Nursery Crimes

Here is another insight drawn from the recent birth of my daughter Maggie. Please forgive me. As a new daddy, I can’t resist.

She officially arrived on September 1, 2008. Looking out from my green eyes into her baby blues, I saw this tiny precious infant so fragile and adorable. The nurse wrapped her in a pink receiving blanket with a matching hat, and laid her in the nursery bed.

Since that day, it has been an adventure of “firsts”. It began with the first cry and has been followed by her first sleep, first feeding, first burp, first diaper change, first giggle, first Christmas, and first taste of pablum. As of last Sunday, she watched her first Super Bowl. Of course, we are expecting her to say her first word (daddy?), take her first step, and to experience a lifetime of firsts.

If after ten years, however, I returned to the hospital and found Maggie still in the nursery bed, that wouldn’t be adorable. That would be tragic! That would be a nursery crime! Life should be filled with firsts. Firsts are evidence that we are growing and developing.

When was the last time you did something for the first time?

A schoolteacher for 25 years heard about an opportunity that would mean a promotion. He applied for the position. But someone who had been teaching for only one year was hired instead. He went to the principal and asked, “Why?” She explained, “I’m sorry, but you haven’t had 25 years of experience as you claim; you’ve had only one year’s experience 25 times.” During that whole time the teacher had not improved.

When we first put our faith in Christ, we are like infants. But we cannot stay that way. “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good (1 Peter 2:2-3 New International Version).

When Jesus says to us, “Come, follow me,” he has in mind for us a great adventure. I challenge you to try something new that will break the boredom and cause you to grow.

Here are some ideas:

For the first time – go on a trip and be awed by the wonders on this planet. For the first time – visit another church and worship God in a different way than you are use to. For the first time – get involved in a social justice effort like a food bank or Habitat for Humanity. For the first time – read a Christian book (recommended “The Shack, By William Peterson”). For the first time – take your spouse on a mystery date. For the first time – do a random act of kindness for someone you don’t know.

SERIOUSLY, when was the last time you did something for the first time?

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:17-18 (New International Version)

Lady in Red

I know a lady!  She is a remarkable woman.  There are times when she is so beautiful; I want nothing else than to be near her.  Her loveliness isn’t just based on outward appearance; it is a beauty that emerges from the interior of her being.   I have seen her moved with compassion towards those who are suffering.  Disaster relief.  She is always there!  Feeding the poor.  She collects and distributes food.  Clothing and educating children.  I have seen her doing this throughout the world.  She was the ONE who opposed the slave trade and has continued to inspire social justice for African Americans.   Her voice carries sounds of hope.  This woman is gorgeous inside and out!

However, I have also observed this same lady so covered in spots and wrinkles that I could hardly stand to look at her.  Her appearance has been an ugliness that repels.   I have seen her with a smug arrogance that conveys, “I am better than you.”   At times she was the ONE wounding.  She was part of the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition.  She kept silent and absent during numerous genocides.  She has bombed abortion clinics.   She has sometimes been part of the problem, and not the solution.

She has helped me.

She has hurt me.

She is a work in progress!

She is The Church.  She is the ONE whom Jesus called the “bride”.  I am also a part of her!  I admit that neither I nor any other follower of Jesus has always got everything right.  When Jesus taught His bride to pray, He included a phrase asking God for forgiveness.   He knew that she – we would need it!   Denominationalism?  That’s a wrinkle.   Moral failures?  Those are spots.

When God looks at His Church however, He sees her in red.  She is washed by the blood of Christ and He cherishes her in spite of her blemishes.   More than that, the ugliness is being worked out so that all that will be seen is loveliness.

I heard someone say, “The Church is filled with hypocrites.”  I agreed and added, “There is always room for one more.”

I Made a List

I made a list.  I listed the nine people who have most impacted my life in a positive way and why.  Here they are in no particular order.

 

1. My mother – a woman who accepts and respects people just as they are.
2. Rev. Bill Terris – a Christian man who walks his talk; integrity.
3. Bryan Mackell – an employer who took joy in mentoring me as an understudy.
4. Dr. Bill Morrow – a true leader who is governed by the desire to show mercy.
5. Forbes Stewart – a high school teacher who let people take advantage of his good nature.
6. Elmer Squires – a wonderful man who models servant leadership and has treated me like a son.
7. John Michael Talbot – a Franciscan monk whose music has drawn me closer to God.
8. My wife – a woman who astonishes me with her unselfishness.
9. Jesus of Nazareth – everything about Him is compelling and believable.

Not only am I grateful for these people, I aspire to be more like them!   More than that, I want my own life to be a positive influence upon others. 

 

Whether it is upon our children, our grandchildren, the people we see in the coffee shop, or in our volunteer work, deep down we all want to know we made a difference for someone.

 

That being true, be encouraged to personally express appreciation to those people on “your list”.  They need to hear it!  They deserve to hear it!  Your visit, phone call, or card will be more precious than diamonds.    

 

I have personally thanked each person on my list.  In one instance, the gentleman who answered the phone was stunned to hear from me after twenty-five years.  When I told him how his example shaped my character, he became very emotional.  They were tears of joy!

 

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up”

I Thessalonians 5:11

The Bible

A Miracle Witnessed

I just witnessed a miracle!  On September 1 (“Labour Day”), 10:13 a.m., my daughter was born.   Within moments, Doctor Bailey placed this little one in my arms.  I held 7lbs. 4 ounces of miracle. 

