Message in the Sand

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Those of us who’ve invited Jesus to take charge of our lives nod in assent when we hear, “He’s always with you.”

We’ve memorized many of the “full circle verses” (Seeing the Future) and we move into each new day knowing he’s present with us in his Spirit, all of us at the same time. It’s our miraculous reality, although we aren’t always thinking about it. Contrary to our sometimes non-thoughts of him, Jesus never stops thinking about us. And once in a while he gets creative trying to tug us back to an awareness of him.

Jesus loves U

Recently a bunch of us arrived at the beach to find Jesus had beat us there. Etched in the sand were the words, “Jesus [heart] U” in letters bigger than we were. The artist was long gone, so we set up camp right next to these true words. The simple sign was a good reminder:

  • to focus on Jesus more
  • to actively remember that he’s always with us
  • to realize many other people believe in him, too.

When I see something like that beach message, I automatically think, “There’s another child of God, another believer.” Even though I didn’t know who had made the sign, I felt naturally drawn to this other person who had had Jesus so up-front on his/her mind.

Christians come in all sizes, shapes, colors and from any time period, country, or church. Sometimes we let insignificant things get in the way of relationships with them, and I often remember what Pastor Warren Wiersbe used to say: “When we get to heaven, we might be surprised at who’s there.” In other words, God judges based on people’s hearts, while the rest of us look mostly at their performance.

A warm sock

One cold day last winter when I pulled on a toasty warm sock, something inside of it poked me like a pin. When I took it off, I turned it inside out to see what it was (a pine needle from the Christmas tree). God looks at us in a similar way, from the inside out. After he sees what’s there, he makes his next move toward us accordingly.

My guess is that one of the things he looks for when he’s got us inside out is whether or not we’re tuned in to him at any given time. Are we looking in his direction? Are we conscious of his close presence? Is the wonder of being “with him” appreciated or disregarded? Are we mindful of him only on the days when we feel needy, or are we needful of him daily?

I’m thankful for the sign in the sand and the person who made it. Maybe a good idea would be to make a sign of my own the next time I’m at the beach, something like, “Your thoughts about [us] outnumber the grains of sand.” (Psalm 139:17-18)

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Jesus said, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

Ordinary to Extraordinary

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Summer is the time for vacations and kicking back, the time when people make time for each other. It’s a break from the usual routine and a chance to celebrate being together. And like it or not, concentrated togetherness always presents fresh opportunities to practice flexibility and tolerance. It’s also the perfect time to highlight creativity, even if it pops up in the most unusual of ways.

For example, when our cottage was packed with as many relatives as it could hold a week ago, finding bathroom privacy was difficult. One day in particular I kept my eye on the bathroom door, hoping to soon find it open. Each time I checked, though, it was closed.

When finally I got my chance, something interesting greeted me. The toilet water was a rich royal purple. How this happened I wasn’t sure, but I had to admit someone had been creative, elevating the ordinary to the extraordinary.

Wick removal programTP off course

The week was full of things like that. There was a pile of votive candles with all the wicks carefully removed, and a skewed roll of re-wrapped toilet paper, twice. Crusty pans were left overnight in the most unusual

Needing a soakEmerald's self-feed

places, and Emerald’s first attempt at self-feeding left a mess that matched the crusty pans.

Living in crowded community offers all sorts of let-it-go moments. We can square off with these odd-ball situations by criticizing, confronting, or complimenting. It’s our choice. Responding with a calm determination to find something good about each circumstance encourages us to chalk up the messes to the diverse ages and stages of those living under one roof, and it frees us from stress.

Also, thinking from God’s point of view helps to put things in perspective. The Father, Son, and Spirit are all of one ilk, divinely superior to any other being (such as us). When we humans complicate things unnecessarily and make messes as a result, the Trinity has every right to demonstrate righteous anger, especially if we purposely violate a standard these three have set for us.

We’ve seen this righteous anger repeatedly in Scripture, each time the Israelites chose to rebel and then experienced God’s stiff discipline. More often than not, however, he also offered them an opportunity to try again. Love was his motivation, which is why he patiently forgave them and offered a clean slate. If we wonder what to do when our crowded homes become creatively disheveled, we should follow his example.

It isn’t always easy when we’re the ones on clean-up, but searching for something upbeat in even the most peculiar situation is the route to elevating the ordinary to the extraordinary.

Royal

As for the purple toilet water? I would never have guessed.

It was Nelson.

“God is not a God of disorder but of peace.”               (1 Corinthians 4:33)

Building a House

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Skylar's birthdayIt’s been a week of celebrating for our family: Klaus and Brooke’s wedding, three family birthday parties, out-of-town company, and unnumbered festivities wedged in between. But when all the excitement is over and life settles into its new normal, what will be remembered most?

Today I re-read the notes Nelson used to officiate the wedding, taking another look at his more serious comments to the bride and groom. He agreed to let me quote him here, as he addressed Brooke and Klaus:

Happiness!Although having fun together, having good chemistry, and having lots in common are great places to start a marriage, these are not the bedrock that will hold you guys together over the long haul. Consider the words of Christ from Matthew 7. “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against the house. Yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”

Today you’re starting to build a house. It’s a spiritual house. From this day forward, you’re not building alone, but together. The Lord uses everyday images to teach these simple principles. Consider the big beautiful houses built right on Lake Michigan. What if a builder constructed a multi-million dollar house and then set it on a sand dune without a foundation? It would be certain failure.

But the Lord’s words are reassuring and empowering on this wedding day. He says that while “the winds blew and beat against that house” the house didn’t fall. We might say, “When trouble comes into your lives as a couple, you won’t fall, because your foundation is on the rock.”

That rock is Jesus Christ and your building blocks are his words. The Christian couple stays together because their faith is in someone far greater than each other. Walking this faith out one day at a time is building on that solid foundation. Marriage is meant to last a lifetime, not a week or a year or even ten years. It goes well into the unknown future.

Many marriages begin with a contract contingent on the performance of the individuals. “If you make me happy, I’ll love you.” It’s performance based. This may work for a few years, but when storms come, people pack up and leave. They’ve built on sand and the house collapses.

A God-centered marriage will last a lifetime because it doesn’t stand based on the performance of either person. It’s built on the bedrock foundation of Jesus Christ. Today you’re starting to build that house.

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!Although our recent wedding day included lots of wonderful words, these from Jesus surely are the most significant, not just for Brooke and Klaus but for all of us.

 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand.” (Matthew 7:24-26)