I Want to Resemble My Father

Posted on November 18, 2013 by rstaples2013

This is a picture of me at 10 weeks old. It is Easter Sunday 1943. I found it in a little worn and water stained baby book in which my mother had written down little details of my beginnings. On this page there was a choice to write down whom the baby resembles. If you look closely you will see that I resembled my father.

father

Then there is a page that records my learning to walk and talk.page1

At 8 ½ months I was saying “da da” and then “daddy.” Then I started to say “Papa.” At 10 ½ months I walked quite well. On Feb 20th, 1944, I blew out a match for Daddy who had lit a cigarette. On Feb 25th I tipped a pail of molasses on the floor.

This story is important for me now as 70 years later, I want to look like my Father in heaven.

I want to rest in His arms, look into His eyes, and call Him by names that draw me into greater intimacy with Him. When I talk to Him I want to remind myself that he is mine and I am his. He is my Papa.

I want to watch him and do what he does. I want to listen to him and do what he says.

I know it will be messy. I will tip a pail of molasses again.

But that’s OK because I have a Father that loves me. He loves to hear me call Him by name. He is thrilled that I want to resemble Him.

In fact, He is so glad about it that He sent His Holy Spirit to live in me to make it happen.

Posted in Stories | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Gift of Trust

Posted on November 15, 2013 by rstaples2013

It is amazingly empowering to be trusted.

Sometimes it is the gift of being trusted with news that is so sensitive it cannot be casually shared. To be and have a confidant is one of the deep joys of relationship.

Sometimes trust is releasing power to someone who can act on your behalf. As we age, it may be prudent to appoint a power of attorney. This person will be able to pay your bills, deposit your checks and make legal decisions.  We even need to choose who we would want to carry out our will regarding end of life medical decisions.  The ability to give up control is evidence of trust. We are blessed if we have someone to whom we can delegate these things with peace of mind.

It is also a blessing to be chosen for this role. I am currently learning what it means to be the trustee of my Aunt’s trust. There is an aspect to it that is consuming. There can be no carelessness. Discerning the detail of her will is for me to do and implement. It is irrevocable. The demands of the work are softened by the realization that she trusted me.

The most awesome trust relationship I experience is God trusting me to be the dwelling place of His Holy Spirit.

What really is God trusting me to do?

I know I am called to trust in the Lord and lean not on my own understanding; So, I don’t need to be able to explain it. I simply need to seek encounters with Him that will empower me to live a supernatural life. One in which someone looks at me and says, “Look at the way she loves. But, we know her as an ordinary person. She must have been with Jesus.”

God is trusting me to reflect His image in this world. I am trusting Him to do it through me.

It is amazingly empowering to be trusted.

Posted in Thoughts and Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

I’ve Driven Off the Beaten Path

Posted on November 1, 2013 by rstaples2013

GPS

This is a picture of the GPS in my car. The red line on the left is the highway. The red arrow near the middle is my car.

How did this happen? I don’t seem to be driving on a digitalized road.

(I now know that I was on new construction that requires me to update my maps.)

But the experience is instructive to me because it seems true in my life, as well.

I have somehow expected that faith through aging eyes would be navigated on familiar roads. Instead, I am leaving much that has become familiar and venturing into unmarked territory.

Aging is an invitation for this adventure.

Physical hearing loss can quiet distractions and sensitize us to the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Knowing our time in these bodies has limits prompts us to consider what we are doing with it. Is the road that I have traveled so habitually really taking me deeper into the heart of God. Is this road one that will be compelling to the generations that are following?

I want the time I have left in this body to be one of radical faith. I want the Holy Spirit to be relentless in consuming that which is not of Him. I want to encounter God in deeper ways than I ever have before. I want to wait, like the early disciples, for His power to fill me each day.

I may not be on a well-traveled road. But if it is the road marked out for me it’s the only place I want to be.

Posted in Thoughts and Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

I Need to Hear It Again

Posted on October 25, 2013 by rstaples2013

There are some things that we know, but knowledge of them isn’t enough. We need to hear what we already know.

 

Examples of this are “I love you,” “I will walk with you’” “I cherish our friendship,” or “I love what you bring to our team.”

 

Even when we know these things, we are nurtured when we hear them again. If our relationship is safe and intimate we find ourselves asking for these reassurances.

 

We learn from reading Psalm 35 that David had this level of a relationship with God. David says to God, “Say to me, I am your deliverance.”

These reminders strengthen our faith when we read them in God’s word or sense His voice speaking to us.

 

What promise of God do you need brought to your remembrance today?

 

Tell Him you need to hear it again.

Posted in Thoughts and Reflections | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

No Hopeless Cases

Posted on October 23, 2013 by jroesler728

lamp

I love the Tiffany lamp in my living room. I probably would love it simply because it is beautiful but I love it deeply because I know its story.

This lamp was shattered when it was knocked to the floor. I remember picking up the pieces and trying to reassemble them. I had to admit that with both a bent frame and missing glass the prospect of restoration seemed bleak. But somehow, I felt this lamp needed a chance. So I packaged up my broken treasure, carried it to a Tiffany glass repair shop and laid it out on the counter marked “Customer Service.”

After checking out the various areas of damage, the seasoned appraiser shook his head. “There is no way this lamp can be repaired. Even if we tried, it would cost way more to fix it than it would to buy a new one.”

As I heard these discouraging words my determination to save this lamp grew into a near obsession. Undaunted, I asked, “If I were to try myself, what materials could I use?”

With obvious awareness that I could not be stopped from attempting that which would end in disappointment, the expert brought me some broken pieces of colored glass and wrote down the names of two types of glue that could be purchased in a hardware store. He said I should place the glass into the gaping holes, mix these two types of glue together and use the mixture to create a seam.