Some people would like to argue what constitutes a miracle.  Go ahead.  From my perspective the whole process of life being created is a miracle.  As King David wrote in Psalm 139, “O Lord… you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”  

My first words to her were, “Hello little one, I have been waiting to meet you.”  I counted toes and fingers, inspected ears, and then I did what every new mommy or daddy does.   I looked for traces of myself in her face.  As I gazed upon her, it seemed to me that I had seen that face before.  Sure enough, as Grandma Rowley showed pictures of me when I was first born, it was a perfect likeness.

Now I better understand the parenting metaphor of Father God.  When God looks at each of us, He looks for traces of Himself.  Of course, this does not mean physical appearances, but rather character likenesses.   He is looking to see if we are loving, forgiving, merciful, and gracious.

I will also be looking for those qualities in my little one as she grows.  Her name is Magdalene (Maggie) Grace.  The shining testimony of the Mary Magdalene from the Bible is that she allowed herself to be loved by Jesus.  My Maggie comes into this world with a prayer over her heart that she too will allow herself to be loved by Jesus.   The name Grace, meaning undeserved favor, has been given to her with the prayer that she will be gracious to everyone she meets.  

Dear God,

Thank you for the living miracles you entrust to us.

May our little ones grow to reflect your loving nature.

May our sons and our daughters become humble, compassionate,

merciful, and gracious.

Help us as moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas

lead our children along this joyful path.

 

The Secret Signature of Your Soul

Beneath the skin’s surface, in the inner place called the soul, each of us are uniquely and wonderfully made.  I believe that each person is equipped with a God sensor that functions like a sixth sense.  While we are hardwired to experience the sacred and hear the voice of heaven, no person is naturally calibrated the same.   

Have there been moments when you sensed the presence of God? 

Can you recall being filled with wonder?

Have you experienced a peace beyond understanding?   

Were you in a church sanctuary?  Were you in the woods or by a lake?

Were you alone or with people?

Was it quiet?  Were you listening to a certain type of music? 

Were you gazing upon an icon, holding a cross, or meditating on the Bible?  

Was the place filled with light, or was the darkness broken only by a candle burning nearby? 

The answers to these questions reveal in part the secret language of your soul.  You have been uniquely fashioned by God Himself.  

Beneath the commotion of our everyday busyness is a yearning.  Sometimes this yearning is in hibernation.  Other times it behaves like a hungry bear.  At our core, we are all yearning to experience the Holy.  Once you recognize your own sacred style of experiencing God, you are better equipped to choose the community of faith (church) where you will best fit.  While assent to a local churches’ doctrine is critical,  so is your comfort with the particular style of worship of that church. 

In book and music stores, entire sections are now devoted to New Age and the pursuit of mystical experience.  Because people are desperate to experience the sacred, these items are selling in the millions.  The desire is wonderful!  However, most of the material is detached from the Christian tradition.  My plea is for seekers to try Jesus at a local church which resonates with the secret signature of their soul.  After all, when we truly encounter the Holy, healing and hope flows into our lives again. 

“I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:

marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”

Psalm 139:14

In Pursuit of Happiness

Many people are dissatisfied with their present circumstance.  Like a goldfish trapped in a bowl, they are swimming in circles going nowhere.    

Everyone wants to be in a life circumstance where they are happy.   However, in the process of time, when their careers, their relationships, their sports, their adventures, and their purchases leave them feeling unfulfilled, they wonder if they will ever be in that happy place. 

God wants you to be happy.  A king who learned the hard way concluded, “I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.  That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil – this is the gift of God (Ecclesiastes 3:12-13). 

If you want to be happy, and God wants you to be happy, why are you unhappy?

A traveller in Ridgetown was convinced that he was on the wrong road, stopped his car, rolled down the window, and said to a local resident, “Friend, I need help, I’m lost.”  The resident looked at him and asked, “Do you know where you are?”  “Yes,” said the traveller, “I saw the name of the town as I entered.”  The resident asked another question, “Do you know where you want to be?”  “Yes,” the traveller replied, and answered, “Blenheim.”  The resident then replied,  “You’re not lost, you just need directions.”

Perhaps you are in an emotional place of unhappiness and you feel lost.  Here are some directions to move you towards happiness. 

Stop living Frank Sinatra’s song, “I Did It My Way” and try “Living Life God’s Way” (Psalm 1).  For example, Jesus taught that lasting happiness would not be found in outward circumstances.  In Biblical times, the word “blessed” meant perfect happiness and joy.   Jesus used this word nine times, and not once did he indicate that happiness could be found by living our lives selfishly (Matthew 5:1-12).  Charlie Peacock expresses that same truth,   

No amount of green, gold or silver,

the perfect body, another hot toddy,

fame & power, power and sex,

a seat at a table at the Belle Meade Country Club,

Here’s the rub:

nothing will ever take the place of the peace of God [1].

Jesus taught that we could only experience lasting happiness intrinsically; that is, God working from the inside out.   On the inside, we are to humbly accept His mercy.  Then, on the outside, we need to look for ways to show that same mercy to other people.  

We sabotage our own happiness by trying to find it in things and experiences and people to serve us.  True happiness only comes when we seek to serve God by serving the needs of others.   

May you have a “blessed” life. 

  

[1]       Lyric from “Monkey’s at the Zoo”, Charlie Peacock