February 26, 2008

"I'm 'Bout to Bamboo"


Chinese Bamboo
~copied~
It all begins with a seed - and with the vision of someone willing to wait... A Chinese farmer, usually struggling to survive and provide for his family, plants the seed and sets his hope and vision on all it will provide when it towers 90 feet above his head. With a heart toward the future he digs hole after hole, plants the seeds, then begins their care. Day after day he carries water to the spot he has marked. And because it's human nature to want to see results he carefully inspects "the spot" every day.

Nothing.

Knowing he has to feed his family he plants other crops, carefully sewn around "the spots" that contain the real hope for his future. He continues to water them every day, feeding them carefully, and watching...

Nothing.

The other crops sprout within weeks, providing nourishment for his family within months, but provide nothing for the future. These crops will not make his dreams come true - they will simply provide for the now. The Chinese Bamboo seeds contain all his hopes, his dreams... A whole year goes by...

Nothing.

He continues to haul water. He stares endlessly at "the spots" but sees nothing but barren ground. His hopes, his dreams, seem so very far away. There is no evidence of life. Has the seed rotted? Has it died before it ever had a chance to grow? Another year goes by...

Nothing.

His neighbors - those who don't know and believe in the miracle of the Chinese Bamboo - laugh at him. They mock his vision for the future. They look on with scorn as he hauls buckets of water to "the spots". He begins to question himself. Will it ever grow? Is he pouring water, and his life's energy, into something that will reap no reward for him? Another year goes by...

Nothing.

3 years of pouring water, energy and hope into the Chinese Bamboo. Nothing to show for it. Yet he's heard of the miracle of the Chinese Bamboo. He's heard of the huge rewards that come to those who believe. One day he stands over "the spots" and he cries his frustration and fears. "The spots" reveal nothing, the barren ground seeming to mock him, yet the wind whispers hope to him. He sighs and hauls yet more buckets of water. Another year goes by...

Nothing.

4 years.... 4 years of hoping, wishing, diligently tending his dream. Surely the miracle will happen now. His neighbors have quit laughing. They no longer even care - yet they talk quietly among themselves of the farmer who "isn't quite right". At this point the farmer isn't even sure... Yet he's fallen into a habit so he continues to water "the spots". He continues to feed them. It's simply what he does now, with no knowledge of reward - just the simply, now unspoken hope, that life resides beneath the spots he so carefully tends. Another year passes...

Nothing.

5 years. The farmer is tired. Tired of hauling buckets. Tired of growing and tending so many other crops to feed his struggling family. Tired of trying to keep his dream alive. Tired of seeing no results day after day. He stares hopelessly at "the spots". There can not possibly be life after so many years. He must have watered them wrong. He must not have fed them correctly. If only he had done things differently, there would be growth. Despair rocks his soul. 5 years he has poured into his dream - into his hope for a better future. His dream mocks him. The vision of a better life for his family melts away under harsh reality. Tears fill his eyes as he grabs for the last hope residing in his soul and slowly lifts the bucket to pour water on to his dream. After 5 years he realizes it would be folly to give up now...

Then comes the morning when the whole village is jolted awake by the cries of joy from the farmer. They watch startled from their windows as he runs down the dusty road calling for his family to come see. As his family races back up the road after him, the rest of the village pours from their houses to see what has the "crazy farmer" so excited.

They find the family clustered around "the spots", talking excitedly. From the edge of the road they can see green sprouts thrusting out from the barren ground. They seem to be growing before their very eyes! The farmer is dancing. "The miracle has happened!" he cries. "The miracle has come!"

"The spots" become the place for everyone in the village to come - watching in amazement as the bamboo grows, and grows, and grows. 5 feet. 10 feet. 20. 30. 40. 50. 60. 70. 80... In just 6 weeks the bamboo has grown 80 feet tall! 5 years of nothing and now this... 80 feet in 6 weeks! It is truly a miracle!

The farmer stands to the side. He is aware all his dreams have come true. The harvest of the bamboo will provide for all he dreamed of for his family. He also realizes the lessons he has learned are far more valuable.

He learned to plant a dream.

He learned to do the daily things that would make it a reality.

He learned to ignore those who said it couldn't happen.

He learned to push past his own fear and doubt and keep taking action.

He learned to have faith when there was no reason to have faith.

