APPROACHING THE TOP OF THE LADDER

Early in my life I decided it was good to try evaluating my life-journey as I went along so I would be sure I had the right goals in view. I wanted to know if my life-ladder was leaning against the right house that God wanted to build of my life.

I didn’t want to arrive at the top of my life-summit with a backpack full of regrets, nor view the future with disillusionment, despair, or dread. It is a jolt of reality to think that I'm approaching the top of that life-ladder now.

At intervals, at least once a year on my birthday or some other milestone event or remembrance, I have tried to set aside time to pray and ask myself specific, searching questions and write in a journal. My answers aren’t meant for anyone to see but God, the Searcher of hearts. The closer I have come to the top of my calendar ladder, the more time-sensitive my self-evaluation becomes. I urgently ask myself:

From the perspective of an average life span, how many physically, mentally and spiritually productive or alert years might I realistically expect are still ahead of me? Am I running out of time? In view of that, on what should I focus as my priority? What “things of the world” or “cares of life” hinder my pursuit of eternal values and sap my time and strength? What could I eliminate or limit? Is there anything significant I am missing in my life? Should I still go for it with God's help or accept its absence with contentment? 

 

What benefits and bonus blessings has God given me in this summit season for which I should specifically thank Him? Is my life characterized by joy and optimism or by complaint, negativism, defeat, or depression? Do I have a grateful, contented heart toward God, or am I frustrated about unfinished work, unfulfilled goals, broken dreams, or unsatisfactory relationships? 

 

Is Christ truly still the center of my life, or am I focused on a cause, a ministry, a person, or my own interests and well-being? Am I satisfied with what I have become and with what God in His omniscience decided to paint on the canvas of my life?

Such questions go to the core of my authentic self, my inner person, my eternal spirit created by God. I struggle over the honesty of my answers and what they reveal of my inner life. My answers stir me to redeem the time God is still allotting me. Some answers cause me to shout with a grateful heart when I see how wisely God is still leading me, especially when I have been prone to go off on detours. Sometimes He lovingly jerks my leash and guides me by His whisper into His best ways. Always I am energized by God’s absolute goodness, love, generosity, and sovereign work in my life.

If I still have a couple of rungs at the top of my life-ladder, show me, Lord, how to keep climbing well.

WHO'S COUNTING?

My 91^st birthday has come with gusto and gone with the rest of my birthdays.

A large stack of birthday greeting cards with personal notes filled my real-time rural mailbox and also my email inbox with digital/audio greetings and singing and phone calls. My doorbell rang with deliveries of several lovely bouquets. I greatly appreciated everyone's thoughtfulness. Then it was out to lunch with family and the evening was topped off going to the movies with a son and grandson—“Finding Dori”—if you'd like to know.

Among the gifts I received is the creatively personalized mug pictured here from a special friend. The inscription on the mug declares “33,237 days old” calculating my current age. It reminds me of the verse, "Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (Psalm 90:12). Translations of that verse vary somewhat. The word “number” is sometimes translated “count” our days. The mug inscription then ends with the question, “But who's counting?”

I knew there must be some gold to mine if I tried to unpack the answer to that question more carefully and biblically. I explored who was supposed to do the counting and the context. “Teach us.” Who is the Psalmist (this happens to be a Psalm by Moses) addressing? The entire Psalm is a prayer to God. Apparently we have to learn to do this numbering or counting carefully and with knowledge if we want a wise heart. But we don't appear to have all the information. We don't know the number of our days, so how can we know if “our number is up”? The number is known only to God—and He has decided that it is better for us not to know. Jesus did let us know our limits: by being anxious, we can't add even another day to our life span. It's out of our control. The exact number is already settled. We can't “count on” many days, many years. In fact, we can't count on having any tomorrow. (James 4:13-15)

The result of knowing how to count right is so that we will be wise in how we spend our lives in view of the “brevity of life” and in order to “appreciate the shortness of our days,” according to some translations. James 4:14 poses the question, "What is your life? You are a mist (vapor) that appears for a little while and then vanishes." If I need another reminder, Isaiah 40:6 and 7 declares, "All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it. Surely the people are grass." First Peter 1:24 echoes the grass metaphor. When we finally arrive in Heaven, we will most likely be surprised by many things, but nothing will amaze us more than how short life on earth really was.

