Tunnel Vision

For those who like to see the world, there are highways built just for you. Grand works of construction that run great distances, where you can travel miles without the opportunity to exit. The Turnpike here is one of those.

There is a mountain that sits in the middle of that Turnpike. It looms up in the distance as you approach, and the closer you get, the larger it grows. I suppose a driver could stop. He could pull over on the shoulder, look into the distance at this great obstruction, and declare his life over. "Whoa, whoa is me", he says as he looks ahead, "there is a mountain too great ahead. I can neither go over, nor around, so here I will sit until I die." I know, a bit dramatic, don't you think? Would the Engineer who planned this route allow it to come to an abrupt end? Would he desire disaster for the people who want to use it? I think not.

We travel daily down the highway called life. Every day mountains loom up in front of us. From a distance, the size of the rocks ahead can overwhelm us. We pull over, put our head in our hands, and cry "whoa is me, there is a mountain too great ahead. I can neither go over, nor around, so here I will sit until I die." Oh, poor little friend, wipe your eyes, and look again. You see, the Engineer was here first. He saw that monstrosity sitting in your path long before you even knew it was there. He has already cleared the way for you. Through sweat, and blood, and back breaking labor, He has drilled, and blasted a tunnel through that stone. There is an opening ahead, but you won't ever enter it if you're idling at a distance. Getting through involves action, start moving again.  It involves trust, trust the One who created your path, and it involves faith, believe there is a way forward. The devil would like you to believe that you have been abandoned. Run him over.


Psalms 37:18 The blameless spend their days under the LORD’s care, and their inheritance will endure forever.

19 In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty. 

 

Psalms 37: 23 The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him;

24 though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.                    

Psalms 37:39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; He is their stronghold in time of trouble.                            

The Way

We all have a route we travel on a daily basis. A certain road that becomes a part of us, one on which we can drive confidently in the fog, or the snow.  It's path is ingrained in us, every curve, every intersection. I drive a highway like that.  I know where to slow down for the bumps, where the scenery will change, and where to expect slippery spots when it snows.  One day, while driving down that stretch, I passed a car on the shoulder with it's four-ways on.  The man behind the wheel had a large map unfolded on the dash. He was obviously lost. "How odd", I thought to myself, "that someone could be lost here", and then I kept going.

God has reminded me, almost daily since that incident, about the times that I have "driven" by someone who was "lost".  That I knew the "Way", and didn't take time to stop, and show them.  That I had exactly what that person needed to know in that moment, and I told myself I was too busy, or I didn't feel safe. How sad. How incredibly sad.

There is someone in your life who is parked along the side of a dark road today. They have pulled out all of their maps, wiped the anxious sweat from their brows, and they are frantically looking for their way Home. You are the only one who can show them how to get there.

Luke 10: 25-37

25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]”

28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Peas and Thank you

I was standing in the garden staring at the peas. It's a nightly ritual, wandering around the raised beds staring at the plants. I don't know what's supposed to happen there, but tonight the peas were talking. I planted the seeds under a makeshift trellis. It doesn't look like much, just an old swing frame and some clothesline, but it does the trick. Today, I noticed that those peas had finally gotten tall enough to wrap their fingers around the first rope.

Now, the peas didn't know there was anything up there. They had no idea that someone had painstakingly prepared a place for them. They spent quite a few weeks blowing around in the wind, convinced that they were going to fall over and be eaten by rabbits. Worried, angry little peas.

I'm fairly certain that on most days, we're like that,too. None of us think about the fact that God has already gone ahead of us. He has already prepared exactly what we need, at exactly the right moment. We're so busy blowing around in the wind, convinced that we're going to fall, and that life will devour us, when, in reality, we're only a few days short of the mark.

God's got you. You might not see Him, but there's a Master Gardener walking around the raised bed of your life right now. He's saying encouraging words like "almost there, you can do it, reach up, grab hold". He's setting you in the place where you'll get the most sun, and the best of the rain, and where you are protected from the wind. He has already surrounded you with a sturdy, high fence to keep out your adversaries, and now and then, He walks around the garden of your life smiling, and waiting for the harvest.

Genesis 2:8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.

