One of the difficult things about becoming older is that our children have grown older too! That’s just great if they follow reasonably well the path we had envisioned for them. It can be tough if we see them making decisions that don’t seem wise, or choices that we think are big mistakes. We are not alone. Mary is another Bible woman whose life inspires and instructs me. She had Jesus Himself for a son, but she may have had some of the same adjustment problems we do.
He was only twelve—still her “baby”—when He first seemed to reject her. After worshipping in Jerusalem, she and Joseph had traveled a whole day’s journey toward home when they realized Jesus was not with any of their relatives or acquaintances. They returned to the City and after three days of searching they found Him in the Temple with the teachers, listening to them and asking questions. Did Mary scold as we probably would have? “Jesus! Where have you been? We have been frantic, looking everywhere for you. How could you do this to us?”
“You shouldn’t have worried about me,” Jesus had answered. “Don’t you know that I have to be about my Father’s business?”
His Father’s business? What can so young a lad know of God’s will? True, he is considered a man now, but to suppose that he understands the ways of the Most High? Mary must have wondered . . . And even though He returned to Nazareth with them that very day, and was—as He had always been—an obedient and loving son with obvious endowments of gentleness, wisdom, and the grace of God, perhaps Mary carried in her heart from that time onward the secret knowledge: I will not always be able to hold this son. Someday I will have to learn to trust him to know what God wants for his life. I will have to release him, eventually, to do his Father’s will.
Years later, Mary had attended a wedding of family friends in Cana. Jesus had demonstrated then also where His deepest allegiance lay. Several days into celebrating the young couple’s new life together, the unthinkable happened. The hosts ran out of wine! They were greatly embarrassed, and Mary felt sorry for them in their predicament. She turned to Jesus; surely He would know what to say or do to help their friends. “Son,” she said to Him that day, “they have no wine.”
“Yes, my good woman,” He had answered, respectfully but still not acknowledging Mary as His mother to those around Him. “I know, and I can appreciate your concern. But please don’t ask me for anything just to honor family ties. Let me do what it’s time in God’s plan for me to do.” Mary must have realized: Jesus will do what needs to be done. Not necessarily what a sympathetic onlooker thinks best. Perhaps not even what a mother-heart desires. He will act in accord with the Heavenly Father’s will. I must yield to that. Ah, but it isn’t easy to let go! I am his mother! Surely it’s not wrong to want a few special favors?
And finally, as Jesus was teaching one day in a home, Mary and Jesus’ brothers arrived to visit Him. The place was already packed, and they found they could not even get near Him. So they just stood outside, and sent someone in to call Him. Some in the crowd near Jesus told Him, “Your mother and brothers are outside wanting to see you.”
"Who are my mother and my brothers?" He asked. Then looking at those seated in a circle around Him, He said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever hears God’s Word and puts it into practice is my brother and sister and mother. Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my family."
What must Mary have thought when someone reported to her that Jesus was not responding to her request? How could Jesus disown us, his own family? Is he suddenly too good to associate with us? He is just Jesus, my oldest boy. Why can’t I see him, speak to him, touch him? Why did he—how did he—escape the closest of human ties, that with his own mother?
So here we have Mary’s dilemma, much like our own as our children change quickly from toddlers into teens and then adulthood. We must accept that each of them has to follow God and the yearning in his/her own heart. Every mother loses her sons and daughters, because babies grow up. They marry, they work long hours, they move away to other cities or even other countries. Or sometimes they don’t grow and they die as children; for others, life is cut short at some point. Whatever the case, these sons and daughters loosen the ties that keep them close to their mothers and, one by one, they slip away. All of us have to say “Goodbye.”
Although that centuries-old contraction of “God be with you,” means letting go, it does not mean a final loss. As we hear the Word of God and obey it, we are joined in an added way to our loved ones. On the day Mary learned that Jesus was claiming as family all those who do the Heavenly Father’s will, she must have known that included her. And today it includes us and our families. I may have to let them go, but I will never lose them. As together we hear the Word of God and obey it, we will be joined forever with Jesus in the family which nothing can alter—not distance, not even death. This dear son, this dear daughter, will never be farther away than a heartbeat of submission to God’s will.
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
Infected Words
For fifty years, from October 2, 1950, to January 3, 2000, Charles M Schulz, instructed us in the values and vicissitudes of daily life through the Peanuts comic strip. I was a dedicated reader as I was growing up—and still love the classic reprints. Who could forget Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown, Linus and his blanket, Charlie Brown pining for the little red-haired girl, Pigpen, Spike, Woodstock, Peppermint Patty and all the rest? One particular strip, only one, has stayed in my mind all these years.
Linus: I think you should stop saying 'nyaah nyaah nyaah' to Charlie Brown. Those 'nyaah's can hurt!
Sally: Oh, don't be ridiculous!
Linus: Well, they do hurt! Those 'nyaah's can get down in your stomach and really hurt!
Sally: You're crazy! A few 'nyaah's can't hurt anybody!
Linus: They can if they become infected!
My parents used to tell me to rebuff my older brothers' taunts with “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words/names will never hurt me.” I dutifully repeated that, but I knew it wasn’t actually true. Words do get down in your stomach or your heart and hurt; they can even get “infected.” This infection is what happens when someone is offended by another’s words and begins to harbor anger or bitterness, perhaps even refusing to ever speak with the person again. It is what happens when something said is remembered and replayed over and over again, sometimes for years, the hurt never lessening, the unfairness of it all becoming greater as time passes.
So what should we do? First, if we are the ones doing the criticizing, fault-finding, ridiculing, name-calling, minimizing, “joking” at another’s expense—the answer is simple: Stop it.
If we are the ones receiving the criticism, ridicule, painful jokes, etc., the answer is more complex. We may need to lighten up. Just because someone says something doesn’t make it true. Examine, “What is really the truth about me?” and then we need to practice telling ourselves the truth. We may need to speak honestly: “I feel hurt when you say things like that. Please stop.” We must forgive, or the harm we do to our spirits and our bodies can be greater than the original hurt.
Linus, you were absolutely right.
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
(For some Peanuts nostalgia, go to this source: http://people.cs.uchicago.edu/~dinoj/peanuts.html)
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Linus: I think you should stop saying 'nyaah nyaah nyaah' to Charlie Brown. Those 'nyaah's can hurt!
Sally: Oh, don't be ridiculous!
Linus: Well, they do hurt! Those 'nyaah's can get down in your stomach and really hurt!
Sally: You're crazy! A few 'nyaah's can't hurt anybody!
Linus: They can if they become infected!
My parents used to tell me to rebuff my older brothers' taunts with “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words/names will never hurt me.” I dutifully repeated that, but I knew it wasn’t actually true. Words do get down in your stomach or your heart and hurt; they can even get “infected.” This infection is what happens when someone is offended by another’s words and begins to harbor anger or bitterness, perhaps even refusing to ever speak with the person again. It is what happens when something said is remembered and replayed over and over again, sometimes for years, the hurt never lessening, the unfairness of it all becoming greater as time passes.
So what should we do? First, if we are the ones doing the criticizing, fault-finding, ridiculing, name-calling, minimizing, “joking” at another’s expense—the answer is simple: Stop it.
If we are the ones receiving the criticism, ridicule, painful jokes, etc., the answer is more complex. We may need to lighten up. Just because someone says something doesn’t make it true. Examine, “What is really the truth about me?” and then we need to practice telling ourselves the truth. We may need to speak honestly: “I feel hurt when you say things like that. Please stop.” We must forgive, or the harm we do to our spirits and our bodies can be greater than the original hurt.
Linus, you were absolutely right.
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
(For some Peanuts nostalgia, go to this source: http://people.cs.uchicago.edu/~dinoj/peanuts.html)
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Thursday, August 28, 2008
When There's a Flood
This is hurricane season, and I am thinking about the tremendous power of water. My awareness is also increased by a minor flooding problem in my own home. Water is so necessary to our lives and is the basis for so many enjoyable activities, and yet is such a destructive force when it is beyond our control. We are justifiably afraid.
Even when the waters are wildly beyond our own control, it is good to remember that they do have a limit imposed upon them. The promise given by God to Noah after the great flood was that He would never again destroy the whole earth by water. But even long before Noah’s time, God told Job, "Who kept the sea inside its boundaries as it burst from the womb, and as I clothed it with clouds and wrapped it in thick darkness? For I locked it behind barred gates, limiting its shores. I said, 'This far and no farther will you come. Here your proud waves must stop!' " (Job 38:8-11 NLT) The natural world, with such ferocious power, is still subdued by its Creator.
The same holds true for spiritual "floods." There are sometimes periods in our lives when wave after wave of grief, trouble, discouragement, or doubt pound on us until we feel we will surely drown. In one such flooding crisis, I was desperate for a word of hope and I begged God, “Please . . . talk to me.”
No voice thundered from the heavens, not even a whisper. But very clearly some of the words came to mind that God had already spoken long ago to His suffering people. "When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you." (Isaiah 43:2 NLT) God didn’t promise Noah that there won’t ever be too much rain or even a flood, but it cannot overwhelm the earth. And God hasn’t promised us that there won’t be spiritual storms and flooding, but He will be with us and we will survive.
And the flood in my house? It was distressing but, fortunately, it really was only minor. The carpet cleaning team came with equipment to extract the water, and then set up huge fans to blow over the carpet and under it as well. For the next couple of days, walking in that room will be like walking on a bubble!
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved
Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Even when the waters are wildly beyond our own control, it is good to remember that they do have a limit imposed upon them. The promise given by God to Noah after the great flood was that He would never again destroy the whole earth by water. But even long before Noah’s time, God told Job, "Who kept the sea inside its boundaries as it burst from the womb, and as I clothed it with clouds and wrapped it in thick darkness? For I locked it behind barred gates, limiting its shores. I said, 'This far and no farther will you come. Here your proud waves must stop!' " (Job 38:8-11 NLT) The natural world, with such ferocious power, is still subdued by its Creator.
The same holds true for spiritual "floods." There are sometimes periods in our lives when wave after wave of grief, trouble, discouragement, or doubt pound on us until we feel we will surely drown. In one such flooding crisis, I was desperate for a word of hope and I begged God, “Please . . . talk to me.”
No voice thundered from the heavens, not even a whisper. But very clearly some of the words came to mind that God had already spoken long ago to His suffering people. "When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you." (Isaiah 43:2 NLT) God didn’t promise Noah that there won’t ever be too much rain or even a flood, but it cannot overwhelm the earth. And God hasn’t promised us that there won’t be spiritual storms and flooding, but He will be with us and we will survive.
And the flood in my house? It was distressing but, fortunately, it really was only minor. The carpet cleaning team came with equipment to extract the water, and then set up huge fans to blow over the carpet and under it as well. For the next couple of days, walking in that room will be like walking on a bubble!
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved
Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
What Jonah Learned about Circumstances
“How to know God’s will” is something I have heard discussed many times. Usually three or four points are given, and in practice normally these would agree.
(1) Find guidance from God’s Word, at least determine that the proposed direction is not contrary to what is taught there.
(2) Listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit, speaking to the inner heart about the direction to take.
(3) Seek counsel from Christians with proven wisdom who may be able to affirm or alter the course.
(4) Determine whether the circumstances contribute to the anticipated direction.
When these factors are aligned, one can usually move ahead in confidence. To illustrate: a pilot who is landing at night lines up the aircraft with the runway, guided by rows of lights. He/she would not dream of attempting to land in a direction that cuts across the safe path indicated by those markers. In the same way, one should anticipate trouble if any one of these four aspects of guidance is way out of line.
Jonah in the Bible, Jonah of whale-dinner fame, did not want to preach a message of warning in Nineveh as God asked him to. He knew in his heart what direction to take, but apparently he asked no one else’s advice about the conflict. He did, however, find that all the circumstances pointed in the direction he had already decided to go.
