Hope in Oklahoma

"by the sorrow of the heart

the spirit is broken"

Proverbs 15:13

The news today has been all about Oklahoma.  The tornado yesterday was a bad one, and the pictures are sobering, and in some cases, heartbreaking. 

... frightened children being pulled out of destroyed buildings. 

... people who have driven from neighboring states to locate grandparents.

... folks grateful to have their lives, though their every belonging is gone. 

Each image, each tale more painful or poignant than the one before. 

~

But I also heard of a miracle today.  Those are not uncommon in the midst of a disaster, though often they are human-driven miracles, more than God-driven.  With the understanding, of course, that all good things come from Him (James 1:17)

But this was an unusual miracle.  I'm not sure I remember hearing of this happening before, but it gave me a bit of hope, and reminded me of what's real. 

Yesterday evening, in the last news report I saw before I had to leave the house, they were reporting 2 people had died.  By the time I came home, nearly 5 hours later, that number had increased to 51, with many of those being children.  The Apple of my Eye even commented on how much worse the death toll had grown.  When something like this happens, it's painful every time the number grows, so a jump like that was hard to hear. 

But this afternoon, when I turned on the news for an update, the reporter informed me that because of the confusion in the aftermath of the tornado, some bodies had been counted twice.  In fact, those who had died numbered only 24. 

Now, you understand that I mean "only" just as a comparison.  Each one of those lives was precious, both here on earth, and to God in heaven.  But whenever there's a natural disaster, the number rises, not falls. 

And I know that that number might rise again as the missing are accounted for.  But it just reminded me that nothing is as bad as we think it is.  Sometimes we misunderstand the facts.  Sometimes we just don't know all the facts. 

And we sometimes fail to remember the bigger picture ~ that He holds the earth in the palm of His hands.  "He is before all things, and in Him all things consist." (Colossians 1:17)

We live in a fallen world.  Sadness and hardship are never out of sight, but our faith and peace need not waver.  God's in His heaven. 

And He's right here on earth, too.

~ "truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled

 with the glory of the Lord" ~

Numbers 14:21

~

Unexpected Strength

"marble slabs in abundance"

1 Chronicles 29:2

So I have these cereal bowls, that I just love.  I no longer even use the dinnerware that came with them, but I just keep using those bowls.  They are perfect size for cereal, or if I have noodles or similar for lunch.  And they are a comfortable weight in my hand. 

Somewhere along the line, we broke one of them, so I only have three left.  I don't even put them in the dishwasher, because I don't want them out of commission for too long.  So I wash them by hand. 

Well last week I got one out of the cupboard, to use for breakfast, and I swung around from the cupboard too quickly and slammed the bowl into the island in the center of our kitchen. 

It hit the marble slab that sits on the island, and then flew out of my hand, and seemingly in slow motion, I watched it fly through the air and land, upside-down, on the tile floor of the kitchen. 

Because the whole thing felt like it was happening in slow-motion, I had time to think, as the bowl was soaring through the air:  "Oh darn.... I love that bowl...."

But it didn't shatter when it hit the floor.  As a matter of fact, when all was said and done, the only damage was a good-sized chip taken out...

... of the marble slab.

That's right.  Bowl - 1.  Marble - 0. 

The lesson?  You're stronger than you think. 

Hang in there.

~ "The God of Israel is He 

who gives strength and power to His people.

Blessed be God!" ~

Psalm 68:35

~

For J, E, and R...

Citius, Altius, Fortius

"the Lord, God Most High"

Genesis 14:22

I think that I'm gettin' full up on superlatives.  There's just so durn many of them around, ya know?

When I watch the weather reports on the news, every storm seems to be the somethingest storm of all time.   Coldest, rainiest, snowiest, whatever.... they even had to come up with a new name for Hurricane Sandy ~ Superstorm. 

I can't seem to watch a sporting event without hearing about how this guy is the fastest, strongest, most nearsighted player ever to do this well on a Tuesday in September when the previous night had been the full moon.

Yes, that's a real category.  Why wouldn't it be?

Or the cooking shows.... I love to watch cooking shows, albeit it doesn't happen a lot because I have too much to do to sit in front of the TV for very long. 

Unless, of course, there's an opportunity to hear the dulcet voice of Vin Scully.  Now there's a man who deserves his superlatives.

But back to the cooking shows.  I can't seem to watch without being directed to use the finest extra virgin olive oil I can get, or the best vanilla extract, or the highest quality dark chocolate. 

And then, of course, the resulting dish is excellent.... perfection.... magnificent....

We live in an era of extremes.  So many people striving to distinguish themselves in some way.  Or their food.  Or the weather.  All to be noticed, really.  Or at least I think that's what it all comes down to. 

But a little part of me recoils whenever I hear a superlative being used.  I think I'm becoming inured to them, so I don't believe whoever's using them.  I assume they are just exaggerating. 

