Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Open Trenches

A house is built by wisdom and becomes strong through good sense. Proverbs 24:3 (NLT)

I was a builder in one of my past lives. Our move to Arizona gave me one last opportunity to start from the ground up and personalize our home to our needs as retirees. Now four years later, construction has begun on the empty lot across the street. I knew something was up last month when I noticed the surveyors stakes outlining the perimeter of the house. Because we returned from Tennessee late in the evening, it was not until the next morning that I saw the full extent of their progress: the porta-potty and dumpster dropped at the front of the lot, piles of dirt strategically placed, and open trenches everywhere with rough plumbing pipes sticking up.

That was last Thursday. But there were no construction workers and all was quiet for the next four days. One of the jobs of the project manager is to keep the everything moving and on time, so down days are never a good sign. As I thought about it, I decided they must be waiting for an inspection of the rough plumbing. And sure enough, early this morning, I heard the beeps and bells of tractors as they pushed that dirt and covered the trenches. Step one passed, time to move on to the next.

"What if the builder never waited for those inspections or followed the building plans?" I wondered.

How foolish that would be! Talk about buyer beware since most of us don't have any idea how to properly build a house.

The same goes with how to live our lives. Without the guide book (the Bible) and the Master Project Manager (the Holy Spirit), how would we know what is our next step?

Wisdom and knowledge come through life experiences, both good and difficult. I wished I learned as much from those times on the mountain peaks as I learn from crawling through the valley. But, usually, that isn't the case. Whenever I get in a mess, suffer the consequences, accept responsibility and forgiveness, that is the time when I pray and ask that this experience would not be wasted—that I would learn from it and be able to help someone else.

There is nothing like good sense to meet the challenges of life, often achieved as God inspects the open trenches of our heart to make sure all is well. If there is a problem, He nudges us to make changes and then covers them over with His love. We learn that His plans are best.

I will be glad when the house is completed, the noise, dust, and trucks are gone, and the new neighbors have settled in. I started praying for these folks. Ol' Eagle Eye will be watching for the next few months to make sure all is well.

Just like our Heavenly Father watches out for us.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Simple Faith

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)

On our return trip from Tennessee, Southwest decided to take the milk route—Nashville to Los Angeles to Tucson. It had been a busy week and I planned to finish up my Bible study, When Godly People Do Ungodly Things (by Beth Moore) on the way home, so I had my study guide and Bible on my lap.

As the plane filled, I hoped that we could keep the seat empty between us but after a few minutes as the plane began to fill, a young man asked to join our row. I scooted over to the middle seat and gave him the window. He was surprised at his good fortune and glanced down at my books as he sat down and commented, "Heavy reading."

"Uh huh," I replied. I hoped it would discourage this guy so I could finish up and get to my novel.

He pulled out his laptop and typed away. After a few minutes, he said, "Are you taking a test on this?"

"No, I'm part of a group of ladies and we will all share what we have learned." I didn't want to encourage any further questions.

I gathered he was reading over my shoulder when he made another comment about the book of Romans that I had open.

"OK, Lord, I guess you want me to talk to this guy."

I put down my Bible, sent up a quick prayer, and started talking to him. I discovered that he had been very active in a church in the East that had disbanded. His fiancee had chosen a life in a religious community and broken off the engagement. He was heartbroken and very disillusioned about the church and his faith. A job change moved him across the country and now he was trying to pick up the pieces of his abandoned faith.

He is a very well read man. In addition to a vast Bible knowledge, he liked to read early Christian fathers. He encouraged me to read these guys but I told him that I had enough to do to read the Bible and understand it.

But, as we talked, I detected some doubt yet dogmatism. He really threw me a curve when he said, "Grace is highly overrated."

We had a lengthy discussion about salvation, grace, and faith. He made it all so complicated and more than once, I told him that, for me, it was a simple faith. It was all about grace but he just couldn't accept it.

I thought of the rich young ruler and his encounter with Jesus. Although he kept all the rules, giving up his wealth was one big stumbling block for him and he walked away very sad. My young friend allows the past to trip him up, resulting in confusion and doubt.

We had a break in the conversation and I finally finished my lesson. The study ended with the story of the prodigal son. How appropriate! That boy was welcomed as if he had never left home with all the rights and privileges of a son. His dad never even asked him where he had been—he just threw a great big party.

As we neared LAX, I encouraged him to find a church where the Word is preached. He is lonely. What better place to find friends? I pray that he will listen to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit and accept the grace, love, and forgiveness from the Father.

It really is just that simple.



Saturday, June 5, 2010

Control

 

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,

for I have put my trust in you.

Show me the way I should go,

for to you I lift up my soul.

Psalm 143:8 (NIV)

 

Being flexible is not one of my greatest virtues because I like to be in control. However, in recent years, God yanked the reigns of control right out of my fingers with the promise to never let me go.

 

From Mark's heart attack, nine days before the wedding, to the phone call this week announcing impending surgery for his brother's second detached retina, it's apparent that planning too far in advance is a waste of time and energy. Even the possibility of future kidney dialysis for Dad is but a grain of sand sifting through the tiny hole of the hourglass of time.

 

Our lives seem enormous to us but from God's perspective, we are just a dot in that timeline. Every appointment on my calendar must be held loosely, otherwise I'm likely to get my undies in a knot when confronted with interruptions or a change of plans.

 

So how do we let go of our schedule, worries, demands, and fears? Let me answer that with another question. Do you believe that God is in control or not? If you believe that He is, then you have just described faith. That faith allows you to trust Him, rest assured that life's interruptions are divine, and go with it. Since the only person you can control is yourself, ease up and let Him run the show. He won't fail you.