Like Father, Like Son

            Yesterday my boy had his friend Joseph from church over to spend a day and a night at our home.  While they were doing some target shooting in the backyard with the bow and arrows Joseph overshot the target and the arrow was lost.  The boys looked everywhere for the arrow scanning with their eyes back and forth over the overgrown lawn.  They didn’t see it anywhere.

            That’s when my son remembered the happenings at the apple orchard explained in the Blog post entitled, “Does He Really Care? Really?”  He decided to pray and intended to repeat my simple prayer. “LORD, you know exactly where it is. Could You please help me find it.”  According to him he prayed, “LORD, you know exactly where it is. Could You please help me…” Huh? He stopped mid-sentence and as he looked down into the tall grass he noticed the arrow’s bright feathers just barely peeking through the blades at his feet.

            I for one believe it happened just as he said.  All you have to do is read the aforementioned post to understand why I believe it.  He was ecstatic as he shared his story and I was thrilled that he is learning to trust God for the simple things so early in life.

            I have no doubt that in his life. Jesus will be magnified, and he (my son) will be growing increasingly and powerfully humble.  “He must increase, and WE must decrease!”

My Dear Son

   

My Dear Son,

                        I have no greater wisdom to leave you than that which is written in this Holy Book.  Although you may never have had the chance to know me, know this…

Your father loves you and loves your mom and loves the LORD.  Study these pages to know the LORD and you shall know my heart for it has been my supreme desire to be like Him.  Know Him and you shall know Eternal Life, obey Him and you shall know peace and contentment; anticipate His coming and you shall know joy (I will meet you in the clouds – 1 Thess. 4:17); Follow Him and you will be a leader- leading others to saving intimate knowledge of Jesus Christ.  Do this and your reward in heaven shall be great- you will shine as bright as the stars in heaven with the reflection of God’s glory.

                                                                                    See you there,

                                                                                    Love, Dad

I don’t remember what prompted me to write this note to my son in the front page of my Bible some twelve years ago.  He was our only child at the time.  I probably had some aches and pains associated with an eating disorder that I had when I was a teenager; actually I think it was a nervous disorder that affected my eating but let’s not get technical.  Thank God that the “peace of God that passes all understanding” delivered me from that anxious mess.

My father’s father died at the very young age of twenty-seven; my dad was just a toddling around himself when it happened.  My grandfather was clubbed on the head in a bar brawl that caused the clot that killed him.  That’s another story altogether but I think that hearing about his untimely and unnecessary death made such an impression on me that it turned me into a hypochondriac.  To this day I can’t have unexplainable aches and pains without thinking that perhaps my time has come.

            Now it’s not that I don’t trust in the goodness of God; I do.  But I’m a realist and I recognize the sovereignty of God also.  It is my understanding that He, as God, can do with us, His creation, as He sees fit.  If that includes transporting me to an existence in a realm where pain, and sorrow, and separation shall be no more, than it is His prerogative to do so.  It’s His alone.

            As I said, I don’t remember what prompted me to write the note.  I think that I thought I was dying.  I used to foolishly pray things like “Let me just finish this project Lord, then You can….” Or “Let this and this happen first Lord, then You can take me….”  As though He needed my permission.  How silly of me to pray thus when I could have earlier learned the joy of casting all my cares on Him and praying for others.

            Later after our 1^st daughter was born I had to change the heading to address both of the kids.  Now, as I pulled my old worn Bible out of the dust (I have a new one now), as I pulled it out to copy what I wrote there to this Blog I realized that I now have to change it again to address all my dear children.  I enjoy each day that I have with them and don’t take a single one for granted.  I don’t take them for granted and I don’t take the days for granted.  I strive to be the type of dad who lives each day I have with them to the fullest.  Some days I do better at this than others, some days are woefully wasted but I strive for their sakes to do better.  As far as I know I am perfectly healthy and while I don’t really know how many days I have remaining, none of us do, I am thankful for today.

