Acts 3

 One of my new go-to’s on Facebook are posts by a woman who goes by the name “Farmer Girl.”  Farmer Girl is a real person…a real dairy farmer who lives in northwestern Washington state.  She has proven to be wise beyond her years, and is a prolific writer, especially in scriptural interpretation.  She is concise, on-point, and doesn’t stray far afield with her comments.  In short, I like her and what she writes.

She is working now on commentary on the book of Acts.  When she came to chapter 3, the chapter in which Peter and John heal the man lame from birth who was sitting at the temple gate begging, she had a question I had never thought of.  So, I’ll stop my comments for a moment and just read what she said in her post after writing briefly about Peter and John healing the man.  She starts with a question.  Quote

Did Jesus ever walk past that man at the Beautiful Gate?

Because Acts 3:2 says: “And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate…”

Lame from birth.

Laid there daily.

This was not a new situation.  This was not a man who slipped on the temple steps last week. He had never walked.  Not once.  And every day, someone carried him to that same spot, at that same gate, to ask for coins from people heading into the temple.

Same gate.

Same stone.

Same outstretched hand.

Day after day after day.

Now think about Jesus’ ministry for a second.  For three years, He was constantly in and out of the temple.  He taught there.  He debated the Pharisees there.  He healed people there.  He went up for the feasts.  He walked those same streets, those same steps, those same gates.

Which means it is very likely that at some point…Jesus walked right past that man.

And He did not heal him.

OK, this is Jay again.  I’m going to stop there for a moment to say something about that gate.  There were several gates that opened into the Temple.  Some were used in certain circumstances.  Some were more well-used than others.

There was a gate…the south gate…that was the most-used gate by the masses.  We don’t know if it was called the Beautiful gate, but it seems that a beggar would be placed at a gate where there would be the most traffic…and the south gate would be the one.

We don’t know with unerring certainty if Jesus ever saw this beggar.  However, the odds are stacked very high AGAINST anyone who would say that Jesus wasn’t aware of the man or hadn’t seen the man.

OK, let’s go on with Farmer Girl’s comments.

That thought…the thought that Jesus may well have walked right by the man and did not heal him…feels a little uncomfortable.  Because we like the idea that if Jesus sees a problem, He fixes it immediately.  Like a divine emergency service.  See problem.  Fix problem.  Move on.

But that is not how Jesus’ ministry actually worked.  There were still sick people in Israel when He ascended.  Still blind people.  Still lame people.  Still suffering people.  He did not empty every hospital, fix every body, or solve every problem in those three years.

So why this man?  Why later?  Why in Acts?

Because in Acts 3, that healing does more than just fix a pair of legs.

Peter and John come walking up to the temple at the hour of prayer.  No big announcement. No miracle scheduled on the calendar.  They are just going to pray.  And the man does what he always does.  He asks for money.

Peter basically says, I do not have any coins for you.  But I do have something else.

“In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” Acts 3:6 ESV

And suddenly, the man who has spent his whole life being carried is the one doing the walking.  And not just walking.  Leaping.  Praising God. Causing a full-scale scene in the temple courts.

This is Jay again.  Farmer Girl then gets to the point of her comments…a point that is for you and for me.  I’ll conclude now with her concluding remarks in this post.  Quote

So it seems very possible that Jesus walked past that man many times…because his healing was meant for a different moment.  A moment after the resurrection.   A moment when the apostles would be the ones doing the healing.  A moment that proved Jesus was still working, even though He had ascended.

The man probably thought his biggest problem was that he could not walk.  He was asking for coins.  Just enough to get through another day. But God was writing a much bigger story.  His life became one of the first big public miracles of the early church.

Sometimes we sit at our own “gate” for a long time.  Same problem.  Same prayer.  Same situation.  Day after day.  And we start to wonder if Jesus has just walked right past us.

But Acts 3 reminds us that sometimes the miracle is not late.  It is just waiting for the moment when it will point to something bigger than we can see right now.

We Will Be Judged

 "I think we will be judged…generations from now are going to judge us, and cultures are going to judge the nation that is so known for its wealth, and how we took care of the least of these.  And I just can’t help but wonder what they’ll think of us when they look back, and they see there were people sleeping in our streets…that there were people hungry in our own streets."

That’s a quote from Major Nancy Powers, the South-Central Associate Area Commander, of The Salvation Army.  The quote is an excerpt from "Hope in the Heartland...Wichita's Quest to End Homelessness," a feature-length, Emmy Award winning documentary on the incredibly complex issue of homelessness in Wichita.