If I Wrote In 1750

I consider it an honor to die in the service of our Lord, Who gave it all for the wretch that is me. What glorious respite to be removed from this earthly life to abide with Him eternally. I will not fear those who might kill my body, rather let me run from the one seeking my everlasting soul. When I die, whether by earthly end, or evil hand, I pray that death would find me in the middle of doing unto Him. Amen.

H2O

When I was a kid, we went to the Catholic church, and I remember walking in the door and dipping my hand in the "holy water". Funny how some memories come rushing back when you least expect them. It was a sprinkling. The water, not the memory. I think the sound of the rain on our roof today brought it to mind. 

We don't think much about water in America. It comes out of the tap abundantly, and without effort. Not so in other places in the world where the only water has to be sought out, and then carried a distance. That's why, in John 4, we find a woman at a well, and Jesus using that moment of daily life to introduce Himself. There she was with her bucket, working hard at mid day, maybe wondering how many trips it would take to care for her household, when along came Jesus offering a different kind of water. Living water. The kind that washes you from your head to your toes and takes all the filth and sin away. The kind that quenches that thirst to understand who you are, and Whose you are. It was water that rushed into all the empty spaces in her heart, and filled them. Do you think she was still thinking about her laundry, or the dishes to be washed, or even physical thirst after that?

I've found, as the years have gone by, that I am no longer satisfied with dipping my hands in holy water, I want a drowning. I daily ask for God to immerse me in Himself, so much so that I can feel water up my nose, and on my skin, and in my wet hair. I pray that for my kids, for my family, and my friends, and my enemies. Especially for the ones standing in the heat on the sandy shore, inches from the waves, parched and longing. Step in. Step. In. You will thirst no more. John 4

A Dog's Life

Lessons from the dog: Hammie crates himself when he does something bad. Last night, I saw him grab the closed crate door and pull it open. I figured he was planning ahead. He knew the dinner table was a temptation, and that he'd rather risk the punishment if he could only get to a couple crumbs on the floor. Sin is like that, isn't it? Sometimes it feels like it would all be worth it, that stepping over the line. The trouble is, it isn't. Solitary confinement for the sake of a morsel of food on the floor? The kibbles bowl was full. The water bowl was full. The "good stuff" was right there in front of him, but that tug was more than he could bear. What he didn't know was that I had a reward for him if he stayed out of the kitchen. I would have slipped him a couple of good scraps from the table (I know, don't tell the vet). There was a bigger reward in "not sinning" than in sinning. That's the truth for all of us. Are you feeling it today? Are you feeling that pull toward something you should not do or have? Run. That's right, run. In the opposite direction. It might feel like a good idea right this minute, but in reality the thing you're after just rolled across the dirty floor. It's covered in dust and dog hair. Ew.

1 Corinthians 10:12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 

13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

A Waiting Season

Sometimes in Winter, it's hard to see the promise of Spring. The gray landscape, the cold wind that makes you want to huddle under a blanket. I look at the garden. Pieces of dead vegetation are tumbled in the mud, and bits of Autumn's harvest cling to the fencing with no hope for tomorrow. It's bleak, and it brings me no joy. I want to walk backward six months to the days when I watched the earth for seedlings, and rejoiced to see the flowers budding out. I want to smell the soil baking under a warm sun. I want, I want, I want...and then I am reminded. I am reminded that although it looks like all is lost, there is a purpose for this season. The seeds that have fallen to the ground need to sit and wait. They need to experience the fury of Winter in order to burst forth in Spring. This is not idle time. Were it not for the frozen ground heaving up and becoming broken, the seeds could never be planted. They would still lie atop the garden beds when the snow melted away, and they would be eaten by the birds, or rot in the muddy mess. I wonder what the seed thinks as it tumbles down the abyss created by that heaving soil. It probably thinks it is finished. It has no legs to climb it's way back out, no voice to cry for help. Done, I'm done. The days tick by, the seed remains in the cavern. Then, one day, long after the seed has given up all hope, something amazing happens. It burst forth from it's assumed prison, and becomes something beautiful.

 Ecclesiastes 3:1There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven—

      2A time to give birth and a time to die;
            A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.

      3A time to kill and a time to heal;
            A time to tear down and a time to build up.

      4A time to weep and a time to laugh;
            A time to mourn and a time to dance...

Ecclesiastes 3:11 11He has made everything beautiful in its time.