Take this job...and honor it.

" Blessed are those whose strength is in you ,who have set their hearts on pilgrimage."

Psalm 84 1(NIV)

It had been a long week. It had been a stressful week which left me feeling that there were not enough hours in a day--not enough hours in a lifetime to manage all I felt called to do.

The alarm went off Friday morning. I shuddered as I was overwhelmed and my feet had not even touched the floor. Groggily I made my way as I followed the footprints etched in our wooden floors. First stop, bathroom, second stop, 4 scoops coffee grounds 1 pot of water- , and third stop, the computer. Everything clicked along as usual. No life shattering emails, and surprisingly my morning devotional had not yet arrived. So, I decided to check up on my blog. No comments.

Absentmindedly, I clicked the button at the top of the blog which said,-Next Blog- . To my amazement--there in black and white, it said,." "Don't complain about your job" Following this statement were an assortment of photos which showed people carrying out jobs that were less than desireable such as wading in sewage water, carrying toilets on backs, or sticking heads down overflowing sewage holes. The kicker was that the rest of the blog was in another language-that I don't know. Check it out! God has a sense of humor !http://www.oosthuysenattorneys.blogspot.com/ Then in the righthand column was the scripture Psalm 84:5-7 -also written in English.

As I meditated on this verse, it gave me pause. Have I truly set my heart upon the pilgrimage that God has set before me? Or am I more caught up in my own hidden agenda? As I pass through the valley, do I make it a place of springs(light and refuge for others)? Or do I weigh others down with my complaints and grumblings? Do I truly rely on God to provide my strength one step at a time until the day comes when I stand before him? Or do I belabor the thoughts of " I can't do all this...."?

Later that morning while helping residents to lunch after their church service, MaryAnn held a song sheet in her hand. "This little light of mine..I'm gonna let it shine..." The elevator doors closed and we sang..."this little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine...."

The day ended, I got as much done as I could--with God's help, and I let my light shine.

Blessings to you on the pilgrimage God has set before you.

Heaven, really?

As children, heaven brings up all sorts of fanciful thoughts-angels floating on clouds, endless dishes of hot fudge sundaes, no chores or bedtime. Yet the things of God are beyond our comprehension as St. Paul reminds us in 1Corinthians 2:9 "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind conceived what God has prepared for those who love him. (NIV)

As we grow older, sometimes we discard thoughts of heaven-partially because we don't want to think about dying and partially because it is almost too overwhelming to contemplate. Yet for believers, heaven is a reality we can look forward to. While preparing a sermon for our residents at the nursing home I work for, I chose the topic "Trusting in Heaven". I decided to search www.crosswalk.com for the word 'heaven' in the scriptures. I was amazed to find 407 entries. Yes! 407 times heaven is mentioned in the Bible. This shows how important heaven is the scheme of God's plan. It begins in Genesis 1 when we are told that God created heaven and earth. In Matthew 6:30, Jesus commands us to store up treasures in heaven. And why not..if that is ultimately where our home will be?

It will be such a drastic change from life on earth that I liken it to the Sunday evening show Extreme Home Makeover when a family often has been living such a substandard life, that volunteers come and rebuild their home. The moment comes when Ty Pennington yells, "MOVE THAT BUS!" The family is overwhelmed by the change as they've gone from hardship to extreme grandeur. I imagine that is what heaven is like--beyond our wildest imagination. "MOVE THAT CLOUD!"

Yet, as our imaginations can run wild...there is truly only one thing that will make heaven worthwhile for me. That one thing is being reunited with my creator and savior. Some years back there was a movie starring Robin Williams entitled- "What Dreams May Come". This movie tells the story of a man who ventures to the afterlife to find his wife. He goes to 'heaven' and there are beautiful colors, and the opportunity to do anything. The movie has a happy hollywood ending as this couple is reunited. But all I felt was empty. Sure it was pretty, fanciful, and ideal, yet where was my God? Where was the connection that we all truly yearn for?

Heaven? Not without my God and Savior.

Choices

This past week, I had the privilege of spending two days with my son Wyatt on an environmental field trip to Upham Woods in the Wisconsin Dells. It was a wonderful time of sharing and spending time with my youngest son.

