Wildlife

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I don’t know if it’s a drop in the barometric pressure, a problem of over-population, or just friendly natives, but this morning before I was out of my PJs, I had personal encounters with 3 spiders, 1 pincher bug, 2 rolly-pollies, 1 copper beetle, and 2 moths, all enjoying residence inside my house.

My rule is kindness to animals unless they enter without an invitation. After that, it’s “death to intruders.”

From a bug’s vantage point I see how running indoors has its advantages: shelter from a downpour, warmth on a cold day, an abundance of food, and, well, maybe the fellowship. Whatever the cause of this morning’s influx, my reasons for why it was unacceptable trumped their reasons for coming in.

A grasshopperToday’s wildlife scenario put me in mind of an interesting Bible verse written from God’s perspective. He says he sees us as grasshoppers far below him. Interesting.

His point is that people are small and helpless compared to him, just like a skittering spider is to me (and why I feel free to step on it). I have full confidence that I can eliminate it.

Not that people are to God as a bug is to me. The Isaiah chapter is just trying to make the point that God is so much greater than we are, we can’t even comprehend it.

HousesFor example, in the real estate business when a house is put up for sale, realtors look for “comparables” in the neighbor- hood to help set a fair price. These comparably-priced homes are even listed for house hunters to see, to help them make a realistic offer.

But with God, there are no comparables.

Isaiah 40 is a Scripture passage that attempts to describe our extraordinary God as effectively as human language can. Jesus taught with questions, and in these verses God does that too, using a string of fascinating rhetorical questions to make his point:

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
    or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
    or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?
Who can fathom the Spirit of the Lord,
    or instruct the Lord as his counselor?
Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him,
    and who taught him the right way?
Who was it that taught him knowledge,
    or showed him the path of understanding? (vv. 12-14)

The same answer works with all of them: “No one but God.”

He’s making the point that he could have said, “Death to all intruders,” stepping on us like a man steps on a grasshopper. But the reality is that he did just the opposite. Not only did he let us live, he lifted the lowly “grasshoppers” to royal status by permitting us join his family.

Our only right response has to be absolute awe.

“To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One. (Isaiah 40:18)

Winter in July

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When I was growing up in the Chicago suburbs, my home church was Moody Church (45 minutes away). Christmas in JulyOne of the many good memories I have of those years is “Christmas in July” when we would bring Christmas cards and gifts for the many missionaries the church supported all over the world. The Missions Committee informed us it would take every bit of 5 months for our packages to reach their destinations abroad by December, which was why we had to pack them up in July.

As a child I didn’t really believe such long-range planning was necessary, and even now I struggle to plan and prepare far enough ahead. Certain people come equipped with a clock-consciousness that serves them well through life. When deadlines arrive, they’re always ready. Nate had that time-management ability and was never late to a meeting or unprepared when he got there. I’ve seen the same thing in Birgitta, watching her successfully juggle motherhood, full time college, and a job.

And I can get jealous noting how easy it is for these types to be prepared. But of course it really isn’t that easy; they just faithfully work at it.

Jesus will returnAs I read God’s Word, every so often I bump into a passage that challenges me to work at being prepared. It’s usually couched in a warning: “If you’re not, you’ll regret it for these reasons.” For example, God writes about Christ’s second coming in that way (multiple times), because he wants all of us to be ready when he appears.

He also warns us that death comes to everyone, and before its unpredictable arrival, we should ponder the bottom lines of our lives. He wants us to be sure we’ve made the main thing the main thing so there are no negative surprises after-the-fact. In other words, we’re to thoughtfully prepare.

God instructs us on the importance of being ready for other things, too. We’re to be prepared to have good answers for anyone who asks why we believe what we do. Also, he encourages us to prepare for difficult times by working as diligently as little ants do. And another example is his challenge to be prepared when Satan tempts us with his evil schemes.

We have a lot to work on, and some of us find it easier said than done. Regardless, all of us are to keep at it.

HelpingA while ago while babysitting Emerald, I opened her bottom dresser drawer in search of a sun hat, and she was eager to “help”  find it. I sat her down in front of the drawer where she ended up playing happily for 15 minutes. In the process we came across her furry winter hat. Despite the hot weather, she wanted to put it on immediately and wear it around the house.

Maybe she was just following her mommy’s example of preparedness, showing me she too could prepare… for winter… in July.

Bunny hat“Abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.” (1 John 2:28)

Longing to Belong

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When I was 3, my family moved from a close-knit Chicago neighborhood to “the country.” Today that “country” is just one of many Chicago area suburbs (Wilmette), but in 1948 it was still the wide open spaces.

Highcrest SchoolI wasn’t of school age yet, but my sister Mary was marched off to kindergarten at the small-ish country school a stone’s throw from our house. She was quiet and shy, not especially happy about being away from home, but Mom quickly became involved as the official Room Mother of her class, which helped. Mom was in and out of school on a regular basis (with me in tow), and I thought school was absolutely magical.

The kindergarten room fascinated me with its boxes of fat colored crayons, giant jars of sweet-smelling white paste, and wooden chairs that were just my size. Each student had use of a tiny square of carpet to sit on, and by secretly investigating the white chalk (crunch), I learned it was delicious.

Not ready for schoolWhen I pleaded with Mom to let me be a school-kid too, she always had the same frustrating answer. “When you’re ready.”

A year passed, and the next fall Mary went into 1st grade, but Mom still wouldn’t let me go. I thought I was more than ready, and since we lived just across a field from the school, it wasn’t long before I snuck over there on my own.

When I got to the kindergarten room, Mary’s former teacher recognized me and kindly asked if I wanted to sit on one of the carpet squares with the other children “before I went back home.” My dream had come true, though it was short-lived. In just a few minutes Mom was at the door.

All of us long to belong: to a classroom, a club, a family, a neighborhood, or any number of other groups. This longing is, I believe, put into us by God, since he values community and is an advocate of togetherness. So there’s nothing wrong with it.

At 3But longing to belong has its risks, too. It’s important to seek entrance into the right groups at the right time, letting God be the one to show us the which, the where, and especially the when. That includes everything from starting kindergarten to moving into a retirement home. It’s best if we wait till he has us ready.

There were many reasons why I couldn’t be a kindergartener at the age of 3, but eventually my time did come, and it happened just as Mom said: when I was ready.

Kindergarten(Front row, 4th from right)

Life will go much smoother if we wait for God’s readiness rather than push ahead of him on our own. It should always be his call, and in the mean time we should simply say, “I’m ready, Lord…. whenever you are.”

“Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.” (Matthew 6:33  The Message)