Yolky Yoke

I had a hard start to my day - not wanting to wake up, greasy dinner pans to wash, . . . When the first broken egg slid out of my hand, I almost laughed. I cleaned the sticky swath on my hands and knees, taking the high road in my thinking. Well, at least this one spot will be extra clean.

When the second egg hit the floor I started sobbing! 
I confess it. I was inconsolable. 
[read Believe it or Not!, 31 December 2012] 

I lowered myself to the task and once again scooped up the shell and most of its contents. Then I sprayed and scrubbed the runny stuff off the tiles. Tears and unhappy thoughts flowed.

Thankfully God interrupted my pity party!

The Spirit dragged my mind upward and the Father spoke to my heart with an impression I pray I will not soon forget.

At first it seemed I was hearing the tender words of my Savior, There's no need to be so upset, Sandra. I'm right here. My hands stopped moving as I paused to contemplate.

I knew I was falling on the spiritual battlefield. I was bathed in humility. My confession and request for forgiveness flowed from the lips of my heart. The words of Romans 8:1 burst over me, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

I thanked God for the verse. I let Him know how much I needed Him and His Word to hold me. I acknowledged my weakness. I denounced this human flesh that betrays me so often and so defiantly.

Somehow Jesus still seemed to be beside me. I sensed Him putting His arm around my shoulder in a reassuring embrace. I understand the flood of feelings, Sandra. Remember, I lived in the same type of body you've got and in the same fallen world. I worked along side Joseph, the carpenter.

I hit my thumb with a hammer. I had to pull splinters out of my flesh.

There were days I would measure once and have to cut twice. 

There were times when my younger siblings caused trouble - like the day they took a charred stick and wrote all over a piece of wood I'd fully polished for the front of a cabinet. 

[Look, I'm not a crazy lady. I know Jesus was not physically sitting on the floor next to me. I didn't hear an audible voice. I realize that these scenarios are not holy Scripture. Yet I was aware of my Older Brother's comforting presence in a powerful, almost tangible way.]

I'm glad you remembered Romans 8:1 because it's true. I'm not here to condemn you. I came to let you know that when the 'little things' overwhelmed my life my reactions never once fell short of the Father's standards. 

I received every single piece of frustration and annoyance, disruption and distraction, human interference and opposition as an expression of His perfect will for my life. I never reacted or retaliated improperly. I embraced every detail of my Father's plan to secure reconciliation and glorify Himself, no matter the cost.

I did all of that for you. 

You see, Sandra, I do understand that the human frame is incapable of meeting the Father's requirements. I came to earth to live that perfectly calm, loving, faithful, trusting, joyous life in order to offer it beside your name in the Book of Life. 

Right now, right here, the Father sees me graciously accepting the mess of these broken eggs from His hand and peacefully cleaning them up with gratitude for His watch care over me. That substitution of my behavior for yours is the Redemption He declared in Genesis 3:15 and fulfilled through Me. Please receive the consolation I bear and walk in it. 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Household Emergency

"I'm going to have some coffee. Would you like a cup of tea?" My Honey asked.

What a lovely way to break from a morning of writing. And at just the right time too.

"Yes, thank you," I replied.

"Splutter . . . splosh . . . sputter," the spigot spat. 

NO WATER!

We looked at each other in shock. The washing machine was running so maybe the problem was only in the kitchen. Nope, the bathroom sink doesn't have any water either.

Quick, unplug the washing machine. 

NOW WHAT?

Curt called our Czech neighbor pretty certain that he'd know what was happening.

NO IDEA.

He turned his dishwasher off and went to see if he could find out what the problem was.

WAITING.  (Shall we whistle or twiddle our thumbs?)

Uh, in case nobody noticed, I haven't taken my shower yet.

Curt's cell phone rang. 

It's only supposed to be shut off for about half an hour to allow for an upgrade somewhere in the building. 

PHEW!

Sure enough, half an hour later we've got water.

Welcome to life in Prague with all it's ups and downs, covered in blessings by God's grace.

Believe it or Not

"I can't believe it." 

That's what Curt said when he realized the milk he'd just put into the combined ingredients was sour. Boy, could I relate.

