Getting Ready

Posted on April 22, 2015 by Margaret

Our son Hans and his family live in north England in a beautiful town that’s surrounded by rolling green hills. The moist, temperate climate is ideal for growing things, and each year Hans takes pleasure in making his own yard as beautiful as those of his gardening clients. He involves his children in the process and is teaching them how to nurture and nourish many different plantings.

As these youngsters help, they’re also getting Hans’ perspective on God’s integral part in all growing things. They’re learning the laws of sowing and reaping and are being taught that preparing, tending, and waiting are all part of a good harvest.

These Nymans have been preparing their yard for the growth of summer, but that’s not the only thing they’re getting ready for. Any day now their mummy, Katy, will labor to bring a new little somebody into this world. He or she will bring their brood to 5 children in 6 years.

Katy has prepared for the new baby by unpacking all the tiny clothes and other equipment, by cooking and freezing scores of meals ahead, and by mentally gearing up for the needs of a newborn.

Hans has been preparing, too, by rearranging bedrooms, painting the nursery, organizing for time off work, and giving Katy as much rest-time as possible.

Any project, plan, or possession that’s valuable is worth preparing for, and that’s especially true of new babies! Yet as we go through life, all of our best laid plans can never be a sure thing.

The only planner who can be sure he has thoroughly covered all the bases and knows the exact outcome is God. We may have 20/20 vision looking back, but he’s got it looking forward, too. While we may only be able to guess at how things will go, he can be sure.

That’s why it’s a good idea for us to submit every decision to his guidance. The odds of disappointment go way down, and the probability of success skyrockets. Although God definitely wants us to have a part in preparation, counting the cost ahead of time if we can, the final result is up to him.

Katy and Hans have been doing an excellent job preparing for their new baby, but exactly who he or she really is, is God’s special surprise. And the children have been helping Hans prepare the family garden, but even there, the growth is all up to God.

And so we’re left to walk that fine line between under- and- over- preparing, often not quite sure what it’s supposed to look like. Thankfully the Lord is eager to work with us either way, as long as we leave room for his perfect plans to fill in between our imperfect ones. That way, the end-result is bound to be good.

“Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.” (Proverbs 16:20)

Seeing Eye-to-Eye

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Margaret

A week ago while I was visiting Linnea and her family of 6 in Florida, I marveled at how she got so much accomplished each day. Maybe that’s because she’s a goal-setter and a list-maker, but I think it’s more about knowing that her life as a wife and mother is a high calling.

I enjoyed watching Linni deal with 4 young children, home-schooling 2 and keeping careful track of the others. Somehow she manages to spend one-on-one time with each of them, each day.

Of greatest interest to me was her method of discipline, probably because I was never much good at that as a young mom. When Linnea was about to reprimand one of the kids, she’d always start the same way. Bending down to their level she’d say, “Skylar (or Micah or Autumn), look at me.”

The child might take a quick glance at Linnea’s face but then, inevitably, would look away, knowing that whatever was coming next wouldn’t be good. But Linni wouldn’t deliver her message before she’d gotten their full attention. “Look at my eyes,” she’d say again. “Here,” pointing to her eyes. “Look here.”

The child often took another quick peek but then repeatedly looked away until Linnea absolutely insisted. “Eyes,” she’d say. “Right here,” pointing to her own. When finally both pairs of eyes locked in, she’d “deliver the goods.”

God does the same thing with the rest of us. Though I can never physically look him in the eyes, I can always “see” what he’s trying to tell me through what Scripture says. But watching Skylar, Micah, and Autumn automatically look away from Linnea was a powerful object lesson for me.

How often do I do the same thing with the Lord, glancing left or right or even worse, right past him, pretending not to notice he wants me to pay attention? Of course trying to dodge the gaze of the Almighty is ridiculous, even more so than children trying to avoid their mother’s eyes.

The Lord goes to great lengths to connect one-on-one with us. And thankfully he perseveres, because he has important things to say. The only way to move forward in the Christian life is to listen to him and then heed his words.

Hebrews 12 offers a warning: “Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking,” meaning Jesus. (v.25) Even if we know his message is going to be one of rebuke or correction, we can take comfort in knowing his discipline comes from a heart of love. (vv.5-6) So there’s never reason to fear receiving his focused attention.

As for Linnea’s children, one day they’ll thank her for taking the time and making the effort to always look them in the eyes.

“Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus….” (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Don’t wait.

Posted on March 24, 2015 by Margaret

Dad always used to say, ”If a blizzard comes in December, January, or February, shovel it up quickly. Otherwise you could be slipping and sliding on it until March. But if a blizzard comes in March, don’t worry about it. It’ll melt away on its own.”

Yesterday we had a blizzard in my neighborhood. It was two days after the start of spring, and thinking of Dad’s words, I didn’t even get my shovel out of the shed. But I probably should have looked at my iPhone’s weather app.

Last night we went down to 15 degrees, and this morning our 5″ of snow was crunchy, slippery, and very difficult to walk on with hard ice underneath. As Birgitta struggled up the front walk carrying Emerald today, I felt bad that I hadn’t shoveled.

Dad’s rule has proven true over the years, maybe 95% of the time. But this blizzard was an exception. And it reminded me of times in my history when I’ve had a crispy cold heart toward certain situations or, in some cases, toward certain people.

It’s always best to “shovel away” accumulated “ice” by dealing with it sooner rather than later. If our frigid attitude is toward a set of circumstances, we should promptly make an analysis: if there’s something we can do to warm things up, we should; if not, we ought to hand it over to God so he can do it.

If it’s a relationship that’s become icy, we ought to look seriously for the reason(s) and act quickly to sort it out, particularly if it’s inside of a marriage. Relationship problems never “melt away on their own.”

And if we find ourselves cooling toward the Lord, we ought to get out the proverbial space heaters. Letting ourselves drift into a spiritual deep freeze can lead to a frosty relationship with the one who has offered to keep us warm from the inside out. And if shoveling away the relationship snow seem too daunting a task, we can remind ourselves it’ll never be any easier than it is “today.”

As for my crusty front sidewalk, the weather app tells me it’ll hit 52 degrees tomorrow and that a spring rain will wash away all the ice and snow. So in terms of blizzards, I guess Dad was right again.