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God is going to send someone that will rescue you. Then one day you will rescue them in return, and together your story will rescue others. He has always been a God of rescues and a maker of warriors for His grace. Shannon L. Alder

Our extended family met last week for a reunion in Panama City Beach, the place where my cousins and I grew up vacationing together in the summers. There were over fifty of us by the time everyone arrived, and it was a week of laughter, fun, sun, and memories. It is so heart warming to see three generations come together to enjoy each other!

This group contains the children, their spouses, their children, and their grandchildren which are part of the offsprings of the four original siblings of my grandparents. The three brothers and a sister were parents to eleven children, part of whom are represented here. The great grandchildren range in age from twenty two to four, and are a great compilation of similarities and differences.

The week presented us with a brand new perspective on rescuers who live and work among us in everyday situations. A rescuer is defined as a person who saves someone else from a dangerous or difficult situation.

We arrived during the height of the rip tide and shark warnings in the Gulf of Mexico which had us all emphasizing the need for safety in the ocean. The first day, we watched with great apprehension as a man who had ventured too far into the ocean was caught up in the rip tide and was pulled out too far to make it back. Emergency vehicles arrived with sirens blaring, lights flashing and responders running with ropes and boards in hand to rescue him. After a struggle to get to him, the first responders managed to reach him and return him safely to shore. Rescuers!

The next day, we watched in disbelief as a fisherman hooked a hammerhead shark near shore. The episode drew quite a crowd of onlookers, and I think we were all wondering how this guy was going to eliminate the shark?! Instead, we watched in amazement as he cautiously guided the shark back over the sand bar and released him into the ocean! This catch and release made us all more aware of our surroundings. Rescuers!

All this drama of the week caused me to take look around the group of us assembled there on the beach, and I realized that among us are rescuers as well. For example, there are cousins who are caring for their own Mothers who are in the hospital or assisted living. Rescuers! There are cousins who give of themselves to go on mission trips to foreign countries to care for orphans. Rescuers! There are cousins who are “stand in grandparents” to those children who have lost one of their parents. Rescuers!

There are among us cousins who have lost a spouse, a child, or both, but through the grace of God have been rescued and have become rescuers for those who face the same situation. Rescuers! There are among us professionals, entrepreneurs, business men and women, teachers, preachers, doctors, dentists, and even lawyers. Each in their own way is a rescuer!

My eyes turned to the group of young cousins who are the great grandchildren of our parents! They would be so proud of this group of young men and women who are rescuers of the faith, hope, and love that were instilled in each of us during our childhood. Rescuers!

Looking back over our lives, I am sure that each one of us can look back and see the rescuing presence of God in the midst of some of our most difficult and trying times. His presence is a constant, never ending one. Just like Daniel in the lion’s den and Jonah in the belly of the whale, Jesus is there to rescue us in our lives. I think we would all agree that a rescuer gives more than they take, has a passion for helping others, and sets the example for all of us.

Thank God for rescuers!

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so that we can be humbly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. That is the way our Savior God wants us to live. 1 Timothy 2:1-2 The Message

This week we pause to celebrate the birth of our nation which came into being two hundred and forty eight years ago. When the framers of the Constitution were gathering to begin work on the documents that would govern this new country, listen to their words: We therefore the representatives of the United States of America in general congress assembled, appealing to the Supreme judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions…And for the support of this declaration with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence…we mutally pledge our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.

Later when the first Continental Congress met and were debating how the Declaration of Independence should be written, Ben Franklin got up and said, Gentlemen, if it is true that not one single petal from any flower falls to the ground without escaping God’s attention, will the distress of this nation go unheeded? Let us therefore determine to seek His face. After these words, 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence went to their knees and began to pray and seek God’s wisdom. Can you imagine what would happen if that scenario took place today in our Congress and Supreme Court of today? What if they simply asked, “Almighty God, what do YOU want for our nation?”