He went down to the port, and lo and behold! a ship was there, headed for Tarshish—the opposite direction. A good sign—right? Luckily, the sailors were friendly, and luckily they happened to have room for a passenger. Jonah had funds for the fare—luckily. It looked like everything was in his favor, so he must be on the right path. He got on board and the ship set sail. Soon, however, a violent storm developed, and the boat was about to be broken up. The desperate sailors began to throw cargo overboard trying to lighten the load. And where was Jonah? In the lower part of the ship, fast asleep. So he must have an easy conscience. He must be doing the right thing.
Certainly not! You probably know what happened next. Jonah, admitting his own fault, was thrown overboard and the sea calmed. A great fish swallowed him, and the prophet lived among—um, whatever “whales” eat over the course of three days. Eventually, the fish vomited him out on dry land. Eww!
There’s more to the story—read the book of Jonah—but my point is this: What happens in our surroundings or to us personally is only one of the ways that God guides us. Choosing our own way and making the circumstances back us up or even just taking the way of least resistance is not likely to end us up where we want to be. It may not be in a fish’s belly, but probably somewhere just about as nasty. When you need guidance and you’re looking around to see what might work, remember Jonah!
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
(1) Find guidance from God’s Word, at least determine that the proposed direction is not contrary to what is taught there.
(2) Listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit, speaking to the inner heart about the direction to take.
(3) Seek counsel from Christians with proven wisdom who may be able to affirm or alter the course.
(4) Determine whether the circumstances contribute to the anticipated direction.
When these factors are aligned, one can usually move ahead in confidence. To illustrate: a pilot who is landing at night lines up the aircraft with the runway, guided by rows of lights. He/she would not dream of attempting to land in a direction that cuts across the safe path indicated by those markers. In the same way, one should anticipate trouble if any one of these four aspects of guidance is way out of line.
Jonah in the Bible, Jonah of whale-dinner fame, did not want to preach a message of warning in Nineveh as God asked him to. He knew in his heart what direction to take, but apparently he asked no one else’s advice about the conflict. He did, however, find that all the circumstances pointed in the direction he had already decided to go.
He went down to the port, and lo and behold! a ship was there, headed for Tarshish—the opposite direction. A good sign—right? Luckily, the sailors were friendly, and luckily they happened to have room for a passenger. Jonah had funds for the fare—luckily. It looked like everything was in his favor, so he must be on the right path. He got on board and the ship set sail. Soon, however, a violent storm developed, and the boat was about to be broken up. The desperate sailors began to throw cargo overboard trying to lighten the load. And where was Jonah? In the lower part of the ship, fast asleep. So he must have an easy conscience. He must be doing the right thing.
Certainly not! You probably know what happened next. Jonah, admitting his own fault, was thrown overboard and the sea calmed. A great fish swallowed him, and the prophet lived among—um, whatever “whales” eat over the course of three days. Eventually, the fish vomited him out on dry land. Eww!
There’s more to the story—read the book of Jonah—but my point is this: What happens in our surroundings or to us personally is only one of the ways that God guides us. Choosing our own way and making the circumstances back us up or even just taking the way of least resistance is not likely to end us up where we want to be. It may not be in a fish’s belly, but probably somewhere just about as nasty. When you need guidance and you’re looking around to see what might work, remember Jonah!
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
A Face, A Voice
I have a doll in my office, purchased from a gift shop in an Indiana community. She has no face. I understand that is a matter of conscience to the makers of such dolls. But while I respect what the doll represents as a part of my heritage, she also stirs some negative feelings in me. There are many reasons why some citizens of the world are disenfranchised. They have no face and no voice. It is sad to me that in many spheres of life, being a woman or a child is enough to marginalize one.
An interview I was reading recently included the familiar line, “I am woman, hear me roar.” That is the title of a song (Helen Reddy and Ray Burton) released in its most well-known version in 1972, and it became the “anthem” for the women’s movement. I thought to myself, “I'm not really into roaring. Many of the women I know are not into roaring. So what is it that we really want?”
I am woman—
Hear me dream out loud. I have creative ideas. I want to try them out.
Hear me make decisions. And yes, I will take responsibility for what happens next.
Hear me voice my opinions—even when we don’t agree.
Hear me offer suggestions.
Hear me sing and pray—and perhaps even preach. (God is an EOE.)
Hear me share love, and learning, and life.
I am grateful for the men and women in my everyday world who hear me even though I don’t roar. These are people in positions that often are not woman-friendly. My auto mechanic is always genuinely courteous, disregarding the fact that we both know I am not sure what I’m talking about. My doctor treats me as a whole person, asking me what my feelings are as well as how I feel. My pastor encourages me to participate fully in the faith community, even when that means asking the hard questions. My supervisor respectfully considers my thoughts on how to improve our service. My attorney never minimizes my concerns, but gives me dignity and thoughtful responses. And of course, my “healing” friends are there for me whether I am hopeful or hurting.
I wish such a line-up of supportive people were a part of every woman’s life. While we don’t choose our families, we do choose friends and professional helper-type persons. You deserve to find those who will listen, so keep looking and don’t settle for people who won’t. You have a face and a voice.
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
An interview I was reading recently included the familiar line, “I am woman, hear me roar.” That is the title of a song (Helen Reddy and Ray Burton) released in its most well-known version in 1972, and it became the “anthem” for the women’s movement. I thought to myself, “I'm not really into roaring. Many of the women I know are not into roaring. So what is it that we really want?”
I am woman—
Hear me dream out loud. I have creative ideas. I want to try them out.
Hear me make decisions. And yes, I will take responsibility for what happens next.
Hear me voice my opinions—even when we don’t agree.
Hear me offer suggestions.
Hear me sing and pray—and perhaps even preach. (God is an EOE.)
Hear me share love, and learning, and life.
I am grateful for the men and women in my everyday world who hear me even though I don’t roar. These are people in positions that often are not woman-friendly. My auto mechanic is always genuinely courteous, disregarding the fact that we both know I am not sure what I’m talking about. My doctor treats me as a whole person, asking me what my feelings are as well as how I feel. My pastor encourages me to participate fully in the faith community, even when that means asking the hard questions. My supervisor respectfully considers my thoughts on how to improve our service. My attorney never minimizes my concerns, but gives me dignity and thoughtful responses. And of course, my “healing” friends are there for me whether I am hopeful or hurting.
I wish such a line-up of supportive people were a part of every woman’s life. While we don’t choose our families, we do choose friends and professional helper-type persons. You deserve to find those who will listen, so keep looking and don’t settle for people who won’t. You have a face and a voice.
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Monday, August 25, 2008
Mrs. Noah and the Ark
Most mothers get to share their living space with various members of the animal kingdom as they see their children through the nurturing years: a fish tank of guppies, a stray mongrel, a surprise litter of kittens. And the extraordinary as well: a fledgling hawk or a baby skunk, a pocketful of roly-poly bugs or a lizard. Yes, many mothers put up with pets, but surely Mrs. Noah was the champion of them all! She is another of the little-known Bible women that evoke my interest.
Noah and his family had maintained their integrity even while all around them wickedness increased beyond description. One day God spoke to Noah. “I am sorry that I gave the earth to man to care for. Every intent of their hearts is only evil continually. I am going to destroy what I so recently created by a great flood of waters on the earth, but I will establish my covenant with you—you, your wife, your sons, and your sons’ wives.”
“I want you to make an ark,” God continued, and He described with exact dimensions the vessel that He wanted Noah to build. As well as the eight in Noah’s family, God instructed him to keep alive in the ark two of every sort of living thing—all birds, all animals, all creeping things. And there would have to be provisions for the family and for all the animals. Talk about the care and feeding of pets! Noah and his sons went to work. As it took shape, the ark must have looked like an apartment complex, its stalls and roosts being prepared for occupancy. Storerooms took shape too, some for provisions, some for waste. Ewww! Poor Mrs. Noah.
The day finally came when the work was finished. Then God told Noah, “Come, you and all your family, here to the ark. Then every sort of breathing animal will come to you. Take a pair of each, a male and a female to ensure that every kind of creature will survive the flood. Of the beasts and birds that are approved for eating and for sacrifice, take seven pairs. One week from today, I will begin forty days and forty nights of rain. I will wash the earth clean by destroying all the living things I have created.” That procession of animals lasted for seven days, then Noah’s family followed them into the ark, and God secured the door.
And it began to rain. Like a waterfall suddenly loosed over the sill of heaven’s window, the rain poured down, and underground waters gushed forth. Inside, the family was safe and dry—and busy too, feeding and watering the animals and cleaning out their stalls (although all the creatures may have been in a state of semi-hibernation—eating and drinking little and excreting little, their predatory natures suspended along with their territorial and mate selection habits).
After the fortieth night, there was an unnerving silence—no rain pounding on the roof. But even though it had stopped raining, those inside would have to wait until the waters receded before they could leave their boat. How long, how long? After 150 days afloat—maybe Mrs. Noah made marks beside the door?—there was a jolt and the motion of the boat ceased. They had landed! Another two and a half months of waiting, and they were able to see the very tops of mountains. Finally, a full year and ten days after they entered the ark, God told Noah, “Leave the boat, all of you. Release the animals and birds so they can reproduce in great numbers.”
As the animals crept and ran and hopped and flew by on their way to freedom, Noah caught some of those that were approved for offering to the Lord. Before he ever dug a well or built a fire pit, he erected an altar of gratitude to God for escape from the floodwaters and release from the clutches of the evil society that had so completely surrounded them. No doubt they knew that the human race would become wicked again, but they had the promise of God’s mercy, “I will never again curse the earth, bringing a flood to destroy all living things. As long as the earth remains, there will be springtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, day and night.” They looked up and there, from horizon to horizon, was an arch in the heavens, glowing with brilliant colors.
God is making a covenant with us,” Noah explained, “and with our descendants, and with all these birds and livestock and wild animals. He solemnly promises that He will never send another flood that destroys the earth. God has said, ‘I am giving you evidence of my eternal covenant with you and all living creatures. I will send rain clouds over the earth, but I will place my there also. When I see the rainbow in the clouds I will remember my covenant with you and with everything that lives.’ ”
So does the Eternal One need something to cause His remembrance? Hardly. But because we are the ones who need reminding, He gives a sign testifying to His faithfulness. While we are remembering, He is with us, also remembering. He will always be aware of His covenant, and when we see the rainbow, we will be aware too of His covenant loyalty.
Mrs. Noah couldn’t have known then what we know now. From heaven’s perspective, the rainbow, seen on earth as an arc, is a perfect, unbroken circle. God’s love and God’s faithfulness and God’s provision, viewed from His eternal perspective, are complete and perfect. That would have been hard to see when Noah was mocked during the long years of boatbuilding. It would not be easy to keep that in mind when seasickness and animal smells and sleeping in the dormitory made the voyage seem long. It would be especially hard to believe it when later the family structure was torn by Ham’s impudent pleasure at seeing his father drunken and naked. But God always remembers.
When we wonder, sometimes, why things turn out as they do, we can look at the rainbow and have our hope restored. God does all things well. All earth has a promise; all creation groans for redemption. If we wait long enough, we will see it. He will without fail cause the “ark” of our lives to ride high during the turbulent storm. He will eventually open wide the closed door. He will bring us out of a closed-up circumstance to a new and fruitful place. And then He will fling the rainbow into the sky to tell us, “See, I told you!”
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Noah and his family had maintained their integrity even while all around them wickedness increased beyond description. One day God spoke to Noah. “I am sorry that I gave the earth to man to care for. Every intent of their hearts is only evil continually. I am going to destroy what I so recently created by a great flood of waters on the earth, but I will establish my covenant with you—you, your wife, your sons, and your sons’ wives.”
“I want you to make an ark,” God continued, and He described with exact dimensions the vessel that He wanted Noah to build. As well as the eight in Noah’s family, God instructed him to keep alive in the ark two of every sort of living thing—all birds, all animals, all creeping things. And there would have to be provisions for the family and for all the animals. Talk about the care and feeding of pets! Noah and his sons went to work. As it took shape, the ark must have looked like an apartment complex, its stalls and roosts being prepared for occupancy. Storerooms took shape too, some for provisions, some for waste. Ewww! Poor Mrs. Noah.
