Don't fence me in!

 Years ago, my husband and I lived in the Alaska Bush. We were 101 snowmachine miles from the nearest pavement and our nearest year-round neighbor was over 10 air miles away. We were in the middle of nowhere and loving life.

We had a small homestead, only three acres - Why pay more taxes than necessary? We had our house, a barn, and several out-buildings. It was quite the idyllic life for over 20 years. That is not to say we did not have challenges along the way. One of our most enjoyable challenges was Houdini. Houdini's original name was Bambi, but that lasted a very short time. You see, Houdini was an escape artist. 

We got to a place where I could stay and tend our homestead. We had a huge garden, chickens, turkey, rabbits, and our dogs. We were able to provide almost everything we needed except milk. We did some research and decided having a goat would be much easier than cows so I brought home Annabelle.

Annie was older, very sweet, patient, and pregnant; she made me fall in love with goats.  I had been around dogs and cats giving birth but nothing bigger. I did not really know what Annie would need or how far along she was and this was many years before Google. Our homesteading book and the cooperative extension service provided basics but not many details. 

One day, at the end of May, Jim went to town and my niece, Becki, came to visit. Annie was off her feed, but I really did not think too much about it. After we got Becki settled, we went to check on Annie, low and behold, we had a baby! A couple of hours later we had two kids and a very tired mamma goat. After making sure both babies were eating, and giving Annie extra grain we left them alone for the evening. 

The next morning, the babies, Bambi and Pollyanna, were bouncing all over their pen. I think it is impossible for young kids to walk, they have to bounce everywhere! We led Annie out to the yard so she could eat grass, the kids bouncing happily behind us. This arrangement worked well until the kids were about a week old and I wanted to milk Annie. I tried separating them with Annie bawling so much I felt sorry for her. I was able to milk her (oh boy, that is a whole other story!) and get enough milk to feed the babies. 

I built a barrier between the two pens so mamma and babies could see each other but not visit and nurse and went to bed confident we would have milk in the morning. Wrong. Bambi somehow knocked down my barrier and was sleeping comfortably with his mamma in the morning. As I fortified my barrier, he nimbly jumped into the feed trough and again went to visit his mamma. This scenario happened with varying success for about a week before Bambi became Houdini. I could not build anything that would keep him separated from his mamma. The corral we build would have been great for cattle or horses, but not goats, especially not baby goats. 

I wonder how often God looks at me and shakes His head, as I escape the path He prepared for me, yet again. How many times has He lovingly and gently built barriers for me, to protect me, to steer me along the path He prepared for me only to have me break it down and merrily skip along my own trail. Even so, I am grateful for God's protection, even when I want to go my own way.  The barriers He puts in my way are not to hinder me from something but to point me to His best for me.  

It is OK to judge

 As a Christian one thing that drives me crazy is non-Christians (or Christians for that matter) telling me I should not judge their choices because my Bible says I should not judge. 

You have it all wrong. Seriously wrong. 

It is true, the Bible says "Do not judge" but it does not stop there, it continues to say "so you will not be judged. For by the way you judge you will be judged, and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you (Matt. 7:1-2).

These verses are not talking about lifestyles or personal choices. They are talking about someone's salvation. I should not, cannot, judge whether or not you are going to heaven. The only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ, I do not know if you have accepted Jesus as your personal Savior. He is the only way to heaven and that is with a relationship with God. I will not argue that point, that is something you will have to take up with God, Himself. 

Centuries ago, God created everything you see and everything you do not see. He created by speaking everything into existence, He did not begin an evolutionary process.  

Mankind was God's crowning achievement. We are created in the very image of God. He is love, we know how to love. He is creative, so are we. He demands justice, so do we. He is merciful, so are we. The first humans, Adam and Eve, had a wonderful life in innocent and perfect harmony with God and all He created. Then they blew it; they decided that they should decide for themselves what is good and evil. It did not matter to them what God thought was good and evil. That is what is called the Fall.

God still wants a relationship with people but, because He is God, demands holiness; something we cannot have in ourselves. So through a series of events God chose one man and told him that through his family the whole world would be blessed. He set up a series of laws and sacrifices that would allow people to come in His presence. When God looked at the blood of a sacrifice, He did not see the sin of the people. The blood sacrifice did not take away sin, it only covered it. 

The family God chose had some God-fearing people and some real evil-doers but God was faithful and kept His promise. Finally, Jesus, God in the flesh, was born of a virgin, fulfilling all sorts of prophecies regarding the perfect redemption for our sin. Jesus was fully God and fully man and lived a perfect life. He is the sacrificial Lamb that took away the sin of the world, He did not cover sin, He removed it from us and we are no longer guilty before God. 

Back to judgment. 

As I said, I do not know if you have accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, I do not have the authority to judge that part of your heart. 

1 Corinthians 5 tells me that God will judge those outside the church. However, If you say you are a Christian and continue in sin, I have a duty to call you out and judge your behavior based on what God has said in scripture. 

