The Waiting Game

     "Waiting" for something has never been one of my strong points.  I remember our many car trips to Florida during the Winter months from the time I was eight years old.  There was no in car videos to watch, or electronic games to play much less a super highway to get us to St. Petersburg quickly.  No, the roads were two lane and ran through the mountains of Kentucky and Tennessee.  It was a long drive usually taking us two and a half days to get there.  Naturally, I was bored so I frequently asked the question, "When will we get there?"  My mother was wise and always made traveling more fun by making up games.  For example, we would see many billboards along the way hyping one type of attraction or another such as:  "See Rock City" or "Come and see Dogpatch".  Then, there was my favorite in Kentucky called "Fort Sequoia" where they supposedly sold authentic native American headdresses and items.  So, knowing how I noticed these signs, my mother proposed that I counted how many signs there were until we got to the location or passed it.  This certainly kept me occupied, and helped me play the waiting game.

Boarded up and prepared for the storm

     In much the same way, waiting on a hurricane is about as much fun as traveling in the back seat of a car when you are a little girl full of energy.  Our current weather has been building for a couple of week's now and like most storms, it is a waiting game.  Meteorologists do the best they can to predict where and when a storm will hit, but only God knows its final course.  Meanwhile, we boarded up our windows with the help of a godly man, bought gas for our generator, stocked up on food we might need, made certain we had fuel for our camp stove, and now, we are waiting on a very slow moving storm that the weather people assure us will turn North any time now.
     As I moved through our neighborhood today, I did not see too many houses boarded up since the track has been back and forth so much.  Some might believe we went into overkill, but we have had seven hurricanes pass over our Central Florida location.  The last one did a great deal of damage so we will not take any chances.  
     Thinking about all our preparations reminded me of the ten virgins who trimmed their lamps in preparation for the bridegroom. This was a story about the Kingdom of Heaven.  The parable is found in Matthew 25:1-13 (please read this).  These women in the story were possibly bridesmaids or part of the official wedding party in some capacity.  Jesus said five were wise and five were foolish.  The wise virgins had brought along extra oil for their lamps but the foolish did not.  Since the bridegroom did not come right away, the women fell asleep.  At a later hour, a cry went up that the bridegroom was coming.  The foolish virgins realized they did not have enough oil for their lamps and asked to borrow from the wise.  However, the wise virgins told them to go buy from a seller.  While these foolish women were gone, the bridegroom came and the wise virgins went in to the celebration.  When the foolish virgins returned from getting more oil, they realized they had missed the bridegroom and found themselves shut out of the celebration.  They were not given entrance since they had come late.  In verse 13, Jesus tells his listeners the moral of this parable:  "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour."  Indeed, no one knows when Jesus will return for His church....only the Father knows.  This is why we must be ready like the five wise virgins.
     Keeping our eyes on the Lord is hard to do in these days filled with distractions in our world.  It seems that world events, natural disasters, and politics tend to fill our minds with grave concerns so much so that it is easy to focus on them rather than the renewal of our minds in Christ.  Jesus warned us to keep watch.  If we do not know the Lord, today is the day of salvation because we are not promised tomorrow to make Christ our Lord.  On the other hand, if we are believers, then we need to grow in our faith by reading His Word, prayer and fellowship.  Like the wise virgins, we will be ready when the bridegroom comes.
     Waiting is never easy whether it is a storm or a long car trip, but the reward in the end, is worth every moment of preparation.  One day, the sky will split, the trump will sound and our beloved Bridegroom will return for His people.  Don't miss it!  Selah!

It is More Blessed to Give Than to Receive

       For years, I have heard people tell me that they went to comfort someone in the hospital and instead, they received the greater blessing.  I am totally convinced that this is what happens when we give ourselves away without expecting anything in return.  Whether it is time, finances, or actual labor of some sort, there is a satisfaction that comes from serving others.
       At my daughter-in-law's suggestion, I started volunteering at the elementary school where two of our grandsons attend.  I meet with them both to enjoy lunch and then go assist the teacher in one of their classrooms.  My only purpose is to fellowship with them and be of help to a teacher with the extra paperwork she has in abundance.  Both years have brought joy to my heart.  Having been trained to be a teacher and having taught our own children for 21 years, I was left with