The day finally came when the work was finished. Then God told Noah, “Come, you and all your family, here to the ark. Then every sort of breathing animal will come to you. Take a pair of each, a male and a female to ensure that every kind of creature will survive the flood. Of the beasts and birds that are approved for eating and for sacrifice, take seven pairs. One week from today, I will begin forty days and forty nights of rain. I will wash the earth clean by destroying all the living things I have created.” That procession of animals lasted for seven days, then Noah’s family followed them into the ark, and God secured the door.
And it began to rain. Like a waterfall suddenly loosed over the sill of heaven’s window, the rain poured down, and underground waters gushed forth. Inside, the family was safe and dry—and busy too, feeding and watering the animals and cleaning out their stalls (although all the creatures may have been in a state of semi-hibernation—eating and drinking little and excreting little, their predatory natures suspended along with their territorial and mate selection habits).
After the fortieth night, there was an unnerving silence—no rain pounding on the roof. But even though it had stopped raining, those inside would have to wait until the waters receded before they could leave their boat. How long, how long? After 150 days afloat—maybe Mrs. Noah made marks beside the door?—there was a jolt and the motion of the boat ceased. They had landed! Another two and a half months of waiting, and they were able to see the very tops of mountains. Finally, a full year and ten days after they entered the ark, God told Noah, “Leave the boat, all of you. Release the animals and birds so they can reproduce in great numbers.”
As the animals crept and ran and hopped and flew by on their way to freedom, Noah caught some of those that were approved for offering to the Lord. Before he ever dug a well or built a fire pit, he erected an altar of gratitude to God for escape from the floodwaters and release from the clutches of the evil society that had so completely surrounded them. No doubt they knew that the human race would become wicked again, but they had the promise of God’s mercy, “I will never again curse the earth, bringing a flood to destroy all living things. As long as the earth remains, there will be springtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, day and night.” They looked up and there, from horizon to horizon, was an arch in the heavens, glowing with brilliant colors.
God is making a covenant with us,” Noah explained, “and with our descendants, and with all these birds and livestock and wild animals. He solemnly promises that He will never send another flood that destroys the earth. God has said, ‘I am giving you evidence of my eternal covenant with you and all living creatures. I will send rain clouds over the earth, but I will place my there also. When I see the rainbow in the clouds I will remember my covenant with you and with everything that lives.’ ”
So does the Eternal One need something to cause His remembrance? Hardly. But because we are the ones who need reminding, He gives a sign testifying to His faithfulness. While we are remembering, He is with us, also remembering. He will always be aware of His covenant, and when we see the rainbow, we will be aware too of His covenant loyalty.
Mrs. Noah couldn’t have known then what we know now. From heaven’s perspective, the rainbow, seen on earth as an arc, is a perfect, unbroken circle. God’s love and God’s faithfulness and God’s provision, viewed from His eternal perspective, are complete and perfect. That would have been hard to see when Noah was mocked during the long years of boatbuilding. It would not be easy to keep that in mind when seasickness and animal smells and sleeping in the dormitory made the voyage seem long. It would be especially hard to believe it when later the family structure was torn by Ham’s impudent pleasure at seeing his father drunken and naked. But God always remembers.
When we wonder, sometimes, why things turn out as they do, we can look at the rainbow and have our hope restored. God does all things well. All earth has a promise; all creation groans for redemption. If we wait long enough, we will see it. He will without fail cause the “ark” of our lives to ride high during the turbulent storm. He will eventually open wide the closed door. He will bring us out of a closed-up circumstance to a new and fruitful place. And then He will fling the rainbow into the sky to tell us, “See, I told you!”
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Strengthening Your Core
The corporate wellness coach who visits my place of employment recently gave us a sheet of exercises to “strengthen our core.” The body’s core, the area around the trunk and pelvis, is where the body’s center of gravity is located and where all movement of the body originates. A good, strong core necessitates the muscles there working together in harmony. Such a core offers increased protection for less-fortified body parts, enables better control of movement, gives more stable balance, and provides support for almost all activities. It makes one less susceptible to the pain or injuries that are common when there is insufficient strength.
How well this applies to the inner self! We have inside us a “core” that largely determines how we handle the stuff of life. The components of this core may be called many things: coping strategies, self-management, emotional competency, social intelligence, relational skills, belief system, world-view, paradigm. I think none are more important than faith: Faith in God, faith in myself as a child of God, faith in the reliable working of all things eventually for my good. (Note: Some restrictions apply! “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him [margin reading, or works together with those who love him to bring about what is good], who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 NIV, emphasis mine)
What strengthens that inner core of faith? The same thing that strengthens the core physically. Exercise! Regular, proper exercise. Practice asking God for His help and guidance, and then practice believing that He will provide those very things. Listen for His voice in the written Word and in the whisperings of the Holy Spirit. Respond to God’s love and attention with your love and attention. Approach your responsibilities with strength and your problems with courage for He has said, “Be strong and courageous! . . . Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6, 8 NLT)
If that inner core of faith is strong, we have increased protection for the areas where we are vulnerable to temptation. We have more self-control, and can attain better balance in our living. We have inner reinforcement for all our activities, and thus are less likely to be overwhelmed by the natural “wear and tear” of daily life.
What an amazing thing God did when He created us!
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Scripture quotation marked NIV taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
How well this applies to the inner self! We have inside us a “core” that largely determines how we handle the stuff of life. The components of this core may be called many things: coping strategies, self-management, emotional competency, social intelligence, relational skills, belief system, world-view, paradigm. I think none are more important than faith: Faith in God, faith in myself as a child of God, faith in the reliable working of all things eventually for my good. (Note: Some restrictions apply! “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him [margin reading, or works together with those who love him to bring about what is good], who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 NIV, emphasis mine)
What strengthens that inner core of faith? The same thing that strengthens the core physically. Exercise! Regular, proper exercise. Practice asking God for His help and guidance, and then practice believing that He will provide those very things. Listen for His voice in the written Word and in the whisperings of the Holy Spirit. Respond to God’s love and attention with your love and attention. Approach your responsibilities with strength and your problems with courage for He has said, “Be strong and courageous! . . . Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6, 8 NLT)
If that inner core of faith is strong, we have increased protection for the areas where we are vulnerable to temptation. We have more self-control, and can attain better balance in our living. We have inner reinforcement for all our activities, and thus are less likely to be overwhelmed by the natural “wear and tear” of daily life.
What an amazing thing God did when He created us!
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Scripture quotation marked NIV taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Friday, August 22, 2008
Line by Line
A few mornings ago I was listening to music by a choral group and heard the director change from the planned program into an extemporaneous number. As he led the group, he “lined” the hymn for them. He spoke the beginning phrase of each line, and the singers followed without the benefit of books or printed cue cards.
I knew this practice of "lining" hymns was old, but I did not realize what a long history it had. In America, the tradition goes back as far as the 1640s when few hymnals were available, and many worshippers were unable to read. A church elder or minister would recite the text of a hymn line by line, and the congregation would respond by singing the words to a tune that was either suggested in the hymn book or agreed upon beforehand. The “Great Awakening,” the first large-scale religious revival in North America beginning about 1734, had a profound impact on New England and the South. The religious fervor of the movement demanded new, livelier hymns than those being used at the time. (If you want to see what “lively” music consisted of, get a hymnal and look up the hymns of Isaac Watts, John and Charles Wesley, and other 18th century writers! Some of these were sung to familiar tunes, but probably not, as we often suppose, tavern songs.) Hymn-singing became an expected part of “true” Christian experience, and leaders continued to "line out" or "raise a hymn."
Listening to the director lining out the hymn for his singers reminded me that there is much in the Christian life that is “lined out” for us. It doesn’t come all at once; there’s just too much! “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.” (Isaiah 28:10 NKJV)
Guidance comes “line by line.” We do not receive a road map at the beginning of the journey, clearly marked and without detours. Instead, we depend on God to help us; we search out the wisdom of those who have gone before us; we learn by our own experiences. Step by step, we find our way.
Provision comes “line by line.” Much of the time, our resources—both spiritual and physical—are given to us as we require them, not notably in advance of the need. After all, Jesus did not teach His followers to pray, “Give us this day our annual supply of bread”!
Christian virtues come “line by line.” Growth takes time. While the fruit of the Spirit is not defective at any stage, yet many times it takes awhile to “ripen”! The Apostle Peter writes, “Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (II Peter 1:5-8 NIV)
Learn to walk and wait and work “line by line.”
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Scripture marked NKJV taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture marked NIV taken from the New International Bible; used by permission.
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
I knew this practice of "lining" hymns was old, but I did not realize what a long history it had. In America, the tradition goes back as far as the 1640s when few hymnals were available, and many worshippers were unable to read. A church elder or minister would recite the text of a hymn line by line, and the congregation would respond by singing the words to a tune that was either suggested in the hymn book or agreed upon beforehand. The “Great Awakening,” the first large-scale religious revival in North America beginning about 1734, had a profound impact on New England and the South. The religious fervor of the movement demanded new, livelier hymns than those being used at the time. (If you want to see what “lively” music consisted of, get a hymnal and look up the hymns of Isaac Watts, John and Charles Wesley, and other 18th century writers! Some of these were sung to familiar tunes, but probably not, as we often suppose, tavern songs.) Hymn-singing became an expected part of “true” Christian experience, and leaders continued to "line out" or "raise a hymn."
Listening to the director lining out the hymn for his singers reminded me that there is much in the Christian life that is “lined out” for us. It doesn’t come all at once; there’s just too much! “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.” (Isaiah 28:10 NKJV)
Guidance comes “line by line.” We do not receive a road map at the beginning of the journey, clearly marked and without detours. Instead, we depend on God to help us; we search out the wisdom of those who have gone before us; we learn by our own experiences. Step by step, we find our way.
Provision comes “line by line.” Much of the time, our resources—both spiritual and physical—are given to us as we require them, not notably in advance of the need. After all, Jesus did not teach His followers to pray, “Give us this day our annual supply of bread”!
Christian virtues come “line by line.” Growth takes time. While the fruit of the Spirit is not defective at any stage, yet many times it takes awhile to “ripen”! The Apostle Peter writes, “Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (II Peter 1:5-8 NIV)
Learn to walk and wait and work “line by line.”
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Scripture marked NKJV taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture marked NIV taken from the New International Bible; used by permission.
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Weaving
An old poem by an unknown author reminds us that we do not choose the colors in the handiwork that is our life; that is up to the Master Weaver. We forget sometimes that, while He sees the pattern as it evolves on the upper side, we are limited to looking at the underside. There the knots are visible and the pattern is unclear! God is at work, and some day we too will be able to see why the dark colors of difficulty or sorrow were as necessary as the brighter ones of freedom and joy.
The craftsman, using strands of gold,
Wastes not their glory on a weave
Of shining, brightly colored thread
But rather lets them glow
From out of darkened web. –MM
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
The craftsman, using strands of gold,
Wastes not their glory on a weave
Of shining, brightly colored thread
But rather lets them glow
From out of darkened web. –MM
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Where Everybody Knows Your Name
Do you remember that title, the theme song from the 1980s TV sitcom "Cheers"? (by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo) The attraction of the described setting is that people just like us are there, “our kind of people.” They know us; probably they accept us and like us.
There are times, however, when it is not enough to be greeted warmly, welcomed into the group, and included in the conversation. It is not enough for the people at work or church or the PTA just to know your name. You are hurting, or disappointed, or afraid. You are suffering physical pain or the loss of something/someone very important to you. You are failing at something you were certain you could do, or someone has failed you. You smile and even laugh, but it almost cracks your face—and it leaves furrows in your heart. The crowd knows your name, but they do not know your story. And you are very alone in the crowd.
