Short Cuts

Short Cuts

My daughters are all very intelligent, which gave parenting them through their growing years, some interesting challenges, at times. One daughter, who was classified as gifted, was attempting to run verbal rings around her father and I by the age of three and four. By six years of age, her reading abilities were on the level of a ten to twelve year old. At twelve years of age, many of her peers could not understand some of the words she used in her extensive vocabulary. She started her first degree at sixteen and graduated with Distinction at nineteen years of age. 

As a child, my delightful daughter always kept me on my toes. As a homeschooling family, this made life extra interesting.  Her mind never stopped thinking things through and calculating easier solutions to life’s problems. She had her definite likes and dislikes and those tasks most hated, received some of her greatest childhood  ideas in how to escape the job at hand. One day at nine years of age she invested her time into composing a five verse poem on why she hated maths. However, she still had to complete her maths work for the day. She could talk rapidly and with great logic as to why something need not be done.

When my girls were young I taught them the necessary life skills needed in the home, such as cooking, cleaning, washing and ironing. They all learned to iron while young and by ten years of age, they could safely and efficiently iron their own clothing. However, this one daughter disliked ironing. With her exceptional thinking abilities, she set to work to find an easier method to accomplish the desired results. It was a fairly hot day and outside, in our yard, we had some used pavers that had been pulled up, stacked and ready to be used in another paving job. Each paver in the pile weighed several kilograms, and after sitting in the heat of the sun, they were now quite hot. My young daughter concluded that the task of ironing could be accomplished quicker and easier with a well heated paver than taking the time for the iron to be filled with water, plugged in and waiting for it to reach it’s desired temperature. She joyfully spread her item of clothing out neatly on the ironing board and went outside to retrieve her new ironing implement. With great enthusiasm at the  reduced working time, and an easier method, she placed the heated paver on her clothing. Systematically and delightfully she picked the paver up and moved it onto another wrinkled area of her apparel. I had upon the appearance of the paver, uttered a protest at the idea, but my daughter was convinced on the wonders of her soon to be had success, so I had taken a step back to allow her to learn from her experiment. 

Suddenly my daughter let out a gasp of disbelief, which led to a sigh of disappointment. The paver had indeed been hot and heavy enough to allow some of her newly acquired ironing skills to have some success, however she hadn’t factored in the the dust and dirt still clinging lightly to the used outdoor paver. Her freshly ironed attire now sported spots of soil. What should have been, in her mind, a quicker and more effective way to obtain the same results in ironing, now proved to produce a much lengthier process as the garment needed washing and drying all over again.

Short cuts. We all like to do things in a quicker and more effective and efficient way. Some short cuts prove to be a good idea, others are less successful. Do we try to find a quicker and easier method to achieve the desired spiritual results in our life that takes others more time to obtain? When we wake each morning do we want to know God on a deep level and be closely connected to Him and have a life of victory, devotion and faith, yet hope to receive that desired end by just spending a hasty and brief time with God? Do we glance quickly over a devotional book? Do we randomly read some Bible verses while our minds are planning out our day ahead? Do we utter quick prayers and dash to our daily tasks at hand? In our spiritual lives there are no short cuts. If we want to know God and be deeply connected with Him, it takes time, quiet ,unhurried alone time with Him. 

Ps 5:3 In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.

Ps 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God

John 17:3 This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

The Stolen Chicken

The Stolen Chicken

Mandy was a white, medium sized dog with random black splotches. She definitely had some Kelpie in her, but apart from that, she was a mix of a variety of breeds, highly intelligent, gentle and loving. She had been raised from puppy hood and trained by an enthusiastic owner. She could sit, shake hands, have food placed within her reach and then told to wait before she could eat it. She was a well trained, lively and happy, young dog. At 12 months of age, heavily pregnant with her first litter of puppies, she was abandoned by her now, ‘not so enthusiastic’ owner, in the bush near my childhood home. 

Mandy’s survival instincts kicked in and the desire to protect and care for her young drove her to the life of a wild dog, hunting and scavenging for food. Her relentless search for nourishment compelled her to seek out food from the neighbourhood in which I lived in. She became skilled at begging, stealing and knocking over the small tin garbage cans in everyone’s back yards, to scrounge for scraps. Some neighbours felt sorry for her and fed her bits of food, others in anger, drove her away. 

One neighbour, who regularly and sympathetically fed her, decided to follow Mandy back to her den and check up on the puppies. There he found a litter of squirming puppies, all well fed from their mother and starting to explore. He knew that soon those puppies would need homes and he set about to find a loving home for each puppy. Slowly, one by one, they received homes and Mandy kept scavenging. Finally, only Mandy remained, and my family chose to take her in and keep her as our own. 

