A Lesson Learned

I have a confession to make. I've fallen out of the habit of taking my walks in the fields with the Lord. Weeks of rainy weather might be partly to blame, but it has also seemed as though I just didn't have the time.

Well, last night I had things to work over in my head that sent me up to the high pasture, one of my favorite meditating spots. After spending a while there, I began wandering through the fields, and realized how much I missed it. There is an absolute peace about meadows at dusk, with all the bugs and birds providing background music, and a cool breeze toying with the grass blades. Somehow, the rest, the utter absence of hurry, the quiet calm, seeps into my heated mind, and reminds me that God is not flustered--and why should I be?

This morning when I pulled back my window shade, I saw glorious yellow light spilling across the world, and decided that, long to-do list or not, I was going for a walk. It was such a wonderful way to begin the day! Luscious banks of green, dewy grass rose on either side of the dirt path. Birds sang joyously, and the whole world seemed glad to see the sun.

I headed back out in the late afternoon for a longer walk. The sun was hidden behind sullen clouds, and a restless breeze was gusting. A storm was coming, for sure! I ran this time, right into the wind. Somehow when the wind is at your back, it is more of a nuisance than anything, and the shadow of your own body seems to steal the refreshing coolness from the air you breathe. But when the wind is in your face, whipping every strand of hair back, blowing into your mouth and nose, it is so thoroughly exhilarating! Wind coursed along the long grass, sending it into a marvellous rippling motion that can hardly be described. The blades of grass ran with the wind as far as they could, then bounced up to catch the next gust. Trees tossed fitfully, and transposed the wind into an exciting rushing noise.

It is a good thing when troubles can be blown out of one's heart, by a walk at twilight, or by a run in a windy field. Not because they are small troubles, but because it's impossible to be swallowed up in God's majestic creation without being reminded of His greatness and His nearness. How blessed we are to be able to see Him in the everyday beauty around us.

I'll be taking more walks soon. :)

Pictures!

Sorry that the blog has been rather lacking in the picture department...the rainy weather and a busy schedule haven't been too helpful to my photography efforts. :)

I love the fields...but the woods are pretty too. :) This was taken by the sidewalk at work where I take my lunchtime walks.

Multi-floral rose...it looks nice, it smells nice, but it AIN'T nice, when it's growing in your field! Right, Uncle John?

A "Pastural" Scene

The clouds ARE good for something....

Cows grazing at sunset. This picture is hard to see unless you click on it to see the full version...

Spacious Skies

Good Things

Somebody was whispering…and I was listening.

“Poor thing,” the voice said. “You don’t have things easy. Of course life isn’t hard for you compared to some people, but still…you could have a lot more enjoyment in life if you weren’t so self-sacrificing.”

“Hey, look at that girl,” it said a little later. “What a happy life she has, so many people around to love her and admire her.”

“Dreaming isn’t wrong,” said a voice by my pillow. “Especially when the life you dream about is so good and upright and beautiful. It’s strange that the Lord hasn’t given it to you.”

A strange thing started to happen. As I listened to the voice, and pictured the happy life that I could lead “if only,” I didn’t become happier. Quite the opposite. The greener that the grass looked on the other side of the fence, the yellower it appeared on my side.

That’s when I started meditating on the “good thing” verses. I have found four of them so far.

James 1:17—“Every good thing bestowed…is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.”
Psalm 16:2—“I said to the Lord, ‘Thou art my Lord; I have no good besides Thee.’”
Psalm 84:11b---“No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”
Psalm 34:10b—“They who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing.”

It’s fascinating how they fall into two pairs. When paraphrased, they read:

Every good thing is from God.

No good thing is apart from God.
AND
God withholds no good thing from those who walk uprightly.

Those who seek Him get every good thing.

The first two are unconditional; they are about who God is, regardless of our behavior. They seem to depict God as Sovereign, providing good things to all the people in His dominion. Every good thing in this world is from God, no matter who enjoys it. There’s nothing good apart from Him. Those phrases are two different ways of expressing the same simple concept, and yet how often I mistrust that truth! Really, Lord? You mean I’ll never find anything that is genuinely good, apart from You?

