Is it really a "right"? Looking at it a different way...

 

We can be rather insistent about what WE think should be done and said, can't we?  Decisions can hinge on "rights", preferences, interests. "It's my life, so I get to choose."  I recently came across some thought-provoking statements that view this idea from an angle all too often shoved aside these days.  Let's let our thoughts be "provoked" for a bit, shall we?

"We decide we know what is best for ourselves and those we hold in our power...this life is our proving ground.  This is our time to choose and it is not our 'right' to choose, it is a God-given gift to choose. We choose whether we will offer everything in the temporary world to God in order to gain the Eternal Kingdom."* 

So...we were created with free will, the Creator's "permission", as it were, to decide for ourselves.  But He didn't include it as a "right", as He was under no obligation to add in this precious - yet precarious - capacity. No, it was a gift.  

We don't always choose what is best in God's eyes.  We don't always consider His viewpoint. Out of selfishness? Out of ignorance?  How are we simple mortals supposed to know what He wants, anyway?  (Hint: try asking Him!)

"Call to Me and I will answer you, and tell you great and unsearchable things that you do not know."  (Jeremiah 33:3)

                                                 ***************

When Yeshua came to Earth,  He was in constant contact with his Father, whose instructions to His Son included: "...to proclaim good news to the poor...to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free..."  (Luke 4:18-19) They did NOT say to look after His own "rights" and wants, but to serve others.  He knew what God wanted Him to do, and He chose to obey...

...and  "When they hurled insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly."  (I Peter 2:23)

Yes, we want things to be "fair", even if it means taking "justice" into our own hands...or at least giving it a little shove.  But we must be cautious because, as this author says, "We are simply never allowed to stand in the place of the Lord God."* 

                                                

                                                      ************** 

"But my decision makes sense!" we say.  "It's logical!"  And it may well be.  After all,  God is the One who gave us the ability to use our brain!  But we need to be willing to give HIS instructions priority, even when they seem to us to go against "sense" or logic. (Remember, if it makes sense to God, that's enough.  He can be trusted.) 

 We can also base choices on emotions, but should be careful, as "the disordered use of an emotional response can lead us to act contrary to God's will."*  It can also lead to manipulation, politicizing the personal and the sacred, or even weaponizing what we say.  Maybe this is why He made sure that his Word included verses such as:

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain deceit.  Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."  (Philippians 2:3-4)

"Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak."  (I Corinthians 8:9)

"If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone."  (Romans 12:18)

                                       ***********************

Do we realize that in giving us the gift of "choice", of free will, God was also giving us the capacity to betray Him?  To say "no" to Him?  To disobey Him?                                                     To break His heart?

Can we remember that although we may have "rights", we always have the option of choosing the words, actions, and responses that reflect honor for God and keep our testimony from being tarnished?

"In everything set them an example by doing what is good...show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned."  (Titus 2:7-8)

                               

                                         ************************

Our Savior Yeshua is the only person who did this faultlessly.  Having the advantage of being perfect to begin with, He set the bar as high as it could be set!  But we can aim for it!  He promises us His presence, and places His wisdom and strength at our disposal.  

                       Father, You did not offer us  freedom of choice as a "right".

                       Free will was and is a GIFT.  Please help us use it wisely!

         

                                                    **************

*The Road Goes Ever On: A Christian Journey Through The Lord of the Rings, by A.K. Frailey

(all emphases mine)

Nope, Galápagos tortoise shells don't work for hide-and-seek! (see more photos)

 

There aren't many empty tortoise shells laying around.  (The  Galápagos giants can live over 150 years.)  But a normal-sized person can sort of fit inside them, they are that big!  My granddaughters gave it a try: Liliana (13) in this picture, and Miriam (12) in the next one. 

Of course,  the shells weren't created to accommodate young ladies. They were custom-built to provide the creatures with a hard structure that protects them,  armor that encloses the vital organs and allows the legs and head to retreat into their own personal "bunker".

