Apple Cider

"Dad, can I have some Apple Cider?"  Elliot asked me.

"I guess so," I said.  "But I didn't think we had any Apple Cider."

"Yes, we do," Elliot said.  "There's a jug of it over there on the counter."

"I don't think you'll like that kind of Apple Cider," I said.

"Oh, I do, I really like Apple Cider," he replied, confidently.

"I'll give you just a little bit," I said, pouring a tiny amount into a cup.

"It smells kin of funny,"  Elliot told me and then he tasted and made an awful face.  "That's terrible," he said.  "It doesn't taste like Apple Cider at all!"

"That's because it's Apple Cider Vinegar," I told him.  "And Vinegar is pretty sour, even if it is made from Apple Cider in the beginning."

Jesus once asked a couple of His disciples if they were able to drink from the cup which He was going to drink, by which He meant were they willing to go endure suffering for His sake.  They answered confidently that they could.  At the same time, we know that they weren't ready at all to drink from that cup.

If I am truthful, I'm not one who enjoys drinking vinegar -- not for health reasons or any other reason.  I would far rather drink Apple Cider and yet, I cannot order my life in such a way as to avoid all hardship.  There are times when the cup I am given has more than its share of sourness in it.

Into this, comes God's promise that He will not leave me.  When I need Him most, He will be there to help me through.

Even when life has given me a cup of Apple Cider Vinegar to drink.

The Fastest Way?

"What's the fastest way from school to the orthodontist's office?"  My son, Vince asked me.

"I don't really know," I answered.  "Mom is usually the one who takes you all.  I suppose you go up 501 to Brown's Mill Road and go up to Lynchburg from there."

"Yes, but that's only part of the way,"  Vince told me, sagely.  "Mom discovered awhile ago that taking Candler's Mountain Road is not the fastest way to get there."

And with this, he launched into a detailed explanation of the correct route.  Sometimes I wonder if my son is part GPS.  Certainly if you ever get lost in Campbell County, Vince is the person you should have on speed dial to set you back on the right track.

Vince is very much focused on the "best" way to get to different places.  By this, he means the fastest way to reach that place.

I have a bit of the same feeling.  When I am on a trip, much like a runner at the Olympics, I am always looking for ways to shave a few seconds of our time to reach our destination.  At the same time, my focus should not only be on the destination, but on the journey to get there.  So much of life is a journey -- a trip made with others at our sides.  Some day, those fellow travelers will not be there and will have moved on to travel their own paths.

A day in which I walk beside my children and make some memories is a good day, even if no great goal is achieved or destination is reached.  My goal is not to get anywhere as fast as possible, but rather to enjoy the journey, seeing the sights and taking time to be with my fellow travelers on the path our heavenly Father has for us.

"Keep Working Till Lunch!"

"I'm hungry, Mom," Vince said.

"Well, maybe you could have some peanut butter crackers while you are waiting for me to get lunch done," Elaine told him.

"But Mom, at school I would be on lunch break now," Vince said.  "It is 12:08 and my break usually starts at 12:00."

Our children had a work at home day, due to a death in our congregation and Vince was trying to keep to his school schedule. 

"Vince, I'm afraid it will be a bit after 12:30 before I will have lunch done,"  Elaine said.  "But we will eat eventually."

"But what am I supposed to do until then?"  Vince asked my beautiful wife.

"Keep doing your school work, Vince,"  Elaine said.  "Wouldn't it be nice to actually be done with it by the time we sit down for lunch?"

Of course, this is a simple question.  Wouldn't it be nice to have your work done?  Unfortunately, the answer is complex.  Most children would like to be done with their school work at the earliest possible time, but they don't necessarily want to focus themselves on their work in the way necessary to produce this early completion time.

God has given us tasks to do.  Jobs, people to minister to, and even, children to prepare lunch for.  I think our tendency is to ask for more breaks.  "I've been working for awhile," we tell Him.  "Can you give me just a bit of time off now?"

His answer is to gently tell us to keep working for a bit longer.  He will give us strength for the moment and just as surely, at the right time, He will give us a break.

Perhaps God's schedule is not what we think it should be.  Maybe we think he should have more built in break time, but in the end, like everything else about Him, His schedule is perfect.

We just have to keep working till lunch time.

A New Year

2019 has just arrived.  I guess I'm getting old, because I seldom stay up till midnight any more to see the new year in, I just greet it the next morning when I wake up and so far, each year has  been satisfied with that reception.

Of course, there is only one January 1st each year, but then again, there is only one April 6th and September 20th too -- same as most of us only have one birthday each year (one is plenty).  The point though is not on the year, but on the new aspect of it.  It is a blank sheet of paper, a notebook, as yet with nothing written in it.

Looking forward, the pessimist in me wants to say that there is no reason for optimism.  Surely 2019 will be the same as most years.  It will have good things and bad in it, but surely I will remember the bad more than the good.

I don't think the questions I should be asking are things like,  "How much will other people bless me this year?"  or even "Will 2019 be a good year for me and my family?"  If that's what I'm thinking about, certainly 2019 will be a mixed bag at best.

The real question is "How much can I show love to others this year?"  Because by God's grace, I can be successful there.

There will be times that I find myself discouraged with the behaviors of others.  There will be moments when my children don't behave well or break something that I wish they hadn't broken. There will be times (like last night) when my son gets the stomach flu and clean up duty is in order at 3 am.  All of those things are guaranteed (and a bit depressing).

What is just as guaranteed is that I will have ample opportunity to bless others, just as I will have multiple ways in which I can draw closer to God.

So much of how I feel about the new year will be related to what my expectations are of it going in.  I would rather have those expectations be oriented around my relationship with God and how I can minister to the needs of others and with that, I believe I can expect a wonderful year.