Resolutions

 

              According to a brief internet search, the most popular New Years Resolutions are as follows:

1.      Save more money

2.      Eat healthier

3.      Exercise more

4.      Lose weight

5.      To spend more time with friends and family

How number five isn’t number one is a mystery to me. That seems like the most important one. But apparently, that view isn’t shared by most Americans. I personally have a love hate relationship with New Years Resolutions. Sure, it is good to make a list of things you want to improve on. But sticking to the list is a whole different story. And why make the list if it goes out the window within the first week.

Several years ago I did make a Resolution. It was a very small one. It was, however, uncovered after a few weeks by my very own mother. We were talking about Resolutions one day in the kitchen and the conversation in part was this:

Son: “I actually made a Resolution this year.”

              Mother: “Was it to make your bed every day?”

              Son: “Why, yes it was, but I didn’t think anyone would notice.”

              Obviously the main take away from this conversation was that I had been so delinquent in making my bed that just a brief spell was enough to catch the attention of the mother. As time wore on the resolution wore off no doubt to the disappointment of said mother. I think though, that particular resolution made it past January 17, which is Ditch New Years Resolution Day. 

    So maybe they are worth it. At least until the 17th. 

             

Easy

     Seems like everywhere you look, some old person is shaking their head and saying with that sage tone, “you don’t know how easy you have it.” But I yell inwardly, I don’t have it so easy. Nothing is easy. It seems like every aspect of life can be plagued with difficulty.  Decisions, problems, trouble, is at every turn. Far from easy right? Ah yes, far from easy indeed, as I type this in my own bedroom comfortable after a great supper, a relaxed evening in a climate-controlled house. A vehicle sits in the garage and if I decide to go somewhere, I can leave in less than two minutes. I have a rough idea of what tomorrow will hold, for sure that the bare necessities will be more than supplied. I know that on Sunday I will be in church, safe, which is a luxury I rarely stop to think about. Easy? I am beginning to think that perhaps I do have it easy. Maybe I’ll break the mold and not wait till I am old and gray to shake my head, chuckle a little, and say, “you don’t know how easy we have it.” So where does difficult become easy? How easy does something have to be before it can be said, “now that is easy.” A family comes to mind. Actually, they were already on my mind probably because they just left my house a half hour ago. This family, especially the parents could teach me something about easy. In many ways they are a normal family. There is the mom, the dad, three girls, and two boys. I do not know the ages of any of them, but I would guess the oldest child to be maybe 12. Is that 6^th grade? I do not know. Anyways, age is irrelevant in this rambling monologue, so we will leave it to rest. They have lived in this part of the USA for six or seven months now and seem to be fitting in quite nicely. Easy, right? Well maybe, but let’s take a closer look. They moved here from out west. California I think although it may have been Nevada. The dad had a number of different jobs out there. He delivered appliances, worked for FedEx, and for about a year was in a luxury hotel in Las Vegas as a manager of sorts. Easy? I’m beginning to think less so. But let’s take a step further back. What about the time before California and the western United States? That takes us to a different country on a different continent. Belgium. Brussels, Belgium to be exact. That is where the dad lived most of his life pre-U.S. That is where he met his wife, and it is where a lot of their story begins. I don’t know how long they lived there. I don’t know a lot of details about them, although I hope to discover more as their story unfolds. He grew up Muslim, and long story short, converted to Christianity around twenty years old. As we know this is very serious in the Muslim religion. Long story short again, he and his wife were forced to flee. To stay would have meant death. Easy? Far from it. As far from it as one can get. For them, it was what they had to do. Leave home in Belgium and move to America to save their own lives. Bounce around the western United States trying to find a better life and good home for their children. Settling in our corner of the world and now so very thankful for a Christian church, new friends, and a good school for their children. 

    Would they say it’s been easy? I doubt it. Worth it? I think so. I hope I can have just a little piece of their courage, even though I will never face the challenges they have. It’s okay if it’s not easy, just make sure it is right.

Treasures

 

                      Treasures  

 

For centuries past and centuries to come,

many a man has tried,

To unearth for themselves great treasure,

And fill that yearning inside

 

Ships have been launched,                   

Great conquests been made,

To find stores of silver and gold.

And armies march to the beat of a drum

To fight for hidden treasures untold.

 

Stories and fables and boundless yore

Tell of secret beaches and trees

Where vast stores of wealth await you,

Under a cool island breeze.

 

Or perhaps on the floor of the ocean,

In a shipwreck from long ago,

There will be diamonds and jewels rare

In a bright and resplendent show.

 

But where, Oh man, is your treasure today?

Have you found it, or do you still look,

For money and fame, and worldly applause

If for this, you are sadly mistook.

 

A thankful mind, a contented eye,                

A heart that is saved by grace.

This is where real treasure is found,

In the things you can never replace.

 

For where your treasure is there will your heart be also. Matthew 6:21

It's Here. Then it's Gone

 

It’s here. Then it’s gone.

And before we can blink,

The world has moved on,

Faster than we can think.

 

Is this the real thing?

Or in this wild blur

Is the world just a dream.

How can I be sure?

 

Life begins after death

Is what we have heard.

So what is this now,

Flying by like a bird.

 

Is it life or a dream?

This illusion of time.

Is reality now? Or in

A realm more sublime.

 

Why The Shepherds

Why the Shepherds?

    It’s Christmas time again. The story, the gifts, the family get-togethers, another Christmas. Sometimes it seems all the going and doing gets a little humdrum and even tedious. But I’ve always done it and I’m sure I always will. How is it that the story of Christmas can become so mundane? We’ve all known it as long as we can remember, and it gets told every year but why does it seem that this great story can get almost stale? As I was mulling over these and various other thoughts a few days ago, a question began to flash across the dashboard of my mind. “Why the shepherds?” Now I know that the shepherds are as well known of a part as any other character in the Christmas story. But why them? The Story could have been complete and the ending unaltered even if they had not been involved. I imagine these were the lower-class uneducated men. And how did they not lose their sanity when the angel appeared? Man has been looking at the stars nearly as long as time has existed so for these men to see an angel flying at them must have been a little disconcerting. Not to mention that the angels could have been sent to any number of destinations. They could just as easily have walked the main street of Bethlehem and caroled to a lot more people. So why the shepherds? I can’t say that I know. I probably will never know for sure. But one thing I do know. The shepherds provide a good example for me today. First off, they were dedicated. I imagine that tending sheep probably wasn’t a very glamorous job, even in those days. But those men or boys were out there, at night none the less, doing what they knew had to be done. They probably weren’t getting wealthy off of it, but it made a living and that was enough. Second, they were brave. Brave enough to fight off the predators that no doubt threatened their sheep’s lives. Brave enough to not flee when a shining person dropped in front of them with a wild story of new life. And perhaps most importantly, they were ready to go. They realized in a moment that what the angel had told them was far more important than the sheep they were watching. They were ready to run into town, to find the baby, and worship Him. And after they found the King, they were ready to spread the news through the town. They didn’t pause at the fact that many people might view them as low class. It didn’t matter that it was the middle of the night. They had to spread the news, and they weren’t going to wait.

      So why the shepherds? Common people doing common things. Just like us. Maybe that’s all the reason we need.