          I asked the guide which animals prey on                        tortoises.  His answer?                                                "People".                                                                                 *********************

As we walked around the grassy (and muddy!) fields where tortoises ambled slowly, unfazed by the drizzle, the 80-year-old guide shared fascinating information about these enormous creatures, and told me he had worked with some of the early conservation programs for the tortoises on the various islands of the archipelago, starting decades ago.  No wonder he knew so much about them! 

Each island has its own species of tortoise...which makes sense, considering they have no way to travel from island to island and socialize! 

                **************

These tortoises had their own spa!  (Next photo.)

            

Protection. Refuge.  They can withdraw to a place of safety.

 

We need protection, too. Where is OUR refuge?  OUR place of safety? We aren't born with built-in "shells" into which we can retreat! 

It can be looked for in many places....other people or philosophies, "religions"...but what emotional and spiritual safety might be found there doesn't last.  

True lasting protection is not in a "where", but in a "Who",  the one Person to whom we can run for refuge, strength and healing and who will never let us down.  

             ********************

                                                                                                                                            The giant to the right has its head, neck and legs splayed out on the ground, a position taken when resting, totally relaxed.  It knows itself safe.

We, too, can know ourselves safe when we accept the offer of protection God our Father tenders.  Millennia-old words are just as relevant today.

"Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings."  (Psalm 17:8)

"You are my hiding place; You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance."  (Psalm 32:7)

"The name of the LORD is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe." (Proverbs 18:10)

By the way, here's another thing the tortoises are protected from...the rain! Their "umbrellas" go with them wherever they roam! 

 We didn't mind the drizzle, but - like my husband Germán - we all had to wear gum boots.  

The tortoises also have a continuous buffet.  They are surrounded by their food sources.  

The tortoises eat mainly grasses and leaves. They also take advantage of fallen fruits - like the big guy at the right, who is munching on a...hmm, WE call it a "guayaba", but in the U.S. and other countries, for some reason it is called a "guava". (Here, guava is another fruit completely!)

When the guide told us they also eat cactus, I asked him what they do about the big, spiky spines? They actually knock the "paddles" to the ground and then paw at them over and over, causing the spines to fall off.  Pretty cool!

              *********************

God provides abundantly for the tortoises.  How much more for his children?

"His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by his own glory and goodness."    (II Peter 1:3)

                                        **********************

                      "The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;                                                          my God is my rock, in Whom I take refuge,                                                                     my shield and the horn of my salvation,                                                                                           my stronghold."     (Psalm 18:2)

                                                          ******

Inside a lava tunnel - in the Galapagos...(and in Life)

🎵

"And they all go marching down, to the ground, to get out of the rain."  

 That wasn't our goal, (although it was, in fact, raining at the time!).  My husband Germán, daughter Debbie, son-in-law Steve, and granddaughters Liliana (13) and Miriam (12) and I descended into the "bowels of the earth" to admire a lava tunnel on the Galapagos Islands.  (Actually, lava tunnels are usually only a few meters underground.)

Due to the total lack of sunlight,  there were electric lights positioned  strategically, but just enough to allow one to avoid losing one's heading and smashing into iron-hard, rough walls or banging one's legs on sharp volcanic rocks!  (The lights went out for just a few seconds...we could see absolutely nothing!)

The photo to the right looks back on the stairs we had just carefully walked down.  Due to my fibromyalgia, I have a bit of vertigo, so my dear husband stayed back with me so he could catch me if I slipped!

Thankfully, I remember from my childhood how to clamber down steep and sometimes slippery places safely.  (When walking in to our house in the jungle -for hours at a time- there were many ups and downs, creeks to cross, stones and boulders,  etc.)

I let Germán get a ways ahead of me so I could take this picture. It's amazing that this whole tunnel, and others like it, were not formed by miners searching for ore, or workmen trying to open a passageway.  This one is quite spacious, with a high ceiling.  Can you imagine how incredibly enormous the river of red-hot lava that forged this tunnel was?

This one, with Steve, is a little blurry, but shows the irregular ceiling and "floor", with rock debris scattered around.