The second two verses are conditional. They deal, not with Who God is, but with how He acts. They depict God as Father, blessing individually those who became His children by receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior (John 1:12). A good father desires to bless his children to the full extent of his ability. If it were up to him, he would give them a new gift every day when he came home from work. And yet, sometimes he is hindered, not because he is unable to bless them, but because his children are acting in such a way as to prevent him from blessing.

Perhaps it is because they are being disobedient, and if he gave them a gift in their disobedience, he would be reinforcing their bad behavior, which would ultimately lead them away from him and the love that he wants to give them. Sometimes he cannot bless them because they are ungrateful for the love he’s already shown them, and to give them a gift would only spoil them and lead them to feel perpetually discontented. Sometimes he can’t bless them because they never stop long enough to take the blessing, but tear past his outstretched hand, bent on their own mission. Sometimes, he must withhold a blessing for a time, simply because the child isn’t ready for it. They have more to learn, or they need to grow, before they could properly enjoy it. Nobody would think it a good idea to give a brand new car to a child of six.

Aren’t these all reasons that our God might have to withhold good things from us? And yet, these verses emphasize God’s eagerness to shower upon us every blessing that He possesses. His purpose for eternity is that “in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” Don’t you think He longs to do that now?

It’s almost as though God has His hand in His pocket, ready to pull out a gift to give His child, and He’s leaning down, watching until the very first moment when His child is ready to get the gift. The instant comes, and, without a second’s delay, the gift is theirs.

Each of the “good thing” verses, is an absolute statement, “Every good thing,” “No good thing,” “Any good thing,” “No good besides Thee.” God gives a “satisfaction guarantee.” Nothing but our own sin and obstinacy, can hinder us, as God’s children, from getting the full dose of His blessing. Sometimes we think that we must plead with God for His blessings. I wonder sometimes if He feels like pleading with us to step into the place where He can give us the blessings that He must otherwise hold back for our own good.

The next time the voice shows up, I’ll have some good ammunition. The motto of the local hardware store is, “If we don’t have it, you don’t need it.” When I’m walking in obedience to the Lord, and that little voice points out to me something "good-looking" that somebody else is enjoying, I can remember the “good things” verses, and hear the Lord saying to me, “If you don’t have it, you wouldn’t want it—it’s not a good thing for you right now, daughter.”

What is Thy Beloved?

The other night my friend and I were chatting over Skype. If any eavesdropper in cyberspace was listening to our conversation, I wonder what he thought when one of us asked the question, “What is it that you love about God?” We soon came to the conclusion that it was impossible to sum up what it is that we love about our God—how can the infinite God be confined to words on paper?

I continued to think about the question as I got ready for bed. It reminded me of another question, asked so long ago, “What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women?” (Song of Solomon 5:9) In answer, she tried to describe his person, in language that was figurative of his character. I can think of no better way to describe my God.

What do I love about God? I love His eyes, how they are like a flame of fire1[1], yet wept with the sorrows of men.[2] I love to know that His eyes are upon the righteous[3], and that He sees my every action[4] and yet that He still loves me.

I love how His ears are open to my cry[5], to the faintest sob, the boldest praise, to my very voice, not just to what I say.[6]

I love how my life, when I live in obedience, is a fragrance of Christ to His nostrils.[7] My prayer can be as incense before Him.[8]

I love how His mouth is full of gracious words,[9] and yet how He speaks with authority.[10] How a word from His mouth created the universe[11], and it was His breath that gave life to man[12]. I love how He has the tongue of disciples, knowing how to sustain the weary one with a word.[13] He holds all things together by the word of His power.[14]

I love how the face of the Lord Jesus was set like flint to go to Jerusalem to bear my sin.[15] How He did not hide his face from the spittle of his enemies.[16] And it’s the same face which is like the sun shining in its strength.[17]