a void for me when the job was done.  Now retired, I have the time to put my education to further use.  Today, for example, the teacher I assist asked if I would lead a group reading session where we would discuss what we had just read.  We laughed at the funny story, talked about why things happened as they did and generally loved the time we spent together.  Seeing a light go on in the eyes of a child makes every moment worth it.
      In the book of Acts, Luke recorded the Apostle Paul's farewell to the elders at the church of Ephesus (Acts 20:34-35):  "…34You yourselves know that these hands of mine have ministered to my own needs and those of my companions. 35In everything, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus Himself: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”  Paul wanted to encourage these believers to pursue the same type of approach in helping one another even as the Lord had said.  Of course, the key is doing things with a pure motive and not with an eye to build favor or acclaim for ourselves.  There are three great reasons  why giving is so much better than receiving.
     First, we can never out give God.  He is our source for the many blessings we have in this life.  Proverbs 11:25 tells us:  "The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself."  When we give out to others from the abundance that we have, God will continue to fill us up.  We may not have a lot of money, but we may have the time to write a note to someone or visit the sick.  If we give of ourselves, God will continue to fill us up so that we can continue to bless others.
     Secondly, God wants us to be an avenue to bless others.  We are the hands and the feet of Jesus to those around us. Being in an elementary classroom for me is a chance to assist a teacher with anything she might need to have done and to encourage children to learn.  I can pass on the love of God by simply serving others.
     Finally, the more we give ourselves away, the more we receive in return.  I am not speaking of money here but of the rich blessings that can only come through God.  After class today,  I received many hugs from the young students that I had a chance to work with.  They thanked me for coming and helping them.  Now that is a paycheck of the heart!  What a joy to see their smiles.  In addition, I overheard the teacher saying she had never had a volunteer in her classroom.  That surprised me because there are so many children with so many different needs.  Being a teacher is a challenge and it blessed me to know I could be an extra pair of hands to help.
       We have been put here on earth to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever according to The Westminster Catechism.  By serving our fellow man out of love, we bring glory to God and have a chance to tell others the Good News of salvation through Christ.  Jesus said it well when he admonished his disciples in Matthew 6:19-21:  "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  Think on this and see where the Lord would have you serve others.  There is a greater blessing than you can ever imagine awaiting you.  Selah!
   

Becoming One

     This past weekend, we made a trip to see our Son and his family in order to celebrate his birthday. Trips like this are always a blessing since we spend time with family.  On the way home from having our dinner out, our Grandson Aiden asked everyone to tell a story about an embarrassing event that happened to us.  I started out by relaying an event that took place early in our marriage when my husband and I went on a camping trip to Canada to see his father and two of his friends who went fishing.  We rented a VW camper which was perfect for the two of us.  At the time, we lived in Ohio so the trip was a two day trek.

Our beautiful family

     Being tired when we arrived and getting used to cooking on a tiny stove in the camper was a real challenge for me.  I do not remember what started it, but somehow my husband and I got into a disagreement.  I was upset and attempting to fry a steak at the same time while arguing with my hubby.  When it was done, I put it on a plate and set the plate on a chair so I had room to cook another.  At some point during the argument, I decided to sit down and promptly sat on the steak.  This brought gales of laughter from my dear husband after he saw what I did.  Of course, I burst into tears of embarrassment and when I went to reach for a tissue, a black jumping spider popped up making me cry even harder since it frightened me.  Well, my husband took me in his arms and comforted me, and we both started laughing at the whole incident.  To be honest, I cannot remember a thing about the argument....only the laughter over what I had done.  This was just an early adventure in our learning to become one in Christ.
     Next week, we will celebrate 48 years that we have been married.  It seems like only yesterday that we said our vows to one another.  Four children, 21 years of home educating them and 11 grandchildren later, we have grown together as we have served the Lord, but marriage is not easy.  It takes effort (100% on both sides), commitment, loyalty and faithfulness in order to mirror the love of Christ towards His church.
     Jesus was asked about divorce by the Pharisees.  It was common in his time and even more so in today's world.  In Mark 10:2-9, this discussion took place: " 2And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” 3He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” 4They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” 5And Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. 6But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ 7‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife,a 8and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. 9What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”  Matthew 5:32 expands on this.  "But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery."  This was a high standard that the Lord set, but God's standards are much different from ours.  His plan has been to use the family as a means of bringing godly image bearers into this world who will witness for His glory and honor.
     Today, however, we see gender bending, and all sorts of distortions to God's plan according to His Word...the Bible.  This is our authority for living, marriage and raising our children, and Jesus made it plain to the Pharisees.  Is it easy to be married?  Can it last?  I would answer that by asking another question, "Can we do anything in this life and succeed without God?"  Certainly, He has to be at the center of any marriage.  He gives the strength, courage,
and ability to hold two people together.  He, alone, has the wisdom to help us raise children, and if we want them to be fulfilled in life, we must teach them about Christ according to the Bible. We cannot be blown about by every wind of doctrine that the world concocts as acceptable.  There is only one standard by which we can find real peace.
     I remember asking my mother if her love towards my father had changed since they were married.  She wisely answered that yes, it had. She told me it was deeper than ever before.  The thrills and chills stage had passed but the loving, abiding more meaningful love had come.  I believe this is what the Lord desires for us to grow in, but without Christ at the center, it would not be possible.  He is the glue that keeps marriage together.  He helps us when we are up to our ears in dirty diapers and a sink full of dishes all the way to the end of our days here on earth.  Two becoming one is an incredible journey when Christ is in the middle.  Selah!