Yet, we all know that time away like this often does not come without some price. For me the price was the anxiety that I felt upon my return of all the 'catch up' I would need to do both at home and at work. As the minutes ticked on-edging me closer to the work day ahead, the list of complaints mounted.--'there are not enough hours in the day to get it all done', why do others seem so much more relaxed?, what is wrong with me...that I can't do it all?', I was so focused on what I wasn't getting done, that I was losing the beauty of the time that I had spent in the past two days. I was missing out on the time I had in the car with two interesting teen daughters--who actually wanted to come with me--even if it was for first choice on the snack and drink items. As I drove on I recalled what Mrs. Storms, the fifth grade teacher announced the kids after breakfast. "Today is October 14th-2008. It is the only October 14th 2008 you'll ever have. Greet the day!" So there it was-the evening of October 14th 2008. The only one I'd ever get. So I chose to shrug off the 'to do list' and enjoyed the fact that I had two daughters to shop with, money to buy the groceries-along with a tub full of cookie dough, and the anticipation of fresh baked cookies and cold milk before bed.

Buried Treasure

Buried treasure...where is my treasure? Can I find it when all about me is uncertain?

Layer by layer the things of this world seem to be stripped away. In the headlines, hurricanes remove edifices that once were home to many. Babies in China trustingly suckle milk that is poison. The stocks have been caught in the undertow and upwardly mobile dreams seem to be spiraling downward.

Where then do I place my hope?

1 Timothy 4:10 "....that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the savior of all men, and especially of those who believe."

Where then do I find my happiness and peace? 1 Timothy 6:6 "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world and we can take nothing out of it."

Jesus himself said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where rust and moth destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where rust and moth do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is your heart will be also." Mt.6:36-37

It is in times like these that we are forced to take a closer look. Where is my treasure?

If your true treasure is buried, I invite you to dust it off and take time to polish that which truly matters. Seek to lend a helping hand, put a smile on someone elses face, bake a loaf of bread for the soup kitchen, and sing a song of praise and worship. The ground beneath you will feel firmer. Your heart will beat lighter and your treasure will sparkle on the horizon.

Love Song From the Creator

Wyatt, Wywee, Wywoo...anyway you say it, we love you! He will always be my baby. Hard to believe he is 10 years old and in the fifth grade.

Perusing some snapshots I found this one of Wyatt and me.

I still remember cradling him as a baby and singing this little sing song tune I made up for him.

"It is happy for you, it is happy for me, together we make a nice family."

In fact I had a conglomeration of little tunes I made up for each of the kids as I sang them into their slumber. There was no one song fits all. Each one stirred a new song from me. I imagine that it is that way with our creator-- a song and love language that each one of us responds to in his/her own way. For me...he often communicates with license plates and other serendipitous messages that come through words and songs. I love it.

For me the number 747--has been the 'wink' I get from God at times.

I'll never forget the day, I was walking and saw a phone number on a real estate sign with '747' in the phone number. I asked him....'am I crazy to think that this number means anything to me from you?' I continued to walk on and through the parking lot...when there at the end of the lot was a white mini van...You'll never guess the license plate! 7474747. Imagine....he loves us that much to speak to us in our own language and song. Take a look around...and listen. He's singing a love song to you today.

No Longer Busy

Busy: I don’t want to be busy anymore.

At one time it was chic, the buzz word, the pat answer to the question—“How’s it going?”
“oh, you know….busy.” We smiled back that knowing smile and nodded in agreement. Yes. Isn’t it great to be successful, upwardly mobile….accomplishing so much?

Now, as I look the word ‘busy’ up in the dictionary, it tells me otherwise. Busy can be in addition to occupied:
ornate, disparate, or clashing in design or colors; cluttered with small, unharmonious details;

So, I don’t want to be busy, I want to be purposeful, organized and accomplished. I want a sense of inner peace which comes with balance. I want what Ecclesiastes 3:1-9(NIV) boasts about
-a time for everything.

· 1.
· There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
· 2.
· a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
· 3.
· a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
· 4.
· a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
· 5.
· a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
· 6.
· a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
· 7.
· a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
· 8.
· a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
· 9.
· What does the worker gain from his toil?

I can only believe that the answer to this question is the sense of satisfaction at a job well done. I can only hope that my work will make this world a better place, that someone has laughed, smiled and been given the sense of hope and knowledge that God and love do exist.
I am no longer busy. I am helping to create the kingdom of heaven and storing up for myself—treasures.