Forever?

Posted on October 2, 2013 by Margaret

My local post office is small and utterly charming, cute enough to be on a post card. Actually, I think it has been, having stood in the center of our tiny town for quite a few decades. The ladies who run it are charming too, always welcoming and always amiable.

Six years ago the United States Post Office issued the first “Forever Stamps.” They had a picture of the Liberty Bell on them and cost 41c apiece, which was the going rate for a first class letter then. The idea behind a Forever Stamp was that it wouldn’t matter when you’d use it; it would always be “good to go.”

I still have a few of those original Liberty Bell stamps in the zipper pocket of my wallet, the ones I paid 41c for. If I stuck one on a letter today, it would be worth 46c, the amount required for first class mail. That was the whole idea. Invest in Forever Stamps and watch their value escalate. Although it’s only pennies, we Americans like that kind of thing.

Of course these stamps aren’t literally good forever.

If something has the ability to last forever, that means it’ll have no end but will go on eternally, and there are precious few things on that list:

God the Father, Son, and Spirit
Human souls
Spirit beings, as created by God
Emotions (love, joy, peace, etc.)
God’s Word
The New Heaven and New Earth

Stamps aren’t on the list, and it’s good for us to recognize how many of life’s other “essentials” aren’t there either. Of course we have a practical need for stamps and lots of other things, but the trick is in prioritizing them all. Which items occupy the top few slots?

For those of us who care about eternity, the top slots ought to closely resemble the list above, and not just in a “don’t-I-wish!” category. Our priorities should be looking back at us from our day-timers, our check books, and our conversations. If not, we ought to ask, “Why not?”

The majority of our world would say, “Why bother with all that spiritual stuff?” But that negates the unnumbered benefits of living a life submitted to God. And though I’m far from doing a good job of that, it’s worth a great deal to keep trying for even one glimpse of the Lord’s work in my life or in someone close to me.

By the way, recently our post-mistress told me that all the stamps sold at post offices these days are Forever Stamps. I love that and sometimes buy hundreds at a time, hoping they’ll last past the next rate rise.

If I died tomorrow, though, of course I couldn’t take them with me. But heavenly communication surely won’t require stamps. Not even Forever Stamps.

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:6)

Flying Home

Posted on August 19, 2013 by Margaret

Every vacation ends eventually, and today was lift-off day for me. When I got to the breakfast table, 3 sad small fry greeted me. “Why are you going back to America today, MeeMee?”

It was a distressing question, because no reason was good enough for them. So I just said, “I’ll be coming back to see you later!”

“By dinner?” Thomas said.

“Not that soon…”

Nicholas, Evelyn, and Thomas are too young to grasp the difficulty of frequent comings and goings across so many time zones, and I felt like I was abandoning them. My only consolation was that out of sight is often out of mind for young children. Maybe they won’t miss me as much as I’ll miss them.

Airport goodbyes were teary, and little Evelyn kissed me on the lips multiple times: “One for Auntie Weez, one for Auntie Britt, for Den-Den (Nelson), Uncle Lars, Uncle Batis (Klaus), Auntie Brooke,” and on and on it went until my face was dripping wet with her sweet kisses.

Nicholas simply said, “I don’t want you to go, MeeMee.”

But as I rolled my suitcases toward the terminal in a British drizzle, I looked back and saw them pull away, crestfallen faces pressed against the car windows, little hands waving. Ouch to my heart.

Once the plane had been boarded and had made its way to the end of a runway with engines rumbling, the captain came on the intercom to say we’d be delayed by 15 minutes. He couldn’t find the flight plan and had to make a new one. Though this was unsettling, at least we weren’t turning back toward the gate.

These days airplanes have TV screens up and down the aisles on which a video is played to make plane-orientation fun. Since most of our flight will be above an ocean, I paid careful attention to the demonstration on life jackets. “Don’t inflate until you’re already outside,” it said, showing a man in a business suit in a flat life vest, standing at the airplane door. He’s smiling broadly as he’s about to jump into the ocean. I pictured myself floating in the icy water watching our wounded plane go under, much like the Titanic did in the movie.

Traveling is stressful; traveling alone is more so. I had to remind myself that even if our plane went down, my “bottom line” was secure. When it was all over, I knew I’d end up with Jesus.

This morning at breakfast, Evelyn asked a funny question: “Do you think your airplane is going to fall out of the sky?”

I laughed and showed her, with my hand, how my plane would take off, cruise, and then land gently on a runway. Today my flight did exactly that, but even if it hadn’t, my ending would have been a good one.

“We are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8)

Happy Birthday, Nate…

Posted on August 18, 2013 by Margaret

Every year on your birthday I look forward to writing you, even though I know my letter can’t be delivered. In the back of my mind, though, there’s always the possibility that by God’s doing, you just might be able to read it.

In thinking back on this past year, I realize I haven’t had a single dream about you. I’ve talked with other widows who occasionally “meet” their men in dreams and cherish these encounters as if they were real events. I confess I too have put my head on the pillow hoping you might appear that night, but it hasn’t happened recently.

That’s ok, though, because the few times we’ve met in dreams ended with your contented departure and my fretful resistance to it. But if I could meet you for real, I’d ask about every detail of your life in Paradise. Scripture tells me you’re in the presence of Jesus, surely a rich place of worship and learning.

When Jesus was on earth, he taught crowds of people who often scratched their heads in confusion at what he said. But I’ll bet you understand him perfectly now. How glorious!

As far as your earthly family goes, last week I gained another birthday increase, once again celebrating without my birthday buddy. But I’m getting used to it, since you’ve been gone for nearly 4 years. I still don’t like it, but I no longer cry.

Our family continues to expand with the birth of grandson Andrew Kenneth last spring. With 4 children ages 4 and under, Katy and Hans sure do lead lively lives, but they’re well organized and tackle all of it together. You’d be proud of this son of yours, once so disorganized but now efficient and productive. I’ve just spent a week and a half with them, and it’s a good thing I took my vitamins before I got there!

When I write to you next summer, Linnea and Adam’s fourth baby (due in January) will have revealed his or her name, face, and personality. They’re hoping it will be another smooth home birth, and I’m hoping to be part of it! We’ll miss you in a special way as we rejoice over that new little life.

The rest of your family is thriving in multiple categories, although none of your kids or kids-in-law are free of challenges. Three are job-hunting, one is a full time university student, several are financially tight, one is about to launch a web site, and one has been offered a teaching position in missions.

Most importantly, each is steadily walking toward God. None of them have taken the giant leap you have, right into his presence, but none of them is standing still either. And it’s a daily encouragement that while you’re living face-to-face with Jesus and other believers in Paradise, Jesus is also living with us, through his Spirit.

I miss you every day, Nate, and am earnestly looking forward to the time when faith in Christ will become sight of him, because then we’ll all be together.