Returning gifts: DON'T do it to this Person!

Long lines of people in the stores, returning gift-after-gift, things that didn't fit, were the wrong color, or any of several excuses provided...simply because he/she didn't really want the gift, and plans to get something else with the refund money!

That's part of the commercialized holidays.  Returning gifts and getting cash or credit back to use as one likes.  OK, but don't try to do that with God!  "It was nice of You, God; I mean, it's the thought that counts, right?  But I really don't think this is something I can use...it doesn't fit my life.  But...thanks anyway!"

God gives us so many gifts, but we don't always appreciate them.  Yet they are the best things that He could ever let into our lives. Do you think He loves you so little or so carelessly that He'd give you something that didn't work or was of no use?

"It doesn't fit, Lord; it's the wrong size.  And I don't really like the way it looks one me."
GOD:  Don't worry.  Once you accept it, I can make all the parts mesh together so well that you'll find it was tailor-made for you.

"It's the wrong color, Lord.  This shade doesn't really show me to advantage.  Got it in another color?"
GOD: Don't worry  Once you accept it, I can sharpen your perception so that you can see it through my eyes and wonder why you ever though it wouldn't suit you.

"Um...I'm not sure if I'll ever need that...I mean, what use is it to me?"
GOD: How about asking to what use you can put it for others?  By the way, when you use the gift to help someone else, you'll find you are blessed, too.  (It's a pretty neat side-effect, if I say so Myself.)
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Here are a couple of reasons why I think we don't always appreciate God's gifts, and either ignore them or waste them...or even tell Him He must have made a mistake:

1) His gifts don't always coincide with OUR idea of what we need and want, we're wary and we tend to stick to the more familiar and "safe" side of things.  (As if being in God's hands weren't the safest place one could ever be!)

2) We don't always recognize his gifts when they come. Our human-ness makes it impossible to fully understand and perceive what God gives us and why.

When these doubts (and, yes, sometimes excuses) about what God does through, to and for us, clear up and our soul can see a little more into the heart of our loving God, then we realize that each gift is a perfect fit, is exactly the right color, and enriches our lives (and those of others) through its use.
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As we start a new year, may God help us all be more attentive to what He's doing, so we can appreciate how He makes everything "work together for good", and neither waste nor question his made-to-measure gifts. They come from a God who loves us more than we could ever imagine.

                                                   HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

I Never Saw a Purple Cowry...

We were at the beach on Padre Island (Texas) and went into a gift shop.  I have always loved cowry shells, and was surprised to see some that were purple.  I've never seen a purple cowry before.  They fascinated me, so I bought a couple.

What I found out about them was most interesting.  I don't know if it is so in every species, but in the "tiger cowry", the outer shell has the typical pattern of brown and black spots. The purple layer is underneath, and in order to bring out the beautiful color of the lower layer, the shells are dipped in acid, stripping away part of the outer layer and reaching the purple.  The purple is there, and part of the shell, but it isn't visible on the surface.  An effort must be made so that the purple will show...where it can be seen and appreciated.
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Something like that happens when God wants to refine us and bring out the beauty that He is creating in each one of us. It can't always be seen on our imperfect surface - our imperfect "top layer" - so He uses testing and trials to strip away some of the top layer so that He can work on the inner layer, step-by-step revealing our "purple".

Here's another analogy to make the same point: "For You, God, tested us; You refined us like silver."  (Psalm 66:10)

I recently read of a woman who decided to talk to a silversmith and ask him about this process.  He told her he couldn't just leave the silver boiling, checking it every-once-in-a-while.  He had to keep a constant eye on the crucible, as too much heat could ruin the silver. When she asked him how he could tell that the purifying process was complete, he replied that he knew it was ready when he could see his image reflected in the silver.

We may dislike going through acid baths, so-to-speak, (or being melted in crucibles), but we must remember that when God's purifying process in us is complete, His image will be seen reflected in us. Here in this life, no one reflects His image perfectly - though some reflect more of it than others.  But that is the goal towards which God works, the goal we should all yearn for.

"And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you."  (I Peter 5:10)

And then...your "purple" will show!

"I always put my underwear on backwards..." (Eli...who else?!)

Eli on my shoulders (Liliana on the couch and Miriam in the background).

One morning, I realized I had put my slacks on backwards.  At the dinner table, I mentioned it to the children, saying that adults sometimes get things turned around, too...not just kids.  At this, Eli (who just turned 5) exuberantly told us, with that impish, fun-loving grin of his,  "I always put my underwear on backwards...it happens every time!"  I guess that the desire to make Abuelita feel better was more important than being embarrassed himself.  Thanks, Eli!  You made us all laugh, and you did make me feel better!
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Maybe Eli's perspective should be emulated much more frequently than it is.  Even if we know that sharing something we did wrong or messed up on might make another person feel less discouraged and that someone understands, we're often too embarrassed to admit it!  (Commiserate with the other guy...but don't let on that you've done it, too!)

