Listen - Will You!

Have you ever watched a disobedient child? What was your first thought? “If that was my child, I’d. . .Might be a good idea at the time but then again . . . Maybe it’s time to sit back and reflect. Here is one way to think of this. Put yourself in the child’s place. Some children for some unknown reason, want their own way while others just don’t want to do what parents want them to do. Or how about asking yourself, what was I like when I was young? Did your mom have to cuff your ear? Or wash your mouth out with soap, put you in a corner, give you a time out?

If you were like me you might even have tried to do something you were told not to do? It could have had something to do with autonomy or being stubborn or how about strong willed? Yes, that's it. Lastly, what kind of child were you today? Have you changed any from when you were young? Makes me think of the car commercial from this past summer where the grown man is getting ready to throw a temper tantrum in a dealers showroom to get what he wants from the dealer.

The next scenario, you have also seen this happen, known of it happening or been part of what happened. And it happened every night when it was time to go to bed. Does this ring a bell? Did you need to; get washed, have a snack, put your toys away (Which you never put away any other time when asked), brush your teeth, get a glass of water, or any number of other things before you finally settled for the night. Well, except for our grand-daughter who would got to bed at the drop of a hat. "Rachel, time for bed". "Okay, good night".

I just love taking all of you down memory lane. By now you are denying it or smiling to yourself. More years ago then I want to admit, a person wiser then I will ever be shared this line with me. “Never forget what it was to be a child. If you do, you will never be able to relate to a child today”. Great advice I will never forget.

Oh, and one more thing, you are a child of God’s, what kind of child are you to Him? Especially when you hear His words?

Something to think about.

Rob

He Walks Beside Me

He Walks Beside Me.

I don’t know. At least that is what I was thinking at the time. In some cases it is something you say when you are trying to purchase a gift for someone. Or it could be a statement you make about something someone else said and you don’t know whether to agree or not. You might even be standing in a new car showroom trying to decide. The red one, or the blue one? It could also be when you don’t understand why things happen.

It’s times like this that we need someone to come along that either knows us better than anyone else or someone who knows more than we do. I believe each and every one of us has been in this position at one time or another. Different situation, or circumstance, to be sure. But each and every year, you and I have either said or thought this same line.

One things for sure, the question is very real. Many times, someone asks me something about God and Life. I’m in the faith business you know. This particular time I did not know the answer. I can remember a day, many years ago, when I first came out of Bible College and I thought I had learned enough and knew enough and all that people had to do was ask. In truth, sometimes I did and many times I was not so sure. Once in a while, I would make something up or guess or, can I say it, I “faked it”.

But as I sat there with this couple I didn’t guess. They had just lost their first child at a week old. Through tears the father asked me, “Why?” And for the first time in my life, I admitted, “I don’t know.” Yes, there was the temptation to say something spiritual, some over used phrase, or even make something up just to comfort them. I didn’t do any of those things I just sat there looking straight into their swollen red eyes admitting that I didn’t know.

It was at that moment that we gave each other permission to question God and to open up to each other about the uncertainty of life and the pain we were all feeling. At first I was not sure what was happening. What I did know was something was. We began to feel God’s presence. He was there with us. He came alongside the three of us, like no one else could. He not only knew more then we knew but He knew us and knew our pain.

I learned that day it is okay to say, “I don’t know”. We learned something that day. We learned there is someone who will come along beside us when we don’t know. I pray God will come along side each of us in times like these. He knows. And that is enough for me.

Something to think about.

Rob

A Glimpse of Heaven

When in the seminary a good number of years back, a professor suggested to us that we look for God in everyday life. Sometimes it was easy to see God in the everyday activities of life. In seeing a double rainbow or that first rose in late spring, or the radiance of a mother looking at her new born child. On the other hand, there were difficult days when we struggled and found none. Not that you aren’t looking. But some days . . . You know what I mean.
In those years, we found that life does present us from time to time with wonderful, meaningful inspiration to a life that was and is too busy. And sometimes, it just didn’t come easy, or at all. Over time I guess we have all forgotten how to look for God in our day. It became part of our past and part of an exercise we slowly forgot about. After all, just like everyone else, life gets in the way and time goes by so quickly.
That is until something brings you back and you get to see a glimpse of heaven just like I did this past week.
We had gone to the Tampa airport to pick up a friend who was coming in on sunny warm afternoon. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary there. People coming and going. Joy in the arrivals and a few tears in the departing. We were looking just like all the others for that familiar face. It was then that I noticed a family standing inconspicuously off to the back and side of the arrivals gate. They were no different or especially more noticeable then any of the other families. And like the rest of us, they just stood there waiting for that familiar face and quietly talking to one another.
Until . . . Until one of them saw the face they were looking for. Hesitant at first they moved toward the gate, increasing their speed as they got closer and closer. It was then that I saw for the first time the focus of their attention. It was an embrace seldom seen. Wrapped in each others arms, they held each other for the longest time. Much longer then most. As they stood there, they buried their faces in the neck of the other. It seemed like they didn’t even care about anything else around them. Almost as if on cue, another one of the family stepped forward and repeated the same scenario. Then another and another. Yes there were tears. Yes there were looks that told me their minds must have been saying, “it’s really you, you’re really here.”
The glimpse of God was realizing we will all experience the same home coming. One day, we will make our journey. We will arrive, not knowing who will be there to greet us. Then, then we will see His face. Our Lord will step forward first. Embracing us in His loving arms, allowing us to bury our faces in his robe. He will hold us for the longest time. All the time we need. Then we feel and hear His voice say to us, “You’re really here, welcome home my good and faithful servant.”
Something to think about
Rob