When I was young, I mistakenly viewed my days as stretching endlessly. They seemed almost infinite and so, I reasoned, there wasn't any need to number them or to think about them ending. Many of them seemed trivial, mundane, ordinary, and meaningless. But now, as the days, months, and years have come and gone, I have begun to gain in wisdom and to lean harder on God to teach me the value of each day, to consider each day separate from the next, distinct in its purpose, unique and significant in the way I should live it.

So when I awaken in the morning, am I supposed to literally ask the Lord, “What 'number' is today?” I don't think so. I already know the date on the calendar. God has a different vantage point. He said that each day, this very day, is like a thousand years in His eternal perspective. I can't seem to get my mind around that mysterious concept. I do understand this basic truth: if I am “in Christ” my days will never end for my eternal, God-given spirit even if I put a dozen zeros after the current 33,237,000,000,000,000!

Could this verse imply that God is counting my days too? That He looks at my encounters with the people I meet, the emails I write, the conversations I have, the prayers I pray, the deeds I do? Each of my days counts with Him then! Lord, does it mean that You have recorded this very day of mine into Your Book of Life and given it a number? And that I shall be accountable for what I have done with it? Please teach me to spend it or invest it wisely for Your glory.

My friend's porcelain gift mug can speak! What does it say? It tells me that I should count, that God counts, that each of the past 33,237 days in the past counted, and that each of my remaining days counts. Each day comes to me from God's loving, generous heart. I can count on the Lord to be always available to instruct me how I should live with a wise heart to present back to Him.

My life is God's gift to me. What I do with the days of my life is my gift to God.

OPEN DOOR POLICY

You can walk up and down the hall of the large assisted living complex where my 96 year old friend lives and notice that only one resident's door is open—Sally's (not her real name).

Concern for lack of privacy? No, Sally wants it that way. Any time of the day 24/7 friends and family, adults and (especially) children, and resident staff are welcome to walk in. It is as if there is a Welcome Mat at her door. My friend loves people and people love her. 

I always knock on Sally's door jamb anyway to alert her of my presence. She is settled in her recliner by the window. Since she can't walk anymore and can no longer navigate her electric-powered wheelchair (which she called her "Harley") or leave the residence, she prays for God to send people to walk through her door. So she gives the order to leave her door open. 

Sally makes herself available to the Lord as a candle shining from a lampstand. You might think that you have come to encourage her, but find that she has encouraged you. It may be more common for those in advanced years to isolate themselves, to withdraw from the public eye. Not so my friend Sally.

In a similar way, I try to make myself available to the Lord each morning. I want to leave my door open too. I pray, “Lord, here I am. I come to do Your will. Bring into my life through my openness anyone whom You will—in person, by phone call, email, texting, or by letter or thought, reminder, or impression to pray. I will not regard these as interruptions but as Your appointments. Open my ears to listen to the whisper of the Holy Spirit. 'Speak, Lord, Your servant is listening.' Open my eyes so that I won't miss any opportunity that You bring to me either to encourage or help someone or to receive encouragement and instruction from them."

Why should I repeat this every morning, since God already knows my heart? I think He still wants to hear me say it with my lips or with the words of my mind. I need to reaffirm my availability as a reminder to myself. I drift too easily, become busy or preoccupied, and might miss the less obvious signals the Lord is sending me through the people who come through my open door.

“FINAL” FINAL?

One of the many books I've written and published is *THIS IS YOUR LIFE—WRITE IT! Leave Legacy Footprints. I based it on my workshop teaching on that topic at Writers' Conferences.

I put my fingers to the computer keyboard to practice what I preached by writing *CZECHING MY ROOTS: A Heritage Saga and Autobiography. I was only 77 when I wrote all 450 pages of it and thought it was possibly my “final” word on my life since I had pretty well “been there and done that” throughout my long life.

However, God has had more generous surprises in store. So I kept living and writing and published more than a half dozen more books, most of which were also autobiographical. They include my books on trying to age joyfully, helping other widows, and my LAND OF MORE spiritual journey Trilogy, with at least three more manuscripts in process. I thought each one might be the “final” final—but it wasn't! It seemed that there were sequels to sequels of sequels sort of open end because life kept rolling on and I wanted to be a good steward of God's blessings. I write this in my 91^st year!

It has been a joy to encourage and assist friends in writing their memoirs and I have seen them fulfill their dream of being successfully published. The most recent was editorial help I gave a childhood friend my age who kept sending me one version of her manuscript after another claiming, “Now this version is really my “final” final!” But it wasn't—she followed with more “finals” because she had more things to say, more personal and family events were still happening, and God is continuing to work in and through her life. Would you believe? Her legacy book has still not gone to press at this writing. She is still living it!

