When I was a child, my family visited Yellowstone National Park where the geyser “Old Faithful” is located. When we visited, the geyser erupted about every 70 minutes (or so) with each eruption lasting 2-5 minutes. Its name came from its relatively predictable eruptions.
I remember watching Old Faithful and holding Mom’s hand as we walked on the wooden walkways that take visitors close to the geysers. At one point, one geyser erupted with the rest of the family on the other side of the hot, sulfur-smelling water. I was worried, but Mom reassured me and we held each other’s hand a little tighter.
You see, like the geyser, my parents were faithful. Faithful to their God, each other, their family and their promises.
Faithfulness comes at a price; it isn’t cheap. And the cost of being faithful, of consistently remaining true and loyal with integrity and truthfulness, is why faithfulness isn’t popular or common.
One of the attributes of God is that He is faithful. He never changes. Imagine that – our Creator will always be Who and what He has always been. No moodiness. No changing of the rules. No holding back on the promises He has made.
This attribute of God, His faithfulness, is part of the reason that I love the Christmas carol “O Come All Ye Faithful.” Although we do not have a history of the origin of the hymn, we do know that it was written to the Church, to the faithful followers of God.
My goal is to become more and more like God, to be a more accurate reflection of Jesus, His mind, His view of people, His mercy and grace. I’m not far toward that goal, but, I am happy to say, that I do have had tiny moments of progress!
To be called by God, to be faithful to Him – always looking for His way and not my own, reflecting His grace and love, to have the mind of Christ is so exciting! So, Fellow Believers, come with me and answer the call to come and worship the Lord. He knows our striving to be faithful. He is delighted when we praise His name!!
Brothers and Sisters, let us spend some time this Christmas adoring Him, worshipping the One who calls us to be faithful!!
Love,
Jill (just one of God’s kids)
Verse 1 O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant! O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem; Come and behold Him born the King of angels: O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.
Verse 2 Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation, Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above! Glory to God, glory in the highest: O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.
Verse 3 Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning; Jesus, to Thee be all glory given! Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing! O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!
The other day we were talking about our favorite Christmas gifts as kids. My biggest one was a bicycle that I got in third grade. But every year, my folks were creative.
One year I received a printer’s kit. It contained a large stamp pad with lines. I would carefully put individual letter stamps in each row to prepare my story. It took forever as the individual letters were tiny and kept moving around. When I finally finished the block, I used an ink pad and was able to print one fairly short paragraph. It was probably the first time that I had seen my words in a printed and not handwritten form.
I was excited.
I decided to publish a neighborhood newsletter. It was hard! I had to come up with news, write the story, set the type, ink it and print it. I quickly discovered that there as little going on in our neighborhood and the “Jill Mullins” newsletter was over.
When I think of the Word of God, the Bible, I often consider how old it is. And, no matter how hard folks worked, I cannot imagine the years scribes struggled to keep its text right. If I was frustrated with a relatively new process of printing, the work to maintain the scripture must have been so difficult.
I have only one explanation of why the Bible has survived through the centuries – it is the Word of God. He made it happen. God protected His Word. God used men, their personalities and curcumstsnces, to record His Word but man would have failed eventually. God did it.
John and I read the Bible through every year in addition to other times of study each week.
But if you have never read the Word of God, let me share some of my favorite sections.
You don’t have to tell me that it “feels” like God is speaking directly to you – I know that He is! It is the Word of God, written down by man, but given to us by our Heavenly Father!
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)
(Jesus said) l have told you all this so that you may have peace in Me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23)
I sought the Lord, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! (Psalms 34:4-5, 8)
For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. (John 3:16-17)
Friend, Just like He prepared and protected His Word for us, He sent Jesus to take the penalty for our sins.
Earlier this week, I noticed that the air vent in our bedroom had some dust bunnies between the metal grill pieces. I got my duster on its long pole and realized that I couldn’t reach it. I got the small step stool out of the closet.
