Sep 23, 2009 | Stories, The Good Word
A lot of thoughts have been swirling and twirling around in my mind lately. And they are thoughts that have created fear in me. And that is not pretty, and is not from God. One reason some of these thoughts have been joining my mental conversations is that some friends of mine lost their child just a few weeks ago — their four month old little boy. When you have a little one yourself, the stark and sudden reality that your little one could be here today and gone tomorrow — or anyone you love could be — can do a lot of different things in your soul. You can trust that God will take care of you and your family, but when you see what on the surface appears to be Him not taking care of friends of yours who also love Him, you might begin to think, “Well, there’s no reason that would happen to them and not to me.” And that is a scary thought.
I don’t think I realised what this thinking had begun to do in my mind until today. I’ve been praying for the family who lost their child, thanking the Lord for my family, and trying to do a better job of enjoying life each day, remembering we aren’t promised tomorrow. But today I was reading in the Bible, and came across Proverbs 10:22. The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it. As I pondered this verse I began to think…gosh, I am struggling to actually believe this. In my mind I am disagreeing with it. Where has that come from? I realised it had something to do with the loss my friends experienced. I prayed, “Help me understand, Lord. In light of my friends and the loss of their son.”  And these are the thoughts that came next.
Loss and death come because we are in a fallen world. God’s blessing brings prosperity to our lives — and true richness, which is richness to our souls. He does not bring death or sorrow to the righteous. Death and sorrow are a consequence of life in a fallen, broken world. This was not God’s intention, He did not create the world to be this way, but He can still bring even these difficulties about for good.
The disciples once questioned Jesus when they saw a man who was blind from birth. (John 9) “Jesus, did he sin or did his parents? Somebody must’ve messed up for him to be born blind.” (This was the Jewish way of thinking about disabilities and birth defects.) Jesus said, “Neither. He didn’t sin, His parents didn’t sin. But this happened so that the works of God should be revealed in Him.”
In a perfect world, the world God initially created, for example, there would be no blindness, and four-month olds wouldn’t fall asleep and never wake up. But we are in a fallen world, where things are broken, and messed up things happen. The Good News is that the works of God — including His goodness, mercy, and kindness — can still be displayed in this broken world. God is still actively at work, and can bring good out of these hurtful, painful and tragic moments in life. In fact, He promises to work all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes.
Financial or monetary richness is not always a sign of the Lord’s blessing. Statistically speaking, lottery winners often end up very, very unhappy people. (Examples) We are truly rich when we learn to be content with and thankful for what we have. The richness that comes from God can teach us this lesson — to see how rich we already are, because of the gift that we have from God in Christ Jesus. (That’s even better news — our time in this world is incredibly brief. If we love Christ, and are following Him, we will spend eternity with Him, where weeping and sorrow will not exist for even a moment. Hallelujah!)
While sorrow, trials and tribulation will come in this fallen world, (that’s a promise). We may not always understand why God allows them, but I am still certain that God is good, that He can bring beauty from ashes and turn mourning into dancing. I’m thankful to say, as well, I am confident that the Lord’s blessing makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.
Sep 20, 2009 | South Africa, Stories, The Good Word
I don’t speak Afrikaans. Some of you might need a little history lesson of South Africa in order for that statement to make sense. Well, very briefly, South Africa was first colonized by the Dutch, and then by the British. When they decided to have a fight about who was gonna be the boss, the British won. (This was called the Anglo-Boer War — ‘Boer’ means Farmer.) This might be seen by some as similar to the American fight for Independence, except that the British won. Anyway, many years and many stories later, there are an incredible number of languages and cultures swirling and twirling together in the melting pot of South Africa — including 11 official languages, one of which is Afrikaans. This language has come from Dutch, and while Afrikaans and Dutch are still fairly mutually intelligible, Afrikaans is sort of like old Dutch with some other influences mixed in, which tends to happen, due to what I think is termed language fossilization away from the homeland, and a number of other interesting things that you might study in linguistic classes.
