I Want a Horse

When I was eight years old, I wanted a horse. Not a pony…a horse. And I wasn’t asking Santa Claus…I was asking my dad. Daily.

I did my homework. I looked in the newspaper and found ads for stable rentals. I figured up what it would cost annually to care for a horse (based on my own rough estimates). And then I found local listings for horses in a price range that seemed reasonable to me. Then I made my case.

I wanted a horse. And I saw no reason why we shouldn’t get one. It made perfect sense to me. An eight-year-old.

My dad responded with his typical loving patience. “We don’t need a horse.” “We’re not going to get a horse right now.” “We can’t really afford a horse, Lynn.” “Yes, I see that you’ve worked it all out, but we don’t need to get a horse. We need a new mower.”

Eventually I let it go.

And then I got a bike! It was SO much better than a horse! I zipped around the neighborhood every afternoon with my friend Clark and we had a blast racing with our banana-seats and out-there handlebars. My dad knew better after all.

“Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few.” (Ecclesiastes 5:2 NAS)

“Wow, Lynn, you’re brilliant! I’ll never worry about anything again! I’ll just know that God’s gonna give me a bike and everything’s gonna turn out great!”

Ummm…no.

I know it’s not that simple.  Life is still hard. And we are supposed to be honest and open before God with the concerns and passions of our hearts.

But remember…he’s in heaven and you’re not. He sees the bigger picture and you can’t. When bad things happen or you see the bad things around you, bring those things before God and then trust him. Believe that he sees these things in their context.

Remember that death is not defeat. In Christ, death is passage. We often pray that death will be postponed, but when God does not intervene, that death is not denial. It is loss for us…and often it is heartbreaking loss…but it is not a negative response to our requests. It is a fulfillment of God’s promise of life everlasting.

So when you pray…when you come before God in the quiet of your own home…and you feel stumped at just what to say about all of the things that are on your heart, just start with, “My Father, the one who sits in heaven and sees everything in its greater context, holy is your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…”

The rest will just fall into place. After all, he knows better.

A New Journey

I have begun a new journey and I invite you to join me!

It all started about three months ago when I had a very intense conversation with my brother and sister-in-law. I asked them what they thought would help me with my current health problems. You see, Brad and Cindee are incredibly healthy and know a great deal about health considering that Cindee is a nurse with a huge responsibility in a medical practice and Brad is a retired firefighter and an accomplished gardener. This is a way of life for the two of them.

They both knew that I have struggled with migraines, fibromyalgia, cholesterol problems, weight gain, fatigue, and more. In many ways, I have felt my life slip out of my hands over the last ten years. I spend three or four days a week completely shut down by pain and the rest of the time I have absolutely no energy to accomplish the many goals I have set for myself. I am able to continue my part-time editing responsibilities, but so many other challenges are waiting in the wings and have been on hold for years now as I wait for something to change for the better.

So I put it to the two people I respect most: What should I do? What will make the difference I need?

Diet. Change the food I eat and the drinks I drink. Specifically, the huge amounts of sweet tea I down every day.

Now, you have to understand, I make a fabulous sweet tea! The recipe has been passed down from my grandmother and, if you want the best sweet tea in the South, I’m your lady.

And as a true Southern gal, I loves my sweet tea! So to hear from my dear brother’s lips, “Stop drinking that sweet tea!” . . . well, it was just short of heresy. (And to be honest, at this point in the conversation, my brother and I were at such a volume of  . . . “discussion,” I think we were frightening my sister-in-law, who actually said at one point, “Brad, you’re being mean!”) So I told him I would do it. He doubted I could or would . . . he knows how much I love the stuff and how many times I’ve said I would go for a healthier lifestyle and fell short.

But he explained how much sugar was in the amount of sweet tea I was consuming every day and I began to see his point. It was disturbing. So I agreed to do it . . . half to attempt better health, half to prove that he was wrong. (It’s a big sister thing . . . if you have younger sibs you understand.)

And starting the next day—while I was still visiting in Orlando—I began drinking strictly water. Seriously. And besides my morning coffee, that’s all I’ve drunk ever since (besides a very occasional Diet Coke . . . just being honest here). And I have begun feeling better! I am not as sluggish in the mornings and have actually lost a couple of pounds. A great start!

Fast forward to last week. I was editing a book about diets for good health. (I can’t share the title yet, but I will once it’s on the market.) As I read, I was struck by the fact that all of the problems the writer was discussing related to me. My primary problem? Inflammation. That one issue is at the root of everything that complicates my life.

So how do you begin to fix inflammation? You remove the things that are inflaming your system. According to this doctor, there are three things in our diet that are typically responsible for inflammation:

Sugar

Dairy

Gluten

So when I finished editing the book, I decided, that’s it! For the next six months, I’m going to eat sugar-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free.

That was last Saturday (3 days ago).

I went to the grocery store and stocked up on fruit, vegetables, almonds, soy milk, coconut oil, gluten- and sugar-free cereal . . . foods that will help me build three meals a day plus snacks. I’ve also fixed a delicious salmon dish with rosemary and onion . . . yummm!

This was not about losing weight (although I’ve already lost two pounds). It was about getting my life back. Achieving my goals. Reclaiming my freedom to do what I want to do when I want to do it. And in the long term, it’s about drastically reducing the likelihood that I’ll wind up in ten years with diabetes, Alzheimer’s, cancer, or any number of other issues that would be coming down the pike quickly considering the number of meds that I’ve been taking.

Oh, that’s another thing. I talked to my doctor yesterday afternoon. He drew my blood to run some baseline tests. We’re going to check back in six months and see if I can get off some of the meds I’ve been taking for all of these problems. Wouldn’t that be great?

