Laced With Grace

Living in California, we don’t have tornado warnings because we don’t have tornadoes. If we did, I would have had a doozy of a warning come in last week. My life has been like fast and furious moving winds lately. And daily trials were pelting me like a torrential downpour.

Is it just me, or are there times in your life where trials come on like a rapid fire machine gun? In only one weeks time we had one gargantuan car problem, a child taken to ER, our Internet went down, our phone lines went down, my new laptop gently fell to the floor dying instantly, and the next day our freezer went into a heat induced coma for twenty four hours- just long enough to thaw out all of the food inside.

The verse above speaks of the faith of Abraham who patiently endured. Like a marathon runner, he took each step forward, no matter what the cost. His reward for enduring patiently was obtaining the promise, God’s promise. His promises to us are blessings in our lives that aren’t able to be measured, blessings such as; grace, mercy, faith, hope, love, peace, and joy.

By the time I was in the triple digit heat of my garage, filling garbage sacks of thawed out food, I was starting to find the past few days events almost humorous. My teenage daughter was helping me bag up the deceased freezer items when I told her, “Meg, these trials aren’t going to get the best of your mom. These are only labor pains. I know the blessing is on its way. I am counting this all joy, honey.” Meg looked at me as if I had two heads. “What are you staring at?” I asked, looking up from my squishy food filled sack. “Why are you looking at me that way?” “Because mom, you have not sounded this happy all week. I am just surprised that’s all.”

I realized then that she was right. I had been letting the trials of the past few days bring me down, way down. I prayed out loud right there and then, “Lord, I know the blessings are just around the corner. Help me God to endure every single one that comes my way. I am going to pass these tests Father, with flying colors.”

If my almost grown daughter was going to stand shoulder to shoulder with her mom through her latest freezer-trial, she was going to learn in the storm. Bending over her garbage sack, my daughter just looked up at me and smiled.

After all, this is only a test.

Make sure to stop by and say Hi!

Kindness seems to be lost these days.  

The other day, I was driving my car doing errands and I noticed how rude many drivers are.  Everyone seemed to be in a rush.  As I tried to navigate into the next lane of traffic, would anyone let me in?  No way!  And then I found myself behind a car in the left lane that was traveling the same speed as the car in the right lane.  So I was stuck behind them both. 

As I was thinking about this, I realize that I may not be the best person to be critical of other’s driving habits. After all, I’ve been known to test the speed limit at times.  But recently, I’ve been more convicted of my behavior in all areas ..including my driving. 

I don’t have bumper stickers on my car but …many Christians do.  Are you aware of how you’re driving, especially if you’re advertising your faith on your car?  Are you kind to other drivers?

How often do you do the following:

• Do you open doors for others? 
• Do you give up your seat if there are none available in the waiting room? 
• Do you return your grocery cart? 
• Do you smile at the store clerk who seems to be having a bad day?   

I once heard a story of a man who was riding on a bus with his two children.  The man sat there unmoved as his children were yelling and carrying on, disturbing the other passengers.  Finally, one of the passengers complained and asked the man why he couldn’t control his children’s behavior better.  The man answered that he was so sorry but they had just lost their mother and were returning from the hospital.  He was so emotionally drained at the time and been oblivious to the scene they were creating.

It certainly changes perspective when you realize … the story behind the behavior.

Sometimes it’s easy and natural for us to do kind things when we’re in church or when others are watching.  But what about the times when nobody sees?   Are you still kind?

Let’s get a bit more personal.  Are your parents growing older and having a harder time getting around?  Maybe they are more forgetful and tend to repeat things many times.  Are you patient and kind with them or do you tell them you’ve heard this too many times?  Sometimes it can be easier to be kind to people outside of our family.  We often have history with the people closest to us.

Ephesians 4:2 says “…be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

And I love the image above of the two children; one feeding the other. 

Ephesians 4:32 says “Be kind to one another …”

Two simple Bible verses that are easy to memorize but …do we put them into action?

