Author Archives: Suzanne Montgomery

What if?

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imageWhat if we could rewrite our story?  Would we get it any better the second time around? Even a small decision can make a large impact. The things that we consider as “bad” decisions or the tragedies in our lives, lead us in directions we might not have taken otherwise. Our decisions not only change where we are but they change who we are and they affect everyone around us. Andy Andrews in his book “The Butterfly Effect” describes several true scenarios in history that seemed inconsequential at the time but changed the course of events to come dramatically.  Joshua Chamberlain’s choice to stand his ground at Gettysburg with his meager group of Union soldiers, turned the tide for the North to move on to victory in this battle and eventually, the Civil war. If the North had not won at Gettysburg, what would the USA be today?  Would we be a world power or divided into numerous small countries like Europe? It’s mind-boggling to contemplate the impact of that one decision by one man so long ago.

In my own life, I am aware of the impact of many of my decisions. Yes, I have often wondered what the consequences would be if I was able to rewrite parts of my story. If we had not traveled to the city of Lebanon that icy February in 1975 to attend a band concert, would my sister Gaynelle still be alive today? If my mom had been driving instead of me, would she have been able to control the car on slick pavement?

What if, what if…?  This is the question that hounds our souls!  My sister would have been 44 years old now. I wonder if she were here, whether she would have a family and whether I would have more nieces and nephews to love. Only God knows the answers to my questions.  I remember Dad saying not long after Gaynelle’s death that he wondered if she had been saved from something worse by dying when she was only 5 years old. Perhaps she was shielded from unimaginable suffering she would have endured had she continued to live here on earth. Would she choose to stay knowing what she knows now?  Even though I’m sure that she would want to be with us, I imagine she would choose heaven.  She has seen the “other side of the veil.” She knows Jesus face to face. How magnificent that would be!  She also knows that in a very brief amount of time compared to eternity, we will be with her again. What is our hope, is her reality. But I still miss her even after all these years. I long to hold her, laugh with her and tell her that I have loved her always even in her absence. I haven’t forgotten the joy she brought into the world. She was a gift even if it was for only 5 years.

God has a story He is writing of my life and Gaynelle is a beautiful yet painful part of the whole. Every page He pens is creating who He wants me to be-the best me.  I need to offer Him the book of my life without strings attached.  Francesca Battistelli expresses my sentiments as she sings, “My life is an empty page, an open book. Write your story on my heart. Make your mark.”  Who am I to think I could write my story better than God?  I can ask Him why He put in some of the painful parts when I see Him face to face. But I wonder if I will be like Job when God revealed Himself after all his trials. He no longer had any questions when he met God but said, “I know that you can do all things. No plan of yours can be thwarted…Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.”

All of us have our “What If’s” in life. It is human nature to wonder what life would have been like if we could change even a few things.  We all have events or people who have scarred our hearts.  At times, I will look back with regret at events that happened even decades ago. But I don’t want to dwell there. As I look back, I can see the hand of God guiding me; I recognize that Jesus was walking with me “through the valley of the shadow of death.”  So looking back reinforces the fact that I have walked through fire and survived. I am confident that if needed, I can do it again with the one who strengthens me. I agree with the Apostle Paul when he said, “The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it.” “He who started a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.”  Instead of looking back with regret, I look forward with joy and anticipation to what is to come. Rather than dwelling on “What If”, I will embrace this life I have been given for what it is and focus instead on “What’s Next.” I’m ready and excited for this next chapter to be written.

Holding on to Hope

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imageYesterday I started to write a post about hope but found myself stuck after the first paragraph. I have been so moved by the events of the past few weeks, I wanted to write something that would give hope in this  present darkness. It is easy to feel hopeless as the people of West Africa are dying of Ebola, as fighting continues between Israel and Hamas, and as religious minorities are being slaughtered by the militant Islamic group, Isis.  I left my writing, not knowing where to go with it. I was at a loss for words.