Our freedom, liberty, and independence came to us at a cost. These founders were committed to, not only obtaining freedom for future generations, but they were committed to Christian principles. In his farewell address, George Washington said, “Do not let anyone claim tribute of American patriotism if they ever attempt to remove religion from politics!” Patrick Henry said, “It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Our forefathers gave us one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all. Liberty is defined as the state of being free within society from repressive restrictions imposed by authority on one’s way of life, behavior, or political views. How did we ever take these gifts of liberty that were handed to us all these years ago and turn them into the country we see today?

The problem is we didn’t earn the liberty and freedom, but rather, It was handed to us at great cost to those who came before us. Thomas Paine said, “What we obtain too cheaply, we esteem too lightly.” Colton’s philosophical statement convicts us when it says, “Liberty is not handed down to a people; a people must raise themselves up to liberty. Liberty is a blessing that must be earned before it can be enjoyed.“

I love the story of a father who took his young daughter to see the Statue of Liberty. He taught her that the torch represents enlightenment and the path to liberty, and the book she holds represents the book of laws that America has and the importance of those laws. She listened as he read the inscription at the base of the Statue reading: Bring me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden shore.

That night, the young girl seemed restless. Her Dad asked her if anything was wrong, and she replied: “Daddy, that lady must be awful tired after holding her arm up all these years. Isn’t there any way we can help her hold up that torch?” Lady Liberty needs our help holding up that torch to preserve Godly liberty and foundations for our country.

Our prayer today is for every leader, every courtroom judge, every administrator, every teacher, every parent, every child, every minister, every businessman and woman, every American citizen, and every student to help Lady Liberty keep holding up that torch!!

My country tis of Thee, sweet land of liberty of thee I sing. Land where my Father’s died, Land of the Pilgrim’s pride; From every mountainside, Let freedom ring! Samuel Frances Smith

God Bless this sweet land of liberty.

Be strong. Take courage. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He is right there with you. He won’t let you down, He won’t leave you. Deuteronomy 31:6 The Message

A few years ago when I was obligated to begin the Medicare Wellness Check assessments, I was shocked by the seemingly insignificant things I was asked to do. The protocol asks one to do things like, get up out of a chair without assistance, draw a clock and put a given time on it, and remember three words. I had no problem getting out of a chair, and because I’m a former kindergarten teacher, I was able to draw what was, in my opinion, a perfect clock! The three words are given early on in the assessment, then the nurse sneaks around and asks that they be repeated after a lengthy time. I was relieved to get that one out of the way!

Recently, however, the protocol has changed for our age group. They no longer ask us to draw a clock, (which was my personal best),now, the questions are more pointed. Questions such as: Have you fallen lately? Are you afraid of falling? Do you sometimes feel like you are going to fall? These questions really hit home because I know so many people who have fallen and sustained injuries.

These occurrences sent me on a quest to improve my balance as I have deduced that this is the root of all the falling that’s going on! Balance is defined as an even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady. Balance is a must in our day to day lives.

In order to obtain some tips, I began to watch the trainers who work at our gym. While biking, I watched a trainer with an elderly gentleman. She had him stand with his feet together, put his hands behind his back, and slowly lift one leg and put it in front of the other. This isn’t as easy as it might seem, and I worried that the man would fall, but then I noticed that the trainer was taking every step behind him to catch him if he should falter. It reminded me of a quote, “Faith is about taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole staircase.” He had faith in his trainer, and she was there for him!

If you’ve ever watched a toddler walk with their parents or another adult, you will notice that they love to toddle ahead of the adults. The thing is, they don’t go far before they stop and look back because they want to be assured of the presence of the parents behind them in case they should lose their balance and fall.

This is a perfect analogy of the way we are with God and our Christian walk. We sometimes like to run on ahead of His plan for our lives, and before we know it, we have lost our balance and faltered. Jesus is like the parent who walks behind us and beside us to offer us three things we need. First, He offers us assurance. He gives us the calm assurance that no matter what happens, we can trust Him to be there.