I have to admit that even though I’ve given a lot of thought to homelessness and other societal challenges, and even though I mainly through the church, have done what I could to help, I really have never thought about what future generations might say as they look back on history.

But just as we look back at the slave owners in the nation’s earlier days…just as we look back on the various empires of old…just as we look back and see where things went off of the rails with those cultures long dead and gone, so will those who come after us look back at this nation…this culture…and make judgments about us.

But far more important than that, I believe that there is a God who may well even now be making judgments on this nation…we as a people and we as individuals…and surely will judge us at some point, if not now.  A hundred times more so, I fear the judgment of God more than I do some future generation.

The challenge of homelessness, as with most societal challenges, is incredibly complex with dozens of off-ramps, side roads, and stop signs.  It is a challenge that is misunderstood by many, grossly over-simplified by some, and dismissed all together by others as an issue of laziness or as “getting what one deserves.”

Most of us in the homed world have no comprehension of just how close we are to being homeless ourselves.  One paycheck.  One illness.  One catastrophic event.  One death.  If anything goes out of whack in the lives of most of us, we are in danger of sleeping in our car, checking in to the Rescue Mission, or camping out behind a bush in the park.

Even those of us who receive government pensions or assistance…probably the most secure form of support…can’t breathe easy.  Do you have any clue just how broke and broken our units of government are right now?  Can you really be certain that next month’s check will show up in your account?  Just one well-placed bomb…one war started…one major burp in the economy…and the financial house of cards built up by generations of politicians may well come tumbling down on itself…our culture going through a catastrophic re-set.

I’m sure you at some time have heard someone sort-of jokingly say, “I think God is trying to tell us something.”  Could it be that the missed paycheck, the catastrophic event, the one thing that goes haywire in our lives…that thing IS God trying to tell us something?  That God is nudging us to recognize and understand that things aren’t the way they should be, and we need to be more attuned to the needs of others.

I don’t need to tell you that God takes a special interest in those who are mistreated or ignored by the rest of society.  The poor, marginalized, strangers, children, the hungry, the needy.  I believe He expects us, the haves…with the bounty he has given us…to use that bounty in service to those who do not have.  For the Christian, this isn’t optional.  This is basic Christianity…Christian living 101.  No maybe’s.  No yes-but’s.  No what-if’s.  It’s basic stuff, and it should be part of our DNA as Christians.

Can we individually help everyone and work in every segment of society to help find solutions?  No, of course not.  We are limited in time, resources, talent and energy.  We can’t, and God doesn’t expect us to be all things to all people in all situations and all scenarios.  We must choose our area or area of service, and choose wisely.  But, we MUST choose and we must act in some way to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, house the unhoused, treat the sick, and while we’re active in those things, to preach the good news of repentance and eternal life in Jesus Christ.

I’m closing this thought with Jesus’ own words from Matthew 25 as he speaks with his followers.

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Blessings

Proper Timing

 Awhile back, I took my pickup into the shop to have some work done.  I had noticed liquid on the floor of the garage under the engine where it was being parked.  It looked like a combination of oil and water.  I had it in the shop for them to determine what was wrong and have it repaired.

They came back with news that there was a leak in a seal as well as a water pump that was leaking.  The seal leak was in the same area as the water pump, and was also in the same area as the timing belt and associated parts.

As it was about time to replace the timing  belt anyway, I told them to go ahead and fix the seal leak, install a new water pump, and replace the timing belt.  All of that could  be done at the same time by working in the same area of the engine, saving me some future expense in labor.

When I received my pickup back, it started and ran just fine, but when I tried to accelerate from a low speed, the engine hesitated.  At higher speeds, it did just fine.

I took it back in and told them what was going on.  I told them the engine wasn’t doing the hesitation thing before I brought it in for service, but was following the repair.

It took some time as well as the mechanic going down the wrong rabbit hole at first before they finally figured out what was going on.  When the timing belt is replaced, everything has to go back in place exactly right or the timing of the engine…the sequences of things that happen inside the engine…won’t be correct.  The engine won’t run correctly.

You may have guessed by now that the mechanic made a tiny error in replacing the belt and associated equipment.  The error was so small that he didn’t notice it at first glance.  But when he corrected the error, the engine ran much better…more like it should.

I’ve thought about that experience recently as it pertains to life and living, wondering if there is a lesson for us in that story.  Can a tiny error…something just a little “off” so to speak, create some kind of negative effect that is much larger than the error would seem to make it?

