Woe! It’s Wednesday: Perspective

I was reminded today of one of my favorite legends.

I’ve heard it told as an anecdote about the prophet Elijah, King Arthur’s Merlin, and an unnamed wise man. I’ll use Elijah because I want to.

Elijah and his aide were journeying through a kingdom. They stopped at a rich man’s home and asked for shelter for the night. The rich man sent them to his barn and tossed them some pig slop for dinner.

The next morning, Elijah thanked the rich man and paid for a local tradesman to repair his crumbling wall. 

That night they lodged with a poor couple who shared their home and food freely, including plenty of milk from their only cow.

The next morning, the cow died.

As Elijah and his assistant continued on their journey, the younger man became angry with God and demanded Elijah tell him why the rich man was allowed to treat them so poorly and have his fence mended while the generous poor couple had to lose their cow.

Elijah sighed. “What you don’t know is that there was a vast treasure buried in the rich man’s wall. I had it repaired so he wouldn’t find it and become more greedy and selfish. It had been decreed that the poor woman would die that night, but in appreciation for the hospitality, God took the cow instead.”

I love that there’s more going on here that we don’t know. That it all comes down to trust. Trust and obey. Hey, I hear a song coming on…

Oh. Anyway, I remind myself of this story when things happen that I can’t make sense of.

Sometimes I forget that God is in charge and I’m not Him. He has his reasons. He is sovereign. He knows what’s needed and what’s best. I trust Him.

I do.

Really.

Thanks, I needed to be reminded that I do.

Technorati Tags: Woe! It's Wednesday,worry,Elijah,God is sovereign

Woe! It’s Wednesday

We’re in the midst of a tough season. Literally and figuratively.

It’s November and still in the upper 70s to low 80s during the day. I don’t know what to wear.

One of our daughters is overwhelmed with stress. Things completely out of her hands keep throwing her hard balls. She’s ducking and catching but some of them are hitting her right in the head.

Stud muffin is counting down the days until his retirement. This will mean a change in lifestyle for us. He’ll be around even more than he is now. I’ve always made it a habit to stop what I’m doing and respond when he needs something, whether it’s pointing out the milk in the front of the refrigerator or holding the log while he runs a chain saw through it. That’s worked well for us. But when he’s here 24/7, I don’t think I do that and continue to do the things I need to do to write and run a home.

Our son-in-law is facing his second back surgery in a year and a half. Our daughter will be taking care of him as well as her toddler and second grader, while still working.

Good friends are experiencing health and family struggles and great loss.

The only constant right now is stress and change.

I’m trying to focus on the unchangeable.

God is in charge.

He knows what He’s doing.

And when I stress or worry I go back to those two things.

God is in charge and He knows what He’s doing.

Repeat after me:

God is in charge and He knows what He’s doing.

Technorati Tags: Woe it's Wednesday,Stress,Sovereign God

Book Talk Tuesday: Saint Ben

 

At the Mount Hermon Christian Writers’ Conference, I’ve heard an agent recommend this book. After this year’s conference, I requested it from the library.

It is wonderful.

Saint Ben by John Fischer is a sweet and simple story of two boys who become best friends in 1958 Pasadena, California. Both are sons of pastors at a local church. Ben’s father is the senior pastor, Jonathan’s is the music pastor.

The boys play together, building towns for their small cars, and performing physics experiments. A series of pranks wakes up the church during the summer.

Ben is especially fascinated with the fate of the newly introduced Edsel automobile.

On the surface, Saint Ben is just a pleasant snapshot of another time and place.

It’s so much more.

Ben is not the typical pastor’s son. He questions not just God’s love and mercy, but His very existence. He never settles for the easy platitudes that are often spouted to children as a panacea for their very real concerns and questions.

The ending is powerful. I sobbed. I know, not a surprise to anyone who knows me, but this book will change you. If it doesn’t, you’re already dead and are walking around to save funeral costs.

John Fischer grew up in Pasadena. We lived in Pasadena for several years and he got the city exactly right. Although I didn’t live there in 1958-59, many of the details haven’t changed. Especially how the city welcomes the new year with the annual Tournament of Roses Parade.

When we lived there, we attended the same church as Fischer’s parents. I believe he grew up in that church. I could see bits of his parents in his characters in Saint Ben. I think my familiarity with these elements certainly added to my enjoyment of the book, but they aren’t prerequisites.

Read this book. I love it and I’m sure you will too.