On asking and receiving...or not. (Nice try, Eli!)

During Dan's visit with his family, our four-year-old grandson Eli found many occasions to make us laugh...sometimes on purpose, sometimes not. He often has a big grin on his face (like in this picture) and his joy can be contagious.
Riding around in the chartered vans could be tedious, but he (and all the kids) handled it well, and he didn't always let it hamper his humor.

One afternoon we headed for the "mini Otavalo", a little market with stalls offering the same native artisans' handiwork as the big one a couple of hours to the north. 

Dan needed to get some more cash, so we stopped near an ATM on the way.  Shortly after Dan got out of the car, Eli suddenly wailed, "I have to go to the ATM machine, too...I don't have any dollars!" When Dan got back, he told Eli, "I'll give you a dollar...I'll give you two dollars." Eli studied the offer for a moment, smartly reversed the lessons on bargaining they had received, and countered, How about...ten dollars?"
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Remembering it with a smile, I've been thinking on how God sees us when we ask for things.  I bet He'd be delighted if we upped and expanded our requests!  After all, "{He}...is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine."  (Ephesians 3:20)

"...for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him."  (Matthew 6:8)  I wonder if sometimes, although He already knows what our request is, He waits to see how we're going to ask Him for it.  With confidence in His power...with trust in His love for us...or with apologies...only the minimum, so as not to bother Him...with a sigh and an "I guess it can't hurt to ask" attitude...(or with a touch of "innocent" impertinence -  like Eli, who knew he might be pushing it!)?

God knows when we ask for things without fully understanding the implications. When a couple of His disciples asked for special positions in the Kingdom, Jesus replied, "You don't know what you are asking." (Mark 10:38)  Like the disciples, we aren't always aware of what the granting of our request could cost us...so God graciously doesn't give it to us!

Another factor:  "You do not have, because you do not ask God.  When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." (James 4:2,3)

So we should be eternally grateful to God for the wisdom He shows in granting...or not granting...our requests!  "This is the assurance we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of Him."  (I John 5:14,15)  But I don't always know if what I ask for is "according to his will"!  How about you?  Maybe we just need to present our requests, as honestly and sincerely as we can...then wait and see how He answers them.  In the very way He answers ("yes", "no", "later", etc.), we might  be able to discern whether or not what we asked for was, indeed, "according to his will."

But wait...look at what God assures us in Romans 8:26-27!  "We do not know what we ought to pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.  And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." Being finite and human, we don't always know...but the Spirit of God does! What a blessed relief!  What an awesome "safety net"!
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The way You put everything into perspective...the way You use your omniscience to safeguard us...the way You care about what You give us...reflect your awesome love for us. Thank You!

Weird, funny, illogical laws...and they're still on the books! (Check them out.)

The first night in Papallacta, we cozied up with kids and grandkids, watching "The Three Amigos".  Superbly funny!
The second night the kids and I cozied up again. Germán, in the bedroom below us, heard our hilarity.  Later, when I went down, he smiled and said, "You've been holding a circus up there!"  Noe, Micah, Eli and I had snuggled into the sofas for a laugh fest, while their parents listened in.

What were we doing that caused such mirth?  Well, I have a book* that lists a large number of "blue laws", laws from long ago that, although irrelevant now, are still on the books officially. So we decided to read parts of it. Some of them are just funny, some hilarious, some completely illogical!  On many, we wondered why in the world they needed a certain law; for example, "A horse is not allowed to eat a fire hydrant in ___."  (Had one tried to eat a hydrant before?  Or had they been made of oats?)  Some were amusing, but easy to understand, like "If you are riding through ___, your horse had better be wearing diapers."

Some of the laws seemed to be rather biased, and unfair, like: "It is against the law to ride down the street on an ugly horse in ___." Or "If a frog's croaking keeps you awake at night in ___ you can have the frog arrested." (Poor frog!)  How about: "A husband cannot kick his wife out of bed in ____ , even if her feet are cold; however, a wife can kick her husband out of bed without provocation."  Then there's this one:  "A ___ law forbids housewives to break more than three dishes a day." (Some of us are, by nature, butterfingers.)  How about: "You may not sleep in a refrigerator if you are in __."  (Maybe it's a really hot night!)  And "The only game you are allowed to shoot from a moving car in Tennessee is whales."

