Maps at Christmas

“What are you doing, Vince?”  I asked.  Vince seemed to be drawing a map, which wasn’t unusual, but above it, he had written something that looked suspiciously like a letter.

“I’m writing a letter to the Virginia Department of Transportation,” Vince told me.

“Really?”  I asked him.  “How do you know their address?”

“It’s right here,” he said, indicating the back of a map of Virginia lying on the table beside him. 

“They put the address for people to send suggestions to them.  I’m writing them a letter suggesting that they send me a map of Campbell County.

“I guess that makes sense,” I said, hoping that Vince’s hopes weren’t dashed when he didn’t get an answer from the folks at VDOT.

In the following days, Vince waited anxiously for the mail, hoping for an answer to his suggestion.  Each day, his hopes went down just a little bit more until one day, about ten days after he sent his letter off to Richmond, a fat envelope arrived.

“Dear Vincent Waldron (not John or Elaine),” the accompanying letter read.  “Thank you for the lovely letter and the drawing.  I have included some maps and goodies that can help you learn more and more about Virginia!”

There in the envelope were a couple of maps of Campbell County, but there were other maps of Virginia, a multi color highlighter, and some antiseptic hand spray.  Vince was thrilled beyond words.

I was thrilled too.  I don’t know what nice woman opened Vince’s letter and sensed a boy with an interest in maps, but she couldn’t have known how pleased she would make him through those maps and odds and ends.  It truly made his day.

Christmas time is a time when we give things to other people.  We plan out in advance the stuff we are going to give and when all else fails, we fall back on the tried and true gift cards.

But many times, the things that make the biggest difference are the little thoughtful things we do for others -- a kind word, or a complement.  It only takes a little thought and effort and it lifts someone else's spirits, like maps in the mail to a ten year old budding cartographer.

Snow and Children

"I hope we get a bunch of snow!"  Anna said.

"I think there's only supposed to be three to six inches," I said, knowing that the way meteorology works that that could mean anything from a dusting of snow to a foot of the icy crystals.

A couple of days later, the snow began to fall.  It came down in thick showers with only occasional breaks.  All Sunday it came down and by the time it stopped, there was a full 14 inches on the ground.

Throughout the day, I worked to keep our driveway clear.  Three different times I went out to start my riding mower and push piles of the cold white stuff to the edges of our drive.

I like snow, but it seems as though fourteen inches is a bit much.

The next day our children went out sledding.  All of them from Victoria to Anna had an awesome time as they careened down our little sledding hill.

I know from experience that adults and children have very different reaction to snow.  For children it means snowmen (and women), sledding, and time off of school.  For adults it means anxiety filled drives, back breaking shoveling, and just generally feeling cold.

I suppose that both are right, it is just a matter of perspective.

Reading the Bible I find that Jesus said that we need to become as little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven.  I know that this means different things to different people.  It can mean growing in simple faith and honesty.  It can mean forgiving as children do and not holding grudges.  I think one of the things that stands out to me is having a childlike ability to see the beauty in the world around us.

I'm afraid that we adults tend to focus too much on inconvenience and messed up schedule and as a results can not see the loveliness of God's creation.  We need to stop, forget about our next appointment for just a moment and soak in the wonder of the sparkling snow.

There is beauty every day.  Even on days when the only thing we can do is try to build a snowman.

The Meaning of Thanksgiving

"Where did you get your cold?"  The lady asked me.

"Who knows?  I get exposed to all sorts of germs every day," I said.

"I'm sure that's true," she said.  "With your profession I'm sure you see all people with all kinds of 'flu bugs.'"

"That may be true," I said.  "But I think I catch far more illnesses from my children than from my patients.  I can do things at work that protect me, but my children have a way of fighting through any precautions I might put into place."

Before I had children, I imagined there would be many things that I would experience when my wife and I had children.  I don't know that I ever thought it would mean that I would get to enjoy the thrills of every upper respiratory infection that passes through our little community.

What does not kill me certainly will boost the stock price of Hall's cough drops...

We have reached the time of year when we not only get flu bugs, but we have to be grateful.  Among other things, I am thankful for the minions that spread those flu bugs within our household.

I say this in a joking way, but everything good thing in our lives also has a "downside."  The difference between a grateful spirit and a pessimistic, discouraged attitude has to do with focus.

All too often, my focus is on the dark clouds and not the highlights of silver that surround them -- even when there is far more brilliance than darkness.

I am thankful for my children, even when they share their coughs and snotty noses with me.  My life is richer because of them and realizing that is the beginning of the most important part of Thanksgiving, a grateful heart.

Swift to Hear

"How's your neck doing?"  I asked the older African American gentleman.  We were standing in the Food Lion parking lot.

"My neck is fine,"  he told me.  "But my left arm is still numb and tingly."

Fortunately, I suppose, this was not a patient of mine.  I knew him from where he had come in with a family member to the office and he told me about his arm.  I had wisely suggested that he seek medical attention from his doctor.

"I know," I said.  "But often that comes from a pinched nerve in your neck.  Have you seen your doctor yet?"

Ben nodded gloomily.  "I tell you," he said.  "She don't listen to much of what I say.  I no sooner start to tell her what is going on then she's got something to say and I have to stop talking."

"That's not good," I said.

"No,"  Ben said.  "I'm sure she's really smart, but how can she figure out what will help me when she don't hear the symptoms I'm having and what I've done to try to fix them?"

It was a good question.  Clearly it is hard to make informed decisions when you don't have all the facts.  There is something more.  People will never believe that you really care if you don't take the time to listen to them.

Doctors are the same as other people.  We are a lot better at talking than listening.  At the same time it is a profession that depends on us actually hearing what our patients are telling us.

The book of James says "...let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger."  Truth to tell, I have focused more on the anger part of this verse.  That's good.  People shouldn't have to worry about whether they will say the wrong thing and I will blow my top, but it is just as important that I seal my lips and listen, both to my patients and to others in my life.

Only then will I hear what others are saying.

Only then will they know that I care.

The Leading Physicians of the World!!!

"Dr. Waldron," the letter read.  "You have been picked as one of the top physicians in Brookneal, Virginia!"  The letter went on to explain to me about a book that my name would be featured in.  It wouldn't cost me anything and all sorts of people would get a copy of the book and discover how I ranked highly among my peers.  It all sounded pretty amazing.  All I had to do was go to a website and verify some biographical information.

I had to laugh.  There are only two physicians in Brookneal and for me to be picked as only one of the top doctors is not particularly a great honor.  Beyond which, it all seemed like a scam designed to get some money out of me in some way or other.

At the same time, I have to be honest and say that I did read the letter very carefully.  I've known for a long time how amazing I am, but it was a bit gratifying to have someone else realize it as well.

Advertisers and scammers know how to use our pride against us.  They see how we want to be recognized and figure out how to use that to get us to get their products.

If other humans can use our pride, Satan is ever so much better at using this weakness against us.  He sees our desires to be smarter or more beautiful or more famous and he promises that he can give us all that and more, if we will just follow his path.

