Absent Husband = Vigilant Bride

My husband was out of town for a week recently on business. 

I noticed that I took a little extra care to lock things that don't usually get locked. 

I double-checked to make sure things were closed tight that I might usually leave open. 

And, of course, I had a fully loaded thing within arms reach should the need arise. 

I slept a bit more fitfully than normal. 

I knew that because my protector was away, I needed to be more vigilant than normal; but he didn't leave me defenseless. 

Reminds me of the church - the "bride" of Christ. 

He is away, but He's coming back; and He certainly hasn't left us defenseless. 

Let's be vigilant in His absence while looking forward to His return. 

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Ephesians 6:13

Results & Duty

Wikipedia

"Duty is ours; results are God's." John Quincy Adams

He said this when asked about how he could press on with the fight against slavery when it seemed so little progress was being made. Of course, he died before the Emancipation Proclamation was signed into law, but without the groundwork he laid and the fact that he and Abraham Lincoln overlapped for one year in the House of Representatives, maybe we wouldn't have had it at all. 

This quote is so encouraging to me.  Even though our kids grow and mature so quickly, in the day to day of it all, it often seems as if no real progress is being made - in us or in the children.  It can be discouraging.

Unless we remember, as John Quincy Adams did, that God is in charge of the results. 

"And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary." Galatians 6:9

Teaching an old Crochet-er a new Knit

I just finished knitting a baby blanket. I am really enjoying knitting, but it was hard for me to learn. My mom taught me to crochet when I was little, so that seemed like no big deal. And then, a few years ago, a friend showed me how to knit and then I bought a book and taught myself. 

It was weird to hold the knitting needles that way - so different from the way you hold a crochet hook. Think of going from a baseball bat to a golf club. Very similar in their differences. :)

Anyway, it was a great reminder for me that it's so much easier to learn to do something right the first time than it is to unlearn doing it the wrong way. 

My dad made a lot of money over the years "unlearning" horses the bad habits their owners taught them. 

Two lessons here:

1) Go easy on yourself and others when you (or they) are trying to unlearn bad habits or even whole ways of thinking. 

2) Teach your kids the right way the first time. 


"Train up a child in the way that he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6

Follow the Leader

My Grandpa

Our church is blessed to have a multitude of talented musicians who volunteer to lead us in worship each week. They sort of rotate and share the responsibility. 

A few weeks ago, we were being blessed by the talents of a group of them, when the leader skipped a verse. . . Now, I didn't know the song well enough to tell, and I might not have even caught it, except one of the other singers flushed and looked a little embarrassed - oh and the words projected on the screen didn't match. 

However, the rest of the group just fell in behind him and FOLLOWED WHERE HE LED. 

I was impressed by those musicians - even the one who got a little flustered. They did nothing but make their leader look good. 

Can you imagine if they had gone off on their own? Not only wouldn't it have sounded very good, but it would have confused all of us in the congregation, embarrassed many of the performers, and maybe even damaged the trust they had in their leader - or his trust in them. Perhaps irreparably. 

I wonder how often I damage the trust of my leader, and confuse those around us, when I don't FOLLOW WHERE HE LEADS. 

Now, you might think, well he made a mistake, they had every right not to follow him! 

But, if you are like me, this "not following" can happen even when there are no mistakes being made. 

Thanks mostly to my Grandpa, whose own father taught him how to play, my extended family has a lot of musicians in it. I enjoy it when we all get together. Inevitably, Grandpa has learned a new song that no one else knows. He leads and they all play along. It sounds like music because they FOLLOW HIS LEAD. 

Next time I hear or feel discord, I'm gonna take a step back and remember that if I FOLLOW WHERE HE LEADS, the result will be sweet music.  

"Submit yourselves, then, to God." James 4:7