Recently, I had a workup done by my primary care doctor.  He did all of the things, including blood work.  The results came back mostly in the “good” or “normal” regions.  But one result, my vitamin D level, came back borderline deficient.  My level was at the lower end of normal.

He suggested that I take a supplement to get my level more into the middle of the normal range.  I didn’t think much about it, but the next time I was in the pharmacy, I bought a supplement and started taking it daily.  I need to tell you that I also have lower back pain from diagnosed osteoarthritis.  Sometimes that discomfort is enough to force me to have to sit down for a time and give it a rest.  I also have difficulty exercising more than about 20 or so minutes due to the pain and discomfort.

However, after taking the vitamin D supplement, in the matter of just three or four days, my lower back pain lessened considerably.  It is still there, but is much more manageable.

I wondered if the vitamin D supplement was the cause of the decreased discomfort because I had made no changes other than beginning to take the supplement.  I looked up symptoms of vitamin D deficiency and found “bone pain,” especially lower back pain to be one of the symptoms.

Apparently, something as simple as increasing my intake of vitamin D has resulted in a big change in how I feel from day to day.

I could tell you of other things I’ve found that seem small and insignificant, but have a big effect just like the timing belt that was just a tiny bit “off” but caused an engine to misfire.  Daily exercise, which for me consists of 15 to 20 minutes of walking.  Regular exercises for my shoulder, which is also being attacked by arthritis.  Drinking enough water daily.  Eating a good variety of fruits and veggies, especially fresh fruit and vegetables.

And then there’s the spiritual and emotional aspects of life that can be greatly affected in a positive way by some of the “small things.”  Regular immersion into the Word of God.  Taking time for meditation and quiet.  Turning off the TV, the radio, and the noise.  Meeting with church family.  Taking in nature, whether in my back yard, in a park, or in the wide-open countryside.  Being with friends and family.  Sharing kindness, empathy, and resources.  Taking time to write, construct, garden, solve puzzles, cook, or whatever it is that gives you joy.  Prayer.

I’m sure you can think of other things that by themselves seem insignificant, but have much, much value.  At least some of these need to be toward the top of our priority list each day.  Our “engines” (so to speak) just run better when everything works together as it should.

May God bless you continually as you seek those things which bring you into, and keep you in the proper timing of life.

Quick to Listen..."

 I have a sheet of paper taped to my office door.  On that letter-size sheet is a circle with the words, “Someone’s problem,” inside it.  A straight line slices through the circle, cutting off a very, very small part of it.  Next to that very, very, small part are the words, “What you know about it.”  The heading at the top of the page reads, “Why you should be kind to people.”

I see that page taped to my door each time I go in or out of the office.  I can also see it from my office chair.  It’s a frequent reminder that I don’t know nearly as much a I might think I know about a lot of different things…not only the problems faced by others, but also societal issues such as homelessness, mental health, and food insecurity, political issues like immigration, government spending, and foreign policy, and general life and living issues faced by us all such as relationships, budgeting, and raising kids.

I may think, for example, that I’m some sort of expert when it comes to raising kids, as we’ve been there and done that.  I may also think I’m an expert when it comes to budgeting since we seem to be on a good path financially right now.  And I may think I can offer some expert advice when it comes to the issue of homelessness, since we deal with some of that at the church on a regular basis.

However, when I immerse myself into the real world of these things, it doesn’t take long for me to understand that I really know very, very little about the incredible complexity of these issues and the seeming intractability of being able to solve them to any acceptable degree.

Many of these problems and issues seem to be barely manageable, let alone solvable.  They often prove to be obstinate, unwieldy, and stubborn.  Those whose job it is to work with them and try to solve them often aren’t any more or better equipped to work with them than I am, yet we look to those people to find some magic cure…some quick fix…some miraculous thing that will solve homelessness, end political polarization, and cure mental health ills.  And we’re quick to offer our own quick fixes in the event they run out of ideas.

And, we often think we have the answer if they will just listen to us.  If  you’re mentally ill, get therapy and take your meds.  If government spends too much, just cut back on the budget until it balances.  If your kids are running amok, just clamp down and put them in their place.  Let them know who is boss.

But if we’ll just stop and think about it for a moment in as much of an unbiased manner as possible, we’ll quickly understand that it isn’t that easy.  It isn’t that simple.  There is no quick fix for many of these issues.  There may not be a fix of any kind for at least some of these issues.  Yet, we often think we have the answers and self-righteously elevate ourselves into positions of knowing THE answer, even while we show our abject ignorance by spouting some kind of platitude that never has and never will help the situation.

