Monday Morning Memo: Perspectives

It has been a busy, wonderful past week.  Last Thursday, we welcomed a new grandson, Ezekiel Daniel Yao Tan into our family.  This blessed event just confirmed in my mind, that there is just nothing better than being a grandma!

During these past days, I’ve been thinking about the word “perspective”.  Ezekiel weighed in at 8 lbs 12 oz and was 22” long.  For many, this sounds like a pretty good size baby, but to us, he seems fairly small.  The reason is that his brother, Elias, weighed a little over 11 lbs when he was born almost two years ago.   So it depends on which view or perspective a person has when they think about his size.

To help our daughter and son-in-law during this time, we have kept Elias in our home for the past week.  Having a 22-month here reminds me why we have our children when we are young.  We absolutely love having him here, but it takes a lot of energy to keep up with him!  I realized though, as I cared for him, how much my perspective has changed over the years.  When my children were young, I was much more focused on making sure all of the details in my home were taken care of and things were running smoothly.  Now with my grandson, my perspective as to what is critical to accomplish while we are together has changed.  I now realize that there are very few things in this life that are more important than spending time with my grandchildren. 

I also became another year older this past weekend.  I’m guessing that to many people, I’ve got one foot in the grave since I turned 56.  But if I talk to some of the people I know who are in their 80’s and 90’s…I’m just a young whiper-snapper!   It all has to do with their perspective.

Then yesterday we had the privilege of worshipping with our church family.  It is a holiday where some peoples’ perspective is to see the Easter Bunny and get lots of candy.  The story of a risen King is just a fable to them; whereas we know it to be truth.  Our perspective, or view, is that Christ gave His all…sacrificing himself on a cross for our sins…and then rising three days later so that we could spend eternity with Him.

The dictionary says that perspective means, “a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view.”  This past week has reminded me that as I age, my attitudes and points of view have changed, due to my life experiences and hopefully my maturity.  I often hear people say, “If I would have only known then what I know now…things would have been different.”  Of course they would have been, but we don’t have that option.  And, no matter what we would have known “then”, we still would see things differently now.

It is impossible for us to change our past but we can look at our present as we prepare for our future.  So the question then becomes, are our perspectives changing for the better as we age and mature, or have we allowed the world to change our perspectives by drawing us down to it’s level?  Are we consumed with the “what-if’s” and “should-haves” of our past, displaying nothing but negativity to those we meet, or are we progressing on and moving closer to look more and more like Christ?  Are our perspectives based on Biblical truths or just fables or hearsay?

As we go through our week, let’s spend some time evaluating our perspectives.  Are they bringing glory to Him and drawing others closer to the risen King…or are our views so much like the world that no one would know we are a child of this King?  The world is in desperate need to see Jesus “with skin on”…not just clones of themselves.  It is our responsibility to make sure our views point them to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

“So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ.”

Colossians 1:28 (NLT)

Another Stupid Move :-(

As some of you know, I’ve been in a neck brace now for over a month.  I can’t say that I have enjoyed having it on…but it has helped alleviate some of the pain that I’ve been having and I was seeing progress.

That is, until this past Saturday.  I was cleaning one of our bathrooms and I bent over to pick something up and when I went to straighten back up, I unfortunately, discovered the cabinet that was on the wall.  My head met the corner of the cabinet in a rather violent way, snapping my head forward in the process.  Yeah…wasn’t one of my more brilliant moves.  To say that I screamed out…would be an understatement.  My husband Dan immediately knew something was wrong and came to check me out.  Fortunately, I wasn’t bleeding…I just saw stars for quite awhile.

Oh how I wish I wouldn’t have done such a stupid thing.  Why wasn’t I more careful?  Why didn’t I straighten back up a little slower, instead of, once again being in a hurry?

Of course what is done is done…and I can’t turn back the clock.  So I’m trying real hard to find the silver lining in this stupid “accident”.  It could have been worse.  I could have busted my head open and needed stitches.  I could have hit it hard enough to cause me to pass out and fall.  OK…that’s just about all the positives I can come up with!

