Sorry, no Bible verse… just thoughts
This weekend we had our grandson (and his mom) over. It
was fun. Grandkids are a lot like kids except when they get tired or crabby –
or both – then you can hand them off to their mom or dad, and when the weekend
is over they go home with mom and dad. He was cute though – I laughed. I
smiled. I kissed. I hugged. And I wept. And he went home, and we went home…if
you know our part of the world you’d know what I meant. (Google Dayville, Oregon
and it will mean more.)
So, I thought about kids and life; and then grand-child
and life. I realized that life with all of its treasures (children and grandchildren)
isn’t about kids or grandkids. But they sure do make life more interesting and
fun. Yes, there’s the pain of trial and error – and error and error and error…
but it’s all a part of life and all a part of the adventure. So you laugh, you
smile, you hug, you kiss, and you weep. It’s the complete package.
We decided to cook out after a fun-filled few days of a
wee-little crawling and toddling around our house and tonight, it hit me –
after I asked God for 10 million dollars – all I have is the clothes I am
wearing, the air that I breathe… and the mercy of God. I’m going to Africa in
June and where I’m going all the people there have is the clothes they’re
wearing and the breath that they breathe. And the mercy of God.
I could sure use the ten million right now. I’d give most
of it away and disappear with the rest to a little valley between here and Bend
and live on the ranch I’d buy. The problem is, even then, with all that, the
only thing I’d have is the clothing I was wearing at any given moment, and the
air I breathe; and the mercy of God.
God is merciful to me all the time. He was merciful to me
the day I was born and His mercy hasn’t ceased. I tend to think in terms of
quantity; God seems to respond in terms of love. And I think after this weekend
with our daughter and her son, all I can conceive of is His love. I’m glad for
that. It’s really all I have, have ever had, and will ever have. I’d still like
the ten mil, but it is fantasy compared to His love shown to me in the life of
a wee-little who brought so much joy into my life this weekend, and the reality
of the thought that all I have is what I’m wearing, the air I breathe, and that
love. His love. Merciful love. Unending love.
Lord, You know where I am, what I think, and what I need.
You know what I need right now and what I’m going to need before June 19th
(our departure date for Kenya). You know what I’ll need in Kenya as I attempt
to relate to those people over there whose lives amount to today’s clothing,
today’s air, and today’s mercy. Your mercy; You everlasting and abundant mercy.
Ten million, over there, is like a spoonful of water thrown into the ocean
because their needs are so great. But reality is Jesus, their needs as immense
as they as they may be, are all met in You. How great is Your love.
May I focus on what to bring, and how to share; and I’ll
let You tell me what to say – the majesty of Your word makes ten mil look
awfully inadequate. Amen.
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