What's to learn from all of this? God is eternal and continually moving in our lives, working on conforming His children to the image of His Son, and working through us to touch the lives of others. We are in process. Our times are in His hands. We are not completed, not finished, until we have drawn our last breath. And He doesn't tell us our expiration date in advance. 

When we have finished our pilgrimage on earth, we will continue with eternal life. We will be accountable to God for who we have become and what we have done while living in our "earth suits." We are given eternal life by the grace of God through Jesus Christ and not by any merit or works of our own. However, our works follow us to Heaven and we will be rewarded there—exactly how, we don't know—but that's God's idea, not ours.

Apparently we will also be rewarded through the legacy we leave behind, whether written or simply lived. It will help those who follow us if we do write something and leave behind a family history and a witness to our faith. Perhaps I have written so prolifically and with such urgency because my family members didn't leave anything written, and I so desperately wished they had.

Meanwhile, I keep writing. The bottom line is, I never know if I am writing the “final” final. And neither do you!

****

*These books are currently available to purchase through Leona. Other titles are also listed and reviewed and available for order at her web site www.goldenmorning.com.

JUST FOR FUN

Probably written by our good friend Ann Onymous
 or by her brother Arthur Unknown.

THIS WAS SENT TO ME
I DIDN'T THINK IT UP!

I SHARE IT JUST FOR FUN. NEVERTHELESS, IT SOUNDS LIKE PRETTY GOOD ADVICE—ON THE HUMAN LEVEL, OF COURSE.
 Don't look so serious, hear?

21 Rules For Good Aging

This applies to many of us who are between 65 and death, i.e. senior citizens. Agree or not, that's up to you. Nobody will care....If this doesn't apply to you, share it with some folks that it does fit.

  1. It’s time to use the money you saved up. Use it and enjoy it. Don’t just keep it for those who may have no notion of the sacrifices you made to get it. Remember there is nothing more dangerous than a son or daughter-in-law with big ideas for your hard earned capital. Warning: This is also a bad time for an investment, even if it seems wonderful or fool-proof. They only bring problems and worries. This is a time for you to enjoy some peace and quiet.

2. Stop worrying about the financial situation of your children and grandchildren, and don’t feel bad spending your money on yourself. You’ve taken care of them for many years, and you’ve taught them what you could. You gave them an education, food, shelter and support. The responsibility is now theirs to earn their own money.

3. Keep a healthy life, without great physical effort. Do moderate exercise (like walking every day), eat well and get your sleep. It’s easy to become sick, and it gets harder to remain healthy. That is why you need to keep yourself in good shape and be aware of your medical and physical needs. Keep in touch with your doctor, take tests even when you’re feeling well. Stay informed about your aging body.

4. Always buy the best, most beautiful items for your significant other. The key goal is to enjoy your money with your loved one. One day one of you will miss the other, and the money will not provide any comfort then, so enjoy it together.

5. Don’t stress over the little things. You’ve already overcome so much in your life. You have good memories and bad ones, but the important thing is the present. Don’t let the past drag you down and don’t let the future frighten you. Feel good in the now. Small issues will soon be forgotten.

6. Regardless of age, always keep love alive. Love your partner, love life, love your family, love your neighbor and remember: “We are not old as long as we have intelligence and affection.”

7. Be proud, both inside and out. Don’t stop going to your hair salon or barber, do your nails, go to the dermatologist and the dentist, keep your perfumes and creams well stocked. When you are well-maintained on the outside, it seeps in, making you feel proud and strong.

8. Don’t lose sight of fashion trends for your age, but keep your own sense of style. There’s nothing worse than an older person trying to wear the current fashion among youngsters. You’ve developed your own sense of what looks good on you – keep it and be proud of it. It’s part of who you are.

9. Stay up-to-date. Read newspapers, watch the news. Go online and read what people are saying. Make sure you have an active email account and try to use some of those social networks. You’ll be surprised what old friends you’ll meet there. Keeping in touch with what is going on and with the people you know.

10. Respect the younger generation and their opinions. They may not have the same ideals as you, but they are the future, and will take the world in their direction. Give advice, not criticism, and try to remind them that yesterday’s wisdom still applies today.

11. Never use the phrase: “In my time....” Your time is now. As long as you’re alive, you are part of this time. You may have been younger, but you are still you now, having fun and enjoying life.