In all the things that I wrote to my children, I think I wanted to convey the very simple principle that “He must increase and WE must decrease.” By seeing to this, there is joy unspeakable and full of glory and there is peace that passes all understanding.

Enough to Drive Anyone Nuts!

While sitting in the break room at work one Thursday for my morning break I heard the voice of Priscilla our receptionist announce, “At eight o’clock there will be a test of the fire alarm system.  There is no need to evacuate the building.  Repeat.  At eight o’clock there will be a test of the fire alarm system.  It is only a test.”  Then I remembered that Dan my supervisor made a similar announcement not long before that; I had forgotten because the announcement was not calling for a response it was only a notice.

                When eight o’clock rolled around, almost to the second, the alarm system started its shrill deep piercing repetitive squawking.  But by then I had forgotten again that we had been put on notice and when the 1^st AAANTT!!! sounded it rattled me out of the book I was into and back out into the break room.  When I say rattled that’s kind of an understatement because what I mean by rattled is that it was so loud that I nearly jumped out of my chair.

AAANTT!!! -I tried to continue reading but it was no use, I couldn’t concentrate. 

AAANTT!!!-I placed my earplugs snug into the appropriate orifice and finished what was left of my lunch.

AAANTT!!!- It was nearly impossible to think.   AAANTT!!!- Each shrill cry penetrated deeply. It was enough to drive anyone nuts!

AAANTT!!!- I finished my break and proceeded out onto the work-floor to resume cleaning my machines.  We were down for preventative maintenance that day, as is usually the case for me on Thursdays.   AAANTT!!!- As I worked I fought the maddening repetitive intrusion and began to think through it.  AAANTT!!!- I told myself, sooner or later the noise will stop but by then I would be so used to it I probably wouldn’t even notice.  AAANTT!!!- I cleaned, and thought, and prayed, and worked, and thought.  I may even have sung a hymn or two as I worked.  I sometimes do that.  I like to sing when I’m wearing earplugs, I like to sing loud, it sounds good in your head.  I cleaned, and thought, and prayed, and worked, and thought.

                Then over the PA system I heard someone summonsed to the front office.  That’s when it occurred to me that the test had ended and, as I suspected would be the case, I didn’t even notice.  As I continued to work it occurred to me that our consciences are much like that fire alarm system.  The conscience was designed by God to act much the same way.  It’s LOUD.  It’s intrusive.  It doesn’t quit.  It’s effective.  At least it is effective from the onset as long as we don’t ignore it.

                If you are a believer in Jesus, the crucified and resurrected Savior, the One and Only Son of God, then it is likely that your conscience works overtime.  The Holy Spirit works tirelessly in our minds to keep us believers walking a straight and narrow line.  To help us to be able to live like Christ as we interact with others; to love like Christ.

                But often we don’t do either.  We don’t live like Him and we don’t love like Him.  It’s then that the Spirit reminds us; sometimes He screams in our consciences if the thing we are doing can have serious detrimental ramifications for us or for others.  Many times we ignore the conviction even though we know it’s from Him.  If we continue to do our thing we slowly get used to His protest and it’s as though we don’t hear Him anymore.  The scriptures say that some peoples consciences can even be seared, scorched as though with a hot iron.

                God will never leave His children to their own devices for long.  If we no longer have an ear to hear what the Spirit is saying He will intervene into our lives in some other more tangible ways.  Ways that get our attention and cause us to listen.  Ways that cause turmoil in our minds, our relationships, and our circumstances. This intervention by God the scripture says is actually evidence that we truly belong to Him.  He doesn't chasten the devils kids.

                We can all save ourselves a little unnecessary pain by going to the front office the first time we are summonsed by the Boss.  Going to that place in your mind and will where obedience comes easy.  Go there. Sit. Listen. Then do whatever His Spirit bids you to do.

                It’s important that we recognize who the Boss of our lives is, "He must increase and WE must decrease."  When the Spirit speaks to our conscience it is not a test, our God Is A Consuming Fire and He will consume away the dross in us so that we will come forth as pure gold.