enough to appreciate and adore him, good things will happen. If our minds are already on the next event, not much of significance will occur. So how do we bring ourselves to a screeching halt in a high-speed world? Even if we do it bodily, how can we keep our brains from buzzing?

We do it the same way we avoid highway potholes: by focusing on the damage we’ll cause if we blast into them, which then motivates us to slow down enough to see and avoid them. Likewise, if we ponder the damage to our spiritual lives as we race in and out of God’s presence, we’ll slow ourselves down enough to hear him.

And it’ll be then that he’ll let us know how to avoid all the rough patches life’s road has to offer.
“Do not be in a hurry to leave the king’s presence.” (Ecclesiastes 8:3)

Good Words

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Margaret

When Nate was under stress, he used to talk to himself, loud enough so anyone could hear if they were so inclined. Inevitably the subject was work-related. Sometimes he was rehearsing how a difficult meeting would go, or he might be sorting through a complex legal predicament.

When I asked him about it, he said self-talk helped him sort out tough problems. It was tantamount to the way I used journaling, for the same purpose. Instead of using pen and paper, though, his journal was verbal.

Today I talked to myself in a new way, not out loud as Nate had done and not through a journal. It was by the pages of a book I wrote that’s about to be published. The final edit was due today, but before I turned it in, my editor wanted me to rearrange the 60 short devotionals into a new order we had both agreed would be beneficial.

I decided to do it by using my 60 hard copies rather than flipping “pages” on a computer, since I needed to see them all at once. I spread them out on the bed and began organizing them by topic but ran into trouble when their titles didn’t remind me of their contents. The only thing to do was speed-read each one and label them with content-clues to help me.

That’s when I started talking to myself. The words of one devotional in particular jumped off the page and came alive with a relevant application to an issue currently heavy on my mind. I started to cry in response to the words on the page and received a blessing from that particular devotional. I didn’t recall being so moved when I’d written it, but today God had somehow infused it with a remarkable power to fit my need.

There’s no end to the ways God wants to help us. He’s never without a fresh idea of how to reach deep into our hearts to uplift and also challenge us, and today he knew I was wrestling with a tough issue I couldn’t sort out in my journal or in my thoughts. I needed his help. So somehow he used my own words on the devotional page to reassure me, ascribing double duty to the effort of writing the devotional in the first place. And amazingly, when I was finished reading (and crying), I felt like I had heard from God, not me.

We have a very clever heavenly Father. Whatever flawed offerings we put into his hands, even if it’s just a simple page of words, can be converted by his authority and power into something valuable and important, something problem-solving or even life changing. It’s all because of his touch.

So my prayer for this little devotional book is that those who read it will experience the same powerful, custom-made influence of God like I did today, and that it’ll be on every page. And if they want to read it out loud, that’s fine by me.

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.” (Matthew 28:18)

Don’t worry. Be happy.

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Margaret

My grandson Nicholas, a new 3 year old, has recently finished potty training and is now enjoying the perks of no more nappy changes, along with the delight of wearing picture underwear.

Katy and Hans motivated him by using a reward chart with happy-face stickers for each success. Taped above the toilet, those lengthening lines of stickers gave Nick encouragement each time he successfully used the toilet.

When we were 3, a happy-face sticker was all we needed to make us happy. As we grew older, we needed bigger rewards like trips to the ice cream store, allowances, a day at the beach, or sleep-overs. Eventually we needed paychecks, new cars, vacation getaways.

Is it ok to seek happiness?

Scripture is dotted with quite a few happy faces. Ecclesiastes says, “I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.” (3:12-13)

We see that it’s ok to be happy, as long as we recognize it as God’s gift. When we begin feeling entitled to it, God will surely withdraw it. Our being happy isn’t his undercard. He’d rather see us obeying his instructions, studying his Word, drawing closer to him, submitting to his will.

But most of us just want to be happy. Sometimes it comes to us briefly but then disappears, making us angry. So what should we do? Are we supposed to find contentment in un-happiness?

Another Ecclesiastes passage provides the answer: “When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other.” (7:14) God wants us to connect happiness and sadness to him, knowing there are important purposes in both.

This morning I struggled in prayer for more than 90 minutes over some exceptionally difficult issues, pouring out my longings one after another. I ended by expressing frustration to God for his lack of action on my requests after so many years of praying. And I was quite unhappy!

He quickly chided me, reminding me (in my thoughts) that happiness without end isn’t scheduled till heaven. Claiming it now is getting the cart before the horse.

Later, in my Scripture reading, he said the same thing in a different way: “Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.” (James 5:13) In other words, even when he gives a bit of happiness, the point of it isn’t to please us but to motivate us to praise him. When happiness comes, we’re not to hold onto it but are to give it right back to him.