Mandy was every girl’s dream dog, loyal, playful, loving, companionable and well trained. Our family fed her well, provided for all her veterinary needs, gave her a warm doggy coat in winter and a snug kennel to sleep in at nights. Mandy had a whole new life filled with love, acceptance, a sense of belonging and all her needs  were fully met. Mandy thrived and was content with her new family.

Mandy, however, continued to scavenge, sneaking out of our yard whenever she had an opportunity. We fed her well, but fear led her to beg for food from the neighbours. Mandy grew fatter and fatter, as her soul filled eyes desired more and more edible items. We needed to place a notice on her collar which read “Please do not feed me.” Then there was the dreaded bin nights. Every Sunday night the neighbours all placed their bins by the road for collection in the early hours of  Monday morning. Mandy loved those bins and she knew of the delectable food scraps contained within. Cleaning up the rubbish from knocked over bins was not an activity my parents enjoyed and Mandy was many times kept tightly in the house on bin nights. Mandy had a new life but she still clung to her drive to survive.

One day our neighbours were packing their car with all the needed items for a lovely family picnic. They stacked their belongings one by one on the front porch, to then be picked up and taken to the boot of the car. A small plastic bag held a barbecued  chicken wrapped up and ready to take. Mandy must have smelled that chicken from several houses away. She located the bag placed on their front porch very quickly, and joyfully carried it home, to stash away for the future. Her tail wagged highly in the air and her dark brown eyes glistened with the eagerness of her plans. Then my mother spied her. “ What was Mandy carrying?” She thought. My mother intercepted Mandy and managed to retrieve the bag of goods, and she discovered someone’s picnic food. Up and down the street my mother traipsed, knocking embarrassingly on  people’s doors to discover the owner of the stolen barbecued chicken. 

Mandy had an entire new life, all her needs were met, she was loved, she belonged and she was accepted yet she never fully developed that complete trust that we would provide for all her needs. She still maintained a fear that she might find herself without food one day.  Can we be like Mandy, we have a new life in Christ, He meets all our needs, we are loved, accepted and we belong but we hang onto the worries and fears from our life before Christ. Do we fret about studies, work, housing, finances, or the  future? When problems assail us, are we focused on them in a state of fretfulness? Will we let go of our worries and trust Jesus with everything in our lives? Sometimes just thinking about surrendering all can seem scary. We like to stay partially in control and partially with God. Lord make us willing to be willing. Let us choose to walk by faith and not by sight. Let’s choose to trust in God. 

Prov 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding.

Isa 26:3 You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you: because he trusts in you.

Phil 4:6, 7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Opportunities

Opportunities

Cats have an innate ability to find that perfectly comfortable place to sleep. We have two lethargic cats and sometimes the places they select to snooze can be entertaining; other places I wonder how they could possibly consider them as comfortable. Yet most often my cats choose that one most delightfully soft, warm and cosy spot to nap peacefully. Softness, warmth and privacy seem to be at the top of my pets priorities, when making their decisions. A bed is definitely the preferred location for snuggling and sleeping their days away. 

One of our cats chose some rather interesting destinations to doze the day away. For a short while the deep recesses of the lavender bush was appealing until she worked out that too many of those days found her miserable and wet as she leaped out howling, from under the scented bush, whilst I was happily watering. Lying lazily curled up in the centre of a violet garden created an almost picture perfect postcard scene. Other times she has energetically leaped from the lounge, high up onto a six foot bookcase and slept away her time atop her perch of comfort. The book case was definitely not a good location when she started to consider the possibility of jumping over to the pinnacle of our seven foot Christmas tree! One cat’s unusual disappearance for several days and a reappearance of a hungry, much thinner feline reminded us that cats can locate perfect sleeping places inside our neighbours’ open garden sheds, which can then find them, hours later, locked inside. Then there is always the debate between our two cats over that coveted position under the Christmas tree, sprawled out across the soft carpet, gazing at the household between gifts in holiday wrap. Our cats have slept in boxes, in cupboards, in the ironing basket, on shoes, beside shoes, suitcases of jet setting daughters, wooden kitchen chairs,  snugly before the flickering flames of a fire and spread out on a hot summers day across the cool kitchen tiles. Each location our cats have purposely, thoughtfully and with great deliberation chosen. Cats are rather opportunistic. If a blanket is placed folded, or a pillow lay strewn or a garment tossed haphazardly, it seems that within moments it is found and seized as prize of great worth for the ultimate destination for the day. Cats have an uncanny ability to find that perfectly comfortable place to sleep within minutes of it becoming available to them. Cats never miss their opportunity.

