Leaving My Mark

With the passing of Jimmy Buffet and Sarah Young in their mid-70s and the realization that I'm only slightly more than a decade behind them, plus having read The Daily Article by Jim Denison quoting Chuck Palahniuk who said, “We all die. The goal isn’t to live forever, the goal is to create something that will,”--all this added to our lesson in Sunday School and Dale's sermon yesterday has me wondering what mark I will leave on this world when the time of my passing into eternity comes.

Jimmy Buffet with his "Carribean soul" certainly impacted Parrot Heads everywhere, and Sarah Young with her "Jesus Calling" devotional touched the lives of many. Two very different individuals through different media with different messages left their mark on the world. Will I? I don't mean I want to famous, more like humble. I'm not thinking doing something showy, but having a servant's heart. I just want my life to reflect the grace and mercy extended to me by extending the same to others. And I'd like to know that if I did influence someone else, it was for Christ. Jesus rescued me from the pit of my own digging, and I am forever grateful. If I do anything, it is because He did that for me. I love Him because He first loved me. I love others because He loves them more. I want no one to wonder when I'm gone, "Did she really love the Lord?"

Ephesians 4:1

Philippians 4:3

Thanksgiving, 1966

November 24, 1966
The sun rose on the frosty window panes outside our windows, and morning broke, clear and cold. The best smells ever tickled our noses, nudging us out of the bed and into the heart of our home. Tippy-toeing on the cold floor, we ran to find the familiar sight of Mama standing at the stove. The heater in the corner of the kitchen warmed the house, but our mother warmed our home. She had already been there for hours, getting the best meal of the whole year ready for lunch that day. It was Thanksgiving.

Outside, Daddy sat under the old oak tree with his brothers talking about nothing in particular, already enjoying this day that would hold no work, great food, and maybe best of all, football and a nap! Soon the brothers would make the short walk home, and Daddy would come inside to tickle his girls and Mama’s fancy with a “bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck”.

Mama was a master at managing the kitchen, orchestrating the chopping and mixing and boiling and baking, all with precise skill and timing so that everything would be ready all at once. Patiently answering all our questions, she would teach us about basting the turkey and using all those biscuits and cornbread she had been saving for weeks to make the best dressing ever. We got to chop the eggs for that dressing and the giblets for the gravy. Sampling was seldom allowed, but on that day, the rules were relaxed, and everyone got an early taste to make sure the meal was fit to be eaten. And it always, always, was.

With the feast on the table, we would sit down with our little family, joined by an aunt and uncle, and a friend or two. Daddy would thank God for His many blessings and ask for a few more to be pronounced on the meal and the preparers and the sustenance for all to enjoy and to serve Him. And enjoy, we did. Even washing the dishes wasn’t such a chore on Thanksgiving. After lunch, it was Daddy who became master, of the gridiron that is. Watching that old black and white TV, we girls learned about the fundamentals of football and about the passion that drives one to be a diehard Cowboys fan. Watching the game with Daddy was fun, but full tummies and happy hearts were sure to bring on an afternoon nap, which would only be disturbed by the whoop and holler from the man who was usually such a quiet one. Once victory was celebrated, we settled in to spend the remainder of the day just being thankful.

Thanksgiving, 2011
Memories from that day long ago warm my heart like the sun in the trees and the stove in the kitchen. I’m struck that as a child in 1966, I most likely didn’t thank God for the blessings of that day. Today, I will make that right.

I thank you Lord for the bedroom my sister and I shared, and I thank you that we learned the blessings that come from sharing. But most of all, I thank you for my sister, so different from me, yet bound by blood and a lifetime of experiences together and the bond that only sisters can share.

I thank you Father for the home we grew up in, especially the kitchen. I thank you for the lessons we learned there, lessons of manners and cooking and cleaning and being grateful.

I thank you for the warmth of the heater standing in the corner there. But I’m most grateful for my mother whose sacrificial love warmed our hearts and our lives like no other person on earth.

I thank you for that old oak tree outside the back door. Long gone now, I appreciate the memories of all that was accomplished under that old tree. Shucking corn, shelling peas, peeling apples, picnics, and talks among brothers are treasured images etched in my heart and my mind forever.

I thank you for those three men trading stories that cold November morning. I thank you for the two, who when I was a baby, would creep in to get a peek at me sleeping, and despite my mother’s warnings, just couldn’t help but wake me up so they could hold me and hug me. I thank you for the other one who was my hero in all matters of life, my daddy, my friend. I thank you for the presence of his love in my life, although his presence is now in the company of our Lord.

I thank you for the food that day. But I thank you more for the fellowship of family and friends. I thank you that now, in my own house, I am able to prepare the meal and open my home to those we love on Thanksgiving day, all because Mama and Daddy taught us the difference between entertaining and hospitality.

