Now Playing in My Head

Hi, this is Judy.  How many times have you listened to a recorded message when you have called someone?  For me the jury is still out when it comes to answering machines.  I really like the idea that when I am not home or not able to answer my cell and a friend calls, they can leave a message so I can return their call. Some of the messages are really funny and creative.

“Hi, I'm not home right now but my answering machine is, so you can talk to it instead. Wait for the beep.”

“Hello. You are talking to a machine. I am capable of receiving messages. My owners do not need siding, windows, or a hot tub, and their carpets are clean. They give to charity through the office and don't need their picture taken. If you're still with me, leave your name and number and they will get back to you.”

“Hello. I'm home right now but cannot find the phone. Please leave a message and I will call you back as soon as I find it.”

“Bob here. I'm home right now, I'm just screening my calls. So start talking and if you're someone I want to speak with I'll pick up the phone. Otherwise, well, what can I say?”

Those are fun and I chuckle a little when I call someone and they have gotten really creative, but I really despise the automated answering machines that are utilized by companies that say if you want to inquire about your balance press one and you have now entered a never ending maze of press one, press 2 for English, repeat the Pledge of Allegiance backwards, and you never reach a real live person.  Then there are the cell phone messages that drone on about 16 ways you may be able to contact the person you are calling. 

But I digress.  The point I want to make is people can record their own personal message and then every time the phone rings and is not picked up after six rings (or whatever the magic number you have chosen is) they hear your prerecorded message.   I am sad to say that I have one of those recordings in my head.

I don’t really know when I actually composed my recorded head message, but it is definitely there.  I am asked to speak somewhere and my prerecorded message begins to play.  “Hi this is Judy.  I am not gifted or talented enough to speak to your group.”  I am challenged to try something new and my recording goes, “Hi this is Judy I only have a high school education so I don’t think I will be able to handle this assignment.”  Some of the other prerecorded messages running in my head are that I am too old, I will probably fail and embarrass myself and my family, anyone else but me will do a better job.    

I was reading in the book of John and came across something interesting.  Listen to the message playing in John’s head.

John 13:23

New Living Translation (NLT)

23 The disciple Jesus loved was sitting next to Jesus at the table.

John 19:26

New Living Translation (NLT)

26 When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.”

John 20:2

New Living Translation (NLT)

2 She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

John 21:7

New Living Translation (NLT)

7 Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore

John 21:20

New Living Translation (NLT)

20 Peter turned around and saw behind them the disciple Jesus loved—the one who had leaned over to Jesus during supper and asked, “Lord, who will betray you?”

If John would have had an answering machine, his message would have been “Hi, this is John the one Jesus loves.”  Another variation might have been, “Hi, this is John and I am loved by God.”

I think it is about time I replaced the message that plays in my head.  Here are a few I may be using if you call me.

Hi, this is Judy and I am highly favored and blessed of the Lord.

Hi, this is Judy and I am the apple of God’s eye.

Hi, you have reached Judy and Jesus – mountain movers.

Let me know what message is playing in your head.  I hope it is a good one and if not, change it!

Mile Marker 60

Life is a journey, and in two days I will be at Mile Marker 60.  My little kid’s size 3 feet have taken me a long ways.  I thank you little feet.

Looking back over the path that I have travelled over the past 60 years is exciting.  There are some really low spots, but some views from some really high mountaintops.   There have been some lazy river days, and some days that I didn’t know if I would survive.  There have been days I thought my heart would break from sorrow, and days that I thought my heart would burst with joy. 

In the beginning, I walked a lot of miles with Milo and Solomon.

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

"There was once a boy named Milo who didn’t know what to do with himself-not just sometimes, but always.

When he was in school he longed to be out, and when he was out he longed to be in.  On the way he thought about coming home, and coming home he thought about going.  Wherever he was he wished he were somewhere else, and when he got there he wondered why he’d bothered.  Nothing really interested him-least of all the things that should have. 

