Pow.
Er … to the people, that is.
Tag: cheer
Overheard – Patience in Affliction
Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. James 5:7b-8
Faking patience. Our own thinking tells us, of course, the lack of affliction causes us to act patient.
That is true.
And as long as all we are concerned with is acting the part, a lack of affliction will suffice.
True patience. The Word of God has a different take on it.
God says we need affliction, troubles, problems, even suffering, in order to learn true patience.
Fake patience will evaporate in any trial. And trials will come.
You know it, too: No pain, no gain, right?
James uses the farmer to illustrate the necessity of waiting and the reward for patience.
When a farmer plants his seeds, he knows that he will have to work and wait before he will see the fruit of his labor. First he tills the ground. Then he plants seed and prays for rain. In a few days he sees something coming up through the ground.
What would you think of a farmer who harvested his crop after those few days’ growth? Would he have anything worth eating or selling?
No, he needs to wait more, be patient more. He wants a strong, mature crop. That takes time. He has to work—tilling, weeding, irrigating—and wait until the process is complete. If he harvests too early, he will ruin it.
Parents must be patient too.
The first nine months seem to go forever. It’s a difficult wait, but a good chance to do the work of accumulating baby supplies. The next few hours of working and waiting for delivery to be over can seem like forever, too. We do warp time, don’t we!
But immediately after that all waiting is over, right? Wrong.
It’s time for a different time warp.
Parents work for years, caring for a child and instilling in him the training, discipline and encouragement he needs to mature enough to survive on his own.
Sometimes it seems like one step forward and two steps back. After all, they DO say we spend two years teaching a child to walk and talk, and the rest of their lives teaching them to sit down and hush. Heh heh.
It’s that way for every parent. Do not think for one minute that if you ditch your child, you will relieve yourself of the waiting, of the work of learning patience. You don’t really know patience unless you’ve waited for a prodigal.
Yes, child-rearing takes patience. In the same way, our Father is patiently training, disciplining, encouraging, and maturing us—through our afflictions—to be more like Jesus.
Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:4
As we anticipate the rewards of patience, we can endure whatever happens in our lives. We can cope when we remember that heaven is forever and earth is passing. When the ground is shaking all around us and we are tempted to despair, we know God loves us and is with us. We can be patient because we know Jesus will come again and all bad things in life will finally be set right.
We do not merit any blessing from God, regardless of our personal right-doings. All blessings come from God’s mercy, and without God’s mercy and compassion toward us, we would be at Satan’s pleasure all the time and life on earth would be like Hell.
As it clearly is, for some people.
Same for our children. We love them and show them compassion, supplying their every need, for no reason other than our loving mercy. When we do not, their lives are like hell.
Never forget that.
If we want the blessing of whole adult offspring, we must humble ourselves and patiently endure the working and waiting.
The masses…
Most people today are characterized by impatience and love of ease. They are motivated by immediate and shallow rewards. They seem unwilling to work and wait. They are lured by lottery, credit card debt, and get-rich-quick schemes. They look to preachers who will feed this attitude, teaching Godliness as a means of gain. They have itching ears.
Quitting seems easier.
We should work and wait for the autumn rains. Really.
Don’t quit.
Especially do not quit on your family.
A Funny Story about My Eye Business
(And I hope the last time I ever post about this stuff.)
One Friday, after my usual eye doctor visit I had another appointment, with my grandson, to attend his birthday party, which had been arranged specifically to mesh with my schedule.
We had a lovely time celebrating this lovely grandson and the hour arrived to let him get to bed, and us home.
It’s a long drive over narrow, hilly, curvy, crumbly, bumpy country roads, from his house to mine. Some of the roads have few markings, due to paint rub-off, due to overuse and under-upkeep. Some of the bridges are only barely wide enough to be two lanes.
Quaint.
Plenty good enough for me. I drive a Ford truck. One of the last of the Rangers. Just a bit jazzed up from the last owner . . .
However, I noticed someone following me almost all the way. It’s harder, yet, to drive at night with lights in your rear-view mirror. This person was not exactly tailgating, but sure was sticking like glue. Sighs.
Also, on these country roads, we often encounter deer, skunks, armadillos, dogs, cats, possums, etc. We always drive with attention to the woods along the road, looking out for the gleam of the eyes of something that wants to hop out before you just as you pass, so you can hit it. With the smaller creatures, it’s mostly too bad, but with skunks and deer, you can really acquire a messed-up vehicle if you hit them.
So I swerved a time or two.
We also sometimes encounter huge trucks, used to help chicken farmers keep their chicken houses cleaner, that we fondly call “Tyson’s Soup Trucks”. I don’t think you can Google that and learn what it is, so just use your imagination, okay? It’s gross. Anyone would rather go one-on-one with a cement truck than with one of those. Okay?
So, we really, really yield the right of way when one of those “soup trucks” is trying its best to maneuver a tight country curve. So I yielded, really yielded, once.
