A Timeless Idea

Lately, I have been reading the Book of Psalms.  I've just gotten started, but as usual, am struck by the relevance of the Scriptures.  Time and time again, Scott and I have shaken our heads in disgust at those who operate with no qualifications but their own advancement or gratification.  We hurt for the innocents who are caught up in others' quest for "the good life" -- for themselves, others be damned.  We wonder at the unfairness of it all.  How can the righteous be expected to continue that way, when unrighteousness seems to prosper others to no end?  How can God allow some folks to toil like a couple of hard-working stiffs while those who refuse to take care of the responsibilities they have, go on to receive all the glory, all the perks? 

Now, we know our frustration is based on worldly ideals, childish viewpoints and temporal gratifications, but let's face it, we are human and living in an imperfect world; we're bound to feel that way sometimes.  The author of many psalms, David, did too.  In Psalm 12 David talks about wickedness that seems to surround him: "...the faithful have vanished from among the children of man," he says.  "Everyone utters lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak."  Was it truly "everyone?"  Most likely not, but it seemed that way to David; he was clearly burdened by it.  Psalm 10 tells of the wicked who prey on the poor, scheming against them, and then boasting of their greedy deeds.  They deny God, murder the innocent and plot against the helpless, looking to ensnare them in some sort of trap.  David's concerns were valid.  He wanted to see justice; he wanted to see the Kingdom of God prevail.

By the end of the psalm, we see David turn it around.  He talks it through, so to speak and always comes back to the same reassurance -- the reassurance that God, our God is the Capital "G" God.  The One True God is loving, faithful, just, all-powerful and all-knowing.  He will protect us, He will do what He says He will do, He is a God of justice, He can do whatever He wills, and nothing gets by Him.  He is not the God of imagination or ethereal ideals; He is real, and is as committed to mankind today as He was in David's day.

Just as Scott and I hash things out from a human perspective, maybe just to vent or hear out loud just how tired it sounds, we always come back to the same conclusion -- God is in control.  We reestablish just how important it is to give it over to Him -- and we do.              

Dear Lord, Bless Me with Simplicity

A little while ago I realized I am high-strung -- one of those things that everyone else has figured about you before you actually see it yourself.  My life is fabulous.  I have the best husband in the world, kids I love like crazy, a beautiful home -- lots and lots of blessings; I could go on forever.  Problem is, I tend to get a little caught up in "What's next?"  I tend to worry about getting it all done in one day, or making the most of every minute.  "If I have time to clean two rooms this afternoon, isn't three better?"  Better why?  "If I can squeeze in one more errand, I'll be ahead for tomorrow."  The problem with that is, tomorrow I'm thinking the same way, and figuring if I have so much extra time by the end of the week I can tack a couple more projects to my list.  (That, boys and girls, is called OCD.)  It doesn't stop there.  With all of my "piling on" and "making the most of my time" -- not efficienly, irrationally -- I have developed little quirks.  Eating too quickly, grinding my teeth, not being a good listener, tension in my neck and shoulders to name a few.  At some point, I began to notice that death grip on my toothbrush, or the panicked looks from my dogs as our relaxing morning stroll turned into training for the Boston Marathon.

Each day during my quiet time I pray for God to make me "usable."  Now the things I consider make me "unusable" never seem to be the things that God wants to work on.  For instance, I know I am judgemental, and for a while now I have been praying for God to show me how to love others the way He does, to help me to see others as He does -- through the eyes of love.  God, however, is interested in making me more aware of  my crazy obsession about time and accomplishment.  So how does that work?  Well, come to find out, one of the things that makes others so "intolerable" to me is the way I see them as lazy or slow.  The lady in the line ahead of me who insists on writing a check but must wait until her order is completely rung and bagged to begin digging through that disaster of a purse of hers, or the guy who thinks that leaving the back end of his land yacht six feet over our drive is "good enough for government work."  How do I keep from pummelling these people?  God changes me.

As I wolf down my breakfast, I ask myself "why," and pick up a book for a couple of chapters of "me time."  As I find myself plenty early enough, but still trying to break the land speed record on my way to work, I set the cruise control and lean back.  When the lady with the ridiculously bleached blonde hair sits in her car at 11 o'clock at night jamming to Gospel music and smoking God knows what, I wonder what she is going through and how I can serve her, instead of tsk-tsking at the lazy, trashy, hypocrisy of it all.  And those days when we load up the family truckster and head to a local farm to buy produce -- a venture that is sure to take at least an hour, as opposed to fifteen minutes at the co-op -- it is the smells, the colors, the feel of a warm summer day, the excitement and enjoyment of our family that reminds me, simple can be better.  This world is imperfect, others are imperfect, I am imperfect; my days will not always go as planned, my life is not a solitary one, but one that impacts and relies on the lives of others.  By reducing and refocusing expectations for my own life, I can stop pressuring others to be what I think they should be and instead, walk -- not run -- with them to discover what God would have us become.