There is only one problem.  Satan's path doesn't lead where he says it will.  More than that, pride will only get us into trouble.  "Pride goes before a fall..." the writer of Proverbs wrote thousands of years ago.  Nothing has change in the 21st century

It is only when I gain a humble spirit that I can move from being one of the Leading Physicians of the World to being a simple family doctor and actually help my patients.  It isn't about who gets a copy of a book with my photo in it or whether I win some award, it is about whether I take the time to listen to the 80 year old lady sitting across from me and cut her toenails for her.

Even if no one every finds out who I am, I can care for people in need.

Concern for Others

The older lady looked over at me as I bent over my computer, trying to get her prescriptions in order to send to the pharmacy.  "How's your Mom?"  She asked me, conversationally.

"Oh, ahm, I think she's doing pretty well," I said, knowing that the lady didn't know my mother at all.

"Well, tell her to have a Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas from me," she said.  "And while you're at it, let her know to have a Happy Halloween too."

"Sure," I said, trying to picture my mother walking around her neighborhood dressed up as something unusual.  I just couldn't do it.

"Remind her to be sure to get all of her candy checked out before she eats any of it too," she said, imparting one last piece of pithy advice.

"I'll try to remember to let her know," I said, finally hitting send on the prescriptions.

I have many little conversations every day, some with my patients, some with my children, and some with random people I have contact with.  I don't remember most of them, but this one stood out to me.

Part of it was that it amused me quite a bit, but it was more than that.  Here was a woman who was concerned about my mother -- not because she knew her, but because she was my mother.  The concern expressed was real and not put on.

I find that it is easy to think of people we are related to and those who are our friends.  When they are in trouble, we remember them in prayer and we reach out to them when they are in need.  It is awfully easy to forget people who are just as needy, but who we don't know well or haven't seen for awhile.

There is something gained when we broaden our circles and reach out to pray for and care for people we aren't closely connected with.  The people we pray for will be blessed, but so will we, one caring pray at a time.

Avoiding Illness

"Elliot, why don't you sit over there on the couch?"  I asked him, as I watched him try to squeeze into a chair next to his three year old sister, who wasn't having any part of sharing her seat.

"I can't sit there!"  He said.

I looked at the couch.  It was completely empty of occupants and I could see no pythons, wolverines, or other terrifying creatures lying in wait for unsuspecting sofa sitters.  "I think you probably can," I told him.

"No!"  He said.  "Vince was sitting there before supper and I don't want to catch what he has."

Vince has been sick, running a fever and just not feeling like himself.  Elliot, knowing that febrile illnesses are caused by germs, was trying to avoid them as much as possible, while still living in the same house as the diseased individual.  I could just imagine coming home from work the next day to find him making a pile of Vince's things to burn them, like they did with the toys at the end of the Velveteen Rabbit.

"I think," I said, in what I hoped was a rational sounding voice.  "If you want to avoid germs, probably the best way is to start washing your hands more regularly.  That seems to work pretty well to stop the spread of contagious illnesses.  How many times did you wash your hands today, Elliot?"

He was silent for a bit.  "I think once,"  he said, pretty honestly.  "After I fed the dog and cat, I know I washed them.  But washing hands is different.  It would take terribly much time to wash them all of the time.  I'd rather just stay away from germs."

Elliot clearly has some concept of the germ theory of disease.  He also has a fear of getting sick.  The problem is that the things he does to ward off illness -- things like not sitting in a seat his brother occupied a couple of hours before -- aren't nearly as helpful as just washing his hands.

There is no doubt that it is easier to prevent illness than to treat it after it happens.  At the same time, I see people all of the time who choose to not take care of their chronic illnesses, not get routine screening tests, and who avoid vaccinations who show up at my office asking me to help them with something that is far worse than it needed to be.

Of course I will do whatever I can to help them.  Although, I will often gently mention to someone running a 102 fever, "Maybe you should get a flu vaccine next year."

Far more important, Jesus has set out for us a pattern to live by.  Purity in thought and action, love in word and deed, and a focus on Him are all things that we are called to do and when we follow this path, we avoid all kinds of evil.  Our relationships with others are simply better when we choose to follow this simple path.

It isn't an easy road, but it is the most successful at warding off evil and bringing real joy into our lives and that's far more important than avoiding your brother's virus.

A Trip to New Orleans

"So, how was your vacation?"  My patient asked me.  "You don't look very tan.  Did Hurricane Michael keep you off the beach?"

I laughed a little.  "I was in New Orleans for a medical conference,"  I told the older lady.  "Hurricane Michael was fortunately pretty far east of us.  I guess it's hard to get tan from fluorescent lights and I was inside learning a chunk of the time I was there."

"Oh," she said, a little disappointed.  "I thought maybe you went somewhere interesting."

"New Orleans is pretty interesting," I said.  "But it was more about me learning things I didn't know before.  Don't I look smarter than the last time you saw me?"

"Not really," she said.  "But I'm glad if you learned a lot."

I generally go to some medical conference every year.  It isn't to meet people, to get a tan, or even to see the sights in different places, it is to sit through somewhat boring lectures and learn a few things that I can put into practice to help my patients.

Maybe I could get by without continuing medical education, but I know that over time, my patients would suffer.  I want to be the best doctor I can be for the sake of the people I serve.

In any arena of life we have the option of coasting by or of putting forth maximum effort.  Some things probably aren't very important -- it probably doesn't matter if you develop ultimate skill in buttering bread or brushing your teeth, but in most things it is better to do our best.

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might..." the writer of Ecclesiastes wrote many years ago.

He was right.  We will have so much more satisfaction and those around us will gain as well, if we do all things, as if we were working for the Lord.

Even if maybe our tans aren't the best.

A Googloplex

"Vince," Elliot said importantly.  "Do you know what 'de-zillion' is?"

"That's not a word,"  Vince said, a bit shortly, I thought.

"Yes, it is,"  Elliot said.  "It means ten years, doesn't it Dad?"

"I think you actually mean the word 'de-cade,'" I said.

"Oh,"  Elliot said and then paused a moment.  "I was really close to what it actually was."

I often find it interesting how my children use number to describe things.  A few months ago, when Elaine was experiencing severe back pain, Elliot was praying for her in our family worship.  "Please God," he said.  "Please help Mom feel a googolplex times better."

Apparently this is the biggest number that he knows and in the context of his prayer, it was a very kind thing to say.  Even though Elliot has no idea what a googolplex actually is, his Heavenly Father heard and knew exactly what he meant.

I have always thought that it is wonderful that God can understand what we mean, regardless of the words we use to say it.  He isn't impressed with our vocabulary or our grammar.  He doesn't struggle when we use words that aren't quite right for the situation.

Paul in Romans chapter 8 said "We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with wordless groans.  And He who searches our heart knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God."

It is such a blessing that God hears our hearts cries and answers them, even when our words are stilted and broken. 

He reaches down and gives peace, healing, and leading through the darkest days.

Even to make a little boy's mother a googolplex times better.

Return to Elliotland

"Dad," Elliot told me the other evening.  "When I'm a little older I want to write a story that's a little like the Lord of the Rings."

