Inheritance in a Shoebox

           I have a goal this summer: clean out the garage.  And nothing will stop me.  Not heat nor spiders nor dust.  Nothing.  But it is a discipline for me.  I like to reminisce.  So, when my daughter came out to the garage to see what progress I had made, she found me with a shoebox in my hand. 

            “What’s that, Mommy?”  “Oh, it’s nothing.  It’s just a box I kept from high school.”  “What’s in it?  Can I see?” 

            So I opened the lid of the box.  The box contained several notes and drawings, a newspaper article, a bead necklace, and an old corsage - that had taken my breath away once.   They are the little things that a fifteen year old girl had collected because she did not want to forget.  And now, the fifteen year old girl was showing her daughter the beginning of her own legacy.

            I met Chris at age fifteen and fell ~ hard.  I am happy to say that I have never recovered.  Even though the contents of the shoebox would never garner any kind of monetary wealth, I would never part with it.  It is the time capsule that tells the beginning of a love story. 

            So there I stood, pulling out bits of paper and trinkets, all from the year I had met my daughter’s future father.  I laughed and smiled and thought it strange that I should be telling Bella about the details of my friendship with her father, when I was only five years older than she is now.  She took it all in.  It was part of her own story too.

            One of the things I told my husband before we married was that it was far more romantic to be poor and in love than to be rich and in love.  He then informed me that I was about to get my wish.  But time has proved me wrong.  We are very much in love with one another, but we are obtaining more and more “wealth” by the day.  Our cups runneth over, but the contents cannot be weighed on scales.  The inheritance we are building is invisible. 

            The box and its contents were visible, but the relationship that it represented was unseen.  God was the One who sovereignly brought Chris and me together.  The box was a way to “see” the invisible hand of God.

            Recently, in our ladies Bible study, we were contemplating why God uses the visible to point to the invisible. A woman there had a good answer for this question.  She thought that it was because we are only human and finite and therefore God uses things we can see and relate to here on Earth in order to teach us something about Him.  When one views a mountain, one knows a little bit more about God’s splendor, majesty, and bigness.

            I have been contemplating the words “inheritance” and “possession”.  In my contemplations, I came across this verse from Ezekiel, “This shall be their inheritance: I am their inheritance: and you shall give them no possession in Israel; I am their possession.”(Ezekiel 44:28 ESV)

            Like the Levites, I can give my daughter no lasting possession here.  Her earthly inheritance adds up to nothing more than nostalgic photos and letters in a shoebox.  But, oh, what a trade!  Nothing lasting here.  Lacking no good and eternal thing There.  For, just as with the Levites, her inheritance shall be the Lord Jesus Himself.  When she opens up the shoeboxes of her past, she will hold letters and photographs that she can see, but my hope is that she will learn of the true realities that speak louder than the contents of any shoebox.    For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.(Hebrews 13:14)                      

                                                                        ~ Your Fellow Sojourner

On Jordan's Stormy Banks

1. On Jordan’s stormy banks I stand,
And cast a wishful eye
To Canaan’s fair and happy land,
Where my possessions lie.

2. All o’er those wide extended plains,
Shines one eternal day;
There God the Son forever reigns,
And scatters night away.

Chorus: I am bound (I am bound)
I am bound (I am bound)
I am bound for promised land,
I am bound (I am bound)
I am bound (I am bound)
I am bound for promised land.

3. No chilling winds nor poisonous breath
Can reach that healthful shore;
Sickness, sorrow, pain and death,
Are felt and feared no more.
(Repeat chorus)

4. When shall I reach that happy place,
And be forever blessed?
When shall I see my Father’s face,
And in His bosom rest?
(Repeat chorus)

Getting Married at Six

                Mothering happens in moments of time.  Often the intentional things that we do as mothers are just as important as the unexpected ones.  And yesterday I had a momentary discussion with my son as I was slicing tomatoes. 