Writing is a funny process. As in any creative endeavor, one must start and then push through to open up the revelation of the mind.  Inspiration comes from within and without. It comes from things I see, things I hear and memories long buried in the recesses of my mind.  But then there is the inexplicable, mysterious insight that suddenly comes out of nowhere.  This is God.  I know it without a doubt.  There are thoughts that come out of my pen (or the keyboard of my computer) that are not from me.

Inspiration comes from taking God in like a breath through his word, his people and his Spirit and letting him flow forth.  Like breathing in and breathing out.

This is hope that God is as close as the air I breathe.  I inspire his oxygen and it travels to every cell of my body, giving life, energy and sustenance.  When all else is stripped away through persecution, disaster and death, he is still there within me.

Paul, to the church in Rome, asks:  “Who therefore shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  As it is written:  For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

How can we be separated from the air we breath if that air is the Spirit of God?  We can’t.  No matter what happens whether good or bad, he stands with us through it.  Our hope cannot be based on external situations because the world as it is will always disappoint us.  Our hope is based on that which cannot be changed, the loving nature of God.

My heart and prayers go out to the suffering people on the other side of the earth and right here at home.  We will all have trouble, no matter who we are.  It takes different forms but suffering is universal.  None of us is immune from it.  But my deepest prayer is that all those going through pain whatever it might be, will know that God is as close as their very breath.  Inspire/inhale his presence and hope and peace will envelope your heart and mind. You will be “more than conquerors” through any trouble that comes your way.

Embracing the Unexpected

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imageIsn’t life just a little crazy?  When I think things are going along smoothly, something unexpected happens to throw off my routine. This past week, a chicken randomly arrived in our yard. We do live out in the country so chickens are not totally foreign to us. However, this bird seemed to come out of nowhere. We have neighbors with chickens but none of them have this type. I have learned from my farming friends that it is an Araucana, originally bred in Chili. They lay blue eggs. It’s a beautiful and surprisingly friendly bird.

So we have had a decision to make.  Do we try to find someone to take the chicken or do we keep it?  Since we know absolutely nothing about chickens, logic would say that we should find it another home.  We’re not even knowledgeable enough to tell if it is a hen or a rooster!  But against better judgement, we have fed it wild bird food and plan to make a trip to the local Tractor Supply to pick up some chicken feed and a chicken coop. I’m actually anxiously hoping it is a hen so we can have blue eggs. What a novelty!

It’s really not uncommon to have the unexpected fly into our lives. It happens all the time.  How we respond can turn the unexpected into a drudgery or transform it into an adventure. I can recall several times when events or people randomly appeared in my life unexpectedly. I had to decide then what my response would be.

Many years ago, we had a man from Alaska come to the airport to have work done on his airplane.  I came home from work one day to find out that my husband had invited him to stay in our guest room at the house rather than in a hotel.  I was a little unsure about inviting a perfect stranger into our home and really would have liked to have been asked first.   He ended up living in our home for a month while the work was being completed. Needless to say, we became very well acquainted with Jeff during that month and since that time he has returned to visit us and we have visited him in Alaska on more than one occasion.  He was an unexpected visitor that was offered hospitality transforming him from just a passing acquaintance into a cherished friend.  I have gained a number of great friends through odd circumstances such as this over the years.

Another unexpected event happened when I married Tim 7 years ago.  I had been divorced for 6 years and never expected that I would ever have more than my 3 children from my first marriage.  But with Tim, I gained 3 step children.  Granted, they are not with us as often as we would like since they live in Tipton with their mom, but the time we have with them is wonderful. I never really imagined that I could love them as I do.  I have adopted them into my heart as if they are my own.  I have learned through this that your children do not have to be biologic to be loved deeply.  Love is not limited. It can be dispensed lavishly and never be diminished. There is more than enough to go around for all 6 of them. My children are all grown and live in their own places. Tim’s oldest, Timothy is now in his 3rd year of college and Tim’s Anna (yes, we have 2 Anna’s) goes away to University of Indianapolis in a week.  Jack will be our one and only at home soon.  He will miss his Sis since they are very close but he will also bask in the personal attention he will have when she is away.

