Category Archives: Life’s disappointments

We have no idea.

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Each morning when we wake up, we look at the ceiling above us and run through our plans for that day, even though we have no idea what might unfold. By the time our heads are back on the pillow looking up at the ceiling that night, it may have all panned out differently.

Take today, for example. If my cottage had a revolving door, it would never be still. Louisa left this morning, returning Saturday. That was just about the time Klaus arrived, leaving an hour later. Nelson departs tomorrow, returning Sunday. Hans and family called today to confirm airplane arrivals from England, and Linnea’s family is firming up another visit from Florida. Lars comes and goes from Chicago, and Birgitta and I are in and out daily.

As the front door opens and closes, each arrival and departure is loosely based on our calendars and date books, and all of us have expectations for every day. But what if our plans don’t click quite right? What if something goes wrong?

When Klaus left this afternoon he said, “See you tonight!” but when he arrived, it was with an unidentifiable racket that reverberated through the neighborhood. As he turned into our driveway, the ball joint from his front wheel snapped off the frame of his car, throwing it sideways and bringing him to a screeching stop, metal on asphalt.

When we saw the wheel, it was evident God had prevented a terrible accident. Most of Klaus’ driving is done on roads with a limit of 70 mph. Had the wheel come off at that speed, the car’s response would have been chaotic and catastrophic with him inside. All we could say was, “Wow….”

Scripture tells us God watches over our comings and goings. It doesn’t say he always prevents accidents or brings us to our destination every time, but he does promise to watch, noticing everything that happens to us. And because he uses his great power to affect change, we probably have no idea how many accidents he has averted for us. Tonight he let us identify one of them.

What confuses us is that some accidents God doesn’t prevent. Others he does. We know he has significant reasons for each of his choices, but that can be hard for us to swallow. The disasters he doesn’t prevent impact us heavily, and without understanding the why’s behind them, we bristle with frustration and anger. But it’s important to recognize that many of the accidents he does prevent are unknown to us. We have no idea how many there are, and we don’t give him credit for any of those.

Tonight I do want to give him credit for protecting Klaus and for planning for his wheel to fall off while going 7 mph instead of 70.

Thank you so much, Lord, for today, and for all those other times you protected us when we were unaware.

“The Lord will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” (Psalm 121:7-8)

 

Party Hardy?

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A month ago I flew with other family members to the west coast for my nephew’s wedding. Although my children couldn’t all be with us, my sister and brother-in-law’s family of 20 was there in force to participate in 5 days of non-stop merry-making. At least one wedding-related festivity occurred each day, and other adventures were wedged in between: sightseeing, swimming, shopping, hiking, running, and lots of large-group dining.

When the night of the actual wedding finally arrived, some of us found our energy flagging, and the young set was especially pooped. Their naps and down times had been set aside in favor of family fun, and energy was dwindling. By the reception, they were dropping like flies.

The struggle to keep going can overwhelm any of us. When adults find their endurance fading, it’s usually a result of something far less exciting than wedding festivities. Exhaustion can come as a result of over-commitment, mismatched commitment, or commitment gone wrong. It arrives in our minds before it hits our bodies so that when it finally does take a physical toll, it can’t usually be corrected by a simple night’s sleep.

So what are we supposed to do when we hit the proverbial wall of I-can’t-go-on? In most cases we know we must, so where can we go for a good dose of staying power?

The answer is found in the Bible. It makes sense for us to ask the Someone who has an ample supply of stamina, resolve, and get-up-and-go. Though our resources to carry heavy loads have a definitive limit, God’s don’t. Scripture says he has “rich storehouses” of all things energetic.

In truth, no storehouse could hold all of God’s fortitude, but in that word picture he’s trying to impress on us that he’s got more than enough for you and me. Pulling our thoughts from our own shortfalls, he’s trying to focus us toward his abundance.

Most of our battles are won or lost in our heads, which then direct our bodies. It’s a good thing he designed us that way, since the majority of us would never have enough muscle-power, speed, or just-plain-zip to endure life’s challenges if they were only physical. So since our minds are the birthplace of a will to keep going, a sound strategy is to ask God to put it there. And it doesn’t even require going to the gym. As we request what we need, he makes us strong.

Our little people may not yet know how to claim scriptural promises for themselves, but God took care of that. He set them up so that a few minutes of zzz’s is all the rejuvenation they need to once again party hardy.

 

 

 

 

“I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.  Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.” (Ephesians 3:16-17)

 

Poisons that Kill

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Modern medicine is a good thing, and part of that is the use of effective drugs. Misuse, however, can get us into trouble.

When my husband’s cancer was rushing through his system, our drug use became prodigious. (“Medicine 101”) Those of us helping him were in a race to stay ahead of his escalating symptoms, and because pancreatic cancer is 100% fatal, we weren’t under the delusion Nate’s prescriptions would heal him. The pills were simply meant to ease his misery: Vicodin, Oxycontin, Ondansetron, Morphine, and others.

During 5 of Nate’s 6 weeks of cancer, he took the pills himself (though we handed them to him), but during the last week, everything changed. He had trouble holding onto the small pills, and sometimes they’d roll off his fingers on the way to his mouth. When that happened, we’d get on all fours around his chair in an effort to find the stray drug. With two young children in the house, one a crawler, our mission to keep an eye on each pill was critical.

One day we lost an oxicontin, the strength of which could kill a toddler. All of us endeavored to find it, literally inspecting every square inch near where Nate had last held it in his hand. We swept, vacuumed, and inspected the vacuum bag contents but failed to find the pill. And until my grandchildren left several weeks later, we lived with uncertainty and a good deal of fear.

All of our lives include scenarios that can turn out to be harmless or deadly. For example, it isn’t difficult to prevent a child from eating moldy food or a friend from running in front of a truck. But what about the out-of-sight dangers like hanging onto unforgiveness or letting anger dominate? Do we tolerate jealousy or let worry control us? Or how about allowing fear to consume us or nurturing our anger? Maybe we have a critical spirit or are permitting bitterness to take root.

Are we as diligent about locating these things in our lives as we might be in searching for a stray Oxycontin pill? If not, it’s probably because we think of hidden poisons as insipid rather than insidious, despite their ability to destroy us just as effectively as a drug overdose or a deadly cancer.

Scripture warns us to watch for these inner poisons, label them honestly, and route them out. And in the empty places they leave behind, God promises to put something new, something good, because he’s not a God of emptiness but of fullness.

As for the wayward Oxycontin pill? A month after my grandchildren left I was brushing dog hair from a heating grate when there it was, nestled snugly against the white grill. How we missed it I’ll never know, but once found, it was thoroughly destroyed.

“The church… is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.” (Ephesians 1:23)