The Teacups

Many years ago, an elegant tea cup and saucer given to me as a gift started my love affair with fine china and crystal.  Over the years I collected an assortment of them.  During a visit to Canada I made a purchase, and later, while in Amsterdam, I added to my collection.  Sometime later, England became the shopping spot.

            But upon retirement a few years ago, my husband and I sold our home and purchased an RV to fulfill my husband’s dream of traveling full-time.  My children then became the recipients of my prized collection.  From time to time I longingly thought about the beautiful pieces; however, an occasional trip to visit my kids gave me my “fix” as I looked at the dishes.  A bouncing RV was no place for the delicate pieces.

            After a few years of traveling, my precious mom became ill, and was settled into an assisted living facility.  Shortly after that, my husband and I moved into her house and became caretakers.  I was blessed with her set of china that my brother had purchased while in Germany.  I had promised the set to my daughter, but, for now, I just wanted to enjoy them a bit; I liked the way they spoke to me from the cupboard.

            Then, a recent Christmas luncheon invitation from a special friend, Deborah, brought great delight.  The table was elegantly spread with linens; and beautiful crystal, china and silver graced the table that was equal only to a five star hotel.  Gorgeous roses strategically placed down the center of the table were the crowning touch.  Upon our arrival we were warmly greeted with drinks and hors d’oeuvers; and later, each course that she presented was met with an assortment of oohs and ahhs.  As coffee and dessert was served, I lifted the delicate cup and related the story of my own teacups that were given to my children, sharing my delight at drinking from china once again.

            The following Tuesday night, several ladies came to my home for our weekly Bible study.  When Debbie, another friend arrived, she carried a large package.  She said it was for me to open later with a comment, “You will understand why I’m giving you this when you open it.  It’s something you said at the luncheon we both attended.”  Her smile left me with curious anticipation all evening.  When my last guest departed, I pulled out layers of packing to reveal a beautiful set of china teacups from Germany.  Delicate pastel autumn leaves rimmed the cups and saucers.  I was amazed!  It was then that I remembered the story I had shared of my china.

            This gift from a friend was a symbol of God’s love offered from a generous heart.  It reminds me of Proverbs 11:25, “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” NIV.  No special occasion celebrated the gift; no birthday or Christmas as a reason for the surprise.  Just someone who was observant and allowed God’s love to flow through her.  In fact, both Deborah and Debbie gave to us freely out of  their hearts of love.  Acts 20:35 reminds us, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”  Even though I was extremely blessed with both gifts, I also saw the joy in my friends' eyes as I shared my delight in receiving their gifts.  

            This morning as I write and drink from my teacup, Debbie’s gift reminds me that anytime is a time to share God’s love with others.  This new year of 2012 may offer many opportunities to show God’s love in unexpected ways.  Will we be watching for clues that will signal us when someone needs a special blessing, or a kind word?  How about a couple dozen cookies fresh from our oven for someone who has had a busy week?  Or to our local firefighters or police officers as an appreciation of all they do to keep us safe?  What about an offer to babysit for a weary mom?   

These lovely teacups will be a constant reminder for me to look for opportunities to bless others in the New Year.  I don’t want to be just a recipient, but to be a giver as well.  I want to lay up treasures in Heaven in 2012!

Humble Beginnings

Mom and Dad had lots of stories to tell about their years of growing up in the great depression, but one stands out above them all. 

They were not much more than kids when they got married; Dad was 17, Mom, 16.  A hot June day was chosen to be the date for this memorable event.  There was little money for anything except the bare necessities, so their wedding was simple and small.  To keep the cost low, the nuptials were shared by Dad’s sister and her fiancée; but they didn’t mind the sacrifice because everything else paled in comparison to their love for each other.

Neither couple had money to rent a house, so Grandpa offered them the new chicken coup he had just built to serve as bedrooms.  Fortunately, no chickens had yet come to roost.  A tarp was placed down the center for privacy, creating two separate spaces.  Chicken wire screened the south side of the coop for ventilation, and a tarp hung over the screen for more privacy.  The tarp was rolled up at night to allow evening breezes to cool the hot sparse room.

One evening while the two couples were sleeping, Mom was suddenly awakened by someone trying to open the door.  Discovering the door to be locked, the intruder tried peeking through the screen in hopes of spotting a free meal.  Gripped with fear, Mom quickly woke Dad, but the intruder made a hasty retreat when he discovered people were occupying the chicken coop. 

