Gotta Remember!

I gotta remember it! I know it's always true! So know matter if I'm a long ways from hindsight.....

All things work out for the best if we trust God. Can't say they always work out for the best when we don't, cause I've known of some people whose hard times went from bad to worse. My attitude--remembering to trust, to grow, to not necessarily fix, and that I'm not responsible for the overall outcome--has a lot to do with my survival in the meantime. Why do I have so much trouble remembering these points on a daily basis?!

Partly being overwhelmed. Partly not reminding myself. Partly trying to figure things out.

Trying to figure out isn't necessary--maybe not even beneficial.

Keep my eye on the One who has put me here........

To just be faithful, kind, loving, dependable, learning, sharing, hoping, guiding, helping.....obeying.

So now I need to get back to work! And then rest well, and lay it all down at the end of a day, no matter how the day unfolded.

Blessings as you trust!

What's the Truth?

I have a new "best book". A friend loaned several to Larry and I, and of this latest, Larry kept telling me, "Linda, you're going to love this one..." and now I've finally got my teeth into it.

It's entitled, "Out of the Question, Into the Mystery", and I won't try to summarize, but rather let you wonder, and possibly look for the book for yourself. The author is Leonard Sweet, and he's offered some tantalizing (I'll skip the pun!) thoughts.

One thought that has stuck with me this week, is that there is no truth apart from relationship. A situation occurs: I think I understand exactly what transpired! I witnessed the TRUTH for myself! No excuses, no deception, I know what I saw! Then someone comes along and adds to the picture of what I witnessed, and suddenly the truth changes.

Example: I know a friend who has let go of the values he held for years. He was one of the most dependable people I knew. Why did he choose to go against not only his declared position, but also hurt the people closest to him? I know I can't answer that. I have ideas. I wonder if he came to the point where he wondered what really was truth, if the values he'd claimed where worth fighting for. I wonder if he'd ever really made them his own. I had a relationship with him in the past, and that makes me wonder about his current choices. I think he's a better man than his choices make him look.

I also think that relationship is the thing I can offer him now, grace and acceptance without flaying his personality or lifestyle, without questions or conditions. Man, all persons have freedom of choice, first under God, and then as American citizens -- as long as we don't infringe on the liberties of others. The vulnerability of relationship allows for hurt and disappointment, but the truth is only his to know or share.

I know many examples where someone has done something I don't understand. My first reaction is often irritation, but I catch myself and wonder. What is the truth behind the "obvious"?

I don't understand why God allows much of what happens in the world. I wonder if the "free will" idea and covers some or all of it. Many good things have come as a result of bad things. Wonderful opportunities have grown from terrible disappointments and disillusionment. (Larry and my meeting is a perfect example of that!) But why does the mechanic who works just as hard as Larry lose his job, and Larry still has work? Why does a friend's marriage seem unfixable, but my husband listen to my pleas, and we keep improving the blend?

The more I seek to "get into" God, the more I trust Him. I know He came up with all the original ideas of life, from the laws of nature and the mysteries of the human body to the complicated facets of interpersonal relationships. Still He somehow intertwined all these facets of Divine Intelligence with a gentleness, a firm order, a justice that always makes sense in hindsight. Man, hindsight is bitter before experiencing, sweet in the aftermath. God is good. Like it or not, He is. He's pleasant, refreshing, safe, sweet, sensible, and oh, so good.

I think I want truth, but I'm realizing how unready I am for it. I have to grow before I'm ready to accept it. It's so much bigger than my own personal grace is.

The truth is, I'm learning about truth, and daily getting to know the Source of Truth, Who is Truth Himself.

Ok, let's finish today, and get ready for tomorrow.

Your Favorite SuperHero

Joy, Lora and I are learning more and more about the life of the male species as we watch Ian and Luke grow. Right now (and prob for several years to come) the boys are most excited by superheroes. As reward for great performances at the family wedding last week, Dad and Mom bought each boy a new transformer (or toy that looks like one thing but can be "transformed" into another -- I just "watch", don't want to break the toy).

Ian loves STARSCREAM. I may google the name to learn more about him. I HAVE learned (from watching a show with Ian yesterday) that Starscream is a character in intergalatic rivalry. Watch out for Starscream! What impresses Ian with this character?!

