THE EYE-QUE OF THE BEHOLDER....

Our second-hand bookcase wasn't quite
wide enough for the entire encyclopedia set,
 thus a humorous break with a "boo"!

Grandson Number 2 was frustrated that day he came to my home after school. We'd fought our way through his arithmetic worksheet and now he had one for social studies. “I can't do it,” he whined. “Yes, we can,” I countered. “The answers are in the encyclopedias.”

Okay, for a half-way-through-grade-school kid of the internet age, encyclopedias rank up there with dinosaur bones. Ones still needing to be dug up. But I wanted him to discover that, despite their fading reputation in our internet age, encyclopedias have a lot to offer. So I led him to my home's book-cased set and helped him find what he needed to know.

I grew up before the virtual age, when “smart kids” often had home encyclopedia sets (my childhood home did!). I enjoyed looking up various topics. Yes, I know, I was different. But I did graduate as one of the top ten academically in my high school class. My only “B” grades were in physical education. (I married an elementary p.e. teacher—go figure!) And I thank my parents for encouraging me to study—and for putting out all that money for encyclopedias.

Fast-forward to marriage and children—and a teacher-husband with a similar “encyclopedia” upbringing. At one point, he decided to sell sets to bring in extra income. And he sold just enough sets for us to have our own.

Mix two children into that—a boy and girl who were encouraged to do their best at school. Yes, the home bookcase with the world's facts and figures, A-Z, occupied a prominent place in the living room. And they used them. Graduated from high school at the top of their class. Earned amazing scholarships to college.

Francis Bacon, 16^th century philosopher and statesman, is famed for this quote: “Reading maketh a full man, conference [discussion] a ready man, and writing an exact man.” If you think about it, reading takes a lot of concentration. It expands one's vocabulary and knowledge, and helps us evaluate situations we encounter in our modern world. And sitting down with a book with a succinct article about a certain subject is a sure winner for exploring questions about the world we live in—past and present.

By the way, we also invested in a mega-size world atlas. Both my son and daughter had an eighth grade teacher who emphasized map-reading and detailed work sheets. Their perception of the world went way beyond our valley, and that was a good thing.

Yet even as I advocate use of reference aids like encyclopedias and atlases, I'm grateful I've gone a step-further in reference aids for my passion: learning about God's Word. The top shelf of my desk has Bible dictionaries, commentaries, various Bible translations, and books to help me sleuth out the meaning of Hebrew and Greek words.

Would Francis Bacon have used such resources? Maybe, if available in his time. Biographers have lots of opinions about the boundaries of his religious beliefs. I won't go there. But I will agree with him that books still reign. And especially the Book above all books. I think about that as I read the end of the Gospel of John, where the aging apostle declares:

Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I supposed that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. (John 21:25)

EYES, EARS, MOUTH

Guess which "eye-glasses"
the grandkids like to wear!

When my children and grandchildren were babies, I'd ask them to point to their eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and a few other parts, ending with the laughable “belly button.” It was so fun to watch them name their body parts and smile over that accomplishment! Probably every mom (or dad) has done that—and that might include the author of a hymn of “spiritual senses”-- “Open My Eyes, That I May See.”

Her name was Clara Scott (born 1841 in Illinois to a farmer's family) and she received her music training at the newly opened Chicago Music Institute. She married a man in the crockery business, and they had two daughters, Medora and Mary, living near Chicago. She was known in the late 1800s as a music teacher, composer, hymn-writer, and the first woman to publish a volume of anthems, titled The Royal Anthem Book (1892).

In mid-life, her husband became an invalid. So when she wanted to attend a funeral in DuBuque, Iowa, he stayed home. While traveling by horse and buggy, with two friends aboard with her, the buggy's hold-back strap broke, spooking the horse. It raced forward, hitting the buggy against a stone wall. Clara and one friend were thrown out, dying instantly. The other passenger had severe injuries. Clara was only 56. Music writers, teachers, professors, publishers and friends attended her funeral, which included a quartet of friends singing two of her compositions.

As for “Open My Eyes That I May See,” it's still found in many hymnals. Written to a 6/8 meter, it has a gentle, lullaby rhythm as it relates how parts of the body (eyes, hands, ears and mouth) can be used for God's glory. The only “not visible” body part in the hymn is the heart:

Open my heart, and let me prepare

Love with Thy children thus to share....

Open my heart, illumine me, Spirit divine.

The lyrics naming “body parts” may bring to mind scriptures like these:

“O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.” (Psalm 51:15)

“One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see.” (The blind man who was healed, John 9:25)

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matthew 11:15)

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8)

And this scripture also carries on the pairing of the physical and spiritual:

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14)

To recall this hymn to mind, enjoy this YouTube version:

Open My Eyes That I May See | Lyric Video - YouTube

WATCHFUL (Psalm 123)

"Saddlerock"--a popular hiking destination in our valley--is 

said to be an old volcanic neck and definitely (with its prominence)

a sight we "look up" to!

(Part of an ongoing series of the 48 psalms commended for times of "feeling down," from pastor/counselor Dr. David Seamand's book, Healing for Damaged Emotions.)

This psalm makes me think of the arrogant king in the musical/film “The King and I.”  His arms crossed in a position of power, he was tended to by servants who watched for some hand signal (was it snapped fingers?) to tend to his needs. When this psalm was composed, it likely referred to the Jews under Babylonian captivity, when many were slaves to the wealthy or political leaders. The Jewish servants—male or female—constantly had to watch for the hand signals that indicated what they had to do.

The analogy is right in the opening words:

I lift up my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven. (v. 1)

In Psalm 121, the believer looked to “the hills”—presumably the location of the holy city of Jerusalem or further skyward in aspiring to the invisible God who is “high and lifted up.” But Psalm 123 is more intimate, and thus more encouraging for times when discouraging circumstances drag us down. I pick that up from the two key words of this psalm: “eyes” and “mercy.”  With our spiritual eyes we watch for mercy and help in trying times.

TRYING TIMES

The psalm describes these “trying times” as enduring “much ridicule from the proud…much contempt from the arrogant” (v. 4). If this psalm reflects the trials of Jews who returned to rebuild Jerusalem after their 70-year captivity in Babylon, that’s a good description of what happened. The books of Nehemiah and Ezra show it wasn’t a smooth transition. Through those ancient stories come the lessons that apply to our own trials from another's grudges, bitterness, or unkind actions.

The very first verse offers the key instruction for times when we feel put down and discouraged: “I lift up my eyes to you.”  Lifting our spiritual eyes to God cancels the “lower vision” of discouraging trials. The author of Hebrews took this analogy to Christ’s example:

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:2-3)

In its purest distillation, this verse says: “Jesus understands. He endured the worst of it.” If that’s not enough, remember the seasoned counsel of John, one of Jesus’ closest disciples. In his letters, believed written in very old age, he couldn’t find enough words to describe the Lord’s love:

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are! (1 John 3:1)

We’re not stuck in the throne room of an earthly palace, on constant edge for the whims of a potentate. Nor do we need to live on “edge” for events or people who threaten our security. Those who are “children of God” can look to His throne and rejoice in being secure and loved. For times of “feeling down,” it’s the best perspective-changer ever.