I thanked him and rushed to the hardware store with excitement. I remember how thrilled I was to find the glues that would make this project a success.

I worked for hours. I matched broken glass with openings in the lamp. The seams I created were thicker than the original but I actually liked the way they looked. I was able to bend the top frame in such a way that, even though it was crooked, the shade hung evenly.

Now, when friends comment on how beautiful this lamp is, I simply say thank you.But, each time I stop to think about it I remember that there are no hopeless cases.

I love this Tiffany lamp in my living room. I probably would love it simply because it is beautiful but I love it deeply because I know its story.

 

Posted in Stories | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Can This Be Possible?

Posted on October 21, 2013 by jroesler728

I learned this week that my prescription drug insurance does not meet the criteria for Medicare D exemption. This means that if I don’t enroll in Medicare now I will be penalized with higher premiums when I do enroll.

I learned the first step is to call Social Security.

The call to Social Security is answered by a pre-recorded message that explains that due to our government being shut down this office is handling emergencies only.

Does this mean that I can’t enroll? Can this be possible?

I then receive this email from a friend. The origin of the narrative below is unknown to me.

Leaving town Sunday…

bus

Send this to your kids or relatives also so they know what happened to you.

To help save the economy, the Government will announce 
next month that the Immigration Department will start deporting 
seniors (instead of illegals) in order to lower Social Security 
and Medicare costs.

Older people are easier to catch and will not remember 
how to get back home. 
I started to cry when I thought of you. 
Then it dawned on me …. oh, shoot … 
I’ll see you on the bus!

 

Posted in Stories | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Revisiting a Precious Encounter

Posted on October 16, 2013 by jroesler728

encounter

Last night I was “working” at “resting” in Jesus.

A memory from 40 years ago flooded my heart.

I was about 30 years old and in one of those rare seasons of life where my circumstances seemed perfect to me. I was happy. My days were filled with people and things that I loved. 

Yet, I awakened one night to a sense of deep loneliness that could not be explained. 

As I processed this unexpected longing, Our Lord Jesus spoke to me and invited me to rest in a wrinkle in the palm of His hand. I pictured myself settling into this wrinkle and finding that it was shaped in a way that fit me perfectly. I was overwhelmed by a peace that would be diminished if I tried to describe it with words. 

The next morning I told a friend who had been a missionary in Brazil this encounter. She told me of a carving she had seen in Brazil of a little girl resting in God’s hand. She said my story brought this carving to mind. 

A couple of days later I was stunned to get a postcard from a friend in Amsterdam with this exact picture. It was a photograph of the carving described by this friend from Brazil. 

God had spanned space and time to reinforce to me his invitation to snuggle into the wrinkle in His hand that was designed for me. 

I am grateful today that God’s grace reminds me that the wrinkle in His hand is still there and that I am not only welcome but eagerly awaited

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Celebrate

Posted on October 11, 2013 by jroesler728

glass

I bought this glass at Goodwill.  I smiled as I paid $.99 each for six. The reason this was amusing to me is that I had donated these champagne glasses last week when, in an obsessive fury, I filled boxes and bags of things we no longer use.

But, is celebration something I want to hold on to, even on days when my heart is broken?

And how do I sustain my own celebrating heart as I walk alongside the shattered heart of someone I love?

The verses below are familiar to us, yet finding how these pieces fit together in the bordered jigsaw of life draws us to our knees.

Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar poured on a wound, is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.

…you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.

…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

My prayer today is that I respond to my friend with compassion, keep my hope anchored in Him, and celebrate that, I too, am seated with Christ.

I plan to celebrate with ministry friends this weekend. We have seen God’s footprints and we are glad.

I want to learn to celebrate, wholeheartedly, when His footprints disappear.

His Presence is not dependent on my being able to track Him but His being able to keep His promises to me. Amen.

Posted in Thoughts and Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

No More Lutefisk

Posted on October 7, 2013 by jroesler728

My Aunt died this week. She was 91 years old and suffering with congestive heart failure.

lutefisk

 

It is not hard to engage the rational mind and say that this is a blessing, an evidence of the grace of God. Her death marks the last person in the generation ahead of me. I now have no parents, aunts or uncles.

As one would expect, I am flooded with memories of my childhood, when this Aunt loved me as one of her own. Most of the memories are probably too personally specific to be fun for anyone who wasn’t there at the time. But, what this Aunt’s death screams for me is that I have lost my direct connection to my Norwegian heritage.

I don’t know anyone, but me, in our family that understands the spoken Norwegian language.  I don’t know anyone for whom the financially worthless items passed down through the generations will be embraced as treasures. I don’t know anyone who will agree with me that Christmas without lutefisk is a sad thing.

Thankfully, lutefisk is in the Bible: The piece of Cod that surpasses understanding!

Posted in Stories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Too Much to Do?

Posted on October 4, 2013 by jroesler728

In one of our church wide devotions this week http://www.elmbrook.org/called we are reminded, “Noah did everything just as God commanded him.”

As I reflect on the size of the boat and the number of animals he needed to provide for, I am tempted to picture Noah as exhausted. But, as I ponder, I really believe Noah had exactly the right number of hours in his day to finish his work. I am imagining that he slept well and woke up refreshed.

Why?

Because he did everything that God asked him to do. This implies that Noah, himself, did not add to the list, nor did he invite others to expand his assignment.

Honestly speaking, I feel as though I have too much to do today. I have not been careful to filter the origin of the things on “my list.” There is simplicity to what I am learning from Noah: “Just do what God tells me.”

That is all I have to do.

Posted in Thoughts and Reflections | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment