Harvest Hands

As I was reading the scriptures this morning I landed in the book of Matthew, specifically chapters 7, 8 & 9.  I found it very interesting to note that Jesus at this point in the writing had been all over the place touching peoples’ lives and healing the sick. These chapters contain the healing of the blind men, the woman with the issue of blood that touched the hem of his garment, the calming of the storm and at the end of chapter 8, he drove the demons out of two mad men and sent them to dwell in a nearby herd of pigs. Well, the pigs ran over a cliff and were subsequently drowned in the sea. 

Here’s the part that made me pause though. It said, starting in verse 28 that when Jesus arrived on the shore and got out of the boat that he was met by two madmen (demon filled) coming out of the cemetery area. It states that these demon filled men had terrorized the area for so long that no one from the town considered it safe to even walk down that stretch of road anymore. So, the freedom to go wherever they wanted was cut short by the demons that occupied these men. The townspeople were limited and held captive to their town area and could not enter the land of the demoniac men for fear of their safety. That’s pretty clear to me. So the story goes that Jesus moved on the behalf of the men and set them free by sending the demons fleeing into the pigs who in turn died in the sea. Now, here’s the strange part, or maybe not! When the townspeople found out what had happened you would have thought they would have run from their houses to see and to thank Jesus for giving them back their freedom to go down that road once more and also for giving freedom back to the men who were probably residents of their town at one time. But. . . . . . . . Wait for it.. . .. .. . . .the people came down that road but they came in the form of an angry mob. They wanted Jesus to go away and never come back. And do you know why? They were angry about the drowned pigs! Yes, you heard it right. Something that was insignificant and didn’t matter a lick in the whole scheme of what had just happened. They were thinking about themselves and maybe their pocketbooks or their bellies or who knows what else. And here’s a note for you to study if you want to take it that far. . . . . .the townspeople may very well have been Jews and by Jewish custom/law, they were not permitted to keep swine! Hmmmmm But truth be known they were merely acting like the rest of the world and doing what they desired over what God desired them to do. We can see a very clear picture here of worldly mentality versus Godly mentality. 

Have you ever done what you thought was the Godly thing, acting as Jesus would have, and instead of being met with thankfulness and kindness filled with gratitude you were met with anger and harsh words of ingratitude? Well, I’m here to tell you that it does happen and if you take a long look at the situation you would probably see that the bad reaction was rooted somehow in selfish and entitled feelings. Worldly reactions with empty and self centered undertones. It happens. It happened to Jesus so it will most likely happen to us at some point in our lives. Chapter 9 then begins “. . . . Back in the boat, Jesus and the disciples recrossed the sea to Jesus’ hometown”. He left! There was obviously nothing he was going to do to change the hearts and minds of an angry mob at that point so he went on about the Fathers business somewhere else. 

We can’t change ungrateful or self centered hearts. Only God can do that. Don’t stay where you are not wanted or stand and get beat up and persecuted. There are far too many others out there who need what we have to give them in Christ. 

Later on in chapter 9 it says that Jesus continued touching and healing those in need. He was still of course criticized by the Pharisees. It says in verse 36 in the Message that “when He looked out over the crowds His heart broke”.  He then said how huge the harvest was and told his disciples “on your knees and pray for harvest hands”. That’s what I’m doing today, that’s my prayer focus. “Lord, send HARVEST HANDS and make me a better worker, one that doesn’t faint in the midst of the heat that the world brings”. 

Insight Insert: In order to bring in a harvest you must first

be willing to get your hands dirty. It isn't going to always be easy

but it will always be rewarding. I challenge you to call someone

this week that you know has been struggling or that you know 

needs your loving hands to get down in the trenches with them 

and help them out. I don't know what that looks like for each of you

but it could mean getting your hands a little dirty or doing something that isn't so very pleasant. Be willing to do what Jesus did for those men but also be ready to be met with resistance possibly. It might be tough but I'm here to tell you that the beautiful harvest won't come if you don't get your hands a little dirty. Trust me, it will be worth it if you endure. 

Scripture: John 4:35. ” Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest”

Matthew 24:13 “He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” 

What Does It Matter Anyway

As I was having a conversation with someone on the phone very recently they asked me how old my children were now. I just laughed, because you see, my children are well into adulthood with children of their own. I told the person, ”Im not sure because math has never been my favorite subject”. She thought I was joking and couldn't quite believe that I just couldn't spout their ages off as if they were 6, 10 & 12 again. My oldest (now 46) was born in 1973 I told her and my second child in 1976 and the third in 1982. Now I know that doing the math isn't terribly hard but with all the years behind me I guess I just thought that knowing their exact age didn't really matter anyway. Besides, nobody can actually tell you the exact age of Jesus when he died so what does age really matter for? It was said that he was approx 33 years old when he died but they aren't really sure. I guess my point here is that sometimes we put too much emphasis on the details and not enough on the ”main thing”. 

Now, if you were to ask me about the details of each of my children's’ lives then I could have spoken all day. I would have told you how proud I am of each one, where they are at present in their dwelling places, or how many children do they have or are they married or single. The things that matter the most to me are the things about them that I choose to recall the most. Age, well age is just a number and like I said before, I don't particularly like to do math. What I do like to do is ”mark” in my memory all of the highlights that life has had to offer. That would include the good and the bad. The good is easy but the bad moments are just as important for me because they also contribute to shaping who we become, how we’ve overcome and the strengths it has built in us as it developed our character. It all matters. 

When I think of Jesus for example, I recall his amazing birth on that glorious night. I see the maturity from a young boy in the temple speaking. I recount the eyes of a blind man opened and sight comes. There is the beautiful story of 5 thousand people having a meal because he multiplied a little boys lunch so they could eat. Then, not to ever be forgotten, the account of his death on a cross. It's hard sometimes to tell of the horrific way that he died but it matters. It matters to recall the bad part because it was actually the ”main thing” that mattered about his life. Without recalling the bad then we would tend to forget just how wonderful and miraculous the good truly was. When asked how old he was in the big scheme of his life it just doesn't seem to matter that much. Generally the age, somewhere in his mid thirties, seems to pale in importance in the glory that was his life! 

So, find the things about life that truly do matter and recall them always. Remember the good, the bad and all the in between moments that have happened to define the landscape of the portrait. How old it is seems a bit unimportant on the gallery walls of life when the big picture is the painting and the story that it illustrates. That will be the thing that captures your memories and even takes your breath when the spotlight illuminates it for all to see.

How old are my children? . . . . . Does it matter anyway?

Insight insert: Take a moment here to think about the life of someone you know. That person doesn't have to be a family member but maybe just an acquaintance. Recall all that you can about them, the good and the bad parts. Then take another few moments to pray for them. Pray that God will use the good parts of their life to enrich them and pray that he will take the bad parts and build in them priceless character traits that will also enrich them.

Scripture: Romans 12:2

”Do not copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

In The Waiting

So, let’s talk about waiting! There’s the waiting room in the doctors office, the waiting on the birth of a baby, then there’s waiting on a favorable response to all of the job interviews you’ve probably been on, and the waiting for a much anticipated visit from loved ones who are far away and lastly, there is waiting for Christmas morning as a small child. The anticipation runs wild! However you are waiting, the honesty of the waiting can be grueling. Our hopes, our want tos,  our ardent desires and longings can cause our hearts to strain at the bit while reality pulls back on the bridle to hold us suspended. We can think that the waiting will actually be our undoing at times. But in the anticipation there is a lesson I think. There is occasionally the lesson of self restraint or maybe  the lesson of selflessness and quite often the lesson of patience. Whatever the outcome we must always believe that God has a purpose and a plan in the waiting. Waiting, I believe, according to God’s Word affords us way more benefits than we could ever count or realize. “Waiting” renews our strength; waiting   produces endurance and character and hope; waiting helps us to become compassionate and merciful; it produces joy. In the waiting God hears us and pulls us up out of our trouble. In the waiting God hides us and shelters us and delivers us. In the waiting we are made better. So, “in the waiting” is where we walk in the blessings of the Lord for our lives. So, even if it’s hard, even if it seems unimaginably painful and even if we think we will burst, “ the waiting” is the reward. The waiting and your response to it are where your victories lie. In the whole plan of our lives Gods blessings alone make “waiting” something worth enduring. In your waiting I pray that you find the treasure that Christmas morning holds for a child and in the waiting I pray that you see and experience the gift of love that your Father has for you. It’s sooooo worth “ the waiting”.