12. Some people embrace their golden years, while others become bitter and surly. Life is too short to waste your days on the latter. Spend your time with positive, cheerful people; it’ll rub off on you and your days will seem that much better. Spending your time with bitter people will make you older and harder to be around.

13. Do not surrender to the temptation of living with your children or grandchildren (if you have a financial choice, that is). Sure, being surrounded by family sounds great, but we all need our privacy. They need theirs and you need yours. If you’ve lost your partner (our deepest condolences), then find a person to move in with you and help out. Even then, do so only if you feel you really need the help or do not want to live alone.

14. Don’t abandon your hobbies. If you don’t have any, make new ones. You can travel, hike, cook, read, dance. You can adopt a cat or a dog, grow a garden, play cards, checkers, chess, dominoes, golf. You can paint, volunteer at an NGO or just collect certain items. Find something you like and spend some real time having fun with it.

15. Even if you don’t feel like it, try to accept invitations. Baptisms, graduations, birthdays, weddings, conferences. Try to go. Get out of the house, meet people you haven’t seen in a while, experience something new (or something old). But don’t get upset when you’re not invited. Some events are limited by resources, and not everyone can be hosted. The important thing is to leave the house from time to time. Go to museums, go walk through a field. Get out there.

16. Be a conversationalist. Talk less and listen more. Some people go on and on about the past, not caring if their listeners are really interested. That’s a great way of reducing their desire to speak with you. Listen first and answer questions, but don’t go off into long stories unless asked to. Speak in courteous tones and try not to complain or criticize too much unless you really need to. Try to accept situations as they are. Everyone is going through the same things, and people have a low tolerance for hearing complaints. Always find some good things to say as well.

17. Pain and discomfort go hand in hand with getting older. Try not to dwell on them but accept them as a part of the cycle of life we’re all going through. Try to minimize them in your mind. Don t let such things define you; they are not who you are, they are something that life added to you. If they become your entire focus, you lose sight of the person you used to be.

18. If you’ve been offended by someone – forgive them. If you’ve offended someone — apologize. Don’t drag around resentment with you. It only serves to make you sad and bitter. It doesn’t really matter who was right, does it? Someone rightly said: “Holding a grudge is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die.” Forgive, forget and move on with your life.

19. If you have a strong belief, savor it. But don’t waste your time trying to convince others. They will make their own choices no matter what you tell them, and it will only bring you frustration. Live your faith and set an example. Live true to your beliefs and let your life sway them.

20. Laugh. Laugh A LOT. Laugh at everything! Remember, you are one of the blessed ones. You managed to have a life, a long one. Many never get to this age, never get to experience a full life. But you did. 

So what’s not to laugh about? Find the humor in your situation.

21. Take no notice of what others say about you and even less notice of what they might be thinking. They’ll do it anyway, and you should have pride in yourself and what you’ve achieved. Let them talk and don’t worry. They have no idea about your history, your memories and the life you’ve lived so far. There’s still many new memories to make, so get busy living and don’t waste time thinking about what others might think. Now is the time to be at peace and as happy as you can be!

*****

   (Make it a habit to check Leona's blog regularly so you won't miss some of her more serious posts!)

TIME TO BE HELD

At this particular time I'm in cyberspace touch with several dozen precious Christian friends throughout the country who are undergoing various serious physical illnesses, cancer, surgeries, chemo and radiation therapies, dialysis, etc. Some face chronic illness that seems to stretch endlessly. They have asked for my prayers. I regularly pray for each one by name. Some of them are suffering clusters of “tribulations” all at the same time and are despairing over their weakness to cope with it all. 

They ask, “How can I hang on?”

Just before my lung cancer surgery years ago at the University Hospital in Columbia, Missouri, my relatives with whom I was staying took me to Fulton, Missouri where we toured the Westminster Memorial Library. Their thoughtful intention was to divert my mind from the life threatening major surgery that I was soon to undergo.

An oversize statue of Winston Churchill took up the entire corner of one room when we walked in. A boy about age six and his mother were also looking at the statue. Since Churchill was sculpted in a seated position, the child suddenly took a notion to slip under the guard ropes and climb up on the immense stone lap of Churchill.

"Oh! Be careful!" cried his mother. "Hold on! Don't fall!"

The youngster replied, "If he was real, he'd hold on to me!" Out of the mouth of babes!