                “Mom” “Yes son”  “S. whispered to me that she is going to marry me.  I can’t wait to marry her.” “I know you want to marry her, but the best thing for you to do right now is to pray for her.  Pray that she just loves Jesus and then she will love you too.”  “Yes, I am going to pray that she loves me.”  “No, you need to pray that she loves Jesus and you need to pray that you love Jesus too.  Then you will both love each other the way you should. You know, you can’t get married at 5; you have to become a man first.  That is a long time from now.  So, you have a lot of growing up to do.”    “I am not going to get married at 5, I am going to get married at 6.”  “So, you are going to get married when you are 6?”  “No, at 6.”  “Do you mean 6, as is 6 pm?”  “Yes, and Pop-pop will be there and Grammy will be there and you will be there.”  “Oh.”  “Well Mom, that is enough for now, we can talk about this some more in the morning.”  He runs off. 

                Yes, the cute factor was strong in this encounter, but the Spirit really caused me to sit up and pay attention while my son was sharing with me.  This is not the first conversation this child has had with me about marrying this little girl.  In fact, this has been going on for over a year now.  He truly does love this little girl.  He is very serious about marrying her.  As serious as a 5 year old can be.   Only God knows if this will come to be, but in the meantime, I do know what God would have him become before he takes a bride.

                Every child has a certain “bent”, a way in which he or she tends to grow.  I have come to see the “bents” of my children and ask the Lord how I can use their innate likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, to point them in the direction of the King and His Kingdom.  And during this mothering moment, I had a greater insight into this child’s soul.

                His name means “a happy place” and “God dwelling with us”.   He has always been one to enjoy the company of others and is generaly a happy kid.  He likes to be at home and likes to work hard outside.   He has the most “shepherd-like” character of all of our children.  He loves to care for others and see them happy.  He is the “touchy-feely” kind of kid.  He was just made to love a wife and children.

                He has always wanted to marry and have children.  When he talks of the future he talks of leaving home, having his own home, and having many children.  He just knows what he wants – even at 5.  He has also told us that he wants to be a boxer and then a farmer.  J  Mmmm, don’t know if I can help with that one, but I will pray…

                So, my son, how do you need to grow in order to be a godly husband and father?  This is more important than any vocational training you will ever have.  Souls and eternity are at stake.  How can I help you and care for you as you grow toward this godly desire?  I have the future in mind for you as you speak to your siblings and as you employ self-control, as you learn to make your bed and as you learn to write you name.  You are a husband and father in training.  I am your mother-teacher.  I am praying that God would give me the wisdom of Solomon’s mother and may you see Jesus through me.  May I rise and call you blessed my son, as you grow into a man who knows the way of the righteous.  I love you. 

                                                                          ~Your Fellow Sojourner

              Blessed is the man

                                who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,

                nor stands in the way of sinners,

                                nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

                but his delight is in the law of the LORD,

                                and on his law he meditates day and night.

                He is like a tree

                                planted by streams of water

                that yields its fruit in its season,

                                and its leaf does not wither.

                In all that he does, he prospers.

                The wicked are not so,

                                but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

                Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

                                nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;

                for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,

                                but the way of the wicked will perish.

                                         (Psalm 1 ESV)

When The Circus Leaves Town

                Chris and I have been working with our children on personal responsibility and accountability.  They have been responding well, especially when candy and money is involved.  We want them to see that with faithful hard work, there are rewards.  But what kind of rewards?  Is the candy and money giving them the right message? 

                God gave Adam and Eve work in the Garden of Eden, where everything was called good.  Work, like all other creation, has been twisted by the Enemy of our souls.   We often see it as bad or even worse, some kind of drudgery that God gave us to do.  When all of this work is done, then I can have time for what I want – rest – play – things that I really would rather spend time doing.