Please do not misunderstand. Christian or non-Christian, I will judge your behavior, especially if I am on a jury, or if I am in a place of authority over you. The Bible is very clear in many places about what is acceptable behavior and what is not. I would not be a very loving friend if I allowed someone to continue in sin. 

Are you telling me that parents should not judge their children's behavior because they do not want to be seen as judgmental? Should we do away with the jury system because we do not want to judge people accused of crimes? Do not be absurd!

Love is Fish Slime

 

Love, real deep love, is not to be confused with lust or even the sweet mushy feeling you have for your spouse, child, or even your pet.

You see, love is not an emotion at all.

It is work, play, duty, help, service, like, and even gutting fish.

Let me explain.

I grew up the only girl in a house full of boys; I was married for 30 years to a manly man, and I have six nephews. I have been surrounded by men my whole life. I love men.

I even like some traditionally manly activities, like mowing the lawn and chopping wood. I have killed and skinned moose and bear. Fishing is fun; catching is even better. I love to drive fast just because (thank God for cruise control!) and in my teen years won races on the local crusing strip. I can change a tire and, at one time, could change sparkplugs and tune an engine.

What I do not like is to clean and gut fish. Ewwww! That is what I had brothers, a dad, and a husband for, let them get all slimy and gross. 

What does this have to do with love? Everything.

Many years ago, my husband and I lived in the Alaska bush (more about that in another post), on a small lake we called Paradise. Often our nieces and nephews would come out and keep me company while Jim was building cabins. One year, some good friends' granddaughter, affectionately known as Trouble, came to visit. Trouble was a precocious tween, an only child, staying with grandma and grandpa for the summer. She wanted some adventure.

I wanted to show her a good time, walking in the woods, shooting guns, playing with our goats. She wanted to fish for pike. Fishing is fun, and pike is delicious, BUT we did not have any men or boys around to clean our catch.

I had two choices. Tell Trouble no, we are not fishing and break her heart, or take a deep breath and agree to clean what she caught.

                                I love this girl.

Love made a big deal about Trouble catching her first fish. Love made funny faces (that made her laugh) while I cleaned the slimiest pike on the planet. Love put aside my queasy stomach and the gross factor to bring joy to another person. A little girl who could do nothing for me in return. A girl from whom I expected nothing in return.

That is real love; it is an action (or a verb for all you English nerds). It is something you do, not something you feel.

Love is gently scratching your child’s back to wake them up.

Love is filling your spouse’s gas tank, even when it is cold.

Love is asking your neighbor if you can pick up something from the store.

Love is snow blowing another person’s driveway.

Love is listening to your toddler tell a joke (for the 2,186,178th time.)

Love is rubbing your spouse’s feet after a long day.

Love is doing your sibling’s chores. 

Flowers, candy, and a mushy card are lovely expressions of your feelings. But on this Valentine’s day, do not forget to show your love too.

Where is Trouble now? She is living in the Lower 48 and engaged to the Love of her life.

Even So...what?

 

Even so….what?

          Even if the kids are screaming all. day. long.

          Even if my boss is being unreasonable

          Even if traffic is backed up three miles

          Even if my husband is not meeting my expectations

          Even if my child is going down the wrong path

          Even if life has beaten me up, again

          Even if it seems freedom is being eroded

          Even if it seems like God has abandoned me

Even so, it is well with my Soul.

How can that possibly be, you might wonder. How can it be well if my whole world is crumbling around me?

In Matthew 4: 35-41, we read that Jesus and the disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee when a storm sprang up. It was vicious; the waves were so high they crashed over the sides of the fishing boat. The wind tossed them like a cork on a pond. The boat was filling faster than the disciples could bail out the water. These experienced fishermen were afraid. They were watching the storm rage all around them – there was no way out; they were doomed.

Then one of them noticed Jesus was asleep in the bow of the boat. They had to wake Him up! The bow is the narrowest place in a boat, it is usually the place that gets buffeted and bounced the most, but there was Jesus, asleep as if nothing was happening. I am imaging Jesus sitting up and looking around, not at the storm but at the disciples. “What is wrong?” He could have asked. “Master, we are going to die! Don’t you care?” the disciples were frightened to death. They saw no hope, no way out of their situation. Then Jesus looked at the raging storm. Only then did He tell the waves to calm and the wind to stop. And they obeyed!

Jesus wondered why His followers were so afraid, but they did not really know Him. Do you know Him? Is Jesus your port in the storm? Do you wait until your ship is sinking to ask for His help? The sea was so calm after Jesus rebuked the storm that the disciples probably had to row to shore. Their job was not over, but the way was peaceful and calm.

Lord Jesus, Help me to see you amid the storms in my life. When the kids are going crazy - when my boss is unreasonable -  when my marriage is strained. You are with me even when I cannot feel you working. Help me to remember that you are the Master of all the storms of my life. You are my protection; You alone can bring me to a place of peace and safety. Nothing can surprise You, Jesus. You are my help in the very time of trouble. 

In the Peaceful name of Jesus I pray, Amen.