When You Look, What Do You See?

 

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

1 Samuel 16:7

 

As you know by now, I love thinking and pondering.  And as a result of this, there are times when my mind and I have an internal debate.  Yes, I talk to myself and answer myself.  And one think my mind and I agree on is the fact that we can seldom take anything at face value, because there's always more than simple 'yes' or 'no.'

 

We, my mind and I, agreed that if I didn't like something or didn't agree with something, I had the option to change the matter, change my perception of the matter, change my perspective about the matter, or leave the room.  

 

You see, there are things I cannot change. I cannot change the way I look (handsome though I may be) on my own.  I can have surgery to alter my appearance, but I cannot simply decide that I no longer wish to be taller, nor can I change the fact that I am older than many others, for a couple of examples.  

 

That being said, I CAN change how I react to others; how I think about others; how I choose to interact with others.  I can decide to be kind to others. I can decide to be helpful to others. I can decide to be encouraging. 

 

My Grampa, who was full of wisdom, told me that "Every coin has three sides."  I thought he had lost his marbles because I could only see 'Heads' and 'Tails', that is until he turned the coin so I would see the edge.  THEN it hit me! Everything is not cut and dry!  Not every situation is us versus them.  Change our perception! Change our perspective! 

 

See others as God sees us...  

 

 

Despise?

When I was a child and I got disciplined, I thought my parents didn't like me one bit.  That was partly because I seemed to get disciplined a lot.  I would get so frustrated but dared not voice my frustration for fear of even more discipline.

When I got to the Army, the discipline was even harsher and much more frequent.  Again, I was frustrated because it didn't seem fair at the time.  It wasn't until after Basic Training that it all sank in.  I was sitting in a Chapel Service one Sunday, and the Chaplain was talking about discipline.  Just as I was about to stop listening, she said something interesting: "God disciplines us, as well.  Sometimes He allows us to follow our own way and when we end up face down in the mire, He'll reach down and lift us up again and ask us, 'Was this worth it?'."

I don't quote often, but I found a good one in the book I am reading by Chuck Swindoll called "Fascinating Stories of Forgotten Lives": "Sometimes the Lord will let us have our way, knowing we will be hurt. Because He's good, we know that if there were a better way to teach us, He'd use it. Unfortunately, painful experience is usually the only way we will learn. Painful consequences play a major role in maturing us."

My Dad has done this same thing to me before, letting me go right ahead and fail (and fall).  Did it hurt?  NO DOUBT!!  Did I learn? I believe so because I haven't duplicated any of those stunts since.  And God does the same with us.  My Grampa once told me, "The quicker you learn, the quicker you will not do this again."  And, as usual, Grampa was right.

Faithful

The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
    His mercies never cease.

Lamentations 3:22 

 

When I was much younger, we our family vacations would take us places like Mt. Rushmore, Wall Drugstore, Carlsbad Caverns, Bandolier Cave Dwellings, the Grand Canyon and even Yellowstone National Park.  Being the constantly curious child, these places fascinated me.  The one thing that impressed me at Yellowstone, aside for seeing bears, was watching "Old Faithful" which would spew its plume of hot water every hour.  

 

God's faithful love should be our example! God loves me even when I think, say and do dumb things.  He loves me when I put my foot in my mouth.  He loves me when my acid tongue takes aim.  He loves me when I feel horrible.  He loves me when I am afraid.  He loves me when I try to please Him.  And God not only loves me but He grants me His unending mercy!  That means no matter what happens, God loves me and makes sure that everything will ultimately be good for me.

 

When my Grampa was sick and in the hospital, I prayed and prayed and prayed that God would heal him.  I prayed that He wouldn't take my Grampa from me (yes I was selfish like that).  And when I was told that Grampa had died, I was heartbroken!  I couldn't believe God would do that!  I remember being so angry at God for taking my Grampa.  I walked in to the woods behind our house determined to have it out with God.  And in the midst of my angry tears, I didn't hear it but I knew it was spoken to me: "My child I love you more than you know.  And I know you are hurting now, but your Grampa is with me now completely healed and you will, one day, be with him again.  And always remember, the same life-breath I blew into him, is also in you." 

 

Always remember, God's love is faithful and His mercies NEVER cease!

Are you Thankful?

I give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart;
    I will sing your praises before the gods.

Psalm 138:1 

 

 

This last few week has been hectic and draining.  And I took time over the weekend to think, and my mind tends to have ideas and memories popping up like prairie dogs, and when I try to hang on to one, it's gone again.  But I remembered one of the better memories.  

I remember talking with a family about the funeral service for their family member.  We opened with prayer and I asked God to shower us with His peace and Strength as we dealt with this painful situation.  Right before I said "Amen" the 9 year-old-granddaughter jumped right in and started praying.  I expected her to pray that God would take care of her Grandfather, and she did, but then the most amazing prayer I had heard came out of that child's heart.  