I suppose that's not surprising since I've been reading that lengthy story for some time to my children.  "What will it be about?"  I asked.

"Well, it will take place in a magical place called 'Elliotland' and it will have a Dark Lord called Ara-corn and his father's name will be Ara-lorn and there will be a wizard named Ara-zorn."

"All their names rhyme?"  I asked curiously.  It could get to be a difficult to follow the characters if all their names were like this.

"Of course,"  Elliot said.  "In stories like this, all of the people who are related to each other have names that rhyme.  And the road to the Dark Lord's Tower will be guarded by an octopus with a thousand arms called Kay-lob."

"That sounds dangerous," I said.  "But I don't think an octopus can have a thousand arms.  Octo means eight.  What you're talking about would be a mili-pus."

"Yes, and there will be a Jabberwocky there as well and probably slithy toves -- but they aren't important."

"Sounds like you have it all figured out," I told my son.

"I forgot to tell you that there will be ring wraiths.  Only there will be ten of them in my story, not just nine like in the Lord of the Rings!"

"Wow," I said.  "That'll be a big seller. 'Ten percent more ring wraiths.'  Who could resist such an offer?"

Elliot is only seven, but he has figured out that it is a lot easier to borrow from stories that you like than to generate new ideas.  I suppose it isn't too hard to take an existing plot and pump up the volume on it a bit and change a few names and have an exciting story.

If you liked Lord of the Rings, you'll love Return to Elliotland!

Most books have flaws, which I suppose means that they can be improved on.  I happen to like the Lord of the Rings, but I'm sure there are plenty of things that Tolkien could have written differently and perhaps the book would have been better.

The one book that doesn't have this issue is the Bible.  As I read it and apply it to my life, there are blessings that I experience that I couldn't in any other way.  I hear my heavenly Father speaking to me and it encourages me and lifts me and drives me to be more like Him.

It doesn't need ten percent more of anything.  If we can only listen to its words and live them, we too can have life.

The Other Golden Rule

Elliot and Vince were playing chess.  Or rather, they had been playing chess.  Neither one will ever be confused with Bobby Fischer and Vince was getting tired of it, although Elliot still wanted to go another round.

"Vince won't play with me,"  Elliot said accusingly.

"But I did play with you," Vince said.  "I played two games, but I don't want to play chess any more right now."

"Maybe Elliot, it's time to play something else," I suggested.

"But Vince needs to play with me!"  Elliot said emphatically.  "That's what I want him to do."

"Elliot," I asked."  Do you know what the Golden Rule says?"

"Of course," he answered promptly.  "It says others should do to you what they would want you to do to them."

"Sort of,"  I said.  "It says to do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

"That's what I said," Elliot replied.

"Well, you seemed to be applying it to Vince and not to yourself.  Maybe you could play something with Vince now that he wants to do."

My children have a tough time putting the Golden Rule into practice, but truth to tell, I'm not always so good at it myself.  It is just not always easy to think of what will make other people happy and much easier to focus on what I know will please me.

Humans are inherently selfish.  We think about what we want and what we need before the thought even crosses our minds that there others out there who have needs too.

This is a change that Jesus works in our hearts when we become His child.  To see the needs of others and to truly try to meet them is our goal.

To do unto others as we would have them do to us.

Food or Snacks?

"Come on, Victoria," I said encouragingly.  "It's time to eat supper."

I looked over at the table where I could see sweet corn and spaghetti resting in bowls.  Nearby, in its own separate bowl were some green beans.

(I think 50 percent of our garden's output this year was green beans and okra, but I digress)...

"Don't you want to eat some tasty food?"  I asked coaxingly.

"No!"  One thing about three year old children is that they are very black and white.  Victoria's statements are always very definitive and often punctuated by ear rending shrieks.  One appeared at this exact moment.  "I don't like food!  I like snacks!"

Eventually, after some encouragement, Victoria joined the rest of the Waldron clan at the table.  After prayer, we began to eat -- real food.

Victoria is quite honest.  While I suppose there is some argument about whether snacks are really food, there is no doubt that Victoria likes things in the snack category very well.  Unfortunately, when you research the "Healthy Plate" (which has apparently taken the place of the food pyramid) you don't find snacks mentioned.  There are Vegetables, Fruits, Healthy Protein and Whole Grains.  To the side sits a cup of water, but no snacks are to be found anywhere.

Three year olds everywhere are shocked.

The thing about snacks is that they aren't really intended to be main courses of meals.  Even if you bite the edges off of an oatmeal cream pie, it still isn't a square meal, not by any stretch of the imagination.

It feels to me as though many people want to experience spiritual things in terms of snacks.  Reading the Bible is too hard and so people get some books by Christian authors or just books about "spirituality" and read those instead.  They find going to church is too difficult and so they try to meditate a bit and pray for a couple of minutes on their way to work.

Any relationship takes effort and having one with God the Father is no different.  We need to speak with Him frequently and not just when Florence is coming to visit.

When the storm comes we find that we are weak and unable to stand in the hurricane.  This is simply because a life lived based on snacks is a life bound for weakness and vitamin deficiency.

It is only through a real connection with God that we can survive the hard things that await us in the future.

Let us eat real meals, not just snacks.

Called to Serve

"Do you want to be a wedding photographer when you grow up?"  Elliot asked Anna.

Anna has started helping my wife take photos at weddings and seems to enjoy it greatly.  That said, she is only eleven and Elliot is seven, so their view of future endeavors could be a bit hazy.

Anna paused, considering her future.  "No," she said.  "I don't think I want to be a wedding photographer when I grow up."

"What do you want to do when you grow up?"  Vince asked, with his mouthful of tater tot casserole.

"Vince, it is hard for me to understand you when you talk with your mouth full of food,"  Anna said, then answered the question.  "I think that when I grow up I would like to work helping homeless people in Mexico."

The children were all silent at this bit of news.  "Don't you like taking pictures at weddings?"  Elliot asked.

"I do like taking pictures at weddings,"  Anna said.  "But there are lots of people who take pictures at weddings.  There aren't a lot of people who want to help homeless people, who have no money and aren't very clean, in Mexico.  And I'm good at cleaning things up and working hard.  I think I could help more people that way."

I don't know what Anna's future holds.  She has a lot of time to change her mind, but I was blessed by the simple wisdom in the reasons she gave her brothers for wanting to serve.

Most of us want to do something glamorous and work with interesting people.  Unfortunately, there aren't quite enough of those jobs to go around.

I think of the passage in the Bible where Jesus told a story about judgment.  At the end of it, the king says "Truly, I tell you, as you have done it unto the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."

We are called to serve -- not the high and the wealthy, but the poor, the people without.  As we look for the needs around us and attempt to meet them, we are doing something more, we are serving our Master.

The world has a lot of glamorous people doing interesting things, it probably doesn't need more of them.  What it really needs is Christians who are willing to serve people in need.

Changing Computer Systems

"So are you excited about the change?"  The older man asked me.

"Well, not exactly," I said.