One day I was busy with the ironing and the folding of several loads of washing that had been cheerily flapping in a warm breeze outside on the line. As I took the ironing into our bedroom my phone  noisily rang, creating a moment’s distraction. I went to answer the phone, only to return several minutes later to find, Laura, our youngest cat, already huddled happily on a small pile of ironing. It may have been considered an acceptable and desirous spot if the ironing had been placed in another location. Instead, I had quickly placed the ironing pile on the  very edge of our dressing table and there was our cat Laura, balanced on top of the ironing in a very precarious position. She did not want to miss the opportunity to find comfort, warmth and softness, even if it entailed a degree of danger.

My cats have an amazing ability to never miss an opportunity for that perfect spot to sleep their day away. I pause and stop and think about that. Opportunities!  Do we seize them or do we miss them.   Each day we receive opportunities for many different activities and situations. What about the opportunities for being an influence in another person’s life for the glory of God? Do we, like my cats embrace the moment and make full use of the opportunity? Each day God will give us opportunities to share with others about His goodness and His love. Each day God will give us opportunities to pray for or with others. Do we, like my cats, seek out those opportunities and in full desire make use of them? Why not start your day in prayer asking God to especially give you, and make you aware of, opportunities around you to be a blessing to someone else.

Gal 6:10 So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.

Col 4:5 Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity.

The Cure

The Cure

Fleas! They are tiny and irritating and live in the green grasses of our backyard, waiting for the opportune moment that one of our pets may walk on by. With a single leap of up to 150 times their body length, they attach themselves to our animals as they play in the yard, and  thus fleas enjoy life evermore as a blood sucking parasite. Fleas are the major cause of skin diseases in pets and they can cause problems from simple itching to weeping sores, scaly skin and allergies. Fleas! They are uncomfortable, annoying and they give our pets hours of scratching and untold misery.

Fleas are much easier to prevent than to eliminate. What we see in the environment are only approximately 5% of the total number of fleas. The other 95% live as eggs, larvae or pupae. For effective flea control it is essential to break the lifecycle in the environment. This cycle can take as little as 2-3 weeks or as long as 6 months.A well designed programme is necessary to maintain a flea free environment for our pets comfort, health and happiness.

We purchase a product called Advantage. Four vials come in a small box with a picture of a content and peaceful, smiling dog on the front. Each pipette contains only 2.4 ml of a formulated liquid that is applied to the back of the necks of our itchy pets. Every 4 weeks our pets are treated to keep the cycle broken. However, if the 4 weeks passes and our pets are not treated; within a very short time they again become infested with fleas, the scratching and the discomfort start all over again. 

One would think that our pets would be bounding with enthusiasm at the sight and smell of the vials of Advantage that are applied to their necks, knowing how much happiness and well being will result from it’s application. Alas, however they are not. Our pets, 2 dogs and 2 cats, see Advantage  Applicators as the enemy and not the fleas. Michael and I have developed techniques of stealth, cunning and cornering to be able to apply the vials to the back of our pets necks. Our dogs run and quiver and shake in terror. Our cats growl, bite and scratch. Their enemy, the applicators, lock them into a sense of fear and flight.

Our pets have a misplaced fear. They do not really understand that it is the fleas that give them their misery and discomfort. They do not relate to the pipettes of formula being applied to them as saving them from flea bites and infestations. They fight and resist and they are scared of the one product that can give them health and happiness.

Our pets are very much like us. Sin, like the fleas,  infests our lives and brings us brokenness, pain, suffering and misery, yet the one and only saving application, the blood of Jesus Christ is something we naturally fear, resist and run from.  Jesus said in John 10:10, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Luke 4:18 it says, ”The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised” How Jesus longs to save us, heal us, set us free from sin and give us an abundant life. To His people Jesus mournfully said in Matt 23:37, “how often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and you would not!”

What will be said about you and about me? Are we willing to allow the blood of Jesus to be applied in our lives that we may be saved from sin or do we fear God, and in our ignorance run from Him, desiring to live our own lives apart from Him? God won’t corner us with stealth and cunning and force us to accept the cure for sin, unlike what my husband and I need to do with our pets. Instead God calls gently to our hearts with his love, desiring for us to make the choice. Will you choose to accept His cure today?