I recently read a book called Trauma: The Pain That Stays. It is written by a chaplain who is a trauma specialist, covering major airline crashes, etc. However, he extends the term "trauma" to more than single events, including those negative things that happen over and over again until the sufferer can no longer function as they usually would. He explains that the thoughts and behaviors which seem strange to others are perfectly normal for a person who has experienced the shattering of all their assumptions about "fairness" and "it couldn't happen to me," and so on.
If you have suddenly lost a spouse or a child, a lifelong job, your home or savings, your health or mobility, you will feel not like your “before” self for awhile. That is normal! If you have been repeatedly abused or abandoned or betrayed, you are likely to have trust issues for awhile. That is normal! When you are ready, tell someone your story—probably not the whole crowd, just a trusted friend or two. Think what it will be like then when you go back to the place where everybody knows your name, and you catch the eye of that friend. You’ll know that you’re not all alone.
Perhaps you may be one for whom trauma and “the pain that stays” have not been part of life. Then extend great mercy and understanding to all those who surround you. “Be Kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.” (variously attributed to Plato and Philo of Alexandria)
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
There are times, however, when it is not enough to be greeted warmly, welcomed into the group, and included in the conversation. It is not enough for the people at work or church or the PTA just to know your name. You are hurting, or disappointed, or afraid. You are suffering physical pain or the loss of something/someone very important to you. You are failing at something you were certain you could do, or someone has failed you. You smile and even laugh, but it almost cracks your face—and it leaves furrows in your heart. The crowd knows your name, but they do not know your story. And you are very alone in the crowd.
I recently read a book called Trauma: The Pain That Stays. It is written by a chaplain who is a trauma specialist, covering major airline crashes, etc. However, he extends the term "trauma" to more than single events, including those negative things that happen over and over again until the sufferer can no longer function as they usually would. He explains that the thoughts and behaviors which seem strange to others are perfectly normal for a person who has experienced the shattering of all their assumptions about "fairness" and "it couldn't happen to me," and so on.
If you have suddenly lost a spouse or a child, a lifelong job, your home or savings, your health or mobility, you will feel not like your “before” self for awhile. That is normal! If you have been repeatedly abused or abandoned or betrayed, you are likely to have trust issues for awhile. That is normal! When you are ready, tell someone your story—probably not the whole crowd, just a trusted friend or two. Think what it will be like then when you go back to the place where everybody knows your name, and you catch the eye of that friend. You’ll know that you’re not all alone.
Perhaps you may be one for whom trauma and “the pain that stays” have not been part of life. Then extend great mercy and understanding to all those who surround you. “Be Kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.” (variously attributed to Plato and Philo of Alexandria)
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Lessons from a Bird
Be like the bird that, pausing in her flight
Awhile on boughs too slight,
Feels them give way beneath her, and yet sings,
Knowing that she hath wings. — Victor Hugo
I was only in the middle grades, but I was so impressed by the beauty and truth of this poem in my reading book that I memorized it. That was a long time ago, and I admit I’ve failed to quote the lines accurately sometimes; nevertheless, they are still beautiful and still true. I can learn some lessons from this little creature.
“Pausing in her flight . . . “ The bird doesn’t try to fly unceasingly. She lands on a slender branch to rest awhile. Perhaps it sways with her added weight,but it doesn’t matter to her that this is not a substantial limb; she’ll be there only a few moments. Should I be distressed by the instability of things I would like to rely upon? No, I’m going to be at this particular place in life a relatively short while. No troubling circumstance lasts forever. I will be all right.
“And yet sings . . .” The little bird sings! There’s something thrilling about bird song, so spontaneous, so unheeding of vulnerability. She is unafraid, even though her perch is precarious, and dangers are present everywhere in the neighborhood. Likewise, I am not to be threatened by what I see around me or feel alarmed by changes in circumstance. Were I to be more like the bird, I would be “singing and making melody in [my] heart to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:19 NKJV) If I let it, that song might actually burst from my lips sometimes!
“Knowing that she hath wings.” Because she has wings, the bird is able to move to a realm above uncertainty and restriction. I can too. If I practice what the Word of God says, I can have strong spiritual wings. “Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31 NIV)
The bird was meant to sing and fly. And so am I.
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Scripture marked NKJV taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture marked NIV taken from the New International Bible. Used by permission.
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Awhile on boughs too slight,
Feels them give way beneath her, and yet sings,
Knowing that she hath wings. — Victor Hugo
I was only in the middle grades, but I was so impressed by the beauty and truth of this poem in my reading book that I memorized it. That was a long time ago, and I admit I’ve failed to quote the lines accurately sometimes; nevertheless, they are still beautiful and still true. I can learn some lessons from this little creature.
“Pausing in her flight . . . “ The bird doesn’t try to fly unceasingly. She lands on a slender branch to rest awhile. Perhaps it sways with her added weight,but it doesn’t matter to her that this is not a substantial limb; she’ll be there only a few moments. Should I be distressed by the instability of things I would like to rely upon? No, I’m going to be at this particular place in life a relatively short while. No troubling circumstance lasts forever. I will be all right.
“And yet sings . . .” The little bird sings! There’s something thrilling about bird song, so spontaneous, so unheeding of vulnerability. She is unafraid, even though her perch is precarious, and dangers are present everywhere in the neighborhood. Likewise, I am not to be threatened by what I see around me or feel alarmed by changes in circumstance. Were I to be more like the bird, I would be “singing and making melody in [my] heart to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:19 NKJV) If I let it, that song might actually burst from my lips sometimes!
“Knowing that she hath wings.” Because she has wings, the bird is able to move to a realm above uncertainty and restriction. I can too. If I practice what the Word of God says, I can have strong spiritual wings. “Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31 NIV)
The bird was meant to sing and fly. And so am I.
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Scripture marked NKJV taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture marked NIV taken from the New International Bible. Used by permission.
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Monday, August 18, 2008
The Patience of Mrs. Job
I am intrigued by the lives of women in the Bible about whom we know very little. I like to imagine what it must have been like for these women who are our foremothers in faith. Job’s wife is one of them. Many of us are familiar with the story of Job himself, for his patience is legendary. But mostly what we remember about Mrs. Job is that in his terrible time of suffering, she told him, “Why don’t you just give up—curse God and die?” I think there is more to the story than that, for she too must have learned patience.
Job had it all: huge flocks and herds, a great many servants, a family of seven sons and three daughters. And he was a good man too, truly fearing God. He had no early warning when trouble came. It was just a normal day, but in a matter of minutes, one messenger interrupting another, Job learned that he had lost everything: livestock driven away by raiding bands, servants killed, sheepfolds and flocks burned, all his children crushed in a terrible windstorm. Mrs. Job must have heard her husband’s loud wails as he prayed with his face to the ground, “You gave me all I had, O Lord, and, all of a sudden, You have taken it away. I don’t understand, but still I bless Your name. You do all things well.”
And what about Mrs. Job? Calamity had emptied her life too of everything that was dear to her. Probably, since she would be pretty much like us, she was suffocating with heartache and desperately hoping that what Job believed was true. But the trouble wasn’t over. Job was struck with fever and a terrible, festering disease of the skin. He sat in the ashes of the fire pit, scraping the oozing sores with a piece of broken pottery. Seeing this suffering was intolerable for Mrs. Job.
We know, all these centuries later, why all of this was happening because we have the whole story of Satan’s attempt to make Job forsake his faith in God. But Mrs. Job did not know. There seemed to be no reason at all for this suffering other than a capricious, uncaring God. It is then that she decided her husband would be better off to give up on God and die, and so we have her famous discouraging words. I can imagine that Mrs. Job stormed away, angry with God that He should so afflict an undeserving man, angry at Job that he so patiently submitted to the suffering.
Word spread of the sorry spectacle to be seen at the home of Job in Uz. Several acquaintances came from a distance to see him. At first, they sat quietly with Job, sharing his grief. (A wonderful idea!) But one by one, and with a great many words, they began to criticize and rebuke him. Job defended himself, knowing that he was not deserving of God’s wrath. On and on the arguing went with many accusations and denials, long speeches and equally long rebuttals. In his anguish, Job even had words with God! The final insult thrown at Job was, “Don’t expect that the majestic Creator of all the earth is going to respond to your pitiful whimpering, Job. Your pleas are in vain.”
Just then a furious whirlwind descended on them, and at last God spoke to Job. “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?” He asked. He questioned Job thoroughly. “Did you lay the boundaries of the seas? Can you tell where daylight dwells and where is the place of darkness? Who do you think you are?”
“Oh Lord God,” Job answered humbly, “I was wrong to question you, insisting that You had to explain everything to me, that You had to give me reasons for all that has happened in my life. You are God! God! Who did I think I was, calling on you to justify your purposes?”
That wind-tossed night was the turning point in their experience of loss and restoration. Job’s family members gathered around him, and his acquaintances came to visit, bringing words of encouragement and sharing their prosperity. With wise management, Job rebuilt his flocks and herds, and God blessed the latter days more than the beginning, giving Job twice as much as he had before! But it seems that while they lived, God never did give them an explanation for the losses they had suffered, nor could they see why, suddenly, He began answering every prayer. The reasons were not nearly as important as their surrender of the need to have a reason for everything. They waited patiently for the Lord, without knowing.
But the greatest loss was the children. “You are still young,” the other women may have told Mrs. Job. (That’s what unknowing people sometimes say.) “You can have more babies.” They could, of course, and they did. Job did not put his wife away for her unbelieving words, even though he could have as many a man did when his wife displeased him in some way. Seven sons and three daughters were born to them, just as they’d had in the first family. But even with the restoration of their wealth and with the new family, I believe Mrs. Job always felt the loss of the children that were gone.
“How wonderful that God gave you these seven beautiful children after—well, you know, losing the others,” the neighbor women may have said. Yes, it was wonderful, and yes, no doubt they were beautiful. What those well-meaning friends could not see was the awful chasm in Mrs. Job’s heart where the other family had been.
So then, you need never be ashamed of the still-tender places in your life where once there were cruel gashes, just now barely healed. To be sure, God brings wonderful new blessings into our lives after tragedy has taken its toll. Others see the evidence of God’s outpoured love, and they marvel at how especially good He is to you. You don’t need to tell them that your heart still aches. Tell God, and let Him kiss the scars.
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Job had it all: huge flocks and herds, a great many servants, a family of seven sons and three daughters. And he was a good man too, truly fearing God. He had no early warning when trouble came. It was just a normal day, but in a matter of minutes, one messenger interrupting another, Job learned that he had lost everything: livestock driven away by raiding bands, servants killed, sheepfolds and flocks burned, all his children crushed in a terrible windstorm. Mrs. Job must have heard her husband’s loud wails as he prayed with his face to the ground, “You gave me all I had, O Lord, and, all of a sudden, You have taken it away. I don’t understand, but still I bless Your name. You do all things well.”
And what about Mrs. Job? Calamity had emptied her life too of everything that was dear to her. Probably, since she would be pretty much like us, she was suffocating with heartache and desperately hoping that what Job believed was true. But the trouble wasn’t over. Job was struck with fever and a terrible, festering disease of the skin. He sat in the ashes of the fire pit, scraping the oozing sores with a piece of broken pottery. Seeing this suffering was intolerable for Mrs. Job.
We know, all these centuries later, why all of this was happening because we have the whole story of Satan’s attempt to make Job forsake his faith in God. But Mrs. Job did not know. There seemed to be no reason at all for this suffering other than a capricious, uncaring God. It is then that she decided her husband would be better off to give up on God and die, and so we have her famous discouraging words. I can imagine that Mrs. Job stormed away, angry with God that He should so afflict an undeserving man, angry at Job that he so patiently submitted to the suffering.
Word spread of the sorry spectacle to be seen at the home of Job in Uz. Several acquaintances came from a distance to see him. At first, they sat quietly with Job, sharing his grief. (A wonderful idea!) But one by one, and with a great many words, they began to criticize and rebuke him. Job defended himself, knowing that he was not deserving of God’s wrath. On and on the arguing went with many accusations and denials, long speeches and equally long rebuttals. In his anguish, Job even had words with God! The final insult thrown at Job was, “Don’t expect that the majestic Creator of all the earth is going to respond to your pitiful whimpering, Job. Your pleas are in vain.”
