Momma Don't 'Low...

I have been sleeping with the windows open for a few days now. Fall may be my favorite time of year – the pollen count is down, the temperature is down. With windows open in late October, one can sleep in a cool room without allergy problems or the expense of air conditioning.

On one of those mornings early this week, I went to close the windows as I got up. For some reason, a random thought popped out of the caverns of my mind. I said to myself, “This is one thing I won’t have to do in the earth made new.” Then, suddenly, a line from a song I heard way back in my Neolithic childhood came to mind. Not directly connected to the earlier thought, but somehow my still half-asleep brain thought there was some association. The line? “Momma don’t ‘low no ____ round here”. I can’t remember what it was Momma wouldn’t allow – seems like it was singing and dancing.

The next thing I knew, as I stood at the window in the dark, there ran across my mind many things that won’t be allowed in the earth made new. Works of the flesh, they might be called. Somewhere the apostle Paul lists some of them. There is a similar list toward the end of the book of Revelation, as I recall. As I pondered this, I began to wonder if, in fact, the reality of the list isn’t so much that God “don’t ‘low” it up there, but that with His love dwelling in our hearts, there will be no desire at all for the things written. Murder? If God is love, and our hearts are filled with His spirit of love, there can be no hatred. If no hatred exists, there can be no murder. Envy? If our hearts are filled with His love, and our every need is filled to overflowing, what will there be to envy? Lying? Cheating? Do you follow my thinking?

If you are familiar with that old song which the line came from, you can be sure it didn’t originate in heavenly places. How do we know that? The final refrain went something like this: “I don’t care what Momma don’t ‘low; Cause I’m gonna do it anyhow.”

I then thought, thankfully, it will be so nice to live in a place where what we do will always be in harmony with His will. I really do look forward to it.

Finally, my mind came back to the original thought about not having to close the window when I get up. Up there, I won’t get tired. There’ll be no night. I most likely won’t sleep. So I might not even have a bedroom. But if I do, there probably won’t need to be any glass in the window (if there is one), because there would be nothing to be kept out or in (I’m supposing). I began to see why my heavenly home is beyond my limited comprehension. With that, I shook my head and went off to start the day. It was way too early for such deep thoughts. Choosing a cereal for breakfast would be challenge enough.

Have a great day – practicing here what we’ll be doing there. One final thought – stay away from the sugary stuff. It’ll give your eyes the jitters.

Dr. G

That Was Big of Him

“That was big of him/her/you.” Have you ever heard those words, said in a good way? Generally they imply that someone has had the opportunity to commit an (unrequired) act of kindness and has followed through.

Over Columbus Day weekend my wife and I went to Florida to visit our son and daughter-in-law. While there, they related an experience they’d enjoyed shortly before they’d moved from southeastern Michigan. Some good friends of ours and theirs had taken the two of them into Chicago for a program of some sort. Much of the trip was over toll roads. It seems that the other couple, at each toll booth, had also paid the toll for whichever car was behind them. Random acts of kindness. Being big, in the good sense.

Have you ever heard those same words said in a sarcastic manner? Thus said meaning, of course, that the person has had the opportunity to commit an act of kindness, but out of selfishness or thoughtlessness (Random? Habitual?) had not followed through.

The Bible relates the story of a small man. At least tradition has him being small. He wanted to see Jesus, but couldn’t see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree so he could see. In children’s’ divisions of some churches I’ve heard the song, “Zaccheus was a wee little man; A wee little man was he.” Perhaps you’ve heard it, too.

In the eyes of the Jews, Zaccheus was a little man. In fact, they looked down their noses at him. He was a tax collector, a traitor. You see, tax collectors were employees of the hated Romans. And while they were required to collect a certain amount of tax for the Romans, tax collectors were allowed to collect as much extra as they could for themselves. Legal thievery, an opportunity for self-aggrandizement. So while Zaccheus may or not have been small in stature, in society’s eyes he definitely was small by behavior.

On our way back from Florida that Monday, we stopped at a truck stop/service center somewhere south of Tifton, GA. As I entered the men’s restroom, I noticed a person about the height of one of the first grade boys I serve this year. Not a whole lot over three feet tall. At first I thought it was a boy of about six or seven. Then I noticed the stubble on his face and the earring in the ear. Properly proportioned, but a grown man about as small as I’ve ever seen. He was headed over to wash his hands.

To my amazement, he leaped up onto the counter, lying on his belly. It was the only way he could reach the soap and faucets. He stayed there while washing, feet sticking out into the room. When finished, he went to dry his hands. It was then that I realized that the crank on the towel dispenser was about eighteen inches higher than his outstretched hand would reach. Then I noticed an older gentleman, who’d apparently been watching sort of out of the corner of the eye as I had been. He had already rolled out and torn off a supply of paper towel which he handed to the smaller man. That was big of him.

