Contentment

I suppose anyone with a pet has the desire of wanting the ability to have better communication with their little friends. Our relationship with our pets seem to be rocking right along without any problems and then we come home to find the flower beds uprooted and holes dug all over the lawn, or walk inside to discover what looks like a miniature tornado has passed through the interior of our house. They certainly don’t start purring and rubbing against your leg or stand there looking at you with their tail wagging asking for approval for what they have done. On the contrary, for if they have been disciplined in the past they generally tuck tail and cower away to get as much distance between you and them as possible. As you cool off you begin to wonder why, you probably start talking to your pet like a child, actually expecting an answer. Pet owners have to figure out what the complaint is all about and adjust for it. I know for me it’s a lack of attention and exercise that sets my little one off and she definitely expresses her displeasure in very noticeable ways. Some more of those growing pains.

A rabbit, a mouse and a chicken all took up residence together. They worked up a very good plan wherein all of them shared in the workload. The rabbit cooked the meals, the chicken brought in the firewood and the mouse acquired water from a nearby brook. They were all very happy. One day as the hen was going into the woods to collect firewood, she was approached by a busybody crow. He inquired as to what she was doing. Upon hearing her responsibilities he began to tell her how the rabbit and the mouse were taking advantage of her by doing the easy work. She just could not rid her mind of this discussion. On her way home she grew angry thinking how she was being abused by her roommates. She made up her mind to do something about it. Arriving at home she started complaining about her workload, “It’s not fair that I always have to do the hardest work. Why don’t we switch things up?” Well, a heated discussion ensued and the other two decided that they were also doing the hardest work and that a change would indeed be the best solution. As discontentment will do, it had spread from the chicken to the others. Now they were about to change their lifestyle with which they were very satisfied. The rabbit would get the firewood while the mouse cooked and the chicken brought the water. As the rabbit hopped into the woods to get the firewood, a fox saw him and followed him, until he got the chance to catch and eat the rabbit. The chicken took the pail to the brook and dipped it into the water. The current however was too strong for her and it pulled her under. The mouse sat at home on the edge of the pot of stew he had made and waited for the others to arrive. Sitting there he dosed off, lost his balance and fell into the pot. The, dreadful, end.

[Philippians 4:10-13; Proverbs 26:20-21] It all began as discontentment with life. It ended with all of them losing their life. Paul wrote: “…I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation. …I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Don’t get me wrong here. Change can be good, but if it is to benefit you alone, it could destroy everything around you. Sometimes we have to learn to live with some circumstances of life. The next time you complain about something, don’t be so ready to cause upheaval. Express your opinion without heavy opposition and the willingness to listen to others. I’m still trying to learn this very difficult lesson myself.

Understanding Takes Time

I had been without a dog around the house for years and insisted that if I do get another dog it would be one off the street or from a shelter. I just decided I didn’t need the hassle of potty training and the chewing up of everything in sight while cutting teeth. But I have to tell you my wife and I are so happy seeing our Chihuahua grow and mature over the past nine months. She came to our home a two pound dynamo power-puff of fur that had to be caged and taught how to control herself. Like I’ve said before, it’s like raising another child at an accelerated rate. She came into heat about eight weeks ago and everything changed. She became mopey, irritable and disagreeable. She would eat like a horse a few days and then wouldn’t eat a bit for days. She would be active as a hamster one day and hibernate the next. I was constantly worried something was wrong with her but the internet assured me all this was normal. I know one thing; I’m not doing this every six or eight months. So off to the vet we went; snip, snip, tie, tie, no puppies and no more cycles to deal with. Two weeks later I have a new dog. She’s obedient and has a renewed spirit of puppy-ism. Now that’s what I’m talking about and I’m glad I got her as a puppy. At four and one half pounds she’s a lot of fun.

As children grow and mature they don’t always get everything they’ve learned exactly right. * Billy and his father entered the cabin late in the evening on their first day of vacation, leaving the lights off until they were completely inside to keep from attracting pesky insects. Still, a few fireflies managed to get in. Noticing them Billy exclaimed, “It’s no use dad. Now the mosquitoes are coming after us with flashlights!” * A second grader came home from school and said to her mother, “Guess what? We learned how to make babies today!” Mother, more than a little surprised, trying to keep her cool, “That’s interesting,” she said, “how do you make babies?” “It’s simple,” replied the youngster. “You just change the ‘y’ to ‘i’ and add ‘es’.” * After putting her visiting grandchildren to bed, grandmother changed into old slacks and a droopy blouse then proceeded to wash her hair. As she heard the children getting more and more rambunctious, her patience grew thin. Finally, she threw a towel around her head and stormed into the bedroom, putting them back to bed with stern warnings. As she left the room, she heard the three-year-old say in a trembling voice, “Who was that?”

[Romans 6:3-4 & 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 4:17-5:21] “…all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death …buried with him …in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead …we too may live a new life. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! …offer your bodies as living sacrifices …Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Most people in this world will at some time wrestle with themselves over their physical and spiritual well-being, wondering how they fit together or even if they could, or should. Too many attempt to solve this by adjusting their environment, generally by changing their geo-location, advancing their education, changing jobs, drugs, alcohol, etc. I can stand up and testify, one cannot settle a restless spirit by working on it physically. It is only through the Word of God, feeding the spirit nutritional truths, does real growth occur. Don’t give up on God. Spiritual maturity and understanding takes disciplined time.

