Have you ever heard about “pennies from heaven?” According to some superstitious theory, if you see a penny lying on the ground, it could be from a loved one who has died and is trying to communicate with you. Well, if any of my family members are trying to talk to me from heaven, I wish they’d do it with $1000 bills instead of pennies.
A penny just isn’t worth much these days.
I used to pick them up when I saw them lying on the ground (especially when I was a single mom trying to feed five kids). I’d feel a little self-conscious as I bent to snatch it from the pavement. I’d wonder if what my kids said about heads or tails-up mattered, and I tried to divorce the mother-voice in my mind that warned me about germs swarming all over it, as if those coins already in my wallet were significantly cleaner.
So, putting aside the thought that dead people are trying to get my attention, why do I see pennies on the ground frequently? Am I just a lucky person following careless people who drop change in parking lots? Is there some meteorological phenomena that rains pennies instead of cats and dogs?
I think perhaps pennies on the pavement are a bit like rainbows in the sky. Rainbows remind me of God’s promise that He would never again destroy the world by flood. When I spot a penny lying in my path, I think of God’s blessings in my life. Some of them have been small, unexpected surprises, not worth a lot in the grand scheme of life, but reminders of His presence and His interest in me. A penny on the ground encourages me to thank Him when I find a convenient parking spot, or the elevator doors open just as I walk up, or a traffic light turns green at just the right moment. It’s these little things of life which we can never explain that are the real “pennies from heaven.” They add up to a lifetime of treasured moments with God.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
A Bad Day
My daughter shared with me that bad day she’d had. She started out the day having to press a pair of pants for her husband who was running late. That, in turn, made her late leaving for work. Getting out of her car, she stepped into an icy puddle which flooded her boots. She remembered she had an extra pair of white tights in her backpack and thought she’d put them on to warm her frozen feet. But when she pulled them out, she discovered a purple pen had exploded in her backpack and colored everything, including her white tights.
Where is God on a day when everything that can go wrong does?
Mary must have been having one of those days also. She had to leave the comforts of home to go on a long journey when all she wanted to do was stay warm and cozy in the nest of familiar surroundings. She rode on a donkey, slow, smelly and miserable, not to mention the baby that kicked with every plodding step of the trip. She was tired, hungry and sore when they arrived at their destination only to discover they had no place to stay.
Her husband managed to find a barn for the night, a dirty, musty, unpleasant place, but at least she was out of the weather, and they’d have a little privacy. But, her day was about to get a whole lot worse when her baby decided to be born in that stable.
Where was God on that day when everything that could go wrong did?
Where is God on a day when everything that can go wrong does?
Mary must have been having one of those days also. She had to leave the comforts of home to go on a long journey when all she wanted to do was stay warm and cozy in the nest of familiar surroundings. She rode on a donkey, slow, smelly and miserable, not to mention the baby that kicked with every plodding step of the trip. She was tired, hungry and sore when they arrived at their destination only to discover they had no place to stay.
Her husband managed to find a barn for the night, a dirty, musty, unpleasant place, but at least she was out of the weather, and they’d have a little privacy. But, her day was about to get a whole lot worse when her baby decided to be born in that stable.
Where was God on that day when everything that could go wrong did?
Monday, August 25, 2008
HEAV’N BEFORE US
While I was driving I noticed a license plate on the car ahead of me. It read “HEAV’N.” Am I glad I’m not in that car, I thought to myself. He has heaven behind him and I have heaven ahead of me. All day, I thought about life with heaven before me. Like driving, living with heaven before us involves certain rules of the road.
Stay within the speed limit. Life has both difficult and easy-going times. By racing through them, we lose the opportunity for the growth that accompanies challenges and the peace that comes with contentment. Learning to pace ourselves means living each day as it comes, neither borrowing trouble from tomorrow nor resting on yesterday’s accomplishments.
Do not cut off people, or pass them by. Being available to others requires us to give every moment and opportunity to God for the work of His kingdom. Listen to Him first, then to those who come in need of answers or help. Never hesitate to detour when someone asks for assistance.
