Wonderfully Complex

Monday, September 27, 2021

O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.  You know when I sit down or stand up.  You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.  You see me when I travel and when I rest at home.  You know everything I do.  You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.  You go before me and follow me.  You place your hand of blessing on my head.  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!  I can never escape from your Spirit!  I can never get away from your presence!  If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there.  If I ride the wings of the morning,  if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.  I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night—but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.  To you the night shines as bright as day.  Darkness and light are the same to you.  You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.  Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!  Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.  You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.  You saw me before I was born.  Every day of my life was recorded in your book.  Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.  How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.  They cannot be numbered!  I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!  And when I wake up, you are still with me!  Psalm 139:1-18

There is a sense inside each of us that wants our lives to count for something; we want to be more than just a social security number, or part of a government demographic…just another vote in the booth.  We want to be noticed, seen for the accomplishments of not merely breathing and surviving a number of years before departing planet earth, but being useful, and important to others.  On the inside we understand (to some degree) just how wonderfully-complex is the machine that houses who we are.  We are souls, created with body and spirit, and God made each of us with a plan, entirely crafted with love, by the unbridled consideration of eternal and divine omniscience and wisdom. 

Whatever God did in crafting the human experience, it is much too wonderfully complex for a three minute devotion.  But this much we can say, David, today’s Psalmist knew it well…and marvelled.  That is to say David worshipped at the thought of how much thought God put into sculpting who we are, and the good plans he has for each of us.  And the moment you insert the word “good” in any sentence, it, and anything attached to the thought, is immediately connected with the eternal character of God, who alone is good, and desires good in our lives.

Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.  James 1:17

For You Today

Here we are, wonderfully-complex creatures, objects of divine worth, thought about constantly by our Creator, who is a loving and good Father.  So, what’s it going to be today…moaning about not getting the exact shade of midnight blue on that BMW?  Or letting the joy of God’s loving hand form that silly grin you’ll walk around with as you serve Him and bathe in His love?

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!   

[1] Title and Other Images:  Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©    

 

Teaching the Children

 

Friday, November 6, 2020

O my people, listen to my instructions.  Open your ears to what I am saying, for I will speak to you in a parable.  I will teach you hidden lessons from our past—stories we have heard and known, stories our ancestors handed down to us.  We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders.  For he issued his laws to Jacob; he gave his instructions to Israel.  He commanded our ancestors to teach them to their children, so the next generation might know them—even the children not yet born—and they in turn will teach their own children.  So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands.  Psalm 78:1-7

Children are always learning.  It is how we are created; we are born with brains that are sponges for information.  By the time you’re my age you may be a little overly-saturated with useless stuff you’ve managed to sop up in 7 decades.  And, while my little mind, a hard-drive full of thoughts, memories, conflicts, joys, sorrows, and wondering may be slowing down under the weight, children are just getting started. 

This Psalm reminds us of the importance of pointing children in the right direction.  That statement immediately draws forth the question, what if the kids won’t go to school?  This applies in a variety of ways.  Most kids haven’t seen the inside of a classroom for the past year; they’re still learning.  That goes for church also – at least being in the building; they may be worshipping if their parents have taken the time and energy to create a home-worship atmosphere.  Many kids have had to settle for screen-relationships to understand friendship-building. 

We live in a challenging time.  Wow – talk about the understatement of the year!  Perhaps 2020 will be remembered as the year of pandemic learning and political leaning.  Whatever history books (or learning modules, if you will) record of 2020’s dozen months of pandemic, it will certainly have to include the coronavirus as an epic political hot potato, straining personal patience, political tolerance, and parenting creativity to the fullest extent the envelope could withstand…and beyond!

And, still, the children are learning.

The question becomes, what ARE they learning?  The short answer is whatever they’re being taught.  Or, perhaps more appropriately, whatever they’ve caught. The familiar saying one picture is worth a thousand words comes to mind.  We ordinarily think of words, lectures, and tests when the subject is learning.  But life skills of manners in relationship, personal integrity, faith, citizenship, and responsibility are never best taught in a classroom; these are matters of observation and reinforcement by the ones most significant in the lives of children.

Dorothy Law Nolte wrote a poem, which later expanded into a book, detailing the premise that children learn volumes more from seeing what others do, rather than the direct instruction of words and lessons.  The poem begins with the negative, and navigates to the positive:

Children Learn What They Live

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.

If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.

If children live with ridicule, they learn to be shy.

If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.

If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.

If children live with tolerance, they learn to be patient.

If children live with praise, they learn to appreciate.

If children live with acceptance, they learn to love.

If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.

If children live with honesty, they learn truthfulness.

If children live with security, they learn to have faith in themselves and others.

If children live with friendliness, they learn the world is a nice place in which to live.[1]

Whatever the children of this generation have learned about themselves, the world, God, and the human family during this year will directly and accurately reflect how we adults have acted during this year. 

For You Today

Is it begging a debate to ask what have you thrown in 2020 that others have caught?  And, the companion question, will 2021 be different?

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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Title image:  Pixabay.com   W   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©

For another post on this text see:  Passing Along the Faith  

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[1] ©1972 Dorothy Law Nolte, All Rights Reserved.  Source:  https://childrenlearnwhattheylive.com/

When a Child Speaks

 

Tuesday, August 25, 2020

O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!  Your glory is higher than the heavens.  You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength, silencing your enemies and all who oppose you.  Psalm 8:1-2

Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge!  How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!  For who can know the Lord’s thoughts?  Who knows enough to give him advice?  And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back?  For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory.  All glory to him forever!  Amen.  Romans 11:33-36

When a child speaks, it pays to listen.  It was a lot of years ago on a Sunday.  I had just preached to a full church on a perfectly beautiful Sunday.  Everything had gone right, and I felt rather after-glowish, basking in (and embarrassed by) all the wonderful compliments as the congregation departed.  A family of six, who were new members in our church filed out, with Jamie, a precious six-year old with pigtails, bringing up the rear.  This little one had not mastered pronouncing some of her words and sounds; Her “r’s” always came out as “w’s” – road was woad, and phrases like really red became weally wed.  Sometimes the “p’s” came out as “c’s”.  She was adorable and always had a big smile that was engaging.  As Jamie passed me, she grinned, clutching her stuffed tiger.  I bent down, took her chin in my hand, and said, I’m really glad you were here today, Jamie.  My little friend looked up at her pastor, took my chin in her chubby little hands, and replied, And I’m weally glad YOU were heah, creature! 

Creature?  I was speechless.  And then it dawned on me; Jamie was the picture the Psalmist had in mind.  With one mispronounced word she had connected my ground wire.  All those high-flying compliments of the congregation had to have a way out of my head so I could think clearly about how I didn’t know nearly as much as I thought I did. 

Score one for a humility lesson in one word or less, by a six-year-old!

The Apostle Paul snapped that into perspective in today’s reading from Romans.  God’s thoughts and ways; who is in that league?  Who can compete with Heaven’s wisdom?  Nobody reading (or writing) these pages.

For You Today

The next time you’re in the presence of one of God’s little messengers, stop thinking about the shopping list, or the chores you’ve left undone.  Listen closely; you could be on the verge of hearing some weally good stuff.  Wight?

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road today.  Have a blessed day!

VIDEO

Title image Pixabay.com ∞  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©

For other posts on Psalm 8, see: Wondering About the Big Stuff  Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3