Peace in the Front

I'm leaving you well and whole.  

That's my parting gift to you.  

Peace.  

I don't leave you the way you're used to being left - feeling abandoned, bereft.  

So don't be upset. 

 Don't be distraught.

John 14:27  (The Message)

I love this picture, this scene. 

I don't know how it came to look this way - like a mirage - but look this way, it does.  

I think it's a God thing.  

Let me tell you why.

It looks like the world to me.

The world of steel and machines.  Of power lines, and construction.  Of pipes.
Do you see it?  The world of man?

And then, in the foreground, in focus, the trees - green and lush, foliage of summer - and the ocean, God's creation on the third day.  God's world.

And I think about being in this world,  

and how distractingly the world pulls on us and tugs at us, insists on our attention.

And how it threatens, sometimes, to overcome.
Has it threatened you?

But God sent his Son to save the world.

And we were chosen out of the world.

And everyone born of God overcomes the world.
And know this.

Jesus gave us his peace.

So I love this picture.

It puts the world, kind of beautiful in its way, into the background.  

And it focuses on God.

God in Heaven, thank you for the promise of your Kingdom.  

Thank you for your Son, the Prince of Peace.  

Thank you for this reminder of where 

my focus should always stay.

Linking with Still Saturday

For Us - Red

The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp.  And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.  Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore.  For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.  And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Hebrews 13:11-15

Every week, a very large group of writers take a prompt and write for five minutes - no time for editing, no time to really think it through, no time for polishing.  Just write.  For five minutes.  This week's prompt was "Red".   I'm afraid my word-thought associations came out a little (?) on the dark side.  But it is what it is.  Psychologists, beware!

For Us - Red

Red 

... like the rubbery beard of a rooster, folded and wrinkled,

... like that band beneath the clouds, holding up the last sunset of summer

... like Miley's lips, singing obscenity on a stage full of lost childhood

... like the balloon floating above the gray city 

... like a 1950's corvette and Elvis, petticoats and square dancing

... like anger bubbling up through veins of lava, volcano of emotion 

... like that checkerboard tablecloth laid on the table of my childhood memory

... like the lips of a princess in a fairytale, too beautiful for her own good

... like the stripes on the American flag, straight and narrow, cushioning a field of blue

Red ... like the very real blood of Jesus, beading from thorns, seeping from the lashes, dripping from nails, pumping from the heart

The heart of God.

For us.

Red.

Dear God, I don't like to be reminded of the very real pain that Jesus suffered for us - for me - but I need to be.  It's not all cotton candy and roses, after all, and what he did, what he did for me, is beyond amazing.  Grace is not just a simple word.  I don't deserve the gift He gave.  But I want to.  Help me to live for you.  All the time.  In Jesus's name I pray.  Amen.

Linking with Five Minute Friday

Choose Joy

Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, 

"Now, I have put my words in your mouth." 

Jeremiah 1:9

It's taken a long, long time for me to accept a label.  Pigeon-holing is not one of my strengths - not for myself and not for anyone else.  I see too many grays.

I remember going through a somewhat painful exercise with a boyfriend years ago.  He'd just come out of a series of workshops about relationship and he had a book.  He had me read a chapter, a chapter that analyzed and then categorized different 'types' of people according to how they acted and re-acted in relationship.  I really liked this guy and I wanted to please him very badly.  But I saw a lot of cross-categories.  He couldn't get me to nail things down.  There were too many grays.  I disappointed him; I wasn't trying hard enough.  

As a teacher, I see this labeling and categorizing from both sides of my desk.  On my side, different instruments are employed to find our 'color', or our 'learning style' - our personality type during professional development and team-building,   I can't help it - I end up pretty even across the spectrum.  I am gray.

On the other side of my desk - students come with their own sets of labels.  It's a world of black and white - students are or they aren't.  Gifted.  Learning Disabled.  ADHD.  Hard Worker.  Forgets homework.  Difficult parents.  Etc.  Etc.  Etc.  I've seen those labels color the lives of those kids.  In positive ways as well as negative.  I don't like them.  I like to get to know the whole child - the whole colorful child.  But then, I'm kind of useless in conferences when someone says "Tell me about so and so..."  Because I do.  I tell them everything.  All of the rainbow hues because I don't see black and white.