Obey the rules. I would have had a difficult time following the car with “heav’n” on its license plate, if the driver had been weaving in and out of traffic, speeding, running stoplights, or leaving the road. Even though Paul reminds us we are not under the law but grace, we still have certain rules to guide everyday living so that we can arrive at our destination safely. Lead others with your actions. Telling them about God’s love is not nearly as effective as showing them.
Always wear your seat belt, or, as Paul wrote the Christians at Ephesus, gird yourselves with the belt of truth. Without the map found in Holy Scriptures, we can easily lose our way. The wise traveler recognizes the necessity of consulting the directions frequently, especially when the terrain is unfamiliar or challenging.
Let God take the wheel of your life. When I am driving, I know the way; I take the shortcuts; I know when and where to stop. With God in control, we sometimes go the long way, up hills, through tunnels and valleys, across bridges. He may go too fast or too slow for me and when I say, “Stop,” He often urges me to go just a little farther. As I learn to trust God at the wheel, I can concentrate on the adventure of the journey rather than the potholes ahead.
How do we live with heaven before us? Every morning as you climb into your car, ask God to take control of the wheel, the direction of the day, and the opportunities along the way.
Stay within the speed limit. Life has both difficult and easy-going times. By racing through them, we lose the opportunity for the growth that accompanies challenges and the peace that comes with contentment. Learning to pace ourselves means living each day as it comes, neither borrowing trouble from tomorrow nor resting on yesterday’s accomplishments.
Do not cut off people, or pass them by. Being available to others requires us to give every moment and opportunity to God for the work of His kingdom. Listen to Him first, then to those who come in need of answers or help. Never hesitate to detour when someone asks for assistance.
Obey the rules. I would have had a difficult time following the car with “heav’n” on its license plate, if the driver had been weaving in and out of traffic, speeding, running stoplights, or leaving the road. Even though Paul reminds us we are not under the law but grace, we still have certain rules to guide everyday living so that we can arrive at our destination safely. Lead others with your actions. Telling them about God’s love is not nearly as effective as showing them.
Always wear your seat belt, or, as Paul wrote the Christians at Ephesus, gird yourselves with the belt of truth. Without the map found in Holy Scriptures, we can easily lose our way. The wise traveler recognizes the necessity of consulting the directions frequently, especially when the terrain is unfamiliar or challenging.
Let God take the wheel of your life. When I am driving, I know the way; I take the shortcuts; I know when and where to stop. With God in control, we sometimes go the long way, up hills, through tunnels and valleys, across bridges. He may go too fast or too slow for me and when I say, “Stop,” He often urges me to go just a little farther. As I learn to trust God at the wheel, I can concentrate on the adventure of the journey rather than the potholes ahead.
How do we live with heaven before us? Every morning as you climb into your car, ask God to take control of the wheel, the direction of the day, and the opportunities along the way.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
S'mores
S'MORES
Ever have one of those days when your hopes and dreams are crushed? My daughter did.
She was on a team of five students working for several months after school on a special project. They had to build a bridge out of balsawood sticks. They had very strict instructions about its size, weight and shape. Their bridge was entered in a competition to see which one would hold the most weight without breaking. The students drew up plans, measured and cut the thin, lightweight wood and glued it all together. Then they carefully piled weights on the structures. Time after time, the bridges cracked and broke.
Weeks went by and the competition drew closer. They built bridge after bridge, each time learning something new about construction techniques and what shapes would hold the most weight. The competition also involved a skit which they acted out as they stacked the weights on their bridge. They wrote it and practiced it for hours. Finally, they perfected a plan and were satisfied that they had an award‑winning bridge and play.
We watched the other teams before us. The competition was fierce, but my daughter's team was confident. They presented their much‑rehearsed skit and carefully loaded their structure with weights. Fifty pounds, sixty pounds, seventy, eighty, only two other bridges had made it that far. Could they go to one hundred? Ever so slowly, they eased another ten‑pound weight on the pile. The bridge held and they moved a step closer to the record. Only one bridge had held more than that. They slid past the one hundred mark and were ahead! A two pound‑weight was added carefully. The bridge held at the 104 mark, then 106. At 108 pounds, they heard the sound of cracking. The bridge collapsed! But the students cheered. Though their bridge was smashed under a pile of weights, it held more than any other. They finished their skit and watched the rest of the competition nervously, certain of victory, but afraid someone else's structure might outdo theirs.