Prayer Changes... Me!

Have you ever been sick?  Like, down-for-the-count for more than a day or so, sick.  For a Type A personality, it doesn't get much worse than that.  In fact, when I get back in the saddle again, I'm worse.  I fly through the house on a cleaning frenzy 1) because I feel as if there are all kinds of germs just lurking there, trying to get me or my family again, 2) because I haven't had my hands in anything for a day or so -- it's a way of getting back my control over my responsibilities with a fresh, clean start, and 3) because, compared to how I was feeling, "I'm on top o' the world, Ma!" 

In Psalm 6, I get that from David.  He is at a low point.  He should be -- he committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband killed.  What's worse than catching a cold?  Not eating or sleeping properly, kissing on your dog, standing at the bus stop with wet hair -- asking for it; David asked for it and later, regretted it.  At the start of Psalm 6, he is sick with grief; he has cried, he has ached, he has groaned in his repentance and yet, he is still troubled.  He begs for relief.  Three stanzas later, it comes.  Now did this process really take only a matter of minutes, of written words?  Doubtful.  But the point is, David felt renewed, back on top, but not because of his efforts (He'd already found his plan was a debacle), but because THE LORD had heard his prayer, THE LORD was on his side.

Looking at the nature of David's condition in the first place, we can see that the Lord had never left David's side, but David had left Him.  Nevertheless, God in His infinite mercy and grace has provided a way for David to feel renewed and restored again -- prayer.  We know that God forgives, we know He sent His Son, Jesus to stand in the gap for us and suffer our punishment, but as sensual ("sensual" as in relating to the senses) flesh he knew our need to feel that union, to feel that oneness with Him.  Just as David, through prayer had experienced that reunion with His Heavenly Father, prayer restores us today, to a place of oneness with Him.  Prayer is not only our way to truly communicate our sorrow for sin, our need for forgiveness, our desire for God to heal or change lives, but it is a way to reach up, grab His extended hand, and once again, walk with Him as we should have been.  

If You Can't Beat 'Em...

Some folks tell me I'm a little intense, somewhat intimidating and maybe even a little "hyper" from time to time.  I'll admit, when I am passionate about something I can be very goal-oriented and exclusive-- even when I'm passionately adverse to something.  And, maybe, sometimes I get my feathers ruffled just a little too easily, but is it any wonder...

For instance, one day I answered the phone at work with my usual greeting, "Philadelphia Feeders, Judi."  First words from this guy's mouth -- I kid you not -- "Is there a management person there, or just you tonight?"  Really ?  Wrong, on soo many levels!  First of all, could he really tell by my voice whether I am management or not?  I wanted to say, "Um, yeah, Minion.  I am the Regional Manager.  What now?!"  Secondly, "just you?"  He actually said that -- "just you."  OK.  "Fact is, Sir, it is just me here tonight, and -- Oh, my, the phones have started ringing off their hooks!  Why, look at that!  I'm going to have to put you on hold for a minute."  Two hours later...

Then there is the best question ever: "How do you spell [_____]?" (you fill in the blank)  Then: "Are you sure?"  Wait a minute, you didn't know how to spell it (you probably have a paper hanging on your wall with a few prestigious signatures and a fancy seal, and you're probably my boss, by the way) but now you want to question my answer.

Or the "paperless company" that requires me to print copies of reports I send out via email or complete on line.  Or the warranty on a sofa that doesn't cover a manufacturer's defect, but will cover damage that results from jumping on the furniture in golf cleats, launching it from a third story window, through a ring of fire and into a vat of mayonnaise.  Or the store that advertises the start of a sale on Sunday, but doesn't get their order in until Thursday.  Or the woman with the foo-foo dog that sees my two snarling, foaming, rearing meatheads and asks, "Safe to approach?"  (My answer is usually, "Well, it depends on what your goals are.")  Or any of the number of idiocies that seem to occur in any twenty-four hour period. 

Then again, considering we live in a world where Lindsay Lohan is headline news and reality TV is entertainment, maybe I should just set the Cruise Control and head to the back for a relaxing cup of coffee.