Hands and Feet

I can't sleep. And I don't have anything Operation Christmas Child shoebox related to write about at the moment.

So let me share a little pet peeve of mine. Oh, believe me, I can be the queen of peeves and they're the only pets I have so sometimes I hang onto them pretty tight.

This one's just a little one but it has to do with what I call Christianese. Sometimes it seems we followers of Christ have our own language. It must seem like a secret code to those who aren't part of the group.

Phrases like "I feel led to share..." or "I'm praying a hedge of protection..." sound just a wee bit strange to the uninitiated. I mean, there's nothing wrong with those phrases. They just sound odd when you try to communicate the meaning.

Anyway, one that bothers me a little is when we're planning to do something good (in Christianese we call it ministry) or have done something good we say we are "the hands and feet of Jesus."

Really? My feeble attempt to help my brother (there's another phrase) makes my hands and/or feet synonymous with those nail-pierced ones of Jesus? I don't think so. Jesus doesn't need my help, of course, but because He loves me and is merciful He invites me to come alongside Him in the good He does in the world.  But I still don't think my availability makes my hands and feet worthy of comparison to His.

So it's one of those phrases that kind of makes me cringe a bit. Nothing like the hurt in my heart when I hear a fellow believer misuse God's name. But that's another story.

And...I'm thinking right now the best use of my hands would be to get them off the computer keys and maybe over my mouth.

Greener Pastures

Well, on this blog I completely missed December and throttled right into not only a new year but a new decade. It seems just a short time ago we were all considering the possible problems of Y2K and now here we are TWENTY years later. That just shows me once again how small a blip our lifetimes really are in view of eternity. I need to make every day count for Him as time speeds on.

Today I'm out of my Operation Christmas Child roles and enjoying grammy time with my twin grandsons while their nanny is out of the country. This morning they are reminding me of the very familiar idea of 'the grass being greener on the other side.'

These little guys keep their mom (full-time ob/gyn doctor) and dad (full-time pharmacist) and all their caregivers pretty busy so since they've become mobile they spend most of their time in what is affectionately termed "baby jail"--a large gated area in their living room to keep them safe. Lately, though, they need more room to practice their walking skills so they are sometimes allowed "out and about" with proper supervision. The chairs you see here are set up to keep them from escaping into the non-baby-proofed areas beyond.

When the gate is opened and they are first freed from "baby jail" they exult and chortle with glee and begin to rush around and around the kitchen island on knees or with their walker. But before long they are looking toward the forbidden area beyond--those "greener pastures" that look so inviting.

I find so often in my Operation Christmas Child life I, too, am quick to turn my back on all God has given me and look toward greener pastures.

Our team is going into 2020 absolutely amazed at all God's provided for us already this year. By His grace we've collected over 8,300 stuffed animals and this is unprecedented for this time of year. He's given us favor with purchasing huge quantities of really high quality items (two truckloads full, at least) and also provided us with warehouse space and a safe delivery.  We are SO blessed!

I marvel at His blessings...and I praise Him for His goodness.  But...THEN I look at the blessings of other teams and other large shoebox packers and begin to see grass that is greener.

I start to envy those who are part of a church that makes Operation Christmas Child a priority mission and prays together and trusts God to provide shipping costs and then SEES God provide and meet their shipping donation. I start to long for the deals some get with amazing price reductions at stores. I start to wonder why my team isn't growing and why I only have one ministry coordinator.

I forget God's blessings to me and long for more and different ones. Silly me!  Like my grandsons I lose sight of the joys I've been given and descend into desire.

Lord, help me keep my eyes on You and trust You to meet every need of our team in Your time. Help me thank you with JOY for all you do for me and for my team day by day. Help me trust You for more while not forgetting Your provision for the prayers of the past.

Because You DO make me lie down in green pastures and they are just right for me.