I thank you for the football game, but more for the fervent fan and his whoops and hollers. I am thankful to have learned the fundamentals of the game, but greater far the fundamentals of life. With greater passion for living than for football, Daddy and Mama taught us to work hard, love even harder, rest well, go to church, be a good person, be a good friend, and know Jesus.

And today, loving Lord, I give you thanks for life, for my family, for work, for rest, for my church, and for my friends. But more than anything, I am eternally thankful that I know Jesus, the greatest blessing of all. And I shall spend the rest of this day just being thankful. Amen.

Written Anonymously. Inspired by Life.

Needy and Blessed

Think about this for a minute. Which one of us does not have a need right now? Since I can’t imagine that there is anyone need-free, I want you to name your top three. Right there, right where you are, name your top three needs, write them down inside your Bible or in your prayer journal or on your napkin or whatever, but name them.

Now, let me ask you, did anyone include in the top 3 the need for more righteousness in your life? Who of us doesn’t need more right living in the way we live our lives? Consider these words written by Wilbur Rees.

Three Dollars Worth of God
I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please. Not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep,but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk or a snooze in the sunshine. I want ecstasy, not transformation. I want warmth of the womb, not a new birth. I want a pound of the Eternal in a paper sack. I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please.
by Wilbur Rees

So, how much of God would we like to have in our lives? Do you believe this statement? When people seek God and walk according to His ways, God responds. Rate yourself on how much you hunger and thirst after righteousness on a scale of 0 to 10. If you rated yourself pretty low, how much of God’s responding can you expect? And on the other end, if you are one of those people who pursue God’s ways as much as the food and drink you enjoy, then how much of God’s responding can you expect? I’m wondering: Can we all agree to acknowledge our need for more righteousness in how we live, the words we speak, the way we act, the things we do? Can we all agree to acknowledge our need for God in circumstances we find ourselves in, especially those we can control? And then, can we all agree to let go and let God help us? Whatever it is that stops us from surrendering that control, whether it be fear or guilt or shame or pride or indifference, can we let go of it and let God take control of it and help us with whatever we listed as our top 3 needs and then some?

The lesson before us comes from the Sermon on the Mount, which Jesus preached early on in his ministry. The entire sermon is recorded in Matthew 5-7. You know how preachers today will typically give you 3 or 4 points in their sermons so you’ll get the gist of what they are preaching. Well Jesus had a main point in delivering this sermon, and that point was this: “Disciples, here’s what you need to know to know how to live.” Read the scripture and feast on the Word.

Matthew 5:1-12 (KJV)
1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, 3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. 10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake . 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Jesus, knowing the kingdom of God on earth was near, also knew his disciples would need to know what kingdom living looked like. In the sermon, Jesus set a standard for living so high that He knew people wouldn’t be able to live this way on their own power, thus establishing the need for God right away. We can’t miss that point. No matter how good a person we are, we can’t live according to God’s ways without God’s help, and that help is available to us through the Holy Spirit living in us, through the Word of God, through the power of prayer, and I believe through Christian friends who will support each other and pray for each and help each other if we just ask.

So Jesus went up on the mountain and as was customary for rabbis at the time, he sat down to teach, then his disciples came to him. Now, I want you to think about this. Who do you think the word “disciples” included? Do you think it was just the twelve, or do you think it included the multitudes that were following Jesus? The word means learners, and I think it is entirely possible that “disciples” here refers to all who had gathered to learn from Jesus. So I can’t help but ask myself this question: If I had been living in that day, would I have been there? If you had been living in that day, would you have been there? Would we have been there trying to learn from this man they called Messiah?

The section of the sermon we read from is called, as you know, The Beatitudes. The beatitudes were pronouncements of blessings upon the people who seek God with all their hearts. They tell of the blessing we receive when we understand just how much we need God in our lives. The way they are written, we see both the blessing and those who will receive it. Let’s look at verses 3-12 and identify both.

VERSE 3
Recipient:The poor in spirit-recognize their nothingness without God, know how truly needy they are
The Blessing"The kingdom of heaven
VERSE 4
Recipient:Those who mourn-over their sin
The Blessing: Comfort
VERSE 5
Recipient: The meek-not being a wimp, but exercising strength under God’s control; an attitude toward God, not people
The Blessing: Inherit the earth
VERSE 6
Recipient: Those who hunger & thirst after righteousness-so much so that it hurts; those who know they can’t be filled with God without the desire, so they put action behind that desire
The Blessing: Shall be filled
VERSE 7
Recipient: The merciful-who realize the mercy shown them and extend it to others
The Blessing: Mercy
VERSE 8
Recipient: The pure in heart-the will, mind & emotions consumed purely with the desire for God
The Blessing: Will see God
VERSE 9
Recipient: The peacemakers-who promote harmony & help others to receive the peace of God
The Blessing: Will be children of God
Verse 10
Recipient: Those who are persecuted for righteousness-not just persecuted but so for living according to God’s ways
The Blessing: The kingdom of heaven
Verses: 11-12
Recipient: Those who are insulted and persecuted & falsely accused-not just because they are different, but they are different because of Jesus and for Him
The Blessing: A great reward in heaven and association with the prophets and saints before them

The Beatitudes teach us that God blesses those with a gentle spirit and a desire to be right with Him and more like Him. They teach us that He blesses those who have emotional needs (mourn), who have spiritual needs (hunger & thirst) and those who are facing all kinds of trials and persecutions. Each of these, and each of us, who realize we have these needs and recognize our need for Jesus will be blessed.