I will walk humbly all my years
    because of this anguish of my soul.
Lord, by such things people live;
    and my spirit finds life in them too.
You restored me to health
    and let me live. (Isaiah 38:15b-16)

So join me for the ride. Here we go!

What's Next?

According to John Lennon (or Allen Saunders, depending on whom you ask), “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”

I just spent some time visiting with my parents at their house. I’m blessed to still have them around and love stopping by to have chats with them when I’m out running errands. Dan and I are planning to move into a nearby condo in several months, so I was talking with them about the many, many times we’ve moved over the last fifty-plus years. As I was driving home I was thinking about my life, and I thought that I might paraphrase the Lennon/Saunders quote to say, “Life is what happens to you while you’re waiting for the next big milepost to come along.”

That’s how I grew up. We moved an amazing number of times in my childhood (the life of a preacher’s / missionary’s family), but that never really phased me. What I was always looking forward to was the next big milestone: starting primary school in Africa; entering junior high school back in Florida; graduating high school; graduating college; starting my career; getting my first apartment; getting married; having a child. And along the way, I lived for every other first or next step or next achievement. I was always looking ahead at what came next. I was never satisfied with where I was.

Not only have I wasted time looking down the road, but I’ve spent too much emotional energy defining myself by other people’s titles or definitions of me. For example, when my family was meeting someone new, my parents would always introduce me as their “oldest” daughter or child. That registered deeply with me, making me feel a huge responsibility for the rest of the kids in our family. Not a bad thing, but definitely a label that stuck. And through the years I accepted other labels--professional, personal, societal--that defined me, some positively, some negatively.

Likewise, whenever I meet people and they ask, “What do you do?” I have always felt defined by my current job title, whatever that might be. I left my full-time teaching position when my child was three and both of Dan’s children were living at home; I decided that being a full-time mom was the most important thing that I could be doing. But suddenly, answering that question with, “I’m a full-time mom,” began eliciting the most condescending responses from the people asking the question . . . “Good for you; I’m sure you find it rewarding.” “Well, aren’t they lucky to have you there all the time.” As if all I was doing was sitting in the living room, waiting for them to ring a bell to call me to bring their toast. Seriously.

I have a friend who is a full-time mother and homemaker. I was delighted when I heard someone ask her a few years ago, “So what do you do?” She beamed as she responded heartily, “Oh, honey, I do LOTS of things!” And she does! (Don’t we all!?!)

Here’s my point: Life is too short to be waiting for something else to happen or for someone else to approve you for you to find fulfillment in life right where you are.

It’s that simple. There is nothing worth waiting for—no certificate, degree, or title—before making a difference in this world. Every one of us is valuable right this minute, and right this minute is a good time to get started with whatever it is that you want to do.

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (John 15:7-8).

Symbols

Whenever Americans view photographs or video images of the New York skyline taken between 1973 and 2001, they cringe at the sight of the World Trade Center towers for they all know what happened there in September of 2001. The buildings themselves were not to blame for the events, but they were the site of one of the greatest tragedies in American history. The towers themselves have come to symbolize the heartbreak of terrorism invading our beloved homeland.

The cross is likewise a symbol of a history-changing event and prompts an emotional response for many people. It is the Christian symbol of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The cross itself was not to blame for the death of Christ, but it was there that he suffered and died for our sins and won the final victory over the bondage of sin in our lives. When a Christian views the cross, he or she is reminded of the event that forever changed the relationship between God and humanity and the triumph that Jesus won once and for all.

 

This Easter, as we once again celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the grave, may we remember that this conquest over sin was complete and for all time. It was not just a first step in a battle; it was the end of the war. Jesus emerged from the grave as Divine Conqueror. His triumph over sin was for all humanity, for the rest of history.

Years ago I read a book by Hannah Whitall Smith called The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life. The truth that this brilliant woman kept emphasizing is that Jesus saves me now and he completely saves me. I don’t have to wait for some eventual salvation from sin and its bonds in my life…he has saved me from the moment I ask for and receive his salvation. And that salvation is not some halfway or partial work in my life; he didn’t do all that he did on earth, on the cross, and through the gates of hell just for me to continue to slog through the muck of sin day after day. No! He came to deliver me from all of that bondage NOW!

Some of you still haven’t figured out what I’m talking about. Some of you are afraid to believe me. But some of you DO know what I’m talking about and have tears in your eyes because you know it’s true. This is not about judgment or telling you that you have to be a better person…this is about the grace of God reaching out to take your life and make it into something better that you couldn’t even dream about before.

I am praying that these words will remind you that Jesus went through everything we celebrate this week to do something amazing. The cross…that symbol of the crucifixion of Jesus…is not about death; it’s about LIFE.

I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;

    I will take hold of your hand.

I will keep you and will make you

    to be a covenant for the people

    and a light for the Gentiles,

to open eyes that are blind,

    to free captives from prison

    and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. (Isaiah 42:6-7)

Reverence

(I wrote this poem ten years ago for brothers Shaun and Brandon Lowenthal, both serving in our nation's military and sons of lifelong friends Frank and Sandy Lowenthal. This is in their honor.)

Out in the desert the brave soldier’s serving;

His life’s on the line every day.

He’s searching for landmines or guarding the post

Or keeping the enemy at bay.

Back home in white buildings are leaders discussing

The pros and the cons of the deal.

The goals in white buildings are in the abstract;

But out in the desert, they’re real.

The aim may be worthy, the plans may be right,

There may be good reasons for strife;

But leaders must ask if the cause for the war

Is as valued as this soldier’s life.

Politicians make choices and risk disapproval

When making their calls from the bench.

They’re praised or condemned for the way that they vote,

But the Hero is out in the trench.

 

Remember the Soldier when 

     judging the merits

Of waging the vigilant fight.

His is the life that should be 

     in the balance when

Weighing if this war was right.