It just looks like we live in a city--the herd that walks past our house a few times a week says this is their home!
It's not a "pin-up" pose--don't you know a mermaid when you see one?Hello, all--
There is a saying here: "Vietnam....where "yes" means "maybe" and "maybe" means "no." Things are not always what they appear, are they?
Today in church...everyone came with a smile. There were hugs. Niceties were exchanged. From outward appearances, just a gathering of happy folk who gather weekly to grin about their "easy" lives here. But we all knew. The smiles were real, but sometimes they shared a tear. The niceties were sincere...we really wanted to know "how are you?" The hugs were brief (mostly), but they carried heartfelt emotion. Because in our little gathering of believers, we knew...
...one had lost her mother this past week, but won't be able to travel home to the US for the funeral
...one had a co-worker receive our Father's message and join our forever family this past week
...one had problems with her local employer, who had not disclosed to officials that a foreigner was employed, and her visa was revoked. She leaves on Tuesday, just six months into what she planned to be a 2-year stay
...one will begin an exciting new work this week with young girls...one just arrived a couple weeks ago from Michigan.
So, "Blessed Assurance" brought a rolling tear, or two. When we sang "Who am I? I am Yours" it was a decision to trust the heart of the One who holds the future. We sang in celebration, in faith, in hope. In all appearances, it was just the "music portion" of our worship service.
From all appearances, I was facing the increasing temperatures with my bicycle for transportation. I am a wimp. I have never pretended to be anything else. I knew that the heat would get to me. It was only a matter of time until I would give up biking...and the freedom that goes with it. One phone call changed all that. I received word that a very generous donation was going to purchase my motorbike. Hallelujah! Thank You, Father! Thank you, dear friends!
Yesterday, for Valentine's Day, we took the girls to the beach. It has warmed up, so there were swimsuits and sand toys (uh, digging tools), and towels. Standing at the edge of the surf, I observed that if I stood still, the ebb and flow of waves washing ashore eroded the sand under my feet and it was difficult to maintain my balance for long without moving. The more I "dug in" my heals, the harder the time I had standing upright on the shifting ground. I had to laugh a little. Isn't that a picture of life? Things are always changing, sometimes with a tidal wave, most often from the rhythmic movement of time. If I refuse to move, I may fall on my face (or...the other way). The more I set myself to "stay put", to demand "my space" and "my way"--the greater the danger of a fall. In the surf, and perhaps in life, the only way to stay balanced and upright is to stay on your toes and keep moving forward, even by inches. It looked like I was standing still, but I wasn't.
I have chosen to laugh this week at a few other appearances...
...it looked like a tablespoon, but it's really a thick piece of foil that bent in half under the weight of a scoop of (soft) ice cream.
...it looked like a child's new shoe, but one trip up the stairs revealed that it was really two piece of cardboard glued together with a thin layer of black rubber for a sole.
...it looked like a wafer decorated with paprika; it was a wafer all right, but one that lit of ball of fire on your tongue (that ain't no paprika, son).
...it looked like a piece of crunchy cardboard, but it was...delicious! (and the "rice-thingy wrapped in a lettuce leaf" was yummy, too. I skipped the dipping sauce...it is ALWAYS hot!)
In the scheme of the universe, you may appear to be small and insignifiicant. But the Creator of it all knows you by name. It may look like someone has "messed up" your life, in even thwarted your purpose. But the One who holds you in His hand is all-wise and all-powerful. He laughs at what we call a "power play." May that reality give us all cause for rejoicing this week!
Grace and peace!