Insight Insert: I challenge you to make a list of the things that you are waiting for. After each entry, when your waiting is over, write down a prayer of thanksgiving beside that entry and date it. I’ll be waiting to hear how many moments of anticipation are met with good news. I’m thinking it’s a sure thing!

Scripture:  Psalm 27: 13-14  “I believe thatI shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”

The Rhythm Of Sunflowers

I don't know about you but sometimes my sleep at night is very broken. On one such night a few days ago I awoke with a sketchy but somewhat familiar term in my head. It was ”Circadian Rhythyms”. I know, say no more. I truly don't know what depth of thought well that one rose to the top of but nonetheless, there it was. Circadian Rhythym refers to the natural wake-sleep cycle or internal clock that we were created with. That cycle repeats every 24 hours. This ”circadian rhythm” can also be found in some plants, animals and bacteria. Sometimes light or temperature can cause a fluctuation in the circadian rhythm. Hence my broken sleep. As I lay there thinking on why this ridiculous term was in my head a myriad of thoughts still flooded my brain. I wondered if my broken sleep had anything to do with too much screen time on my iPad or the intense heat while working in my garden. Maybe, but then I had a picture of a sunflower pop into my head. Again, like a good friend of mine says, ” I can't make this stuff up” so I pay attention. It seems Sunflowers are one of the plants that exhibit a definite circadian rhythm on a continuous basis. You see when the sun rises in the east the sunflowers’ blossom turns to face the sun and all throughout the day their faces are turned towards the sun. At the end of the day they they are facing West where the sun sets.During the hours of darkness the blooms make their way back to eastward facing just in time to greet the sun once more. Now, if this wasn't enough, just wait there's more. Now if the rhythm is somehow messed up or interrupted in the sun flower they face each other to share their energy. Ok this is good stuff! My friendwhom I was sharing all of this with  found a picture online and posted it to illustrate what the sunflowers do. It said, ” imagine if humans could do this too”. What a Godly concept that I'm sure our Creator built right into the Circadian Rhythm that he gave the sunflowers. I say, ” we humans do have it too!” When the rhythm of one is thrown off by tragedy or sickness or whatever then God sends another human to them to draw strength and comfort from. He sends them to hold the other up until that rhythm is restored. You see as long as the sun flower keeps facing the ”son” then its’ rhythm is beautiful. So, we will keep looking towards that son whose name is Jesus and encourage one another and face each other for strength and wisdom. It's such a great idea given by the great Creator and we don't wanna mess up that rhythm now do we? 

Insight Insert: The next time you are awakened in the middle of the night I encourage you to make the best use of your ”awake” time. Pray for someone you know that is struggling or is having a difficult time. Then, when morning comes give them a call or go see them. Let’s get the ”rhythm” that the Creator gave us back into the proper cadence, keeping our eyes on the ”son” at all times.

Scripture: Hebrews 10: 23-25

”Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

Crazy Quilt of Life

Recently a dear dear friend was talking to me about making quilts. She is an avid quilter and has many quilting projects just waiting to spring to life and wrap their corners of artistic love around someone’s heart. 

In our conversation I shared that there was a quilting expo in the town very close to where I lived and suggested that she should come and we could go together to see the beautiful and very professional side of this art. Surprisingly she told me that she doesn’t like going to those shows and expos because they remind her how very inadequate her work is next to the quilts in the professional arenas. Well I was taken back a bit by her response but after she explained I could understand how she may have arrived at such a conclusion.

