Joy!

When I sit down to write this blog, I usually have some idea of the point I’d like to make or the direction I’d like to go. Today, I just think that I want to make some points about things that I’ve observed.

When I brought my daughter to college, we attended a local Southern Baptist church. It was the first time I’d walked into a SBC church since I lived in Oklahoma over 26 years ago. The changes in those years were not very dramatic. I think that overall the SBC has a much more passionate approach to worship and there is a strong sense of the duty and responsibility that each believer has to carry and share the gospel in every part of life. I think, too, that they can teach us something about our Savior.

By His own words, we know that Jesus had a passion to do the will of the Father and bring glory to God. But if you think about it, the way that He did it was a lot different than our northern churches do. No, He didn’t have a worship service with a worship team and praise music… or did He?? What do we know about those that gathered for the Sermon on the Mount? Was the crowd quiet, subdued and sour? I doubt it. I choose to imagine that there was singing and musical instruments and laughing. After all, it was a picnic! I think that our Lord belly-laughed with them! He told us to “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad…” How do you do that without a smile? When He told the disciples to let the children come to Him, I have to think that He smiled with them and laughed at the absurd things that kids say. Have you ever been around a small child that didn’t lighten your heart? Think of some of the illustrations He used. A camel through the eye of a needle? That had to have elicited a snicker or two! No, the Bible never says, “Jesus laughed”, but so many of His interactions with people were in joyous settings. Imagine the happiness and joy at the dinner that Lazarus attended after he walked out of the tomb at the command of our Lord! And can you imagine the wedding at Cana being a solemn and austere, stuffy and polite dinner? No, I choose to have a vision of our Lord with a huge smile! I am sure that the brightness of it will light all of Heaven the day that He comes to claim His bride! These images only serve to remind all of us that, yes, we sinners should have humility and a reverence for God, but it’s OK to smile and be joyous and to laugh. None of us were baptized in pickle juice! And no one wants to hear what we have to say if we act that way. So, Sisters and Brothers, SMILE! Embrace each other with love and caring and joy! You’re SAVED! You’ve been FORGIVEN! No one can take that away from you – EVER!

As Psalm 100 says, “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is is God: it is he that that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”

Have a great day!

Funny Stuff...

I am on vacation. I am staying in a state that has never had the dubious distinction of hosting me before, attempting to get my daughter set up in her dorm room. I will leave her here on Monday night and will not see her again until either Thanksgiving or Christmas. That prospect fills me with all sorts of misgivings and apprehension, but that's another day's blog. I know she's safer with Jesus and He will do more to protect her than I ever could!

Today, is for fun! Today I tell you how silly we looked at the airport on Thursday morning, trying to stuff all our shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, etc. into my daughter's already "sit-on-it-while-I-zip-it" overstuffed checked bags -- on the sidewalk, at the airport, in the presence of two big, burly security-type guys!! (Yes, they were giggling behind their hands -- until it all got so silly they were laughing too and trying to help us zip!)

Then imagine how ridiculous we looked as I picked every liqui-cap vitamin capsule out of my prescription pill organizer -- each day has 4 little compartments and there were 7 compartments, multiplied by 2 calcium caps, 1 vitamin E cap, 1 fish oil and 1 flax oil cap per compartment -- and handed them to my daughter who then ducked out of line, ran to the trash receptacle and then ducked back into line leading up to the security checkpoint!

Now she's going to college, so she packed nearly every stitch of clothing that she owns into 4 checked luggage pieces. That left me with one tiny pullman for all the clothing, shoes, Bible, cosmetics and various sundries that I need for my stay here on campus. You can well imagine the number of things that I got here without! So, I hitched a ride to the local Wal-Mart and picked up many of those missing items, only to get back to the hotel room and realize that I have no way to get them BACK! They won't fit in my little suitcase that's already overstuffed and I want to leave my daughter's suitcases here so she'll have what she needs when she comes home in December. So now I've hit on the idea that I'll just ditch all the liquids that I can't bring on the plane anyway and see if I can cram the rest in.... How do people that have to do this on a regular basis figure this stuff out??

Oh, and did I mention that one of the things I forgot was a simple comb? Imagine my appearance when I walked out of the airport into a Midwest thunderstorm, complete with deluge and measuring cup-sized raindrops! I looked like something out of the wringer washer (remember those?) that needed a good long line dry!

Overall, though, we've had great fun! While I knew the people we're traveling with, we've found out lots of fun things about each other and had a lot of laughs! We're heading out to church in a little while and I really can't wait to worship today! God has provided assurances of my daughter's safety and security, He has shown me how she will learn more of God's glory and grace here, and He has shown me that He has a plan for her that I cannot even think or imagine. I know that even though she's walking away from me, she's walking toward her most loving Father who loves her more than I am capable of dreaming!

I miss all my HCC family, but I'll see y'all next week!!

Saying, "Good bye"

Oh, Father, just look at her there! You made her so beautiful and so grown up! The first day I saw her, she was pink and perfect with a fluff of dark hair. Now she’s 18 and tanned and blond and still perfect. She’s sorting through clothes and shoes and books, trying to decide which things to take to college and which things she should leave behind. Absorbed in her task, she doesn’t know that I am missing her already.

When You gave her to me, in spite of all the doctors’ predictions and against all the odds, I knew that one day I’d have to let her go, because that’s what mothers do when daughters grow up. But no one ever prepared me for the ache in my heart. As we moved through the years, changing her diapers, nursing her “boo-boos”, and chasing away monsters, I thought she’d always be my baby. As we passed through each step of her baby years – the sitting up, crawling, then walking and then running – I was sure that she’d never leave. Then she went to school. She’s so smart that she left other kids in her academic dust! She swam, played softball, ran cross country, played the saxophone and started a Bible study in school. She depended on me less and less, allowing me to “baby” her only when she had a bad cold or the flu. Then came the teen years where everything became a drama and no problem was a small one. There were days when I wanted to put her in a giant canon and shoot her to the moon! Most days, she was so sweet and loving and gentle that I just wanted to keep her close forever.

But now she’s 18 and college is a long distance from home. She became Your daughter when she was saved a few years back, and I know that You’ll take good care of her, so Father, could you please just fix my breaking heart? Help me to be strong for her on this last scary day before we get on that plane to leave. Hold me together so I don’t turn into a big crying ninny! Father, I love her, so I give my precious girl to You because it is time to do it. I pray for Your blessing, in Jesus’ name, amen.