Calendar Decisions

Posted on August 8, 2013 by Margaret

The numbers are piling up. Today I arrived at 68, and the label “middle sixties” has evaporated (not to mention “middle age”). I’m officially pushing 70. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

I know plenty of septuagenarians who are still in the thick of life, and every month I read fresh stories of 70+ successes (when my AARP magazine arrives).

All in all, 68 doesn’t bother me. I don’t think 70 will either, because our length of days isn’t up to us.

God makes that call, and our part is to live each day to his prescribed fullest, no matter what the year. None of us understand why some people live to 100 and others die in infancy.

For example, my dad had two brothers, surprise-twins born in 1910. The first was named William, and in looking for a second boy-name, my grandparents glanced at that morning’s newspaper. King Edward of England was in the headlines, so baby #2 became Edward.

William lived only 20 months, dying of pneumonia. Edward lived 94 years. This seems out of kilter, but God doesn’t usually disclose the reasons for his calendar decisions. That’s probably because we wouldn’t understand them (or agree with them) anyway.

All of us wonder how long we’ll live and which birthday cake will be our last. If I reach my 90’s as both of my parents did, I’ll be hanging around for 25 more years, an astounding thought that’s not necessarily all good. As Mom said, “Life after 90 is full of troubles.” She meant physically, but included in that are emotional and relational troubles, too.

The Bible says the same thing as Mom did, but a little differently, insisting that troubles begin in earnest after 70, not 90. We can say, “Oh that isn’t true these days. Fifty is the new 30, and 70 is the new 50!”

Maybe.

The foundational truth about growing old, however, is that we’re to do it gracefully and in God’s way. Scripture assures us that if we’re still alive, it’s because he wants us to be, and if he wants us to be (no matter our age), it’s because he’s got valuable things for us yet to do. Thinking like this changes age-related stereotypes, giving us purpose and direction for each day. That even goes for life in a hospital bed or a wheelchair.

God never sidelines anybody. Each one is valuable to him whether that person lives to 100 or dies in the womb before a birth date can get on the calendar. And those troubles that come after 70? Or 90? If we ask God how he wants us to travel through them, circumstances will defy logic and produce good things.

So…. No matter how many candles are on the cake, it can always be a HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

“You, God, prescribed the right way to live; now you expect us to live it. Oh, that my steps might be steady, keeping to the course you set.” (Psalm 119:4-5 The Message)

Wildlife

Posted on August 7, 2013 by Margaret

I don’t know if it’s a drop in the barometric pressure, a problem of over-population, or just friendly natives, but this morning before I was out of my PJs, I had personal encounters with 3 spiders, 1 pincher bug, 2 rolly-pollies, 1 copper beetle, and 2 moths, all enjoying residence inside my house.

My rule is kindness to animals unless they enter without an invitation. After that, it’s “death to intruders.”

From a bug’s vantage point I see how running indoors has its advantages: shelter from a downpour, warmth on a cold day, an abundance of food, and, well, maybe the fellowship. Whatever the cause of this morning’s influx, my reasons for why it was unacceptable trumped their reasons for coming in.

Today’s wildlife scenario put me in mind of an interesting Bible verse written from God’s perspective. He says he sees us as grasshoppers far below him. Interesting.

His point is that people are small and helpless compared to him, just like a skittering spider is to me (and why I feel free to step on it). I have full confidence that I can eliminate it.

Not that people are to God as a bug is to me. The Isaiah chapter is just trying to make the point that God is so much greater than we are, we can’t even comprehend it.

For example, in the real estate business when a house is put up for sale, realtors look for “comparables” in the neighbor- hood to help set a fair price. These comparably-priced homes are even listed for house hunters to see, to help them make a realistic offer.

But with God, there are no comparables.

Isaiah 40 is a Scripture passage that attempts to describe our extraordinary God as effectively as human language can. Jesus taught with questions, and in these verses God does that too, using a string of fascinating rhetorical questions to make his point:

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
    or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
    or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?
Who can fathom the Spirit of the Lord,
    or instruct the Lord as his counselor?
Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him,
    and who taught him the right way?
Who was it that taught him knowledge,
    or showed him the path of understanding? (vv. 12-14)

The same answer works with all of them: “No one but God.”

He’s making the point that he could have said, “Death to all intruders,” stepping on us like a man steps on a grasshopper. But the reality is that he did just the opposite. Not only did he let us live, he lifted the lowly “grasshoppers” to royal status by permitting us join his family.

Our only right response has to be absolute awe.

“To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One. (Isaiah 40:18)

Winter in July

Posted on August 6, 2013 by Margaret

When I was growing up in the Chicago suburbs, my home church was Moody Church (45 minutes away). One of the many good memories I have of those years is “Christmas in July” when we would bring Christmas cards and gifts for the many missionaries the church supported all over the world. The Missions Committee informed us it would take every bit of 5 months for our packages to reach their destinations abroad by December, which was why we had to pack them up in July.

As a child I didn’t really believe such long-range planning was necessary, and even now I struggle to plan and prepare far enough ahead. Certain people come equipped with a clock-consciousness that serves them well through life. When deadlines arrive, they’re always ready. Nate had that time-management ability and was never late to a meeting or unprepared when he got there. I’ve seen the same thing in Birgitta, watching her successfully juggle motherhood, full time college, and a job.

And I can get jealous noting how easy it is for these types to be prepared. But of course it really isn’t that easy; they just faithfully work at it.

As I read God’s Word, every so often I bump into a passage that challenges me to work at being prepared. It’s usually couched in a warning: “If you’re not, you’ll regret it for these reasons.” For example, God writes about Christ’s second coming in that way (multiple times), because he wants all of us to be ready when he appears.

He also warns us that death comes to everyone, and before its unpredictable arrival, we should ponder the bottom lines of our lives. He wants us to be sure we’ve made the main thing the main thing so there are no negative surprises after-the-fact. In other words, we’re to thoughtfully prepare.

God instructs us on the importance of being ready for other things, too. We’re to be prepared to have good answers for anyone who asks why we believe what we do. Also, he encourages us to prepare for difficult times by working as diligently as little ants do. And another example is his challenge to be prepared when Satan tempts us with his evil schemes.

We have a lot to work on, and some of us find it easier said than done. Regardless, all of us are to keep at it.

A while ago while babysitting Emerald, I opened her bottom dresser drawer in search of a sun hat, and she was eager to “help” find it. I sat her down in front of the drawer where she ended up playing happily for 15 minutes. In the process we came across her furry winter hat. Despite the hot weather, she wanted to put it on immediately and wear it around the house.