The Right Path

 

Listen…be wise, and keep your heart on the right path. Proverbs 23:19 NIV

Recently, I had a dream about one of my biggest fears-snakes.  In the past, I’ve had other re-occurring dreams or what I would more appropriately call nightmares about snakes.  This time was different. I was in a dense, wooded area on a winding path riding a bicycle. I was aware of the snakes on both sides of the beaten track, but as long as I stayed in the middle of the trail I remained safe. It was a curvy pathway with many sharp turns and at each bend, I would encounter another oversized worm wiggle my direction. Yet, not one entered the narrow path and somehow I felt quite safe. In my previous snake dreams, I found myself distressed from the impending danger of these creepy, slithering serpents and would wake up exhausted. This time I felt refreshed and reinvigorated.

Unsure if the dream really had any meaning, I decided that I would document it anyway in my journal. As I was writing, I glanced at the bottom of the page where various Bible verses are embossed throughout the journal. The scripture for that day read: Listen…be wise, and keep your heart on the right path. Proverbs 23:19.  I just wonder if the snakes represent the evil we encounter on this earthly journey and God was trying to remind me to be wise in my choices by keeping my heart devoted to Him, which is clearly the right path.

Michele

Golf and Double-Bogie Days

 

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature, complete and not lacking anything (James 2:1-4 NIV). 

The game of golf and its parallel to life has always intrigued me. I have spent a lot of time on the golf course watching my youngest son play. Almost without exception, I offer the same advice to him prior to playing in any tournament, “At the completion of each hole, behave the same; whether it’s a birdie or a bogie and don’t let your attitude be reflective of your score.”  Excellent advice...except do I practice what I preach?

When I have a day that feels like I’m out of bounds, in the woods, in the water, and finally buried in the sand, do I behave the same as a day where every ball flows beautifully down the middle of the fairway and the next shot plops perfectly on the green? It is easy to smile when life is delivering eagles, birdies and pars. What about the days we have to deal with bogies, double bogies, and hazards at every turn? Sometimes I find myself in the sand trap of thinking that as soon as my circumstances change, my attitude will also.

In the book of James we are told how to handle life’s trials, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature, complete and not lacking anything.”   The next time I experience a double-bogie day and I find myself out of bounds, in the woods, in the water, or buried in the sand, I’m going to stop and consider that God may be trying to teach perseverance to change me first, before he changes my circumstances.

Dear God help me place my life in your hands and experience your joy during the trials of life.

Michele

The Hanger Games

 

 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus  (Philippians 4:6-7 NIV).

It was Sunday and fifteen inches of incessant, grueling rain had already fallen since Friday with more expected.  To match the sluggish weather of the day, my husband and I both were feeling flooded with overwhelming financial stress. Fighting, fear and frustration had conquered our weekend.  In the midst of our conversation, my husband was attempting to put back an abundance of tangled hangers on the rack in the closet.  In his frustration, he threw them all in the bottom of the closet.

 In my clean-up mode, I picked them up and attempted a trip to the laundry room where I planned to put them neatly away. I was unable to let go of our earlier discussion and once I made it to the kitchen; I threw the whole bunch of hangers on the floor. I’m not exactly sure what the strategy was of the hanger games the two of us were playing, but I’m pretty sure I won; my hangers scattered much further and some of the annoying acrylic ones broke into tiny pieces making a much bigger mess than his.

  In the midst of my temper tantrum I could only think of one thing, “I just don’t want to do this any longer, I want to go back to my childhood and eat my dad’s famous banana pancakes. I want my biggest fear of the day to be ‘not getting hit with the baseball’ when the neighborhood kids play at the top of the hill.”

 I was shaken back from the 1960’s to the reality of the year 2012, when my husband hugged me and said, “It is going to be okay.” What was at the root of the hanger games? Our fussing and fighting had been a result of allowing fear, frustration, worry and stress to consume our thoughts and lives. In Francis Chan’s book, Crazy Love he says, “Worry implies that we don’t trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of what’s happening in our lives. Stress says that the things we are involved in are important enough to merit our impatience, our lack of grace toward others, or our tight grip of control” (Chan, 42).

The Bible Study that I am currently doing recommended an interesting undertaking. The competition consists of writing thank you on sticky notes and attaching them to items in your home, car etc. I t was inconceivable  the small and large things that I take for granted or think I’m entitled to have such as: a toilet, running water, a coffee pot, a warm bed…  I quickly realized that I would run out of sticky notes way before being able to identify the many things I am fortunate enough to have. On that raining Sunday, had we of been viewing things differently, instead of playing the hanger games, we would have instead been playing this more productive game; one of appreciation and thankfulness for our many blessings.

Michele 

 Work Cited

Chan, Francis. Crazy Love. Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook Dist., 2008. Print.

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The Ankle Biter

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So that you, together with all of God’s people, may have the power to understand how broad and long, how high and deep, is Christ’s love (Ephesians 3:18 GNT).

“Ouch, you mean thing,” I yelled as I was once again attached by the ole’ ankle biter. Every day or two, for no good reason and without any warning, the ankle biter grabs a leg and in one sweep, bites, scratches and runs. Then he nonchalantly sits on the couch unconcerned and passionless.  No one in the family has yet to understand exactly what possess this inappropriate behavior or how he selects his choice candidate, but I’m usually his favorite target. 