This tunnel is only one of many in volcanic areas around the world, and I'm sure tons of people know a lot more about them than I do. (A LOT more!)  But it's fascinating to read about how these tubes are formed.  Basically, a lava flow starts cooling and solidifying on the surface and outer edges, while the steaming steam of lava inside continues on its merry way!  See a couple of quotes by the next photo.

"Lava streams that flow steadily in a confined channel for many hours or days may develop a solid crust or roof and, thus change gradually into streams within lava tubes."  ("Lava Tube" on "Science Direct", emphasis mine)

"When the supply of lava stops at the end of an eruption or lava is diverted elsewhere, lava in the tube system drains downslope and leaves practically empty conduits below the ground."   ("Lava Tube" on "Science Direct", emphasis mine)

Of course, "empty" is relative, as volcanic rocks, both loose and in irregular formations, are left behind. It's really quite interesting!

For the amusement of the tunnel explorer, the lava stream left this tiny, just-barely-squeeze-under-able passageway. (So we could play "limbo"?)  

The two boards placed there helped us not get too muddy...which was nice, as we were headed to the airport after this for our flight home!

The next picture gives you a better idea of how low this really is!

Germán folded himself up to try to get through without ripping the knees of his jeans...

...then, once he was through, reached down to take my Kindle so I had my hands free to...um...sort of squiggle under...but I managed it with only a couple of mud streaks on my slacks.  We made it!

(My Kindle was a must, as I use it for taking pictures.)

Then, there it was!   The light at the end of the tunnel...literally.  Not the artificial lamps inside, but a glimpse of the outer world, beckoning us into its fresh, open brilliance.

Closer...see the contrast in the lights? Inside the darkness of the tube, the artificial ones SEEMED  bright, especially in comparison to the utter darkness.  But Nature's own glow outshines them by far!

I wonder if this helps illustrate what happens when we die? We go through the "tunnel" of Life,  and there are lights to show us the way, to make sure we don't smash toes, cut ourselves, blunder into hard walls, or get stuck under "limbo" passages! 

Sometimes the light is dim, there are shadows, Life has irregular "ceilings", and  we walk on irregular "floors"...yet trust our Shepherd's lead.

 But when we get to the End...oh my! Up the heavenly Stairs and out into the radiant, open Son-shine and into the presence of our Father!                                                                                   *********************                

A little over nine years ago, my father (Bruce) was escorted up, to forever enjoy basking in that Light.  Almost a year later, my mother (Joyce) climbed the Stairs to join him.  Those of us who are secure in our Hope of Eternity look forward to this journey,  knowing that the "lava tunnel of Life", with its sharpness and shadows, will be forever behind us, as we gain the Place where...

                "The sun will no more be your light by day,                                                           nor will the brightness of the moon shone on you,                                                                 for the Lord will be your everlasting light,                                                                                  and your God will be your glory."       (Isaiah 60:19 NIV)

                                               *************

"Fit for Eden", a poem at Christmas

 The Nativity had already been included in God's plans when disaster struck in the Garden of Eden.  He knew what was going to happen; He knew what it would take to fix it, and how much it would cost Him.       He did it anyway!  

                                            Fit for Eden

                         Power exploded through the ground;

                         roots raced downwards;

                         a profusion of green shot out into the Garden!

                         Perfection of plants and flowers...

                         the Tree of Life. ..fit for Eden! 

                         Power surged through your fingers

                         as they scooped up dust from the earth,

                         shaped Adam, and from him, Eve.

                         Perfection of first man and woman...

                         Image of God!...fit for Eden!

                         Then...danger in the perfect Garden.

                         The Serpent slunk in...twisted your Father's words...

                         persuaded...deceived.

                         Perfect Adam and perfect Eve heard...

                         listened...reached out...

                         and were fit for Eden no longer.

                         Our perfection broken, Death now our shadow,

                         we left Eden, imperfect...but not without Hope,

                         for the cherubim and flaming sword

                         were not your Father's final Word.

                         Compressing Your vastness into a tiny embryo,

                         You were embedded in the Virgin's womb,

                         the very seed of perfection,

                         the very seal of promise.

                         And so the Creator of Eden

                         was birthed as a helpless little Baby.