Next, He gives us comfort. Just like the toddler, when we lose our balance, fall, and are hurt, there’s nothing like the open arms of a parent to soothe and make it all better. Jesus is that parent for all of us.

Finally, He gives us protection. Just like Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednigo in the fiery furnace and Daniel in the lion’s den, God offers us protection from all the things in life that would threaten us or throw us off balance.

This week as we work on our balance, remember that God is there to offer us assurance, comfort, and protection. Mary G. Brainard put t well when she said, I would rather walk with God in the dark than by myself in the light.

In his heart, a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. Proverbs 16:9

If there’s one thing most of us living in this world today know, it’s that this world and society in which we live does not devote itself to making us happy. Our world and society also could care less about the big or little things that irritate us and make life hard for us. Whether it be politics, the economy, social injustice, certain people, or just life, much of the time things don’t turn out like we had planned

It is only when we accept the fact that irritations and inconveniences are going to happen that we we get over them and begin to move forward. On our way home from Florida last week, a car was stopped on the side of the interstate. Usually we see irritated people walking around said car ranting and raving about the inconvenience. However, in this case, the woman driver had put on the flashers, taken out her chair, a book, probably a drink, and was patiently sitting there a distance away from the car reading while waiting for help to arrive. Probably not the day she had planned, but she chose to take the irritation in stride.

Our family was mostly born and raised somewhere around the southwest Georgia town of Donalsonville. The roots grow deep for most of our relatives, and there were many things about our hometown which they all loved. One of those things was being situated close enough to Florida to be able to enjoy different kinds of seafood. My Daddy loved a lot of seafood, but he especially loved oysters. He loved them so much that many times he would greet me and my date at the garage door around 11 pm and insist that we sit at the kitchen table and have some with him. The guys politely opted out on the whole experience. Oysters were bad enough, but later he changed to sardines to entice them in. It was one of those irritating times. It is interesting; however, that Randy was the only one who would share oysters with him!

We had a great oyster bar in our small town where on any day or evening, except Sunday, you could grab a bar stool and watch Mr. Woody shuck fresh oysters and serve them to his customers. If my Daddy wasn’t eating fresh oysters on the halfshell there, he would grab a pint of them and bring them home! Although I was routinely treated to his method of eating them which was, put them on a saltine cracker, dress them up with hot sauce, and eat the whole thing, I never could get one down. I did, however, learn a lot about them watching Mr. Woody at work.

Oysters are pretty interesting creatures. They live in the ocean in oyster beds, and they have been around for approximately 15 million years according to Google. They actually have gills, breathe like fish, and they can live aa long time, some up to 50-100 years. Their shells are beautiful, but the great thing about oysters is that they produce pearls. They don’t do that on purpose, but rather as a defense mecanism against any irritant, such as a parasite, which enters their shell. When a grain of sand gets into its shell and irritates it, the oyster wraps it in layers of beauty until a pearl is formed.

This all has a moral in that, isn’t it amazing what an oyster can do with a grain of sand? These creaturs take something irritating and turn it into something of great beauty and worth. Think of all the good we could do if we learned to take all those irritating things in life and turned them into something beautiful.

Instead of focusing on all the irritants in life and why life works as it does, why not focus on how to live our best life? What good is regret, resentment, and all the irritants in life if it keeps us from enjoying the time we have? What good is more time if we’re just wasting the life we have focusing on irritant? God is at work no matter what irritant the day brings! He’s working for our good and HIs glory. Just trust HIm!

The lyrics of Bill Gaither’s song Something Beautiful says it best. Something beautiful, something good. All my confusion, He understood. All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife, But He made something beautiful of my life.

Fathers, do not frustrate your children with no win scenarios. Take them by the hand and lead them in the way of the Master. Ephesians 6:4 The Message

Father’s Day is approaching, and even though it doesn’t come with the hype of Mother’s Day, it is none the less a day set aside to celebrate our Dads. A small boy once said, “Father’s Day is just like Mother’s Day only you don’t spend as much on the gift.”

