Sent God-mail lately?

Early in my writing career, before the internet, old-fashioned mail connected me to the publishing industry. Yes, I once put manuscripts to editors in a box like this, flipped up the flag, and waited.  If they returned as “rejected,” I also hoped they wouldn’t have coffee stains, meaning tedious retyping. A common writer’s joke concerned how many cobwebs would adorn a mailbox before an overworked editor responded.  Now, my computer translates keystrokes to words, corrects my spelling, and zips a submission in seconds to a publishing house. What a world!

Recently, picking up the usual bills and flyers, I realized how busy my local spiders had been. A what-if occurred to me. What if, instead of receiving this type of mail, I was charged with sending love notes to God? What would I say? Right away, this phrase came to mind: “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.”  I found it at the beginning of Psalm 107, and behold: it’s a chorus that threads throughout the psalm.

This psalm opens “Book V” of the Psalms, and it’s believed to include those collected after the Jews returned to their land.  Bible scholars say this psalm specifically mentions hurting and at-risk populations: refugees (4-7), prisoners (10-16), the sick (19-22), and victims (seamen, 23-32). These people didn’t have the soft life of a roof over their heads, a grocery store down the road, and decent medical care. Life for them was tough. Yet when they cried out to God, He heard them.

The last image, of seamen in a horrific storm (vv. 23-30) is terrifying, something like a Moby Dick drama or worst. Yet, when life crashes in around us, there couldn’t be a better metaphor.  I have several friends on the wild waves of serious illness.  They’re waiting for that time when they’ll be guided to a haven (v. 30), when they can “give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.”

 The key here is “his unfailing love.” No matter what trial assaults us, God’s unfailing love is there. Who of us hasn’t felt tossed around violently by life’s cruel storms? Yet, through it all is God’s unfailing love.

What does this have to do with a cobwebbed mailbox?  Maybe that there ought to be “thank you” notes to God going out regularly-- a box full of praises for God’s unfailibng love, headed to heaven via journaling, prayer, or public testimony.  I know I could improve on that area of my spiritual life! “Whoever is wise,” ends the psalm (v. 43), “let him heed these things and consider the great love of the Lord.”

Speaking of thanksgivings....

Oh, the awe of holding a newborn!  James, my son’s third son and our fourth grandchild, made his entrance a week ago.  Yes, it’s now “my three sons” at their household—bringing a smile to us “oldies” who remember the popular sit-com (1960-72) by that name featuring a fictional widower (starring Fred MacMurray) and three sons.  I always liked the perky housekeeper hired to keep things going! So, James, welcome as you grow up with brothers just 2 ½ and 4 years older.  I pray that as you grow up, you will embrace your heritage of faith.  “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom” (James 3:13 NIV).

Fleeting vs. forever

My neighbor was right-on about the cactus on her front porch railing. Its spectacular blooms would last a day. I was there with a camera the morning they opened, and I wasn’t disappointed. Who would guess that such beauty could emerge from such unfriendly, thorny plants?

I thought of the Bible’s similar observation about transient things in 1 Peter 1:24-25, quoting Isaiah 40:6-8:

All men are like grass and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.

It’s easy to pluck out these verses and go no further. But the context says a lot more. In the preceding verses, Peter says being “born again” in Jesus means we have “imperishable” seed within us. Then, after quoting Isaiah, he continues:

And this is the word that was preached to you.  Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.  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 1:25b-2:3)

In other words, bloom for Jesus for all you’re worth!  If your life contains any of the negative characteristics he listed, something’s not right between you and Jesus. It’s a pretty grim list, too. Eugene Peterson paraphrased it this way: “So clean house! Make a clean sweep of malice and pretense, envy and hurtful talk.”  Ouch! All of those are like cactus thorns!

Need a soul boost? Go back and read the entire first chapter of 1 Peter that ends with the verses quoted above. It seems that Peter is so overwhelmed by the Lord’s gracious redemptive work in his life that he can’t contain himself.  His faith flowers forth, and not just for a day!

The Decay Squad

I could have bought my husband a really nice new recliner—not the type seen here!-- for the check I had to write at the dentist’s office recently. Tagged onto my routine cleaning was re-doing an old (30-year-old?) filling that had cracked and was showing decay around the edges. Sure enough, by the time the dentist blasted it out, there was more decay underneath. What I couldn’t see or feel, he discovered and repaired.

I thought of a verse that addressed some difficult situations I found myself in lately: “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently” (Galatians 6:1).

It’s tricky, it really is.  One of those situations involved someone’s willful plunge into adultery and a spurning of pastoral counsel. The other involved other types of willful behavior that bring shame to the name of Jesus. Neither wanted to hear or heed godly wisdom.

In frustration, I did what I need to do every time: go to scripture for guidance in praying. This time it came from Psalm 19.  After layering one splendid analogy after another to describe God’s Word, David concluded:

By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

Who can discern his errors?  Forgive my hidden thoughts.

Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me.

