Last week I stopped at Costco on the way home. Among my purchases was a package of Kirkland almonds. My boss mentioned she liked the raw almonds, so Friday I stuffed a ziplock bag full of them, and dropped them off at the office for her.
Today I went to work and found that our office had some small thieves.
Construction projects outside and inside our building have evidently stirred up mice. We have found more mice droppings than ever before. They are eating up the strong poison, but still presenting a challenge.
My boss came in Monday to find the bag of almonds on her desk - EMPTY! A 50 cent piece sized hole made it very clear the mice were there. Later during the day, a construction worker tore off a piece of paneling in a nearby office and started laughing. Here's what he found...guess they were getting ready for winter.
It is possible to get so used to living with stress that we don't recognize it. I was talking with a friend recently about some things, and she said, "You know, you live with a lot of stress in your life."
Isn't it funny that we know some things in our heads, but until someone says the words, we can minimize and deny truth. I do not have my head in the sand; I know my life has always been on the edge. And sometimes my methods of dealing with stress have been self-injurious.
Being pastors, seminary students, missionaries, former missionaries, parents, grandparents, caregiver, and more --- add it up: stress situations.
I have worked hard to be more positive, to work on the issues that led me to extreme anger and negativity, and to do what Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy-laden (stressed), and I will give you rest."
I have learned to laugh uproariously and grieve profoundly. I look for humor; I write about humor. I let myself cry when I need to, and allow my sadness to be vented.
I am thankful that Jesus knows me best...a story that has always gripped me is His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. People were shouting, laughing, placing palm branches and cloaks in the path for His donkey to walk on. The people were so joyful they offended the religious people...and Jesus told them: "If these people are quiet, the rocks will cry out ... in praise."
They reached the top of the hill overlooking Jerusalem. Jesus, who had been laughing with the others, suddenly starts weeping in deep sorrow.
Jesus felt His feelings, and that's how we are also made --- to express our feelings, not keep them stuffed until they make us ill.
Life will always be stressful. My goal: allow Him to help me cope with it.
What about you? How do you deal with stress? Is it helpful or hurtful?
It's cooling down in the evenings, and I love it. This morning the sun is reflecting off of a big pine tree in my neighbor's yard. I'm going to have a cup of coffee on the patio before work.
Living in a desert-like climate, I sometimes miss the dramatic seasonal changes. On the other hand, the short winters here are better for me: less chance for sliding on ice for months! The April in Indiana when we had an ice storm was enough for me...the power was out for a month, and we had to move to friends' homes because our waterbeds could not be heated, and our basement flooded without sump-pumps. Yes, south-central Washington is better!
Life is changing for me too. I am more and more unable to take care of a home by myself, and I can't afford to hire everything done. A decision is looming. Dealing with disability and other challenges keeps humbling me, keeps me knowing I will need more and more help, just like my husband does now.
But I thank God --- that He NEVER changes --- that people are still seeking for God and wanting to have PEACE --- that I have opportunities to share about the HOPE I have through Jesus.
I have to trust that God is leading me through the maze of emotions, uncertainties, choices, and paths. He's never failed yet to show me His love and care.
This week my father has his 90th birthday. He does not live close enough for me to go celebrate, and he really doesn't mind if I don't go. He would rather have a really good meal that he likes! As we age, simplicity is vital.
A pastor often spends much time with people in defining moments like birth and death. I was not aware of the meaning of these moments when I was growing up. I barely recall the funerals of my father's parents, who lived close enough for us to attend. I wanted to go to my maternal grandmother's funeral, but did not have the opportunity.
When my mother passed away in 2006 at the age of 85, I had been dealing with life and death first-hand as a pastor for several years. I was not shocked nor dismayed at the actual dying. I was more saddened by what we did not have - a deep, accepting relationship. I found myself missing the sound of her voice. I came to realize my mother was a "classy" woman. I learned that she gave up many of her own dreams for the sake of other people in her life.
As I continue to deal with a future filled with sadness and sorrow - and yes, joy and laughter too, I realize how vital it is to cherish life - real living. For each of us, the definition of such words is unique. For me, it's about what memories, what legacy, I'm going to leave behind me.
Yesterday I watched Prince Charles watching old home movies he said he had not seen in years. They included his young childhood, family vacations, and fun times. When pictures of his grandfather, the previous King of England, came on the screen, he was visibly touched. He wished he had known his grandfather as a person.
Is there someone in your life...your history...your past that you wish you knew better? Start digging and see what you discover. Then begin making sure your children and grandchildren KNOW YOU...what makes YOU tick. They won't forget it.
Years ago I led a Bible study in Bangkok. Sometimes we had 18 people with 10 different nationalities represented. One day a young American woman came to a meeting. She was very knowledgeable about the Bible, and could quote chapter, verse, and line from the Gospel of John. She was friendly, but didn't really talk much about herself, and gave slightly evasive answers to any personal questions. As a leader, I welcomed everyone, and didn't pry.
One morning an Australian lady said to me, "Have you seen the sign in front of _____'s house? (referring to the young woman) I had not seen the sign.
She went on to say, "It says 'Unification Church'." Ah, I knew it was Rev. Moon's group.
I made a point to talk with the woman after study. I said I had heard about the sign, and asked if that was the group she was with? She affirmed it. I told her I did not know exactly what they believed and taught, and asked her to bring me a book about Christology - what they believed about Jesus - and a book about their church lifestyles.
She handed me two books the next time we met. I had little time to read anything extra, except right before bed. So I started reading about Christology. I soon was waking up covered with hives. I was shocked by what I read, but it was obviously "getting under my skin" as well.
The book reported that Jesus Christ failed in his mission by not marrying and having a family. And that Rev. Moon was the 2nd Messiah, come to fulfill what Christ was supposed to have done. They taught that Jesus was the illegitimate son of Mary and Zachariah (Elizabeth's husband). And there was more.
Our young friend was having some marital issues, and would talk with us about them. She and her husband were one of many couples who were introduced and married by Rev. Moon. They did not know each other beforehand, and Rev. Moon chose the spouses for them, and performed mass weddings.
Our friend was coming to our study in order to find and recruit young women from other countries who were dissatisfied and feeling out of place in a foreign land, and encourage them to join the Unification Church and find a new family.
She was an unhappy, stressed out woman...who desperately needed to truly know the joy that could be found only in Jesus Christ. Nobody - not even Rev. Moon - could give her what she was looking for.
I met and talked with my friend many times, sometimes for two or three hours. She had come from a fairly conservative Christian background. She had gone to church, participated in Campus Crusade for Christ, and more, but she said, "I never felt like I belonged there. I found a place to belong here." It was obvious from her demeanor that simply belonging was not working.
I hope she found MORE than the Unification Church.