A couple of laws regarding the justice system: "In the state of ___ it is illegal to require a dead person to serve on a jury."   This case is delightful: "A lawyer in ___ asked a criminal court judge for permission to call in a psychiatrist to examine a jury member in a robbery case.  The request was denied because there is no statutory requirement that a juror be sane." 


Then there are the illogical ones that make one question what the legislators had been drinking.  Try this: "When two trains approach each other at a crossing, both shall come to a full stop and neither shall start up again until the other has gone." Or "Residents in ___ are required to fill bathtubs and unplug them simultaneously."  And "Boarding a plane in ___ when it's in flight is illegal."

One of my favorites:  "___ passed a law in 1936 stating that a dogcatcher must notify dogs of impounding by posting a notice for three consecutive days on a tree in the city park and along a public road running through the park." ( Do they propose literacy programs for the dogs so they can read the notices?)

Just a couple of chicken laws:  "Hens in ___ cannot lay eggs before 8 a.m. or after 4 p.m."  And "In ___ , it's illegal for a chicken to cross the road."  (Sort of messes up the riddle...)

Finally, a couple that make one wonder:  "If you live in the state of ___ , you can grow as tall as you want."  (What a relief!)  And "It's against the law in ___ to do anything that's against the law."  (Duh!)                                   *****************************************

I've been thinking about God's laws, which are never biased, illogical, irrelevant or unfair. Man-made laws can be all of that, besides absolutely ludicrous at times.  (I wonder what God thinks of all those blue  laws?  Maybe He laughs right along with us!)  And He has a reason, a very good reason, for every single law that He's placed in the working of the universe, in our world and in our lives.  His make sense all of the time...maybe we don't always understand them, but that doesn't mean they aren't logical and fair...even beneficial!!

The psalmist said, "The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.  The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.  The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes."  (Psalm 119:7,8)

If His love so permeates His laws, I'd say our best response would be, "Open my eyes that I may see the wonderful things in your law."  (Psalm 119:18)  What do you think?

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*Wacky Laws, Weird Decisions and Strange Statutes (Sheryl Lindsell-Roberts, K.R. Hobbie, Ted LeValliant & Marcell Theroux)     (emphases mine)

Somebody tell Cinderella...

My husband and I used to go to one of the municipal parks every Saturday afternoon to walk through the forests, getting some exercise and having a chance to just be together and relax.  (We had to stop when my synovitis became too much to walk very far.)  At the entrance to where we would drive in, there is a lovely playground, full of marvelous things to climb, to fall off of, to run around on, to whirl on, to exercise on...all spread over a large hilly expanse. (This picture shows only a small part of it.) I would look at that every time we passed...and dream. "Our grandkids would love this! How I wish we could bring them here!"  It looked so empty to me, even when there were other children there.

So when Dan and KC and their kids, came down a little over a week ago, I was so happy when, the very next day, it was possible to bring them out to the park.

Noe (9), Micah (7) and Eli (4) loved it!  And so did I, because my dream had come true!  I sat and watched them expend tremendous amounts of energy, in spite of the high elevation of Quito, just in having so much fun.  On one thing (don't know what it's called), Micah had his mom climb up to the top with him, and told her that the idea was to "get to the top, then try not to fall off!"  A good plan, said KC!

We still have another week-and-a-half or so with them here, (I didn't have time to write a post last week), and are looking forward to enjoying more time together as we prepare to continue our travels around the country to one more special Ecuadorian town (Mindo).  Then we'll have some time here in Quito, before they return to the States, and Micah has already stated that he hopes they can go back to the park!  (Some friends of theirs have come for part of the trip, and he wants to take their kids there, to share the experience.)