"Is it going to be better than what you have now?"  He asked quizzically.

"That's what they keep telling me,"  I replied.  "It's just that I'm used to the computer system that we have now and even if it isn't perfect, I guess I'm just comfortable with its faults."

I've never been a big fan of change.  I usually have toast for breakfast with peach jelly, unless I decide to change things up with blackberry jelly instead.  For seven years during my Medical School and Residency I had Raisin Bran (always Post, never Kellogg's) every morning for breakfast.  Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic may not have stopped it from sinking, but it isn't likely to help my living room either.  I tend to keep the same routine and it doesn't bother me at all.

Those are relatively unimportant things, but there comes a time when we need change in order to achieve something better.

There is always some pain when we make the decision to move from where we are to improve something in our lives.

Change is necessary in many aspects of life, but it is seldom self-initiated.  Our goal must be to pro-actively decide on the areas we need to grow in occupationally or spiritually and then decide what we going to do to begin that growth.

Only then can we transition from stable mediocrity (but relative comfort) to the men and women God created us to be.  We may not like the change, but in the end we will survive and be better for it -- even the process of changing electronic health records.

Crows

The crows were shrieking from our peach tree.  I walked down into our backyard to investigate.  As I approached, a whole flock of the black birds rose from the tree.

I looked over the tree and found that there were still plenty of peaches on the tree.  Then, I noticed that the crows had not been idle.  There were multiple peaches that had gashes in them, just the size of a crow's beak.  Crows apparently don't eat a whole peach.  They just take a peck out of one and the move on to the next one.

It brought me back to earlier in the summer when I had planted a couple of rows of corn only to find the crows pulling them up by the roots and eating the grain of corn off of them.

In both situations I was angry -- angry at these birds.  My mind went to the last chapter of the book of Jonah.  There, Jonah is angry too, because a plant that had shaded him from the heat was destroyed by some insect pest.  God said to Jonah at the very of the book "You have been concerned about this plant, although you did not tend it or make it grow.  It sprang up overnight and died overnight.  And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh in which there are more than one hundred twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left hand -- and also many animals?"

I was different from Jonah, though.  He had concern for a plant that he didn't plant, merely because it was providing him shade.  I had worked hard in my garden and tending my peach tree and yet, maybe my anger at the animal pests in our garden wasn't so different from this Old Testament prophet's anger. 

My wife had some silver tape that I put up in the tree and that seemed to frighten the crows away.  In the end, we had a nice crop of peaches.  The message from the last chapter of Jonah still comes through to me.  Jonah valued something very trivial and saw the important things (the people of Nineveh) as worthless.  I don't know if he ever learned his lesson, but it is something very important for each of us to learn.

It is easy to be deluded into thinking that the things in our life are important.  Whether it is sweet corn and peaches or i phones and new cars, it is easy to focus on trivial things rather than on the things God cares about most.

God cares about people way more than he cares about the "stuff" of the Universe.  He loves them.

We should too.

The Best Meal...?

"How are you this morning?"  I asked my patient.  It was 8:30 on a Thursday morning.

"Really hungry!"  She told me.  "You know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I missed it to come and see you."

"Oh," I said.  "I'm sorry.  What do you usually eat for breakfast?  A pop tart?"  Attempting a little humor seemed in order...

I should have known better.  The older woman I was speaking with was not amused.  "A pop tart isn't breakfast!"  She told me heatedly.  "That's wrong with young people these days.  They eat stuff like that instead of real food for breakfast!"

"What do you usually eat for breakfast?"

"Well, I usually start with sausage or bacon, then I have an egg, and I usually finish up with some grits."

I happened to have a resident physician working with me.  I looked over at him.  "Do you like grits?"  I asked him.

"No sir," he replied.  "I've tried them, but I can't get past their texture."

This launched another set of comments from my patient on the subject of how good grits were and how these days you could get a variety pack at Food Lion with three different flavors in them.

As my patient gave me an earful, I thought about breakfast.  It is often touted as the most important meal of the day, though to be honest, I don't know who has actually ranked them.  Mine often consists of toast and jelly and seems to be adequate to get me through to lunch time.

Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, but more of a priority for me is to spend some time with God before I start my day.  I suppose I pray for a number of things, but most of all, that I could be His servant that day, serving Him as I minister to my patient's needs..

By noon, my toast and jelly are long digested (as would grits be if I ate those), but the strength I get from my time with God is still there.  It is why, even though breakfast is so important, I could skip it in a pinch, but I can't skip my time with my Heavenly Father.

Corn Smut

"Dad," Vince told me, as we were husking corn from our garden.  "Do you wish that our corn had smut on it?"

"No, Vince," I said.  "I'm really glad we don't have corn smut in our garden."

For those who don't know, there is a fungus (Ustilago maydis) that can affect corn and turn the kernels large and black.  It certainly doesn't make sweet corn look appetizing.  I'm guessing it changes the taste considerably too.

"Did you know, Dad," Vince told me.  "Corn smut is actually more nutritious than the ears of corn it is found on?"

"Really?"  I asked.  Sometimes talking to Vince is like talking to a Wikipedia article.

"Yes," Vince said, warming to his subject.  "There are farmers in Mexico who get permission from the Mexican government to infect their corn plants with smut.  They call it 'Mexican Truffles.'  I guess it sounds better than corn smut on a restaurant menu."

"Wow, it sounds tasty,"  I said, a little sarcastically I'm afraid.   "Would you like to eat some Mexican Truffles?  We could try to find some."

"No!"  Vince said.  "I would not like to eat that at all."

The concept of corn smut is interesting, the application is a different story.

Over my years of being a physician, I have met many people who thought that the idea of lifestyle modification was interesting.  I have met few who were committed to the changes needed to really eat healthily and begin a consistent exercise plan.

It is always a challenge to move from the contemplation stage to the action phase.

Even more, we have a challenge of being Christians in more than just name.  I hear people say that this world would be a better place if people just did what Jesus said and that is true.  It is a great concept, but living as a follower of Jesus doesn't happen by accident.

At the same time, we must move from the concept of Christianity to a true relationship with Jesus Christ.  We can know everything about Christianity and without that relationship and the changes that it brings to our lives, it is worthless.  Just like knowing everything about corn smut isn't much good if you never eat it.

DuoLingo

"Dad, we're doing DuoLingo," Elliot told me.  "Anna started on it and she is learning Spanish, but I've started too."

"Really," I said.  "What language are you learning?"

"Chinese!"  Elliot told me proudly.

"Mandarin or Cantonese?"  I asked my seven year old son.

"What?"  He said.

"Never mind," I replied.  "Have you learned any yet?"

"Ni Hao!"  He said.  "That means hello.  And I learned 'Wah' too, but I am not totally sure what it means."

"I guess it will be handy to know Chinese," I said.

"Yes," Elliot said.  "I'll just start talking to Chinese people in Chinese and they will be so surprised that I know it.  Once I finish learning Chinese then I'm going to start on Japanese.  I'll have to decide what other languages to learn after that."