Both of these circumstances were totally unexpected but have ended up becoming great blessings in my life.  I could have approached them with an attitude of resignation and resentment.  But I chose not to go down that path. Instead, after some initial shock, I chose to embrace these situations whole heartedly.  I’m so thankful that I did. What fun and joy I would have missed!

So I guess my point in all of this is…when a chicken flies into your life, don’t be too quick to shoo it away.  Maybe God intended this just for you. In “The Hobbit” by JRR Tolkien, Gandalf points to providence when he asks Bilbo,  “You don’t really suppose do you, that all your adventures and escapes were managed by mere luck, just for your sole benefit?”  What seems like a chance meeting or circumstance, just might lead to a pivotal juncture in your life.  God does that sort of thing behind the scenes. Expect the unexpected since this is often the way He works to move us into His blessings.  Embrace the unexpected as pieces of the great adventure God has in store for you.

Walking With God

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I love to hike.  It’s definitely one of my passions.  I’ve hiked many Indiana State Park trails. Some of my favorites, I’ve walked several times such as Trail 3 at Turkey Run.  Parts of this trail take you through a creek bed that has carved out a narrow ravine. Hemlocks lean over the edge of the ravine and often a mist hangs in the air.  I feel as if I have been transported back into pre-historic time when I take this trail. There is such a peace and tranquility gained from walking trails in deep woodlands where in the spring brilliant wildflowers blanket the forest floor. On winter hikes at Clifty Falls, I am amazed at the sight of waterfalls partially  frozen as they tumble into the canyon below. The sunlight is almost too bright as it reflects off the snow and ice.  Away from everyday noise and stress, these are God’s meeting places.

It’s not difficult to feel like I am walking with God in these locations.  I have no agenda or distractions to pull me away.  Nature is God’s tabernacle. But what about the other 95% of my time spent in the “real” world?  How do I walk with God then?

The Bible is replete with references to people who walked with God:  Adam and Eve in the garden, Noah, Abraham, and Moses, to name a few.  They had close, intimate communion with God.  Is this type of relationship with God only a thing of the past?  I don’t think so.  I believe that this is the role of the Holy Spirit: to walk with each one of us in our daily lives.  But we have to choose to let the Spirit be our companion. Our hearts need to be open and we must leave space in our busy schedules to listen as well as tell the Spirit what’s on our mind, just as we would a friend.  If we didn’t take the time to relate to our friends, would they really be friends?  Probably not. To explain this relationship with the Spirit to someone who has never experienced it, is difficult.  It’s generally not dramatic as it was when the disciples received the Spirit on Pentecost with a strong wind and fire.  It is a subtle voice that gives you words to say in a difficult situation.  It is the nudge to give a hug to your neighbor who unbeknownst to you, really needs it at that moment.  It is the unseen hands on your shoulders and the thought that suddenly pops into your brain saying, “I want you to do this; you can help.”  I’ve experienced all these things and more throughout my life.  Deep in my being, I know these experiences are not just in my imagination but are from God.  They are real.

Walking with God is a choice to walk beside Him, not in front of Him or behind Him.  It’s a partnership.  If a person walks behind Him, they can see what He is doing through other people but they are not a part of it.  They know He exists but they keep their distance and don’t get involved in His work.  If a person walks in front of God, they may be doing great work helping others but they may not be where God wants them to be or where they fit best.  They are leading the way, not permitting God to be in charge. Then there are others who just wander away aimlessly.  They are like sheep who keep their heads down while eating.  When they finally look up, the Good Shepherd is nowhere in sight.  Luckily, He is always searching for them to bring them back to Him so they don’t continue to be lost.  The best position is to be right beside God as a friend.  Every day He is there to give you advice and show you the right path uniquely suited just for you.  He cheers you on in the good times and is right there beside you to carry you through the bad times. The joy of this kind of relationship is unlimited.