Now he smiles every time he walks through the village. Everyone is hauling buckets of water to their own "spots". Gazing over at his towering 80 feet tall bamboo, they know what can happen. Because of him. Because of his willingness to blaze the trail and make his dream come true.

What about you? What are you willing to do to make your dreams come true? How long are you willing to work? How long are you willing to go to school? How much faith and belief are you willing to have? I hope your answer is one that will help you achieve all you dream of in life!

Final Thought:
Finally in the fifth year - behold, a miracle! We experience growth - and what growth it is - 80 feet in just six weeks! But let’s be serious, does the bamboo really grow 80 feet in six weeks, or does it actually take five years for this sudden burst of activity?

February 24, 2008

Discovering More Than I First Thought


Last month our young women’s Sunday school class started a series of lessons on the women of the Bible. We will study a new woman each week – in chronological order of the Bible. Each week is a challenge for me as I begin my studies; first reading scripture that names the woman and then investigating what was happening in her world at that time. It seems that no matter how much I study I am still working on my lesson plan even as late as Sunday morning. There is so much more to learn about these women than the few defining moments that were recorded in scripture. There are so many life applications that can be explored through their lives but finally at the end of the week I am forced to narrow down my studies to just a few points that I feel God is prompting me to share with these young women in my class. They get 30 minutes and I pray that they leave knowing more than when they came but for me this has been an intense walk through the Bible. I wish space would allow for me to share every morsel that God has given me but again I am forced to choose just a few items of interest in this blog. I challenge each of you to journey through the Bible with me using the lives of these women to discover a world that we make all too finite when we choose to contain it within a few short passages of scriptures. These people lived long lives that were intertwined with the lives of others just like us. There is so much more to their lives and it is all there for us to discover within the pages of the Bible.

Eve – She blew it!
When Adam and Eve were in the garden they had no need for anything. They shared equal status as the male and female counterpart, the environment was perfect and they knew no sin. The consequence of their sin got them thrown out the garden and into a life of hard work and toil. Eve became under submission to Adam as the head of the home and Adam was given responsibility for the family.

Noah’s Wife – A virtuous woman?
She would have had to have been a wonderful help meet to Noah. God had given him a great work to do and he would have needed his wife to be by his side and work just as hard as him to accomplish God’s will for their lives. As wives we are still called today to stand by our husband as his help meet.

Sarah – Did she get ahead of God?
Her lack of faith in God’s ability to bring about His promises led to her taking matters into her own hands. Fourteen years later God proved that He had been able all along. Even today as we look at the Arab nation we are still experiencing the consequences of her actions. Sarah made decisions for her family that was not hers to make, even though her husband allowed it she should have waited on God.

Lot’s Wife- Why did she look back?
As a citizen of Sodom she was surrounded by wickedness and its influence. Her husband Lot could have had more influence on her but he apparently had learned to compromise and go with the flow. She lost her life in the same way that those today who reject Jesus and cling to the world will lose theirs. She had the benefit of knowing about Lot’s God even if he was not the leader he should be. She willingly chose to look back and we too have that same choice.

Hagar – The mother of the Arab nation.
Pray for me this week as I study the life of this Egyptian handmaid who bore Abram his first son – Ishmael, who later established the Arab nation.

February 18, 2008

Mark it off!

Ec 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.

The way I used to do things is not working anymore. It’s time for a change.

I was a stay at home mom until my kids were 10 and 15. During those years we didn’t have much money and I spent a lot of time doing things that would stretch a dollar. Working meant that I was away from home 9-10 hours a day. You can’t do things the same way you did when you stayed at home all day. I had to learn quickly how to make the best use of my time. I remember waking early and doing household chores that might have taken me all day if I had had the time. Time with friends meant late nights but when you are young you don’t worry too much about sleep. Saturday mornings were for washing the car and mowing the grass before it got too hot. I still managed to cook most of our meals but I had my favorite Hamburger Helpers. The house was not as spotless as it had been but a little dust never hurt anyone.

New interests and hobbies came along and with them the desire to have the best kept yard in town, be the best cook and the fear that someone would drop by and see the house in a wreck left too. For about ten years we rode motorcycles, almost every Saturday was devoted to riding. Didn’t have to worry about friends dropping in to see the house-wreck because they were out riding with us. Didn’t have to cook – “Ride to Eat.”