Just then a furious whirlwind descended on them, and at last God spoke to Job. “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?” He asked. He questioned Job thoroughly. “Did you lay the boundaries of the seas? Can you tell where daylight dwells and where is the place of darkness? Who do you think you are?”
“Oh Lord God,” Job answered humbly, “I was wrong to question you, insisting that You had to explain everything to me, that You had to give me reasons for all that has happened in my life. You are God! God! Who did I think I was, calling on you to justify your purposes?”
That wind-tossed night was the turning point in their experience of loss and restoration. Job’s family members gathered around him, and his acquaintances came to visit, bringing words of encouragement and sharing their prosperity. With wise management, Job rebuilt his flocks and herds, and God blessed the latter days more than the beginning, giving Job twice as much as he had before! But it seems that while they lived, God never did give them an explanation for the losses they had suffered, nor could they see why, suddenly, He began answering every prayer. The reasons were not nearly as important as their surrender of the need to have a reason for everything. They waited patiently for the Lord, without knowing.
But the greatest loss was the children. “You are still young,” the other women may have told Mrs. Job. (That’s what unknowing people sometimes say.) “You can have more babies.” They could, of course, and they did. Job did not put his wife away for her unbelieving words, even though he could have as many a man did when his wife displeased him in some way. Seven sons and three daughters were born to them, just as they’d had in the first family. But even with the restoration of their wealth and with the new family, I believe Mrs. Job always felt the loss of the children that were gone.
“How wonderful that God gave you these seven beautiful children after—well, you know, losing the others,” the neighbor women may have said. Yes, it was wonderful, and yes, no doubt they were beautiful. What those well-meaning friends could not see was the awful chasm in Mrs. Job’s heart where the other family had been.
So then, you need never be ashamed of the still-tender places in your life where once there were cruel gashes, just now barely healed. To be sure, God brings wonderful new blessings into our lives after tragedy has taken its toll. Others see the evidence of God’s outpoured love, and they marvel at how especially good He is to you. You don’t need to tell them that your heart still aches. Tell God, and let Him kiss the scars.
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Having Authority
Authority, the dictionary tells me, means several things: for one, the power to enforce obedience. In practical affairs, we often think of it as the right to tell others what to do. Wouldn’t you think that if anyone has that right, it would be those who know the law best? One would suppose that interpreters of the law would have, above all others, the understanding of what is expected of those under them. In Jesus’ day, that would be the scribes and/or the Pharisees. And yet, when Jesus taught, people were amazed, not only at what He said, but how He said it: with real authority.
Twice the Gospel writers tell us what happened. “When Jesus had finished saying these things [what we call The Sermon on the Mount], the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.” (Matthew 7:28, 29 NIV) In the synagogue at Capernaum, “The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.” (Mark 1:22 NIV)
Those who listened were used to authority, even religious authority. But Jesus spoke with real authority, some versions emphasize, not like the other teachers. What made everyone so amazed at Jesus’ teaching? What’s the difference between real authority and not-real? Jesus did not enforce obedience; he invited obedience by His love and wisdom and hope.
Authority is a bad word to many people, a bad nine-letter word. They have no particular problem with submitting to governmental authority; they pay taxes, they obey traffic laws, they don’t participate in illegal activities. They deal successfully with authority in school or the workplace too. But when confronted with the idea of authority in the home or in the Church, they become confused, afraid, or stubborn. Why is this?
Authority in the places where the heart is drawn in—the home and the Church—where one’s most intimate self is exposed, can be a frightening concept. This is because many misunderstand what authority in these circumstances means. And who is it that most misunderstands? The authority figures themselves. It is perfectly clear to the person—most often a woman or a child in the home but anyone in the Church—who has been wounded by experiences of misuse or abuse what “authority” means. It means to be wary of those who can hurt them again. If the person(s) in authority cannot be trusted to act in one’s best interests, then it makes absolute sense to be watchful, perhaps even fearful of them.
There are indeed some willful women or naughty children and selfish, cranky church members. But far too often, those who say, “My wife won’t submit,” or “My kids better obey or else,” or “That church member is not conforming,” are requiring those who follow them to give up something of their personhood. They are asking that they themselves be lifted up as makers, interpreters, and enforcers of the law—and there is no one more dangerous to others in these situations than the person who presumes to know what is “good” or “right” for everyone and has the power to make them do it.
Jesus drew people, not with fear or threats, but with the force of love. Tax collectors and prostitutes knew He wouldn’t beat them into observing the law. Cowards and big-talkers alike knew there was grace for them. Children knew they would be welcome and they gravitated to Him. The sick and the mentally ill and even a dying thief somehow knew they could ask loving favor from this Man. And this brings us to another definition of authority: the power to influence thought and behavior.
Authority, to a lot of people, is a bad nine-letter word. It can be reduced, though, to a couple of four-letter words: l-o-v-e or f-e-a-r. Only the first carries authority that is real. And that is Jesus’ style.
A note: Do you know who made the statement about “the most dangerous person”? If so, help me give credit.)
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Scripture taken from The New International Bible, used by permission.
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Twice the Gospel writers tell us what happened. “When Jesus had finished saying these things [what we call The Sermon on the Mount], the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.” (Matthew 7:28, 29 NIV) In the synagogue at Capernaum, “The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.” (Mark 1:22 NIV)
Those who listened were used to authority, even religious authority. But Jesus spoke with real authority, some versions emphasize, not like the other teachers. What made everyone so amazed at Jesus’ teaching? What’s the difference between real authority and not-real? Jesus did not enforce obedience; he invited obedience by His love and wisdom and hope.
Authority is a bad word to many people, a bad nine-letter word. They have no particular problem with submitting to governmental authority; they pay taxes, they obey traffic laws, they don’t participate in illegal activities. They deal successfully with authority in school or the workplace too. But when confronted with the idea of authority in the home or in the Church, they become confused, afraid, or stubborn. Why is this?
Authority in the places where the heart is drawn in—the home and the Church—where one’s most intimate self is exposed, can be a frightening concept. This is because many misunderstand what authority in these circumstances means. And who is it that most misunderstands? The authority figures themselves. It is perfectly clear to the person—most often a woman or a child in the home but anyone in the Church—who has been wounded by experiences of misuse or abuse what “authority” means. It means to be wary of those who can hurt them again. If the person(s) in authority cannot be trusted to act in one’s best interests, then it makes absolute sense to be watchful, perhaps even fearful of them.
There are indeed some willful women or naughty children and selfish, cranky church members. But far too often, those who say, “My wife won’t submit,” or “My kids better obey or else,” or “That church member is not conforming,” are requiring those who follow them to give up something of their personhood. They are asking that they themselves be lifted up as makers, interpreters, and enforcers of the law—and there is no one more dangerous to others in these situations than the person who presumes to know what is “good” or “right” for everyone and has the power to make them do it.
Jesus drew people, not with fear or threats, but with the force of love. Tax collectors and prostitutes knew He wouldn’t beat them into observing the law. Cowards and big-talkers alike knew there was grace for them. Children knew they would be welcome and they gravitated to Him. The sick and the mentally ill and even a dying thief somehow knew they could ask loving favor from this Man. And this brings us to another definition of authority: the power to influence thought and behavior.
Authority, to a lot of people, is a bad nine-letter word. It can be reduced, though, to a couple of four-letter words: l-o-v-e or f-e-a-r. Only the first carries authority that is real. And that is Jesus’ style.
A note: Do you know who made the statement about “the most dangerous person”? If so, help me give credit.)
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Scripture taken from The New International Bible, used by permission.
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Friday, August 15, 2008
What Wisdom Looks Like
Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Whatever else you get, get understanding. (Proverbs 4:7 margin NIV) The writers of the “Wisdom Books” in the Scripture describe some of the ways wisdom is seen in daily life:
Serving God first and foremost. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”(1) “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.”(2)
Watching what God does. “Whoever is wise will observe these things, and they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.”(3)
Recognizing the brevity of life. “So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”(4)
Working! “Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter.”(5) “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.”(6)
Choosing your companions with care. “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed."(7)
Realizing that not even you are immune to moral failure. ”A wise man fears and departs from evil, but a fool rages and is self-confident.”(8)
Avoiding addictions of every kind, practicing temperance in everything. “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.”(9)
Refraining from speaking everything you think or feel. ”Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; when he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive. A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back.”(10) “In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise.”(11)
Considering advice, and accepting correction. “Listen to counsel and accept discipline, that you may be wise the rest of your days.”(12) “A wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel.”(13)
Refusing to be quarrelsome. “He who is devoid of wisdom despises his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his peace.”(14)
I, for one, am all in favor of having wisdom. I just wish getting it didn’t hurt so much!
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture is taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotation marked NIV is from the New Internation Bible, used by permission.
Scripture quotation marked NLT is taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved
Scripture quotation marked NASB is from the New American Standard Bible, used by permission.
1 Proverbs 9:10 2 Proverbs 19:7 3Psalm 107:43 4Psalm 90:12
5 Proverbs 6:6-8 NLT 6 Ecclesiastes 9:10 7Proverbs 13:20
8 Proverbs 14:16 9 Proverbs 20:1 10Proverbs 17:28, 29:11
11Proverbs 10:19 12 Proverbs 19:20 NASB 13 Proverbs 1:5
14Proverbs 11:12
Serving God first and foremost. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”(1) “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.”(2)
Watching what God does. “Whoever is wise will observe these things, and they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.”(3)
Recognizing the brevity of life. “So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”(4)
Working! “Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter.”(5) “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.”(6)
Choosing your companions with care. “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed."(7)
Realizing that not even you are immune to moral failure. ”A wise man fears and departs from evil, but a fool rages and is self-confident.”(8)
Avoiding addictions of every kind, practicing temperance in everything. “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.”(9)
Refraining from speaking everything you think or feel. ”Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; when he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive. A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back.”(10) “In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise.”(11)
Considering advice, and accepting correction. “Listen to counsel and accept discipline, that you may be wise the rest of your days.”(12) “A wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel.”(13)
Refusing to be quarrelsome. “He who is devoid of wisdom despises his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his peace.”(14)
I, for one, am all in favor of having wisdom. I just wish getting it didn’t hurt so much!
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture is taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotation marked NIV is from the New Internation Bible, used by permission.
Scripture quotation marked NLT is taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved
Scripture quotation marked NASB is from the New American Standard Bible, used by permission.
1 Proverbs 9:10 2 Proverbs 19:7 3Psalm 107:43 4Psalm 90:12
5 Proverbs 6:6-8 NLT 6 Ecclesiastes 9:10 7Proverbs 13:20
8 Proverbs 14:16 9 Proverbs 20:1 10Proverbs 17:28, 29:11
11Proverbs 10:19 12 Proverbs 19:20 NASB 13 Proverbs 1:5
14Proverbs 11:12
Thursday, August 14, 2008
The Reality of God's Presence
Can you imagine what it cost Jesus to lay aside His wisdom, power, and omnipresence, and come to earth to be one of us, with us? To know the wonder and glory of God’s intimate, total presence—and then because He was only a baby, have no awareness of it. What a sacrifice! He was no super-baby, unlike any other human babies ever born. He had for a time, I believe, no consciousness of being God; moreover He did not even have memory of it.
For perhaps three years or seven or ten—we don’t know—Jesus lived as any other child. At age twelve, Scripture tells us, He recognized who He was; until then, He had perhaps no extraordinary sense of God. But the Father was there all along! At the end of life too, hanging bloodied on the Cross, Jesus lost for awhile the consciousness of God’s presence, crying out, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” And yet knowing God was there—even though not sensing Him any longer—He prayed, “Into thy hands I commend my spirit.”