I didn't really know what to say.  My experience is that it takes a while to learn new languages -- even if you have an amazing app that speeds the process.  I've lived long enough to know that many things are harder than they seem.

At the same time, it is awfully easy to shoot down the plans of others as not reality based.

Norman Vincent Peale said "Shoot for the moon, even if you miss you will land among the stars."  Of course, this is a crazy quote.  First of all, the magnitude of difference in distance between the moon and the stars is phenomenal.  Beyond that, the stars are actually farther away than the moon.  If you fall short of the moon, you are more likely to end up some where in orbit around the earth rather than close to Alpha Centauri.  It is like saying shoot for London because even if you miss, you  might end up on Neptune.

The point that Mr. Peale was trying to make was that we should set our sights high.  It is generally a bigger problem that we set their sights too low than that we aim too high.  As we get older, we see our limits far more easily than our abilities.

We need to encourage others to attempt great things, even if maybe they seem beyond their abilities.  You may be surprised at the things they can do.  You may be surprised at the things that you can do once you try.

The Loving Thing to Do

I was emptying the dishwasher.  There seemed to be a lot more items in it than usual.

Very carefully I stacked the big plates, followed by some smaller plates.  Then, I put some bowls on top of that and then topped it with some cups.  The stack was huge, but I was determined to carry it to where it went all at once.  I picked them up and shuffled towards the cabinet where they were kept.

Suddenly, I caught my toe on some unseen crack in the floor.  I tried to catch my balance, but it was too late...

Crash!

I opened my eyes.  I was lying in bed with not a plate to be seen around me.

Bang!

My beautiful wife seemed to be doing something very noisy with a fly swatter.  I looked at my alarm clock.  It was 11:15 pm.

"What are you doing?"  I asked Elaine.

"There were some very noisy flies in our room," she said.  "They were keeping me awake."  Bang!  "Got one!"  She said triumphantly.

Now, to be honest, I hadn't noticed the sound of the flies at all, but I sure did notice the noise produced by the fly swatter.

There is a verse in I Corinthians 13 that says "Charity suffers long and is kind..." 

Maybe I was being long suffering as I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep, but probably not.  The loving thing to do would have been to arise and help my wife wage war on the house flies.

I suppose there are times that loving thing is just to do nothing, but far more often the loving thing to do is to try to meet the seen need.  Even such a need as trying to kill house flies on a sleep Saturday evening.

The Water of Life

"I can't drink water," the lady told me dramatically.  "I never could."

"Really?"  I asked, a bit puzzled.  I've heard of many allergies, but never one to water.  Our bodies are about 70 percent water.  It is hard to imagine how anyone could survive without water.  "What do you drink?"  I asked her.

"Mostly diet sodas," she told me.  "And occasionally some sweet tea."

"Hmm," I paused for effect.  "I wonder what the main ingredient of those drinks is?"

"Of course, they have water in them," she said.  "I guess I should say that I like my water flavored."

It reminds me of a meme that I saw recently that said something like "I like eggs...  In cake."

During Jesus' ministry He use a lot of different metaphors to explain the Gospel.  One day, as He was talking to a thirsty Samaritan woman, He told her "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water."

The Samaritan woman didn't understand a lot about Jesus' message, but she did understand water.  The people in Jesus' day didn't drink soft drinks and sweet tea.  They drank water and maybe for special occasions some grape juice or wine, but probably most of them couldn't afford anything other than water.  Once or twice a day they made a journey to the well in their community to fill large pots with water.  If they skipped that trip often enough, they would die.

Water was (and is) necessary for life.  Jesus' message is just as necessary.

I am afraid that these days people want to mix the living water with other things.  They want to "flavor it" to make it acceptable to the modern palate.  But what we need is the living water, the message of Jesus Christ -- nothing more or less.

No one ever died due to lack of carbonation or cola flavorings, but plenty of people have died from lack of water, particularly the water of life.

A Faulty Messenger

"Vince, please do not talk with your mouth full!"  Anna said in a pleading voice.

"Anna," Vince said, with his mouth still pretty packed with tater tot casserole.  "Why do you have to be so bossy?"

"Because it looks so disgusting,"  Anna said.

"That's not an answer,"  Vince said.

I suppose that both of my children have their points.  It is pretty disgusting when someone insists on speaking with their mouth full.  There is a reason that most opportunities for oration do not take place in a Golden Corral.  On the other hand, it I probably discouraging when your older sister frequently tells you what to do.

Matthew 7 tells us to remove the log from our own eye before attempting to assist our brother with washing the speck out of his.  I guess for me, the bigger question is what to do when we are in the position of the brother being criticized (particularly when we can clearly see the log in the one doing the criticism's eye).

It is easy to focus on my brother's faults and choose to ignore the advice he has given, but that feels like exactly the wrong thing to do.  Regardless of the issues my brother has, I must listen to his admonition and hear the truth in it if I wish to grow.

Shooting the messenger only destroys the channel by which the message arrives.  Similar, maybe, to throwing your cell phone in the ocean when you hear bad news on it.

Some day, I hope that both of my children learn to deal with their faults -- talking with food in their mouth and bossiness, among others.  That growth will come faster if they learn to listen to less than perfect messengers (and even, sometimes, their siblings).

Reading to my Children

"Dad, this book is much more interesting than the last book you were reading to us," Anna said.

"I think technically it's the same book," I said.  "It's just that it is so long that they broke it up into three parts."

"Maybe so," Anna said.  "But the first part was kind of boring."

My children and I are in the process of reading the Lord of the Rings -- probably mostly because I enjoy it.  We just finished "The Fellowship of the Ring" and started "The Two Towers."

"Mom says that the Lord of the Rings is an 'Allergy,'" Vince proclaimed sagely.  "Sauron is sort of like the devil and the ring is like sin."

"Hmm," I said.  "I think the word is actually Allegory."

Elliot decided to put his two cents in.  "I think that the Lord of the Rings is telling us that it is bad to wear jewelry!"

With those words of wisdom, the conversation turned to other subjects.

I have read the Lord of the Rings several times.  If there is a unifying theme in the book, it is that small people, without great power, but with courage can change the world.  Regardless, the book can simply be read as a long story about another world.

I'm afraid that many people read the Bible the way that my children are listening to Tolkein's masterpiece.  Page by page they search for hidden meanings, struggling over prophetic passages with their weird symbolism and imagery.

The thing is that the important messages of the Bible are said very clearly.  Sure, there are passages that are difficult to understand, but there are a lot more that are like John 13:35 where Jesus said, "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

The problem isn't that we don't understand the whole Bible.  The problem is that we aren't very good at putting into practice the things we do understand.

All we are called to do is to live the things we comprehend.  That's enough, even if there are a few things in Scripture that never become as clear as the "Allergy" the Lord of the Rings.

Artistry

My wife Elaine draws better than I do.  She can sketch houses and put the sun, complete with rays coming out of them.  She can draw rabbits and cats and a number of other things which you can actually identify after the fact.

When I draw things, it is usually tough to figure out what I've drawn.  (Maybe that's why she's so much better at Pictionary than I am).  I often try to sketch things for my patients to explain some medical thing, but I'm never sure if my drawings help. 