It was as I was starting to stand on the first step if the step stool when I remembered “Mikey.” Mikey is our robotic vacuum cleaner. (We call him “Mikey” after a Life breakfast cereal of the late 1960’s. A mom offers her kids a new cereal – Life cereal. Suspicious, the kids offer it to their younger brother, Mikey, who hates everything.)
Mikey was also in the bedroom, vacuuming the carpet. I looked at the dusting wand, the small step stool and then at Mikey. Was it possible that he could bump into the step stool and topple me? I laughed and turned off Mikey and made quick work of the dust bunnies on the vent.
But, I did have a giggle of John finding me, knocked off the stool, my arm stretched far above my head with the dusting wand far above my head while Mikey continues to wander about the room, searching for dust.
It’s a silly thought, I know. But I’ve done dumber things and will probably do dumb things again. Last night I got into a discussion that I wished I could erase from everyone’s memory today. I’ve done, said, thought and written really dumb things.
So, the question isn’t will we do something dumb but is how will we and others respond? Do we know our intentions, our heart? Is our heart in the wrong place or are we just not thinking? We want others to be gracious and understanding; but during these holiday days of activity, chaos, excess, will we be as generous, as forgiving, as gentle as we desire others to be?
Take a breath, my sweet friend, there are plenty of days left in this holiday season. Don’t wear yourself out. Stay loose and turn off or tune out the things or folks that look to be a challenge. We want to play the long game of love, mercy, generosity and grace.
This morning “Colton’s guys” arrived to put the Christmas lights on the front of the house. For the next hour or so, I will hear them moving the ladders around and walking on the roof.
We used to do our own Christmas lights. We had a one story house that looked perfect with a string of lights going across the front. It only took at 12’ ladder to get them ready for night time shining. In fact, many years we didn’t even use a ladder. John installed small cup hooks in the soffit; I could use a rake to lift the lights and hang the cords on the hooks. Smart!!
But our new home (that’s a whole other story) has four peaks across the front. Gorgeous to look at but horrible to hang Christmas lights on. For the first 4 years we lived here we just put our “joy” sign out, put some lights across the fence and called it “done.” But last year, I put out a call on our community Facebook page for lighting company recommendations and heard about “Colton.”
A few years back, John and I had found some “fancy” Christmas lights on sale in a store in Illinois. We decided that they would be perfect for our new home and we had a fun day of driving across country roads to purchase lights at three different stores. It was fun and we thought we had won a great prize. We had fancy lights that were going to awe everyone.
Back to today. As we thought about hanging lights, those peaks looked higher and higher. And to get a ladder up there meant that we would have to balance it on a small area of level ground with the angle of the ladder being very steep. We looked at those peaks and at our boxes of “fancy” lights and sat and sat and then Christmas was over; it was too late to hang the lights. The lights stayed in their boxes and the ladders in the workshop.
So last year we caved and had Colton and his crew install our not-so-cheap fancy lights on those beautiful peaks. The crew used ladders but they also walked on our roof (something I would never do!). It cost us some cash but the look was so pretty. Then we discovered the problems. The “fancy” lights did not behave as one when linked together and the switch to change any of their functions was on the roof. We had some strings that did one thing and others did something totally different. It was a little like watching a pre-school class perform a Christmas carol for their parents.
It was interesting to be sure, but not at all what we had envisioned. And then we had a couple of “Florida” rain days – heavy and windy. After the storm Colton and his guys returned the lights that had come off the roof to their correct place. But many of the lights stopped working or were very dim. Again, not the Christmas delight that we had envisioned in our minds.
After Colton’s team took down the lights we could see that many of the bulbs were filled with water; they were ruined after one season. Sad.
We asked Colton what he suggested and today his guys are installing new lights (not cheap) that come with a 4-year warranty. And the work that they are doing will cost us a little bit too.
Some of you are telling me, “Jill, give it up. Christmas lights aren’t that important.” That is true and we have done without them in previous years; that is one choice. Maybe another year it will be a choice that we have to make. But not this year.
