Category Archives: Learning from our past

Rich and Famous

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In 1993 my mom and Aunt Joyce put together a two week trip to Sweden for 6 of us: my sister Mary and I, our two oldest daughters (Julia and Linnea), and themselves. Off we flew to visit relatives and see the sights, two teenagers, two 40-somethings, and two 70-somethings.

After a delightful time with gracious extended family and lots of yummy Swedish tartas (cakes), we headed home by way of a 3 day stay in London. As our plane approached Heathrow Airport, we discussed what sights each of us hoped to see. Our daughters had only one request, “We wanna meet Princess Diana!”

We 4 adults chuckled at their far-fetched idea, since Lady Di was the darling of the royal family at that time, and more people clamored to see her than Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth combined. The international press charted her every move, and she seemed to have the world on a string. Why would she want to meet with a handful of assertive Americans?

After settling in at our downtown hotel, Mom and Aunt Joyce gratefully put their feet up while the rest of us set out to find a princess, someone we weren’t even sure was currently in the country.

As we walked into the night without a clue about where we were going, the girls collected information from strangers passing by. They learned that their favorite celebrity was, indeed, in the country and that she was actually in London at a theater within walking distance of us. Excitement grew as we raced toward the royal dance performance of “Romeo and Juliet.” Our girls hoped Lady Di wanted to meet them as much as they wanted to meet her.

When we got to the theater at 10:30 PM, a small crowd was gathering outside, and police were setting up barricades to keep us away from Diana. Fifteen feet from the front door stood her dark green Jaguar at-the-ready much like Cinderella’s coach. Diana’s driver was waiting beside the car door.

Julia and Linnea, ever hopeful, told a tall, handsome bobby they just had to meet Diana and wanted to know how they could. Bemused by their boldness but wanting to help he said, “She may head for her car or mingle with the crowd, depending on her mood. But if you want to ‘up’ your chances, go buy a bouquet. The princess likes to be photographed with flowers.”

Off they went in search of any kind of flowers they could find at 11:00 pm. Returning in 15 minutes with two bedraggled bunches of orange day lilies, they pushed their way through the growing crowd to the front where we’d saved their places next to the barricade. Their bobby friend smiled at their wilting lilies but had some bad news. Diana also liked to be photographed with young children, and in their absence, two adorably dressed little girls had arrived with their mum and were standing near the theater door.

It was a toss-up. Would the princess go for the girls, the flowers, or the dark green Jaguar? All eyes were riveted on the front door, and when we heard dignified clapping coming from inside the theater, we knew she was on her way out.

(…to be continued)

“God shows no favoritism… He accepts those who fear him and do what is right.” (Acts 10:34-35)

 

I can’t deny it.

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Hollywood and the Bible have something in common: they’re both full of stories, not to mention the colorful personalities populating them. God’s plots and those of filmmakers could be skewed any way the authors choose, but the movie that sells the most tickets is usually the one with the most reprehensible characters in its script. We’d rather see actors make trouble than watch halo-worthy people do everything right.

God knows that, which is why he’s included so many off-kilter stories in the Bible. It’s more of a tell-all book than a goodie-two-shoes tale. He could have shown us only the holy side of his players, but instead he spells out the whole story, even the seedy parts.

How come?

It’s probably to convince us his Word is about real people, people who may have lived thousands of years ago but are really very much like us. Once we buy into that, we can learn from their rebellious behavior (and its resulting consequences) as much as from their cooperation with God. Probably more so.

Lively guys like superman Samson, bully Goliath, longsuffering Noah, first-man Adam, temper-tantrum Jonah, and dancing David are intriguing. All of them got into massive messes, and as we study those exciting (and sometimes far-fetched) stories, we shake our heads and remember what not to do.

When Jesus arrived on the biblical pages, he continued to acquaint us with people who were out-of-the-ordinary, even strange, putting his words and experiences into everyday contexts. Take his 12 disciples, for example, men of all ages, educational backgrounds, and professions. Some were gracious, others abrasive, but as we get to know them, we can see ourselves in their behavior.

Personally I relate to Peter the most. During the 3 years of Jesus’ ministry, Peter was probably about my age, older than the rest of the men and because of that, supposedly wiser. Instead we’re shown an impetuous character who was often reckless in his responses to circumstances. For instance, betraying and abandoning his dear friend Jesus when he needed him most.

In another incident (this one in John 21), Peter plays the lead in a grilling session that takes place at the beach, and I don’t mean on a Weber. Jesus had risen from the dead, and a handful of his disciples had just finished a spontaneous picnic breakfast with him at the edge of a lake.

Peter, probably unsure of where he stood with Jesus after his 3 blatant lies about him (using swear words for emphasis), was no doubt thrilled to be sharing a meal with him again. After they’d all finished eating, Jesus turned toward the impulsive Peter and zeroed in on him with a thorny Q&A session.

(Concluded tomorrow)

Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.” (John 21:12)

Bottoming Out

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My first official job was as a waitress in a small California diner, and I tested the cook’s patience as she tried to teach me serving skills. One day I was responsible for restaurant chaos as a result of not having listened carefully about the coffee machine.

In those days, no homeowner had a coffee maker in her kitchen, and I had no idea how they worked. Our restaurant had a big one with 3 burners and 3 pots, a complicated contraption at best.

One morning during a breakfast shift, I made a fresh pot of coffee for the men lined up at the counter enjoying ham and eggs. When I grabbed the pot and swung it around for coffee refills, the bottom fell out of the glass pot, along with all the scalding coffee. Those seated on the stools leaped up in unison as if they’d been choreographed to do so, shouting their complaints.

The cook charged in from the kitchen, immediately sizing up the situation. The coffee pot, half in my hand and half in glass shards on the floor, had been sitting empty on a hot burner. As the fresh coffee dripped into it, nothing appeared different, but the pot had cracked, and its contents were doomed.

A glass carafe isn’t the only thing subject to its bottom falling out. The proverbial bottom can fall out of life, too. When everything breaks apart we ask, “How did we get burned so badly?” Usually it has something to do with being on a “hot seat” too long.

Although the coffee pot incident was completely my fault, we’re not always the ones responsible when the bottom falls out of life. It might be a convergence of unusual circumstances or the result of an attack by someone else. It might even be God, who sometimes lets us fall to a place of brokenness on purpose. (When he does, though, it’s only after he’s tried to get our attention in gentler ways first.)

If we reach out to him for help when we’re at the bottom, the result is a lifting-up with better results than if we’d never fallen at all. To stay in a hot spot that’s burning us with increasing intensity does more damage than if we break apart, for one reason: it’s God who is willing to put us back together.

That restaurant mistake showed me heat can cause disaster. But in the 46 years since learning that lesson, I’ve been careful not to put glass on a hot burner.

When the bottom falls out and God picks up our broken pieces, the fresh beginning he offers comes with increased smarts, and we usually do things differently after that. Although we may end up with a burn scar, it’s always worth it.

“The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.” (Psalm 51:17)