So the healing process may take a little longer and the neck brace may be on for longer than I had hoped.  But it isn’t the end of the world.  The brace IS a great conversation starter…as complete strangers have approached me to ask why I was wearing it.  So maybe that is the silver lining…maybe by wearing the brace a little longer I’ll have an opportunity to share Jesus with someone.  I sure hope so…then at least my stupid actions could be used for His glory!

Monday Morning Memo: Being Prepared

This coming Thursday, our daughter Megan will be entering the hospital to give birth to our second grandson.  Knowing that life will be just a little more hectic now with two children in their home under the age of two, we decided to spend a marathon day in her kitchen last week.  Our goal?  To have 22 dinners tucked away in her freezer before we collapsed!

We survived the day…barely.  Both of us were fairly spent.  As we finished up, Megan said, “I don’t think I ever want to cook again in my life!”  She had probably cut up more meat and vegetables in one day than she had in the past several months combined and it had taken its toll.  Standing for a day can be difficult for many of us, but being nine months pregnant made it even more taxing.

All that work will be worth it though in the weeks to come, when she or her husband can go to the freezer and pull out something to put either in their crockpot or oven for dinner.  The time that they will save from having to be in the kitchen then, can be spent with their precious children or possibly taking a much needed nap.  A little sacrifice now makes for a lighter workload in the days to come.

What we accomplished that day is what I call “being prepared”.  Anticipating very busy days in the future, it’s good to figure out what can be done today in preparation for possibly stressful times.  It involves thinking ahead…making plans…and then working to get some of the tasks accomplished ahead of time to hopefully make life a little easier in the days ahead.

I realize that circumstances don’t always allow us to prepare for stressful, chaotic days.  But I do think that there are times in our life where some forethought would have prevented us from falling apart under our workload.  I can think of times in my life where I have felt panicky and overwhelmed with the tasks at hand, but when I honestly evaluated why…it was often because I waited until the last minute instead of being prepared ahead of time.

Proverbs 16:3 tells us to “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.”  Are there things in your future that have you stressed to the max?  If so, first take the time to commit those things to Him.  Then see if there is something you can do today in preparation.  You may not be able to take an entire day out of your schedule now, but even marking one thing off your to-do list will help to lower your blood pressure and help settle your nerves.  The Lord promises to guide us in our plans, but I believe He wants us to do our part in using our time wisely as we plan.

Benjamin Franklin said, “By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail.”  His words are wise.  Start taking action today to move you closer to being prepared for the days to come.

Monday Morning Memo: In His Presence

I don’t know how it is in your life, but I have days where I get to bedtime and I wonder if I really accomplished anything of real importance during the 16 or 17 hours I was awake.  When this happens, it makes me feel sad to think that maybe I missed God’s plan for my day because I was too focused on my agenda.

Then, there are other days where when the sun sets and I look back on the hours I have just lived, and I know I have been blessed with being in His presence.  I have experienced life to its fullest…not because of my plans but because of His.

This past Saturday was one of those days.  I had the privilege of spending it with a group of women at the Waynedale UM Church in Ft. Wayne.  I knew no one there…they had just asked me to speak at their “Day of Growth Spiritual Retreat” on the recommendation of someone else.

I’ll be honest, a day like that can be a little unnerving.  Being asked to speak when I don’t know anyone there can make me a little nervous…but I’m even more nervous, wondering if they will be greatly disappointed that they asked me in the first place!

I was also apprehensive because I had no idea how I would minister to these women, when I myself felt depleted.  My Hypermobility Syndrome has reared its ugly head the past few months and as a result I have been tired and at times discouraged…so knowing that it would be my responsibility to share God’s Word seemed a little overwhelming.  But I tried to focus on the fact that God had known when I scheduled this retreat last year what I would be experiencing on Saturday so He must be powerful enough to see me through.

Any jitters that I may have felt were quickly dispersed as I walked into the church and began meeting the women.  They were so welcoming and made me feel like I had always known them.  They greeted me with smiles that would light up the darkest room and I immediately felt God’s presence in our midst.  It was obvious that each of them had given up precious hours of their Saturday because of their desire to be drawn closer to each other and even more importantly to their Savior.

Another highlight that blessed me to the core was two young people, both seniors at a local high school, who took time out of their day to sing for us.  We hear so many negatives about the youth of today, but don’t often hear the positives.  These two teenagers, Michael and Sierra, were amazing.  With Sierra’s father accompanying them with his guitar, their voices blended beautifully as they blessed us with their talent.  As they sang, I just imagined how the Lord was smiling down on them, so proud of them for using their abilities for Him.