“It seems to me that almost everything is a waste of time,” he remarked one day as he walked dejectedly home from school.  “I can’t see the point in learning to solve useless problems, or subtracting turnips from turnips.   Or knowing where Ethiopia is or how to spell February.”  And, since no one bothered to explain to him other-wise, he regarded the process of seeking knowledge as the greatest waste of time of all."

Then Milo and I were joined by Solomon. 

Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 These are the words of the Teacher, King David’s son, who ruled in Jerusalem.  Everything Is Meaningless  2 “Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!”  3 What do people get for all their hard work under the sun? 4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes. 5 The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again. 6 The wind blows south, and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles. 7 Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out again to the sea. 8 Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.

Looking back over the last 60 years, I will have to admit that I spent some time traveling with Milo and Solomon wondering where I was supposed to be going and what I was supposed to be doing.  There were times I wondered if I would ever find meaning.  There were times when life made absolutely no sense.  Thankfully, I can tell you that at Mile Marker 60 I no longer travel with Milo and Solomon. Looking back, it is impossible to tell when I switched traveling partners and linked up with Paul, but I did.  I don’t think it was one “AHA” moment but a lot of little moments rolled together.

Philippians 4:11-13 (NLT) Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

I finally figured out that the meaning and purpose of life were not a destination but were found walking day by day with the One who is the giver of life. So in two days I will arrive at Mile Marker 60.  I can tell all those who have not had the joy of arriving here yet to keep coming.  The view from here is breathtakingly beautiful.  It the view from a heart of contentment.  Where might these little feet go from here - God knows and that is all that matters.  He walked with me yesterday, He is walking with me today, and He will walk with me tomorrow.  Life is good.

Tour Guides

I have been on a lot of tours and followed around a lot of tour guides. Some tour guides hoist  brightly colored umbrellas high over their heads when the group is on the move so no one will get lost.  I tend to like them best because I have been known to
get lost, so the bright umbrella is my safety net. Tour guides come in all shapes and sizes and the good ones are passionate about the place or area to be visited and that passion is contagious.  They know all kinds of historical information, as well as, comical tidbits. The thought of the blog today is that every day I go to prayer and ask God to walk with me throughout my day. Did you hear what I pray? I pray that God will walk with ME throughout my day.  How ludicrous!  Here I am asking the creator of heaven and earth, asking the all- wise God, asking the all-knowing God, to walk with me.  I am basically saying that I will be the tour guide for this day and what do I know about this day- NOTHING!  What if today I asked God to be my tour guide pointing out the importance and value of people, places, and events in my day?  What if I surrendered my view of the day to His eternal view?  What if I surrendered my one-dimensional view for His three-dimensional view? What if I was out of control?

So I began my day. It started out pretty much business as usual and then I headed to town for prayer time at the local Christian radio station.  I needed to pick up something for my lunch, so I headed to McDonald’s with the thought of a grilled chicken snack wrap in my mind.  I arrived at the stop light ready to turn left over the railroad tracks and the train lights began to blink and the arms came down.  This is nothing unusual as Amtrak and freight trains both regularly go through Carlinville.  However, I waited a couple of minutes and no train.  Finally, I pulled out of the turning lane ready to forfeit my McDonald's grilled chicken snack wrap.  As soon as I turned, of course, the lights stopped blinking and the arms went up so I did a quick U-turn and got in line to cross over the railroad tracks.  As soon as I crossed over, I realized this was futile.  The delay of five minutes had allowed hoards of high school students to be released on their lunch break.  The line through the drive up at McDonalds was wrapped around the building and extended out into the street.  OK, I put my best Plan B into motion and swing through DQ with the new plan of going to Wal-Mart and picking up a sandwich.  All was going well.  I grab my sandwich, some chips, and a candy bar and head to the checkout.  I was pleasantly surprised that there was only one man in front of me already checking out and he only had three things.  Then he went to pay and he had no money.  He had left his wallet in his truck. Are you kidding me! He left to retrieve his wallet.  I waited and finally got checked out and head to prayer.  All seemed to be back on track. 