All that to say, most people in the area where we’re staying at the moment speak English and Afrikaans, but Afrikaans is more often the default language. A lovely and amusing thing has been occurring since my arrival. Since I don’t have ‘American’ stamped on my forehead, a local might assume I also am South African, (usually until I open my mouth) and will therefore also assume that I too can speak Afrikaans. Â People often come up to me in the grocery store, and I can basically ascertain from their demeanour that they’re commenting on how cute Asher is. Â I just kind of smile and nod unless I think I am missing something, and then have to open my mouth with a big southern, “Sorry…I don’t speak Afrikaans.” At which point they politely change to English and then I have a clue of what’s happening.
This week, for my birthday Mark and I did a bit of browsing at the mall, among other things, and I found a skirt I thought I should try on in the dressing room. I came out for a moment to ask Mark’s opinion, and while I was still standing in the doorway, a lady came up in a huff, with lots and lots of garments in her arms, and speaking Afrikaans she proceeded to go on and on and on to me. I, obviously, had NOT A CLUE what the heck she was talking about. Â She just went on and on – I am not exaggerating – and wanting to be polite, I didn’t interrupt. When she finally finished, mind you I’m still standing there in an unpurchased skirt and my socks, I just looked at her with a big bewildered face and said, “I’m sorry, I don’t speak Afrikaans.”
She then switched immediately to English and began again, perhaps in a bigger huff, “I’ve got all these garments and there are too many of them for me to go into the dressing room with, but I want to try all of them on and so I am going to need some help but I can’t go into the dressing room with all of them, so what should I do and …” And it went on for a little bit longer until I finally realized what was actually happening, and, finally, I correctly responded to the situation:
“Ugh…I don’t work here either.”
Man it’s great when we finally have a clue of what’s going on! As I’m enjoying the beautiful surroundings here in South Africa, I am thankful that God demonstrated His love for us in such a way that it would cross all cultural and language boundaries. And because His love for us is evident in what He has created, we are without excuse to recognise Him as Creator, and to love and follow Him. I don’t need to speak Hebrew and Greek to know that God loves me — the translation of that love into action took place in the life of Jesus, and on the cross at Calvary.
Praise the Lord we have the opportunity to translate that message of Good News to everyone we meet, so that they too can make Jesus their Lord, live for Him, and spend eternity worshiping Him in His glory. I want the life I live for God to need no translation – for it to be clear that I’m His and He is mine, for the fruit of my words and actions to make that readily apparent. If those of us who claim to be believers could all live that way (not saying I do, but that I want to!) – what a message we’d be sharing, to everyone, everywhere.
God loves you! How do you translate that?
xCC
Sep 19, 2009 | South Africa, Top Ten Lists
I just enjoyed another birthday yesterday! Mark treated me incredibly well and it was a DELIGHTFUL day, even so far away from the places I’ve been calling home. Thank you, Markus, I love you and I’m so thankful for you! And thank you Richard, Heather, Wendy & Niel for helping me celebrate! It’s great to be in SA!
I still have some time left in my 20s, which I am happy about, but I had a moment to take some inventory and think a bit about my life toward the end of the day, and I have a few thoughts to share. These might ward off the birthday blues for the next anniversary of your arrival in the world, or be an encouragement for you today, even if it’s just your un-birthday.
10. This one’s obvious. Eat whatever you want, guilt free. This should NOT be a habit, and you should not go overboard so that you’ll feel yucky the next day. If you do this once a week, then nevermind. 🙂 But don’t drink too much. You’ll probably make silly decisions, and wake up the next day feeling awful and old, and then you’ll be sorry it was ever your birthday!
9. Count your blessings. Seriously. Think about your life and what you have to be thankful for. Do you have a job? Are you healthy? Is your family healthy? We take so much for granted, taking a moment to take stock and be thankful for your life might make the idea of ‘aging’ a little easier.
8. Take inventory of the past year. Are there some things you think you might like to do differently in the year ahead? Get excited about learning from the mistakes you’ve made. I am so thankful the mischief of my youth, which did NOT bring me JOY, is behind me.
7. Smile at your achievements. Have you been hitting the gym faithfully? Did you get a promotion at work? Did you treat someone nicely even when they weren’t so nice to you? Take a moment to say well done for the good stuff you accomplished this year.