Yes, it is only the 20th of November. But, as I have told Colton, we would love to get them lights up as early as possible and we want to leave them up until at least Jan 7th. (I promise that we do not turn them on until Thanksgiving night or later.) We like Christmas lights so we will sacrifice to have them. I love sitting outside on a chilly evening (it does too get chilly in Pensacola!) and look at the lights. I love driving around and looking at the lights on other houses and on stores and in parks. For me, Christmas lights are one of the holiday decorations that I look forward to enjoying.
We gave up installing our lights and we gave up on the “fancy” lights that we had taken care to purchase and we hired a pro so that we could still enjoy Christmas lights on those gorgeous peaks.
Let’s start thinking now about this next month and let’s try to be realistic.
Maybe the store bought cookies are just fine.
Cracker Barrel and other stores offer full holiday meals at a price that might be more expensive than making it yourself but you don’t have to MAKE IT YOURSELF. 😃
Green is a gift that always fits.
Neighbors would love to receive a basket of apples and oranges just as much as that time-consuming loaf of homemade bread.
Kids love the boxes that the gifts come in. Maybe fewer toys and more boxes this year?
A family game or movie and popcorn in the family room is a welcome activity on Christmas afternoon.
Be honest: Our earthly resources of time, energy and cash are limited. As we tell the kiddos: “Let’s make good decisions today.”
Love,
Jill (just one of God’s kids)
The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught.
Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”
The swimming pool in our backyard has been a delight this year. We have enjoyed afternoon and morning swims, workouts, and parties with friends and their families. A pool is a wonderful thing.
But a pool is also a pain!
Just consider what a swimming pool is: a huge container of water kept 100% of the time outside, next to trees and grass and available to critters. (Sad, but I have grown to hate frogs.) To be safe for swimmers and pleasing to the eye, a pool requires a great deal of effort, removing “stuff” and balancing chemicals. It isn’t easy.
So I was frustrated beyond imagination when the sweet woman at the pool store tested a sample of water from our pool and reported “your pool is in perfect balance. Whatever you are doing is working.” Yes the report was fabulous but the pool was NOT – the pool was green.
I have no clear understanding of why pools turn green. (Please do not send a long explanation to me providing every possible reason for “green” water. You see – I don’t really care. Ok, that could be part of my problem!) My theory is that if I add chemicals and do some work, the pool should stay clean. But it does not always do what I expect it to do!
So, as the lady smiled, my pool’s great report in her hand, I said the words that were hard to say: “I think I need to drop it.” Ahhh.,,she reached for a bottle of “drop out” and a set of instructions and sent me in my way (via the checkout counter).
Upon returning home, I studied that page of instructions. Dropping a pool is not an easy task (at least for me). The first step was to clean the filter. Then I dissolved chlorine in a bucket of water and poured the concoction into the pool as directed. Next we waited for three hours. Then the mystical liquid of dropout was added to the pool, the pump was operated for two hours and then was shut down. The water became still and we waited.
About 18 hours later the hard work began. The chemicals had done their job. The bottom of the pool was covered with what looked like a carpet of very fine, green dust. You don’t want that stuff going through a filter, so you have to vacuum out the dust out of the pool.
Vacuuming the green dust means that you must remove water that holds the dust. And as you vacuum the “dust” moves and becomes suspended in water again. So you must vacuum, continually adding more water into the pool, and taking breaks to let the “dust” settle and the water accumulate.
Eventually, the water was crystal clear again.
By now, if you are a pool owner, you know my pain. And if you have never cared for a pool, you are thinking “And, your point is, Jill??”
There are times in my life when I realize that I have allowed something to enter and to remain in my life that should have been removed as soon as I noticed it. For me, this has too often been in the form of a personal habit or a way of thinking. It is tiny and barely noticeable, really nothing compared to the big picture. But it doesn’t belong. It isn’t helpful nor healthy. And that little thing grows.
Like our green pool water, that tiny habit grows to the point that it can obscure my vision, remove beauty, destroy joy. It isn’t what I planned and all of the self-help, friend-suggested treatments don’t work.
It’s time to drop it.
That sounds so easy, but it can take time, it will definitely require change and replacement of old things with new. But with the guidance of the One who made me, who created me in His image, the Lord Who gave Himself for me, the work can be done.
