Sunday, October 22, 2017

Outward Appearance

To be misunderstood is incredibly disheartening.  There will be times in your life in which you know that you have been.  No amount of discussion will amend it.  This is the limitation of man, who filters everything he receives through his past and experiences.  Your seemingly flimsy skills of  persuasion are not nearly so convincing as a life of concrete emotion-inducing experiences.
First, appeal to your Savior. Ask Him to reveal your part in the misunderstanding.  Sin has great force in this world, and carries ramifications that live on, regardless of whether you've asked and received forgiveness from your Savior.  So does the perception of sin.  It seems unfair until you realize that salvation is only a get-out-of-jail-free card in Heaven, not to the perception of those who feel wronged by you, as Satan is the god of this world (2nd Corinthians 4:3,4.) Yes you are forgiven now, but those your sin has affected are hobbled by the memory of your sin.  It is only Christ, you and time that can heal those memories, and that is actually best, since the memory is a warning to yourself and others that a better route should be taken.
But back to misunderstanding. Some people's hearts are too busy dealing with their own inner chaos to even consider your request for forgiveness, much less reframing the offense.  They simply cannot produce it.  Be sure you have done what you can. Then move on.  In time, your words may produce the forgiveness you so desire. But don't let Satan, the accusor, get a foothold in your heart, doing collateral damage to your walk.  Move on with your Savior so that your life can be a blessing to others, and pray for that relationship.  One day, it may be given back to you.
For the Lord does not see as a man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.  1st Samuel 16:7
For the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts.  1 Chronicles 28:9

Friday, October 20, 2017

The Artbox

Seldom is the path of an individual clear in real time. I've no idea the life events one I encounter has faced.  I make assumptions from their present role in a given moment. But like me, they have meandered to the place they now occupy. 
There are dichotomies - the hippy becomes a conservative mom; a conservative mom becomes a hippy, etc., the stuff exhausted well in Hallmark movies; no need to dwell on that, but on illustrations more interesting and indepth.
My mother, the enthusiastic effective maternal grandmotherly matriarch  blossoms to a buyer and seller of art and things unique, then becomes a prolific poet. 
My sister-in-law lovingly raises up 3 boys, with pacifiers, soccer games and band practices and then produces art whose frame I could step into and be sublimely content.
Turns out Teddy Roosevelt wanted to be a scientist. He was irresistably drawn to rough-it in jungles untouched by humanity, bringing back previously unknown specimens.
Like them, I'm an amalgamation of many interests that, should you know them all at once, you might think I'm confused.  A life that has never bored me, however, is the result.  I've not failed to find focus, to produce within whichever one I occupy at a given time, as I suppose is true of most.
So infinite the array of personalities you will interact with in your life.  Take them all, lay them all one on top of the other, and we cannot deny the vastness and intricacy that went into their creation. Uniquenesses, giftednesses, oddities, harmonies and dissonance we dwell with in our collective humanity.  The collective we, with all of our potential in every direction, reflects the complexity of an Artist the size of Whose artbox makes laughable the limit of tools we take such pride in. And yet, He encourages us, within our sphere, to make excellent what we can. 
Whatever you find to do, do it with all your might;  Ecclesiastes 9:10
The artist reflects the Artist.  The athlete reflects the Creator of the human form.  The genius reflects the Designer of the intricate human brain.  The musician reflects the mathematical  patterns of a whimsical dramatic master Musician.  The expert scientist represents the aforementioned Created brain encountering an earth and universe of incompletely-discoverable complexity of Creation.  None of what we have was not given, did not exist first in the brush and palette of our Creator.
So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.  Genesis 1:27
For in the image of God, He made man.  Genesis 9:6
My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.  Psalm 139:15
I will praise You; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  Psalm 139:14
Until my last day, my life will reflect, and so will I acknowledge, the existence of the Artist.

Monday, October 16, 2017

Chemist


Oh the sweetness of these my grandchildren!  Their flawless skin, wide eyes, tripping walk.... turn a corner and down to the floor. Doesn't matter - the floor is as good a terrain to be discovered, distracted by a fallen trinket easily ignored by the tall ones.  Fine hair forming into ringlets or framing their face, or pulled into a fountain on top;  the scent of their heads inhaled contains a drug, a natural force that brings them care from the adult who is unaware of being bamboozled by the chemistry of this needy human form.  Such a creation of perfection, this system, that draws care to their side when a boo-boo happens, and grandparents from across the miles to absorb their life force minute by minute, completely overtaken by their little soul's presentation on this earth.  Were it not for this brilliant plan, this irresistible built in chemical insistence on care, where would we be? Would we be?
I am captured by these tiny presences in my life, drawn close, and would fight in a way no one would ever expect just to keep them smiling, healthy, living, growing, should it ever be required.  This is an occupation bestowed on me by my Creator, who placed me in this time, in this place, among these charges.  Here I am. Choose me.




Saturday, October 14, 2017

The Desires of my Heart

My sister-in-law, sister-in-Christ once pointed out to me what was a different take on Psalm 37:4.  In that seemingly minutely insignificant moment of conversation that she likely does not even remember, she began a trail of realizations within me that would echo over the years.  I don't remember the circumstances, only the gist.
Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness.  Delight yourself also in the Lord and He shall give you the desires of your heart.  Psalm 34:3-4
Quite familiar with this scripture in a Christian-store plaque sort of way, I had to take a second look with her direction.  She said if you delight yourself in Him, feed on Him, and trust in Him, you are inviting Him in and allowing Him to fully guide you.  You are allowing Him access to your very heart. As a result of aligning yourself with Him, he places desires in your heart that he intends later to fulfill.  And by placing His desire in your heart, He leads you on His path.
Oh my.  He has borne this out again and again in the years that have followed.  If there is any wisdom this fellow struggler has to share, it is this.  In the words of a teacher, make Jesus your unit study.  Let Him not just occupy your Sunday plan; but inhale Him daily, throughout your day, and exhale His mercies to others. He is sustenance, and holding Him close means that whatever you encounter in this varied existence, He is always always there with you, yoking with you - you'll bear nothing alone.
I stand now in territory unknown, as happens to a soul repeatedly throughout life.  But He is here.  He has always, since I allowed Him to be, been here.  The email address I chose those many years ago, before my last  two children were born, shares this then-realization: that I am never alone - never never never alone.  It was chosen to reflect Psalm 139.  And as I follow the advice of Psalm 34, I nurture His home in my heart, and He drops these lovely crumbs, His desires, for me to pick up, one after the other, leading me gently toward Himself.  Oh, what a life He has given me in the midst of a chaotic world.  My heart is full and so grateful.