6. Even if you have to organise it yourself, get together with friends and/or family for your birthday. It is good to enjoy your life and to ask others to celebrate it with you.
5. Do something unselfish today — some act of kindness that stretches you a little. It is more blessed to give than to receive, and your soul will reap the benefits of it.
4. Count your blessings again! This time think about the past year: Did someone close to you get married or have a baby this year? Did you have the opportunity to travel somewhere new? Did you get to watch a sporting event or two where the team you were hoping to win did? Find some reasons to smile at the year you’ve just lived, and rejoice in the good.
3. Do something that will help you relax for a while. Sit at a coffee shop and watch the world go by, even if you can only do so for half an hour. Slather on some SPF and take in some rays. Find somewhere comfy to take a nap! Â Find a way to press the pause button.
2. Laugh at the days ahead. If you remember that people are still giving birth in their 50s, graduating from college in their 80s and climbing mountains in their 90s, it’s is easier for you to recognise that you can still have plenty of life ahead of you, no matter what year you were born.
1. Be GLAD you’ve been blessed with another year! If you’re perceptive, you may be able to see that your life is getting better with time. If it is not getting better with time, perhaps you need to make some adjustments!
My Lesson From this Birthday: When I was 25 or so, Mark asked me to marry him in the bushveld on a game reserve in South Africa. Less than six months later, we were married. It was a great year. I remember thinking, “how is life going to get better than this? I think I’ve just enjoyed what I’ll look back at as the best year of my life.” And that made me a little sad. But the truth is, the next year was really great, and this past year was absolutely my best yet. I honestly believe that in God, as you learn to walk with Him and in His ways, He can increase your joy, no matter your circumstances. That means that whether you are being abased, or living in abundance, you can learn to enjoy the peace and thankfulness that comes from having a Centre other than yourself. Happy Birthday to you! I hope it is truly good.
xCC
Sep 17, 2009 | South Africa, Stories, The Good Word
Good news! We found a car! And we were incredibly encouraged in the process. Would you like to hear the tale? Well, we arrived in South Africa with no credit history, so the only possibility for us to purchase a car (instead of paying for a rental for months and months) was to buy a car with a credit card. (We don’t exactly have a good $9,000 laying around, and cars are a wee bit more expensive around here). We just trusted the Lord to lead us to a good car, at a good price, and at a dealership that would allow us to use a credit card to make the purchase.
Just before we left the States, someone suggested we see the movie, Faith Like Potatoes. We were glad we did. It was a faith-building story, although I cried through a lot of it. It’s about a Zambian farmer named Angus Buchan, who moves to South Africa, meets the Lord and with his pastor’s encouragement, he begins his work for the Lord as an evangelist. His family is originally from Scotland, which further interested us. He was born in Zambia, and it was fascinating to see him begin to identify himself as an “African from a white tribe,” instead of as a Scot. It helped me to understand a little better Mark’s experience of being white and African. And the leading actress was from Mark’s hometown. Side note! But I shall tie all this in. The Lord puts it on Angus’s heart to plant potatoes, even though it will be very difficult for them to grow without enough water in the climate where he has settled. I don’t want to spoil the plot for you, so to find out what happens, please watch the film!
Mark was beginning to get a bit discouraged after a few days in South Africa, because our lack of credit history was prohibiting us even getting a cell phone contract, and we were finding it challenging to get things done. (A delightful challenge of settling in a new country is that you can have platinum credit cards and a great credit history in one country, but it does not make a hill of beans in the next!) The other morning I was reading the story in Genesis 24, where the Lord gives Abraham’s servant great success in finding a wife for Isaac. The servant prays for a specific sign that he will know he has found a wife for Isaac, and the Lord shows up, just as he prayed. I was encouraged by the story, and before Mark left to continue the car hunt, we prayed together similarly, that God would give us a sign, so we would know we were purchasing the right car at the right place.