I still find humor in this family tale, yet it reminds me of another story with humble beginnings when the baby Jesus was born in a stable surrounded by the sights and smells of barnyard animals.  His mother, Mary, was a young virgin girl who was espoused to Joseph, a carpenter by trade, but a deeply God fearing man.  Mary was taught at a young age to live a life pleasing to God, yet she was willing to risk condemnation and possible death in order to be obedient to the voice of God and to carry the Savior of the world.  Joseph, also, willingly faced ridicule in order to gain the approval of God; he was, therefore, counted worthy to raise the Son of God. 

When the time came for baby Jesus to be born, the young couple couldn’t even find an empty hotel room in the town of Bethlehem, so a feed trough in the stable became the crib for the newborn.  Later, they returned to their home town of Nazareth which was a small insignificant community, and probably one of the last places the leaders of Israel expected the Savior of world to be raised.  Many years later, Nathanael so aptly questioned Philip, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”  Philip’s simple reply was, “Come and see.” John 1:46, NIV.

I’ve often wondered why the God of the universe would choose such humble beginnings for his Son to be born.  There were undoubtedly people with higher educations and better financial resources that were much better equipped to raise this heavenly child.  But God wasn’t concerned about any of those things.  Earthly knowledge paled in comparison to his wisdom, and since he was the one who created the world, money was no object for him. 

Amazingly, God chose the simple things in life to confound the wise.  He wasn’t interested in people who would use fame from the birth of this child for their own agenda.  Instead, he was seeking people who lovingly and willingly surrendered themselves to his divine will, even when it cost them their reputations, their resources, and even relationships.

Today, God is still seeking people whose hearts are in tune with his, who willingly lay aside their own desires in order to fulfill his.  He is looking for individuals who want a close relationship with him at all costs.  Isaiah 66:1-2 says “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool…Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the Lord.  “This is the one I esteem:  he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.”

Where will our focus be this Christmas season?  Will we humbly bow our hearts to worship Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, or will we get so caught up in the commercial realm of Christmas that we forget the true meaning? 

As for me, my heart cries out with Mary as she proclaims, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” Luke 1:26-27, NIV.

Which Army Are You In?

            It was late June and we were driving across Interstate 40 in northern Colorado headed for Rocky Mountain National Park.  Mountains peaked the distant horizon while new crops sprang up from mounds of dirt in nearby fields.  Wildflowers flanked the roadside, waving their delicate arms to the sun, while antelope skipped from one miniature hilltop to another.

            Suddenly, the beauty fled as the road ahead of us began to move.  An uneasy chill crept up my spine as I tried to make sense of what was happening.  The movement took on individual forms with legs that moved in sync like an army.  Fear gripped me as I struggled to fight off panic.  This was beginning to look like something from a sci-fi movie.

             The mass stretched ahead for several yards, and I grew dizzy watching the bizarre motion.  This was the only highway within miles, and the map revealed no alternate route other than one which would take us away from our original destination.   Slowly we inched closer, and it became apparent that locusts made up this army of insects crossing the highway.  They were moving steadily, and with purpose toward the next field ready to devour the unsuspecting crops.  They were so thick that the car hydroplaned as we inched our way across this infantry.  Their heads turned in unison ready to attack.

            When I think back on that eerie experience, I’m reminded that Satan is like that.  He has a trained army of demons ready to move at his command, and they have our destruction in mind.  While our society paints a comical picture of a cute little imp with devilish tricks up his sleeves, I Peter 5:8 says, “Be alert and of sober mind.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”  Unlike popular thinking, he is vicious and evil, and entraps those who are deceived by him.  He knows his time on earth is short and that His eternal destination, as well as all his demonic spirits, is hell, so he’s moving ahead at full speed to deceive as many people as possible.  

          What can we do about this threat to our spiritual well-being?  Jesus tells us to equip ourselves daily for the spiritual battle.  Ephesians 6:11-12 says, “Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the devil’s schemes, for our struggle is not against flesh and blood; but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  It also goes on to describe exactly what we are to wear to fight against the devil; the breastplate of righteousness, our loins girded with truth, our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, the helmet of salvation, and we are to take up the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.  In other words, we cannot win this war without Jesus!

            What will we do in our troubled world?  Will we fearfully approach Satan like I did the army of locusts?  Or will we put on the whole armor of God, aggressively attacking the enemy of our soul and driving back the forces of evil that plague our society?  Will we be a wimpy Christian, cowering in a corner afraid to stand up and fight against the enemy who would assault us?  God has left the choice up to us.  What will we do?

            As for me, I’ve enlisted in God’s Heavenly army, and I want to do all I can to defeat the enemy and help to bring victory for the Lord’s Kingdom.