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 I love II Corinthians 1:4.  "He {God} comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others.  When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us."  It seems like some of the trials we go through have a special purpose of helping us to understand and sympathize with others...because we've been through the same thing as they.  We know how it hurts...or frustrates...or embarrasses...or makes one feel inadequate....and we know what will probably be the most helpful things to say to them or do for them.  We know how God comforted us...and we can "pass it on".

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We have spent two lovely weeks in San Antonio with Dan, KC, Noe, Micah and Eli.  For one of those weeks, Debbie and her family were here and we had Thanksgiving,  a "pre-Christmas" and a lot of activities, laughs, fun and love. (Dan's kids were thrilled, since Debbie's girls are their only cousins.  So when "the cousins" arrive, it's a special event!)   Tomorrow we fly northwards, to spend 3 1/2 weeks with Debbie, Steve, Liliana and Miriam in northern Indiana.  (We're trying to pack things as economically as possible...can't get over having to pay for the first checked bag!)
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I hope you all had an awesome Thanksgiving, and rejoice in all the preparations for the celebration of Jesus' coming to Earth as Christmas draws near!

Great-grandfather? "We had none...the line failing before it had reached so far back."

In a Mark Twain novel*, the protagonist is trying to gather data for forming armies, one of them specifically for the nobility (to keep them out of other people's hair.)  He asks each candidate about his forbears. "Father?"  Then "grandfather?"...then "great-grandfather?"  When he gets to that question with one guy, the fellow explains, "We had none...the line failing before it had reached so far back".  (The interviewer gave up!)
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It's interesting how genealogies can start at either end, depending on the situation and culture.  In the Bible, the "begats" always start with the founder of the clan or tribe and work downward.  The sequence of ancestors gets named and placed as they appeared on the vertical  family timeline.  It finally ends up with the person whose line is being reported.

Nowadays, when we want to explore our lineage, we begin with ourselves and work backwards.  It's close to impossible for us to do it the historic way, since there are few records that go back so far, and there are no bards around to recite the lengthy generation-after-generation records they had memorized.
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It's fun to know what kinds of ancestors we had and where they came from,  but there's something that's much  more important to me.  That is my spiritual lineage.  As long as I know who my Father is, I have an identity.  I am part of His history, I am a member of His family.

"But You are our Father...You, O Lord, are our Father..."  (Isaiah 62:16)

"Have we not all one Father?  Did not God create us all?"  (Malachi 2:10)

""For in Him we live and move and have our being.  As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring'.  There is one body and one Spirit...one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."  (Ephesians 4:4-6)
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Tomorrow I will travel with my husband to have a much-looked-forward-to visit with our descendants.  Our two children, their spouses and their offspring are precious to us.  They "belong".  We all "belong" to our family.  But even better, we all belong to God's family...we all call Him Father!
                                            
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*A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

Things that leap...and some that should (but don't always!)

Melbourne, Australia, early 1974.  Yeah, wallabies and their cousin kangaroos just amble down the streets of the city...friendly guys...HA!  Actually, we took this picture at the Melbourne Zoo, where they DO walk around, but within the confines of the zoo - which still gives them a lot of room to ramble and mingle with the visitors. 

Wallabies and kangaroos leap and hop because that's how they get to wherever they're going.  They can't do it any other way...and there's no reason to try, since their mode of locomotion works to perfection.  They were made to leap...
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and so we were!  Not in the same way, of course, or for the same reason! We can do it literally, as the lame beggar who was healed in front of the temple. "He jumped to his feet, and began to walk.  Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God."  (Acts 3:8)

But we can also do it with our soul and spirit, our inner being. Don't you sometimes feel that your heart "leaps" inside you when you hear some good news or are given a wonderful surprise?  We were made that way!  We were made to express our happiness and joy. Even when things don't seem to be going so well, there is always the Good News of what we are and can and will be through our Savior Jesus.  It can counterbalance the difficulties and draw us to the truths that make our spirits soar.  Jesus said:

"Blessed are you who are poor,  for yours is the Kingdom of God.  Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.  Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.  Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.  Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven."  (Luke 6:20-23)

I imagine that when Jesus comes back, we will be so thrilled, so bursting with wonder and supreme happiness when we see Him, that we won't be able to keep ourselves from leaping for joy! And we may find that even that just isn't enough to fully express our gratitude and amazement!

"Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.  Then will the lame leap like deer, and the tongue of the dumb shout for joy."  (Isaiah 35:5-6)  It is going to be unfathomably awesome!
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             Let your heart leap for joy...let your soul turn somersaults in grateful praise!
                                              Let your spirit dance!

              "Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: rejoice!"  (Philippians 4:4)

"I WAS BORN MODEST; NOT ALL OVER, BUT IN SPOTS."

In his humorous, satirical novel A Connecticut Yankee in Sir Arthur's Court,  Mark Twain puts these words into the mouth of his protagonist.  I think that they might be true of everybody, to a greater or lesser extent!

