It's the Little Things That Get You!

I have had a week to end all weeks. For three days I was flat on my back, completely miserable. I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t eat, and I definitely couldn’t have fun. Something vicious had attacked me, and was causing my lovely reaction of vomiting, fever, and cough. Friday found me in the doctor’s office feeling even more miserable as they poked and chatted and x-rayed. Soon enough, I stood staring at my own lungs, hung out to dry as x-rays on the wall, while the doctor said, “See—there’s a pretty dense pneumonia spot right there.” So that was my diagnosis: pneumonia.
I just had one little bacterium in the wrong place. One evil germ with a plan. That little bacterium, I have discovered, can double its numbers every 10-30 minutes. This means that in seven hours that one wicked germ could have turned out over 2 million offspring! Somehow this doesn’t seem fair to poor little me, who had to put up with the rising dynasty of pneumonia bacteria…
However, I have been working on remorselessly throwing my evil little tenants out, and am feeling much better. So much better, in fact, that I have been thinking about the analogy here. Have you ever thought about the little things that control our lives? My microscopic bacteria friends have controlled my life for almost a week now, and I can’t even see them! On a different level, though, how many little imposters hold the reins in our spiritual lives?
In my own life, it’s the little sins that trip me, the little distractions that confuse me, and the little idols that steal my heart. I have to ask myself, how many of my activities are miniscule and frivolous in comparison to eternity? How many of my priorities are parasites that eat up too much time? How many little things do I get angry about and hurt a relationship over? I remember when Melanie, my younger sister, would “get into my stuff.” She loved to fondle my six-year-old treasures, and when she, at age three, would break one of them, my anger could not be soothed! At the time, I just could not imagine ever forgetting those broken treasures that now I have long since forgotten. I let my possessions control my emotions.
James 3:4 says, “Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires.” Perhaps it’s time for a rudder check. Matthew 6:33 provides a good one: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Seeking God is the BIG thing; compared to that, everything else is just a microscopic germ. We hear all the time that we should cherish the little things, but at the same time, I suggest, don’t sweat the small stuff—it just might lay you flat on your back!

Check With Your Rearview Mirror and Your Conscience before Proceeding

I had no time to think; I just had time to skid to a stop in the truck I was driving, not even taking a second to check the rearview mirror. Moments after my foot connected with the brake, I heard brakes squealing and tires skidding, but the sound wasn’t coming from my automobile. All of this commotion came from the diesel truck behind me, a man in a hurry who was apparently following too closely. The entire situation unnerved me, but, realizing that I hadn’t felt any impact, I decided to continue on my way. As soon as I parked, however, I checked the back of the truck and was relieved to find no marks. This wasn’t my car, you see; I was on my way to feed a friend’s animals while he was out of town, and it was his truck I was driving.
So you can imagine my alarm when, a few days later, Lauren and I arrived home late at night and the headlights of our van caught the back of the truck. “Oh! There’s a dent in Mr. U’s truck, huh?” Lauren asked. I looked in horror—and then looked again. My mind immediately went back to the sudden stop…the squealing brakes…the near miss…only now I wondered, “Was I actually hit?” I spent the next few days debating about what to do. On the one hand, I didn’t feel any impact; I did check the back; and Mr. U probably wouldn’t notice. On the other hand, why was this bothering me if there was no reason to worry? Moreover, if no damage had occurred at that moment seared into my memory, the dent would still be my fault, because that would mean it had happened after the incident, and thus under my watch. Finally, if I took care of this now, I would find out authoritatively whose fault the dents were. Eventually, I knew, my conscience would get to me, and I would confess; wouldn’t it be easier to just do it now rather than wait, say, ten years? What if I found, after enduring the torment of a damaged conscience for several years, that none of this had been my fault anyways? With all of these good reasons to admit my mistake, however, I am ashamed to say that I hesitated. Why was it not an automatic action for me to disclose any possible damage I may have caused to this man’s property? The answer to that is, unfortunately, very easy: I have a sin nature as large as the next person, and Satan fought a hard battle to get me to follow that nature. However, God has instilled a new nature in me, and in I Corinthians 10:13 He promises, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
God won the battle in my soul, and Satan was defeated. I showed Dad the marks, and he agreed that he didn’t recall seeing the damage when Mr. U showed us the truck before he left. Dad also said that it would cost around $1000 to fix it. Determinedly, I included the details in my summary letter to Mr. U, but I heard nothing from him for two days. As Dad said, “it seems that if it really wasn’t your fault, he would have called the same day to reassure you.” However, yesterday, I checked my cell voicemail, and discovered a message from Mr. U. He said, “You were worried about the dent in the truck, but unfortunately, it’s been there for over a year.”
You can’t imagine how I was praising God at that moment! I was fully prepared to pay the $1000, but He saw fit to bless me, and provide me with yet another incentive to trust Him instantly next time by practicing integrity and honesty. When faced with situations like this, I would encourage all of you to try something I have found helpful. Ask yourself, “What is the worst that could happen if I confess this? What am I afraid of?” The Devil doesn’t want you to think reasonably or sensibly in matters like this, because if you do, you’ll realize, “the worst that could happen would be paying $1000” or “the worst that could happen would be the humiliation I will experience.” Most often, one will not even lose anyone’s respect by confessing; in fact, courageously taking responsibility for one’s actions often brings more respect. So that was my spiritual battle of the week. What was yours? Have you won it yet?

