The Birth

Today there was a birth. A new life came into the world screaming and wailing and very perturbed at this new some what unpleasant environment.

Expectancy. Nine long months of waiting. Wondering of what the new little one was to be. Anticipating the thought of holding the tiny fragile bundle. Fearing of the becoming of parents and all that entails. The excitement of family and friends who eagerly ask about the joyous arrival.

Then its here. The labor.

The work. Hours of it and then in a few seconds a baby comes into the world.

There is not just a birth of a baby, but a birth of a mother. A woman who all her life has cuddled babies and wondered what it would be like to hold her own. Now in her arms is the baby she carried close to her heart. Her baby that she prayed for. The baby she will pray for the rest of her life even when it has long outgrown its baby shoes.

The man lets go of the hand that gripped his hand fiercely during those long hours. In his work worn hands he grasps his tiny son. With the birth of the mother there is the birth of the father. Gently and firmly this man will bring up his child to adulthood. By his father the child will be taught many things, but most importantly the child will be taught love.This man will love the child's mother and show the child what love really is.

Together the new parents marvel over the baby who they brought into the world. Together they thank the God in heaven. The God who saw fit to bless them with this child. The God who will watch over this child for the rest of it's life. The God who will be there when the child finds out the world is cruel. The God who will comfort when the child finds out what death is. The God who will protect this child from things of which the parents may never know had threatened their child .

The God who will guide this child in His ways when the child decides to follow the one and only God for the rest of his life.

Today there was a birth not just of a baby, but a mother and a father. Two lives forever changed and one life just beginning its legacy, all because of the handiwork of God.

Seasons of Life and Death

The leaves are turning their golden color as they do every fall if the drought hasn't robbed them of their color. Just like every year once again the season is changing from one to another. Sixteen years ago this fall our family entered a new season. My mother became fatherless. My grandma became a widow and I the youngest grandchild lost my last living grandfather.

Warm with the heat of summer was the day my grandpa went with the doctor. Six weeks later when we went to his funeral the air was cold and the wind blew hard and the sun never came out. On that stifling  summer day the doctor told my grandpa that he had cancer and there was nothing that could be done. The only thing left to do was to spend time with family. So he did. They took family photos. My grandma isn't smiling in any of them. Already she was mourning the loss of her soul mate.

All to soon grandpa became bed ridden. Mother and I moved into grandma and grandpas house. Someone remained always at grandpa's bedside keeping watch lest he should slip away from this earth alone.

I fed grandpa creamy custard and cold jello with a silver spoon. Our eyes would meet as I stood on a chair by grandpa's bed. Grandpa didn't talk anymore and I'll never know what went through his brain as his youngest grandchild cared for him.

I was six years old and those are the only memories I have of my grandpa.

The hospice lady came often which I thought was very nice because she would bring me coloring pages. I don't remember the pictures, but I think they had to do with something about helping little brains fathom the idea of death. I wonder if the hospice lady knew that even at such a young age the fact that I was witnessing my grandpa dying was a good thing from God.

One day all of us grandchildren played outside all day long. Mom summoned me into the house. I went into the room where all of the aunts and uncles were standing around grandpa's bed. Grandpa's eyes were open yet he didn't seem to be there. Mom held me close and told me grandpa would die soon. I took it all in and then ran out to play. While the grandchildren were running and screaming without a care in the world Grandpa went to be with his Savior.

    Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
        I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
        your rod and your staff,
        they comfort me.
(Psalm 23:4 ESV)

Grandpa's last season of life had been a transition of life on this earth to eternal life. With his Savior by his side grandpa went down into the valley of the shadow of death. There was pain, but grandpa came out unscathed into his eternal home.

    “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
    “O death, where is your victory?
        O death, where is your sting?”
(1 Corinthians 15:54-55 ESV)

 

Outside the window of grandpa's bedroom that October day the leaves lay dead and brown. Inside the house was grandpa's shell of body not representing lifelessness, but rather the hope of life with God forever. Our family was in a new season and feeling some what uncertain on how to procede, but God in his grace carried us through. 

Seasons come and go every single year, but our hope in the Lord remains steady and firm every single day.

musing of the North

The air has become pleasantly even temperatures in the day time and at night it takes on a chill . It almost feels like the weather in Canada when we were up there this summer. I wonder if that means that it has become cold in Canada. Maybe even have they seen their first snow yet? Probably they have stopped going to the lake for daily swims I would guess.

I'm thinking about the children filling the classrooms of the school that we made our home for a few short days. Do the even hear the name of God in the rooms where sat and read our Bibles every day? In the teacher's lounge our group met every morning for team devotions and prayer. What do the teachers talk about in that room now? Is there needless words instead edifying words of grace and truth? 

Are the children only allowed to go to the playground at recess instead of playing with us for hours upon hours as we did this summer.  Where do the children go I wonder when its cold and dark, but their parents haven't noticed because of their drunken state.

I'm miles and miles away, but Canada is stuck in my brain. It seems it doesn't take much for me want to pack my bags and flee to Canada just to spend a few hours on a playground with affection starved children.  I don't want to just wonder how these people are doing I want to know and see them for myself.  The ache in my heart for Canada reminds me to pray and to give my all for Christ where I am just as I did up there.

I could go about the business of having visited another country and returning quite turned inside out, but I won't. Because my friend Liz who has spent far more time in a foreign culture than I has written about it already on her blog. Check it out its good.

This is a test :)

just grace

Written  Aug 26

For probably the first time in my life this week I got up before 6 am five straight days in a row. There may have been another time I arose early, but it was probably so terrible I blocked it from my memory. No I am not a morning person and for the good of everyone else its probably a good thing I've been up a good hour before I'm seen by anyone.

Thankfully though by the time I stumble out of the dorm my eyes are up open enough to glimpse the sunrise. Oh the lusciousness of the golden colors streaking the sky. There is a beckoning to just stop and look and take in the mighty power of God. Sometimes I forget to breath all though that could be attributed to the fact also that my brain isn't fully functioning yet. Ahem.

I've only been up 20 minutes and already God has already taken the time to remind me of His faithfulness. My brain may be a bit foggy before breakfast, but I'm still smart enough to know that I'm a fool to think that God isn't Good.

God's goodness has been the theme of my week. I've been hear working at the school I graduated from all of 4 months ago and its been grand.

The first few weeks of my freshmen year three years ago were anything, but grand. Life became for me a living nightmare of homework constantly tormenting me and the things I loved most like cooking and watching children were withheld from me.

In the blur of the adjustment to school I wondered how I would be able to ever make it through the year. To my utter relief I soon discovered the secret of God's grace.

I wonder what would have happened had I remained so homesick. Had I kept on worrying and feeling so discouraged, would I have even made it through that first year? Would I have come back for another year? Honestly I know if I had kept on in the course of feel distressed and overwhelmed I would have missed out on a lot. Probably I would have never have graduated and of course I then wouldn't have been around to be asked to stay at the school.   

Its a sobering thing to look back over my life and see what I was, but then to see how God in His grace changed my course to something so much more worth while.

"God's grace is sufficient for anywhere His providence places us"

I'm alive and doing adventures because of the grace of God.