Often, I think we look only to the future and think Heaven is the place we will be with God. But this kind of thinking forgets that Jesus said the Kingdom of God is here now, not just sometime in the future.  Eternity begins for each one of us at our birth, not at our death.  Now we walk with God through the Spirit, but in the future we will see Him face to face.  It’s only a matter of opening your heart and taking that first step…

Sanctuary

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The wildflowers I picked for our Open House this week-end are wilted this morning. They were so beautiful when I placed them in the vase on our dining room table.  They are bold and colorful yet delicate. Here today, gone tomorrow, fleeting beauty…

It was my son Garrett who convinced me to plant large patches of wildflowers in our yard to attract the bees and butterflies. I now have a small patch of milkweed to offer food for the  Monarchs but I haven’t seen any for years.  They have all but been driven away by the overuse of herbicides and pesticides on our farm fields. I understand why the farmers have used these chemicals to increase crop yields but if we destroy our pollinators, there will be no crops.  We must find ways to use less harmful chemicals and provide places of respite for the bees and butterflies.

Lady Bird Johnson understood the importance of the wildflower when she and actress, Helen Hayes founded the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin Texas in 1982.  It is a veritable sanctuary of native plants and natural landscapes, a place of respite for the pollinators and other wildlife.  We had the opportunity to visit there when my daughter, Rozie lived in Austin.  I would highly recommend a visit there to any lover of nature.  It is a paradise indeed.

Isn’t it interesting that the word “sanctuary” is used both as a name for a place of refuge for wildlife and also the name for a holy place of worship? Shouldn’t our churches be a place of refuge and respite, a safe place for seekers?  Yet in many instances, this is not the case. We pick and choose who can enter our “sanctuary” as if it is reserved for a few select people.  Jesus said, “Come all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  The emphasis on all is mine but I think you get the picture.

We offer sanctuary to those we believe to be worthy.  If a person’s lifestyle doesn’t fit our definition, then they are excluded.  I am divorced and it has not been that long ago that I would have been excluded because of this.  Even today in many Catholic congregations, those who are divorced are excluded from taking Holy Communion.  Who are we to withhold the Body and Blood of Christ to those who seek to embrace Him?  Would my divorce be the path that God would choose for me to take? No.  It has brought much pain and suffering to all those involved.  However, through it there has been forgiveness and change of hearts that probably wouldn’t have happened otherwise.

As a divorcee, I am now accepted in the church but I see my friends who are gay being excluded from many congregations.  Why am I accepted and they are not?  Can we not see them for the beautiful children of God that they are?  Not one of us stands before God pure and holy.  Then how can we judge the behavior of one and not another?  It is hypocritical.

Our churches should be sanctuaries dedicated to be places of refuge and respite for everyone.  Many of our churches are but it’s difficult to see them.  We must purposefully plant patches of wildflowers, so to speak, to attract seekers from every walk of life to join us.  Otherwise we will find ourselves alone, inwardly focused only. Jesus, who we claim to be our refuge and savior, was never meant to be withheld for a select few, but offered to everyone.

 

Becoming Real

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When I was just a young girl, I remember going to visit my great, great grandmother, Anna Peterson.  She had just turned 103 years old and many family members gathered to celebrate at my great Aunt Mena and Uncle Augie’s home in Marion, Indiana. She was very frail. As she sat in her wheel chair, she reached out to touch my face.  Her vision and hearing were both very poor.  She recognized me by touch, not sight and she called me by name.  Her senses were impaired but her mind was still sharp. I’ve often pondered after seeing Grandma Peterson through my child’s eyes, whether I would want to live to be 103 as she had.  But the impression she left on me was great.  She knew who I was without the benefit of her senses.  I was her oldest great, great grandchild and she valued me. I could feel it in her touch, gentle and kind.

When we are valued and we know it, we are changed forever. The late writer, Maya Angelou once said, “I have learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Oh, how true!  What a difference it makes when a person makes you feel valued. It’s not what the other person said or did but the way in which they did it.  It’s the warm smile, the attentive look, the light touch of their hand that convey that they care deeply. Their authenticity is not contrived but real. Unfortunately in the world we live in, this type of authentic caring is a rare commodity.  In a self-oriented culture, it actually is surprising to see selfless acts any more.  How have we wandered so far from real, genuine caring for each other?

