The Flip Side

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Margaret

Back in the ‘50’s and ‘60’s we bought popular music on small black records with big center holes that could only be played on properly equipped hi-fi machines. Because of their rpm speed, they were nicknamed “45’s”, with a Top 40 hit on the A side and a not-so-popular one on the B. We wore out the “good” sides and virtually never played the “bad” ones.

My 3 year old grandson Micah reminds me of those old 45’s. His A side is tender and sweet, causing him to suddenly stop playing and rush over to me (or someone else) to deliver a kiss and a hug. “I love you,” he’ll say in a lilting voice, and I absolutely melt. With his strawberry blond curls and round face, he resembles a cherub straight from heaven.

But Micah has a B side, too. It can pop up without warning and amaze us with its intensity. For example, when asked to get ready for his bath, he might ask for a longer play time. But very quickly the “please can I…” escalates to “I can’t because…” followed by further resistance at increasing volume, till finally he’s having what I call a hissy-fit.

It’s his flip-side, and he has flipped out.

We adults may inwardly feel much like Micah when we’re told what to do, but we don’t let ourselves show it. It can be especially evident in our relationship with God.

Scripture refers to this problem as our old and new natures warring against each other. Paul explained it well in Romans 7 when he described his repeated failure to live a righteous life. “I want to do what’s right, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what’s wrong, but I do.”

We (and Micah) can all relate to this same miserable struggle, because it’s endemic to mankind. Paul says, “I love God’s law with all my heart. But there’s another power within me that’s at war with my mind.” He defines it as sin. He recognizes, as all of us should, that the trouble is not with God but with us. We’re willfully disobedient and need empowerment from someone other than ourselves if we’re to rise above hissy-fits.

Thankfully, Paul defines that help as the Holy Spirit. He says it’s not necessary to bounce back and forth between our A and B sides. “The power of the life-giving Spirit has freed us from the power of sin.” (8:2) Now that’s good news!

And as precious Micah gets to know Jesus better, one day he can live regularly on his A side with only an occasional flip to his B. In the mean time, his grandma Midgee is eating up the hugs and kisses, letting his mommy and daddy deal with his flip side.

“As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.” (1 Peter 1:14-15)

The Meal Train

Posted on January 21, 2014 by Margaret

One of the delights of belonging to a church congregation is that when you have a baby, everybody wants to join the celebration. At Linnea and Adam’s church there’s something called The Meal Train, and people who want to bless a newly-expanded family with a dinner simply sign up online, letting everyone know when they’ll be delivering what food. That way a family is covered for a couple of weeks and doesn’t receive duplicates (though surely they wouldn’t mind).

As The Meal Train rolled into action celebrating our baby Isaac, the benefits have been great. Linnea doesn’t have to cook (or me either), and we’re enjoying creative, delicious dinners along with tasty leftovers. In my role as the out-of-town grandma, I‘ve also experienced another benefit: meeting many of Linnea and Adam’s friends, godly young couples with lively families, serving one another and being blessed in the process.

And isn’t that the way it works when we serve others? Originally we might sign up to take a meal to someone, thinking of it as an added chore to our already long to-do list. We spend much of that day shopping, cooking, and baking, wanting our contribution to be special for the other family. We drive it to their home and hope it helps them in some way. We might even shortchange our own family’s dinner to put together a nicer meal for the others.

And then we step in their door.

As God would have it, the delivery of our gift becomes a gift back to us.

We have the pleasure of oooing and ahhhing over a new baby, touching the soft skin and hearing about the birth. We set our meal on their counter and quickly forget the work of making it, focusing instead on the family that’s undergoing fresh stress with a new baby who is causing temporary overload. And we listen to their wholehearted gratitude over our food, realizing that our meal-prep was nothing compared to the appreciation with which it was received.

We step out the door and feel pretty good.

Linnea mentioned that one friend bringing a meal to us had just had a baby herself, and another was due in 3 weeks. But that’s the beauty of God’s system. We are blessed to bless others, and Linnea has cooked and will cook for them, too. And now, since she’s been blessed, she’s eager to pass it on. It’s a good system.

Tonight we feasted on chicken pot pie, a green salad, toast, and brownies for dessert. A family of 4 delivered it, coming inside for a few minutes to meet Isaac and greet the rest of us. After their young boy had taken a quick peek at Isaac I said, “Do you like babies?”
His answer: “I’m 7 years old, and I’m gonna get a go-cart.” I guess he’s not riding The Meal Train after all.

“Remember that our Lord Jesus said, “More blessings come from giving than from receiving.” (Acts 20:35)

Parcels of Love

Posted on January 20, 2014 by Margaret

When my brother, sister, and I grew up and got married, all three of us settled fairly close to home. We didn’t plan it that way but landed within quick driving distance of our old stomping grounds and also of our mom and dad. The 17 children between us had the benefit of nearby grandparents who loved spending time with them, and we parents took advantage of every opportunity to be together.

My children, however, have taken a different approach, and 8 of my 9 grands live far, far away. People have said, “Isn’t that hard?”

Yes.

But I can’t do much to change it. Although I visit England annually and get to Florida a couple of times each year, I’m a long-distance granny more than a hands-on one. I’m thankful for our local post office, though, and love sending trinkets to my young relatives thousands of miles away.

Most often the padded mailers I send are packed with inexpensive trinkets that aren’t worth as much as the postage to mail them. But all children like to receive mail, especially chunky mail, and it’s one more way I can feel lovingly connected to my grands.

Interestingly, God is in the business of love-mail, too. That’s one of several things he had in mind when he inspired the authors of Scripture to write what he told them. And because the Bible has been accurately preserved for thousands of years, we can “check our mail” and receive his “chunky love” by way of countless biblical promises.

But it’s up to us to open the package.

Our world bombards us with lots of attractive alternatives to opening our Bibles. There are colorful magazines, cable TV programs, and that great gobbler-of-time, the internet. If we’re going to enjoy God’s love, we have to be intentional about using the love-gift he’s given us. Without steady determination, we’ll set it aside unopened.

Years ago on another Florida trip, our family visited The Holy Land Experience. Part of that biblical theme park was a walk through an animated time line of the Bible’s history and how it’s been accurately preserved. I’ll never forget looking at an actual Bible someone had protected by using his body as a shield, losing his life in the process. His blood still marked the pages.

The fact that we have access to all the Bibles we want shouldn’t cheapen the treasure each one is. Even when God seems thousands of miles away, his loving promises are close-by daily, hundreds of them. And as Scripture says, none has ever failed.

As for my love-parcels to grandchildren, Skylar inadvertently let me know today how eagerly she receives them. While playing in the Florida sunshine she suddenly said, “Midgee! Let’s see if the mail came!” Jumping up and down she said, “Maybe you sent something!”