A Purple Bible

Posted on April 21, 2015 by Margaret

Finding myself back in the Chicago suburbs last weekend, I had no idea how much fun God had in store. Baby showers are always energizing as women gather to celebrate new life and help “induct” young parents-to-be into the adventure of parenthood.

After the shower, I listened to one of the other guests tell stories of God-sightings in her life, always an inspiration. Hearing the details of another woman’s radical trust in God urges the rest of us to trust him “just like that.”

Roxanne told of a recent mission trip to Hungary with the church high school youth group. Their purpose was to teach English to Hungarians by day and fellowship with them by night. Those whose native language is English are welcomed into foreign cultures by those wanting to learn the language. Roxanne, along with the other leaders, prayed God would use them in ways that would bring the students closer to him.

When Roxanne’s luggage didn’t appear in the Hungarian airport, she became a celebrity of sorts, borrowing clothes for a few days and remaining upbeat about her suitcase. Thankfully she’d packed her “necessities” in her carry-on bag.

One of those necessities was her favorite Bible, the one her husband Ricky had given her as a birthday gift years before. It was unusual in that it was purple, and through the years Roxanne had underlined and filled the margins with notes of personal discoveries.

One evening a Hungarian student named Sabrina noticed Roxanne’s purple Bible. In broken English she asked about it, and Roxanne felt God nudging her to give away her Bible.

“Really, God?” she said. “She can’t even read English, and this is the English Standard Version!”

Sabrina asked to see the Bible, and Roxanne resisted, not wanting to part with her treasure. But she had prayed God would use her, and God’s intention was clear.

As Sabrina was walking away with the purple Bible tucked under her arm, Roxanne said, “Try to read the underlined words first. I’ll be praying for you.”

Roxanne’s prayers about the trip began to change. For one thing, they had Sabrina’s name in them. They also pleaded with God to open her understanding to the underlined words in the Bible.

Roxanne wasn’t able to go on the next mission trip back to Hungary, but when that was over, those who’d gone told her they’d seen Sabrina, who was still working at her English. And she was carrying the purple Bible.

God works wonders with his Word and watches over it carefully. From our point of view, it’s a long shot that Sabrina will manage enough English to understand and appropriate the words inside her purple Bible. But Roxanne is trusting God to teach her — both the English language and the truths of his Word.

“My Word…. shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11)

Synchronized Walking

Posted on April 20, 2015 by Margaret

I live in a quiet neighborhood with narrow lanes running between the houses, no curbs, no sidewalks. The streets are the sidewalks, and people use them for long walks, bike rides, exercise jogs, or (like Jack and I), slow strolls.

The other day I saw a couple power-walking up a steep road toward the lake, the man over six feet tall and the lady under five feet. Somehow, though, they were stepping together in perfect synchrony. After they walked around Jack and I at a fast clip, I studied their movement, trying to figure out how the two of them could possibly have the same length of stride with such different length of legs.

Though their walking looked natural for both of them, the only possible answer was that the man had shortened his steps and the lady had lengthened hers till they met somewhere in the middle. Amazing.

This willingness to change the way they originally walked on their own probably didn’t come without effort. The process must have taken determination from both of them. But the end-result was perfect-pacing that let them walk together as if they were partnered in a smooth dance.

What a great example of how God wants us to pair up with him. First he needs to know we want to get in step with him, to walk in his way. Then he’s hoping we’ll follow up with the work it takes for us to make the necessary changes. (If I’m typical, this can take years.)

As we’re working on that, amazingly God begins to walk so close to our steps that it seems he’s the one making all the adjustments. But what’s really happening is that our submission to his pacing-plans has caused him to facilitate changes in our stride that we never thought we could manage.

Just as it’s a wonder how the tall man and the short lady make synchronized walking work so well, it’s mysterious how God improves our ability to walk in sync with him. We aren’t making it happen; he is, in response to our desire for it.

As for my neighbors, if I had stopped them and asked how hard it had been for each of them to adapt their steps to the other, they probably would have looked at me quizzically and said, “Oh, we just walk together like that naturally.”

My hope is that one distant day I’ll be walking in step with the Lord so naturally that I won’t even remember what it was like to walk in my own way.

“My feet have closely followed his steps…” (Job 23:11)

Price of a Potty

Posted on April 19, 2015 by Margaret

It’s been 22 years since I potty-trained my youngest child. The details are murky, but I do remember two things: (1) candy was part of it, and (2) all 7 of them got it done.

Today my bathroom once again has a child’s potty in it. Emerald has shown signs of readiness, so Birgitta and I bought two, one for her home and one for mine.

The day I bought them, I stacked the identical potties inside each other on the store check-out belt. But when I got home, I’d been charged for only one. The checker must have swiped them simultaneously.

A 34-mile round trip separated me from the nearest Walmart, and I didn’t have time to head back, but I knew I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t straighten it out.

What bothered me most was knowing I’d have to convince Customer Service to take the $10 I owed. I’ve learned from past experience it’s not always easy to be honest. I considered dropping $10 into the church offering on Sunday to clear my guilt, but by the next day, I knew what I had to do.

While awaiting my turn at Customer Service I rehearsed my lines. “This may sound funny, but I owe you $10.” Or, “I never paid for this potty and want to pay now.”

Then I thought about the receipt in my hand, knowing the check-out girl’s identity was encoded there. Would my desire for a clean conscience cost her her job? Maybe I should just walk through the aisles and place my potty back on the shelf, which would cancel my debt. Better yet, I could walk to a check-out counter and just buy it again.

No doubt God was getting a good chuckle watching me ride my moral merry-go-round.

Scripture teaches us to do the right thing, labeling it “righteousness.” We shouldn’t have to argue ourselves into it but should just practice it without pause, never worrying about the response of others. In the process, we’ll develop positive character traits that please God. Doing the right thing isn’t usually easy, but once we make it our default behavior, it takes less and less effort.

When it was finally my turn at Customer Service, the young girl there furrowed her brow as I stumbled over my words trying to land somewhere between criminal (shoplifter?) and saint (too honest). Bracing myself for resistance, I was thrilled when she simply said, “No problem.”

She swiped the potty, collected my money, and handed me a receipt. As I turned to go she said, “Good thing you came back and paid for it. If you hadn’t, your granddaughter might never have gotten trained.”