She told me that while she loved making quilts, cutting out triangles, squares and circles, she could never perfectly line up the corners and the points so that they looked flawless. Her hand quilting stitches weren’t perfectly the same length and stitch spaces weren’t quite consistent. When she would go to the expos and look at the perfection and the high quality of the show quilts it only proved to make her feel very “less than” in her talent. 

As I was thinking about her feelings and the parking spot where she had parked her final thoughts and opinions I was deeply concerned. I have seen some of her projects of love that she has stitched and shaped and given life to and I have to tell you that by professional standards that they would most probably never be placed in the arena or the expo center venue. But  I can also tell you this, by the standards of quilters that have traversed the landscape of this country and have stitched pieces of their hearts and pieces of their old tattered calico skirts and homespun shirts, well, her quilts speak “home” and “hearth” to me. Their imperfections remind me of how very imperfect I am and we all are. The stitches and their “unevenness”remind me also of the uneven paths that we all have been called to tred. Sometimes those paths are easy and sometimes not so very easy! With her long and short stitches you see the times when she may very well have gotten sleepy as she stitched into the wee hours of the night just to finish her project. The points of her stars may not have been sharp and the bars of her log cabin squares may not have been perfectly symmetrical but neither are our lives. We search too often for pure perfection and all that is required is our best ability. It says in the book of books, “ my grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Our weaknesses, our imperfections and our edges that do not line up quite right are all of the things that shape who we are. We can give it our best ability and newsflash. . . . . .we will never become perfect. Wiser and more skillful, yes, but never perfect! That description was reserved exclusively for the Lord of Lords. God gives us grace so we must also give ourselves some grace, some room to fail and get back up and try again. Those times when we fall and get back up are the times that prove to build character and strength. We learn to live our eneven, patched worked lives moving from strength to strength. In the end it produces in us a beautiful pieced and stitched together work of art called “our life”. 

So I share here with my friend to look at the beautiful quilts. Look at all the perfect corners and straight and consistent stitches. See how beautifully the color choices are and how they take your breath away. But my dear friend here is a final “factoid” for you to remember. I can most probably guarantee you that if you looked at each very closely you would still find imperfections and if you spoke to the quilter they would probably share the areas where they had to make “do-overs” because the corners didn’t line up. There was most likely a price to pay for their beautiful creations so don’t look at what you see as perfection and think there were no errors. Your “ errors” tell the story of how imperfect we all really are and your quilts when complete declare, “I Persevered till the end”and that’s what saves us and declares His glory in us. What a beautiful quilt every time, stitched with love and pieced together with grace!  Now THATS a show quilt!

Perched Beside Provision

There are days when we are met with great challenges and tests to the mettle of our lives. We have unexpected hardships that knock on our door, we gaze at a checkbook that holds a single digit balance while looking at a stack of unopened bills or we receive a report from the doctor that tells us that our time frame of life has suddenly changed causing us to count the blessing of virtually every minute.

Life is fraught with hard times and challenges that test the stuff that we're made of and that's just a fact, however, we have been given every tool of provision that we need to get through the tough times. 

I have a hummingbird that paints the picture of that provision every single morning for me. He comes and lands on the iron rod that holds my hummingbird feeder and I smile. He comes knowing that I'll have placed the sweet nectar that he craves into that red bottle. He comes and sits and looks at me as if to say ”thank you for being an instrument of provision for me”. Now there are most certainly other places for his provision had I not hung that feeder and he would still be cared for by his maker but these days he comes if only to remind me of the faithfulness of provision that he perches next to. 

If we as human beings could only get a handle on the truth of that like my little humming bird. We have also been provided with a tool of provision that will carry us through and at the same time provide us with sweet nectar that will soothe our pain  and blanket us with care on the hard days. That provision is Gods Word. How many times are we in distress and sit, tear filled on the sofa, smack dab beside a Bible and have never picked it up? How often do we sit in our family rooms right next to a bookcase where dust gathers on the greatest treasure of care and provision that we are privileged to have?

