It must have hurt, and hurt significantly. I heard them talk on the phone about what had happened but it wasn’t until I saw what they described, that I really understood how significant their fall had been. You recognize what I mean, don’t you? It’s that palpable feeling inside each one of us, as we see the result of someone else misfortune, and remember a similar event that happened to us. For me, the skin on my lower back moves when I see the evidence of physical pain in another.
In that moment of recollection we relive our own pain and suffering. In a millisecond we relate and understand. Most times when we fall, we jump right back up and brush it off, maybe even nervously laughing as to deny it happened. It’s not so when you are laying there, hurt and bleeding and asking ourselves through the pain, how on earth did this happen?
It also can happen in our minds and hearts. We are going along through life and all is well. We continually answer the question, “How are you.” with great-fanfare that we are great! I wonder if it’s the same for us spiritually? I learned a long time ago that sin is part of all our lives. Oh right, I forgot, we should never use the word sin anymore. It’s not politically correct. I can hear my mother’s voice right now; ‘Call a spade a spade’. Don’t get me wrong, we all try hard to live our lives as Christ would have us live them. But the part of who we are in Adam continually shadows us. Like falling on the street and scraping our faces, any fall hurts. I once read something significant; Sin hurts and it hurts someone. It hurts, you, it hurts others and it hurts God. Interesting thought is it not? It has always reminded me of 1 Corinthians 10:12 “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!”
My friend thought the ground was solid and their footing was secure. But in an instant they went down. I wonder as we lie there in our pain that we don’t look up and see the Devil looking down on us, smiling and saying, “Gotcha.” I pray that, as we look up, we look into eyes of a Good Samaritan who has been there before. Then and only then can we join together and pick each other up, bandage our wounds and walking hand in hand together.
Something to think about.
Rob.

God's Paint Brush

As I look out the window this morning, I am reminded that things change. Life changes and we change. This is the start or if you must, the beginning of fall. For many it’s that wonderful time in which we can slow down a little and watch God paint some amazing pictures in the cool crisp air. The fall flowers have begun their last hurrah of the year and the leaves are doing amazing things in the crystal azure sky.
In the small town where I used to minister I had opportunity to notice one particular tree. Every year it was the first tree to turn colour. But then it would be the first tree to be leafless and the first tree to bud in the spring. Maybe it was in a hurry or maybe it was just God saying, “See this, well you haven’t seen anything yet.” I took a picture of that tree that first year in town. Still have it here on the computer. I keep it there and put in on my desktop about this time of year. A number of things happen when I look at that picture. First I see God’s beauty and realize there may be other people standing near by that tree even today taking in it’s amazing beauty. Something else happens to me as I look on. I realize that time never stands still. Even though we go through the seasons, we acknowledge they continually repeat over and over. The last thing I observe in that picture is, life never stands still. Today, that tree is probably bigger and more majestic and awe-inspiring then when I took that picture ten or more years ago.
Maybe one of these days I will go back there, pull up in front of the church and just sit there looking down the street to see my friend, that good old tree. I will look to see what has changed about it, and notice how much larger it is, how more formidable and majestic and beautiful it is. It will give me opportunity to observe the myriad of leaves that I never saw before. I will be thankful for what I see and the lessons of life I derive from it.
It will also give me opportunity to ask myself how much I have grown over these last number of years? How much I have grown in Christ and it is evident? How with every season I reach higher and higher toward heaven as this tree does and I recite again this year, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven . . .” Ecc. 3:1
Something to think about
Rob

It's Growing!

It was time. I know it was time. Just the other night we found something in the fridge, back behind everything else and out of sight, that has been there too long. No, it wasn’t growing but it could have been used for a science project by any eighth grader. At first I didn’t want to touch it. It was definitely past the best before dates. When I realized it was wrapped in a plastic wrap, I knew it was safe to pick up. I almost went for a pair of those yellow gloves women put on when they clean the oven . . . No. I won’t look in the oven today.
This one item told me it was time to clean the fridge. Most of you do this and the fridge is not too bad until you have company over and there are lots of left overs that become forgotten. Your routine is probably the same as mine; take out the bottles and put them in one place, all the containers of other food on another counter and anything left like fruits and veggies on another. Those items with some dubious origins, are placed somewhere else.
With everything out of the fridge it’s easy to climb in and wash everything down. I think all this came about because of a program we watched a couple of weeks back that mentioned that some fridges have more things growing in them then any other room in the house.
When the washing is all done, we begin to put all the good things back in. Dates are checked, items tossed and we arrange items by category. Even though you know it all changes as soon as you open the door next time.
Sometimes all of us need to clear out our lives. It comes along at turning points in our lives. When we move past where we have been and move into a new phase of life. It could be where we move from teen to adult, from single to married, no kids to kids, climbing the ladder of success to realizing the climb is not always worth the effort. It even happens the day after Labour Day. There are also times when we do this in our spiritual lives. Paul writes, “I press on.” Growing in Christ is part of cleaning away, as Steve Brown puts it; “ridding ourselves of the lies of the world.” In my bible I read about going beyond eating just milk, to taking in solid food. It’s another removal of what was good at one time to what is good for us now. I remember thinking about this and thinking it may mean leaving the leftovers behind and moving into a new and greater depth in Christ. Moving from Jesus Loves Me to Jesus died for my sins. And it happens when we desire to know Him better.
Something to think about.
RB

The Broken Clock

Have you ever felt like a broken clock? Just hanging around and only right twice a day? There are days like that to be sure. Days, when you are working away at the things that make up your daily routine, but nothing seems to go right. It begins in the kitchen as you walk with your bowl of cereal and spill most of it when you step bare foot on the one piece of Lego your child missed when they cleaned up before bed last night.
Taking a moment, you have a wonderful few minutes at eight, sitting, looking out the window at God’s creation and enjoying your cup of coffee. It is then that you say to yourself, “this is not a good start to the day.” And so begins a day filled with missed appointments and unfortunate mishaps. By lunch you feel there is a cloud over you and it just won’t go away.
The day never seems to get better. As the day wears on, you wear out. I bet you might be ready to throw in the tea towel when you drop a glass on the ceramic tile in the kitchen just before dinner. Personally I think kitchen floors should be made of rubber so everything bounces.
By eight o’clock, you have had enough, so you find yourself a quiet place to sit watching the setting sun, while you drink your tea and reflection on your rotten day. Looking at the clock you notice the time and say to yourself, “the second good thing today.” And you thank Jesus for those two moments in the day.
Every day is not like that, even though some days are definitely feel like that. While we have opportunity to sit and reflect on our day, recognize that beyond a shadow of a doubt, we walk through our days with God at our side. Sing along with me;
And He walks with me, And He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own,
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other, has ever, known!
God walking with us, makes every day a great day
God walking beside us, is all we need!
Something to think about
Rob