A picture may be worth a thousands words, but I'm afraid most of mine are only worth about twelve and a half.

If I am truthful though, neither one of us is a great artist.  Rembrandt and Michelangelo would have nothing to fear from either of us from an artistry standpoint (although Elaine can bake a far better pie than any of the Renaissance artists could have).

There are different levels of drawing and certainly I am closer to the bottom than the top.  At the same time, if I compare my abilities to my three year old, Victoria's abilities, I am an amazing artist.

I am afraid our human tendency is to compare ourselves to others who are worse than us and then to over value our own skills.  This can lead to the belief that we don't need God's guidance in our lives.

Nothing could be farther from the truth.

What actually ends up happening in this situation is that we do our own thing until we run into trouble and then call on Him to bail us out.  Even if we don't get into trouble, we don't experience the blessings we would have following Him.

God is the master designer and architect.  He sees the future as clearly as He does the present.  He knows the end just as well as He does the beginning.  More than that, He knows the people that He wants you and me to become.

We won't get there by following our own way or believing our skills to be more than they are.  We will get there by placing our hand in the hand of our Father and walking with Him wherever He wants to go.

A Million Bananas

"Dad, you know what?"  My son, Vince, asked me.

I generally have no idea what wisdom my son will impart to me.  Often it is some tidbit of information from the plant or animal kingdom, or perhaps some historical fact about the Reformation.  Not today...

"I don't know Vince, what?"  I asked him.

"One banana is better than a million bananas if you are someone who doesn't like bananas!"  He said emphatically.

(Vince doesn't like bananas).

Of course, this statement could be true for any food or activity you don't like.  Even for things you do enjoy, there is some extreme that would just be "too much."  I do like bananas, but one million of them just sounds like a mess to me.

Some level of moderation and variety in life adds quite a bit of spice to it.

There are a few areas where extreme levels are to be encouraged and even desired.  Love and kindness come to mind.  Most other things -- even lobster and chocolate -- have their limits.

I'm afraid our human tendency is to push ourselves full bore into things that just don't matter that much.  Jesus was different.  In John 13 it says, "...having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end."

It wasn't love of money or love of things or desire for power that drove Jesus.  What motivated Him was a love for His disciples and for us today.  His was a love that was more extreme than any love that we have known.

I would pray that that each one of us would learn the important things in life.  There really are only a few things that it is worth getting "extreme" about, but for those we should give our all.

Jesus gave His life because of love for us.  Can we do less for Him?

Eating Cake

I watched with great interest as the little boy across from me ate his birthday cake.  Carefully he scraped every bit of icing off of the top and sides (he had specifically asked for a piece with a rose on it for extra frosting).  It made a small mound on his plate beside his, suddenly unclothed, piece of chocolate cake.

Then, like the wolf swallowing the duck in Peter and the Wolf, he swallowed it all in just two mouthfuls.

He licked his lips and inspected his cake.  No, there was no other icing to be seen.  "Mom," he announced a moment later.  "I'm full.  Can I go out and play?"

I suppose it isn't an unusual thought that there are three ways to eat cake, the same as there are three ways to Oreos.  There are those who scrape off their icing and eat it first, there are those who scrape off their icing and eat it last, and then there are those "mature" eaters who eat the whole lot together.

Well, and then there are a few miserable souls who don't eat cake at all because it would be bad for their figure.  But of those, we will not speak.

It doesn't really matter how you eat your cake, but it does seem to me that people tend to take the same ideas to the ways in which they break down every day tasks as they do to ingesting cake.  There are those who save their hardest chores for last, those who do them first, and those who do a mixture of them.

I tend to be of the personality to get the hardest things out of the way with first, but there is really something to be said for doing a mixture.  Spending extended time grinding away on things we don't enjoy, without an occasional break with something we like, will wear any one of us down.

Ecclesiastes tells us "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might..."  Enjoyable tasks, jobs that are just a grind require the same commitment.

All your might...

That is the challenge.  It is easy to go full bore at things we enjoy doing, but not so easy to work through jobs that we don't -- particularly not to do them with all our strength and focus.

It might be nice to have no hard, onerous tasks, but that is not the way of things.  Most of the time, we have to finish our green beans before we can even look at our cake -- regardless of whether or not it has icing.

Regardless of how we separate our jobs out through each day, let us work at them with a will.  Those who only eat cake are bound to have some nutritional deficiencies later on in life.

Making Good Decisions

"Elliot, you need to go away!"  Victoria told her brother dramatically.  "I'm sick and you don't want to catch it!"

I chuckled a little bit as I heard her say this.  Elaine and I are always trying to keep our children away from each other when one of them is sick, although in all honesty, once one of them gets a dread malady, chances are pretty good that they will all get it.

Distance may help the heart grow fonder, but our hope is that it will prevent the transmission of contagious organisms, as well.

"But you aren't sick, Victoria," Elliot said.  "Can I have some of those chips?"

"No, Elliot!"  Victoria said in an even louder voice.  "They're mine!"

In this case, Elliot was exactly right.  Victoria was not sick.  I could only guess that she wanted the chips all to herself and so was trying to come up with reasons that her hungry brother had to stay far away.

I have discovered over time that my children are very good at coming up with "excellent" reasons as to why they should be able to do the things they want to do. 

This is not just something that children do.  If I am honest, there have been plenty of times that I have come to a decision and realized that I wanted to reach a particular conclusion and was just working backwards trying to figure out the reasons for what I just really wanted.

It isn't wrong to choose chocolate ice cream over strawberry and say "I just wanted chocolate today."  But to delude yourself into thinking that you chose chocolate because the countries that produce cacao beans are really need of financial assistance and you are doing your part to help needy farmers in the third world is probably a stretch.

The most important thing is simply that we are honest with ourselves.  True wisdom begins with knowing God.  The next step to wisdom is knowing ourselves and our desires.  Only then can we separate rationalizations from reasons.

It is not surprising that a three year old would want to eat all the potato chips herself, but learning to share is the path of wisdom.

Jessica's Marshmallow Cloud Cookies?

"Oh, dear," Anna said with a very dramatic sigh.  "These cookies just aren't turning out!"

"What's that white stuff coming out of them?"  I asked.  The cookies appeared to be some kind of chocolate cookie, but there was some kind of white lava that was emanating from the center of them.

"Dad," Anna said.  "They are Jessica's Marshmallow Cloud Cookies.  They are from Mrs. Fields' Cookie Favorites recipe book, but in the book they look beautiful, but all of mine sort of exploded when I baked them."

"They have marshmallows in the middle?"  I asked.  I guess I'm pretty old school, because growing up, I thought the word "Cookie" was synonymous with "Chocolate Chip."  Certainly my mother never thought of putting marshmallows inside her cookies.

"Yes, Dad,"  Anna said.  She was really upset.  "They are for a cooking contest our class is having."

"I'm sure they'll taste great," I said, reassuringly.

"But Dad, Mrs. Nan said that we would be judged not just on how things taste, but on how they look.  They call it 'Presentation.'"

