Squirrely

Chocolate Infused Squirrel

Hello Friend!

How was your week?  We had a change in the weather here and are definitely feeling fall’s approach.  I’ve emptied most of the boxes from the move and feel like I’m ready for the new school year.  
Mostly ready.  
Kind of ready. 
Sort of.

A wave of domesticity struck me this week, so I felt the need to bake.  The fact that I don’t know where anything lives in my new kitchen did not stop me.  Instead, I pulled things from the cupboard and stuck them on the floor as I went.  I hunted for my muffin pans and cookie sheets, stacking piles of French white and mason jars all over creation.  Forty minutes into the adventure, I had a deadly game of hopscotch happening across the lino.  By the time the first wave of baking came out of the oven, there wasn’t a counter to be found.  No problem, as the happy owner of a deck, I put the cookie sheets outside to cool.  

That is where I made my first mistake.  The naturalists amongst us will remember that fall is a time when many of God’s creatures are preparing for winter.  As such, the furry beings are harvesting and storing every nut, bulb and root they can get their mitts on.  My garden backs onto a green space that appears to act as a freeway for every squirrel within 15 miles.  At any given moment I can look outside and see at least three of the fluffy beggars.  In fact, one such beast uprooted my basil plant last week in order to store his January lunch in my planter.  Exactly why I thought it would be a good idea to put a rack of chocolate oatmeal cookies outside is beyond me.   But that is what I did.

Not surprisingly, when tea time rolled around and I told my little to grab the cookies from outside, mayhem followed.   “Oh my gosh what are you doing?” was the first shout I heard.  Looking out the window I saw a rather portly squirrel balancing on the edge of the cookie sheet.  Standing in a pile of cocoa and oat dust, he looked surprised to have been interrupted. My daughter was livid and scolded him for stealing her treats.  The squirrel, who was now hovering on the verge of a diabetic coma, roused himself and scampered across the yard and up the fence.  Still furious, my daughter continued to hurl insults at the cocoa encrusted beast.  By this time, my husband and I went outside to quiet her down.  

Hubby and I were discussing my unmerited faith in animal kind when suddenly, a hawk plunged from the heavens and landed on our fence about 10 feet from our heads.  More shouting.  It seems that Mr. Hawk had spied the chocolate infused squirrel on the brink of a sugar black out and decided to chance an assassination attempt despite our proximity.  Blessedly, Chocolate Squirrel had enough sense to jump left.  Hawk missed squirrel and flew to a nearby tree.   I can only imagine what would have happened if Foodie Hawk had managed to get his talons on Chocolate Squirrel in front of my Angry Child.  More shouting and high decibel amazement ensued. I called off tea time and headed inside to pour an adult beverage.  

Not all of my afternoons involve a nature documentary unfolding in my back yard.  When I was thinking it over that evening, I was struck by how human Chocolate Squirrel’s behavior seemed. He was one naughty and blessed squirrel: kind of like some people I know.  One thing lead to another and before I knew it, I was looking through my hymnal to find an old song.  

Unique to Christianity, is the plan created by the Father to save his creation. Sin created a rift between God and humanity that could not be closed by man’s good works.  The Father sent His Son, to pay the debt for mankind so that his followers might live at peace with God.  One could spend a lifetime trying to comprehend the grace of God.  

So amazing is this grace, so beautiful is the concept, that in recent years it has become unfashionable to mention sin in some of our churches.  Questions for self-examination no longer exist in many prayer closets.   Repentance is no longer a part of prayer.  Suggesting a behavior change is thought to be a form of legalism as we are all now under grace.  It is understandable but dangerous.  Stand-out-in-the-open- gorging-yourself-on-chocolate-oat-cookies-until-a-hawk-swoops-down-and-eats-you kind of dangerous.  

Loving God means being thankful for His grace.  Spending time before Him, asking for forgiveness for my failings, confessing where I have been mean spirited does not diminish His completed work in my life.  Bringing my brokenness before him in prayer means I can experience the truth of what I am, the greatness of my God and His unconditional mercy that makes me ever more thankful.  Sometimes the old hymns say it best,

-Jesus Paid it All -

I hear the Savior say,
“Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all.”

Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

For nothing good have I
Whereby Thy grace to claim,
I’ll wash my garments white
In the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb.

And now complete in Him
My robe His righteousness,
Close sheltered ’neath His side,
I am divinely blest.