None did. None surpassed the 102 pound mark. However, the team's victory was overturned and they were disqualified because the judges believed one of the parents gave improper assistance. My daughter was as crushed as their balsawood bridge. She saw weeks of hard work smashed unfairly. Bitter tears fell as we gathered the splintered structure. I put every piece of wood in a paper bag and tried to comfort her. But she wasn't ready to listen.
The next day, I took her to a park near our home. Without explanation, I opened the two sacks I had brought along. There was a box of graham crackers and several chocolate bars, a bag of marshmallows and two long forks. In the other sack, the broken bridge. I laid the sticks in a charcoal grill and lighted them with a match. While they burned, my daughter loaded the forks with marshmallows and roasted them over the flames. When they were gooey and brown, we placed them on the graham crackers and sandwiched a chocolate bar between the crackers. You may have had this treat before; we call it "s'mores" because they are so good we always want s'more.
After we had eaten several, and the fire died down, I explained, "Sometimes life seems unfair. It doesn't always go the way we think it should or want it to. Your bridge was good, and no one can take away the experience of working as a team to learn how to build it. But the best thing about that bridge was the great fire it made for melting marshmallows and making s’mores. When something bad happens, God can take those unhappy circumstances, if we let Him, and make something good out of them.”
Ever have one of those days when your hopes and dreams are crushed? My daughter did.
She was on a team of five students working for several months after school on a special project. They had to build a bridge out of balsawood sticks. They had very strict instructions about its size, weight and shape. Their bridge was entered in a competition to see which one would hold the most weight without breaking. The students drew up plans, measured and cut the thin, lightweight wood and glued it all together. Then they carefully piled weights on the structures. Time after time, the bridges cracked and broke.
Weeks went by and the competition drew closer. They built bridge after bridge, each time learning something new about construction techniques and what shapes would hold the most weight. The competition also involved a skit which they acted out as they stacked the weights on their bridge. They wrote it and practiced it for hours. Finally, they perfected a plan and were satisfied that they had an award‑winning bridge and play.
We watched the other teams before us. The competition was fierce, but my daughter's team was confident. They presented their much‑rehearsed skit and carefully loaded their structure with weights. Fifty pounds, sixty pounds, seventy, eighty, only two other bridges had made it that far. Could they go to one hundred? Ever so slowly, they eased another ten‑pound weight on the pile. The bridge held and they moved a step closer to the record. Only one bridge had held more than that. They slid past the one hundred mark and were ahead! A two pound‑weight was added carefully. The bridge held at the 104 mark, then 106. At 108 pounds, they heard the sound of cracking. The bridge collapsed! But the students cheered. Though their bridge was smashed under a pile of weights, it held more than any other. They finished their skit and watched the rest of the competition nervously, certain of victory, but afraid someone else's structure might outdo theirs.
None did. None surpassed the 102 pound mark. However, the team's victory was overturned and they were disqualified because the judges believed one of the parents gave improper assistance. My daughter was as crushed as their balsawood bridge. She saw weeks of hard work smashed unfairly. Bitter tears fell as we gathered the splintered structure. I put every piece of wood in a paper bag and tried to comfort her. But she wasn't ready to listen.
The next day, I took her to a park near our home. Without explanation, I opened the two sacks I had brought along. There was a box of graham crackers and several chocolate bars, a bag of marshmallows and two long forks. In the other sack, the broken bridge. I laid the sticks in a charcoal grill and lighted them with a match. While they burned, my daughter loaded the forks with marshmallows and roasted them over the flames. When they were gooey and brown, we placed them on the graham crackers and sandwiched a chocolate bar between the crackers. You may have had this treat before; we call it "s'mores" because they are so good we always want s'more.
After we had eaten several, and the fire died down, I explained, "Sometimes life seems unfair. It doesn't always go the way we think it should or want it to. Your bridge was good, and no one can take away the experience of working as a team to learn how to build it. But the best thing about that bridge was the great fire it made for melting marshmallows and making s’mores. When something bad happens, God can take those unhappy circumstances, if we let Him, and make something good out of them.”
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