“The church should care for any widow who has no one else to care for her.  But if she has children or grandchildren, their first responsibility is to show godliness at home and repay their parents by taking care of them. This is something that pleases God very much.”  1 Timothy 5:3, 4 (NLT)

This past year has been a very difficult year for our family.  It has been a year of multiple changes in our lives to say the least!  My widowed mother-in-law passed away in December after a 3 year battle with Alzheimer’s; my step-father passed away in May of this year after a battle with kidney failure; and my family and I packed up and moved cross country to start a new chapter in our lives in Pennsylvania.

Part of our decision to move across country was the above scripture verses and God’s leading.  Last year, realizing that my mother would be a widow in the near future had made me ponder upon my responsibility to my mother.    At the same time I also desired to be closer to my family after 33 years of living far away from my family.   This would require my husband to leave his steady employment and ministry in a very tumultuous economy to say the least.  How could I ask my husband to do that?

“Oh ye of little faith” the Lord exclaimed!  I should have known that God was working on Jim’s heart as well.   By faith, Jim and I made the decision to move to Pennsylvania to be near my newly widowed mother.  This meant taking a job that pays 1/3 of what my husband was making; no benefits (including healthcare), and living in a 5^th wheel trailer in a campground!  Scary choice to make at any age, but here we are in our 50’s – starting all over again!

Do we regret our decision?  Are our struggles to difficult for us?  NO!  Out of obedience to God’s Word, we are taking care of my widowed mother.  This has meant some sacrifices on our part, but as the scripture says, it’s our responsibility to repay our parents for taking care of us!

Now I realize that many of you are not in a position to pack up and leave everything behind and start afresh somewhere else.  But I urge you now, if you have aging parents, you need to start to plan how you will care for them as they get older.  Maybe you live nearby, then visit them often and plan on work days around their home as well.  If you live a distance, then maybe talk with your parents about the possibility of them living closer to you, or even with you.

My mother is a very independent woman to say the least, and for her to ask for assistance is very difficult, but she is learning.  In the mean time, if we see something around the house that needs to be done, we just do it!   We invite ourselves over for dinner about once a week or so, sometimes even doing the cooking for her. We have found that she does not cook for herself and just snacks on “junk” most days.  The other day my daughter called her Nana to say she was dropping by to pick something up the next morning.  When Heather arrived her Nana asked her to join her for breakfast.  At first Heather thought, “I really need to get back home”, but then she thought, “Oh, why not”.  She was so delighted she stayed; they had such a sweet time fellowship.  It make me think that I too need to just stop by more often and visit even if it’s for a half hour.  Or take mom to lunch or go shopping with mom.  Or as I did this past weekend, spend the weekend with her and watch movies and play games.

The Lord has truly blessed us these past few months since we have moved to be near my widowed mother.  It has been a struggle financially, but God has graciously supplied all our needs!

I do not know how many more years we will have my 86 year old mother with us, but in the mean time we will do our best to honor her, and care for her as God’s Word instructs us.

Today my mother gave me this poem she found years ago in an Ann Landers column.  She said she plans on making a copy of this and giving it to each of her children.  I thought it went well with my post.

To My Children

Written by Virginia Bass of El Cajon, CA

When I spill some food on my nice clean dress

Or maybe forget to tie my shoe,

Please be patient and perhaps reminisce

About the many hours I spent with you.

When I taught you how to eat with care,

Plus tying laces and your numbers too,

Dressing yourself and combing your hair,

Those were precious hours spent with you.

So when I forget what I was about to say,

Just give me a minute – or maybe two.

It probably wasn’t important anyway,

And I would much rather listen just to you.

If I tell the story one more time,

And you know the ending through and through,

Please remember your first nursery rhyme

When I rehearsed it a hundred times with you.

When my legs are tired and it’s hard to stand

Or walk the steady pace that I would like to do,

Please take me carefully by my hand,

And guide me now as I so often did for you.

Beelieve You Can!