So now we are pure again, the thing is gone. But we live in a secular world and our minds and hearts are open to things we haven’t planned for. Shoot, we sit in the middle of it, making millions of decisions every day with our hearts and minds vulnerable and tender. We notice and avoid the big “no no’s” but little stuff can get in. You know what I mean, that thing that “isn’t that bad.”
Years ago I read a story that started fine but had a horrific ending. It bothered me for so long. My mind raced through scenarios of “what would I do” if that had been in my life or in the life of someone I loved. It worried me. I was terrified when my mind went to that story.
Then, one day, I realized that I was the one keeping the story alive. It was time to drop it. And I did but it wasn’t easy. So many times, I would start to rehearse that story in my mind and I had to intentionally shut it down. Eventually, my mind and heart developed new paths and I was able to put the story into the back of my memories. It no longer clouded my vision.
Remind you of anything in your life? Maybe it is time to ask the Lord what we should do about that memory, that habit, that hurt, that way of thinking. He may direct us to seek out a wise counselor. He may direct us to new paths. The work will be hard. But, in the end, removing that thing from our life will uncloud our vision, make us ready to serve and refresh our spirit.
It’s time to drop it.
Love,
Jill (just one of God’s kids)
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing, and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2
Sometimes I get asked why I follow Jesus, why I am a Christian. There are so many reasons for me to believe. Let me share three.
Too often, I feel like I don’t belong. Do you know what I mean? I don’t belong with that group or in this place. Before I went “all in” with God, I was clueless as to why I was put on this earth. I would think that I had figured it all out, then something would happen and I would be knocked down. But, when I began following God, I knew exactly why I was born and why I am here; there is a plan for me and my future. I have no doubts and no questions. Curious? I can share more.
Shame is a horrible companion. When I told Jesus what I had done in my life, my heart, He said that He already knew and that He would forgive me. The shame, the guilt were erased from His memory; there is no punishment from my Heavenly Father for those things He has forgiven me for. Me, on the other hand, I have to work at my own memories. Now, when I mess up or when I sin, I turn to God immediately and He forgives and gives me His wisdom. Yes, I have had to make things right with others (warm crow is always easier than cold crow!), confessing to someone what I had done, paying a debt. It is never easy. But doing what He directs me to do in asking for forgiveness or paying the bill is sooooo much better than carrying that burden of guilt and shame and the truth that when I am sinning Heaven is no longer my destiny. I am so very thankful for His forgiveness.
I experience true joy nearly every day. (Yes, there are days of sorrow that hide the joy that is available to me.) Joy and the contentment that accompanies it are better than anything. I no longer experience those highs and lows that come from the activities or chaos of the moment. And it isn’t that I am just getting older and boring (though many would say that that is also happening), I have a deep peace and true joy that come from the One who made me and Who gives me purpose every single day.
So, why am I a follower of Jesus? Because it is the only way to live in this world that is filled with uncertainty, with shame, guilt, fear, and chaos. I follow Jesus because He forgave my deepest failures and He protects me from the storms that rage around me. He is my Savior – daily.
I am His and He is mine. The Creator of Heaven and earth knows me by name and leads me today and tomorrow.
Want to learn more? I’m here for you.
Love,
Jill (just one of God’s kids)
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:16-17)
Our old home was destroyed by flood; we decided to tear it down and rebuild. Our builder was delightful but we had to have more than a couple of “conversations.” For instance. we loved our old house and wanted many of our “old” things to be installed in our “new” house. To be honest, we rebuilding out of necessity not to change our decor. His way of working was to order all new things. In the end, he came around and installed many of our “old” items.
At one point, we were discussing lighting. I laughed when he told us, “Don’t forget – you have a lighting allowance.” We reminded him who was paying that “allowance” and he, again, understood.
We had three beautiful lighting fixtures that we wanted in the public spaces of the new house. We carefully removed and stored them before the old house was torn down. We then waited 5 long years to get into our new home. (Again, a story for another day.) When it was time to rehang the fixtures, we set them out for the installer. I knew that two were the same and one was different. The unique one went over the foyer – easy. But half of the pendants that hang down from the two light fixtures were missing.
