God’s love – Roberta Writes

Open to inputs

I could not move my dog last night. He was sleeping by my feet and was on the sheet and blankets in such a way that I couldn’t cover my body. I tried to move him. He resisted. He used his substantial weight (ahem!) to resist my nudges.

This reminded me of my kiddos when they were little. As a parent I always respected a bit of a stubborn streak in my kids. Thinking that a bit of firmness of character is a good thing, and it is. But there were those times when my kids were unreasonably committed to the cause of that moment. If you are a parent you understand what I’m describing. The times when a child takes a stand. A firm unmovable stand. Not because the issue is so serious or because they would normally feel this way, but because they are hungry or overtired, or just feeling out of sorts. An unreasonable, unwilling to listen to logic, unflinching stand.

While I do believe we need to stand on our principles, we first need to work out what our principles are. We need to be willing to examine information and test it against the scripture. We need to make sure the hill we die on is worth doing so. Children have not yet learned the art of picking their battles, or self examination. We need to do this to be mature. We need to review our beliefs and question what we accept as correct. This way we know when to be steadfast and when we need to adjust and grow.

It made me wonder if when Christ was on the cross he looked at the mob in front of him and saw them the way a parent sees a petulant child. The weight of His understand and his love is truly overwhelming when you consider it.

Luke 23: 33-34 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there,
along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

Remember Him

I pondered the words. “Do this in remembrance of me.” This is likely the most common reference to the Bible used during communion. We have carved out a special time to reflect and honour this moment. The bread and the wine are significant and symbolic of Christ’s blood and body. We think about His sacrifice.

Yesterday as we did this a thought came to me. Jesus didn’t use fancy or special items. He used the items before him – the Passover feast. Yes there is greater significance in this as the meal ties him to God’s great retribution against the Pharaoh. But also these were everyday items. The bread, although unleavened, was the staple diet. The wine was ubiquitous.

Had Jesus’ last supper happened just last week in Texas, the items might have been cornbread and cola. Or if it happened in India it would have been green tea and naan bread. This is fanciful perhaps. But the point is these were the staples of life.

We are to remember Jesus in the everyday, in the mundane repeat parts of our lives. We are to focus on him always not just in special moments.

The Israelites were told to teach their children about God in every moment. To have His commandments infiltrate every part of their lives. As we go about our lives remember Christ – the bread that sustains and the drink that quenches. The living water that will make us thirst no more.

Deuteronomy 6: 4 – 9 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

The sweetness of memory

I am sometimes overwhelmed by the cares of the world. We live in dark days. The last thing I need to do when my own struggles are great is to add the world’s issues to the pile.

Old hymns, from my childhood, come to mind. One particular hymn is rolling around in my head today. I found this lovely version of it and thought I’d share.

What I truly wish I could share is the version that plays in my mind. The song sung by a congregation on a Sunday morning. My grandma humming softly and nodding. Her beautiful clear blue eyes looking down as she smiles with assurance of a person who has walked with God through her life. Just the other side of her is the voice of my grandpa, booming out the baseline; more oompaapaa than opera. But his voice has the strong confidence of singing what he believes.

This is the most beautiful version of this song. My heart warms as I play it over in my mind. Not only are the words a comfort, but so is the connection with a faith that goes back years into my history. The memory of these two people who changed my life and gave me a gift I can never repay. I count their memory among my greatest joys.

So today, let this song play in your mind. I am sure that you also have rich memories. Let these thoughts speak peace and joy into your life. Together we can remember that God is greater than all the trouble in the world.

Do not worry

I was not a worrier when I was young. I had endless confidence in God’s guidance. I felt anxious about the future sometimes, but not to a point where I would consider it consistent worry.

After suffering many blows from life and having to face difficulties, I now worry. I will worry about the most outlandish things. I expect bad things to happen.

My friends, some Christian and some not, who buy into the new age teachings tell me that by expecting bad things I invite these sufferings into my world. That if I had positive energy and positive focus bad things wouldn’t happen. That is not only rubbish, but it also puts the responsibility for the bad things on the person suffering them. It is victim blaming.

No, I don’t need to channel my positivity to dig my way out of a worry pit. I need to read what Jesus said. I need to focus on His words. I need to trust God.

Matthew 6: 28-34 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Follow close

Over the last few years I have occasionally had a frustrating and threatening dream. It is always different but the theme is the same. I find myself in a dark unknown place trying to find my way. Usually I have one or all the kids with me, and I am trying to stumble through the dark and find safety.

It isn’t a dream that leaves me wondering. I know exactly what I am worried about when I wake. The world is so frightening and so out of control that I feel the weight of leading our family through the darkness. My dream is an outcropping of worries that often don’t even reach my conscious mind.

As I review this dream and think over my concerns, I remember that I am not responsible to be the one finding my way. I just have to keep my eye on the shepherd. I just have to feel His presence. I don’t have to know where I am going or where He leads. I do not need to fear. I must rely on Him.