She told God that her heart hurt because her grandpa was not with her anymore, BUT she was grateful for every moment God allow them to spend together.  She thanked God for all the smiles they had shared.  She thanked God for the Pepsi with peanuts treat he has share with her.  She thanked God for the times he would teach her.  She thanked God for the times they went fishing and he made her put the squishy worm on the hook.  She thanked God for the times her grandpa snored so loud the whole house shook.  She went on like this for half an hour, and then closed with "But I know ya'll will get to have more good times together too now.  Thank you."

I would be lying if I denied being ashamed because my prayers had been piously asking for things, and this dear sweet child was telling God how much she appreciated Him and all He had shared with her through her grandfather.

My challenge for you this week is not to ask God for more than you are thankful for.  If you ask for 10 things, tell God how thankful you are for 10 things.
 

That Moment When...

Gray hair is a crown of glory;
    it is gained by living a godly life.

Proverbs 16:31

 

I remember, as a youth, being asked for my identification to make sure I was "of age."  And while, at the time, I found it annoying and inconvenient, it was part of being young.  I will not forget the first time I was purchasing some items at the grocery store and the bagger looked to be about 10, and he said, "Do you need any help carrying these to your car, Sir?"

 

That was a gut punch for me!  When had I become......old?  

 

     *   I did understand that I didn't move as quickly as once I did.  

     *   I did notice that I tended to look forward to sitting down more.  

     *   I did notice that I seemed to nap without fighting it.  

     *   It did occur to me that I no longer thought of myself as invincible. 

     *   I began to notice that the "music" of today had become *gasp* too loud.

     *   When did all my favorite songs get moved to the "Oldies" station?

 

And then came the day when I looked in the mirror and saw my Grampa looking back at me.

But the more I looked at the face looking back at me, the more I remembered that Grampa may have slowed down, but he enjoyed life and he had a lot of wisdom to share.

 

I have admitted before and confess it again, I haven't exactly lived a godly life for most of my breathing time.  I played the part when I needed to, but that was just a mask I wore when I needed to.  But once God truly got hold of me, the mask came off and my life changed.

 

Now, I still screw up more times than not; I still say things I shouldn't; I still think things I shouldn't; I still recognize that I mess up with alarming frequency.  But, God hasn't finished with me yet, because He's still teaching me and He's letting me stay around a bit longer, because His mission for me has is not completed.

 

I have a crown of gray hair, sparse though it may be. And hopefully, some wisdom has found its way into the grey goop between my ears.  

  

 

ME?

I heard the voice of the sovereign master say, 

“Whom will I send? Who will go on our behalf?” 

I answered, “Here I am, send me!”

Isaiah 6:8

For the longest time I was convinced that nothing I did made a difference or could do any lasting good because I was just one person. And, after all, what can one person accomplish that has any sort of positive lasting impact on society. Looking back at my own life, regardless of what it might look like or what has been said, there were a few bright moments, but for the most part let's just say I was eager to leave the party.

My Grampa was one of those bright spots in my life.  During one visit, I remember sitting on the bumper of his car (1965 Ford Galaxy 500 that I wanted SO badly), and I was just numb.  Grampa came out, lit his pipe (as was his custom) and leaned against the car. And he said, "Ain't seen a face that long since the last time the mule ate saw briers. What hog ate your snake boy?"  So I told him that no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't seem to make an impact on anyone.  Grampa's advice? "You're sleeping in the garage tonight boy!"

The next morning at 5am, Grampa came out and told me to get up because breakfast was ready.  I had never slept so little that I could remember....EVER!  On the way into the house, Grampa said: "Still think you don't make an impact on others?"  I mumbled something to the affirmative, and his response floored me like a right hook from a street fighter, "Mosquito wasn't looking to have an impact on anyone either. Mosquito just doin' what God made him to do.  But he impacted your sleep last night, eh?"  I remember looking into Grampa's face with my sleep deprived eyes and he got nose to nose with me and told me, "Ain't YOUR job to make a splash!  It's YOUR job to do what God tells you because all the water you trying to splash is His!"

And you know, I don't need a wall full of plaques and certificates to know that God uses even people as flawed as me to make a difference.  Don't believe it? Have you seen the faces of folks light up with something as small as a Tootsie Roll?  Have you seen people change when you let them know they are appreciated?  Have you heard the stomach of the homeless person stop rumbling because you gave your lunch to them?  It doesn't take a big splash to make a difference, it just takes a heart that is willing when God asks, "Who shall I send?"

And I have to put in this shameless plug.  My bride and I married in 1999.  I gave her my very first BUBBA (Butt Ugly Butt Big Afghan) that took over 2 months to make.  She thought I was weird and possibly certifiably missing a few of the more important synapses, but she accepted it graciously.  After we had been married a few months we sold gave a sofa to a lady who had come from SisterCare, my sweet bride took the BUBBA I had made for her and gave it to this lady.  I can tell you that they hugged and cried and prayed right there in our garage for almost half an hour.  All from a simple gesture of giving one ugly blanket away. AND my bride is now a HUGE part of the BUBBA Project whether she knows it or not.

Do you have an impact?  BEYOND A DOUBT!!!