"Well, I think they look tasty enough to eat and I would give you a blue ribbon," I said.  That didn't seem to help the situation much, but I did help myself to a cookie which was, as I thought quite tasty.

Anna never did figure out the cookie recipe.  She froze the marshmallows harder before she surrounded them with dough, but they still insisted on blowing holes in her cookies once they got heated up in the oven.  Finally, she left the marshmallows out and sadly took Jessica's Marshmallow-Free Cookies to school for the contest.

There is one simple fact that was messing her cookies up.  The reason why marshmallow came out of the cookies when they were heated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit in our old Kitchen Aid oven was because that was what was inside of them.

Jesus said, "The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks."  (Luke 6:45 ESV)

What comes out of me when I am stressed and under pressure reveals the truth about my heart.  That is the time when the filters are stripped away and anger and bitterness or (hopefully) peace and joy can be truly revealed.

Nothing can come out unless it is first inside.

I pray that each one of us would know the heart transformation that only Jesus can bring.  Only then can we learn the lesson of Jessica's Exploding Marshmallow Cookies.

A Scary Frog

"Dad, it's a scary frog!"  Victoria said excitedly, holding up a little stuffed tree frog.  "It is going to eat you!"

"Oh dear," I said, pretending to tremble with fear.

This apparently was the right response, because her voice got a little louder.  "He's coming to eat you!  He's coming to eat you!"

And so it went over the next five minutes as the stuffed frog approached me, but never actually ate me.  In fact, he didn't seem even interested in nibbling on me.

Now, I can honestly say that I have never been frightened of stuffed frogs.  I'm not even afraid of real live frogs, even though I know that I know that there are very poisonous ones, like the Poison Dart Frog.  I have never once, in my whole life awakened in the middle of a nightmare shaking with terror because a large and terrible frog was pursuing me.

Victoria isn't scared of frogs either.  On the other hand, she is greatly afraid of insects.  I was trying to get her to go into the house the other day and she wouldn't move.  "I'm scared," she told me."

"Of what?"  I asked, scanning the yard and trees for some wolverine, bear,  or other terrifying creature.

"Of that," she said pointing at the ground a few feet in front of us.

I couldn't see anything at first, but then, there on the ground, I saw a little gray sow bug, headed to his place of business.

"There's nothing to be afraid of," I said, taking her hand.

"No," she said, resisting.  "I'm afraid."

In that moment, I picked her up and carried her into the house, past the scary sow bug and any other insects she hadn't noticed.

Each one of us has fears.  Perhaps it is a phobia of heights, spiders, or of tight places.  Maybe it is more worries about life events, like a fear of cancer, poor health, or bad finances.  The hard part is what to do with these fears.

For the most part, I think we try to avoid them.  Tree frogs (at least in Virginia) seem to be pretty easy to avoid.  Many other terrors are difficult to stay away from and linger in the backs of our minds causing anxiety about the present and the future.

Psalm 56:3 says, "When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You."

That, I suppose, is the key.  Our trust may not be very strong, but if our Father is strong then it is enough.  My heavenly Father is exactly that.

When I am not strong enough to even put my hand in His and allow Him to lead me past my fears, He will gently pick me up and carry me to a place of safety.

That's the beauty of faith.  It gives courage for each situation, not because I am so great, but because God is.

When I am afraid, I will trust in Him.

Always.

Building Trust

"So, you're the new doctor?" The older man sitting in the exam room said to me.

"Well, sort of," I said.  "I've been here since last July."

"Oh," he said.  "Well, I guess I haven't heard too much bad about you yet," in a tone that said that maybe next week he would hear about the former patients I had buried in my crawl space.

"I know you usually see Dr. Jones," I said.  "But I'll do my best to take good care of you.  What brings you in today?"

"It's my shoulder," he said.

The next several minutes were spent gleaning information about his shoulder and examining it.  "It looks like rotator cuff tendinitis," I said.  "You've probably just been overusing it."

"Well," he said.  "What do I do about it?"

"I think the best thing would be to put a shot in it and then probably do some physical therapy on it," I said.

"What kind of shot?"  He asked.

"A steroid shot," I replied.

"Is it going to hurt?"  He asked suspiciously.

"Oh, a little," I said breezily.  "You'll be fine."

"Easy for you to say," he said, sarcastically.  "I guess go ahead."

I went out and drew up the medication I would be injecting, very carefully.  I returned to the room with the syringe.  I carefully marked the area, cleansed it with alcohol, and picked up the syringe.

"All set?"  I asked.

"Go for it," my patient told me through his gritted teeth.

I gave the shot.  "You'll feel a stick and then a burn.  The burn is worse than the stick," I said as I pushed the Depo Medrol into the joint.  I don't know why I say that, but literally every shot I give I say the same thing.  "All done," I told him, slapping a Band-Aid on the posterior aspect of his shoulder.

"When are you giving the shot?"  He asked.

"It's in," I said.

"Wow," he said.  "You're pretty slick.  I hardly felt a thing."  He paused a moment and then said, "I do believe you might work out here in Brookneal after all."

It's a bit of a boring story from one of my days.  No one passed out, no one had to be resuscitated, and there weren't gallons of blood being transfused.  There was only a first meeting between a doctor and a patient and one that (hopefully) went well.  Of course, the bigger question will be known in a few days.  It doesn't really matter so much whether the shot hurts, it is whether or not it works.

I think about this a lot.  The relationship between doctor and patient is built on trust.  When I give my patients advice, they need to believe that I know what I'm talking about.  That confidence comes because of experience.  It comes because in each little event in my patient's lives I am there and take good care of them.

Our relationship with God requires even more trust -- we call it faith.  The knowledge that God will lead us through whatever trial we are in and that He will not leave us.  We can get this knowledge from God's Word and from reading the promises there.  Even better, sometimes, is just to sit and remember the dark times in the past and how He brought us through each one.

My memory isn't always the best at remembering how discouraged I was in the past when dealing with my son's speech delay or, a summer vacation disaster, but if I try, I can remember that those times were awfully dark and God took me (and my family) through each one.

Today's trials are big -- maybe they are bigger than any we've faced in the past, but regardless, our God can take care of them all. 

He's always been faithful before.

He will continue to be trustworthy, whatever we face, one day at a time.

 

From Teaspoons to Serving Spoons

"This spoon isn't big enough," my son, Elliot, said.  "I need a bigger spoon."

"Then get one," Anna told him.  "You know where the spoons are."

"OK," said Elliot and went over to the silverware drawer in search of a spoon larger than your standard issue teaspoon.  In a few moments he returned.

"Elliot, that's way too big!"  Anna told him.  She was right.  Elliot had gotten a very large serving spoon out of the drawer to eat his soup.

"It's not too big, it's just right!"  He told her, unconsciously quoting the famous philosopher Goldilocks.  He proceeded to eat his chili with said serving spoon, contorting his mouth in odd ways the whole time.

