Going Batty

Posted on July 17, 2012 by Margaret

When Linnea was 3 years old, our family of 5 took a vacation to Wisconsin and ended up in a place no vacationer wants to go: the doctor’s office.

It began as we loaded our station wagon for a 40 minute drive from our rented cabin to the county fair. As we climbed into the car, Linnea let out a shriek from the back. All of us looked simultaneously and saw her holding the top of her head as she continued to holler in pain.

Nate and I bolted from our front seats around to the back, and what we saw horrified us. Crawling on the floor of the car was a dark grey bat in the process of folding his webbed wings. Linnea, still rubbing her head, pointed and said, “That thing bit me!”

And suddenly we had a problem.

Nate quickly confined the bat by dumping out a metal tool box and turning it upsidedown over the sluggish animal, and we knew our next move had to be finding a doctor. The resort owners directed us, but before we left, we wanted the bat out of the car. As we moved the tool box, he flew away.

Within the hour, medical personnel were examining Linnea’s scalp wound, chiding us for not hanging onto the bat. “We could have tested it to determine whether or not your daughter will get rabies.”

The doctor told us in most rabies cases, bats are responsible. He described a scenario of certain, excruciating death, and told us the only remedy was multiple painful injections into the abdomen. (This was 32 years ago.) “It’s a gamble,” he said. “If the bat had rabies, your daughter will die. If not, she’ll be fine.”

We learned it’s difficult to tell if a bat is sick just by looking at it, but since they’re nocturnal, finding a bat during the day was a bad sign. The doctor also said, “Any bat found in a place where they usually aren’t seen could be rabid.”

Nate and I agonized over what to do, and because the probabilities were in our favor, we took a chance and did nothing. Looking back, we were probably foolish to gamble with Linnea’s life that way.

There are many ways any of us can gamble with our lives, but there’s only one way to do it with eternal permanence. That’s to forfeit salvation through Christ. Whatever we decide about him in this life will have consequences in the next. It’s absolutely critical not to gamble on this point, even more so than in a decision about a bat’s bite.

Linnea’s story turned out well, especially because of its interesting twist. Once back at home we were unloading the car when we noticed a big tuft of long red hair hanging from the wardrobe hook in the back of the car where Linnea had been sitting.

Most probably, her bat-bite had been a hair-yank and not a bite at all.

“Through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2)

To Love… or Not?

Posted on July 15, 2012 by Margaret

When a new baby comes to a family, preschool siblings are curious, wanting to touch, kiss, hold, and interact with this novel and interesting little bundle. Cameras click and parents are thrilled with the initial enthusiasm. But after several weeks, even the littlest big brother or sister begins to catch on.

Baby-cakes isn’t going away.

As a matter of fact, by taking up permanent residency, the baby has caused older siblings to be demoted. This new little person takes over Mommy completely and seems to be the only thing on her mind: “Talk quietly… Baby’s sleeping… Touch gently… That’s enough for now… Be careful…”

Mommy and Daddy ask, “Isn’t the baby wonderful?” while older children think, “How can we get rid of it.”

The children quickly learn the only way to stay on everybody’s good side is to fake a love for the baby, which most toddlers and preschoolers do well, at least for a while. Their heart isn’t in it, though, evidenced by kisses accompanied by too-tight squeezes and pats that closely resemble hits.

If we’re honest, we have to say that sometimes we view God in a similar way, as an intrusion in our lives. We know the relationship should be one of genuine love and devotion, but accepting him as he is can often feel like heavy pressure.

So we approach him in prayer and say the right words, but our hearts aren’t in it. We sit in church pretending to listen but sneak frequent peeks at our watches. We attend Bible study but tune out when we recognize what’s being taught and think we already know it.

Believers sometimes go through periods of complacency during which they feel far from God. Since he doesn’t leave us, the estrangement must be on our part. That doesn’t stop us from blaming him, however, if our prayers seem unheard and our spiritual vitality grows parched.

When a new baby arrives, parents insist the other children accept him, but God isn’t like that. He doesn’t force us to do anything we don’t want to do and won’t come into our lives at all unless personally invited. That means there’s no valid reason to feel negatively toward him. If we want him, he says we can have him, and if we don’t, we shouldn’t complain about being without him.

The Lord is always honest with us and wants us to be the same with him. It’s a relief to know there’s no need for pretense or for faking love. We aren’t preschoolers trying to act as if we adore a new baby. We’re grown-ups, and it’s up to us whether or not we want to love God.

And if we decide to love him, I’m fairly sure there’s no way to overdo it.

“There is no God like you in all of heaven above or on the earth below. You keep your covenant and show unfailing love to all who walk before you in wholehearted devotion.” (1 Kings 8:23)

Too big or too small?

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Margaret

Every parent knows that excursions with young children are sometimes more haphazard than happy, and a trip to the beach can be especially intense. Not only do they have to slather everyone with sun cream, they have to pack up food, drinks, toys, towels, and shade.

For the last 10 days we’ve had fun with 3 generations bunking at my house. Daily we trudged across red-hot beach sand to the cool waters of Lake Michigan toting armloads of fun-promising equipment. But along with all the entertainment was one item parents of beach-bound babies don’t want to forget: a sun hat.

Our 4 month old Autumn has very little hair to protect her “dome”, so the safest place for her is under the shade of a hat or an umbrella. But when Linnea and Adam were packing, they couldn’t find the hat that would fit, so they grabbed Skylar’s old one.

But Autumn had issues with “one size fits all.”

At times we all have trouble with that concept, especially when we examine our spiritual lives. The things God has told us don’t always seem to fit right, and we’re tempted to tweak them… just a little. Without making a few modifications, following him seems too big a job. The Bible is too big a book to understand, and God’s list of rules is too long to obey. Faith is too iffy to trust, and grace is too simple to accept.

But God says, “Don’t tweak anything. One-size-fits-all.”

The Gospel of Christ Jesus is a life-plan offered to every one of us, and it’s the same Gospel he has presented to all generations. No individual is excluded, and those who receive salvation as he gives it will end up in heaven. It’s a really good deal, and he designed it to “fit” everyone, just as it is.

Problems come when we begin altering the details for a better fit. Some people say, “I like a point system rather than salvation as a gift, so I’m going to earn my way to heaven. Good deeds are always good.”

Others say, “The whole thing about Jesus dying on the cross is morbid and difficult to accept. I’m holding out for answers to each of my questions. Once I have those, I’ll buy into God’s plan.”

Still others might say, “The idea of heaven sounds good, but being religious now with all the no-no’s and restrictions seems like overkill. When I’m old, I’ll take another look at it.”

These and other approaches are much like a seamstress who over-alters an outfit until it doesn’t fit at all. When God says one-size-fits-all, the only right response is to put salvation on, exactly as he designed it.