And…the word “blessed” means much more than happy because happy depends on the circumstances we’re in. Blessed here means the ultimate well-being, the joy that can only come from a right relationship with God, it means highly favored or privileged by God. So when we ask for God’s blessings we don’t want just $3 worth. We want the whole bank that God has to offer. We want Him to empty the vault out on us so to speak. And many times what we’re hoping for is relief from the situation or for the situation to be removed entirely, so we can go back to being “happy”. And “happy” is good, but as Christians we’re called to realize this: We’re blessed whether we feel blessed or not! We’re blessed whether we feel happy or not. I love the song “Through the Fire” performed by the Crabb Family. The verse lyrics say this:

So many times I've questioned certain circumstances
Or things I could not understand
Many times in trials, weakness blurs my vision
And my frustration gets so out of hand
It’s then I am reminded I've never been forsaken
I've never had to stand the test alone
As I look at all the victories
The spirit rises up in me
And its through the fire my weakness is made strong.
Lyrics by Gerald Crabb

I think that’s a pretty good paraphrase of what “blessed” in the Beatitudes means.

Jesus spoke the Sermon on the Mount to give His disciples the courage and hope to face their present circumstances and to withstand the trials that were sure to come to those who lived for Him. But they were also spoken to assure them, and us, that even if the cross that we take up to follow Him gets heavy, we are blessed and we have the promise of even greater blessings when we receive our reward in heaven and the kingdom of God that is sure to come. I believe the teaching in that sermon applies to us as much today as it did then.

So I ask each of us again:
Do we give God the time and attention, not that He needs, but that we need to give Him in order to stay in a right relationship with Him?
Do we hunger and thirst after righteousness? Do we really desire more of God in us?
Do we daily acknowledge our need for God?
If we do, we have the promise of His blessings.

Father, we come to you with pure hearts, poor in spirit, hungering and thirsting for more of you in our lives. Though our trials may or may not be torturous or deadly, we suffer insult and injury gladly in your name and for your sake. In all circumstances we rejoice and are blessed because of you. We give you thanks for the blessings. In Your Name we pray,
Amen

The Most Excellent Way

Last week I took my mother to her appointment with the ophthalmologist in preparation for upcoming cataract surgery. While we were waiting our turn, a cute little lady around my mother's age, I'd guess, came in alone and had a seat. In no time, the attendant called her back to see the doctor. Some short time later a cute little man, also around my mother's age, came in alone, greeting us with a really chipper "Good morning! How are you folks doing?" We exchanged the usual pleasantries as I edged slightly closer to my mother to protect her from one who might be a widower looking for a companion. I know you're probably thinking, "So what if he was", but this is my mother, and you can't be too careful! Our new friend stood, turning first one way then another, looking around a small, nearly square office, which I thought odd. At last he said, "I let a little lady ride up here with me to the doctor's office this morning. Have you seen her?" As I told him there were already a couple of ladies who had been called back, he described his wife with a twinkle in his eye and said he'd better just stick with her. "I don't want to cause any trouble here this morning!" Soon my mother was called back, and he and I chatted briefly as we waited. What a happy couple I had the pleasure of seeing. When his wife came out shortly, he asked about her visit and helped her place those lovely shades over her glasses, you know the ones you sometimes wear out of the doctor's office when your eyes are dilated. He grabbed her coat, helped her into it, gave her a quick hug, and off they went with a chipper, "You folks have a nice day, and I hope your mother's visit goes well." As I saw these simple acts of love between this husband and wife, all familiar, all genuine, and all so sweet, I prayed that my husband and I will get to enjoy the later years of our life together with such familiarity and sweetness. I asked God to bless those two with many more years together. And, by the way, I also asked God to forgive me for thinking bad thoughts about such a happy, pleasant little man who was just spreading a little of his joy with others.

Let's revisit 1 Corinthians 13:1-8a:

And now I will show you the most excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails.