But in the same way that superlatives catch my attention on TV, I notice them in the Bible, too. 

And I love them.

There's just no more accurate way to describe Him, than in extremes.

All powerful... all knowing... most faithful... unceasingly patient... King of kings.... Lord of lords... exceedingly merciful... wise... powerful... eternal.... most, all, best...

We can count on it.

~ "He who does not love

does not know God,

for God is love" ~

1 John 4:8

~

A Prayer for the Sleeping

"she continued praying before the Lord"

1 Samuel 1:12

I'm going to bed early tonight, 

but I'm feeling very prayerful. 

I get that way when I have a headache.

So tonight I'll be praying for people with headaches.

But I'm also praying for people who have brain cancer,

and people who have esophageal cancer.

I'm praying for people who have been hurt by a friend,

and people who feel lost.  

I'm praying for people who try, 

when they think they have no strength left;

and people who wait with faith, 

instead of giving up.

I'm praying for people who remember,

and pray,

and listen,

and love. 

And I'm grateful to God for the privilege of praying myself to sleep.

~ "The Lord has heard my supplication;

the Lord will receive my prayer" ~

Psalm 6:9

~

The New Commandment

"by this all will know that you are My disciples"

John 13:35

My folks went on a trip a few weeks ago.  They live just a few minutes away from me, so when they go out of town, I take care of their house for them.  Bringing in the mail, watering the plants, keeping a general eye on things.

And I do a great job.

Really.

That exploding mailbox a few years ago was not my fault at all.  There is absolutely no way I could have prevented that.

Anyhow, the job is really not that complicated.  You'd think.  But my mom has dozens of plants indoors, and my dad has a beautiful, lush backyard with a variety of plants.  And that's where it gets tricky. 

I'm not really a plant person.  I mean, I love them.  But I'm not very good at keeping them alive.  Over the years, I have learned that there are a couple of varieties that are hardy enough to withstand my overwatering or underwatering, but most other varieties are in danger in my care.

So when my folks go out of town, they generally leave me a list of instructions:   which plants need to be watered every other day, which ones every two days, how much, etc. 

But this last time, they didn't.  I guess they figured I knew what I was doing, or that it was fairly obvious what needed to be done and how often.  I panicked a little when I saw they hadn't left a list.  Just went with common sense and a lot of prayer.  Oh, and water.  And I think things went fine ~ the plumeria and orchids and African violets seem to have weathered my storm just fine.

I was talking with some friends of mine recently about leaving instructions behind before you go.  I sometimes wonder if I'll ever leave my kids home alone without giving them a few parting words.  After all, they're old enough know to make good decisions when I'm not home, but somehow, I can't resist giving them a few instructions or reminders. 

And there's a sweet example of this in John 13.  Jesus was with His disciples at the Last Supper, having recently washed their feet, and He was giving them a glimpse of what was coming next, letting them know that He would soon be betrayed. 

But then Jesus turned the topic to one more interesting to the disciples:  themselves.  He called them "little children" ~ the only time He ever used that term.  I think that's what made it sound to me like when I give my kids instructions.  His disciples could not go where He was going, so He laid out what He expected of them after He left.

His work on earth was coming to an end, but theirs was just beginning.  So He gave them a new commandment:  "Love your neighbor as I have loved you." 

Now, "love your neighbor as yourself" went all the way back to Leviticus, but this was a new and unparalleled kind of love ~ loving as He loved. 

With this commandment, more than half of the ten commandments are off the table.  We don't even have to think about them, because this love is all-encompassing.  Supreme, self-sacrificing, servant love.  And we cannot ~ cannot! ~ love this way unless He is actively at work in us.  It is so against our nature. 

It's like driving up one of those hill in San Francisco.  If you are not actively going up, you're going to start inching down.

So how did He love them?  Jesus helped, fed, served, taught, forgave, touched, encouraged, listened, welcomed, shared and prayed.  All things we can do.

When my son was about four, I asked him what he loved about his big sister, whom he adored.  He thought for a minute, and then said, "She's fast... she's kind... she loves to sing... and she gives good explanations." 

It was that last one that stood out to me.  That's what a four-year-old values.  That's how you love a little brother:  good explanations.

Jesus loved in many different ways, but always relevant to the needs of those He was loving.  We are to do as He did.  John Wesley said, "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can... as long as you ever can."  It should be our response to God's love for us.  Sort of "pay it forward," if you will.

I remember reading, years ago, about the first time that 18th century composer Franz Joseph Haydn heard Handel's Messiah.  It was in 1791, at the Handel Festival in Westminster Abbey.  He had never before heard a performance on so grand a scale; the orchestra and chorus together numbering upwards of 1000 people.

When at the Hallelujah Chorus the whole assembly, including the king, rose to their fee, Haydn stood with them, and wept, and exclaimed, "He is the Master of us all!"

Handel's Messiah is a beautiful piece, but one or two voices could not have evoked this same response from Haydn.  It took a choir.