In Proverbs 17, the wise sage said this:  “A man of knowledge restrains his words, and a man of understanding maintains a calm spirit.  Even a fool is considered wise if he keeps silent, and discerning when he holds his tongue.”

In the New Testament, James says, “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.”

These are only two of several places in the Scriptures where we are to use restraint when speaking.  Paul tells us to “Be kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one-another.”  Luke records Jesus saying that we are to “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”  Paul says in the Colossian letter, “Let your speech always be with grace…”  I’m sure that if you are at all familiar with the Bible, you can think of other places having to do with how we behave in our speech.

The next time you’re tempted to enter into someone else’s problem or inject yourself into some issue, stop and think about how much you really know about it and how much there may well be that you don’t know.  Then if you still need to speak, do so respectfully and with grace, knowing you don’t have the magic pill that solves the riddle, but that your thoughts can hopefully contribute to the discussion.

And don’t hesitate to contact your government officials, the leaders of your church, or others if you feel led to do so.  But do it with respect, knowing you know very little about the situation and are only offering an opinion, which may or may not be one that contributes to the solution.

Someone long ago said that you can’t learn anything while you’re talking.  Think about that.  Then think about what James says in the New Testament.  Be careful in your selection of what you will listen to…be quick to listen to those things that are good, true, decent, and beneficial…and be slow to speak, even when you think you may have the answer.

Those qualities are a sure sign of maturity.

Blessings,

Let Go/Let God

 Today is Thursday, the day before the Big Snow.  According to all the weather folks for the past several days, a big snow storm is due to come our way here in Kansas and points south and east.  Some areas farther south will experience, they say, extreme ice storms.  And the cold…on Saturday, they are forecasting a high of six degrees for Wichita…that’s six…just one digit.  Sunday won’t be much better with a forecast high of 11.

Now, that could all change.  We’ve seen it happen before.  Movement of just forty or fifty miles either north or south by the system low pressure center can make a big difference in how much snow or ice comes our way.  So, even though the forecasts are not always on point a couple of days before the event, we are taking precautions.  We’re discussing not holding services Sunday.  We’re working with the snow removal people.  We’re setting thermostats so things don’t freeze up in the building.

And we’re also taking some precautions personally.  Filling gas tanks.  Planning ahead.  We aren’t stocking up on tons of water, toilet paper, or food.  We have enough normally at the house for what we will need.  The wife is doing her regular weekly grocery shopping today, and I expect she’ll pick up the usual assortment of things.

I did purchase a new snow shovel yesterday, but only because the old one is indeed old, and the plastic is cracked and broken to the point that it doesn’t work very well anymore.  I’ve been intending to get one for the past several months, and have just put it off.  We have bird seed for our winter feathered friends sufficient to weather the storm.  We don’t have any place we have to be or go, so we should be OK.

I also know that from time to time I will be thinking of some of those I know who are spending their time outdoors in the cold.  I’m hopeful they will seek shelter at the Second Light facility in downtown Wichita.  However, many have mental health issues that prevent them from wanting shelter, or they have behavior issues that keep them out.  They are still people.  They are still human beings.  They still are made in the image of God.  We do what we can.  But sometimes what we can do isn’t enough.  People still become ill.  People still die.  It’s something that we sometimes have to admit that we should do what we reasonably can do and let the rest…those things, circumstances, and situations that we can’t control…go.

That works for several areas of life and living.  All too often, it seems, we try to control the outcome of something so it ends up the way we want it to end.  We become increasingly frustrated, stressed, and upset as things continue down the path we have NOT selected.  We seem to be powerless to switch the track, so to speak, to make things turn out our way.

The advice to do what we reasonably can do and give the rest to God is good advice.  We don’t know the long term.  We don’t know what’s at the end of the track.  We don’t know what God has planned and is carrying out.

Think of the story of Joseph in the Old Testament.  Hated by his older brothers, thrown down an old dry well in the desert by them…brought out of that pit and sold by his brothers to an Egyptian to be made a slave.  Later he was imprisoned for something he did not do.  Eventually, though, Joseph’s life was one that saved his entire family and the nation of Israel from a great famine and brought them into the land of Egypt to live.  Joseph’s message to his family at the end of it all was, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”

Sometimes, we need to be taught the lesson that God is indeed in charge.  We should do what we reasonably can, but we need to recognize that God ultimately controls the outcome.  And sometimes, I believe God intentionally paints us into a corner in order to get that lesson across to us AND to show us His awesome power, mercy, and work.