But I have accepted a label.  And it puts me in a community of many others who wear it.  It's not the kind of peel-off-the-back label like a name tag at a conference.  It's not a robe-or-cloak kind of label that comes on and off over my clothes.  It's more like my skin - so much a part of me that I cannot take it off and put it on at will.  It permeates everything I do.  Everything I say.  Everything I think.  It colors my entire existence.  And it seems to be a label of controversy.  One that is apparently illegal to talk about in my teaching. 

I am a Christian.  I am a follower of Jesus.  I believe in God, Creator of the universe, who not only knows each and every one of us, but loves us.  Loves me.  I believe in the goodness of God, and in His omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence.  He is sovereign.  I believe in the Holy Spirit,  God's spirit - holy counselor and comforter that dwells inside of me, guiding, encouraging, testifying, bridging.  I believe in Jesus Christ - fully man and fully God, who lived on the earth and died to redeem us - all of us - from sin.  I believe in salvation - not by works but by faith.  I believe that this faith changes us, allows the Holy Spirt to work within us, sanctifies us to be more like Christ.  

School is beginning.  In the separation of church and state, in our nation's struggle to allow religious freedoms to all, Christians are not allowed to 'practice' Christianity.  I beg to differ.  We don't have to pray out loud in order for our prayers to be heard.  We don't have to talk about who we are; our actions will speak for us.  We don't need the label to be God's instruments in this world.  Christ's instruments.  We can speak hope.  We can seek peace.  We can love one another.  We can choose joy.

Heavenly Father, thank you for keeping our children safe at school.  Thank you for your presence in those schools.  Thank you.

Linking With Desire to Inspire
Thought Provoking Thursday
Bloglovin' Blog Hop

Friendship of God Upon My Tent

...as I was in my autumn days, when the friendship of God was upon my tent;

Job 29:4

I can feel it coming.  The air is cooler in the morning, the early, early morning, before the sun, before the birds.  It refreshes.  Like a tall glass of water, droplets condensed like pearls on the outside.  Sipping cool.  This air, this time is meant to be sipped.  Savored.  Enjoyed.

The dogwood trees are changing, losing the brilliant green of summer, the rich verdant-velvet cloak they've worn since the crucifixion-of-spring petals dropped away.  Between the leaves are new berries, some still green, but turning.  Changing daily to a rich, robust red, the color a harbinger of refinement to come.  The leaves themselves are rusting, slowly, like slate steps in mist.  Steps leading through the passage of time.

I, too, am changing  I can feel it coming.  Easily persuaded to watch the rites of Spring - memories of my own participation vivid, yet distant.   The effervescence, the exuberant movement of the youth.  Elastic.  Vibrant.  Noisy.  Full of joy.  I savor this sip of time.

I savor the time of summer, too.  The time of maturity, responsibility, love and parenthood.  Thirst quenched by summer rains of rich blessings, family gatherings, and friends.

Autumn is almost upon us.  Almost upon me.  Rich in color, refreshing and cool.  Peaceful.  Leaves let go of the branches that hold them.  Let go and fall, freely, to rest quietly on the ground.  Still.  Like God's hand, cushioning sound and seed, blanketing, protecting.  I feel the friendship of God.

In his suffering, Job looked back at the blessings he had once taken for granted; his wealth, the ease of his life, respect from old and young, rich and poor.  In his memories, he didn't the know the trials his future was to hold.  We don't know the trials our futures will hold.  But we know our God and He knows us.  We know our Jesus, who died so we could call Him ours.  Job suffered.  In the midst of his suffering, in the midst of his pain, he got down on his knees and praised God.  Amazing love!  In the midst of crying out to God in his pain, he called on the name of Jesus.  I know that my Redeemer lives!  Amazing grace!

Time passes; it circles; it folds upon itself again and again.  Seasons.  On earth as in heaven.  Seasons in the year.  Seasons in our lives.  Seasons in Jesus.  Seasons in eternity.  We are born.  We grow.  We laugh, we cry, we change.   Today, I thank God for his friendship upon my tent.  I thank God for seasons.

Father God, thank you for helping us to grow in You.  Thank you for changes.

Linking With Encourage One Another

The World

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. 

Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 

I John 4:7

"It's 6:30 - s'Labor Day - the office is closed."

My daughter stood on the other side of my desk - competing with the view through the window and the blog I was reading on my computer screen.  She was already dressed - pink shorts, tie-dyed t-shirt, pink hat - and she was determined to get my attention.

"Mom, i'sLabor Day - a holiday - the office is closed."

Yes, I squished the words together on purpose.  It's how Sierra talks, sometimes.  Putting the back half of some words with the front half of others.  It's how she hears them.  So Labor Day became s'Labor Day.  And it was as much the charm of that label as the announcement that the office was closed that made me shut my computer off and let my blog go.  Unfinished.  Which would normally bother my OCDness, but was actually fine.  Freeing.  Liberating.

Then she told me the breakfast bell had rung.  Where in the world did I GET this girl.  This child - no, young woman (as she reminds me on a regular basis...).  Yes, the one who years ago would have been left out in a wild place to die, or locked away for life in isolation, who would not have been exposed to education or social situations, who would not have received the medical care she needed - because she was different.  Not only different, but in a medieval way of thinking, less able to be, to do, to live.  My daughter.  Who does NOT suffer from Down Syndrome, but pushes it's boundaries.  Every. Single. Day.

This is the girl who hears of a disaster on the news, a missing person, loss of jobs, wildfires, weather and immediately announces that she will pray for them.  Not only pray for them, if names were mentioned - she will pray for them by name.  Because she cares about people.  Even strangers.  This is a girl who analyzes peoples' names, finds the common letters in her own - and creates relationship - she's my sister, there is i and a.... he's my brother, starts with s....  This is the girl who has started asking every nurse and aid she encounters their name - and then introduces herself with a handshake.  This is the girl who looked at me this weekend and added a new phrase to her litany about being a leader for the high school youth group.  "I am a leader this year.  Are you amazed?"

How did she know!  Yes, I am amazed.

And yet, occasionally, the world steps in and gives me a huge reality check.  It was Mission Sunday last weekend, and our entire church had multiple programs for the congregation to take part in.  Due to a minor miscommunication with her Sunday School, my daughter and I showed up to help with a mission group that wasn't prepared for us.  It was difficult to see the judgement and panic in the eyes of the group when they saw Sierra.  "We're full", they said.  "There just isn't room."  They said.  "No one told us you were coming."  They said.

"It's ok."  I smiled through the start of tears.  "We'll find another group."

So we made our way to the lobby where several activities were going on.  It looked like several groups were busy with their assignments.  One of the church leaders came up to us; we were standing, assessing the situation, deciding where we could help.  He looked at Sierra first, smiling, then at me.

"We've got it all taken care of, here," he said.  "There just isn't any more work to do."  He said.  "No one told us you were coming."  He said.

I am sure that no one intended to marginalize my daughter and me.  I know most of these people and they love my daughter, and they love one another, and they had come to church early to serve,  to love the world through their missions.   But the judgement, the marginalization - it happens.

Here are some suggestions:

• When someone asks to be put to work, find something for them - even Sierra can fold and count sets of programs, or stuff envelopes.  She ended up putting bookmarks into pews - working together with a partner to ensure there were five in each slot... Jobs may take a little more explanation and a couple of examples, but the reward is priceless.

• Always start with high expectations, then adjust and break things down.  It's like teaching someone to fish or giving them a fish.  The teaching is better in the long run - for everyone. 

• Don't ever assume you know someone's capabilities by looking at them.  They can and will surprise you if you use more than your eyes in judgement. 

Jesus said the world will happen - it is the nature of the world.  Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come... Matthew 18:7   The world is kind of our first nature.  So we need to be aware of when the world limits our vision; we need to learn again how to see without labels; we need to humble ourselves to serve.  God gave us a multitude of gifts, each different, each valuable.  Use them.  Appreciate them.  Find joy in them.

Father, thank you for Sierra!  Thank you for our church.  Help us all to help one another live as you would have us live.  

Linking with Women Helping Women