Good to Go

Yesterday while babysitting Emerald, I thought she might like a quick trip to the beach. The weather was perfect, and a short stroller walk there would add to our fun.

Grandson Micah

Normally I take a well-stocked backpack to the beach, but this trip I wouldn’t need those adult things. Instead I opted for a smaller tote just Emerald-sized. Gathering #50 SPF lotion and a clean towel, I figured we were, as grandson Micah says, “good-to-go.”

Emerald's suit

But then I wondered if Emerald might want to get wet and went back for her swimming suit. Together we rummaged through drawers till we found it, along with a sun hat, which I would have forgotten. And where was her beach cover-up?

Reaching toward the back of the closet with Emerald in my other arm, I found it, price tags still hanging from the sleeve. I passed her changing table in my search for a scissors and realized I’d almost forgotten to pack a spare diaper. Wipes, too, just in case.

Then while dressing her, it occurred to me I should probably bring something for her to drink. As Emerald began to feel heavy in my arms, we thawed some milk in hot water and made a bottle.

Just before we left, I decided to change her diaper and found it poopy, though I couldn’t find the wipes (which of course were in the beach bag). So, picking her up diaper-less while trying not to spread her mess, we retrieved them and finished the job, remembering to repack the wipes. Now we were definitely good-to-go.

But oops, I’d almost forgotten her beloved pacifier. Together we hunted, finding one on the floor (and washing it). But wait. I wanted to take my camera, so upstairs we went, baby, bag and me, on another hunt.

And finally….

Toys

….we headed for the door, but not before I decided to pack a few toys. Kneeling down with Emerald still in my arms, we chose her favorites from the basket, stuffing them into our now-plump, heavy bag. It had taken more time to prepare than we’d anticipated, so we swapped the stroller for the car and were, at long last, good-to-go.

I’m often caught unprepared, wondering why I didn’t think of this or that, or at least make a list. But one of my closest friends is Jesus Christ, and he’s just the opposite of me. He’s always prepared. As a matter of fact, he’s currently preparing something very special for me: a place in the hereafter. Sometimes when I’ve tried to prepare and failed, I think of the thorough job Jesus is doing, and I’m thankful it’s him and not me. Nothing will be forgotten, and my eternity will be glorious!

Beach party!

By the way, Emerald loved our beach excursion, but after 90 minutes she was hungry. Sadly, I’d forgotten the bottle on the kitchen counter.

The sad truth is, as hard as I try, I’ll probably never be completely “good-to-go”…. until, that is, it’s time for heaven.

Jesus said, “I am going to prepare a place for you.” (John 14:2)

 

Hanging with Mary

1947I’ve been blessed with a remarkable sister, though I didn’t fully appreciate her until she left home for college. Although Mary and I palled around as little kids and walked a similar path through childhood, by the time we hit our teens we realized how different we were. Walking the halls of New Trier High School, we often passed without even acknowledging each other. I had my friends, and she had hers. I had my room, and she had hers. I had my clothes, and she had hers.

1954

The real truth was I knew I could never live up to her reputation as “the good child,” but eventually her goodness worked in my favor. Proverbs says we should be careful who we hang with, because eventually we’ll become like them. Hanging out with Mary has tugged me “up” for nearly 7 decades.

After she left for college, I missed her more than I thought I would. We began writing letters to each other, a habit that lasted through “the mobile years” when we were attending college, getting married, moving frequently, and having babies. When our two families landed 4 miles apart for the long haul, face-time replaced letter-writing, and our 14 children were raised in a happy pack of sibling-like cousins.

2 + 2

Watching my sister up close in her roles as wife, mother, mentor, friend, worker, grandmother, and volunteer gives me an appreciation for her that began after high school and has grown ever since. I’ve accepted that I’ll never live up to her good reputation but because of that, I count her as one of my greatest blessings. And she isn’t just “my” sister, since she shares sister-like relationships with many others.

One thing all of us have gained by being close to Mary has been her pithy sayings, things like, “God doesn’t call the equipped; he equips the called.” She seems to have a nutshell-statement to fit every situation, each one linked with the wisdom of Scripture.

For example, tonight we shared a meal and then spent time organizing a 4th of July picnic. Moving from there into the rest of July and then into August, we met with frustration as we tried to put specifics on the calendar. One event bumped into another, and we couldn’t synchronize dates because of overlapping commitments, company coming and going, and travel schedules.

Finally Mary made one of her frequently-quoted, very useful statements: “Let’s let a little more time go by.” She (and now I) have said this so many times, it might be a fitting epitaph on our tombstones. It’s a way to lift immediate pressure and terminate whatever frustrating activity is going on at that moment. Then she added, “If we plan too much tonight, lots of it will unravel anyway, before we get there.”

At first glance, that sounds un-scriptural, but we talked it over, and sure enough, it’s in the Bible: “Don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries.” (Matthew 6:34)

Amen, and let’s have dessert.

Message in the Sand

Those of us who’ve invited Jesus to take charge of our lives nod in assent when we hear, “He’s always with you.”

We’ve memorized many of the “full circle verses” (Seeing the Future) and we move into each new day knowing he’s present with us in his Spirit, all of us at the same time. It’s our miraculous reality, although we aren’t always thinking about it. Contrary to our sometimes non-thoughts of him, Jesus never stops thinking about us. And once in a while he gets creative trying to tug us back to an awareness of him.

Jesus loves U

Recently a bunch of us arrived at the beach to find Jesus had beat us there. Etched in the sand were the words, “Jesus [heart] U” in letters bigger than we were. The artist was long gone, so we set up camp right next to these true words. The simple sign was a good reminder:

  • to focus on Jesus more
  • to actively remember that he’s always with us
  • to realize many other people believe in him, too.

When I see something like that beach message, I automatically think, “There’s another child of God, another believer.” Even though I didn’t know who had made the sign, I felt naturally drawn to this other person who had had Jesus so up-front on his/her mind.

Christians come in all sizes, shapes, colors and from any time period, country, or church. Sometimes we let insignificant things get in the way of relationships with them, and I often remember what Pastor Warren Wiersbe used to say: “When we get to heaven, we might be surprised at who’s there.” In other words, God judges based on people’s hearts, while the rest of us look mostly at their performance.

A warm sock

One cold day last winter when I pulled on a toasty warm sock, something inside of it poked me like a pin. When I took it off, I turned it inside out to see what it was (a pine needle from the Christmas tree). God looks at us in a similar way, from the inside out. After he sees what’s there, he makes his next move toward us accordingly.

My guess is that one of the things he looks for when he’s got us inside out is whether or not we’re tuned in to him at any given time. Are we looking in his direction? Are we conscious of his close presence? Is the wonder of being “with him” appreciated or disregarded? Are we mindful of him only on the days when we feel needy, or are we needful of him daily?

I’m thankful for the sign in the sand and the person who made it. Maybe a good idea would be to make a sign of my own the next time I’m at the beach, something like, “Your thoughts about [us] outnumber the grains of sand.” (Psalm 139:17-18)

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Jesus said, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)