As I neared town, as the road smoothed and straightened and had a more substantial shoulder, I noticed my almost-tailgater friend also had blue lights atop his car. Sighs. I was in no mood for being spot-checked, but so be it–I stopped.
The officer was really handsome, young with a baby face to match, doing his level best to look stern and official. I’d take him for a son, if his mom didn’t want him. He told me I’d been weaving and driving on the shoulder, crossing the center line, etc. Well? I guess he was so busy watching me, he forgot to watch the road. I should have bumped a skunk for his driving pleasure?
Then he began searching inside my cab with his flashlight. Then he wanted to know where I’d been and where I was going. Wow. I am plenty old enough to be his mom. I’m used to asking those things of folks his age.
I’ve been to my grandson’ birthday party and I’m on my way home.
Not convinced.
Okay, before that I had an eye doctor appointment in the really big city, to get a shot in my eyeball.
That got his attention.
And here is the funny part.
You know how the thought of getting a shot in your eyeball makes you shiver, but doesn’t do that for me anymore?
He shivered. Not a little, barely perceptible shiver, but a big shiver, one due the enormity of the thought. His big hand stopped pushing that little pen and he lost his cool for just a moment. And after that, he decided just to give me a warning and then he let me go.
But not before he left his parting remark: “Well that explains your red, weeping eyes.”
Hmm. Driving a jazzed up truck, weaving, red-eyed granny–I’m sure he was disappointed.
Eye Update
You may have noticed my vision is not what it used to be.
You may remember my long ago posts about eye health and the lovely treatments I have received at the hands of an expert ophthalmologist, a pioneer in treating exactly the condition I have suffered: macular edema (ME).
Well, in the words of his assistant, who saw me last Friday, “I have exceptional news for you!”
I did not need a treatment.
I am so excited.
The situation was a bit humorous at first. In my daze of happiness, I automatically exited the exam room and headed for the back hallway where those who need further treatment wait while trying to encourage each other. It is hard, even after two years, to allow someone to give us a shot in the eyeball. For some it is really hard. We have to psyche ourselves up and, some of us being old, we don’t always do a very good job of it.
Sometimes, as the day for an appointment approaches, my husband will catch me sighing or shivering and ask me what is wrong.
I usually tell him, “Oh, just trying not to think about it.”
I don’t have to tell him “what” I’m (not) thinking about anymore.
Anyway, as I headed for the “back row”, the doctor and nurses laughed and reminded me I did NOT need a shot and could leave.
Weird.
I got used to it very quickly, though.
Usually, after the shot, I would drive (I could still see, see?) to the nearest posh restaurant and treat myself to one of their marvelous salads, for being a good girl. Sometimes, if I’d done poorly and felt sorry for myself, I’d add one of their marvelous cheesecakes or a cloud of a tiramisu.
NO CHANGES, THERE, LAST FRIDAY!
The big change—and what seemed oddest—was not needing a Kleenex for my poor eyes, which would usually be irritated by the antiseptics used to prepare the area for this invasive procedure.
But hey! It has worked!
If, at the next monthly checkup, I still can read 20/50 and the ultrasound still looks great, I’ll be switched to every 3 months for my checkups. What a relief!
I am very, very thankful.
But I think I’ll miss my friends on the back row . . .
Weekly Photo Challenge: Pattern
This is the table arrangement for a wedding I helped cater not so very long ago.
The task, here, was to seat 30 for the rehearsal dinner, in a rather smaller dining area, while the bride’s helpers prepared the larger dining area for the reception the following day.
I was totally pleased with how it turned out. The wedding colors were brown and yellow and I love how the walls cooperated with this plan. The centerpieces are simple tissue paper flowers, homemade, but exuberant and joyful. The entire theme of the wedding was whimsical and fun, so these fit in with all the rest of the laughter.
In fact, the entire setting seemed to fit the pattern for this wedding: relaxed, inexpensive, whimsical, inviting, joyful, and at the same time, calm. The symmetry I think helped to anchor all that explosion of yellow.
We began with little idea of how it would work, although we had measured the room, and figured the dynamics several times.
I think it worked.
When you see these things begin to take place,
stand up and lift up your heads,
because your redemption is drawing near.
Luke 21:28
Sunday Scriptures – Up
It Was Timely! It Was Timely!
Do all things work together or not!
The child is ill. Still picking at his food, although whatever goes down stays down, which is improvement. He has moments of normal temp and then moments of a bit of fever.
However.
Had he not been at home with an adult to supervise him, we would not have discovered a big discovery:
Today the air conditioner decided to drip onto the kitchen floor, through the kitchen ceiling.
It was timely.
Yes.
I’ve told him he saved the day, just by being sick.
He is feeling better about missing out on all the excitement.
And it all works together when Someone big enough has the reins.
Yes.
Photo: niallkennedy
Home's Cool! 