As we are talking before prayer began, I mentioned a man who had posted on the prayer site his desire to go on a mission’s trip and then asked people to go to his web site and donate. We have removed one post and he has then posted a new post for the last three days.  Something had to be done because solicitation is not allowed on the site; we discuss how best to inform him.  Prayer begins, and who should God put on my heart to pray for but John (not his real name).  The man I was irked at for continuing to post asking for donations.  Through God’s eyes I saw him completely different.  I saw someone who desperately wanted to go on a mission’s trip.  He desperately wanted to minister.  God didn’t see him as irksome at all. I had caught a glimpse of my guide's umbrella and followed.  I then prayed for John from God’s heart that he would rely on Him and not on his ability.  Then back to Wal-Mart to pick up a few groceries.  Once again I was ready to check out.  I once again picked a line that had only one woman in it and she already had half her cart checked out.  I got in line and then realized that this woman had a coupon for everything she is buying and I do mean everything.  She bought 10 candy bars and she had ten coupons.  And there I stood when the thought floated through my mind; do you see God's umbrella anywhere in sight?  I think I am lost again.  This was the day when I had said I would allow God to be my tour guide. I had asked God to guide me through my day, but I had paid absolutely no attention to His bight umbrella and had forged my own path.  I was in control.

I wonder what God might have wanted me to see at the stoplight while I was busy determining how long I would sit there before I gave up and went on without my grilled chicken snack wrap.  God probably had more on His mind than grilled chicken.  I wonder what He might have shown me as I quickly assessed the situation and drove through DQ and headed to WalWal-Mart I once again forged my own trail and completely lost sight of God and His umbrella.  I stood in line at Wal-Mart not quietly looking for an umbrella that would show me where God was directing. Oh no, once again I had taken off on my own path.  I was actually secretly smiling to myself thinking I had not been praying for patience so why all this practice in patience when what I had prayed once again came to my mind.  I had asked God to be my tour guide for the day and this is where my tour guide had brought me and this is what He wanted me to see. 

Boy do I have a lot to learn.  Instead of my day going perfectly smooth according to my plan and my design, my day may have what appears to be a lot of detours and interruptions but each one will be an opportunity for God to share things I would never have known and to show me wonders I would never have seen.  Tomorrow I will try to do better and keep God’s umbrella in sight, not get lost, and enjoy being out of control.

Celebrate His Love

Back in the dark ages when I was a little girl, Saturday nights were busy.  Saturday night was not for going to a movie, getting together with friends, or sitting back and watching TV.  Oh no, the whole house was on high alert.  Sunday was coming and we needed to get ready.  That meant going down a check list and making sure that clothes were clean and ironed.   I know, who irons today!  It meant finding dress shoes and making sure they were polished.  I know, who knows what polish is today.  It meant that my hair was washed and then my mom would take strips of cloth and hold it against a pencil and roll small sections of my hair up tight to my head and then tie it off.  Sunday when the rags came out my hair it would hang in soft ringlets.  Saturday night was for making sure my mom was ready to teach her Sunday School class the next morning.  Saturday night was a night of preparation and anticipation – Sunday was coming.  So when I read a story about a little boy getting ready for Sunday, I could identify completely.

The story goes that his family was much like mine and Saturday night meant getting ready for Sunday morning.  His mother had asked him to polish her shoes.  He took his job very seriously and took his time to make sure that each shoe was clean and polished. When he was finished, he carefully took them back to his mother’s room so they would be ready for her in the morning.   His mother took note of the work he was putting into making sure her shoes would shine on Sunday.  Her heart was touched by his love and so she decided to reward him and called him to her side.  She looked down at him and praised him for his job well done and gave him a quarter.  His reaction was immediate.  He would not accept the quarter and as he shook his little head and handed the quarter back he said these words, “I did it for love.”

I think of that story almost every Easter as I prepare to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord.  I have spent time reflecting on the sacrifice, the pain and sorrow, the brutality endured by our Lord.  I have often wondered why He would willingly leave heaven and come to earth to suffer and die for me.  I think a little boy who polished his mother’s shoes understood the reason. 

He did it for love!