Fathers are different than Moms, but they certainly are no less valuable to the family. Our family is fortunate to have three valuable Dads. Sometimes it seems that they just don’t get as much attention, and when they do, it’s not as heartfelt. The story is told of two children who came home one day begging their Mom to let them bring home the class hamster, Davie, for the summer break. As children do, they both agreed to do everything that was needed to take care of Davie, and after much begging, the Mom agreed with the stipulation that if they didn’t uphold their promise, she would find Davie a new home.

A couple of weeks passed with Mom constantly reminding them of their duties, but to no avail. So, Mom called around and found Davie a new home. She went to the den to inform the kids of her decision but to her surprise, they didn’t seem upset. The daughter said, “Is it because he eats too much?” They could maybe find a way to help him with that. Mom explained that it wasn’t the eating so much as it was the mess and the smell. And then there was all the extra work cleaning up.

The children nodded in agreement and Mom went to get Davie and his cage. As she walked through the den, the children began shouting, “What are you doing with Davie?” The Mom explained the above conversation and their agreement. The children looked at each other and said, “No, not Davie, we thought you said Daddy!!”

The image of Dads has certainly changed since the days of Ward Cleaver, Mike Brady, and Howard Cunningham. Dads are typically the ones who fix broken stuff, solve certain logical problems, and defend their family. In our day, Daddy was also the ultimate punishment machine.

Dads are also the conduit to their children and families. Webster defines conduit as a means of transmitting or distributing. In regard to people and relationships being a conduit person is one who positively connects people or places or distributes something of value to others.

Every child needs the conduit that a father briings to a family. Fathers bring many things to the family, but one of the most important is affirmation. The words, “I love you, I am proud of you, I believe in you, and I’ll always be here for you” are so important to a child, a teen, and even an adult.

The father also brings the conduit of time and availability. Children covet time with their Dads, and it is through this time that lessons are learned, and relationships strengthened. If Dads want to be a hero to their children, then they must work at being the father their children need. If Dads are not available, children will end up picking the wrong person as their hero. Dads must be there for their children.

Finally, a Dad is a conduit of love and spirituality. Every child needs a Father’s love and every Father should speak words of love to them. A Father’s love includes a hug, holding their child’s hand, and saying the words, “I love you”. Fathers are also responsible for teaching their chldren about Jesus and His love for them. Jesus knew the importance of this. Mark says, He took the children up in His arms, put His hands upon them, and blessed them.

As we honor our Fathers let’s remember the words of Mark Twain, When I was 14 years old, my Dad was so ignorant that I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I turned 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in only 7 years! Thanks to all our Fathers for being conduits of affirmation, time and availability, and love and spirituality.

Thank you, Father, for giving us Dads! Happy Father’s Day!

I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life so that you and your children may live. Deuteronomy 30:19

There are so many “old” movies which have situations and lines that make them memorable. I have always loved Peggy Sue Got Married, not only because it reminds me of the late 50’s and early 60’s, but because it tells a story of never taking things for granted, making good choices, and listening to advice. It is marked by regret and bittersweet appreciation.

Briefly, the movie is the story of Peggy Sue Bodell, a 43 year old woman who is catapulted back to her senior year in high school. It begins with Peggy Sue getting ready to attend the 25th reunion of her high school class. We learn that she is in the process of divorcing her unfaithful husband, Charlie. Once her high school sweetheart, Charlie has failed to fulfill his dream of being a pop singer, and has become a crass television salesman known as “Crazy Charlie the Appliance King.” At the reunion, Peggy reunites with her high school friends, but after she is announced high school reunion queen, she faints and wakes up to find herself back in 1960.