Dear Loving Father, thank you for love, the love of our husbands and wives, the love of our families and friends, the love of our brothers and sisters in Christ, and most especially Your love, O Lord. Remind us that you chose us, that you chose to lavish this unfailing love on us. Help us to live the most excellent way and show Your love today. We make this our prayer in the name of the greatest of all loves, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Stretching

I have two morning routines now that I have the time. I start the day with coffee and devotion, then head out for a walk. The devotion I've been doing faithfully for 7 years but I've only been walking 4 miles a day 3 to 5 times a week for the better part of three months now. I know the value of warming up and then stretching before I head out, but I don't always do it.

Yesterday morning I hit the pavement without loosening up, and in less than a mile, my calves and shins were screaming "Fire, Somebody get a hose and beat that woman walking us with it!" Hating to lose my pace, but knowing I wouldn't be able to make 2 miles, much less 4, I stopped and did a few obligatory stretches, which helped, but my walk was definitely not what I wanted it to be. This morning I made sure I did my 5-minute warm-up and stretch before pumping these short legs of mine too hard! I can't tell you that the 70-minute walk was totally pain-free, but you know what they say, "No pain, no gain!"

One of the things I like about walking, aside from the health benefits, is time to think, time to clear my head and focus on nothing, or often, time to spend with God. As I was walking today, I realized that warming up and stretching are just as important to my devotional life. If I'm not careful, I'll just plunge into a devotional reading without greeting God by spending time in prayer and clearing the way for a few minutes of sweet communion with Him--the warm-up so to speak. And, I know that if I skip the scriptures that support whatever I'm reading for the day, then I've just read another great author's writing and missed what the Author and Finisher of our faith has to say. The stretch comes in meditating on the Word. The stretch happens when I apply what it has to say to every aspect of my life so that it is assimilated into the very nature of my being, kind of like the stretches any serious walker should do after a long, hard walk.

Although I'm not a serious athlete, I am serious about my walk, both physically and especially spiritually. I'm pretty sure I won't be skipping the warm-up and stretches again which make for a great finish!

The Right Question

I have of late been struggling with the question "What does God want me to do?" Perhaps struggling is not the right word right now. And maybe"What does God want me to do" is not the right question right now. I recently neglected a responsibility I take seriously and felt the pangs of guilt in my forgetfulness to take care of it. You see, I'm the pinch hitter on the piano at my church, and yesterday-on the the 4th of July of all days-I left my church in a pinch! I had forgotten to get someone to play in my absence. At 9:30 on Sunday evening as the fireworks were going off all around me, they finally went off in my head too. I'm a "doer" so how could I have not done this? I quickly shot out an email apologizing to the key players at church and thanked them for their forgiveness and understanding. Then I sat down for a spell and talked with God about it. I know He and my pastor forgive me!

This morning, still stinging from my failure, God revealed in my heart what I knew in my head. It's not what I do, which will always come up short on my own power, but who I am in Christ that matters most. So, who am I in Christ?

I am His child.
I am loved.
I am forgiven.
I am accepted.
I am free.
I am at peace.
I am secure.
I am chosen of God, holy and loved dearly.
I am sealed.
I am light in the world.
I am Jesus' friend.
I am God's workmanship, created to do His work He set aside for me.

OK. So I'm back to "doing". I am a "doer". "Doing" is the expression of my heart. "Doing" is the expression of my love and gratitude and humility in response to God's love and grace and mercy. I still want to know what God wants me to do. Until He reveals that, I shall rest in the knowledge of who I am!

Paying Tribute

I've been a special educator for 30 years, and I really do prefer the term "special educator" best. It describes what we do, and it describes who we serve; they are both special. The inspiration for my career was a very special cousin of mine, 30 years my senior. Davis was born with significant physical impairments and never attended school. His limited capacity to walk and talk in no way limited his capacity to bring joy to everyone around him. As a young child, I remember saying to myself, “Davis is trying to tell us something.” I remember thinking, “If only he could talk, we’d find out just how much Davis knows.” I remember wondering, “Davis is so happy. How can that be?” He was so clearly bright. He understood conversation. He tried to join in. He would get so excited at being in a room with people. His inability to speak left you wondering just what was going on inside that head of his. Yet no one ever wondered what was going on inside his heart. He was bright, in a way that lit up a room whenever he walked in wearing a smile that no disability could ever stifle. When you saw that smile you saw pure joy, joy that I pray each of us can experience in this life.

Upon his recent passing at the age of 81, tribute after tribute attested to this joy that transcended reason in light of his circumstances. Had Davis been born in this day and time, his life would have been different. He would have gone to school. He would have had access to technology to communicate all that was in his head, and more importantly, all that was in his heart. Somehow or other, it seems appropriate to me that this career I have loved so should draw to a close in the same year of Davis's passing. That passing has caused me to reflect on my desire to contribute to making life better for people with disabilities, a desire that I recognized as a teenager and stayed true to for all these years. I believe I have contributed in some small measure, so it is with gratitude for the opportunity that I retire. Though I go, my love for our work and the people we serve remains with those who carry on, and it remains in my heart.