I searched and searched. I found a large bag of prisms (had no clue where those had come from) but could not find all of the pendants for the two light fixtures. (You are probably already ahead of me!)
It was about two weeks of searching before it struck me that, when hanging in our “old” house, the two fixtures must have had different pendants; one had the ones we had in hand and the other had displayed the prism pendants. Amazing how after you have seen something in your house for over 20 years, you have taken the time to take it down and to store it and yet you don’t remember the details.
Because we would be using the two fixtures fairly near each other they needed to be identical. The frames were identical and I thought it would easy to find more pendants to match the ones we liked. Nope! They were impossible to find. I did locate an “expert” in our area who suggested that I try Amazon. I found pendants a lot like the ones we already had and ordered them. The new ones are a little smaller and do not have the decorative glass etching. They also came without holes to use in hanging them on the frames.
I got an estimate for drilling holes and the price was ridiculous; I decided to do it myself. After researching how to drill holes in thin glass, I understood the reason for the quoted price.
Today, the new pendants are in a box in our bedroom – still without holes. The two fixtures hang in our home each having exactly one half of the pendants. And, unless, I point it out, not a soul has noticed the missing pendants. (Or perhaps our visitors are too kind to mention it.)
Why am I telling you this lighting challenge story? Two reasons
We have faulty memories. Don’t get too excited when others remember things differently than you do. You may both be partly wrong and partly right. Even when holding a bag that contained exactly the number of pendants I needed, I could not believe that we once had a light with prisms on it. We all have faulty memories.
Others don’t see always see the things that bother us so very, very much. The lights look beautiful and I may never get around to drilling those holes.
Life is tough enough. Let’s be tough on ourselves with the things that really matter and be easy on ourselves with everything else.
Love,
Jill (just one of God’s kids)
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)
Sometimes John and I will listen to a book on CD. A few years ago we enjoyed one about a police officer who, after being hurt badly, was assigned to his police department’s canine unit to partner with a working dog. There he met a dog who some thought was “damaged goods” after a war-related injury. The man and dog formed a great team and solved a major crime. Ok, the plot was far fetched but fun. I particularly liked the chapters written from the dog’s perspective.
But, I am not much of an animal person and I usually don’t have much fun while around other people’s pets. They make me more than a little nervous. When meeting someone’s pet for the first time and the animal is as unsure of me as I am of them, I hate the phrase “oh don’t worry about them – they won’t hurt you.” Really??? Can you guarantee that?? In those situations, John provides a protective barrier for me that makes me feel so safe. I am also allergic and even the sweetest dog makes me sneeze and rub my eyes.
But, an exception to my worry around animals was Rizzo. (There are several other pets who are ok too.) Rizzo was an older chocolate lab who was part of my sister’s family. Rizzo was a doll and seemed to understand that I needed a slower than most re-introduction to her. While we were staying in their home one fall there was a fascinating discussion about daylight saving’s time and Rizzo.
The conversation was about preparing for the day in the fall when we “fall back” an hour. One family member thought that Rizzo would be fine with the change; the other family member wanted to set a schedule of gradual time changes (perhaps 5 minutes a day) until they had achieved the full 60 minute change.
It isn’t that Rizzo was interested in time; she doesn’t even notice if a clock is digital or analog!!
Nope, the time change had a simple but profound impact on Rizzo – her dinner time was to be an hour later than what she was used to. Rizzo wasn’t interested in the why or how the change happens every years, she had a single concern – her dinner was late.
Too many times I have been too focused on explaining the why’s and how’s of life when folks just wondered when their dinner or phone call or present or visit would happen. We, like Rizzo, are creatures of habit. Our hunger concerns us, not the history of food.
You might see a Rizzo-like event happen in your own life this week.
– The present doesn’t arrive on time. Rather than asking the questions of why and how, just ask when you can expect it. Simplifying the issue will make it easier for everyone.
– Someone will ask why someone else isn’t married or dating or whatever. Your reply could be something like “yep, that hasn’t happened, but, so much more has happened this year.”