It seems the physical world is my Achilles heel, the enemy's bullseye when he takes aim. It could be as simple as buying the 'perfect container' only to discover it's 1/8 inch too tall. Or it might be tearing out the hem of my skirt when it catches on the buckle of my boot. Who ever heard of that?

I'm not sure why these annoyances are so difficult for me, but they are. I'm able to rise above them for a while. Then I'm jerked backward as I pass through a doorway when the belt on my robe catches on the door knob. I'm jolted out of my comfort zone and the next round begins.

So here's the question, why is it that we "can't believe it"? 

I mean, I'm sure these disruptions happen to everyone. Why do they get us down? Why do they catch us off guard?

I'm starting to think that maybe I need to devote a little more time to remembering the state of the world in which I live. It's a fallen world, tainted by sin. 
"We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time". Romans 8:22  
Ah ha, so I'm not the only one who finds these aggravations groan-worthy. 

Maybe I should think about being more surprised and grateful when things do go according to my hopes or plans. Yes, that makes sense since Jesus is the One who directs it all. 
"The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word." Hebrews 1:3a

The verse continues, "After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven." Once Jesus accomplished His task in this fallen world He joined His Father above the fray. 

No wonder I so often feel out of step with my surroundings. I belong to Christ who sits enthroned above. 
"My Father, who has given them [my sheep] to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand." John 10:29

The fallen world doesn't even know Christ so why would 'it' know me? 
"He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him." John 1:10

Sin brought death into the world, but Christ brings life to all who are in Him. 
"For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ." Romans 5:17

Fallen world - things go wrong.
Christ reigns - heavenly peace.

Yup, it's time. Believe it!

Back at the Ranch

Well, okay. So it isn't a ranch, but it is home and that's where I am. 

I mentioned a while back about one of my successful attempts at pointing to the existence of God with the folks around me. [22 October, Who Knew?] The victory that day with the cashier at the grocery store has kept me pumped for the last two months. I finally saw her again last week so I directed our cart into her checkout line. 

To say I was excited to take the next step in my language learning and Truth sharing would have been more than accurate. I got my cart in order and made sure I was out of the way but ready. I stood quietly as she finished with the person before me, an 'older gentleman' who was having difficulty bagging his purchases. 

I kept a patient smile on my face as I practiced the words in my head. Dobry den. Jak se máš?

When the gentleman turned to walk away, I poured all the warmth and enthusiasm I could muster out through my eyes toward the cashier. I got out the "Hello", but I never got to utter my cheery "How are you?" The unhappy look on her face and the impatient tone of her voice drove the words from my lips. 

Oh no! I thought. What did she want to know? Oh, she said "... máte kartu." She wants to know if we have one of the special cards for regular customers. I need to give the right answer. 

I quickly responded, "Ne."

Okay, that was good, but now what? She's already grabbing items and passing them over the bar code reader. I have to start putting them into our little cart or they'll pile up and slow her routine. 

Bu ..., bu ..., but all I want to do is ask her how she is. I ought to be able to do that simple task while I'm loading our stuff. There isn't that much in words or food. 

Yet the Czech words don't re-materialize. The cashier holds up the bag of tangerines I forgot to weigh and Curt has to rush back to the scale to get a price sticker. Beads of glow [ladies don't sweat] appear as I concentrate on making progress with my packing up to cover my mistake.

Dear Lord, I wanted to take at least another babystep on behalf of your glory. Instead here I am just trying to keep from being a burden in this lady's day. She already seemed upset about something and I don't want to make it worse. Please come along side me here.

Curt reappears with the tangerines all properly weighed and tagged. 

God, bless him.

I've only got a couple more items to place on top as Curt pays the bill. He pockets the change. I tighten the drawstring.

"Děkujeme. Na shledanou." I say "Thank you very much" and "Good-bye" with as much appreciation as I can.

Phew! I don't ever want to repeat that experience.

A couple of thoughts come to mind. 

"Preach the gospel at all times. Use words if necessary." attributed to Francis of Assisi.

"Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." 1 Peter 2:12

"There sure is a lot more to living this expat lifestyle for the Lord than one might think." Lady in the Loge

Trouble in River City!