Lord, now indeed I find
Thy power and Thine alone,
Can change the leper’s spots
And melt the heart of stone.

When from my dying bed
My ransomed soul shall rise,
“Jesus died my soul to save,”
Shall rend the vaulted skies.

And when before the throne
I stand in Him complete,
I’ll lay my trophies down
All down at Jesus’ feet.   
Elvina M. Hall, 1865. 

It's a good song.  

Praying for you this week.

xoxKaren

When Dreams Die

The house was large: I don’t know many that sport a four car garage.   It stood in the shadow of a hill, on a quiet street in a beloved town.  With a price tag of over a million dollars, it was likely to sit silent a while longer.  The lot was empty when I last visited, the house a dream that had yet to be put on paper.  

Residents say the couple moved to their town in order to build their dream home.  Without any real information, speculation and conjecture roam freely.  It should be noted both are deleterious and destructive.  All that is certain is by the time the dream house was standing, the relationship behind it was razed to the ground.  Divorce and relocation followed and now the house sits empty waiting for new love to fuel new dreams.

We walked by in the twilight as the crickets began their evensong, the sprinklers providing percussive accompaniment.  The scene was beautiful but the sadness was overwhelming.  The dream was achieved but the relationship behind it was gone.  

Quotes about dreams are endless, some are poignant and others are pure bunk; google it if you want to invest/waste some time.  I am convinced that dreams are tied in part to relationships.  Though dreaming is a solitary activity, it takes the investment of others to achieve them.  It seems there must be a balance between the two.

Christianese is a peculiar language.  One for the phrases endlessly repeated is life with Jesus “is all about relationship.”  Though true, I find the phrase unhelpful at times.  When I’m in the emergency room, lost in a phone tree trying to pay a bill and waiting for a friend to arrive to take a child to co-op, I’m not always sure what my “relationship with Jesus” has to do with anything. Though when I consider dreams and relationships, my uncertainty diminishes.

Webster’s defines dreams as “an idea or vision that is created in your imagination and that is not real” or “something that you have wanted very much to do, be, or have for a long time.”  Most of the connotations are positive.  We are encouraged to spend our lives making our dreams a reality.  The self-help section is filled with publications on the subject. The notion of fulfilling your dreams and changing your life is popular.  Those who are blessed to see the fulfillment of a dream can experience an elation and satisfaction that is life changing.  It is a rich and rewarding experience.

Not all dreams however, are taken from our hearts and brought to fruition. Many dreams are cast upon the shores of providence and are washed in on a tide of disappointment.  Other dreams die slowly as time and resources are reallocated.  When loss and grief pierce the silver lining of a dream, what is a body to do?  

I’m not certain where in Christianity the monstrous lie of a perfect life starts.  Many believe it is a side effect of prosperous churches.  Somehow we are entrenched in the notion that if we behave properly and honor the Lord, disaster will keep its distance.  Sadly nothing could be farther from the heart of the gospel.  Yet insidiously the belief persists until the storm clouds gather.  When misfortune strikes, our relationship with the Lord becomes strained.  We are faced with endless questions regarding His care, concern and character.  We are faced with the death of a dream and a confused relationship.  It is a heart-wrenching place to be.  

Dear friend, if clouds are crossing your skies could I remind you about a few things about your relationship with your Creator?

He is not confused.  Your heart ache and frustration with him does not cause Him discouragement.  He understands it completely.  He is not angry.  You might be furious and done with Him.  He is not done with you.  His wrath has been satisfied through the cross.  He will shore up the lack you are experiencing. Though you do not know to maintain your relationship with Him, He will see you through, He will remain faithful.  

Your relationship with the Lord is eternal.  Scripture paints a picture in the 49th chapter of Isaiah, discussing Israel He writes, 

Can a mother forget the baby at her breast

and have no compassion on the child she has borne?

Though she may forget, I will not forget you!

See, I have engraved you on the palm of my hands;

your walls are ever before me.

Isaiah 49:15-16

This the heart behind God’s relationship with His people: eternal and unfailing.  His grace is given freely, His forgiveness is given endlessly and is love is given relentlessly.  

Dreams are born, change with time, and perish.  Much like homes they are built, renovated, and disassembled over time. Unlike a dream that exists for a season, His relationship with you lasts beyond the grave.  This foundation gives us the ability to hope and dream again.

I’m thinking of you this week,

xoxKaren