Sunday morning, a few hours after the wedding and prizes awarded, Dad (Jer) was trying to focus Luke and Ian's minds on getting ready for church. Shoe searches, sock reversals, wipe the applesauce or finish the pancake. "So who do you guys want to hear about today in Sunday School? Do you want to hear about Joshua (the battle hero who toppled city walls with a VERY small army in their Jericho dvd)? Or Samson (who Ian calls "Deli-ah", after Samson's girlfriend--another dvd) who was also strong?! Or maybe David who killed a giant with a little stone!"

Strength and power grab these little guys attention. WOW! Imagine how peer pressure could affect them even now! Just one person who seems to have more "power" than another!

Ian's reply: "I like Jesus. He's the most powerful." Kind of stops you dead in your tracks. Not because he's seen Jesus knock somebody across the galaxy, for sure. Why didn't he choose a hero that he's seen exhibit great power in a video or even book?

I think it was because of the words of Mom and Dad. Kids will believe anything that Mom or Dad say, thus the importance of parents, their consistency, and their nurturing relationship with children. Why did Ian believe Jesus is the most powerful? Because Mom and Dad say that he is! In a few years Ian will want more proof, and he will have accumulated more stories and experiences to back up the "power" idea, (and hopefully someday "know" Jesus himself). What kind of power will the boys look for? Well, what kind of power impresses the rest of us? Wealth, control, strength, influence are all "powers" we see exhibited. But we grown-ups tire of people trying to control others with wealth, influence, or physical strength.

I read somewhere that "there is nothing so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength." And I think this appropriately describes the Creator of all. What superhero maintains his position by accepting, forgiving, loving, encouraging?! What superhero holds back the forces of nature to let a bird or baby walk across a road? And what holds back the Mighty Columbia or the lofty Cascades to let the bold and the restless float or climb to the most daring pinacles! Nothing but a gentle power that delights in OUR pleasure at HIS Power.

Perhaps the favorite superheroes right now are really Mom and Dad, and eventually other heroes will fit the values Ian and Luke will have chosen. Kids WANT to learn, they want reactions, they want to know boundaries, they want our attention, they want to know we are keeping them safe! We can give choices and still give influence. We can give options without controling their futures. We can allow consequences in preparation for their introduction to the messy world.

I'd like to be a superhero, but even more, I want them to know where I get my superpower -- it's not my own!

More Grandkids' Quotes

After the birthday party, during the clean-up and throwing out of leftovers, from our 4 1/2 yr old "sage", ".... now SAVE the CAKE!"

While enjoying a fun experience, 3 yr old Luke let Grandma know, "... I wanna do it one more time, and one more time, and one more time."

Only What is Worthwhile

Larry and I tirelessly play a repeating “Sounds of the Rainforest” CD while we sleep, night after night after night. This morning as I lay half awake, I envisioned images for the sounds. I see a garden with heavy foliage, sunrays bright in spots but faint in others, with a peaceful waterfall in the coolest, shadiest spot, some birds chirping, some gawking.

Next I transferred these sounds to our lives. We are living through a rainforest-time in our lives. God is the sunlight we see brightly in some spots, faintly in other places. The waterfall is peace away from sunlight. Sometimes people and events around us are like pleasant chirping, other times more like loud gawking. We walk through this forest day after day, returning again for the refreshment of God’s assurances, sometimes strong and assertive, other times subtle and demure.

Today before we hit the floor and started showers, I asked Larry to pray for our focus. We have too much chaos, too many crises, too little time and energy. Thank God for the rainforest escape! So Larry prayed. I love hearing his soul-expression, with word phrases I don’t often use. His word pictures come from a sincere and earnest heart that always seeks God’s direction.

He prayed for only 2 or 3 minutes, but what stuck with me was his request, “God, help us spend ourselves only on what is worthy of our time.” Good point, good prayer. What might be alluring is not always worthy. Discouraging talk? Certain TV? Worry? Wishing for the future?

God, help me spend my day on what is worthwhile. Not that every minute has to be productive, but help me not knowingly go where my fortitude or ambition will be torn down. Help me seek friends that bring sunshine and waterfalls. When I plan my rest, lead me to people of hope!

What goes in must come out. What I take in will evidence itself. As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man, says Proverbs.

Today, remembering I have a rainforest is worth my while!