It probably is not a unique observation to me that people tend to fluctuate between extremes.  Someone who has just burned their tongue on McDonald's coffee runs to soothe it with ice cream.  The couch potato who hasn't exercised seriously for three years gets a bad report at his doctor and goes home to put on jogging pants and attempts to get through a mini-marathon.

While our human tendency is to fluctuate between opposite ends of the spectrum, our psyches don't deal well that.  An emotional roller coaster of a life is bound to wear most of us out.

The prophet Elijah experienced such ups and downs.  He went from defeating the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel to fleeing for his life in a few days. 

It was at that time that God lead him out into the desert and explained a few things to him.  Elijah wasn't alone.  He still had a purpose and God would give him the strength he needed to fulfil that purpose.

I think that's what we need to hear when we come crashing down from Cloud Nine into the deepest dungeon.

God is the same God in times of intense highs or deep lows.  He still has a purpose for you and me and will give us the strength to fulfil that purpose.  We are not alone.

Let's just not make the mistake of exchanging our teaspoons for a serving spoon.

Better Than a Sparrow

"Dad," my son Vince said to me.  "Look at the bird feeder.  There are lots of sparrows there."

"Sure, enough, there are," I said. 

 "I like to see the sparrows," Vince told me.  "I know that there are prettier birds, like cardinals, but when I see sparrows it always reminds me that one of the sparrows will not fall to the ground without God knowing it.  God cares about the sparrows, doesn't He?"

"He definitely does," I told my nine-year old son.

Of course, I care for the birds too.  I'm the one who is buying them bird seed and honestly, not a single one of them has ever thanked me, or sent me a card of appreciation in return.  I think they are beautiful and like seeing them at the feeders, even if bird seed is not free.

The verse my son was referring to does tell that God cares about the sparrows, but it doesn't stop there.  Jesus told His disciples, "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?  And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.  But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.  Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows." (Matt 10:29-31)

It is a blessing that God cares about the very smallest parts of creation.  He notices when sparrows and hummingbirds die.  Even more it is a blessing that He sees me as valuable and knows the tiniest details about me.

God knows us better than we know ourselves.

I don't know how many hairs there are on my head and my guess is that few people out there do.  The number of hairs isn't important (except, I suppose as they gradually lessen), but the fact that God knows this, extremely trivial aspect about us, indicates that He also knows and cares about the things that are important to us as well.

God sees us as valuable.

There are plenty of times that I don't feel valuable, times when I feel the tiniest part of this Universe.  God doesn't care that I'm tiny or that there are seven and half other billion humans out there.  God sees me as a worthwhile and important part of his vast creation.

I don't understand it, but that's what God thinks of us.

God does not want us to fear.

This passage doesn't promise that sparrows won't go through hard times.  It does state clearly that sparrows will not fall to the ground without our Heavenly Father.

In the same way, we will go through difficult times.  That is certain.  At the same time, God has promised that we will not go through these situations apart from Him.  He has stated that He will be with us regardless.

In the end, God cares for the birds.  Sometimes He uses generous people like myself and our bird feeders.  Sometimes He uses worms from the ground, but either way, the birds do not worry about their future.

The next time you see a sparrow stop for a second and think.  That tiny bird is important to God.  How much more am I?

Blooming in the Snow

It was the first day of spring and snow was falling!  Big fluffy flakes floated down to cover the grass and melt glistening on the driveway.

Of course, this is Virginia (not the outskirts of Anchorage) and the bipolar weather flips from 70 degrees to snow so fast you hardly have time to drop your container of SPF-50 sun block to pick up your stocking cap.  This doesn't provide too much of a problem for the human population (since we can just put on a coat), but plant life suffers.

As I looked out of our front window, I could see our Magnolia Tree, which had bloomed a beautiful purple the week before, now shrouded in white.  It was snow bound in spring.

The contrast between this southern tree, covered with flowers, and the snow struck me.  What is it that lets a person continue to bloom even in the midst of suffering?

Focus on the sun, not on the snow.

Even on the most frigid, snowy day, the sun is still there behind the clouds.  In that grayish half light lies something called "Hope."  Hope for the Magnolia Tree that spring really is coming and hope for us humans that the same God who lead us into this trial will lead us out once again into the light of day.  The snow will melt, the birds will sing, and spring will come again.

Use your energy to bless others.

Perhaps flowers are a waste of energy when the temperatures drop into the high twenties, but they stand out and lift the spirits of those who have to slog to work in the cold.  Everyone has an opportunity to bless those around them, even in a time of suffering.  It may be as simple as a kind word, a card, or a smile. 

It is hard to think of others in the middle of a difficult time, but those who do receive a special blessing.

Be who God made you to be.

Magnolia Trees bloom because they are Magnolia Trees.  That's it.  In the same way, God has not called us to be something or someone we aren't.  He only asks us to be the person who He created us to be -- in every situation we find ourselves in.

In the end, that may put a smile on the faces of those around us.  It definitely will bring glory to our Creator.

That's reason enough for a Magnolia Tree to bloom in the snow.

Minor Crime

"Dad, do you know what happened at school this morning?"  My children asked me.

"I think so," I said.  "Mom texted me about it this morning."

"Someone broke into our school last night," Anna told me, breathlessly.  "They took two computers and the money that people pay for personal copies (but they left the pennies) and they took all of the special drinks we had there.  All of our Frappuccinos are gone!"

"School was delayed for two hours while the police came out to investigate!"  Vince added.

"I'm surprised that Bun Bun (the sixth grader's class rabbit), didn't stop the burglar," I said.  "She's not a very good "Watch Rabbit," is she?"

"Oh, Dad," Anna said.  "Bun Bun was away for Easter Break, otherwise I'm sure she would have guarded the school.  We never had a break in when she was actually there."

"The police said that they probably wouldn't catch the robbers," Elliot put in.  "I wish they'd call the Bobbsey Twins.  They would find the men who stole things for sure!"

"Oh, Elliot, the Bobbsey Twins wouldn't catch anyone," Anna said.  "Mandie is exactly the person to call for a situation like this.  She's so much better at catching criminals than the silly Bobbsey Twins!"

I had to smile.  The children's school was broken into last weekend and such things were taken as one would find at a small (not very wealthy) Mennonite School.  Elliot was probably right that the police would never find the culprit, but I don't know if Mandie (of such books as Mandie and the Silent Catacombs) or the Bobbsey Twins (of such books as The Bobbsey Twins and the Mystery at School) would really do a better job.

At the same time, while this crime was pretty minor to the law enforcement officials, it was pretty major to the people involved -- particularly my children.  When they wanted to consult with the detective heroes of their books, they were really saying that they wanted someone to come who would care about the case and actually solve it.

When you are dealing with a problem, you want someone to help you who cares as much about it as you do.

God has asked us to bring our worries and anxieties to Him.  He does this, not because He is some sort of divine therapist who wants us to get these things off our chest, but because He simply wants to know what we are struggling with and help us with those things.  Peter, in his first epistle, told the Christians to "cast all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you."

God hears our prayers and will help us in the midst of adversity.  He is more than enough for every situation, even for the "Baffling Break In at Bethel School.