Whatever demons you’re fighting right now, do what you reasonably can do…then pray…pray for God’s will to be done.  And let it go and let God.

 

Blessings

Ms. Jo

 Josephine Brown, often just called “Jo”,  the first Black woman to chair the Wichita Board of Education in the 1970’s, died this past December 31 at age 96.  She won the seat during a time when the Wichita school system still had not fully implemented the Brown vs Board of Education directive to fully integrate the schools.

According to a KAKE news piece, Brown served during a pivotal time in the early 1970s as Wichita Public Schools faced pressure to desegregate and address inequities in education. Her daughter, Sheila Kinnard, said her mother spent her life advocating for fairness, community involvement and change.

Ms. Brown’s advocacy for equality didn’t end when her time on the school board ended.  Mark McCormick, in an editorial in the Kansas Reflector, said this about Brown:  “In a society expecting her to dim her light, Mrs. Jo set the night sky ablaze with searchlights.  When she confronted the yet lingering vestiges of that era, at a bank or a store, she would correct them as she might one of her tiny students.  Firmly but gracefully.”

“You don’t pay AND beg, baby,” she told me once.

This is Jay.  Think about that last line.  “You don’t pay AND beg, baby.”  I’m not a minority.  I’m as Caucasian as can be.  So what follows is in no way part of a racial issue.  Yet, even now, for me, sometimes I feel like I have to beg someone to provide the service that I either have already paid for or will be paying for.  Have you felt the same way sometimes?

Customer service is often non-existent or so difficult to come by that it takes a herculean effort to get anything done.  The automated answer is standard anymore, if there is even a phone number to call.  Pressing “0” doesn’t always get a live voice.  Emails aren’t answered.  Promises made when someone DOES contact “customer service” are not kept.  Send in this form.  FAX this in to us and we’ll take care of it.  Email us a copy of your receipt.  And on and on it goes.

“You don’t pay AND beg, baby.”

Even when dealing with someone in person it isn’t always easy to get something done.  Insurance, medical care, and government seem to be the biggest problem areas, but it’s really all over.  People who DO answer the phone are often in India or Cambodia speaking broken English from a script provided by their computer.

“You don’t pay AND beg, baby.”

So, what do you do?  You become persistent.  You do business with those who will meet your need for service.  Local and smaller is often  better.  If the business is within driving distance, go to that business rather than continuing to send emails and playing phone tag.  Determine you will receive an answer when you go, and keep at it until you do.

“You don’t pay AND beg, baby.”

Let me tell you a story from my files.  Some time ago I had the need to see a cardiologist at a cardiology clinic in Wichita.  The doctor recommended I wear a Holter monitor…a device that records various functions of the heart, for 24 hours.  I agreed.  When I checked out the monitor, I had to sign a form saying that if I didn’t bring it back in good condition that I would be liable for $1,500 reimbursement.  I agreed, and signed.

When I brought the monitor back to the office a couple of days later, I asked for a receipt showing that I had brought the monitor back.  The woman at the desk told me that they didn’t give receipts for monitors.  I repeated my request.  She repeated her response.  I repeated my request a third time.  She repeated her response a third time.

Then we just looked at each other for about 30 seconds…I assume she thought I would leave.  I didn’t.  I then said that I had to sign a paper saying I was liable for the monitor unless it was brought back, and I wasn’t going to leave until I had a receipt saying it was brought back.  Then I repeated my request, “I need a receipt showing that I brought the monitor back to the clinic.”  I remained in control, barely, and polite, barely, but firm.

“You don’t pay AND beg, baby.”

She said, “Just a minute,” and went to the back.  She came back out in a few minutes, hand-wrote a receipt, signed and dated it, and gave it to me.  I thanked her and told her the clinic needed to do this for all returns.  When I saw the doctor a few days later to review the monitor’s findings, I relayed the story to him.  I have no idea if they have begun to give receipts or not.  I do not plan on checking out another monitor, and in fact canceled the appointment I had a couple of months ago to do that very thing.

You don’t pay AND beg, baby.”

As an aside, don’t worry about my canceling that appointment…my primary care physician, following review of my medical record, tells me the testing was not necessary at this time.  I would never do anything to intentionally jeopardize my health in that way.