John 8: 12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Learning to give

When my kids were little, I had an epiphany. There were many moms that I knew who were skeptical of Christmas and over-giving to their children. It is an honest and reasonable concern. Our society is blessed with an abundance of ‘stuff.’ It can feel excessive. Particularly when comparing it to the poverty we see in other parts of the world. Many people I knew were giving gifts of donations to other causes, or even asking others to donate in their child’s name. I didn’t like this and I couldn’t put my finger on the reason why.

We never spent a lot at Christmas. Our financial situation always ensured that we were unable to ‘spoil’ our children. I did, however, get great joy in selecting gifts I thought they would enjoy. I planned ahead to make our small budget go as far as possible. Some years I couldn’t sleep on Christmas eve, I was so excited to see how they would react.

Our children were always excited and happy with their gifts. We shared great joy as a family. It was after one of these mornings that the reason I didn’t like the over reaction to our materialism. We need to learn the joy of receiving before we can learn the joy of giving. If I had not experienced the joy of a perfect gift, then I wouldn’t enjoy the act of giving to my own children. I never felt any guilt in wanting to make my children happy. And I certainly didn’t want them to feel bad because they received something they would enjoy.

Matthew 7: 11 – 12 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you,
for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

The power of listening

Some times we forget.

When our eyes are drawn up, legitimately, to the bigger problems we focus on the ills of the world. This is good to do, but we also need to take a breath and remember the more personal side. We need to remember not to live our lives only within the scope of the BIG picture. There is a small scale too.

The best way to do this is to shut off the phone. To turn off the TV. To close the laptop.

Go for a walk. Talk to your neighbour. Ask them how they are doing and stay to listen. Connect personally! Call that friend you haven’t talked to in ages. Ask them questions, listen to them.

The personal is important, but it’s less about seeing and knowing and far more about listening.

Listening taps into the divine. When we pray, God listens. When we struggle, God hears. Be the image of God in the world. Listen to others. Don’t judge or expect them to mirror you and your views. Just listen. Learn to be gracious by suspending your thoughts and allowing space for them.

We can bridge the gap if we start to listen.

Psalm 18: 6 In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.

Family ties

When I was in University, I got a call from my Grandpa one evening. He said, “You have to come over and see these people we have here.” I questioned him as it was already getting late. “No, you need to come. These are relatives. You need to meet them.” He hung up without even saying goodbye. Something he would often forget to do. I got in my car and drove through the dark city, lit up by strings of streetlights, and made my way to their apartment.

It was a nice evening. I left not sure why I needed to know these people. All I knew is that my presence was important to my Grandpa. It wasn’t life changing. But it showed me how my Grandpa valued his kin.

A long time ago, God spoke to His Son. Maybe he said something like, “You need to go meet these people. You need to go see them, so they can understand me and know more about me.” I know, It’s silly to imagine what God and Jesus would have said to each other, as I am sure they communicate far more fully than we can comprehend.

Jesus came down to meet us. To show us our heritage and lineage, to explain our family connections. He did this because God cares about us. He wants us to know we are part of his family and loved by him.

There can be no greater honour than being called to meet and see God, through his own Son. A meeting with the Son of God is indeed life changing.

John 17: 25-26 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

God so loved us

I like to listen to classical and instrumental music on my television. The music is usually accompanied by beautiful photography of wildlife and natural scenes. This is visual pleasing but I realized the other day, while it may make you wistful for such places, the image can’t replace the real experience.

You can see the scene, but you can’t smell the air or sense the contours of the ground beneath your feet. You have to guess how cold the stream feels when you stick your fingers in the rushing water. Pictures can elicit memories and longings, but they are shadows compared to a real experience.

God could have told his people to build an idol, like all the other gods. An idol could have been a physical reminder to the people of His presence. Something for them to help focus their religious efforts. But, He knew, like a picture it would be an empty representation.

Instead, He sent His son. He sent a part of Himself to earth. Jesus the real life representation of God. The people (and thanks to the records in the Bible, those who came after) could see Him, hear Him, even touch Him. God loved us so much that He wanted us to truly know him. No idol would suffice. The creator entered His own creation.

John 14: 9 – 11 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.
How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father,
and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.
Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.”

Our people

My Grandma told me once how she loved the people from her home community. No matter what they did she loved them. She told me of a neighbour who was a horse thief. Everyone in the area knew it. If your horse went missing, the first stop was always to his farm to see if he had it. Usually he did have the stolen horse. The community folk would go collect their horse and be on their way.

She laughed as she recalled this. Then she paused and looking at me with her beautiful pale blue eyes, she clasped her hands and leaned forward, as though to drive the point home. “You see, they are my people.”

We all need people. We need to love our people and walk with our people.

Have we lost this? Perhaps we lost it before the dreaded virus landed in our world.

Love is not a feeling or an instinct. Love is a job. A job with easy days and tough days. But a job nonetheless.

Together lets love our people.

1 Peter 4: 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers
over a multitude of sins.