Yes, real people care for and hold on to children who get into precarious situations. God is real! He is not an unfeeling, powerless, man made statue. We are His children, and He cares about us. My suffering friends are in a dire place right now in their physical needs. I pray that God will be as real to them as He was when they were in the full bloom of health. When we can't hold on to Him in our weakness, He will hold on to us. We can't slip from His embrace.

No matter how well prepared we think we are for crisis times in our lives, when we are in the midst of physical traumas, we feel incredibly helpless. We don't even have the strength to climb onto God's lap let alone hold on to the Him. We want to act strong and brave. We want to be an example of a believer, one who has it all together. But when illness strikes, we feel like a limp, deflated balloon.

When I was in the midst of my surgical cancer adventure, I fully intended to pray a lot while lying in my hospital bed. I hoped I would be a spiritual example, a witness. I memorized Scripture promises in advance to recite to myself and give me courage. But when the time came, my foggy, medicated, anesthetized mind couldn't recall any of them. I was simply unable to think deep, spiritual thoughts, or even formulate decent prayers. In fact, I struggled to think at all. I was disappointed in myself. I had regressed to helpless, infant basics not capable of caring for or controlling myself. I just had to be quiet and let God hold me close. And that was okay....

Lord, please be “real” to my friends in this critical time of their need. Hold on to them. Invite them to climb up on Your big lap and snuggle up while You put Your strong arms around them. Let them experience You as “Abba, Father.” Let them rest quietly and cease from struggling to act bravely. Cuddle them to Yourself and pull the “blanket” of Your Holy Spirit around them in His role as “Comforter.”

“He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power” (Isaiah 40:29).

KEEPING DREAMS ALIVE

My energetic, beautiful, grandmother, writer-friend Jennifer, age 71, wrote in her current newspaper column about fulfilling one of her sort-of-bucket-list dreams this week.

I quote from her column which she calls, TOP BLOND: LIVING ON THE RUN.

“How long should we keep a dream alive? One year? Five? Until it comes true? It depends, one might say, on how realistic or feasible it is. But, does that really matter? To some degree, it does. Perhaps it really boils down to importance. If our dream is truly significant to us, we will find a way to make it come true. 

"Now that my kidney transplant and open heart surgery are behind me, I feel a responsibility to embrace the second chances given me. One came from love (Dot, my kidney donor), and the other from the skill of a surgeon's hands. Both are miraculous blessings and have afforded me a new lease on life....“The day may yet come when my body, or mind, won't allow me to continue 'living on the run' [the title of her column]. Until that day, I'll be looking for ways to keep kicking up my heels!”

I wrote in her comment space, “I applaud you loudly! As a long-time lung cancer surgery survivor myself, I'm running beside you as we try to fulfill God's 'bucket list' of His individual life purposes for each of us.” I signed it “Your Birthday Buddy,” since we celebrate our birthdays on the same June 22^nd date but I'm 20 calendar years in age ahead of her.”

IN PURSUIT OF DREAMS

Leona Choy

I have some dreams, Lord

leftovers from early years

just hanging there in midair

whose strings I can't let go

some goals that I can't meet

some desires of my heart of hearts

plans I can't complete.

I wonder now—

were they even meant

for fulfillment?

Perhaps some are my own

foolish fantasies

hot air balloons of self

launched from the platform

of my puny pride.

Is my chief distress

that they'll come hissing down

to my embarrassment

without accomplishment?

Then teach me relinquishment

to cut the strings

of those inappropriate dreams

and self-ambitious things

to let them go

and not despair

to surrender them

to Your sovereign care

and be content

to leave them there.

Yet—if perchance the dreams are meant

by Your Divine intent

to come to reality

for Your glory and not mine

inspire me, enable me, my Lord

to pursue them relentlessly

if need be

all the way from here to Eternity!

MY LINK IN GOD'S CHAIN

God has an assignment for each one of His children. 
 “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27). He has a vast Kingdom plan and each of us is like a link in the chain of His purpose.

What a wonderful privilege we have to fulfill our assignment during our brief pilgrimage on earth! We'll see the entire panorama when we reach Heaven and find out the significance of the part He assigned to us. Another blogger (www.wisdomhunters.com) has expressed it well, and I quote below from Shana Schutte:

“God has given many of us assignments we wouldn’t have chosen ourselves. Maybe you have been assigned to singleness longer than you would like, assigned to marriage but you wish you were single, assigned to work with people who don’t appreciate you, assigned to a job where you won’t be promoted, assigned to live in a neighborhood with unfriendly neighbors, assigned to a city you dislike, assigned to be a stay at home mom though you wish you were a working mother, assigned to be a working mother but wish you were a stay-at-home mom, or maybe you have been assigned to childlessness.