Peggy has a distinct advantage when she goes back because she has retained all the knowledge and experience from her life, but she is still treated like a 18 year old by her friends. As she explores the mistakes and the feelings of those years, she is now able to see people and things in a different light. Peggy doesn’t see any way to find an alternative ending to her life, so she resolves to find a way to go back to her 43 year old life. Before she goes, she wants to pay one last visit to her grandparents. In her conversation with her grandmother, she hears some things that cause her to rethink her life. Her grandmother says, Peggy, right now you are just browsing through time (life). Choose the things that you’ll be proud of; the things that will last.

Browsing is defined as surveying goods for sale in a leisurely and casual way. I always think of it when I am in a store and an associate asks “May I help you?” or “Are you looking for anything imparticular?” I usually answer, “No thank you, I’m just browsing.” We browse in order to help us make “good choices”.

As teachers, I can’t count all the times, we used the expression, “Make good choices” when dealing with our students and parents. When we make good choices, “we choose options that will have a postive impact or a lasting impact on ourself and others, and we don’t let people convince us to make choices that are harmful or unsafe.”

In this modern era, it seems that many of us are still browsing when it comes to finding our purpose in our lives, our families, our spiritual lives, and our choices. The things that we do now can affect the way things turn out in our future. One of the greatest abilities that separates humans from the rest of God’s creation is the ability to recognize alternatives, to weigh options and their possible consequences, and then to make an informed decision. We browse, but then we need to make a choice.

It is always a good idea to browse when making a big decision, but when the choices are found, we need to move forward. When browsing to make choices, we should ask overselves; How will this choice affect my family and those who are following in my footsteps? How will it affect my influence and respect with other people? How will this choice affect my self respect and my relationship with God?

For example, many Christians tend to browse around choosing a church to help us spiritually which is absolutely the first step. Then, we browse through the list of opportunites it offers for them. We browse through what is means to commit to that church, and we browse through the opportunties for service. We ponder and contemplate, but we don’t made a choice. Too much browsing leaves us empty.

From the beginning of creation people have had to make choices, and we haven’t always made the right ones. God would have us give up the browsing for short term gratification and make the choices to achieve long term fulfillment.

The movie has a hopeful ending in that Charlie realizes his mistake and Peggy Sue seems willing to make the choice to try again,but we never know if they continue to browse or if they make a choice. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words. It is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. The choices we make our ultimately our responsibility. Stop browsing and make some good choices.

He has called you worthy to serve Him, to share Him, to show forth the manifold witness of His grace and love. He has called you worthy. Phillippians 1:6 (embellished)

As Memorial Day approaches, it is time to give thanks to those who have sacificed everything for the freedom we Americans experience every single day. The men and women who have fought in battles to preserve the honor, integrity, and freedom of this country are worthy to be honored and celebrated on this day!

The division in America at this time in history causes many of us to flash back to other times when we saw riots, protests, anger, and other problems which resulted in dangerous and turbulent times in our country. Most of my generation were raised on stories of patriotism both in our families and among friends. Randy’s Dad served during WWII, our uncles served as pilots in that war, and our high school and college friends fought and died in the Viet Nam war.

Recently, I have been reminded of the courage and sacrifice made by men and women during the wars in which our country fought, and I would recommend these to you. Masters of the Air by John Orioff and Donald Miller is the true story of an elite group of warriors who were a miscrocosm of America. These men from England and America formed a bombing campaign against Nazi Germany in the longest military campaign of WWII. Until Allied Forces crossed into Germany in the final months of the war, this was the only battle fought inside the German homeland.

The book and series tells the story of the 100th Bomber Group aka “The Bloody Hundredth”. It tells the story of life in wartime England and the German prison camps where thousands of these airmen spent part of the war. A sobering fact is that in 1943, an American bomber crewman stood only a one in five chance of surviving his tour of duty which consisted of 25 missions. The bravery of this “band of brothers” is unimaginable when one thinks that everytime they left on a mission, they knew that four of them would not come back. These men are worthy of our remembrance and heartfelt thanks.

