This is goodbye. (…written by Jack)

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Syd and JackTonight my girlfriend Sydney came over to spend the evening with me, and we had a lovely, peaceful time napping together on the floor. I refer to her as my girlfriend, though in reality she’s my cousin. But with dogs, it’s ok to date your cousin.

Sydney and I go back over 10 years. Although I’ve “robbed the cradle” in choosing her for my closest canine relationship, we would both be considered old. Syd is 12, and I’ll turn 11 in October.

Romping togetherJust like any couple, we enjoy doing things together, and we also love the same treats. We agree on our very favorite thing, too: running around at the beach. Both of us have perfected happy dances in the sand, rolling upsidedown in an effort to become part of the landscape. Neither of us mind getting sand up our noses or in our eyes, and when we do the dance at the same time, it’s absolute magic.

Although every day with Sydney is special, tonight was extra-special. Sydney had just had a bath and arrived in my living room still wet. I love it when she smells like wet dog, and the black waves in her shiny coat were absolutely fetching. But then something terrible happened at the end of our evening together. Sydney and I had to say goodbye…. probably for good.

Tomorrow morning my love is moving to Arkansas, and I may never see her again. Her family says that all the changes about to happen to her will be stressful and might put her at risk for an early demise. This upset both of us, but we didn’t let it spoil our last evening together.

Jackie Boy (2)I chose an appropriate going away gift for her, something I knew she would love: a big box of dog bones. I also made a card expressing my love and included a picture so she can look at me and know I’m missing her, too.

Saying goodbye is rough.

I guess that’s true for humans, too. Life will always be full of goodbyes, at least until we all end up in Paradise. I fully intend to go there, and I know Sydney does, too. Both of us have been taught that the God who made us looks into our hearts, so he knows the two of us are reflections of his unshakeable, unconditional love.

SydThough I may never dance at the beach with my girlfriend again, I know God will always be watching over both of us just as he watches over the humans we love. I also know that when Syd and I think we can’t take any more of being separated, God will comfort us. Actually, I don’t think he likes goodbyes any more than we do.

Sydney, I’ll always love you.

Sad Jack“For the sake of my…. friend, I will say, ‘May you have peace’.” (Psalm 122:8)

Perfect Paddling

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Lotsa kayaksIn the last few years, one of the most popular beachfront pastimes has been kayaking. These little boats can be maneuvered nicely even by amateurs and are designed to hold one, two, or three passengers. They come in a variety of colors, price ranges, weights, and sizes, some even light enough for a child to drag across the sand.

As popular as kayaks have been, though, this year a new beach craze took over: paddle-boarding. (I first called it water-boarding and was quickly corrected.)

Louisa succeeds

Birgitta starts outPaddle-boards resemble surfboards, though users tell me there are many differences: length, width, weight, rudders, materials. But on a calm-water day at our beach, we might see a dozen or more boards in action, looking every bit like those using them have learned to walk on water.

It’s no surprise that the younger the participants, the easier it is to watch them. As geriatrics climb aboard (like me), it’s not so appealing. “Wobble” is the operative word, and strange, staccato noises become part of the effort. “Oops! Yikes! Oh-oh!”

My son-in-law Adam brought his paddle board from Florida when his family visited this summer, and his command of the sport was impressive. He had a head start, though, having grown up on short and long skateboards, and mountain bikes. Now he’s passing along his skills to his children, who will probably grow into non-wobbly paddlers in short order.

Recently Linnea texted me a video of a paddler-wanna-be. Five year old Skylar was balancing perfectly on Adam’s wheeled long board, making her way down the road in front of their house with a paddle that looked suspiciously like a broom. Surely she was thinking, “Just like Daddy!” as she successfully moved along.

Children often follow the behavior of the adults in their lives, learning to love what they love. This works to their advantage when the object of their affection is positive, such as a love for water sports or any number of other good things. But the same modeling takes place with negative stuff, and if we’re not careful, children will adopt habits we’re actually trying to break. It’s devastating when they copy “our bad.”

Maybe that’s why God gives us unlimited opportunities to model good behavior in front of them. It’s much easier to clean up our lives when we know we might be copied, and God knew that. But he also wants adults to have models to copy, too.

His idea was to provide a perfect one for us, someone we could imitate without any negative consequences. So that’s what he did, and his name is Jesus.

*            *            *            *

A geriatric wobbleAs for my learning to paddle-board by modeling my efforts after Adam’s example, it didn’t happen. I think for me it will be better to “master” the sport vicariously….

through Skylar.

“Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents.” (Ephesians 5:1)

Well Hidden

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In hidingWhen young children are introduced to someone new, they’re usually skeptical, sometimes re- fusing to look them in the eye or speak to them. A preschooler might hide behind her mother’s skirt, peeking out from what she considers to be a safety zone. After all, she can’t be sure the new person might not harm her. But she has confidence her parent will both defend and protect her.

God encourages us to do something similar in our relationship with him. He uses word pictures in Scripture to let us know he wants to be our protector. “Run to me,” he says. “Stand behind me. I’ll take good care of you.”

Psalm 32:7 says, “You, Lord, are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble.” He’s letting us know it’s ok to hide behind him. Actually, he’s encouraging it as a way to gain confidence when faced with an enemy, which could be anything from an attack on our character to words of discouragement. No matter the assailant, God says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name.” (Psalm 91:14)

Behind God’s many scriptural requests that we hide behind him (like a frightened child behind his mother) is his desire to be near us. When we use him as a hiding place, we put ourselves tight up next to him.

The hiding place in ten Boom's homeCorrie ten Boom, imprisoned in Nazi Germany for hiding Jews and members of the resistance, wrote a book detailing her experiences. THE HIDING PLACE describes not just the secret room her family constructed in their home but also the way God hid them from trouble.

For example, when Corrie and the others at Ravensbruck had been stripped naked to enter the camp, she desperately wanted to keep her small Bible with her. She knew guards would beat her if she tried to trick them by holding onto it, but she also knew God could hide his Word as she went through the inspection.

The Hiding PlaceThat’s exactly what happened, and “somehow” the brutal guards missed seeing Corrie’s Bible. God wanted his Word to go into the concentration camp with her, so he hid it from the enemy. Afterwards, that Bible was the one thing that sustained Corrie, her sister, and many others through their torturous time.

It’s interesting to note that God-as-refuge doesn’t always prevent all pain or trouble. But it does mean he’ll guard us from soul-destruction and will often do spectacular things to let us know he’s nearby, going through each experience with us.

Corrie would wholeheartedly agree with the psalmist who wrote, “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans.” (Psalm 118:8) And this is true for us, too, no matter what adversary we meet. Just as a child finds safety behind his mother’s skirt, we can find security when we step behind God and trust him to be our hiding place.

“As for God, his way is perfect…. He shields all who take refuge in him.” (2 Samuel 22:31)