But even after they return to the States, the park won't seem empty anymore. It will just be waiting for them, for the next time they come down...hopefully with their cousins (Debbie's children, Liliana and Miriam) to help them have fun!
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With a God like ours, we don't have to "fly over the rainbow", Cinderella!  We don't have to wonder about the "land that I heard of" where dreams can come true.  The psalmist, knowing the loving heart of God, wrote:
                           "All my longings lie open before You, O Lord..." (38:9)
                            "May He give you the desire of your heart..." (20:4)
                       
Our dreams can come true here on Earth, because God is awesome!  Aware of what we need, aware of what we want...aware of what's best for us.  Jesus said, "If you, then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!"  (Matthew 7:11)
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THANK YOU, FATHER, FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS, FOR THOSE GOOD GIFTS!

So weary...but in His Light, "I Walk On" (a poem)

You may have read this poem before.  I posted it about two years ago,  but it keeps coming back to my mind these days, as we've faced a lot of stress and need to be buoyed up. You, too?  Then, whether for the first time, or the second or third...please read it with me again, and be encouraged!

                 I WALK ON

You know where my path's uneven,
where it's strewn with debris and stone.
You know where it turns most ruthless,
for You walked it Yourself...alone.

You know where the seas are deepest,
even there they obey your Voice.
                                                      You know where the road is steepest,
                                                      for You climbed Calvary's Hill...by choice.

You know where I'll cross a desert
like the one where You faced your Foe.
You know where my griefs weigh heavy;
when You bore them, they bent You low.

                         You know where I run for safety
                         when my courage in tatters lies.
                         You know where I find my refuge
                          when the harmony 'round me dies.

                                          You remind me that where I'm weakest
                                          your Power can make me strong.
                                          I can live each day touched by Music,
                                          for You are the eternal Song.

                                                            You know where my heart is headed.
                                                            You set all that I need in place.
                                                            I walk on, for my soul is embedded
                                                            in the depths of your Love and Grace. 

                            **********************************************(Becky Rhon)****

" 'I will strengthen them in the Lord and in his Name they will walk,' declares the Lord."  (Zechariah 10:12)

He understands what we're going through!  Absolutely! Jesus experienced the same kinds of things we do.  "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses..."  (Hebrews 4:15)

These well-known and well-loved verses even tell us that we'll not only walk, but also run...and soar:

"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak...those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint."  (Isaiah 40:29,31)

"Come...let us walk in the light of the Lord."  (Isaiah 2:5)

Yes!!  Let us walk on!

Debbie's Great-Grandma Grace (and her mouse)...and our Great Giver of Grace

We were still living on the edge of the Ecuadorian jungle in 1986, but my father arranged things so that we could travel up to Indiana to give my grandmother, Grace (Robinson) Moore, the chance to meet the two great-grandchildren she had never seen before.

Here Debbie, 4 years old (almost 5), looks on as Grandma Grace shapes her "mouse", using a clean white handkerchief.  Once it was ready, she and Dan watched their great-grandmother as she made the mouse scamper around, up and down her arm...a trick with which she had entertained her grand- and great-grandchildren over the years.  (I'm sure they all remember!)
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"Grace"...an amazing lady whose name evokes an even greater Grace and the One who offers it to us.  "And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of his grace,  expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:7)

And what do we do with this Grace, once it's been so mercifully bestowed on us?  How about...

--"...set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed."  (I Peter 1:13)

--"Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."  (Hebrews 7:16)

--"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things and at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."  (II Corinthians 9:8)

"ALL THAT WE NEED."  I read a little story about a man who came home one day and told his family that all he had was gone; he had lost everything, and had nothing at all left.  Then his little boy said, "Daddy, you have me."  And his wife said, "And you have me."  And his mother said, "And you have all the promises of God left!" The man burst into tears and said, "What an ingrate I am! I find I have a great many things left!  God forgive me."
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Let's set our hope fully on God's Grace, "expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus"!  Thank You, Father, for your love, mercy and grace...and forgive us when we forget.

"accidents on purpose"? God was doing it long before Turner!

I recently read that the famous painter Turner often got his ideas in unusual ways.  For one picture, he created an "accident" on purpose, and then...

I'll start at the beginning of this story (whether anecdotal or not, I don't know).  Turner took a blank canvas, drew just a sketchy outline and then asked three children to participate.  He gave them dishes with red, blue and yellow paint and told them to splash and daub the paint any way they wanted over the canvas.  Naturally, the kids were thrilled!  What fun!!

