Month: November 2017

In the fall as the days grow shorter and the midnight frost starts to nip the flowers, squirrels become most industrious. They scurry around burying acorns everywhere carefully patting the dirt down on top of each acorn making it secure for future nourishment.

We are somewhat like those squirrels when reading our Bibles. Not always is a passage exactly relevant to what is happening in our current lives. But when reading we are burying seeds of truth and comfort for later times when we might need them. Just as those squirrels do not need the acorns in the fall, later during a very cold winter the acorns will be there waiting for them. If we hide God’s Word deeply in our minds, it will be there for us to use when difficult times come.

The Psalmist wrote in Ps. 119:19, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” If we store up God’s wisdom, the Holy Spirit can make good use of it when the need arises.

October 3,2000

Snow had been falling steadily for seven hours and a foot of snow covered the ground. The wind was pushing tiny crystals of ice into the tiniest of cracks. Just before sundown a towhee along with a pair of cardinals and lots of juncos were stuffing themselves at a sheltered bird feeder. They seemed to know it was going to be a long difficult night.

Towhees are not supposed to find themselves in this situation. Had he stayed behind in the fall because of the birdfeeder? Had he figured, “Why make the long journey? There is plenty of food here.” Where did the towhee spend the night? Was he cold? Was he sheltered? In the morning after the storm had passed did he have access to food? Had the owners of the birdfeeder remembered to clear the snow and refill the feeder?

In Luke 12 Jesus spoke of His father’s care for the birds. In the same way our heavenly father makes sure we have access to our needs. Storms come in life and when they pass God is still there. He always was there.

The temperature was perfect; the late afternoon sun was drawing long shadows across God’s artistic reflections of red maple leaves, yellow beech and birch leaves against a deep blue sky punctuated with white, billowy cumulus clouds. A kingfisher chattered his way across the river; this was one of life’s perfect moments.

There are those fleeting seconds worth all the years of life. No amount of wealth or fame could ever be worth just one of those gems of time. Perfection is rare in this world. To score a “perfect ten” is a moment that needs to be captured by the camera of one’s mind and printed indelibly for those coming years when other memories fade.

Have you ever wondered how heaven will work? If every moment is perfect, then will there be no special times? In the midst of an endless array of perfection, how can anything stand out as perfect? The truth is we do not know how heaven will work. But whatever it is, it will be grand.

“But as it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.”
1 Corinthians 2:9

The little girl gazed with expectant eyes as her daddy put his coins in the machine. Ever so carefully he maneuvered the stainless steel claw toward the coveted teddy bear in the big glass case. There would be no second chance if he missed snatching it from the pile of goodies. The teddy would wait for another day or worse yet for another little girl’s daddy to snatch it.

Her face lit up when the claw picked up the teddy. But it dangled like it would fall.

“Oh, daddie-e-e-e-e,” she cried.

Ever so carefully he moved it towards the opening through which it would fall into her eager hands. Suddenly it looked ready to slip from the grasp of the claw. And then it happened. It fell off the claw onto the side of the opening. Where was the center of gravity? Would a tiny teddy arm catch and hold the treasure inside the machine? It held for just a moment and then fell through the opening into her hands.

What squeals of delight! Her curls bounced as she danced with joy. But there was even a better sight to behold. It was the look of triumph on her daddy’s face.

What do you suppose God looks like when we are saved?

Have you ever walked around for several hours with a stone in your shoe? Sometimes the stone would be under your heel; then it would move under your arch. It was annoying, but not annoying enough to stop what you were doing, take off your shoe, dump out the stone and put your shoe back on. It would have taken you less that a minute, yet you persisted in enduring the annoyance. And when you finally did take it out you found it was not much larger than a grain of sand.

How much like flaws in our characters. We have little things that annoy others and ourselves, but we do not take the time and discipline to “clean house.” Little quirks of personality and unhealthy habits that could be remedied we ignore because it would be inconvenient to make the mental effort.

Improvement in self is possible if we will just make a bit of an effort. We can stop annoying others and ourselves if we will only purpose to do so. Best of all we can have help. God does say in Psalm 91:15, “…call upon me, and I will answer….”

Last week my best friend died. I have known Roger for over 50 years. Starting in college, later in various states and positions we reconnected. For several years we worked together in Iowa and in California at the same university. Our children were of the same ages, so Sabbath afternoons we were often together at either of our homes. About 20 years ago, turmoil affected both our families and we did not see each other like in the past. Five years later I received a call after Roger found my name on the Internet. After that we reestablished our contact and over the last 25 years we cemented our friendship. Our wives also became friends. Several times a year, we visited each other’s homes. Frequent phone calls filled the spaces in between.

When we were together, we would share stories from our past. As years went by, these stories were repeated and enjoyed as much as the first time. Visits at my house showed two old men sitting in recliners overlooking the valley, talking, reading and napping. The wives would watch us and laugh.

So well we did get along and so similar were our ways, we told people we were identical twins separated at birth. He said that his parents did not feed him, and that mine did. Or once he said that I was 42 long and he was 42 short.

Old people can’t easily make good friends, and making a best friend late in life, in my opinion, is not possible. It takes years to really get to know someone, to be safe in sharing thoughts, ideas and secrets. When you are old, there is not enough time to build that kind of trust.

About 4 years ago, I got a call where Roger told me that a news story said that there would be men on Mars in the next decade or so. He said we should try to live long enough to see that come to be. I agreed. A few days later he sent me a package that contained six Mars candy bars. I have eaten all but one. The last I was saving so that both of us would could eat it together. Alas, that will not happen, but I will keep it as a reminder of him. When we meet again on the other side, we will visit Mars together, and then explore the universe for a million years. BFF.
 
Richard