I love His shoulders, which bore the cross for me.[18] One day, they shall bear the key of the house of David.[19] And yet, as a shepherd He bears His lambs on His shoulders.[20]

I love His arms. They are strong arms.[21] They are everlasting arms, beneath us in whatever circumstances we are.[22] They are the arms which carry the weakest of His own.[23] They are the arms that embraced the little children.[24]

His fingers wrought the heavens.[25] His hands were pierced with nails for me.[26]
He is beyond the comprehension of the most brilliant mind. And yet God is love, a concept understood by the youngest child. He seems to us a paradox, and yet no aspect of His character is compromised.

Everything about my God is wonderful. Or, as the bride of long ago answered, when she had described her beloved from head to toe, “He is altogether lovely!”



[1] Revelation 1:14
[2] John 11:35
[3] Psalm 34:15
[4] Psalm 139:3
[5] Psalm 34:15
[6] Psalm 116:1
[7] 2 Corinthians 2:15
[8] Psalm 141:2
[9] Luke 4:22
[10] Mark 1:22
[11] Psalm 33:6
[12] Genesis 2:7
[13] Isaiah 50:4
[14] Hebrews 1:3
[15] Isaiah 50:7
[16] Isaiah 50:6
[17] Revelation 1:16
[18] John 19:17
[19] Isaiah 22:22
[20] Luke 15:5
[21] Psalm 89:13
[22] Deuteronomy 33:27
[23] Isaiah 40:11
[24] Mark 9:36
[25] Psalm 8:3
[26] Psalm 22:16

My First Video Attempt

Well, I haven't tried this video posting thing yet, so here goes!

This is a video taken last year, when I was raking hay...I've talked a bit about haying on the blog here so I thought maybe you'd like more of an idea of what it's like...though the pictures sure don't do it justice. :) They can't capture the satisfaction of organizing a whole field into neat rows, the unique sound of swishing hay as it whirls around under the rake, the wonderful scents coaxed by the hot sun into the warm breeze, the pure satisfaction of being part of a team to get the hay in before sunset.

Wordless Beauty

This is Grammy. She has dementia. Little by little, her brain is betraying her, forgetting how to live life. Words are becoming a mystery, tasks which she used to do so efficiently and easily are now frustrating puzzles.

But there are some things, the meaning of which she remembers. A hug, a kiss, a smile, a mug of hot cocoa, all are things that touch her emotions and make her happy. And beauty. She has a remarkable eye for beauty. Not just the beauty that most of us see, in well-kept gardens and hot-house flowers. No, she sees beauty in grasses, and dandelions, and pieces of foliage, and brings them indoors for us to enjoy by the kitchen window. Below are pictures of some of her bouquets.

In a Hurry

The last several days I’ve been privileged to be part of a large gospel effort, focusing largely on door-to-door visiting. The responses have been varied, as usual. Most are polite, many seem disinterested, others are rude, and some are friendly and glad to see us.

“In a hurry,” one man told me when I asked if I could show him a verse from the Bible. He wasn’t the only one; it was a response we had heard several times. It made me think of the hymn,

“Sunk in ruin, sin, and misery,
Bound by Satan’s captive chain,
Guided by his artful treachery,
Hurrying on to endless pain;
My Redeemer, my Redeemer,
Plucked me as a brand from hell.”

Yes, hurrying on, hurtling toward an infinity of suffering and regret, with no time for eternity. The lost are indeed in a hurry.

Is God in a hurry? “The Lord is not slow about His promise…but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) God is in no hurry to bring judgment upon sinners. Rather, we read, “Thou art a God ready to pardon.” (Neh. 9:17). It has been said that the only time that the Bible depicts God the Father as being in a hurry, is when the father of the prodigal son ran to meet his repentant boy. So yes, God is eager—perhaps we may even say reverently that He is in a hurry—to forgive.

The lost are hurrying to a Christless eternity of agony. God is hurrying to intercept them with His forgiveness. Have we who call ourselves Christians got any urgency at all about their souls?