The book, The Women by Kristin Hannah, tells the story of all the brave women who also served in combat during the Viet Nam war. This book tells the story of all the forgotten nurses who served in war zones, hospitals, and field hospitals where they treated the injured soldiers who arrived each day. The strength of these women was virtually forgotten when the war ended, but even though they were not in combat, they saw and dealt with the atrocities of war. They dealt with PTSD, flashbacks, and the loss of many of their friends. These women are worthy of our remembrance and thanks.

Statistics tell us that around 37,000,000 men and women have served our country since its existence. Of this number, over 640,000 gave their lives in this service for you and for me. Mostly recently, with our war in Iraq, many more soldiers have given their lives and unfortunately, added to this number. As we deal with unrest in the Middle East, our military once again is stepping up to help those who have lost their homes and their loved ones. These servants risk their lives every day, and they are worthy of our remembrance and heartfelt thanks.

This Memorial Day, it would be a great way to honor all our military men and women if each of us would think of one person who sacrificed their life for us or is now actively serving our country and write their name or names on a piece of paper. Now, say a prayer either in thanksgiving for them or for their safety, and pray for their family.

John Keegan says, Soldiers, when committed to a task, can’t compromise. It’s unrelenting devotion to the standards of duty and courage, absolute loyalty to others, not letting the task go until its done.

Take a moment this Memorial Day to thank God for these worthy servants. The blood of many fine soldiers paid the price for the freedom we have today. God Bless America!

This is how much God loved the world; He gave His Son, His one and only Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not die but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Several weeks ago I was put on a steroid regime by my doctor to try and cure a persistent sinus infection. The dosage was higher than I had ever had before, but I set my mind to riding it out until the end in hopes of feeling better. For anyone who hasn’t taken steroids before, they effect different people in different ways. For instance, the use of steroids can cause difficulty sleeping, mood swings, aggression or even depression. However, on the positive side, they do provide relief from aching muscles, backaches, and they give most people a boost in their energy level!

I tried to look at the twelve days of steroids as a tempoary relief from minor achy muscles, and a chance to use my boost of energy to get things done that I would normally put off. I looked at it as a good thing. I also found myself a little bit empowered. I began to say exactly how I felt at certain times, and I didn’t mind speaking out on subjects. I was enjoying the new me. It was about this time in the treatment that Randy went into hiding remaking that “Those things make you mean!” It’s all in the eye of the beholder.

Eye of the beholder is a phrase that means “something that is a matter of personal opinion.” It was shortened from the aphorism beauty is in the eye of the beholder which means, beauty does not exist on its own, but is created by observers. For example, one might say this to mean not all people have the same idea of what is attractive or what is important.

Wemher von Braun was a German-American aerospace engineer and space architect. He was a pioneer of rocket and space technology in the United States. Even though his past was widely controversial, he became an American citizen in 1955, accepted citizenship wholeheartedly, and is sometimes described as “the father of space travel.” He said, “There has never been any great accomplishment in history without faith.”

Contrast that statement with the following event. In 1961, the Soviet Union sent the first cosmonaut into space. When he returned, Nikita Kruschev declared “the Russians have been to space and didn’t see a God anywhere there!” About ten months later, the U.S. sent John Glenn into space. He circled the earth three times and returned to say, “I saw God everywhere. I saw His glory in the galaxy, His splendor in the universe, and I saw His majesty in the stars.” It’s all in the eye of the beholder.

There are many occasions when I find that the physical appearance of someone is not indicative of their beauty. My Mama always said, “Beauty is only skin deep”, and I totally agree. It is the heart of a person which speaks most often to me. For example, there was a nurse who cared for patients in an assisted living facility. The nurse was a rather large woman with a perpetual tired and sad demeanor. One day as she was helping an older resident, the woman looked up and said, “My, but you are a pretty thing!” The nurse blushed and said, “That is so kind, but not many people see that in me!” The woman replied, “Well, that’s just nonsense. I see a beautiful woman who has a kind heart.” It’s all in the eye of the beholder.