Then I will be blameless, innocent of the great transgression. (Psalm 19:12-13)

My dentist’s trained eye and his X-ray machine helped to see what I certainly couldn’t. They discerned the “errors” of my dental habits and aging process that threatened a helpful part of my body.  (Yes, teeth are good.)

 Oh, there’s the teeth-cleaning part, too.  When my hygienist scrapes, grinds, picks, and polishes my “ivories,” she’s keeping decay from ruling over me. Oh yes, I get the “reminders” of flossing and such, and my “willful” sin is not doing it daily. (There, I confessed.)

I’m grateful for my dental team (though, without insurance, every visit has an extra “ouch”).  I’m also grateful for my Bible, which, like a toothbrush and floss getting into the dental crannies, encourages and exhorts me toward a God-honoring life.

Pollution solution

For several weeks this summer, multiple fires in our northern neighbor, Canada, funneled choking smoke over the Pacific Northwest. Several times, my town had smoke pollution so bad it was the worst in the nation, at times rivaling infamous smoggy cities around the world.  As an asthmatic, I stayed inside a lot for health’s sake. Then one night I awoke to the faint sound of rain drops. I looked out, opened a window and breathed in that pungent fresh-rain smell, rejoicing that at least for a while our skies would be clear.

My Bible reading those smoggy days included the book of James, so I perked up when I read this:

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world, (James 1:27 NIV).

The word for “polluted” in Greek is “aspilos,” which also described the unspotted, unstained lamb offered in Old Testament sacrifices.  Here, it means “free from all defilement in the sight of God.” In our times, when so much media assaults our ears and eyes, we need to be particularly careful of the values we might be taking in.  The latest internet site or game, movie or television show may not, and does not, have to be a “must see” for a Christian who holds values at variance with what the screen portrays.

The book of James unites belief and practice.  His emphasis is “believe and do”:

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourself.  Do what it says. (James 1:22)

He particularly pressed down on misuse of the tongue. Besides swearing or foul language, this included any negative communication that didn’t honor God and His purposes.  James said bluntly that the person with an uncontrolled tongue has worthless religion (1:26).

But he turned to the “do,” and that was to share Christ’s love and compassion with those who in the First Century were utterly helpless.  There was no Social Security, Medicaid or welfare type program as a safety net for families in need. In those days, when a husband or father died, unless the extended family could step in to help, children and mothers were left in terrible shape. Thus, James’ reminder for the church (as energized by compassionate Christians) to step up, looking after these orphans and widows “in their distress.”

For years my church and others have quietly done just that, especially reaching out to very needy widows or single moms through food distribution, financial counseling, and other aid. The social concern advocated in James is also one reason I’ve sewn hundreds of baby blankets that I donate to hospitals to give newborns from impoverished families.

After a week or so of marvelously blue skies, some local fires returned haze to our skies. But I’d breathed enough unhealthy air earlier to remind me of this pure, refreshing truth: we have a sinless Savior, whose example leads the way to real life.  

Proverbs on pro-active friendship

A few blocks away from our home is one with, well, unique “landscaping.” An older gentleman, who lives alone and is frequently seen walking about town, has filled his front yard with wooden women he carves and paints. Over the years we’ve watched his collection grow. They’re amusing to passers-by, but every time I see them, I think of this truth: They can’t love him back.

I’m reminded of one of the top pop songs from the year I graduated from high school (1965).  It began: “What the world needs now is love, sweet love”—something, it continued, that the world had too little of.  I wasn’t too captivated by the song, relegating it to the likes of Elvis and “Love Me Tender, Love Me Sweet” and similar soupy lyrics.  Sorry Elvis, but while you pleaded “never let me go,” I was able to “let go” of platitudes about “luv.” More important to me was finding true friends--that network of supportive people who are there both when life is celebratory and life is hard.  I suspect that I’m not alone in this, as my fifth most-accessed blog (still getting “visits”) discussed what goes into a growing friendship.  You can access it here:   http://jeannezornes.blogspot.com/2011/01/give-and-take-guide-to-friendship.html

My current friendships have taken years to grow, but I am blessed by friends of several degrees of affinity:  casual, comfortable, and close. I thought of that the other night at a church function. I “knew” many there from our years of shared connection, and it was easy to greet them with a casual hug and ask how they’re doing. But there are only a select few whom I feel okay about calling and saying, “I’m really hurting over this situation and need godly wisdom. Please pray.” I need the support of godly friends:

“The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray” (Proverbs 12:26).

What about virtual friends? Yes, social media can connect people with far less effort than mailing a letter or calling. But sometimes the virtual representation can easily hide the true "us." Plus, nothing can replace a real live person who can hug you, cry with you, and admonish you toward godly choices. With a face-to-face encounter, you don't easily "click out" of real communication from the heart.

But let’s come back to the positives! The blessings of seeking to be a nurturing a “friend-friendly” person are many. Proverbs 22:11 says, “One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace will have the king for a friend.” The greatest “king” to have as a Friend, of course, is Jesus. Other religions mandate ritual ablutions or “prayer” practices, sacrifices or pilgrimages. Jesus said simply, “You are my friends if you do what I command” (John 15:14). And His command? “Love each other” (v. 17).