What is it about Saturday mornings that I like so much? I think it”s that feeling of a day ahead of you with all sorts a possibilities. A day when I usually don’t HAVE to do anything. A day when I COULD do so many things. A day where I decide what I will do. It is the day of free will.
I passed a dead possum on the way to work today. At least I think it was dead. Sometimes it’s hard to tell with possums. They act dead even when they have life inside. I know. I’ve met a few.
“Pickles” is closing. It used to be my favorite place to eat lunch. Then came the time when the hostess, the owner’s wife, left. The friendly service faded. Some time after that, the owner left. I don’t know if he sold the business, or just relinquished its care to someone else. What I do know is that the place was not the same. The friendly spirit was missing. It was now just a business. Without the owner inside, the life it once had was gone.
The mushroom didn’t amount to much. It was just a small little toadstool with a white top-cap, speckled with a few green flecks. Most people in the park walked right past it, never even noticing, but not Brian. Brian was a very unique young boy. He noticed everything.
From several yards away, his mother watched for a few impatient moments as her son squatted in the grass, staring intently at some small object. “Brian, what are you doing? Come on. We have to go,” she said with more than a hint of irritation.
“Mom, not yet. Come look.”
“Brian, come on. We don’t have time to waste on unimportant stuff.
“But mom…”
“Brian, come now.”
Brian reluctantly obeyed. He stood, took one last look at the mushroom, then walked away. As they left the park, walking quickly toward the car, Brian’s mom was grumbling about how kids didn’t understand adult responsibilities. She didn’t have time for nonsense. Some people seemed to find blessings all the time, but not her. She had to work hard for every thing she got.
By the time they were buckled in the car, the mushroom exploded with a cloud of golden spores. As Brian’s mom cranked the car, the gold dust was settling on the blades of grass below. Before they were completely out of the parking lot, several blades of grass beneath the mushroom had turned to solid 24 karat gold. Brian looked out the window of the car as they sped away, but he couldn’t really see anything now. His mother had her eyes on the road, her mind on her job, and they were moving too fast.
Usually when I come home from Haiti, I don’t bring much back. On the last day, I pack the big green suitcase with stuff I might use next year, then give the rest away. The green suitcase stays and the other suitcases get consolidated, one inside the other, with the innermost suitcase stuffed full of smelly, dusty, shirts, pants, and bandanas. It’s easy to get through US Customs when you don’t bring anything back of any value. However, this time was a little different because I did bring back at least a couple of things besides dirty clothes. One that I am hoping to lose, and one that I am hoping to keep.
The thing I am hoping to lose is a little bug that decided to take up residence in my intestines and cause problems. As I write this, I am hopeful that my immune system has just about won the battle and run the bug “out of town.” The bug was a reminder of Haiti I don’t want to keep. Thankfully, his trouble causing days are about over and he will soon be forgotten.
The other thing I brought back is something I hope to keep. It didn’t take up any space in the suitcase, but it did fill my heart and mind. I am not sure what to call it. Maybe an attitude? Maybe a mindset? Maybe a blessing from God. Or maybe all of those things and more. Whatever it is, I don’t want to lose it because it has given life some perspective. Whatever it is, it has made me realize that life is a joy. That I am sooooo very blessed. That God is in control and all the little things I had become so used to worrying about are just so trivial and unimportant. I’ll call it an attitude of gratitude and a perspective of peace. It’s priceless.
On the way home, when we went through US Customs, I think the dog might have smelled it. Sam noticed some of it on my face. I think I even got some in my eyes. I guess the Customs agent didn’t notice though. I went right through without a question about it.
The suitcases are packed.
Lessons are prepared.
Airfare is paid.
Whisper a prayer.
It’s in the hands of Papa.
I have a cold. No major illness. No major trial. Just the minor inconvenience of a headache and a nasal system full of snot. None the less, I will be glad when it’s over and the sickness is a memory.
Colds do slow me down, but I try not to let them get me down. It’s a pain to have to deal with the headaches and snot. However, I realize it is only temporary. Colds are not typically life threatening, so in a few days, this one will just be a memory. But today, there is a battle raging inside my body.
While I write this, white blood cells are attacking the invading virus, determined to subdue it. In the end, the invading virus will be conquered. My body’s defenses will win, and I will feel better. In the meantime, this got me thinking about why God made the body “almost” perfect. His design allows my body to fight the germs, but why didn’t He design it so the germs never even have a chance? Why didn’t He make it so my defenses were so good that I would never even get sick in the first place?
One possibility: Because I was sick from the day I was born. This earthly body is not perfect. The disease of sin means certain death to this earthly body. A cold reminds me of that. Any trial, any sickness, any disease, any death of this earthly body is just a reminder that sin has to go. It also helps me realize that eternal life in this corrupt body would be a curse.
A God who would leave me to live forever in a sickened corrupted state would not be a loving God. Therefore, our Heavenly Father has provided a solution. Christ is the cure. He is a living example of the truth that the body must die so the spirit can live. Perhaps eons from now, looking back from the perspective of eternity, I may turn to one of my Christian friends and say, “Remember that time when we were all sick? Aren’t you glad we got over that?”
So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors–not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
– Romans 8:8-14 NKJV
There are only two hours left in the year. I need to write one more post to make my goal of at least three posts per month. So this is it. I almost figured it was too late to get it in. Procrastination can get you behind, but it’s no excuse for giving up. When time is short, it just means you have to focus and get busy.
But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none, those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess, and those who use this world as not misusing it. For the form of this world is passing away.
1 Corinthians 7:29-31
Perhaps I am a Scrooge. It is a little difficult to admit, but there is a part of me that leans toward the “Bah! Humbug!” side of Christmas. Maybe it’s because I am too selfish. Not with money. With time.
Christmas always comes with so many demands on my time. The to-do list is a mile long. Get the Christmas decorations out of storage, put lights on the house, buy a tree, decorate a tree, wait in traffic, wander through countless store isles looking for gifts to give, stand in line, Christmas musicals, services, parties . . . the list goes on and on.
Christmas demands too much of me. Although when I think about the real meaning of Christmas, I realize it might be quite appropriate that Christmas demand much of me. If I were to give to others all my time every December for the rest of my life, it would still only be a small sample of what God gave to us on the first Christmas. So what if for a few weeks at Christmas I have to give a little more of my self than usual? Maybe that’s just a little reminder that on the first Christmas, God gave all of Himself – Jesus Christ, “God With Us” – for all eternity.
“BEHOLD , THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON , AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL ,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US .”
– Matthew 1:23 NASB
We prayed for a good deal on a Sugar Glider.
We prayed for a good deal on a Green Cheeked Conure.
We saw the Sugar Glider for sale on Craigslist.com 15 minutes after it was posted, even though it was not listed correctly.
We went to the lady’s house for the good deal on the Sugar Glider.
We found the lady also had a bird she was trying to sell but hadn’t listed yet.
We asked what kind of bird it was.
We found it was a Green Cheeked Conure.
We heard her say, “If you will take them both I will give you a really good deal.”
We bought two presents for less than the price of one.
We were thankful, and a little amazed.
We wondered, how many households in North East Atlanta had both a Conure and Sugar Glider and were trying to sell both?
We didn’t wonder how we found this one.
We knew.