 

Perhaps you see your assignment as small. You see it as insignificant. You may even feel like you have been cheated. You may compare yourself to others. You see what they are doing and you think, God gave them a more important assignment.

 

To overcome disappointment and even experience joy, you must look at your God-given assignment through God’s lens—the lens of eternity. You must look past the here and now and consider how your assignment will ripple into heaven, even if you can’t see its impact now. When you have an eternal perspective about your temporary earthly assignment, what seems meaningless and futile, frustrating and worthless can become something sacred. 

 

Could it be that your assignment is more purposeful, more sacred, and more holy than you could possibly imagine? Could it be that the eternal destinies of generations of people could be changed because you are faithful to your assignment, no matter how small? Could it be that God has placed you in your assignment at this time for a reason you do not comprehend? Could it be that you will not see the impact of this assignment you view as insignificant until you enter your heavenly home?

Don’t count your assignment as unimportant or measure its value through a temporal lens, for you will not be seeing clearly. Look at it through God’s eyes, who doesn’t waste the impact of one of His children. All of His children have important assignments—all of them. There is not one that doesn’t matter.“

Throughout our lives God's assignment for us may shift and adjust with the circumstances of life. I'm not responsible for the whole chain, only for my link. Lord, help me humbly understand its significance and with Your help as my Master Teacher fulfill my assignment in Your classroom successfully.

A WEIGHTY MATTER

This is the way I heard the story: Someone was trying to make a point about the negative consequences of hanging on to a burden or problem too long. 

He raised a glass partly full of water over his head. Everyone expected him to ask the classic question: “Is the glass half empty or half full?”

Instead he asked, "How heavy is this glass of water?" Answers ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

He replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not really a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll probably have to call an ambulance. I will be ready to collapse. My entire body and mind will be severely affected. In each case the weight remains constant, but the longer I hold it the heavier it becomes."

He continued, "and that's the way it is with the stress of our problems. If we carry our burdens for a prolonged duration, sooner or later they become too heavy to bear. As with the glass of water, you have to put it down and rest before picking it up again. When you're refreshed, you can carry on with the problem, if it's still unresolved. At least at the close of each day, lay all your burdens down. Don't carry them through the night.” 
 
Isn't there a better solution? We need to be rid of the burden entirely, not simply pause to take it up again. Jesus said, “Come unto Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest....My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Scripture instructs, “Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you.” It's better not to carry our burden at all. As soon as we become aware of it, cast it on the Lord and let Him shoulder it.

Why do I insist on carrying my own burdens? I am like a man who is carrying a literal heavy load that almost weighs him down. He gets into an elevator and instead of putting down his burden while he ascends to his destination, he continues to embrace it, staggering under its weight, as the elevator takes him upward.

We deceive ourselves if we think that we are wise enough to solve our problems or strong enough to keep bearing them indefinitely. Pride may be behind our reluctance to hand our burdens to God. As the hymn writer correctly composed, “Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.”

THOUGHTS ON THE FRUITS OF SOLITUDE

I got to thinking about solitude, aloneness, loneliness, isolation, apartness, and privacy. Each has some unique difference. Sometimes it is a matter of choice, sometimes it is enforced. Each reflects some positives and some negatives. I will reflect on only two: loneliness and solitude; the others fall in place.

No one of us was made to be alone for long. At creation, God said, “It is not good for man to be alone.” Loneliness is an unwelcome separation from human interaction. It is often separation from a specific person. There is acute loneliness and there is chronic loneliness. It is similar to a disease without physical symptoms. One can suffer with loneliness if it has not been chosen. It is a bleak sensation within one's self. It is as if one is walking alone through a world of other people's friends. One can be lonely while surrounded by a crowd of noisy people. Sometimes it is a temporary condition with a ready exit. The door out is a genuine concern for other people. Lonely people tend to feel sorry for themselves; they spend their time “gazing at their own navel.”

Solitude is a chosen form of isolation and is more positive than negative. Simply because one is alone doesn't mean that one is lonely. Some people are natural solitaries, content and at peace with their own company. Writers, artists, and composers require more solitude than most. They need time to think, to ponder, to reflect—creativity blossoms in solitude. It is not to be avoided. It is a healthy environment within which both depth and growth come to the human spirit. It is not usually associated with sorrow but with happiness.