Jesus was speaking to His disciples as a group ~ "By your love for one another, all will know that you are My disciples."  When you and I love, we are blessing others, and we are in obedience.  But when we all love, as He commanded, the world sees Him, and He gets the glory.

"the love of every one of you all 

 abounds toward each other"

2 Thessalonians 1:3

~

And they all go marching...

"Go to the ant...

Consider her ways"

Proverbs 6:6

We had our first ant, um, visitation of the season last week.   My Amazing Boy and I were doing school, and I think he dropped his pencil or something, and when he bent down to pick it up, he said, "Uh, mom....?" in a voice that made me not want to know whatever he was going to say to me.

It was just a couple of wanderers in the dining room where we do school, but as we followed their general path toward the kitchen, we found more and more.  

So I called both kids to order, and we mobilized.  We moved the table and chairs out of the dining room, picked up rugs out of the kitchen, shook them off and took them to the laundry room.  Then we vacuumed and mopped in both rooms, and sprayed a little Raid once we found the lil buggers' point of entry (the ants' point of entry, not my kids').

The ants come marching two-by-two a few times a year, generally when the weather is hot.  Or when it's raining.  So apparently, they come looking for water, or trying to get away from it.   Isn't irony fun?

In this case, they came in because it was raining.  But once inside, they found a crumb in the corner of the kitchen that became their goal.  A little crumb that I didn't know had escaped the last time I swept the kitchen. 

Although, who am I kidding.... I should say, "the last time one of my kids swept the kitchen".  I only sweep the kitchen if I break something.  Cuz why have kids if you're not gonna split the chores with them, right?

That crumb wasn't much.  Not only was I not aware of it, the dog hadn't found it either.  And she patrols the kitchen pretty regularly.  And by itself it wasn't big enough to draw the ants in, but once they were in, they took advantage of what none of us had noticed.

I think life is like that sometimes.  It's called being blind-sided.  Or worse, it's called being hit while you're down.  You don't even know you have a weak spot until something unrelated causes you to realize you have let your guard down. 

In a way, I suppose it's a good thing.  I wouldn't have known I had a crumb to clean up, if it hadn't rained.  I guess I needed something ~ albeit unrelated to the crumb ~ to let me know that the corner of my kitchen needed attention. 

It's hard sometimes, to be grateful for things that seem like a negative.  But there's always a positive.  He gets our attention any way He has to, and draws us to those things that He wants us to work on. 

Then we need to sweep and mop and get it up to His standards.  Cleaned up and feeling thankful, and ready to tackle the next crumb!

~ "Purge the old leaven that you may be fresh...

for Christ, our Passover Lamb has been sacrificed" ~

1 Corinthians 5:7

~

Faith-colored glasses

"you will see greater things"

John 1:50

What's your favorite color?  My family ~ well, my mom and my sisters and I ~ has always been partial to purples.  Somewhere along the line, I guess we just realized that we look good or feel good in that color, so it's always a safe bet when we're buying something for one another. 

After my visit to Kauai several years ago, I added a new "favorite color".  It's a color I call "Kauai".  It's mostly in my mind ~ the blue of the ocean combined with the green of the island they called "the Garden Isle."  Course, since the color mostly exists in my mind, it's a little hard to find in real life. 

Except on Kauai.

I read a quote the other day that got me to thinking about something a friend of mine once said.  She wondered out loud if maybe all colors were in our minds.  In other words, when I say blue to you, in my mind I could be thinking of any number of shades of the color blue.  We'd have to get into specifics to both be envisioning the same color. 

But, my friend argues, even if I said navy blue, would we still be picturing the same shade?  Or, does my eye see the same thing your eye sees?

I mean, you and I would both agree (unless you're color blind) that this shade of blue is darker than this shade of blue, but maybe the darker shade of blue is darker to me than it is to you. 

You with me?

The quote that I read that made me think of this whole concept was in a book on Lewis and Clark Expedition.  I just never get tired of reading about Lewis and Clark.  All they saw and all they accomplished, while maintaining (relatively) good relations with the many Native American tribes they encountered is just amazing to me.

The quote was by Meriwether Lewis, and it was something he had written in his journal during the expedition.  He said, "the state of mind in which we we are generally gives the colouring to events."  I think that is so true.  It's really a very poetic way of explaining why some people see the glass as half-full, and some see it as half-empty.  

Optimist, pessimist, realist*.... which one are you?  

* I don't believe in realists.  

I think they're just pessimists who won't admit it

You and I can see the same color, differently.  And we can see the same situation differently, too.  You can view it as bad luck, or God-ordained.  You can see it as a strange coincidence, or a divine appointment.

Faith is the filter.  It's the evidence of things unseen, but it's also the explanation for how things are seen.  You can change what you see, by changing how you see it. 

~ "Jesus said to her, 

'Did I not say to you that if you would believe, 

you would see the glory of God?" ~

John 11:40

~