No doubt there were times when Jesus sensed very particularly His Father’s presence, perhaps in lonely hours of prayer on the mountain side. But sometimes, busy with the needs of the people around Him, He did not stop for extended prayer. He simply recognized that the Father was there. At the miracle meal where five thousand families were served AYCE *, He “took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.” (Luke 9:16 NKJV). Had you or I been doing it, we probably would at least have prayed, “O God, please make this work!”
Another time, people brought to Jesus a man who could neither hear nor speak plainly. After Jesus took the man aside, away from the crowd, He put his fingers into the man’s ears and touched his tongue. He looked up to heaven with a deep sigh, and then declared, "Be opened!" Immediately the man’s ears were opened and his tongue was loosened so that he spoke without difficulty. (See Mark 7:33-35)
At Lazarus’s tomb, Jesus only “looked up to heaven and said, ‘Father, thank you for hearing me. You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.’ ” (John 11:41, 42 NLT) He did not need to make a desperate petition, even though He was going to raise a man who had been dead for four days! Access to the throne of God was already established and maintained.
A look to heaven, a sigh, a prayer of thanks. So then, did Jesus live by knowledge of God’s presence, just as we now have to do? I think so; He was made one of us. He showed us that we could live in the reality of God’s presence, regardless of whether we moment-by-moment sense it or not.
*All you can eat
Scripture marked NKJV taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotation marked NLT is taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
For perhaps three years or seven or ten—we don’t know—Jesus lived as any other child. At age twelve, Scripture tells us, He recognized who He was; until then, He had perhaps no extraordinary sense of God. But the Father was there all along! At the end of life too, hanging bloodied on the Cross, Jesus lost for awhile the consciousness of God’s presence, crying out, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” And yet knowing God was there—even though not sensing Him any longer—He prayed, “Into thy hands I commend my spirit.”
No doubt there were times when Jesus sensed very particularly His Father’s presence, perhaps in lonely hours of prayer on the mountain side. But sometimes, busy with the needs of the people around Him, He did not stop for extended prayer. He simply recognized that the Father was there. At the miracle meal where five thousand families were served AYCE *, He “took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.” (Luke 9:16 NKJV). Had you or I been doing it, we probably would at least have prayed, “O God, please make this work!”
Another time, people brought to Jesus a man who could neither hear nor speak plainly. After Jesus took the man aside, away from the crowd, He put his fingers into the man’s ears and touched his tongue. He looked up to heaven with a deep sigh, and then declared, "Be opened!" Immediately the man’s ears were opened and his tongue was loosened so that he spoke without difficulty. (See Mark 7:33-35)
At Lazarus’s tomb, Jesus only “looked up to heaven and said, ‘Father, thank you for hearing me. You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.’ ” (John 11:41, 42 NLT) He did not need to make a desperate petition, even though He was going to raise a man who had been dead for four days! Access to the throne of God was already established and maintained.
A look to heaven, a sigh, a prayer of thanks. So then, did Jesus live by knowledge of God’s presence, just as we now have to do? I think so; He was made one of us. He showed us that we could live in the reality of God’s presence, regardless of whether we moment-by-moment sense it or not.
*All you can eat
Scripture marked NKJV taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotation marked NLT is taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Why the Dark?
Most living things require light. (There are a few nasty things that do best in the dark, like the green stuff that grows in the back of the refrigerator—and some others as well!) For the most part, however, we think of light as contributing to life. It aids growth and productivity.
Even though light is essential to many living things, life is actually conceived in darkness, in the secret places of the womb and the earth. The Psalmist speaks of this darkness. “You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.” (Psalm 139:15 NLT) And long before that, there was the Spirit of God brooding, mother-hen-like, over the waiting creation at the beginning of time. This creative darkness came even before the light.
Jesus taught, “Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over.” (John 12:24 The Message) Again, the darkness comes before light and new life.
We are often uncertain about one thing or another in our lives. We are sometimes confused by the very fact that we are confused! Isn’t Jesus the Light of the world, and isn’t the Word of God light to our pathway? Well, then why the dark?
The Darkness Is for You
Darkness first, before the light,
And heavy with portent of life,
The Spirit hovered o’er the deep.
Why dark when God Himself is light
And both are quite alike to Him?
Why night when day is all the same?
“The darkness is for you,” He said,
“Divided into spans by light
Created by My spoken Word.
The day which always follows night—
Not day then night, as you suppose—
Is but a part of my design.
“My Spirit needs His brooding time
Before the hidden plan breaks forth
From darkness where it is conceived.
Be patient then, and never doubt
The goodness that I have in store
If you will wait for Light to come!”
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Scripture quotation marked NLT is taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 2003 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Even though light is essential to many living things, life is actually conceived in darkness, in the secret places of the womb and the earth. The Psalmist speaks of this darkness. “You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.” (Psalm 139:15 NLT) And long before that, there was the Spirit of God brooding, mother-hen-like, over the waiting creation at the beginning of time. This creative darkness came even before the light.
Jesus taught, “Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over.” (John 12:24 The Message) Again, the darkness comes before light and new life.
We are often uncertain about one thing or another in our lives. We are sometimes confused by the very fact that we are confused! Isn’t Jesus the Light of the world, and isn’t the Word of God light to our pathway? Well, then why the dark?
The Darkness Is for You
Darkness first, before the light,
And heavy with portent of life,
The Spirit hovered o’er the deep.
Why dark when God Himself is light
And both are quite alike to Him?
Why night when day is all the same?
“The darkness is for you,” He said,
“Divided into spans by light
Created by My spoken Word.
The day which always follows night—
Not day then night, as you suppose—
Is but a part of my design.
“My Spirit needs His brooding time
Before the hidden plan breaks forth
From darkness where it is conceived.
Be patient then, and never doubt
The goodness that I have in store
If you will wait for Light to come!”
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Scripture quotation marked NLT is taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 2003 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Remember Who You Are
Some of us grew up with an unhealthy portion of shame attached to our little psyches! It may be that we learned shame from parents who could not be pleased—or at least in our childish understanding, it was so. We may have learned shame from teachers who instilled fear in us rather than genuine respect. It may have been religious instruction that pictured us as “sinners in the hands of an angry God,” to quote Jonathan Edwards in 1741, and did not offer us vibrant hope in a way we could understand. There are other causes as well—things that others have said or done to impact our lives—and because we do not know how to differentiate between true guilt and feelings of shame, we have carried the burden far too long. It has made people-pleasers of us.
Those who struggle with these issues may have a warped idea of God as well: He is waiting to pounce on our failings and sins. He is less like a compassionate father than a prison guard. Yes, He loves everybody in the world—but He doesn’t really like me very well. As for pleasing Him—forget it. He is difficult, even impossible, to please. We may know very well the truths of forgiveness and salvation. But the old feelings persist.
Sometimes it helps to reframe that earlier understanding. Instead of trying so hard to please God, we can think in terms of honoring Him. A friend expressed it this way: “My father told me, ‘Always remember you are a Smith.’ ” (not his real name) The young man understood this to mean, “Be guided by those who bear this name. Remember who you are.”
We may have to work our whole lifetime at changing faulty understandings, and certainly we will fall short of becoming perfect while we’re in this life. But that is not what God is looking for! “The eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.” (II Chronicles16:9 KJV) The understanding is perfect? No. The behavior is perfect? No. The heart is fully committed to Him. We are part of the family of God. We share His name. He is honored when we remember who He really is. He is honored when we remember who we are.
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Those who struggle with these issues may have a warped idea of God as well: He is waiting to pounce on our failings and sins. He is less like a compassionate father than a prison guard. Yes, He loves everybody in the world—but He doesn’t really like me very well. As for pleasing Him—forget it. He is difficult, even impossible, to please. We may know very well the truths of forgiveness and salvation. But the old feelings persist.
Sometimes it helps to reframe that earlier understanding. Instead of trying so hard to please God, we can think in terms of honoring Him. A friend expressed it this way: “My father told me, ‘Always remember you are a Smith.’ ” (not his real name) The young man understood this to mean, “Be guided by those who bear this name. Remember who you are.”
We may have to work our whole lifetime at changing faulty understandings, and certainly we will fall short of becoming perfect while we’re in this life. But that is not what God is looking for! “The eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.” (II Chronicles16:9 KJV) The understanding is perfect? No. The behavior is perfect? No. The heart is fully committed to Him. We are part of the family of God. We share His name. He is honored when we remember who He really is. He is honored when we remember who we are.
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Monday, August 11, 2008
The Tiny Flower of Forgiveness
A friend betrayed me.
I confessed to a confidante,”Something deep inside me is broken, and I don't even know what it is.” And I questioned myself, “Am I resentful? Have I let my hurt become anger, and my disappointment turn into bitterness? Am I unforgiving? How can I deal with the unknown?"
The Psalmist had the answer. He prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23, 24 NKJV)
The Lord was very gentle with me. He knows how very deep the wounds of the heart can be. He too was betrayed. He told me, "That little movement of compassion in your heart? That is the tiny flower of forgiveness. It is very tender now, but if you protect and nurture it, it will grow."
So I watered it with tears; I fertilized it with the compost of dead hopes; I turned under, again and again, the stubborn earth of unhappy memories.
And the tiny flower of forgiveness grew and bloomed.
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
I confessed to a confidante,”Something deep inside me is broken, and I don't even know what it is.” And I questioned myself, “Am I resentful? Have I let my hurt become anger, and my disappointment turn into bitterness? Am I unforgiving? How can I deal with the unknown?"
The Psalmist had the answer. He prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23, 24 NKJV)
The Lord was very gentle with me. He knows how very deep the wounds of the heart can be. He too was betrayed. He told me, "That little movement of compassion in your heart? That is the tiny flower of forgiveness. It is very tender now, but if you protect and nurture it, it will grow."
So I watered it with tears; I fertilized it with the compost of dead hopes; I turned under, again and again, the stubborn earth of unhappy memories.
And the tiny flower of forgiveness grew and bloomed.
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Summer and Winter, Day and Night
The days are noticeably shorter now that we have passed the summer solstice, the day in June when there are the greatest number of hours between sunrise and sunset. Autumn will soon be here, followed by winter. Spring will come, and then summer again. We can count on it, and that is a marvelous thing!
What if the Kansas farmers decided to plant rice instead of winter wheat, but still hoped for a harvest in June? What if the tomato seedlings we set out this summer suddenly changed their growth habit and needed to be in a cool, shady spot? What if polar bears suddenly appeared in Iowa and flamingoes migrated to Antarctica? How confusing!
The earth, in spite of concern about the changes occurring, is still quite orderly. God made it so, and that was specifically for our benefit. After the great flood that destroyed all living things except Noah’s family and the creatures on the ark, God said to Himself, "As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease." (Genesis 8:22 NIV) Did God need that promise to Himself so as to keep His power under control? No, it was for us. We need that order. We need the structure in our lives of sunrise and sunset and the turning of the seasons. The alternating of day and night is not the same everywhere, nor is the progression of the seasons. The North and South Poles have long, long nights and then long days. Some places on earth have a rainy season followed by a dry one; some have a warm or blazing hot season and then cool or absolutely frigid. All are alike in having some measurements along the way as time passes. Even destructive abnormalities of weather have some predictability: We have tornado season, hurricane season, dry forest-fire season.
Here in the Midwest, “I’ll be glad when it’s not so hot,” is followed soon enough by, “I wish we’d get past this terrible, cold weather.” That’s just it: we can depend on the orderly progression of the earth’s time indicators. They testify to us of God’s care for His creation!
Scripture quoted from The New International Bible is used by permission.
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
What if the Kansas farmers decided to plant rice instead of winter wheat, but still hoped for a harvest in June? What if the tomato seedlings we set out this summer suddenly changed their growth habit and needed to be in a cool, shady spot? What if polar bears suddenly appeared in Iowa and flamingoes migrated to Antarctica? How confusing!