Then they suddenly heard Turner's voice call, "Stop!".  They put down their paints...and then he took over.  There was a big mess of paint on the canvas; a disaster.  Turner took up his brush and transformed the "mess" into a beautiful landscape! 
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What an awesome picture of what God does; what He's been doing for years, centuries, millennia - long before Turner! He can take the splotched, mixed-up messes in our lives and turn them into wonderful works of art...works that highlight the incomparable creativity of the Supreme Artist.

"The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; He will make her deserts like Eden, her wasteland like the garden of the Lord.  Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing."  (Isaiah 51:3)  The psalmist said, "You turned my wailing into dancing, you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy." (Ps. 50:11)

It's true that often God rescues us from trials and problems.  But sometimes God permits these "accidents", allowing things to happen to us...(or allowing us, ourselves, to really mess things up!)...and then He says, "Stop!", takes up His brush, and begins to transform the image on the canvas.  The people of Israel often got themselves into hot (boiling!) water when they turned away from their God.  Then He would allow disasters to occur, not only as punishment, but also so that later He could use the situations as canvases on which to display the works of His mighty Hand. "You will be consoled regarding the disaster I have brought upon Jerusalem, every disaster I have brought on it...for you will know that I have done nothing in it without cause, declares the Sovereign Lord."  (Ezekiel 14: 22-23)
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Even when the splotches on the canvas aren't "our fault", we have to remember that "I have done nothing in it without cause, declares the Sovereign Lord."  So right now we're wondering, "What are you doing, Lord?"  The contractors for the extension on our house haven't shown up for ages, the church needs a new place to meet (which we have been hoping to help out with...precisely with said extension), we had to have our puppy Kimal euthanized because he contracted canine distemper, we've both had more problems with our health lately...etc., etc.  We have to remember what He's told us in his Word, and wait to see what marvelous artistic creation comes from His Hand, using all this!
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In Heaven, we'll be privileged to look eternally on the Supreme Artist's masterpiece and appreciate its finishing touch: "Your eyes will see the King in his beauty..."  (Isaiah 33:17)  I can't wait!

"She ain't heavy...(oof!! well, maybe a little)...she's my sister."

This is one of my favorite pictures of granddaughters Liliana and Miriam.  Liliana, smiling, seems to be proud of being able to hold her little sister...and at the same time making an effort to keep her upright! 

And Miriam seems to be oblivious to her big sister's heroic achievement!

Wouldn't it be awesome if we, as believers, made the same effort to "hold" our brothers and sisters in Christ? They may need someone to help keep them upright while walking a rough road. They may be struggling with a heavy load. They may need a shoulder to cry on.  And God may ask us to do this for Him. "Carry each others' burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."  (Galatians 6:2)

If you happen to be the stronger one, put your arms and heart around your fellow believer and lift him up. Don't worry, you won't have to do it alone...because the strength you'll need comes from the One who said, "Come to Me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke * upon you and learn from Me...and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew  11: 28-30)

Asa, an Israelite king, faced with a vast enemy army, would plead, "Help us, O Lord, for we rely on You..."  (II Chronicles 14:11)  Rely on Him to help you stand firm...and rely on Him for the strength and wisdom to help others stand firm.

When Jesus said, "learn from Me", He had every reason to use Himself as an example.  Isaiah wrote, "Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows...and He will bear their iniquities...For He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors." (53: 4, 11,12)

It's true that sometimes the person we want to help will appear oblivious to our "heroic efforts" on his behalf!  But that happened to Jesus, too...and it sure didn't stop Him!
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*This is my favorite way of imagining the yoke Jesus urges us to accept.  There are places for two...one beside the other...pulling together!  When I put myself into the one side, Jesus takes up His place on the other side.  And this is what makes His yoke easy and His burden light...the fact that He pulls with me, willing to take on Himself the brunt of the effort.  I don't have to pull alone. (And if I did, I'd never make it!)
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May God help us all to be attentive to the needs of those around us.  He may point us in the direction of  someone who needs to be "held", encouraged and lifted up.