This photo of me (in late 1972) was taken in the house of my Aunt Marcia, Uncle Bob and six Gould cousins, down in their basement.  You might think that I was a great pool player, but...alas, the photograph gives a false impression!  You only see  what the picture seems to convey...and I could take advantage of that and let people think I was a pro...until they actually played with me, of course!  Then my lack of expertise would become obvious!  So why even try to make people think I'm something I'm not?  Yet, we all do it...maybe not "all over", but "in spots"!
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The reason is that we're all human beings.  We may not actively strive for compliments, but when they come, we certainly don't complain, do we?  Human beings like to be admired and considered "good" at what we do or are.  But at times, our lives (like this picture) give a wrong impression. As someone said, "Some people think they've hit a triple when actually they were born on third base."  It's not at all bad to be valued and admired, but we need to keep modesty as a measuring stick, and not overdo things - either way. Romans 12:3 says, "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment with the measure of faith God has given you."  Be realistic.  Thank God for the talents and gifts He has given you, for the things He's helped you accomplish...but remember from Whom they came and Who's behind them!

A story was told of King George III of England, who prohibited the clergy to compliment him in their preaching when he was present.  When one of them went against this injunction, the king reprimanded him, saying that he came to the chapel to hear the praise of God, and not his own.

The psalmist said something similar:  "Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness."  (Psalm 115:1)

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It is amazing to see the variety of talents and abilities, innate and acquired, that God has distributed among all his creatures.  But He didn't give them to us for the purpose of gaining us fame and renown! We should use them for  encouraging others, giving enjoyment, entertaining, helping those who need our particular gift...etc.  And, as we do so, let's try to "think of ourselves with sober judgment", knowing that when we put ourselves and our abilities in God's hands, He has the expertise needed to bring the most good from them, and wring the most mileage out of them!

I don't always find this easy.  Being restricted in my activities, due to my illnesses, at times it seems like I'm stuck in a corner, having to watch others go by (without me) with all their impressive doings!  I should, instead, thank God for those "impressive doings" when He uses them for His glory...and for the chance to watch Him as He weaves His tapestry of blessings.  (But I'm working on it!)

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Lord, thank You for channeling your creativity through us all...yes, ALL,  for You have given every single one of us something of value to contribute!  May we use it wisely, modestly and gratefully.





   

THE Most Prodigious Punctuator!

At 11, my sister could have been called a "prodigious punctuator"...although her specialty was commas.  She sprinkled all her writings quite lavishly with commas.  It's the first thing I think of when I see this old picture.

I had just graduated from high school, having recently turned 17, and worked for a year home-schooling (in Santo Domingo).  My sister Carol was my 6th-grade student.  (I had a 7th, and two 1sts.)  As her teacher, I was the one who corrected her homework, and was treated to the sight of all her beloved commas.  (Funny...I can't remember anything about the REST of her punctuation!)
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Can we draw an analogy from "punctuation" in our lives?  Yes...at least I think so!  There are two main applications to think about. (The first can seem a challenging responsibility, the second is an exciting and mind-boggling reality!)

 1) As believers, we are called to be careful how our words come across. Speaking like a metronome, with no pauses or expression, isn't very interesting, is it? The same is true of how our words and lives speak to others.  Are they interesting, well-timed, and "punctuated" positively?

"Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."  (Colossians 4:6)

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."  (Ephesians 4:29)

Jesus used different things to "punctuate" His messages and ministry; for example, parables and miracles. And the disciples,  following in His footsteps and obeying His commission, "... went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them, and confirmed His Word by the signs that accompanied it."  (Mark 16:30)   We "punctuate" with our actions, too, not only our words and attitudes. 
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2)  This second facet is the most awesome and glorious.  God is THE "prodigious punctuator" extraordinaire!  He writes on our hearts: "I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts.  I will be their God, and they will be my people."  (quoted in Hebrews 8:10)

Even more incredibly,  it is He who writes your story and mine! When God writes your story, planning all its details, He knows exactly where to put each "comma", each "period", each "semi-colon", each "colon", each "exclamation mark"...even each "question mark"!  He knows when you need a brief pause, when you need to stop, where you need to make a slightly longer pause before continuing, where you need to take stock of  things, where you need to be amazed by Him in a special way in order to be encouraged, when you need to wonder about things...

God writes our stories from His unique, omniscient viewpoint, using His unsurpassed wisdom, crafting a story that is lavish in its use of "divine punctuation" and unparalleled creativity!  The stories reflect His immense love.  No one could ever hope to write his/her story better than the way He writes it.  (We act as though we could sometimes, don't we?  Or we try to "correct" His punctuation, arguing about where He has placed the starts and stops and pauses!)
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"For you created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb.  I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made..."  (Psalm 139:13-14)

"All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."  (Psalm 139:16)
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Let's be thankful that our Creator is such an unimaginably clever Wordsmith, writing our stories with such skill, and punctuating them with such love, precision and assurance!