                We have a friend who is always working- he sees a job and does it.  Many of us think he takes his work a little too seriously.  He takes great pride in seeing a job well done, and it blesses his family and friends.  Someone asked him if there was ever a job that he does not want to do.  He said that yes, there were many tasks he does not want to do, but he just tells himself to do them anyway.  And as he works, he focuses on doing a good job and he does not dwell on how smelly or dirty or difficult the task may be.  This is the common grace of God in this man.  Why do you say?  Because man was made in the image of God and God gave man work as a blessing, not a curse.  Therefore, God graces man to work and to derive pleasure in his work. 

                So, what has Satan done?  St. Benedict of medieval fame recognized this problem.  He could have chosen a life of ease, but he saw no pleasure in it.  He told his fellow man that the lowliest of tasks done to the glory of God blesses both man and God.  The monk’s fellow brothers depended on him for their food and the surrounding people depended on him for hard to find medicine and the life giving Word of God.   Benedict spoke harshly to his fellow learned monks and priests who chose to elevate themselves above work because of their “priestly” calling. 

                Now, the life that devotes itself to hard work and sacrifice to God is a full life, a busy life, and an ever-expanding life.  The life that embraces both work and devotion is hard to find.  This life does not have the goal of entertainment and rest in mind. True rest comes through Christ alone.  Work must be done while it is still day, for when the night comes, the plow must stop, the sheep go into their pen, and the plowman sleeps.  Work comes to a stop.  Oh the hours upon hours spent thinking and striving toward ease.  I often ask myself, what would my Grandmother, who lived a short life, think?  Would she push through, would she put that thought aside, would she let go of the temporal to hold on to the eternal? 

                We are not given the length of our days.  Some of us will have many, others of us few.  But all of us have a God-given work to do.  Remember what we were told to pray?  Lord, send out laborers.  But, that was about the spreading of gospel seed, not changing diapers – right?  All that I do, all that I do, to the glory of God. 

The pastor preaches to his children when he takes the trash out and the missionary evangelizes when she hangs out the laundry.  How?  It is all in one - all to the praise of His glorious grace!  We are to speak as we walk by the way, as we sit, and as we lay down.  We are to always be pointing to Jesus.  Jesus, Jesus, Jesus – a constant refrain.

                And so, we are discovering the gospel in the reformation of work in our home.  We see how to work with those that are hard to work with, we clean up after those who do nothing but make messes, and we stay with a task until the work is done.  It is transformation of body, mind, and soul.  We have spent more time together, resulting in more opportunities to address sin, to ask forgiveness, and to point to Jesus. 

                Chris and I took the children to the movies yesterday to celebrate a job well done at home.  We all arrived with smiles and great anticipation.  We were met with long lines and confusion - and so the grumbling began.  When the movie was over and the popcorn was eaten, the cries of more, more came.  The temporal reward was not rooted in the eternal.  It did not satisfy.  Only when sleep came did we begin to recover peace in our home. 

                Chris and I talked over why such ungratefulness.  After contemplating this question, I believe that we have not been enjoying the work for work’s sake.  Do we rejoice in whatever task we have before us or do we see the work as a hurdle to get over to get to what we believe will really give us joy. 

Now, I do believe that God has given us all things to enjoy in Him.  Jesus liked a good party and a good conversation and he rested too.  But He also did not look to the things this world has exalted to satisfy His soul.  If we can praise God for the movie, for the popcorn, for time to enjoy a rest from our labor ~ if we can enjoy the circus and wave good-bye as the circus train leaves town and then return to joyfully serving the Maker of Heaven and Earth, than good!  If we moan and cry and long to stay in our seats eating popcorn and peanuts - if our eyes long to keep the dancing elephants and trapeze artists in view - then we need to speak the truth of God to our hearts.  The Giver of the gift is what we praise, not the gift. 

                And so, today, I am listening to our hearts. What are we really saying in our home today?  Who is receiving the praise, and what is being glorified?  Am I rejoicing in the opportunity to wash and sweep and tidy because it is what God has given me to do?  God gives me good to do, not bad - and we know that He is always shaping, always working.  I am thankful He has not yet completed His work in me.  Oh, so thankful.                       ~ Your Fellow Sojourner