Mark headed out, and went to look at several of the dealerships we’d seen the day before, and came to one where we’d seen a Citroen Xsara Picasso that seemed to be a good price. He began chatting with the dealers about the car, and found out that it had belonged to one of the owner’s wives. It only had about 80,000 kilometers on it (less than 50,000 miles) and was in great condition. They went to further discuss the purchase upstairs in the dealership’s coffee shop, and none other than the pastor from Faith Like Potatoes was sitting in the coffee shop! After discovering the owners were Christians, Mark took all of it as a sign, and decided this was our potato!
The blessing of all blessings, the car is what we’d been praying for, and more. It was within our price range, and the dealership helped cover the costs of getting its roadworthy certificate and license plates, and helped us find very inexpensive car insurance. We were hoping for a car to comfortably seat five, even with Asher’s big car seat taking up space in the back, so that when Mark’s parents fly in to visit we can all fit in one car. It’s a diesel engine and gets like 50 miles to the gallon, and right now in South Africa, diesel is cheaper than petrol! Mark was especially concerned about it being safe, and was really glad it has run-on-flat tires, so that if I get a flat in a dodgy area, I can keep on truckin’. The windows are tinted and have anti-smash-and-grab protection as well. It even has roof racks for Mark’s bike rack to attach to!
Since the car has a bit of a funny shape, (leave it to the French!) and the encouragement for the purchase came from Faith Like Potatoes, we decided to call the car Mr. Potato Head. It was wonderful to turn in our rental car, and cross that concern off our lists. Praise the Lord who can provide us with the Faith for Potatoes, in whatever form they might arrive!
The Sermon in a Nutshell: God is the same today as He was 3,000 years ago. If your hope is in Him, and you’re walking with Him, He will supply all your needs according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:19) Is there a need weighing on your chest today? Ask God to give you the faith to trust Him for His perfect provision, in His perfect timing, and a content and thankful heart in the meantime.
xCC
Jul 15, 2009 | Stories, The Good Word
You may have noticed my brief absence from the blogging and Facebook scene. Did you miss me? I missed you! Â We took my MacBook in to the Apple Store in Glasgow to get it fixed, because there were only a few days left on the warranty and it had several little glitches. We thought a few replacements might help it last a bit longer. Among other things, the screen did a funky thing a couple of times and it seemed like the battery was about to die. Anyway, I, as a result, had to experience Mac-drawals, and 11 days of occasionally stealing a moment on Mark’s laptop, until his was also in the shop and I eventually thought to myself — this is probably good and I should just let it go!
The amazing story, you may have also seen in a Facebook status update, is that while I was away from my MacBook (and decidedly getting other things done and enjoying the break) the Mac people were busy trying to sort out the graphics issue, replacing the logic board or whatever that is, and trying to sort out the display. I’d been concerned about the laptop dying soon because it was starting to make funny noises, but quietly decided in my heart, “God will take care of this, too.” So, on the last day as they were going through their final diagnostics, my MacBook decided to give up the ghost and died! Â It must’ve been a sad moment! Â But Praise the Lord — He knew all this would happen, and it happened in such perfect timing that they decided to just give me a BRAND NEW, updated MacBook with a year’s warranty, FOR FREE!
The lesson I’ve learned from all this, which we’ve been discussing around our flat recently, is to trust God for what you need every day, and don’t worry about tomorrow. When the Israelites were in the wilderness with nothing to eat, God provided enough manna for them to eat each day. Â And on Fridays, he doubled it so they’d not have to gather on the Sabbath. He knows what we need, before we even know it, and He is able to provide in ways we didn’t even consider.
Philippians 4 explains this really well when it basically says “Don’t worry about anything. Pray about everything.” (NLT) And Matthew reminded us not to worry about tomorrow, because each day has enough problems of its own. (See Matthew 6: 25-31) If we wake up each morning with an attitude of “Lord, give me what I need for today” we can set aside our worries about tomorrow, next week, or next month. We can focus on staying in step with the Holy Spirit of God — since God already knows what is going to happen, and is able to make a smooth path for us to navigate it.
The Sermon in a Nutshell: This simple truth is incredibly hard to live by. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Trust God for what you need TODAY. We bring the concern to Him. He brings the peace to us. It’s that simple.
xCC
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