As I reflected on that day, I realized that I entered the doors of that church in the morning knowing no one…but left that building later in the day knowing that I had just spent precious hours with dear sisters in Christ.  I had also arrived worn-out…but left feeling refreshed and renewed as only God could do.  I knew at that point that I hadn’t done the ministering that day…I had just been the vessel through which He chose to share His words.

Unfortunately, I think most of our schedules are so jammed packed that we don’t often take the time to spend a day in His presence…. listening for His Word to come alive and speak to us in a new and powerful way.  As I shared with you last week, “We live in a crazy world with so much chaos going on around us and as a result, it is easy to become too busy doing those things with no eternal value.  Because of this, it is critical that we grasp what is truly important.  For us to look more like Christ…for us to be a light in the deep darkness…we must spend time at Jesus’ feet, listening to what He has to teach us.  Only then will we be equipped and able to lead others to His saving grace.”

It is so important for us to take the time to be refueled if we are going to do what Christ has called us to do.  Are you in desperate need of replenishing?  Then I would recommend you begin to pray that God would make it possible for you to receive it.  It may not be an organized event that He will use to fill you to the brim and overflowing with His Spirit.  But whatever He chooses to provide…wherever He chooses to lead you…I am confident that He will gladly fulfill your request to spend time in His presence as he renews your spirit as only He can do. 

“You will show me the way of life,

    granting me the joy of your presence

    and the pleasures of living with you forever.”

Psalm 16:11

Monday Morning Memo: At His Feet

Mary and Martha.  What a pair they were.  Martha was always running around making sure everything was just perfect while Mary was more interested in spending time with her guest.  I used to wonder if Mary was just lazy and knew that she probably couldn’t do anything to please Martha anyway, so she opted to just take a chair instead.

Up until the last couple of years, I’ve related very well with Martha.  I understood her desire to keep all her plates spinning at the same time…priding herself in the fact that none of them crashed to the ground.  I’m guessing she took great satisfaction in making sure everything was crossed off her list at the end of each day; and was very frustrated when it wasn’t.

Mary, on the other hand, was someone I couldn’t relate to.  How in the world could she just sit there when she knew that there were potatoes to peel and bread to bake?  I mean, guests were coming and what would they think if they arrived and everything wasn’t in order.  How embarrassing!  She really needed to get her priorities in order.

Then…I began spending time in the oncology center with my in-laws.  I started seeing people come in for their treatment who were pale, thin and weak.  Obviously their lives had come to a screeching halt, as they had to learn a new “normal” which included many doctors’ appointments, needles and IV’s.  The things that used to seem so important to them on a daily basis, didn’t seem so critical anymore. 

Spending the hours that I have with my mother-in-law in this environment is changing me.  While I still love to have a list to work off of and look forward to crossing each task off, I’m starting to understand the importance of sitting still.  While accomplishing my tasks still gives me a level of satisfaction, time spent with Mary’s guest, my Lord Jesus Christ, is even more satisfying. 

As I was thinking about this last week, a friend of mine posted a video of her singing Christy Nockels song, “Find Me At The Feet of Jesus”.  The words brought tears to my eyes.

"Find Me At The Feet Of Jesus"

Lord, here I am

You have all of me

Take the world

You are all I need

Find me, find me at the feet of Jesus

Savior, find me with my heart bowed down

Find me on my knees

Find me close to Thee

Find me at the feet of Jesus

Lord, I belong to You

You have my heart

My only hope is You

And everything You are

I can almost hear those angels singing, holy, holy

I can almost touch the heavens in their glory, glory

We live in a crazy world with so much chaos going on around us and as a result, it is easy to become too busy doing those things with no eternal value.  Because of this, it is critical that we grasp what is truly important.  For us to look more like Christ…for us to be a light in the deep darkness…we must spend time at Jesus’ feet, listening to what He has to teach us.  Only then will we be equipped and able to lead others to His saving grace.

 “Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet,

listening to what he taught.”

Luke 10:39

You can listen to this beautiful song at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GThyC6ZFUgI