AM I BOTHERING YOU?

Over the last few years, my husband and I have become caretakers for my parents.  Their common refrain is, “I don’t want to be a bother!” They’re sure that they’re depriving us of a much more exciting life. They think they’re doing us a favor by trying to do things themselves (like driving!) instead of asking us. They don’t always tell us when one of them has taken a tumble, or spent several days searching for a lost object, or botched a recipe. They want to appear as strong and independent as possible. As much as we try to help them understand that it is a privilege, a gift from God, to care for them, they still worry about being bothersome to my husband and me. So now I sabotage their worry by walking in the door bearing groceries and start right off by whining to them, “you’re right, you guys really ARE a bother, we could be extreme sporting in his-and-hers barrels over Niagara Falls!” Thankfully, despite weak eyes, ears, and knees, they still have a strong sense of humor.

You know what just occurred to me? I wonder if sometimes I have that same mindset towards God, of not wanting to be a bother to Him by prayer, petition, intercession, or fellowshipping. Do I ever think that I’m doing Him a favor by not telling Him when I mess up, because I suspect He’s probably busier with more important things, and because I want to appear strong and independent? Do I really think I’m making His life easier by trying to handle everything myself?

My loving Father, You already know everything about me and my life, so why would I even consider holding anything back from You, the Creator of all things? Is anything a bother to You, too difficult for You? No. I thank You that I was given the right, through belief in Christ, to be called Your adopted child (John 1:12-13). In this Christmas season, and every day thereafter, I thank You for the scriptural reminders that my Jesus reconciled me to You (Romans 5:10), gifting me with bold and confident access to You, through Him, in the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:18, 3:12).  It is a privilege and a gift from Youto care for me!

Every day, You regularly call Your children to draw near to You. What a relief, and how I praise You, that because of the gift of Your Son, I know that I can never a bother to You!

'TIS A PUZZLEMENT

I will confess that I do not have the to play with any of the massive assortment of mental improvement brain-training games available today.  My brain just does not operate when filling in the blanks of a crossword puzzle, although my 93-year-old mother is very gifted.  She does the hard ones, in ink.  I also believe that the only purpose of a Rubik’s Cube is that of kitty playtoy.  Or doorstop.  Or spider-killer.  And forget about jigsaw puzzles.  What evil person came up with that?  Well, I guess some intensely intelligent being who enjoys reassembling colorful cardboard shards.  I rather envy that person.  But not that much.

When I look at jigsaw puzzles, what immediately comes to mind is that sometimes my life has a tendency to feel like that newly-opened box of teensy pieces.  Seriously, haven’t you ever felt that nothing made sense and there was no way to put the Humpty-Dumpty puzzle back together again?  And even if your life right now is on a calm and pleasant plateau, well, look at this world!  It appears to be breaking apart, instead of self-assembling into a serene place to live.  And try as we might, when we “fix” things, there always seems to be something else askew.  Our life’s puzzle usually seems to be missing crucial pieces.

Ahhh, but there’s something else missing from this puzzle.  The One who created it in the first place (Genesis 1:1).  It’s crucial to remember that He is definitely NOT like me (Isaiah 55:8,9).  He is suffering no “angst” because of the broken appearance of either my personal life, or the world’s hoo-ha.  Why?  Because He is sovereign, and He is in control.  He’s not wondering which piece goes where.  He’s not frantically looking for that missing piece floating in space somewhere.  He’s not chastising Himself for not being smart enough to figure things out.  He created the “puzzle,” whole, in one piece, and sin broke it apart (Genesis 3).

I praise You, my Father, that You know exactly how the “picture” will come together in Your good time, because it is Your picture.  As a result, I do not have to worry about what’s going to happen, how, or when.  Even as all the high-falutin' people in the world attempt to fix everything, according to their plans, I can relax, knowing that You have it all in Your hands (Psalm 24:1).