We are like that hummingbird in every way being provided for yet we are perched and seemingly never notice the red feeder. We don't open the book to read the red words that were spoken by Jesus to teach us how to pray and how to love and how to endure. 

We become filled with doubt where our next dollar and meal will come from and we cry ourselves to sleep with the words ”why God” on our lips.

You're perched right beside your provision and its there waiting for you to ingest the sweet nectar of healing and comfort. The red words point straight to the one who has already provided and sacrificed it all so that you can know and trust exactly like that little hummingbird. 

So as you sit perched from wherever you are today, stop and notice! Notice the beautiful provision. I promise you it will feed your wounded soul and gratify every hunger pang that you'll ever have. It's beautiful and right there at your fingertips. 

Midnight Weavers

There is a sort of magic that happens outside of my house in the wee hours. That's when the weavers come out. They can't be seen too many times during the day but they work their magic when all gets quiet and the darkness settles over the mountains. It's sort of a wondrous thing to behold. The sun comes up over the horizon and floods the nooks and crannies of my front porch and their handiwork becomes visible. At times their weaving is highlighted by little droplets of dew that make their amazing works of art sparkle when the sunlight hits them. I find it simply beautiful. Now, I haven't always found it beautiful. When I first moved into this house in the country I saw these striking works of art as "nuisance cobwebs". I would come out onto the porch and find them everywhere, every morning! I could go around with my broom and sweep them off of the chair rungs, the storm door and my plants on the rails grumbling as I swept away their industrious nights work. I soon realized that it was simply fruitless. As I sat down to drink my coffee with the sunrise one day, sighing that I had to brush yet another cobweb off of my rocker, I succumbed at last to the futility of my morning task. I sat rocking and noticing really how gifted and creatively talented that God had made these little midnight weavers. In my quest for web-free living, I had not stopped long enough to see the beauty of their work. Every fiber that they wove had to be attached to something. Every circle that they spun connected to every anchor strand as if a master architect had painstakingly designed it. They worked their weaving towards the center forming a beautiful tapestry of lines that are breathtaking when I took the opportunity to actually notice their form. Their little canvases were formed everywhere; they worked their magic between my porch rails. Their creative work could be seen on my wicker settee  and they even connected the branches of my potted jade tree on the post. There seemed to be no nook or corner that was left untouched. The morning light revealed their nighttime spinning and it was really quite glorious. Their soul task and focus was to weave their web, the tool that God instinctively designed in them so that they could capture their food. Small bugs and insects get caught in the web and the midnight weavers gather their sustenance from the prisoners of their handiwork. It all is wonderfully thought out and planned so they can be provided for as our Masters plan. The birds of the air do not toil or spin but they know that their Creator has provided food in nature to meet their needs. The deer find the streams when they are thirsty and the eagle has the sharpest of vision allowing him to soar and swoop down to find his provision. Our creator designed all of it and it's a perfect and beautiful dance. It allows us to see and be reassured that He will do the same for us when we need our provision. And just like my little midnight weavers, my life needs to have anchor points. I need my relationships and family to anchor me. I need fellowship with other believers to encourage me. I need to study and read Gods Word to truly anchor me in my faith. All of these things form the warp of my life's tapestry. God will then make a finished work of me with all of the other strands of life situations, struggles, tears, joys and triumphs to form the weave of my tapestry. It's alll a part of the Master Architects design you see. Purposeful and perfect. It's all, I'm totally convinced of, a part of the amazing plan that once more points us ever to Christ and His perfect work. Col. 2:2 says, "I want you woven into a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God. Then you will have minds confident and at rest, focused on Christ." How beautiful and purposeful and perfect is his plan for us. It's intricately woven for us, for our benefit. Isn't that just like a good good father, always and ever thinking of his children. I love his plan, woven just for me! It makes my heart smile. Now, every time I come out with my coffee to sit I purpose to see the handiwork of my little midnight weavers and be reminded of my own tapestry of love that is still 'under construction'. I truly desire it to be as glorious with every mornings light as the spinnings on my front porch. Thank you God for allowing me to see that beauty through your little midnight weavers.