Change is in the air

Wow - has it been that long? It is now officially SPRING!!

My last post was about the Super Bowl. And that is now a faded memory. Certainly things move along, and we must move with them.

I've recently been reading the CaringBridge posts of Chuck McCallum regarding their journey through this difficult and yet somehow blessed time. (http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/joymccallum) Clearly, Chuck is a more prolific writer than I, and there have been seasons in my own life when I wish I had written down my thoughts and feelings, much as Chuck has. Not so much to share with others, but just to remember it better, to feel it again better. Those difficult times can be a little like child-birth, I think. There are powerful hormones at work - memory diminishing hormones. You can talk to a new mother within hours of delivery and she will colorfully tell and re-tell the excruciating, pain-filled details of the delivery. (Some are worse than others.) But, then, weeks later (and perhaps the sleepless nights are to blame) she will likely say, "That wasn't so bad. I would consider having another." I recall how astonished I was at the lack of recall as to promises that were made about not having another, and general glossing-over of those pain-filled hours.

I think and believe that our Creator designed us in some regards with some protective boundaries to help us through the difficult times. If not, we might be more prone to prematurely stop trying in this life. But there is also a deep-rooted comfort for Christians who truly understand the relationship between this life and the next and the fact that whatever we experience now is only PREPARATION for our eternal home. A little like bread being baked in the oven, getting ready for what bread is to become.

Keeping those things in mind, we can help ourselves not become bitter, resentful humans when the difficult times come. I think of the three Hebrew boys - Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who had decided long before the pressure to "conform" arrived had already made their decision to remain true to their commitment to God. Their resolve held true, even though their last chance to recant would have saved them from the fire. "Our God can save us from the fiery-furnace, but even if He does not, we will not bow down." (My paraphrase). Now there's a testimony to steadfastness. And that whole process was made easier by deciding in advance.

My prayer is that I will remain faithful, should the fires of testing come. And will those fires be made easier by making those choices now? Not easier, but I believe my choices will be made true and right by deciding in advance what my answer and attitude will be. We often think of peer pressure and being an adolescent as it pertains to making good choices. But later in life, it becomes about WHO we will be. Will I be a bitter, resentful person because things got tough or didn't go as I had planned? Or will I remain pliable in the hands of God - trusting the He can save me? BUT EVEN IF HE DOES NOT . . . . I WILL (OR WILL NOT) . . . . (fill in the blank).

Thanks, Chuck, for your example of loving, caring, true thinking and right relationship. You are a blessing - more than you know.

I suggest that you read the entire story or Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Daniel.