The earth, in spite of concern about the changes occurring, is still quite orderly. God made it so, and that was specifically for our benefit. After the great flood that destroyed all living things except Noah’s family and the creatures on the ark, God said to Himself, "As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease." (Genesis 8:22 NIV) Did God need that promise to Himself so as to keep His power under control? No, it was for us. We need that order. We need the structure in our lives of sunrise and sunset and the turning of the seasons. The alternating of day and night is not the same everywhere, nor is the progression of the seasons. The North and South Poles have long, long nights and then long days. Some places on earth have a rainy season followed by a dry one; some have a warm or blazing hot season and then cool or absolutely frigid. All are alike in having some measurements along the way as time passes. Even destructive abnormalities of weather have some predictability: We have tornado season, hurricane season, dry forest-fire season.
Here in the Midwest, “I’ll be glad when it’s not so hot,” is followed soon enough by, “I wish we’d get past this terrible, cold weather.” That’s just it: we can depend on the orderly progression of the earth’s time indicators. They testify to us of God’s care for His creation!
Scripture quoted from The New International Bible is used by permission.
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Friday, August 8, 2008
Doing vs. Wishing to Have Done
Early this summer I rode in a hot-air balloon, more than 1600 feet above a lush, green river valley in the state of Washington. It was a thrilling experience, not only for the unequalled view, but also as a statement of sorts about the hopes of “a brave new woman.” I told my surprised friends that I had wanted to do this for a long time, but usually I qualified that statement with something nearer the truth: “I wasn’t really sure I wanted to do it, but I really did want to have done it.”
Actually, we see this attitude demonstrated fairly often. I am reminded of a friend who made conspicuous mention of loving classical music. This individual did not play classical music, did not listen to classical music, and most of the time did not even particularly appreciate classical music. But intellectual, cultured people “ought” to love classical music, so my friend loved the idea of loving classical music! It’s just very easy for us to make a lot of noise about what we plan to do, how knowledgeable we are, or what our success will look like. We love the idea of what might be, and sometimes we are satisfied with the mere idea of it. Only in our imagination do we relish the satisfaction of having done it—and we never get around to actually doing it.
I wonder if this ever carries over into our walk of faith. Do we really want to love and follow Jesus as our Lord? Or are we only looking ahead to the time when we’ll stand before God the Judge and we want to have done it?
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Actually, we see this attitude demonstrated fairly often. I am reminded of a friend who made conspicuous mention of loving classical music. This individual did not play classical music, did not listen to classical music, and most of the time did not even particularly appreciate classical music. But intellectual, cultured people “ought” to love classical music, so my friend loved the idea of loving classical music! It’s just very easy for us to make a lot of noise about what we plan to do, how knowledgeable we are, or what our success will look like. We love the idea of what might be, and sometimes we are satisfied with the mere idea of it. Only in our imagination do we relish the satisfaction of having done it—and we never get around to actually doing it.
I wonder if this ever carries over into our walk of faith. Do we really want to love and follow Jesus as our Lord? Or are we only looking ahead to the time when we’ll stand before God the Judge and we want to have done it?
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Thursday, August 7, 2008
I'll Be Your Best Friend
Do you remember those grade school days when you implored someone to tell their secret or invite you to their party or help you with your homework? “I’ll be your best friend,” was the ultimate offer to pay for their favor. Depending on how badly the other person needed friends, you might have had your request granted. But often—not. That particular tactic engendered lots of disappointment.
If you are older than, say, six years old, you have undoubtedly suffered disappointment in one relationship or another. The friend proved selfish or disloyal. A neighbor was careless or unkind. A family member on whom you depended did not come through for you. A child was ungrateful; a spouse did not meet your expectations. We all feel keenly disappointed when these friends fail us. We want and need a bunch of best friends whom we can trust completely—or a handful, at least. Okay then, one?
Good news! There is a friend, and only one, who will not fail.
You didn’t have wise parenting? God said, “Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you!” (Isaiah 49:15 NLT)
You didn’t have the brother/sister support you needed? “There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24 NIV)
Your marriage is rocky or you are all alone? "Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the [spiritual] children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband," says the LORD. “Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood. For your Maker is your husband—the LORD Almighty is his name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth.” (Isaiah 54:1, 4, 5 NIV)
Your neighbor or business associate was unreliable? “God has said, ‘I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.’ So we can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?’ ” (Hebrews 13:5, 6 NLT)
None of this is to say that we shouldn’t be working to improve our human relationships, because we should. But open yourself wide to hear the voice of God our heavenly Father, Jesus who calls us friends, and the Holy Spirit who is the Comforter saying to you, “I’ll be your best friend.”
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved
Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the New International Bible, used by permission.
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
If you are older than, say, six years old, you have undoubtedly suffered disappointment in one relationship or another. The friend proved selfish or disloyal. A neighbor was careless or unkind. A family member on whom you depended did not come through for you. A child was ungrateful; a spouse did not meet your expectations. We all feel keenly disappointed when these friends fail us. We want and need a bunch of best friends whom we can trust completely—or a handful, at least. Okay then, one?
Good news! There is a friend, and only one, who will not fail.
You didn’t have wise parenting? God said, “Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you!” (Isaiah 49:15 NLT)
You didn’t have the brother/sister support you needed? “There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24 NIV)
Your marriage is rocky or you are all alone? "Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the [spiritual] children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband," says the LORD. “Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood. For your Maker is your husband—the LORD Almighty is his name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth.” (Isaiah 54:1, 4, 5 NIV)
Your neighbor or business associate was unreliable? “God has said, ‘I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.’ So we can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?’ ” (Hebrews 13:5, 6 NLT)
None of this is to say that we shouldn’t be working to improve our human relationships, because we should. But open yourself wide to hear the voice of God our heavenly Father, Jesus who calls us friends, and the Holy Spirit who is the Comforter saying to you, “I’ll be your best friend.”
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved
Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the New International Bible, used by permission.
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Three Little Lambs
I have three tiny little lambs on the top of my computer desk, given to me by a good friend. They remind me while I am working that there are other things in life besides work, even though I find that interesting and rewarding.
One little lamb is just lying there, looking relaxed and pleasant. She doesn’t appear to be anxious about where to graze next or following the flock somewhere or anything else. She’s resting.
I used to think sleeping was a waste of time. It took quite a few years for me to realize that life is supposed to have rhythm, and if I disregard any of its aspects too greatly, I will pay in almost every other area. “He makes me lie down in green pastures,” the Psalmist wrote. (Psalm 23:2) That tells me that God expects me to stop my activity sometimes, and just rest.
But more may be happening with this little lamb than just resting. A sheep is among the group of animals called ruminants. Part of her stomach is a large storage area for food that she has consumed quickly, then later regurgitates, re-chews, and re-swallows in the process called cud-chewing. Rumination or cud-chewing is done mostly when the animal is resting and not actively eating. Healthy mature sheep may chew their cud for several hours each day.
Part of the rhythm of my life, I’ve learned, needs to be “ruminating”: thinking, dreaming, planning, pondering Scripture and what I have read elsewhere, processing the events of my days. The meaning of things escapes me if I only take in (graze) and never make time to think (chew the cud). So when I am quiet for several hours, I may be resting or I may be ruminating. (And you’ll never know which!)
The next little lamb has her eyes closed and little hoofs folded—well anyway, they’re together. I think she’s praying. She has a serious expression on her face, but it doesn’t look like worry. She must know that she has a Good Shepherd who is watching out for her and knows all of her concerns.
I know I’ll never learn all there is to know in the realm of prayer, but it’s something like breathing. I don’t have to know all the technicalities of my respiratory system in order to breathe satisfactorily. James Montgomery wrote in the words of a hymn, nearly two centuries ago, “Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath, the Christian’s native air.” When I’m short of breath, I get anxious, and likewise when I get anxious, I grow short of breath. Pretty much like praying! Sometimes I know I need to breathe more deeply, or I need fresher air. Sometimes prayer too takes extra attention and effort.
The third lamb is grinning and kicking up her heels. She is ready for play—a game of hide-and-seek or tag, or maybe just a run through the pasture. She is the one who has the most to teach me!
I grew up with a strong work ethic: “Finish your work first and then play.” This served me well during my years of schooling and early in my career. But as I grew older, I found myself with so much to do that when I worked first, I often never got around to doing the other things I wanted to do like reading, or needlework, or gardening, or taking a class. I don’t think it’s necessarily a good idea to play first, but I am learning to leave some time for “kicking up my heels.” Robert Fulghum (author of All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten) had good advice for balancing life: learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some. He just may have three little reminders on the top of his computer desk too.
One little lamb is just lying there, looking relaxed and pleasant. She doesn’t appear to be anxious about where to graze next or following the flock somewhere or anything else. She’s resting.
I used to think sleeping was a waste of time. It took quite a few years for me to realize that life is supposed to have rhythm, and if I disregard any of its aspects too greatly, I will pay in almost every other area. “He makes me lie down in green pastures,” the Psalmist wrote. (Psalm 23:2) That tells me that God expects me to stop my activity sometimes, and just rest.
But more may be happening with this little lamb than just resting. A sheep is among the group of animals called ruminants. Part of her stomach is a large storage area for food that she has consumed quickly, then later regurgitates, re-chews, and re-swallows in the process called cud-chewing. Rumination or cud-chewing is done mostly when the animal is resting and not actively eating. Healthy mature sheep may chew their cud for several hours each day.
Part of the rhythm of my life, I’ve learned, needs to be “ruminating”: thinking, dreaming, planning, pondering Scripture and what I have read elsewhere, processing the events of my days. The meaning of things escapes me if I only take in (graze) and never make time to think (chew the cud). So when I am quiet for several hours, I may be resting or I may be ruminating. (And you’ll never know which!)
The next little lamb has her eyes closed and little hoofs folded—well anyway, they’re together. I think she’s praying. She has a serious expression on her face, but it doesn’t look like worry. She must know that she has a Good Shepherd who is watching out for her and knows all of her concerns.
I know I’ll never learn all there is to know in the realm of prayer, but it’s something like breathing. I don’t have to know all the technicalities of my respiratory system in order to breathe satisfactorily. James Montgomery wrote in the words of a hymn, nearly two centuries ago, “Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath, the Christian’s native air.” When I’m short of breath, I get anxious, and likewise when I get anxious, I grow short of breath. Pretty much like praying! Sometimes I know I need to breathe more deeply, or I need fresher air. Sometimes prayer too takes extra attention and effort.
The third lamb is grinning and kicking up her heels. She is ready for play—a game of hide-and-seek or tag, or maybe just a run through the pasture. She is the one who has the most to teach me!
I grew up with a strong work ethic: “Finish your work first and then play.” This served me well during my years of schooling and early in my career. But as I grew older, I found myself with so much to do that when I worked first, I often never got around to doing the other things I wanted to do like reading, or needlework, or gardening, or taking a class. I don’t think it’s necessarily a good idea to play first, but I am learning to leave some time for “kicking up my heels.” Robert Fulghum (author of All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten) had good advice for balancing life: learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some. He just may have three little reminders on the top of his computer desk too.
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Words Are Permanent
I’ve often thought how wonderful it would be to have money—lots and lots of it—enough to endow professorial chairs at my alma mater and build churches and support medical research and feed the hungry children of the world. There are many reasons why people would want to fund projects like those just mentioned. Some want to honor family members or friends with their gifts. Some want to be recognized as a benefactor by their community and by society in general. Some want to leave a memorial to themselves. Some simply want to do as much good as they can. But all of us, even ordinary people without a whole lot of money and whether we intend to or not, will leave an enduring remembrance. It will be our words—and I don’t mean epitaphs etched in granite on our tombstones.
Words are permanent. Today’s technology has made us aware that they are enduring. For example, once I post this entry, it is out of my hands. Tomorrow or next week or next year, I may edit it, move it, retract it, or even delete it, but it will still be cached somewhere and thus more or less permanent. There is a cleverly-named publishing company called “Permanent Press.” I don’t know if that particular firm has ever had to recall books they’ve distributed, but it is next to impossible to do that completely. Bookstores and libraries can return books they’ve purchased, but copies owned by individuals and downloaded versions and “pirated” copies are irretrievable. Words are pretty permanent.