About a year ago, my youngest daughter and I were enjoying a day together at her favorite restaurant. While placing our order with the waitress, we got on the topic of animals. We shared our sadness due to the recent loss of our dog of seven years and our thoughts of getting another one soon.  Before she brought out our food, the waitress returned with a customer holding a little black kitten. The waitress had shared our story with the customer and suggested we may want a cat in place of getting a new dog. We were quite reluctant to say yes, because neither of us are big cat fans. The customer said that the kitty was almost hit in a dangerous intersection just minutes before she rescued him. She claims that she would keep him except she had to catch an airplane in a couple of hours and would be unable to take him back to Oklahoma where she lives. So we adopted the little kitty and named him Hagrid. That sweet little kitten turned into an independent, ankle biting cat.

 One day when I was wearing matching claw marks on both legs, I thought, “I’d like to kick that cat to the curb.”  Then, I began to wonder how God puts up with the incessant, improper behavior of humankind.  We mistreat others, often with no good reason, but He constantly cares for us anyway. He continues to forgive when we scratch and blemish the name and reputation of others. And, He continues to show His unending and immeasurable love even when we engage in backbiting or show no compassion by being unapproachable and aloof toward others.

The next time I pass Hagrid and scream as he grazes his sharp claw along my leg, I hope to remember God’s display of love and grace as he offers his lenient hand of forgiveness and mercy for my many transgressions.

Dear God help me appreciate your incredible mercy.

Michele

The Righteous of the Nations

Open up the gates that a righteous nation may enter, one that keeps faith (Is 26:2, NAB, Revised)

In early September, my husband and I spent two weeks in Poland. We visited many World War II memorials, including museums, concentration camps, and prisoner of war camps. One of the most amazing things about the Polish people that seems to be their resiliency. I really had no idea how badly they were affected by the Nazis and the Soviets.  Warsaw had been totally destroyed and has been rebuilt, keeping the flavor of the pre-war years.

The physical rebuilding can be viewed as an outward sign of the stamina of the largest ethnic group in Europe.  I was amazed to learn several facts about the Poles and the Nazis.  In the countries of Western Europe aiding a Jew usually meant imprisonment and possibly death.  In Poland aiding Jews was punishable by death for the person and his/her entire family and yet some experts estimate over 100,000 Poles aided their Jewish neighbors despite the threat of death.

The nation of Israel awards those non-Jews who are known to have helped European Jews escape or hide during those horrific years the designation the Righteous of the Nations.  Twenty-five percent of them are from Poland.  This is a larger percentage than the Netherlands which is the next largest group known for aiding Jews.

Below is a picture of a plaque on the front of the Schindler Museum in Krakow.  The quote, written in Hebrew, Polish and English is from the Talmud.  “He who save a life saves the world.”  

Eileen

Bad Habits

  I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. (Rom7:15 NIV)

For the past several weeks Michele has been doing all the writing.  First because Husband and I were away on a trip, but for the last month because I have been too lazy to write anything.  That failure on my part to contribute to the blog is best summed up by Paul’s lament that he does not do what is good for him but persists in doing what is not good for him.

We all share in that tendency to know what good habits we should be practicing any yet we continue to engage in unhealthy habits.  For example, when I get up in the morning I take my cup of coffee and head to my computer where I waste several hours playing online games.  My heart tells me I should be doing something productive, either physically (walking outside) or spiritually (going to Mass or at least some spiritual reading) but I persist in my unhealthy addiction to Facebook games.

I have managed to discover two websites for my iPhone and iPad that are free of charge and are helping turn bad habits into good ones.  Loyola Press has website that includes apps for smart phones and tablets that is entitled  3 Minute Retreat.  It includes simple meditations that are appropriate for any Christian.  I generally go to it just before I go to sleep at night.  The second app is very Catholic.  It is called Laudate and it includes the daily Mass readings, the Liturgy of the Hours and many Catholic prayers.  I have taken to reading at least the morning prayers.  

These are both new habits I am working to develop.  I highly recommend using these electronic gizmos to strengthen our relationship with the Lord.

Eileen

Smelly Stuff

If you really change your ways and your actions… (Jeremiah 7:5a NIV)

There was an ill-smelling, sour odor that had permeated the bedroom for several days. I started blaming the innocent dog and then the guiltless cat, surmising that one of them had left something rank hidden under the bed. When that didn’t pan out, I closed the closet door considering the tennis shoes as the culprit.  Still the odor lingered.  I tried a carpet odor eliminator, a fruit-smelling air freshener and even the burning fragrance of a cookie candle. Still it wouldn’t extinguish the rancid smell that now consumed the room.

Finally, I remembered the small college style refridgerator under the counter where I keep my cream for morning coffee.  I had just purchased a half of a gallon of cream and the carton filled weightless. When I picked up the refrigerator, I discovered the perpetrator: globs of coagulated milk that had leaked on the counter base and under coffee cans…stinky!

Do you ever feel like things in your life just don’t smell right? You know adjustments and changes need to occur, but identifying the culprit may take some real soul sniffing. Somehow when you reach the age of 50, it seems that change gets much harder to address.  I have spent the last 25 years on the full-time job of raising five children. My youngest two are a junior and senior in high school and will soon be moving to new places in their lives. They clearly don’t need me in the ways they did when they were much younger. Our businesses are changing and my life seems to be in a state of transition. Like the bad smell in the bedroom, I know I’ve got to approach those needed changes.  Leo Buscaglia says, Change is the end result of all true learning and involves three things…

First, dissatisfaction with self - a felt void or need (something smells bad)

Second, a decision to change to fill the void (I’m going to find that smell and change things by cleaning it up)

Third, a conscious dedication to the process of growth and change - the willful act of making the change, doing something (I am cleaning up the mess and will not leave the carton of cream on its side again. Then, I am going to move forward in an effort to transform).

 Dear God, I have experience spilt milk and plenty of messes in the first half of my life. Please help me identify the areas I need to change so I may better serve you in this second half.

Michele