More is Expected of Father's

It is said that men are basically happier than women. There is a lot of evidence to support the theory. Besides, what do you expect of such simple creatures? *Your last name stays the same throughout life. *The garage is all yours, except for the lost space for a washer and dryer. *Wedding plans take care of themselves. *Wedding dress - $5000; Tuxedo - $100. *Chocolate is just another snack. *You can never get pregnant. *You can wear a white tee-shirt to the water park or you can wear no shirt at all. *Car mechanics tell you the truth. *You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is “too icky”. *You don’t have to stop and think which way to turn a nut on a bolt. *Wrinkles add character. *People never stare at your chest when in conversation. *One mood all the time. *A five day vacation requires one suitcase. *You can open all your own jars. *Three pairs of shoes are more than enough. *Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack. *If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend. *You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness. *The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades. *You can play with toys all your life. *You can “do your nails” with a pocket knife. *One wallet, one pair of shoes and one color for all seasons. *Christmas shopping takes twenty minutes. *Shaving is an option and a mustache is acceptable. *You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes. *Your belly usually hides your big hips. It’s an uncomplicated “get ‘er done” way of life.

[Psalm 127 & 128] (From the “Easy-to-Read Version” World Bible Translation Center; Ft. Worth, Texas). “If it is not the Lord that builds a house, the builder is wasting his time. If it is not the Lord that watches over a city, the guards are wasting their time. It is a waste of time to get up early and stay up late, trying to make a living. God cares for the people he loves, even while they are sleeping. Children are a gift from the Lord. They are a reward from a mother’s body. A young man’s sons are like the arrows in a soldier’s arrow bag. A man that fills his arrow bag with sons will be very happy. That man will never be defeated. His sons will defend him against his enemies in public places. All of the Lord’s followers are happy. Those people live the way God wants. You will enjoy the things you work for. You will be happy, and good things will happen to you. At home, your wife will be like a fruitful grape vine. Around the table, your children will be like olive trees you planted. The Lord will truly bless his followers this way. I hope the Lord blesses you from Zion. I hope you enjoy the blessings in Jerusalem all of your life. And I hope you live to see your grandchildren. Let there be peace in Israel!” Men do lead a simple, happy, care-free, purpose-driven life with a lacked relationship with God. But, God says, a husband and father is not expected to live this way. I can stand up and admit to being a typical male and wanting to do it my way in my younger days and with a guilty conscience, knowing what I know now, confess to too many mistakes in family life. God says let me be the center of your family life and there will be peace in the family. Husbands and fathers must stop trying to be stand-alone leaders (dictators) of the family. When fathers teach as God fearing leaders, children become individuals who obey father, mother and God. Children will become God-fearing, loving, productive citizens of the world. Father’s don’t have to spoil their family. Let God do the blessing and spoiling in His way.

It's More Than A Race

Just when I thought it was safe to let my guard down a little while sending and receiving e-mails, I found out that there is a virus going around that even anti-virus programs can’t cure. Like the West Nile Virus, one can catch from mosquitoes, the computer version called the Third Nile Virus can actually be passed to humans through computer use and it only seems to affect those born before 1965. Scary huh? The symptoms are: *Causes you to send the same e-mails twice; *Causes you to send blank e-mails; *Causes you to send e-mails to the wrong person; *Causes you to send e-mails back to the person who sent it to you; *Causes you to forget to attach attachments; *Causes you to hit “SEND” before your finished with your message; *Can cause you to hit “DELETE” instead of “SEND” and *Can cause you to hit “SEND” when you should have hit “DELETE”. This new virus has been dubbed the C-Nile Virus, and I believe this could explain a lot of things going awry at my keyboard lately.

After attending our grand-daughter’s High School graduation, my wife and I became engaged in the inevitable discussion of, “How on earth are these young people going to make it in this world today?” After exploring money, housing, college, automobiles, marriage and so forth, I simple said, “They’ll find a way.” I concluded that our parents probably had the same concerns, and said the same things about us when we were exercising our wings preparing to leave the nest; and our parents, parents probably said the same thing; and their parents and their parents; perhaps all the way back to Adam. Some things never change, just the people participating. That reminds me of something. The circle of life was explained to me the other day. First we are children to our parents; then we become parents to our children; next we become parents to our parents; and finally, we become children to our children. It makes perfect sense to me, but then again it could be irrational thinking on my part, having to deal with this computer virus. I’m more concerned about what society is doing to me in ten years.

[Psalm 8; Hebrews 12:1-13] “When I consider heaven, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?” In the great big scheme of it all, who am I, that God cares so must for me he sent his Son to save my disobedient miserable soul from eternal damnation? If you know me, you know I love auto racing, because it’s a lot like life. Day after day seems like lap after lap as we run the race of life. And it’s not a sprint to the finish. No, it’s an endurance race. There’s a lot involved to run either type of race. Although you may say, “It’s my race”, many people are involved in your race. Watching a race is easy to do, but running the race is totally different. As a participant every lap (day) is different and filled with hundreds of decisions to be made. Some decisions are repetitive and easy to make, then something different looms, forcing quick management and decisions to be made. Like that race car driver, we must stop for help every once in a while. We need someone to help refuel and refresh us, to encourage us to get back out there even thought our day isn’t the greatest and we’re laps behind everyone else. God says, let me help. He sent his Son to bear the burden of our sins and lighten the loads of life. Even when we get lost in our C-Nile ways, God is waiting at the finish line for those who finish the race with a persevering heart of love.