Hearing the Ocean

Every other Wednesday night, I get a bit of respite from caregiving. I so enjoy doing a storytime for the youngest ones at our church youth night (called Pathfinders, by some of you). These littlest ones have their own name, Lil' Lambs, and their own matching T-shirts too. I just read them a book before the meeting starts to give the adult leaders a few more minutes to prepare for the official activities.

Last night the book I read was about the ocean and besides all the little seashells I had to show them, I borrowed a big conch shell from a friend, after noticing it laying on her front porch. They all got to take turns trying to listen to the sound of the ocean in the shell.

One little boy was quite surprised when I told him I had borrowed the shell from his grandparents' porch. He didn't seem to remember that it was there, even though I have seen it every time I go to their house.

What goodies am I missing when I study my Bible? I'm sure I overlook treasures that are just laying there, ready for me to discover. Wait...is that the sound of heaven I hear coming from that verse?

Here are the shells I had them pick up from a beach towel, spread out on the floor, er beach.
 Some of them were trying to hear the ocean, even from these smaller shells!

Just a Tree

Thirteen years in this house and I've always wanted to do something with this tree in my front yard. My mom even hinted about it when she was still alive, suggesting that it would be a good place to plant hostas. But it's just been such a low priority with everything else to do around here that nothing ever got done to the tree. The weeds that took root and grew around the tree every year were always an eyesore. I tried planting some wildflowers once, but nothing happened.

Today my nephew and son-in-law, in an attempt to please me, got inspired to do something with my embarrassingly ugly tree. So they cut down the weeds, put some plastic down, then some mulch, and straightened up the border. Simple, inexpensive, and not even very time-consuming. But, oh what a difference it made to my front yard! Why did we wait so long?

Indeed, why do I wait so long to do many things in my life? Sometimes I do pull or cut down some bad habit weeds, but if that's all I do, it won't last. The decision has to be made, efforts have to taken, costs have to be paid, and remedial beautification work has to be done. It isn't always easy, but the result will make all the difference.

I'll undoubtedly be making beautification changes to my character till the day I die. Just as the housing projects will never all get done, there will always be character changes calling for my attention.

I'm keeping my eye on those eaves and gutters for the house before next winter, guys. Thanks for keeping this ol' house serviced for me. I lost my handyman husband, but gained a son-in-law and nephew. You are treasures.

Automatic Deposit

Social Security checks should be in tonight at midnight. I love automatic deposit. Especially when it's to MY checking account. I feel like a rags-to-riches story character. Just a backwards Cinderella. At midnight, I change from a dirt-poor housemaid to a ravishing princess. Only difference to a fairy tale ending is I'm only going to live happily for about half a month, till I start looking forward to the next deposit to my treasure chest. None of that "happily ever after" business in this family yet.

But someday the clock will strike the right hour and the real King of all Kings, not just a prince, will appear in the clouds of heaven. He will come to take all His faithful and loyal subjects home with Him. I pray to be in that crowd who meet Him with open arms and say "Lo, this is our God, we have waited for him, and he will save us." Isaiah 25:9

It's gonna' happen someday soon. You can bank on it.

Silent Auction

My parents passed away a little over a year ago now and we are still trying to find a place for some of their earthly belongings. We had some items in a silent auction this weekend at a train show and so I called to see how much money was bid on our dad's railroad treasures. It was rather disheartening to discover that only a couple of things had sold. I had envisioned at least minimum bids on everything, as dad's treasures had become mine over the last year that I have kept them, and therefore everyone would be wanting them. Not so.

Is this how the Father in heaven felt after giving up His only Son? Even as a gift, most people have rejected this treasure of all treasures. How can we be so blind when it comes to the value of our Savior? Shouldn't we all be wanting Him?

But then, I got to thinking that probably there just weren't enough people at the train show who happened to get to the silent auction tables. I should have been there, directing them to our precious items.

So, perhaps I have an obligation when it comes to Jesus' amazing gift as well. Am I somewhat to blame for some of those rejections? I need to be standing nearby, directing people to the valuable gift--Jesus, our most wonderful treasure of all.

Treasure or Junk?

Today an appraiser came to the house to give us an idea of the value of some railroad items that belonged to my dad (b. 1929--d. 2010). I was amazed when he shared the value of some of the "treasures". What I thought were almost worthless, he got real excited about. What I thought were almost priceless, were actually not valuable at all.

The experience makes me wonder about other "things" in my life. If God came by to give an appraisal of my "heart's treasures", would I be astonished at the price He gave to several things I've been hanging onto. Gold, for instance, the stuff jewelry is made of, is a precious metal on this earth, but in heaven it will be pavement material. Anything that I value here will seem like nothing compared to the riches in heaven.

Psalm 139:23-24 says "Search me, O God, and know my heart [give me an appraisal]: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way [worthless junk] in me, and lead me in the way everlasting [where the REAL treasures are]."

Garage and Mind Clutter

Winter is baring down in Nebraska pretty fast and one of the preps many of us are facing this fall is organizing our garages, and in my case, clearing out the clutter of three generations (parents' house we had to empty and daughter's overflow from their small apartment, not to mention 12 years of my belongings that no longer "belong").

Thanks to my nephew, I can now pull my car completely into the garage and even have room on both sides for entering and exiting the car doors! There is no way I could have achieved this garage remake were it not for his help and a neighbor's truck to haul it all off.

I am reminded of all my mind clutter collected over the years. Without God's help every day, I am in danger of getting lost in the shuffle of unneeded and even harmful mind clutter. Clutter can be neutral (neither harmful nor beneficial), but all of it can have a negative impact if it takes up room that should be reserved for God and His plans for my life.

The best things to store in our mind's garage are passages from the Bible. How amazing that our brains are built for unlimited storage room for this valuable commodity--God's Word. It will never go out of style, become unsightly, or lose its value. And ultimately we will end up looking as beautiful to the world as my garage now looks to the neighbors driving by.