I'm pretty confused at the moment. 

I don't think I've ever had so much trouble!

When a song grabs me I tend to listen to it over and over. It usually doesn't take long for the lyrics to stick in my brain. I've always thought it was because the tune and the words cling to each other and make the task easier. So I asked myself this morning, What's wrong?

I came across the song a while ago. When I caught myself singing a phrase from it here and there I decided I'd like to commit it to memory. Simple, I thought. I'll start with the first verse. 

After a week I still don't have the six lines down pat - most upsetting. When I'm reading the words I do just fine, but for some reason they don't seem to be sticking.

          Arise, my soul, arise,

          Shake off thy guilty fears.

          The bleeding sacrifice in my behalf appears:

          Before the throne my surety stands.

          Before the throne my surety stands,

          My name is written on His hands.

I was stumbling my way through the lines this morning when I stopped short. Okay, Sandra, it's time to figure this out. What's making this exercise so difficult? 

It took some humble consideration to realize that it might be because I was having trouble grasping the full meaning of the lyrics. Part of the reason the song means so much to me is that I recognize the negative influence "guilty fears" have had in my life. So that wasn't the problem.

I identified the places I was getting stuck; "in my behalf", "my surety", "my name". Either the words wouldn't come or my mind would substitute others in their place. Time to step back and ponder.

Perhaps I need to meditate on the implications of the lyrics for my own heart and life in order to be able to more easily commit them to memory.

The Risen Wound-bearing Christ appears before the throne of justice on MY BEHALF.

He stands there as MY GUARANTOR* paying the debt of perfect obedience I owe the Father. (repeated twice)

MY NAME is engraved on the hands of the Worthy Advocate who intercedes with the Holy Judge.

I'm thinking it's going to be a deep journey to memorize this hymn. Care to join me?

*Surety means "a person who takes responsibility for another's performance of an undertaking, for example their appearing in court or the payment of a debt." (widget dictionary)

Light & Life

This is our official Christmas tree for 2012. It's 13 inches tall, not including its pot. The ornaments on it are from Ohio, New Hampshire, Maine, and the Czech Republic. We think it's cute so positive comments only please. Thank you.

As I sit here contemplating our second Nativity celebration on the field I have to be honest that there are some delightful aspects and some less than optimal features. 

Our new home has us elevated well above the holiday hustle and bustle of the city. We had to prepare to ship our family presents well ahead of time so we haven't been engulfed by shopping fever. We're definitely looking forward to a quiet day to reflect on the incomparable gift of a Savior born in a stable.

The downside is that we don't have our family or any of our traditional decorations around us. The stockings my grandmother knitted are in storage. We will share our gift-opening fun with our grandchildren over skype where the hugs are not nearly warm enough. The distance can be difficult at times.

So where's the balance?

How do I/we decide if it's a good celebration or not? 

I realized today that my itty-bitty tree has the answer.

When I plug in the string of lights, the tree seems to come alive. The ornaments jump out to remind me of their significance. The variety and depth of the branches catch my attention. What was once a dark and cold image becomes a lively and warm delight.

So it is with my life. When I'm with Jesus the dark and cold becomes lively and warm. Hallelujah!

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12

The Deliverer is NEAR

I am not surrounded by human foes that verbalize threats as David was.

That might be too easy.

Instead I'm encircled, hounded by unseen challenges and irrational fears that threaten my peace.

Thankfully God PROMISES to answer my cries from His holy hill. 

I am able to sleep and awake because God SUSTAINS me. 

I call out for deliverance and it comes from the LORD. Hallelujah!

Psalm 3

A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.

¹ Lord, how many are my foes!
    How many rise up against me!
² Many are saying of me,
    “God will not deliver him.”^[b]

³ But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
    my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
⁴ I call out to the Lord,
    and he answers me from his holy mountain.

⁵ I lie down and sleep;
    I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.
⁶ I will not fear though tens of thousands
    assail me on every side.

⁷ Arise, Lord!
    Deliver me, my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw;
    break the teeth of the wicked.

⁸ From the Lord comes deliverance.
    May your blessing be on your people.