                         Your power unfolded in sinless sequence:

                         little boy...young man...carpenter...Teacher...

                                        unstoppable Force! 

                         who looked Death in the eye and destroyed it...by dying,

                         then proving its defeat by walking out of the tomb, alive!

                         Only a perfect Man's blood

                         could quench the flaming sword

                         that denied us access to the Tree of Life.

                         You, Yeshua! You were the final Word!

                         Perfect Man, yet grace-filled God,

                         You "crushed the Serpent's head",

                         unweaving the curse that fell on us who sin.

                         Now, loving us who believe,

                         and shielding us with Your promise,

                         You clothe us with Your perfection

                         to make us fit for Eden once more!

                                                                                  -----Becky Rhon

I didn't mean to kill Sam...honest!

 

I don't suppose a "city of refuge" or two managed to survive these thousands of years...? No, I guess not.  At any rate, I doubt that any of Sam's relatives will come looking for me to fulfill Leviticus 24's mandate: "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth". It would be decidedly impossible for them to carry out, considering that Sam was my prized jar of sourdough starter! 

I am very clumsy (thanks to fibromyalgia and arthritis) and prone to dropping and breaking things, so it's really not a wonder that one morning, as I was moving Sam in the fridge, his jar slipped out of my hand and crashed to the floor with a burst of glass shards, condemning  him to a slow, gooey death.  (No way his relatives could do the same to me for revenge!)

                                    *****************************

Of course, Jesus made it clear that the old rule is obsolete (thank Heaven!)  (We sure have it so much better than in the Old Testament, don't we?)  We now walk with Him in a very different context,  but that doesn't mean that we won't still make mistakes, cause accidents, have good intentions go awry...or kill our sourdough starter...because we will. Not only that, but we will suffer from the mistakes of others and from the accidents they cause,  in spite of their good intentions.  (We will most likely also suffer from others' bad intentions!)  Jesus Himself pretty much guaranteed it in John 16:33:

"In this world you will have troubles."  

But that's not all He guaranteed.  The verse continues: "But take heart!  I have overcome the world."

                                    ******************************

Even when on the "narrow way" with Him, all kinds of uncomfortable, unwanted, frustrating things can happen.  That's just life; (and no, it's NOT fair!)  However, if we believe Christ's promises, our hearts, our souls, the part of us that is eternal is protected.  

"The LORD preserves those who are true to Him."  (Psalm 31:23)

"He will not let your foot slip.  He who watches over you will not slumber."  (Psalm121:3)

"Things"...circumstances...pandemics...accidents...meanness in others...sadness...lost sourdough starters...or even worse...not one of them is too much for our Father to handle, not one is so powerful that it can rip away the protective shield He places around us.   He gives us promises, over and over. One of my favorites is in Psalm 91:14-15:

          

                                    "'Because he loves Me,' says the LORD, 

                                                 'I will rescue him; 

                             I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.  

                                     He will call Me, and I will answer him; 

                                            I will be with him in trouble; 

                                       I will deliver him and honor him.'"

The most awesome way of reading this passage:  for every "he(she)" or "him(her)", put your name in its place.                                 

                                                   It's amazing...honest!

    

Things I did for the first time in a year:

 

1.) Dusted off my purse and sandals.  2.) Wore earrings.  3.) Got into our car.  4.) Left our property.      5.) Went to a store.  

Yes, in the last 12 months I had not done any of those.  But it was my birthday, and I decided to celebrate!  We were only out of the house a little over an hour, but it was long enough to see that not much has changed...but also long enough to allow me to feel a little less like a hermit!                                                                                                                                                **********************

BUT...the things I WAS able to do and have during the last year are so much more important!   In most every way, the basic foundation of my life continued as usual.  (I have underlying health issues, so have always been somewhat home-bound.) Maybe your situation is different, and your routines have been disrupted or turned upside-down.  But what about your values, your heart, your soul, your spirit?  The pandemic need not affect them negatively - unless you let it.  

For me, the things that really matter include a very supportive husband, contact with family, e-mail conversations with a couple of special friends...and above all,  my most-essential friendship with my Lord.  What could be more important?

