Anxious About Oxygen

 

“NASA reveals earth is running out of oxygen!”  The headline drew my attention.  This certainly sounded concerning.  Humans need oxygen to survive.  That's why people who submerge themselves too long under water, usually have an appointment with a mortician soon thereafter.

And now, I find out that the whole earth is running out of oxygen!  I must confess that I have worried about a number of things, but running out of oxygen had somehow not made the list.  Maybe it was time to add it.

Being the anxious sort of person that I am, I clicked on the article to “find out more.”   As I opened the webpage, I discovered that scientists had used computer models to predict when a “great de-oxygenation event” would transpire.

Of course, there are a number of different variables in play.  Still, these NASA folks are certain that 1 billion years from now, the oxygen in the earth’s atmosphere could drop to ten percent of what it is today.

I breathed an oxygen-rich sigh of relief.  1 billion years is a long time – not quite as long as my eldest daughter’s showers, but still long enough that I didn’t feel overly anxious about this coming crisis.

It is the way of things on the internet to make things sound as dramatic and devastating as possible.  That seems to be the best way to get anxious people like me to click on them.  A headline like “NASA scientists speculate that the earth could run out of oxygen in a billion years – give or take a million years or two,” is overly long nor does it inspire the reader with enough fear.  Ideally, for the purposes of headline writers, the world should end in a couple of years – long enough to let people worry about it, while not so long that people put it out of their minds as a problem for tomorrow’s children.

Jesus told His followers, "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." (Matthew 6:34) Borrowing trouble from tomorrow isn’t helpful – particularly not trouble from a distant tomorrow a billion years from now.

It is hard not to worry.  Even if it doesn't do any good, borrowing trouble from the future is an easy endeavor, but one that only lowers our enjoyment of the present.  The vast majority of things we stress over aren't things we can change and still we fret over them, wondering which of our fears will come to pass.

Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount that the solution was to trust our Heavenly Father.  He takes care of sparrows and flowers, surely, He will take care of His children who love Him.  More than that, we need to learn to live in the present.  Whether it is thinking about our six-year-old daughter's future husband or a "great de-oxygenation event," borrowing trouble from the future only steals the enjoyment we have from today and does little to change the chance of disaster happening down the road.

Climbing for the Dogs

 

“I’m so tired!”  Elise said, dragging one leg after the other up a rough, stone step.  “This mountain is too high!”

“We’re almost there,” I said encouragingly.  “Maybe ten more minutes and we’ll be at the top.”

We were climbing Sharptop Mountain.  Supposedly, the trail is a mile and a half from the store at the bottom to the top, but my watch told me it was closer to two miles – a long way for a six-year-old girl to climb, particularly considering that the trail rises about 1,300 feet over its course.

Elaine and I were climbing with Elise, but our other four children had dashed ahead, beating us to the top by many minutes.  I could picture them sitting up on the rocks, watching the world go by and wondering where their slow poke parents were.

When the three slow pokes finally reached the top, Elise looked out.  “We are really high,” she proclaimed.

“You can see a long way,” I agreed.  “Do you think you can see any other countries from here?”

“No, Dad,” she said.  “We cannot.” 

Right she was.  We certainly could not see Canada, Cuba, or Mexico from our perch, some 3,875 feet above the level of the ocean.  I was surprised at how nonchalant and unimpressed with the view she seemed.  To me it was amazing, to her, it was a disappointing reward for a hard climb.

I was worried about the way down.  It is just as far a distance down as it is on the way up, but with Elise’s tired, shorter legs, I wasn’t sure if she would make it down without whining.  What I didn’t reckon on was the dogs.

Not long after we left the summit, we happened on a labradoodle, walking a young a man up the trail.  “Can I pat your doggy?”  Elise asked. 

“Sure, his name is Frodo,” the young man said as Frodo dutifully sat and let Elise pat him.

Soon thereafter, we met another dog, this one named Bobo.  We went through the same ritual and Bobo, apparently glad, to cease climbing for a brief moment, let Elise pat him. 

Other dogs followed – Lulu and Luna and Jelly Fish, among 8 or 9 others.  “I’ve seen so many dogs today!”  Elise gushed to her parents.  “And they all like me!  Next time I climb Sharptop Mountain, I will bring along cards for all of the dogs and give them to them.”

“They might like dog toys or treats better,” Elaine said.

“You’re right, Mom,” Elise said.  “I will bring along pupperoni for them and they will like me even better.  It has been so awesome to hike and see all of these dogs!”

I found Elise’s response to hiking interesting, to say the least.  On the way up, it was a struggle because she really didn’t enjoy what she was doing and while the view is spectacular at the top, it didn’t seem worth the effort to get there.

On the other hand, once she began to meet various dogs, everything changed.  Suddenly, she had a reason to enjoy the hike – and to look forward to the next, tail-wagging friend she would meet.

Jesus told His followers, “I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!” (John 15:11)

So much of the message of the Gospel is about joy.  I wonder if part of experiencing joy is focusing on the parts of your journey that you actually enjoy.  Emphasizing those things, while getting through the parts you struggle with, brings so much more to the table.

I’m not sure that I would have climbed Sharptop Mountain simply to see the dogs on the path, but for a six-year-old girl, this was all it took to bring a smile to her face on a long trail. 

Gas Money?!

 

“Dad,” my youngest daughter said to me.  “What is gas money?”

This was an odd question coming from someone who is not quite six years old and I wondered at the meaning behind it.  Still, I answered it the best that I could.  “When we drive somewhere, Elise, it takes gas and that costs money.  I guess you could say that gas money is the money it takes to buy the gas to get to that place.”

Elise was silent for a moment. Since she was not someone of driving age, nor was she tall enough to operate gas pumps, this was all a bit beyond her reckoning.  Then, she said, “I need gas money!”

“Why do you need gas money?  You won’t be able to drive for ten more years?”

“I need to gas money because I want to visit another country,” Elise said firmly.  This has been a theme from her of late.  She has not visited another country, and this saddens her greatly – particularly since various members of her family have spent time in other lands, far from here.

“What country do you want to visit?”  I asked.

“Kentucky!”  She said.

“I have heard of Kentucky,” I said.  “That is yon distant land on the other side of the Cumberland Gap.  Well, I’ll tell you what, one day we will visit that country and Mom and I will take care of the gas money to get there.  How about that?”

This seemed to satisfy her, at least for the moment.  We may not visit that land of rolling hills and horses and bluegrass soon, but certainly we will someday, and she need not worry about the costs of such an adventure.

The verse comes to my mind, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:19)

All too often, we look forward and worry about how we will survive, much less thrive in the stress that awaits us.  There are all sorts of needs in our lives and more often than not, we feel like the gas gauge is hovering just above ‘E’ and the gas money is depleted as well.

It is in these moments that our Heavenly Father wants us to turn to Him.  He has sufficient to meet our needs – and more besides.  He only wants us to learn to trust Him.

When God has a path for us to take, He will make certain we have all the resources we need to reach the destination – even if He plans for us to travel to that distant land of ancient tales, Kentucky.