– I found myself mourning the first anniversary of the death of a good friend of ours. The only thing anyone needed to say was “I’m sorry.” That phrase is perfectly perfect.
Like Rizzo, sometimes we just want someone to fix or deliver our late dinner. Sometimes, we don’t want or need (or deserve) the backstory. Just a thought.
I saw the cat this afternoon. It was sitting in the back yard, pretty far into our property when it heard the sound of the lawn tractor I was driving. The cat was fat and white with a black tail.
As I drove near, the cat scampered away from me and my noisy tractor and headed back into the edge of the woods. It looked at me and I wondered if a cat could think that the trees and bushes provided a good hiding place. But a white cat in the middle of the browns and greens of fall vegetation is easy to see. I stopped and watched it to see if the cat appeared to be hungry or needy. But It looked plump and well cared for. In a few minutes, the cat stood and moved toward the fence line, disappearing in the brush
In just those few minutes, I made so many assumptions about this animal – all based on its location, appearance and actions. My mind didn’t lose any time in developing a profile using only a very facts and a whole set of assumptions.
We do that with people we just meet and with those we have known for years.
I offered the cat neither food nor shelter based on my assumptions. I too often assume that someone can afford a meal at a restaurant or that the clothes they wear mean something about the job they have (or don’t have).
I figured the cat already had a home and “people” because it barely even noticed me. And, I assume that people already know of God’s love and that there are good people in their life when it may be that they are very much alone.
The cat left; I must have done something wrong. When, indeed, the cat’s response had absolutely nothing to do with me. “Yes, Jill” (I often tell myself), “their actions or words may have nothing to do with who or what you are.”
You would think that I should know better and you would be right!
Last night I received a call that a friend of over 40 years is in her last days. I wasn’t surprised; she is an older lady who has been very sick. She moved away several years ago to be close to family and we haven’t seen each other since she moved. She is a follower of Jesus and I have no doubt that we will meet again in Heaven one day. But today’s news is sad. I sent out an email to our church asking for prayer for her and her family.
I know of a dear friend of this woman. This friend is also older and she lives alone. She doesn’t communicate by email or text; I knew that I needed to call her to let her know about the situation.
I have known both women and I was pretty sure of how my phone call to share this very hard news would go. But my friend’s response was nothing like I expected. She was very sad at the news, but for her the situation put into context the weariness she had been noticing during recent conversations and it explained why phone calls made this past week had not been answered or returned,
Again, my assumptions were wrong
To be honest, I get it wrong a good part of the time. I’m trying to do better. I work at reining in my habit of guessing. And I am getting better at waiting for a response rather than trying to predict it.
This Christmas season is going to show us all that our assumptions are often wrong.
The “perfect gift” that we took so long to find will be put aside too quickly.
The face that we see as stern and judgmental will have shining eyes, filled with tears.
The delicious desserts WILL have calories and the scales WILL refuse to fulfill our wish.
So, let’s start now preparing ourselves. We should strive to cast our assumptions to the side and treat reactions as gifts. We can relax, not caring about the “why” and learning to appreciate the “now.”
It’s true – we may never know why the cat was in the backyard.
Love,
Jill (just one of God’s kids)
Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:34)
Ok, I promise to explain the title before we are done!
In May of this year, I participated in the “Consultation.” When I received the email invitation, I had no clue what this event was but it intrigued me and it was being held in conjunction with another event I had agreed to attend. I accepted the invitation and found myself making plans to travel to the YMCA Camp in Estes Park, Colorado.
The calendar was pretty free, so I added a trip to see Mom after the Colorado events and that required me to get a rental car rather than take a shuttle bus.
The arrival was fascinating. I left the Denver airport, drove quite awhile on the interstate, then drove on a smaller road and eventually found myself on a winding narrow road, heading up the mountains. I’m sure the view was lovely, but my grip on the steering wheel was tight; I was totally focused on the road and the traffic ahead and behind me.
The meetings went well. I even learned what the “Consultation” was. And the YMCA camp was in such a beautiful setting. We were nestled among the mountains, near beautiful trees and the sun was perfect each day. Nature was all around us. I saw deer on the property. My devotional life that week was filled with praises of our God, the most Creative Creator!