How I wish that the people who whine so much about pandemic restrictions, and their "rights", would realize how transitory are some of the things they allow to offend them!  (If they want to complain, they can get rid of their angst by railing against the Coronavirus itself- it's tough, it can handle it!) They would do well to consider a different approach: following Ephesians 4:2:. 

"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient. bearing with one another in love."

                                ****************************

Let's try to keep our focus on what really matters in our lives, during the pandemic.  As terrible as the circumstances are, let's not live "under them".  They may not change, and could get worse.  But we CAN live "above them". It's not always easy, I know.  But it is definitely possible, and with God's help, definitely do-able.  

                                          "I remain confident of this:

    that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living!    

             Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage;

                                              wait for the LORD!                  (Psalm 27:13-14)                                                                                                                 

"THIS HOPE", a poem for Christmas (and pandemics!)

When did HOPE first come into being?  How long ago was HOPE born?

No, it wasn't 2,000 years ago. Hope began long before Christ was born.  It had been around for centuries, for millennia.  In fact, Hope came to life even before its Creator fashioned our world!

Titus 1:2: "...in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time."

II Timothy 1:9: "...He has saved us...not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.  This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before time began."

Hope was born in Heaven, out of the immense love God had for the people He would create.  He knew we would be separated from Him because of sin, so He pre-planned the way to give us the Hope of reconciliation with Him.

                                    THIS HOPE

               Hope, long ensconced within Israel's heart,                                                                       broke out from its nest, keen to make a head-start.

               Armored with strength that was drawn from the Name,                                                       it knew well that Hell would be honing its aim.

               Early it flew off to far-eastern lands                                                                                     to place royal gifts in Magi's noble hands.

               It eagerly hastened them on toward the Light,                                                                   and guarded their camp every long, weary night.

               Hope watched, alert, over Bethlehem's path,                                                                     well out of the reach of the Enemy's wrath.

               Over sheep-herders' fields it kept vigil, to rout                                                                   and deflect from their minds any daggers of doubt.

                Messiah was born!  So their spirits rose high!                                                                    And though Evil might try, it could not make Hope die.

               It skirted a plot, taking wing till it soared                                                                             above the hot hatred of King Herod's sword.

               At last, Hope held the Christ-Child in awe-filled embrace;                                                   kissed the slumbering brow of Incarnated Grace;

               then Hope started to glow...bright and brighter its blaze,                                                   transforming itself into myriad rays.

               Each ray sped with joy to create a new nest                                                                        in the burgeoning faith of a truth-seeker's breast.

               This Hope keeps our eyes fixed upon Heaven's door...                                                 for Grace Incarnate Himself will come through it once more!                                                                          *****************                                  (Becky Rhon)

Hope, in general, seems to be all over the place!  Every person lives through myriad hopes in his/her life.  But divine Hope, that took its first breath in God's presence as He planned history,  has a "Bank" from where it can spill out and splash all over us!

"...the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in Heaven..."  (Colossians 1:5)

Divine Hope centers on a most imperative need we have - and a most marvelous gift we are given to meet that need!  Hope of eternal life with our Father and his Son!  It is possible only because of what Christ did in Bethlehem, at Calvary, and in his empty tomb. 

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  In his great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."  (I Peter 1:3)                      ***************

So we who have availed ourselves of the Gift can echo the psalmists, and joyfully sing:

"I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope."  (Psalm 130:5)

"Let your unfailing love surround us, LORD, for our hope is in You alone."  (Psalm 33:22)

"As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise You more and more."  (Psalm 71:14)                                                        ********************

When we trust in our God, we are NEVER without access to Hope!                              Proverbs 23:18 says "There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off."  Promise!!

As we head into a new year, with new presidents (U.S. and soon Ecuador), even in the midst of a raging pandemic, God's promise, written down by Jeremiah, is as alive and true as it was millennia ago:

                        "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD,                                                                                                                                                                                       "plans to prosper you and not to harm you,                                                                                                                                                                                                                plans to give you hope and a future."    (Jeremiah 29:11)

                                                         Thank You!