One of my absolute favorite children’s books is, “The Velveteen Rabbit.”  I don’t think I have ever finished reading that book aloud without getting teary eyed. The little stuffed rabbit loved the boy so much that his fur was rubbed off and the shine of his eyes was dulled.  When the boy recovered from his illness, the dear rabbit was thrown in the fire with other items from his room.  As all appeared lost, suddenly the toy rabbit was turned into a living rabbit with soft fur and a wiggly nose.  His deep love, though it made him ragged, also made him “real”.

I believe the Velveteen Rabbit was real long before he became a living rabbit.  We become real when we allow ourselves to be vulnerable. Authenticity forces us to let down our facade and stop worrying about our rights.  “We” becomes more important than “me”. Time is spent connecting with others and in relationship.  We put down our smart phones and really communicate with each other. Success is not measured by power, prestige or possessions but by the depth of our commitment and faithfulness to others.

The greatest example of what it means to be “real” was Jesus.  He valued people over everything else and those he touched knew it.  He had no power, prestige or possessions that would give Him worldly success.  The devil tempted Him with these earthly valuables in the wilderness but He turned him away.  Jesus’ eyes saw true value in people, not things.  He had compassion for the widows. He loved on babies.  He touched people that everyone else shunned.  These were His treasures.

After Jesus’ death, Mary Magdalene and some other women came to the tomb the day after Passover to anoint His body. The stone was rolled away and His body was not there. Jesus appeared to Mary by the tomb but through her tears, she did not recognize Him but thought He was the gardener.  Only when He spoke her name, did she recognize Him.  I can only imagine the loving way Jesus spoke her name. The gentleness of His voice was music to her ears. Her Lord and Master had returned!

We become real by imitating Christ.  As we value people as He valued them, little by little, we come to resemble Him. It can be a long process and sometimes painful. The skin horse explains how it happens to the Velveteen Rabbit.

“What is REAL?” asked the Rabbit one day. “Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?”

“Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.”

“Does it hurt?”

“Sometimes.”  For he was always truthful. “When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.:

“Does it happen all at once, like being wound up, or bit by bit?”

“It doesn’t happen all at once. You become.  It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t often happen to people who break easily, or who have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby.”

“But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”

 

“The Velveteen Rabbit” by Margery Williams (1880-1944)

 

What’s In a Name?

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Tim and I are still trying to decide what to name our new cats who have taken up residence in Tim’s workshop.  The mama cat has stayed hidden but the two kittens are very friendly.  I’ll be home today and plan to go play with them awhile.  Maybe names will come to mind when I see their personalities in action.

What’s in a name? Was Shakespeare’s Juliet correct when she said to Romeo, “That which we call a rose, by any other name, would smell as sweet” ?  Do names actually matter and does the name given to you by your parents reflect who you really are?

I have found that choosing names can be quite difficult for our pets but especially for our children.  They have to live with these names the rest of their lives. Because of this, we never fully decided on names for each of our children until after we saw them for the first time. We had possibilities but nothing set in stone.

Anna arrived with wild ash blond hair and bright eyes.  She was named after two of her great, great, great grandmothers.  Both of them were strong-willed and resilient women. Anna means grace. Our Anna has always been compassionate and tender especially with babies and animals.  Many of our animals have been acquired through her.  She seems to be a magnet for stray dogs and has a heart to save them all.

Next came Rozie with long dark hair that would stand up no matter what I did to hold it down.  Her lips were like a little rose bud.  Rosalind means beautiful rose. She is always poised and confident in everything she does.  Her namesake was my Grandmother, Rose Alta.  She would have never forgiven us if we had given her “Alta” as a middle name so we dropped that part. My beautiful rose was a lovely bride this spring.  Appropriately, she carried red roses in her bouquet.

Now Garrett was the one most difficult to name.  Dan and I just couldn’t agree before he was born on a name we both liked.  We knew he was a boy so at least we didn’t need to discuss girl’s names.  Dan wanted to name him after his favorite uncle Oscar!  That was not going to happen!  Garrett decided to come a little early and happened to be born near Dan’s brother Gary’s birthday.  Gary and Dan had been very close.  He had died in an automobile accident while he was still in high school.  When we saw Garrett with his broad shoulders and husky little body, we knew we had to name him after Gary.  But we didn’t want exactly the same name so we chose Garrett.  It means a strong fortress.  It really fits him now as a soldier and protector.  Did the name fit who he was already or did he grow into the name?