Eventually it was time for me to prepare to make my way back to the Denver Airport. Unfortunately, the flight to Kansas City was fairly early. I was concerned about how long it would take me to a drive to the airport, gas up and turn in the rental car, check in with the airline and get through TSA. I was apprehensive about driving down the mountain in the dark but I decided it was necessary to get up very early and to do the best I could.
Sometimes I struggle with sleep and the night before my departure was rough. I did what I do often, I start playing a video or TV show on my phone, set the timer, put in my earbud and try to fall asleep to the sound of voices. That particular night, I was listening to a History Channel show called “Alone.” This show follows survival experts as they make camp and live very far north in arctic-like weather.
As sleep eluded me, I heard from those featured on “Alone.” One expert was talking about Arctic animals which could be very dangerous to humans. He mentioned bears and wolverines and how most of the wilderness threats are from meat-eating animals. But then he said in reply to a question, “A moose? A moose will just kill you.”
Eventually I got a couple of hours of sleep. I did my final packing and then checked my room. It was 4:00am and I worked quietly so as to not disturb those in rooms around me. To get to my rental car, I needed to leave my room, go down a short hallway, take an elevator up one floor and exit to the parking lot. When I was ready to exit my room, I did what I always do, I opened the curtains so that cleaning crew would come into a bright room.
I flung open the curtain and in the dark I saw a massive animal on the small piece of ground between my window and the paved lot where my rental car was parked.
I looked again and then the animal turned his massive head toward me and stared at me as I stared at him. It was a MOOSE!!
Immediately, my mind raced back to the words of the expert: “A moose? A moose will just kill you.”
I turned off the lights in my room and looked again. He was still staring at me. A moose! A moose was between me and my car!! And a moose, well “a moose will just kill you!!”
I blinked before he did and quickly left my room. As I exited the lobby, I couldn’t see the moose. Was he lurking behind the bushes, waiting to attack? I started giggling. Then I realized that I wasn’t sure which car was mine. (White rental cars all look alike!) I had to stop and allow the path lights to show me where the unlock button was on the key fob. My car lights came on and I quickly stowed my luggage and got into the car. Safe inside the car, I started laughing – loudly.
As I started down the very dark, narrow mountain road full of twists and turns, my mind kept returning to that moose.
I roared with laughter when I considered how, if the moose had killed me for sport, my pastor would have to stand in front of family and friends and preach a celebration of life message.
– What on earth would he say? Could even Pastor Jon keep a straight face? Dare he speak of how God’s path for us could include deadly mammals?
– Would people be whispering, “What do you think she did to that moose to make him attack her? Maybe she told him one too many story!”
– Or, they might say “Do you think the moose was attracted to the smell of Reese’s peanut butter cups that were probably in her purse?“
– I could imagine family members giggling (while mourning and being so very, very sad), “How bad do you think the moose looks? Bet he won’t be making that mistake again!!
The dreaded drive to the airport was completed quickly and safely all due to a silly comment made on a TV show and a moose that was probably so tame as to wander into a YMCA camp. I believe that God and I both had a good laugh about how quickly fear can turn into laughter.
You see, in case of a moose attack or any other deadly threat in this world, I know where I am going to live all of eternity. I have my reservation already booked in Heaven thanks to the love and sacrifice of my Jesus!!
Got something tough to do? Just remember, at least it won’t involve fighting off a moose at 4 am!!
Seriously, the only way to live in this world is to give your life, today and tomorrow, to Jesus. A simple prayer of “Jesus, I want You to forgive my sins, to take over my life, and to guide my steps from now on. I’m tired of living afraid of what might happen. I need you to be Lord in my life.” Ask Him with a sincere heart and He will forgive you of your sinful past and will love and guide you. The next step is to find Christian friends and teachers at a good church.
Jill (just one of God’s kids)
Need help? I know the way – I’ll help you. Just holler.
Love,
Jill (just one of God’s kids)
(Jesus said) Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. (Revelation 3:20)
We Gather Together 