So, I hope you remember this little sentence that carries incredible meaning.  “You don’t pay AND beg, baby.”  Be polite.  Be controlled.  But be persistent.  Be insistent.  Don’t settle for less than what you paid for.  Whether you’re black, brown, white or something else…whether you’re a man or woman, young or old, rich or poor, rural or urban, it doesn’t matter.  Insist on good service.  Hold those you do business with accountable.  Ms Jo would be pleased.

Blessings…

Staying Grounded

 When was the last time you were really frustrated, anxious, or just plain disgusted with the way things were going for you in life and living?  If you’re like pretty much everyone else, that time wasn’t more than a few hours or days ago.  It seems that life’s frustrations bubble up out of the ground regularly…some are a little bigger than others, but they all tend to cause changes in priorities, adjustments in how we see things, and at times force us to stop everything and just concentrate on what’s happening at the time.

These blips in life can be as mild as catching a cold at an inconvenient time, or as big as a loved one suddenly passing away or some kind of natural disaster that destroys our possessions and home.  We often never know when these things will come at us, and almost as often aren’t sure how to deal with the situation that is presented to us.

Sometimes we tend to worry about what MIGHT happen in the future to the point that it becomes some kind of obsession.  When that happens, we become paralyzed with fear and anxiety.  We are afraid to move ahead in life fearing we’ll run into one or more roadblocks.  We spend our days in bed, many times literally, because we cannot face the day ahead.

So, how do we deal with the anxiety and fear?  Many of us have developed coping mechanisms which tend to ground us in reality…help us discern what is really important in life.  These things keep us “rooted,” so to speak, in the realities of the day and time.  For we who wear the name Christian, the ultimate “grounding” is looking to our God and Lord…the unchanging sovereign who has never promised to help us avoid life’s bumps and bruises, but has promised that He will be with us going through them.  “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear nothing, because you are with me.  Your rod and staff comfort me..”  So says that famous Psalm of the Old Testament…Psalm 23.  The poem ends with this:  “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.  And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

God in his mercy has given us many and varied ways to help us keep a steady keel in life.  I recently read something that got me to thinking about what some of those things were for me.  What keeps me going?  How does God work in my life to help me navigate the uncertainties?

My author friend Kendra Broekhuis publishes a monthly blog that appears in my email.  This month, she was musing on what keeps her grounded in life during times of frustration and anxiety…times when things just aren’t going as she would have liked.  Here’s how she said it in the blog:  What’s rooting me in place—holding me steady?  What’s feeding my soul—helping me maintain a healthy perspective on my life and work?  What helps me get out of my own head in a way I can thrive through seasons of stretching, growing, and even pruning?”

Kendra then mentioned several things that help keep her grounded and “rooted,” as she says—keeping her on a steady life course.  She mentions sixteen things that help “ground” her.  I’ll read just a few of them:

 

Reading my chronological, large print Bible.

Noticing the many stray cats in our alley.

Snuggling my kids.

Hearing my kids laugh.

Praying honest prayers.

Taking a walk with a friend through a snowy park.

Sitting at my parent’s table for a late night conversation.

Brunch with my husband.

A King, born in a stable.

 

Well, you get the idea.  And this, as I said earlier, got me to thinking about myself…what keeps me grounded…what keeps me “rooted,” so to speak…what helps smooth out the bumps and bruises in life.

 

Here are a few of my own thoughts on that.

 

Sitting on our back patio any time…summer/winter, day/night…a place that faces the park woods and offers serenity.

Giving one of the grands a ride on the riding mower.

Feeding our feathered friends and watching them enjoy the seeds I put out for them.

Listening to familiar music, whether from The Messiah, Carrie Underwood, Acappella, or Peter, Paul, and Mary.

Watching videos on YouTube of generous people giving to those in need.

Appreciating the things Pat does around the house to keep things orderly.

Caring for our back yard fish pond residents.

Working alongside THE BEST church staff ever.

Knowing I have an absolutely reliable and confidential partner (Pat) in my work as an Elder and Minister.

Going for a drive in rural areas surrounding the Metro, “looking at the crops,” as Dad would say.

Receiving hugs from the grands, even if I saw them only the day before.

 

These things along with others help me to stay on course.  And these things and the people who are part of some of these things are all God-given…gifts from a benevolent and merciful Creator.

So, what keeps you grounded?  What keeps  you rooted?  What do you rely on to reset your compass…to give you a healthy perspective on life and living?

May God continue to shower His blessings on you this day as you face life’s uncertainties.