Category Archives: Life’s disappointments

Difficult Directions

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All of us drive absent-mindedly once in a while, especially if we’re moving along familiar roads. But when we’re in new territory, we have to depend on the signs to be accurate.

A swiveled signA while ago I was on an unfamiliar 5-lane street during rush hour in heavy traffic when I came upon something strange. At the edge of a strip-mall parking lot, a stop sign seemed out of place and was confusing drivers on the main thoroughfare. Were they supposed to stop? Some were. Others weren’t. And cars leaving the mall parking lot were entering traffic without so much as a pause.

I turned into the lot and found a parking spot, then walked back to the stop sign for a better look. Sure enough, it had been tampered with, swiveled 90 degrees, causing drivers to do the opposite of what they were supposed to do.

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Early this morning, while trying to get my heart ready for Palm Sunday, I thought about the traffic flow into Jerusalem that day 2000 years ago. Of course it was mostly foot-traffic then, though there was one very important donkey with the Son of God sitting on it.

AdulationWhen adoring crowds pushed toward Jesus in a type of Jerusalem rush-hour, there was no impatience or road rage, only joy and adoration. His miracles of healing had shown people he could do things no one else could do, and everyone on the Jerusalem road that day was deferring to him as part of a plan to make him their king.

There were no stop signs, and popular enthusiasm was propelling Jesus in a forward direction. A few days later, however, the “directional signs” had been swiveled around. The zeal to make him king had come to a screeching halt, and the mob of well-wishers had turned on him.

Thankfully one person continued in a forward direction anyway, despite discouraging signs all around him. Jesus resolutely drove himself toward the cross and his own excruciating death while his supporters hightailed it in other directions. But instead of being influenced by the reversal of the traffic flow, he looked only to his Father for a definitive sign of what to do.

Although Jesus had been to Jerusalem many times, he knew this visit would be different than all the others. He dreaded it but continued his forward pace anyway.

Sitting in church this morning, I was flooded with appreciation that even when he could have made a turn, he resolutely kept going straight ahead, all the way to Calvary.

“He steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:51)

Out of Hiding

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When I visit my grandchildren, one game they love to play is Hide-and-Seek. I like it too, for a couple of reasons: all ages can play, and tired grandmas can choose hiding places where they can rest quietly for a few minutes.

Once in a while, instead of hiding themselves, the children enjoy hiding special toys. Hunting for Matchbox cars or finger-size princess dolls can be the ultimate in Hide-and-Seek challenges, but bigger items are fun to search for.

IMG_4624The last time we played, it was Skylar’s turn to hide something, and she chose her pink purse.

Wisely, she tucked it into a bush full of pink blossoms, and those of us looking for it had a tough time. We walked past it again and again without seeing it. Eventually we had to ask her for clues in order to finally find it.

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Sometimes we can feel we’re playing that kind of game with God, like he’s hiding from us in a place that’s impossible to find. And how about when we ask what his will is for us? Does he keep that a secret, too?

I think of Moses up on Mt. Sinai, all alone with God. He said, “Show me your glory, Lord.” In other words, “Come out from your hiding place.” And unbelievably, God did! He showed Moses something no other human being has ever seen.

And that wasn’t even all of it. Moses asked God to give him a partner in his travels through the wilderness, and God responded by saying he would personally take the job, guiding Moses with an audible voice. Another time when Moses asked what to do with obstinate followers, God answered him definitively. And when he stood in the gap and asked God to forgive the sins of others, God did that, too.

Why was it that Moses seemed to “find” God so easily? Why did God have such a high opinion of Moses? I think the key is in his attitude.

Moses viewed God as his only personal hope for succeeding at anything, his go-to Person for every need. He didn’t make plans apart from the Lord and never thought of God as his last resort. His first move was always toward him. And then, when he was told what to do, he followed orders exactly. He also spent time worshipping God, sometimes face-to-the-ground.

Pink purse..God looked favorably on Moses, to the point of coming out of hiding in a dramatic way. And he’ll find favor with us, too, if we’ll honor him as Number One. After that, finding him will be even easier than finding a pink purse hidden in a pink bush.

“One day Moses said to the Lord, ‘If it is true that you look favorably on me, let me know your ways so I may understand you more fully’.” (Exodus 33:12-13)

When We’re Ready

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Every young child loves to “help” his or her mommy. That may be because God placed a drive within them to mimic, or simply because what adults do seems fascinating from the outside looking in. (Think blue Windex spray bottles, shiny sharp knives, and the buttons on the wash machine.)

“Me do it!” or “By my own self!” are often early sentences, and children think of themselves as every adult’s equal.

Spray bottleThe other day, two-year-old Emerald borrowed the spray water bottle from her bathtub toys and went-to-town washing windows. The only trouble was that the window she chose was Birgitta’s flat screen TV, which now is no more.

Adults know the truth about being given responsibility before capability. So they try to walk that fine line between letting children assist and giving them free rein. Take vacuuming, for example.

Isaac assistingMy grandson Isaac, 13 months, loves the family vacuum. With 4 youngsters ages 6 and under in the house, this attractive tool makes an appearance daily, and Isaac longs to be in charge of it.

Of particular interest is the warm vent-air that blows out the side, and Linnea patiently lets him “help” as she makes her way around a room. But turning it over to him would be ridiculous. The tidying-up would remain undone, and dust and crumbs wouldn’t be the only things going inside the vacuum.

We can draw a spiritual parallel when it comes to our relationship with God. Often we think we’re capable of spiritual accomplishments he hasn’t yet trained us to do. Just as children watch their mommy and figure they can do what she does, we look at others doing “great things for the Lord” and wish we could do the same.

It’s honorable to want to accomplish for God. We love him dearly, and in trying to please him, can set our sights on tasks beyond our readiness. Along with that, we can be off in categorizing certain jobs as loftier than others.

His list of what’s important and what isn’t probably doesn’t match ours, and a job we consider to be low-level might be his highest calling for our here-and-now. For example, there’s not a much lowlier task than changing poopy diapers, but doing it faithfully is to participate in the high calling of motherhood.

Isaac moving in to take chargeAnd so, we should patiently pursue whatever God places in front of us with the tools he’s trained us to use. And if we get ahead of him, we can think of little Isaac’s relationship with the vacuum and know that the better plan is to wait till God says we’re ready.

“Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won’t be ashamed of…” (2 Timothy 2:15)

Praising and Praying with Mary

  1. Last year on St. Patrick’s Day I underwent the Whipple surgery to remove a tumor from my pancreas. I never thought I’d see another St. Patrick’s Day, but here we are, thanking the Lord for this gift.
  2. As our entire family (25 of us) vacation together in Florida, please pray that my bad sinus infection will soon clear so I can participate without passing it along to anyone else. Thanks!