It makes a good deal of sense to practice solitude often, especially during the prime years of life when noise and activity are the norm. One needs time for quiet reflection or else the traffic of life can overwhelm. We are social by nature and there must be a balance. But I bring a better self to meet and live and be with others when I come to others out of the experience of solitude.

Best of all, I can find God in solitude. Through the ages many men and women of faith have turned to solitude. Something deep in the human spirit yearns to be alone with one's Creator, to be in communion with God. Especially to listen to God in silence. We become aware of eternal things in solitude. God is there in our loneliness too, waiting for us to open the door to Him. We must invite His presence. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you,” the Scripture says.

I am not alone in my solitude. Out of my solitude rises prayer for others—those I love, those who have gone before, all who have ever lived, and those yet to come. They all are Yours, Lord, they are somehow here with me when I am with You. In Your eternal mystery, we are part of one another.

BUTTERFLY PRAYING

I’ve found that sometimes God wants to interrupt my customary prayer agenda by leading me to pray for someone or something else—perhaps a person or situation I haven’t even consciously thought about. 

There are many ways of praying from formal and liturgical community prayer to personal mental and silent prayer and simply informally lifting one’s spirit to God. All are valid ways of touching the Divine.

The Holy Spirit seeks people through whom He can pray. How awesome that He would want to literally pray through me! So then I shouldn’t restrict the Holy Spirit, but let Him rise up within me and “pray aright.” Scripture tells us that the Spirit takes our simple prayer through the mediation of Jesus directly to our Heavenly Father. In the process, the Spirit apparently has the liberty and authority to reshape my prayer to conform to the will of God—in case it may need some editing—because Saint Paul reminds us that we really don't know how to pray (Romans 8:26-28).

Jesus said that one of the assignments of the Holy Spirit is “to bring things to our remembrance.” He may draw my thoughts here and there as I wait quietly listening to God. That is not necessarily a distraction—it is an exciting adventure! I call it “butterfly praying.” I allow Him to direct my prayers, like a butterfly, to light upon some specific person or need because God “knows the mind of the Spirit.” In fact, I may not even verbalize the prayer formally. The Holy Spirit may just flash someone's name into my consciousness. 

What’s in a name? Everything! A name is a person’s unique identity on earth and also in heaven. I don’t think God has any problem sorting out the one “John Smith” for whom I am praying from possibly thousands of John Smiths who are alive now or who lived in past centuries.When I simply mention a person's name or his need mentally in my spirit, I believe the Spirit runs ahead to bring my request properly formed to Father God in the Name of Jesus. 

The Holy Spirit knows precisely what God wants to happen in His Kingdom so I want to be available and obediently attentive to listen and respond to His leading. His creative ways are endless. My availability and obedience are the key to unlock this process of prayer. I don’t have to be a super-spiritual person in order to sense the promptings of the Holy Spirit, nor does it require some mystical experience, vision, or ecstasy. I qualify to receive His impression simply because I’m His child, one of His chosen ones through whom He wants to carry out His will and dispense His blessings to others. Jesus said, “My sheep know My voice and they follow Me” (John 10:4). With experience I should become ever more sensitive to discern and heed God’s voice.  

The Holy Spirit wants to “hover over” (Hebrew: rachaph), move upon, brood over, birth something, to release His power upon a person or situation. What a privilege to cooperate with Him! As His ready instrument, I need to keep my own spirit open so He can direct my prayer precisely to His ordained target. Saint Paul calls it “praying without ceasing.” This is not a “mission impossible” or rigid obligation, but a step into the flowing river of God’s will to let His current take me to His destination. I should be “on call” and attentive to the Holy Spirit’s promptings not only during my scheduled prayer time but throughout my day and even in my unaware state while sleeping. 

There are times of urgent need when we do persevere in prayer with intensity, passion, and fervency. However, I think I’ve discovered an additional little secret treasure which Saint Paul tucked into his letters. Listen carefully: “[I] do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering [making mention, in other versions] you in my prayers” (Ephesians 1:16). “For God is my witness…that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers” (Romans 1:9). “We give thanks to God always for you all, constantly mentioning you in our prayers” (1 Thessalonians 1:2). Philemon 4 echoes that expression. The brief, momentary lifting of Paul’s spirit and mind to the Lord on someone’s behalf seemed to be one of his prayer habits. 