The Bible says in Revelation 2:17, that someday Jesus will give us new names only known by us.  Perhaps they will be pet-names or nicknames.  Will they describe just who we are and who we are meant to be? I think the latter.  When Jesus saw Peter, he called him “the Rock.”  He certainly wasn’t a rock then but he became one.  He was the rock that became the foundation of the early church.  Jesus knew that Peter would deny Him but He also knew that Peter would overcome and become a great leader.

Jesus knows the best we can be and the name he gives us will reflect that.  He encourages us to be that best person in our own way, using our God-given gifts and personality for His glory.  Just as each of my children uniquely reflect their earthly names, in Heaven they will be given new names that perfectly fit the beautiful people that they have become.  Lord, let them grow and mature through Your loving kindness into the names you will give them in eternity.

 

The Power of Music

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It has always intrigued me how the human brain stores memories. When I least expect it, something that I haven’t thought about in years, will pop into my mind as I encounter a certain smell or sound.  It’s as if I’m transported back in time again re-living the long forgotten memory.  Often these snapshots into the past will make me smile but at times they bring tears if the memory is bittersweet.
This morning as I drove in to work, I had such a memory moment.  On the radio, a song played that I hadn’t heard in some time. It began…”Seeking Him as a precious jewel, Lord to give up I’d be a fool, You are my all in all…”  Suddenly, I was transported back to Haiti in the year 2000.  I’m working in a make shift clinic set up in one of the many villages we visited on that medical mission trip.  Over our lunch break, 2 of our interpreters began to sing.  Diony, the young man who translated Creole for me that week, was one of the singers.  They sang several songs familiar to us: old hymns mixed with newer Christian music.  A few of us from the US joined in. At the time, I had never heard the song, “You Are My All in All.”  The boys taught us this tune and it has stuck with me since as one of my favorites.
Another time on this same trip to Haiti, music became a channel for prayer.  As we were traveling to our work site, our bus was caught in a traffic jam in Port-au-Prince.  This was no great surprise, since navigating our way out of the city was a daily challenge.  On this occasion though, we were surprised by what had stopped us.  Along the street came a large parade of people being lead by a sort of marching band.  There were school children dressed in their uniforms walking in a group behind them plus many other assorted people.  Then we saw why they were there blocking the streets.  Being carried high on the shoulders of several men, were two small caskets side by side.  They were just large enough to hold a child the age of the school children we saw in the procession.  Our hearts went out to them.  We didn’t know their story but we could see before us a funeral for 2 young children being carried on through the streets.  Everyone on the bus was speechless.  Then moved by the Spirit, one of the pastors who accompanied us to our work sites, started to sing.  He sang familiar hymns of promise and hope in the midst of great loss.  We all joined in, Haitians and Americans together, to honor the lost children that we didn’t even know.  It was a beautiful, sacred moment. Our songs were prayers lifted to heaven.
Much later, in 2011 when I returned to Haiti, we visited the burial site of thousands of Haitians killed in the earthquake of 2010.  The place was an old stone quarry.  Something had to be done quickly with the huge number of dead in the aftermath of the earthquake.  They were placed in the quarry and covered in a mass grave.  Today there are hundreds of black crosses to mark the spot.  The wife of one of our drivers is buried there.  She was a nurse and was still at work when the force of the earthquake hit. She never made it home.  Her husband is left with 4 children to raise on his own.  He works for the Double Harvest mission and is able to support them better than most families who lost loved ones. The sight of black crosses scattered across that bleak and deserted place, haunts me still.
I learned two things from these experiences.  The power of music and the devastation of death, know no cultural bounds.  Even in a country that has known as much loss as Haiti, the people mourn as we do and celebrate life as we do.  It is the human condition. We are often so separated from people who are different than ourselves, that we don’t ever grasp these truths.  We must step across cultural boundaries, whether in the US or abroad, to fully experience this.  In this way, when tragedy strikes in another part of our world, we are not numb to it.
When I first heard about the earthquake in Haiti, my thoughts and prayers went out to those dear people I met during our mission there.  These were my friends, not unknown faces far away.  I may never know what happened to many of them that fateful day but I was able to find Diony on Facebook.  I’m not sure where he was when the earthquake occurred but I know that he is alive and well.  He ended up going to the US to study and now owns his own computer business. This was truly an answer to prayer.
Often I wonder how much good I do when I travel to a foreign country on a medical mission or to a homeless shelter in downtown Indianapolis.  Wouldn’t it be better to just send money to groups that are already there helping? My small effort seems to be a drop in the massive bucket that is poverty.  But I’ve found that if nothing else happens, there occurs a touching of souls between myself and the people I meet. A sense of understanding of each other transpires that cannot be acquired in any other way than to simply “be” with people different from myself yet in so many ways just the same. I don’t want to see tragedies in other parts of the world as just another news story.  I want my heart to ache as Jesus’ heart aches for each of us when losses occur. My faith assures me that someday each of us will join hands with humanity as the brothers and sisters that we truly are and sing together a new song for eternity.