God sent His only son to this world because in each of us He beheld a person worthy of taking on all our sin, and He paid our debt. The question then is, “How much are we worth? What is this sacrifice worth to us?”

Occasionally, we watch the TV series, Pawn Stars. People bring in their treasures and expect to get a high price for them. The owners will bring in an expert to appraise the value of each object, and come back to the owners with exactly what the item is worth. Let’s say the expert says the item is worth $10,000. The owner will turn to the customer and ask, “What do you want for this piece?” The owner almost always says, “I want exactly what the expert says it’s worth.” Most often, the owners come back with, “Well, I will give you what I think it’s worth. It’s not worth that much to me.” An object is only worth what someone will pay. It’s all in the eye of the beholder.

The Bible says that each of us is worth the blood of Jesus Christ. We are worth so much that He gave the most valuable thing He could offer – His son. We are the beneficiary of a vast inheritance. God sees us as worthy of eternal life, and in His eyes, we are beheld as worth the price He paid.

Forgetting those things which are behind. Phillipians 3:13

My hometown in South Georgia is way below the so called “gnat line” and right in the middle of “mosquito country”! It also happens to be pretty hot down there most of the late spring, summer, and early fall. When I was growing up, most homes had a screen door in addition to the actual front or side door. In mild mornings and cool evenings, the screen door was used to keep out the offending gnats, mosquitoes, and other critters while allowing a gentle whaft of fresh air inside.

The three words used most in our home when I was growing up were “shut the door.” It was easy to run inside for something and leave the door standing wide open while the insects followed. When we finally got a window air conditioner, those words shut the door were heard constantly. It didn’t matter the season, as in summer we would be letting the cool air out, and in winter, we would be letting the cool air in!!

During these past few years, it has occurred to me that forgiveness is much like shutting the door. The Bible tells us that the greater the offense, the greater the need to forgive the offender in order to go on with our life. Forgiveness shuts the door on the past offenses, hurts, and bitterness.

There are many things that can be said about forgiveness, but I tend to like the old saying that says, “The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but never forget!” Dr. Martin Luther KIng reminds us that “Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a permanent attitude.” He also added, “If you can’t forgive and forget, pick one.” In Hebrews 8:12, God says to us, “I will be merciful toward their inquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”

In order to help me shut the door on some of the things that cause me problems, I decided to explore what shutting the door is not! First, shutting the door does not mean that we have to pretend that the injustice, offense, hurt never happened. Lewis Smedes says there are three levels of forgiving and shutting the door. First, we have to remember that those that caused the offense are human just like us. Next, we surrender our right to get even (this is the hardest part). Finally, we have to revise our feelings toward the other party involved.

Next, shutting the door does not mean forgetting that a wrong was done. For instance, let’s say a college coach was caught engaging in activites that embarrssed the respective university. When the activity is exposed, the coach can confess what they’ve done and ask for forgiveness. Forgiveness may be granted, but they will still lose their job. Shutting the door does not cancel all the negative consequences of our actions, and it certainly doesn’t mean people will forget.

Finally, shutting the door does not mean that there must be a total reconciliation as if nothing ever happened. C. S Lewis said, “Everyone thinks forgiveness is a lovely idea until they have something to forgive. Then, it becomes difficult.” Peter asked Jesus how many times he had to forgive and Jesus said, “Seventy times seven.” That’s 490 times! That’s a lot of sin and a lot of forgiveness.

Shutting the door is not optional for the Christian, but rather it is a necessary part of our faith. Forgivness is a miracle which, when we receive it, it is imperative that we pass it on to others. The best incentive to shutting the door is to remember how many times Jesus has forgiven us, the sins he has covered for us, and the punishment we might have deserved but because of God’s grace, we were spared.

Mark Twain once said, “Forgivness is the fragrance the violet gives to the heel that crushed it.” We are never more like Jesus than when we forgive and shut that door!