Marking tasks off of my list – not if I wait until I can do them the way I used to. It is time to adjust again. Sometimes I mismanage my time, other times I add things without omitting something else - both are bad for business. There are only so many hours in a day so it is reasonable to assume that if you add a new task you probably need to find a shortcut for one or more of the old ones or eliminate one all together. Some things are just going to have to be store bought and some things will not be as neat and perfect as before or I’ll never mark them off my list.

We change, circumstances change so the need to adjust is necessary. I didn’t realize back when I was young how precious that time was – time with my family – time learning how to make a home. Now it’s time to learn new things. The things that were important then are not as important now. I have new interests and new priorities - I want to use my time wisely.

Funny how after you turn 40 your body starts to slow down. You can still remember but it just takes longer. You can still move but you better be a little more careful how you jump up on that counter top to get that dish out of the top cabinet. You are just as smart but you have less to prove. You can see but the little things always get past you. With all this you have to make adjustments.

I was off today for President’s Day. I had several important projects that had been on my list of things to do for some time. I knew it was time to make some executive decisions and shortcut the work so I could mark them off my list.

For the past few years I have written and mailed a monthly newsletter for our church. It was time to ask myself what was the most important aspect of the newsletter and my answer was the calendar. Executive decision - I will continue to do the church calendar and hopefully more frequently but December was my last newsletter! I wanted to do a new look for our annual church directory update but the old format works fine and I was able to make the updates this morning and get it ready for proofing - marked it off my list! I worked on the books for my husband’s snack cake distribution company. Not as proud of the finished product as I was in years past but the receipts are totaled and that is what really counts! Learning the proper way to organize a business and be able to go back and look up something with ease was very important to me in years past. I hardly ever pull out any of the old records anyway so it’s okay to take shortcuts and if I do need to look something up I will find the extra time when that happens. It feels good to mark things off your list...sometimes because you are done and other times because you just don’t have to do them anymore.

I still have our tax return to do – but not next Saturday! This week’s project – an 89th birthday luncheon for a dear lady in our church. I’m glad I got some things marked off my list so that I can help make her day special. The tasks will be there but this opportunity to appreciate this dear woman of God will be gone one day.

February 12, 2008

Why wouldn't I trust Him?


It seems that each time I trust God and He blesses me that it would get easier to trust Him. Why wouldn't I trust Him for my next need? No matter how many times He proves Himself trustworthy I still doubt Him with the next need I have. He has never failed me. He has always given me more than I deserve, yet I make Him prove Himself again and again. It doesn't seem that I am making as much progress in the area of trust as I should be, why? He has delivered me from some desperate situations. He has given my family and me good health to enjoy. He has kept us safe when we didn't even recognize the dangers. He has comforted me when no comfort was available. He has proven that He can take any situation and use it to accomplish great things. He has filled my heart with joy unspeakable and given me peace that unsurpassing.

There must be a reason for my distrust. It may be that I know how untrustworthy I am. It may be because others have not been trustworthy. Not Him though, so why is it so hard to trust Him? Too many times I have rushed to put the past as far behind me as possible and as quickly as possible and in the haste maybe I have thrown out the blessings with the bad memories. God has always rescued me and He has always provided for me. He loves me and wants to give me His best. I Know that I can't receive His blessings until I let my guard down and let Him be God and trust Him for the outcome. I must let Him take control and let Him show me how He wants to work out each situation. Not Vicky's way but the Father's way. I have so many needs today, so many wants and I have a Father who wants me to trust Him. Father, You are trustworthy, I want to trust You and I want to remember the days gone by when You have delivered me. I don't know the answer, I don't know how it can work out - now is when I have to trust. You do what's best Father and when it's done I pray that I will trust You more for my next need. Thank you for the memories...the memories of how You delivered me and how You taught me to trust You.

De 8:2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.

February 11, 2008

Praying in faith – What do we really expect?


God promises that he will show us marvelous things, he will do for us more than we are able to ask or think, he will out-do our hopes and expectations. How much faith do we really have? God is only limited by our faith.

Micah 7:15 According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I shew unto him marvellous things.

Father, I want ALL that you have for me today. Grow my faith.

God caused a strong east wind to blow the waters back so the people could walk ten miles through the Red Sea to safety in Arabia. The crossing path is about a quarter to a half mile wide and is on a gradual slope down to the bottom of the Red Sea and then up to the Saudi beach. On either side of this path are the depths of the Red Sea, the Eilat Deep and the Aragonese Deep, each 3000 and 5000 feet deep respectively. http://www.arkdiscovery.com/red_sea_crossing.htm