Grace Is Not Stagnant

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The Jordan river in Israel flows into the Sea of Galilee then moves southward and it ends in the Dead Sea. It enters and leaves the Sea of Galilee, vibrant and full of life.  Fisherman are still seen on the shores of the lake, as in Jesus’ time on earth, harvesting the tilapia that thrive there.   In contrast, when the Jordan River enters the Dead Sea, it never exits. The water becomes stagnant and briny. As the name implies, there is no life in these waters. What enters and does not exit is dead. So it is with grace.  Grace is not stagnant.  If it stays in a person and does not flow out from them, it is not grace at all.  It is dead.

I was reminded of this during my stay at Henderson Settlement in Appalachia this last week with the Sheridan United Methodist Church youth group.  There were a total of 165 other “work campers” there with us completing various projects from painting to construction to sorting donations for the thrift store. We had devotions every morning presented by different groups.  On the last day we were there, the designated group performed a skit depicting the results of grace in action.  One person offered a beggar a prayer while another took it a step further by buying him a meal. Which person truly offered grace?

There is nothing wrong with praying for someone.  Prayer opens possibilities for the Holy Spirit to work though God’s people.  But often the person that should be empowered to act is you!  Grace is a free gift from God which cleanses us and grants us life forever.  We could never do enough to pay for it by what we do and God does not ask us to do that.  Jesus already did that for us.  However, if after accepting this gift, we fail to pass it on, then maybe we never really took ownership of grace in the first place.

James, the brother of Jesus, said that “faith without works is dead.”  If grace flows in but never flows out, it isn’t real grace at all.  It’s stagnant and dead like the Dead Sea.  True grace is vibrant and living like the Sea of Galilee, flowing out to everyone it meets and  touching them with kind acts and gentle words. What this looks like is different and unique for each person.  We all have varied talents and preferences. Spending a week in a dorm with about 80 other women, sharing 4 showers and working on constructing a storage shed, is not for everyone.  I enjoy short-term mission trips but this would be intimidating to many others.  The number of ways to extend grace is as varied as the number of people in the world.  We all have gifts to give. We just have to step out of our comfort zone and give them away.

But what if I’m not sure what I am doing is God’s idea or mine? Is this the work that He wants me to do?  I have often struggled with these questions.  How do I let God guide my actions?  Andy Andrews, the author of “The Travelers Gift”, suggests that God works best on moving objects.  He uses a boat in a river as an analogy of God’s guidance.  The rudder of the boat doesn’t work if the boat is sitting at the dock.  But if the boat is floating down the river, the rudder is able to move it where the boat needs to go.  Let God be the rudder of your life.  He can’t move you where you need to be if you are sitting at the dock.  Move out in faith where you see a need.  God will guide you when you are moving outside of yourself.