Random acts of kindness versus random acts of selfishness. Being big versus being small. How will your colleagues and those you serve see you today? How will mine see me? More importantly, how will God see me?

You have quite a load there. Can I carry one of those bags for you?

Dr. G

I Can't Do It!

One day as I entered one of the classrooms I serve, the teacher was presenting a mini-lesson. I sat down to the side and watched. One student, who is not doing
well in class, was not struggling to keep from bothering other students (read it carefully). He clearly wasn’t paying attention to the lesson. At the end of the short session, the teacher started explaining an assignment, to be done in teams of four. Immediately the student I’d been watching blurted out, fairly loudly, “I can’t do it!” The teacher overlooked his statement, and continued with her group instructions.

As the students dispersed toward their assigned work areas, I signaled for the young boy to come over and join me at the side table where I was sitting.

“I heard you say you can’t do this assignment,” I said softly. “Can you tell me why not?”
“I can’t do it,” he repeated.
“Why not?” I asked again.
“I just can’t,” he replied with down-turned corners of the mouth.
“Do you know what it is she asked you to do?” I probed.
“No.” he admitted
“Then how do you know you can’t do it? Sit down here with me and let’s see if we can do it.” I offered.

“The first thing she asked you to do was to number from two through twelve on the edge of the (large) sheet of paper she gave you. Can you do that?”
“OK.” Which he did.

“Next she asked you to think of some things that come in sets of 2’s, 3’s, 4’s and so on. Can you think of anything like that? I know she gave you some examples during the lesson.” (Blank look).

“Do you remember her talking about your face? ‘Things that come in two’s.’ Does anything come to mind?”

And thus we started the list. As we went down the page, he was able to come up with a few things on his own. In many places I had to give some (occasionally, obvious) hints. Three times I had to come right out and tell him. But after about ten minutes, he had something written after each number. Then I asked him to look at his paper.

“Did you finish your assignment?”
“Yes!” The look on his face suggested it may have been the first one in some time to be completed. I admit he didn’t do it all on his own. But he did get a surge of self confidence and encouragement. (The next day as I came in he came running to tell me he’d thought of one for the number thirteen – stripes on the US flag.)

There are times when I review all of what God expects of me, and I think of my abilities and former failures. Know what I sometimes do? I cry out, “I can’t do it.” Or, maybe, I say “I won’t do it.” Or, even, “I don’t want to do it.”

When such times come, I can act like my young friend had done so many times before. I can just throw up my hands, shout “I can’t/won’t/don’t want to do it”, give up, and focus on keeping others from doing their God-given tasks. Or, I can look over at the Teacher, and ask Him for help.

In some cases, just His encouragement will be sufficient. At other times, He may need to prod or probe to bring things back to my memory that have worked before; or He may lead me to new clues as to how to do it. Finally, there may be some things in my life that I’ll end up having to let Him do for me all by Himself. Come to think of it, He has done it all for me (and you) already! If I put my name on the page beside His, I’ll get full credit.

Now for the next one: How many legs do spiders and octopuses (octopi?) have?

(OK… So octopi/puses have tentacles, not legs. It got the point across)

Dr. G

Don't Blow the Horn Yet

This time last week I was still dealing with the sudden news that I was being transferred to another school. As I have a number of times in the past, I accepted the situation as the Lord’s leading in my life, and I still do. However, as soon as the previous Flock message went out I started receiving many expressions of sorrow on the part of my colleagues at Roan School. On top of that, by Friday morning the word had pretty much spread throughout the student body.

As a consequence, on Friday, beginning when I unloaded the buses, numerous children (even some who I’d never taught) came up to me for hugs and expressions of affection. There were tears in a few eyes. It is so hard to say goodbye to children who so openly express their appreciation and sadness. Therefore, I went home on Friday with plenty of fuel for a pity party to be attended by only one.

And while I never did throw the party, occasionally certain questions would crawl across my mind: “Why me, Lord?” “Why now, Lord?” “Why not someone else, Lord?”

Then, early into the weekend, I was watching one of my favorite religious broadcasts on TV, and the speaker made reference to a passage in Isaiah that stopped me in my tracks. I’m sure I’d read it before, but it certainly hadn’t been in my mind recently. Yet I’m sure the Lord had it delivered just at that time, just for me. The passage was Isaiah 43:18, 19, and reads:

"Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. 19 Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it?”

The Lord wasn’t telling me to forget my friends (colleague and student, alike) and the good memories from my former school. Instead, I believe, He was saying, stop pining for what has happened in the past. Don’t even being to think about a pity party. Instead, look forward to the good things that can happen in the new situation. Just think: New situation, new experiences, new good times. That’s my God!

It never would have been much fun sitting in a room by myself wearing a silly pointed hat and blowing a noisemaker. But then, pity parties never are much fun when all is said and done.

Have a great day.

Dr. G