Oh, by the way—always check the rearview mirror before you brake; it sure saves a lot of trouble.

Time

Time is passing, sliding;
It is still moving on.
You can try to grab it back,
But Time, unyielding, is gone.

Only a second gone;
Only a moment lost.
Only an hour you wasted,
But long will you pay the cost.

A second is endless;
A breath, infinity;
An hour transfigures a life
If you can guard Time wisely.

The greatest things yet said,
The noblest, best things done
Didn’t take sixty minutes:
They only took one.

By Lauren

Peacocks, Black Ice Cream, and a Supermodel: My Week

My handsome brother, Jonah! The pose was all his idea.

I broke one of the cardinal rules of playing in a symphony--I associated with the winds! Seriously, I have met and know every string player in my large symphony, but I have only gotten to know a few wind players. Somehow, I think that there is an unwritten caste system in symphonies! However, I have gotten to know a clarinet player very well, and thus it happens that I have found myself house-sitting for him this week. He has six inside cats, as many outside cats, and--of course--many peacocks and peahens, of all things! Never a dull moment....

Peabody, our very fluffy, very self-satisfied, adorable cat! He was my supermodel this week. ;-) He sat contentedly, occasionally adjusting his head position for my picture-taking satisfaction.

Adam, a man from church, who has been putting trim up in our house.

Three cheers for Adam!

This is Mel, my fifteen year old sister, showing off her unique tongue color! She and I went out for ice cream at Lynns Ice Cream, Yogurt, and More a lovely "hole-in-the-wall" that has a retro feel and delicious ice cream. Mel had the black (and I do mean black) licorice ice cream, and this is the effect several hours later!

My adorable six year old brother, Jonah!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

A wealthy sixteen year-old boy lives apathetically. Suddenly, a fierce kidnapping brings upheaval into his life, and he is alone among enemies. Eventually brought to a foreign land, he has no one to turn to but the one who is always present—God. Are you intrigued yet? I was when I first heard the story of St. Patrick. He was born in Britain near the end of the fourth century, and the Irish kidnapped him from his privileged home. Finally escaping after six years of slavery, he demonstrated one of the most unparalleled acts of forgiveness by a man in history: he went back to his captors in obedience to a vision from God in order to bring them the Gospel.

There were a small number of Christians on the island, but most of the Irish were pagan. He died on March 17, around 460, and that day became a Catholic feast day to honor St. Patrick. Now, Americans and people all over the world remember this amazing man each year.
Here is an adorable video about St. Patrick. The little girl’s story was recorded in the 1960s in an inner-city school in Dublin, Ireland, and an animation company rescued the recordings from the trash and made this one into this short video. I certainly wish that I had known as much about Patrick when I was this girl’s age, but be aware that she did mess up on a couple of facts, namely that he was British and not French.

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, here are a few interesting facts:

• On St. Patrick’s Day in 1776, George Washington’s army used the password “St. Patrick,” and on that day the British forces finally evacuated Boston.


• St. Patrick’s blue was the original Irish color associated with Patrick, but because of the legend of him explaining the Trinity through the shamrock and because Ireland is known as the “Emerald Isle,” the color metamorphasized into green.


• Corned beef and cabbage is actually the cheap meal that Irish Americans made do with when they were too poor to buy the true Irish boiled bacon.


• Every year Chicago dyes the Chicago river green for St. Patrick’s Day! It started in 1962 as a way to trace sewage leaks, and then someone realized the draw for tourists (or something like that!).


• Irish is the second most reported heritage in the US, after German.

So wear your Irish green today and eat corned beef and cabbage, but remember and honor this Christian man who became stronger through tragedy, who forgave the unforgiveable, and who is remembered and honored over 1500 years after his death, not because of genius or talent, but because his light still shines in Ireland.

Photo of Chicago River from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chicago_River_St_Patricks_Day_08.jpg

Quote from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/s/saint_patrick.html