Grace is not stagnant.  It is flowing like a river.  Don’t be afraid to launch your boat into its waters.  The wonder of it all is that it never fails to flow back to you in greater measure than what you allowed to flow out.  As you give, you will receive in abundance, gifts that are eternal and never wear out.  The shed that we built while at Henderson Settlement was for a disabled, elderly man and his sister who had moved back to Tennessee from Indiana so she could care for him. Their 2 other sisters lived in the same “holler.”They insisted on feeding us our lunch this last Thursday in gratitude for what we were doing for them. When we had completed our part of the project, the walls were up and the metal roof placed on the 12 x 12 foot building. It was just a simple shed but the expression we saw on their faces told us that it meant much more to them.  The tears and hugs shared before we parted, are the gifts of grace returned that will stay with us forever.

Whenever I have been involved in missions, I always receive much more than I have given.  ALWAYS.  I may come home tired from the hard work and the long hours but I will continually return for more.  That’s the way it is with God’s grace.  Once you’ve seen its power, you long to stay within its flow no matter how near or how far the river of grace may take you.

 

 

Measuring in Moments

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TGIF!  It’s Friday morning as I write this and I am happy for the week-end to come. On Sunday, I leave with the Sheridan United Methodist Youth Group for Henderson Settlement in Kentucky on a mission trip. This is my first trip with this particular group but I have participated in numerous mission trips with varying goals over the years.  Often people will ask me how my vacation went when I return from a mission trip.  Many times I’m more fatigued when I come back to work than when I left.  This was especially true after two trips to Haiti.  Those medical missions were both physically and emotionally taxing. Yet they were amazing. So much can occur in one short week!

That’s the crazy thing about time.  It’s always the same 24 hr. day but depending on your perspective, it can seem faster or slower.  Every day on a mission trip is eventful. It seems to be somehow fuller than an ordinary day. Maybe we are living temporarily on God’s time, not human time.  When our clock is set on eternity, we don’t mark off time by night and day but by events.  Each day is endless and full to the max in a good kind of way.  We’re in a constant present tense.  There is no longing for the past or the future; no regret for what has been or fear of what is to come.  We are content to be in the forever “now.”  We rarely live this way on earth but we should.

Eternal perspective sees life as a continuum.  It doesn’t stop with day or night, with birth or death.  It stretches on but yet it’s not linear.  God sees all of time all at once.  This is why He knows what we will do in the future and what events will transpire.  In his book, “Mere Christianity,” CS Lewis discusses our confusion over God’s time. “The difficulty comes from thinking that God is progressing along the Time-line like us: the only difference is that He can see ahead and we cannot. Well if that were true, if God foresaw our acts, it would be very hard to understand how we could be free not to do them. But suppose God is outside and above the Time-line. In that case, what we call ‘tomorrow’ is visible to Him in just the same way as what we call ‘today’.  All the days are NOW for Him. He does not remember you doing things yesterday; He simply sees you doing them…He does not ‘foresee’ you doing things tomorrow; He simply sees you doing them: because though tomorrow is not yet there for you, it is for Him.”

I doubt humans will ever be able to see time this way, but just as we won’t be bound by sin and death in heaven, we won’t be bound by time.  We will have more than enough time to do everything we want to do and to become the person we were always meant to be.  We won’t have to worry about having to stop because the day is coming to an end because it won’t.  There will be no night. The brilliance of God will illuminate everything.  Even better, our relationships will go on forever.  We won’t be separated any longer from those we love by death or distance.  The time we were apart on earth will seem like just an overnight away compared to the time we will have to love and be loved by our family and friends in eternity.

We get a glimpse of eternity when we live in the now.  Our earthy lives by design are momentary and predictable. Night always follows day and death always follows birth.  But to live for those we serve today without thought for our own agenda, is really how we should live.  This is heaven on earth.  Time set aside from a busy, scheduled life to go on a mission trip is a holy activity.  It may be only a week, but in the scheme of things, it’s much bigger.  The time spent caring for others is measured in moments, not minutes.  If only for a week, we step out of earthy time into God’s time.  Someday we will live this way forever.

As much as possible, live each day wisely, fully and gratefully.  Grateful not just for what we’ve been given but grateful for what we are able to give. In this way, we establish the Kingdom of Heaven in the here and now, not just in the future.