Eagerly Watching

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I’ve always loved being a mom. As a little girl I bonded with dolls and wished they’d come to life. As a 10 year old I named 8 children I hoped to have, and when I became a mother, despite the work load, it was my dream come true.

One day a girlfriend came over with her young children, and as our little ones played, we sipped coffee and chatted about how best to teach children about Jesus. Suddenly she said, “I’d be happy if Jesus came back to get all of us today.”

I said, “Oh, I hope not! Life is too good right now!”

Today, from my vantage point as a 60-something, I look back at my 20-something self and say, “How dumb can you be?”

Earthly life can’t possibly measure up to to heavenly life, and knowing the invisible Jesus can’t compare to relating face to face. It takes a leap of faith to accept these truths, since we have no frame of reference for what we read in Scripture about heaven. But I’ve bought into biblical truth 100%, leaning on it day-to-day, especially now in widowhood.

After Nate died, my longing for heaven shifted from, “It’ll be wonderful,” to “I can’t wait!” Though that change doesn’t directly mention a longing for Jesus, the truth is that Nate’s exit to heaven served to fasten my attention not only on his new home but also on the new and improved relationship he’s enjoying with Jesus. And in thinking more about that, my heart’s desire to meet Jesus has grown by leaps and bounds.

Even so, I’m challenged by the Bible’s statement, “You should eagerly watch for his return.” Surrounded by earthly matters, I’m not always “looking up” like I’m supposed to be. Am I anticipating Jesus’ coming as enthusiastically as I would look forward to a vacation or Christmas or even a friend’s arrival?

One of the lamps at my house has an interesting finial. It’s a tiny cat in a sitting position, purchased many years ago to represent the 5 cats our family has owned. The other day while cleaning, I noticed the cat was facing the window and the woods beyond, almost like she was watching for something. Though she isn’t real, I chuckled and thought, “Maybe she’s looking for the predicted snowstorm the rest of us are eagerly anticipating tonight.” I saw that little cat and couldn’t help but think how my gaze toward Jesus ought to be just that steady.

We have hundreds of things to think about each day that serve to push out thoughts of Jesus, but not to think of his coming at all is a mistake we’ll regret. Maybe I’ll use the cat as my reminder to “keep watching” for Jesus, at least in my heart.

As I turned away from the cat, it started to snow.

“Keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” (Matthew 24:42)

 

A Reminder to Remember

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After people die, their words gain in importance. We may have listened to what they said when they were with us, but we hear them with greater intensity after they’re gone.

For example, Nate chose a passage of Scripture as his favorite and never wavered as the years passed. Paul’s words in Hebrews 12:1-3 struck a chord with him because of the reference to running the particular race “set out before us” by God. In Nate’s view, each life-race looked different, some set on less strenuous courses than others, but our task was to run the one assigned to us, as best we could.

While Christmas shopping in December, I came across a tiny plaque with a portion of Hebrews 12 on it. When I saw it, I glommed onto it like it was a piece of Nate himself. Of course I know Scripture belongs to everyone, but the fact that it was his favorite passage linked it to him in a way that gave it more significance to me. Because he loved it, I’ll always love it.

The same holds true for someone’s personal belongings. Increased value post-death is what prevents a widow from cleaning out her husband’s closet or giving away what he owned. Even his scent, still hanging in the threads of his clothes, becomes precious, a reason to refrain from washing or dry cleaning his wardrobe.

Scripture makes good use of this principle. Jesus knew that those hearing his words were absorbing only part of the message while he was with them. Strangers listening on a hillside often turned and walked away, unable to believe the outrageous truths he taught. Religious authorities argued back; and his disciples suffered confusion. But Jesus knew that after his death, his words would take on greater potency, more effectively moving hearers to believe what he’d told them.

When a husband dies, that’s the end of his earthly existence, although his posthumous influence continues somewhat. But after Jesus died, he and his Father were ready with a plan that would not only continue his earthly influence but enlarge it to a world-shaking level.

He promised not to leave his followers as orphans [or widows] and said, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth.” (John 14:16-18) Since he’d just told them he was going away, causing them to feel low, this must have lifted them significantly. Then at Pentecost, they got their chance to meet this miraculous advocate, the Holy Spirit.

One of the Spirit’s many functions was (and is) to bring Jesus’ words and lessons to the remembrance of those he’d left behind (much like I remember Nate’s words) but to do so with added oomph, teaching and explaining what Jesus had meant in his earthly ministry. And he’s been doing it with excellence for 2000 years.

We can be forever thankful for this, because now that Jesus is no longer on the earth, what he taught has become especially precious to us.

Jesus said, “The Holy Spirit… will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26)

De-cluttering

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All of us love to decorate our houses before Christmas. Some go all out, removing everyday dishes and substituting holiday-patterned ones or putting the regular linens in the basement in favor of red and green decor. Glasses, wall  hangings, figurines, you name it; decorated items come in all categories. As the old Swede sang, “Oh I ‘yust go nuts at Christmas!”

Many people struggle to keep Christ the central subject of the season, and all of us can be tempted to go to decorating extremes. When our family lived in Illinois, I used to make elaborate 3” ribbon bows for every curtain hanging in front of every window (two each, since curtains have left and right sides) and load every outdoor bush with lights. And that was only the beginning. My decorating dominated a week’s agenda, and in January it needed another week to be dismantled.

Today I’ve re-listened to my Christmas CDs in one last burst of seasonal celebrating before I put them back in their basement bin. I never get enough of the music and thought each record deserved one last play. Eleven months without them is a long, long time. As the carols played and the red/green decor began to disappear, my ordinary color scheme re-emerged. And it looked pretty good, like a family member coming home. Coupling the switch-back with a little Windex made the house sparkle in a way different than all the holiday glitz and glitter, more like a freshly-balanced new beginning than an ending.

It’s not a bad idea to focus on tidying up the bits and pieces of our lives every so often, holidays or no. This is especially important in the spiritual realm. Just as decorations begin to seem like clutter when January comes, so our once-good ideas about God and Scripture can clutter up our thinking.

Every so often I ought to ask myself, “Is my relationship with the Lord the same as last year? Are the two of us closer this year? Or farther apart? How am I doing on Bible reading? Am I stuck relying on what I learned last year or even before that? How’s my prayer life? Is God answering my requests? Am I battling the same sins in the same way as last year without improved results?

Our self-exam questions will serve to point out needless clutter, and if we answer them honestly and then take action, the result will be a spiritually de-cluttered life whose “decorating scheme” looks pretty good to us.

And more importantly, it’ll look good to the Lord, too.

“Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I’m about; See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong— then guide me…” (Psalm 139:23-24)