Love is patient, love is kind. It keeps no record of wrongs. 1 Corinthians 13:9

Last week as I was hurriedly driving up Johnson Ferry Road toward Shallowford, both lanes of traffic on my side of the road stopped. I could see no visible accident, road work, or other hazzards, so I began to blame incompetent drivers. Slowly, one lane at a time began to move while cars were weaving slowly back and forth. As I got closer to the reason for the delay, I could see a turtle slowly and nonchalantly making its way across the lanes of traffic. At that moment, my annoyance subsided, I pondered ways to rescue it, and I thought about my Mama.

Our Mama loved turtles, and she collected all sorts of pictures, figurines, and even artwork. If I could explain why she loved them so much, I guess I wouldn’t have a definitive answer. I do know that from her condo in Panama City she had a vantage point to watch the preparations each year for the Mother Turtles to come ashore to lay her eggs. Mama was concerned about the eggs that were laid there because she knew that after the Mother lays the eggs, she leaves them there to fend for themselves! I think the Mother instinct kicked in, and she began to study the creature’s story and habits.

Turtles are in fact, very interesting. For example, the Mother Turtle can lay over one thousand eggs on shore, but when they hatch the odds are that only one will make it back to the water. The turtle’s shell is made of bones, so their bones are on the outside of their body. Their young years are called “the lost years” because its incredibly hard to track them once they hatch. It is estimated that they spend 20 years or so at sea. The Mother turtles always return home to the same beach on which they hatched to lay their own eggs! They grow to be gynormous and can live to be over 100 years old.

In the eight years since Mama left us, I think I have begun to better understand how she used turtles to learn her skills as a Mother, and to teach all of us how to be better Moms. So, I picked a few of the better lessons for us Moms of today.

First, I think she used the words from Louis V. Gertsner, “Watch the turtle. He only moves forward by sticking his neck out.” There are many occasions in the life of a Mom where she must stick her neck out to encourage, protect, and guide her children. Kids go through many trials and tribulations during their growing up years, and it’s important for them to know, no matter their age, that they are accepted and they have a purpose in this life.

Next, just like the turtles, sometimes life is the “survival of the fittest.” Moms must help their kids learn about their faith, purpose, and God given strengths. Sometimes we all feel alone, even in a crowd, just like a turtle must feel in the middle of the sea, but we can thrive with friends, family, and faith.

Finally, the turtle teaches us that “life is not a track meet, it’s a marathon.” The Aesop fable, The Tortoise and the Hare inspires Moms to teach their children that one can be more successful by doing things slowly and steadily rather than quickly and carelessly. We need to take time to enjoy family, friends, sunsets, sunrises, and the wonders of this life. As Moms we need to take the time to show them the love.

I’m blessed that our Mother was not at all like the turtle Mom that leaves her eggs to fend for themselves. She was more like the Mom that Erma Bombeck liked to describe in her writings. The following is the story of her Favorite Child, and the unequaled love of a Mother.

Every Mother has a favorite child. She can’t help it. She is only human. My favorite chld is the one who was too sick to eat ice cream at his birthday party, the one who had measles at Christmas, the one who wore leg braces in bed because he toed in, the one who had a fever in the middle of the night, the one with the asthma attack, the one in my arms in the emergency room. My favorite chld is the one who messed up the piano recital, misspelled committee in a spelling bee, ran the wrong way with the football. My favorite child was selfish, immature, bad tempered, self centered, vulnerable, lonely, unsure, and quite wonderful. Every mother has a favorite child, and it‘s always the same one: the one who needs you at the moment. The one who needs you for whatever reason – to cling to, to shout at, to hurt, to hug, to flatter, to reverse telephone charges, to unload on – but mostly just to be there.

Luckily, the turtle in my story made it across the road safely thanks to two teenage girls who herded it across. They will make great Moms!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the special Moms in my life!