Pop Quiz

I did not really like tests in school. Especially true and false or multiple choice. Give me an essay question any day. If you write long enough, you are bound to hit the right answer. Even more I hated pop quizzes. I tend to over- prepare to insure that I do well and pop quizzes panic me, lest I not be able to recall the material on the spot ,without studying ahead.
What does a test reveal? Where you did not learn the material in a way to be able to recall it whenever. It shows the material you need to go back over so the next time you can pass with flying colors. For example, if you gave me a page of problems with fractions today, I would have to find a refresher course online before I could answer them correctly. Or, I guess that I could just give it back to you and say, no way. I give up.
Well, I think that we, well ,at least I, have just received a SERIES of pop quizzes this week.
Jon's Medicare card has not come and now we find it will not be active until March first, leaving him without insurance for 29 days ,when he has cancer. Will I pass this test of faith here or panic?
The timing of receiving income will change Feb 1st and I wonder how will the bills get paid on time? Will I pass that test of faith?
There are many side effects to the hormone shot that Jon is getting tomorrow. Will he end up with just a few in his body and emotions or the whole gamut? Will I pass this test of faith either?
The thing about tests comes from the first chapter in James where I seem to have just hung out recently, not moving on since the Lord has much to say to me each day. James says that the tesing of your faith produces perseverance. In studying this I discovered that God is not trying to find out what grade I will get. He knows. He wants me to discover where I am in this faith walk, so that I can correct any errors. So I am going to have to do a refesher course, maybe beginning back in Hebrews 11. Those believers persevered and did not give up. But they had pop quizzes along the way. When they failed, God took them aside and taught them tenderly.
Want an example from that Hebrews 11 list?
Amraham passed his wife off twice as his sister out of fear( the opposite of faith). He got a D- at least on those quizzes! But after 25 years of lessons, he obeyed God and took Isaac to Mt Moriah ASAP. He got an A+ on that test.
So back to study for me so that I can pass the next test. I want to trust God with all my heart with whatever tomorrow brings. I don't know about tomorrow, but I know who holds tomorrow and I trust who holds my hand.
So I won't give up and walk away but ask the Spirit to teach me beyond head knowledge so that faith is my default response to the next pop quiz.

The perfect gift

I love receiving gifts. Now I don’t mean big expensive things For me, the fact that someone selected something just for me, touches my heart. Jon, for instance, has a way of knowing what will bring a tear to my eye, or his girls eyes for that matter. He is, as I term it, a’ good gift picker‘. On a Christmas not so long ago he made a scrapbook for each of his girls with pictures from their childhood. That had to be given with lots of tissues. This year he found a calendar with of pictures of Deborah’s beloved Santa Cruz and she cried over it. Ah, just the right gift.
I, on the other had, while I love getting gifts, have a harder time selecting the right thing. I have learned from his lead and hope that I am doing better in this.
As I continue to hang out in James 1, I discovered that God is the best gift giver. Check out this verse:
Every good and perfect gift comes down from above, from the Father of heavenly lights with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. James 1:17
In light of that I thought about the recent gift that we , well Jon, has received- cancer. So is that a good gift? How can that be? But taken in context James says that trials ( that variegated yarn kind) produces perseverance and maturity. So while at first glance, we cried, we know that God is good and there is not even on trace of evil in Him, so this gift is good and perfect. It has been selected just for us, at this time.
Sometimes when you open a gift, you only see the first thing, but often there is more in the box. The Spirit said to me” don’t miss what else is in this ‘box’. And what did I find, in the midst of the tissue paper?
James 1:18 says that we have been born again to eternal life. So even if this cancer takes his earthly life here, he has a better gift - eternity with Christ.
So if you have opened a gift lately that you are not sure is good, get perspective and keep digging, you too may find that the best is in the package too.