Mentioning in prayer is like a butterfly lightly flitting from one flower (person) to another and spiritually pollinating each with God's mercy and help and encouragement and healing. Like a butterfly, I can disperse God’s power and blessings around. 

“Mention” is defined as “referring to briefly, incidentally speaking someone’s name, calling someone or something to mind, remembering.” It comes from mnemoneuo in Greek. Because God is a mind reader and a heart monitor, He knows our intentions already as well as the needs of those for whom we pray. We don’t have to spend time rehearsing every detail to Him. The mere mention of a name, or visualizing someone’s face, or a thought crossing our minds is intercession—a form of mental prayer. The oral shaping of words into audible speech is only one of many ways of praying. We can speak to God with our hearts silently. And we can listen to Him speak to us in silence.

The repentant thief from his cross asked Jesus, “Remember me [mention me] when You come into Your Kingdom.” When I need someone’s prayers, the very best I can ask of them is, “Please mention me to the Lord!”  I thank God for my "butterfly praying" friends!

“THANKS FOR THE MEMORY...”

An ad on TV for some kind of pharmaceutical to prevent or cure memory loss, or at least slow it down, began with the declaration, “Your memories make you who you are!”

Just a minute, not so fast! Is it a given then, that when memory begins to fade or disappears down Memory Lane, or wherever memory gets lost, that you are LESS of who you are? Or that you are no longer who you were? That you are heading toward being marginalized or forgotten by others or less esteemed? Does dementia or Alzheimer’s take away your value in the sight of God? That all that transpired in the past which you can no longer remember doesn't count when the Records are open in Heaven?

That can't be so! God forgets nothing—except our confessed, forgiven, absolved, and “cast into the depths of the sea” sins. Those He remembers no more. Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice to remove our sins as far as the east is from the west. Who we are, what we have become, and what we have done is forever etched on God's memory and will be rewarded whether we can remember all or none of it.

Diminishing of memory is subtle and sneaks up on us ever so stealthily. First, we might start having “senior moments” when names of familiar people or places or things begin to escape us. Then we can't recall what we had for breakfast. (That's not important anyway, is it?) All the above is not necessarily the sign of a disease. 

To use some computer analogy, it might simply be that through the years we have accumulated so much in our “hard disk” that our minds are in overload and we are just “deleting” some of the “trash” or trivia that we don't need anymore. Perhaps it's a matter of making more room for important information of the eternal kind. We may just need “rebooting.” Or to pay better attention to our nourishment and ramp up our quality or quantity sleep. In any case, our memory doesn't suddenly disappear into thin air to be gone forever.

For those of us who are not experiencing memory slippage—YET—let's be understanding, patient, loving, and forbearing with those who are. They still are who they always were, precious to God and to us. And let's express our appreciation to the Lord and say “Thanks for our memory,” for our eternal spirit given by God when He breathed the breath of life into us. That's where our memory is located forever and forever. In the presence of God in Heaven all that is stored will be recalled and accounted for—and rewarded. Nothing is irretrievably lost.

THANKS FOR GOD'S MEMORY

Leona Choy

It's incredible how much I've forgotten

although when I did it

said it, saw it

wrote it, heard it

all was fresh and plain and clear

and I never had a fear

that I wouldn't be able to recall it

at will.

Some things I'd rather forget:

unpleasantries and failures

hurts to me and mine

and the pain I've given others

my sins, open or secret

displayed plainly

and etched indelibly

in the storage disks of my mind.

MAJESTIC MASTER OF ALL SYSTEMS

IN HEAVEN AND EARTH, ALMIGHTY GOD:

You are far beyond my word processor

which conveniently and without error

electronically recalls

ALL that I program into it

whether good or bad, trivial or trash

glittering gems of eloquence

as well as typos or blatant errata

even untruths and gibberish.

O DIVINE WORD PROCESSOR GOD

I esteem and appreciate

the compassion and mercy

of Your awesome memory process

to remember no more my transgressions

placed beneath the Cross.

I bless You for their loss for eternity

in the depths of the sea

removed from your display

as far as the East from the West!

Undeserving and unworthy

I applaud Your infallible memory

to remember forever

to record perfectly

and reward in eternity

my deeds done and words spoken

in Jesus' name

cups of cold water given

visits to the sick and the prisoner

an inn and care provided

for a battered one

the perfume of my praise

lavishly anointing Your feet.

MY THANKS FOR YOUR MEMORY!