While we recognize the endurance of published words, our spoken or personally written words are equally long-lasting. There are many versions of this old fable about gossiping—just as true of complaining, lying, criticizing, ridiculing, demeaning (even oneself), and joking that embarrasses or puts others down. A villager once spread a slanderous tale about another, and soon everyone in the community knew the story. Some time later, the gossiper repented, and confessed to the individual who had been unfairly targeted. “Please forgive me,” the wrongdoer begged remorsefully.
“Of course I will pardon you,” the other replied. “But first you must comply with a wish of mine. Bring a pillow to the village square, cut it open, and toss the feathers into the air in every direction. Then come back to me here.” The offender did as requested and soon returned. “Now go through the village and gather the feathers again,” the victim of the mischief instructed. “See that not a single one is missing.”
“That’s impossible!” the trouble-maker cried. “The wind has scattered them everywhere. By now they are even in the fields outside the village!”
“Just so,” the offended one said sadly. “While I forgive you gladly, do not forget that you can never undo the damage your words have done.”
If you doubt the permanence of words (because after all, we are mere mortals), here’s what Jesus said, "It's your heart, not the dictionary, that gives meaning to your words. A good person produces good deeds and words season after season. An evil person is a blight on the orchard. Let me tell you something: Every one of these careless words is going to come back to haunt you. There will be a time of Reckoning. Words are powerful; take them seriously. Words can be your salvation. Words can also be your damnation." (Matthew 12:34b-37 The Message) In the hearts of family and friends, and in the heart of God, our words are permanent.
Not to stop on a sad note: kind words, loving words, words that uplift and help and heal are permanent too. Did you learn Longfellow’s poem when you were in school? Here it is again.
The Arrow and the Song
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
I shot an arrow into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For, so swiftly it flew, the sight
Could not follow it in its flight.
I breathed a song into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For who has sight so keen and strong,
That it can follow the flight of song?
Long, long afterward, in an oak
I found the arrow, still unbroke;
And the song, from beginning to end,
I found again in the heart of a friend.
“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14 NIV)
Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 2003 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. New International Bible also quoted by permission.
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Words are permanent. Today’s technology has made us aware that they are enduring. For example, once I post this entry, it is out of my hands. Tomorrow or next week or next year, I may edit it, move it, retract it, or even delete it, but it will still be cached somewhere and thus more or less permanent. There is a cleverly-named publishing company called “Permanent Press.” I don’t know if that particular firm has ever had to recall books they’ve distributed, but it is next to impossible to do that completely. Bookstores and libraries can return books they’ve purchased, but copies owned by individuals and downloaded versions and “pirated” copies are irretrievable. Words are pretty permanent.
While we recognize the endurance of published words, our spoken or personally written words are equally long-lasting. There are many versions of this old fable about gossiping—just as true of complaining, lying, criticizing, ridiculing, demeaning (even oneself), and joking that embarrasses or puts others down. A villager once spread a slanderous tale about another, and soon everyone in the community knew the story. Some time later, the gossiper repented, and confessed to the individual who had been unfairly targeted. “Please forgive me,” the wrongdoer begged remorsefully.
“Of course I will pardon you,” the other replied. “But first you must comply with a wish of mine. Bring a pillow to the village square, cut it open, and toss the feathers into the air in every direction. Then come back to me here.” The offender did as requested and soon returned. “Now go through the village and gather the feathers again,” the victim of the mischief instructed. “See that not a single one is missing.”
“That’s impossible!” the trouble-maker cried. “The wind has scattered them everywhere. By now they are even in the fields outside the village!”
“Just so,” the offended one said sadly. “While I forgive you gladly, do not forget that you can never undo the damage your words have done.”
If you doubt the permanence of words (because after all, we are mere mortals), here’s what Jesus said, "It's your heart, not the dictionary, that gives meaning to your words. A good person produces good deeds and words season after season. An evil person is a blight on the orchard. Let me tell you something: Every one of these careless words is going to come back to haunt you. There will be a time of Reckoning. Words are powerful; take them seriously. Words can be your salvation. Words can also be your damnation." (Matthew 12:34b-37 The Message) In the hearts of family and friends, and in the heart of God, our words are permanent.
Not to stop on a sad note: kind words, loving words, words that uplift and help and heal are permanent too. Did you learn Longfellow’s poem when you were in school? Here it is again.
The Arrow and the Song
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
I shot an arrow into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For, so swiftly it flew, the sight
Could not follow it in its flight.
I breathed a song into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For who has sight so keen and strong,
That it can follow the flight of song?
Long, long afterward, in an oak
I found the arrow, still unbroke;
And the song, from beginning to end,
I found again in the heart of a friend.
“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14 NIV)
Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 2003 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. New International Bible also quoted by permission.
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Monday, August 4, 2008
Letting Go
“The only thing harder than holding on is letting go.” I wish I could remember which movie I was watching when I heard that great line. (If any of you know, leave the name in the comments section below, and I’ll be happy to cite the source.)
We try so very hard to make things happen. I’m not talking about having a party or a group project; there are a few people about whom I say, “So-and-so just makes things happen.” One of the reasons they are so successful is that they’re at ease with the process. They have a party but they don’t feel responsible to make everyone have a good time. They put together a team, but they don’t make everyone join the effort. They are not forcing anything.
Forcing just doesn’t work. We can get caught up in demanding someone’s attention or friendship. We can pressure our kids to turn out the way we’ve always hoped. We can urge others to join our cause until they’re uncomfortable and “turn us off.” Even when it comes to expressing our beliefs, we can get carried away—although fortunately we do stop short of threatening as the Crusaders did, “Accept the Christian faith or I’ll kill you!” The trouble with these strategies is that they don’t really work! Oh, perhaps they might be successful short-term, but in the long run they tend to have more negative results than positive. Forcing just doesn’t work.
So, let it go. The Wisdom writer said, “You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.” (Proverbs 19:21) We can’t make the really important stuff happen. But God can.
Scripture quotation taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
We try so very hard to make things happen. I’m not talking about having a party or a group project; there are a few people about whom I say, “So-and-so just makes things happen.” One of the reasons they are so successful is that they’re at ease with the process. They have a party but they don’t feel responsible to make everyone have a good time. They put together a team, but they don’t make everyone join the effort. They are not forcing anything.
Forcing just doesn’t work. We can get caught up in demanding someone’s attention or friendship. We can pressure our kids to turn out the way we’ve always hoped. We can urge others to join our cause until they’re uncomfortable and “turn us off.” Even when it comes to expressing our beliefs, we can get carried away—although fortunately we do stop short of threatening as the Crusaders did, “Accept the Christian faith or I’ll kill you!” The trouble with these strategies is that they don’t really work! Oh, perhaps they might be successful short-term, but in the long run they tend to have more negative results than positive. Forcing just doesn’t work.
So, let it go. The Wisdom writer said, “You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.” (Proverbs 19:21) We can’t make the really important stuff happen. But God can.
Scripture quotation taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Saturday, August 2, 2008
How We Got Here
It was going to be a wonderful evening with an elegant dinner and a special Christmas concert. A group of us had elected, just this once, to celebrate in style, and we had arrived in a long white limousine with uniformed driver! In our holiday finery, we stood waiting in the hall for our names to be called. But when almost everyone had already been conducted to their seats, we began to worry a bit. It was obvious, wasn’t it, that we too were here for the party? Should we ask the hostess if there was going to be a place for all of us? Should we tell one of the escorts that we did indeed have tickets? Were we going to be snubbed? No, we decided, we would just wait and see what happened, and one party-goer expressed it for everyone, “Never mind, we know how we got here.”
Sometimes we look with almost-envy at individuals who have acquired something we would like to have too, who have the home or the marriage or the job that is our own ideal. We see those who have achieved something we have longed for ourselves and have been denied. But we don’t know how they got there! We see those who have capacities and personal traits we wish we had, influence and abilities—and even faith. But we don’t know how they got there! A young woman once told a prominent Christian leader, “Oh, I’d give everything to be like you,” and he replied, “My dear, that’s just what it will cost you.” She didn’t realize how he got there.
In all likelihood, someone is watching you and me, wishing they could have what we have or be what we are. We may have worked hard and prayed hard, but the truth is, we’re not really self-made. The old hymn, Amazing Grace, says it well: “Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come; ‘tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.” Never mind honor or personal acclaim. We know how we got here.
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Sometimes we look with almost-envy at individuals who have acquired something we would like to have too, who have the home or the marriage or the job that is our own ideal. We see those who have achieved something we have longed for ourselves and have been denied. But we don’t know how they got there! We see those who have capacities and personal traits we wish we had, influence and abilities—and even faith. But we don’t know how they got there! A young woman once told a prominent Christian leader, “Oh, I’d give everything to be like you,” and he replied, “My dear, that’s just what it will cost you.” She didn’t realize how he got there.
In all likelihood, someone is watching you and me, wishing they could have what we have or be what we are. We may have worked hard and prayed hard, but the truth is, we’re not really self-made. The old hymn, Amazing Grace, says it well: “Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come; ‘tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.” Never mind honor or personal acclaim. We know how we got here.
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Friday, August 1, 2008
Well-Rooted Weeds
Drawing illustrations from Scripture, our religious instructors may sometimes urge us to “Be like a tree,” or “Be like the ant,” or “Be like a flower.” But did you ever hear the instruction, “Be like a weed”?
Setting aside for the moment noxious plants like poison ivy and bindweed, look at the common, ordinary weeds like the kind that grow up in the sidewalk cracks or along a building. Talk about persistence! If only our tomatoes and lettuce and begonias were so hardy!
One of the things that makes these weeds so vigorous is their ability to put down an effective root system. When I pull up a weed from between sections of sidewalk, I am sometimes astonished at the length of the root it has developed. It seems totally out of proportion to the small leafy structure that is visible above ground. Because that weed gets almost no rain and certainly no watering by me, it has reached far below the surface to find the moisture it needs.
Similarly, weeds I pull from the pebble-covered seating area of my yard have roots that serve them well. Because there is landscape fabric beneath the pebbles, these roots cannot penetrate deeply enough to find the water they require. Their water basin is quite shallow, so instead of growing a deep root system, they develop one that is very wide with many tiny fibers to draw in the necessary moisture.
These observations made me consider how we go about getting what we need—not food or shelter alone, but the things that nourish us inwardly like music and prayer, friendship and a whole list of other intangibles. (See entry, “Maintenance.”) We have to develop a system that brings us those things. Find out what works for you, and do more of it! Find out what doesn’t work, and stop putting so much effort into it!
Be like a weed!
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
Setting aside for the moment noxious plants like poison ivy and bindweed, look at the common, ordinary weeds like the kind that grow up in the sidewalk cracks or along a building. Talk about persistence! If only our tomatoes and lettuce and begonias were so hardy!
One of the things that makes these weeds so vigorous is their ability to put down an effective root system. When I pull up a weed from between sections of sidewalk, I am sometimes astonished at the length of the root it has developed. It seems totally out of proportion to the small leafy structure that is visible above ground. Because that weed gets almost no rain and certainly no watering by me, it has reached far below the surface to find the moisture it needs.
Similarly, weeds I pull from the pebble-covered seating area of my yard have roots that serve them well. Because there is landscape fabric beneath the pebbles, these roots cannot penetrate deeply enough to find the water they require. Their water basin is quite shallow, so instead of growing a deep root system, they develop one that is very wide with many tiny fibers to draw in the necessary moisture.
These observations made me consider how we go about getting what we need—not food or shelter alone, but the things that nourish us inwardly like music and prayer, friendship and a whole list of other intangibles. (See entry, “Maintenance.”) We have to develop a system that brings us those things. Find out what works for you, and do more of it! Find out what doesn’t work, and stop putting so much effort into it!
Be like a weed!
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
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