Variegated yarn

I love using variegated yarn when I knit since it’s variety of graduated colors hides so many mistakes. I choose it time and again though I have advanced from preschool to at least first grade in knitting.( It might be a stretch to say intermediate I think. I would have to ask my teacher about that.)
Another thing I love about that type of yarn is that it adds to the beauty of the article I knit. It is almost a miracle to see the colors weave through out the item I am working on.
I have been hanging out in James 1 the last week or so. You know, the section that says,' consider it pure joy when you encounter trials of many kinds for the testing of your faith produces perseverance and perseverance must finish it works so that you are complete '( mature). Trials of many kinds made me think of variegated yarn- colors of many kinds.
So what colors are in the trials of our lives just now? Cancer, of course, hassles with insurance companies and SS., adjustments to retirement( Jon says he feels like he is off on medical leave) and changes in our income, to name a few. But I am believing God that he is knitting a beautiful creation from them, not the least of which is maturing us to be like Christ.

Discipline

When we first got Buddy, he was 5 years old. I could tell that he had never been trained on a leash, so I set out to take care of that. I had trained other dogs with a choke chain and so proceeded to do the came with him. He did pretty well right off.
I remember one day I was walking him and training him to stop and sit when I stopped. I have Micah with me at the time, who was about 9 years old at that point. He was growing impatient with this stop and start method of walking.
“ How long will it take to train him, Grandma?”
“ I don’t know Micah. I have only been at this about a week. I have been working on you for 9 years and you do not have it all perfect yet, do you?”
He did not appreciate that comment, to say the least.
Often when I am walking Buddy, I get very upset with other dogs who are not disciplined. Maybe they are not on a leash.( my worst nightmare) Or maybe they are ankle biters, really ankle biters. I had one the other day and the owner just stood there and watched their dog nip my ankle!!! At any rate, I long to train them but they are not mine.
Also I find myself in public places and see children that need to be corrected. But , of course, I can’t do that. I am not their parent.
When you think about it, discipline really shows that your are a parent and love your child. The child who is never corrected grows up to lack self control and respect for authority. I suspect that they also question the love of their parent.
God is the best parent and he too disciplines his children for their good. He does not do that for unbelievers , only for his children. The goal is always peace and right living. It is a sign of his love. And as the best parent, he always has his love in mind as he metes out the measure of correction that we need. It may be painful but it makes me feel secure. He cares.

The easy button

In the last couple of weeks, Jon has been reading volumes of information about the treatments for Prostate Cancer. They are varied and the long term results are too. Each one have some good points but most have some very ugly side effects. Jon has continued to read and talk to guys in his situation and has yet to find the’ easy button.’
Have you seen the easy button on TV? You push it and the ink cartridge gets refilled or the copy paper just appears. This ad at Christmas showed it giving people the gifts they long for- digital camera, GPS system or laptop.
Well, God talked to me about this easy button concept last Sunday at church. He said that the easy button does not build character or cause growth. So he was giving us the ‘perseverance button ‘ that will enable us to endure the weeks ahead, whatever treatment plan we choose. When we feel at our wits end, we can push it and he will give us new mercies, every day if we need them.
James said :
’Blessed is the man who perseveres under trail for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life.’
So the easy button is out and the perseverance button is in. We need all of God’s power we can get.

Pick up

I have a new grip and had to voice it here since I can’t locate the perpetrator.
Every day for the nine years that we have owned Buddy we have walked him to our community park. In fact, make that 5-6 trips a day, since he does not like the ‘bathroom facilities’ at home.
And yes, we are good pet owners and pick up after our dog. Until recently so have the other owners in our subdivision. But someone new must have moved in or someone from another area is walking their dog at ‘our park’. and you guessed it, they do not pick up after this pet. Neglecting this one day is one thing, but day after day it has grown yucky to say the least. The other day Jon stepped in it and that was ugly. It is becoming harder to miss the little deposits.
As I was griping, it came to me that we, as people, can drop ‘poop’ on people and then walk away too. That catty remark about a new hair do or dress. That sarcastic quip about your mother in law. Or how about that emotional ice bucket dumped on a teen’s dreams. And unlike dog poop, this ‘poop’ is harder to clean up. Words, once out can’t be deleted. So what to do?
First, you have to take the responsibility for dropping the ‘poop.’ Next, you have to apologize for that snide remark. Then face the fact that words come from the heart, so you need to have a heart cleaning. Then ask the Lord to set a watch over your mouth to prevent such a blooper again.
Good luck.
PS To be honest, today, we have 40 mile a hour winds and blowing rain and I did not pick up after my dog. I admit that I hate in others what I see in myself. In this case, thoughtlessness and laziness. Ugh! So I am not perfect.